Immersed: Interplanetary League, Book 2

by Liz Craven

  Thane’s sharp eyes swept over her. “You’ve got chill bumps.”

  She shrugged. “It’s cool in here.”

  Close to freezing was more like it, but Thane had suffered the elements while she stayed by the fire. She’d be damned before she complained about a little chill. It took effort not to shiver, but she’d shown enough weakness.

  “You should wrap yourself completely in the blanket.” Thane spoke between shovelfuls of stew.

  A wave of guilt swamped her. He’d been out in the cold rescuing her and arranging a water supply. Now he sat beside her in nothing more than a loincloth and worried about her comfort. “You should take the blanket. My dress is probably dry by now.”

  Thane snorted a laugh as he crumpled the empty meal wrapper. “Don’t worry about me, Lex. I can take care of myself.”

  The implication she couldn’t stung. “Likewise.” She gritted her teeth, realizing that wasn’t actually true. “I appreciate you saving me from Jakum, but I’m perfectly fine now.”

  Thane’s expression turned serious. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I just want to see you comfortable.”

  “I’m fine,” she assured him, well aware of her stiff manner.

  Thane heaved an exasperated sigh and pushed to his feet. He grabbed the trash from his meal—and the small pile she’d created—and carried them to the packs. He pulled out a small bag and shoved the trash into it before crossing to check the various hanging items.

  Ilexa enjoyed the flexing of his thighs as he rose and the play of skin as it moved over strong muscle as he moved about the cave.

  “Nothing’s dry enough for you to wrap around yourself. You’ll have to keep using that blanket.”

  His voice jolted her out of her sensual perusal. She glared at him. “And what about you?”

  “I’ll sleep on the side of the mattress closest to the fire.”

  She could only blame Llewoki, the god of mischief, for her response. “By all the gods. We are both adults. I think we can share a blanket.”

  Thane froze and she saw his muscles tense. “You’ll be naked.”

  Ilexa would have rolled her eyes if desire hadn’t hit her so hard. She swallowed and forced a professional mien. “Thane, the fire is helping, but we need to share body heat. If you can’t handle skin to skin, I can put the dress back on.”

  If his raised eyebrows were any indication, Thane clearly heard the challenge in her voice. “I can handle it, baby. Can you?”

  Twenty minutes later, she wasn’t so sure. Snuggled against Thane, her naked breasts pressed to his bare chest, the chill receded, but her worry followed her into sleep.

  ***

  He’d lost his damned mind. There was no other explanation for his actions. Granted, the temperature of the cave caused discomfort, but it hovered nowhere near a temperature dangerous to their survival.

  He gritted his teeth as Ilexa stretched and snuggled back down. He’d lost count of the number of times she’d rubbed against him, bringing a certain part of his anatomy to full attention.

  Her suggestion that they share the blanket had given him hope that she’d meant the invitation as more than just sharing warmth. One touch of her chilly skin had simultaneously doused his optimism and kindled his arousal. Pulling her flush against him to warm her had him swallowing a groan and carefully positioning his lower body.

  He considered sliding out from beneath the blanket to alleviate his most pressing need, but Ilexa held onto him with a death grip. Reminding himself she’d endured a trauma, he resolved to endure the suffering.

  Images of the crumpled skimmer he’d found danced through his mind and he tightened his hold on the sleeping woman. He’d taken care of Ilexa first. Ascertaining no broken bones, he’d carried her to his transport with care. He could have kicked himself for going back to rouse Jakum. He should have left him to rot—and hopefully be swept away in a flood.

  Ilexa pressed her ample chest against him and he groaned. It was going to be a hell of a long night.

  ***

  Ilexa woke to the unmistakable sensation of a mouth on her nipple. Given the erotic dream she’d been having of Thane naked before the fire in the great hall, it took a moment for her mind to recognize it was actually happening and not part of her dream.

  In the dim firelight, she saw Thane’s profile as he suckled her nipple before nuzzling the valley between her breasts. Sensations rippled from her chest to her core and she shifted to her back, gripping his shoulders to pull him along with her.

