TheRedKing (5 page)

He curled his lip. “I must have been mad to ask you here.
Excuse me.
Order
you here. Now I order you gone.”

“Fine.” She left the bed.

Areus watched her stride toward the door that adjoined their
chambers. The firelight illuminated her thin shift, revealing the enticing
outline of her body. Her gently rounded thighs and the shape of her ass made
his belly clench. His cock tingled again when he glanced at her stiff nipples
pressing against the sheer fabric.

She was right. As her husband he could claim her, but he
wasn’t that kind of man. He wanted a willing woman and wasn’t desperate or so
lacking in self-respect that he would rut one who didn’t want him.

Didn’t the self-absorbed princess realize that just about
any woman in the kingdom would happily share his bed? He could have had someone
beautiful, pleasant and eager. Instead he had chosen to be dutiful and picked a
convent mouse whose father he hoped would ally with him against Zaltana. Etor
had suggested that Areus conquer Prem himself, but Areus shelved that option as
a last resort. If he could peacefully ally the remaining northern kingdoms, he
preferred that to becoming the same sort of tyrant as Hippolytos.

Delia opened the door, then slammed it shut behind her.

His teeth clenched, Areas punched his pillow with pent-up
anger and frustration. With a pounding heart and a hard cock, he lay there, his
body tense and his mind racing.

A moment later the door opened again and he raised a curious
eyebrow as Delia walked to the trunk at the foot of the bed.

Her chin lifted, she said, “I forgot my dress.”

“A servant could have brought it to you in the morning.”

“I know.” She picked up the garment, took two steps toward the
door, then turned, hurried back to the bed and covered Areus’s mouth with a
firm, moist kiss.

He grasped her upper arms and tugged her on top of him. One
hand cupped the back of her head and he thrust his tongue into her mouth. Hers
met it with wet, eager strokes. Moaning, she wiggled a bit on top of him, her
soft body teasing his hard cock.

“I think if anyone is going to be the death of me, it won’t
be Hippolytos or his crazy son,” Areus murmured against her lips. “It’s going
to be you.”

Delia wanted to reply, but Areus covered her mouth in
another penetrating kiss and she forgot what she was about to say. Words didn’t
matter—not with his skilled tongue teasing hers and his long, calloused hands
on her body. He tugged up the shift and caressed her bare bottom.

Her eyes closed, she responded enthusiastically to his kiss.
Her tongue met his and she ran her hands over as much of his beautiful body as
she could reach. He was so hard, his chest and legs dusted with hair. She felt
the ridges of his scars beneath her fingertips and marveled that a man
accustomed to the harshness of the battlefield could touch her so gently.

His hands swept her back and he lightly nibbled her bottom
lip, making her chuckle softly.

Delia sat up only to remove her shift and toss it aside.
Perched beside him on the bed, she gazed at his well-defined shoulders and the
planes of his lean chest. She placed her hand to it, feeling its warmth and
hardness and the beating of his heart. Delia brushed her fingertips over his
nipples. He covered her hand with his, pressing it to his heart.

Areus’s gaze lingered on her breasts, then he stared into
her eyes and said in a husky whisper, “This is better, isn’t it? Better than
spending the night alone for spite?”

“Spite? You still don’t understa—” He swiftly pressed her
onto her back and kissed her.

She threaded her fingers through his curly hair and arched
against him, pressing her soft breasts even closer to his chest. One long, hair-roughened
leg slid between hers and she wrapped her legs around it, running her feet
along his calf.

Areus broke the kiss only to nuzzle her neck. He kissed and
licked, then gently rubbed his bearded cheek against it.

“I understand,” he said. “You thought I wasn’t giving you a
choice. With me, you’ll always have a choice. I’ve never forced a woman and I’m
not about to start with my wife. There’s no pleasure in rape. Not in my eyes.”

When she’d returned to his room under the pretense of
fetching her dress, she had been both aroused by him yet angered by his
arrogance. Now he quenched the fire of her rage. Was he telling the truth? Why
would he lie?

They stared at each other for a long moment. Delia felt she
should reply, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Finally she took his face in her
hands and spoke against his lips, “Take this as my choice.”

She kissed him. Using the very tip of her tongue, she traced
the shape of his lips, as he’d done to hers. His lips parted and she thrust her
tongue into his mouth. His met it, but for a few moments allowed her to take
the lead.

She explored him, learning every corner and crevice. He
groaned and shifted his weight a bit to the side so that he could cup and knead
her breasts. He rolled his thumb over her nipple, then slid his hand down her
stomach and cupped her soft mound. She lifted her hips, thrusting against his
stroking hand.

