Stars, he was beyond words. Powerful muscles, sleek lines.
He soaped his inky black hair and turned his back to the spray. Samantha followed the suds with fascination as they trailed across his shoulders and down his ribs to follow that masculine vee that led down from his hipbones.
When he finished washing he carried their things back to the pool where she waited, near the point of drooling over him. He tossed in the cleanser and strode into the mist topped water like a mythical god.
As he crossed the pool, he scooped up handfuls of water to pour over his body. It kissed his skin like a misty lover. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the sight. She followed the water down the planes of his pectorals and down his flat belly to pool in the small dip of his navel. The mist swirled around his muscled thighs leaving only one place for her gaze to rest. Despite the chill of the waterfall he’d made a speedy recovery. He was aroused—the thick column of his cock stood straight and tall, the plum tip stretching toward his navel—but the grin on his face was still playful and light.
He lowered the appealing planes and hollows of muscle and bone into the water with a masculine sensuality that fogged her already muddled brain.
“I’m glad to see your color again, courra.” His low chuckle broke the spell and she splashed water in his face for laughing at her.
“Hey!” She tried to fend off his hands when he made a grab for her, but she ended up pulled against him—her back to his chest, his legs cradling her, his arms wrapped around her and both of them laughing. When the moment settled into ease, she sighed in pleasure and wrapped her arms over his. The tips of her fingers brushed across the scar tissue that ringed his wrists. He’d survived such horror and become so strong. With the memory of his laughter fresh in her mind, she laced her fingers with his. “This feels nice.”
“Mmm.” He pressed his lips to her neck, laving a path downward with sucking kisses and quick nips that accelerated her heart rate.
She tilted her head to give him complete access. Her blood rushed frantically through her body as if every cell raced for a chance to pass through the artery beneath the damp stroke of his tongue. “That’s almost too good. Maybe we should finish washing before we forget why we came here.”
“My memory is excellent,” he boasted, but he eased back and pushed his hand through the water around them until he found the cleanser. “Ah, here it is.”
The top snapped open and he worked the cool gel through her hair, strong fingers messaging her scalp, stroking down her neck.
She lifted her hand to make a cup. “Let me help.” He poured cleanser into her hands and she used it to clean first her own legs then his as she leaned forward giving him access to her back. He worked more cleanser around to her belly as she pulled his foot into her lap and rubbed her thumbs into the arch of his foot. He made a soft rumbling sound and rested his chin on her shoulder as she repeated the process with his other foot. The powerful intimacy of washing together, stroking soap-slicked skin, wrapped in the warmth of the water and each other, seemed at once natural and impossible to comprehend.
Samantha leaned back against him and relaxed into his embrace. “Never in my wildest imagination could I have ever dreamt I’d be here today on an uninhabited planet, bathing in a natural pool under a waterfall with flowers everywhere and I’d be doing all this with the sexiest man alive.”
Mercury chuckled. “I’m glad you find me sexy, courra. I also find you sexy.”
The word sexy sounded odd in a mouth made for rumbles and growls instead of sultriness. Her cheeks caught fire, but she was too relaxed to respond to his teasing.
He filled his hands with her breasts like a blind man relying only on touch to learn her. When her breasts began to ache and her nipples were tight nubbins under his fingers, he slid his hands down her belly and to the feminine folds between her legs.
“I didn’t dream of this either,” he said. His fingers stroked along her sensitive folds. “But after this, I think my ability to dream may be much improved.”
He slipped one finger inside her and she sucked in a breath, arching her back like a contented cat. No. She wasn’t contented yet, but she trusted Mercury would see to that eventually. There was no rush.
He stroked her lazily, playing in her folds and dipping a finger insider her then pulling it out again, with no discernible pattern. The result was blissful and frustrating and made her body shake with anticipation. She pushed back against him and the growing erection that promised so much. She was beyond ready when he added another finger to his game. She couldn’t stop herself from clenching down on those filling fingers.
“Relax, courra. I won’t hurt you.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure,” she breathed. “Frustration can be its own kind of hurting.”
“Then I’ll have to give you what you’re wanting,” he whispered. His hands slipped around to grasp her hips. He lifted her and positioned her at the edge of the pool.
She was ready and he slipped inside her easily from behind, filling her with hot, hard cock. She braced one arm against the icy stone edge and reached back to pull him closer with the other. The curved slope of the bottom of the pool put him at the perfect height to fuck her in a sensual in and out slide that had her whole body tight and burning with pleasure.
Her fingers clutched against the slick skin across his ribs, coming up empty, but the rest of her was full of him. Full of that heat and hardness.
She hung onto the edge as long as she could then plunged into orgasm.
His moist breath against her cheek, became a pant.
His hips jerked in a less steady and more powerful rhythm as he gave into his own needs, and filled her with his release.
Samantha could have stayed in the warmth of the pool all night, but not long after they’d both recovered from the sex, Mercury started urging her to the edge of the pool where the pack sat.
“There is still one more thing to show you,” he said.
She let him move her about like a rag doll, as she indulged in naughty speculation about what else he might have to show her.
