by Chandra Ryan
The bed squeaked a little as he threw himself across it but he found it fairly comfortable. He’d been a tall man before he’d gone through the enhancement process so he’d felt like a giant after the government had gotten finished with him. Still, their beds were always big enough for him. It was one of the benefits of being in the military. They made him so they always anticipated his size.
He kicked off his boots with a sigh as he stared up at the ceiling. What was he going to do? Working with her was going to be hell. He couldn’t think about her without remembering their connection. And it wasn’t as if he’d be able to hide it from her. She could read minds. And even if she couldn’t, he was pretty sure she could just look down at his pants and figure out what was going on.
The door chime buzzing softly brought him out of his thoughts. “Who is it?”
“Harlow.”
Fuck! Even with the slight mechanical tinge the intercom gave her voice, his dick hurt at the sound of it. He didn’t know what brought her to his door but he was willing to bet it wasn’t to give him a hand. He snorted at the private joke before shaking his head. Knowing his luck, she probably wanted to talk and make sure they were okay. One look at him and she’d know just how okay he was.
“Now’s not a great time.” Maybe she’d get the hint and just go away. He wasn’t on duty until tomorrow so it wasn’t as if she needed him for anything.
“You’re a fucking soldier. No time is ever a great time. Open the damn door.”
She did have a point. Still, it wasn’t as though she really needed him to let her in. It was her ship. “You’re my captain. You can’t just open the door?”
“I’m not here as your captain.”
That got him off the bed and to the door in record time. His hand shook with nerves as he hit the release. Damn. He wanted her so badly he was a wreck with the hunger. When the door opened he had to take a step away from her just to resist her pull. She looked small and delicate as she stood in front of him. And every instinct he possessed told him to wrap her in his arms and kiss her until they were both dizzy. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he found out why she was here.
He waited for her to step through the doorway and for it to close behind her before asking, “If you’re not here as my captain, why are you here?” He suspected he knew the answer. Hell, he’d put credits on it. But he needed to be certain before he acted.
“I can’t get you out of my mind.”
Interesting choice of words. “And here I thought you were the one in mine.”
She stiffened. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“Whoa.” He threw his hands up in surrender. “You misunderstood. It wasn’t a complaint.”
Her brow wrinkled in apparent confusion. “It should be. I take my crew’s privacy seriously. The only way I can expect them to respect and trust me is if I extend that courtesy. Of course, I hear random questions and thoughts sometimes. That can’t be helped. But I don’t go poking around. Ever. What I did to you, even though it was unintentional, was completely unacceptable.”
He’d been wrong. She had come to his quarters to talk to him and make sure they were okay. He nearly sighed with disappointment. “I appreciate the value you put on the crew’s privacy. Really, I do. But I don’t think you should beat yourself up over what happened. If anything, I owe the apology. I know not to touch a woman without permission. I was raised better than that.”
Her smile was just the tiniest upswing of the corner of her mouth but it transformed her entire expression. It made her playful—mischievous even. And it made his heart race. “I don’t think that was the type of touch your mother meant.”
He chuckled. “My mom was pretty strict. Especially about how a man treats a woman.”
“She sounds like a good mother.” Harlow leaned back against the door and looked down at her feet. The pose was so uncharacteristic it momentarily stunned him to silence.
“But if a woman gives permission, what then?” She tilted her head so she looked up at him through the corner of her eye coyly.
“Then it’s up to the man.” She had to be flirting with him. There was no other explanation to her behavior. Still, he couldn’t quite make himself believe it. If she wanted to flirt she would’ve opened with that. Not with the procedural apology. Right?
“And if I gave you permission? What would you do?”
His heart missed a beat. She was flirting. “I don’t know. Tell me to touch you and we could find out together.”
She looked hesitant. “If I did, it wouldn’t be an order. I’m not your captain. Not right now.”
“I understand.” And he did. They were equals in this moment.
“If you don’t want—”
He couldn’t bear to listen to her indecision and self-doubt any longer. “You shouldn’t be concerned about what I don’t want. What I do want is enough to keep us busy for hours. But what do you want, Harlow?”
She shook her head. “No one has ever cared about what I want.”
“I do. Tell me.”
“I want to get this out of my system. I need to get you out of my head.”
That kind of stung. Also took some of the mood out of the moment. “Sorry to be such an inconvenience.”
“You know what I mean.”
Of course he did. Their attraction was at best a distraction for her—at worst it was an annoyance. But he didn’t like the thought of being a distraction. “You want me to fuck you so you can move on.” When she didn’t reply he shook his head. Fine. But if she thought he’d make it easy for her to forget him she had another think coming. “Tell me to touch you, Harlow.”
“Touch me. Please.”
The space between them disappeared as he wrapped her in his arms. He could feel the warmth of her skin as it slid under his palms but he didn’t sense her in his mind as he had before. “You aren’t in my head.”
