Gladiator Heart (7 page)

He could have done worse to her, like let those men rape her, or rape her himself, but he hadn’t. Tristan
was
different from other men. She’d known there was something special about him from the very beginning.

What was she supposed to do? Everything inside of her rebelled at the idea of letting him make her a slave. He wouldn’t let her go, and they couldn’t exactly become friends. Valeria didn’t belong here, in a war camp with her enemy, shackled in his tent. Something would have to be done with her. She could either let Tristan decide what it would be, or she could keep trying to escape and hope she was eventually successful.

Tristan came back into the tent, bringing a gust of cold night air with him. He ripped off his fur and flung it to the ground. He didn’t look at her as he stormed over to the bed and removed the sword from his waist, laying it next to the bed. He sat and pulled his boots off, then drew his tunic over his head and tossed it to the ground.

Valeria watched his every movement from where she rested on her pile of furs on the ground. The tense silence hanging in the air had her fidgety and nervous.

“Tomorrow I’ll move you with the rest of the prisoners,” he finally said without looking at her. “We’ll be trading for supplies in the next day or two.”

Valeria shot up from the furs to look at him in disbelief. “I’m to be traded with the other prisoners?” Now she’d really done it. She never should have tried to escape.

“Don’t sound so surprised,” he said. “What did you think would happen?”

She couldn’t stop the tears that ran down her face. What a fool she was to think this man was any different from the barbarians he led into battle. She hated him.

He shot her a cold look, his brows furrowed. “Don’t waste your tears on me.”

“I hate you!” she cried.

In the quickest of movements he was over to her and pulling her to her feet, curling one of his muscular arms around her waist and drawing her upward along his body so they were eye to eye, their noses almost touching. “I’d expect no more from you.”

“Let me go,” Valeria railed at him, letting her sobs come freely as she pounded her fists against the solid muscles of his chest.

He circled his strong arms around her, holding her tight against his hard body with one hand at her back and the other at her waist so she couldn’t move to strike him. The heat of his skin warmed her through the thin material of her tunic and her breasts ached as they smashed against his hard chest. His musky, manly scent swirled around her and she breathed it in even deeper, not certain why she liked the way he smelled. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his, and stilled as his grey eyes stared back at her. He held her even tighter, pulling her closer.

She couldn’t say what it was or when it happened, but something formed between them. Desire, warm and palpable, drew them closer and closer, until his lips were almost brushing hers. Valeria took a shallow breath and let her body soften in his strong hold, sagging against him. The thin, angry line of his lips parted and then he closed his mouth over hers.

Heat raced through her as his lips slid against hers, kissing her with hungry impatience. She’d expected to dislike his kiss, and instead found a burning temptation. She eagerly returned his kisses, opening her mouth for him when he slipped his tongue inside and bracing her hands on his shoulders to pull herself closer to his hard body. He forced her back down to the bed beneath his heavy weight, but her shackles tightened and stopped him from getting her right where he wanted her.

He was quick to retrieve the key from his boot and she watched him as he removed her chains, panting heavily to catch her breath. He slid back up her body and stretched out over her, pushing her all the way back on the bed beneath his heavy weight. He settled his hips between her legs and began grinding himself against her while taking her mouth in another sweeping kiss that left her dizzy.

Why did it feel so good to have Tristan touch her this way? She didn’t know what he was making her feel, and it was confusing, frightening. Completely surrounded by his body, his warmth, his scent, she was in the enemy’s arms, and she wanted even more of him. Did she desire him out of fear, hoping he might change his mind about what to do with her, or was there something else making her want this man?

It was desire, plain and simple, and it was impossible for Valeria to deny her feelings any longer. But could she really surrender to Tristan’s taking of her? She’d never been intimate with a man. She knew how it worked, that a man entered a woman’s body, but she’d never been brave enough to explore such relations. It could be that none had ever sparked the flames of her passion as Tristan did, and she wanted to explore these new sensations she was feeling. His passionate assault was like nothing she’d ever experienced and it might be her only chance to know something this consuming. Tristan was taking her on a voyage into the unknown, and she eagerly thirsted for the special knowledge that only this man, who was her enemy, could give her.

