“Well, then. I’m looking forward to when you become an expert, because that was pretty damn hot for a first time.”
“If I ever spank your pretty ass again, it will not be in anger. I didn’t like doing that, Tana. I’m glad that you promised never to frighten me like that again.” He felt her tense and readied himself for her next question.
“What happened to you, Lucien? When you kissed me. You had some kind of seizure.”
Lifting himself up to his elbow, Lucien pulled her face toward him and placed a gentle kiss on her pouty lips. “It was nothing. Don’t worry yourself. It won’t happen again.”
“It didn’t seem like nothing. Did it have anything to do with me being human?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
She turned her face away. “I thought you found me repulsive. Like your body was rejecting me.”
Shaking his head, he caressed her shoulder. “No, sweetness. In fact, it was the complete opposite. I…my body found you completely enthralling. I couldn’t handle it. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Lucien felt he was skirting on the edge of lies. He needed to stop the conversation before he crossed that line. Moving his hips back, he slipped from her heat and inwardly cursed at the loss. He rose to his feet, reached down, and scooped her off the ground. She smiled when he walked them back into the water.
“Good idea. I think I have sand in places it shouldn’t be.”
Chuckling, he waded over to the waterfall.
“Well, then let’s get you clean.”
They washed each other in silence. Lucien enjoyed feeling her soft skin under his palms and how nice it felt to have her fingers massaging his scalp with the shampoo. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly as the falls washed them clean. It was the most contented he’d felt in centuries.
She laughed when he insisted on carrying her back to the bank. “It’s the least I can do for getting you dirty again.”
She let him brush her hair until the sun had dried it into a silky fall of golden red. She brushed his and rubbed his neck and shoulders when she was done.
All too soon, they were dressed and walking hand in hand back to the camp as the sun continued in its quick descent. Lucien looked down when he sensed her looking at him. She gave him a contented smile.
“I wish we could camp here, Lucien. It’s so beautiful. I’m liable to sleep better with the sound of the falls drowning out all the creepy sounds I hear at night.”
“I know, sweetness. Me, too.”
After setting traps to warn of any unexpected visitors, Lucien watched as Tana prepared their meal. Even in the midst of a wilderness, she handled the crude setting with competence. They sat side by side at the lopsided table and she smiled sweetly at him when he decided that spaghetti was better than Ravioli.
They washed the trays in the slow stream and finally crawled exhausted onto their burlap sack bed. He lay awake for hours and listened to her soft breathing. She was wrapped tightly in his arms and it felt right. On a fleeting moment of insanity, he wished they could stay on this planet forever. He would spend his remaining days killing off the blue scourge until none could ever harm a hair on her head. Then he would prepare her a home that they would share. It would be the only way he could have her for an eternity.
* * * *
Tana slowly smoothed her hand along the bumps and ridges of Lucien’s belly then repeated the action on the way back up to his chest. Four distinct valleys. She’d never seen an actual eight-pack before, much less touched one. Her finger brushed against his necklace and she was surprised at how warm it was. Palming it, she pulled it toward her. It was intriguing. The warm part was shaped like an animal tooth, but she could tell it was made of some type of hard mineral. When she felt a slight vibration against her fingers, she dropped it back to his chest. Shit, maybe it didn’t like being held.
Peeking up to his face, Tana assured herself that he was still fast asleep. Yep. A small snore came out every time he exhaled. Glancing back down, she suppressed a chuckle. He may be an alien, but he was just like any other man at the first sign of light. His cock was pushing insistently against the front of his pants and had caught her attention rather quickly. Hell, it lay like a log stretching out to his hip and was hard to miss. Morning wood. Nothing better.
Calling herself all kinds of stupid, she knew she wasn’t going to be satisfied until she freed the beast. Rising to her knees, she studied his thin belt. It was held together by two small metal rings like she’d seen used on motorcycle helmets and it took less than a second to slip the material through. Slowly, she began inching the zipper down in small increments until she could peel both sides wide. Immediately, the monster swung out and slapped down on his belly.
