Enslaved

by Sydney Somers

  They just had to catch up with him first. Thankfully, a spaceport brimming with people meant it would take port security time to find them if they were tasked to, assuming they knew where to start looking.

  He also had to assume that since Kaela recognized him at the auction, whoever was on the opposite end of her transmitter might have run him through the system by now. Which could prompt them to try and track him through the ship he’d arrived on. If luck was truly on his side, by the time they realized he wasn’t departing on his own ship, they’d be long gone.

  Covering his bases. Yeah, that’s what this was. Exploring every sweet inch of her to be sure she wasn’t wearing any kind of tracking device that would complicate his plans.

  “You never struck me as the type that hard up for a woman, Hunt.” Her voice, steel-edged and sharp, hitched as he slid his hand up her inner thigh.

  “We all have our vices, slave.”

  He bit down as her legs clamped together, drawing his hand tighter against her. Against the warm curve of her sex, the most tempting part of her and one he’d already spent too much time thinking about. Time, he’d promised himself, he’d take full advantage of later. Like when he had her secured in his quarters—secured to his bed—and eagerly awaiting his touch.

  The sentinel could say anything she wanted, but her body didn’t lie. Not the eyes that wavered from chilling to hot or the fingers she’d used to hold onto him at the auction. The blunt tips of her nails had sunk into his shoulders, holding him as he’d curled his tongue around her nipple, drawing her deeper into his mouth. With every flick of his tongue, she’d melted against him. Had the crowd not watched every move he’d made, he wasn’t at all sure he would have stopped there.

  The feel of her in his mouth, her flesh tight and puckered, had driven him mindless with lust. The moment he’d released her, he’d caught the unmistakable glimpse of hunger in her eyes. The same that pounded through his system now. Fast and hot and settling at the base of his groin.

  He’d been too long without a woman, he decided. Why else could he think of nothing but freeing his aching length and, with the silk bunched at her waist, taking her right here, right now. He doubted anything else would take the edge off, an edge that made him stupidly jeopardize his next job for a shot at having her at his mercy.

  His jaw throbbed from the force of how much he wanted it. Wanted her. He should be too pissed off to crave her so badly after what she’d cost him. Somewhere in his twisted logic that only made her more appealing. Made him thirst for a longer, deeper taste of the woman who’d screwed him over, but whose fate now rested solely in his hands.

  Yeah, way too fucking long without a woman.

  He closed his eyes, banishing the teasing scent of her that coaxed him to give in, to find out if she was half as aroused as he was. Could he make her close her legs so tightly again, give him a reason to stroke deeper, to feel her bottom rock back against him?

  Not that he needed a reason. For now, she belonged to him. That didn’t mean he’d force himself on her. No, he wanted her begging for it, for him. The second they were locked away in his quarters…

  He released that thought before it made waiting impossible. Already his muscles were wrapped tight around his bones in anticipation. If he wasn’t careful, he’d get desperate. Desperate like he’d been when he’d let his guard down to kiss her weeks ago.

  And look where that landed you.

  He curbed the carnal thoughts churning in the back of his mind. Kaela didn’t make a sound as he worked his way up and down every inch he could reach. The bondskeeper would have scanned her to be certain there weren’t any biological tags tying her to a previous owner, but that might not have stopped her from masking a tracker as something else worn on her body, something that could confuse any sensor.

  Finally satisfied she wasn’t tagged, he turned her around.

  Annoyance flashed in her eyes. “Did that do it for you too?” she purred.

  If nothing else, Kaela would be more interesting to have along than an actual slave. She might also prove useful in more ways than one. Rather ironic that the woman who’d cost him his cargo might be his ticket to getting it back.

  “I need to make arrangements for supplies. Some I hadn’t counted on.” He surveyed her present wardrobe. “You won’t get the lock disengaged without my verbal command so kill the gear spinning the wheels in your head. Play nice and I might remove the restraints once we’ve disembarked.”

