by Sasha Cain
He thrust into her two more times and then his body stiffened. He moaned and then cried out her name, collapsing over her. She cradled him in her arms, stroking his hair until both their breathing slowed.
He sat up and then leaned back on Isela’s pillow, pulling her to him. She laid her head on his chest, her arm casually thrown over his waist. He kissed her head.
“That was incredible,” he said.
“It was,” Isela agreed with a giggle. “And to think, I said I’d never let any man ever touch me.”
Brendan traced his finger tip across her collar bone. “Well, I hope you’ll stick to that, with me as the exception of course.”
“Of course,” she said, with a kiss to his chest.
Isela closed her eyes. Lying there in Brendan’s arms, it occurred to her, she was happier than she’d ever been in her life.
Isela sat up suddenly remembering something. “What happened with the hunters? You could’ve been killed.”
He pulled her back down and she relaxed against him.
“Sshhh, it’s okay. I wasn’t killed. Not even so much as a scratch. But how did you know?”
“I saw you. I was watching out the window when they pulled up. I saw the viocomen and the scabras.” She shuddered. “I tried to warn you, but there’s no way you could’ve heard me through the glass. I saw the beast take down the guard. I don’t suppose...”
“No, he didn’t make it.”
“I was terrified for you. You didn’t seem fazed in the least. When the hunter stumbled, you jumped right into action without hesitating even for a second. You saved his life.”
“Anybody else would’ve done the same thing.”
“Uh huh, that’s why those cowards Guarros has working for him tried to shut the door and leave them outside.”
“I’m glad I was there to help.”
“How did Guarros react? I saw the guards throw you down and then drag you away.”
“Yeah, they said I was trying to escape.”
Isela snorted. “Sure, right into the midst of a bunch of man-eating monsters. Sounds like a plan to me.”
“I know. Ridiculous. I tried to tell them.”
“So how come you’re not all beat up? Oh, the hunter you saved...”
“He went off on those guards. It was fun to watch. Guarros came running up all red in the face and out of breath, huffing and puffing, demanding to know what happened.”
“What did he tell him?”
“He thumped Guarros in the chest and ordered him, yeah I said it, ordered him to tell the guards to let me go.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah. I think he was so stunned to be talked to like that he just did it. Once they let me go everybody calmed down and Dar...the hunters told him what happened. The guard who’d been with them vouched for me so Guarros only banished me to my cell instead of kicking my ass too.”
“He should’ve thanked you.”
Brendan chuckled. “Now we both know that would never happen.”
“I bet the hunter would disagree.”
“It doesn’t matter. The only thing I cared about was getting to you. It was a stroke of luck Keeri came along.”
“As much as I dislike her, I have to say, I’m grateful for her sexual appetite...at least tonight. I wish Keeri would distract that guard every night to leave the big gate open. Then you could come and go as you please.”
Brendan slid down so he was face to face with Isela. He gazed into her eyes, the color of the Caribbean before a storm. “Speaking of sexual appetites and distractions...”
He kissed her throat then moved up to her ear. “Touch me, Isela,” he whispered.
She cupped his cheek, turning his face to kiss her mouth. He did, their passion reigniting as if gas had been thrown on a fire. Brendan took her hand, pushing it down between them. Isela was pretty sure what he wanted so she gingerly took hold of him, again amazed at his length and girth.
When she applied a little pressure, Brendan moaned, sending a tingling hum throughout Isela’s body and a burning between her legs. Brendan placed his hand around hers and began moving it back and forth. Isela’s heart raced. She licked her lips, grateful to be lying down, as weak as her knees were at the moment.
Brendan removed his hand, clamping it on the back of Isela’s neck to pull her to him. Isela continued stroking him. He grazed his tongue over her lips, demanding entrance. She parted her lips and his tongue delved in and out, kissing her fervidly, hungrily.
Brendan dropped his hand to her breast, kneading and squeezing. Isela arched into him, electric energy arcing over her at the touch of his hand. When he spread her legs and reached between them, she thought she would completely come apart.
