by Nina Croft
Zak stared down at the unconscious woman as though he didn’t know what to do with her. “What? Who…?”
“Look after her, clean her up, give her some food.”
“Anything else?”
“Do not have sex with her. I don’t care if she is unconscious—if you even think about having sex with her, I’ll chop off those blue balls of yours and hang them from the dashboard.”
“Hey, I’m not a complete monster.”
“Hmm.”
Zak’s gaze shifted from Kill to me, and his eyes narrowed. “And what will you be doing while I’m playing nursemaid?”
“I’ll be looking after Ruby.”
Zak licked his lips. Oh my God, he had a forked tongue, a blue forked tongue. I did my best to ignore the little pulse between my legs. “I could help,” Zak said. “Honestly, if she signed up for some alien dick, she’s going to be hugely disappointed if she just gets you.”
Kill glanced at me, a calculating expression in his eyes. “Let her settle in, and then we’ll see.”
See what? But he was already walking away. I gave one quick glance at Zak, who winked at me, and hurried after Killian.
“Just ignore him,” Killian said. “He only wants to get into your pants.” He cast me a sideways glance. “If you had any pants.”
“What did he mean about me signing up?”
“Zak has this theory that Earth girls sign up for the sex slave thing because you’re all kinky as hell and want some alien dick.” His eyes crinkled. “Wishful thinking on Zak’s part. No one would want to be a slave. Believe me, I know.”
What did he mean by that? Before I could ask, he came to a halt by a hole in the ground with a metal staircase leading down. He nodded at the staircase. “My quarters. I’d offer you your own place, but the Helldiver is small.”
A wave of weakness washed over me as I gripped the rail and stepped down. At the bottom, I swayed. It seemed everything was catching up with me. I’d been functioning on adrenaline, and that had just run out. I put out a hand but came up against nothing; everything was spinning, going black. I was about to crumple to the floor when strong arms came about me.
“Ruby?”
I stiffened my legs. “I’m okay.” But even my voice wobbled.
He turned me in his arms, and I raised my head, though it was an effort. “What is it?”
What is it?
Are you crazy?
I’d been abducted by aliens, starved, and I stank. I wanted to go home. I hadn’t thought about home in all my time in that smelly cell. Now I longed for my tiny apartment. And my bed and my shower.
I sniffed and blinked.
Oh no. I could recognize the signs. Full-on breakdown approaching. I needed to get out of there and go somewhere on my own, because I did not want this man to see me crash. I had no idea how I was going to set things straight. But I didn’t think crying would help.
I swallowed, forced some strength back into my legs, and straightened. “I need the bathroom.”
Was that relief flashing across his face? I didn’t think my space pirate rescuer was comfortable with weeping women. Maybe crying would help after all. He nodded off to the left. His hands were still holding my arms, and I had to force myself to step away.
“You need food?”
My stomach rumbled, but there was something I needed more. “Can I have a shower first?”
He sniffed. “Good idea.”
I tried to be offended but couldn’t quite make it. I stank.
I tottered over to the gap in the curved wall. It led into a smaller room, which was vaguely recognizable as a bathroom. I sat on what I presumed was a toilet, though I didn’t need to go. I just needed to sit down.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but I couldn’t seem to make myself move.
“Ruby?” His voice sounded slightly panicked, and I shook myself. Standing up, I examined the room and identified what had to be the shower. I looked down at myself, my new coat trailing on the floor. I shrugged out of it, leaving me in just the collar.
How do I get it off?
It felt like a huge weight, the chain attached to it dragging me down. I needed it off, right now, but I couldn’t find any way to unfasten it. Panic swelled up inside me.
…
Killian
It was very quiet in there.
“Ruby?” Nothing. I called again.
“I can’t get it off.”
What was she talking about? I’d been going to give her some alone time. She’d looked as if she might be about to faint or have hysterics, neither of which I felt qualified to cope with. But her voice sounded panicked.
