Treasured (5 page)

Hot food steamed from a tray on a small table tucked under the wide gallery windows. She swallowed, trying to work up an appetite. The fencing should have famished her, but she couldn’t think beyond wanting James. Hard. Fast. Deep. Oh, God, she needed something to ease the tidal wave of want washing over her.

“Hungry?”

“Yes.” Her answer was truthful enough. She just wasn’t hungry for food. She’d prefer to be served up for him on the bed. Stretched out, tied up, and worked over with his hands to make the delicious ache she’d experienced yesterday come back. She was only slightly tender now, but it wouldn’t take much to get her right on the edge of screaming. A flush burned her cheeks. She wanted to ask him to do it to her, but she didn’t know how to even start that kind of conversation. This was one of those times she wished she’d taken more of the offers that’d come her way over the years, so she wouldn’t be such a novice.

She cast a longing gaze at the bed, but sat in the chair he pulled out for her in front of the table. He caught her looking and she flushed harder, dropping her gaze to stare at the food in front of her. God, how embarrassing. He noticed everything she did, every hitch in her breath, every moan she made—and he’d commented on it or responded to it last night. She’d have to remember that, but she wasn’t sure how well she could ever keep things from him. So far he’d done a masterful job of stripping her of all defenses and forcing her to react. Her sex clenched at the thought.

“That’s my clothing you’re wearing.” His voice dropped to a low rumble as he seated himself across from her.

Her brow furrowed. “Yes. I—my clothes are not practical for living on board ship.”

“I see.” His ebony eyebrows arched. “You seemed…rather adamant about keeping your current wardrobe when you came on board.”

She had? Or rather,
Rebecca
had? Crap. One more thing she had to dance around because Mrs. Morrow was a pill. “Well, being on board has taught me the error of my ways about that issue. I—I hope you don’t mind.”

She hadn’t even thought about it when she’d rifled through his wardrobe. She couldn’t wear Rebecca’s clothing because she was just a tad too big. And that would be a dead giveaway something was really wrong here, wouldn’t it? Taking his clothes was her only option. Maybe he would spank her for stealing, and she wouldn’t have to ask him to. Heated tingles raced over her skin, and her nipples peaked so tight the rough fabric covering her chafed over her sensitive flesh. She squirmed in her seat.

“Perhaps I do mind. Yes. I think I do mind. In fact, when you’re in this cabin, you’ll be nude. Now, strip.” He settled back in his chair, crossing his legs casually at the ankle, and folded his arms over his chest. A wicked grin pulled at his mouth, but his eyes held no teasing. He was dead serious.

It took her a full minute to realize what he wanted. Her legs shook and almost collapsed out from under her when she rose from her seat to obey him. She fisted her hands for a moment to try to still the trembling in her fingers, but it was no use. Anticipation hummed through her, made her pant for air and set her heart to pounding. She fumbled with the cord that kept her pants on, and it took her long moments to pull it free. The pants were so big on her that they fell around her ankles with nothing to hold them up. Now the shirt. It was all that covered her. She had no undergarments on. Ladies’ underclothes didn’t work well under men’s clothing and there was no way she was wearing a corset unless she had to. Not on board a rocking ship. A garment that restricted her movements was a no-no considering the ground kept moving.

She tugged at the laces that tied the shirt closed at the throat and pulled it over her head in a rush. If she’d waited to think about it, she might not have had the guts to do it. Glancing up, she was captured by the blue fire in James’s eyes. He slid his gaze down her body and his expression said he liked what he saw. The hot possession in his expression told her he owned her, that every inch of her was his to command.
Yes
. The muscles in her legs tightened as she clenched them together. Flames licked at her core, need flowed through her entire body, and her nipples ached to be sucked, bitten, pinched.
Yes
. She swallowed a moan and swayed towards him.

“Wait. Wear those.” He inclined his head towards the long rope of black pearls she’d seen in the painting of his wife. The small, cool globes slid between her fingers as she lifted them from their chest. They weren’t a necklace; they were a string of pearls that didn’t have a clasp. She laid the middle of the strand over the back of her neck. The pearls heated against her naked flesh and caressed her with every step she took back to the table. They accentuated the sensual misery she felt, made her burn hotter. Her gaze locked on his lips as he opened his mouth to speak. Lust clouded her thoughts.

