Page 34 of The Secrets of Jane: Forgotten (Improper Bastards #1)
Soren’s chest is bare, his thick and muscled stomach breathing heavily, sweat on his face. Whatever training he was doing clearly exhausted him, even if I couldn't hear it.
He slowly takes me in with tired eyes burning with vigor, approval laced in his gaze. "That is almost too appealing."
"Why does that matter, if I'm on your lap?" I ask, raising a brow.
His pale gaze slices to meet mine, the door shutting behind him as he nears me to touch my hair softly before lacing his fingers to pull and hold my head still. My heart races with a need for Soren, especially as he looks at me with possession, like he's threatening the mere thought of someone trying to take me. I can almost hear the many words he wants to speak, and yet he refrains.
In a fluid motion, the mercenary leans down and crashes his lips onto mine, kissing me with a depth of his power. He smells of sweat, but it only makes me eager for him. I grab his shoulders and kiss him back, touching him without hesitation. He reaches underneath the sheer skirt and unties the bottoms. I say into the kiss, "Don't you dare ruin my top. Took a while to get it on."
Those perfect lips hover over mine, his calloused hands sliding on my smoothly oiled body. “I only need these removed, love," he gruffly says.
I don't fight him in the least. My bottoms are removed as if he’s done this more than once, his touch moving to my inner thigh before sliding through the part of me that wettens so easily for him. A finger pushes inside my pussy as he reclaims my lips, his tongue sliding through my lips as I moan into his mouth.
"I love how fresh you smell, just so I can ruin you," he growls. He rubs my clit with his thumb while he’s fully inside of me, that powerful hand holding me still, his other one still fisting my hair. I whimper into our kissing, running my hand through his hair.
Without much transition, he pulls away and grabs me by the hips, lifting me so I'm bent over the large table which my clothes had initially been laid upon. He adjusts me so I'm looking right into the mirror of this washing room, staring at myself as I'm bent over. He gets behind me after untying his pants as I greedily stare at his hard, veiny cock, lifting my sheer skirt and holding me still with one hand. I watch as Soren aligns himself before his cock disappears from view and I feel him fill me in one thrust. The way he just moves me around like this, and watching him do so... I was never born to be with gentle, or proper, men.
I hardly blink as we make eye contact in the mirror, his expression breaking its stolid glare as he lightly rolls his eyes when he finds a perfect rhythm.
He leans over to wrap an arm around my navel—not caring if he ruins the rest of my outfit—the other hand bracing himself on the table. I can see his hand move between my legs, stimulating me, his hand working with precision as his cock hits everything perfectly. My moans grow needy as I watch him undulate, the table shaking.
Soren is so large compared to me, and leans down to crowd my body, breathing raggedly into my ear, still staring at my reflection. "I plan to fuck you every time before we leave this room, Jane. And even in front of the others, if I have to assert who the fuck you belong to when we’re out there.”
My eyes roll as his words push me to an edge that he seems to effortlessly control. I can't get over how deeply he fills me, how that pleasure builds in my navel. How his statement fucking turns me on, how I almost want him to have to assert himself.
"Say you want that," he groans, the table moving with our bodies. His tone is needy, like he has to hear me confess what he senses.
I don't even try to hide it. I want to hear him unravel, and I swear it’s the heat of the moment talking for me. Staring with intention, I’m completely unabashed as I say, "I want you to fuck me every time I leave this room. I want your cock deep in me, Soren, and for some fucking reason—" I moan when he rubs me faster"—I really want them to know I belong to you."
The sound he makes sends me right over the edge, a guttural groan of pleasure emitting from him. The way he looks at me through that mirror, like he's willing to kill many men to keep me as his pet… it happens so fast; waves of pleasure wash over me in a powerful explosion as my body shudders.
He gets rougher, holding me still with both hands, my breasts jostling wildly, his body so massive behind mine now that he's standing. I've just finished, but I'm already feeling an excitement return by how basal this position is; how he probably means it when he says he'll fuck me every time before we leave.
His body stiffness not shortly after that, pushing as deep as he'll go, his eyes slightly rolling, his tempo slowing. There’s nothing left untouched inside of me, now coated in his cum. I don't know what we’re doing or how long his spell will hold me. Anya's behavior makes me wonder if I really am—
"You go so quickly to feeling negative after being fucked," he chides, disappointment written all over his face.
