Nuworld: Claiming Tara (9 page)

It
was a small shady area of
grass,
completely
surrounded by pine trees and hidden from the world. “Oh,
it’s beautiful,” she said without thinking.
Tara again ran her hands down the side of his chest,
and adjusted her legs, feeling him all the way from her
inner thighs to her crotch. This man over stimulated every
inch of her.
He would not make a good enemy. Not only was his
physical strength twice that of hers, his body tormented
her
beyond
what it
should.
Heat scorched
her
skin
wherever they touched. It was a noticeable distraction.
Beyond that, the natural warrior blood running through
him, his ability to connect with what was around him really
appealed to her. One fact made all of this very unpleasant.
It was impossible to make Darius a lover. The simple truth
was that he was already her enemy.
Darius cut the engine. This time, Tara slid off from
behind him before he was able to put those confident
hands on her and help her off the bike. She twisted and
shook her hips to adjust her dress, and knew Darius
watched. Tara made quick work of it instead of arching her
body, or pressing her hands to the curves of her hips the
way her mind suggested she might. Flirting with danger
might lead to an attack. She turned to see his eyes on her
rear end and knew a sense of power, one she needed to use
very carefully.
“So, when did you first ride on a motorcycle?”
Those powerful gray eyes never left her while she walked
across the small patch of thick, wet grass to a large rock
and sat down on it. The cloth shoes she wore were useless.
Tara wrapped
her
arms around
her
legs,
pulling the
material of her dress so that she felt less exposed and
watched him as he climbed off his bike. He suspected her,
of that there was no doubt. Or did he know her true
identify and simply toyed with her? There had to be a way
to find out.
Tara thought of the best way to answer. If Darius killed
her, Patha would have his revenge. If she killed him, it
would also start a war. Her instincts usually didn’t fail her
when caution was called for. This man was a threat, but
she didn’t sense hostility, nor had she since she met him.
By the look in his eyes it didn’t appear that he had
murder on his mind. His gaze was incredibly seductive yet
guarded. She smiled and decided to take his comment as a
joke.
“You really don’t think I can drive your big motorcycle.”
Tara liked her response. It was time to change the subject,
though. “Why did you bring me up here?”
“I want to know you better. I’ve seen your response to
my men’s advances, and I sure don’t want to be made the
fool in front of them.”
Tara looked down at the ground fighting a grin. He
walked over and sat down on the rock next to her. He
didn’t hesitate but put one arm around her back and
rested his hand on her shoulder.
Tara’s entire body tightened from his forwardness, and
the urge to elbow him in the gut was almost as strong as
the urge to turn and kiss him before he kissed her. These
warring emotions were clouding her ability to think.
He pointed at the hill across from them with his other
hand. “There’s a cliff up that way. You have to climb to get
to it, but you can see all of Gothman from up there. That,
my lady, is my favorite place of all.” Darius pointed to some
rocks further up the hill. “Are you up for the climb?”
“I don’t think I could do that, my lord.” He was trying to
test her. She wouldn’t allow him to fail her. “I would tear
my dress for sure.”
“Of course.” Lord Darius leaned against the wall of rock
behind them and stared at her. His hand moved from her
shoulder to rub the center of her back. “You’re
very
beautiful, Tara. I know for a fact there’s not a lady in all of
Gothman that comes close to your looks.”
He smiled and reached to stroke her hair. “I can’t help
but wonder if you’d attack me if I tried to kiss you.” Darius
looked at her, seeming amused at the thought. “And the
way that
body of
yours
is
finetuned, I wouldn’t be
surprised if you’d have some luck at it.”
Tara turned to look at him, but didn’t answer. The
thought of attacking him if he tried to kiss her created a
rush of warmth between her legs. His face was inches from
hers and those gray eyes seemed capable of owning her
every
thought.
She
fought
a grin
as
she
imagined
challenging him.
He must have noticed her slight change in expression
because his eyebrows rose, as if sincerely surprised that
she might be considering attacking him. He really didn’t
know anything about Runners.
But he did suspect her.
She was certain at that moment
that she’d betrayed every secret she had by meeting his
gaze. He would own her every thought if she didn’t pull her
eyes from his. He was reaching deep toward her very soul.
She fought for control of her thoughts with every ounce
of
power
she possessed.
