Too Close to the Sun (The Sun 1)

by Popp, Robin T.

  She switched her attention to the man on her other side, but Nicoli hardly noticed. He couldn't think past the intense violet color of Kiera’s eyes peering up at him. A man could drown in that gaze.

  “What the hell?" she demanded. "Were you seriously considering going off with her?” She paused as a horrified expression spread over her face. "Oh...I'm sorry. I don’t know what got into me. What you do...” She gave a dismissive wave with her hand. "Your business--"

  "It's you I want."

  He closed the distance between them, giving her time to pull away, but she didn't. As soon as their lips touched, hunger ignited deep within him. She tasted of wine and the promise of all the things he craved. The world spun around him, leaving him off-balanced. The contact of their lips became his only anchor, his lifeline. If he let go, he’d drown in the whirlpool of desire engulfing him.

  The sudden clatter of dishes jerked his attention to where a couple, having just swept the table clean, now sprawled naked, a tangle of arms and legs. Nicoli looked around, taking in a scene that looked like the party lounge of Delta Sixty-Niner with couples sprawled all around the room.

  The warning bells rang louder in his head.

  "Don't go anywhere," he told Kiera, emphasizing the last word.

  Getting up from the table, he looked for Tomas, spotting him across the room - entangled with a woman, of course.

  Nicoli pushed away from the table and was about to walk off when he noticed an unattached man - possibly the only one in the room - showing a marked interest in Kiera. “On second thought," he growled, "maybe you should come with me.” Taking her hand, he helped her to her feet.

  "Tomas!" They caught up with the guide just as it seemed he was preparing to leave the room with his companion. “What’s going on around here? Why is everyone acting this way?”

  Tomas looked at him with glazed eyes that took a moment to focus. “It’s the next phase,” he said, as if that were explanation enough.

  “Next phase? What exactly does that mean?”

  “Procreation, of course. I thought you understood. How can our race flourish if we don’t procreate?”

  Realization dawned. “There’s something in the food.”

  "In the wine, actually." Tomas agreed. "Mostly, the women's wine. It's been spiked with pheromones to help the women - who've spent their entire lives as men - overcome their aversion to having sex with men. Our hope is that they can learn to enjoy it. The men get just enough of the pheromones to ensure they can provide the women with a climax sufficient enough to release the quantity of oxytocins needed to counteract the harmful effects of overdosing the women with pheromones.”

  Nicoli had never heard of this. "How harmful?"

  "The effects can be fatal," Tomas said, his tone sobering. Misinterpreting Nicoli's frown, Tomas patted Nicoli’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We have safeguards. If you are not able to give your partner the release she needs, then we have counselors who will step in and finish for you. In the state she’s in,” he pointed to Kiera, now shifting back and forth on her feet in obvious discomfort, “she won’t care who brings her to release.”

  Nicoli was furious, but whether it was solely because they'd been drugged or partly due to the prospect of another man touching or having sex with Kiera, he wasn't sure.

  “I don’t feel right,” she said softly, clutching his arm and leaning into him.

  He had only to look at her to know how uncomfortable she was.

  “Is there a place where we can go?” he asked Tomas.

  “Of course. You may use any of the chambers down that hall.” Tomas gestured with his head to the side, indicating the hallway to their right. "In the morning, a gong will sound to announce breakfast. Until you hear it, though, feel free to sleep in.” Giving them a wink, he hooked his arm around his companion and they walked away.

  Nicoli didn't wait to see where they went. Still holding Kiera’s hand, he led her from the banquet room and proceeded down the long hallway. He'd hoped that once night fell, he and Kiera would be able to sneak back to the ship. There was a chance it would take them back to the city where they'd find another way to the Icarus - hopefully, before Yanur and Michels followed his instructions and left the planet.

