chest to welcoming back. That delicious scent of virility and dark, moonlit nights wafted to her.
She should protest. At the very least scold him for such daring. The words refused to leave her mouth, however, and she counted her blessings that she didn’t lean her head against his shoulder.
“No more fighting.” His warm breath kissed the hollow of her ear, shooting dangerous sparks across her nerve endings. “My nose still hurts,” he added sulkily, “as does my co—manhood. Perhaps the first thing I need to teach you is how to properly treat the aforementioned manhood.”
Oh, God. Sinking…sinking…deeper under his spell. If it hadn’t been for the shell barrier of her bra, his fingers would have surrounded her nipple, probably pinched and rolled it. Her knees almost crumbled. Ohmygod, ohmygod, oh…my…exquisite. Absolutely exquisite. The long, hard length of his erection pressed into the crevice of her lower back, and he rubbed it against her.
Her eyes drifted closed in surrender, a strange weakness invading her limbs. She’d always thought herself immune to lust. On all the dates she’d been on, no one had ever affected her like this. Not even the ones that ended in a kiss. Those seemed paltry now, utterly unexciting.
Men annoyed her, she reminded herself, and this one annoyed her more than any other. Keep thinking it and maybe you’ll believe it.
To her horror—cough, total enjoyment, cough—he brought his other hand into play, cupping her other breast. “Paradise,” he whispered. “Are you sure you do not smell me?”
Why did he want her to smell him so badly? “I’m sure.”
Pause. Then, “Imagine when I have you naked, how intense the sensations will be.”
Yes, he annoyed her. And she wanted to be annoyed for the rest of her life. “Please,” she managed to gasp out. Sadly, she didn’t know exactly what she was begging for. Freedom? Or more of him?
“Please what?” Showing her no mercy, he purred the words straight into her ear. His soft lips brushed the outer edge; his tongue darted inside, only to quickly retreat and leave her shaking for more. “Please take you to my home? Please give you untold pleasure? Say the words, and I will do it.”
Oh, God.
Around her, excited twitters and breathy moans of passion reigned as other couples stole a moment to embrace. No matter that no one paid her the slightest bit of attention. These people could see her, could see where her captor had his hands positioned.
If she didn’t stop him soon, he would slide his fingers past her skirt and into the very heat of her. She knew it, felt it in the taut strain of his hold. “Please. Let us go. Just leave us alone.”
“I’m afraid that’s the one thing I cannot do for you.” He squeezed her breasts. “I need to be inside you too badly.”
She gulped. Don’t think about his words, don’t think about his words. “I’ll give you nothing but trouble. I’m mean and cranky, and most people can’t stand to be around me.”
“Soon I’ll have you so well sated all you’ll be able to do is smile.”
“Sate me,” her mom said, finally ripping free of Conner’s clasp. She curled herself around the warrior’s ankles, kissing his feet. “Sate me, I beg you.”
“Get up,” Shaye demanded. Seeing her newly married mother humble herself snapped her out of the sensual spell. “Run. Escape!”
He ignored Tamara, saying, “What’s your name, swee—love?” The question emerged as calmly as if it were an everyday occurrence to have someone slobbering all over his boots.
“I’m Tamara,” her mom answered before Shaye could speak, “but you can call me anything you want.”
Sighing, he bent down, lifted Tamara up with one hand, and thrust her at Conner. His hold on Shaye never loosened. “What is your name?” he repeated, having to speak over Tamara’s sudden sobs.
Mutinous, Shaye pressed her lips in a thin line and forced herself to ignore the heady, seductive fire tingling through her. What could she do to force her mother to listen? To rip the foolish woman out of her enchantment?
“I will bargain with you. I will tell you my name, and then you will tell me yours.” He paused. When she didn’t respond, he continued, “I am Valerian, leader of the nymphs. You may call me Oh, God. That is what the other surface dwellers have preferred to call me.”
Valerian. The name whispered along every corridor and hollow of her mind. He—wait. Had he said surface dwellers? “I’d prefer to call you Person Whose Ass I’m Going To Kick, and what do you mean, surface dwellers?”
A pause, thick and heavy and tense, fell over them like a curtain. Then, “You surprise me,” he said, the honeyed timbre rich with confusion. “I expected my mate—”
A string of foreign words cut him off.
Stiffening, Valerian faced the speaker. Shaye did the same. The man was nearly as tall as the one holding her, but his hair was black and his eyes were green as emeralds. He, too, wore only pants and boots, his bronzed, bare chest on ample display. He said something else.
Valerian responded in the same, clipped language.
What were they saying?
When he next spoke, the dark-headed man motioned to Shaye with a tilt of his chin.
Whatever Valerian’s reply, it was not nice. His tone was hard, utterly unbending. Dripping with command. The warrior paused only a moment, shrugged and strode away.
“What was that about?” Trying not to panic again, Shaye angled her head and stared up at Valerian.
That proved to be a mistake. A big, fat chocolate covered mistake. The moment their gazes locked, a wave of sexual energy sparked between them, stronger than before, undeniable and irresistible. He ate her up with his eyes, bit by devastating bit, mentally stripping her, already riding her. Hard. Fast.
Look away. Look away, damn it! Any more of that piercing, heady gaze and she’d come. Then and there, no physical stimulation required. Need coiled between her legs, pooling hot and wet, spiraling through her stomach, her nipples.
“Oh, God,” she gasped out. Look away! The intense ache was too much. “What was that conversation about?” She didn’t mean to shout, but the question ripped from her as she jerked her gaze to the ground.
“I am taking you to your new home,” he answered. “You will live with me and see to my every need. Will you come willingly?”
“Hell, no.” Her eyes narrowed on her sandals as she fought the urge to face him again. “I’m staying here. Do you hear me? I’m staying!”
He leaned down, his mouth teasing her ear. “I’m glad you said that, for now I get to carry you.” Without another word, he spun her around and hefted her onto his shoulder as if she weighed nothing more than a bag of feathers.
“Idiot! Jackass! Moron!” She fought and kicked with all her might, and her knee slammed into his stomach. “Put me down. I’ll make you miserable. I’ll never stop fighting you. I won’t see to your needs.”
“You, love, will make me a well-satisfied man,” he gritted out. “That I promise you.” He strode past the line of women.
Even through her struggles, Shaye held her mom’s watery stare until the tent flap was swept aside and Valerian carried her into the night. At least her mom wouldn’t be forced to endure…whatever these men were going to make her and the others endure.
The rest of the men fell into pace beside Valerian. The young, single women followed blithely, happily, behind them. From inside the tent, the sound of feminine sobs echoed. “Take me with you,” several called. “Please. I’m begging.”
Shaye stilled. She rubbed her eyes, pinched the