The Novice Ch. 04

Hooves pounded the earth as Audrey's arm curled about Lukas waist, her glistening breasts pressed against his chest and dampening the fine lawn of his shirt. She sat across his taut thighs, extremely conscious of the muscled warmth upon which her bare bottom was nestled.

Long wisps of her wet hair lashed at the arm and face of her captor as he held her to him, the folds of his cloak covering her nakedness. His arm wrapped tightly about her tiny waist, his wicked hand slipping beneath the cloak to splay intimately between their bodies in a V that cradled her breast.

The horse beneath them traversed a hasty path along the river bank in the opposite direction of the convent. Her body rose and fell against Lukas with the rhythm of the horse's strides, conscious of the friction of his clothes against her skin. His warmth and scent surrounded her, as much as prison to resist as the physical strength holding her possessively.

"Lukas, please, this is madness. You must return me to the convent." Her head was cradled against his shoulder, her head tipping back to gaze up at his.

"Not madness, sweet Audrey. Sanity." He didn't glance down at her, merely tightened his hold about her waist.

What sanity was it that Audrey found herself naked atop a horse, having been stolen from the stream by the convent? If she were discovered alone with Lukas like this, she would never be permitted to become a nun. Audrey would be punished, and worse, shunned. And Father Matthews...

Something fat, brown and furry popped from beneath a bed of leaves, grunting and snuffling. The horse skittered and bucked beneath them, rearing up onto its hind feet. Audrey screamed, feeling herself sliding. Captive arms tightened about her, dragging her sideways. She felt herself falling in a tangle of arms and legs. Then the solid earth rose up to greet them hardily.

Lukas grunted, half beneath her, half behind her. Pain shot through her as Lukas's arms slackened about her. Audrey lay still, dragging in much needed air, her eyes blinded by her hair and leaves. She gingerly rolled to her side facing away from Lukas.

The horse streaked away, disappearing into the forest as Audrey slowly sat up, cradling her tender wrist. Her ribs felt sore from where Lukas had squeezed her to him, hurting with each breath.

She gazed down at the outstretched palm of her abductor laying near her hip. Something about its stillness and the silence alerted her. Audrey peeked back over her shoulder, and gasped. Lukas lay unmoving on the grass, his face slack and pale.

Every instinct urged her to run, now, while Lukas lay unconscious. But Audrey was a novice first, a woman second. She could not leave an injured man untended. Twisting to kneel at his side, her gaze flickered urgently down over the broad shoulders and chest covered by slightly damp fine white linen, yet no injury was revealed to her. His long legs, molded by grey breeches, were sprawled out but not misshapen or bloodied.

"Lukas?" There was no response. She leaned over him, her small hands lightly shaking his shoulders, ignoring the pain it caused her. "Lukas?" Audrey swallowed hard, alarm sweeping over her. She gazed searchingly down at his silent, unguarded face, taking in the dark lashes resting against tanned cheeks, the parted lips that had drawn from her an unexpected need.

She cupped his face, lightly patting his cheeks with her fingers. "Lukas," she whispered, and didn't know why she was whispering. It was unearthly quiet besides the heavy drum of the waterfall in the distance beyond several bends in the river.

A soft male groan was his only response. "Lukas," she murmured, cradling his jaw. Dark lashes flickered, before revealing cloudy gray eyes. He tried to smile as his hand tangled in her long chestnut hair, drawing her face down dangerously close to his.

"Sweet Angel," he murmured before his lips tried to catch hers. Daring fingers brushed against her bare breast. Audrey didn't move for fear of causing Lukas further injury. A thumb feathered across her pink nipple, and she bit her lip as it tingled and tightened. The pressure of his hand on the back of her head grew, and she covered his waiting lips with her hand.

"You must stop. You can't touch me this way. It is forbidden."

The hand cupping her breast tightened, before relaxing and sweeping down to rest at her waist. "I will not stop this time, Audrey. I will not allow you to go on hiding behind the strictures of your convent and deny what lies between us."

She was unprepared for his strength drawing her across his body, one arm on the small of her back pinning her on top of him. The other swept her silken mane back from her heart-shaped face as she gazed down at him in vexation.

