Wonderland 4: King Of Clubs Read online

  A blond god of a man tied Awai’s wrists together with a glittering golden rope. It was snug, yet the rope didn’t hurt or cut into her flesh. In a sensuous caress, he slid his hands down her thighs and calves then bound her ankles together too, with another piece of the golden rope. When he finished, he lowered his head to the juncture of her thighs and inhaled deeply, his long blond hair caressing her skin. He gave a satisfied purr, like a tiger, and she felt a tingle in her pussy and her panties grew wet.

  Awai jerked awake and found herself still positioned with her back to the wall of her condo. She blinked, feeling oddly disoriented and almost as if she’d been drugged.

  Golden light shone across the living room carpet, yet through the windows in front of her she could still see San Francisco’s sparkling nighttime view. Slowly she turned her head and saw that the door was open—

  Sunlight was spilling into her home. Not a hall light or a streetlight. It was pure butter yellow sunshine like on a cool spring morning in places where there wasn’t any fog to dim it.

  Her heart pounded like mad. She tried to get to her feet, only to slide down the wall and fall onto her side, her cheek resting on the leather handle of her whip.

  Her hands and ankles were bound, just like in her dream.

  Awai’s breathing was hard and fast as she glanced at the golden rope around her wrists and then looked to her ankles.

  A shadow fell across the carpet.

  Awai’s gaze shot to the doorway and she saw the golden god from her dreams. The man’s white-blond hair tumbled over his shoulders and a gold earring glittered in one ear. His muscled chest was bare, and the tattoo of a club was on his magnificent six-pack abs. Good lord, but those leather pants cradled his impressive family jewels, and despite the fact she was tied up and at his mercy, Awai’s pussy tingled.

  Instead of the diatribe she had planned when “they” finally showed up to kidnap her, Awai found herself absolutely speechless.

  The golden god flexed his muscles as he moved closer then knelt before her on one knee. His intense blue eyes focused on her and he smelled of sun-warmed flesh and mountain air. Gently he brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, and in a voice that sent shivers down her spine, the god said, “I have come for you.”

  Chapter Two

  King Ty knelt on one knee and brushed the back of his hand over the woman’s cheek as she lay on her side, bound with his golden ropes. How beautiful the woman was, more beautiful than her picture on the card he had taken from the a’bin. Even more beautiful than the image he held in his mind as he fucked the sorceress.

  Awai, he reminded himself. This beauty’s name was Awai.

  Strands of Awai’s chestnut hair framed her face while the rest of her tresses were piled on her head in a style he found sexy and alluring. Her eyes were indeed blue, bluer than his own. And her body…perfection with pert breasts showing through her blouse—and prominent nipples made to suck. He continued to stroke her cheek as his gaze traveled lower and he smiled. The woman had lovely thighs to slide between.

  Awai’s eyes narrowed and glittered with sudden fire. In a movement so fast and unexpected, she jerked her mouth toward his hand and buried her teeth in his index finger. Sharp pain shot through his hand as her teeth sank through his flesh down to his bone.

  Ty held his ground and didn’t flinch. “Not a kitten, but a tigress.” He sighed then gave a quick grin despite the ache in his hand. “After meeting and suffering the temper of Alexi, I should have been better prepared.”

  Confusion then anger crossed Awai’s features and she released her hold on his finger.

  Ty brushed the blood on his hand onto his breeches as Awai glared at him. “If you’ve hurt Alexi or any of my nieces,” she said with more than vengeance in her voice, “I’ll kill you.”

  Chuckling at the memory of that first encounter with Alexi, Ty shook his head. At least he could laugh about it now. “You should have no fear for your kin, tigress. Alexi is well able to care for herself. The day I met her—well, let us just say I could not walk straight for several days.”

  “Good.” Awai was tempted to laugh, but she maintained her angry expression. Here she was, lying on her side, tied up, and yet despite herself she was completely intrigued by this blond god. He reminded her of a rogue or even a rake from a historical romance novel.

  Except he had her trussed up like a sacrificial calf at a pagan altar.

