Free Nuworld: Claiming Tara by Laurie Fitzgerald Page A

their
actions didn’t much matter to him.
Their
submission
mattered to him. The way a lady honored her claim by
obeying him and presenting herself properly in public
mattered to him. What would it be like to have a woman
who obeyed him in all areas, yet held on to enough of her
wild nature to satisfy him in bed?
Darius turned back to the window. He would have that
woman under his roof. In fact, he would have that woman.
What better way to learn how she had learned to fight like
a man. He had his strong suspicions as to where she’d
learn to fight. The why was a strong mystery. Darius
scowled at the shed where his men had put the Runner
bike.
His scowl deepened.
Once
he
understood
this
formidable race, he’d have answers to many questions.
He’d also better understand that sensuous little brownhaired woman who dared play as if she were a Gothman
female. But if she liked games, Darius had no problem
showing her the rules.
    Tara was quiet when they drove through town and back
up the hill to Reena’s home. She entered the small house
and started a fire while Reena sat and wiggled her feet.
“Hand me that bag of potatoes along the kitchen wall,
child, and I will get started on a salad for our meal later.”
    Tara brought the bag, then helped peel and slice the
potatoes.
“Well, child, what do you think of Gothman now that
you’ve had good exposure to us?”
Tara stared at the flames while the peeler dangled from
her hand.
“I saw Lord Darius and two other men with my
motorcycle. They put it in a shed behind the Bryton home.”
“No! That’s not good.”
“I’m stranded for the time being.” Tara turned and
looked at Reena. Once again she felt the sensation of
claustrophobia, and the feeling didn’t settle well at all. “Not
that I was planning on leaving any time soon, but now I
can’t. It’ll be rather difficult to get it back without being
noticed.”
“Well, I don’t know now.” Reena was quiet for a moment.
“Hilda mentioned something very interesting before we left.
She’d like you to come live at her house, to help out with
things.”
Tara pondered at the thought of living under the same
roof with Lord Darius. She imagined sparring with the virile
lord, and wondered if she would be able to fight with his
hands on her. She looked up at Reena in time to see the
older woman smile.
“What are you scheming? I’m not interested in marriage,
Reena.
Not
to
mention Lord Darius is not the
most
talkative man, and the men who work for him have no
manners.”
“I’ve no doubt you’ll put them in their place. Did one of
the guards get a bit fresh with you, child?”
“I had to fight one off when I went to cut the flowers for
Hilda,” Tara said.
Reena glared at Tara and made a chuckling sound. “It’s
not like a lady to fight off a man.”
“I’m not just going to lay there and play dumb so some
brute can do what he will with me.” Tara stressed, trying to
make Reena understand. “No one should have to do that.”
“You know you remind me a lot of myself when I was
your age.” Reena smiled. “Granted, I was no trained
warrior. But, I was loyal to one man. When he left, I’d have
no other. So today, I am alone.”
Tara studied Reena, wondering what she would have
been like as a young lady. She imagined her to have been
quite beautiful. Tara wondered where that man was today
who had captured the older woman’s heart.
For some reason, Tara couldn’t see Reena falling hard
for any man unless he proved himself better than the rest.
Reena had a quiet dignity about her. Not for the first time,
Tara saw why Patha had included the older woman in his
stories.
“And you, you will be loyal to one man too, someday. It’s
in your nature.” She chuckled and reached for her knitting.
“So, you’ll live in the Bryton home?” She paused and then
added, “You’ll be close to your motorcycle.”
“I’ll give it some thought.”
Later that evening, Darius stood in his bedroom. Maps
lay strewn on