  “Disembarked?”

  “This way.” He threaded his fingers through hers and led her back out into the main corridor.

  It didn’t take long to place his order for supplies and leave instructions to have the goods delivered as soon as possible. One stop left and then he could get her aboard the passenger cruiser and relax. He eyed the tense blonde next to him, raked his gaze top to bottom for probably the dozenth time in the last ten minutes.

  Relax probably wasn’t the right word.

  Kaela slanted him a curious look when they stepped into an out-of-the-way fabric merchant’s shop. He’d pay more here, but the price would be worth avoiding the busier shops at the center of the merchant hub.

  A petite woman with spiky brown hair and a shrewd expression on her face approached them. The bright orange gown she wore, threaded through with neon green, made him question if this place was his best bet. He wanted Kaela to blend in as a slave, not bring any more attention to herself than necessary.

  Lorcan curved his arm around Kaela’s waist, squeezing to be sure she got the message. Be good. “I need my slave fitted for whatever suitable clothing you have already prepared in stock.”

  The merchant’s assessing gaze skimmed over Kaela. “You are her first prime, no?”

  He nodded and Kaela didn’t bother to hide her aversion to that fact.

  The woman ushered them into a dressing chamber at the rear of the shop. “She has much to learn.”

  “I’m not the only one,” Kaela muttered for his ears only.

  “A casual wardrobe or something for all occasions?” the woman inquired.

  “A little of everything. Enough for at least a week,” Lorcan answered, staying right on Kaela’s heels.

  Kaela waited until the woman slipped away to check her stock, and faced him. “We both know I won’t be around long enough to require a full week’s wardrobe.”

  He stripped off her cloak, tossing it across a small brocade bench that ran the length of one wall. “Threats like that won’t encourage me to remove the restraints anytime soon.”

  The merchant returned, taking notice of said restraints as she dragged the curtain across the chamber behind her.

  “Very much to learn,” Lorcan clarified.

  The woman nodded, obviously unsurprised a prime went to such lengths to keep track of his property. “Do you plan on removing them for the fitting?”

  “I wish,” Kaela grumbled.

  The merchant ignored her as Lorcan shook his head.

  “Very well.” She faced Kaela. “If you wouldn’t mind removing your…clothing.”

  The sentinel’s gaze snapped to Lorcan’s. “No.”

  He tugged her closer. “I didn’t realize you wanted my hands on you again so soon.”

  She recognized the sensually veiled threat for what it was and squared her shoulders. She boldly met his eyes as she reached back and untied the knot at her back herself. The silk fell to the floor, but Lorcan’s gaze never left her face. The bells at her waist chimed a moment later as they were unclasped and dropped to her feet. The merchant didn’t waste a second, quickly slipping a nearly transparent cream-colored fabric over Kaela’s head.

  The dressing garment fell open on both sides, clinging to every curve and leaving nothing to his imagination. An imagination growing more uninhibited by the second as he drank her in.

  He’d entertained more than one fantasy of the sentinel after rescuing her, damn impressed with how good she’d looked in utilitarian clothing at least two sizes too big
for her. Any woman who could make a man’s oversized shirt and pants look that enticing was bound to knock him on his ass with nothing but a lacy film dripping down her body.

  The merchant quickly took her measurements and left to place the order. Kaela reached for her cloak, presenting him with an incredible view of her ass. She kept her back to him as she stripped off the dressing gown and scooped up the scraps of silk, clutching them to her chest.

  “Am I to board your ship naked or can I trouble you to help?” With their wrists joined, she could undress easily enough but not retie the garments.

  “Say please.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes narrowing at the corners. “Or not.”

  He glanced down at the brand on her hip, smoothing his thumb across the center of the suns. “You know what this mark means.” He raised his head, not prepared for the fire shimmering in her eyes before she blinked it away. “I don’t need to ask you for anything. You belong to me. Whatever I want, I can take.”

