Chapter Eight
Within minutes of her husband falling asleep, Cassandrah quietly rolls him to his side and quietly slips out of bed. Finding a maroon coverlet laying on the floor, she wraps herself with it and walks to the fireplace.
She stared at it and promised herself that she wouldn't cry. Why should she cry? Married against her will to a man who would never love her, could never love her. A man who felt she is nothing to him. What reason had she to cry when the life ahead of her seemed so pleasant? Could she look forward to years of doing little less but bearing his children, sitting at home while he roamed the countryside with his true love?
She would not! She would find her own life and, if possible, someone that would love her. Her husband would come to mean as little as possible to her.
She stood silently, controlling her tears, yet all she could remember was the sweetness of Seth's kiss, so different from the attack that followed.
Seth stirred in the bed and opened his eyes. At first he could not recall where he was, but as he rolled to his side he noticed the empty bed. Every inch of his body tightened as he thought his wife had gone until he noticed Cassandrah standing by the fireplace. She seemed to be in her own little world that she didn't hear him roll onto his back. The sheets were liberally sprinkled with blood and Seth frowned at them. He knew he'd hurt her, but he didn't understand why. Rose had been a virgin when he took her yet she showed no sign of pain or discomfort.
He looked back at Cassandrah, so small and so alone. It was true that he felt no love for her but he had used her harshly. A maiden did not deserve rape.
"Come back to bed," he said gently, smiling a bit. He would make love to her slowly, his way of apology.
Cassandrah drew her shoulders back. "No, I will not," she said firmly. She must start by showing him he did not own her.
Seth stared at her back incredulous. She was infuriating! She made every sentence as test of will. Clenching his jaw, he rose from the bed to stand before her.
Cassandrah had not really seen him nude before and his bare chest drew her eyes. He looked fearsome.
"You will learn that you will come to me when I call."
She lifted her chin and glared into his eyes. "You will learn that I will give nothing to you freely."
Seth reached for her wrist and slowly placed pressure onto it, pulling her closer to him as she shrank in pain. The coverlet fell away and he pulled her bare skin against his.
"Now you use pain to take what you want," she whispered, "but in the end I will win because you will become exhausted of fighting."
She smirked as he moved his lips closer to hers, "And what will you have won?"
"Freedom from a man I despise, a brutal, lying, dishonorable—"She stopped when he kissed her. It was the kiss from the hour before, one of gentleness. But as she remembered what happened after he began this kiss before, her body became rigid.
Cassandrah refused to react to him but her hands went to his arms. They were hard, the muscles prominent, and his skin was so very warm.
As his kiss deepened, he loosened his hand from her wrist, his arms encircling her shoulders. He moved her so her head tucked into the curve of his shoulder.
Cassandrah gave up thinking. She was a mass of sensation—every feeling new to her. She pressed closer, running her hands over his back, feeling the way the muscles moved, so different from the smoothness of her own back. He began to kiss her ears, little nibbles on the lobes. Seth gave a low throaty chuckle when Cassandrah's knees buckled against the strength of his arm behind her back. He bent, put his other arm behind her knees, his mouth never leaving her neck, and carried her to the bed. He kissed her body from her forehead to her toes and Cassandrah lay silent, only her senses alive.
Before long, she could no longer bare anymore kissing. She ached all over and she pulled his hair to better meet his mouth. She fastened on his lips hungrily, with greed.
Seth's senses, too, were reeling. Never had he had the leisure to make love to a woman as he did tonight, and never had he imagined the pleasure of it. Cassandrah's passion was as fierce as his own, yet neither rushed their lovemaking. Then he moved atop her, her arms held him tightly, pulling him closer. There was no pain for Cassandrah this time; she was ready. She moved with him, slowly at first, until they exploded together joyously.
Eventually Cassandrah fell into a deep, exhausted sleep, her arm thrown over Seth's, hair twisted around her body.
But Seth did not fall asleep immediately. He knew that this was the first time for the woman he held, but in a way he felt as if he had just lost his virginity, too. And that was certainly an absurd idea. He could not possibly remember all the women he'd taken to his bed. But tonight was definitely different. Never had he experienced such passion. With other women, when he felt his arousal at its height, they drew back. But not Cassandrah. She had given as much as he gave.
He picked up a lock of her hair from across her neck and held it up, letting the firelight play through the strands. He held it to his nose, then to his lips. She moved against him and snuggled closer. Even in sleep she wanted him nearby.
Seth's eyes grew heavy. For the first time he could ever remember, he was sated and content. Ah, but there was the morning. He smiled before he drifted to sleep
Copyrighted to Casei (me) all characters and concept belong to me. Any resemblance to real life people or place is purely coincidental.
