Mandrake Company- The Complete Series

by Ruby Lionsdrake

  “Those trousers seem to be troubling you,” he whispered, kissing her throat now, his beard scraping sensuously against her skin, his sucking kisses making her whole body feel alive.

  “I’m…” A little embarrassed to have been caught, she didn’t know what to say. Something pressed against the seam, and she gasped.

  “Wet,” he whispered with a chuckle, kissing her collarbone now. “All the way through.” He sounded pleased, and her embarrassment faded.

  “It’s your fault,” she dared say.

  “Good,” he growled, giving her throat a little nip. He started rubbing her through her trousers, his thumb stroking her, tracing the line of her heat, and she groaned softly. His mouth followed the same path her tongue had followed on him, down the swell of her breast to an erect nipple. “Tell me if there’s something you want. I want to make sure you don’t run off to find a masseur later.”

  She might have laughed, but while he spoke, his thumb kept rubbing against her, and she could barely find her breath. His mouth was doing wonderful things to her breast, too, alternately licking around her and sucking at her nipple. He cupped her other breast with his hand, the callouses stirring exquisite sensations as they stroked her sensitive skin.

  Jamie inhaled his masculinity, her breaths quick, fueled by the pleasure coming from all directions. She pushed against his hand, squirming against him now. She lowered her thumbs to her waistband, wanting her trousers off. Sergei found the fastener first, peeling them and her panties down. She lifted her hips to hurry the clothing along its way. Cool air whispered against her hot depths. He tossed the garments to the floor—she didn’t remember taking off her shoes and grinned again at his stealth techniques—then slid his hands up the backs of her thighs, his strong hands finding untried flesh to stroke and rouse.

  Though a distant part of her mind was pointing out that this was a strange and vulnerable position and that she should be shy and cover herself, her body disobeyed. She spread herself, wanting… she wasn’t even sure what, since he wouldn’t be ready for sex yet. But she didn’t feel vulnerable with Sergei.

  The short hair of his beard rubbed the inside of her thigh, and she looked down, finding his burning eyes upon her blonde mound of curls. She couldn’t imagine a woman’s nether regions being attractive, but he smiled up at her, his handsome face more pleased than she had ever seen it, as if this were the fulfillment of some dream. He cupped her bare butt, raising her toward him, then nuzzled her softly, first rubbing his nose and chin against her, then slipping his tongue out.

  She stiffened with a surge of desire at that first touch and thrust up toward him, surprising herself with her audacity. She had probably surprised him too. But he chuckled softly and slid his tongue between her lips. He brushed her swollen nub, then sucked at it softly. Jamie gasped, shocked by the bursts of pleasure that shot through her. She had rubbed herself down there before, but it had never felt so intense, so stimulating. She closed her eyes, her legs shivering as she pushed off the bed toward him. The hair of his beard scraping against her sensitive thighs had her trembling almost as much as the agile maneuvering of his tongue. He murmured, or maybe he was humming, the vibrations from his lips filling her with ecstasy. She panted, no longer able to talk, to think. She could only whisper his name, begging him to take that next step, to carry her over the edge.

  Something besides his tongue touched her. His finger? His thumb? Even as he suckled her, sending waves of pleasure and urgency through her, he slipped a finger into her core, rubbing her from the inside. Her ache intensified, the need so great, she could barely stand it. She clutched the blanket beneath her and pushed up toward him, half her body off the bed. Then he hooked his finger, pressing it against her inner wall, and her heated body responded in an instant, an explosion of sensation rocketing through her, a cry escaping her lips though she was barely aware of it. She felt like she was floating in some heaven outside of the cabin, outside of the ship, even though she was aware of herself collapsing onto the bed, her body still throbbing against Sergei’s hand.

  He eased out of her and lay beside her, sliding a hand up her waist and pausing to lick beads of sweat off her trembling stomach before bringing his face beside her, his eyes gentle as he watched her.

  “That was…” Jamie swallowed, trying to catch her breath.

  His eyebrows rose as he stroked her waist. “Yes?”

  A few moments passed before she found her breath, before she could answer. Then she grinned mischievously at him. “No way could that Spartak do that.”

  Sergei snorted. “I’m not sure whether to feel grateful for that compliment or offended that you remember his name.”

  “I have a good memory. I could also tell you the model number of that robot’s chip.” She lifted a hand to brush the side of his face and slip her fingers around the back of his head, wanting to kiss him more.

  “Impressive, but neither topic needs to be brought up in bed.”

  “My apologies. I’m new to sleeping with men. You’ll have to educate me on propriety.” She smiled and pulled his head toward hers.

  He kissed her, but pulled back long enough to say, “I only have one rule. The names of all the masseurs you know must be banished from your memory.”

  “I’ll try to obey it.”

  “Good.” He returned to kissing her. This time, his lips lingered, and several long delicious moments passed. Jamie could have gone on kissing all night, but the soft strokes of his tongue grew more intense again. His penis hardened against her hip. A new shiver of excitement traveled through her at the idea of more than his finger slipping into her. It would hurt, this time. That was what all of the books said. The deflowering, as they so poetically—and idiotically—called it. But then, it would be good again. More than good. She wanted nothing more than to have the experience he had just given her again. She could see why Ankari and the captain were always disappearing into closets—and shuttles—barely able to keep their hands off each other. She returned the intensity of Sergei’s kiss, thrusting her own tongue into his mouth, hungry for him all over.