  “But you won’t.” An air of arrogance lingered beneath her soft reply.

  “You sure about that? You think I steal for a living.” He took one stretch of silk from her and tied it about her waist, leaving his hands at her hips. The fragrance of her hair tormented him, and he pressed his face against the curve of her shoulder, breathing it in. No time for this, he reminded himself, but lingered another moment. Two. Three.

  “That doesn’t mean you’re completely without morals.” She brushed her hair out of the way for him to tie the top piece in place.

  He twined the ends around his fingers, pulling her hard against him. The warmth of her back burned right through his chest. “Right now, I can assure you my morals have nothing to do with it.” To prove it, he rubbed his arousal against her bottom.

  A tremor ran through her. He waited, counting off the seconds in his head, seconds that kept him from acting purely on instinct, which felt like the norm where she was concerned.

  She turned in his arms. “Don’t we need to go?”

  “Yeah.” Right after he put himself out of his misery and found out what her mouth felt like beneath his.

  Recognition flashed in her eyes the moment she understood what he intended, what she had to know when she’d turned around. He released the silk and cupped the nape of her neck.

  “Bad idea,” she warned softly.

  He leaned in, prepared for half a dozen things, not the least of which might be Kaela shoving him away or attempting some other move to make him back off. “No such thing as a bad idea. Just bad timing.” He started at the corner of her jaw, sliding his mouth over her skin.

  She closed her eyes. “And this isn’t?”

  “Probably.”

  The woman smelled incredible, felt even better. One tempting, five-foot-seven package he’d risked his next job for, and right now, with her breasts plumped against his chest, his next job wasn’t half as important as establishing a few ground rules. Like how fighting the attraction between them wouldn’t get her anywhere.

  She lifted her hand, curled her fingers around his wrist. “This changes nothing,” she said, sounding just a little dazed and damn near reading his mind.

  “It changes everything.”

  He slanted his mouth across hers, groaning when she parted her lips for him. His gut wrenched at the first hot taste of her and he tightened his hold, cursing the restraints that prevented him from wrapping both of his arms around her. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and pushed inside.

  Trouble.

  He was in it up to his eyeballs and didn’t care. Not when trouble tasted like Kaela. Sweet. Slick. Sinful. And for right now—his.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Now she knew what she’d missed out on when he’d nearly kissed her weeks ago. The teasing brush of his lips, the smooth stroke of his tongue, the way his hand anchored her to him, his hold tender and arrogantly possessive at the same time.

  The kiss started out drugging, bypassed feverish and landed square on devastating. Devastating to the shred of determination she needed in order to end this, and preferably before she got too caught up in it.

  Too caught up in him. The same man she’d had arrested and who bought her on the auction block just to get even.

  All of which might have been more important if she could get enough of his mouth. She expected a lot of things from Lorcan, but not for his kiss to lock her feet to the floor. A half-starved kiss that found its rhythm somewhere between her last breath and the whimper lodged in her throat.

  And she didn’t whimper. Ever. Not when she took an unexpected hit from the enemy or even in the arms of the few skilled lovers she’d invited into her bed. Curse and retaliate or return the sensual pleasure as the situation called for it, yes, but not whimper.

  His tongue slid faster between her lips, and he angled her head back, taking more, giving more. One slick rub triggered another and another, until she imagined his mouth everywhere. Skimming down her shoulder, trailing across her abdomen, moving higher to trap her hard nipples between his lips or lower to the inside of her thigh, a whisper from the damp folds of her sex.

  Insatiable.

  That was the only way to describe the sensation uncoiling deep in her belly. She twined one arm around his neck, promising herself she would pull back. One more minute to indulge in the ache burning her up inside, then she could figure out how best to use the merchant’s kit tucked under the bench to free herself.

