by Lily Thomas
“Zoe!” he cried out, and he came into her mouth. She was surprised by the slightly sweet flavor of his desire, but she lapped it up as he pumped into her, his hips thrusting lightly.
Leaning back on her ankles, Zoe licked her lips and regarded Je’lak.
His head lay back against the pillows, and his arms lay limp across the bed. She had completely wrung him out. Zoe chided herself mentally. She shouldn’t have taken him all the way. Now she was left with an ache between her legs, her pussy still swollen and wet.
Je’lak moved languidly beneath her for a moment and then offered up a lazy grin. “Now it’s my turn,” he said.
Before she could blink, he had her on her back and with her legs spread wide for his pleasure. His cheekbones rubbed against the sensitive skin on the inside of her thighs, and she whimpered in anticipation. Granting her unspoken request, his hot tongue shot out and licked her pussy in one long stroke.
Her head fell back as her stomach clenched. “Oh my,” she gasped.
Je’lak continued his attentions, sucking her clit between his lips and licking it voraciously. Zoe moaned and writhed beneath him, almost overwhelmed by the sensation. Her hips bucked, and Je’lak rode with her, pressing her back down into the bed, capturing her flesh. Zoe rode the sensation between pleasure and pain as stars built behind her eyes.
“Je’lak,” she pleaded, caught on the precipice.
She whimpered when he pulled back slightly, nuzzling her inner thigh with a gentle caress of his cheek. “You taste just as delicious as I’ve been imagining. All day, Zoe, all day I’ve been thinking about this.”
Her breath hitched, and before she could blink, he was licking her clit again, raising her along that ledge.
“Come for me,” Je’lak growled, and he plunged his fingers into her, filling her slit and sending her flying off the cliff she’d been climbing.
Stars flew in front of her eyes, and she looked down into his sliver gaze as she came forcefully against his mouth. Her hips bucked of their own accord, and he followed her down, continuing to suck as she shuddered around him.
Je’lak growled in satisfaction as he heard Zoe start to come around his face. Instead of stopping, he continued to plunge his fingers in a fast, deep rhythm.
“Come for me, Zoe,” he demanded.
Zoe thrashed beneath him. “Je’lak, no…” she gasped. Her hips bucked involuntarily, and she tried to pull away from his grasp. “I already…” she moaned, as Je’lak tongued her clit hungrily. Zoe let out a whimper, and her body came again, this time harder.
Her pussy squirted, splashing against his tongue, and Je’lak growled in satisfaction as he lapped up every delicious drop.
Once Zoe had finished shuddering, Je’lak kissed his way up her stomach, her neck, and then landed a hot kiss against her swollen lips.
Zoe gazed up at him with a hazy look. “Oh, my,” she said again.
Je’lak grinned. “How was it?” he asked.
Zoe tried to move a hand, but it fell back to the bed, limp. “I’ve never…” she said. “I mean, I didn’t know it could be like that,” she finished breathlessly.
Je’lak grinned wider. “I was in a rush last time,” he said.
Zoe tried to swat him, but she only succeeded in brushing his chest with her hand. She left it there, covering his heart. Zoe moved her fingers slowly over his muscles. Her features turned thoughtful.
“I’ve healed a few Daen’su before,” she said. “At the hospital I worked at, before you kidnapped me, that is.” She gave him a pointed glance.
Je’lak looked away.
“None of you make good patients,” she continued. “You guys are always in a rush to get off the operation table, only to go off and try to kill yourselves again.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “We are raised in the black market. It’s our life and our blood. You want it, we bring it to you. For a fee, of course.”
Zoe frowned, and her fingers stilled. “Is money all that matters to you, then?” she asked quietly.
Je’lak cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the sudden change in mood.
“Of course not,” he responded gruffly. “But we risk our lives, and in return, we expect to get paid.”
Zoe pulled her hand away, and Je’lak resisted the urge to grab it back.