  He latched onto her other nipple and her back arched, forcing herself deeper into his mouth. Her legs parted of their own accord and he settled between them. When he pressed against her, the loincloth did nothing to hide the man’s…gifted status.

  Her heart raced and she pointedly ignored the voice in her head warning her to take it slow, to talk to Thane first. He rubbed his lower body between her legs and sensation drowned out the annoying little voice.

  “Thane,” she breathed.

  A strange, snorting sound was her reply.

  Her body froze and she ignored its clamor for completion. Lifting her head, she took in Thane’s face. Even in the flickering light of the fire, she could see his eyes remained closed. A snuffle escaped him.

  The blasted man was asleep.

  Irate, Ilexa bolted upright, shoving the snoring man off the mattress—and herself. Thane came awake and rocketed to his feet.

  “What’s wrong?” he thundered, the light of battle in his eyes, his hand going to his naked waist for a weapon that wasn’t there.

  “You were asleep,” Ilexa shrieked, coming to her own feet.

  Thane blinked at her. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  Furious, she put her hands on her hips. “Nothing. Why don’t you go back to sleep?”

  He switched on the light closest to the mattress. “Ilexa, I can’t protect you unless I know what’s wrong.”

  The reasonableness of his tone only exacerbated her temper. With the light on, she could see his arousal straining against the loincloth. Having felt it, she wondered how the small cloth contained him. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  “Ilexa—” he growled.

  She sniffed haughtily. “If you want to know what’s wrong, I suggest that next time you wake up before making love to a woman.”

  The battle fire in his eyes shifted to a different type of heat. His gaze raked over her, reminding Ilexa she stood naked before him. Pride kept her from covering her body with her arms and hands—though it was a close thing.

  His hot gaze fell to the junction of her thighs. A glance down revealed moisture glittering there. Thane took a step towards her and she took an instinctive step back.

  “Was I making love to you, Lex?” He didn’t slow his advance and she quickly found her back against the wall—literally. He pinned her there with his body.

  She’d raised her hands in defense at his approach and found them skimming the smooth skin of his chest just below the nipples. It certainly put a new spin on the phrase between a rock and a hard place.

  He lowered his head until his lips hovered a few centimeters from hers. She felt his breath blow across her lips when he asked, “Were you enjoying it?”

  “Thane, we should talk.” Ilexa swallowed when the tip of her finger grazed his nipple. Gods, the man’s body produced a furnace of heat.

  “Talk? Is that what you want to do?” He punctuated the rhetorical question by capturing her lips.

  The man had talent. He traced her lower lip with his tongue, a delicate touch that sent her pulse skyrocketing. Then he deepened the kiss. His tongue stroked over hers with an erotic skill that set her body on fire. He tasted spicy and she craved more. Twining her fingers in his hair, she wantonly pressed herself flush against him. Only then did she realize he’d held her captive with his mouth alone. Tense and straining, his arms hung by his side.

  She shifted to cradle his erection between her legs. That broke Thane’s tenuous control. He thrust against he
r, the rub of his loincloth against her created a delicious friction she enjoyed for the split second it took the force of his desire to drive her spine into a protruding rock.

  “Ow!” she yelped, shoving at him.

  Thane took two steps back and tripped on the edge of the mattress, which sent him sprawling. Naturally, he landed on a mattress.

  He raised his head to glare at her. “What the hell?”

  “A rock, Mr. Romance.”

  Thane held a hand towards her. “Come here and I’ll kiss it better.”

  The little voice started screaming caution, but Ilexa easily ignored it in favor of the sensual promise shining in Thane’s eyes. Moving forward, she took his hand and let him pull her down beside him.

  She lay still as he raised himself over her.

  “This has been a long time coming,” he admitted before adding with a wry grin, “Pun intended.”

  He swallowed her laugh when he took her mouth, before rolling her over and kissing his way down her spine. She had to admit, it did make it better. He continued to worship her body with his mouth. He turned her onto her back, and lowered his mouth to her breasts, bringing her to a fevered pitch before finally rising over her.

