His cock pressed for entrance inside her, and she pushed her heels into the backs of his thighs, open for his penetration. He snarled when he slammed into her. He loved the feel of her tight sheath around his hot flesh, squeezing him, milking him as he began to thrust.
“Fuck me hard.” Her soft moans and cries drove him on, made him feel as though he were going to explode at any moment.
“Khalaa.” He purred, the beast staring down at his succulent prey as he rode her against the rough stone. With the last shred of his sanity, he held tight to the power building inside him, wanting to take more than just her body. Drowning himself in the essence of her, he took everything he could without sinking his mind into hers. The beast wanted to. Anun only knew how it wanted to. But he could never cross that line.
A hopeless groan pulled from his throat. He sank his cock into her hot depths again and again as they pushed themselves faster, became wilder. He could feel how close she was to orgasm and he thanked Anun for it. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on. The only sound between them was the sharp slap of his skin against her and the heavy pant of their breath as they struggled to drag in enough oxygen.
Her pussy fisted around his cock on his next swift stroke. His muscles flexed as he hammered into her, almost losing his tenuous grasp on the unraveling ends of his self-control. She squeezed her legs around him and he could feel how her orgasm built like an inferno inside her, feel the power of it, the heat, the sweetness. It fed his own craving, and his claws dug into her hips as he pulled her tighter to his pelvis, rocking deeper inside her. She sobbed on a breath. “Please.”
He ground against her clit, sending fire streaking through his system. Her inner muscles squeezed hard, pulsing around the length of his dick. Her fingers slid into his hair, twisting tight as her pussy convulsed around him. He worked his cock in time with her contractions, dragging it out until he thought he’d die, but he didn’t want it to end too soon; he wanted her—like this—forever. The beast purred at the barely coherent thought.
“So. Good,” he groaned, his voice a bare rasp of his usually smooth, articulate tone.
He pounded into her, pulling away from the mental connection as he let the feline take over their physical coupling. The last fetters of his restraint ripped loose, and he drove himself toward orgasm. Throwing his head back, he roared and the sound echoed in the silent forest. He slammed deep and froze, a shudder running through his body as he came deep inside her. She gasped, her sex clenching around him one last time, making her moan and cling to him.
With a harsh groan, he sank down on her, lungs bellowing as he tried to catch his breath. His sweat-dampened forehead dropped to her shoulder and he shuddered, his hands flexing on her hips. She brushed her fingertips up and down his back, warm and satiated.
He struggled against the desire to purr and lay here forever letting her pet him. He loved her touch; it fed some deep longing within him that he preferred not to examine. He sighed and leveraged himself away from her. She unwound her legs from his waist and they both groaned when his cock slipped out of her. He lifted her higher on the boulder so that she was sitting on top of it. “Stay there.”
Turning, he stooped to retrieve her clothes from where they lay in haphazard piles on the ground. He sighed again when he looked back and found that she’d taken the opportunity to straighten her disheveled braid. He wanted to see her hair down, wanted to bury his fingers in it, wanted her to let go of all that tight control of hers. It was almost gone when he fucked her, but he wanted it totally gone, wanted her as wild as she made him. Once he handed her garments back to her, she slid everything on except her bra and shirt. Both their chests were smeared with blood. His blood.
She didn’t bother to cover herself, holding her shirt away from the crimson stains on her skin. “We need to clean up.”
He shuddered when he thought of the frigid stream water on his overheated flesh. This part of their little escapade was going to be unpleasant. Still, they did need to cleanse themselves, so he tracked the scent and sound of running water to the stream and she scurried to keep up with him. They each hurried to bathe, their teeth chattering as the frigid liquid hit their flesh.
Bren slipped her clothing over her damp skin and rose to her feet, not meeting his gaze. Her thoughts had turned inward and he deliberately pulled away from any connection they had to give her privacy, but it pained him that she’d pulled back again, and the beast inside him clawed at the restraint he placed upon it. It wanted no part in any distance there was between it and its One. The man always at odds with his feral nature, and frustration crawled through him at the constant inner struggle.
