by Marie Harte
Nu grinned, showing bright white teeth. “She’s not as fragile as she looks,” he said with pride. “Mara’s the best damned captain I’ve ever had. She knows just when to give us leave.” The minute the words left his mouth, he clenched his jaw, as if he’d said too much.
Nu walked Lurin back to his cell in silence and left him alone with his thoughts. Twice more during the day, Set brought him food and left him alone. Lurin listened carefully but could hear nothing in the corridor. To his disappointment, the captain hadn’t returned to visit him since their early hour meeting.
He didn’t like the fact that he missed her. Since when did a female control a Thesha’s emotions? His blood hummed as he recalled Mara’s delicious reaction to his sensual mind probe last night. And the physical touch he’d managed today, grazing her cheek, had only strengthened their bond.
She should have believed everything he’d told her today without question, but she hadn’t. Never before had his abilities failed. Despite not being able to make her trust him, he’d told her the honest truth. And she hadn’t believed him. Worse, her decision to dig around for more answers worried the hell out of him. If she asked the right questions of the wrong person, she could end up in real trouble.
And so what? he asked himself. She was his jailer. He shouldn’t care if she fell into trouble because of him. But he did. He didn’t want to see her in a cell like this, at the mercy of the perverse nobless and her daughter. He flinched recalling what he hadn’t told Mara.
After he’d informed the law of his suspicions, Lurin had expected a thorough investigation. Thinking he was going to see justice done, Lurin had accompanied the peacekeeper back to the nobless’s palace, only to be bound and gagged, and forced to watch Nobless Cari rape the lawman, sucking him into oblivion.
Like a bitch in heat, she’d wrung unwilling groans of ecstasy from the man, who’d responded to her like a puppet on strings. After threatening him with torture, imprisonment and even death, she’d made the peacemaker come several times before succumbing to her own orgasm. And all the while, her eyes had remained fixed on Lurin.
In that instant, Lurin had seen the beauty of sex debased to its ugliest form.
But that had not been the worst of it. Tied down in restraints, Lurin had been stripped and examined, inch by inch, by Cari and her daughter. As they studied him, Sara slyly confessed about her spying hole, which gave her a perfect view into the guest bathing chamber Lurin had been directed to use. Somehow, she and her mother had identified Lurin as Thesha. But how could these women know of the Theshan mark, a carefully guarded secret?
Normally unmindful of his body, he’d felt violated at the thought of the craven mother and daughter planning to exploit his sexuality. They’d done more than merely dissect him with their eyes. He shuddered as he remembered their coarse petting, the feel of their wet mouths and greedy little hands, of the darkness of their desire. He’d escaped by putting them off with promises of Theshan bliss after some much needed recovery time.
He’d used his Theshan background to get away once, but he had no plans to reveal his Theshan nature to this crew. How then to make the captain do his bidding? He didn’t relish another binding lovemaking session in an astral projection. It had been too much for him, too draining and, oddly enough, too exhilarating.
The feel of Mara under him, simulated though it had been, had been decidedly addicting. She had a control over his body that no female had ever before possessed, and she was completely unaware of it. No, Lurin had to exorcise the woman from his mind once and for all—by pleasuring her physically.
Physical contact could sever a Theshan mental link. And time was running out for Lurin. He had only a few more days at most before Jaron neared.
As he pondered his situation, several male voices drifted along the corridor.
Finally, something to break the monotony of his thoughts.
“I for one am not going to question the captain’s orders to find a pleasurer.” Nu Fas. “Nebe6, here I come.”
“I agree,” Set said. “But,” he paused and lowered his voice, alerting Lurin to pay close attention, “I don’t like the thought of leaving her here alone.”
Alone? Mara and me, together on the ship?
“Perhaps I should stay,” Catam said softly.
“No, Catam. You need to go.” Nu’s voice was firm. “If anyone should stay, it should be me.”
