“Come here and I’ll tell you,” he said. His eyes bore into hers, and for a moment she froze, mesmerized.
What was it about him that called to her? Sure, he was handsome and sexy. He had power. But Daaron Von Saur’rel stood forever beyond her reach. Only a fool would hope for anything from him.
“Come here and kiss me,” he said, voice hoarse. She licked her lips nervously, drawing his eyes. Their heat burned her. He flicked off the blaster and put it in the holster hanging low on a belt across his hips.
Tessa stepped closer. She wanted to be near him, wanted to smell his scent.
He leaned his head down and sniffed at her neck, giving a low groan.
“So sweet,” he whispered, the breath of air touching her skin and sending ripples of sensation through her body. “Let me taste you, Tess.”
She nodded her head, incapable of disagreeing.
He reached a hand around her neck, gripping her braids loosely and pulling her in for the kiss. His mouth opened over hers and she sank back into his touch.Finally.She’d wanted him so many times, had come close to doing this more than once. Each time she’d held back, knowing they could never be together.
But now…this might be her last chance to get rid of him. She’d manipulatehim, use her body to convince him to leave her alone.
It was bullshit. Tessa knew that. She kissed him because she wanted to, because he’d caught her off guard, threatening her shiny new future. If she was to lose everything, then couldn’t she at least have a little fun first?
She opened her mouth to Daaron, allowing his tongue to steal inside and caress her. His lips were far softer than she’d everimagined, the kiss gentle although far from sweet. Heat spilled from his mouth to hers. What would it feel like to take more of him into her body? They stood apart, touching where they kissed, but she’d seen that shockingerection earlier. He wanted her for more than kissing. Her tightening ni**les and the tingles of sensation running between her legs told her she wanted more too.
Something tugged at her head, breaking the flow of the kiss. She tried to ignore it, tried to throw herself back into the flow of that gentle, beautiful caress. But the tugging continued, pulling at her and hurting.
Suddenly her head felt incredibly light, and she pulled away from him with a cry of betrayal.
He looked down at her, his face a mixture of triumph and something else. In one hand he held a knife.
Her braids dangled from the other.
“Daaron, what have you done?”
Chapter Two
“You’re mine now,” Daaron said, savoring the words. How many times had he imagined taking her? The fantasy was nothing compared to the satisfaction he felt now. Confusion filled her face and he almost felt pity. This was supposed to be a special moment in Tessa’s life, he thought. A woman from theWarrens should have her braids shorn during a marriage ceremony, the knife wielded by a man who loved her.
“You can’t possibly understand what you just did,” she replied, eyes searching his, panicky. “I can’t lose my braids, Daaron. They’ll think I’m a whore without my braids. My mother…”
“She’ll think you’re a married woman,” he said, voice harsh. “She’ll think you’re my woman. You belong to me body and soul. I own you. The custom seems primitive to me, but it serves a ‘valuable purpose’
for your people, remember?”
“This isn’t a game,” she replied, her voice tight with anger. “You get to go back to your life and laugh with your rich friends over the stupid littleWarrensgirl you ‘married’, but nobody else will have me now.”
“I wouldn’t want them to,” he replied. “I won’t tolerate infidelity. You’re mine and I’m keeping you, Tessa. Accept reality, darling, it will be easier for both of us.”
She shook her head, and the pounding frustration he’d felt for so many years threatened to overwhelm him. He’d wanted her for years, held back because he knew she couldn’t f**k him without risking everything she held dear. But she’d lost that life the moment she’d found the garnets, even if she didn’t understand it yet. Women of her class were chaste before marriage, or so she insisted.About time to turn that archaic morality in his favor.
“Do you deny that we’re married by the laws and customs of your class?” he asked her, grasping her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye.
“No,” she whispered. “I can’t be married to you, Daaron.”
“Too late,” he replied. “And you have to obey me, don’t you?”
She tried to shake her head, but he held her chin firm.
“What would your mother say?” he asked. She whimpered, and he knew he would win.
“She would say you’re my husband and I have to obey,” Tessa whispered, voice breaking “This isn’t what I wanted, Daaron. Why did you do this to me?”
He could explain, but the more she knew, the greater her danger. And her attitude frustrated him, made him angry. Was marrying him truly such a horrible fate? Women had been chasing him his entire life, begging him for attention. Why wasn’t he good enough for this one? Years of denial, combined with the loss of his own freedom, welled up inside. Anger grew. He’d done his part and married her, honoring her ridiculous customs, trading his freedom for her survival. He’d take care of her the rest of her life. She had nothing to fear. Why wouldn’t she give in to him now?
“I have more money than you can imagine,” he said tightly. “I own this entire star system. You’ll be more than adequately provided for. The least you can do isshow me a little gratitude.”
“How dare you? I had my own plans, my own dreams. I’ve worked hard to get to this point and you think it’s all right to just take over my life? I can’t be bought. I thought I already taught you that.”
“I know you can’t be bought, we covered that a long time ago,” he replied. Her smell, that faint waft of flowers and woman, tickled his nose, clouding his ability to think. He didn’t need to talk. He needed to f**k.
“Tessa, I didn’t want to do this to you, believe it or not. You don’t think I could have taken you at university? My friends laughed at me when you turned me down, none of them could understand why I didn’t just spirit you away in the night and keep you prisoner on my yacht. Men like me do not have to get permission from women like you. But I admired your work ethic, admired the way you stood up to me. I loved the wayyou were honest with me, when even the professors groveled at my feet. You were the only one who stood up to me. I didn’t want to do this to you, but we’re out of choices. Now you’ll damned well live with the consequences.”