  “Untie me,” she demanded with all the fury she could muster and struggled to pull apart the bonds at her wrists. “Let me go, damn it.”

  Still on one knee, the man grabbed Awai by the shoulders and raised her so that she was sitting up, her bound wrists in her lap. Heat from his palms burned through her thin blouse and her breath caught in her chest.

  “I am Ty, Ruler of the Kingdom of Clubs,” he said in a solemn voice. “I have come to take you to my world.”

  Despite her curiosity, and her natural inclination toward disbelief, Awai growled at him, “I don’t care if you’re the King of Crap. Let me go and take me to my nieces.”

  The man who called himself Ty chuckled at her words. “I will release your bonds. All I ask is that you trust me—and avoid crippling me in the same manner your niece selected.”

  Awai’s body trembled with anger while he waved his hand and the golden ropes at her ankles and wrists simply disappeared. With slow, firm strokes, he massaged her ankles. For a moment Awai allowed herself to feel amazement at his little feat of illusion, when he made the ropes vanish.

  But when Ty started to reach for her now unbound wrists, Awai laced her fingers together and swung her hands up, straight toward his face. In a lightning fast movement, he caught her wrists in one of his large hands, just short of his jaw.

  Ty grinned as he released his hold on her. “My little tigress.”

  I’ll show him tigress.

  Awai let loose with all her frustration and anger at her nieces’ disappearances. She fought against his hold with everything she had. As she lashed out at him, she bit her tongue. Her mouth filled with the taste of blood, which only made her madder.

  Ty couldn’t believe his stupidity at releasing Awai. He should have simply flung her over his shoulder and brought her through the path and into his world.

  “Damnation, woman!” He managed to grab both Awai’s wrists and pin them to the carpet above her head. She continued to struggle, but he straddled her thighs and put just enough weight on her legs to keep her from moving.

  Awai’s face was red, her blue eyes feral like the tigress she was. He kept her wrists pinned with one hand and the urge to kiss her came over him, to brush his lips over her forehead, to breathe in her musky perfume. He wanted to relieve her fears, to soothe her fury.

  Ty’s face neared Awai’s and her eyes suddenly blurred. Images flooded her mind…of being trapped by her ex-husband, his breath hot and smelling of alcohol. Of being helpless beneath him.

  “No!” Awai let loose with a scream and fought even harder to free herself, but she was held entirely immobile. Fear replaced the anger and tears fogged her vision as she struggled. She wouldn’t let him hurt her again. Never again!

  From a distance she heard a male voice speaking to her with a gentleness she’d never heard from a man before. “I am sorry, Awai.” His tone was full of regret. “I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you. Please forgive me.”

  Slowly her vision cleared and instead of the foul beast who had brutalized her, she saw the golden god. He still held her wrists above her head with one hand and with his other he carefully brushed tears from her eyes. Gradually her body relaxed, her breathing hard, her muscles aching as though she’d raced a marathon.

  Damn, she hadn’t cried for years…since she’d escaped John Steele and made a new life for herself. Her breath continued to come in harsh gulps and her heart pounded in her throat, and her body was covered in sweat. How could she have lost her sanity so completely in that one moment?

  “The path will soon close, my tigre
ss.” Ty trailed his thumb across her lips and gave her a soft smile. “If we do not leave now we will be trapped in this world and it will be another year of your time before you see your loved ones, or I see my people.”

  Awai cleared her throat. “Oh.”

  Ty’s gaze held hers. “Will you come with me if I release you?”

  This was what she had prepared for all year long, and she was fighting it like a crazy woman.

  She bit the inside of her lip then nodded. “I’ll go with you as long as you promise that I’ll see my family.”

  Ty released his hold on her and scooped up her leather whip as he stood. “You have my word.” He held out his free hand. “Come. The path is closing.”

  Awai was still shaking as she took his hand. The sunshine that had spilled through her doorway before was now murky, as if shrouded by thunderclouds. Ty pulled her toward the dull light at a jog, and she had no choice but to follow him. Her heart pounded with both fear and hope.

