She gasped and shook the water out of her eyes, then looked up at him, laughing. The laugh died when she saw him staring at her hungrily.
Her eyes left his face and ran down his body. They stopped at his cock, jutting out now, thick and hard. He took two steps toward her and she threw herself into his arms. Lifting her off her feet, he captured her mouth in a kiss. Not a gentle brush of his lips against hers. This kiss carried the savage need he’d kept pent up for so long. He claimed, he plundered. He ravaged. She made tiny mewling sounds, raking her nails down his back as he crushed her body against his.
She nipped at his lower lip with her teeth. He growled and slid his tongue into her mouth. When she sucked on it, he lost all reason. He ran both hands up the backs of her thighs, cupped his hands around the twin mounds of her ass, and lifted her onto his cock. She wrapped her legs around his waist and with one upward surge of his hips, he buried himself inside her slick heat.
She gave a sharp cry, half shock and half raw lust. His fingers dug into the cheeks of her ass, holding her in place as he pumped in and out. Maia arched her back, her long hair swirling in the water around her head like delicate fan coral on the reef. When she clenched her hot pussy around his cock, he exploded. Shot his seed deep inside her as she screamed and shuddered, racked with powerful spasms every time he pulsed.
He gathered her in his arms. Strode out of the water with his cock still inside her and her head nestled against his shoulder. Fell to his knees in the sand and laid her gently on her back.
Her eyes fluttered, then focused. She smiled, lifted her hand, and caressed his cheek.
An unseen fist tore open his chest, grabbed his heart, and wrenched it out of his body. Laid it before her like an offering to the gods.
Chapter Nine
He never pulled out. His cock went from semi-hard to rigid again and he fucked her again, right there in the sand. Taking her up slow and easy this time. Finishing each stroke with a grind of his hips against her mound. Building her pleasure until she was writhing underneath him, begging for release.
He slid out. She moaned, then let out a wild cry when he shifted his body lower and ran his tongue over her throbbing clit. She grabbed his head, twisting her fists in his hair. He reached up, locked both her wrists in one hand and trapped them on the sand above her head. She strained against him. Her eyes widened when he tightened his grip and she realized she was at his mercy. He flashed her a wicked grin, bent over, and sucked on the swollen bud.
She climaxed instantly. Screaming and thrashing under him. He plunged his cock into her while her pussy was still spasming. Rode her hard and long, loving her hot, dirty cries of passion. He lost himself in her pleasure. Let her carry him along. Soared with her to the peak. They came together, wrapped in each other’s arms.
Afterwards, he kissed her again. This time it was a long slow tender kiss. The kiss he’d never given any woman.
* * *
She took off the dress and waded out into the sea to rinse the sand off it. He lay on the beach with his hands clasped behind his head, watching. Lush breasts, slick and wet, begging to be licked and fondled. Hips swaying with every move. Sweet cheeks of her ass tempting him when she bent over.
“I thought you were beautiful with that dress plastered to your body, but this is much better.” He raised his voice so she could hear him over the sounds of the sea. “I want you to stay naked the whole time we’re here.”
She came back and lay down next to him, curling up against his chest. “I will if you’d like it, but that won’t be for very long. It’s getting late. Shouldn’t we be heading back?”
He laughed and threw one arm around her. “Oh, no. Now that I finally have you alone, we aren’t going anywhere. I have sleeping gear tucked in the back of the transporter and Solymus packed enough food to last us for days.” He lifted her chin, brought her face up to his for a kiss. “Have you ever camped out under the stars?”
“No, never.” Her eyes sparkled. “Can we really?”
He hauled out the food containers. Maia spread a cloth over the sand and set out a picnic while he made camp. He’d had the equipment he wanted sent from Anteres two days ago. Not standard military gear. It included a plush, padded sleeping platform and a tent with a flat clear panel in the top so they could lie in bed and look up at the stars. He even had a supply of sova logs to burn, guaranteed to flicker and glow in the darkness for hours.
