She let out a small, husky cry.
“I want to be so deep inside you that you never forget how I feel.”
She moaned. “Tannon.”
He skimmed his hands down her arms, lower, until he clamped them on her ass. “Ride me, Mina. Tease me, tempt me, drive me crazy.”
“I want you. I need you inside me.”
Blowing out a breath, he delved deep for his control. His desire warred with his need to protect. “Your clothes don’t come off. Not while your face is still bruised.”
She moved faster, her core rubbing over his rock-hard cock. He watched her bite her lip, her face flushing with pleasure.
He sank his hands into her firm buttocks, moving her faster and faster.
“Oh.” She was panting hard. “Oh—”
Then she let out a sexy cry, her head falling back as she started to come. Tannon had never seen anything more tempting, more beautiful.
Drak. His own release was rushing down on him, all his muscles coiling tight. A second later, he did something that he’d never done before in his entire life. He came, groaning as his seed spilled inside his trousers.
Mina collapsed against him and pressed her face against his neck. Her breaths were warm on his skin. He smoothed a hand up her back.
“That was the best sex of my life and I still have my clothes on,” she said.
With a rusty laugh, he pulled her down to lie with him on the couch. He touched her face, running his finger down her nose. “I need to clean up.”
She smiled lazily, like a thera hunting cat that had just snagged its prey. He kissed her forehead, then rose, and headed for his bathroom. He kept it quick, cleaning up, then pulling on some loose, black silk pants.
When he returned to the couch, he found Mina was already asleep. For a second, he thought about transferring her to his bed. The idea of her nestled amid his sheets had a visceral tug of satisfaction spearing through him.
But his control was already shaky, and he was drakking going to ensure she was fully healed before he took her. Because when he unleased the need inside him, it would be rough, hot, and sweaty.
He slid onto the couch and pulled her body against his. She made a small sound, pressing closer.
Tannon smiled. He was content to just lie there, listening to her breathing.
He nuzzled her hair. “No one will hurt you ever again.”
Chapter Six
Mina’s feet were already sore and she wasn’t even wearing her heels yet. She pulled one foot out of her flats and massaged the arch to relieve the pressure.
She was busy helping set up for the House of Galen and House of Rone shindig. While they were setting up, the servers didn’t have to wear their usual uniform and heels. Still, she’d been carrying in decorations, chairs, glasses, and other things for the last hour and her feet weren’t happy.
She had to admit; she hadn’t been the most efficient worker. Her head was still filled with thoughts of a certain tough, sexy head of security. He’d left her late this morning while she’d still been sleeping. Mina smiled to herself. But she remembered the goodbye kiss and a quiet order to keep resting. And she’d relived their sexy make out session about a hundred times.
Not to mention, that when she’d woken, she’d found several vases of flowers dotted around the suite—all lush and fragrant. They hadn’t been there earlier. She had no idea how Tannon had known about her secret love of flowers, but it had warmed her insides. She couldn’t wait to thank him.
“Mina?”
She blinked and looked at the woman beside her. “Sorry, did you say something?”
Dayna Caplan laughed. “No, but whatever you were thinking about must be good.”
Heat filled Mina’s cheeks. “A man, what else.”
Rillian’s human mate smiled. “Damn their sexy, distracting asses.”
Mina smiled back. “So, what exactly are these gladiators celebrating?”
Dayna looked around the room, a private smile on her face. “They’re celebrating the survival of the human abductees. That we all made it, despite the odds. Despite the pretty shitty circumstances we all faced.”
Mina nodded. In the desert, survival was one of the most important things. She could understand celebrating that, especially after what she’d heard all these women had been through. She looked at Dayna. The tall brunette wasn’t exactly beautiful, but she was striking and attractive. She held herself in a way that said she could take care of herself. All the glossy, glamourous females that haunted the Dark Nebula had been very upset when Rillian had made it clear he belonged to this one woman alone.