Gently, he pushed two fingers inside her. She cried out, but this time he didn’t stop. He suckled one nipple, then the other. Isela purred with delight. He kissed her stomach and then the inside of her thigh. He swept his tongue over her most sensitive spot and Isela sucked in a breath. He did it again, applying a bit more pressure. She moaned, low and throaty. He licked and sucked while tracing his fingers over the surrounding area.
It was all Isela could do to comprehend the pleasure Brendan was giving her. It took her higher and higher until the intensity had her trembling. Her climax erupted inside of her, sending her spiraling into a plane of bliss she’d never thought possible. The feral sounds coming from her only seemed to fuel Brendan.
When she could take no more, she tried to squirm away, out of his grip.
“Nope, you’re not getting away from me, Isela, not yet.” He kissed her stomach, swirling his tongue around her navel lazily while she caught her breath. When her breathing slowed, Brendan looked into her eyes, his gaze so intense she could feel it.
“Isela, I need to be inside you,” he breathed.
“Please,” Isela panted, “please now.”
He flipped onto his back and pulled her on top of him. She gave him a puzzled look until he guided himself inside her. Then her eyes rolled back. Brendan placed his hands on her hips and pulled her forward. They moaned together. He pushed her back and then pulled her forward again. Isela’s eyes flew open. When he pushed her back again, she ground against him.
“Oh God, yes, Isela,” he groaned.
She cupped her breasts in her hands as she moved with him in perfect sync until they came together explosively, clinging to one another.
Afterward, as they lay together, bathed in sweat and panting, Brendan looked over at Isela. She met his gaze and smiled.
“C’mere,” Brendan said. “You’re too far away.”
She scooted closer to him, laying her head on his chest. She rested her hand on his belly. He took it in his own, kissing her fingertips.
“Tell me about yourself, Brendan,” Isela implored.
He hesitated, knowing there was much he couldn’t reveal and hating the idea of not being able to be completely truthful. But he knew he had to do it. Lives depended on it, possibly hers.
He decided to start from the beginning. That way he could tell her the truth, but still remain vague.
“My parents died when I was a kid, leaving me and my sister with our grandmother.”
“I’m sorry, Brendan. I know what it’s like to lose a parent.”
“I was pretty young. I think it was harder on my sister. She’s older so she always felt like she had to look out for me, you know?”
Isela nodded, tracing her fingertips lightly over his smooth chest.
“And it could’ve been worse. At least we had a home to go to. My grandmother took us in.”
“I never knew my grandparents.”
“Well, if they were anything like Grandmother, you didn’t miss much. She was kind of a cold fish. Affection wasn’t her thing. Luckily, we had Aunt Gin, and she’s amazing.” Brendan chuckled. “She taught me how to ride a bike, how to play baseball, how to fish...”
“Baseball?”
“Oh, um...it’s a game we played as kids. What about you? What
was your childhood like?”
“I’ve lived here in Midland my whole life. My father was a hunter and my mother worked for Guarros. My father dreamed of moving to Inland. He talked about it all the time. These days I think it must be too good to be true. I mean, how could anyplace be that wonderful?”
“I’ve been there, Isela. It really is everything they say it is.”
“No monsters?”
“None of any kind.”
“Grass and trees?”
“Everywhere.”
She sighed. “Maybe I’ll get there someday.”
He wished he could tell her of his world and all of the wonders beyond Celio, but he couldn’t...not yet.
“My father was killed in the Outer Rim when I was ten. As I told you before, the landlord, Guarros’s brother, raised our rent and we had to move out. Guarros offered my mother a room in exchange for her services.” Her voice wavered with grief. “She didn’t realize what that meant. She figured she’d continue working for him, and he’d take the rent out of her salary.”
“But that’s not what he meant,” Brendan said.