  His shirt rasped across her sensitized skin and she couldn’t suck in a deep enough breath. The hand at her neck tightened before sliding down her back and around to her waist. He nipped at her bottom lip, tugging it between his as he slipped his hand between her thighs. The bold caress sounded a warning in the back of mind, quickly drowned out by her thundering heart.

  “We don’t have to do this the hard way,” he coaxed, his lips skimming her cheek.

  “The easy way means letting me go.”

  He opened his mouth at her throat, sucking gently. “Not a chance.”

  And then he was behind her, trapping her arm at the small of her back, his mouth exploring the curve of her neck. Without a doubt, he intended for the submissive position to remind her of their new relationship, however temporary it might be.

  A gesture she might have taken offense to if she thought the arrangement was anything more than an obstacle to be overcome like any other mission objective.

  He slowly rotated the heel of his hand against her sex, the silk barrier quickly growing damp. “Would it be so bad to give in?”

  Almost as bad as letting the clenching deep in her core shatter her focus. “This isn’t a game you can win.” Forget that the featherlight stroke of his fingers only made her crave more.

  “No?” The challenge in his voice made her shiver. “I’ve got a contract that says otherwise.”

  She closed her eyes as he traced the outline of her cleft through the wet fabric. One deliciously agonizing pass after another. She pushed up on her toes, seeking the pressure he denied her. “Minor setback,” she murmured.

  He moved backward, sinking down on the bench and taking her with him. “Only if your friends catch up with me.” He pushed her legs apart, draping them over his thighs, and molding his warm palm to the inside of her thigh.

  “When,” she corrected, biting her lip as he rocked his hips upward, the ridge of his arousal snug against her bottom.

  “Wishful thinking.” His teeth scored the curve where her neck met her shoulder. “And right now you don’t want that any more than I do.”

  If she could sound halfway convincing, she’d deny it outright. And she needed to deny it nearly as much as she hungered for the release sizzling along her nerve endings. He increased the friction, rubbing the silk back and forth along her seam until she lifted her hips. His thumb grazed her clit, and she moaned, the sound coming from somewhere deep inside when he circled the sensitive knot again.

  Why did it feel so damn good when everything about this was
all wrong?

  Him buying her, holding her in his lap, her legs parted to accommodate him while the ruthless brush of his fingers demanded she give in—as though doing so would give him every right to keep her.

  No part of her should find that remotely appealing, but the heavens help her…

  He withdrew his hand, and her lips parted in protest. “Can you deny what I do to you?” He jerked the silk to her waist and lacing his fingers through hers, pressed her hand against her sex. “You’re hot and wet and squirming in my lap, Kaela.”

  “You don’t miss a thing—” He dragged her fingers up her cleft, silencing her sarcastic retort.

  “So damn wet,” he growled, swirling their fingers around the slick knot between her folds. “Do you know how bad I want inside you?” The rough edge to his voice almost made her come apart right then.

  He knew it too and eased the rhythm, dipping down to run their fingers along her slick opening. “Tell me you won’t run.”

  She shuddered in his arms. “We’d both know I’d be lying,” she whispered, arching her back and rolling her hips. Release shimmered beneath the pleasure that coiled thick and fast inside her.

  His fingers tightened over hers, the teasing caress turning mercilessly slow and soft once more. She cursed under her breath, and he pulled her back until the thick bulge of his cock pushed against her ass.

  “That’s what you do to me, Sentinel,” he drawled. “You make me ache to be buried so deep inside you, you won’t be able to deny it.”

  She gripped his thigh, lifting her hips on instinct. “No.” She didn’t need to ask what he meant.

  He pumped two fingers into her sex, and she cried out. “You’re mine now.” He thumbed her clit a little harder. A little faster.

  Kaela shook her head, too lost to form a coherent reply.

  “Yes.”

  A brutal climax twisted through her, and she strained against him, fighting the surrender he demanded, fighting herself for wanting to give in. Fighting a losing battle when everything inside shattered.