“I’ve never had a problem with the lifestyle of the Daen’su before,” she said, sitting up. “Then again, I never heard of the Daen’su kidnapping people.” Zoe gave him an accusing look.
Je’lak sat up and turned away, setting his feet on the floor. He ran a hand through his hair impatiently. “We needed a doctor,” he said stubbornly.
“You needed a doctor, so you just went out and picked one up. Did you ever think about how you were going to mess up someone else’s life?” Zoe asked, her voice rising. “No, you only thought about what you needed,” she finished.
A beep sounded from across the room, and Je’lak leapt out of bed gratefully. Peering at the console, he saw that one of his men had sent a message to his cabin to let him know they were approaching the outpost. Je’lak began to pull on his clothes.
“What’s done is done,” he said.
Zoe watched him silently. Within a matter of minutes, he had his clothing on and had sent a reply back up to the bridge to let them know he was on his way. He turned at the door, and the sight of Zoe twisted his heart.
All of the satisfaction she had shown immediately after their lovemaking was gone. Instead, she looked small and uncertain. “What happens when you don’t need a doctor anymore?” she asked softly.
Unable to reply, Je’lak left and closed the door behind him.
Je’lak found himself struggling to focus even after he got to the bridge. He was alarmed at how Zoe had affected his life so quickly. She was rocking him to the core. No other woman had ever had this kind of power to affect him.
“The outpost will be coming into sight soon.” Kynt interrupted Je’lak’s thoughts with an update on their approach.
“Hail them as soon as we are within reach, and let them know we will have need of their medical facilities.”
Je’lak stood up from his chair, then immediately sat back down. His first reaction had been to go down to the medical bay to tell Zoe in person, but he had an intercom system for a reason. There was no need for him to walk down there and give his men a chance to notice his unusual attentiveness.
He pushed a button on his chair arm instead.
“Zoe.”
“Yes?” Zoe’s voice sounded surprised, and a little annoyed. She must not have realized they had an intercom system on the ship.
“We will be at the Daen’su outpost soon. Get your patient ready to move off the ship.”
“Ok. She should be stable enough to move whenever you need,” Zoe replied curtly.
Je’lak tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. He knew the abruptness in her tone was in response to his quick exit and avoidance of her questions that morning, but he still didn’t like it. He frowned as something occurred to him. “And remember, Dr. Anderson, this is a Daen’su outpost. You will find no allies here, so don’t entertain the idea of attempting an escape.”
“Excuse me?” Je’lak could almost hear her bristle through the intercom. “If you’ll recall, I recommended this stop for the well-being of my patient.” Je’lak heard a brief rustle, and then Zoe’s voice came through louder.
“Can you see through this thing?” she asked.
Je’lak assumed she meant the intercom. “No…” he replied.
“Well, then, just so you know, I’m flipping you off.” Je’lak heard a metallic scrape. “Dr. Anderson, over and out.” Zoe’s transmission ended abruptly with a crackle of static.
Je’lak attempted to bring up the connection again, but the line remained sullenly dead.
Ji’hun coughed from his station. “I think she may have disconnected the comm, Je’lak.”
Kynt turned around in his seat. “Is that what she meant?” he
asked. “Flipping you off?”
Ji’hun snorted. He and Je’lak had been around humans just often enough to have figured out that little phrase. He began to explain to Kynt while Je’lak stewed silently in his chair.
Zoe looked up at the three Daen’su around her. Je’lak and his fellow shipmates stood with her at the ship’s cargo bay doors as they waited to exit onto a planet she didn’t know the name of, to an outpost populated entirely by Daen’su who wouldn’t care in the least that she had been kidnapped.
Still, Zoe promised herself to keep an eye out for any way to get out of this situation. An unattended comm unit to send a message back to Guit’re, a party that left her captors drunk enough to allow her to slip away and hide on the planet, anything.
