“Are you sure you don’t want me to give him an antidote?”
“I’m sure. And don’t even think of trying to sneak one past me, Faith, or I really will tie you to the bed for the whole trip.”
Her nipples hardened; she couldn’t help it. Of course, she didn’t really want to be tied to a bed for five days, but when he growled at like that, especially when she was close enough to feel his chest vibrate and remember those other, even more delightful vibrations, the thought of being at his mercy was not unappealing. She found herself swaying towards him and his eyes lightened.
“Later, little scientist,” he promised. His voice a husky murmur that was even more enticing than his growl. “Now, do you want to know about this fucking planet or not?”
The rest of the day passed pleasantly enough. After a fascinating half an hour on Athtar’s lap while he gave her his, undoubtedly biased, perspective on how the Kaisarian Empire worked, he sent her on her way with a swat on her ass and a muttered comment about distractions. Both the words and the smack left her with a feeling of warmth, and she hummed as she went on her way.
Precious emerged from the cabin and followed Faith eagerly as she explored the ship. The top level had the bridge, Athtar’s cabin and another cabin next to his. On the second level she found the crew cabins and lounge, plus a large area that looked like a gym. The other space on that level was the medical bay. When she poked her head inside, Grabon frowned at her.
Flustered by his obvious dislike, she found herself rushing into speech. “I’m sorry I can’t cure Zartan. I really don’t want him to die.” Inspiration struck. “I could give you the formula for the antidote and then you could administer it.”
If anything, he looked even more grim. “Captain Athtar has passed judgment. I won’t contravene his orders.”
“Oh.” Apparently, she was only making the situation worse. She turned to leave when he continued.
“The man’s death does not bother me. He is a worthless being who corrupted his natural intelligence to cause destruction.”
“If you don’t care that he’s going to die, why are you glaring at me?”
“Because I don’t trust you. You took control of the ship. You are capable of poisoning an entire complex full of people and I don’t know how to prevent you from doing that again here.”
“I would never do that!”
“Wouldn’t you?” He was no longer glaring, but there wasn’t any softness in his gaze as he looked at her. “You’re a scientist. Scientists tend to see people as experimental subjects rather than actual beings.”
Unfortunately, she couldn’t entirely discount his words, but she raised her chin anyway. “I assure you that I am not that kind of scientist.”
“I hope not. I do not like the fact that I do not know.” He paused, and the hard face softened the slightest fraction. “This ship is everything to Athtar—his home, his freedom. Don’t take that away from him.”
“Even if I wanted to—which I don’t—I have no way of doing that.”
“Yes, you do,” he said. “But neither one of you has realized it yet.” With that, he returned to whatever he had been doing and ignored her. After staring at his bowed head for a few minutes, she turned and left.
The lowest level contained the engines, engine room, and the entrance to the large cargo bays that dominated the rear of the ship. She found Studoc in the engine room. After the unfriendly encounter with Grabon, it was a welcome change to see his smiling face.
“Ah, my little stowaway. What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Just exploring. What are you doing?”
“Repairing a coupler. Thynmirr had to replace it while I was gone and I don’t like not having a spare. Want to help?”
“Sure.” The program she had set up to run on her tablet would take several more hours to finish processing, so she sat down next to Studoc. Precious bounded over to one of the rows of storage bins that lined one side of the room and began pulling it free.
“Hey, stop that,” Studoc yelled. The puppy sat back and gave him big eyes.
“What’s she doing?”
“That’s where I keep the rubber seals. Damned animal likes to chew on them.” Despite his words, he got up and searched through a drawer until he found a large yellow object which he tossed to Precious. She took it with an eager gulp and laid down to begin chewing on it with happy little growling noises. Faith decided not to watch after seeing her rows of teeth shear off the first section.
“That won’t hurt her, will it?”
“Nah, she’s got a belly like an incinerator. She could probably eat the entire ship given enough time.” Studoc grinned, then picked up the piece he’d been working on. “This is the coupler.”
Mechanical engineering had never been one of her areas of study, but she listened eagerly as Studoc first explained the repair, then began to talk about his engines. They were deep in a heated discussion about the benefits of molecular plastic over metal, when Athtar appeared in the doorway.
“What the fuck are you doing now?”
Chapter Nine
After Faith left the bridge, Athtar tried his best to focus. The emperor had paid for their little escapade with Foldaran liquor, a container of oishu furs, and a lot of credits. The liquor was almost gone, as was a fair potion of the credits, but the furs remained. He should be considering the most profitable place to trade them, and what would best accompany them. Instead, his mind kept returning to Faith. How she looked on his bridge, how she felt on his lap, that surprisingly ripe ass cradling his erection. His dick started to perk up at the reminder. After his fourth attempt to calculate a trading route he should have been able to do in his sleep, he gave up.
“I’m going to exercise,” he told Ultana.
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” she murmured, then laughed when he glared at her. “Sorry, Captain. Go exercise.”
Deciding for the sake of his dignity to ignore her comment, he did just that. His cabin was empty and, fortunately, so was the guest cabin next door. He wasn’t about to let her move out of his cabin now. When she wasn’t in the crew lounge, either, he started to worry. Grabon just frowned at him when he cornered him in the med lab. “She was here earlier. Why do you want to know? Or do I even need to ask?”