Twilight had fallen by the time they finished their meal. They sat side by side in front of the fire, with mugs of honeyberry.
Maia took a sip and gasped. “Whoa! I see what you mean. It’s mild and fruity at first, but then it turns into a river of liquid heat flowing down your throat and spreading through your body.”
He grinned at her. “That’s why soldiers refer to honeyberry as female. She starts out so sweet but before you know it, she’s lit you on fire.” He dipped a finger into his mug and ran it lightly over her nipple, watching it tighten, then lowered his head and licked it off. “Just like you.”
She pulled back.
“Kadan, there’s something I’ve been wanting to talk about with you.”
“Mmmhmm.” He leaned over and nuzzled her breast again. “Go ahead. I’ll just amuse myself right here while I listen.”
“Please, Kadan.”
She sounded nervous. He sat back.
“All right. What is it?”
She took a sip of honeyberry, then another larger one. He recognized the signs. He’d been in her place many a time, relying on liquor to give him courage. Whatever she had to say must be serious.
“I know you’re deeply troubled and I would like to help you.”
“Troubled?”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “When you were unconscious and I was healing your head wound back at camp… I connected with your mind. Many times.” She went on, rushing to get it all out as though she was afraid she’d lose her nerve. “The first time I did you were having a nightmare. I got swept up in it. When it happened again the next night, I spoke to Galen and he confirmed what I was afraid of. It wasn’t just a bad dream. You’ve been reliving a traumatic event over and over. Blaming yourself for the tragedy.”
* * *
His body stiffened. She could feel the wall crash down between them. Still, she went on, keeping her voice soft and gentle.
“It wasn’t your fault, Kadan. The guilt you feel has been slowly sapping the life from you. It will keep you from ever being at peace in your soul. I can help you come to terms with it—if you’ll let me.”
“What exactly did you see while I was unconscious?” His voice was flat.
“I saw your team, slaughtered by the enemy while you were retrieving battle plans that turned out to be worthless. You came back to camp to find their mangled bodies strewn everywhere.”
“And you spoke of this to Galen?”
“He heard me scream and ran into the tent while I was linked to your mind. I was upset and said something that led him to guess what happened. He talked with me about the incident. Explained you were set up by a man you considered a friend. He betrayed your trust and left you feeling like you’d failed those who put their lives in your hands.”
“Enough!” His roar left Maia stunned, but when he grabbed her and dragged her over his lap face-down, a tremor of fear rocketed through her.
“You had no right!” His hand cracked down on her backside so hard it robbed her of breath. He smacked her again, his broad palm sending a lick of fire across her naked bottom. “You invaded my mind while I was defenseless. Rooted around in my thoughts and memories without my permission. Then you talked about me behind my back.”
He railed at her, furious. All the while his hand kept up a steady stream of harsh swats. This spanking was different from the one the medics administered when she arrived on Prya. Her eyes welled with tears. Not from the stinging burn, although it was intense. These were tears of remorse. She’d never delved into the mind of another without permission before.
She hadn’t meant to do it this time. Their connection was so powerful it happened before she could stop herself. His crushing pain, his grief had swept her into the horror he relived night after night. Though she’d had the best of intentions, after what Jarod did to her she could understood why Kadan felt violated.
“I’m so sorry, Kadan. I never meant to invade your privacy.”
“Privacy?” He whacked her again. “This wasn’t just private. You saw me at my worst. Saw the truth I’ve tried to deny. You witnessed my greatest failure. The source of my grief and my shame.” His voice dropped and his hand fell to his side. “No one, no one has the right to treat another that way.”
Maia lay over his lap, stunned at what she was hearing. She was supposed to be the empath, the one in touch with feelings. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, but she’d unwittingly added to his pain. Stripped his psyche naked, when he was helpless to resist.
