Kazan

by Starr Huntress

  “Yeah. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”

  “Stop being a wet blanket,” she said, smacking my arm. I don’t know exactly what it meant, but the wicked smile she flashed at me made up for it. “Come on. Let’s get you a drink.”

  Taking me by the fingers, she pulled me into the thumping room, and I looked back to see our guide waving lightly with that same smirk on his face. Why did I want to throttle everyone I met at this place?

  “Do you have tequila?” She had stepped up onto the foot rail and was leaning over the bar so the bartender could hear her over the music. Still bumping to the music, her ass was beginning to take on a mesmerizing quality. She knew what her assets were, and she was determined that everyone else should know about them, too.

  For as uptight as she was when she first stepped into that pristine little room with me, she was really buying into the party atmosphere. I supposed that’s the way it was with hard-working types. Work hard, play hard. Fuck hard, I found myself hoping.

  “Here.” She turned around with two shot glasses brimming with tequila. I put a hand up to stop her. “Trust me,” she said. “It’s the good stuff.”

  “Trust me,” I fired back. “You don’t want to see what that stuff does to me.”

  “Don’t I?” Those dangerous green eyes had the dirtiest look.

  “I’d be more likely to smash the joint up than smash a bed with you with that stuff.”

  “Oooh,” she smirked. “Promises, promises.”

  With that, she fired back one shot, then the other, clapping the glasses back down on the bar when she was done. I didn’t mind admitting I was impressed. I let out a burst of laughter and she leveled me with those emeralds again.

  “Surprised?”

  “Maybe a little, yeah.”

  “You may just find I’m full of surprises, Colonel.” She gave a quick rap on the bar and nodded to me. “If tequila isn’t really your speed, I bet they have plenty of that cheap whiskey you were drinking when we met.” She grabbed my shoulder and hoisted herself up to whisper in my ear, “I bet they’d even let you skip the ice.”

  With that, she danced out into the crowd. Cheap? I thought it was pretty good.

  “So, whiskey, then?” My head snapped around to find the bartender leaning on his elbows and watching me.

  “Yeah.”

  “Double?”

  I looked back to Elle, drinking her in as her body swayed and writhed to the music pulsing around her.

  “Triple.”

  “You got it.” He snapped a glass down and poured a drink so full I had to bend over and sip the rim before I could pick it up. Okay, maybe there were things I was going to like about this place. Taking a healthy slug, I let myself just slip into watching her move.

  She really knew how to cut loose. Her body was insane, and if the bulge in my pants had subsided at all, she was making sure that it came back to full attention. As much as I was enjoying the view, I found myself really resenting being pulled away from our room.

  A whistle came over my shoulder, and I turned to find the bartender leaning on his elbows again, watching Elle dance.

  “Is that one yours?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good man.” He never took his eyes off her. In other situations, I would have been likely to give him a jab to the shoulder. But there was a different feeling percolating in my gut.

  Looking down the bar, I saw a number of eyes focused on Elle. Not least of all, Alzon. His easy manner and all those smiles had vanished, and there was something else taking their place.

  Instead of the glad-handing phoniness, he had the look of a predator on a mountaintop, looking down at one lone target. He was practically licking his lips as he watched her dance. Admittedly, it was an appetizing sight, but his laser focus stuck right in my gut.

  There were any number of men watching her, but he was different. That wasn’t admiration, or casual lust—he was eyeing up something he wanted, and had every intention of taking. I knew the look, because I’ve worn it myself a time or two, and I’ve never been proud of it.

  That dark tingle in my gut got more intense. Was this jealousy? Was I beginning to think of Elle in partner terms? That wasn’t part of the deal.

  Shifting on the stool, I scanned the room, prompted by instinct or experience or whatever. The back of my neck started to tense up—but maybe that was a sign I needed this vacation, too. Still, for a resort that looked like it was supposed to be hosting mainly couples, there were a lot of lone men standing around. Not vacation types either, more like plainclothes security.