Areus fondled her clit, then gently slid a finger into her
pussy. She spread her legs and wiggled, eager to experience once again the pleasure
they had shared on their wedding night.

He slid another finger into her, then withdrew them and
rubbed her clit in small, slow circles. Little shivers of pleasure rolled
through her and she moaned again. She clutched handfuls of his thick, curly
hair, then ran a hand down his back, loving the way his muscles rippled beneath
her touch. She brushed his bandage with her fingertips.

“How’s your wound?” she asked. “Does it still hurt a lot?”

“It’s not bad. I’m sure by the time we’re finished, I’ll
have little trouble sleeping.” A playful grin touched his lips and his green
eyes sparkled. Usually he was so serious, so preoccupied. This rare smile, untainted
by the burden of his duties, made him look younger, freer.

She liked it and couldn’t help smiling back.

“From now on, I’ll consider it part of my wifely duties, to
make sure you get a good night’s sleep.”

He chuckled and kissed her again.

“I can’t seem to get enough of you, Delia. I want to kiss every
inch of you.”

“Every inch?” she breathed as he kissed her temple. His lips
followed her hairline to her ear.

“Every inch.” His deep, husky voice aroused her so much. He
spoke so beautifully that she could listen to him talk all day.

Areus cupped her cheek and kissed the top of her head. Closing
her eyes, she turned her face into his hand and kissed his palm. It was rough
from years of handling weapons. Though his fingers were long and slim, she felt
the strength in them, just as it emanated from his whipcord body.

He took his time, covering her face with feathery kisses.
His lips hovered over her eyelids and when he kissed the tip of her nose, she
couldn’t help smiling. It seemed he planned to cover every inch of her with kisses
after all and Delia wasn’t about to argue with him about it.

She breathed deeply and settled into the pillows as he
kissed her throat, shoulders and collarbones. Somehow he managed to both relax
and arouse her, an unexpected yet wonderful combination.

Taking her hand and entwining his fingers with hers, he
kissed her knuckles and tickled her wrist with the tip of his warm, wet tongue.
He kissed her arm all the way to her shoulder, then he lightly bit and kissed
each fingertip.

Delia moaned again when his tongue swept her nipple, then he
ran his lips over one breast while caressing the other.

Not for a moment did he quicken his pace, but lingeringly kissed
and licked every part of her, all the way to the tips of her toes.

“Not my feet.” She giggled, blushing a bit and curling her
toes against the sheets.

“Why not?” He smiled, picking up her foot and massaging it.
His thumb gently swept her sole, making her jump a bit, as it was ticklish.
“You have the most adorable feet. Little feet.”

“Little? They’re actually quite large.” She’d always thought
her feet rather chunky and her toes too short.

“Large? That’s large.” He placed his foot next to hers. It
was almost twice the size of hers and a bit gnarled, but strangely cute. He wiggled
his long toes and she laughed.

“What?” he asked, his lips curved upward.

Why couldn’t she stop laughing? She swiped tears from her eyes
and tried to regain a semblance of self-control.

“Our feet.” She giggled. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh I think you mean
my
feet.” There was a playful
gleam in his eyes. “You try wearing metal boots for days on end.”

Again she burst out laughing.

“This is ruining the moment,” he said, though he didn’t look
any less aroused.

“Sorry.” She stifled more laughter.

He smiled and pressed his lips to the arch of her foot, then
continued covering her legs with kisses. Closing his eyes, he brushed his cheek
against the thatch of hair covering her soft mound, then he rolled her onto her
stomach.

Running his hand over her head, he said, “You have beautiful
hair.”

“It’s mousy.”

“Big feet. Mousy hair. When you look in the glass, you see a
different woman than the one in front of me now.”

“Maybe you have weak eyesight.”

“I have few weaknesses and my eyesight isn’t among them. I
see quite clearly and I know a beautiful woman when I see one.”

She turned enough to look at him. “I don’t like being lied
to.”

“Why would I lie?”

“I’ve heard that in the bedchamber men often tell women what
they want to hear.”

“You mean the ones who don’t take women by force.”

“Of course.”

“Then we’re either rapists or liars.”

“Now who’s ruining the moment?”

He sighed, looking exasperated. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk at
all until we’re finished.”

She wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Maybe she was being
unreasonable, but she couldn’t believe that a man who looked such as Areus
found a woman such as herself beautiful.

“Good. I’ve left you speechless. Now put your lips to better
use.” He covered her mouth with his before pressing her into the bed again and
continuing his exploration of her body. He brushed her hair aside and kissed
her from nape to buttocks. His finger slid along the indentation and another
shiver of lust shot through her. Areus kneaded and kissed her bottom then kissed
her legs and feet again.

