“Oh please!” Hinekiri chortled.
“You know I’m really not sure about four in this bed,” Richard said in clear doubt.
“Chicken.”
“Am not,” he snapped back, his eyes narrowed. “I’m safety conscious. What if one of us falls out?”
Hinekiri approached the bed and knelt beside Richard, making him the filling in a sandwich between her and the female hologram.
“Her hands are cold,” he complained.
Hinekiri felt the male hologram move up behind her. The designers had done a good job since the male felt so real, his flesh and working equipment, but Richard was right about holograms feeling cool. It was one of the things that drove her to seek out real lovers when the loneliness became too much.
“Come here.” Richard’s voice was thick with need and it brought an immediate reaction in Hinekiri. Her breasts puckered, the crests pulling tight. Achy. Hinekiri crawled across the smooth bedcovers and snuggled against Richard’s solid body. She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead, enjoying the silky slide against her fingers. A shuddery inhalation dragged his spicy masculine aroma deep into her lungs—another thing to remember. She loved the way he smelled, his scent reminding her of the crisp outdoors instead of the stale, perfumed chambers of the aristocracy on Dalcon.
The male hologram settled behind her, his cock nestling into the crease between her buttocks. Hinekiri sighed as her lips met Richard’s. They teased each other, lips nibbling and sucking. Playful. Hinekiri pressed against his warm body, savoring the thud of his heart against her breast. That was another thing a hologram didn’t have—a pulse.
The kisses became slower—open-mouthed and full of intent. Richard slid his tongue into her mouth and stroked the tender skin of her inner cheek. Their tongues played together in a dance of seduction. She tasted a trace of mint and maybe a hint of the tea he was so fond of drinking.
Hinekiri felt the male behind her stroke her back, his cool hand glided down her spine and then he moved back enough to fondle her ass. He moved down the bed and nipped the fleshy part of her butt, the jolt of pain combined with Richard’s kisses sending arousal galloping through her veins. The male continued to knead her bottom, sometimes gently and other times a smack. Hinekiri’s eyes fluttered closed to savor the sensations. A hand snaked between her legs while another tugged at taut nipples. A warm mouth fastened over her nipple and gently suckled. It felt as if a cord attached her breast to her clitoris, each gentle tug on her breast bringing an answering jolt from her core.
The hand between her legs spread her juices up toward her puckered rosette. Cool fingers pressed, kneaded and teased until she shuddered.
Suddenly Richard froze. He ripped his mouth from her breast with a startled curse. “What the hell does that female think she’s doing with her finger up my arse?”
The glare he sent over his shoulder was fierce and if a hologram could look chastened, this one did. The female froze while Hinekiri concentrated on keeping the snigger building deep in her chest contained. Gut instinct told her this was not the time to laugh.
“That’s it,” Richard snapped, still glaring with disfavor at the female hologram. “Where’s your fancy gizmo?”
Disappointment surged through Hinekiri. She pushed back against the male behind her, indicating she wanted to move. Silently, he obeyed the order. Hinekiri grabbed the control and deleted the female program. She started to delete the male program but Richard stopped her with his words.
“Good. I think three in a bed is more than I can cope with now. We can build on the numbers later, once I’ve managed to become used to the concept.” His grin was crooked and endearing as Hinekiri returned to his side.
Acceptance.
Emotions welled inside Hinekiri so strong and powerful that she had to swallow several times to contain herself. Although her ways were different from his norm, Richard tried to adjust. He gave her a chance to explain and actually listened instead of trying to shove her into an assigned role. He treated her as an equal and it was a heady thing.
“On Dalcon when undergrowns reach a certain age they are taken to a sorcerer to have their horoscopes charted. I’ve told you about this before.”
Richard nodded, his forehead creased in a frown that told her he didn’t think much of horoscopes.