Just
because
he
suggested
sensuality didn’t mean she had to submit. He was
accustomed to passive women but at that moment she
didn’t like the role she was supposed to be playing. Her
defiance might prove an ugly taste for him. Then what? The
lord might throw her on the ground and have his way with
her, unless she took charge of the situation. If she did,
though, it might mean a death sentence.
Passive, be passive. And if you are he will definitely fuck
you.

It
became
clear
if
she
fought
him,
or
remained
submissive and allowed him control, the end result would
be the same. If she fought his advances and refused to fuck
him he would have his answer about her true identity. No
matter the end result, she had to play the part of a
Gothman woman, or risk a possible war.

Tara studied Lord Darius and those beautiful gray eyes.
The sunlight added color to his blond curls, some of them
pale as corn silk, while others were darker than gold. His
hair bordered a smooth face, shy of a small scar that
interrupted an otherwise perfect jaw line. She curled her
hands into fists to prevent herself from reaching up to
touch that scar and trace it just to see if it would alter his
expression. He had no wrinkles, no worry lines, nothing to
indicate he was consumed or tortured with hard decisions.
His features were perfect.

His chuckle forced his Adam’s apple up and down, and
sent chills through her heated body. “I’m thinking you are
like no other woman.”

The laughter in his eyes was almost her undoing. She
wanted to pounce on him, to slap him for his pompous
attitude, and to kiss him just to show him she had what it
took to overpower his supposed omnipotence.

“But no, my l
ady, you won’t be successful at stopping
me.”
Tara jumped to her feet. She stood over him with her
hands still balled in fists at her sides. Every bit of sense
she had, along with winters of training to understand all
types of attacks, prepared her to take the offensive. She
towered over Darius, planting her feet firmly on the ground,
and inhaled deeply to clear her thoughts.
“You think you can have me as you please, simply
because you desire it?” Tara barely remembered at the last
moment to speak with a Gothman accent.
“There is no doubt, my lady.”
“And if I don’t wish it?”
“My lady,” Lord Darius whispered, almost growled. “You
do wish it.”
Tara had
never
met
a
man more
sexually sure
of
himself. He excited her and filled her with outrage. She
stared at him.
Darius relaxed, then crossed his arms across that broad
chest.
Rope-like
muscles twitched
under
his tanned
forearms. He seemed at ease, as if allowing her time to
accept the inevitable.
Tara narrowed her eyes. “You will not rape me,” she
hissed.
Darius laughed, and she took a step backward. “My
lady, I’m thinking that won’t be necessary.”
He straightened his legs, stretching them so that long
corded
muscles rippled
underneath his brown
leather
pants. Every inch of him was perfect. Tara found her gaze
travelling over the bulge at his crotch and forced her
attention to keep moving. He might need a slight attitude
adjustment, but she imagined him well-endowed. There
wasn’t anything wrong with fucking a man who was more
than a bit sure of himself. Once that thought entered her
mind, it was hard picturing leaving this secluded place
before finding out.
She found herself standing between those long, powerful
legs but then saw he had needed to rearrange his position
to allow room for his growing erection. This time Tara
didn’t look away from the hardened length now visible
under the material below his belt. Beyond a doubt, she had
never met a more pompous, self-righteous, and incredibly
sexy man as the one who now seemed to surround her with
his aura.
Tara turned to create distance, and Darius bent one leg,
blocking her path. She didn’t jump around him, or stumble
over him, but merely stopped. “Is this how you take every
lady who catches your eye, my lord?”
“I’ve never waited this long before.” Darius sounded
amused. “But then any other lass would have submitted by
now.”
Tara almost said she wasn’t any other lass. Those would
have been her exact words to any other man, but Lord
Darius wasn’t any other man. No man had ever stimulated
her emotions like this before, much less one who kept her
guessing at the same time. She might enjoy this man, and
it would be a long time before she grew bored.
“Do they fall at your feet? Or do they simply strip in
front of you?” Tara asked as she continued to stare at the
leg blocking her path.
“Has it crossed your mind to do either?”
Tara sensed Darius’ movement and turned as he leaned
forward. “No,” she stated, unable to do more as one large
hand interlocked fingers with her smaller hand. Tara didn’t
oppose the touch, but studied his hand, which now held
hers. The rough heat from his grasp sent warmth up her
arm at an amazing speed.
“I’ll teach you to submit.” Darius didn’t make the
statement as a threat, but spoke the words gently, as a
papa willing to show a child a new lesson.