“Nonsense,” came a sultry voice. Lurin’s body tightened at the sound of it. “You’ll all go. The day I can’t contain a prisoner, in the security of his own cell, is the day you fire me as your captain.”
Lurin heard laughter.
“Are you sure, Cap?” Nu asked. “I don’t like the way he looks at you.”
“Looks at me? He’s just trying to wrest control of a bad situation. It’s nothing more than a power play.” She sounded extremely naïve, a condition that didn’t fit with her tough-as-nails exterior. Lurin could picture the unease on her crews’ faces. Everyone but Mara could see her as a desirable woman, not merely the ‘captain’. At least her crew had some common sense. “Don’t worry. I can handle captive Vez.”
Lurin gritted his teeth. If she called him captive one more time…
“Now go,” she ordered. “I’ll expect you back here tomorrow at first light. Enjoy. And Catam? Make sure you’re satisfied. There’s nothing worse than a Mardu on the prowl.” She chuckled and the men laughed louder.
Their voices faded but footsteps, light and brisk—hers—neared his cell. He breathed in her scent as she passed, and he blocked out everything but Mara, his cock stirring to life once more. Despite his uneasiness at how readily she affected him, nothing could dampen his anticipation of the night to come.
Chapter Four
Mara enjoyed a long, luxurious solar bath. With her crew gone, she had the ship to herself. Well, almost to herself. She thought ruefully of Lurin Vez just down the hall. She still didn’t know how she felt about him.
On the one hand, she didn’t believe Nobless Cari’s story about Vez’s involvement in the crime of which he’d been accused, but she couldn’t take his words on faith either. To think that a nobless could be responsible for so terrible a crime was unthinkable.
Unthinkable but not impossible.
Mara also hesitated to believe Vez because his mere presence did something to her. Too easily she pictured him in her mind’s eye. He was everything a woman could want—tall, dark and handsome, sexy beyond belief. She liked to think she had a decent imagination, but the things her mind had conjured them doing astounded her.
She’d seen much on various pleasure stops and had read about the physical act of coupling. She had yet to experience it herself, however. To have had such an erotic dream about her captive, especially one that brought her to orgasm, brought heat to her cheeks.
She tried to push thoughts of the blue-eyed criminal out of her mind, but he refused to go. It was almost as if he whispered, “Come find me, I’m here waiting for you.”
Swearing under her breath as she left her less than relaxing bath, Mara hastily donned clothing and tried to ignore the itch beneath her skin.
Unable to avoid the urgent need to talk again with the prisoner, she left her room in search of something to occupy her mind. Of course she should be wary of Vez. The man was a criminal, wanted for murder, wanted for rape. She’d been around deviants before, knew how they thought and acted. Yet she felt no such ugliness from Vez. Instead, his male energy attracted her. Enough that she thought about coupling…with him.
She immediately shook herself free of such foolish thoughts. Her traitorous body had decided to come alive near this captive, but she needed to get a handle on her sensuality before she did something that could not be undone.
So telling herself, she wandered down to Vez’s cell. Conscious that her loose fitting overshirt and leggings befitted a soft woman rather than a ship’s captain, Mara forced herself to make no excuse for her appearance. She was, after all, taking a break, as h
er men did, though in a decidedly different way.
Upon reaching his cell, she opened the small viewport on the door and saw Vez exercising. He continued to push up on his arms, his biceps bulging and his breath constant as he exhaled deeply with each repetition. She could almost see him moving over her with such intensity and blinked to remove the sudden and unwelcome vision.
As if he’d sensed her, Vez stopped and glanced up, his eyes shuttered but no less impacting. He stood and rubbed his body slowly with a towel, wiping the sweat from his broad chest, then sat on the bed. Mara kept her face composed as she watched him watching her. She licked her dry lips and couldn’t help wondering if his chest felt as smooth as it looked.
“Captain Mara,” Vez said softly, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Please, come in.” He licked his lips, mimicking her earlier action, and she wondered if he too felt the heat blazing between them.
