His Frost Maiden

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “I’m saying you didn’t have to make it. Evan will let you out of the agreement if you ask him.”

  Josselyn shook her head. “I don’t want out. I gave my word and would not have myself appear to be of loose morals to the rest of the crew.”

  “No one would think that,” Rick disagreed.

  “Yes they would. They are men and I the only unmarried woman for thousands of space miles.” Josselyn patted his hand before letting her fingers rest over his touch. “I’m sorry if my decision hurt you. I never meant to imply there was more between us.”

  “You didn’t and there isn’t.” Rick smiled. “I am not made for one woman, not even one so fine as you, my lady. My concern is for other reasons.”

  “You say that, but you never hint at what those reasons might be.” She searched his eyes.

  Rick leaned forward, his tone lowering in confidence. “And I probably never will.”

  Evan ducked back behind a corner, breathing hard as the image of Rick and Josselyn burned into his mind. He saw the intimate touch of Rick’s hand, detected the man’s concern and sadness as he whispered to the lady. Josselyn didn’t back away and didn’t remove the pilot’s hand from her. In fact, she seemed to be holding him to her.

  What was happening? Were his first suspicions correct? Did Josselyn and Rick belong together?

  Even as the memories of their shared passion washed over him, he couldn’t deny the connection he’d felt between Rick and their liberated prisoner since the first instant Rick saw her in her stone prison. They were both human and he’d seen things in Rick since Josselyn’s appearance that he’d never seen in the man. Did Rick care for her? Could Rick love her?

  Evan refused to think about it. Josselyn was his now. She asked him to protect her and he wasn’t eager to let her out of the bargain. The taste of her was too new, the memory of it too arousing. His blood heated with just the idea of touching her again. As his thoughts turned to passion, propelled by the stirring between his hips, Evan found himself again moving around the corner to face the two.

  Rick walked toward him, only to nod once as he brushed past. Evan ignored him, instead chasing after the glimpse of skirt he saw rounding another corner toward the private quarters. Each step saw another rational thought slipping from his mind, leaving nothing but pure instinct, the animalistic, primal need to lay claim to what was his.

  Where did these thoughts come from? Evan wasn’t a tyrant. He wasn’t a jealous man. He didn’t “claim” things, didn’t feel the need to mark women so completely like a Var shifter. And, yet, here he was, speeding each step to catch up to Josselyn.

  Already he smelled her, the sweet scent left by her hair. Or was that a memory, so imbedded in his nose that he could breathe nothing else? She penetrated him, body and soul. But he knew she couldn’t feel the same way. She didn’t feel him like he did her.

  His breathing became harsh, almost stalkingly so, as his footfall alerted her to his presence. She gasped, pausing as her hand lifted up over the scanner to open his door.

  “Evan, what is it? Did something happen?” She asked, her eyes round with worry. “Why are you looking at me like that? What is it? Are you mad about Rick talk—?”

  Her words ended abruptly as he touched her cheek. Cool flesh met his fingers, shocking in its low temperature. Evan didn’t care, didn’t think on it more than a moment. The door behind her slid open and he didn’t stop walking, forcing her back.

  “Evan?” she whispered, almost shrinking away from his intensity.

  “You do something to me.” The words were soft and hoarse, barely audible in the quiet quarters. Her soft skin held his hand to her cheek like a powerful magnet. He couldn’t withdraw. “You make me not myself.”

  Josselyn’s beautiful mouth opened as if to answer. The sight was all the provocation Evan needed. He moaned lightly, dipping his head forward to kiss her even as his fingers slipped into her hair, dragging her face toward his.

  “I—”

  Whatever words she’d offer were lost as he crushed his lips passionately against hers, instantly deepening into an urgent, almost brutal kiss. He needed to feel her, to kill the barren loneliness he felt in his soul. Her emotions clouded him until there wasn’t any part of him left that didn’t feel her in some way.

  Evan said nothing more as he dropped his hand from her hair onto her shoulder, only to slide down to grip her arm. Holding her before him, he made sure there was no chance of escape. The hard length of his member pressed into his tight pants, begging for release. He walked her toward the bed, causing her to stumble. The hold on her arm kept her from falling.