He continued to kiss her, his lips hard and searching, his wet tongue tracing her lips. Valeria parted her lips and he slipped his tongue inside, eagerly exploring her mouth. His kisses turned more intense, more devouring, and waves of pleasure surged through her, making it easy to forget she was a Roman and Tristan was a northerner. Driven by her own rising passion, she found the courage to return his plundering kisses, imitating his actions and getting a quick study in the art of kissing.

His hand slid under her tunic and caressed the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. A warm, needy ache blossomed in her center. With every teasing brush of his fingers he came closer and closer to touching the secret flesh between her legs. Tristan was going to make love to her and there was nothing she could do to stop him. Did she want to stop him? Would he stop if she wanted him to? All the modesty Rome had spent years ingraining into her person made her think of how shameful it would be to allow him to do this, but she liked his touch, had never felt anything more perfect, and there couldn’t be anything shameful in that.

His searing lips left her mouth and traced gentle kisses along her neck, his hot breath on her skin making her entire body shiver with pleasure. His beard was soft and tickled her as his mouth moved down to close over the crook of her shoulder. She shuddered, her needy body responding to his heated touch. He pushed her tunic up higher, over her hips, revealing her stomach, then finally her breasts were bared to him.

When his big, warm hands closed over the mounds and squeezed them gently, the pleasure his touch created brought a soft moan from her, and then his mouth was there, hot and wet, licking at one of her nipples and drawing it into his mouth to suck on it. Valeria arched her back, the thrill of his touch sending a flood of pleasure flowing through her. When he closed his mouth over her other nipple, she moaned his name, her hands grasping at the furs beneath her. He took his time there, suckling eagerly and tugging on her with his mouth until she thought her body would come apart from itself.Never in her life had she imagined a thing like this would feel so magical.

“Beautiful, Valeria,” he murmured around a mouthful of her flesh.

Hearing him speak in his own language, his deep voice husky with desire, was the most erotic thing she had ever experienced.

He ran his hands over her hips and up along her sides to lift her tunic over her head, then his mouth came down over hers as he tossed the garment aside, leaving his grasping hands free to caress her, arousing her as he stroked her breasts, her stomach, and then around to cup her backside. He lifted her off the furs and pulled her hips against his, grinding the rock-hard bulge in his breeches against her center.

Valeria tamped down her fear and tried not to panic, but she didn’t know what she was supposed to do, or how she was supposed to touch him. All of this was so new to her, the feel of a man’s rough hands on her body, the stirring of desire caused by his touch. Tristan must have sensed her anxiety because he stopped and looked down into her eyes.

“You don’t have to be afraid with me.” He cupped her face in his hand, holding her still while he brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “I won’t hurt you.”

He roamed over her body with his mouth and hands, coaxing the slowly building pleasure from her in waves. Growing adventurous herself, she explored his strong body with her hands, sweeping over his smooth skin and the rippling muscles in his chest, stomach and arms. Then she got more daring and embraced him, pressing her breasts against his chest, the soft hairs brushing her skin as she ran her hands up and down the length of his back. The barrier of his breeches stopped her from exploring further, but he quickly accommodated her by stripping them off.

His mouth found hers once more and his kiss was urgent, his lips firm and devouring. He led her hand between their bodies and down to touch him. Surprised by her own daring, she closed her hand around the hot, steel-hard length standing up from his hips. His shaft pulsed and grew harder and longer in her hand. The blatantly sexual response went far beyond her meager understanding of what was about to happen. Fear made her freeze, made it hard for her to swallow.

Gods, what was he going to do to her?

