by Anna Hackett
“The same can be said for your scars.” She touched one thick ridge on his chest.
Maybe she was right. He’d thought of them as some sort of badge of honor, but as her fingers ran over them, he realized that he was maybe keeping them as a reminder of things that had no place in his new life.
Suddenly, she stepped backward and started stripping off her dress. Blaine froze and watched as she pulled her dress over her head. She was completely unselfconscious.
She made him think of a warrior goddess. She was built to fight, to protect, to defend. He knew she was a champion net fighter, those toned arms capable of deadly precision. He knew she was competitive and never gave up. Her long legs drew his gaze, but so did her flat stomach and her perfectly shaped breasts.
Desire was like a bonfire roaring inside Blaine. For months, he’d had all his choices taken away from him. But right here, right now, Saff was his choice. What he felt for her was his and his alone. What he did with her was his choice and hers.
“Saff.” His voice was so choked and deep it was almost unrecognizable.
She was walking toward the water, the muscles flexing in her naked body. Her ass was toned and shapely, and he couldn’t take his eyes off it. She stepped into the small pool, wading up to her thighs. She glanced back over her shoulder.
“Come and get me, Earth man.” She grinned at him, that smile filled with challenge. “If you can catch me.”
He tore his shirt and harness off, dropping them on the ground. “When I catch you, it won’t be gentle. It’ll be rough. I’ll take you hard.”
She lifted her chin, standing proud. “Not if I take you first.”
Inflamed, he tore open his trousers and shucked them off. Naked, he rushed at her, going after the woman he wanted above all else.
Chapter Eleven
Saff sloshed through the refreshingly cool water, hearing Blaine charge after her. She feinted left before running right, but Blaine kept coming. Like a big predator intent on chasing her down.
The cavern and the pool weren’t very big, but she sprinted out of the water, darting across the rocky space. Blaine followed, and when she glanced back, she saw his intense gaze was locked on her.
Stars, that intensity, the primal look in his eyes and the forceful desire pouring off him. No one had ever wanted her the way Blaine did. He put on a burst of speed, and she dodged again, feeling the brush of his fingers on her belly. Using all her agility, she evaded him again. She found so much pleasure in watching his muscles flex. The man should never wear clothes and simply stay naked all the time.
She ignored the bite of rocks under her feet, heading back toward the pool of water. His fingers curled around her hip, and she spun away again. His growl echoed in the confines of the small space.
Saff splashed back into the water, pushing out into the deeper area on the other side of the pool. But she hadn’t gone far when a hand closed around her ankle and jerked her back. Her head slid under the water.
She came up spluttering, and she found her back flush against a hard, male body.
A hard cock prodded against her buttocks. She could feel all of him—that hard chest, muscled thighs, the ripped abs.
“Got you,” he growled in her ear.
“Now what?” Her voice was huskier than she’d ever heard it.
His big, callused hands moved up to cup her breasts. As he played with her nipples, Saff bit back a moan. One of his hands slid down her belly.
“I love how strong you are.” He touched the tight muscles in her belly, then dragged a hand down her thigh, gripping her. His fingers drifted back up and delved between her thighs. A second later, one thick finger speared inside her. She contracted her inner muscles, felt a flutter of sensation low in her belly.
“I love that I can smell you now, because you smell so good.” He brought his fingers to his mouth and licked. “Taste so good.”
His fingers were back between her legs and this time he slid a second finger inside her, pumping them in and out of her. He found a rhythm, and that spot inside her that had the pleasure ratcheting up. It burst through her, splotches of light dancing in front of her eyes. He was ruthless, his fingers powering in and out of her.
“Blaine.”
“I like when you cry out my name like that. Soft and breathy.”
He moved her through the water, toward the edge. He bent her forward, the rock pressing against her hips. His palm smoothed over one of her cheeks and she felt the hard prod of his cock between her folds.
“No,” she said.
Behind her, his big body froze.
“I want to see your face,” she said quietly. “When you slide inside me.”
“Yes.” With a growl, he spun her, lifting her bottom up to perch on the edge of the pool. He pushed her legs apart, moving between them, leaning over her.
Saff lay back, uncaring about the small rocks digging into her skin. That pain contrasted with the pleasure pulsing through her.
She looked at Blaine, at his hard, scarred chest, and then she watched as his hand moved down and circled his large erection. He stroked himself, and she licked her lips, desperate for him.
Then her gaze locked with his brown one and he moved forward. The thick head of him nudged between her legs.
“Tell me.”
His voice was so guttural she barely understood his words. “What?”
“How I’m going to give it to you.”
“Hard,” Saff said on a moan. “Rough, and out of control.”
With one powerful thrust, he was inside her.
“Yes!” Saff wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to pull him closer.
He thrust once, twice, again and again. Smooth, powerful, overwhelming. Then he pulled out, and pushed her legs farther apart before he sank inside her again.
The intensity of the coupling battered at her. This wasn’t sweet or fun. This was hard, tough, and intense. She felt the wild edge riding him, felt the way his big body moved thickly inside her. His pulsing length filled her, bumping that spot deep inside that had her own pleasure spiraling out of control.