  Finally breaking the kiss, he heard her raspy breathing falling hard over the chamber. His eyes burned, his fingers itched. He needed to see and feel flesh against him.

  His palms slid along her exposed cleavage and his fingers curled, turning around to dip beneath the dress. Pulling forward on the bodice, he ripped the material. Breasts spilled forth, naked and ripe. Lust shot a path along his entire length, curling his toes, weakening his knees, tightening his stomach and dizzying his mind.

  “Ah,” the word left him on a breathy whisper. Instantly his palms were on her chest, squeezing them until nipples hardened into peaks between his thumbs and forefingers.

  “Ev...” she breathed heavily. Josselyn touched his arms and he realized she’d been holding back.

  His head dipped forward and Evan captured a nipple between his lips. He sucked hard, groaning in delight at the hard budded texture surrounded by a softer mound. The sound of ripping material mingled with their panting breaths. He tugged hard, causing her body to jerk against him as he tried to rid her of the gown. The nipple slipped from his mouth.

  “I need to taste you.” He groaned, his eyes eager to see the damp nipple he left behind.

  “But...?” Josselyn looked down at her chest, her brow furrowed in confusion.

  “No.” Evan let a slow grin curl one corner of his lips. He yanked the torn gown off over her hips. It slid to the floor, pooling at her feet. He gave a meaningful glance to the short thatch of hair between her thighs. “There.” Reaching to touch the sexy mound, his tone deepened. “Here.”

  Josselyn was completely naked, a feast for his eyes, and yet she’d only managed to ruffle his tight shirt. That in itself was an erotic thought. Evan felt powerful and controlling. The long line of her body, exposed to his whims. Full breasts, tapered waist, warm damp curls, strong legs...

  “Oh,” the word filtered past her lips on a raspy pant. Evan stroked her sex, letting his finger dip between the soft, wet lips. Josselyn held on tight, using his shoulders for support as her legs wobbled.

  “Sit on the bed,” Evan ordered, walking her until her legs hit the edge of the mattress. She instantly collapsed, sitting on the edge. Without thought, he knelt before her, pushing her thighs apart even as he tugged her hips forward. Josselyn fell back and the cutest soft noises came from her mouth.

  Surging forward, he kissed her sex, his tongue instantly exploring the soft petals his fingers had opened. Warm and wet, her intoxicating taste exploded into his mouth. Evan groaned, gripping her legs to keep her pressed tight to his mouth. His tongue lapped, pressing in long hard strokes along her slit. She jerked as he skimmed the hard pearl hidden among the velvet depths. Instantly concentrating his efforts, he sucked hard, moaning loud so that it vibrated against her sensitive flesh.

  Josselyn continued to make soft noises, her head thrashing as her arms lifted over her head. Evan reached behind his back, fumbling to undo his pants. Her hips jerked violently as he grazed her clit with his teeth.

  He loosened his pants, dipping his hand down into the waistband to touch his arousal as she began to climax. He pumped his fist over the length the best he could. The turgid flesh ached for more, even as he gripped it tighter.

  Ah, yeah...

  Josselyn arched, giving him a full, underside view of her breasts as he looked up her flushed body. He wanted to devour every inch of her. E
van gripped his balls, rolling them in his palm. His mouth continued to work, exciting an orgasm to rip from inside her.

  “Oh, oh, oh,” she panted incoherently, over and over.

  Her slick, hot center was right there, open and ready. He couldn’t resist. Lifting up between her thighs, his arousal still in his palm, he put his knee on the edge of the bed. Her legs flopped weakly, waving back and forth as if she would try to push herself up but couldn’t.

  With one hand, he pushed his pants down far enough to completely free his shaft. Eager to feel the wet heat of her around him, he guided himself to her opening. She was still soaked from her climax and he slid easily past the folds.

  “Yeah,” Evan growled, seating himself fully. “Ah, yeah.” A satisfied moan sounded, but he was too mindless to know if it was hers or his. He withdrew only to thrust hard. “You do something to me, Josselyn. You make me forget myself.”