“I can block it. When I focus. You caught me off guard earlier.”
He bent over and took her mouth with his. The kiss was tentative. But he needed a moment to judge her reaction. Her soft moan and the tug of her fingers in his hair gave him the answers he needed. He ran the tip of his tongue against the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. When they parted for him he delved into her depths. She was warm, soft and tasted of mint and cherries.
He leaned forward to brace her body between his chest and the steel of the door as he continued to kiss her. It should have been enough. But it wasn’t. He needed more. He ran his hands down her sides until he reached her perfectly rounded ass. It was so firm and supple he wanted to strip her naked and cover in it kisses. But that would have to wait.
With one simple movement he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her skirt slid up her thighs, making room for him to get as close as possible to her, but it wasn’t close enough. He wished he didn’t still have his pants on. He could imagine how hot and wet she’d be but he couldn’t feel her and that was doubly frustrating. “Damn. I wish I could feel you.”
She rubbed against him. “You would be able to if you were wearing fewer clothes.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” He loved a problem solver. He took a second to appreciate the graceful curve of her neck where it met her shoulder before dropping his head to nuzzle the sensitive skin there. At his touch she broke out in goose bumps. Damn, she was responsive.
He pulled her to him and then carried her to the bed. After he gently placed her on top of the covers he said, “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” He winked but didn’t wait for her to agree to his terms. Instead he immediately started to take his tank top off. There wasn’t any reason to wait. He had no doubt she found the terms acceptable. When he’d thrown the shirt onto the floor, however, he started to doubt that assumption. She was still fully dressed. “You’re not getting naked.”
She smiled. “I’m enjoying the view.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Are you now?”
“Of course. You
are indeed a super-solder.”
He unbuttoned his pants and then slowly rolled his hips as he pushed them and his boxers down his thighs.
“Quite the showman. Maybe you missed your true calling.”
He stepped out of the clothing and lay down on the bed next to her. Propped on one side, he stared at her for a second. “Are you implying I should’ve been a whore?”
She laughed openly for a moment but then stifled it suddenly. “No.”
“That’s good. We haven’t discussed price yet and, I’ve gotta say, I don’t think you could afford me on what the military pays.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Soldier.”
He ran his hand under the hem of her shirt. “You don’t believe I’m good?”
All trace of a smile disappeared as he caressed her side. He kept his touch firm enough that it wouldn’t tickle but soft enough to leave her aching for more. “Oh, I have no doubt.”
“Good.” He cupped her breast in the palm of his hand and ran the pad of his thumb over her nipple. “Though I wouldn’t have minded proving it.”
“By all means. If you need to prove something to me, feel free.”
His breath caught as she stretched out in front of him as though she were presenting herself as some sort of divine offering. Desire coiled tightly in the pit of his stomach. He had to taste her again. He needed to kiss every inch of her body. And he wanted to start with the perfect bud under his thumb.
He moved so he could lift her shirt. The material was thin and light but lifting it seemed to take a momentous effort. He wanted to jump on her and devour her but he had to hold himself in check. And that was increasingly difficult as more of her body was revealed to him.
She was muscular. But whereas he’d been engineered to be bulky and contain brutal strength, she was lean and graceful. “You’re beautiful.” He sat up so he could remove the shirt completely. She kept her arms above her head and allowed him to slowly sweep the material over her. As soon as it was puddled on the floor he went back to examining her. Lifting one of her arms, he brought her wrist to his mouth. He could feel her pulse race when his tongue stroked the creamy skin.
“Oh god, yes. Don’t stop.”
He had no plans to stop anytime soon. He left a trail of kisses up her arm to her shoulder as his fingers sought out the clasp on her skirt. It only took a few seconds to undo it but it seemed as if an eternity passed. He wanted her naked but he needed to feel her bare heat more. He slipped his fingers under the band of the garment and down the small stretch of smooth skin until he found what he was searching for. He trailed a fingertip along the seam of her pussy and savored every second. Her hips bucked as if she were asking him to explore more. And not one to disappoint, he was happy to oblige.
“Your skin is so soft.” He slid his finger through her pussy’s lips as he spoke. “And hot. I can’t wait to slide my cock deep inside you.” He looked up at her as he mimicked what he wanted to do with his dick with his finger. She grabbed his blankets in her fists as she closed her eyes and whimpered. He allowed himself to push into her a couple more times but then had to slip his fingers out of her.
“What?” She half sat up before he could gently push her back.
“More naked, remember?”
She grumbled as if she were irritated but still slid her skirt and panties off. “There. Better?”
He couldn’t answer for a moment. Not with her lying naked in front of him. She was everything he’d fantasized about and more. He wanted to run his tongue through her pussy. Inhale her scent as her flavor filled his mouth.
“Are you trying to kill me? Do it already.”
He smiled at the impatience in her voice. “Are you peeking at my thoughts?” He crawled down her body until he knelt between her spread thighs.