She twisted and put her arms around his neck. Started sobbing when he turned his head away. “You’re right. Though I never meant to, I wronged you. I don’t blame you for being furious. Please, please forgive me.”
She threw herself back down over his lap. “Spank me again. Spank me harder, if that will ease your anger. I’ll take your punishment willingly. Just don’t push me away.”
“Get up,” he said wearily. “It’s late. We should sleep, so we can head back at first light.”
“No!” She got on her knees and faced him defiantly. “I won’t back away from this and I won’t let you do it either. Seeing what you’ve buried deep inside doesn’t make me think less of you. It makes me respect and love you more!” The words slipped out. Hung in the air between them.
“It’s true. I love you, Kadan. You’re not at fault for what happened. You’re a man of courage and honor. You put your trust into a fellow warrior, just as your men trusted you. You gave your heart and soul to your mission and you’d have laid down your life to save those men. I know you grieve the loss of your comrades in arms. But their deaths do not lie at your door.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s time to forgive yourself—and then I pray you’ll forgive me, too.”
He was staring into the fire, his jaw clenched, and she wondered if he’d even been listening to her. Then she saw the glint of a tear on his cheek. She moved instinctively, wrapping her arms around him.
His shoulders heaved and Kadan, her proud Omega Warrior, buried his head in her breasts and gave way to the pain and sorrow he’d been carrying for so long. Harsh, racking sobs that shook him to the core. She wondered if he’d ever allowed himself to cry before, even as she recognized the precious gift he was giving her. He trusted her, felt safe enough to let down his defenses.
* * *
They talked all night. Kadan first, telling her about Bryndar. The child his family had taken in when they were both young. The boy he’d grown up with.
“I had doubts, once our mission was underway,” he said, “but I ignored them. I couldn’t believe my comrade, the man I loved as a brother, had sold out to our enemies. He convinced me to go that night. My need to succeed at my mission was so great, I didn’t listen to my gut. I left my men in the dead of night to sneak into the enemy camp so I could get hold of critical intelligence about their plans.
“I should have known,” he went on. “It was all too easy. One guard, asleep at his post. I got into their stronghold and back out in record time. Made the long journey back to camp. Dawn was breaking when I crossed the ridge. That’s when I saw them. My team—every last one of them—strewn all over the hill. They’d been brutally slaughtered. I found out later Bryndar drugged the ale of the men assigned to guard duty in our camp. The enemy struck in the dead of night, murdering the first few as they slept. My team fought bravely, but they were taken by surprise and outnumbered. They stood no chance against the assault.”
His voice broke.
“It’s all right,” she murmured. “You needn’t speak of it any longer.”
He shook his head, took a few ragged breaths, and went on. “No. It’s time I did. I’ve never told anyone the rest of the story.
“I gathered up their remains, one by one. Built a funeral pyre and burned them, as is our custom. Their bodies had been desecrated, but I sent their souls to the gods with honor. Bryndar wasn’t among them. That’s when I acknowledged the truth. It was he who betrayed us. Later, in my report, I told my commanding officers he fled to the enemy’s camp.
“I lied.” He let the words hang there for a moment, stark and self-accusing, before going on. “It took me four days. Four days and nights, tracking him through the wilderness like a wild beast. When I found him, he’d collapsed on the ground, suffering from exhaustion. He begged me for mercy. Mercy, when he’d shown none.”
He stared into the fire, reliving the moment. “I knelt over him, this warrior I loved like a brother, and looked into his eyes. Then I slit his throat.”
Maia reached out, put a hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head and looked at her. “I left his body there, for the darwolves and the carrion birds to rip it apart. It was the least I could do for my team. The brave men who died because of him will never have to meet his soul in the Afterworld.”
He finished and stared at her in silence, as if waiting for exclamations of shock and disgust.
