reserved for our families.” He brought her hand to the
space just over his heart. “I’ll put your name and our
family crest here.” He carried her fingertips to his
shoulder and down his arm. “Our children will be placed
here.”
“Really?” She seemed so touched. “You’re going to put
me on your body?”
He nodded. “It would be an honor to have a reminder of
you on me always.”
Her eyes glistened and she swallowed. “That’s very
sweet of you to say.” Then she asked, “And me? Do I get
to mark myself?”
“Some wives do.” He didn’t want to influence her
decision by telling her how much it would mean to him to
have his name on her body. “The decision is yours,
Hallie.”
She smiled and moved her hand up and down his arm.
“You have really long arms, Vicious. That’s space for a
lot of children.”
He laughed and rolled on top of her. “Then we’d better
get started making them.”
She giggled as he trapped her beneath him and used his
knee to spread her legs. He captured her lips and stabbed
his tongue inside her waiting mouth. She moaned and rose
up to meet him, her stiff nipples grazing his chest. She
clutched at his arms and hooked her ankles against his
thighs.
He’d always been quick to recover but he’d rarely
gotten this hard so fast. He didn’t even have to guide
himself inside her. With a gentle thrust, he eased his cock
into her snug pussy. He decided to take his time with her.
There was no rush now. This time, climaxing wasn’t the
true goal. Just being joined and close was enough.
He nuzzled her neck and kissed her jaw. She whispered
his name, the sound so soft and enticing. In that moment, he
realized just how lucky he’d been to find her. Her trust and
willingness to try new things was a far cry from her fear
and panic last night. He hoped he’d never do anything
stupid enough to jeopardize the foundation they were
building.
“Vicious.” She arched under him. Lips parted, she
rubbed her cheek against his. “You make me feel so
good.”
He tried to let her know how she made him feel but it
was too hard. “I’ve never…”
When he couldn’t find the words, couldn’t find the
courage to make himself so vulnerable to this pixie-like
creature who had ensnared his heart, she smiled and
kissed him.
“It’s all right.” She spoke so softly he could barely
make out the words. “I know.”
Maybe she did. He kissed her again, this time pressing
all of his conflicted emotions into it. Their bodies, joined
dually now, seemed to move as one. She caressed his back
as their tongues danced. He thrust into her with measured
strokes, taking her long and hard and deep. She trembled
and inhaled shuddery breaths. “Vicious…”
His fingertips move down her face. He started at her
hairline, followed the curve of her cheek and then touched
her mouth, his fingertips dragging against her full lower
lip. He cupped the back of her head and kissed her with
even more passion. She’d stoked the fire and now basked
in the heat of it.
“I need you.” Vicious angled his hips just so and made
her gasp. “I need you, Hallie.”
“I’m here.” She kissed his jaw. “I’m right here.”
He captured her wrists and pulled them over her head.
He held them hostage there, restraining her beneath him.
This time there was no panic flashing in her eyes. It was
trust mixed with desire that he saw reflected in the dark
pools. His chest tightened and white-hot heat pierced his
belly.
Vicious devoured her mouth and snapped his hips. He
hastened the pace of his deliberate thrusts, his angle just
right and his depth exactly what she needed. She groaned
and closed her eyes. “Take me, Vicious.”
No sweeter words had been spoken to him. He moved
faster and harder. She slid up the bed a little each time but
didn’t seem to mind. In the back of his thoughts, one word
flashed—careful. She might enjoy a little roughness but
she wasn’t nearly big enough to withstand the full assault
of his desires. He could harm her irrevocably if he
indulged that feral side of him clamoring to be set free.
He gripped both of her wrists in one hand and let his
free hand move down her body. He shifted his hips just
enough to let his fingers touch her clit. The swollen pearl
responded so easily. He flicked it for less than a minute
before she came undone. She shattered and cried out his
name. Her thighs tightened around his waist as she rocked
and begged him to keep going. “Don’t stop, Vicious. Oh
god. Oh! Don’t stop.”
Groaning, he fucked her like a wild man. He tried to be
mindful of her small size but she just felt so damn good.
When he came, he thought for sure the top of his head
would blow off. He buried his face in the curve of her
neck and shuddered painfully as jets of cum filled her.
She nuzzled his cheek. In the grip of his climax, he’d
brought both hands to her wrists, just for something to hold
onto. He loosened his grip and expected her to pull free
from him. Instead, she interlaced their fingers and kissed
his cheek again. It was the smallest gesture but it meant a
great deal to him.
When he finally had the strength to roll away, he
flopped onto his back and tried to catch his breath. She
rubbed his arm before sliding away from him. He tried to
snatch her but she was too quick. He enjoyed the sight of
her jiggling ass as she ran into the bathroom. Sometime
later, she returned and snuggled up to his side. His heart
swelled as he slid his arms around her, cradling his new
bride to his body.
As she drifted off in his arms, Vicious entertained the
what-ifs. They seemed to be firmly entrenched in their
honeymoon period. He had no illusions that it would last
forever. At some point, this newness would fade—and
then what? Would she hate him for taking her away from
her home and family?