Tana’s mouth watered at the feast before her. A thick vein ran up the underside and smaller ones worked in random patterns across the hard flesh. The tip had definitely extended from its hood and was just waiting for her tongue to take a taste. Scooting back, she peeled off her clothes and hoped he still thought Marilyn Monroe hips and boobs were the bomb.
Straddling his right thigh, Tana positioned one hand beside his waist to steady herself and lifted the gorgeous piece of meat until it stood almost perfectly straight. She hesitated and tried to figure out the most bang for her buck before he woke up to her tender attack. He was so damn long and thick she knew she’d have trouble getting even a third of it in her mouth, but she was going to try like hell to use the techniques she’d learned on the Internet. She just hoped she wouldn’t gag and look like the amateur she was. Shrugging, she opened her mouth and dove in.
She got the bulbous head into her mouth and gave three hard sucks before extending her tongue and flattening it against what she knew was the most sensitive part of the underside. Rubbing furiously up and down his silky skin got her the results she was looking for.
Lucien’s upper body jackknifed up from the ground. His knees rose like towers and effectively flipped her between his legs. She grabbed firmly onto the middle of his cock and started pulling upward to meet her tightly wrapped lips on every downward suck. He shouted a garbled version of her name and slammed his hands back to the ground. His head lolled back on his shoulders and she knew she had complete control. He was a willing slave to her whims. Damn! It was a heady feeling.
Tana made sure she was relentless in the tongue action. She swirled and rubbed until his hips were rolling in waves against her breasts. She could feel her nipples constricting at the erotic sensation. Lifting higher she slipped her hand down to the thick base, aligned her head just right, and pushed as much of his cock as she could to the back of her throat. His immediate groan turned into a desperate shout as she swallowed hard and compressed the tip. The low humming and constant swallowing almost had him bucking her off his body. She felt his hand land on the back of her head and clasp her hair in a strong grip. He started growling and her skin shivered. Fuck! An inferno engulfed her pussy and she almost had to come up for air.
Determined to send him rocketing into oblivion, Tana slid her mouth backward and left as much saliva trailing along his dick as she could. Her fisted hand followed and made smooth, twisting jerks as it ascended. When she finally made it up to the tip and gave a few hard sucks, Lucien shouted, clamped his legs against her ribs, and rolled them both to the side. His hips began a relentless push and retreat as hot cum shot into her mouth. She moaned in triumph and continued to swallow and suck at the bulbous head until tears shot from her eyes and there was no more oxygen to breathe. Pulling her head back on a gasp, she felt his warm fluids landing across her throat and breasts. She looked up and knew she carried a shocked expression at the wildness in his glittering green eyes.
Her body went limp when he lifted a knee, reached down, and pulled her upward. Rolling her to her back, he didn’t miss a beat in shoving his slick cock right into her throbbing pussy. She was loose and ready to accept his full length and girth. Tana immediately felt something cold land on her clit and realized
it was the small round clasp of his belt. As soon as his groin drove hard against hers, she felt the thin buckle slip onto the hardened bud and trap it in the opening. He ground his hips against hers and worked that unexpected clit ring like a pro.
Tana came so hard she thought her teeth were going to crack. No sooner had she drifted down from that mind-blowing trip, he quickly ramped her up to another one. His husky, accented words alone were enough to shove her directly over the edge. That glorious buckle just threw her further into the precipice.
“Your face, so beautiful in your pleasure. Yes. Yes. Again. I feel you, baby. Take it. Mea velle ad existo intus ista perpetuo. I want to be inside you forever.”
Tana returned to her body and melted in his arms when his mouth slammed over hers. He kissed her like it was the last time they’d ever see each other. She returned the feeling in equal measure. She didn’t want him to lift away from her or ever be someplace where she wasn’t by his side. It was a melding of mutual need and they lapped at each other until they each had to break away in order to fill their lungs.
Long moments went by as he studied her face and caressed her hair. She ran her hands across his broad shoulders and felt his skin shiver beneath her fingers. Without words, he rose up and helped her to the stream. They knelt in the water and faced each other. He washed their fluids away and she returned the kindness. Tilting her chin up, he gave her a lingering sweet kiss then pulled her to her feet.
