But not just yet…he intended to take things slowly.
Mia was too precious to rush.
Chapter Eleven
Mia woke with a start and looked around the dim, unfamiliar room with wide, uncertain eyes.
Where am I? What is this place? Why aren’t I in my own bed at home in Neemah’s flat?
Indeed, the bed she was lying on couldn’t have been more different from the one she was used to. It was vast and molded comfortably to her curves, unlike the hard, ancient mattress she was used to. There weren’t even any springs poking out to stab her if she moved the wrong way.
How did I get here? Mia asked herself. As if in answer, a mental image rose to her mind’s eye…A broad chest under her cheek, a warm, spicy scent in her nose and then strong arms tucking her under the covers as someone gave her a soft, slightly scratchy kiss on the cheek.
Trey, she thought. Had she been dreaming of him again? No, she realized, coming more awake—it was no dream. The events of the day before came flooding back to her…the Commandant and the near-rape…crossing the Great Barrier…getting her bag stolen and Trey saving her from being hit by a speeding transport…taking her to the Care Center and healing her leg…shielding her on the crowded ride home…feeding her the delicious alien food for supper and then…
And then when I tried to meet his needs, he wouldn’t let me. He showed me how to meet my needs instead.
The memory of how she’d touched herself in front of the big Kindred made her blush. It was exactly the kind of thing she’d sworn not to do when she took The Oath. And yet…it had felt so good. And Trey had assured her it was natural and right. Could it really be so bad when it didn’t hurt anyone and it brought such pleasure?
At first she’d been embarrassed and afraid that someone might see. But then she remembered that the Mercy Star pin which was transmitting back to The EYE was pinned on the lapel of the shirt she wore. It was pointing outward, not downward. So there was no way it could show where her hands were going.
And they were going there again. Without conscious thought on her part, her right hand had crept between her thighs. She almost stopped herself but then she remembered what Trey had said—what harm could it do? Though she was still tied to the Republic, she felt freer here than she had in her whole life. Why shouldn’t she bring herself pleasure if she wanted to?
Women have needs too, she thought as she parted the outer lips of her pussy and began to stroke the sensitive little bump that Trey had called a “clit” with a single fingertip. I have needs—why shouldn’t I meet them?
Why not indeed? Soon she was panting and making soft little moaning sounds as she explored herself, even daring to put her fingers inside her channel a little way, to see how it felt. The idea of having someone—of having Trey—inside her there was still intimidating but she no longer found it terrifying. And the idea of him touching her there…even kissing her as he had admitted he longed to do…well that made Mia incredibly hot. The more she thought of it, the closer she got to the edge until, with a muffled cry, she found herself falling into pleasure just as she had the night before.
“Oh…Oh!” she moaned. “Oh, please yes…yes!”
There was a rapping at the bedroom door.
“Mia?” Trey’s deep voice sounded worried. “Are you all right?”
“Oh!” she gasped, feeling a moment of intense guilt. Then she reminded herself that Trey was the one who had encouraged her to explore and know and own her body and she felt a little better. She sat up, making certain to keep covered with the blanket and sheet. “I’m fine,” she called back. “Um…you can come in if you want.”
Trey came in, still wearing his long black sleep trousers and nothing else. It was clear he’d been taking a shower because his long hair was damp around his shoulders and there were water droplets on his broad chest.
Mia had to admit to herself he was a mouthwatering sight and she couldn’t help wondering what those big hands might feel like on her body. Yesterday when she had nerved herself up to try and seduce him, she’d been nearly sick with fear. But the big Kindred had a way about him—a way of relaxing her and making her feel comfortable and accepted and cared for—that somehow drove away the terror and left desire behind.
“Sorry to burst in on you,” he said apologetically—then he inhaled deeply and his green eyes were suddenly half-lidded. “I hope I didn’t…ah, interrupt anything.”
God, could he smell her desire? The thought made Mia squirm with a pleased kind of embarrassment.
“I was just…remembering the lesson you taught me last night,” she said, lifting her chin to look him in the eye. “About…women having needs too?”
“I see.” He sat on the edge of the bed beside her. “And was your study time…productive? I hope I didn’t keep you from finishing the lesson.”
“I finished,” Mia admitted. Her cheeks were getting hotter but she refused to drop her gaze though her heart was pounding. “That was…was probably what you heard when you knocked on the door,” she told him. She couldn’t believe they were really talking about this—that she was essentially admitting to touching herself and breaking The Oath. But somehow it seemed okay—being with the big Kindred made her feel brave—made her feel like for once The EYE couldn’t see her.
“I see,” he murmured and somehow the warm, spicy scent that always surrounded him seemed to intensify. It made Mia want to lean towards him, to get closer to his muscular body. “I’m glad you could put the lesson to good use,” he said. “Are you…” He cleared his throat. “Are you in need of some help cleaning up, like you were last night?”
Mia understood what he meant. Biting her lip, she drew her fingers from between her legs and held them out to him.
“Do you really want to—” she began but before she could finish the sentence, he had taken her small hand in his much larger one and was slowly sucking her fingers which were still wet with her juices.