  Why would a resort like this need so much security?

  Shaking my head, I did my level best to find the bottom of my whiskey glass. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t my business. Another whistle came from behind me.

  “You’re a seasoned pro at that kind of thing, hunh?”

  “Maybe.” I put the empty glass back down on the bar, and he scooped it up.

  “So, another then?”

  “If you pour it like the last one, I won’t be standing much longer.”

  “Well then, we might just have to find a place for you to lie down.” I spun around to find Elle standing very close behind me. “Could I get another tequila while you’re at it?”

  “You got it.” The bartender shot her a wink and set about getting our drinks.

  “It’s no fun dancing alone, Kazan.” The two shots she had taken were lighting up behind her eyes, and I knew a third one would really push her into party territory. After the first whiskey I’d had, I was well on my way to joining her.

  “Come on.” She had me by the hand and was doing her best to pull me out onto the floor.

  “What about your drink,” I asked, just as it arrived on the bar. In answer, she snatched it up and tossed it back.

  “Come on.”

  “What about my drink?” I laughed, nodding to the brimming glass beside me.

  “It’ll wait.” She was dazzling, and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I looked back down to find Alzon watching us with that same dark look in his eyes. To hell with him. If he couldn’t fix his face, that was his problem.

  Grinning, I let her lead me onto the floor, watching that magnificent body shimmy the whole way.

  Elle

  I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so free.

  Moving to the beat, I whipped my hair back while running both hands down the sides of my body. The sway of my hips matched the tempo of the music, and every fiber of my being seemed to vibrate to the bass. Against all odds, I was truly having fun.

  “Loosen up, will ya?” I said, smiling as I watched Kazan struggle to move. Standing a head taller than almost everyone else in the club, he definitely struck an imposing figure, but his dance moves weren’t exactly worth calling home about. He was moving his shoulders, but his hips refused to move freely, almost as if someone had bolted them in place. “I thought you were some kind of party animal.”

  “Dancing has never been my strongest suit,” he told me with a low grunt, his lips tightening as the beat suddenly changed. Struggling to keep up, he started moving around like a drunken space ostrich, and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.

  “I can see that.” Smiling, I closed the distance between us and threw my arms over his shoulders. He stiffened up almost immediately, his spine turning into a straight arrow, and ended up stepping on my right foot. “Try to relax. Just follow my lead.”

  Looking into his eyes, I started moving my hips in a flowing motion, the rhythm of my body keeping up with the music. Slowly, he finally started to relax, the tension in his shoulders fading away. Returning my gaze, he placed both hands on my hips, the way his fingers nestled themselves over my curves enough for a shiver to run up my spine.

  “That’s it,” I whispered into his ear, pressing my chest against his. My breasts were trapped between our bodies, and I suddenly felt my nipples hardening, my heart settling into a rhythm that wasn’t exactl
y in sync with the music.

  Losing myself to the beat, I kept my body glued to his as I moved, my breathing becoming shallower with each passing second. When I’d dragged him onto the dance floor, the only thing on my mind was having some innocent fun, but the way we were dancing right now...well, there was nothing innocent about it.

  We weren’t slobbering over each other like hormone-crazed teenagers, nor were we groping each other, but the atmosphere around us had changed. I could feel it. The air itself was charged with electricity, and I could almost feel the rumble of thunder inside my own head. Before I even knew what I was doing, I went up on tiptoes and brought my lips up to his ear one more time.

  “What do you say we get out of here?” I asked him, and my heart did a somersault inside my chest as the words left my mouth. His fingers twitched against my hips, and I saw a devilish glint in his eyes. He didn’t bother answering with words. He just took me by the hand and started dragging me across the dance floor, the crowd parting to let us through.

  “I thought you’d never ask,” he finally said as we left the club, the loud beat now sounding muffled and distant.

