Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,82

beast.” Niall paused. “That was almost a smile, girl. The first time I see a real one on your face, I’m going to kiss ye senseless. Do me a favor then,” he continued before she could respond to that remarkable statement. “While I’m gone, it might do to stay in the cabin or close to the door. At least ’til you and I can go hiking and I can show ye a few wee precautions for being up here.”

“You could show me now.”

When he passed a hand over her hair, he was extraordinarily gentle about it. Even pulled her close to brush a kiss across her forehead, hold her against his body. She wondered what she’d done to cause such a response, but then he stepped away.

“No. Not today.”

So off he went again, once again leaving her to her own devices. She read her plant book, sat on the bench right by the front door. Went to the well to see how Niall had replaced the gun in a mounting below that lip.

If only Stephen had realized giving her nothing to do would drive her to suicide far faster than grinding pain and the twisting of her every thought into a nightmare. He could have saved himself a great deal of effort.

Closing her eyes against those memories, she let them shudder off her skin like rain. Resolutely, she went back inside, looked at the selection of books. While she should make herself study the Scottish history or one of the cookbooks, instead she picked up a tattered romance apparently left by previous renters. The virile male hero was standing on a grassy hill, a woman in a lavender dress on her knees before him. Her hands were on his thigh, his waist, her whole body longing toward him as he bent over her, his hand cupping her face. She had his total attention, his posture suggesting he was going to take her over in a devouring kiss.

The picture brought back the arousal spiked by Niall’s skillful touch, but she knew how to suppress arousal not commanded by her Master. She did.

Stephen hadn’t been interested in driving his servants’ pleasure into extreme realms where they lost complete control. In fact, he didn’t seem very interested in her responses. If it wasn’t for political purpose and show, he’d rather her pleasure him. Often he left her wanting, with no permission to take care of herself, an indifferent sadism. So she dealt with it, without dealing with it. She’d channeled the energy elsewhere.

Thirteen years of such control and discipline, yet earlier she’d nearly caressed her breasts without thought.

Had Niall set her aside because of what Evan had suggested, their desire that she want what they were doing for herself as much as for her service for them? It was an alien idea to her. The tight frustration in her lower belly became a tiny ripple of rebellion. If they wouldn’t give her any direction, and she wanted to pleasure herself, that was a desire, right?

She waited for Evan to correct her, then was ashamed of herself. He was trying to sleep, had risked himself to honor his charge to Lady Lyssa to protect her. She puzzled over his weakness above ground, out of proportion for his age. She might ask Niall about it.

Nowhere else to go with that, so her mind boomeranged back to her body’s humming needs. Bringing herself to climax would definitely disturb Evan’s rest. But if she disturbed his sleep often enough, maybe he’d learn to give her a to-do list.

It was a nasty idea, one that appalled her. Her thoughts were like children pinned up in a schoolroom too long, their energy and wildness out of control.

Shoving it all out of her head, she slipped off her shoes, plunked down on the couch, curling her feet beneath her. She’d set the romance on top of the plant book. Considering both, she lifted the romance novel. Well, she wanted to give the story a try. There. She was acting on one of her own wishes, small though it was. Hooray for free will, something she’d never desired but Evan seemed to be forcing upon her.

Damn it. She closed her eyes. She’d kneel on rice for an hour for that one, but Niall had made it clear Evan had to order any punishment.

Just stop thinking and read. She opened the book.

In her current state of mind, she wasn’t expecting much, but after struggling through a chapter or two, she found her