Kiss an Angel(68)

“Trying to be a Markov woman.”

“For God’s sake, put that down. I told you to ignore her. She has a distorted view of Markov history, anyway. There were a lot of scoundrels in the family, too. My uncle Sergey was the meanest bastard I’ve ever known.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better, but I can’t ignore what she said.” She walked over to the place she’d been standing earlier and turned in profile to him. “I’m tired of coming up short all the time.”

As she raised the tube to her lips, her knees were shaking so badly she was certain he’d notice. If Alex missed, he would hit her face and, perhaps, scar her for life.

“Stop it, Daisy.”

She closed her eyes.

“Daisy . . .”

She removed the tube, but she didn’t look at him. “Just do it, Alex. Please. The longer you wait, the harder you’re making this for me.”

“Are you sure?”

She wasn’t sure at all, but she put the tube back in her mouth and closed her eyes, praying she wouldn’t flinch.

Crack!

She screamed as the noise exploded in her ears and a fierce current of air lashed her face. Her ears rang from the sound. Tater opened his mouth and bleated.

“Did I hit you? Damn it, I know I didn’t hit you!”

“No . . . no . . . it’s fine. I just—” She bent over and picked up the tube she had dropped, noting that a small piece had been sliced off the end. “I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.”

“Daisy, you don’t have to . . .”

She put the tube back in her mouth and closed her eyes.

Crack!

She screamed again.

Alex’s tone was dry. “Daisy, your screaming is starting to make me nervous.”

“I’ll be quiet! Just don’t get nervous, whatever you do.” She picked up the tube—much shorter now than it had been earlier. “How many more times?”

“Twice more.”

“Twice?” Her voice squeaked.

“Twice.”

This time she placed only the barest tip between the very edge of her lips.

“You’re cheating.”

A trickle of perspiration slid between her breasts as she repositioned it. She took a deep breath . . .

Crack! Another vicious air current whipped a lock of her hair against her cheek. She nearly fainted but somehow managed to swallow her scream. Only one more. One more.

Crack!

Slowly, her eyes eased open.

“You’re done, Daisy. It’s over. All you have to do now is style for the crowd.”

She was alive and unmarked. Stunned, she turned to him and spoke in a hoarse whisper. “I did it.”

He smiled and tossed down his whip. “You sure did. I’m proud of you.”

With a great whoop, she ran toward him and leaped into his arms. He caught her automatically. As he drew her close against him, a slow sizzle coursed through her body. He must have felt it, too, because he jerked away and set her back on the ground.

She knew he was unhappy over her refusal to make love with him since that afternoon of sweat and sex that had so deeply disturbed her. Her period had given her an excuse for a while, but that had stopped several days ago. She’d asked him to give her a little time to sort her thoughts out, and he’d agreed, but he hadn’t been happy about it.

“There’s just one more trick,” he said, “and then you’re done for the day.”

“Maybe we should wait till tomorrow.”

“It’s an easier trick than the one we’ve just done. Let’s get it over with before you lose your nerve. Go stand back where you were.”

“Alex . . .”

“Go on. It won’t hurt. I promise.”

She moved reluctantly back over to the place where she’d been standing earlier.

He picked up the longest of his bullwhips and held the butt loosely in his hand. “You can go ahead and close your eyes.”

“I don’t think I want to.”

“Trust me on this, sweetheart. You definitely want your eyes closed.”

She did as he said, but her right eyelid began to twitch.

“Raise your arms above your head.”

“My arms?”

“Above your head. And cross your wrists.”

Her eyes sprang back open. “I think I forgot to tell Trey about Sinjun’s new feed.”

“Every Markov wife in history has done this trick.”

With a sense of inevitability, she raised her arms, crossed her wrists, and closed her eyes, telling herself all the while that nothing could be as bad as having him cut the tube from her mouth.

Crack!

The snap of the whip had barely registered in her brain before she felt the lash coil tightly around her wrists, securing them together.

This time her scream came all the way from her toes. She dropped her arms so quickly she felt a wrenching in her shoulders. In disbelief, she gaped at her bound wrists. “You hit me! You said you wouldn’t hit me, but you did.”

“Hold still, Daisy, and stop yelling. It didn’t hurt.”

“It didn’t?”

“No.”

She stared down at her wrists and realized he was right. “How—?”