  We went down the stairs that led straight onto the beach, and I loosened the straps enough to wriggle out of my shoes and hang them over my shoulders, smiling as my bare feet touched the smooth sand. In the distance, I could see the lights from the luxurious cabins lining the beachfront like golden lighthouses.

  “Your dance moves got to me,” I told him with a teasing grin, and this time I couldn’t stop myself from laughing as he frowned. “Oh, c’mon. You’re terrible at it, and you know it.”

  “You, on the other hand…” He trailed off, that dangerous glint returning to his eyes. Something in his tone changed as well, almost as if his words had suddenly grown heavier and more powerful.

  “You’ll get there,” I continued, stepping on a patch of wet stand. “I’ll teach you.”

  To the side, the gentle waves caressed the sand, doing it so softly they didn’t even foam up. Tarkun IV itself, the planet around which this resort moon orbited, hung in the night sky, its pale light reflected on the ocean’s calm surface, and I suddenly found myself so light it felt as if I was floating. Maybe it was the fact that I was slightly tipsy, but there was something about this moment that was making me feel...different.

  I had spent the last several years weighed down by responsibilities, my brain always keeping a NASCAR rhythm, but now I felt myself relaxing. I wasn’t worried about work, nor was I mentally going through tomorrow’s to-do list. I was in the present, and nothing else mattered.

  I don’t know how it happened, but Kazan and I were no longer walking. We stood on the beach, alone on that deserted strip of sand between the club and the cabins, our bodies turned toward each other. Our eyes locked, and I swear I could almost feel the crackle of electricity around us.

  I couldn’t wait.

  “Come here,” I whispered, my heart kicking and punching against my ribcage as I reached for him.

  Taking hold of his shirt’s collar, I pulled him down to me, my eyelids fluttering as my lips parted. We kissed, and I felt as if the entire galaxy was fading all around us, leaving us standing at the center of a pleasant nothingness. In that moment, nothing but the feel of our two bodies mattered.

  “No one here to stop us now,” he whispered against my lips, his hands navigating around my waist.

  His fingers whispered down my backside, pulling me into him, and a soft little moan escaped my lips. He was right; there was absolutely no one here to stop us, and thank God for that.

  “I can tell you to stop, if that’s what you want,” I teased him, my fingers slowly working on his shirt.

  I undid button after button, revealing his chiseled torso, and my mind started simmering as my knuckles brushed against the skin of his stomach. I felt the perfect contour of his abs, every inch of his body exuding raw masculinity, and I became wetter than I had ever been.

  It was crazy.

  “Stop?” Resting his forehead against mine, he allowed a grin to dance on his lips. “There’s no stopping us now.” With that, he pushed me down until we were both lying in the sand, our bodies tangled around each other. He pulled the straps of my dress down my shoulders, revealing the outer edges of my bra, then allowed his lips to wander down from my mouth to my neck.

  Arching my back, I closed my eyes as I felt his lips roaming over my skin, his hands gently tugging at the fabric of my dress. He kept on going until I had nothing but my underwear on, and only then did his mouth reach the valley between my breasts.

  Carefully, he slid one hand behind my back and unclasped my bra, the cups drooping to reveal my rosy nipples. The moment they jumped into sight, Kazan’s tenderness gave way to a kind of savage fury, and he ripped the bra off my body with one swift motion.

  Using nothing but the tip of his tongue, he made the hike up the rising curve of my breast and wrapped his lips around my nipple, sucking it into his mouth. He twirled his tongue around it, inflicting the sweetest of punishments upon my body, and slid one hand down my flat stomach.

  “Oh, God,” I breathed out, my eyes rolling as he flattened the palm of his hand right between my legs. A column of fire shot up my spine, and all the thoughts inside my head turned to ash, the only thing surviving the scorching heat being an unstoppable wave of lust.

  Unable to control myself, I dug my heels into the sand and thrust up, pressing myself against his hand. That was enough for him to change gears and up the ante. Hooking his fingers on the elastic band hugging my waist, he pulled my thong against my outer thigh, tearing it off my body with brutish desperation. A quivering moan later and there I was, completely naked and vulnerable.