“Mmm…” The rumble of pleasure was almost a growl and Trey kept his eyes locked with hers the entire time he cleaned the honey from her hand. “So good,” he said at last when he finally released her. “Fucking delicious, little one.”
“Thank you, I guess.” Mia felt like her heart was beating in every part of her body at once and her skin felt hot and flushed all over. Between her thighs, her pussy was throbbing with need all over again as though she hadn’t just given herself intense pleasure not five minutes before.
“You’re very welcome.” Trey gave her that lazy smile that made her stomach flutter. “I wish I could stay here helping you ‘clean up’ all day but I have to get dressed for my shift at the Care Center and I thought you might like to learn to use the Interweb to study before I go.”
“So I’m going to stay here without you?” Mia was surprised at the wave of disappointment she felt at the idea of being parted from the big Kindred.
“Unless you really want to come to the Care Center. But I think you’ll have an easier time studying here,” he said. “It’s quieter and there are fewer distractions.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Mia bit her lip. “But…I’ll miss you when you’re gone,” she admitted. She wasn’t trying to seduce him again—it was the truth and somehow it just slipped out.
Trey smiled. “I’ll miss you too, little one. But I promise I’ll be back tonight and we’ll have Last Meal together and maybe watch another vid.”
“That sounds nice,” Mia murmured. She felt her cheeks getting hot all over again as she remembered how the vid watching had turned into something else the night before. She knew she still had to seduce the big Kindred, but now she found she was rather looking forward to it, instead of dreading and fearing it as she had been.
“Then it’s settled—I’ll go to the Care Center and you stay here and study until I get back. Oh, and I’ll pick up some new clothes for you while I’m out too,” he promised. “But in the meantime, I’m afraid it’s either wear my shirt or your dress.”
“I�
�ll stick with your shirt,” Mia said instantly. She didn’t want to ever put the red-flowered dress back on again if she could help it.
“All right then. Let me get some clothes and then I’ll make you First Meal and show you how to use the Interweb.”
Trey got dressed in another one of the teal shirts with tight black trousers and tall back boots. He explained that it was the uniform of the Lei’on Kindred, which was why he had so many of the same clothes.
“But of course I’ll change into operating togs when I get to the Care Center,” he added. “Can’t operate in my uniform.”
“So you’re a surgeon, not just a general Healer?” Mia was impressed—surgeons were the elite of the medical world—the exclusive top rung of the Care Center pecking order.
He nodded. “I started out specializing in general medicine but then I found I had an interest in surgery.”
“I used to assist in surgeries,” Mia said shyly as they left the bedroom and went into the small kitchen area. “But then I was reassigned to work on the floor and tend patients in the recovery area of the Care Center.”
She bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t spoken as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She knew the reason for her reassignment—because she couldn’t carry out the awful task the Commandant had ordered her to do in the operating room. She could still remember his words hissing in her ears as he gave her the order…
“Remember, it has to look like an accident. No one must suspect he died of anything but natural causes…”
“Well maybe you can come back to the OR after you pass the test,” Trey remarked. “Maybe you can assist me.” He was busy putting meal cubes into the re-hydrator and Mia was glad he was—she was afraid he would see the guilt on her face if he had been looking at her.
“Maybe,” she said, thinking miserably that he wouldn’t want her anywhere near his patients if he knew what she had done…
She tried to push the guilt to the back of her mind as he brought the steaming plates to the table. Today they both had flat, spongy tan disks which came with thick brown liquid to drizzle over them and a side of crispy meat strips. Trey informed her this meal was called “pancakes and bacon.” It was from Earth—a planet another branch of the Kindred was protecting at the moment.
“I made a trade with my old friend from the Medical Academy,” he said, as he poured the sweet brown liquid he called “syrup” over the pancakes. “I gave him some Lei’on cubes and he gave me some Earth food cubes. I always enjoy trying new things and I think this is one of the best from that planet.”
“It’s delicious,” Mia admitted, taking another bite of the crispy bacon strip she held delicately between her thumb and forefinger. “Have you visited that other planet—that Earth—yourself?”
“I took a short tour the last time I went to visit the Kindred Mother Ship,” Trey said, nodding. “It’s a beautiful place and much larger and more populous than Ormyu Five. They have seven continents there instead of just one big one, as you do.”
“That’s so interesting,” Mia said. “I wish I could see it.”
“Maybe you will someday. You never can tell where life will take you.” He smiled mysteriously. “Listen, I have to go soon. Are you finished with your First Meal? I’d like to teach you how to use the Interweb.”
Mia was finished so they put their plates in the recycle unit and Trey took her to the living area. He touched the wall between the vid screen and the couch where the two of them had sat last night. At once a sturdy silver metal desk and chair grew out of the wall. Trey tapped twice on the surface of the desk and a smaller vid screen grew out of the metal along with a small keyboard.
The device wasn’t so much different from the one she used herself back at the Care Center at home, Mia thought. Well, other than the fact that Trey had basically made it appear out of thin air. Or rather, out of a flat wall, which still looked like magic to her. Also, the device she used in the Care Center was only for patient records and files—there was no other information on it and no way to get any.