  Her round, perfect eyes seemed to pierce through him. Tremors racked her body, causing her to shiver. Every masculine instinct in him wanted to pound fast and hard, but he held back, instead moving steadily in deep, long thrusts. Their gazes locked and a force bigger than any he’d ever felt took over, joining them completely.

  His hips rolled in small circles. The tight squeeze of her body over his shaft, hugging and releasing with each push, felt so damn good he could barely breathe. Her hands brushed his chest, gliding down his sides, glancing over his ribs before curling along his butt. She pulled him toward her, her legs spreading wider as she met his rhythm. Lashes fluttered, as her eyes rolled back.

  Evan’s heart raced, as if ready to tear out of his chest. Her nearness always did that to him and their shared pleasure only made the condition worse. As his climax neared, he slowed, savoring the last moments. He dropped his head forward, his mouth open as if to kiss her but for the distance between their lips.

  Josselyn’s head turned, her jaw tilting as she met with release. The quivers of her tight hold over his shaft spurred him to join her and he jerked, not as delicate as she, spilling his seed deep inside her.

  Finally allowing his lips to touch hers, he kissed her gently. A satisfied expression crossed his relaxed features, spreading throughout him, only to be contradicted by his racing heart.

  “You do something to me,” he whispered, breaking the kiss.

  “I know, I make you not yourself,” she answered just as softly.

  Chapter 15

  “I have something to show you.” Evan stood beside the bed.

  Josselyn watched his naked backside, sated from their lovemaking. His body was all sinew and muscle. Not a measure of fat marred his perfect, smooth frame. His movements weren’t refined, not in the way she was used to seeing in nobleman, but they were graceful. But even for that grace, there was a dominating air to the way his muscles rippled beneath the tanned surface of his skin.

  “I think you should see it,” he continued.

  “What is it?” Josselyn forced her eyes from him and reached for her gown. The relaxation of their lovemaking left her as she gasped. The dress was torn. Sitting naked on the bed, she tried frantically to pull the material together. It would be impossible to mend.

  “I will replace it,” Evan said, his tone apologetic. He crossed to the wall, opening one of the metal drawers. Taking out a clean set of clothing, the same ones Mei had tried to give her, he placed them on the bed. “These will do until we make port. It might be better to hide your feminine curves a bit. This can be a rough place. Unless you would rather stay aboard the ship while we’re gone?”

  The way he said the words made her shiver. It was as if he could read her thoughts. She was nervous about going on the fueling dock, nervous and excited and scared. Grief had ruled her emotions when she first boarded the ship and by the time she could think straight, she was used to the change from the castle to spaceship. There was an odd security in the familial way the crew interacted with one another. But now, she’d be surrounded by aliens, perhaps even those stranger than Dev in appearance and manners. Her family wasn’t there to protect her.

  But Evan was.

  Josselyn stood beside the bed, grabbing a shirt.

  “I want to go.” Josselyn, not wishing to be forced to stay behind, quickly asked, “What was it you wanted to show me?”

  Evan’s eyes roamed down over her naked chest. His heated perusal caused a blush to warm her cheeks and she quickly slipped the dark blue shirt over her head. Material that would have been tight on Evan hung loosely along her hips, only straining slightly against her breasts. He tilted his head, breathing deeply as his gaze slid down along her hip to where the shirt brushed against the very tops of her thighs.

  “You wished to show me something?” Josselyn repeated, clearing her throat lightly to get his attention away from her barely hidden sex and back on her face.

  He glanced up, blinking a few times before nodding. “Finish dressing and I’ll take you.”

  Josselyn pulled the black pants over her hips. Threading the belt and looping it as she had back home, so the end fell down in front instead of continuing around the waist like the crewmen’s. The strange garb rubbed her thighs as she moved and for a woman raised in dresses she felt incredibly out of sorts. Every other step had her pulling along the hips, trying to adjust what had to be one of the more uncomfortable pieces of clothing she’d ever put on.