“Come, sweetness. I’ll make you breakfast. I found some eggs last night when I set the traps.”
Tana gasped. “Eggs? Thank you! God, I hope they’re yellow inside.”
Lucien laughed. “Yes. I broke one open to make sure. I’m used to yellow eggs, too.”
Grinning, they scrambled into their clothes. She sat next to the table and watched him kindle the fire. He leaned over to grab for the cook pot then immediately straightened. She glanced up and saw he was staring into the distance, and then his eyes widened. Swinging her head to the left, Tana didn’t see anything that looked frightening. She wasn’t prepared for the firm grip to her arm as he lifted her from the ground.
“Hurry, get to that tree and climb it as fast as you can.” He shoved a kitchen knife in her hand and ran toward the carry sling. The concern etching his face gave her no doubt that something bad was happening and she needed to get her shit together.
Doing as he said, Tana scrambled up the closest tree and waited for whatever the hell was about to happen.
Chapter 23
Mesmerized, Tana watched as Lucien pulled swords from the sling bag. When he had four out, he scooped them up and ran to the edge of the stream. Quickly, he lifted each one and drove it downward into the soft dirt. He repeated the actions until all nine formed a wide arc at the entrance to the camp. When he was done, he ran back to the tree and positioned himself below her. He pulled the sword from his scabbard and crouched in a stance she could only assume was meant for a battle. She tried to steady her voice.
“Lucien, are the Dar Kan coming?”
“No, sweets. Something else. The warriors are almost here. Something pursues them. It’s already killed four Nawiens and a Protonecian. I didn’t question them further. They’re running for their lives.”
Tana shivered in the humid air. What in the hell could be so bad that it was scaring the hell out of these ferocious warriors? When Lucien cocked his head, Tana glanced up to the stream. Soon, she heard the loud cracking and breaking of trees and braced herself. It did no good. Her body trembled in unadulterated fright when a horrendous roaring squeal lifted chills along her skin and almost sent her tumbling from the tree. She had a sudden flashback to the day she watched Jurassic Park with her uncle. If a god damn dinosaur crashed out of those woods, she was going to go ahead and faint and get it over with.
Bodies flew toward them from the direction of her waterfall. The Insedi were out front of the fleeing pack. They were running so fast, their braids were almost horizontal to the ground. Ulixes was a mere few inches off of Sotarios’s heels. She was surprised to see the Protonecians keeping pace alongside the Nawiens.
Tana felt her eyelids peel wide when she finally spotted what was chasing them. The damn thing was the size of a bull elephant, but ran as fast and clumsily as a rhinoceros. In fact, it was the same gray color and shaped more like the rhino, except this one had three massive horns, one on its nose and two protruding outward from its forehead. The tips appeared darker than the bottom half and she blanched when she realized they were coated in blood. She watched its clawed feet tear chunks out of the ground as it tried to catch up. One swipe of its head and any trees in the way snapped like small twigs.
Everything started to slow down. She knew her mind was retreating into that area that accident victims encountered, where everything appeared to be in slow motion as they tried to understand the horror playing out in front of their eyes.
The Insedi’s haphazard dash into the clearing wasn’t as it appeared. They gradually filed into a single line to efficiently take the bend in the river then fanned out again as soon as they spotted the swords. The rest of the pack followed suit. The looks on the Insedi’s faces wasn’t fright. No, it was hard concentration. They had a plan and she hoped it saved their lives. There was no hesitation as they ran up on the swords, reached out, clasped the hilt, dug their heels into the soft dirt like they were sliding to home base, flipped sideways, and landed in a crouched position. It looked like a barbaric ballet rehearsed until it had become second nature. Each had the same stance that Lucien carried. Their massive upper bodies were coated in sweat and their rippling muscles gleamed in the bright sun. They were ready for war and magnificent in their virility.
