Rituals of Passion (26 page)

“If he returns to me,” Maven said, her heart contracting in her chest even as her

cunt swelled with desire, “I will fuck him until we’re both limp with exhaustion.”

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Kaelen smiled at her in the mirror. “I wish Dane could hear you say that now. It would surely inspire him.”

Maven managed a small smile at the thought, wondering if that were true. And hoping fervently that he would forgive her for her stubbornness and let them start

anew.

Finishing with her hair, Kaelen silently removed Maven’s sleeping gown and helped her into an indigo-dyed leather dress  that fastened down the front. After placing a soft, comforting kiss to Maven’s forehead, she departed the room, leaving Maven to herself.

Maven let out a sigh, her thoughts shifting lovingly  to Lavonia and her Orientation. Lavonia had taught her well, and now she wanted nothing more than to keep practicing her sexual skills with her Dane. Beneath her dress, her  pussy had grown damp with such thoughts.

She still missed her dear, feisty maid and her family, but in a different way now. She no longer wanted to return to them,  for she knew her place was here, in Rawley, with Dane.

Taking a deep breath, she padded to the window and stared out again, as far in the distance as her eyes could see, and she sent a silent message of  passion to Dane, just praying that he could somehow feel it, somehow absorb her desire.

Come back to me. Be inside me. Fuck me deeply.

And I shall be yours forever.

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Chapter Sixteen

tongue licking and playing around the head. Maven knelt before her husband, her hand wrapped around his wonderfully large cock, her

Above her, he groaned his pleasure  and the  sound oozed through her,  spreading like slow syrup to the very tips of her fingers and toes.

Take him inside her, she had to  take him inside her. Now.

hands pushed through hParting her lips, she sank her mou

th over his hard shaft, listening to

er hair until he kneaded her scalp as she  took him deep, then eased back, his deep moan. His  took him deeper, then eased back again.

“I want to please you always, master,” she told  him, peering up into his powerful eyes.

The form of address turned his gaze more possessive, filling her with a joy she could hardly comprehend.  “I am yours,” she whispered up to him. “I am yours.”

It was then that she noticed the other men in the room and turned her head to look. Havlin,  Galt, Kells — all the men who had performed the  Rituals  of Passion on  her.  And then she spotted  the three boys from her Orientation, her gaze  narrowing on Donnell,  his young, bright eyes  shining hungrily on her.

They were waiting. In a line. Waiting for what she gave to Dane.

Dread and trepidation shot through her and  she splayed the fingers of both hands over  Dane’s sturdy thighs, whispering up to him. “Only you.”

He looked  surprised. “But they  all want you, Maven. You could have  any of them you desire, in any way you wish. You are free to go with any and all of them.”

From the look in his eyes, she understood— it  was a kindness. He was being generous,  letting her go, letting her have whatever he thought she might want, any pleasure he  thought she  might wish to take elsewhere.

“I won’t hold you here if you wish to go,” he added.

But she simply shook her head. “Only you now, husband. I
 
belong
 
to you.”

As if by  magic, the other men vanished, leaving them alone,  and she and  Dane suddenly lay in a bed, his parents’ bed, their marriage bed, and he said, “Ride me, bride. Ride me hard. Ride  me until you come for me.”

She sank onto him and he filled her. She moved  and rode and bucked, just as he’d instructed,  all the while looking into his hot, hungry eyes.  They pinned her in place,  pushed her deeper into pleasure, silently demanded her climax.

When it happened, he thrust  harder up into her, harder, harder, lifting her higher and  higher, nearly to the ceiling it seemed, and when she finally came down, she landed upon him  with a jolt—

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And opened her eyes. Her hand rested between her thighs, her sleeping gown lay bunched at her hips.
 
Oh Ares. It was only a dream.
 
Only a horrible, wonderful dream ofwanting to belong to a man who was no longer here for her to belong to.

* * * * *

Two weeks had passed with no sign of her husband.

Scouts from the fort who rode to the site  of  the battles brought word that Dane was

said to be alive, but no one knew for  sure, for the scouts hadn’t seen him.

Maven’s heart felt near to breaking. She  couldn’t help being filled with dread.

This was Ares’ way of punishing her, she decided, for being so cold to Dane, for not accepting the happiness he’d wanted to give her. Ares was going to take him away from her now, now that she’d finally realized  how lucky she’d been to have him and how empty her life was suddenly going to seem without him—even after the very short time they’d been together. Even if he wanted to own her.

His stubbornness on that subject  had ceased  to matter.  She would never give in toit, never let herself believe in such ownership—but faced with losing  him, she waswilling to accept it as a flaw within him, a flaw she could survive if only he were back in her arms.

Three times they had fucked—only three times
.
 
Three times that had changed her, turned her into someone new. Three times was not even close to enough. She couldn’timagine ever getting enough of his majestic  cock, his muscular embrace, his possessive eyes. For yes
,
 
on some level, she did want him to  own her—she could no longer denythat to herself. She didn’t understand it,  but she wouldn’t deny  it. Why couldn’t she have figured all this out before he’d gone?  How had  she let him go into battle thinking she still hated him and  didn’t want to be his wife?

“Why don’t we go outside for a walk?” Kaelen suggested upon finding Maven  where she seemed always to dwell these days—next to the window  in the  bedchamber  she so desperately wanted to  share with her husband again.

Maven looked up briefly and only shook her head.

“You’re growing so pale. You need some sun. You don’t want  Dane to return to find you looking like a ghost about to wither  away to nothing.” She’d not been eating  much, either—she simply hadn’t possessed much  of an appetite  since Dane had left for battle.

“I appreciate your concern, Kaelen, but  I don’t wish to walk  right now. Maybe  later.” She’d made the same remark to her  maid every day for the past four, and she  always said the words with good  intentions,  but when “later” came she still didn’t have the energy to venture out.