  He glanced down at Kiera wondering if she'd be okay until they reached the ship. Once there, Yanur was sure to have something in his medical bag that would undo the effects of the pheromones. All they had to do was find an open room and wait a bit. It shouldn't take long before everyone else was too preoccupied to notice them leaving the building.

  They'd reached the end of the hall when Kiera let out a groan. Her legs seemed to buckle and she would have fallen had Nicoli not scooped her up into his arms.

  Abandoning the idea of escape for the moment, he spotted a room with an open door and carried her inside, shutting the door behind them.

  It was a small room with a large bed dominating most of it. A sunken tub, large enough to hold two, sat in one corner and a stand containing goblets and bottles of wine - probably laced with pheromones - stood in the other. The wall opposite the door had a window, with the curtains pulled closed. Nicoli carried Keira to the bed and set her down.

  “How do you feel?” He almost laughed at the idiocy of his own question. It was obvious from watching the way she tossed her head and pressed her thighs together that she was in pain. His own discomfort nagged at him, making him edgy. Hers must be ten times worse.

  He couldn’t allow it to continue, not with her life in the balance. Chivalry and honor warred with circumstance and his growing discomfort. Unable to ignore her any longer, he strode over to her, telling himself that what he was about to do was for her benefit, not his. A service, nothing more.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he laid a hand gently on her arm. She cried out as if burned by his touch, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes.

  “It’s getting worse.”

  Overcome by a need to ease her pain - and if he were honest, his own growing discomfort - he stretched out alongside her, pulling her into his arms, her back to his front.

  "I'm going to make the pain go away," he promised her, whispering the words in her ear.

  She arched her back, pressing her butt against his swollen cock. He nearly moaned aloud at how good she felt. He wrapped an arm around her hips to hold her there, letting his fingers slide along the bend in her hip, downward to the juncture of her legs. He would have delved further had the fabric of her gown not been in his way.

  So he stroked her through the fabric instead.

  She shuddered beneath his touch, reaching back with her hand to cup his butt and holding him in place as she pressed closer still.

  The need to caress her bare skin had him pulling up her gown until he could slip his hand beneath the cloth and caress the warmth of her skin. She shivered at his touch, but didn’t pull away. He let his hand travel upward, until he reached the gentle swell of her breast. Cupping the lush mound with his hand, he rubbed his thumb across her nipple, teasing it into a tight pebble.

  A groan escaped from her throat as she pushed against his hand. Rolling her onto her back, he leaned over so he could capture her lips with his own, running his tongue along their seam, coaxing them open. When her lips finally opened, he rushed to take advantage, slipping his tongue inside to savor her taste and drink his fill of her.

  Suddenly, the layer of clothing between them was too much. Nicoli rid them of the unwanted garments, doing so with just enough presence of mind to not rip them in the process.

  Though he’d seen her naked before, he was not prepared for how the sight of her now would affect him. She was perfection. Even the scars on her body did not detract from her beauty.

  Absorbed in his thoughts, he was surprised when he felt her hesitant touch as she sifted her fingers through the mat of hair on his chest. When she began placing light kisses along his pectoral line, he held his breath. When he could take no more, he gently eased her back.

  "M
y turn," he told her, just before he pressed his lips to the base of her neck. She tasted warm and sweet. He flicked his tongue across skin and felt her shiver beneath him. It was all the encouragement he needed to trail warm kisses down the column of her throat until the path brought him to the tip of her breast. There, he sucked the taut nipple into his mouth and teased it with the tip of his tongue.

  Beneath him, Kiera arched her back, offering herself to him. Her skin was hot to the touch, reminding Nicoli that she was still in danger. He would need to bring her to release soon before the concentration of toxins built too high. He only hoped he had the strength and willpower to do what must be done without getting her pregnant.

  Running a hand along the length of her body, he felt that honor had never come at such a cost.

  Reaching the apex of her thighs, he slid his finger easily between the folds of her cleft. Finding her moist and ready, he used her natural dew to massage her opening until her sharp gasp told him he’d found her most sensitive place.