Dayna could probably take down all the simpering women without breaking a sweat. During her abduction, she’d been through a hellish experience and—Mina’s gaze dropped to the faint golden glow visible in the center of the woman’s chest through her shirt—she’d been forced to bond to an alien symbiont. But Dayna had survived. Here she was, in love with the delectable Rillian, working with Tannon’s security team, and thriving.
“We need more chairs over here,” someone called out.
Sighing, and picturing herself burning the heels she was dreading putting on later that night, Mina headed over to help. The large room was decorated in a deep blue, red, and gray. She’d learned that blue was the color of the House of Rone, and red and gray the colors of the House of Galen. The place looked gorgeous. She stopped for a second to take it all in. Large urns overflowed with fresh flowers, strands of glimmering lights were strung up across the ceiling. In places, columns of water shimmered in long vertical lines, held in place by some sort of invisible energy field.
Security was also the heaviest she’d ever seen it. Uniformed guards ringed the room, and floating security bots flew close to the ceiling, almost looking like decorations.
She hoped that with the death of the two sandsuckers who’d been planning to attack the party, the threat had ended. Surely if anyone else was involved, they’d have left Kor Magna fast.
But Mina’s gut was churning. Somehow, she didn’t think they were going to be that lucky.
Dayna frowned at her. “Mina, your nose.”
Mina felt a rush of wet and brushed her nose. Bright red blood coated her fingers. “Drak.” She yanked a napkin off a table and pressed it to her face. “I keep getting these nosebleeds. So annoying.”
“You should get it checked.”
Yeah, right after she’d saved to get her own apartment, bought more clothes, and about five hundred other things. Unlike Dayna, she wasn’t the love of one of the wealthiest men on Carthago.
“What are you doing here?” The gruff voice sounded behind her and Mina froze.
Dayna’s eyes widened and she looked like she was trying not to laugh.
Uh-oh. Mina turned to face Tannon.
He looked impossibly handsome in his suit. He still looked tough under the elegance, like he should be striding onto a battlefield rather than into a fancy party. His diamond gaze dropped to the blood-soaked cloth in her hand and his gaze narrowed.
“I was bored,” Mina said. “I’m feeling fine—”
“I said no work today.”
She tried to control the spike of annoyance at his overbearing tone. “You’re not the boss of me.”
He just stared at her.
“I promise, I’m fine.”
He grabbed her hand, turned, then started dragging her toward elevators.
“Bye, Mina,” Dayna called.
“Tannon,” Mina hissed.
He didn’t slow down. The workers parted for them, all watching with undisguised interest. They passed a wide-eyed Briella.
As they reached the elevators, two servers carrying trays were just stepping inside. Tannon paused in the door.
“Get out.”
The pair of servers didn’t stick around to argue. They hurried out as Tannon yanked her in. As soon as they were alone, he slapped his palm to the control panel.
Well. Mina huffed out a breath, then tugged on the he
m of her skirt. She so wasn’t digging this alpha-male routine. “You think you can just drag me around the place? Boss me around—”
A second later, she found herself pinned to the elevator wall by a hard body. Her pulse jumped like crazy. She felt the tension throbbing off him and she clamped her hands on his shoulders.
“You were hurt.”
His words were whispered with a harsh edge. Unconsciously, she stroked his shoulder, and his big body quivered.
Her anger drained away. He was worried. “I’m feeling fine,” she said softly.
She cupped his face, her fingers running over the faint stubble on his hard jaw. “I’m fine.” She rubbed her thumb across his lips, and he sucked it into his mouth. She gasped.
“I still see the bruises,” he muttered.
They were much better today. “Barely.”
“Drak it.” His mouth came down on hers.
The kiss was a slow, sexy exploration. Mina felt his hands clamp on her hips and she pressed closer. She moaned into his mouth. “I want you. I need you, Tannon.”
He pulled back, just a fraction, their harsh breaths mingling. “Cameras.”
