Book three in the Imperial Desires series.From the time she knew desire, Olivia has wanted Claudius Ovidius, but the retired centurion has long vowed he would never have her - because she is too young and innocent to the ways of lovemaking. But Olivia is not a girl anymore, and while she may not be skilled in the ways of pleasing men, she knows of Claudius' dark desires, and is certain she is up to the task of pleasing him.
Claudius vowed he would never touch Olivia, but the girl is making it damn hard. When he visits the decadent club known only as The Cave and spots Olivia there, he demands she leave, but she's defiant, testing the last vestiges of his self-restraint.
On that night, there are no more excuses or denials standing between them. And soon Claudius and Olivia find themselves playing a dangerous game of seduction, one that spirals into a passionate affair, igniting desperate longings and dredging up a dark secret Claudius thought forever buried.
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An Excerpt From: CENTURION’S CAPTURE
Copyright © NADIA AIDAN, 2011
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Chapter One
Siga, Imperial Province of Rome
Claudius Ovidius weaved a silent path through the darkened halls of The Cave, his eyes narrowing as he strained to see beneath the muted light. Fire flickered from the oil lamps scattered about the room, causing erotic shadows to dance along the walls.
Breathy moans and stilted sighs—the sounds of decadence and pleasure—echoed throughout the chambers, mingling with the low hum of music from the strings of the lituus.
Lust and pleasure were the sensuous delights to be found in The Cave, an exclusive club for those who would pay well to succumb to such temptations. Claudius was a member, although no longer a frequent visitor. Not since almost a year ago had he set foot within these walls, not since a beguiling beauty had blossomed into womanhood to haunt his every thought.
He drew in a breath, the perfume of desire and lovemaking dragging slowly through his lungs. Claudius still did not know why he’d come to this place, what had compelled him to leave the sanctuary of his villa and seek out the company of another, a stranger. He reasoned he could no longer deny his needs simply because he was obsessed with a woman he should not want, and could not have.
It would seem it did not matter where he took himself, however, whether it be his home or this place—for Olivia Septinius’ visage still found purchase within the dark corners of his mind, the only place where he allowed himself to explore every wanton fantasy he entertained of her. Even now, if he but closed his eyes, so easily he could conjure skin the color of shimmering copper, eyes a deep, dark mahogany, and lips seemingly stained by the fruit of a pomegranate.
Olivia was a beguiling, enticing beauty, and as his gaze slipped through the chambers, every single woman in the space paled in comparison to her. He frowned.
All except one.
Desire thickened the blood pumping, pulsing through his veins, and Claudius squinted against the harshness of the darkness as he crept closer to the woman who now claimed his attention. Maybe it was a shadow of his imagination, another tempting vision come to haunt him. Maybe. But Claudius doubted, however, for the heat flaring in his gut could only be ignited by one.
Her face was hidden behind a golden mask, the lush, winding curves of her body were not, however. She was draped in a shimmering stola, which appeared golden in the light, the translucent material revealed every sensuous, decadent curve of her womanly figure.
Though her face was obscured, Claudius knew the woman who stood before him, wandering through the halls of this forbidden place—a place that should have been forbidden to her, for she did not belong. His gaze flickered about the narrow corridor and his expression hardened upon glimpsing the lustful attentions of the men who watched her pass, their covetous eyes openly revealing the desires of their bodies.
Jealousy.
An emotion so wholly foreign to him, clawed through his entire body, scorching him hot and raw as burning coals. With angry strides, he closed the distance between him and the masked beauty. The woman’s eyes widened the moment he halted before her to clamp one hand around her arm. Not a single word was spoken as he dragged her into an empty corner where the two of them could neither be seen nor heard.
“You do not belong here, Olivia,” Claudius bit out the moment he had her alone.
He was grateful she did not feign surprise or pretend ignorance—as if somehow he was mistaken of her identity—because his darkening mood would not have been able to suffer it.
“And you do?” she queried, her head tilting to the side, sending several tendrils of hair whispering across her bare shoulder. Claudius followed one innocent lock as it settled beneath her breast, drawing his gaze to the berry-ripe bud puckering against her garment.
His hand curled tighter around her arm, as the heat in his belly dipped lower to harden the already swelling length of his manhood.
“How is it you belong here any more than I do?” she demanded, her eyes brimming with outrage.
He stared down at her, incredulous. She mistakenly assumed he spoke of her status—that somehow he believed she should not be welcome because of what she’d once been.
A former slave, Olivia was now a wealthy landowner in her own right and as such, entitled to the privileges of her station. Yet, if that had not been enough to gain entrance into the club, that she was also the provincial regent’s adopted daughter would have been more than sufficient.
“You mistake my words,” he replied. “I speak not of your status, but of your virtue.” He cast his arm wide to encompass the breadth of the chambers. “The Cave provides sanctuary to men and women of experience who desire pleasure of all kinds. This is certainly no place for a virgin.”
Claudius expected to be treated to her indignation, the blush of innocence upon her cheeks befitting the countenance of a virgin.
What he did not expect was for her lips to dip into a mocking frown, and her eyes to flash with censure, even as they seemed to gleam with the barest hint of seduction.
“And what would you know of my virtue, Claudius Ovidius? A man who has known me since I was but a child, but spoke to me not when I was a slave, and barely since, now that I have become his equal. Your friendship with my mother is why you even deign to acknowledge me.” Her narrowed gaze sharpened on him. “So tell me, what is it you truly know of my virtue, when you do not even know me?”
The righteous anger trembling through her voice ignited the fury that had been simmering in his blood from the moment he’d recognized her. But it was her eyes, the haughty frigid glare that she treated him to, daring him to challenge her, which shredded the last vestiges of his patience.
Still holding her arm, he seized the other, and in a single motion he pinned her against the wall, deeper into the darkened corner, until their bodies were fully obscured by the heavy shadows.
“I know you well, Olivia Septinius.” His breath blasted hot against her cheeks causing her skin to flush a deep crimson. Claudius spoke the truth, even as Olivia’s words rang true. He had not given Olivia even the most fleeting of glances, but not because she’d once been a slave. It was because he had known her as a girl, on the cusp of womanhood, but a girl nonetheless.
His gaze flitted over her and he was forced to bite back a sharp curse. But she was a girl no more and had not been one in some years. At the age of twenty-two, Olivia had matured into an undeniable beauty, and in recent years, he had noticed, although he pretended not to. But he could pretend no more.
“You may think all I have done is ignore you, but you are wrong.” He inched closer until only a hairsbreadth separated their bodies. “I know you, Olivia, which is why I know you have come here as an innocent virgin. Now why it is you have come, I do not know. What I do know is that it is past time for you to leave.” He withdrew from her, and started to turn so he could usher her from this place and see her safely home, but her next words stilled him, firmly rooting him to the spot where he stood.
“You do not know me,” she insisted, vehemence ringing through her voice. “I am no virgin and I refuse to leave until I have what it is I came here for.”
He twisted back around, his steely glare pinning her to the wall. “And please tell me, what is it you have come here for?”
“The same things as you,” she shot back, her expression defiant, and Claudius had to will himself not to shake her.
“Little girl, do not play games with me.”
Her chin lifted. “That is your problem, Claudius. You do not seem to realize that I am no longer a girl.”
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