They followed the brook downstream toward their campsite, but Bren drew to a halt when they came to another fallen warrior. Farid sensed the man was unconscious, so he made no protest when she approached the soldier warily and squatted next to him, her fingers pressing to his throat as she checked his vitals. She glanced over at Farid. “Any permanent damage to any of the guys you took out?”
“They are merely asleep.” He shifted on his bare feet, wincing as a rock dug into his sole. “They will awaken in roughly eight hours.”
She straightened, brushing at her pants. “More will come looking for them when they don’t check in.”
“Then we shouldn’t linger, should we?” Shrugging the tight muscles in his shoulders, he hissed when it pulled at the wound in his arm.
“You threw yourself in front of a bullet for me. And then you reopened the wound fucking me.” She strode across the riverbank toward him until he could feel the heat of her slim body. Looking him over, she shook her head. “Are you insane?”
He was startled into a laugh, the bark of sound cracking loudly in the quiet woods. He brushed at his bicep, careful not to touch the wound. “You have no idea how often I’ve asked myself that very same question of late.”
“That’s comforting.” She rolled her eyes, but it didn’t mask the concern in her gaze. He liked that, liked that his welfare mattered to her. He silenced the rational voice that told him any kind of caring between them was a mistake. She sighed. “All right, you’re shot and you need medical treatment. It’s at least twenty kliks to the nearest hospital, and you can be sure they’ve got people waiting for us in every nearby speck of civilization.”
“Kliks?”
“Kilometers.” She tilted her head, staring at his arm as though she might somehow sense the extent of damage to his body. Which her kind couldn’t do, so he knew it was fruitless, but he enjoyed having her so near, wanted to pull her to him and continue his exploration of her pretty body.
Taking a step back to give himself more space, more resistance, he cleared his throat. His arm ached and his self-restraint hung by a thread. He forced his mind to anything else, anything stupid and inconsequential. “How does that in any way relate to the word—”
“Really?” She gave him a sour look. “We’re going to have a grammar lesson right now?”
He huffed out a breath, annoyed. Only Cilji had ever been able to make him laugh and make him mad in the space of a few moments. “You’re lucky that the bullet merely grazed me and that I can walk right now, so I’ll talk about whatever I want to.”
She blinked at him and her chin dipped in a quick nod. “Fair enough.”
“I will not require the attentions of your doctors.” He turned and began walking back to their camp, drawn by the scent of cooked rabbit and their fire. “I’ll wait until we reach the emperor’s ship. We have medical facilities there that far outstrip what I can find here.”
He felt her exasperation radiate out of her, but he kept going. Her emotions would only feed his, and he was having a difficult enough time containing those without trying to shield himself from hers. Her footsteps sounded behind him as she jogged to keep up. “Look, Arjun—”
“We’re wasting time arguing about it. The wound is painful but shallow and fairly superficial. I’ll be fine until we get aboard ship.” He glanced back
at her, noting that she’d pilfered the soldier’s smaller firearm before she’d followed him. “You’re not going to change my mind, and seeking medical treatment here will only draw attention we don’t want. My people will be here soon enough.”
“Are you sure about that?” They reached the campsite and two more unconscious men awaited them. He knew there was another pair of them farther downstream, but he decided not to share that with Bren. He selfishly wanted her concern all for himself, and the men were just sleeping so they would be fine.
“Very sure.” He bypassed the soldiers and retrieved his clothing, carrying them back to where Bren stood by the fire.
“Okay.” She looked anywhere but at his nudity, which both amused and aggravated him because she was so determined to ignore how good they were together physically. “Let’s get some supplies off these guys. They’ll be picked up when they radio in. We’re not that lucky. They’ll have weapons, a med kit, and some MREs we can liberate.” She glanced at him. “Just…don’t eat the peanut butter in any of them.”