“You want me?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

“Answer me aloud, Rebecca. You want me to do more of what I did last night?”

“Y-yes. Please.”

“Perhaps I will, then. But perhaps not.” The wicked smile still played around his mouth. “Be seated. I am famished, aren’t you?”

“God,
yes
.”

They both knew she wasn’t speaking of food, but he waved her back into her seat anyway. She nearly moaned out loud. It would be exquisite torture to sit naked and pretend not to be burning up with longing. Every moment that passed seemed to intensify the sensations rocketing through her. He served her and she knew there was no reprieve for her until she was finished. She shifted in her seat and her clit rolled against the hard wood of her chair. She shuddered, and her teeth clacked on the fork in her mouth. She swallowed hastily. Perhaps if she ate quickly, she could hurry the process.

Again he noticed her movements. “Something so pleasurable should be savored slowly, should it not? Fine wine, good food, beautiful women.”

Having all of his attention so focused on her was…powerful. For this moment, she was his whole world. And he was hers. She closed her eyes for a moment. He thought she was beautiful. And…she felt beautiful around him. Her breasts lifted as she drew a deep breath, and his gaze zeroed in on her tight nipples. Goosebumps broke down her limbs, and her fingers clenched on the stem of her wine glass. She took a quick sip and set the glass aside.

She let the fire build, let the lovely tortuous anticipation sing through her veins. Nothing had ever felt this good or burned so painfully. Lifting another forkful of food to her mouth, she stared at his lips. “I do want to savor this, Captain. I want to feel you inside me again. I want to take you in my mouth and—”

His big body shuddered, and his pale gaze glittered with hard lust. His voice escaped as a rasp. “You wish to tempt me, Rebecca?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Do you think that’s wise?”

“Not in the least. Do you always do what is wise, James?” She took a delicate sip of her wine. Her arm brushed against her nipple as she returned the glass to the table. She gasped, and her whole body shivered with the passion she couldn’t contain.

His fingers wrapped around her wrist, pulling her hand away from the wineglass. Just that small contact made her moan. The flash of lightning from where he touched her traveled straight to her loins. She rolled on her clit again and almost whimpered. He gave a sharp tug on her arm. “Come here.”

Finally
. She hopped to her feet, and he reeled her in.

“On your knees,” he ordered, and pressed her into a kneeling position before him. His trousers tented in front of him. She let a languid, triumphant smile cross her lips. Lifting her palms, she ran her hands from his knees to mid-thigh and stopped. She met his eyes, and raised her eyebrows in question. Could she? Would he let her? Cream dampened her pussy at the mere thought of sucking his cock. God, he was big. How deep could she take him? “You should put that pretty mouth to better use.”

Her grin widened, and her gaze dropped to his groin. She stroked her hands all the way up to cup his sex through his pants. His muscles went rigid, and power flooded her being. Yes. She held him in the palm of her hand. Literally. She could make him lose all that precious control of his. Her hips twisted at the thought.

Nimble fingers unfastened his trousers and his thick cock sprang free. He was hard and a drop of pre-cum glistened on the tip. She swallowed and leaned forward to flick her tongue out and taste him. His fingers fisted in her hair, clenching tight. Her scalp tingled at the rough treatment, but the sign that his control was slipping just made her want this more.

“Suck me. Take me in your mouth, Rebecca. Now.”

She obeyed, taking him into her mouth greedily, willingly. His girth stretched her lips wide and she struggled to take all of him. She sank down and licked her way back up to the bulbous crest. There she flicked her tongue across the head of his cock before sucking him in again. She hummed deep in her throat to let the sound vibrate up the shaft of his dick.

“Rebecca.” Her name was a harsh rasp on his lips. She loved it. She wanted more, wanted to push him further.

Tugging on the string of pearls draped over her neck, she wrapped the end around the base of his cock. Cupping her fingers around them, she slid them smoothly up and down the length of him. She moved faster, pressing the pearls into his flesh as she rolled them over his cock. He groaned long and loud, his hips arching up to slam his cock deeper into her mouth. She moaned and sucked him hard, pulling him in as deep as she could.

“
Stop
.” He tugged at her hair to lift her away from his dick. It danced and twitched as he slipped free of her lips. She flicked her tongue out for one last taste of his delicious cock. “Rebecca—”

“Yes, James?” She licked the salty tang of him from her lips, going slow so he could watch and know just what she was doing.