“Is there a fucking problem?”
“No, sir.” Grabon hesitated. “I just don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
“For fuck’s sake, Grabon, she isn’t going to hurt anyone on this ship.” He had been friends with the other man since they were on the same fight circuit, but he wasn’t going to put up with him insulting his little scientist.
With a disgusted growl, he left to continue his search. The training room was empty, which didn’t surprise him. Given that she didn’t seem to be able to walk without tripping over her feet, he didn’t really expect her to be working out. However, as he surveyed the space, it occurred to him that maybe he should give her some lessons. Maybe that would help with her coordination. And if it didn’t—he eyed the equipment thoughtfully—there were some distinctly interesting possibilities for play.
With that thought still on his mind, the rage that swept through him when he saw her cuddled up with Studoc took him by surprise. He hated seeing her so close to his engineer, their heads together and both of them laughing.
“What the fuck are you doing now?” he roared, then strode in and snatched her away from Studoc, directing his most deadly look at the other man. Studoc raised all four hands in surrender.
“I was helping with a repair. Let me down, you damn Viking,” Faith demanded, and he realized that he had her dangling from his chest. He adjusted his hold, sliding a hand under her ass and lifting her high enough so that they were face to face.
“No,” he growled. “You don’t fucking need to be down here.”
“She was just helping me,” Studoc interrupted, but the man’s defense only added to his irrational anger.
Faith ignored Studoc and
glared at him. “I can go anywhere I damn well please.”
“Not on my fucking ship.”
“I’m not your prisoner!” she yelled, and an unexpected feeling of guilt swept over him at the reminder of what she had been through.
“No, baby, you’re not,” he said quickly, but he didn’t put her down. They stared at each other and he saw her eyes soften.
“What are you doing here anyway?” she asked in a calmer voice.
“We have unfinished business,” he said, and very deliberately tightened his hand on her ass.
“Oh.” Her tongue came out to trace her lips and his partial erection went rock hard. “I thought that was tonight.”
“I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“Oh,” she said again, and he felt the shiver go through her. “That might be… nice. I mean if Studoc—” She started to look in the engineer’s direction and he growled.
“Don’t even fucking look at him when you’re in my arms.”
“Don’t mind me,” Studoc said cheerfully. “You two go about your… business.”
He really was going to kill the mouthy little bastard one of these days, but right now, with Faith in his arms, he couldn’t be bothered. Without another word, he turned and headed for their cabin. As soon as they were inside with the door safely locked, he put her down and stepped back.
“Strip.”
“What?” Her mouth dropped open.
“Take your fucking clothes off.”
Her damn chin came up. “You can’t talk to me that way.”
“Faith, I’m as hard as a fucking rock. I don’t have the patience to play games. Do you want this or not?”
“Yes?” she said tentatively. Her voice strengthened. “Yes.”
“Then take your fucking clothes off or you'll have to raid my wardrobe again.” He looked at her, her fat nipples already tenting the silk of his shirt. “And I’d hate not to see you in that shirt again.”
“You like it?” she asked shyly as she let the bottom of her jumpsuit slip to the floor. His shirt came almost to her knees but the sight of her long pale legs appearing beneath the cloth sent his arousal spiraling even higher.
“Like it?” Unable to resist, he stepped forward, cupping her breast as he’d done earlier that day. “Like feeling your nipples through the silk? Like knowing that you’re already wet for me while you’re wearing my clothes? Oh yeah, baby, I definitely like it.” He took her hand and guided it to the insistent throb of his erection.
“Mm.” She squeezed experimentally and he almost came just from that. Before he could recover, her long clever fingers were at work, freeing his dick and closing her hand around it.
“Fuck, woman.”
The next thing he knew, she was on her knees in front of him, her sweet mouth only inches from his cock.
“I’m not very good at this,” she said hesitantly, her warm breath caressing him.
“You’ll be fucking perfect.”
He reached down and lifted her glasses off her nose, just as she gave him a shy smile and swiped her tongue across the end of his dick. He almost broke her glasses, but he had just enough control remaining to set them aside before he buried his hand in her hair.
Faith tilted her head back against his hand and took another tentative lick. He shuddered and his hand tightened. She apparently took that as a sign of encouragement and continued with more confidence, licking him from root to tip before finally, finally, closing her mouth around him and slowly taking him deeper. She was obviously inexperienced and more than a little clumsy, scraping him with the edge of her teeth, but the slight sting only added to his arousal.
“More, baby. Take me deeper.”
She hummed in agreement, setting up an answering vibration in his cock. She gasped, and he took advantage of the moment to press further into her sweet mouth. When she looked up at him, her eyes wide and startled, her lips looking as perfect stretched around him as he’d imagined, he couldn’t take any more and he exploded. He held her head as he sent jet after jet of seed down her hot little throat as she swallowed and swallowed, trying to catch it all.
When at last he shuddered to a stop and eased back out of her mouth, she sat back on her heels and looked up at him, a pleased smile on her lips.
