by Ivy Barrett
“I don’t know what that is.”
“It’s the Stilox equivalent of testosterone. It’s this hormone that spikes in both men and women to create sexual aggressiveness.”
“The only person who injected me with anything is Mal Ton.” She’d suspected she’d been drugged all along. Given Mal Ton’s chosen strategy, it only made sense that he would have added a little something extra to the vaccine.
“This is more complicated than a single injection. Your body seems to be producing the hormone.”
“How is that possible?”
“I have a theory, but I can’t prove or disprove it without more sophisticated equipment. Stritesterone isn’t an aphrodisiac, but it definitely makes a person more apt to act upon their desire.”
She gulped down half of her wine, torn between disbelief and curiosity. It was a relief to know there was a physical cause for her wantonness. Still, what had they done to her? Was the change permanent? Who had…? “Tell me about your theory?”
“I suspect you’ve been injected with an endocrine nanite.”
“Nanotechnology is in its infancy on Earth. Unless Mal Ton did this to me, how would this nanite have gotten into my body?”
“Mal Ton doesn’t have access to this type of technology any more than I do. This is why I wasn’t going to tell you tonight. I have far more questions than answers.”
“Are your levels elevated as well?”
“Yes. I’m not sure if my body is responding to what’s going on with you or if I’ve been infected with a nanite as well. All of the equipment in my lab is painfully rudimentary.”
“Who would have access to this sort of nanite?”
“There are several research laboratories on Protaria that specialize in nanotechnology and Bryson would have access to all of them.”
“But Bryson never had direct access to me.”
“Most nanites are programmed with self-navigation. They can be ingested or even inhaled. If the director of Medicort was cooperating with Bryson—”
“I get the picture.” She drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. “And I’ve lost my appetite.”
“I’m sorry. This is not how I wanted to spend our time alone.” His warm fingers stroked from her elbow to her wrist. “I sent samples of our blood to one of our operatives on Protaria. We should know more sometime tomorrow.”
She just nodded, feeling invaded and angry. A microscopic machine was inside her body creating sexual frenzy. Roark might trust Mal Ton, but she wasn’t nearly as certain. Perhaps Nehalem hadn’t played Mal Ton after all. Maybe they were both working for her husband.
Roark scooted closer, his legs on either side of hers. “Let’s talk about something else. You know a bit about my past, but I know little more than your professional dossier. Do you have family? Have you ever been married? What did you do before you accepted the position with Medicort?”
“My professional dossier is the story of my life.” Her smile was just a bit sad. “I came to Medicort right out of college and have lived for my work ever since. My mother died when I was fourteen and my father remarried three years later. I have two half-brothers who are quite a bit younger than I am. What else did you ask?”
“Marriage. Have you ever been in love?”
“That’s two different questions. There was a man in college, but he moved on with his life when I accepted the position with Medicort. He had no desire to live on a space station and our affection wasn’t strong enough to survive the separation.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I often wonder how different my life would have been if I had chosen him instead of Medicort.”
“I think we all have those sorts of crossroads in our lives. It’s what keeps the journey interesting.”
His easy manner helped her relax. Mal Ton might command the intensity of a tempest but Roark had the mystique of distant thunder. It might take a lifetime to explore all of his hidden depths. And she was beginning to think she would enjoy each new discovery.
“You said Baylie was a long time ago. Has there been anyone special since?”
He eased her hands off her knees and guided her legs over his hips, pulling her closer and closer. “There’s someone pretty damn special right here.”
She laughed, needing the emotional release more than he knew. “Do you mean me or you?”
“Fishing for compliments?” He pressed his fingers against her jawline and traced her lower lip with his thumb. “I’m fascinated by the way you think. You come from a civilization that’s relatively primitive yet you are extraordinary. I’d love to see what you could accomplish in a nurturing environment.”
He hadn’t praised her beauty or the size of her breasts and she had never been so moved by a compliment. “Thank you.”
“Would you like more wine?” His thumb kept up its feather-light caress while desire smoldered in his eyes.
She shook her head and pushed her fingers into his thick, wavy hair. “Kiss me.”
He leaned down, pressing his mouth over hers. Time spun away as their breaths mingled. He smelled clean and spicy and just a bit foreign. Uniquely Roark. His taste was even better than his smell she knew, but he was in no hurry tonight. He brushed his lips back and forth, turning his head one way and then the other.
She parted her lips in silent invitation, wanting his tongue in her mouth. He traced her lips but refused to venture inside. Anxious for the intimacy, she took the initiative. He could never remain passive for long. With a quiet growl, he curled his tongue around hers and deepened the kiss.
His hands never stopped moving. He combed his fingers through her hair and caressed her neck. She untucked his shirt and slipped her hands up under the material, desperate for the heat of his skin. He took the action one step farther, tugging her top off over her head.
They separated as their shirts went flying then he pulled her back into his arms. Her naked breasts flattened against his bare chest and they groaned in unison. The springy hair on his chest tickled her nipples and she squirmed, needing his touch and his mouth’s firm pull.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding her mound against his erection. His leisurely pace was frustrating her. She’d ached for days with only the pathetic relief of her own fingers to keep her from going insane.
