Hierax: Star Guardians, Book 4

by Ruby Lionsdrake

  Her hands rubbed and scraped up and down his back as she licked and sucked him.

  “Hierax,” she whispered, rubbing her face against his pec, her voice raspy. Was she as excited by this as he was? “I’ve never been so turned on just by licking a guy’s chest.”

  That concern reared its head again, that she would be disappointed if she knew the truth.

  “Uhm, about that…” He didn’t want her to stop licking or sucking or nipping or any of the other wonderful things she was doing, and he could almost hear his cock calling him an idiot when she paused, frowning up at him.

  “What is it?”

  “There’s something you should know. Maybe it’s not important, and you won’t care…”

  Was that wishful thinking? He tried to tell himself that if it did matter to her, then she wasn’t a good match for him, that he wanted someone who would appreciate his mind and not just his hot, lickable chest. But his penis, and almost every other part of him, was thinking that they could have the discussion after they had sex.

  “You can’t possibly be about to tell me that you’re gay,” Indi said, “because a penis like a battering ram is jabbing into my stomach right now.”

  “What? No. It’s not that. It’s just that… I take GrowthGain to enhance my strength and musculature. It was suggested to me by a higher-ranking officer when I joined the Star Guardians. He was concerned, er, he thought I might fit in better this way. In truth, I suspect he was concerned that a slim Star Guardian might be embarrassing for the organization.” Technically, gangly had been the word the admiral had once used to describe him. “The Star Guardian higher-ups encourage obvious brute strength and, unlike in the space fleet, tattoos and all around thugliness isn’t discouraged. They want you to look as tough as the criminals you’re pursuing. And I did not look tough. I probably still don’t, but at least I don’t stick out as an oddity on photo day.”

  She was gazing up at him and listening, but he couldn’t read her expression. At all.

  “In the beginning, I thought it was stupid, and I was extremely worried about side effects. Supposedly, there can be some attention issues and memory lapses. But my brain hasn’t been noticeably affected—I’ve taken numerous cognition and memory tests to check—and I confess, I’ve come to like not being the one bullies immediately gravitate to when we go into a rough area on a mission.”

  She was still listening, still gazing at him.

  “Uhm, I’m done now.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for a reaction.

  “I like you, Hierax,” Indi said.

  “Oh?” That sounded promising. “Does that mean we can go back to kissing and groping?”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned forward, excited and eager to do just that, but she planted a hand on his chest.

  “However…”

  That word created dread in his gut, and he grimaced. Were they not going to get to use the blanket he’d brought over?

  “Your honesty has inspired me to make a confession of my own.”

  “Your muscles are fake too?”

  “No, these guns are real.” She smirked and flexed her biceps.

  He grinned. She was curvy and feminine rather than muscular, which suited him fine. He’d never thought Lieutenant Coric and Ensign Thangi were the types to inspire fantasies. Not his fantasies, anyway. He’d seen them having little trouble finding men during shore leave, but he far preferred women like Indi, with hips and asses to grab on to in the throes of passion. And breasts to fill his hands. He admired the way hers pressed against her top, and he couldn’t wait to free them, to hold them and kiss them.

  “It’s my hair,” Indi said, and he jerked his gaze up, realizing he’d been staring at her chest.

  “What?”

  “You seem to like it long, but it’s actually short.” Indi flipped some of her braids. “These are extensions that are woven in.”

  He laughed. Her secret was a lot less likely to inspire disappointment than his—weren’t women always doing things with their hair?—but she seemed earnest. A hint of concern filled her eyes when he laughed, and he tamped down his mirth.

  “I like them, but your hair wasn’t what made me want you on my team. And in my cot.”

  “Oh? You’re more of an ass man?”

  “You figured out my riddles. All of them.”

  “So my brain is the reason you’re staring at my boobs?” she asked, but she smiled, and he suspected she believed him.

  It was the truth, after all. He hadn’t even wanted her to come along to the planet originally. He certainly hadn’t believed he could need her help.