  He drew back, his breathing heavy again. “I need you.”

  “I know.”

  She ran her hand down his side to his waist, then through his curls, smiling when she found his thick hard shaft ready again. He groaned, and his own hands returned to roaming across her body. She was still wet and thought she could have invited him into her right then, but his head lowered to her breast, and he took her nipple in his mouth again. Her core throbbed in response, and her own breath quickened.

  “What would you have done at the spa if we had been in that room alone?” she whispered.

  “Taken you to one of those sofas,” he whispered, his tongue worshipping her breast as his fingers trailed south again. “And then to the massage table. Then to the pool. Maybe up against the wall.”

  “All of that?”

  “Yes. When I picked you up… and you wrapped your legs around me… I could barely keep from… tearing off our silly suits and thrusting into you.” He continued to pleasure her breasts as he murmured his response, but his words made her ache for him almost as much as his tongue’s treatment.

  “I wanted you too. You felt so good against me.” She slid her hand along his length, inviting him to bring it closer. “Hard,” she whispered, feeling mischievous. “Big.”

  He lifted his lips from her glistening nipples, his eyes intense as he gazed at her, his hand massaging her inner thigh. That humor returned to his eyes again, along with an equally mischievous glint as he said, “You made it that way.”

  “Team effort, eh?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He came up, face to face with her again, kissing her, and his fingers drifted upward from her thigh to her lips. When he rubbed his thumb against her, she forgot her jokes, lost the capacity to think them up. That animal craving took over her mind, and she greedily hoped that he would give her that intense pleasure all over again.

  He parted
her once more, finding her throbbing center of desire. She was ready and wanted to tell him so, but his kisses were keeping her mouth too busy for words. His thumb rasped against her, and she pushed against his hand, on the verge of flinging her legs around him. She wanted him in her so badly she couldn’t think of anything else.

  She was squirming and panting when he finally broke the kiss to whisper, “Are you ready?”

  All she could do was nod vigorously. His fingers kept stroking her, pulling her toward that delicious edge. If he didn’t enter her soon, she would take her own fingers down there and look for that spot she had never known about before tonight.

  But he shifted his weight atop her, his swollen penis touching her lips now. It was much larger than his finger, but she trusted him not to hurt her. He had been her protector since she met him, before she had even realized he felt that loyalty to her, before she had any idea how badly he wanted her. His need burned in his eyes now even as his shaft pressed against her lips, asking for permission to enter.

  She gripped his shoulders and spread her legs, pressing upward with her hips, nudging him into her.

  His muscles tensed beneath her grip, and with his eyes devouring her, he looked like he wanted to bury himself in her with one great thrust, but he paused and whispered, “It’ll hurt at first. Do you want it quick or slow?”

  “Quick,” she said before she had time to think about it.

  He hesitated, sweat dripping from his hair and into her eyes, then nodded once. He plunged into her like a coiled snake striking. Even though Jamie had expected it, the tear of flesh and surge of pain startled her, and she gasped, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

  Still in her, his swollen penis filling her to the brim, Sergei leaned close, his fingers brushing the side of her face. “Are you all right?”

  Jamie nodded, the pain and shock already subsiding. He kissed a tear at the corner of her eye, and she blushed, embarrassed by her response. But then, he shifted within her, stirring that pleasure back to life, and her embarrassment faded, replaced again by desire. He kissed her other eye, then found her mouth, his lips salty with her tears. His length rubbed inside her, easing out so far that she thought he meant to leave. She whimpered a protest and grabbed his ass, wanting to keep him close, wanting to alleviate the throbbing that had returned to her body, wanting to feel that exquisite sensation from before.

  He smiled against her lips and pushed back into her. “You feel so good,” he whispered.

  Sensations flooded Jamie as he pumped in and out, picking up speed, and at first, all she could manage to do was to kiss him back. But she soon found herself pushing into him every time he thrust into her, wanting him deeper, wanting him to fill her, to tip her over that edge. Every time they came together, she came closer to finding that explosion of pleasure that he had given her before. His lips left hers, and he buried his face in her throat, kissing it and grazing her with his teeth, his hot breaths whispering across her damp flesh. She sensed his need in the power of his thrusts, in the way his breathing grew short and rapid. Or maybe that was her own breathing. She dug her fingers into his ass and matched his every stroke, harder, faster, needing all of him in her. He nipped at her earlobe at the same time as he thrust into her, and she cried out, her passion exploding in a crescendo.

  He came a moment later, his body shuddering with release, his essence flowing into her. It was a strange sensation, but one she decided she liked. She smiled against his throat, wrapping her arms around him and encouraging him to collapse on her, pleased to know he was spent.

  He lay atop her and nuzzled her neck, then kissed her ear again, gently this time, as if to apologize for the bite. As if that bite hadn’t been delicious.