He chuckled and eased her back. “You keep that up and I’ll come before I get my pants off. These past few days have been hell.”
“Tell me about it.”
“We have to untangle if we’re going to undress.”
Rubbing her breasts against his chest, she squeezed his shoulders then his arms. “I’m not sure I can be without you that long.”
With another throaty chuckle, he helped her to her knees. The position put her breast on a level with his face and she didn’t get any farther. One of his hands cupped her breast while he captured her nipple between his teeth. She yelped then he sucked and she dropped her head back with a breathy sigh. He delivered hard, long pulls to first one nipple then the other. She’d dreamed of the heat and the amazing sensation that zinged between her nipples and her clit.
His mouth continued its greedy homage while his hands went to work on her pants. He unfastened them and bunched them around her knees. She opened her eyes and stared at the stars as his fingers explored her tingling flesh. He touched her everywhere, avoiding the spots that needed him most for a little while longer. Squeezing her bottom, he drew her cheeks apart and let the cool air tease her heated secrets.
“Up you go,” he murmured around her nipple.
She struggled to her feet and stepped out of her pants, her nipples still wet from his kisses. He nuzzled her belly while he stroked her thighs and tickled the backs of her knees. She arched away from the light caress and his mouth lowered to her slit. After only one lick, he pulled back and looked into her eyes.
“Will you do something for me?”
She’d do anything as long as he didn’t stop touching her but her answer w
as less revealing. “Maybe.”
One of his dark eyebrows arched and speculation shadowed his gaze. “Maybe you’ll obey me, or maybe you need to be motivated?”
Her core clenched and desire cascaded through her body. Just the thought of discipline made her restless and needful. She’d always thought spanking was silly, that anyone who enjoyed it had a twisted childhood or some sort of abuse in their past. Neither of those applied to her, and yet she craved the firm swat of a nice strong hand against her naked bottom.
“I need…” Even knowing he’d have no problem spanking her, she couldn’t speak the words out loud.
“Andrea, look at me.” His tone took on the undeniable snap of authority. She brought her gaze back to his. “There is no shame in your desires. Never hesitate to tell me what you need.”
“I need to be disciplined.” It sounded less trashy than “spank my ass, please.”
He stood and kissed her, a long, tender exchange. Then his expression hardened and he took a step back. “Hands and knees.”
Her heart fluttered wildly as she sank to her knees. They were facing each other, so she quickly turned around and lowered her forearms to the floor.
His warm hand stroked over her upturned ass, gentle yet possessive. “Is this what you need?” He swatted one side and then the other, pausing as the heat sank into her core.
She sucked in a breath, savoring the sensations she had come to crave. “More,” she whispered, still a bit unsure.
He spanked her a bit harder. “You sounded hesitant. What did I say?” Three firm swats fallowed in quick succession.
“No hesitation. No shame.”
“That’s right.” He delivered two strokes to each side then gently rubbed, helping to spread the heat. “Now admit it. Once and for all, I want to hear you say ‘I like being spanked.’” He waited for her obedience, withholding more discipline.
“I like being spanked,” she said clearly and without shame.
His hand fell again and again until tingling heat throbbed through her ass and down the backs of her legs. Her endorphins spiked and her inhibitions released so she felt like she was floating.
“Now lie down on your back and let me look at you. Raise your arms above your head and… bend your knees so I can see all of you.”
The hesitation in his voice filled her with feminine power. He wasn’t afraid or unsure. Roark knew his way around the bedroom. His desire was so acute he was fighting for control. His desire for her.
She sat first and inhaled sharply as the throbbing intensified. Then keeping her legs together, she leaned back against the pillows and spread out her hair. With her gaze boring into his, she raised her arms and relaxed her thighs. Her outer lips parted then her folds; now he could see everything.
He opened his mouth, dragging in great gulps of air. His hands shook as he unfastened his pants and all but tore them off. His urgency had an oddly calming effect on her overstimulated senses. He needed her as badly as she needed him. They were in this together.
“Now what?” she purred.
“Has your appetite returned?”
She chucked and licked her lips. “That depends on what you intend to feed me.”
Curling his fingers around his shaft, he stroked himself as his eyes told her all she needed to know. “The problem is I’m hungry too. How about if we feed each other?” She started to get up, but he shook his head. “I want to be on top.”
She scooted down, making plenty of room for his legs on the blanket. He stood over her for a moment, still stroking his cock. It was such a dominant motion, so primal and savage. Her pulse leapt and her pussy twitched.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered.
He bared his teeth and aimed his cock at her breasts, his hand moving in fast, hard strokes. Pulling down on his balls, he shuddered then resumed his punishing speed. A bead of clear liquid appeared on the very tip and he dragged his hand away.
“Enough!” He lowered himself over her, straddling her face. “I’ve had enough of my own fist to last a lifetime. I want to feel your soft mouth.”