  They dove into the gloom and Awai felt like she was tumbling through thick paste. Sticky and gooey, like the fat pots of glue she’d used in kindergarten all those years ago. The sensation clung to her face and hands, her bare belly and legs.

  And then they were free of the goo—falling into bright sunshine and a brilliant green world. Ty caught her to him as he landed with a whump. He rolled onto his back in a bed of soft grass, Awai cradled close to his chest, on top of him. She found herself face to face, chest to chest…erect cock to mound.

  Heat flushed her face as she stared down at her would-be kidnapper. The gooey feeling from the path or whatever it was had vanished, and she now felt only light wind caressing her cheeks and Ty between her legs. His leather pants felt soft as butter against the skin of her thighs and her thong pulled against her clit in a manner that made her crazy with need.

  “Now this is the position I prefer,” she said with a little smile that came out of nowhere.

  Ty laughed, and in a quick movement he turned so that Awai was on her side in the grass, her leg hooked over his thigh, and they were still face to face. Her eyes were wide, but this time he didn’t see anger or fear in their blue depths.

  “For now let us start on equal footing.” Ty smiled at the surprise in her expression. “But know that I am your King, and soon you will desire to submit to me in every way.”

  “I have no King.” She shook her head, grass brushing her cheek and her lips. “I’m a Domme. Men submit to me.”

  He laughed again and ran a finger down her pert nose. “You will see, my little tigress.”

  Awai pushed herself up on one elbow so that she was looking down at Ty. He was gorgeous and purely male. She didn’t even know him and she wanted him like no man she’d ever met before. A man who could fulfill her secret fantasies that she’d never shared with anyone…that she’d kept well hidden from everyone but herself. Even then she had tried to shove them away, to pretend they didn’t exist.

  If she admitted how much she wanted to make them come true, could she forget her past and allow herself to be controlled by a man?

  She spotted her whip lying on the grass beside Ty, grabbed it by the handle, and got to her feet. Awai was tempted to show the man how well she knew how to use it, but she only practiced safe, sane, and consensual BDSM. No doubt this man wouldn’t consent to being whipped. He was a Dom through and through.

  In a slow demonstration of masculine ease, the golden god got to his feet. Lord, but his muscles rippled and flexed with power. Awai’s nipples tightened and her pussy grew wetter. He was bigger, buffer, and probably the most well-hung man she’d ever had the pleasure of meeting, if the size of his package behind his leather pants was any indication. Every sensible thought since meeting Ty had vanished and all she knew was she wanted him.

  Damn.

  With every muscular movement he made, she knew he could crush her if he wanted, could hurt her in so many ways. Why then did she feel safe with him? Just because he hadn’t hurt her in her home?

  But when he moved toward her, she stiffened, suddenly remembering that she’d been kidnapped into this world, as no doubt Annie, Alexi, and Alice had been.

  Well, Awai thought, actually I came willingly to find my nieces. They might have been kidnapped, but I wasn’t.

  Ty held out his hand to Awai and hoped she would trust him. After a moment of indecision in her blue eyes, she took it. Her fingers felt small and cool in his palm and he could sense the tenseness radiating through her body.

  “Let me show you my realm,” he said as he led her away from where they’d landed in the grass. He was proud of his lands and his people, and he hoped that she would be pleased with what she saw.

  Awai had been so intent on the man that she hadn’t even noticed her surroundings. She stared in wonder as sunlight shone down through blue-green clouds and spilled onto trees with feathery blue leaves, and others with lacey green leaves and yet others with colorful flowers. Ahead of them a waterfall of the white blooms flowed down the hillside. If she wasn’t mistaken, they were cherry blossoms.

  Countless flowers in unusual shapes dotted the grassy hillside in bursts of orange, pink, red, blue, and purple. Their sweet perfume mingled with the earthy smell of the land and the warm scent of the man beside her. Their footsteps were silent as they walked down the grassy hill.

  In the distance she could see a small town or a village with people and industry. Nearer to them she saw a sprawling building that reminded her of an Egyptian palace, even though the walls were a greeny-beige color. It was as if the building was camouflaged to blend in with the surrounding trees, flowers, and the grassy hillside.