I hurried to her. She’d taken off my coat and was standing naked in the middle of the room, tugging at the collar around her neck. For several long seconds, I just stared. Even stinky and dirty, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I managed to raise my gaze to her face. She had her fingers in the collar, and she was pulling at it, obviously desperate to get the thing off.
“Hey,” I said, trying to make my voice soothing. “What is it? Does it hurt?”
Her huge blue eyes were awash with tears. “I can’t get it off. I need to get it off, and it won’t open. Please help me.” She ended on a sob.
For a moment, my feet refused to move. Hell, what did I know about weeping women? Nothing.
Another sob. I had to do something. I took a deep breath and stepped closer, so close the stink of sweat and worse things filled my nostrils. Slowly reaching out a hand, I wrapped my fingers around hers and tugged them away from the collar. “It needs special tools, Ruby. I’ll get it off for you later.” But I could do one thing. I picked up the chain, unhooked it from the collar, and dropped it to the floor. “Better?”
She nodded slowly. “Thank you.” Swallowing, she glanced around the room. “I need a shower, but I don’t know how anything works. And I smell and…”
Rescuing damsels in distress was clearly harder than I’d anticipated. Wasn’t she supposed to be happy?
Tears streaked her face, making lines through the grime, and she rubbed a hand over her nose. “I smell.” It was almost a wail. I didn’t tell her I’d smelled worse. Hell, I’d fucked things that smelled worse. Where I’d grown up, cleanliness wasn’t a virtue or an option, and sex had often been available. If you weren’t too fussy. The girls who evaded the brothels were usually not the prettiest.
“We’ll soon have you clean.”
“But I don’t know how it works.”
“I’ll show you.” I stiffened my backbone. I just had to man up and do what had to be done. But I wasn’t getting my weapons wet. I unbuckled the holster at my waist and tossed it into the sleeping room. For that matter, I didn’t want to get my clothes wet, either. At the same time, I didn’t want to freak her out.
Then again, this was no time to be shy. I tugged my T-shirt off and felt her attention shift from the shower to me. But I didn’t look at her. Maybe I didn’t want to see the expression on her face. I was a mess. The cyber-arm was the best of it; the whole of my left side was a web of scars. But then, I’d spent four years as a helldiver, one of those crazy, usually short-lived assholes who spent their lives diving headfirst into the asteroid mines on Groth, hunting for anything that might be worth digging out. And being a helldiver didn’t come without accidents. But at least I was alive. I had no doubt I wouldn’t have been if I’d stayed.
And I’d seen the way she looked at Zak earlier. I wanted her to look at me like that.
I sat on the toilet and pulled off my boots, throwing them after the rest of my stuff. Then I picked up my coat and tossed that out of the room, too. I stood up, and my hand went to the fastener at my waist.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Finally, I looked at her; a small frown formed a line between her eyes.
I waved a hand at our surroundings. “It’s a wet room, and I don’t want to get my stuff wet.”
“Oh.”
When she said n
o more, I continued undressing. I was already semi-hard but decided the best idea was to ignore it. And when I looked again, she was clearly doing the same, her focus fiercely on the wall opposite.
I leaned past her to set the temperature controls to warm, and she jumped. But she didn’t move as the warm spray poured down on us. I didn’t have anything in the way of girly stuff, but I poured a handful of soap from the dispenser and stood for a moment. Should I give it to her or just wash her? She wasn’t moving. Was she in shock? In the end, I stepped around her so I stood at her back. I studied her for a moment, trying to ignore the fact that the swell of her ass was delectable. I’d turned semi-hard to rock-hard in seconds. But at least I was behind her.
It occurred to me, for a fleeting second, that, maybe, whoever had paid us to get her back might expect her in the same intact condition. But the thought was gone before it could take hold.
I decided to start from the top. “This is a first for me,” I murmured. “I’m not used to playing the lady’s maid, so tell me if I do anything wrong.”
I pushed her a little out of the spray and then massaged the soap into her wet hair. Some of the tenseness left her shoulders. I think she liked it.
