Free Gladiator Heart by Alyssa Morgan

unawares.
    “Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” Angus fell into step beside him, a wide grin on his face.
    “I hadn’t noticed,” Tristan grumbled.
    Valeria’s beauty rivaled any winter morning and he wanted nothing more than to return to his tent and pass the day with her. She was a distraction he didn’t need. The lives of these men were in his hands and he had a responsibility to do right by them. He couldn’t let Valeria get in the way of his duty.
    “I thought I’d find you in a better mood after spending the night enjoying your prize,” Angus said. “Did she put up much of a fight?”
    Tristan stopped walking to glare at his friend. “Any word from the scouts?”
    “None.” Angus shook his head. “They should return soon.”
    “If they don’t, we’ve got trouble.” Tristan considered what his next move should be. There was a good chance the Romans would be coming after them to retaliate for the attack on the wall. A very good chance.
    “The men are content to wait and fight on their own ground.”
    “No.” Tristan clenched his jaw. “We’ll wait one more day. If the scouts don’t return, we’ll break camp at first light.”
    “What of the prisoners?” Angus rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, shifting his attention to their tent off in the distance.
    “Ready them for travel. We’ll head to Gaul and trade them for supplies.”
    “Then what?”
    “We’ll go hunting for more Romans.”
    Angus saluted him with his arm over his chest, and then went to spread word among the men of their plans. Tristan would have one more night to enjoy Valeria, and then he would send her off on the next leg of her journey in the north. The sooner he got rid of her, the sooner he could forget she ever existed.
    How could he do this? Tristan still intended to keep her shackled. After the night they’d shared, Valeria expected better treatment from him, but he didn’t trust her. She couldn’t blame him really, since she hadn’t given up on her thoughts of escape, although it was only a distant nagging in her mind this morning.
    She needed a better plan. Her last attempt had failed miserably and could not be repeated. Leaving Tristan wasn’t going to be so simple. He was stronger and smarter than her when it came to things like this, and if she did manage to escape, she’d never see him again. Would never feel his body heavy atop hers or hear his deep voice in her ear saying bold, wicked things to her.
    A shiver of excitement warmed her as she lay curled up on her pile of furs on the ground. Never had she expected joining with a man would be so pleasurable, but then, she’d never met a man like Tristan. One look from him made her heart race, her stomach flutter and her head spin.
    She rolled onto her side, propped her elbow up and rested her chin in her hand, trying to suppress her delighted smile. The delicious aching in her limbs fondly reminded her that Tristan had left no part of her untouched. He’d tasted her with his tongue, pleasured her with his fingers and impaled her with his manhood. Over and over.
    Gods help her, she wished he’d come back to his tent and do it all again. Was she wrong to feel this way? Anyone else looking at her situation could say he’d raped her, that he’d forced her, but deep down she knew the truth. She’d wanted him. She let him take her, and the way he’d pleasured her made it all too confusing.
    Valeria didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to think that he might trade her for supplies or weapons. Letting Tristan go wouldn’t be easy for her to do now, and she was afraid he’d cast her off without feeling a thing.
    Did she really mean that little to him?
    She spent what felt like the longest day of her life shackled to the bed in Tristan’s tent. He came back once with food and water and released her so she could eat and wash. He watched her intently the whole time with a dark, unreadable expression. She sensed he was feeling just as confused