He shuddered so violently his hold slipped and she slid down along his body. She grinned as her feet touched down, thrilled to know she had the power to make him tremble. They rotated, allowing the spray to rinse her completely before he turned off the water. He hadn’t washed her hair, but it didn’t matter. She suspected they’d be back before the night was through.
They dried each other with warm towels then returned to the outer room. She led him this time, their fingers entwined. There was something surreal about the entire situation and Ashley realized it was all too perfect. He said the right things and did the right things and looked as if he’d walked right out of one of her fantasies.
She urged him down onto the side of the bed as she murmured, “If this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up.”
He spread his legs and pulled her between them. “It’s not a dream, my love. I’m real.”
She only had to bend slightly to kiss him, but her superior position felt good for a change. His lips parted, yet he let her control the kiss, apparently sensing her need to lead. She pushed her tongue into his mouth as she buried her fingers in his hair. He returned her kiss with equal fervor and soon no one was leading, no one following, they were simply devouring each other.
His hands moved up and down her back, pausing from time to time to squeeze her butt. She pressed against his warm body and reveled in their kiss, so warm and intimate.
Suddenly, he tore his mouth away, his face flushed, eyes softly glowing. “If you want to taste me, do it now. I have to be inside you somewhere.”
Happy to oblige, she slipped to her knees and encircled his shaft with one hand, the other gently cupping his balls. He was hot and heavy, marble-hard yet incredibly soft. She explored with her fingers for a moment then guided him toward her mouth.
He leaned back on his hands, gaze narrowed as he watched every move she made. “Do it.” Then even softer, “Suck me hard.”
She grinned as she bent to obey. Whether he admitted it or not, he liked giving orders. She circled him with her tongue, savoring his scent and learning his taste. A bead of moisture formed on the very tip and she captured it with a slow lick. His taste spread across her tongue and she closed her eyes, savoring the flavor of his desire. She closed her lips around him and slowly sucked, drawing him into the wet heat of her mouth. Tenderness swelled and her pulse sped as she took more and more of him.
His fingers tangled in her hair, his thumbs framing her mouth as she bobbed her head up and down. He let her play, let her hands and her mouth wander at will without trying to control her. She licked him and sucked him and caressed him with her fist. Through it all he moaned and shivered, but let her have her way. Finally, he scooted to the edge of the mattress no longer able to control the rocking motion of his hips.
Like a trickle through a crumbling damn, she sensed his desire. The sensation was faint at first, hard to recognize because it was so similar to the ache deep inside her. Then their link expanded, allowing sensations and emotions to flow more easily. He was fighting back release with all his strength and still losing the battle. His frantic effort only made her more determined to watch him lose control.
“I don’t want to—”
She ignored his protest and took him deep, sucking firmly, until he snapped. He cried out, fingers inadvertently pulling her hair as he came down her throat. He shuddered and shuddered again, and she gloried in his utter abandon and the fact that she’d taken him there.
He untangled his fingers and stroked her face, waiting for her to release him. “That’s not how I wanted this to end.”
She licked her way to his tip before setting him free, only then did she meet his gaze. “Well, it’s what I wanted.”
He pulled her to her feet and kissed her deeply, obviously undeterred by his taste in her mouth. “I hope you enjoyed it,” he whispered against her lips, “because now it’s my turn.”
Before she realized his intention, he lay back across the bed and pulled her up along the length of his body. Soon she straddled his chest and then his neck and finally his face. She’d been in this position before, but usually facing the other direction so she could give as well as receive.
His mouth latched on to her sex, leaving her no doubt that he wanted her to pay attention to what he was doing. His lips moved against her folds as his tongue eased between. Left with nothing to do with her hands, she cupped her breasts and closed her eyes. She felt wild and reckless, and utterly sexual. She’d never felt this free, this desirable.
He teased her with skill and torturous patience, taking her right to the edge then backing off. She wasn’t sure it was intentional the first time, but then he did it again and again. “That’s cruel.” She rotated her hips, rubbing herself against his mouth.
With a wicked chuckle, he grabbed her hips and held her firmly in place. His tongue pushed into her core, leaving her clit throbbing and neglected.
“No more teasing. I need to come.”
He lifted her off his mouth. “I know what you need and I’ll give it to you—when I’m ready.”
“Yes, sir.” She’d meant it sarcastically, but the phrase sent heat spiraling through her body.
Before she could analyze the reaction, he pulled her back down and continued on as if there’d been no interruption. She relaxed into the ache, letting desire wash over her in waves. Their link was still buzzing, transmitting fractured thoughts and bursts of emotion both his and hers. Each time he drove her close to orgasm, the sensations swelled a little higher. He eased one of his hands between her legs and filled her with two long fingers. She tightened her inner muscles, trying to maximize the fullness. He licked all around his fingers, occasionally brushing over her clit. It felt good and yet it was frustrating, so near to but not exactly what she needed.
