Guardian's Challenge (5 page)

Now, he couldn’t help but envision both of them sucking on her nipples, licking her sweet cunt, filling her pussy and ass, making her scream as she came over and over. His cock jerked in his braes. It wasn’t going to happen. Neeve was his and only his. Shoving aside the vivid imaginings, he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. Only his, he repeated to himself. Asher took in her flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips. It was impossible not to want to kiss her again, but they both had duties to perform. Thankfully, the trip to Pryderi would take at least two days—possibly longer depending on the weather on the sea. He doubted he would have his fill of her by then, but it would be a good start.

* * * *

As they made their way across the gangplank and onto the ship, Asher noticed that nearly every man on the deck watched Neeve intently. There seemed to be an even mix of wariness and lust in the men. He suspected the wariness stemmed from the fact she was a magic user—or perhaps because she was a woman aboard a seagoing vessel. There were still some sailors who believed a woman onboard a ship brought bad luck to the captain and crew. The lust he saw in their faces was self-explanatory. He and Joseph edged closer to her as the captain made his way toward them from the helm.

The man glanced dismissively at Neeve before making eye contact with Asher. “Your cabin is below deck. It’s best if you keep your woman there at all times. There are many who think it folly to bring a woman aboard.”

Neeve stiffened at his side, but Joseph laid a protective hand on her shoulder, and she relaxed somewhat. Asher’s fists tightened at the sight of the other man freely touching her. Tamping down his proprietary anger, he slipped his arm about her waist and pulled her closer.

“Thank you for your concern,” Asher finally managed to say.

The captain nodded and called for the first mate to approach. A young man stepped forward, and the captain addressed him sharply. “Show the healer and her mates below and see that they’re settled. The rest of you prepare to set sail.”

As the deck erupted in a flurry of activity, the crewman inclined his head and gestured for them to follow him. Descending a steep, narrow ladder, they climbed below. As soon as Asher’s feet hit the floor, Neeve clutched his hand tightly. Her grip grew more rigid as they followed the crewman deeper into the dank ship.

“Are you all right?” he murmured into her ear.

She nodded stiffly, never looking at him.

They stopped in front of a heavy oak door, and the first mate produced a key and unlocked it, pushing it open on creaky hinges. Entering the sparsely furnished room, he lit three fat, yellow candles then turned back to them. “Food will be delivered when the crew eats. In the meanwhile, you may want to rest while you’re able. We’re likely to have a rough passage.”

After he left them alone, Neeve shifted away from Asher, withdrawing her hand from his. He glanced at Joseph. “You can leave.”

His underling held his gaze in momentary challenge, body tight with annoyance. “I swore to the overlord that I would help protect Neeve.”

Asher nodded. “I am sure I can see to her safety in this tiny room. You are to stand watch outside the door.”

Joseph frowned and turned his attention to Neeve.

Asher’s forced his fists to relax. How dare he look to Neeve for permission? “Need I remind you of your position both on this trip and in the temple?”

Neeve glared at him before smiled wanly at Jospeh. “It’s all right. I’ll be fine.”

The other man nodded once before stepping out of the room, yanking the door shut behind him.

The scrape of moisture-swollen wood echoed through Asher’s body as he turned to face Neeve. She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed her glare upon him again, shaking her head.

“You’re mine, Neeve. Not Joseph’s. Never forget that.”

She rolled her eyes and moved to turn away, but he caught her by the shoulders and forced her to face him.

“You belong to me,” he breathed.

Uncrossing her arms, she stood with her hands on her hips, glowering at him.

“I belong to no man…least of all you.”

He ignored her outburst and ran a fingertip along her collarbone, loving the way she trembled under his touch. He couldn’t wait to taste her again, to feel her shudder beneath his mouth.

“I will protect you,” he murmured. “I will fuck you. I will make you come until you scream my name.”

She shook her head, her lips damp and parted and her eyes wide.

“You can deny it all you want, but you know that every word I speak is the truth.”

Stepping closer, he cupped her face while she watched him. Her eyes dilated, and she fixed her gaze on his mouth.

He watched with fascination as her tongue darted out to moisten her lips as he slipped his hand behind her neck. The warmth of her skin seeped into his flesh, and he tightened his grip slightly, drawing her against his body.

A soft breath escaped her parted lips as she stared up at him. Her brow furrowed as if she was about to speak, but he refused to give her the chance. Lowering his head, he brushed her mouth with his own, taking her lips in a gentle kiss that quickly turned desperate.

Coaxing her mouth open, he plunged inside, tasting her fully. Her tongue stroked his as she returned his kiss, driving her fingers into his hair and holding him tightly to her. His fingers crested over the contours of her back and waist to settle on the swell of her ass. Cupping her, he yanked her close enough for her to feel the arousal that had plagued him since finding her earlier tonight.

She gasped into his mouth as he ground his rock-hard cock into the soft give of her flesh. He needed to be inside her—he couldn’t wait any longer. As he continued to plunder the sweet warmth of her mouth, he walked her backward until the backs of her knees hit the bunk built into the wall of the cabin.