He’d opened himself up to her. Stripped away all defenses and bared his soul. It was a huge step but she knew the healing had only begun. He was grieving not only the death of his men, but the murder by his own hand of one he’d loved. His darkest secret had been exposed. Though it would take time, gods willing, he’d come to accept what he’d done and finally forgive himself. As for Bryndar, she knew firsthand how it felt to be betrayed by someone who’d been as close as blood. Perhaps one day, he’d even be able to forgive Bryndar.
“I am humbled by the trust you’ve placed in me,” she said simply. “It took a great deal of courage to tell me what you did.”
He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, as though they’d been relieved of a crushing burden. “It’s easy to talk to you,” he said, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “Unlike any other female I’ve known, you keep your mouth closed long enough for a male to get a word or two in.”
“You praise me by insulting the rest of my sex?” She said it teasingly, recognizing his need to lighten the moment.
“You’re supposed to say ‘thank you,’” he growled. “It was meant as a compliment.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So does this mean I’m forgiven?”
“Oh, no. You’re not getting off that easily. I seem to remember you throwing yourself over my lap, begging me to spank you long and hard if that would ease my anger.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m still angry with you.” He patted his thighs. “Come here and let me find out if it works.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Despite his stern words, the look he gave her was dark with desire.
Trembling with a mixture of nervousness and arousal, she draped herself over his thighs. She tensed, but instead of coming down with a firm smack, his hand caressed her bottom. She felt his cock swelling beneath her and gave a little sigh.
The crack of his palm against her tender flesh came as such a shock she didn’t register the lick of flame at first. He smacked her again and suddenly the stinging burn had her gasping for breath.
“‘Spank me long and hard if it will ease your anger.’ That’s what you said.” He whacked her again and she squirmed on his lap. “Did you mean it?”
She gritted her teeth as his hand came down. “Yes, but…”
He delivered four more smacks, rapid fire, alternating back and forth on her quivering cheeks.
“‘Yes, but…’ is not a response I’ll accept. When you put yourself across my lap, you address me as ‘my lord.’ So which is it? ‘Yes, my lord, spank me as long and hard as you see fit.’ Or ‘No, my lord.’”
Kadan stopped, awaiting her answer. He’d given her only a few swats but her bottom was a
lready on fire. Panicked at the thought of losing him, she’d made the offer without thinking about the consequences of it. Now she was lying across his lap in this humiliating position. He was giving her the opportunity to take it back. But she knew the unspoken words he’d hear if she did. “No, my lord. You can’t believe what I say.” She had to submit, no matter how painful the spanking might be. To do anything else would destroy the fragile bond of trust between them.
“Yes, my lord. Spank me as long and hard as you see fit.” She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Very well. Since you have asked for it, I will. But there are rules that accompany a spanking. As long as you are across my lap, I am your master. Once I begin, you will stay in place without biting or kicking or struggling to get away. And you will obey every command I give, without question. Do you understand?”
Despite her apprehension, the stern tone in his voice sent a thrilling little shiver through her belly. She’d never been with a powerful male who demanded her obedience. What did he mean by ‘every command I give’? The intense burn from his first few smacks became a spicy heat, spreading through her core.
“Yes, my lord.”
Just saying the words made her pussy clench.
He started spanking her slow and steady, the flat of his hand connecting with her upturned bottom cheeks. Building the fire until it became a wicked heat. At the same time she felt his cock stiffening underneath her. Every smack pressed her mound against his rigid manhood. Before long she was rocking her hips with every whack. Grinding her swollen clit against his huge erection.
Her pussy spasmed. She felt a gush between her legs. Kadan felt it too, spreading over his naked cock. He made a rough sound.
“Spread your legs apart.”
She shuddered as he slid a finger between her thighs.
“I told you a dark secret,” he said. “I exposed myself to you. I think it’s only fair that you tell me a secret now. A naughty one. The medics said you were aroused by what happened in the cleansing room.” His finger probed the entrance to her dripping slit. “Tell me what they did to you.”
Claimed by the Omega_A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Page 10