“When it came time for my life to be charted, all my family went along. It’s a time of excitement and celebration. The old man calculated everything twice but the reading was the same. I didn’t have a suitable match with the male my family had arranged as my mate. According to the horoscope, I was destined for life as a courtesan. My father stormed off and my mother followed to comfort him. My brother, Janaya’s father, disowned me on the spot. They left me there to hear the rest. According to the old sorcerer, I would never have a mate. I’ve lived alone ever since. A courtesan. My father called me a whore…” Hinekiri trailed off, unsure of where she should look and terrified at what she might see in his face.
Richard grasped her shoulders and drew her closer next to him on the bed. She was aware of the male hologram sliding into a comforting position behind her but she had eyes only for Richard. How would he react? Even though Richard held her with tenderness, Hinekiri gulped uncomfortably at the silence. Richard’s finger under her chin realigned her gaze. Instead of the disgust Hinekiri thought she’d see, there was understanding and a hint of concern.
“None of us are perfect, sweetheart. We search for companionship—it’s the nature of most species.”
“I search for love.” Hinekiri lowered her gaze again at the confession. Acid fear jumped in the pit of her stomach. If she wanted to scare him away, she was going the right way.
Richard laughed but it held a trace of bitterness. “So did I. I’m not proud of the fact. When things became tough between Felicity and me and we’d drifted apart, I was so lonely, so desperate for the warmth of another human being I had an affair. It was a woman I met in the course of work. She lived in another town and it didn’t last for long. I loved Felicity but sometimes she was difficult. She suffered from bouts of depression.”
“You stayed married to her.” Richard’s confession of being lonely eased the guilt that hovered on her shoulders.
“For the sake of the children and at the end, out of loyalty. I couldn’t leave her when she was so sick. I loved her. We were friends.”
“You’re lucky. With my job I work alone for a lot of the time.” And she searched for love between jobs. It was the truth. She couldn’t lie to herself any longer. She was desperate for love, companionship, a male who belonged to her. Yes, she wanted a male whom she could belong to as well.
“Ah, Hinekiri.” Richard lowered his head and kissed her tenderly. “I’m your friend.”
Hinekiri’s heart twisted painfully. Was that all they were? She sighed, wanting to place her head in her hands and howl. Yet another relationship that wasn’t going anywhere.
“Kiss me, Hinekiri. Make love with me. Please.” His brown eyes caressed her face, her mouth and her breasts. Richard tangled his fingers in her hair, sliding them through the silky locks as he lowered his head to kiss her.
Behind Hinekiri, the hologram cuddled up to her backside. “Let me delete the male program first.”
“No.” Richard stayed her with a kiss on the tender skin below her ear. He scraped his teeth across a pulse point. “Leave him. I’m willing to share if it makes you happy. Not that I’ve ever tried this before. You’ll have to show me what to do with my hands. I don’t want to touch him in an inappropriate manner. And he’d better not put his hands on me either. The only hands I want on my body are yours.”
“He’s not real. He’s merely a solid image generated by computer machines.”
“Hinekiri, I’m not a youngster. I need to experience change slowly. I think I’ve coped well with meeting aliens and talking animals. Just give me a little more time and we’ll add more sexual experiences to my repertoire.”
But he was willing to try. H
inekiri hid her slow grin in the crook of his shoulder. What a male! Richard was ready to experiment. He trusted her even when he was unsure and out of his element. “Okay. We’ll take things slow.”
“Pleased to hear it.”
Their lips met and bodies sank together. The hologram male closed the distance between them, squeezing her between them. Richard moved down the mattress a fraction and bit her nipple, a light, exquisite pain that had excitement coursing through her. He flailed her nipple with his tongue, the touch reverberating with a pleasant hum.
The male behind her became busy with his hands, delving between her legs and hitting her sweet spot. A throaty moan escaped when he wedged her legs apart to gain better access.
“It kind of takes a bit of getting used to,” Richard whispered against her breast. He glanced up at her. “Another set of hands, I mean.”
“You should try it,” Hinekiri purred. “It feels marvelous.”
“Maybe later,” he said.
“I think you need a little personal attention, sailor.” As she spoke, her hands crept across his hip.
“Maybe.” His voice was gruff.
