“You are pleasing me. Very much.” He repeated the slow roll of his hips.
Determined to bring him equal pleasure, she tightened her grip and stroked upward in a long, hard pull. He shuddered against her, and she smiled triumphantly. Two could play that game.
He must have read the challenge in her smile because he grinned as well and grabbed her hips again. She started to freeze, but his hands were gentle, and he only used his grip to rub her clit against his cock, sending pleasurable shock waves through her body. Stacking both hands on his shaft, she alternated strokes, feeling him harden even more and increasing the pressure against her own body.
Her breath came in rapid pants, and her body tightened, on the verge of orgasm, but she was determined to bring him with her. She increased the pace of her hands, tightening them as much as possible around the increasingly firm length of his cock. Every muscle in her body locked as her climax roared toward her, and she knew she was going to lose this battle, but then a stream of liquid, hotter than the surrounding water, covered her hands just as the pressure against her clit sent her flying.
She clung to him as her body convulsed, her channel grasping on emptiness. The swollen ridge at the base of his cock, now twice as large, throbbed against her clit, prolonging her orgasm until her body finally went limp, and she collapsed against his chest.
“Very pleasurable,” he murmured, and a startled laugh escaped her lips.
“You can say that again.”
“Very pleasurable,” he repeated obligingly. “I find I approve of this expression of yours.”
“That’s not exactly what—you know what, never mind. It was definitely worth saying twice.”
She looked up to smile at him, and the expression on his face took her breath away. She expected to find him amused or satisfied. She didn’t expect to find him regarding her with what looked like tenderness. Their eyes locked, and then she panicked, scrambling hastily off his lap. He made no attempt to stop her as she rushed to the steps.
“I’m just going to dry off and put this outfit away, along with the others. I took over some of your storage space—I hope that’s all right—but you don’t seem to be using it, so I thought you wouldn’t—”
“Isabel.” His deep voice interrupted her babbling. “I will not try and keep you here, but you do not need to run away.”
“I’m not running away,” she said quickly, lifting her chin.
He didn’t respond, still watching her with that unsettling tenderness.
“Well, maybe a little,” she admitted. “I just need some time to think.” She headed for the door as she spoke.
“Take all the time you need. If my presence disturbs you, I will be leaving shortly.”
“Leaving?” His words stopped her at the door.
“Yes. I have another fight this evening.”
“But that’s two in one day. And you’re hurt.”
“I told you that it was just a flesh wound. Look. You can’t even see it anymore.”
Forgetting her desire for a hasty departure, she returned to the edge of the pool. He was correct—she couldn’t see the wound any longer—but she still knew it was there.
“Do you have to fight tonight? Can’t you give yourself another day to heal?”
“Not if I want to be sure and meet my numbers. But don’t worry. The match will be with an inexperienced fighter and will be over quickly.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Very shortly. I want to go through some exercises before it’s time to enter the arena.”
“But aren’t you even going to have something to eat?”
“I will take a protein supplement.” He studied her face. “But perhaps I can have that here while you eat your meal. Would that please you?”
Yes. Their encounter might have confused her, but she wasn’t ready to let him go off to the fight.
“I don’t like eating alone,” she said as casually as possible, but from the look on his face, she hadn’t fooled him.
“Then I will stay,” he said gravely.
“And I’ll get dressed.” Her mind a confused whirl of emotions, she fled the room, and this time, he didn’t call her back.
Baralt watched Isabel leave the bathing room, satisfied that they were making progress. His body was limp and contented, although the ridge around the base of his cock was still swollen and aching. But more importantly, she had responded to him once again. She had even initiated the contact between them.
He hadn’t asked her, but slaves were common to most fight pits and he had witnessed the damage wrought by the slavers before. He suspected that she had been mistreated. The thought made his claws extend. As soon as she was safe, he would find a way to make them pay. For now, the fact that she found pleasure with him gave him great satisfaction, and he hoped that in time she would learn that she was safe with him.
After reaching for the soap, he cleaned the wound on his chest. Fortunately, the water had washed away the blood and his fur had made it difficult for Isabel to see the extent of the injury. Unfortunately, the wound, while not deep, was still going to have an impact on his abilities.
He mentally reviewed his upcoming opponent’s skill set. He was a Rangarn, tough but untrained. Baralt needed to defeat him quickly before youthful persistence had a chance to overcome experience. With a sigh, he rose out of the water, doing his best to ignore the twinge in his knee. It was going to be a difficult week.
But then he heard Isabel moving around in his bedroom, and he smiled. The week would be over soon enough, and whatever damage he suffered would be a small price to pay for the chance to free his female from this place.
Chapter Eleven
Izzie paced the floor anxiously. This was Baralt’s fourth fight in as many days, and she couldn’t help but worry. As much as he