  “How can you be this fucking perfect?” he whispered, looking into my eyes.

  I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, it wasn’t like he expected a reply. He lowered his gaze back onto my body and, laying gentle kisses on both my breasts, started making the journey down my naked skin. Clamping down on my lower lip, I tried to keep myself together as his tongue wandered down my stomach, its destination obvious.

  It all seemed so surreal.

  Just a couple of days ago, I was in Manhattan, leading a lawyer’s life, and now here I was...on some alien tropical beach, being ravaged by the most handsome creature I had ever laid eyes on.

  “You’re delicious,” Kazan continued, brushing his lips against the soft flesh of my inner thighs. “Every inch of you.” He was taking his time now, teasing me, but I didn’t know if I’d be able to endure much longer. Succumbing to my urges, I reached down and grabbed him by the horns, my fingers tightly holding their smooth surface. “It pays to be patient, you know?”

  “Oh, fuck being patient,” I threw back at him, arching my back as I pushed his head to where I needed it to be.

  He offered no resistance. With the tip of his tongue, he traced the contour of my aching inner lips, and only stopped when he was pressing it down on my clit. My heart started beating erratically, making it feel as if I had a war drum inside my chest, and it wasn’t long before a moan exploded from my lips.

  Sucking my clit into his mouth, Kazan kept on applying just the right amount of pressure with his tongue, driving me absolutely crazy. At the same time, he placed two fingers against my entrance and used them to part my inner lips. Before I could even ready myself for it, he pushed his fingers inside me, stretching my inner walls as he did.

  It was too much.

  I gripped his horns so tightly that, for a moment, I thought I was going to snap them off his head. My heels dug into the sand almost too violently, and I found myself thrusting against his mouth, eager to feel the pressure of his lips against my clit. Not one to be outdone, he simply curled his fingers upward like a hook, pressing his fingertips against that hidden trigger inside me.

  Right then and there, I came undone.

  My muscles tensed up for a fraction of a second, then they all started shaking at the same time. My eyes rolled back, ecst
asy coursed through my bloodstream, and it felt as if a thermonuclear detonation had just gone off inside my head.

  It was absolute perfection.

  Breathing hard, I just laid back and stared up at the star-sprinkled sky above, my mind reeling. When Kazan lay beside me and gently brushed the hair away from my face, I quickly turned on my side to face him.

  “You good?” he whispered.

  “Never been better. But we’re far from being done.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Oh, you better believe it.”

  Kazan

  She didn’t even let me catch my breath.

  Before I knew it, she’d placed both hands on my face and kissed me again, crushing her lips against mine. Still with the sweet taste of her wetness on my tongue, I surrendered to the frenzied kiss she demanded of me, pressing my body against hers.

  Her hands moved frantically to my shoulders, her fingernails raking across my skin as she pulled my shirt down. Sitting up, I pulled her to my lap, my tail thrashing wildly as she climbed on top of me, knees on either side of my thighs, and slammed her hands down onto my shoulders.

  She had been playing hard to get, but it seemed like she had finally reached the tipping point. I figured that, while she was trying to tease and torture me with her body, that she was also teasing herself at the same time. In the end, everything was happening like I wanted it to.

  “You have no idea how much I want this right now,” she said, her words coming out as a blend of a whisper and a growl.

  Running her fingers down my abs, she brought them down to my belt and unbuckled it. One quick movement and the belt flew off from my pants, landing somewhere on the side.

  “Then that makes two of us,” I threw back, pushing myself off the ground with one hand so I could take my mouth to her naked breasts while my hips were lifted.

  As I sucked on her right nipple, she hurried to peel my pants off, and only seemed to slow down once I had nothing but my boxer briefs on. From underneath me, the tip of my tail escaped the weight of my body, and its whole length unfolded toward Elle.