His hand moved between her legs to stroke the soft folds of flesh at her center, then his fingers delved into her, searching for something, and bringing a quivering cry from her when he found it. He smoothed his finger over her most sensitive spot in slow, lazy circles. Valeria clasped desperately at his shoulders as she tingled beneath his touch and a sweet pleasure spread through her every nerve ending. When he thrust a finger inside her, she sucked in a startled breath. He stroked it through her juices, making her wetter as he brought her to a height of pleasure she’d never known before. She wasn’t sure if she could take anymore. She wanted him to stop, she needed him to keep on going. A helpless whimper escaped her.

He bent his head to her ear. “Do you want me?” His voice was gruff, filled with tension.

“Yes,” Valeria answered, not sure what she was asking for, only knowing that she wanted to be released from this sweet torture, and Tristan was the only one who could do it.

He lowered his body over hers and spread her legs open with his knees so he could push his hard length into her. He was big in size and stretched her to the point of pain as he slid deeper. She curled her fingers around his arms, digging her nails into the taut muscles. She didn’t think she could take all of him. It was impossible.

“It may hurt at first,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I know of no other way to make the first time any less painful.”

“You’re too big,” she complained, squirming to relieve some of the pressure between her legs. “I want you to stop.”

“No, no stopping,” he said, his eyes burning with determination. “Trust me, little Roman.”

He went deeper and deeper, filling her with his hard thickness, and though there was pain, she still felt a tingling of pleasure and thought she might be able to stand it. Above her, she felt his body tense, his hips drew back, and then he slammed into her with a sharp thrust, planting himself deep. Valeria cried out in shock from the severe swiftness of his burning entry into her virgin passage and dug her nails harder into his skin.

“The worst of it is over.” His rich, sensual voice calmed her as he paused briefly. He smoothed her hair back from her face and wiped at her tears with his thumb.

When he did begin to move, it was with slow, gentle thrusts reaching deeper inside her. A myriad of sensations racked her body. Pain. Pleasure. Ecstasy. Fear. She couldn’t focus on just one as he stroked back and forth. He kissed her as he moved within her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth as he thrust himself between her thighs, and she thought she would die from the rapture of it. The stretching pain faded once she allowed herself to relax into his rhythm, and soon the pain was replaced by a growing, aching need that started deep inside and spread out to the rest of her body, sending the most satisfying sensations rippling through her.

Those feelings increased as did the pace of his movements, and she brought her arms around his waist and held to him. She moved her hips with his, seeking to obtain some glorious finish she didn’t yet understand, but wanted to reach. The closer she came to attaining it, the less she was able to quiet her cries of passion. She dared to look up at Tristan as he moved over her and saw how his brows were drawn in severe concentration, how his jaw was clenched tight and his head thrown back. He bucked harder, faster, steadily driving himself into her until she finally reached her highest peak and something inside her burst, flooding her with the most exquisite splendor. Bliss, sharp and hot, lanced through her veins, and above her, he gave a final, deep thrust, his body shuddering from his own pleasure, his hard shaft pulsing inside her.

Valeria didn’t want to move, didn’t want to do anything but feel what magic this man had worked with her body. They both breathed heavily as they lay locked in each other’s arms. The sharp edges of bliss began to fade and the racing of her heart slowed. Not once had she imagined her journey into the north would lead to this. Tristan had awakened a secret passion in her that she never knew existed, and because of him, she would never be the same.

Morning dawned as it inevitably must, and Tristan couldn’t stop touching Valeria. Her hot, tight body clasped him as he drove himself harder and deeper into her. He was now familiar with every inch of her and knew she could take him like this, rough and wild. She’d discovered her own hidden passions through the long night they’d shared as well.

Her soft little moans and cries of pleasure excited him and he bucked his hips faster, thrusting powerfully into her body again and again until she clung to him, grasping at his shoulders and crying out as she reached a shuddering climax. Tristan came hard and long, the muscles in his body trembling as the most intense, unbelievable pleasure exploded from him. Giving a hoarse, strangled shout, he released himself deep inside her.