shafts of sunlight speared through the trees. Butterflies flitted amongst the greenery. Their steed kept a steady pace, its hooves making little sound on the blanket of fallen leaves. Miyoshi’s long black hair lifted and fell with the cadence of their mount’s step. Her skirts flapped against Raven’s corduroy-clad legs. His arms were around her, his hands firmly on the horse’s reins. Together they rode, long accustomed to traveling in that manner.
* * *
Miyoshi closed her eyes, reveling in the hardness braced against her rump and the rub of Raven’s arms along the sides of her breast, the clamp of his muscular thighs outside her own. The gait of the horse was exhilarating and she wiggled against the pommel.
Raven placed his mouth to her ear. "I know what you’re doing. Stop it."
" You stop it," she returned, giggling at the sudden movement against the cleavage of her rump.
"You are a shameless bawd!"
He shocked her by doing something he’d never done before—he covered one of her breasts with his hand and nearly unseated them both when she jumped.
"Raven!" she gasped, feeling the heat of his palm through the material.
"Be still," he commanded. His breath in her ear caused ripples of sensation through her body. "You’ve been baiting me all morning, now suffer the consequences!"
Though her face burned, Miyoshi experienced what she had dreamt of since puberty. Raven’s hand gently kneaded her flesh, his palm traveling in a slow, tight circle around her turgid nipple. There was just enough pressure from that strong sword hand to cause intense pleasure and make the throbbing between her thighs increase.
"Raven," she sighed on a long breath of contentment.
Laughter rumbled deep in his chest. "Does that please you?"
"Um hum," she mumbled, closing her eyes.
"What about this?"
Her eyes opened as his tongue darted into her ear, lapping at the spiral. Biting her lip to keep from crying out, and not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d shocked her, she kept still, squeezing her eyes closed and enduring the exquisite torture.
"Saucy wench." He caught her earlobe between his teeth.
Miyoshi melted against him, pressed his hand tightly to her bosom. Her breath came in shallow pants and her heart thundered.
""Now, think on that for a while and quit squirming."
"Quit squirming? How do you reckon I can do that now that you’ve practically raped me?"
"Try," he said hoarsely.
"Hard to do when you’re…" She felt him leap against her backside once more, then groaned with the anticipation of that steely strength doing to her what the serving girls of the keep had told her men did to women.
"Have you no fear of it, Milady?" one cook’s assistant had asked her.
"I fear nothing my husband to be will do to me."
"Well, I’d fear Prince Riain, if’n I was you!" another girl insisted. "He’s a Chalean berserker like his people before him!"
Miyoshi had no fear of Riain Cree, for she had no intention of marrying him. Though their fathers had made the arrangements, neither she nor Riain had been consulted. When she heard of the betrothal, she soundly rejected the offer.
Unfortunately, she’d had no voice in the matter.
"I would rather Join with a mongoose!" Miyoshi had shouted. "Besides, I am already betrothed!"
Her mother had laughed. "For the love of Alel! To whom? Raven Saur?"
"Aye," Miyoshi’s brother sighed. "The lowly son of an ambassador is not marriage material for the daughter of the house of Shimota."
"He may be the son of a lowly son of an ambassador, as you so rudely put it, Kiaku," she grated, "but he has more royal bearing than Riain Cree will have in ten lifetimes. And a thousand times more honesty!"
"You’ve never met the man," her father fumed. "How can you compare him to the Saur boy so unfavorably?"
"I have heard the tales of the Chalean berserkers, Father. Raven is—"
"The matter is closed," her mother pronounced. "You will Join with the House of Cree and that is all
* * *
Miyoshi closed her eyes, reveling in the hardness braced against her rump and the rub of Raven’s arms along the sides of her breast, the clamp of his muscular thighs outside her own. The gait of the horse was exhilarating and she wiggled against the pommel.
Raven placed his mouth to her ear. "I know what you’re doing. Stop it."
" You stop it," she returned, giggling at the sudden movement against the cleavage of her rump.
"You are a shameless bawd!"
He shocked her by doing something he’d never done before—he covered one of her breasts with his hand and nearly unseated them both when she jumped.
"Raven!" she gasped, feeling the heat of his palm through the material.
"Be still," he commanded. His breath in her ear caused ripples of sensation through her body. "You’ve been baiting me all morning, now suffer the consequences!"
Though her face burned, Miyoshi experienced what she had dreamt of since puberty. Raven’s hand gently kneaded her flesh, his palm traveling in a slow, tight circle around her turgid nipple. There was just enough pressure from that strong sword hand to cause intense pleasure and make the throbbing between her thighs increase.
"Raven," she sighed on a long breath of contentment.
Laughter rumbled deep in his chest. "Does that please you?"
"Um hum," she mumbled, closing her eyes.
"What about this?"
Her eyes opened as his tongue darted into her ear, lapping at the spiral. Biting her lip to keep from crying out, and not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d shocked her, she kept still, squeezing her eyes closed and enduring the exquisite torture.
"Saucy wench." He caught her earlobe between his teeth.
Miyoshi melted against him, pressed his hand tightly to her bosom. Her breath came in shallow pants and her heart thundered.
""Now, think on that for a while and quit squirming."
"Quit squirming? How do you reckon I can do that now that you’ve practically raped me?"
"Try," he said hoarsely.
"Hard to do when you’re…" She felt him leap against her backside once more, then groaned with the anticipation of that steely strength doing to her what the serving girls of the keep had told her men did to women.
"Have you no fear of it, Milady?" one cook’s assistant had asked her.
"I fear nothing my husband to be will do to me."
"Well, I’d fear Prince Riain, if’n I was you!" another girl insisted. "He’s a Chalean berserker like his people before him!"
Miyoshi had no fear of Riain Cree, for she had no intention of marrying him. Though their fathers had made the arrangements, neither she nor Riain had been consulted. When she heard of the betrothal, she soundly rejected the offer.
Unfortunately, she’d had no voice in the matter.
"I would rather Join with a mongoose!" Miyoshi had shouted. "Besides, I am already betrothed!"
Her mother had laughed. "For the love of Alel! To whom? Raven Saur?"
"Aye," Miyoshi’s brother sighed. "The lowly son of an ambassador is not marriage material for the daughter of the house of Shimota."
"He may be the son of a lowly son of an ambassador, as you so rudely put it, Kiaku," she grated, "but he has more royal bearing than Riain Cree will have in ten lifetimes. And a thousand times more honesty!"
"You’ve never met the man," her father fumed. "How can you compare him to the Saur boy so unfavorably?"
"I have heard the tales of the Chalean berserkers, Father. Raven is—"
"The matter is closed," her mother pronounced. "You will Join with the House of Cree and that is all
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