by Anna Hackett
She wasn’t going to leave him to stew and brood. She felt the overwhelming urge to help her warrior. The man didn’t know the first thing about relaxing and recharging.
“How about we spar?” She looked around. “There’s enough room.”
“There are sparring bots in the gym, if I want to fight.”
She shrugged. “Guess you’re afraid I’ll take you.”
He lifted his head. “Never.”
She held her arms out. “Prove it.”
He rose in one smooth move.
She gave him no chance to prepare. She attacked. Dropping low, she swiped her leg out, tripping him over.
With a curse, he fell, but was already rolling. Lara leaped on him, sliding her legs around his neck.
He gripped her thighs and twisted her off him.
She jumped back and they both circled each other. Then they charged.
She kicked and hit at him, he blocked. They traded blows. She blocked one of his chops with her arm and the blow made her bones rattle.
But it also made her blood fire.
Oh, yeah. She kicked at him again. He grabbed her foot and twisted.
Lara leaped with it, spinning, and kicking out with her other foot. Her heel caught his jaw.
He released her with a grunt.
She danced back and laughed. “Come on, warrior. I’m barely breaking a sweat.”
With a growl, he rushed her.
Shit. Lara spun and ran.
She didn’t get far. He took her to the ground. She was pressed to the floor on her belly, a big, hard warrior covering her back.
His hot breath puffed against her neck.
“I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want you.”
His words made her moan. She pushed her ass back against him. She ground against his rock-hard cock.
Then his hands were tearing at her shirt. As he ripped the fabric off her body, she whimpered.
God, she’d never whimpered for anybody. She felt his palm smooth over her bare ass before his hands dipped between her legs, stroking.
He wasn’t gentle. And she didn’t care. She liked it. She liked him wild and out of control.
His thumb found her clit. His thick fingers plunged inside her.
Lara cried out. Pleasure was a hot, fast rush.
“So tight, Lara. Will my cock even fit here?” Then his fingers were gone.
“No, Caze—”
He yanked her hips up and she felt him shove his trousers down. His thighs brushed against the back of hers and anticipation made her blood boil. His cock brushed against her ass. She pushed back against him.
“Do it, Caze. Take me. Make it feel good for both of us.”
He growled. “You’ll be sore tomorrow because of me. I’m going to pound my cock inside you and tomorrow, every time you sit or walk, you’re going to think of me.”
“Yes.”
He drove his cock inside her.
Lara screamed. So good. Too good.
His hands roughly gripped her hips, then he was driving inside her, grunting with every thrust.
She pushed back against him, giving as good as she got. “Yeah, baby. Harder.”
“Take me deep, Lara.”
Her throaty moan egged him on and he increased his thrusts, one of his big hands sliding beneath her belly. He thumbed her clit. Her orgasm shimmered on the horizon, and she moaned. It was going to be huge.
Then he pulled out of her and she cried out in protest.
He turned her onto her back.
“I want to watch your face.” His voice sounded like gravel.
God. She could barely understand his guttural words. Sweet warmth flooded through her, an unfamiliar sensation. She liked it.
He pressed her legs apart, pushing them up to her chest. Then he slid his thick cock back inside her. He pulled one of her legs in tight to his side. Their gazes locked, and she couldn’t look away.
Connected.
Together.
Her orgasm slammed into her, hitting hard. Her fingernails dug into his back. The pleasure stole her breath away.
She arched up. “Caze!”
“My Terran.” He plunged a few more times, then groaned as he came inside her. His body was shaking.
“Oh, my God.” She flopped back, one hand gripping his arm. Nothing had felt this good. Not ever. “Well, I can report that you are a superhero lover.”
That earned her a faint smile. His fingers moved in soothing circles on her thigh. “You’re okay?”
“I sure am.” She lifted her head and kissed him. “That felt out-of-the-stratosphere amazing.”
A smile flirted on his lips. “It did. You make me feel…”
When his words drifted off, she didn’t press. “Feel better now?”
His eyebrows winged up. “This was all to break my mood?”
“Yes.” She let out a gusty sigh. “The sacrifices I make for a mission.”
His fingers brushed her lips. “I heard you cry my name when you climaxed. That had nothing to do with the mission.”
“I’m sure you’re mistaken.”
He rolled onto his back, pulling her so that she straddled him.
“Then I guess we need to try at least once more,” he drawled. “See if you scream my name again this time.”
She grinned. “You know I can’t resist a challenge.”
Caze watched Lara stagger toward the kitchen, wearing a scrap of gray silky fabric she told him was a robe.
“God, my legs feel like wet noodles.”
By Eschar, she was so beautiful. Strength, beauty, brains and grit. He couldn’t think of a better combination.
He’d never met a woman like Lara Traynor. He’d never had such a tough, uninhibited lover, either.
“Does that mean I win this round?” he drawled.
She looked over her shoulder and wagged a finger at him. “Don’t make me come over there and fuck your brains out…again.”
Caze smiled. He’d smiled more in the last few days than he had in years. “That’s not much of a threat. In fact, just the opposite.”