I got more soap, washed her neck and shoulders. Then I slid my hands around her and cupped her breasts, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. Her nipples were hard little points, and I made sure they were very clean. Then down the curve of her waist, over the swell of her ass, and then finally around over her flat belly and lower. My dick was so hard now, it was likely to implode. As my wandering hands slid down through the soft curls at the base of her belly, her legs clamped shut.
“Don’t you want to be clean, sweetheart?”
“Uh-huh.” She shuffled her feet, opening her stance, and my fingers glided lower. For a second, I cupped her sex, and then one hand moved between her thighs, my soapy fingers slipping easily between the folds of her sex, to find her hot and wet. She was completely still but let out a little squeak as I grazed her clit with my fingertip—hey, it needed cleaning as well.
I was tempted to stick around, make her come, relax her. But there were still bits to clean, so I gave her clit one last flick and withdrew. Just her legs and feet now—she lifted them up one at a time, and afterward I nudged her back under the spray to rinse the soap away.
As her eyes closed, I grabbed a quick fistful of soap and washed my cock—just so I’d be ready for anything, then my armpits, and ran my hands through my hair. Then I stood beside her and let the water rinse me clean. I leaned across her and switched the water to warm air, and we were both dry in minutes, her blond hair curling around her face. She seemed almost in a trance, and when she didn’t move, I poked her in the side. Her eyes widened, and her arms wrapped around herself defensively.
“Hey,” I murmured. “You’re safe now.” I was crap at this comforting thing. What the hell was I supposed to do? I knew what I wanted to do. My dick absolutely knew what it wanted to do.
Was I taking advantage? Probably. But if I’d learned anything in this life, it was if an opportunity presented itself, you had to take it, because in all likelihood, tomorrow everything would turn to shit.
Translate that as: if fate threw you a naked blonde with big, beautiful tits and a hot, wet pussy, well, you’d be an idiot not to fuck her.
It was that thought that had my arms wrapping around her and pulling her against me. She didn’t fight, just allowed herself to be moved. I lifted her in my arms; she was small and soft, and she smelled sweet. And she snuggled against me as I carried her out into my sleeping quarters. As I sank down on the cot, a low rumbling filled the room.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
I was guessing food hadn’t been plentiful over the past weeks. I could definitely do something about that. Still, I didn’t let her go, reluctant to let her out of my arms, though it wasn’t as though there was anywhere for her to go.
I crossed to the food dispenser in the corner and one-handedly swiped the screen. A couple of protein bars popped out, followed by a bottle of water. I grabbed them and took her back to the cot.
After breaking one of the bars into pieces, I popped one into her mouth, and she chewed, her eyes closing. “That is so good.”
“You must be hungry.”
She blinked up at me. “Starving.” Then she opened her mouth and took another piece from my fingers. I settled back against the wall and fed her the rest, watching as she swallowed some water and heaved a huge sigh.
She was cleaned, fed, and watered.
Hmm… What next?
Chapter Five
Killian
Perhaps a little bit of reassurance first. I stroked her hair from her face, hooking it behind her ear so I could see her expression. “You’ve been through a lot, but you’re safe now.”
“No, I—”
I stopped her words with a quick kiss. “I know I don’t look like a good man, but I’ll protect you.”
“Grrr.”
Was that a growl? I ignored it. “Let me help you forget.”
She opened her mouth, and I lowered my head and kissed her. I’m sure she had lots to say, but I was equally sure that whatever it was—she probably just wanted to say thank you for rescuing her—could wait. There were much better ways for her to say thank you anyway.
For a moment, she tensed against me.
Please, God, no.
I’d never forced a woman in my life and wouldn’t start now. But fuck, life was unfair.
Then her mouth opened beneath mine, and she melted against me. She tasted so sweet, and she felt so soft. I wasn’t used to softness, and it went straight to my brain—and to my dick. I raised my head and watched her carefully as I softly stroked her shoulder with a metal fingertip, waiting for her to flinch. She looked at it and blinked as though she might cry again. God forbid. But her expression twisted something inside me.