When he pulled her to him, the only thing crossing
Tara’s mind was that
likewise,
she
would teach him
manners. The intensity of his gaze, those gray eyes, so
unique in color, watching her while he drew her closer,
gave her the impression teaching him anything would be
quite
the chore. Stubborn and powerful, ruthless and
aggressive, she saw the bad and the good in him with
defined clarity.
She wanted to look away, anything to distract her. But
damn it if she didn’t want to taste him and know the
source of the heat that flooded through her with just his
touch.
His arms wrapped her into him, almost crushing her in
their grip. And then he kissed her.
Tara didn’t try stopping him. Placing her arms on his
shoulders, then grabbing hair on either side of his head,
she returned the kiss with an aggression she’d never used
on a man before.
He slid her off the rock and onto the ground. His
strength made her wild. All attempts to conceal her identity
were forgotten. A thick fog of lust consumed her senses.
His body was strong, powerful, and dangerous. It excited
her more than anything had before. She fought to strip the
pants away from the treasure that would be hers.
He was huge, hardened to stone. She felt, more than
saw, his erection. His hands were rough on her as he used
confident expertise in removing her dress. It was tossed to
the side and instantly forgotten. Then Darius’ hand was
between her legs, testing her for moistness. Not that she
wanted foreplay. This wasn’t about romance. It wasn’t as if
the two of them would ever have a relationship.
“Let’s see if you fuck as well as you defy a man, my
lady,” he growled.
Tara was up to the challenge. “On your back,” she
insisted, pushing against him as he spoke.
Darius pushed his finger inside her instead of obeying.
He did lift himself off of her partially, but only to grab her
hair with his free hand and pull.
“The first lesson in submission is not telling me what to
do,” he whispered, lowering his mouth to hers as he spoke.
She wasn’t able to answer. His finger impaled her. Her
scalp burned where he pulled her hair. The mixture of
pleasure and pain damn near sent her flailing into her first
orgasm.
But the kiss ended and his finger slid free before she
peaked. Tara blinked, taking a moment to gather her wits.
Before she did, Darius rolled to his back and pulled her on
top of him.
“Fuck me, my lady.”
Clarity returned and she found herself amused instead
of frustrated that she hadn’t just come. If Lord Darius
needed to feel that edge of superiority over her, she’d allow
him to entertain the notion, for a moment or two.
She straddled him and forced the penetration herself as
he grabbed her breasts. Darius slid so deeply inside her
that she fought to control the moment.
He pulled back as she rocked forward. Then he lunged,
almost choking her with the depth he reached.
Tara collapsed on him. But before she recovered and
regained her strength, his powerful arms wrapped around
her body and he lunged again. Fighting to gain control was
the hardest thing she’d ever done. She dug her fingers into
his chest and pushed—hard—forcing herself up. As his grip
around
her
intensified,
she
took
advantage
of
the
preoccupation and thrust her hips down, consuming every
inch of
him inside
of
her,
tightening
around
him,
suffocating all life out of him. She was, most definitely, the
victor.
A muffled grunt, deep within him, rose to a howl as she
forced his orgasm. Then, not willing to let him have his
pleasure without her, she thrust again and leaped to meet
the intensity with her own climax. She held him inside her,
while he stretched and filled her. Closing her eyes, she rode
the waves of satisfaction that rushed through her. Where
she had tried to show the upper hand, she had instead
received the
privilege
of being fucked good and hard,
allowing her one orgasm and leaving her wanting more.
This was not lovemaking. There had been no foreplay.
Pure and simply, it was a struggle of powers. A ruthless,
dominating nation taking on another, equally powerful and
equally dangerous. Through the act of sex, they’d tried to
conquer each other—and failed. If they’d attempted to keep
the act purely physical, playing the part of the skilled
warrior, and not allowing emotions to interfere—again, they
both failed. The pleasure had been too great and the power
struggle too intoxicating. Tara saw all of this as true and
knew she’d have to give further thought to it later.
Darius eased his grip on Tara. He sat up, still inside her,
and stared deeply into that place he’d just experienced.
There couldn’t possibly be another woman like her on
Nuworld. Sex
had always
been an act of
pleasure,
sometimes necessary, sometimes simply to amuse himself.
It had never occurred to him how the pleasure might
intensify with a willing, enthused partner. Darius enjoyed
sex as a predatory act. Sometimes the look of fear, or
submissive anticipation, excited him enough to pursue a
lady who caught his eye. Tara had offered him neither, yet
she had brought him to a hardened boil like none had
before.