Kaelen approached, reaching a hand to stroke her hair. “I’m sorry you’re so very  sad.” Then she squeezed Maven’s hand. “Perhaps I could make you feel better.”

Maven sighed. “I don’t see how.”

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Kaelen gave her lower lip a sensual bite as  she looked intently into Maven’s eyes. “I could touch you. Kiss you,” she whispered.  “Dane would wish it,  I’m sure.  Despite the problems between you, he wouldn’t want you to suffer. He would  wish me to find a way to take your mind from your worries, even if only for a short while. You couldclose your eyes and forget your fears and let me make you come.”

Before her wedding to  Dane, Maven had felt  an undeniable attraction to Kaelen.  Even now, it was easy  to remember the feel  of Kaelen’s soft breasts pressing into herarms in the bathing tub, the alluring sight  of them through the white silk frock she’d worn. And the notion that Dane might wish  her to be with Kaelen almost lent some credence to the idea.

But Dane wasn’t here to wish anything. If  he was, and if he wanted her to  be with  Kaelen, she’d agree in a heartbeat. Thrilling him was thrilling for
 
her
, and she’d doanything for him now. Because she wanted only him, wanted  only to please him and bethe wife he wanted her to be.

“Thank you, Kaelen. You’re sweet to offer. But without Dane, nothing appeals,  nothing is right.”

Kaelen attempted a smile, although she  looked irrefutably sad—whether about Dane or the refusal of her offer, Maven didn’t  know.  “I  bet Dane will walk through that door before you know it,” Kaelen said, then kissed her forehead and turned to go,  leaving Maven alone again to stare out her window and wish.

* * * * *

Late that afternoon, Maven lay napping when  a dream of Dane filled her senses.

In it, he was lying next to her, gazing down  at her, pushing her  hair from her face with rough but gentle fingertips.  His eyes  were as intense and captivating as ever, but she no longer minded the power those eyes seemed to have over her.

“Dane, you’re back,” she whispered.

“Did you miss me, bride?”

“Insanely. I worried until I was  sick. I was so afraid you’d die.”

It was only when he lowered his mouth to  hers in the  most tender kiss he’d ever given her, hot tingling sensations running all through her, that  it occurred to her—
 
What if this isn’t a dream? What if he’s really here?

“Are you real?” she asked, confused, peering up at  him. She reached to touch hisface, amazed to feel the coarse stubble of  unshaven hair beneath her fingertips.

He gave a soft laugh. “Of course, my wife.”

Coming more fully awake, she reached up once more to touch his cheek, his hair.  “You’re really here? You’ve really  come back?”

He smiled and took  her hand,  placing it on his cock, which was fully erect beneath

the leather of his pants.  “Does this convince you?”

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She  shot  upright  in  bed,  blinked,  and  looked  deep  into  his  eyes  as  pure  joy  assailedher. “Oh Ares! It’s true! You’re really home! You’ve returned to me!”

His smile was wary, even if playful, his eyebrows knitting slightly. “Yes, it’s  true, but…who are you and where’s the angry Maven I left behind?”

“Oh Dane,” she said, lifting her  hand back to his cheek, “if I must belong to you, then I will, so long as you’re with me, so long as you’re safe.”

He tilted his head and spoke deeply. “Oh love.”
 
Had he just  called her “love”
? It couldn’t be. Yet despite her shock, her doubt, she could have sworn she saw that veryemotion glimmering in his eyes. “You need not say such things.”

She blinked, stunned,  still confused. “I don’t?”

He pulled her into a great embrace, crushing her  against his hard muscles, wrapping her in strong, sturdy arms. He whispered in her ear, “I love you,  Maven, and  I want you to be happy. I will willingly treat you as my equal.”

Maven pulled back to look him in the eye once  more. Had he really just said that? It was amazing, a dream literally coming true, but… “Dane, I…I…” She was tooovercome with emotion to get anything out.

“You what, love?”

She twined her arms sensually around his neck and decided not to argue with  him, to just accept what he was saying and express what was in her own heart as well—assimply as she could.  “I want you inside  me so  badly! My pussy has missed your wonderful cock, husband. Please don’t make me wait.”

Maven had  never seen a more thrilling sight  than  the  fresh fire that ignited  in hisblue gaze. “And I’ve missed your sweet, tight little cunt, my love. At night I dreamed about fucking you, and during  the day I fantasized about it.”

The thought alarmed her, even as she succumbed to kisses on her lips, cheek,throat. “Dane, you should have been concentrating on your safety.”

“Wanting to come back here and sink my shaft deep into your warmth is what kept me going, kept me fighting,  my hot bride.” He  took the opportunity to slide his hand upher inner thigh until his fingers  sank into her wet, hungry pussy.

She moaned with delight, lifting herself  to him automatically, her mound instantly begging for more of him. “Oh, Dane, please  fuck me. Fuck me hard. Make me feel you.  Make me know how real you are. Now!”

In one swift movement, Dane ripped open the bodice of her dress and sank his mouth to her needy breasts. Pushing up  her skirt, he began thrusting at  her cunt even before his pants were undone.

“Your cock,” she purred. “I need your cock.”

He appeared as impatient as she felt, pulling back and fighting to  unlace the front of his pants until finally his huge shaft was freed, and Ares—even bigger than sheremembered.  She  at  once  wanted  both  to  lick  it  and  to  have  it  inside  her.  The  second

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desire won out as she  begged him again, “Put it in me, Dane! Fuck me now with that  big, beautiful cock!”

“Oh, my lovely, hungry little bride,” he  said with a wicked grin, “get ready,  because I’m going to fuck you harder and deeper than I ever have before.”