Then his fingers began to slide in and out of her snug passage. She arched her back, allowing him to reach deeper as his mouth finally settled over her clit. The sensations tightened, becoming a firm knot deep inside her. She moaned, hands helplessly squeezing her breasts.
She hovered on the brink, release just out of reach when he suddenly sat up, taking her with him. Her eyes flew open and she frantically reached for something solid as he positioned her body to his liking. Her knees caught on his shoulders and he managed to find her opening with the tip of his long, hard cock. He lowered her gradually, filling her inch by incredible inch as her legs slowly slid down his arms.
His gaze bore into hers as he did it again and again, lifting her and lowering her as if she weighted nothing. She couldn’t move, could only trust his control and accept what he gave her. Soon the realization, not to mention the thick slide of his length in and out of her core, had her panting and arching in an effort to take him as deeply as possible.
He lowered her completely and claimed her mouth in a reality-blurring kiss. His thumb circled her clit and his voice whispered in her mind. You are mine and only mine.
Rather than upset her, his possessive tone snapped what little remained of her control. Her sharp cry was muffled by his mouth as pleasure exploded throughout her body. She tightened around him in hard, rippling spasms, which soon had him moving again.
He braced his feet far apart and combined the up and down motion of his arms with sharp thrusts from his hips. She clutched his shoulders and responded with her mouth, her body totally surrendered. He filled her and filled her, each lunge a renewal of his telepathic claim.
Another orgasm built with staggering speed and she tore her mouth away from his. She dropped her head back, hair swishing against her butt as she fought back a scream. His fingers dug into her hips and he thrust his entire length into her. A harsh cry tore from his throat and then he came in powerful spurts. The warm gush of his seed sent her over the edge again, obliterating reality. For one staggering moment, nothing existed but pleasure and Bandar’s strong embrace.
Their surroundings returned by degrees. She was basically folded in half as he clutched her to his chest. Her calves we
re off to each side, but her thighs pressed against her chest and belly. Gradually his arms relaxed and he lowered her to his lap. She folded her knees beneath her and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Are you all right?” He still sounded breathless. “I have a hard time staying gentle when I’m inside you.”
She looked into his eyes and smiled. “Well, I don’t seem to want gentle when you’re inside me, so it’s probably a good thing.”
He growled and nipped her jaw, his hands stroking her back. “If I’m ever too rough, you’ll tell? You’re such a little thing.”
She laughed. “Maybe compared to you, but compared to the rest of human females—”
“No one else matters,” he stressed. “You are the only female I care about and I don’t ever want to hurt you.”
She ran her fingers along his jawline then pushed her hand into his hair. “I don’t think you could hurt me.” She paused for a naughty smile. “Unless I asked you to.”
Wrapping both arms snugly around her, he lay back down. Then he pivoted and swung his legs up onto the bed. He gave her a moment to extend her legs then rolled them to their sides and drew her top leg high on his hip. Through it all, he managed to maintain their joining.
“Does pain arouse you?” He waited until they were settled to return to the subject she’d introduced.
“It was a joke.”
His hand swept up and down her thigh, his long fingers easily reaching her butt at the end of each stroke. “I’m not sure it was. Is it something you’ve been curious about?”
“I’m curious about all sorts of things, but my pain tolerance is too low for pain to ever be pleasurable. I stub my toe and I about blackout.”
“What about a nice firm spanking?”
The gleam in his eyes made her laugh. “I don’t think that’s my fantasy. I think it’s yours.”
He reached low and squeezed her rear end. “With an ass like this waiting for me, how could I resist?”
“Well, you’ll have to wait until I give you a reason and I’m almost always a very good girl.”
“Too bad.” He kissed her with poignant affection, his touch incredibly tender.
She was almost afraid to ask the next question, but she had to understand. “I could feel you so clearly in my mind while we made love. Does this mean we’re bonded?”
He shook his head, gaze suddenly unreadable. “A soul bond is meant to be permanent. It’s painful, even damaging to break such a link.”
“Then what was I feeling?”
“The comlink my nanites created has been expanded, allowing us to share emotions. If this isn’t something you want, I can command them to dismantle the new layers.”
“No. I like it. I was just wondering what it meant.”
“It means I’m ready to share more of myself with you, but I don’t want to pressure you for more than you’re ready to give.” He paused for a soft, tender kiss. “I know this is all happening incredibly fast.”
She grinned, but her eyelids were starting to droop. “Apparently, fast is what we do best.”
His fingers splayed over her hips, dragging her pelvis flush with his. “Can we sleep like this? I’m not sure I can make myself pull out.”
She snuggled closer, finding a comfortable angle for her leg. “I say we try. I’m not ready to be without you.”
“And I hope that day never comes,” he whispered into her hair.
With her head pillowed on his arm and the side of her face pressed against his chest, Ashley closed her eyes and allowed herself to completely relax for the first time in years. She was safe within his embrace, cherished as she’d never been before, and she was in no hurry for reality to return.
* * * * *
Akim opened the door to Chandar’s cabin with a voice command. Erkott tried to push past him, but Akim held his ground. “Do you have information for me or does my brother get to spend the night?”