Once he pulls out, Soren examines me like he wants to make this scene a painting. Gods he better not demand something like that. I stand, feeling the aftermath between my thighs. I lean against the table, finding my balance. He quickly begins to wipe his face and chest down with a towel in the room. The sound of water trickling off of the damp fabric after he dunks it in the water basin before he hands me one for myself.
I finally find my words. "Like I said—for some reason I really like the idea of you—" I say, waving an arm at him. "Of the whole fucking picture. But you could seriously get any woman," I pant, glaring at him.
He sighs, as if he's about to ban the topic in the future. “Yes, because random women are so interesting to me.”
"What do you want ?" I blurt out, giving him some of my insecurity as I slap the soppy towel on the table. I hope it bleeds through so he can feel it. "Seriously. Give me something ."
Thankfully, he seems to consider this. His voice is muffled in a towel as he wipes it clean from sweat. "What I want is the Zenith's daughter that rips rooms apart when she's angry. It's not more complicated than that, and I'm tired of having this conversation."
My heart flips, and I swear when the towel comes off his face, I see a satisfied smile. He even looks at me, coming back over to grab my jaw with that veined hand that held my hips still, his mouth hovering in front of mine once more, the scent of sweat lessened. "Did you know you rolled over to lay against me when you were sleeping? And I felt how removed your walls were, and how eager you were to be close to me?"
My eyes widen. "You're lying."
He doesn't answer right away, and doesn't move, either. He just stares into my eyes. "What's there to lose, Jane?"
I quietly say, "I grew up here, Soren. There's a lot to lose, and I promised myself I'd never let someone make me believe they'd take care of me, when instead they left me. That's... I don't want to do that again."
Those beautiful eyes of his roam my face. Rather than give me more words, before pulling away, he simply caresses my cheek in a ruminating way. My gaze falls to his lips, eager for him to kiss me, but when he drops his hand and gives me his back, I let my disappointment ooze out of me.
"Shall we go over the expectations?" he asks, walking out of the room. I grab the bottoms he undid and follow him.
"Yes... fine. Expectations," I begrudgingly say, tying the bottoms back on. "I also have some of my own, you know."
"Such as?" He sounds entirely amused, like he really wants to know what I'd expect from him.
"Well, two major ones, honestly. I’ll do anything as long as you promise to keep Kathleen safe, and no one else touches me."
He pauses, slowly looking around, almost back at me, but seems to hesitate to make eye contact. I can see that maybe he even narrows his eyes. He stares at the floor, considering something.
I lick dry lips and add, “If you're going to hesitate—"
He returns his attention to his armor. "No, I will not hesitate to chop off hands or gouge out eyes, even to defend your friend. I was contemplating something else."
"Like what?"
"Private things," he states with finality, lacing his vest. "Anyway, to what I expect, it’s pretty simple, today. Won't look right if you're completely meek," he looks at me. "But I know you're smart enough to figure out that you should probably listen if I give you instructions. Or else it's a whole fucking mess we have to clean up. You also do not interfere with anything , no snarky comments. And you’ll wear a chained collar around your neck so it pleases any suspicious hearts. I also don’t want you fighting the collar once , or pushing back against any orders. I’d dare to say that obedience reigns here, but that might just set you off to phrase it that way.”
A collar… of course. Nonetheless, I nod. "If no one touches me, then fine. We have a deal and I’ll wear whatever you want without complaint.” My heart races, realizing I'm really about to do this.
He grabs something from the table and turns near me, some of his armor still not put on. He sighs, as if deciding whatever rests on his tongue is worth uttering. "I also need to say that if you run on me, when we're out there," he says, nodding to his bedroom door. "I will come for you. Council or not. So don't even try it."
“As fun as that would be," I say, not lying; the idea excites me a little. "I won't run… today."
Soren undoes the goat skin in his hands and shows me the earrings. “Wear these, too.”
“Really?” I ask, happily taking them. They’re not the same as having Mother’s earrings, but they’re something. As I look at them in my hand, Soren leans in to gently kiss me... just like I wanted earlier. I completely melt, emotions ripping open that make all the danger feel less intimidating.
A dying part of me wants to keep these desires guarded, but the other—the one that makes reckless choices—just wants to see whatever the hells this is between us.
He inhales, as if breathing in the scent he opted to cover me in. His lips graze on mine as he says, "Go out there and wait for me. And let no one tell you where to go unless it’s me.”