She brought back bottled water and some nutrition packs. They’d made a nest on the floor with blankets and pillows off the couches.
He pulled her down, savoring the feel of her smooth skin. He’d run his hands and tongue over every inch of her. He’d loved every inch of her.
And he’d realized something that she hadn’t, yet. She’d controlled his helian on the ship when they were fighting the Kantos space creature. It was Lara who’d lengthened his sword and enabled them to cut the tentacle off the monster, not him.
She’d also told him his helian had granted them access to the stealth station. She’d communicated with it then as well.
Caze was well aware of what that meant.
Lara Traynor was his mate. His heart thudded hard against his chest. His lover, his woman, his perfect match.
The thought should concern him, but it didn’t. He wanted her. More than he’d wanted anything.
She jumped on him, pushing him back into the blankets. She pinned his arms to the floor, and straddled his hips. Her body undulated against him and his cock was hard in seconds.
“I’m not going to show you any mercy, warrior.”
Caze surged up, need riding him hard. He pinned her beneath him.
“Hey, no fair.” She tried to buck him off her.
“If you can’t keep me pinned, then it’s all fair.” He scooped her up, enjoying her gasp.
He carried her to the wall of windows. Then he spun her, pressing her front against the glass. Her gray robe slithered to the floor.
As her naked body touched the cool surface, she hissed. He gripped her hips, caressing her rounded ass. Her palms pressed to the window and a small, husky cry escaped her.
“Tilt this pretty ass for me, Lara.”
She did, resting her forehead against the glass. He saw her looking down into the valley below. He shaped her toned cheeks, blood rushing to his cock a
s it throbbed.
Take. Claim. Mine.
Caze dropped to his knees. “I love eating you, tasting you.” He put his mouth on her and she moaned, rocking back against him.
“And you’re damn good at it,” she moaned.
He licked her again, and then tilted his head to bite her ass cheek. Hunger pumped through his veins. He was addicted to the taste of her. He took his time, savoring, listening to her curses and begging.
He slid up her body.
“Caze…” A shaky breath. “I was so close.”
“Keep that ass out,” he ordered.
“Bossy.”
Caze freed his cock, rubbing it between her cheeks. Then he nudged forward. He was swollen and hard, and it was so sexy watching his thick cock slide into her hot body.
They both groaned.
He started thrusting hard and fast. Her fingers pressed into the glass. They both looked at a dizzying view as her cries increased. It was only Caze and Lara—her tight warmth and wetness, the pounding of his cock. Their bodies slapping together.
She threw her head back. “Caze.”
He felt the ripple of her body on his cock. “Come.”
Her head fell back against his shoulder. “Oh, God, Caze—”
“Come on my cock, Lara.”
She did, screaming. Her body clamped down on him, impossibly tight. He lost his rhythm, slamming into her.
His release hit him like a blow. He roared her name, his fingers biting into her skin.
Both spent, she slumped against the glass. He stayed, pressed against her, trying to make sure his legs would hold him up.
When he pulled out of her, she made a small, contented sound.
Smiling, Caze pulled her into his arms and carried her back to the blankets. He lay her down and pulled her close to his side.
She let out a sigh. “How long until we have to leave?”
“Soon. We need to make contact with the Desteron and prepare for the mission.”
Her fingers touched his cheek. He knew she was touching where he’d been injured.
“Promise not to get hurt this time,” she murmured.
“If you promise, too.”
But they were both warriors. Both military. They knew the risks.
Caze was well aware that his father would be angry and disappointed in him. Disappointed that his son was having sex, wrapped up in a female, and not one hundred percent focused on his mission.
But as Caze breathed deep and pulled in Lara’s sexy floral scent, he had no regrets. She was his.
After the mission, then he’d work out what this all meant. Convince Lara to take a chance on a military man who knew next to nothing about relationships and women. Find a way to make a woman who didn’t believe in love to take a risk.
She pulled him tighter and let out a sigh. “The people of Earth have no clue to the impending danger. They know the Kantos are hostile, but not that they’re planning an invasion.”
“Your leaders didn’t want people to panic.”
“Right. I think they deserve the truth.” She nuzzled into him. “This weapon scares me. We have to stop the Kantos.”
“We will. Whatever it takes.”
She tilted her face up to his. “We might not make it.”
Caze slid a hand into her hair. Whatever happened, he’d ensure she made it. He’d fight for her, kill for her, die for her.
Whatever it took.
Chapter Thirteen
“Good. You’re a natural at flying an Eon ship.”
Lara smiled at Caze’s words, and finessed the stealth ship’s controls. It was a clone of the damaged one the space creature had destroyed.
Eon technology rocked. Caze had let her fly for most of this trip. It had taken her a little while to get the hang of the sensitive controls, but she loved this Eon ship. They’d just crossed the border into the Tyloth Quadrant.
And now they were almost at the hive station.
She looked at Caze. So gorgeous and hot.
The lights from the console threw his handsome face into sharp relief. He was so damn strong. Looking at him, you’d never know how badly injured he’d been just hours ago.
