Sweet Revenge Ch. 09

It was Richard's turn to look puzzled. "What are you talking about? I never rejected you! It was you who were planning to escape all along!"

They stood staring at each other, as each of them struggled to put the pieces together. "I never wanted to escape from you! You are the one who returned me to my father so you could marry Samiya. Stuart told me of your plans."

"What! If I wanted Samiya as my wife, I could have had her at any time. Hell, I could be with her now, but all I could think about was you!"

As soon as he said the words, he wanted to take them back, for the admission only increased her power over him. He stared at Karina, and was surprised to see a look of joyous wonder cross her features.

"You really don't want Samiya as your wife?" she asked tentatively.

"No, of course not," he muttered. Then another thought struck him. "How the hell did Stuart know who Samiya was, or that she wanted to be my wife? I never told him anything."

Richard felt a cold lump in the pit of his stomach. He looked at Karina, as she stood frowning with confusion. He suddenly knew with certainty that they had both been duped, and he thought he knew by whom.

"You didn't order Rawlins to shoot me did you?"

Karina shook her head slowly as realization dawned on her face. "And you didn't choose Samiya over me or try to murder my father?"

"No, never," he murmured simply.

He was almost afraid to breathe and break the spell. The joy that he thought was gone forever began to flow back into his heart, as he realized that Karina hadn't betrayed him. He reached for her and drew her gently against him. They stood motionless, their eyes locked in silent understanding before he kissed her.

Warmth flowed through Karina's veins. Even though she was married to another man, she knew in her soul that nothing had ever been more right. Richard kissed her with an urgency that sent her heart soaring. He broke off from the kiss, and their eyes met and held as he backed her toward the bed. When she felt the mattress at the back of her knees, she sat down abruptly and scrambled over to make room for Richard.

He doffed his coat and waistcoat and joined her, stretching out beside her. He plucked the pins from her beautiful hair, as he spread molten kisses down her neck and over the tops of her breasts. He pulled her dress off and dropped it in a heap of rustling silk on the floor. He was thankful for the golden candlelight. He hadn't been able to appreciate the sight of her in the dim coach. Richard rose on an elbow to look at her and he froze, his eyes widening in shock.

Karina frowned with confusion. "Richard, what's the matter?" she asked uncertainly.

Richard sat up and lifted a candle from a nearby table. He held it high over her, as his frown sharpened. His eyes scanned her naked body in amazement, taking in the multitude of bruises that marred her creamy skin from breasts to ankles. Only her neck and face were free of mottled bruises in various stages of healing. Some were shaped like finger imprints, others like dark stripes. There was a large bruise on her left nipple that closely resembled bite marks. Richard looked at her in astonishment.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Karina felt a mortified blush spread up her neck and into her cheeks, and she looked away toward the nearby wall. Her voice was very small when she replied.

"Stuart was very...rough with me," she mumbled.

Richard grasped her chin and turned her to face him, as he waited for her to meet his eyes. When she finally did so, he asked carefully, "What do you mean rough? What exactly has he been doing to you?"

Karina couldn't bring herself to answer him, and she turned her face away again. She was deeply ashamed. She was afraid that if Richard knew about all the things that she had been forced to do, he might not want her anymore. Karina squirmed in embarrassment and tried to turn away.

Richard was determined to get answers, and he shook her lightly. "Karina, answer me! What did that bastard do to you?" His abrupt movement and impatient tone startled her, and Karina whimpered and flinched away.

Richard had never been so enraged, as he watched Karina quivering before him, covered in bruises. He finally realized why she reacted with fear anytime he handled her with the slightest bit of force. He remembered the way she had humbly begged him to fetch her maid. The pieces started to come together, and he snarled. He would strangle Stuart Rawlins with his bare hands!

Realizing that his anger was frightening her even more, Richard took a deep, steadying breath. His anger receded to be replaced by protective tenderness. He wanted to comfort her and soothe every hurt she had endured at her husband's cruel hands. Richard gathered her in his arms, and Karina melted against his warm chest. He stroked her back and kissed her gently on the temple. When he finally spoke, his voice was husky with emotion.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Don't be afraid. You know I would never hurt you." He held her slightly away and cupped her cheeks between his palms, as he met her eyes. "Don't worry Karina. I won't let anyone hurt you again. I promise."

Her tears welled and spilled over her cheeks, but she gave him a tremulous smile. "I love you, Richard. I think I started to fall in love with you on that first night!"

Richard could see the sincerity in her eyes, and his heart swelled with joy. He bent and tenderly kissed her soft lips before replying. "I realized some time ago that I loved you. I was going to ask you to marry me, but then I lost you. I could barely function without you."

Karina's smile was positively radiant, and she stretched up eagerly to offer him her lips. He savored her response, still having difficulty believing that she was in his arms. He removed his clothing and joined her on the bed. He pressed her gently down on the pillows and began to spread kisses over her entire body.

Richard found every bruise and gently kissed it, and his tenderness brought tears to Karina's eyes. It was as if he wanted to erase every hurt that she had suffered. Her body responded to his touch with a passion that she had almost forgotten, and she gazed in wonder at his handsome face.

Richard carefully took her bruised nipple into his mouth and gently laved the tip with his tongue. Karina arched her back and moaned from the sheer pleasure of it.

"Don't ever leave me," he whispered. He realized that she had the power to make his life a heaven or a hell.

She smiled tenderly. "Richard, I will stay with you for as long as you want me. I love you." Her voice rang with quiet devotion.

He reclaimed her lips as he explored her body with increasingly bold caresses. The tension mounted until Karina was writhing on the bed. His fingers were buried inside her, but she needed more.

"Please, Richard!" She ground her pussy against his hand to punctuate her plea. "Please!"

The urgency in her tone stirred him to action, and he knelt between her outstretched thighs and drove home, deep inside her. He buried his face against her shoulder as shivers of pure ecstasy raced up his spine. She eagerly tilted her hips to take him even deeper inside as she clasped her legs around his waist.

He made love to her with deep, undulating strokes, luxuriating in her slick, velvety heat. She raked his back with her fingernails, and he grinned, thrusting even deeper inside her. She rewarded him with a heartfelt moan. He nudged against her womb with every stroke, and he growled with masculine satisfaction. Every thrust was a reclaiming. Thoughts of her with Stuart had tormented him for weeks. Richard would die before he would let Stuart get his hands on her again.

As if she needed to reassert her own claim on him, Karina teased him by rubbing her breasts against his chest. Richard cupped her proffered breast and suckled her nipple with greedy hunger. Her pussy clenched convulsively as she clutched his mouth to her breast. Richard slipped one hand between them to locate the nub of her arousal. He rammed home while he squeezed her clit and pulled hard on her nipple.

Karina screamed, and they crashed over the edge together. Richard hugged her to him, and they rode the waves of pleasure into the abyss. Nothing on earth mattered at that moment, except that they were together, and they were determined not to let anyone or anything come between them again. Somehow, Richard would find a way to keep her safe. He wasn't going to let her bastard of a husband get his hands on her again!