  Ty squeezed her hand, bringing her back to the present. She looked up at him and he smiled, a cute boyish smile that made her heart melt. Damn, she was supposed to be kicking ass and taking names. Instead she was lusting over this man like a besotted schoolgirl with a crush on the captain of the football team.

  “Ah…” Awai cleared her throat and brought them to a stop. She attempted to return to her “I am queen of the universe” presence that she maintained in the corporate world. “Where the hell are Annie, Alexi, and Alice?”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to determine how much to tell her. When he spoke, it was in a clear, concise tone. “Alice is joined with my brother Jarronn and she is now the High Queen of Tarok and Queen of Hearts.” Awai’s jaw dropped, but Ty continued, “Alexi is my brother Darronn’s bride, and she is Queen of Spades.”

  At this point Awai was ready to use the whip she still carried. He had to be lying. But Ty was saying, “Annie has mated with my brother Karn, and she is Queen of Diamonds.” He grinned. “Although her cat Abra thinks she rules Diamond Hall.”

  Awai jerked her hand from Ty’s and backed away from him like his derangement was contagious. “You’re freaking nuts, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question—she was positive he was crazy. Well, almost positive. “What are you guys? A deck of cards?”

  Ty gave her that boyish grin that gave her stomach schoolgirl quivers. “My parents divided the Kingdom of Tarok into four separate Kingdoms before they died.” He gestured to the lands as though encompassing everything around him. “My mother was a Seer. She loved to play card games, and she chose to name the Kingdoms after each of the suites in a deck of playing cards. The Kingdom of Tarok was named after another game she enjoyed.”

  Awai gestured to his abdomen. “And the tattoo on your stomach?”

  He shrugged. “Once the Kingdoms were divided, our mother insisted on tattooing each of us. She was an artist, much like your Annie.”

  Without consciously realizing it, Awai moved closer to Ty, concern clenching her heart. “She’s all right, isn’t she? Annie was always so much gentler than Alice, and especially Alexi, and she could be hurt so easily. Please tell me she’s happy here.”

  This time Ty’s look was serious as he nodded and took Awai by the shoulders. “Annie is truly a blessing to Tarok, and especially the Kingdom of Diamonds. S
he is dearly loved by all, as are Alexi and Alice.”

  Awai wanted to cry with relief, yet how could she know if Ty was telling the truth?

  “I want to kiss you,” Ty said in a deep, husky voice that made her shiver. “May I?”

  The fact that he asked her, that he recognized her fear of being taken against her will, melted Awai’s heart even further. She placed her palms on his smooth yet rock-hard chest and pressed close to him as she whispered, “Yes.”

  Ty gave her his rogue’s smile that made her want to swoon like a romance novel heroine. She closed her eyes when he lowered his face and lightly brushed his lips over hers. Awai waited for more, but he took the kiss no further.

  She opened her eyes and saw only tenderness in his expression. Awai Steele always took what she wanted in life, and right now she wanted a real kiss from this man. She slid her arms up around his neck and pulled his face down to meet hers.

  Awai moved her lips over his and he gently returned her kiss. But as she demanded more of him, his kiss matched hers in intensity. He groaned and slid his hands from her shoulders, down her arms to her hips and pressed her tight to his erection. He was so tall and his cock obviously so big that she felt him at her bellybutton, his hard-on smashing her star charm into her flesh, causing her to feel a sensation of both pain and pleasure.

  Ty’s tongue thrust into her mouth, demanding, insistent, as if he could no longer rein in his desire for her. Awai gave herself up to the taste of him, to his smell, the feel of his hard body against hers, the heat of his flesh burning through her clothing. This man would be the kind of lover she had dreamed about in her secret fantasies. The man who could tie her up and do the things to her she had only imagined, or the things she had done to her subs.

  With this man, she could be submissive. And she’d be safe.

  But how can I know that for certain?

  Awai broke the kiss and pulled away from Ty. As his blue eyes looked into hers, that old fear and anger returned to her that had been in her heart and soul too long, thanks to that bastard of an ex-husband.