  Inserting his finger into her, he withdrew it slowly, stoking the fires of her passion. Over and over, until her nails bit into his back.

  When her release finally came upon her, he covered her mouth with his to swallow her cries. Then he gathered her close until her shudders subsided.

  The respite was short-lived and soon, Kiera was in need of further attention, which Nicoli provided. Each time he brought her to release, he resolutely ignored his own growing need.

  When she finally fell asleep and lay peacefully within the circle of his arms, he knew the level of oxytocin in her system was finally high enough to counteract the deadly effects of the pheromones.

  Nicoli made no effort to leave her side. He was glad he had not compromised her, but he was in serious pain. His state of sexual frustration was the worst he’d ever felt - meaning it was going to be a long, long night. There was little hope of his falling asleep but surprisingly, that didn't bother him. Holding her in his arms as he was, he found he was content to stay where he was.

  Chapter 11

  The dawn of the new day was heralded by a gentle light that slipped through the crack in the drawn curtains to shine in her face. For a moment, it was like she was back home, curled up in bed, safe and warm beneath the covers. Feeling lazy, she stretched - and discovered she wasn't alone in bed.

  She should have felt alarmed, but for some reason she wasn't. Curious who would be with her, she gazed at the sleeping man with nearly black hair in disarray about his head and two days of stubble darkening his chiseled jaw and cheeks.

  Nicoli.

  She recognized him instantly and felt herself blush.

  He'd saved her life last night. The images of exactly how he'd done it slowly played out in her mind: Nicoli, naked, his mouth and hands doing things she was too embarrassed to recall in any detail.

  Even those thoughts were overshadowed by a dawning realization.

  She remembered who she was.

  Angel Torrence.

  The relief and joy of having her memory back was quickly overshadowed by knowledge of how Nicoli would react when she told him. He would be livid to know that Michels, whom he’d been led to believe was a young man, was in fact the very female Angel, aka Kiera.

  Behind her, the warmth of Nicoli’s body pressed against her. He moaned softly and she worried he might be waking. Instead, he reached out with his arm, draping it over her, his hand coming to rest on her breast. She dared not move, or even breathe because if he woke, then she'd have to face what they'd done the night before - and she wasn't ready for that. Somehow, “Hi, I’m Michels. I didn't go back to the ship. Sorry about that, but thanks for last night; the sex was great,” didn’t seem to adequately cover the situation.

  “Kiera, I know you’re awake. Everything all right?”

  The concern in his voice pulled at her heart. When he found out the truth, it was bound to change things between them. She was too much a realist to expect it to be for the better.

  “Kiera?”

  “Angel,” she corrected him, opting for a partial truth. “That’s my name.” Her voice broke and she took a deep breath, ignoring how the movement rubbed their bodies closer together. “My memory's back.”

  She felt the marginal stiffening of his body.

  “Good. That’s good.”

  From his tone, she knew he was bracing for what could very well be a difficult and embarrassing conversation.

  “Thank you,” she began, wanting to choose her words carefully, "for saving my life. I know it was an unexpected...complication."

  When he didn't say anything, she grew more aware of their bodies pressed so close together and her embarrassment grew.

  “I need to get up.” Her voice sounded a little desperate.

  Before she could figure out how to retrieve her clothes without parading naked across the room, Nicoli threw back the covers and got out of the bed, taking his beautiful body and the warmth it provided, with him. She quickly averted her eyes, but not before getting visual verification that her memory of him had not been exaggerated.

  "Here." He scooped their clothes off the floor and tossed her the gown. “As soon as you're dressed, we'll see if we can get out of here.”

  She pulled the gown over her head while he was busy pulling on his clothes.

  “About last night,” she said, scrambling out of bed. “I'm sorry if I didn't do...that is to say, I'm sorry if you found it..." She blew out a breath, not sure what the right word was for what she wanted to say. "Burdensome. It's just, I haven't had a lot of experience with...that sort of stuff.”