“The ship will form a desk for you too, now that I’ve added your touch signature to the database,” Trey told Mia as she watched in awe. “Now look—this is how you use it…”
Taking a seat in the silver chair, he began typing on the keyboard until a white window appeared in the middle of the viewscreen. He typed in something else he called a “link” and before she knew it, Mia was looking at a whole list of study questions and their answers for healer’s aides.
“Now, you can stay on this page, or go look around the Interweb at anything you want,” Trey explained. “You can grab another Web window here…” He showed her how…”And then type in anything that interests you.”
“Really? Anything at all?”
He shrugged. “Sure. Anything.”
Mia could scarcely believe it. For her entire life she’d lived in a place where information was restricted—jealously guarded by the Republic and the ever-watchful EYE. And now Trey was telling her she could basically look up whatever she wanted on the Interweb with no restrictions at all.
“Just don’t look up too much porn,” he remarked, winking at her. “Or you might give my link-box a virus.”
“Porn?” Mia shook her head. “Virus? What do you mean? Can the box actually get sick if I type in the wrong thing?”
He laughed. “Not like a person gets sick. Look, never mind—I was just teasing you, but I don’t have time to explain right now. I’m going to be late to the Care Center if I don’t hurry.”
Mia felt silly. Of course the link-box couldn’t get sick like a person. But for a moment, she’d thought it might be possible. It had grown out of the desk which had grown out of the side of his ship. And the ship was so sophisticated it seemed reasonable to assume it was, if not exactly alive, then at least semi-sentient.
“I should go now,” Trey said again but still he lingered, his eyes flickering over her face and lingering on her mouth.
Mia found herself leaning towards him as his warm, spicy scent invaded her senses, making her feel almost dizzy. God, why did he smell so good?
“Mia,” he murmured, his deep voice a soft growl of desire.
It was like they were two magnets being drawn together, she thought. It was like…
And then Trey cupped her face in his big hands and leaned down to slant his mouth over hers.
At first Mia froze. He had kissed her the night before, but she had been so caught up in the passion of the moment, she hadn’t had time to think about it. This kiss felt more deliberate—more possessive somehow. It was like he was claiming her in some way—marking her as his own before leaving like a warrior might claim his woman before going off to war.
After her initial surprise, Mia found she was kissing him back. In fact, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed up to meet his mouth more fully, eager to taste more of him.
The big Kindred growled hungrily and deepened the kiss, darting his tongue into her mouth, daring her to follow his lead.
Mia moaned breathlessly and buried her hands in his thick, wild mane of hair, feeling like she couldn’t get enough of him. He tasted hot and sweet—like the sticky syrup they had both been eating. And his kiss had the strangest effect on her.
Her nipples were suddenly so tight they ached and between her legs, she could feel her pussy getting hot and wet. It was the way she had felt the night before, but it came on her so fast the rush of primal lust left her breathless. She was so hot she actually felt faint and lightheaded but still she didn’t want to stop.
She might have kept on until she ran out of breath and fainted but at last, Trey broke the kiss and pulled reluctantly away.
“I’m going to be late to surgery,” he rumbled apologetically.
“But Trey, I want…I need…” She shook her head. “No, you made me need. Why do I feel like this when you touch me? When you kiss me?”
“Because we belong together,” he said simply. His eyes went half-lidded. “Of course, now yo
u know how to meet your own needs so it shouldn’t be a problem.” He gave her a lazy grin. “I have to confess I like the idea of you taking care of yourself while I’m gone—stroking your soft little pussy until you come.”
His hot, forbidden words made her blush and her heart beat even faster.
“I shouldn’t do…do anything like that. I need to study,” she protested breathlessly.
“True.” He bent down and kissed her again—a briefer kiss but no less sweet for that. “In that case, just wait for me. I’ll be more than happy to meet your needs when I get home, little one.”
Then he was pressing his hand to the metal of the door until it melted open to form a doorway for him. He waved at her and promised to be back that night and then the metal melted behind him and he was gone.
Mia felt sad as she watched the door disappear and the metal wall reform. Though she had dreaded and feared her assignment to get close to the big Kindred when the Commandant first gave it to her, she found herself more and more drawn to Trey and reluctant to be apart from him.
Which is ridiculous, whispered a nasty little voice in her head. You’re not supposed to be falling for him—you’re supposed to be spying. So get to work!
With a sigh, Mia decided to do exactly that. After all, she had failed to seduce the big Kindred completely as the Commandant had directed. But maybe if she sent back clear images of the inside of his space ship and the Kindred technology, he would forgive her and leave Neemah alone.
Please let it be true—please don’t let him hurt her!
The worried thought quelled some of the warm throbbing between her thighs and she took a deep breath. It was time to do what she had been sent to do.
If she didn’t, her grandmother would surely suffer.
Chapter Twelve
Trey spent his entire ride to the Care Center in a kind of happy daze. Gods, his little female was so beautiful—so perfect. He loved the soft press of her mouth against his and the warm scent of her skin and most of all the taste of her honey, which he had licked off her fingers twice now and hoped soon to lap straight from her sweet pussy…
Hitting the Target Page 12