“You’re practically yelling them at me.”
“Can’t help it. I’m dying to taste you.” He licked his lips in anticipation before leaning forward. He slid his arms under her hips so he could tilt her up to give himself the best position. With his thumbs he pulled her lips apart and took a second to admire the beauty of her pussy. It really was one of the sexiest things he’d ever seen.
“Killing me, Parker.”
“Patience, Harlow. You aren’t going to die and you know it.” He swiped his tongue gently over her clit. “Still, no point in testing the theory.”
“Thank god.”
“He’s not the one with his mouth on your pussy, sweetheart.”
She didn’t seem inclined to respond, though, as he lapped at her clit again. Not that he cared. Once her heat surrounded him he didn’t really care about anything else. Not even the bite of her fingernails against his scalp bothered him. Actually the slight sting of pain only served to ratchet his desire higher.
“Oh god, Parker.”
He chuckled against her. “Getting closer.” He slid two fingers into her channel as he continued to strum her clit with his tongue. Deep inside her he found the walnut-sized patch of skin he was searching for and started to tap lightly on it. She immediately started to buck against his face. Yes, she was very close. And he wanted to see her when she did finally go over the chasm and fall into her orgasm.
Working up her body, he left a trail of kisses until he made his way to her breast. Lying down next to her, he lavished kisses on her pert nipples as he slid his fingers out of her pussy and concentrated on stroking her clit. It only took a couple of strokes before he felt her muscles tense. Then as he flicked the pad of his thumb over her one last time, he sucked her nipple into his mouth and she started jerking under him. Her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling his head down closer to her breast and keeping him pressed to her.
Her display of passion and abandon was so complete he had a hard time not coming on the bed next to her. The woman was a goddess. Her eyes closed and her body coming down from the climax, she radiated sensuality. Relaxed sensuality. But it was there. And he wanted to stoke those embers until she burned again. Before he could, though, she opened her eyes and threw him a smile that could only be called dangerous.
“My turn.” She rolled him over so his back was flat on the mattress. As he gazed up into her eyes he saw a look that scared him ever so slightly. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.” She winked at him as she wrapped her hand around his dick. “I would, however, consider spanking if you’re into that kind of thing.”
Chapter Four
Harlow loved the look of concern on his face. She actually loved everything about him right then. Including how he made her feel. He was sexy and a little bit tortured but funny. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt so light and free. Probably because it’d never happened.
She leaned over and kissed him softly. She liked gentle. It was a nice contrast to the way most people treated her. They only cared about what she could do for them. People didn’t seem overly invested in discovering what she wanted. Even Prime Minister Lee was too focused on his own goals to notice she wasn’t a child who needed to be protected.
Parker didn’t think of her like that though. He didn’t see her as an experiment to be exploited or safeguarded. She was a woman to him. And she loved that most of all. She kissed her way down to the scar on his chest. “How did you get this?”
“I was running with a sharp object. My mom was so disappointed.”
She laughed at the obvious lie. “It was scissors, wasn’t it?” She trailed the tip of her tongue along the puckered skin. “She probably told you not to run with those damn things a million times.” At every social gathering she’d been at with her crew at least one mother had told her children not to run with them so she figured it must be a parenting phenomenon.
“At least.”
She looked up to catch the faint twitch of a smile on his lips. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell the others. We’ll make up some fantastic story about how you were injured during the war. They’ll never know the truth.”
“That’s mighty considerate of you, Captain.”
“That would be greatly appreciated.”
She slid down the bed until she was positioned in front of his dick. “And I believe I should start here.”
“Sweetheart, you started the moment you walked through my door.”
She winked at him and then ran her tongue over the head of his cock. “Then maybe I should finish here.” She sucked him into her mouth.
He groaned and grabbed the blankets in his fist. “Keep that up and it won’t take you long.”
She stopped sucking on his cock so she could say, “Turnabout and all that.”
As soon as she starting licking his dick again he moaned but didn’t voice any more arguments. Which she appreciated. So much so that she decided to see how quickly she could inspire that finish he spoke of. She wrapped one hand around the base of his erection and then took him as far back in her throat as she could. While she was sucking on him she slid her other hand back so she could rim his anus lightly with a fingertip. It only took a few minutes and he was coming down the back of her throat with a loud shout.
She licked him clean as he started to relax from his orgasm. And when he was finished she crawled back up the bed to lie down in the crook of his arm.
“So… Have you gotten me out of your system yet?”
She couldn’t believe he’d asked that. It wasn’t the question she was expecting. It didn’t even make her top-ten list of most-probable questions. And it was insulting. She punched him in the chest. Of course she hadn’t. They hadn’t even had sex yet. Not really. “What? Are you trying to tell me you’re a one-and-done kind of guy?”
“Really? One and done?” He sounded irritated as he moved her hand so it was on his dick. It was already starting to harden again. “Does that answer your question?”