She writhed on him, her thighs falling to straddle one of his own as she sought to wiggle free. She froze atop him when he groaned, seemingly in pain. "Lukas? Are you hurt?" No longer resisting him, she became distinctly conscious of the hard bed of warmth she lay upon.

His hand swept down from nape to cup her bottom as his thigh rose between hers. The feel of him pressing firm against her there while the evidence of his masculinity was nestled against her thigh was making her throb in tumultuous aggravation. She couldn't prevent the anxious squirm against him that only seemed to make matters worse.

His lips quirked. "A searing agony, my sweet novice, that has haunted me since that night in the clearing." Relief warred with exasperation.

"I - Lukas, please, you must end this." A wicked finger traced maddening circles over her soft flesh of her bottom. She bit her lip, suddenly finding it hard to breath. She knew she must rise from him, push away the hand firm on the small of her back. Yet something besides his hold on her held her caught in the tension between them.

Had she not secretly imagined being close to him, touching him? His stolen kisses and caresses had tormented her waking and sleeping moments, their wicked sweetness so different from the dark submission demanded from her by Father Matthews. Even knowing that Lukas merely amused himself with her did little to abate the overwhelming sensations the mere sight of him wrought within her.

"I am going to kiss you." Audrey blushed at the guilty flare of pleasure those words brought her. Lips settled over her sensitive flesh just below her ear, tasting, teasing, before skimming down to the hollow of her throat.

"Then will you let me go?" she whispered, moistening her dry lips. She felt him shake his head. Audrey swallowed hard. His hands slid up to hook beneath her underarms. He righted her so she sat straddled upon his hips. Her hands swiftly rose to cover her breasts, her cheeks warming at his heated gaze.

His upper body rose from the bank and he kissed the back of each of her palms before gently peeling her small hands away. He drew them behind her back to hold in his larger one. He gazed upon the thrust of her breasts with their rosy crowns, rising and falling with her quickened breathing.

"I am going to touch you." One hand cupped her breast, stroking the puckering tip with his thumb. She gazed down at his hand on her flesh, so dark against her paleness. She was mesmerised by the teasing caress that generated exquisite tingles between her thighs.

"Once you have touched me...you will release me?" she breathed.

Audrey bit back a moan as his mouth closed about her nipple, sucking and nipping. Her head fell back, her eyes closing as she struggled to maintain reason. He nuzzled her tender breasts until she was felt feverish and oddly expectant. She mewed in distress when his mouth relinquished her breasts. His hand fell from hers.

"Stand up." He was letting her go? His hands on her hips helped her to her feet so that she towered over his dark head in bemusement. In a smooth action he was kneeling before her, his hands sliding around to squeeze her bottom. His mouth pressed soft kisses on her belly, down her hip, her inner thigh.

Her hands caught his shoulders for balance, shocked at this blatant intimacy.

When his mouth trailed higher, Audrey's thoughts became scattered. With a squeak of surprise when his face and nose nuzzled the shorn flesh between her slightly parted thighs, Audrey's shock quickly turned to wonder as he gently licked at her quivering flesh. She moaned as his tongue wiggled between her nether lips, her fingers digging into his golden skin. Whether to stop him or to hold him closer, Audrey didn't know.

Audrey's belly churned with excitement as his lashing tongue delved her feminine mysteries, his warm hands kneading the flesh of her bottom and dragging exquisitely on her quivering channel. When his tongue circled then flicked at the swollen ridge nestled in her glistening heat, Audrey arched as a surprising burst of intense passion caught her. Her heart raced as she struggled on quivering legs, unable to take her eyes from his as he gazed up at her, the breath puffing from her lungs. He smiled up at her, the golden skin crinkling around the luminous grey eyes, before he lowered his head.

She was soon lost in the magic of his mouth teasing her, the sweet pleasure ebbing as something urgent and frantic took over her. She was moaning and wriggling against him as again she felt that searing climax, only this time waves of heat washed over her as his mouth sucked on that sweet nub until she was pushing his head away, the pleasure too intense. She collapsed to her knees before him, his arms enfolding her against him as she struggled to draw in much needed air. She clung to him, quivering and sated, rubbing her cheek against his chest.

"Your body aches to be pleasured by mine," he murmured against her hair. "Will my sweet novice lie to me and say that this is not so?"