Zoe couldn’t believe she had let herself briefly fall under the spell of good sex this morning. What did she think was going to happen after the Daen’su didn’t need her medical expertise anymore? Was she delusional enough to imagine that Je’lak liked her for more than their physical compatibility?
At least Zoe had shocked herself out of her post-coital bliss and back into reality. Je’lak didn’t care for her as anything beyond a temporarily entertaining partner in bed. She had to get focused and find a way to escape and help this other woman escape, too.
With a hiss, the door opened and fresh air came rushing in.
Zoe blinked.
She hadn’t expected the planet to be so…green.
The Daen’su had settled on a lush world, with trees and shrubs and vines everywhere there weren’t grey buildings.
Zoe glanced down at the woman lying on the transport table and squeezed her hand. Soon she would have her in a proper medical setting and be able to give her a complete scan. Zoe hoped there wasn’t any internal damage, although now that she was at a true medical facility, she would be able to operate on the woman if she needed to.
A few Daen’su approached the ship. One waved as he approached.
“Hello, Je’lak!” he called out.
The two men met in the middle and put a closed fist over their chests in greeting.
“How can we help, old friend?”
Je’lak gestured back to the two women. “If you can take Dr. Anderson to the medical facility with our passenger, it would be a great help.”
The Daen’su followed his gaze and didn’t seem surprised or concerned about the woman’s condition. Or the fact that Je’lak had a couple of human women on his ship. Then again, Zoe guessed that a society that was born and raised in the black market wouldn’t blink at an abduction… or two.
“We can do that. Frer, take them to the medical bay.” The Daen’su motioned to one of his men.
“If you’ll follow me.” Frer turned and didn’t even wait for her response.
Quickly, Zoe pushed the woman out of the ship and stepped onto the planet. Everywhere she glanced she saw only Daen’su milling about. Zoe’s heart sank. Now that she saw the outpost only had Daen’su living on it, she knew it would be impossible for two humans to hide here while awaiting rescue.
So for now, she would just bide her time and wait.
Within a couple minutes, they came up to a building, and Frer guided them inside.
Another Daen’su came up, his long silver hair wound up in a bun. “What can I help you with?”
“Give her any assistance she needs, but Je’lak doesn’t want her leaving the building.” Frer gave her a pointed glance.
Clearly, Je’lak had talked to these people before landing on the planet.
Zoe smothered a snort. She wasn’t about to leave her patient unless she could take the woman with her.
Once the woman was awake, that would be a different story, but until then she was stuck.
“Follow me, please.” The doctor guided her down a hallway and into an examination room.
“Can you help me get her onto the bed?” Zoe asked.
The Daen’su gave a nod, and together they lifted the woman onto the medical bed gently. Zoe double-checked that the woman’s stasis field remained intact before turning to the Daen’su doctor.
“I’m Dr. Anderson,” she said. “And you?” Zoe stuck out her hand.
“I am Dr. Hurn.” Those opaque silver eyes zeroed in on her hand. “What do you want?” Dr. Hurn pointed at her hand.
Zoe gave him her most charming smile. “It’s a handshake. It’s a human gesture that says hello and is used when meeting a new person or when a formal introduction is needed.” It wouldn’t hurt to try to make a professional ally out of one of these Daen’su.
Dr. Hurn stuck out his hand and let Zoe give it a firm shake.
“We use a closed fist against our chest for the same purpose,” Dr. Hurn informed her.
She smiled at him, closed her fist, and put it against her chest. “Nice to meet you. Do you have a medical scanner of some kind? I’m afraid she might have internal bleeding caused by the plasma burns.”
The Daen’su doctor turned to a shelf full of instruments and handed her a small device.
“This may be slightly different from what you’re used to, but all you need to do is run the device over her body, and it will project an image over here on this screen.” Dr. Hurn pointed to a screen nearby. “I have other things I need to tend to, but if you need any help, please just ask an orderly to find me.”
Zoe gave him a nod and a smile. “Thank you. I will do that, if needed.”