“You’re grinning and golden,” he accused.
“Me?” She tried to sound surprised and playfully offended, but in the end she couldn’t stop either the grin or the coloring, so she nodded. “You’re right. I totally am.”
He lifted her out of the water and sat her on the stone edge.
“Yikes. That’s cold.” She realized then that the sky had turned the pink and ginger of twilight, but the white of the rocks reflected what light was left and made the area glow in a rainbow of colors.
As Mercury pulled his body out of the water, she made a grab for her tanks and briefs.
“The other pool I want to show you is cooler but those won’t keep you warm. You don’t need them.
Samantha looked around. “What if Lo or Carn decide to come down for a bath?”
His brows drew together and his flat nose scrunched, but then he shrugged and picked up his own pants.
Samantha stepped into her briefs. “I suppose, living together, you aren’t used to having much privacy.” Or, being a slave, allowed any modesty.
Mercury didn’t answer and she took that to mean he didn’t want to think about his years of captivity. She tugged on her tunic and started to grab the rest of her clothes.
“That’s enough. More will weigh you down in the water. The other pool is larger and deeper.”
“Okay.” She helped him pack their things then followed him back the way they’d come. He brought along the flower vines, tickling her curiosity, but she managed to hold back her questions.
“This is it.” Mercury stopped and put down their things. “Wait here.”
She sat on the edge of the pool as he took a strand of flowers and waded into the pool.
Samantha pulled her legs up to her chest and huddled against the cooling night air.
Mercury disappeared below the surface of the water and she leaned forward. He was a dark mass against the ligh
ter rocks and a trail of glowing pink light moved through the water beside him. It swirled in a whimsical pattern and she followed it, fascinated and giddy as a child by the time Mercury surfaced and pulled her into the water with him.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “It has to be some sort of bioluminescent reaction,” she said as he pressed the vine into her hand. “How did you discover it?”
“Last night, Lo and I found some of the flowers that had fallen into one of the pools.” He tugged on her hand. “Go ahead, courra, paint for me.”
She chuckled. “I guess it is like painting.” She made a large circle, trailing the vine through the water and was rewarded with a pink glow following her pattern. A burst of pure joy had her stopping to share the feeling with him. “I love it. Thank you for showing me.” But her voice fluttered like feathers and it wasn’t joy that shook her.
He was beautiful with a smile on his face and delight, a sparkle in his eyes. She pretended it was the cold that started her trembling and she stepped into his arms. It should have been a happy moment, but fear and cynicism and longing had twisted into an achy ball that burrowed into her chest. Her eyes threatened to overflow with barely restrained tears.
She wanted to find some way to keep him from going back to Roma. To keep him from risking his life. But selfishness would do her no good. He wasn’t hers. She could so easily fall in love with him, but too much was uncertain. Even if he survived his rescue attempt, his whole life, everything he’d know was changing. This wasn’t the time to expect him to make any life altering decisions or new commitments. This was a time to enjoy every moment they could.
“Samantha?” Mercury’s warm breath tickled along her neck, starting another wave of shivers. “Your cold, we should get back.”
“No.” She ducked under his arm and pressed her chest to his back, wrapping one arm around his shoulder. When she hitched a leg to his hip his hands were there in an instant. Large warm hands under her thighs. She twined the fingers of her free hand with his--their two vines of flowers trailing in the water. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Paint with me.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Arena Dogs Campsite, Planet G-45987
Earth Alliance Beta Sector - Gollerra Border
2210.167
Samantha sat cross-legged and barefoot in a patch of grass on the slope down from the cargo-drop campsite. The breeze rustled in the trees and some sort of insect provided a concert of clicking noises. They’d arrived back at their original campsite early the day before. Lo had continued on, to check on Drake and Resler. Mercury and a still limping Carn had disappeared into the woods at sun-up. It seemed impossible Carn had been able to hike on that knee so quickly—genetic engineering at work.
They’d been gone for hours, but she wasn’t worried. Once the urgent need to stop the low frequency pulse had been met, they’d become more interested in exploring this new world and she knew they wouldn’t be so far that they couldn’t get back if she ran into trouble.
She studied the collection of objects she’d pulled together—a scrap of thermal material, a small emergency toolkit with a cutter and a sealer, and packaging from supplies they’d already used. She’d never had a need to make shoes before, but she wanted something besides her deck boots to wear around camp.
Samantha tugged the tool-case open and peered inside. She had the cutter in her hand when she realized she was no longer alone. Lo stood like a living statue under the nearest tree. Only his chest moved. He had one hand pressed on the trunk of the tree, the other against his belly. The muscles of his arms and chest were sharply defined in the dappled sunlight.
He stood there, watching her, even after he knew she’d seen him. His teeth hid behind his lips, but the tip of his tongue peeked out.
Sometimes he took her breath away.
What did that say about her? Her feelings for Mercury had grown so strong she could barely contain them. She shouldn’t even be noticing Lo. She’d grown fond of them all. How could she not? But that didn’t mean she should get hot and bothered by two of them. She wasn’t her father. Stars, she couldn’t be that faithless and weak.