  “Your brain is the reason I realized I liked your boobs,” he said.

  “Good answer.” Her smile widened, and she brought her hands to his face and kissed him, her touch appreciative.

  She made contented noises, and the kiss deepened. He felt so glad—and relieved—that he’d somehow managed to say the right thing, because he wasn’t known for that.

  After a time, she pulled back enough to whisper, “I want to see your tool.”

  “The Trevibia Z-caster?”

  “No.” Indi reached for the fastener of his belt. “The tool that’s jabbing me in the stomach. It seems to want out of its toolbox.”

  “This is true. And I’d be tickled if you released it.”

  “Good.”

  They came together for another hungry kiss as she worked his belt open, and his trousers slid off his hips. She gripped him with her hand, and his cock was so ecstatic that it could have exploded right there. He tamped that urge down with a pile of willpower. That would definitely not impress her.

  Instead, he bought his sensitive cock a respite by stepping back to tug off his boots and remove the rest of his clothing.

  “Just to be clear,” he said, pleased by the way she watched him undress with appreciative eyes—she even ran her tongue along her lips, as if the view was arousing her. He flexed his muscles as he shucked his clothing, to give her an even better view. “I do want to show you the Trevibia Z-caster 6000 when I get it.”

  “I look forward to seeing it.”

  “Keep saying things like that, and I’ll fall in love with you.”

  “You better wait on that, to see if I’ll agree to dates with you in engineering.”

  “I’ll be incredibly disappointed if you won’t.”

  After tossing his trousers on the wrecked helm station he needed to make sure he got fixed before they arrived at the gate, Hierax stepped toward Indi and swept her off the deck. She looped her arms around his neck, looking quite pleased to be carried.

  As he strode toward the cot, he added, “I find it promising that you’re willing to relax with me on the bridge of an enemy ship. That was recently on fire.”

  One of his cleaning bots whirred past, and she smirked. “That is good of me, isn’t it? If you find the experience memorable, you better thank your Lieutenant Asan.”

  Hierax paused at the side of the cot. “Asan? Why?”

  “That’s his air purifier, isn’t it? There’s no way I’d be canoodling with you if it stank in here as bad as it did in engineering.”

  “I see. I will thank him then. Though I may not tell him why I’m thanking him.”

  Hierax set her down on the cot and took the lead on the kissing and licking this time. As he did so, he slowly removed her clothing, trying to please her even as he reveled in touching her naked flesh for the first time.

  Her large round breasts made him long to bury his face between them. But he would have had to stop kissing her for that, and he enjoyed the taste of her mouth, the eagerness with which she returned his kisses.

  She wriggled out of her pants and underpants, giving him an eyeful of her dark curls and luscious curves. He kissed her harder, almost growling as he pushed her back onto the cot, her beautiful bare body on display for him.

  “At least it’s bigger than I expected,” she said.

  Hierax looked down at his penis. He considered it
a reasonable size, especially now. It had nearly reached rocket launch status. Had she expected a tiny cock? Because he’d mentioned taking supplements to enhance his muscles?

  “I am referring to the cot.” She smirked.

  “Oh, I see. Yes, if you get creative, you can fit two on here.”

  “Show me.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the cot.

  He had to straddle her and rest his elbows on either side of her for them both to fit, but he had no problem doing that. Especially since the position left his body pressing delightfully down on hers. He was careful not to put too much of his weight on her, though his cock quite insistently wanted to jab against her thigh. Actually into an area higher up than her thigh, but he wanted her to be a little more excited before they got to that.

  “For the record,” Indi said, sliding her hand over his ass and up his back, “your penis is a nice size too.”

  “Thank you. Your—all of you is a nice size too.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” That smirk flirted with her lips again.

  He had to kiss it.

  She slid her hands up his back, stroking and kneading, and they pressed more body parts together as the kiss deepened. Words disappeared after that, and she soon grew too busy for smirks.

