by Zoe Ashwood
He’d have to stop all physical contact with Adriana. Protecting her would be harder without touching her, yet each touch brought that sense of peace, addictive and enticing, making him want more. It would be better if he kept his word to her and kept his hands to himself.
For a brief moment, he even thought about switching places with one of his brothers or his crew. Then Adriana stepped from behind the curtain, her arms full of clothing, and gave him the most brilliant smile, her beautiful face shining just for him. As he stepped forward to relieve her of her burden, he knew he wouldn’t be able to let her go. Certainly not now, maybe not ever. Which was a problem, because in just three months, she’d be leaving this planet for good.
8
Adriana
For the next week, Taron showed her his city. The pride that shone in his eyes whenever she gasped at a particularly beautiful building told her he loved his home, and she had to wonder why he chose to leave it for months at a time as a spaceship captain. She’d never felt such happiness when she walked the streets of Orlando, where she’d grown up, or even Nuuk, the largest town in Greenland, where she’d spent the better part of the past two years preparing for the mission. Taron was clearly invested in the life of the capital, and she’d asked about it, remembering Vinsha’s strange comment about him being a prince.
“The queen is my cousin on my mother’s side,” he’d explained quietly.
He fingered the fastenings of his wool coat, though Adriana wasn’t certain he was aware of it.
“So you’re royalty?” She’d raised her eyebrows, trying to wrap her head around the fact that a prince was escorting her around the city.
Taron inclined his head. “In a manner of speaking. Zeema has no other relatives. Lhett is the first in line for the throne until she marries and has children.”
“Wow.” Adriana pondered this for a moment. “She’s so young to be queen.”
She’d seen the composed young woman only once during their first week at the palace, passing through a corridor up ahead. She’d hoped to maybe gain access to an interview with her—it would be fascinating to hear how the young female monarch coped with the stress of her position and what her vision was for her planet.
Taron had mumbled something unintelligible and changed the subject, pointing at a colorful display of wares at a market stall.
He took her to schools and kindergartens, where she observed younglings learning from tablets that flashed with the strange, loopy symbols that made up the Rendian writing—more like Chinese characters than the Latin alphabet. There was music, God, such music that raised all the hairs on her neck, played on flute-like instruments while the chorus sang in clear, sonorous voices.
He showed her the burial pyres at the edge of the city, on the shore of the vast frozen sea that extended to the horizon. Rendians burned their dead and scattered their ashes to the wind, convinced their ancestors continued to roam the universe and watched over their descendants.
Their culture was as rich and varied as any Adriana had observed on Earth, and her heart ached at the thought of leaving—she could no more document all the intricacies of this society in three months than she could count the stars in the sky. She tried, though, hoping to do it justice by recording her notes in her journals and taking photos as unobtrusively as she could, both on film and with her digital camera, afraid one or the other might become damaged.
She was sitting on her bed, dressed in pajamas and ready to sleep, going through her plans for the next week, when a dull thud from the corridor broke her focus. Setting aside her notes on the remote mountain villages she’d found marked on a map of the continent, she tiptoed to the door and listened.
Taron’s muffled voice filtered through, but it didn’t seem like he was talking to anyone, just cursing, and then there was the telltale slide of his door shutting. Silence reigned, and Adriana chewed her lip, unsure of what to do.
Her guide-slash-guard had been perfectly civil these past days, taking her where she wanted to go, never complaining if she stayed to ask questions and take notes. But he hadn’t touched her once beyond helping her stay upright in a crowd or guiding her over frozen patches of ground that threatened her ankles. He’d been a gentleman, in other words.
But the truth was, Adriana didn’t want a gentleman. She wanted Taron from the spaceship, Taron from the clothes shop who had kissed her and made her come so hard, her legs still trembled a week after the fact. Every time she thought about those stolen minutes, about his words—they’d been half threat, half promise—she found herself growing wet, and had to fight a flush so he didn’t comment on it.
Sometimes, she thought he sensed her arousal. He’d look at her, move a step closer, then clench his fists and retreat again. When he was with her, he grew a touch less grumpy, too, laughing at her lame jokes and making an effort to chat with the locals while she conducted her interviews. He’d helped her arrange meetings, and she had a feeling that without him, the native population would have been much less trusting of her.
So it was only fair she should check on him and see if he was okay, right? She’d just pop in and say hi, ask him about his day, maybe tell him about her plans for the next week. If she saw he was all right, she’d return straight back to her room and… Adriana let her forehead touch the cool black surface of the door. She’d probably return here and stare at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep while she pictured him changing his clothes, showering, sleeping next door.
Before she lost her nerve, she touched her cuff to the door panel and peered out into the corridor. It was empty; dark had fallen hours ago, and their crew was either sleeping or working, like Hanne, who was busy mapping Rendian skies.
Adriana padded across the hall; three steps was all it took, her bare feet warm on the black-tiled, heated floor. She knocked on Taron’s door and then pressed the button that made a light flash inside after he didn’t answer immediately.
She heard no footsteps from the other side, but the door slid sideways, revealing a bare, pale chest to her gaze. Blinking, she raised her chin to look Taron in the eyes. It felt wrong to ogle him when she’d surprised him like this.