  "I know."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded, embarrassment turning to anger.

  "Nothing. It's just, I could tell from the way you responded that you...” It was his turn to falter for words. "You responded like you haven't been with many men."

  I haven't, she thought, but didn't say it out loud. Her lack of experience wasn't because of some archaic need to remain a virgin until she found "the one." Her life - her freedom - depended on staying one or two steps ahead of the men chasing her and that meant not staying in any one place long enough to form attachments. Earth had been her one exception.

  "Look, you shouldn't be embarrassed by how you felt or reacted last night," Nicoli said, misinterpreting her silence. "It was the drugs they put into the wine. It wasn’t real. It didn’t mean anything.”

  “Oh.” It didn’t mean anything. She knew he was right, but the words cut through her.

  “Time to go,” he announced, ending further conversation by walking to the door.

  He bent his head close, listening for sounds on the other side. Apparently not hearing any, he opened the door. Just a crack at first, and then all the way. When Angel followed Nicoli out of the room, she saw that the hallway was empty. With luck, everyone was still sleeping off the effects of the drugs.

  Together they walked down the hall and into the main banquet room. The dishes had been cleared from the table and the room sat dark and empty. They crossed the room quickly to the exit and went outside.

  There were a few people walking around the square, but no one even looked up when they stepped out of the main building. When Nicoli took her hand in his, she didn't try to pull free.

  "As far as they know, we're two lovers out for a leisurely stroll," he told her as they headed off in the direction of the landing field. “With luck, we'll find a shuttle to take us back to the city.”

  “Then what?”

  “One thing at a time.”

  They made their way to the landing field, but when they got there, they found the gates locked.

  “How are we going to get in?” Angel asked, studying the height of the fence. It was too tall to jump and she wondered if they might be able to climb it.

  Nicoli followed her gaze. “Let me try something first.” Raising his arm, he pressed the identification bracelet around his wrist against the scanner at the gate. They soon heard the satisfying click of the gates
unlocking.

  On the other side of the fence they found three shuttles waiting. Walking up to the first, they found the hatch already open, so they stepped inside.

  Angel wanted to take the pilot’s seat, preferring her flying abilities to Nicoli’s, but she wasn't ready to admit to him that she knew how to fly. While she silently debated with herself on what to do, Nicoli sat down and took the controls. Reluctantly, she took the co-pilot’s chair and helped scan the console.

  “I can’t tell if it’s another autopilot or not,” he said.

  “Even if it is, any place is better than here, right?” Looking out the window, she saw someone in the distance running toward them. “Company coming. And from the way he’s waving and shouting, I’d say he doesn’t want us to leave.”

  “Too bad.” He found the switch that shut and locked the hatch door. "Damn it."

  “Problems?”

  “The battery’s cold. It’ll take a while to warm up before the thrusters kick in."

  "Stop!" The man shouted, coming up to the shuttle. He pounded on the hatch door. "You're not supposed to leave."

  “If he gets the hatch open before we start moving, we won’t be going anywhere,” Nicoli muttered.

  Angel’s thoughts raced. “We could cold-start the forward thrusters,” she suggested.

  He looked at her as if she’d sprouted a second head.

  “I’ve done it before,” she continued quickly, “but it requires by-passing the computer’s ignition sequence.”

  He smiled. “I think I can help there. You won’t have long before the system detects an error in the program and shuts down.”

  She nodded her understanding. “I'll work fast.”

  Nicoli’s fingers flew over the keyboard as he entered commands into the computer. Angel, in the meantime, unscrewed a panel on the ship’s console, exposing several wires and microchips. Fortunately, though the cultures on the planets throughout the universe varied, the technology was fairly standard and she had yet to encounter a ship she couldn't figure out. Studying the chips inserted into the computer board, she was glad to see this one was no different.