  “You are all I dreamt of,” he whispered, “and more.”

  The adoration in his words brought moisture to her eyes all over again. She rubbed her face against the sinews in his neck and kissed him. “I dreamed of you too,” she confessed.

  “Did you?” He didn’t sound like he quite believed her. He brushed his lips along her jaw and to her lips, smiling as if to tell her it was okay if she hadn’t.

  “After the spa. After licking your stomach.” She kissed him and met his eyes, hoping he knew she was telling the truth, that she thought he was amazing. “I woke up one night and rubbed myself with my hand while I thought of you.”

  “Huh.” He looked a little pleased with himself, and she was glad she had told him.

  He shifted his weight to the side, pulling out of her, but staying close. He laid his arm across her belly and kissed her shoulder. “I’d like to watch that sometime.”

  She blushed at the idea, but nodded shyly. It seemed fair. She had watched him.

  She snuggled into his arms, drowsy after the long day and—she smiled lazily—the long night, but she was enjoying the moment, the feel of Sergei against her back, and she was reluctant to let herself nod off.

  Sergei stirred after a time, not sleeping yet, either.

  “Jamie?” he murmured, nuzzling her neck.

  “Yes?”

  “We can wait for the morning to talk about it if you want, but I need to know soon if you still want to go down to Laframboise’s cloud city with me.”

  “Of course I do.” She kissed his arm. “Don’t you need me for the job application plan?”

  “With the whole company here now, Mandrake pointed out that we have more resources available to us. He also pointed out that you’re… not trained in combat the way the regular crew is and offered to send an engineer down for the robot-job ploy.”

  “Oh. Is there a female engineer on the ship?” She couldn’t think of one, but she was still learning names.

  “Er, I don’t think so. Does that matter?”

  “I asked Ankari to have her friend, Fumio, make fake identities for us, so we would appear to be from one of the cities. The job description said locals preferred, remember? I’ll have to talk to Ankari, but she said we should have them by… er, now, I guess. One for a woman and one for a man. We’ll need to dress in costumes, of course, but things get a little iffy when you’re trying to pass yourself off as the opposite sex. Especially for a big, brawny mercenary. Even Commander Borage is over six feet and has the shoulders of an ox.”

  “Ah, hm. Looks like I might have to take you.”

  “Disappointed?”

  “Not at all.” Sergei kissed her neck, then rested his head on the pillow beside hers. “I doubt Commander Borage is a good snuggler.”

  “He might be a decent masseur.” Jamie grinned over her shoulder at him. “Working with tools all the time, twisting and turning things… He probably has strong hands.”

  “I had no idea you were so enamored by massages.” Or a sixty-year-old engineer, his narrowed eyes said.

  “I’ve recently become so.”

  “If you mention Fergusson’s thug from the spa again, I’m going to bite you.”

  Her grin widened. “Promise?”

  For a moment, he looked like he would say something witty—or wicked—in response, but a fearsome yawn interrupted him. “Hm, perhaps not. Not right now, anyway. I will promise to give you a massage when we finish our mission. I also have strong hands.”

  “I’ll look forward to that then.”

  “Good.”

  14

  When Sergei strolled into the mess hall with Jamie late the next morning, he had to bite his lip to keep from grinning like a love-struck fool. Even if he was one. The night before had been wonderful, and the morning’s shower ensured he would be in a brilliant mood all day, even if those cubicles were so tight that he had been in danger of having a soap shelf rammed up his butt the whole time. The awkwardness had been worth it, oh, yes. Maybe he would find a nice spa with warm pools and ample showers to take Jamie to for her massage, a very chaste no-orgies-allowed spa.

  Fortunately, there were only a handful of people at the tables, so it probably didn’t matter if a goofy smirk or two slipped out. Nobody was paying att
ention to him, anyway. Most of the diners were pretending not to notice the heated voices of Mandrake and Ankari. She was sitting at a table, finishing breakfast, while he leaned against the porthole beside her, gesturing and snapping out a few monosyllabic words in response to whatever she was saying—her tone was quieter and sounded more reasonable. Placating, almost.

  “That’s weird.” Jamie waved toward the arguing couple. “They weren’t doing that last night.”

  Sergei had no trouble guessing at what they had been doing after Mandrake’s near misses with the bounty hunters. Seeing Jamie hurt had definitely incensed Sergei and made him want to share his feelings with her all the more, not to hold anything back. He hadn’t meant to spurt out his love for her, but he was delighted that his brash impulsiveness had somehow turned out in his favor.

  Belatedly, he wondered at Jamie’s comment. She was already heading over for coffee and breakfast-themed meat logs, so he couldn’t ask, but maybe running into those two last night had prompted her interest in seeking him out. Well, he wouldn’t object. He would happily embrace whatever had brought her to his door. And to his bed.

  Mandrake looked in his direction, and Sergei realized he was grinning again. He tamped it down. Nobody would take a grinning assassin seriously.

  “Why don’t we sit over there?” Jamie had returned with two logs and two cups of coffee, his black and hers with cream—it delighted him to see that she had remembered how he liked his—and she nodded toward a table on the opposite side of the mess hall.