  Lying between her thighs, he pinned her hands on either side of her head.

  He ignored her writhing and asked, “Are you sure? Decide now before I make you mine.”

  The timber of his growl vibrated through her, and she would have promised to explore Dunia’s largest moon without an atmosphere suit if it meant she could feel him inside her. “Yes.”

  He hesitated. “You’ve done this before?”

  She supposed she should have been touched by his concern, but at that moment, she wanted to kill him for the delay. “Yes. Have you?”

  He grunted a startled laugh and finally pushed home, stretching her and creating a fantastic burn. They moved together driving each other higher and higher until the world splintered and they cried out together.

  Chapter Ten

  Thane lay replete with Ilexa draped across his chest. One hand sketched gently across her back while the other cupped her neck beneath that amazing mane of hair. He felt whole for the first time in his life, and that brought a rush of panic. Seeking to distract himself, he asked, “Why did you come?”

  “You made me,” she muttered.

  He laughed. “Not that making you come wasn’t wonderful. I meant why did you come to Dunia?”

  “The IMEP assigned me here.”

  “Lex.”

  She heaved a sigh, which pressed her lovely breasts harder against him. “I’m a healer, Thane. It’s not a job or a career. It’s who I am. As much as my hair color or circulatory system. And I’m good at it.”

  The vehemence in her voice took him aback. “I know you’re good. You’ve managed to set Dunia—if not the entire Central Alliance—on its ear. But you gave up an exalted position on N’yota for what amounts to an internship.”

  She kept quiet for a moment. He could almost see her weighing her words.

  “I need to use my gift as much as I need to eat or walk. I wasn’t using it on N’yota.”

  “Talon never mentioned you stopped healing.”

  She laughed and the bitterness in it hurt to hear. “Healers are rare in our population, only about five hundred of us total. We only work in two hospitals in the capitol, which has the highest concentration of healers. When we returned from Tmesis, I took the trials and advanced very quickly to become a high healer.”

  “I know. Talon called me to brag when you passed each stage. He swelled with so much pride, you’d think he’d taken the trials.”

  “Rumors started in the medical community that I received the ranking because I am the Damaia’s sister-in-law. Soon, I’d show up to work only to discover the schedule had been changed, but no one had notified me. Then, on the nights I was on emergency call, there were no emergencies. That doesn’t happen. Not once, much less repeatedly.”

  “They called someone else?”

  “I discovered a rotating schedule four other healers set up to hijack my emergency cases.”

  Having seen her work, the revelation stunned him. “Surely your record spoke for itself?”

  “Facts are a weak weapon in fighting rumor.”

  “Why didn’t you file a complaint? Isn’t there a body that governs healing?”

  “There is, but healing has a foundation in trust. I couldn’t force them to trust me.”

  “So you joined the IMEP.”

  “At least here I can treat patients.”

  “Why didn’t you explain this to your family?”

  “Because they would have had two reactions. They would have been angry. All my brothers would have tried to ride to my rescue and wound up making matters worse.”

  “And the second reaction?”

  “Guilt. They would have felt guilty—especially Talon and Lia. So, I tried to hide it from them.”

  “You failed miserably.”

  She lifted her head to glare at him. “Thanks.”

  “You need to tell them. They are worried about you. I’ve seen your brother in battle, but I’ve never seen him scared before.”

  “I was trying to protect them.”

  “Promise me you’ll explain.” At her hesitation, he added, “Either you tell them or I will.”

  “Fine. I’ll tell them. You know for a fierce warrior, you’re a worse busybody than an old woman.”

  “We all have hidden depths.”

  “Shouldn’t the fire have burned down by now?”

  As a subject change, it lacked any semblance of smoothness, but he let it go. Discussing Talon made him uncomfortable. After all, he was lying naked with the man’s sister. “It’s a rei-moss fire. A small amount of rei moss will burn for days. It’s growing all over the mountain. Fortunately, I found some sheltered beneath an overhang. I’ll bring in more when I get water from the cistern so it can dry in case we are stuck here longer than anticipated.”