They may not have treated her the way he thought she
should have been treated but they were her family. It was
clear she loved them. Look at the lengths she’d gone to for
her sister. She’d risked a great deal to send her away to
the colonies. The reason for that escape still remained
unknown to him. He hated to pry but he would need to
know all of Hallie’s secrets soon.
Vicious decided then and there he had to find a way to
keep her happy. It wouldn’t be easy but he’d never backed
down from a challenge. For Hallie, he was willing to try
anything.
Chapter Nine
“You look deep in thought, Kitten.”
She glanced up from the breakfast table she was
preparing for her husband of two nights as he strode into
the kitchen. He stole her breath away. Wearing only a
towel and with hair still damp from a shower, he
displayed his naked chest and those rock-hard abs. Her
greedy fingers itched to touch him again.
Maybe she shouldn’t have hurried in the shower. He’d
tried to get a bit frisky but she’d managed to evade his
lecherous hands. Breakfast had to be on the table without
delay or he’d be late for duty. Now, though, she regretted
her decision.
“What were you thinking about?” He ducked his head
into the cold storage and retrieved a carton of the blue
juice he liked so much. She handed him one of the glasses
from the table.
“Flowers,” she admitted. “I miss them.”
He frowned. “Flowers? Why?”
She shrugged. “My family was poor by our village
standards but we always put together a nice table. Clean
white plates, matching silverware, a vase of flowers from
the field out back or the small garden on the side of the
house, and one of Kerri’s tablecloths,” she explained. “It
doesn’t feel right sitting down to eat with you on this cold,
bare metal tabletop.”
He took a long, slow sip of his juice. “I might be able to
find a tablecloth in the housewares shop. Did you like the
ones at the general’s party last night? I’m sure they have
those.”
She shook her head at the memory of the silvery-gray
cloths. “It’s not the same.”
He looked amused. “A tablecloth isn’t the same as any
other tablecloth?”
“No. Our tablecloths at home were made by my mother
and stepmother and Kerri. My oldest sister isn’t much of a
cook but she has an amazing talent for embroidery.” Hallie
thought of the delicate needlework Kerri created. “You
should have seen her trousseau. She and Darrin had to
wait almost two years to marry so—”
“Two years?” Vicious interrupted with shock.
She smiled. “Makes our fifteen-minute courtship seem
rather scandalous, doesn’t it?”
Vicious snorted in amusement. “It seemed much
longer.”
“I’m sure it did with all that wet clothing slowing you
down.”
He narrowed his gaze. “You’re just lucky I didn’t break
something falling into that stream.”
She started to point out that if he’d broken something,
she would have reached the safe zone, but didn’t. Bringing
up that possibility would probably lead to an argument.
He seemed to understand and asked, “So why two
years?”
“Money. Or, rather, lack thereof. Darrin had to wait
until he had enough money to start his own herd but when
it became clear that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon,
they married and moved into our family home.”
Vicious looked puzzled. “But a man is supposed to
support his wife.”
“Darrin did and still does.”
“But not in a home of her own.”
“Not at first but they have their own farm now.” She
frowned at him. “Material things aren’t the only things that
matter, Vicious. When you love someone, you take the
good with the bad. For better or worse, right?”
“What in the world are you talking about, Hallie?”
She remembered then. They hadn’t had a proper
wedding ceremony. He’d taken her passport from the race
officials, handed it to one of the processors from the
Valiant
and had her small paper booklet stamped, the one
and only stamp in the whole thing. After that, he’d signed
his name across the bottom of a touchscreen tablet and
then shoved the stylus into her hand. With one quick
signature across the bottom of the digital contract, she’d
been wed to him.
“In my world, we exchange vows.”
“We exchanged vows.”
She rolled her eyes. “We signed a contract, Vicious.
We didn’t exchange vows. You said, ‘Here. Sign this’.”
She mimicked his deep voice. “It’s not the same thing.”
His jaw visibly tightened. “Do you not consider our
bond as deep as the one your sister and her husband
share?”
“I—” She stopped, uncertain of what to say. “I don’t
know. It’s just different, Vicious. Kerri and Darrin fell in
love. They pledged to marry. They started to build a life
together and planned a wedding. They married in front of
their families and friends.” She chewed her lip and
shrugged. “You chased me through a forest, threw me over
your shoulder like a sack of potatoes and made me sign a
contract. It’s not the same.”
“I see.” His tone was short and clipped. He slammed
the empty glass down so hard on the counter she was
stunned it didn’t shatter. “I’m going to be late.”
Mouth agape, she watched him spin on his heel and
stalk from the room. She didn’t know what to do. Her first
instinct? To chase after him and make him talk to her. Only
the knowledge that she’d never truly seen him angry
stopped her. So far he’d been sweet and kind. Whether the
same was true when he was angry was a mystery. She
really didn’t want to find out the hard way if he wasn’t. As
big as he was, he could hurt her if he lashed out in a rage.
Obviously she’d upset him but what she’d said had been
the truth. It wasn’t the same. Vicious didn’t love her. He’d
claimed her like a prize. There had been no gentle wooing
or sweet words. He’d simply bested her in a physical
contest.
She couldn’t deny that she had feelings for him now. It
was very early days but she cared for Vicious a great deal.