He groaned. “You’ll pay for that, woman.”

“Yes. Please.”

Releasing her hair, he stepped back and crooked a finger, motioning for her to rise. She obeyed, and her thighs brushed together as she did, the pearls rolling to settle between her breasts again. The lust that had never abated peaked to an exquisite pain.

“On the bed. Kneeling.”

She shuddered just thinking about all the things he might do to her in that position. A part of her was amazed he had so quickly turned her into such a wanton individual, but the chemistry between them was indisputable, undeniable, and she wanted it. She wanted to know what it was like to trust herself, her body, and her bedmate enough to let go of every inhibition. He’d pushed her into it last night. Now she went willingly, eager to see and taste and
feel
more. This place, wherever she was, sleeping, delusional, was such a mental leap from anything that was the Becca she knew herself to be. With no points of reference, she had to just feel her way along until the dream ended and she went back to her real life, the real Becca. For some reason she couldn’t explain, the thought depressed her. She pushed it aside and focused on treasuring the here and now. With James.

Her long hair brushed her hips as she walked, and she felt his gaze upon her, caressing her from behind when she turned away. She bent her knee to place it on the bed and leaned forward to brace her hands on the mussed fur coverlet. Her fingers curled into the soft strands of fur. The pearls swung forward from her neck to slip across the mattress as she crawled farther up the bed.

His broad, rough hands cupped her hips from behind as he knelt on the mattress behind her. She moaned at the contact. God, she wanted him inside her. Anticipation rose sharply within her and her body shook with need. They both panted, the harsh sound loud in the small cabin. She sighed as he honed in on her sex, brushing his long finger over the lips of her pussy.

“I’m going to take you hard, Rebecca.”

“Yes.” She breathed the word. Her heart pounded and hot blood rushed through her veins.

He plunged deep inside her with one powerful stroke. Hard, just as he’d promised. She cried out, dropping down to open herself wider to his penetration. He pulled back, pulled out of her.

“James. Please. I need you.” Like an addict after a fix, she needed him. Craved him. Jesus, how had he done this to her? Her hips moved, seeking him out of their own accord. Her body knew what she needed, even if her mind had doubts.

“No. Not yet. Not yet.” He stroked his hands over her back and down to cup her ass. He spread her cheeks apart.

Pinpricks of heat raced over her skin, and blood rushed to her face. Would he fuck her there again? She hoped so. Nothing had ever felt so good as when he touched her, held her, fucked her. And the care he’d shown afterwards was shocking from such a domineering alpha personality. Her anus puckered when his fingertips grazed her recessed flesh. Oh,
God
. Her arms quivered as they struggled to hold her upright.

But he didn’t press into her. Instead he slipped his hands back up to curl around her rib cage, urging her up until her back pressed to his muscled chest. She arched back into him, reveling in the contact. She could feel the length of his hard cock against her back and she licked her lips again to taste the remaining essence of him. He stroked the undersides of her breasts lightly and she shuddered at the touch of his rough fingers so gentle on her sensitive skin. The contrast in sensations drove her wild, made her moan. Then he pinched her nipples hard and gave them a quick twist. She screamed and threw her head back to lie over his shoulder. His scent filled her nose—the combination of hard man and exotic oil. The same oil he’d used on her last night. Her pussy fisted on emptiness, tightening, straining, begging to be filled with his hard dick.

“James. I need more.”

“More? Oh, yes. You’ll have…more.” He chuckled low and wicked. A quick spurt of uncertainty flooded her, made her want to run for cover, but the excitement of the unknown made her want to stay even more. What would he do to her? Anything he wanted. Oh,
yes
.

He rolled the pearls over her beaded nipples and she gasped. She shivered, pushing her breasts forward into the strands of smooth globes. He curled his fingers around the two sides and slid his hands down to the ends of the gem ropes. Lifting them, he threaded the pearls between her spread thighs. She bowed in a helpless arc at the hard sensation of them against her clitoris. Her fingers lifted to wrap around his forearms as he worked the pearls over her slick, sensitive flesh. His hand slipped between their bodies to pull the strands tight behind her. They hit her breasts, clit, and pussy lips all at the same time.