As the doctor left, Zoe ran the device over the woman’s body, and an image popped up on the screen. Zoe traced a finger over the image, frowning. It looked like one of the plasma burns had indeed caused some internal damage, but now that she knew where it was and had the proper equipment, it would be easily treatable.
Zoe went to the doorway and secured the attention of an orderly. It was time to prep her patient for surgery.
“How is she?” Je’lak greeted Zoe at the shuttle bay doors.
Zoe rubbed a kink in her neck as she walked inside. “She’s fine. Everything looks great. We just have to wait for her to wake up.” Zoe looked up, and Je’lak momentarily lost himself those confident hazel eyes. Noticing Dr. Hurn standing just outside the doorway, he turned to address him. “Thank you for your help.”
“I might have a task for you once you’re done with this mission of yours,” the doctor stated obscurely.
Je’lak placed his fist against his chest and bowed. “I’ll contact you as soon as I’m ready for another job.”
“Good.” Dr. Hurn left.
“What was that about?”
Je’lak looked down in surprise at Zoe’s curt tone.
“Just another job.”
Zoe watched Dr. Hurn trek back to the outpost, a small frown on her face.
“What could Dr. Hurn possibly need from you?” she asked. Taking the handles for the transport table, Zoe pushed her patient somewhat roughly into the shuttle bay.
“Let me do that for you.” Je’lak stepped forward and tried to take over the pushing.
“I’ve got it!” Zoe raised a hand to stop him. “I might be a woman, but I think I can manage, thank you.”
Je’lak backed off with his hands raised. “I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t handle it.”
“Good. Now answer my earlier question. What would Dr. Hurn possibly need you to do for him?”
“You’re a doctor. I’m sure you could imagine.” Was she judging his profession?
“Another abduction?” Zoe bit her lip.
Je’lak frowned. “No. He probably just wants me to transport some medicine. Daen’su don’t deal much in the trafficking of life forms.”
Zoe gave him a look. “Present company excluded, of course,” she threw in caustically.
Je’lak fidgeted. “You…are the exception,” he said.
Zoe wasn’t appeased. “Good. I mean,” Zoe tossed over her shoulder carelessly, “At least I know you don’t make a habit of kidnapping women and holding them hostage.” Zoe pushed the cart away quickly, not giving him time to reply.
>
Je’lak tilted his head. Had he picked up a hint of jealousy in her voice? He hadn’t noticed that during their conversation this morning. The good doctor didn’t like the thought of him abducting women, but maybe it had more to do with how she viewed their relationship than with his overall lifestyle.
Je’lak smiled to himself. He didn’t need to explain himself to her. Not yet at least. She was cute when she was steaming away.
Chapter 5
It had been a few days since they’d left the Daen’su outpost, and it was high time for Zoe to learn the identity of the woman down in their medical bay. She’d been put off for long enough.
“Who is she?” Zoe folded her arms across her chest and arched her eyebrow.
Kynt, Ji’hun, and Je’lak eyed her warily.
“You know everything you need to know.”
Zoe zeroed in on Je’lak. She’d stormed the bridge knowing he would probably be tight-lipped, but she wasn’t leaving until she got herself some more answers. Zoe refused to be ignored anymore.
“Je’lak…”
Without warning, the ship shook violently, and Zoe found herself tossed to the ground. Raising herself onto her hands, she looked around frantically.
Ji’hun looked up from his station. “We’re being fired at! Those appear to have been warning shots off the bough. There are two human ships pulling up on either side of us.”
“Are they hailing?” Je’lak rushed to Zoe’s side to lift her back on her feet before taking a seat in the captain’s chair.
Zoe sidled up beside Je’lak. Maybe she’d be saved by the human alliance. She glanced down at Je’lak and worried her lip between her teeth. She wanted to be saved, right? Who wouldn’t want to be saved from the best sex of her life? Zoe shook her head. Now really wasn’t the time to be thinking about dick.