“No. He had her working her fingers to the bone morning till night, without so much as a break. If she didn’t submit to his every whim, he’d threaten to throw us out into the wilderness unprotected. She was terrified of that more than she was of him.”
“It must’ve been terrible for you to watch that day in and day out.”
“That wasn’t the worst of it. The nights...the nights were torture, for her and for me.”
Brendan remained silent, afraid what she was going to say next would send him into a murderous rage. He tried to breathe evenly.
“He’d come to her late into the night, after I was in bed, usually after he’d been drinking. He’d make demands...sexual demands. It wasn’t enough for him to keep her on her hands and knees all day. He had to have her on her knees at night as well.”
Brendan felt Isela tense at the memory. He stroked her back and kissed her temple. She sighed, relaxing a little before continuing.
“It was awful. Like I said, I was in bed, but hardly ever asleep. I heard everything...and he didn’t even care. She’d beg him not to...do certain things. He’d slap her around until he got his way. I hate him so much for what he did to her.”
“So do I, for putting you through that.”
She dropped her gaze, blushing.
“What?” Brendan asked?
“I always thought, since those horrible nights, that sex was bad. That what he was doing to my mother was all there was. So many nights, she’d lay under him softly sobbing while he rutted above her like the filthy pig he is.” Tears glistened in her beautiful sea-colored eyes. “I had no idea it could be something so good, so beautiful.” A droplet slid down her cheek. “Thank you, Brendan, for showing me that.”
****
That moment, on the loading dock, when Brendan saw Darrios fall, an adrenaline rush had taken over and he reacted. He speared that viocomen, realizing immediately how easily he or Darrios could’ve been killed. Since that minute all he could think of was Isela.
He’d paced his cell like a caged tiger, longing to feel her touch, imagining her hands on his body, his on hers. He supposed part of it was the endorphins, but he ached for her nonetheless. He’d needed to get to her.
Keeri had given him his opportunity and he’d taken it. He’d let himself into Isela’s room and waited. As soon as she’d entered, her lovely scent wafted over to him, arousing him further.
When he pulled her to him and she responded by returning his embrace, a lightning bolt of desire shot right through him. When her lips touched his ear, the lightning split off into millions of bolts lighting up his soul.
The heat between them blazed. His earlier fantasies of her touch paled compared to the real thing. When he glided inside of her tight, wet sheath, he knew he was home. It couldn’t get any better than that...until she thanked him for showing her something so good and so beautiful. The emotion coursing through him felt jagged and raw and terrifying, and was also the best feeling he’d ever had.
Brendan hesitated to speak, afraid the emotion would spill out and scare her. He took a deep breath and wrapped her in his arms. Leaning down, he softly kissed her lips. Hers parted, allowing his tongue entrance. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, sucking it just a little. She pushed hers in farther, reaching for more. When he gave it to her, she moaned into his mouth.
Brendan let his hand slide down her back over her delicious bottom, continuing the kiss and turning up the heat within both of them. They made love one more time before collapsing together on Isela’s bed. He held her to him, like he never intended to let her go, thinking to himself that he had to get her out of this prison. He knew when he left, he would be taking her with him. He couldn’t stand the thought of being without her.
Isela dozed off, nestled in Brendan’s arms, both of them sated and content. She stirred a short while later when Brendan moved. “What’s wrong?” she asked groggily.
“Nothing,” he replied with a kiss to her forehead. “Go back to sleep. I have to get back to my cell before the guard does his morning rounds.”
“Already?” she whined, stretching.
Brendan chuckled. “You’ve had your way with me time and time again, lady. A guy’s gotta get some rest.”
Isela giggled, giving him a sleepy smile. He pushed her hair off of her face and kissed her.
“Goodnight, my Isela. Sleep well.”
Chapter Seventeen
Isela awoke to a loud knocking on her door. She stretched like a cat, reluctantly tossing the covers aside. She smiled to herself remembering the night before. Her body ached and she was sore in several places, but in a delectable sort of way. She pulled the sheet around her, tucking it in as she opened the door to find Mae standing there.