What was it about this woman?
Intelligence mixed with her beauty in a way Darius
hadn’t thought possible. She wore the two qualities in a
way that drew him. He wanted to know her. It dawned on
him that he had never really cared to know any woman
before Tara. Women served a purpose, but one of them
wasn’t companionship. With Tara, he wanted to know why
she thought the way she did, what ticked behind those
blue eyes.
But there was something else. Darius wanted to make
Tara his. This woman was no Gothman, but she was on his
land, acting the part of a Gothman. There was mystery
behind her, but that didn’t bother him. All knowledge of
her would be his in time. What fascinated him was his
desire to possess her, and all that she was.
“How do you feel about the fact that with one word I
could
have you rule this land at my side?” Darius
whispered into her ear.
“You know nothing about me. I may make a lousy ruler.”
She returned his gaze, snagging her fingers in his hair,
then pulling them free. “I would think something like that
should be a mutual decision, my lord.” She pushed herself
off of him and looked around until she spotted her dress.
“I’m not surprised you’d answer like that, my lady.” He
wasn’t daunted by her boldness. “You’re not like any lass
I’ve met and I’ve known a few. They’re always polite and
submissive, of course, and they say only what they think I
want to hear. You think for yourself. I like that. Why are
you like that, Tara?”
“I guess I don’t see why women have to be less than
men.” She looked at him, as if checking for his immediate
reaction.
There was no need to respond. She was in his world and
he didn’t doubt she knew his laws. Instead, he got up and
picked up the pants Tara had managed to pull off him.
Showing this
woman how
to
submit
would
be
more
pleasure than he originally thought.
Tara noticed Darius could go another round. She liked
that quality in a man. She had to admit, more than his
sexuality impressed her. Darius acted interested in her.
Tara didn’t fool herself into believing his curiosity was
drawn by affection.
She knew better.
Darius questioned
her
nature
because
he
needed
confirmation she was a Runner. His tactics were far more
impressive than capture and torture. Tara also considered
that he might think she wasn’t an enemy.
Gothman and Runners might have a bad history, but
that history didn’t affect her. In fact, Tara wasn’t sure if
there was reason for the two nations of people to despise
each other.
Ignorance
had
made
them enemies.
Tara
wondered if knowledge might make them allies.
Tara got dressed and walked to his motorcycle, guessing
he wasn’t pleased by her last comment and would probably
take
her
back
to
the
house.
The
man wanted
her
compliance.
She was sure she knew his thoughts. Any Gothman
woman would
do
well to
be
claimed
by the
Lord of
Gothman.
But Tara wasn’t Gothman, and he there was nothing he
had to offer that she wasn’t able to obtain on her own. She
guessed that since she didn’t dance in appreciation to his
suggestion, she had offended him, and possibly bruised
that mighty ego.
“The Gothman culture
has been the
way it
is
for
hundreds of winters,” Darius finally said, and buttoned his
pants.
She turned and walked back to him. “Cultures can
change, don’t you think?”
Darius wasn’t looking at her face.
She wondered if he even heard her question. He seemed
more intent on studying her breasts. “And who better to
start a change but the leader of the land? I’ve never known
a man like you.” Tara ran her hands up his chest, feeling
the pounding of his heart under muscles that tightened
against her touch. “Gothman is powerful, and that power
comes from you. You alone can alter the state of women,
and no one would stop you.”
She watched her hands caress his chest, feeling the
ironclad strength as well as his heat. The scent of their sex
lingered. Her insides swelled, pulsed and ached for him to
be inside her again.
Darius lifted her chin with one finger. Those gray eyes
captivated her. Did she see amusement?
“Now, why would I change what already works so well?”
Darius tapped her chin with his finger, then started toward
his bike, leaving her standing there.
She forced her thoughts to clear, knowing a point should
be made here.
“I’ve heard you’re a great leader, Lord Darius. I’m sure
you can do anything if you set your mind to it.”
He got onto his bike and his expression turned hard.
She smiled at him and easily slid on behind him.
Snuggling behind him increased her desire to have him
again. But her brain was in pure turmoil. She feared that
she’d allowed him to learn more about her than she’d
wanted to share.
He’d openly admitted that she was different from any
woman he had been with. Tara had to acknowledge that his
ability to keep her from knowing whether or not he knew
she was a Runner was excellent strategy. It kept her alert
and guessing. Instead of responding, he started the bike
and turned it around with those thick, muscular legs of
his.