Hinekiri wrapped her hand around his hot arousal. His cock pulsed beneath her fingers, smooth and yet strong to her touch. All male. She pumped his cock slowly, watching his face the whole time to gauge his reaction.
“That feels good.” Richard’s hips jerked in emphasis of his words, bringing a feeling of success to Hinekiri. She loved knowing she could pleasure him so well. Beneath her ministrations, his cock grew bigger, filling her smaller hand with his hardness. Hinekiri kissed him wherever she could reach, licking and nipping, tasting the faint saltiness of his skin and breathing in his scent. She gloried in the catch of his breath, the husky command to continue.
While she was pleasuring Richard, the male ran cool hands the length of her cleft, repeating the move until her hips started to move involuntarily. Cream slipped from her pussy.
She knew Richard was new at this and probably was wondering how three managed to complete the act of sex. Hinekiri released her hold on his penis and pushed against his chest. “Lie on your back.”
Richard nodded and sprawled comfortably on the bed, his erection thrusting up from his groin. The head was red and swollen, a pearl of pre-cum beading at the tip. Hinekiri’s gaze traveled upward, across his belly and chest to his face. Something clenched inside her. She didn’t want a threesome. All she wanted was Richard. It was his body she wanted, his hands touching her, pleasuring her. His lips.
Hinekiri reached over and grabbed the control button, deleting the hologram. Another time perhaps. Today, right at this moment, she didn’t want the courtesan label. Richard was the one.
“I thought we were doing experimental this time.”
“I changed my mind. A woman can change their mind, sailor. It’s written in the rules.”
Richard’s brows rose but his lazy grin didn’t alter. “I’m going to have to purchase a copy of the rules.”
“I know where you can find a copy, sailor. I might be able to get you a good price. We can talk about that later.” His gaze on her breasts made them grow heavy. He caught one turgid nipple between his fingers and squeezed until Hinekiri balanced on the slim border between pleasure and pain. A ragged breath escaped as she pressed closer. This was much better—being with only Richard.
He leaned over to take Hinekiri’s lips while he continued to tug at her nipple. The tiny sounds she made deep in her throat when he touched her in a particular way made him smile. His hand slid across her silky shoulder to sweep her hair aside and bare her neck. Bending his head, he nibbled at the tender skin where shoulder met neck. A moan spilled from her lips and she grasped his fingers, tightening his grip on her breast.
“Hinekiri.” The fingernails of her free hand dug into his butt and it felt as though every drop of blood in his veins crowded into his cock. Even though he’d been as hard as a steel rod already. “Woman, you turn me inside out. I can’t think when I’m with you.”
Hinekiri’s chuckle was soft and sultry. “I aim to please.”
She sure pleased him. He was going to miss her once she left. He shoved the thought away and nipped at her earlobe before invading her mouth. Such a smart mouth. He never tired of tasting her, touching her. Hinekiri’s scent and taste washed over him, reminding him of a crisp spring day. Groaning inwardly, he pushed her flat on the mattress and parted her legs.
She grinned at him, her violet eyes sparkling and full of flirtation. His heart lurched painfully and it wasn’t just the fact he was about to get his rocks off. He cared for her. Richard sighed and shoved that thought away too. He kissed her belly and the delicate skin of her inner thighs before moving upward again.
“I’m going to bury myself root-deep.”
“I can imagine it now, how you’ll feel inside me. Stretching me.”
Richard smiled, strumming his fingers across her slippery folds. “As much as I’d enjoy talking, it’s time for action. If you want, you can give a commentary.”
Hinekiri licked across his collarbone then sank her teeth into the top of a pectoral muscle. Richard shuddered, enjoying the bite of pain. He pumped his cock before guiding himself to her pussy. His mind warred with his body—part of him wanting to go slow and the other part needing to pound into Hinekiri, to bury himself hard and fast.
Her channel squeezed the head of his cock. Richard shuddered, the pleasure swelling, soaring through him.
“He penetrated her, holding himself at the mouth of her pussy without moving. It was enough to stretch and tease the walls of her pussy,” Hinekiri said in a throaty voice.