“I guess I wasn’t too bad after all.”
“I told you. Fucking perfect.” He reached down and pulled her to her feet. “Now it’s your turn.”
Faith gulped and stared up at Athtar. Her body was on fire with longing. The blow job had excited her much more than she’d anticipated. Seeing him watching her so hungrily and feeling his body tremble and explode, had been so hot. And he’d tasted amazing. Admittedly, it had been more than eight years since her last attempt, but she didn’t remember human men tasting that good. She licked her lips, trying to analyze the taste and he growled. Damn. Why did that primitive sound shoot straight between her thighs? Since the moment he’d come roaring in and snatched her away from Studoc, her pussy had been damp and ready.
“Are you really going to spank me?” she asked breathlessly.
“Oh, yeah, baby.”
“Because of the ship?” He prowled towards her and she couldn’t help backing away, her own primitive flight instincts kicking into gear.
“Not anymore.” He had her backed against the wall and there was nowhere else to go. “Now I’m just doing it because I want to.”
He grabbed the hem of her shirt and had it up and over her head before she could move. Pale flames lit his eyes as he surveyed her naked body.
“Perfect.”
“I’m not perfect,” she protested because, well, she wasn’t. Her tits were too small, her ass was too big, and usually she considered herself too tall, although that argument lost weight with Athtar towering over her.
He spun her around and delivered one short, sharp smack to her ass before spinning her back. His hand was so big that it covered most of even her generous assets and she gasped as the quick sting faded into a lingering warmth.
“I said perfect. Are you going to fucking argue with everything I say, woman?”
Her chin went up. “When you’re wrong.”
“I’m not fucking wrong. I love this ripe, juicy ass.” He caressed her butt, adding to the warmth flooding her. “I love these perfect fucking tits and these fat little nipples.” He cupped her breast, the whole mound disappearing into his palm, before giving her nipple a short, sharp pinch.
She didn’t have a response. Her brain had stopped working. All she could do was stare up at him. His face softened and he picked her up, cradling her against him as her legs automatically circled his waist.
“Pretty fond of those fucking long-ass legs, too,” he said casually before he kissed her. She didn’t hesitate, kissing him back with all the stored passion boiling inside her. Their tongues dueled hungrily as she wound herself closer, burying her fingers in his hair and accidentally grabbing one of his ears. He groaned and his hands tightened on her ass.
Curious enough to pull back, she traced the pointed tips. “Are your ears sensitive?”
“Yeah, baby. Just like yours.” He lowered his head again and nibbled on her earlobe before tracing it with his tongue, sending pleasant shivers of excitement down her spine. When she was quivering in his arms, he raised his head and grinned at her. “But you’re not going to distract me, woman. You have a spanking coming.”
Seconds later, she was face down across his lap, his erection pressed into the soft flesh of her stomach and thrumming hard enough that she could feel the vibration in her breasts and her clit. She had a brief moment to wonder how she looked with her butt so exposed to him before he spoke.
“Ready, baby?”
“No, I… Oh!” His hand came down before she finished talking, another one of those short, sharp stings that sent a streak of fire straight to her clit. He paused and rubbed the tender flesh, transforming the sting into a lingering warmth, hotter this time. While she was still trying to process the feeling,
he repeated his action three more times, each time increasing the heat that was now coursing through her body.
“Let’s see how you’re doing,” he said, before he parted her legs and a thick finger traced her slit. She could tell how wet she was even before he grunted in satisfaction. “Oh yeah. Your little cunt is dripping for me. I think you’re ready for more.”
He smacked her again, the sting a little harder, the heat increasing when he rubbed her ass, and followed it with a frustratingly quick stroke across her clit. Even that slight touch had her body tensing, ready to come, but he had moved on. Smack, rub, stroke, each time not quite enough to get her there, her whole body pulsing and needy.
“Athtar,” she begged.
“Yeah, I think you’re ready.” He gave her one final spank, harder than the rest, and the brief flash of pain immediately morphed into pleasure as he pinched her clit between two fingers. Her vision sheeted to white as she exploded, convulsing in his arms as she came and came and came. When she finally stopped shaking, she realized he had her tucked against his chest, his cock vibrating against her ass.
“That was amazing.”
“It’s not over yet,” he said through clenched teeth. Before she could respond, he picked her up again, and dropped her down over his cock, the massive length forcing its way up through her swollen tissues and sending her into another climax. He fucked her through it, each down stroke bringing her heated ass in contact with his hard thighs, each upstroke increasing the vibration against her clit, so that she shuddered helplessly in his arms as he moved faster and faster, until he plunged deep and held her there while he flooded her insides with jets of hot liquid.
Chapter Ten
Athtar collapsed back on the bed, bringing Faith down with him so she was sprawled across his chest. She sighed and snuggled closer. “I seem to keep ending up in this position.”
“Nothing fucking wrong with that,” he mumbled, and she could feel the rumble of his voice against her breasts. She wiggled in response, but he groaned and lifted her up off his cock before tucking her head under his chin. “You’re going to wear me out, woman.”
Faith and the Fighter Page 6