  He propped his weight on one elbow, using his free hand to explore her body, cupping her breasts, dragging his nails down her belly, and then drifting lower. She moaned as his fingers slid through her dark curls, then gasped and arched up to him as he slipped them between her legs, between her lower lips.

  “Hierax,” she whispered, a hitch in her voice. She didn’t manage to articulate more.

  He kissed her as his fingers continued to delve into her, exploring her warmth, her most intimate places. He brushed her clit, and she pushed into him, almost bucking off the cot. Her breaths grew quicker as she wriggled and arched. His cock throbbed with need as she openly exulted in his touch.

  She didn’t hold back, didn’t deny that she enjoyed this. Her nails dug into his back, and she tried to pull him closer to erase the space between them.

  She was ready for him, and he knew it, but he teased her a little more, wanting to draw out her pleasure. His cock objected to the delay and kept inching toward her, eager to bury itself in her. She spread her legs, revealing every glistening inch of her body to him, and he couldn’t hold back any longer.

  As he positioned himself over her, he kept his thumb on her clit, rubbing it gently, finding the angles and depth of touch that caused her to grip the edges of the cot with both hands and buck toward him. Seeing that response made him so hard he had to take a breath to gather himself, to remind his cock that it wasn’t in charge here. It wanted to slam into her like one of those Zi’i spears thrust from its launcher. He had to make sure he didn’t hurt her and that she enjoyed having him in her.

  “Now, Hierax,” she panted, sweat gleaming on her belly as she locked eyes with him.

  Despite all his admonitions, he dove into her faster than he’d intended. He was so damn hard, so eager. It had been ages since he’d been with a woman and years since he’d been with someone he cared about. He hadn’t realized he’d missed this so much.

  Fortunately, she cried out in ecstasy, not pain. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and arched up, her ass leaving the cot as she took him to the fullest. When he drew back to thrust again, she met him fast and hard. They came together again and again, their rhythm almost frenzied, as if neither could get enough of the other.

  He remembered to keep pleasuring her as he thrust into her warm, welcoming depths. He kept brushing her clit, touching her from different angles, teasing all of her sensitive nerves. Her cries of passion washed over him, inflaming his passion. The cot creaked underneath them, but he doubted either of them would notice if it collapsed.

  As they rocked together, he brushed her clit again, timing the touch with a powerful thrust, and she surged up, grinding into him. A new cry escaped her lips, one of exquisite pleasure, and he swelled with pleasure of his own, knowing he’d satisfied her.

  With a final thrust, he came, pouring himself into her, his hands clenched around the edges of the cot, his face toward the ceiling as he savored every delicious moment.

  Then he brought his gaze down to Indi, meeting her eyes, glad for the contentment and warmth he read in them. Her wild braids had come free of the tie that usually held them, and they framed her face and dangled off the cot to the deck. Damn, she was sexy.

  Indi reached up, touching his sweat-slick chest. “I will enjoy having sex with you even if you decide to let your musculature return to normal someday,” she said, “but I’m going to enjoy the hell out of this body for now.”

  He grinned, glad she found his body enticing.

  “I’ll enjoy your long, wild hair then.” He sank down slowly, resting on his elbows, and kissed her.

  “Sounds like a good deal,” she whispered against his lips and looped her arms around his shoulders. “I’m glad it was bigger than expected.”

  “The cot?”

  “Maybe.”

  • • • • •

  Indi woke up to soft clanks and the occasional grunt. A blanket was snuggled up to her chin, and she lay on her back on the cot, the lights dimmed other than the glow coming from the view screen up front and a couple of displays.

  She rolled onto her side so she could look toward the source of the noises. The helm station appeared to be in better shape than before, with new panels replacing the melted ones. A navigation display floated in the air above it. It and the view screen showed the warship sailing past a sandy brown planet she remembered passing on the way into the system.