She would have to be completely insane to open the door. And why is that? Because he’s a man and I’m a mere woman? Firming her resolve to stand strong, she studied Vez. He still wore shackles on his wrists and ankles, and the chain Nu had rigged to allow him some movement off the bed. Despite his movement, she would be able to sit on the chair across from the bed and still be out of his reach.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid?” he mocked, his brows arched in disbelief.
Mara squared her shoulders. Knowing she shouldn’t, she nevertheless responded to the scorn in his voice. Control. I control my actions and the situation. I can handle one unruly male.
She touched the keypad and opened the door then closed it behind her, locking them securely inside. The door seal sounded loud in the sudden silence. Mara waited under Vez’s regard, aware of his intense gaze that lingered over her chest.
When his gaze rose again to meet hers, he smiled, like a predator having successfully lured its prey. “Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable.” Mara snorted at his attempt at manners but sat anyway.
“I don’t suppose you could see fit to remove these?” He motioned to his shackles.
“No, Vez. Look, it’s probably—”
“Don’t you think you should call me Lurin? Vez is so cold.” He gave a mock shiver and grinned. “Come now, Captain. You won’t remove my constraints. Won’t you at least consent to calling me by my given name?”
Mara sighed. “Fine, Lurin. Now that I’m here, why don’t you explain how you found yourself in this mess in the first place. Let’s just say I believed your story earlier. If that’s the case, and you escaped, why are the nobless and her daughter still after you? Why not leave you to the law?”
“I can’t say,” he murmured and scooted to the edge of his bed. “You really have the most beautiful mouth.”
“Lurin,” she warned.
“You know, Mara, I had the most extraordinary dream the other night.”
She tensed, unable to help it. The air around her seemed to thicken, and she didn’t like sitting so near her nearly naked prisoner. She stood to leave and shocked herself when she wavered on her feet.
“No, don’t go yet,” he said softly, his words a caress. Mara sat back down, her mind urging her to leave even as his words relaxed her already sluggish body. “Come closer,” he whispered, his eyes electric as he stared at her.
He licked his lips again, his tongue grazing the soft pink flesh of his mouth. Mara barely stifled a moan. She felt hot and feverish and didn’t know why her body refused her commands. She stood slowly and walked towards him, her mind screaming at her to back away and leave the room.
When she stood within an inch of him, she stopped, conscious of his rapid, shallow breathing that matched hers.
“Mara,” he crooned. He grasped her about the waist. One of his palms spanned her hip, and he tightened his hold on her flesh. “You are too lovely for words.” He sat her next to him on the bed.
Her body absorbed the heat of his bare skin, and her heart beat twice as fast. Excitement, fear and arousal all converged at once.
What is happening to me?
His fingers suddenly rested on her throat. Mara had the uncomfortable thought that with one hand he could crush her neck. Yet he touched her with gentleness as he caressed her windpipe. Then his hand moved lower, resting just above her breasts.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she stuttered as his fingers moved down the slope of one breast, hovering just over her nipple.
His shuttered gaze followed the movement of his hand. “Did you know that your body is reacting to mine of its own accord? Amazing, but you’re drawing forth reactions in me that I’ve never felt before.” His hand closed over her breast, letting its weight rest in his callused palm.
Mara gasped as fire licked between her thighs and pooled in her sex. Tingly, aroused and unbearably hot, she closed her eyes, unwilling to see the triumph on Lurin’s face as he effortlessly conquered her resistance.
His lips touched hers hesitantly, growing bolder when she moaned into his mouth. He stroked her breast and pinched the nipple. A streak of fire raced through her body and made her tremble. She opened her mouth wider to protest, but a moan slipped out instead, a plea for more, to soothe the desire he flamed with his every touch.
He gave her other breast equal attention, and she squirmed, her sex wet, her limbs weak and feeling strangely not her own.
“I want to taste every inch of you,” Lurin whispered against her mouth, his fingers working magic, the cold brace of the shackles on his wrist a sensuous contrast to the heat of her body. “Take these off, Mara.” His lips trailed from her jaw to her throat, and he sucked at the pulse beating there.
