Seized by Love Read Free

varying tastes in
bed, but she preferred violence with passion; hostility intoxicated her.
    "I won't. I'm
tired," her petulant tone persisted as she swung her long, shapely legs
over the edge of the bed and began to rise.
    The Prince's bare,
powerfully muscled arm shot out and grabbed a handful of her satiny black
curls, yanking her back onto the bed, pulling her down until she looked up into
his golden eyes snapping with irritation.
    "Bitch!" he
whispered, well aware of Tanya's sexual preferences by now. But, having watched
her enticing dances all evening, he wasn't in a temper to be toyed with.
    "You're always playing
games, aren't you? However, tonight, my sweet little whore, you find me in a
suitably black humor to accommodate your preferences. If it's violence you want,
I can be obliging."
    Tanya's hand lashed out,
long nails poised to rake Nikki's face. He caught her hand in midair, his
reflexes still relatively sure despite the large amount of alcohol consumed. He
crushed her wrist in a savage grip and she winced in pain—or was it pleasure?
He couldn't tell.
    As he held her, Tanya's
little pink tongue appeared and ran provocatively over her full red lower lip,
her dark eyes began to moisten, her breathing became ragged.
    "Ah, my dear, you
do
like
pain. I should introduce you to Prince Gorcheviv. He has a penchant
for whips."
    The Gypsy girl's
half-closed lids lifted and she moaned sensuously.
    "Damn!" He
surveyed her through half-narrowed eyes. "How can I force a woman as
aroused as you?"
    Roughly he pushed her down
into the pillows, spreading her legs with his knees, pulling her nipples up and
away from her necklaces into hard points of desire. Her body writhed beneath
his coercion and her teeth bit into her full lower lip to keep from crying out
in joy. She held her arms out wide, reaching for something to cling to as he
pushed her skirt above her waist. Then, forcing her wider, he fiercely drove
into her melting body, each violent thrust releasing a part of his frustration,
each powerful surge a mindless hope for temporary oblivion. She began
whimpering as he moved faster into her, his unbridled penetration and
withdrawal savage, brutal. He didn't notice his back was running with blood
where Tanya had run her sharp nails over the hard muscles that now moved
rhythmically above her.
    Much later, Nikolai
abruptly woke from his sleep. The slightest sound was enough to instantly
arouse him after many campaigns on the eastern frontiers, where the merest
noise could be warning of danger from a stealthy Kirgiz intent on dealing a
slashing
hallal.
Without moving, he slowly opened his eyes and through
heavy black lashes swept a glance about the alcove. Tanya was searching through
his clothes, which lay discarded on the floor. Looking for roubles, no doubt,
he thought, dropping back to sleep. Prince Kuzan was extremely charitable to
his light o'loves, showering them with gifts, jewelry, furs, as well as money,
with a careless generosity. Greedy little bitch, he later reflected sleepily
but not unkindly, for, after all, Tanya had to think of her future; her
youthful charms would quickly fade.
    By midafternoon Nikolai's
fractious, irascible temper and pounding head were somewhat subdued; his two
cohorts in arms, Major Cernov and Captain Illyich, and his young cousin Aleksei
relaxed in the solace of a small clearing in the birchwoods. There they lay
warmed by the April sun, calmed by the peacefulness of their surroundings, free
from the chattering, volatile young Gypsy girls who had been discourteously
dispatched and told to remain out of sight until called for.
    Nikki lay sprawled at ease
on the soft green grass, casually attired in superbly fitted cavalry boots,
buckskins, and an embroidered moujik shirt open at the throat. His hands were
clasped behind his neck as he squinted slightly into the bright sun of a gentle
spring day—a poetic, storybook day redolent of bursting buds, fresh turned
earth, and fertility.
    Nikolai