Without giving her a chance to protest, he tumbled her onto the wide mattress and plucked at the laces of her dress. She yanked his shirt over his head, forcing him to break the kiss. Before he could capture her lips again, she laid her fingers over his mouth.

“I will submit to you, but it will only be for the duration of this trip. When we return to Maelgwn, my life and my body are my own. I will owe you nothing.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but she pressed her hand firmly against his lips.

“This isn’t negotiable. From now until we return—or not at all.”

Frowning, he studied her face. Her terms were unacceptable, but he refused to ruin the tentative truce—particularly since he was about to experience the wonders of losing himself in her welcoming body. He nodded, knowing full well he lied, and hiked her gown up to expose her silky legs.

He stroked the satin flesh of her thighs before climbing higher to explore the gentle curve of her hip. The heady scent of her arousal drifted to him, and he wanted to taste her, to feel her shatter against his mouth. He stifled a groan as he pulled her dress up and over her head, baring her completely to his gaze.

His gaze traveled over her golden, honey-colored skin to the thatch of glossy black curls between her legs, up over her taut stomach to her dark rose nipples and fixed in horror on the jagged, bright pink scar bisecting her right breast.

His breath stalled in his throat, and icy fear washed over him as the implications of the wound settled in his gut. Someone had tried to kill her. From the look of the brutal injury, someone had nearly succeeded. Rage and terror swirled through him, and his fingers tightened around her upper arms in an effort to keep his hands from shaking.

“Who did this to you?” he demanded.

Chapter Three

“Who did this to you,” Asher repeated, his voice a barely audible growl.

Neeve shifted uncomfortably beneath him, raising a hand to cover the mark, but he caught her wrist, pulling her fingers from the injury.

Until he’d begun stripping her clothes from her body, she’d forgotten about the scar she’d received while escaping from him. She tried to tug free from his grasp, desperate to hide her disfigurement, but he refused to release her.

His shoulders and limbs were stiff with tension as he stared at the puckered skin. With a shaking, callused finger, he traced the fading pink knife mark from her collarbone to the top of her breast.

“A Caderyn warrior,” she murmured, looking away from him.

“When you and Elizabeth ran away,” he guessed.

She nodded. “She saved my life.”

Dragging her gaze to his, she saw the tangle of emotions he didn’t bother trying to hide—fear, anger, shock—all directed at her. Eyes closed, he dropped his forehead to hers and took slow, measured breaths.

“Neeve—” He broke off and inhaled deeply, pulling her into his arms and nearly crushing her against his chest.

Lowering his face to her collarbone, he gently followed the path the knife had taken with his lips—across her chest and over the swell of her breast.

She trembled beneath his barely there caress.

“You could have been killed,” he rasped against her skin.

“But I wasn’t.”

He drew back and glared at her. “If you had stayed at the keep—”

“I couldn’t. The chancellor…the former chancellor,” she amended, “would have killed me, if he’d discovered the truth.”

“I would have protected you.”

Anger stirred in her gut. “How was I to know that? You fucked me, Asher—that was it.”

“Only you,” he gritted, his eyes hard.

She returned his glare. “Sooner or later, the novelty would have worn off. You would have found someone else more interesting and passed me on to someone else.”

His fingers tightened around her arms. “That’s not true.”

She pushed aside the hope that he was telling the truth. His words didn’t matter. She’d known when she’d left that a future with him was impossible. She refused to start wishing for it now. “It’s in the past. There’s no way to know with certainty what you would have done.”

“I know what I’m about to do,” he promised darkly.

Her stomach trembled with nervous anticipation as his lips slowly lowered to hers. There was no gentle give and take in this kiss. There was only Asher taking—taking her breath and her body. She knew he wanted more, but she refused to give him her heart. If she were honest with herself, she’d admit that he already had it, but she’d never let him know that.

Tunneling her fingers through his hair, she pulled him closer, opening beneath the insistent urging of his tongue. He pressed into her mouth, teasing, tasting while his fingers trailed over her body as if learning her for the first time. Her skin heated under his caress, and she pulled at his clothes, eager to touch him, to feel what she’d denied herself these many months.

Asher’s lips trailed along the side of her neck, coaxing her nerve endings to shuddering life as he nipped sharply at her collarbone, soothing it a moment later with the velvet stroke of his tongue. He paused as he moved along the slope of her breast.

She opened her eyes to find him staring again at the shiny scar. She shifted in discomfort beneath him. He wasn’t hurting her, but the longer he stared the more her emotions roiled. She tried to urge his lips back to hers, but he wouldn’t budge.

She glanced at her ruined skin. Until now, she’d seen the mark as a testament to Elizabeth’s healing gifts and her own will to survive. Now, she viewed it as he must—ugly, marred flesh. She was foolish to think he’d want her looking as she did. Freeing her hand from his hair, she covered the hideous scar.