“I had a vision, but I’m not sure what it means.” Chandar stood on the other side of the room with her back pressed into a corner. It was unlikely she realized how much her position revealed. Her features might be serene, but his little harbinger was terrified. It wasn’t surprising. The last time he’d let Erkott amuse himself with Chandar, she’d required regeneration. That was why the threat was so effective now.
“Tell me what you saw. Perhaps it will mean something to me.”
“I saw the blonde woman again, the one you call Ashley. She was operating some sort of vehicle. It was like a small ship, but it skimmed along the ground, following a long black pathway.”
He nodded. Nothing useful yet, but at least she was trying. “Go on.”
“Bandar was with her.” Panic flashed through her gaze as she looked beyond him and then back.
He glanced over his shoulder and found Erkott sucking his finger in a vulgar parody of oral sex. “Enough,” he snapped and shoved Erkott out of her line of vision. “What else did you see?” He shifted so his body blocked the entire doorway.
“I saw a sign with lettering on it. I drew it for you.” She motioned toward the wall, where she’d recreated the image in great detail. Two stone pillars supported a stripped log frame. Inside the frame hung the actual sign, which read 1882, Flagstaff, Arizona.
Not willing to praise her yet, he asked, “How did you mark up the wall?”
She swallowed hard, her silver phitons shimmering in the defused light. “You won’t allow me a datapad or even a paper and pen, so I improvised.” With a defiant flourish, she motioned toward a pile of burnt sticks. The sticks were uneven and splintered as if they’d been peeled off a larger piece of wood.
Where in hells rings had she gotten the wood and how had she ignited it? He quickly looked around the cabin, but there was nothing remotely flammable. His eyes suddenly widened as realization struck. There was only one place on board that she could have gotten the wood, his antique treasure chest, a prize with both literal and sentimental value.
“Erkott, go look at my chest.”
“Your what?”
“At the foot of my bunk, you idiot. See if she harmed my chest.” He activated the door to his cabin without turning around, allowing Erkott to do his bidding. “You shouldn’t provoke me. Haven’t we been together long enough for you to understand the futility of such acts?”
She just stared at him with obvious hatred.
“How did you ignite the sticks?” And how had she gotten into his cabin. The door was tuned to his voice print.
Again, she offered no reply.
Erkott returned a short time later. “She carved it up pretty good, but the damage is all on the back. No one will notice unless you pull it away from the bunk.”
Crafty little bitch always knew how far to push. He’d still punish her, of course, but she’d spared herself the worst of it by not defacing his prized possession. Besides, he couldn’t afford to have her incapacitated right now. Her vision was his only lead and she likely knew it. “Do you know what time they’ll arrive or their purpose for going to this destination? Were there any other clues?”
“Not yet. I can delve deeper, garner more details, but it will take time.” She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “I work better without threats hanging over my head. Have I not proven that I’ll cooperate?”
He laughed and allowed Erkott to move back into view. “I’ve found just the opposite to be true. Without continual motivation, you become belligerent. You’ve earned an additional two hours to acquire more details. Use them wisely.”
Chapter Nine
“Are you ready to pull your hair out yet?”
Ashley’s vague question drew Bandar back to the present. He’d been lost in sensual memories of the night before. They’d gotten very little sleep as they indulged their passions again and again. No sooner would one relax enough to sleep then desire would spark in the other. They’d tumbled out of bed shortly after dawn and prepared for their road trip physically fatigued yet emotionally satisfied.
Her only response was a guilty blush.
Knowing they’d be interacting with humans, Bandar reluctantly covered his eyes with a fresh pair of contacts and they both dressed casually in non-military garb. There were four vehicles to choose from, a car, two trucks and a panel van. Ashley chose the gray sedan and now they were traveling east on Interstate 40. The three guards followed in the van, Pator at the controls. Ashley had been driving for over two hours and they had another two to go. How did humans tolerate this tedious process?
The first hour had passed quickly thanks to Ashley’s lively conversation with her customers. He activated each call then rested the datapad on his knee as she spoke with the person or persons on the other end of the connection. She was professional yet friendly, quickly putting everyone at ease. He still wasn’t sure he understood her occupation, but her customers certainly sounded enthusiastic. She’d rescheduled all of her appointments for the next three days and warned several others that she might not be available later in the week. She’d also spoken with her mother and confirmed that they were on their way.
Ashley’s last call had been to Raina Solano, her best friend. As they chatted away, Bandar casually ran an information search on Raina. When the young woman’s three-dimensional image arose from the datapad, Ashley forgot what she’d been saying.
“Raina, Mrs. Turner is on the other line and she gets hysterical if I don’t pick up for her. Can I call you back?”
“Sure, but make it tonight. My schedule is crazy all day.”
“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you then.” Ashley waited until Bandar terminated the connection before laying into him. “What the hell is this?” She motioned toward the holo-image and the information scrolling across the surface of the datapad. “Raina has nothing to do with any of this. Leave her out of it.”
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