Desire kicked him in the gut. Despite his promise to himself to go slow, he pushed deeper, realizing it was going to end before he started if he didn’t cool his ardor.
“His cock pressed deeper, the swollen hardness of his arousal filling her to capacity.” Hinekiri paused to wink at him and her face was wreathed with the endearingly cheeky and toothy grin he’d come to love. “She loved the feel of impalement so much she clenched her inner muscles, tempting him to go faster and deeper, to stretch her to capacity.”
Hinekiri suited action to word, clamping down on his cock. Urgency thrummed, pounding in his brain. Before he knew it, he’d thrust forcefully, filling her. He wrapped his arms around her and ground his mouth against hers in carnal demand.
Richard withdrew and slammed home again, frantic for the movement, the warmth of her clinging walls. She moved with him, driving him on with sexy cries of encouragement.
“Oh god, Hinekiri.” He plunged into her heat and knew he couldn’t last much longer. Frantic to ensure she enjoyed their joining as much as him, he reached down to massage her clitoris. Another thrust sent fire through his balls. The prickle in his sac spread rapidly, surging outward.
“Just a little more of the finger action, sailor. Yeah, like that. By the goddess!”
He felt the flutters caressing his cock, clamping tight. He was close. So close. Richard pistoned his hips and froze fully seated. Semen exploded from him in long, scorching blasts, the clenching of her womb milking him to completion. Richard wrapped his arms around her tightly, biting the inside of his lip to stop from blurting out how much he cared for her. Each breath exited his lungs in a whistle. His heart raced. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of exotic flowers.
Finally, when his pulse returned to something resembling normal, he loosened his grip on her slender body and pressed a kiss on her neck.
“That was wonderful.” Well, hell. It had been friggin’ bloody fantastic. But he didn’t trust himself to talk, to explain because he was frightened he’d blurt out he loved her. They didn’t have a future since Hinekiri had to leave for her job. The best he could hope for was that she’d come back and visit.
They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon making love before gathering up several alien weapons, locking up the spaceship, turning on the camouflage unit and riding back to the lodge. They
had fun but Richard felt a sense of desperation in his gut—a sick sensation he tried to hide. He didn’t want Hinekiri to think he was hurting. A man had his pride.
Killer and Harry were pacing up and down the verandah when they arrived back at their cabin.
The odd couple. “What’s up?” Richard stared at Harry in bemusement. A prince. Who’d have guessed?
“Livingston thinks the poachers are going to hunt elephant ivory on Saturday night,” Killer barked.
“How does she know that?” Hinekiri demanded.
Richard’s gaze speared to her. Before they’d left the spaceship, Hinekiri had braided her hair. A long blonde rope flowed down her back while tiny wisps had sprung free and curled around her face. Jeez, she was beautiful.
“Some of the cheetah family were lying in the long grass above the car park near the hippo pools,” Harry enunciated in an upper-class accent. “They heard two of the drivers talking.”
“He talks,” Richard said.
“Yes,” Harry agreed, his mouth dropping open in a big hyena smile.
“Shy,” Killer barked. “How is plan coming along?”
“Hinekiri and I are working on the finer details.” In other words, he and Hinekiri hadn’t a clue what they were going to do and they had better get to it before the animals called their bluff. “Once we’ve received more reconnaissance, it will be easier to refine our plan so we’ll wait until then to give you all the details.”
“Will go report to Livingston,” Killer yapped.
“Good save,” Hinekiri said once the two creatures had trotted from sight. “We’re running out of time. We’ll have to head back to New Zealand soon.”
“I think it’s best if we stick to simple with our plan. All we need to do is terrify the poachers. If Livingston’s information is correct, we can scare them. If creatures from the spirit world made an appearance every night for the rest of our stay, that would probably be enough.”
Hinekiri nodded, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Her frown created a cute furrow between her eyebrows, and without considering it further, Richard leaned close and pressed his lips to the spot then because he couldn’t help himself, he stole a kiss on the lips as well. “What was that for?”
Hinekiri Page 17