“Take me,” he said. “All of me.”
“Oh, oh… Yes.” The words were hissed out of her. A promise.
“I belong here,” Blaine said. “Right here. You can handle me, baby, can’t you?”
They were both panting, their bodies straining against each other. He was riding her hard, going deep. Saff threw her head back, moaning at the overpowering sensations. She felt like their desires were all tangled up together.
Blaine kept up his punishing pace, his thrusts slamming inside her with a slap of flesh against flesh.
“Oh, drak.” Saff felt her orgasm hit her like a net exploding outward. “Yes! Don’t stop, Blaine!”
He looked like a man fighting for his sanity. He kept moving and then lodged himself deep, his body stiffening. With a roar, he filled her.
Blaine collapsed beside her, managing to roll onto his back. Saff fought to get her breathing under control. She felt like she’d fought ten rounds in the arena. She stared up at the rocky ceiling thinking how perfect this moment was: raw, real and free.
***
Blaine stared up at the rocky ceiling of the cavern, filled with regret. Saff deserved better than this.
The last light of the day was gone, but Saff’s makeshift torches gave off a faint golden glow.
Beside him, she wriggled a little. She reached out and stroked her hand down his side. His skin was still slick from perspiration.
He moved away and sat up. She did too, pushing all her glorious braids back off her face. She looked almost sweet. Unguarded. This was Saff the beautiful woman, not the gladiator.
She tilted her head. “What’s wrong? Let me guess, you were too rough with me?”
Her teasing tone ate at him. “You deserve better than a shitty cave in the middle of nowhere.”
She raised a brow. “Do I look like the hearts and flowers type?”
Her bree
zy tone set off warning bells. “I just want to—”
“Take my choice out of the equation? Give me what you think I want and not what I want?”
He froze. “No. I just wanted things to be nice for you.”
“Blaine, you and I are never going to be nice. And trust me, if anyone calls me nice, I’ll hit them. I like what we have. I enjoy you, I enjoy us. Hard, fast and a little rough.”
Before he could respond, she climbed into his lap, facing him. Her hands reached down, cupping his already hardening cock. She stroked him a few times and Blaine bit back a moan.
Then she lifted her hips until the hard head of him was lodged in her folds.
“I’m hungry,” she said.
In that moment, getting inside her was more important than anything ever before. With her strong body poised over him, their gazes locked. Then she slid down on him.
A groan ripped out of Blaine’s chest and he thrust his hips up. His hands clenched on her tight ass, while hers dug into his shoulders, her nails biting into his skin.
Saff moved up and down, faster and faster. She spread her thighs wide across him, working his cock in and out of her tight body.
He had the most perfect fucking view. Her eyes were bright, glazed with desire. The muscles in her body flexed with each rise of her hips. She moved faster and faster, and Blaine’s chest tightened.
Then she arched her back, her breasts thrust forward, and her body clamped down on him. She screamed his name.
Blaine had never seen anything more beautiful.
A second later he reached up, his fingers biting into her ass as he slammed her down one last time. He came with a fierce shout that echoed off the walls around them.
They collapsed against each other and somehow, Blaine found the strength to move them back toward their discarded clothes. He dozed and when he drifted awake again, Saff was snuggled into his side, snoring softly.
He grinned. Saff Essikani snored. God, she was perfect.
He carefully pulled away from her and grabbed his trousers. He wondered if he’d have any luck finding them something to eat.
A while later, he was carefully cooking some meat over one of Saff’s torches. He’d found some mushroom-like growths in the tunnel and spent a hell of a long time chasing a small lizard around. Damn thing better taste good.
“Don’t eat the plants.”
Saff’s sleep-husky voice made him look over his shoulder. Immediately, his cock jumped.
She was sprawled out, completely naked, her head propped up on one hand. There wasn’t a lick of self-consciousness about her.
“There isn’t much to choose from,” he said.
“They’re poisonous. They’ll dissolve your insides.”
Right. He grabbed the mushrooms and tossed them away. “The lizard?”
“Should be delicious.”
He brought the seared meat over to her. “You going to put some clothes on?”
She raised a brow. “Why? I’m planning to fuck you again once I’m finished eating.”
Blaine wolfed down his pieces of meat in record time. In his head, he had visions of taking Saff from behind or her riding him—hard and fast—into sweet oblivion.
“So, I guess this is what Rory calls a date?” Saff said.
Blaine made a scoffing sound. “Women on Earth expect a little more than a rocky cave and grilled lizard.”
Saff smiled. “I like it.”
“I suppose your pretty boys take you fancy places.” God, Blaine wanted to strangle every man who’d touched her.
“No. I’ve never had a man make a meal for me or take me somewhere fancy.”
He looked at her across the smoldering flames of the torch. “Then the men of Carthago are Grade-A idiots.”
“You’re good for my ego, Blaine Strong.” Saff’s smile dissolved. “I’m glad you’re with me.”
He reached for her, pulling her long body into his. He expected the usual explosion of heat and desire, but as he touched her, another need overtook him. He stroked her, slow and easy, caressing each dip and curve of her. She moaned, moving under his hands. He sucked her nipples into his mouth, taking his time to find the perfect pressure and what drove her to cry out his name. He slid his hands between her legs, stroking where she was wet and needy.