Mara tried to refuse. She shook her head even as her hands moved to the small code box on the shackles. Lurin watched her, studying the numerical code before his hands found freedom.
“Now the ankles,” he said huskily. When she bent over his thigh and brushed against the hard ridge jutting through his trousers, he groaned her name. She released the last of his bonds and sat up, regarding him with breathless confusion.
“What are you doing to me?” She faced a dangerous man, one fully aroused. Unfamiliar with sex, Mara shouldn’t have felt such hunger for anyone, let alone a criminal. She stared at the outline of his erection through his trousers, met his gaze again, and heard him exhale a shaky breath. All that she knew about him warned her to tread warily, but reason seemed to have deserted her. Because she had never wanted anything or anyone the way she wanted him.
He grasped the back of her head, running his hands through her hair. “You have no idea how much I need this,” he murmured. “How much I need you.”
Mara shivered under his voice.
“Tonight is mine,” he declared before dropping to his knees in front of her. “I can’t wait any longer. I need you now.” He stripped her in sure movements, and in seconds, she sat before him in nothing but skin. He ran his hands over her arms and legs, repeatedly petting her from knee to thigh and back again.
She shuddered as he nudged her thighs farther apart, unable to do anything but feel. He quickly found the wet heat of her. Mara couldn’t help a small groan as his fingers slid inside her, building a hunger she’d never before experienced. The hunger seemed to move through Lurin as well. His eyes grew brighter as his fingers began moving over her clit.
“You’re so wet for me, Mara,” he said thickly as he inserted another finger into her tight sheath. At the intrusion, Mara bit her lip and closed her eyes, trying to lean away from the intensity of feeling while also wanting him to fill her more.
“So sweet, so beautiful,” he rasped and buried his head between her thighs.
Mara cried out as his heated breath warmed her clit. His mouth closed over the hard nub and sucked. He would not relent but continued to tease her, bringing her to the brink of ecstasy again and again without giving her that something more she instinctively knew she missed.
“It’s not enough, is it, love?” he asked, and she mindlessly shook her head. In answer, he returned to her pussy with
his mouth and fingers, filling the void so hungry for his presence.
The feeling of his finger moving in and out of her in addition to the pressure on her sensitive clit threw Mara over the edge. She clutched at the back of Lurin’s head, revelling in his silky hair as he brought her to a devastating climax.
She was barely aware when he removed his mouth after licking her, ingesting her essence as if it were a vital part of his needs.
When their eyes met, she noted no victorious expression, rather a hunger that burned bright. He licked his lips, tasting her again while his gaze remained locked on hers.
“That was only the beginning.” His deep voice rang with sensual promise. He rose to his feet, putting his erection at eye level. Fascinated, she touched him through his trousers, and he shuddered. It was not enough for either of them.
She reached beneath the material separating them and stroked him. Mara felt his heartbeat pulse through his large cock. He closed his eyes and groaned, and Mara started in surprise as a dewy wetness covered his soft tip. She stroked his shaft, feeling a power she’d never before felt as he continued to groan and writhe against her hand. She wondered if she could bring him to climax as he’d brought her, with her mouth. But before she could do more, he pulled her to her feet and captured her hands.
“No more, Mara,” he rasped. “If you do, I’ll come right now.” He surprised her by lifting her in his arms. He paused by the door, where she quickly punched in the codes. In no time, they reached her room. And though Mara wondered how he’d known to bring her to her unmarked quarters, she couldn’t bring herself to care. The passion continued to rage between them. And she could only imagine what more he would show her.
Chapter Five
After setting her down on the bed, Lurin closed the door behind them. He removed the trousers constricting him, pleased when Mara stared at him with awe. In two steps, he stood between her parted thighs, his cock too close to her mouth to ignore the fantasy of her lips around him. Soon, he told himself. Don’t scare her away yet.