Something broke the spell and Lo strode toward her in long fluid movements. He crouched in front of her, but kept nearly a meter between them. “All is well, little Sam. I’m no threat to you.”
She reached out and waited for him to put his hand in hers. “I know, Lo. I know.”
His touch burned hot against her palm. His claws were barely visible. His presence dominated her field of vision. So close, it was impossible not to notice his raw sexuality, but she refused to acknowledge her reaction.
It had been a mistake to touch him.
She slipped her hand free and wiped her sweaty palm against her thigh.
Lo followed the movement and she considered trying to explain, but he tipped his head back and howled.
“Calling the guys,” she guessed.
He nodded then tilted his head to the side and twitched his ears. “They’ll be back soon.”
“Great,” she said with more enthusiasm than she intended. “I wasn’t making much progress on my shoe project anyway.”
He looked down at her collection of materials and frowned. “Is that what you were doing?”
Samantha sighed. “I hadn’t really started yet.”
He pushed to his feet, but didn’t offer her a hand to stand and she didn’t ask for one.
They walked in silence back to the cluster of boulders. Samantha tucked away her supplies and took a seat on one of the containers. Within a few minutes, first Mercury then Carn jogged back into camp.
The men greeted each other with small touches—a clasp of an arm, a pat on a back, a brush of shoulders—as if they needed the physical contact to reassure each other that they were all together again. When Lo and Carn found spots to sit, Mercury settled on the ground near her. He pressed his arm against her leg, instantly making her feel one of them.
She hadn’t realized until he did it that she’d been envying them as she watched the small ritual. She put her hand on Mercury’s shoulder and something tightened in her belly then eased in her chest.
“They remain in their camp,” said Lo. “But I saw the whip-master speak into a panel on the escape-pod.”
Mercury peered up at her. “Could he be trying to call for help?”
“No.” Samantha shook her head. “He couldn’t use the pod to contact anyone. It doesn’t have that kind of range.” She tried to think, but she was certain the Roma men didn’t have the skills to rig up a relay with the Dove.
“What’s the range?” asked Carn.
“Pretty good in deep space. Not so good with the interference of a solar system close by. From planet surface, it wouldn’t reach beyond a high orbit.”
Lo bent forward to rest his forearms on his thighs. “He didn’t look as if he was repeating a message. Seemed more like a conversation.”
Carn made a sound, something like a whimper, and his eyes widened. “Could it be the rendezvous ship?”
“Or,” said Mercury. “Someone responding to your distress call.”
Samantha refused to calculate the odds someone helpful would respond. “If anyone is out there they would’ve found the Dove. They might have moved into orbit to look for survivors.”
Mercury frowned. “In which case they could be more help to the whip-master than to us.”
“I was hoping,” she said. “That the call might draw help from the Gollerra system.”
Mercury blinked slowly. She could see the possibilities turning in his brain. “Could someone from that system have reached us?”
“Yes. There are transports that could make it in about three days, if there was someone willing and ready to respond right away.” Willing to cross the border, too. She’d sent her distress call on the main shipping frequency and included her indie call-sign hoping someone friendly might hear it. The problem was, she didn’t know how many friends she had left among the indies. “But it’s also
been long enough that someone could have made it from Roma. I’d have thought two more days-but if they had a fast enough ship…”
“Then we have to be prepared that it might be them,” concluded Mercury. “If it is someone friendly, can you make contact from the cargo pod?”
She thought about it. “Yeah. Damn it. I should have thought of this before. I’ll have to rig something. The thing is only equipped with a beacon, but I can make it work.”
Mercury’s nose flared and she knew he was trying to read her scent. Good luck to him. She wasn’t even sure what she was feeling herself. Letting herself care for him was crazy when she’d been confused by her reaction to Lo less than an hour before. Thinking about the future, their future, seemed like a really bad idea.
She was startled by the fingers that tugged on the fist she’d tightened around the cloth of her shirt, right over her heart. She hadn’t been aware of doing it, but he’d seen it and the determination on his face as he pulled her to her feet, promised he wouldn’t be pushed away.
He sent Carn to patrol the perimeter around them and told Lo to get some sleep, then he led her to the cargo-drop. He observed, intent, as she worked on the transmitter. It wasn’t easy without the proper tools, but she wired up a simple receiver and got to work altering the beacon transmitter to meet their needs.
“Do all pilots have such skill with modifying systems?” His voice broke into her thoughts.
“Hardly.” She laughed at the thought, more than a little pleased to see him looking as interested and intent on her work as when she started. “Most pilots are too arrogant to get their hands dirty.” And most men were too easily bored to sit around watching her work.
He moved closer, propping against the side of the drop. “Then how did you learn to do this?”
He was close enough to touch, making it harder to keep the emotional distance she’d been aiming for between them. “My father had a small freight hauling business. Strictly indie, that means independent—not part of a large company, but he had a good reputation.” At least with clients. “He taught me to pilot, but before that his crew taught me to work on the ship.”
Stealing Mercury (Arena Dogs Book 1) Page 17