For the first time, I was glad I’d rescued her, not for the money, or because my life was on the line, but because she was sweet and nice and no way would she have survived the slave pits.
So I kissed her again, using my good hand to squeeze her breast, tug at her nipple. I tried to drag up what I knew about virgins but came up blank.
I was supposed to be gentle. I think. Most of the women I fucked liked it rough. Hell, I liked it rough.
I put my hands on her waist and turned her so she sprawled on the bed beneath me. My dick brushed against her thigh, almost painful now. I was going to have to do this or get the hell out of there. I had a feeling she wouldn’t fight whatever I did, but I was suddenly overcome by a wave of…I didn’t even have a word for it. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it, but all the same, my mouth opened and these totally inappropriate words fell out. “Are you sure you want this?”
She frowned, and I got the impression she wasn’t too happy with the question. Maybe she didn’t even know what “this” was. I pressed my erection against her belly—it was now the size of a mark-one blaster and just as unstable.
Her eyes widened. I had this really crazy thought—had she even see one before?
“Have you…? Do you…?” Fuck, I had no clue what to say.
Then she wriggled against me, lifting her hips and rubbing, so I nearly came there and then. Shit. I was so close. I hadn’t felt like this since I was a teenager. Since before I became a helldiver and every emotion and physical response in my body had taken second place to the fear I experienced each day, poised on the edge.
Now I felt a little like that again. As though I was about to dive off a high precipice into a boiling mass of molten lava, and if I fucked up, it would be the end of everything.
Plus, if I wanted a repeat performance—and I did—I was going to have to make sure she enjoyed this. Then there was Zak to think of. I’d sort of promised I’d share, and now I wasn’t too sure I wanted to. But there was definitely no chance of that if I messed this up.
So…a plan.
A woman had once told me I had the fa
stest tongue of anyone she’d ever bedded. Time to put it to use, and that didn’t mean talking. I slid down the cot until my face was level with the golden curls at the base of her belly. As I nuzzled between her thighs, she seemed to get the message, and her legs fell open. My nostrils filled with the scent of hot aroused female.
Her sex was plump and wet, and her clit pouted out from between the folds. I stroked the little nub gently with my metal fingers, sending a tiny jolt of electricity through the tips, and felt her jump and twitch. Then I parted the folds; she was all wet and glistening and shiny and pink. My mouth watered. I lowered my head and licked all the way from her ass to her clit, dipping inside her as I went. She tasted sweet and salty, and I licked again.
Hurry the fuck up.
That was my dick talking. I concentrated on her clit, stroking her hard and fast until she was making little mewling noises. I continued licking, slow and gentle, teasing her with the tip of my tongue…until she grabbed the back of my head and held me to her.
Very fucking forward for a virgin.
But I obliged, because this needed to happen soon. I stretched her wide open, kissed her clit, then sucked it into my mouth, pressing with my tongue, and she went wild, hips bucking, a scream tearing from her lips.
Yay.
I scrambled up the bed, balanced myself on one elbow, and was about to plunge inside when I looked right into her big blue eyes. I hovered, fist around my cock. “I don’t know how to be gentle.”
“Don’t be. Just make me forget.”
I stopped worrying and pushed inside. Shit. She was so tight. I hit a barrier, but she jerked her hips, and I was in.
She was hot and wet and the snuggest thing I’d ever had wrapped around my dick.
Her legs came around me and held me tight, her hips rising and falling with each stroke. I couldn’t help myself. I pushed harder and faster, and her breasts jiggled, and her inner walls tensed around me, and it felt so damn good. I was so pleased she’d already come because I was going to last all of about five seconds.
At the last moment, I looked into her face. Her eyes were so wide and needy, and I wanted to do better. With a gargantuan feat of will, I slowed my movements and ground my hips against her clit with each stroke, until she was constricting around me. Then her spine arched, and she screamed again. I came a second later, pleasure flooding my cock and balls. Every time I tried to stop, she’d squeeze me, and I’d go again. Finally, I collapsed on top of her, and the air left her lungs in a whoosh.