Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart (5 page)

Chapter
Eight

Angelica opened her eyes to see Kadin's
face inches from her own, sunlight streaming across his handsome features. She
felt aches in places she'd never felt aches before. She longed to reach out and
stroke his cheek, but a sick feeling quivered through her stomach as she
realized what she'd done last night.

She'd thrown herself at a virtual
stranger, giving up what she'd so jealously guarded for years. To a man who had
intimidated her and threatened to punish her for a debt she did not owe.

She
rolled away from him, fighting back tears.

* * *

Kadin opened his eyes to the bright,
morning sunshine. He smiled as he gazed at Angelica, only inches away, her
long, flowing hair draped across the sapphire-blue pillowcase.

Maybe there could be something
lasting between them. He pushed himself up on his elbow and gazed at her sweet
profile. He reached out to touch a wisp of hair that lay across her forehead,
then stroked it away. Her eyes opened and she tilted her head to focus on him.
No joy lit her beautiful, emerald eyes.

"Have I paid my debt yet?"

He froze as her voice, flat and
emotionless, cut through him.

So, during the hours of closeness
they had shared, for her it had been merely something to get through. A paying
of a debt he'd demanded.

Anger scoured through him. That
didn't excuse her tricking him.

"Why didn't you tell me you
were a virgin?"

She arched her eyebrow.

"You didn't ask."

His teeth gnashed together.

"I never meant to take
something of such value from you."

"You said it was a woman's
only value," she shot back

He clenched his fists. "I
didn't mean your virginity. The value of that is far greater than you should
have paid."

Angelica pushed herself to a
sitting position.

"Are you saying, had you
known, you wouldn't have demanded the payment you did?"

And it was payment, Angelica
reminded herself. Damn, how the cold light of day could change one's
perspective.

He glared at her, holding his
silence.

Damn him. He had tricked her into
doing things she would never ordinarily have done, and now he seemed to think
he had the right to be angry at her. And that made her even angrier.

"It's just as well. Now that
I've jumped into the water, so to speak, I might as well take up swimming."

He tensed. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Before,
I was always looking for that someone extra-special. There was that sense of
saving something special just for him. Now… well, let's just say I've lost that
psychological barrier."

She didn't know why she'd said it,
just that she wanted to strike out at him and, somehow, she knew it would get
to him.

Kadin's gut clenched at the thought
of any other man touching her. A consuming need drove him to pull her into his
arms and capture her lips with his. The suddenness of his movement triggered a
startled gasp from her lips, and he drew in her breath, letting it fill him
with her sweetness.

The only man who should ever be
allowed to touch her was him. The man she had saved herself for, that someone extra-special,
should have been him.

It had been him.

She could not take that away from
him.

She should not be allowed to share
that special gift with any other man. Ever.

He
released her lips, then leaped to his feet and strode from the room, slamming
the door behind him.

* * *

Naja arrived with one of the other women
who'd helped dress Angelica yesterday. Naja introduced her as Jazlyn. They
fussed over Angelica, urging her into a warm bath, then washing her hair with
the sweet, jasmine scented shampoo.

Afterward, dressed in a cool,
pastel pink, gauze gown, she enjoyed a simple breakfast of pastries and coffee,
then sat on the balcony and enjoyed the morning breeze.

Naja had returned Angelica's purse,
so she pulled out one of her novels. As she read the part where the hero
ravaged the young woman he'd kidnapped. Angelica couldn't get Kadin, and the
arousing feel of his hands on her body, out of her mind.

She closed the book and slumped
back in the lounge chair, cursing herself. Why had she been such a fool? She'd
been so afraid that the morning would shatter the magic she'd found in his arms
last night, so sure what they'd done had meant nothing to him, other than a
wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, that she'd come out fighting instead of waiting to
gauge his mood.

She fidgeted with the book and
tossed it on the table beside her chair. She had purposely hidden her virginal
status from him, specifically because she selfishly wanted him to make love to
her and feared he might have stopped.

It seemed she'd been right about
that. He would have stopped.

In a way, she was just as guilty of
using him as he was of using her. Maybe more.

Now, she realized she'd boxed him
into a corner. He would not approach her again. He was struggling with a matter
of honor.

She longed to see the unguarded
Kadin of last night once again. The sweet lover who had laughed with her, who
had given her the sweetest pleasure she had ever experienced.

Her body longed for his touch. He
would probably send her away now, presuming his original purpose, to have her
repay a debt—even though she now suspected that had been a ruse—was complete.
He seemed to consider it overpaid.

She wanted to experience him again
as a lover. She wanted to see if there could be more between them.

She
had to find a way to draw him back to her bed.

* * *

"It is hot. Too hot for you, I think."

Angelica turned at the sound of a
Jazlyn's voice.

She was right about the heat.
Angelica's light gown was drenched with sweat and the air felt like a giant
weight pressing down on her.

"There is a pool. Cool water.
You come?"

"That's a wonderful idea."
Angelica stood and followed Jazlyn inside.

They crossed the bedroom, then out
the door to the wide hallway leading to other parts of the palace. The cool
marble floor felt good on her bare feet.

A few moments later, she followed
Jazlyn into a private courtyard, filled with flowers. They walked past the
fragrant garden towards a large pool with soft, curved edges. What captured her
attention, however, were the women. At least twenty of them, all totally naked,
lounged around and in the pool.

