He closed his eyes as thoughts of how satiny Brittany’s skin had felt, and the memory of her beautiful body were burned into his mind.
No, he would not go to her. Instead, he would go on deck and stand in the rain to cool his passion.
He moved to the door, but stood undecided. He would just go to her cabin and tell her that he was not a fool.
He made his way to Brittany’s cabin like a man with a mission. This woman would never catch him in her silken web!
Thorn was a man who was not inexperienced in lovemaking, and she was no novice herself. It would amuse him to flaunt her offer in her face.
His eyes narrowed in contempt. Why had he allowed her to entice him? Had he not already learned this lesson from Wilhelmina?
Brittany slipped into her dancing costume, glad that one of the women in the harem had placed it in her satchel. She was pleased that the costume was transparent so she could do the dance that Milo, the Egyptian woman, had taught her, for it was the most beguiling of all the dances she had learned.
She dipped her fingers into hyacinth oil, rubbing it through her flowing black hair. Next she applied kohl to her eyes, hoping she would look the part of the seductress.
She ran her hand nervously over her bare midriff, trying to remember all she had been told about the Egyptian dance. Milo had said that the eyes played an important part in this dance, that she should often lower her lashes and look directly into her victim’s eyes.
Brittany was now ready for Thorn, although she was nervous. She had never danced for a man before, so she was plagued by doubts. What if he did not come? What if he did not like her dance?
With a suddenness that took her by surprise, Thorn opened the door and stood staring at her. The black transparent costume revealed her soft curves rather than covered them. The short tunic of matching material was trimmed in silver. There were silver bells that jingled whenever she moved. A matching veil covered the lower part of her face. Her dark hair shimmered like an ebony waterfall down her back to her waist.
Thorn had not expected her to look like this. He could not tear his eyes away from the beautiful, dark-skinned girl who stood before him. She indicated that he was to sit on
the pillow she had placed on the floor for him. Like a man moving through a dream, he sat down, his eyes never wavering from her gaze.
Brittany slowly began moving her hips, slightly at first, then in a wider circle, seductively, alluringly. The silver bells laced through her fingers made a musical sound when she clicked them together.
Thorn was mesmerized as her bare feet moved gracefully across the room, her transparent gown whirling about her. He could smell the intoxicating scent of hyacinth, and he felt his head reel and his heart pound.
Brittany was becoming bolder in her movements, for she could see she had captivated him. This was her first experience in being a woman, and she was enjoying it. How quiet he was as he watched her every move. How penetrating his eyes were as he stared into hers. Each movement was meant to entice, to intrigue, and to punish. Confident now, she became even more daring, and removed the veil from her shoulder and floated it before Thorn’s face, where it touched him like a silken caress.
His eyes were pools of passion as she whirled about him, teasing, tantalizing, and tormenting. She approached him, moving her hips ever so slightly, knowing she had him where she wanted him.
Soon the dance would end, and she would dismiss him. She had no doubt that he would be angered by the trick she was playing on him, but she could handle his wrath—in fact she welcomed it.
As she unfastened the veil that covered her face, her eyes were shining, and her lips were pursed and moist.
Brittany moved closer to Thorn, holding her arms out to him as if inviting him to embrace her. Yes, he was watching her—she would soon have him where she wanted him, groveling at her feet. He was a proud man, but she would conquer him, if only for this one night.
When she made a turn, she felt his hands span her waist, and with gentle pressure he pulled her into his lap.
She laughed up at him tauntingly. “But, Captain,” she breathed, “I have not finished the dance.”
“You win, Brittany,” he said in a voice of agony. “You have accomplished your purpose.” He moved his hand up to tangle in her dark hair, and there was no softness in his eyes. “Your body promises—how did you put it—a thousand delights? I am ready to take my pleasure with you.”
Her eyes widened with innocence, and she had a ready answer for him. “But you have mistaken me, Captain. I wanted merely to dance for you. Did you not find the dance to your liking?”
His blue eyes seemed to burn into her. “You know I did. You deliberately tormented me. I want you and you know it.” His hand moved to cup her face. “Let us be done with games of pretense. I only want what you have given Lord Simijin—and I intend to have you.”