Lara finally acknowledged that she liked him. Really liked him. Her fingers clenched. More than she’d ever liked any man before. She, who never let a guy too close, had let this one slip under her radar.
She thought of her mom. Mika had started out tough, been a damn fine Space Corps lieutenant. But love, and losing it, had wrecked her. Had made her weak.
Lara had vowed that would never happen to her.
She let out a breath. She wasn’t her mother. Eve had told her that so many times before.
“The hive station is in visual range,” Caze said.
Lara looked at the viewscreen and zoomed in.
Her heart thumped against her ribs. The station looked like an upside-down iceberg floating in space. The conical structure had a large, flat top, and narrowed down to a point at the bottom. It had a dark, rough outer shell, and small ships were flying in and out of the top of it.
“You’re sure our stealth will hold?” she asked. “We can get in undetected?”
“Yes. I’ve snuck onto hive stations before. The last time was for a rescue mission to retrieve a kidnapped warrior. The Kantos never detected my ship.”
“Did you get him out?”
There was a pause. “We returned his body to his family.”
Her stomach tightened. “I’m sorry, Caze.”
He nodded. “I’m going to enjoy sneaking the gem of Eschar out from under them.”
Lara smiled briefly. “Me, too.”
They flew closer, avoiding the swarm ships. Then Caze directed her to the lower end of the station.
“We’ll attach to the outer wall and cut our way in.”
Caze took over control, gently finessing their small ship close to the station. Clunk.
“Ship attached,” the computer said.
He powered down and glanced at her. “Ready?”
She nodded. She ran a hand down the armor she’d selected back at the stealth station. It wasn’t as fancy as his helian scales, but it was still very-well-made Eon armor. Then she checked her weapons.
Oh, yeah. She was ready to make the Kantos regret the day they’d targeted Earth. “Bring it.”
He stopped at a cabinet and pressed his palm to a lock panel. There was a hiss, and a reinforced drawer opened.
The gem of Ston and the gem of Alqin sat on a bed of shiny silver fabric.
Caze pulled out a small, black pack. He carefully stowed the gems inside. Then he held the bag out to her. “I want you to take care of these. I can’t risk leaving them unattended on the ship.”
She swallowed. “You should—”
“I’ll be the main target of any Kantos we encounter.” He paused. “There are very few people I would trust with these.”
Chest tight, she took the pack and let him help her slide it onto her back. He tightened it, so it was flush against her spine.
Then, Caze opened a side hatch, and Lara stared at the rough, brown hull of the Kantos station on the other side of the opening.
“How are we getting in?” she asked.
He pressed his palm to the hull, and his hand began to glow silver. Wow, his helian was doing something.
She watched a circular hole begin to form, the edges glowing brightly. The hull slowly melted outward, until a large enough hole formed for them to duck through. A faint, silver shimmer covered the opening. Some sort of force field, it seemed.
Caze went first, ducking through the shimmer. A second later, he waved her in. Lara stepped onto the hive station.
It reminded her of the Kantos ship they’d been held on. The dark walls were rough, with a hexagonal pattern. The lighting was low, leaving lots of shadows.
The inside of the station was filled with an incessant, buzzing hum. From somewhere, she heard a wild scream. It set her teeth on edge.
Caze touched the ed
ge of the hole they used and she watched as the hole began to close. The brown wall grew back again.
“Holy cow.” She really, really wanted a symbiont.
Once the hole was closed, Caze looked at the screen attached to his wrist. “Our intel suggests that the main hive station labs are two levels up. That’s likely where they’ve taken the gem.”
He moved through an arched doorway out onto a walkway. Lara followed and sucked in a breath.
The central core of the station was empty. It reminded her of the hangar back on the Kantos cruiser, except hundreds of times larger.
Walkways ringed the large space, and in places, cocoons were attached to the walls. Bugs were flying in the center of the open space, their wings fluttering.
Holy hell.
The sound of marching feet caught their ears.
Caze gripped her arm and pulled her back. They slid into a shadowed alcove.
A group of Kantos soldiers marched past them. These ones were young—thinner bodies, their four legs less sturdy, with paler skin. They weren’t fully mature yet.
Lara turned her head and realized that she was pressed close to a cocoon on the wall. She saw something move inside and grimaced. No doubt some nasty bug.
“Let’s go,” Caze whispered.
She followed him out of the alcove. They reached the end of the walkway and moved up a spiral ramp.
The next level looked the same as the one below. It would be so easy to get lost in this place.
He led her through an arched doorway and gunk dripped off the ceiling. It hit her shoulder and she swiftly swiped it off. Her nose wrinkled. It was sticky and smelled bad.
Caze had stopped and she lifted her head. She hissed.
The room was filled with large, circular white eggs. They had a rough surface and came up to about her waist.
A shadow moved inside one.
“What the hell are these?” she asked.
“Pretty sure we don’t want to know.” He carefully weaved his way through them.
Then they both heard familiar clicking sounds. They turned back to the doorway. Soldiers were coming.
Shit. Caze grabbed her arm and dragged her down. They crouched behind an egg.
She heard noises and peered around the side of the egg. Several soldiers had entered and they were checking the eggs.