Audrey bit back a moan, burying her head even further against his chest. Fingers lightly stroked the creamy column of her back. Between them was the undeniable evidence of his need, straining against his grey breeches.

"Tell me it is not true, and I will leave you alone forever."

The thought of never seeing him again twisted within her. Her eyes blurred at the impossibility of it all. She could not lie to him or herself, and her captor knew it. Yet to give in to his seduction went against everything she was raised to believe in.

"Let me show you how it can be between us this once. And after, if you decide that your life is with the convent and not me, I will return you to the convent."

"And if I refuse?" she whispered.

"Then I will keep you with me until I can convince you otherwise."

Audrey squeezed her eyes shut. Both choices scared her, for she ached for something, and that ache intensified when he was near. But it was a different to that which she felt with Father Matthew. With Father Matthew's, he drew from her a dark need that she didn't want but was expected of her. She trembled at Father's seeking touch with a mixture of dread and excitement. Yet with Lukas, she felt womanly and wanton.

He gently eased her back from him, his warm mouth settling over the pink crown of her breast, lightly sucking, as his hands drew hers over his shoulders. His fingers ran down her arms to tease the sides of her breasts before gently cupping them.

"Lukas," she moaned, uncertain, confused. Would it be so bad if she had these stolen moments, before returning to the convent? She could secretly treasure them while she submitted to Father Matthew's increasing demands.

"Let me show you how it can be between a man and a woman."

Her heart raced as her fingers tangled in his silken mane. His mouth coaxed her breasts, nibbling and sucking on their crowns until she felt shockingly wet between her thighs. Could she? He had promised to let her go after he had ...what? Put his shaft inside of her like Father's Matthews, making her hurt with the shock of it. Audrey stiffened slightly in Lukas's arms.

He growled against her breast, teasing her breasts until she felt a return of that exultant need. Perhaps if she allowed Lukas his way, he would lose his unknowing hold over her. And she could resume her duties at the convent with her complete devotion.

He shrugged off his cloak, spreading it down over the river bank. Next came his lawn shirt, and she drew a deep breath at the sight of his golden chest lightly furred with black hair. Then he lay down on his cloak, and drew her over him. Audrey gasped with surprise as she landed on top of him.

Without warning a finger began to probe her glistening gate, and her heart raced. It eased up inside her tightness, and her body clenched around it in disgraceful welcome.

Lukas shifted so that they lay side by side, his finger continuing to glide in her silken warmth. Her head tipped back on his arm to meet his, and their lips brushed, clung. Another finger eased inside of her, and she moaned, feeling heady and weak.

His sucked and nipped at her lips like gentle butterfly kisses, until she her arms slid around his neck as she deepened the kiss. She wanted more, her lips instinctively moving against his, her tongue delving into his mouth. He lay there, watching her, his mouth parted but unmoving against hers while his fingers and thumb teased her between her thighs.

Audrey moaned against his mouth, a tiny frown puckering her brow when he refused to kiss her back. She wiggled closer, pressing her body against his, her breasts thrusting impudently against his bare chest. His hand guided her thigh over his, spreading her for his attention, yet still he did not kiss her.

She moved her mouth against his, her tongue stroking his. When she whimpered in frustration, his tongue finally slid inside her mouth as he pushed his fingers deep within her weeping sheath. Gently he plugged her between her thighs as his tongue probed her mouth, and Audrey was dazzled by the sweep of pleasure as she came again on his surging fingers.

She lay defenceless before him, her head resting on his outstretched arm, her midnight blue eyes half hidden beneath the sweep of her lashes. His mouth pressed soft kisses over her face, down her throat, while his fingers sifted through the silken brown-red tresses.

His gaze was locked disconcertedly on hers as he guided her onto her back. The sight of his masculine form rising silently over hers was incredibly beautiful.

Her gaze fell to the breeches riding low over his hips and straining over a thick ridge before skittering away. She knew that was the part that fitted inside a woman.

She watched with wide eyes as he flicked at the buttons of that straining cloth, until with a soft groan he sprung forth. She squeezed her eyes shut, a blush stealing over her cheeks at the intimacy of that manly part. Soft kisses pressed against her parted lips, soothing her even as he shifted against her, nudging at her dewy core. Her dark blue eyes widened as she felt an insistent push.

