Chapter Thirty-one

Tedra’s eyes flared, experiencing as much shock as Challen had earlier. Had she heard him right? He was actually going to give her complete power over him?

“You… agree?”

“Did you not wish me to?”

“Well… yes, but-”

She clamped her mouth shut before she stuck her foot in it. She would have wagered every exchange token she earned over the next ten years that he would have flatly refused, or, at the very least, tried to talk her into asking for something else instead. Had she missed something, some slyly inserted word in his questioning that would give him an out?

“Are you sure you understand the rules of this scenario, Challen? You’ll have to do whatever I tell you to, no matter what. You can’t refuse to do it, and you can’t use your strength against me, for instance, to keep me from giving you orders. Is that understood?”

“It is.”

“And you still agree?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t hesitate with his answers, but had a man ever sounded so miserable? And she’d have to be blind to mistake the look of utter defeat about him. This wasn’t surprising, since being dominated would go against the grain for someone domination came naturally to. But suddenly she knew it was more than that. In fact, it came to her quite clearly that he expected her to humiliate him, to shame him, most likely to punish him in the same way he had her. And expecting it, he’d given her the power to do it anyway.

Stars above, was he that guilty? Or was he just so desirous of having things the way they once were that he was willing to do anything to make it so? He’d begged her to forgive him. Did he really think he had to do this before she would? Well, it wouldn’t hurt him to think that for a while. It wouldn’t hurt him to expect the worse for a while either. She had no intention of exacting that kind of revenge, but she also had no intention of passing up this delightful opportunity to have the upper hand with him.

“Now that I’ve got you at my mercy, warrior, I think the first order of business should be a little protection insurance for myself. Give me your word right now that there won’t be any reprisals tomorrow or at any other time for what happens here tonight.”

That shook him out of his dejection, as if what she was insinuating was an insult to him. “Such had not occurred to me,” he said stiffly.

“Maybe not,” she allowed. “But just in case it does-your word?”

“You have it.”

She grinned at the way he gritted that out. “Poor baby,” she purred, knowing how he hated being called that. “If that was so hard for you, you’re going to have a hell of a time complying with the rest of my demands. But since you don’t have any choice, why don’t we go on to the next one? Lie down for me, baby, on your back.”

For a moment she thought he would balk, but he must have recalled he’d given up that option. She helped him to recall it by pushing on his chest and coming up as she did, switching their positions after all. Now she was looking down on him, and what she saw was a very stiff and wary barbarian, dreading her next outrageous order.

Not to disappoint him, she said, “Open your legs a little, sweetcakes.”

Again he looked like he was going to balk. His jaw clenched. His fists clenched, too. Long moments passed before he raised one leg and slammed it down a few inches away from the other. Tedra almost laughed. He hated this, he really hated it, and any other man would have fire blazing out of his eyes by now, but not her barbarian. He gave a few paltry signs of his feelings, as powerful as they must be, but his eyes remained inscrutable. She’d have to see what she could do about changing that.

“You’re not to touch me tonight, warrior, unless I tell you to. And so you won’t forget yourself and disobey me, you will place your hands behind your head and keep them there.”

This he did without hesitation, probably because he was already thinking about putting his hands on her-around her neck. But she was safe and knew it.

She took a moment to observe him as she had arranged him, in a position he usually assumed for himself, the difference being he wasn’t at all relaxed in it now. Being forced to lie just so wasn’t the same, making it her idea instead of his, thereby making it objectionable to him, so objectionable that he probably wasn’t even aware that it was a preferred position of his. But she wasn’t going to point that out to him. Giving him a little taste of the suspenseful, sexual teasing he liked putting her through wasn’t going to hurt him at all. And having his big, gorgeous body in her power, even for a little while, was heady stuff.

Stars, how she loved just looking at him, at his massively muscled chest and shoulders, twice the width of hers; at those mighty arms with more strength in them than she could possibly guess at, the biceps bunched and deeply ridged in their present position, the forearms thicker than her calves. Smaller ridges stepped down his abdomen like a steel casing, and she knew firsthand how little damage could be done to that area. Solid rock couldn’t be much harder. And those long, powerful legs were in perfect proportion to the rest of him.

His size never failed to thrill her, and now was no exception. Having command of him was a particular turn-on, putting them on the equal footing she could expect from a normal sex-sharing relationship on her world. She was ready for him again, despite having experienced no less than six explosive orgasms just a short while ago. This didn’t surprise her anymore. He had to no more than walk into the room she was in for it to happen, her body reacting with embarrassing swiftness to the mere sight of him. She didn’t like his having that kind of effect on her, but there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it. It wouldn’t even be so bad if she had the same effect on him, but it had been drummed home to her in a maddening way that she didn’t.

Recalling that, and with the evidence before her, a dent was put into her smugness. Challen having earlier attained satisfaction three times himself, his flesh was soft and sated, not at all the way she wanted it just now. Also brought home to her was the annoying fact that he could keep it that way if he so chose.

The plain truth was she couldn ‘t punish him as he had her, even if she had meant to. To command him to readiness was ludicrous. It couldn’t be done and she knew it. Unlike a woman, a man had to feel desire to be accommodating, and under the circumstances, Challen wasn’t likely to be feeling anything of the sort. But the barbarian also had one up on that. Unlike normal men, he had complete control over his flesh. Farden hell. This wasn’t going to be a bit of fun if he exercised that control, and she had little doubt that he already was. And worse than that, she hadn’t even tried to stem her own arousal, expecting it to be seen to at her own convenience. For Stars’ sake, had she gone and maneuvered herself into self-punishment?

“Relax, warrior.”

The sudden anger in her tone startled him, but only for a moment. “This I am powerless to do.”

“All right, I’ll buy that. Let’s try this one, then. You are not to use your superhuman control tonight, not even a little. I want honest reactions from you, and I want every reaction, not just those you’re willing to show me.”

He started to growl in answer, and she blinked in surprise herself. Was it that easy to get around his control? She immediately put it to the test, leaning down and biting his nearest nipple, and not too gently either. His growl turned to a groan, proving how quickly his flesh could come to life when he was powerless to control it. She’d made him powerless by ordering him to react, and he’d agreed to obey any order she gave, no matter what it was. His eyes were no longer inscrutable either. He wasn’t pleased that she’d snatched away his only defense. She was, immeasurably so. She’d got upset over nothing.