Jazlyn stripped off her gown and
glanced at Angelica expectantly. At first, she hesitated, then decided there
was no point in being shy. Kadin would not come out here. He wanted to stay
away from Angelica, she was sure. And the women wouldn't care about her nudity.

She tugged the gown over her head
and Jazlyn plucked it from her hands and laid it in a heap with her own. As
they stepped toward the pool, Angelica couldn't help staring at all the
beautiful, naked woman-flesh. There were small breasted and large breasted
women, petite to voluptuous. All happily relaxed with their nudity. Angelica
leaned over the pool and splashed a little water on the hot stone edging to
cool it off, then sat and dangled her legs in the water.

"Oh, miss, you must be careful
of your fair skin. The sun will burn it crisp."

Jazlyn sat beside her and pulled a
jar from a bag she'd carried with her.

Naja appeared beside Angelica.

"Good afternoon." Naja
plucked a brush from the bag and brushed Angelica's hair with long, soothing
strokes, then twisted it and clipped it at the back of her head.

Jazlyn opened the jar and started
spreading cream on Angelica's shoulders. Finished with her hair, Naja began
spreading cream, too.

"It will protect your lovely
skin from the sun," she said.

While Jazlyn's hands caressed down
Angelica's back, Naja's hands proceeded down Angelica's chest, then below her
breast.

"I … uh … can handle that,"
Angelica said.

"Nonsense," Naja said, as
her hand slid up and over Angelica's breast. "It is relaxing to have
someone else do this. And I know how much cream you need. It is different than
what you use in your country."

The feel of the woman's hand
stroking over her breast sent Angelica's head into a spin. She'd been reliving
last night's lovemaking with Kadin all morning, leaving her body hot and needy.
The woman's sensual attention mesmerized her.

Done with Angelica's back, Jazlyn
pulled on Angelica's shoulders, easing her into a reclining position. Now, she
lay stretched out on the side of the pool. A couple of other women joined them.
She felt soft hands stroke her calves, then glide up her thighs. Naja continued
to rub the cream onto her breast. The nipple rose into her palm. She drew more
cream from the jar and lovingly caressed it onto Angelica's other breast. One
bold woman stroked along the top of Angelica's thigh, lightly brushing her
pussy.

Oh, God, she wanted to open her
legs and allow the woman entrance.

A sweet aroma aroused her senses.

"What is that smell?" she
asked.

Naja held the jar to her nose. "The
cream is scented with the nectar of apricots."

"It smells delicious."

"It is made of natural
ingredients," Naja responded. "It is even safe to eat."

She smiled and, as if to prove her
point, leaned forward and licked Angelica's breast.

She knew she should push the woman
away. Angelica wasn't tied up this time. She had no excuse to allow this.
Except it felt wonderful.

Naja sucked on Angelica's nipple
and Jazlyn lapped at Angelica's other breast.

Angelica glanced at the palace,
suddenly feeling as though someone were watching.

"How private is this
courtyard?" she asked.

"Totally private," Naja
answered.

"No one can see in here? From
the palace maybe?"

"Only Kadin. No other man
would risk the punishment Kadin would inflict if caught."

"Does Kadin watch the women in
the pool?"

"Of course. He is probably
watching now, since he knows you are here."

Ah, so he planned this. He wouldn't
approach her, but he would watch her from a distance.

She relaxed and allowed the women the
freedom of her body. Why not torture him a little?

Naja and Jazlyn sucked on
Angelica's nipples, and a petite, sexy woman with large eyes kissed Angelica's
navel. Other hands stroked her inner thighs, then several fingers sweetly
invaded her pussy. The petite woman dipped down and licked Angelica's slit,
then lapped at her clit. Angelica moaned softly.

A moment later, responding to a
rapidly flickering tongue, she tensed and arched. The teasing mouth sucked on
her clit, as fingers stroked inside her. A tension built within her until she
thought she'd explode. Aside from her clit being expertly stimulated, one of
the women had found a sweet spot inside her vagina. Probably the G-spot. Liquid
flooded from inside her as she catapulted into an explosive orgasm.

As she
lay gasping, the women stroked and soothed her body, relaxing her. Spoiling
her. Finally, she smiled and thanked them, then slipped into the water to swim.

* * *

Kadin's gaze remained riveted on Angelica
as she arched and moaned by the pool. He glanced through the binoculars,
watching her face contort in the flush of orgasm.

He
wanted to dash down there right now and take her, claiming her as his own. He
wanted her so badly he ached with it. He drew out his throbbing cock and
stroked it, caressing the crown, then squeezing and stroking with steady,
accelerating strokes. It took only seconds to climax, watching his sweet
Angelica take her pleasure.

* * *

Angelica pushed herself onto the side of
the pool, leaving her legs dangling in the water.

"I think you wanted him to
see." Naja sat down beside her.

"Hmm?"

"Kadin. You wanted to make him
want you more."

Angelica swished her hands through
the water. Could she enlist this woman as an ally?

At this point, she had nothing to
lose.

"You're right," Angelica
confirmed.

"He will be a wild-man when he
comes to your bed tonight."

"He won't come to me again.
After he … last night, he found out I was a virgin."

Naja's eyes widened. "He could
not have known that. He would never have—"

"He didn't know."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

Angelica stared at two birds
dancing and flitting in a nearby tree.