  Hierax wasn’t standing in front of the console. Rather, he sat cross-legged near it with tools and a bunch of parts spread out around him. He’d tugged his black fatigue trousers back on, but he was barefoot and bare-chested. A nice view to wake up to. Indi imagined she would find “slim” Hierax appealing, too—he had a cute face and eyes that sparkled when he was talking about his passions—and his tools. Still, it was hard not to appreciate those pecs. And shoulders. And the enticing curve of his biceps. And the defined ridges of his abs. His cock had been nice, too, not that she usually got excited by looking at such things. That, she trusted, hadn’t been enhanced by supplements. Surely, his superiors wouldn’t have pressured him to enlarge that to fit the Star Guardian image. Unless the crew regularly posed for nude photos, she couldn’t imagine penis size mattering.

  She grinned, amused that she was thinking of his cock while he was innocently disassembling… whatever that was. Oh, the drone. That was it.

  Hierax was working by the glow of the view screen and a small task light coming from his logostec. He must not have wanted to disturb her by turning on the main lights. And he was being quiet over there with his clanks. Had he slept at all?

  “Anything enlightening?” Indi asked.

  “Actually, yes.” He looked up, the sparkle she’d been thinking of in his eyes. “I should have disassembled this hours ago.”

  “You’ve been a little busy. Did you sleep at all?”

  “I did. Were you not aware of my hand cupping your, ah, parts?”

  She slid her hand around her breast under the blanket. She remembered earlier cupping, but once she had fallen asleep, she had slept surprisingly hard. How much time had passed? Would that other pilot be coming to the bridge now that the main helm appeared to be repaired? She thought she remembered the planet they were passing still being a few hours away from the gate, but she wasn’t sure how direct their route into the system had been.

  “Like this?” Indi asked, peeling back the blanket so he could see her holding her breast.

  The light was fairly dim back by the cot, but the glow of the helm display should show him enough.

  Indeed, his gaze snagged on the sight. She decided that even though he might have been drawn to her because of shared intellects, he was definitely a boob man. Of course, he’d seemed to like holding he
r ass a lot too. She grinned at the memories of his blatant appreciation. It had been a long time since anyone had appreciated her, and she hadn’t truly expected him to be so enthusiastic a lover, considering he’d come across as indifferent to sex and women early on.

  He was just focused, she decided, running her thumb over her nipple as she gazed at him. He had a lot to do before the rendezvous with the other ship, so she should let him work. But it was hard to be a good girl with him looking so appealing over there, his hair tousled, his shirt off.

  She shifted the blanket further down, pushing it behind her hip and shifting her top leg so her knee was up. She trailed her fingers down her abdomen, her skin tingling at her own touch. If he didn’t come over, she could always enjoy her own company. While she watched him work.

  But he’d stopped working. He was watching her. Her hand, to be specific, as it slipped between her legs.

  She rubbed herself, surprised by how swollen and achy she already felt. She didn’t remember any horny dreams, but maybe her body had been thinking about the cupping that had apparently been going on while she slept. Or maybe it was simply remembering the fantastic sex that it had participated in before she slept.

  She grinned at the memory. Of all the people she would have expected to be great lovers, her geeky, distracted engineer wouldn’t have been on the list. But maybe it was true that geeks were used to having to try harder. She imagined some past girlfriend of his bluntly teaching him how to push her buttons. And damn had he pushed hers. She couldn’t help but selfishly want to get him back over to the cot, his fingers rubbing her clit again. She’d been close to orgasming before he’d even touched her with his cock. And it had been so clear that he’d been watching her, wanting to make sure she did. She would date him in his engineering room any time, as long as they ended up screwing in a dark corner somewhere. Or on his upgraded cot.

  “You’re making it very hard for me to concentrate on my work,” Hierax said, his voice raspy.

  Indi opened her eyes. She realized she’d been touching herself very openly and very thoroughly, and she also realized that he had risen, silently padding close to her. He stood near the foot of the cot, his eyes locked on her splayed legs as she rubbed herself. The light silhouetted him, his side turned partially toward her, and she could see the bulge of his cock against his trousers.