He surged against her, his thick velvety shaft sliding slowly up between her tight walls. She tensed about him as his thickness stole deep. An anxious cry escaped her she waited for the pain. But there was none. Her body slowly eased around his, a soft sigh escaping her.

"That's it, relax. I'll never hurt you." He lips captured hers, in soft, drugging kisses. Her channel quivered as he eased from her before sliding deeper than before. She clung to him as he did this over and over, teasing her to the point of madness. She was unable to think, only feel as he finally came to rest fully within her.

Slowly he began to rock inside of her, sending ripples of heat coursing through her. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he took her with sweet, torturous thrusts, so different from her first time. His heavy breathing mingled with her soft pants as delicious tension wound tightly low in her belly.

Her mouth opened over his shoulder as his thrusts quickened. His fingers teased her bud as he worked his thick shaft in her tight passage. She clung to him, her breathing hectic, her hair a tumbled mass about her. Her gaze fell to where they were joined intimately, his glistening shaft moving between her thighs. Her dark blue eyes widened, her body clenching instinctively around him.

He groaned against her neck as his surged deep within her. Audrey struggled to bring her body back under control, but it was no use. Her hips rose to meet his urgent thrusts, taking him deep within her. There was none of the hurt when Father Matthews had taken her, only dizzying pleasure.

Every delicious stroke stretching her around him made it harder to breath. She writhed and bucked against him. She cried out as she finally came, heat bursting around his frenzied thrusts.

His hands gripped her wrists, pinning them to his cloak as he moved over her. He stroked deep within her yielding flesh, making her writhe and gasp. He shouted as he jerked within her quivering heat, hotness spilling deep into her womb.

They lay together, Audrey clinging to him, a sense of wonder filling her. His forehead pressed against hers as his shaft softened inside of her.

Her breathing slowed, her heart evening out. The chirping of birds overhead intruding on the passionate haze that held her prisoner. Reality slowly dawned. Shock held Audrey immobile as lips pressed over her temple and down her cheek. Then she began to squirm from beneath him as she struggled to escape his hold. Impossibly, he seemed to stiffen with her, making her whimper.

"Audrey, it is too late. It is done." His hands captured hers, drawing one to his mouth. Both were intimately aware of his renewed desire throbbing within her.

Her mind whirled. What had she done? She had betrayed her vows of chastity and purity, with not one, but two men. Yet one of those men claimed he took her body in god's stead, but the other...

"I know what he has done, Audrey. I knew it when I came inside of you, and that you feared my loving. I will not allow him to hurt you again. You are mine." He moved inside of her, and her eyes widened as pleasure stole through her.

Her only thought was somehow he had discovered her shameful secret. He gave her no opportunity to mount a resistance as he took her with little warning. He moved within her with long, possessive thrusts. This time there was no discomfort or fear, simply languid heat as he stroked deep with an exquisite intensity. Her hips rose to his of their own accord, yielding to the demands of her body. Her hands moved down his back, luxuriating in the feel of him, her body softly welcoming.

On it went, until she had no thoughts but of him, this. His passion, dark and intense, stole over her until she was infected with a matching urgency.

He rolled over onto his back, taking her with him. With his guidance, she rose up, straddling his straining body. Their fingers entwined as he urged her to ride him, and she did, rising and falling on his thick heat with growing confidence.

Streaks of sunlight fell across her pale body and illuminating red sparks in her mahogany hair. Her head was tipped back, her nipples tight and hard, her breasts and hips swaying with the eager rhythm of her young body as she seduced herself on his wielding hardness.

Wanton need spilled over her, urging her on. It felt incredibly free to lead the way, to take as she wanted. And she wanted. Lukas was grunting beneath her, the cords in his neck straining, his chest glistening.

"I can't hold on." He tried to capture her hips, his lips tightening in a grimace, but still she rode him.

His fingers tightened painfully on her skin as he bucked beneath her, his warmth spilling within her as he fiercely jerked and flexed within her clenching heat. She cried out as pleasure stormed through her, seeking out every corner of her being.

She collapsed limply against his chest. His arms came about her, holding her close against the heavy beat of his heart. They lay there for an age, neither breaking the silence.