Her victory was a short one. He was not supposed to react in this way. She was losing control of the situation and she began to panic. “You are mistaken, Captain. It was a per formance, nothing more.”
She tried to move away from him, but he held her tight. “You must go now, Captain. My dance was a gift to you. I have nothing more to offer you.”
His hands slid up to caress one breast, and she felt a warmth of pleasure spread throughout her whole body. “We both know this is what you want, Brittany. We have known it for a long time.” His voice deepened. “I can no longer deny there is desire between us—why should you?”
“No, Captain, you misunderstand me. I only wanted to…to—”
He placed his finger over her lips to silence her. “You have given me your gift, now it is time for me to give you mine, little dancer.”
He lowered his head, and she knew he was going to kiss her. She did nothing to stop him. She ached for the touch of that mouth on hers. His hot breath fanned her cheek, and he pulled her to him so she was lying across his lap.
“You have asked for this, Brittany, and by God you are going to get it. You have become an obsession with me, and tonight you added fuel to an already hot flame.”
There was a tightening in her throat and a throbbing void that cried out to be filled. “This is wrong,” she said, though only halfheartedly. “This was not supposed to happen.”
“I will steal only a little happiness from Lord Simijin. You don’t even have to tell him if you don’t want to.” His eyes raked her face. “If I know women—and I do—you will not tell him that I made love to you tonight.”
She touched his face. “Please do not do this. I truly did not expect you would go this far.”
He arched his dark brow skeptically. “Did you not, little concubine? Did you think you could torment a man to the edge of madness and then come away untouched?”
She looked into blue eyes that sparkled with life and deepened with feverish desire. She answered him as honestly as she could. “I am not sure, Captain. Perhaps this is what I wanted all along.”
He brushed his mouth across her throat, and her sigh brought a smile to his lips. “That is first truth you have told since I have known you.”
Her eyes were seeking. “To my knowledge, I have never told a lie. Why must you always think the worst of me?”
“Right now, Brittany, I am thinking only the best of you.”
His fingers played boldly with the material at her neck, while she held her breath. Slowly, he parted the material while his eyes went to her satiny breasts beneath the black material.
Her lashes fluttered while her lips parted in silent invitation.
He lowered his head, and his mouth brushed against the taut nipple. When he heard her gasp, he smiled, knowing he was now in command. His moist tongue rolled around the dusky-colored tip until it swelled against his lips. Then he moved to the other, to deliver the same painful pleasure.
“What are you doing to me?” she whispered through passion-soft lips. “Please stop…I do not…Ohhh…”
He raised his head and stared into swirling green eyes. “I am a man of some experience myself, little dancer. Tell me what you like, and I will do it.”
She squirmed, as a flood of untapped feelings rippled through her innocent body. “No, do not do this. I do…not know what I want.”
His lips moved up her neck, and he whispered against her mouth. “But only a moment ago, you were so sure of what you wanted.”
As Thorn’s lips closed over Brittany’s, she felt the room tilt, and she clung to him, pulling him closer and opening her lips to the probing of his tongue. His hands moved to her waist, and he tugged at the thin costume until he could move it over her hips. All the while he was kissing her until she was mindless.
“Say you want me,” he whispered against her ear. “You know you do—admit it.”
Brittany knew that if she gave in to his searing demand, she would be lost. She looked at him pleadingly. “Do not force me to do this, Captain.”
His laughter was soft, and his magical hands had moved to her thigh. “I have never used force with a woman, Brittany. Why should I with you, when you are so ripe and ready to receive me?” To prove his point, he moved his finger ever so slightly to massage her velvet softness. “Do you deny that you want me?”
Pleasure such as she had never known coursed through her young body. “I want you,” she admitted in a strangled voice. “Yes, I want you.”
Her hand was resting on his arm, and she felt his muscles bulge when he picked her up and carried her to the bunk. While she watched, he stripped off his white shirt and tossed it aside. When his hand went to his belt, she shyly turned her face to the wall, not knowing what to expect.
His amused laughter filled the room. “Play the coy miss with me, if it pleases you, but we both know better. Before I am finished with you, you will beg for more, and you will know that I am not your Simijin.”
