Moonspun Magic (Magic Trilogy 3)

“You lied to me and I will never forgive you.”

He stiffened, and frowned down at her closed face. “What the devil are you talk—” He broke off. Oh, God, had those damnable words really come from him? Fool, a thousand times a bloody fool.

“Victoria,” he said very slowly, very carefully, “it isn’t what you think.”

“I assume you are done with me. Would you please get away from me now?”

“No.” His voice was sharp, and she flinched. “No, you are mine now and I am your husband. Please, love, you must understand. I couldn’t erase every doubt, but there was but a mere shadow of a doubt when I told you I believed you. I did believe you, truly.”

She said nothing. He felt sunk in guilt and anger at himself. He rolled onto his side, bringing her with him. He remained inside her. And he felt himself growing hard once again. He strove for control. “Victoria, I gave you pleasure.”

She said nothing.

He was becoming fast angry with her. “You stubborn little witch, you will listen to me. Do you discount the pleasure I gave you so quickly? Shall I make love to you again to remind you?”

“No. Don’t touch me.”

That order was so funny that he was obliged to laugh, which he did, deeply. “My God, my rod is inside you. Don’t you consider that touching? Your breasts are pressed against me and now my hands are on your bottom. Well?”

“I hate you. Let me go now.”

“Where are you ugly?”

She stiffened and he could feel her withdrawal. Physical and emotional. He hated it. “Forget I asked,” he said, and locked his arms around her so she couldn’t pull away from him. He kissed her cheekbone. “Victoria, kiss me.”

She ducked her face down into his shoulder. She made the mistake of taking a deep breath and the smell of him was enough to make her muscles clench around his sex. He moaned.

And began to move within her.

“No,” she screamed. She began to fight him in earnest, bucking her hips upward, smashing her fists against his chest.

“Damn you, hold still.” He rolled her onto her back again and pinned her arms above her head, his entire weight on her. “Don’t try it, Victoria. You are so hot for me, it won’t be a matter of forcing you, and you know it. Give me just one more minute and you’ll be begging me to continue.”

She stared up at him, knowing what he said was true, and hating both herself and him. He was moving slowly inside her and the pain was now mixed with pleasure as he moved against her belly.

“Not even a minute,” he said. “A virgin isn’t supposed to feel pleasure the first time, you know. But you did. Immense pleasure, and I gave it to you. You won’t forget that, Victoria. Another man wouldn’t have, but I did. I wanted to see your face when you climaxed. Every time we make love you will feel like that. And you won’t forget it.”

“Please,” she whispered, fighting the building pleasure, “please don’t shame me. Please leave me alone.”

“No, not a chance. Tell me you want me to continue what I’m doing. Tell me.”

He eased his hand between them and found her. She cried out when his fingers touched her.

Her muscles were convulsing around him and he knew she was making him as wild as he was her. “Tell me, Victoria. Tell me you want me to pleasure you again.”

She felt tears sting her eyes, tasted the salty drops in her mouth. His fingers quickened and she cried out, her back arching. He released her wrists and came up on his hands. He came into her, then withdrew, twisting and pressing, making her shudder deeply.

“Tell me, damn you.”

But Victoria couldn’t say anything. She was beyond reason. She looked at him, a lost, wild look, then was lost in such incredible sensation that she felt she would die of it. She was writhing beneath him, moaning, her hair tangling about her face, her fingers digging into his back.

My God, he thought, she is incredible, and he let himself go. He was sweating and breathing hard. His full weight was on her, his head on the pillow beside hers.

He pulled himself up for a moment, kissed her slack mouth, then lay down again.

“You’re mine, Victoria. You won’t ever forget that.”

Within moments he was sleeping, a sated sleep.