She ran her hands up his thighs and clasped his hips as he pushed into her mouth. The faint salty, rich taste indicated how close he’d come to release. She swirled her tongue over the plump head and savored the silky liquid.
For a long moment he paused, paralyzed by the sensations or lost in the pleasure, she wasn’t sure which.
“That feels so good.”
She sucked hard just once then pulled back so she could speak. “I thought you were hungry too.”
“Is this what you want?” He pulled her legs up and spread them wide, pinning them there with his muscular arms. His tongue flicked against her clit then pushed into her creamy passage.
Instead of responding with words, she sucked his cock back into her mouth and resumed her feast. He was hot and hard, the shaft throbbing against her tongue as he slid between her lips.
His weight shifted and she heard a faint scrape like a hinge or a locking mechanism. She couldn’t see what he was doing, could only feel the warm caress of his tongue and the shuttle of his cock in her mouth.
He licked her folds, sucking the delicate flesh with intentional care. She tried to wiggle, to bring his mouth closer to her aching clit. His hold was too firm. She was pinned beneath him quite literally.
His lips finally encircled her clit and his tongue teased the hard little bundle of nerves. She shivered then gasped. Her hot bottom cheeks were drawn apart and he pressed something blunt against her anus. Another plug? What was his fixation with her ass? Using her clit as an ineffective distraction, he drilled into her opening.
“You stopped sucking.” His breath wafted across her wet folds.
“What the hell is that and why are you shoving it up my ass?”
“It’s the toy I was going to use the other night.”
“Before Mal Ton decided your cock would be less intrusive?”
He caressed her clit with his tongue as he moved the toy in and out several times. “You came harder with my cock up your ass than you’d ever come before. Do you deny it?”
Before she could answer, he continued the arousing combination of swirling tongue and slow, steady slides. Tingling heat built with each rotation. The out stroke was even more exquisite than the invading fullness. God, she was as perverted as they were. It felt good!
His cock flexed, tapping her chin and turned loose the last of her inhibitions. She adjusted the angle of her head and sucked him back into her mouth, emulating the same leisurely pace he was using with the toy.
She felt his cock jerk and he tried to pull out of her mouth. Grasping his hips, she rose with him and refused to release her prize. He moved the toy faster, holding her clit between his teeth as his tongue lashed the ultrasensitive point.
They lost control at exactly the same time. He shuddered violently and came with spurts of hot seed. She swallowed and moaned and writhed, pleasure inundating her body. Her ass contracted so hard she was certain she’d crush the toy, then echoes of each powerful burst passed along her core and deep into her abdomen.
He rolled off her with a groan, dragging his semi-hard cock out of her mouth. “I didn’t mean to come like that.”
“I know.” She grinned, feeling very pleased with herself.
“You’re a little vixen.”
“I thought I was a kitten.” As the tingling receded, she realized he’d left something behind. “Did you forget something?”
“Just relax. You’re still too tight. As soon as I catch my breath I’m going to adjust it.”
“Adjust it how?”
He propped his head on his hand and looked into her eyes. “Your body responds well to anal stimulation. Not tonight but eventually I’d like to… take you like that. Not just tease you with extra fullness, but thrust fast and hard.”
She chuckled, her muscles bearing down on the toy. “You’re almost as bad as I am. We can do all of these erotic things, but we can’t bear to say the words.
”
He leaned over and nipped her earlobe. “I want to fuck your tight little ass, after your cheeks are bright red from my spanking, of course. If you let me prepare you properly, you’ll enjoy it as much as I will.”
“All right.” He knelt between her legs and reached for the toy. She felt a warm gush of something inside her body. “What was that? Did the toy just come?”
He laughed. “Sort of. I released some lubricant. Now relax. I’m going to make it bigger.”
“I thought that was my job.” She bit her lower lip as the pressure gradually increased. He pulled back then eased it deeper.
“Do you want me to leave it in while I fuck you? You seemed to enjoy that the first time.”
“This is a lot bigger than that plug was. I can feel the difference.”
“You’re right. We’ll do this instead.” He pushed two fingers into her pussy and lowered his mouth to her clit.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
He didn’t reply. His fingers dragged the front wall of her passage and his tongue circled, avoiding direct contact with her clit. The familiar cycle of arousal began all over again. She’d never dreamed her body could produce orgasm after orgasm. Or was this a result of the alien hormone?
He looked up. “What’s wrong? You went all tense on me.”
“I’m just a little overwhelmed. Can we catch our breaths for a minute?”
He kissed each of her hipbones then slowly removed the toy. “We’ll never do anything you don’t want to do.”
Tears stung her eyes at the tenderness in his expression. She wanted this to be real. He lay down beside her and she cuddled against his side. “This is all happening so fast.”
“I wish I could slow things down but I can’t.”
“I know.” She ran her finger through the hair on his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart.
Rolling to his side as well, he brought them face-to-face and pillowed her head on his upper arm. “I upset you before, which wasn’t my intent, but I want to make sure you understand one thing. All the stritesterone in the world can’t create what we’re feeling. If there was no attraction, no basic connection, the rest would be moot.”