He didn’t say anything, his blue eyes dark and serious as he stared back at her.
“Hi,” she said and forgot what she came here for. Then she shook her head and added, “I heard a noise. Is everything okay?”
He glanced down the corridor, then took her arm and pulled her into his room. It was the most contact they’d had for days, and as Adriana stumbled across the threshold, she tried not to grab at him, afraid she wouldn’t want to let go.
The door shut behind her, and she straightened, raising her eyebrows at him. “What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer immediately and glared at her instead, standing very close to her, so she had to look up—way up. God, he was tall. And he smelled nice, that strange minty scent rising from his skin, wrapping around her senses. But she was shocked by the ferocity of his stare: Had something happened?
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Oh. Well, that was it, then. She retreated a step, unsure of what to do. Her back hit the door behind her. “Then why did you drag me in here?” He kept giving her mixed signals, and it was becoming increasingly hard to protect her heart from those bruises she’d feared.
“Because this needs to stop,” he growled. “I’m changing the guard rotation tomorrow. I’m assigning Lieutenant Anilla to you. She’s very capable. You’ll be in excellent hands.”
Adriana stood still. Her heart was slowly cracking in two, and she couldn’t make a sound. Damn, damn, damn him. How was she supposed to react if he’d given her no explanation? She thought they were becoming friends, but she’d been mistaken.
She would not cry. Two kisses and one orgasm, although earth-shattering, did not deserve her tears. Neither did the smiles he seemed to give to her, and only her. She squared her shoulders and stared at a point several inches above his head. “May I ask why?”
Ther
e, her voice didn’t tremble at all. And if he kept his gaze on her face, he wouldn’t be able to see how her hands shook. She crossed her arms over her chest to keep from fidgeting.
He ran his fingers through his white-blond hair, mussing it up. “There are things…” He broke off, glanced to the side like he was searching for better words. “I don’t need distractions right now. I need to focus on—on my duties.”
Adriana processed this for a moment. “And I’m a distraction?”
Taron nodded once, a curt jerk of his head, and took one step forward, cornering her by the door.
“What kind of duties?” she asked. “I-I thought I was your duty.” She cringed, wishing she could take back the words. She’d sounded almost desperate, needy. And that was the last thing she wanted—even as a child, she’d learned that people didn’t like it when she clung to them too much.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Taron said, “You are. You were. But there are… My brothers and I have a family matter to resolve, and I can’t do that while I’m around you. I can’t think when I’m around you.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Why?” she whispered.
He opened his bottomless blue eyes, so strange and yet so familiar. “You know why.”
His voice was a tortured rasp, and Adriana touched his arm on instinct, aching to comfort him. He flinched immediately, and she dropped her hand back to her side when she saw his anguished expression.
She clenched her teeth, taking a deep breath. If he was this determined, she needed to give him space. But she had to be sure—in less than three months, she’d be leaving this planet for good, and she didn’t want any regrets. And she would always wonder what could have been. There would be no do-overs of this visit.
“If you don’t want me, I’ll go,” she said, looking him straight in the eyes. “But I would rather stay.”
Standing her ground, she waited. And hoped. For what, she didn’t know. But leaving this room and returning to her own quarters would be the hardest, saddest thing.
His elegant, strong features could have been hewn from ice for all the emotion he expressed. If a battle raged inside him, he gave her no indication of it.
He didn’t reply, so she swallowed a knot of hurt and nodded. “Okay.” She’d find Mika and Hanne, bribe Ben to part with that bottle of bourbon he’d brought from Earth, and hole up in her room for the night. Then she’d move on with her mission and make herself proud.
Pressing her lips together, she turned toward the door.
His quiet sigh ruffled the small, wispy hairs on her neck. It was the only warning she had before his cool, strong hand clasped her elbow. “Don’t go.”
She faced him again, traitorous hope kindling in her chest.
“I want you so much I can’t think of anything else,” he growled. He raised his hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, caressing it until the ends came to a stop above her breasts. He flicked a thumb across her nipple, and she sucked in a shocked breath. “Every time you get hot for me, I feel it.”
Tracing his fingers lower, he slipped them beneath the hem of her pajama top, barely touching the skin on her belly. “You look at me, and I want to grab you and sink inside you so badly, I forget about everything else.”
Her legs trembled, and she clutched his arms for support, the massive biceps bunching under her touch. She had no words to answer his confession, save for, “Yes.”
He smiled at her, a crooked, pained grin, and put his other palm on her ass, lifting her effortlessly. Adriana clung to him, her legs going around his waist, her ankles crossed over the low spine bumps on the small of his back. Leaning in, he traced the shell of her ear with a cool tongue, sending her nerves skittering madly.
“And at night, I pleasure myself because I can only think of you across the hall.”
The crude image had her gasping, and she hugged him closer, her body pulled toward his with magnetic force. Her sex pressed against his erection, the proof of his arousal so powerful it left her breathless.
“Show me.”