She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against the
pillow, Delia moaned softly. She would have to repay him for this. The thought
of covering his magnificent body with kisses aroused her even more. She could
scarcely wait.

Again he turned her so that she lay on her back. Gazing at
him through half-closed eyes, she grasped his shoulders and tried to pull him
closer. She wanted to kiss him again and she longed for him to fill her with
his cock. It stood thick, stiff and so ready to pleasure her, but she wanted to
please him too. She wanted him to feel as loved and desirable as he had made
her feel when he had ravaged her entire body with his kisses.

“Areus—”

“I thought we weren’t talking,” he said with a teasing
smile. He covered her body with his, one knee parting her legs even more. He
gently pinned her wrists on either side of her head and brushed the tip of his
nose against hers.

“You might like what I have to say.”

“Later,” he murmured against her lips and kissed her. The
head of his cock pressed against her pussy. His carnal exploration had her
soaked and he entered her slowly, then paused, every muscle tense. “You weren’t
going to say you’re too sore for this? I didn’t think I caused you much pain on
our wedding night, but—”

“No.” She smiled, pleased that in the midst of his own
pleasure he thought of her comfort. “I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt at all. Quite
the opposite.”

“Good.” He relaxed and continued filling her.

Delia closed her eyes and moaned again, arching against him.

He thrust slowly at first. The long, measured sweeps of his
cock teased her and that wonderful tingling sensation built inside her.

While thrusting, he kissed her mouth and nuzzled her neck.

Delia tugged at her wrists, wanting him to loosen his hold
so she could touch him. He released her, bracing his hands on either side of
her head and quickening his motions.

“Areus,” she said breathlessly, caressing his warm chest and
shoulders. She stroked his back, loving the way his muscles flexed as he
thrust. She ran her hands over his lean sides and finally gripped his tight
bottom. Her hips lifted, trying to keep time with his thrusts. That wonderful
tightening in her clit was almost too much to bear. A few more thrusts and she
cried out, her fingers biting into him and her pussy throbbing around his cock.
He stopped thrusting and remained still except for an occasional tremor running
through his powerful body. His breath was hot and quick against her ear and she
knew he was close to climax but holding back.

After a moment, he started thrusting again. Delia’s body still
pulsed slightly, not having completely finished, but his movements rekindled
her passion and sooner than she imagined she panted and writhed beneath him.

Her second orgasm was even stronger than the first. She
moaned, clinging to him with arms and legs. With a raw cry, he stiffened and
filled her with a final hard thrust. He surged into her before he calmed, his
body half draped over hers.

For several moments they lay with their legs entwined as
their breathing and heartbeats slowed to normal. Areus reached for the blanket
and pulled it over them. Holding her close, he kissed her hair.

“What was it you wanted to tell me?” he asked sleepily.

“Some other time. Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he whispered, then fell silent, his breathing
deep and even.

Delia smiled slightly. His arm was still around her and she
covered his hand with hers.

“Sleep well, Areus,” she said softly, then drifted off.

* * * * *

In the morning, Delia awoke early. Echo tapped softly on the
door and Delia rose and padded over, not wanting to call out and wake Areus. He
lay next to her on his stomach, his face half buried in the pillow and his
curly reddish-blond hair in charming disarray.

“I’ve brought you fresh water and herbs, my lady,” Echo said
in a hushed voice.

“Thank you. Put it on the nightstand.”

“Would you like me to help you dress now?”

“A little later. You can prepare my dress in my chamber.
Something simple. I want to explore the castle today and see how I can be of
the most use.”

“Yes, my lady.” Echo nodded and did as Delia ordered.

Once the maid disappeared into the adjoining room, Delia poured
some of the water into the bowl on her bedside table, then she poured some into
Areus’s bowl and left him a towel.

She washed her face and torso, then she poured water into a
glass and cleaned her teeth. She chewed some of the herbs Echo had left—a
variety of mint—then she pulled on her robe and belted it. She brushed her hair
and braided it loosely.

When she turned back toward the bed, she found Areus
watching her, his large green eyes still softened by sleep.

“Good morning,” she said. “Did you sleep well?”

“Far better than usual.”

“Do I have a soothing effect on you?”

He smiled. “You’re a handful, Delia, in so many ways.” He
closed his eyes again and stretched.

Her stomach clenched as she watched the muscles in his long
arms tense and his lean chest flex. By the Spirit, she wanted him again and it
was only first light. She giggled. Whatever would the sisters say?

She knew what Katerina would say.

Areus rose and while he washed, Delia strolled to the window
and gazed out. His chamber overlooked the courtyard. Already his personal
guards were training. A servant girl fetched water from the well and two other
servants tended a garden that appeared to be just outside a door to the
kitchen.