“MRE?” His brows drew together, and he watched her roll one soldier over, pull a pack off his back, and begin rifling through it. “You’re speaking a language that is not standard English.”
“I’m speaking army.” She grinned over her shoulder at him, left the bag on the ground, and quickly moved to the other man to search him for whatever items she considered useful. “The official translation for MRE is ‘Meals, Ready-to-Eat.’”
“And the unofficial translation?” He stooped to pick up the pack, stuffed his clothing into it, and held it out for her to store the various weapons, packages, and metal Earthan gadgets she’d found.
“There are quite a few, like ‘Meals, Rarely Edible,’ ‘Meals Rejected by Everyone,’ and my personal favorite ‘Meals Refusing to Exit.’” Her eyebrows arched as she arranged everything in the heavy-duty sack and closed its fastening. “Don’t eat the peanut butter.”
The things they expected their warriors to eat did not sound like the kind of fare that would keep them fit for duty long. Anun willing, he wouldn’t have to eat any of it himself before Tylara, Haakesh, or Kyber sent a party to find him. “You’ll tell me which container is the peanut butter.”
“Yeah.” She chuckled, shrugged into the pack, and bounced on her toes a few times to settle the sack into place. His gaze fell to her breasts as they jiggled. He wanted them bared and filling his palms, wanted to suck the nipples until they were deep red, until she screamed his name. He closed his eyes and tried to close his mind to the vivid image. When he looked at her again, she was staring back at him, her eyebrows raised. “I take it since I’m carrying your clothes, you’re going feline on me rather than nudist hiking?”
I always knew you were a smart woman. The safest form for him to be in until he could wind his unraveling powers back in was one that couldn’t bond with a Kin. His beast form. So he shifted, and all the while he clenched his jaw against the searing pain of damaged muscles wrenched into a new position. The bleeding restarted, streaking his fur with fresh crimson. He ignored it, forcing himself to stay the course. They weren’t safe here and that was more important than his comfort.
“There’s a ridge to the south of here that might have some caves to camp in tonight.” She buckled a few straps into place on her pack and strapped on a belt with multiple weapons affixed to it. “It’s going to be cold tonight if we have no fire and we’re not running to keep our body temperature up like we did last night.”
He nodded and didn’t respond, focusing on the pain that jarred the wound with each step. Anything to keep his mind off of her slim body and how much he wanted to bury his cock inside it until they both came. He wouldn’t fail to protect her again, to keep her from harm’s way.
He couldn’t lose her the way he’d lost everyone else. He caught himself at the treacherous thought. He didn’t have her; he couldn’t lose her. But he couldn’t deny that the very thought of her dying made him feel as though he been kicked in the chest. He couldn’t deny that he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any other woman in his life.
He’d always been drawn to her, but the hours in her presence had shown him why fate had made her his One. Stubborn and confounding, yes, but also brave, capable, smart, and honorable. She wouldn’t be here with him if some inner compass hadn’t guided her to it. Good to know that she could think for herself, though he knew in the military, that wasn’t always considered an asset. She was, as Zielinski had said, not really a team player. Neither was he. Which was probably why he had never been interested in the Sueni military. He thought too much and talked even more. Excellent for a diplomat, terrible for an officer.
He glanced up at her, his gaze locking on the sway of her backside under the bulky pack. His mind strayed to things it shouldn’t, like how soft the skin there had been when it rubbed against his groin as they’d fucked. The silence did nothing to distract him, and he jerked his gaze upward, watching her brush away a few wisps of hair that had escaped her braid.
How long is your hair when you have it completely unbound? Does it brush your backside?
She twisted at the waist to cast him an incredulous glance. “I don’t see how that question is at all relevant, Lord Arjun.”
How often must I ask you to call me Farid? He quickened his step, bounding forward until he was even with her. The movements jarred his shoulder, but he ignored it. You use my surname and my title to put distance between us when we both know you do not desire distance, khalaa.