The Nawiens and Protonecians didn’t even pretend that they wanted up front. They flew in between the readied warriors and fled as far back to the forest edge as they could go. The Nawiens stopped about fifteen meters from her spot and swung around. They weren’t armed, but they at least looked pissed enough to beat the thing with a tree stump if they had to. The Protonecians continued to stampede past the Nawiens and directly into the forest. She hoped they all fell over the drop she’d encountered. It would serve them right.
Quivering at how close the damn thing was to the warriors, Tana wanted to slam her hands over her eyes but couldn’t peel them from the branch. What she saw next would stick with her for the remainder of her life. It was too beautiful not to.
The Insedi rushed the monster, actually ran directly toward the damn thing. When they were almost five feet from its horrendous horns, they split ranks to curve around the huge beast. As if they were a single entity, they sprang almost six feet off the ground, lifted their weapons high, swiveled in midair, and rammed eight swords deep into its body. Ulixes had fallen to his knees, skidded next to the animal, and driven his sword into its neck as it passed by. The Insedi all hit the ground at the same time and rolled effortlessly away.
The agonizing scream from its sharp-toothed mouth lifted the hair on the back of her neck. She watched in dazed wonder as its front legs crumpled and it slammed hard into the ground. It was so large it skidded along and threw dirt high into the air for at least ten yards before grinding to a halt. It was dead. Truly and miraculously dead.
Tana looked down and blinked a few times before she could comprehend that Lucien was holding his arms up and trying to coax her from the tree.
“It’s okay, baby. You can come down now. I’m so proud of you. You did what I said without question. Come, love.”
Shoving the knife into her back pocket, Tana took a deep breath and took her time coming down the tree. Her legs shook and she didn’t want to land on his head. Finally, she felt his strong hands grip her waist and she dropped from the last branch. He swung her around and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m shaking, too. Nothing to be ashamed of.”
Nodding, Tana pulled away from him and started walking over to the massive mound of gray taking up the view of the river. All of the warriors were stand
ing next to it and were completely silent. When Lucien joined her, Geleon spoke up and broke the tense silence.
“Maxim’s never going to believe us.”
Tana frowned and wondered what the hell was so funny. Even Lucien had dropped to a knee and held his ribs as they all laughed until tears ran from their eyes. Who the hell is Maxim?
From the corner of her eye, Tana caught sight of the Nawiens approaching the kill site. They stared at the beast and walked a wide circle around it as they studied the swords still buried deep in its sides. The Insedi stopped laughing and rose to their feet. They watched with curious expressions as the massive males rounded the back of the dead animal and immediately dropped to their knees before them. Chins dropping to their chests, they latched their hands behind their backs and didn’t move.
Lucien approached the first Nawien, and then glanced back to the warriors. “It’s their way of thanking you. Come, line up here. You must each touch their left shoulder to acknowledge their gift. That includes you, Ulixes.”
Altair asked the same question she wanted to know. “What gift?”
Lucien looked back. “Their lives. They feel like they belong to you now. If we ever get off this planet, you’ll have to go through a ceremony to give them back to their village elder. Until then, they’ll happily do anything for you, even if that means their own death to protect you. I only know this because I saw it happen to a Messor native that pulled one out of the sinking mud. Hurry, this is important to them.”
Quickly, they all lined up and touched a shoulder. It was over within minutes. The Nawiens gave them all a large smile and rose. They pulled the swords from the beast and handed them hilt first back to the Insedi.
Lucien grabbed her hand and began pulling her toward the camp site.
“You’ll want to stay over here, Tana.”
Glancing over her shoulder, she couldn’t have agreed more. The warriors were hacking at the shoulders of the carcass and handing large slabs of meat to the Nawiens to clean. It seemed they were going to have some protein for dinner tonight. She loved a good steak, but never wanted to see how the cow had to give it up. If she just concentrated on preparing the rest of the meal, she’d be fine. She was counting pineapple cans in her head and bumped into Lucien’s back. Peeking around his shoulders, she saw that the Protonecians were standing to the far side of the tree line. Basilius’s eyes were riveted on the busy warriors. The one she knew as Calpion moved away from the others and approached. He stopped several feet away and bowed his head.
Fueled by Lust: Lucien (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 19