The Saga Begins [Nuworld 1] by Lorie O'Clare

could into the household. He’d slept with each one of them; at least he was pretty sure he had. But then, he’d lost interest. Each one had taken the edge off, fucking him when he went to them. But beyond that, they bored him. The Lord of Gothman needed a claim. He would push on thirty winters before long, and he knew the town anticipated he claim one of their available women. More than once he’d told himself to just claim one of them and be done with it. But the thought of having any of those women under his roof for the rest of his winters rubbed him to the point of irritation.
    His younger brother, Mikel, frowned upon his promiscuity. Mikel was too much like their papa, Lord Jovis, and although Darius hadn’t mourned his papa’s death, he could only imagine what his papa would have said if he’d learned Darius just had sex with a Runner—something he definitely planned to do again.
    In Darius’ tenth or twelfth winter, his papa had engaged in a heated argument about Runners with a Runner. Darius hadn’t witnessed the event, but he remembered his papa’s tirade after it was over. And he had listened as the guards speculated over the results of the argument. What had stuck in Darius’ mind over the winters was that, according to gossip, his papa relented to the Runner’s wishes. He remembered thinking his papa was weak not to stand up to the Runner. It had also put a kind of awe in his young mind as to the type of man who could argue with the Lord of Gothman and survive to have his way.
    It dawned on him suddenly that the argument had concerned Reena. And it was Reena who’d brought Tara to them.
    Darius knew Reena associated with Runners from time to time. Word had reached him more than once that a passing clan would bring her gifts. In return, she allowed a lone Runner to spend a night in her secluded cabin before they continued on their way. He hadn’t seen reason for concern. Technically, the woman lived outside the town proper, and so had no influence on others. She didn’t gossip about her occasional visitor, and his guards never reported that the Runners caused problems.
    But with Tara’s coming, something had changed. She was the first Runner to enter Gothman land and then venture farther into the community.
    As he pulled into the backyard behind his house, he decided that before long he would know the life story of this beautiful woman sitting way too close. He would know why she was here and what she wanted. He already knew what he wanted.
    Tara hopped off the bike and started walking toward the house without saying anything.
    Lord Darius grabbed her arm and stopped her. “I’ll say it again, my lady. You’re different from any woman I’ve met. And I’m curious about why you’d like to see Gothman culture change. Changing to be like whom, I’m wondering.” He looked at her hard, but Tara remained silent, staring back with an expression so calm he couldn’t help but think it had taken winters of training to master it.
    Darius studied her tanned complexion, the brown hair that fell past her shoulders and was soft as silk. Her lips were full, and he ached with a sudden urgency to kiss them. He focused on her eyes, a blue that darkened with her emotions, as he was quickly discovering. Right now they were like a dark sapphire, showing no sign of submission.
    He moved his attention to her breasts, perky and full, with nipples hardened to a tempting peak under the fabric of her dress. He released her arm and ran a finger over one nipple. She didn’t flinch, which pleased him for a reason he couldn’t identify. Darius pulled her close. “I enjoyed you, though. We’ll do that again, soon.”

* * * * *
    Tara smiled, tingles rushing through her from his bold touch, but then pushed against Darius’ chest, needing distance before she ripped that shirt free from him and begged him to do her again right there on his bike. She would have loved to escape to her room for a shower but Hilda was nearby,