“Fine. Farid. How about you answer some of my questions now?” She wiped sweat off her brow. “Why are you doing this? I know why I’m here. Why are you here?”
He blinked at her. Isn’t it obvious?
“You really thought I was suddenly going to sleep with you?” Her tone said how much she doubted his sanity and his intellect if that were true.
No, of course not. He kept his voice light, but with enough bite to really sting. She didn’t truly think she could best a diplomat at wordplay, did she? I told you that when I first found you…before you suddenly slept with me.
She laughed. “Okay, then, smart-ass.”
He deliberately misunderstood her. My ass is intelligent?
She rolled her eyes before she jogged down an incline to a small ravine, her pack bouncing hard against her back. “All right, you didn’t think I intended to fuck you, which I didn’t intend to no matter what happened. So, then, answer my original question.”
He made his way more carefully, trying not to jar his wound. I came because it was obviously a ruse and I was curious to see what you really wanted.
“You weren’t worried it was a setup to get you captured or killed?” She fished out a canteen she’d stolen and took a deep draught of water.
No. He flexed his paws, stretching his sore muscles when he reached the bottom of the ravine. You’re too honorable a woman to do that.
She snorted. “I would have had no problem frying your ass any way I knew how as little as a week ago.”
I do not doubt your cunning, Bren. Or your tenacity. Or your ruthlessness. He didn’t tell her that he admired those things about her. They matched qualities he himself had, but then, she was supposed to match him, wasn’t she? He met her gaze. But you’re forgetting that I’ve been inside you—
“Do we have to talk about that?” Her face flamed. She swallowed and looked aside. Pulling in a deep breath, she let it ease out. “We fucked. Okay. But you being anywhere near the inside of any part of my anatomy has nothing to do with…anything. Damn it.”
The rumble that emerged from his feline throat was almost a chuckle. As I was saying, I’ve been inside your mind. And, yes, I have. Because of our shared dreams, khalaa. So, I know how far you’d be willing to go to get what you want. You would not have betrayed my trust in answering your summons by killing me.
She spun on a heel, marching away from him. When she spoke, it was on their previous topic, avoiding any hint that he might be right, that he might
know something about her. The woman was so far beyond obstinate he wanted to shake her. That he cared so much what she thought of him was dangerous as well as stupid. Two things he tried to avoid.
“What do you care what I call you anyway, Farid? Half the time you don’t even call me by my real name. What does khalaa even mean in your language? Is it an insult? Are you calling me something dirty?” The way her breathing hitched on the last word spoke volumes about exactly which definition of dirty she was using.
Neither slight nor sexual innuendo. He caught up with her easily, matching his stride to hers. Brushing his body against her leg every few steps only made her breathing more erratic. The khalaa is a plant that grows on my world with small, bell-shaped flowers that are white on the outside and scarlet on the inside. What is unusual about it is that it thrives only in the harshest of environments—both arctic snow and burning desert—but nowhere else.
“Oh.” She brushed dirt off her shirtsleeve. “It sounds…pretty.”
He bumped his head under her hand, and her fingers unconsciously stroked his fur. He purred a little at the soft contact. Yes, it is. It reminds me of you for several reasons. Like the plant, you are a tiny patch of beauty in a wasteland, and you thrive in harsh conditions where others could not. You are also like the flowers, cool on the outside, with unexpected fire within.
“I…didn’t know.” He heard her swallow, her step faltering. “I thought it had to be something bad.”
I am not your enemy, Bren. Don’t assume the worst of me. It stung that, despite all they’d been through together this day, she couldn’t let go of her old prejudices enough to trust him.
“I’m sorry.” Her mouth worked for a moment, that sweet vulnerability flashing in her ocean blue gaze. She stooped down until her eyes were level with his, her fingers curling into his fur. “I know you’re not the enemy, Farid. The last twenty-four hours have had to be a nightmare for you.”
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