The desire that slammed into him was as brutal as before, but this time, he controlled it, keeping his touch gentle.
She kept nipping at him, shimmying her body against him, and he knew she expected hard and fast.
But they’d done hard, fast and rough, and this time he wanted something else.
“Blaine.” An impatient, frustrated moan.
He caressed her face, settling himself between her thighs. She turned her head and sucked his thumb into her mouth. Damn. He almost lost it.
“Hang on, baby, I’m going to take care of you.” He’d fill her up and take her over, and give her something he suspected she’d never had before.
He hitched her long legs around his waist and then was thrusting deep inside her. She made a mewling sound and arched into him. As he thrust his cock inside her, her hips jerked up to meet him. God, she was so tight, clutching him hard. He kept up his deep, slow thrusts.
“Blaine…I…” She arched her back, her gaze locking with his. “I feel—”
As her climax washed over her, he felt her heels digging into his back. Watching the emotions spill across her face pushed him over the edge.
His orgasm was almost painful as it tore through him. And three things echoed in his head.
Mine. More. Saff.
***
Saff woke, feeling bruised and battered and wonderful. She rolled over, curling into Blaine’s hard body, and inhaled the scent of his skin. After their first few frenzied couplings, and after he’d almost destroyed her with his slow, sexy lovemaking, she’d been sure neither of them would be up for more. But they’d turned to each other through the night, again and again.
Stars, the man knew just how to bring her to her knees.
She’d felt his strong desire time and again, but during the night, when he’d rocked slowly inside her, she’d felt some other emotion as well. It had been something she’d never felt before: strong, warm, and good. It had wrapped around her and she wasn’t sure if it had been her feeling, his, or both.
Suddenly, she heard noises outside the cave, and realized that was what had woken her. Frowning, she noted the faint light filtering in from above. It had to be sunrise.
“Blaine.” She nudged him.
He woke quickly, frowning as he also heard the voices echoing in the canyon.
Quickly, they pulled on their clothes and crept back through the tunnel to the cave entrance. Down below, a convoy was moving through the winding path of the canyon. Large, lumbering animals covered in shaggy, matted, white fur were pulling a long row of carts that bumped over the ground.
All the carts carried cages filled with women.
Saff’s hands clenched on the rock wall. Drak. There were so many of them.
Blaine held up a hand, pointing down toward some larger boulders at the bottom of the canyon that they could use for cover. She nodded. After the convoy had passed the mouth of their cave, they carefully snuck down the slope, making sure to avoid any attention.
She raced in behind one of the large rocks, pressing her back against it. Then Blaine pointed again. Together, they darted from one rock to another, getting closer to the convoy.
At this range, Saff had a better view of the cages. They looked like they were made of bone and metal. Her stomach churned. The prisoners were made up of females of various alien species, in varying conditions. Some looked well-fed and strong, others emaciated and starved. One or two were cradling swollen, pregnant bellies. Saff tried to shelve the unruly emotions battering her. Her gaze fell on one small form in a cage near the back of the convoy.
She sucked in a breath and nudged Blaine.
It was Winter.
Saff’s gaze darted to the
front of the convoy, rapidly searching the cages again. Her shoulders fell. There was no sign of Dayna or Mia.
Suddenly, rough male voices sounded, and Saff spotted guards walking toward the back of the convoy.
“They’re going to be happy with this new batch.”
The pair of guards laughed.
“There are a few I’d spend my coin on.” The taller of the guards pushed a hand through the bars of one cage to touch a woman.
“Rotting scum.” The woman spat through the cage bars.
The shorter, stockier guard swung a staff around and banged it against the bars. “We’ll see how you like it at Zaabha.”
Saff’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be. It was only a myth.
“Got a ways to go yet,” the taller guard said. “Today we have to reach the Rishyk Trading Post before night hits, but tomorrow…” He laughed, the sound coarse and meaningful.
“We’ve got to get them out,” Blaine whispered.
Saff stared at the convoy, analyzing its composition. There were only six guards in total, but they were all armed. Still, there would be more guards at the trading post, so they had better odds of freeing Winter and the other slaves here.
Nodding, Saff pointed to the pair of guards closest to them. “We take these two down first, and get their weapons. Then we attack the other four.”
Blaine nodded. They looked at each other and counted down.
Together, they spun out from behind the boulder, and raced toward the closest guards. Blaine slammed a fist into the stocky guard’s lower back. Saff jumped into the air, as high as she could. The taller guard was turning to face her, when she wrapped her strong legs around his neck.
With a twist of her thighs, she broke his neck. He didn’t even get a chance to shout or draw his weapon. She rode his body to the ground.
When she looked up, Blaine was there, holding out a hand to her. His guard was lying facefirst amongst the rocks.
“You are amazing,” Blaine murmured.
She leaned down and yanked a sword from the guard’s scabbard. It was inferior to her own weapons, but it would have to do. She glanced at Blaine. “You can tell me that later, Earth man.” She grabbed a sword off the second guard’s body and handed it to him.