Jerred's Price by Joanna Wylde

they both moaned. His hands were once more firmly grasping her cheeks, supporting her as they stood in the middle of the room, fully connected. She marveled at his strength. Even that short period when she’d fully supported her own weight had been enough to strain her arms. He hardly seemed to notice that he held her. His hips rocked against hers, and she wiggled in response. An answering shot of sensation shimmied through her, and she rocked again.
    Intriguing what a difference their new position made. Parts of her body that had never been fully touched before were being touched. Each twitch of the hips brought new sensation…
    She would have liked to stay still for a while, fully exploring this new position, but he seemed unable to control himself. Beads of sweat started to build up on his face, and his hips pressed against hers until she started moving faster. Up and down she rode, seating herself on his fully length with each movement. Every stroke brought her just a little closer to where she wanted to be. There was a tightness in her legs, a need for something that was becoming impossible to ignore. She tilted her pelvis inward, wanting to get closer, knowing it would be hers if she only waited a bit longer.
    Each thrust seemed to bring him closer, too. She could feel it in his cock, so hard it had to be close to bursting. But she could also feel it in the rest of his body. He breathed harshly, and every part of him was rock hard from the strain. His motions became jerkier, and then he was moving across the room to back her against the wall.
    “Can’t get enough leverage,” he muttered in her ear, thrusting into her with a new strength. His cock pinned her, grinding her into the wall with an urgency that was impossible to ignore. He thrust harder, and each time he hit home, his pelvis ground against her clit with an intensity that made her want to scream. She was so close, it seemed like each thrust would set her over the edge. There was a wire inside her body pulling tight, winding so hard that her heart pounded to keep up. If that wire didn’t break she would die, smothered by the pressure from within. He thrust into her again and again, and then she screamed as he gave one final thrust, slamming into her with such force that she knew she’d be bruised in a few hours.
    She screamed, clutching him to her body as she convulsed in orgasm. Her body gripped him so tight he couldn’t move, and then she felt the hard, hot spurts of his seed within her. He moaned, leaning into her with his full weight, pinning her against the wall so hard he could hardly breathe.
    They gasped for breath, and then a sound entered her consciousness.
    A horrible, nasty, intrusive sound.
    A lone, slow clap of the hands.
    She closed her eyes as Jerred stiffened, then slowly lowered her so her feet could touch the floor. He shielded her with his body as she fumbled with the dress, doing his best to preserve her modesty.
    55
    Joanna Wylde
    When she was done, he fixed his own clothing. He stepped back from her, and she opened her eyes to find Josiah watching them with sick amusement. Behind him were two of his armed men, their faces carefully impassive.
    “Nicely done, Jerred,” he said softly. “I see you like the dress.”
    She caught her breath, wanting to tear into him, but Jerred grasped her arm in firm caution.
    “Josiah, why is it that I’m not surprised you didn’t knock?” Jerred asked with an acid smile. “I assume that you’re ready for us to come to dinner?”
    “Yes,” Josiah replied idly. “Follow me, I have a special treat for you. Wine from the Emperor’s own private reserve… I came across three bottles of it recently.”
    Giselle’s breath caught. Did all pirates and smugglers have a direct line to the Emperor’s cellars, or had Josiah stolen the wine from their ship? She glanced up at him, trying to determine if his face gave any hint. She might as well have been staring at a stone—his expression betrayed