Right. She really did not want to put on a show for the security team. The doors opened, and Tannon tugged her out.
Seconds later, they were in his suite. He walked her backward and Mina tried to control her thrumming heart. His eyes glittered, completely focused on her. She felt like she was being hunted.
And she really, really wanted to get caught.
Then they were in Tannon’s bedroom. His hand clenched in her short skirt and he tore it off her.
She gasped. “I have to pay for that.”
“I’ll get you a new uniform.”
She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and it fell to the floor. Then he ripped her shirt down the middle.
Oh. Stars. She was wet between her legs, desire pumping in time with her heart. She gripped his shirt and yanked. The move was nowhere as smooth as his, but buttons popped, flying everywhere. She tore the shirt off him.
“The bed is too far,” he growled.
He dragged her to the floor. Need pumped off him and she loved it. No one had ever wanted her the way this man did.
He worked fast, divesting her of her bra and panties. Once she was naked, he slid a hand between her legs. With a cry, she arched up.
“I’ve dreamed of your taste,” he said. “For weeks.”
He pushed her back, one big palm pressed to her belly. He lowered his head, and used his shoulders to shove her thighs wider apart.
Then his mouth was on her, his tongue spearing inside her.
Her eyes shot open. Sensations crashed over her. It felt so good, but wasn’t quite enough to tip her over. He licked her harder, his hands cupping the curves of her ass and lifting her up to his hungry mouth.
“Tannon!” She thrashed against him, bright splotches of light filling her vision.
Then she felt him slide a finger inside her, while his mouth kept licking and sucking. A second finger stretched her.
Mina was vividly aware of her body—her aching breasts, her straining thighs, the hot desire burning low in her belly.
Tannon groaned, the sound vibrating through her oversensitive body. She came hard, screaming and shuddering. Tannon’s name was torn from her lips.
* * *
Vicious need pumped through Tannon and he could barely think through it. The intoxicating taste of Mina was on his lips, in his mouth. Looking at her limp, well-pleasured body shot savage satisfaction through his gut.
Mine. His to care for, pleasure, protect. He rose up on his knees, sliding his arms beneath her body. He lifted her, and as soon as he brought her close to his chest, she curled into him. Her lips hit his neck, making his cock jump. It felt like a steel bar in his trousers. Her kisses moved upward, then she nipped his ear lobe.
He dropped her on the bed. He needed skin, he needed to feel her body wrapped around his. He tore his trousers open, freeing his cock. Mina’s eyes flared with blatant hunger, and he felt like a clamp had locked on the base of his spine.
Mina was naked on his bed. Finally. He felt something inside him click into place. The tempting witch lay back, pushing her breasts toward him.
His chest was heaving, need gnawing at his gut. Her gaze dropped to his cock.
“Oh, drak.” She licked her lips.
He pressed one knee to the bed, taking his cock in his hand. He nudged her slim legs apart and ran his cock through her slick folds.
She cried out, pushing against him. “Fuck me, Tannon. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever.”
With a growl, he covered her. He ran his cock through her folds again. “So wet for me.”
“Yes.”
“My Mina. Mine.” The words came from the deepest part of him. An order, a plea, a promise.
He hitched one of her legs around his hip and sank his cock into her.
She cried out, her hands clamping on his biceps, her nails digging into his skin.
His paper-thin control was shredded and he started pumping into her. She felt perfect. She was warmth, strength, beauty.
“Yes!” she cried out. “Don’t stop.”
Tannon had no intention of stopping. His conscious thoughts scattered, and all that existed was Mina. He thrust fast—each plunge deep and heavy.
“Tannon,” she sobbed. “God, Tannon.”
Sensation poured through him like he’d never felt before. It was too much and not enough. He pulled out of her, instantly missing her warmth.
She reared up. “No—”
He turned her over, and shoved her onto her hands and knees. She made a hungry sound and he pressed up against the backs of her thighs. He plunged back in.
