Page 33 of Surrender

“I think I’ve loved you from the moment I met you. So tough on the outside. So stubborn. Refusing to cower in fear when a strange man grabbed you in a dark alley. I saw the flicker of fear in your eyes when you realized you weren’t strong enough to get away from me. Yet you wouldn’t allow your own fear to defeat you. As I recall, you gave me quite a dressing-down with this sassy mouth of yours.” He bent his head to kiss it.

“Acting in spite of fear – that’s the definition of courage.” He went on, uttering words that melted her heart. “I relied on your inner strength, your courage, to get us safely away at the auction. I’ve never told you how sorry I am for the way I treated you that day. I was hard on you, tossing you over my shoulder when all I wanted to do was cradle you in my arms and kiss away your pain.

“I saw the haunted look in your eyes. I’d seen that look before, on the battlefield, in men who had given all they had to give and lost the will to fight any more. I knew if I treated you as if you were broken, you’d believe you were. So I treated you like the warrior I know you are deep inside. I taunted and teased you all that day and night, deliberately made you furious with me. That anger fueled your resolve to keep on fighting. It saved both our lives.”

She opened her mouth to speak. He put a finger on her lips.

“I’m not finished. I don’t care what foolishness they taught you on Earth, love is real. I love you. And you love me, too. The way you look at me, the way you melt when you’re in my arms – a man knows a maiden. Go ahead. Look me in the eye and say you don’t.”

The naughty twinkle flickered in his eyes. “But don’t lie. I’ll know if you do – and lying to me is another thing that will earn you a spanking.”

She looked up at him, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “You’d better start spanking me, then. As you said, I’m stubborn. It may take years to get me to admit it.”

He rolled on top of her. Pinned her arms over her head. “I’m a Viking warrior, wench. I love a good battle,” he growled. “And I always win.”

In case you missed it, here’s a peek at Savage: Warriors of the Seven Stars Book One

AJ trained for a secret mission, knowing she’d face primitive beings on a distant world.

But Kaden is stronger, tougher – and more dominating – than any male she’s ever encountered.

And when he takes her in his arms, the desires he awakens are savage.

Commander AJ Norris volunteers to investigate a rogue general mining deadly minerals on Neodyma, expecting to find a civilization frozen in time. Humans who traveled through a portal from Earth millennia ago, taking their ancient way of life with them. She’s confident that with her advanced mental ability, she can handle the primitive inhabitants.

Captured sneaking into General Tok’s mountain fortress, AJ discovers mind control doesn’t work on him or his guards. Tok locks her away with the other females in Petra, all of them prisoners in the harem he provides for his men.

But first, she’ll be punished in the town square.

Atlantean warrior Kaden is in Petra undercover. From the moment the general invites him to witness AJ’s punishment, he’s intrigued. Unlike the meek women in the Lyceum, she’s fearless, facing her sentence defiantly.

When Tok gives AJ to him for the night, she tells Kaden a holographic partner has always satisfied her physical needs. He’s determined to introduce her to the thrill of being in the arms of a real man.

Over time, the rough warrior wins her respect – and awakens dark desires she never knew she had. Desires he satisfies, leaving her breathless and trembling. When she sees him with another female at the Lyceum, Kaden awakens other feelings. Jealousy and heartbreak.

She trusted him with the truth about her mission. But can she trust him with her heart?

Savage is Book 1 in the series Warriors of the Seven Stars. It’s a full-length standalone romance full of passion and adventure, featuring a dominant alien warrior hero and the strong brave female who brings out his protective instincts. There’s no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

If steamy romance and sexy spankings offend you, please don’t buy this book.

Pleases note: Scenes of power exchange may be triggers for some readers.

An earlier version of this book was published as His to Command.

Prologue

Neodyma 2759 AD

Night had fallen. The city lay spread out before me like a fantasy kingdom from .The Arabian Nights.A feast for the senses.

Flickering torches illuminated ancient carvings on the massive stone pillars of the Citadel, making them dance and sway. A soft breeze caressed my skin, still tingling from the unfamiliar physical contact I’d been subjected to earlier in the day. The air carried the scent of exotic night-blooming flowers unlike any found on Earth. I could hear the faint crackle of incense burning in the braziers that lined the walkway leading to the center courtyard outside the door.

It was hard to believe such beauty could be the home of so much misery and pain.

They would be coming for me soon. Dragging me into the courtyard of the Citadel to be stripped naked in front of the crowd, tied to the wooden bench that stood ready on the platform then publicly spanked with a wooden paddle as punishment for my crimes. Later, still bound, I’d be privately disciplined in ways I couldn’t even begin to imagine by whatever man was awarded the privilege.

It wasn’t the outcome I expected when I signed on for this mission.

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