  She studied Evan from the corner of her eye as they walked. He was different than most men she’d known. Though moody and overly quiet at times, there was something to him that reminded her of herself—like an invisible extension, or perhaps even an extra arm. Josselyn wrinkled her nose. What a strange notion to have? Evan, her new lover, was like an extra appendage?

  Reaching to touch his arm, she stiffened.

  “...prisoner two, two, five, release order number six, nine, twelve. This is...”

  The words stopped. Josselyn recoiled from Evan, making a weak noise. “Jack.”

  “Josselyn?” Evan turned to her, his hand in the air. She stumbled back, her wide eyes trying to see past the innocence of his chocolate gaze.

  “You’ve been lying to me,” she whispered. Guilt filtered over his features and she knew it was true. “I’ve been a fool to believe you were from the future, coming to rescue me. What is the plan, Evan? What does Jack want? The location of the family fortune? Are you to trick me into talking about the past? Is that your game? Make me believe that everyone I know is dead so I’ll say their names and you will be able to arrest them for daring to defy the coalition?”

  “Six, nine...” Jack’s voice repeated.

  “Josselyn,” Evan began to shake his head and she could see he was going to deny it. But what was the more plausible truth? That she was held a prisoner in stone, untouched and unknown for over a century? That time had forgotten her and her family? That the Federation blew up their weather satellites, froze her homeland and turned it into a prison complex that no one really knew very much about?

  Or that this was all an elaborate scheme to gain her trust and make her accidentally give names of people, of allies she believed dead? The coalition would love to have the names hidden within the depths of her brain. Would they not go to any lengths to make that happen? What about the others?

  She had held them, seen their blood and their wounds, felt them die, but what if they hadn’t died. What if her family was stuck on other ships being fed the same lies she had been? They could be out there, thinking themselves alone.

  It was quite possible they weren’t even on a ship, but in a laboratory, and this ship, these people... Josselyn gasped, a loud, high-pitched breath wheezing down her throat. She was betrayed. Her nose burned, as she looked at Evan. How many watched her fall so easily for him?

  “Jack,” she growled, knowing who was really to blame. Angry, she shot past Evan, pushing him in the arm. He fell out of her way easily, clutching his chest. She found the action overly dramatic considering how hard she shoved him and didn’t bother to stop to make sure h
e was uninjured. “Show yourself, coward. Jack, I know you’re...”

  Josselyn walked into the dining hall. The crew sat around a table and instantly she detected Jack wasn’t with them. Then she saw him or what could be him, as a strange, transparent image standing on a small platform of a box.

  “I don’t get it? Who are you people?” Josselyn asked, glaring at the little man. Though one of the fanciest communicators she’d ever seen, she wasn’t fooled. The transparent image became brighter for a moment. “Jack’s father?”

  “This is General Stephans of what was formerly the Earth Settlement on Florencia’s Fifth Moon and this is an—”

  “Another trick? I wasn’t speaking fast enough so you’ve decided to add another level to the charade? You think a little bit of makeup and aging is going to fool me?” Josselyn interrupted the man in shiny white. “Where is my mother, Jack? What have you done to her?”

  The man didn’t move, didn’t answer.

  “Well?” She demanded. Josselyn turned her attention over the table, marking where each one sat. Dev was gone and her spine tingled to think he could come up behind her. She slowly moved to the side, angling her body so her back wasn’t to the door. Rick was also gone and she knew they’d have her believe he was flying the ship.

  Mei stared at Josselyn’s pants, the woman’s eyes drawn into small slits as she studied the masculine attire. Josselyn resisted the urge to adjust herself. Jarek stood behind his wife’s chair, their child nowhere to be seen. Lochlann leaned against the counter, a piece of blue food in his hand as it hovered over a trencher. Lucien and Viktor were near the miniature Jack.

  “My lady,” Jackson began, pushing up from the table.

  Josselyn glared at him, not sparing him an ounce of her wrath. Anger seeped from every pore but instead of feeling hot, she felt cold inside—frozen to the depths.

  “Josselyn, where’s Evan?” Viktor asked, his tone softer than Jackson’s had been. “He asked me to get this ready for you to look at. It’s the transmission we found. This is the reason we knew how to release you.”