“Oh.” Her head flew back.
He drove inside her, and she took every one of his thrusts.
She shoved her ass back against him. “More.”
That was his Mina—never backing down, always demanding more. He banded an arm under her breasts and lifted her upright.
“Look,” he growled.
Her gaze flew up to the reflective windows. No one could see in, but the coating made it almost like a mirror. It showed their reflection. His big body dominating hers, her breasts bobbing with each thrust.
She was chanting now. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
He slid a hand down her belly and in between her legs. He touched where she was stretched tight around his cock and groaned. As he moved his fingers, he felt the small nub at the top of her sex. He frowned, but as he brushed over it again, her body jerked wildly.
“Yes, Tannon!”
Her body rippled on his cock. He took them both back to the bed, increasing the speed of his thrusts. She shuddered through her orgasm and he couldn’t hold his back much longer. The sound of their skin slapping together, the feel of her tight body. It was the most mind-blowing thing he’d experienced.
“Come, Tannon. Come, please.”
Mina took his thrusts, accepting him. All of him. This woman had seen the best and worst of him, and she still wanted him.
With a grunt, he drove deep, her sweet body milking him. Tannon leaned forward and sank his teeth into her shoulder. His body shuddered as he came inside her.
Chapter Seven
Sauntering out of the bathroom after a lovely, hot shower, Mina snatched up Tannon’s discarded shirt. Surreptitiously, she sniffed the fabric, pulling in his masculine scent. It made her belly clench. Stars, how could she still feel this hungry need for him after spending the afternoon doing some very dark, delicious things with the man?
She slipped the shirt on, taking a second to touch her face. Thankfully, her bruises had faded even more thanks to the med gel. As she fastened the buttons, she walked into the living room. She heard his voice. He was talking into a communicator and ordering them some food.
He was only wearing a pair of loose, black trousers, the broad expanse of his back bare. She drank in the bronze skin and sleek muscles. Once again, sh
e thought he should be out on a battlefield. Or at least playing professional sports for his adoring fans. Maybe football.
Football? Mina frowned. She knew that was an Earth sport. She shook her head. She must have heard Dayna talking about it.
Tannon turned, his gaze locking on her. “Food is on the way.”
She smiled. “Good, because I am starving.” She smiled. “We worked up quite an appetite.”
He held out a hand and she moved toward him. He pulled her down onto the couch and she snuggled into him.
“Mina.” His grim tone made her look at him.
“Uh oh, this sounds serious.” Suddenly, her throat felt tight. Maybe he wasn’t feeling the same bliss she was. “Didn’t you, um, enjoy what we did this afternoon?” Drak, what if now that he’d had her, he was done?
He gave a violent shake of his head. “No, that’s not it. Being with you…it was amazing. Every second of it.” His fingers ran along her jaw, stark possession in his eyes.
Relief and heat filled her and she pushed her face into his hand.
“What I was going to say is that, where you find your pleasure…” He paused his brow creasing as he tried to find his words. “Your clitoris—”
She laughed. “Are we going to have an anatomy lesson?”
“It’s not… In the usual location for your species.”
Her mouth went dry. “What?” Was there something wrong with her?
“For most females, it’s internal. The only women I’ve heard of that have it in a similar location to yours are the human women from Earth.”
Mina held her arms out. “I’m not human, Tannon.” She touched the pattern at her temples. “I’m Olshan. I grew up on Carthago.”
He nodded. “There must be some other explanation.”
She licked her lips. “Does it…bother you?”
“What? No.” He pulled her close, pressing kisses over her face. “You’re gorgeous, sexy.” More kisses. “I can’t get enough of you.”
She knew Tannon didn’t show affection like this easily, and she soaked it in. Then his mouth was on hers, hot and heavy, his tongue thrusting to meet hers. She kissed him, pouring all her feelings into it.
Hunter: Galactic Gladiators #12 Page 13