  She turned her head towards the cave’s mouth. “Surely, it can’t keep raining like this.”

  “It will rain like this for the next few months. Are you hungry?”

  “A little.”

  “I’m not surprised. It’s lunchtime.”

  “How can you tell?” She sat up to look at the deluge.

  The blanket pooled at her waist, and the sight of Ilexa—hair mussed from sleep and passion—naked to the waist caused an abrupt physical change. He went from semi-aroused to bellybutton high in a heartbeat. With effort, he focused on her question. “You can tell because instead of being pitch black outside, it’s pitch gray.”

  She squinted her eyes, but her expression remained skeptical. “If you say so.”

  “I also have an excellent internal clock,” he announced, pulling her back down.

  She shifted and her expression told him when she felt the evidence of desire. A wicked gleam entered her eyes. “Exactly how hungry are you?”

  ***

  Twenty-eight hours later—if she believed Thane’s internal clock—they were packing up the mattress. It had been two days of nonstop lovemaking and fantasy fulfillment. Her body felt deliciously sore as she slipped into her dress for the first time in two days.

  They hadn’t discussed the future, and Ilexa found herself surprisingly uneasy and self-conscious. Seeking to fill the silence, she asked, “Should we look for Jakum?”

  “No.” Thane scowled as he doused the fire. “There is only a brief break in the rain. We don’t have time to search for him.”

  “Oh.” She worried her lower lip as she folded the blankets.

  Thane left to load the first pack in his transport as she shrank the mattress and finished packing the second. She sealed the pack and stood, smoothing the stiff material with her hands. The silk would never recover.

  Dripping wet, Thane reappeared. She held out the towel she’d saved from the pack.

  “Maybe you should add an umbrella to the survival packs.”

&nb
sp; Thane had been scrubbing the water from his face when she made the suggestion. He lowered the towel enough to glare at her. “Thanks.”

  She shrugged. “Just a thought.”

  Thane eyed the pack beside her. “Did you leave a towel packed on top? You’ll need it when we reach the transport.”

  “I did.” He’d only mentioned it seven times before carrying out the first pack.

  She watched as Thane glanced around the cave with a look that she’d almost call wistful. “Then it’s time to head out.”

  Reluctant to leave their small haven, Ilexa couldn’t stop herself from stalling. “Are you sure we shouldn’t wait for the rain to let up a little?”

  “We only have a brief window before the second wave hits.”

  Ilexa studied the downpour dubiously. “I thought you said there’d be a break.”

  Thane hoisted the pack onto his shoulder. “This is a break. Things are going to get much worse.”

  “Your definition of ‘break’ is different from mine.”

  “You get used to it.” He gestured towards the outside world. “Shall we?”

  “If you say so.” Ilexa moved towards the cave’s mouth, but before she could step into the rain, Thane stopped her by placing a hand on her arm.

  “I think we should speak our vows as quickly as possible. We can have any type of ceremony you’d like later. I’m sure you’d enjoy a ceremony full of pomp on N’yota. We could take a trip somewhere afterwards.”

  “What?”

  He huffed an impatient breath. “Our marriage.”

  “Marriage?”

  Concern colored his face. “Are you feeling well? Of course, our marriage.”

  When he laid a hand against her forehead, she didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. “I don’t recall us discussing marriage.”

  Thane’s brows lowered and thunder rolled behind those vivid blue eyes. He drew himself up, towering over her and invading her space. “You are Hakimu.”

  “So?”

  Fury pinched his features. “Members of our tribe do not casually share their bodies.”

  Thalia’s lecture leapt to the forefront of her mind. Ilexa had been so focused on the bride stealing she’d forgotten the rules governing sexual behavior between tribe members. She blinked at him. In her life, she’d felt inadequate, confused, lost, slow and a slew of other emotions. She’d never felt stupid before. “I’m a daughter of N’yota temporarily adopted into the tribe and—”