you continue this kind of foolish behaviour, believe me, you will get hurt.’
His threat wasn’t an idle one, yet she stood defiant beneath his compelling gaze. ‘That’s precisely the type of chauvinistic threat I’d expect you to make!’
With slow deliberation he released her wrists and slid his hands up to her shoulders, impelling her forward, then his mouth was on hers, hard and possessively demanding.
Alyse clenched her teeth against his intended invasion, and a silent scream rose and died in her throat beneath the relentless determined pressure. She began to struggle, flailing her fists against his arms, his ribs—anywhere she could connect in an effort to break free.
She gave a muffled moan of entreaty as he effortlessly caught hold of her hands and held them together behind her back—an action that brought her even closer against his hard masculine frame, and there was nothing she could do to prevent the hand that slid to her breast.
A soundless gasp escaped her lips as she felt his fingers slip the buttons on her blouse, then slide beneath the silk of her bra. She wanted to scream in outrage as his mouth forced open her own, and his tongue became a pillaging, destructive force that had her silently begging him to stop.
When he finally released her, she swayed and almost fell, and a husky oath burned her ears in explicit, softly explosive force.
Her lips felt numb and swollen, and she unconsciously began a tentative seeking exploration with the tip of her tongue, discovering ravaged tissues that had been heartlessly ground against her teeth.
Firm fingers lifted her chin, and her lashes swiftly lowered in automatic self-defence against the hurt and humiliation she knew to be evident in their depths.
Standing quite still, she bore his silent scrutiny until every nerve stretched to its furthest limitation.
‘Let me go. Please.’ She had to get away from him before the ache behind her eyes manifested itself in silent futile tears.
Without a word he released her, watching as she slowly turned and walked from the room.
The temptation to run was paramount, except where could she run to that he wouldn’t follow? A hollow laugh choked in her throat as she ascended the stairs. Escape, even temporary, afforded her a necessary respite, and uncaring of Aleksi’s objection to her move upstairs, she crept into Georg’s room and silently undressed.
It wasn’t fair—nothing was fair, she decided as she lay quietly in bed. Sleep was never more distant, and despite her resolve it was impossible not to dwell on the fact that the day after tomorrow Aleksi’s parents would arrive. An event she wasn’t sure whether to view with relief or despair.
A silent scream rose to the surface as she heard an imperceptible click, followed by the inward swing of the bedroom door. Anger replaced fright as she saw Aleksi’s tall frame outlined against the aperture, and she unconsciously drew the covers more firmly about her shoulders.
She watched in horrified fascination as he crossed to the cot and carefully transferred Georg on to the bed beside her.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she vented in a sibilant whisper.
‘I imagine it’s perfectly clear,’ he drawled as he effortlessly picked up the cot and carried it from the room.
Within minutes he was back, and she stared in disbelief as he scooped the baby into his arms. At the door he turned slightly to face her.
‘You can walk, or be carried,’ he said quietly. ‘The choice is yours.’
Then he was gone, and Alyse was left seething with helpless anger. Choice? What choice did she have, for heaven’s sake! Yet she was damned if she’d meekly follow him downstairs and slip into bed, defeated.
With each passing second she was aware of her own foolishness; to thwart him was the height of folly, and would doubtless bring retribution of a kind she would be infinitely wise to avoid. Except that wisdom, at this precise moment, was not high on her list.
Fool, an inner voice cautioned. Fool. Haven’t you suffered enough punishment already, without wilfully setting yourself up for more?
Even as she considered capitulation, Aleksi re-entered the room, and she held his narrowed gaze with undisguised defiance as he moved to the side of the bed.
Without a word he wrenched the covers from her grasp, then leant forward and lifted her into his arms.
Alyse struggled, hating the ease with which he held her. ‘Put me down, you fiend!’
‘I can only wonder when you’ll learn that to oppose me is a totally useless exercise,’ he said cynically, catching one flailing fist and restraining it with galling ease.
‘If you’re hoping for meek subservience, it will never happen!’ Dear lord, he was strong; any movement she made was immediately rendered ineffectual.
‘You’d have to be incredibly naïve not to realise there’s a certain danger in continually offering resistance,’ he drawled, and she momentarily froze as fear licked her veins.
‘Sex, simply for the sake of it?’ she queried, meeting his gaze with considerable bravery. ‘How long did you allow me, Aleksi—two, three nights?’
She could feel his anger unfurl, emanating as finely tuned tension over which she had little indication of his measure of control. Her eyes blazed a brilliant clear blue, not crystalline sapphire but holding the coolness of lapis lazuli.
‘Well, get it over and done with, damn you! Although I doubt if you’ll gain much satisfaction from copulating with an uninterested block of ice!’
His eyes seemed incredibly dark, and his mouth assumed a cruelty that made her want to retract every foolish word. In seeming slow motion he released her down on to the floor in front of him, and she stood mesmerised as he subjected her to a slow, raking appraisal.
Her nightgown was satin-finished silk edged with lace and provided adequate cover, but beneath his studied gaze she felt positively naked. A delicate pink tinged her cheeks as his eyes lingered on the gentle swell of her breasts, then slid low to the shadowed cleft between her thighs before slowly returning to the soft curves beneath the revealing neckline.
Against her will, a curious warmth began somewhere in the centre of her being and slowly spread until it encompassed her entire body.
Reaching out, he brushed gentle fingers against her cheek, then let them drift to trace the contours of her mouth before slipping to the edge of her neck, where he trailed the delicate pulsing cord to examine with tactile sensuality the soft hollows beneath her throat.
Her eyes widened, but her gaze didn’t falter as his hand slid to the soft curve of her breast and slowly outlined its shape between thumb and forefinger. When he reached the sensitive peak it was all she could do not to gasp out loud, and she suppressed a tiny shiver as he rendered a similar exploration to its twin.
Slowly and with infinite care, he slid his hand to the shoestring straps and slipped first one, then the other from her shoulders.
For what seemed an age he just looked at her, and she stood mesmerised, unable to gain anything from his expression. Then he lowered his head