He stilled, then groaned. He took her mouth in a fierce kiss and tortured her with his tongue, letting her know just how spectacular sex with him would be. She’d never wanted anything more.
“Show me,” she repeated, and he unhooked her legs from around his waist and set her on the floor. She cried out at the loss of contact, but he was already unlacing his leather pants. Lust swelled over her, a wave so strong she trembled. She wanted to claw those clothes off him, climb him like a tree and have him take her against the wall, on the floor, anywhere, just as long as she got that long, thick cock inside her.
“Are you going to study me, Dr. Ribeiro?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Make notes?”
She followed him with her gaze as he sat on the bed to take off his heavy winter boots. “I might take pictures, too.”
He chuckled but grew serious again; he stood and hooked his thumbs in his waistband.
She didn’t think she could hold on much longer, and he seemed to know it. With exaggerated slowness, he dragged those pants down, then kicked them off. He stood before her, naked save for his wrist cuff, the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. Every muscle was honed to perfection by hours of training, no doubt, and his long, powerful limbs were made for battle, for survival on this harsh planet. The spiked bones of his shoulders, the savage, patrician features—he was exquisite. His skin was a faint blue, telling her he wasn’t as relaxed as he wanted her to believe. At the sight of his cock, Adriana gasped.
She’d felt it, of course, had had her fingers wrapped around it, and knew even then it was impressive, but seeing it now… The length of his cock was a deep, rich blue, with a blunt, broad head that she wished to take into her mouth. Her core throbbed with a low, insistent pulse at the thought of having him buried inside her.
His large fist closed around the root, and she dragged her gaze up to his face, to his knowing smirk. He saw what the sight of him did to her; he’d said he felt her arousal, and there was no hiding from the truth. Her nipples ached, twin pebbles rubbing against the soft cotton of her top, the friction not rough enough for her. She was wet for him, her thighs slick with it, and she pressed them together in a vain attempt to bring relief.
Taron didn’t say a word and sat on his bed instead. Leaning on the headboard, he gave his cock a firm stroke. Adriana stepped closer, feeling electrified, aching to touch him, but she also wanted to see what he’d do—to see what he liked. He knew best how to pleasure himself, so she wanted to observe, to learn so she could repeat it all later. She wanted to blow his mind, to imprint herself on his memory so he’d never forget her, even after she was long gone from his world.
“Come here,” he murmured. He’d fallen into a rhythm now, and the rough flicks of his wrist looked almost too violent to bring pleasure.
She was powerless to resist his order, climbing onto the foot of his bed.
“Now take off your clothes,” he demanded. “I’ve imagined it so many times already.”
And somehow, that made it worse—surely he had built a fantasy version of her in his head, and her real body could never compare. But despite her reluctance, Adriana took the hem of her top and dragged it over her head. He was naked, so it was only fair.
He groaned at the sight of her, his hand moving faster. “All of it.”
She shuffled out of her leggings, then knelt between his powerful thighs. Taron stilled, watching her, his cheeks flushed blue, his eyes glittering in the low light. She couldn’t hold off anymore. “May I?”
He gave her a curt nod and released his cock. Her first impulse was to climb over him and slide down on his erection, but she wanted to try something first.
That changing room insanity had left her with a burning curiosity to taste him. Scooting up on the bed, Adriana took his cock in her hand, running her fingers over the smooth skin, the hard ridges below it, over the blunt head, all cool compared to her skin. Heat spread through her body—soon, she’d hav
e him buried inside her. It was inevitable. So she ducked her head, letting her hair hide her from his view as she closed her mouth around his erection, her lips stretching to take him in.
Taron’s hips bucked off the bed, and he let out a strangled groan. Then he gathered her hair to one side, and she found herself meeting his gaze while she swallowed as much of his length as she could. He was far too big for her, so she grabbed the base and set a slow, insistent pace, keeping a tight hold on him like she saw him do earlier. With her other hand, she cupped his balls, making him hiss with the pressure.
“Ah, fuck,” he gasped, throwing his head back. “So warm! I had no idea—oh, shit, I didn’t know it would be like this.”
She grinned around his thickness and picked up her pace, reveling in the power this gave her over him. His fist in her hair, she’d never felt sexier than in this moment, tasting him, bringing him so much pleasure.
His muscles locked tight, his breaths becoming loud gasps, he muttered her name over and over again, until finally, he gripped her head and lifted his hips to her. He came down her throat, the cool liquid tasting faintly fresh, and Adriana swallowed every drop, pumping her hand, drawing out his pleasure.
He slumped back against the cushions, his big body going slack. She straightened and ran her fingers through her hair to comb it off her face. A low hum buzzed in her blood, arousal swirling, building, and she had to wonder at the chemical composition of his come. It seemed to have a light stimulating effect on her. Licking her lips, she stared down at his still-erect cock. Could she have more?
When she reached out a hand to touch him, however, Taron caught her wrist.
“You already got to play,” he murmured, the only warning she had before he grabbed her by the hips and rolled over her in one smooth move, his powerful muscles bunching.
He took her mouth in a searing kiss that had her panting. Then he pulled back to trail kisses down her neck, to her breasts.