“What is your problem lately, Isela? You overslept again.” Reaching down, she picked up Isela’s clothes, discarded on the floor. “What is this? You never just throw your clothes on the floor.” She narrowed her eyes. “And why are you naked? Are you not sleeping well because of him?”
Isela burst into a fit of giggles. She clamped her hand over her mouth. Mae stared at her blankly. Suddenly Mae’s eyes went wide.
“You didn’t!” she exclaimed.
Isela pursed her lips together to prevent the giggles again. She smoothed her hands over her hair. Mae burst into laughter.
“You did. Oh my God, you did. How did the two of you...what if Guarros finds out?”
“He won’t.”
Isela explained about Keeri and the guard and how Brendan had been waiting for her when she got back. Mae wrinkled her nose.
“Keeri is disgusting.” She smiled broadly. “But lucky for you, huh?” She plopped down onto Isela’s bed and then jumped right back up. “Ewww, is that where you did it?” she asked with a smirk.
Isela rolled her eyes then smiled wickedly, nodding her head. “Several times, in fact.”
Mae giggled. “Wow, you moved from hot to trot to full-fledged hussy in record time, Izzy.”
“Oh, Mae. It was the most amazing, wonderful, intimate...words can’t describe how I feel.”
“Bullshit. I can describe it in one word. Love.”
Isela looked stricken. “Love? We haven’t known each other that long. Just because to people engage in...doesn’t mean it’s love.”
“Deny, deny, deny.”
Isela’s lip trembled. She dropped her gaze to the floor. “It can’t be love, Mae. Guarros would never allow it.”
Mae grabbed Isela by the shoulders. “Guarros doesn’t have to know. You two have been fairly cool up to this point. You’ll just have to keep it up.”
Isela smiled at her friend. “He really was wonderful, so tender and caring. The way he held me, I could’ve died in his arms and it would’ve been fine.”
“It sounds terribly romantic...and judging by your previous proclamations of a life of celibacy, I’m guessing completely
unexpected?”
“Completely. Maybe I do love him,” Isela said quietly.
“C’mon,” Mae said, “I got so caught up in your torrid sex tales I forgot about work. You get dressed, and I’ll meet you in the parlor.”
Isela dropped the sheet, washed up in the basin on the dresser, threw on her clothes, and left without even making the bed.
****
Isela worked through the day gliding on air. She smiled at everyone, offering to help anyone who needed it. When Keeri came into the parlor, Isela actually hugged her. Keeri stiffened.
“What the fuck, Isela?”
Isela merely smiled at her. “Just for being you,” she said sweetly, thinking about how it was Keeri who helped enable Brendan’s visit.
Mae approached her just before she went into the supply closet. “You may want to tone it down a bit, little Mary Sunshine. I thought you were going to break into song back there.”
Isela smiled smugly. “I just might.”
Mae walked away, muttering, “New lovers...yuck.”
Laughing, Isela opened the closet door and grabbed her supplies. She glanced around remembering the day Brendan had ambushed her in this same supply closet, bringing a whole new round of smiles to her face.
Isela kept glancing around for Brendan throughout the day, but she never saw him. At first she hadn’t been concerned, but it had been three hours since lunch and still not even a glimpse. She began to worry. Had the guard seen him return to his cell? Had Guarros figured out where he’d been? What they’d done? Isela began to panic. She rushed into the washroom to get a hold of herself. She pumped some water into her hand and splashed it on her face.
“Breathe,” she told herself.
Behind her, the door opened. She spun around to see Brendan standing there grinning at her. “There you are,” he said as he turned and clicked the lock. Taking a step toward her, he grabbed her by the hand, drawing her to him. “I’ve missed you today.”
Isela sighed with relief. “I missed you too. I started to worry when I didn’t see you all day.”
“I made it back without a hitch. I fell into bed and passed out.” He grinned again. “You wore me out, babe.”