When he dropped down on the bed beside her, she could not bring herself to look below his broad shoulders. Suddenly, everything she had been told by the women in the harem went out of her mind. All she could think about was having this man’s hands on her body, bringing delight and awakening her to new and deeper sensations.
Thorn lay down beside her and rolled her over so she was facing him. Slowly and deliberately, he pulled her quivering body toward his.
Brittany gasped for breath when their naked bodies touched. She felt his throbbing shaft harden against her, and she went limp with untapped desire. She seemed to have no control over her own body.
Her hand moved over the mat of dark hair on his chest, and she looked into his burning blue eyes, and had the sensation that she was drowning.
“I fear I will displease you,” she said in a voice of uncertainty.
His mouth parted as he glanced at her lips. “If I never have more of you than this, you have already pleased me beyond belief.”
A whimper escaped her lips, and she buried her face against his chest. Could it be love that she felt for this American? Certainly it was beyond friendship—beyond desire—beyond anything she had ever experienced before.
When he rolled her over on her back and was poised above her, she waited for the moment he would plunge inside her body. Then she would belong to him. The act was accomplished so quickly that she gasped at the stinging pain when he parted her legs and slipped inside her.
Thorn’s body trembled as her silkiness closed around his throbbing shaft. He muttered beneath his breath when he came up against the barrier that proclaimed her a virgin.
He tangled his hand in her hair and yanked her forward. “Damn you, what game is this? Why did you allow me to believe Lord Simijin was your lover when your body has never known a man’s?”
She touched her lips to his, but he pulled away. “Why in the hell did you deceive me?”
“I never told you I had been with a man. It was your own assumption.”
He was still inside her, and she moved her hips, trying to tempt him, so he would satisfy the burning need he had aroused in her.
“It is not too late,” he warned. “I have not yet taken your virginity. Tell me what game you play.”
As she ran her hand down his stomach and felt the corded muscles, Brittany realized the tight restraint he was keeping on himself.
“I want you to make love to me,” she admitted. “I want you to teach me to be a woman.”
“No, damn it! This is a mistake.” He would have withdrawn from her, but she clasped her arms about him. Thorn felt his resolve slipping when she thrust her hips upward, pushing him past the barrier of skin and taking her deeply within her body.
Perspiration beaded on his upper lip as he fell under her spell once more. She had never been with a man, but her body was fanning a fire within him, and he could no longer control his movements. He plunged forward forcefully, then gently pulled back, setting a rhythmic motion.
Her eyes darkened with passion as she matched her movements to his. He laced his hands in her hair and closed his eyes. She was fulfilling his every fantasy. She
was
the seductress he had accused her of being. He slid deeper inside her, and her satiny softness cradled his throbbing desire.
“Enchantress,” he murmured in her ear. “Will you not be satisfied until you have all of me?”
For her answer, she arched her hips, and he gasped with pleasure. “If I did not know better, I would say you were practiced in the ways of pleasing a man.”
Her breath fanned his ear and sent a shiver of delight down his spine. “I was born to give pleasure to you,” she whispered.
Thorn gathered her to him, wishing he could take her into his body. He never wanted this night to end. He wanted to take her again and again, for he would never grow weary of her.
While the lightning flashed and the thunder rumbled, Thorn introduced Brittany to new and deeper emotions.
The
Victorious
swayed and groaned from the onslaught of the storm, but the two lovers were only aware of each other.
Brittany ran her hands over Thorn’s shoulders, while his hot lips covered hers. As their bodies intertwined, they found a meeting of mind and body, and they both knew they would never be the same afterward.
Together they scaled the heights and reached the peak of desire. And when the last shuddering release passed through their bodies like molten lava, it left them breathless and clinging to each other.
Brittany was drifting on a feather-soft cloud of well-being. She clung to Thorn, unwilling to let him go. He had made her his—he had made her a woman. She was suddenly sad that they could never have anything but this night.
He pulled away from her and smiled tenderly, while his eyes moved over her face as if he were memorizing every line and curve. “Are you all right?” he asked, moving his hand over her stomach.
She returned his smile shyly. “Yes. It was…it was wonderful.”
He touched his lips to her cheek and held her tightly. “Yes, it was beyond belief.”