“Sit up.” She tugged at Baird’s arm. To her absolute joy, he did. He moved slowly in strange, jerky motions that reminded her of an old Frankenstein movie, but he did move. Soon he was sitting on the edge of the stretcher with his feet planted on the ground. He was still bare from the waist up, wearing only his black uniform pants and boots, just as he had been the last time she’d seen him, Liv noted. There were also fresh scars on his chest where he must have been pierced by the wires leading to the AllFather’s horrible view screen. “Oh, Baird,” she half whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “What did they do to you?”
Baird made no answer nor did he focus on her face when she spoke. He simply sat there, staring vacantly into space and not moving an inch.
“I was afraid of this.” Sylvan looked grim.
Liv rounded on him. “Afraid of what? Look, he’s doing fine. He responded—he did what I told him to do!”
“Following orders would be part of the brain function the AllFather would leave alone. Olivia, listen to me.” Sylvan put a hand on her shoulder. “I know that Baird is responding to direct orders, but that doesn’t mean he’s the male we remember. I’m afraid that what he endured may have damaged his mind beyond repair. Either that or the part of him we knew as Baird is now hidden, buried so far under so many layers of pain and fear we may never see it again.”
“That can’t be right,” Liv argued. “I won’t accept that. I refuse to accept it.”
“You’ll have to,” Sylvan said gently. “Believe me, Olivia, I’ve seen patients that have been subjected to the krik-ka`re years ago, during the Syrinx wars and this is not unusual. They often retain some of their more vital and deeply ingrained skills and the ability to follow direct commands without ever coming back to themselves. The AllFather does that so that he has a mindless slave who can still be of some use to him. In this case, he left Baird his piloting ability.”
“But he used it to steal a ship and take other warriors to safety,” Liv pointed out stubbornly. “There must be some of Baird left in there. I just need time to find it and let him out.”
Sylvan ran a hand over his short spiky hair. “I don’t know if that’s possible. Maybe if you two had already established a bond…but you didn’t. And without that, I don’t think you have much of a chance. I’m sorry, Olivia—I love him too. I just don’t want you to expect too much.”
“Well I have to try.” She took Baird by the arm and tugged at him. “Stand up,” she commanded and then looked at Sylvan. “You can make do without me for awhile, right?”
He nodded slowly. “We just had a shuttle full of new med techs come in. I’ve been meaning to tell you to take a break.”
“I’m taking it now.” Liv laced her fingers with Baird’s, wishing he would squeeze her hand in return and not just stand there. “We’ll be in our suite,” she told Sylvan firmly.
“All right. Good luck. And Olivia—do all you can. Baird is…very dear to my heart as well.”
Liv could see how much it cost the normally stoic Tranq to say such a thing and she nodded briefly. “Thanks, Sylvan. I will. Come on.” She tugged at Baird’s hand gently. “We have work to do.”
* * *
Hours later back in the suite she still had no idea what to do. She’d tried everything from slapping him lightly in the face to calling his name to reminding him in exhaustive detail of the day he’d first come to claim her at the HKR building in Tampa. None of her words or gestures seemed to penetrate the catatonic state he was in—even putting Bebo in his lap didn’t help. Although the little animal nudged him with its head and made soft, inquiring sounds, Baird didn’t even look down. As Liv placed the little creature back down on the floor and watched it waddle away, she was beginning to give up hope.
“Oh, Baird…” She sank down on the couch beside him and put her head in her hands. He was seated on one side of it, sitting up as straight as a ramrod and staring at nothing. His hands were at his sides and his broad chest was barely moving, as though he was hardly even breathing. He’s not really here with me. It’s just his body—a shell, like Sylvan said.
Liv was physically and emotionally exhausted. She’d been working nonstop for what felt like days, trying not to dwell on what Baird must be going through. When he’d come back to her it seemed like some kind of miracle and her hopes had been sky-high. Now she felt them plummeting to the ground. It was too cruel. To get him back again only to find she’d lost him for good.
“Oh, Baird…” Overwhelmed Liv lay down and put her head in his lap. “If only you could hear me,” she whispered, pillowing her cheek on his muscular thigh. “If only I could tell you how I feel—how wrong I’ve been and how much I want you. But you can’t…you can’t.”
Giving in to her misery, Liv let the tears come, rubbing her cheek against his leg as the sobs shook her. I’ve been such a fool. I waited until it was too late to realize I love you. Too late…too late… Then, to her surprise, something hot and hard nudged her.
“What—?” Sitting up, she wiped her eyes and looked down. A lump was growing in the crotch of the black uniform pants Baird still wore. Was that an automatic reaction to her accidental stimulation? Or could it be that somewhere down inside the real Baird, the one who had wanted her so badly, was still there?
Experimentally, Liv reached out and stroked the ridge of flesh. It got even harder and longer and Baird’s hands, which had been lying open at his sides, suddenly clenched into fists. At the same time, he took in a deep breath—almost a gasp—and then let out a soft sound like a groan of pain or pleasure.
Liv’s heart jumped in her chest and she swiped hastily at her eyes, rubbing away the tears. That had to be more than just an involuntary reaction! Maybe if I… She stroked him again, this time leaning close to look in his eyes as she did. “Do you like that, Baird?” she murmured throatily as she caressed his rigid shaft. “You like it when I touch you? I wish you’d come back to me—tell me what you like, what you want me to do and what you want to do to me.”
She thought she saw a flicker of heat in his eyes but still he didn’t speak. His hands remained clenched at his sides and his breathing was still heavy, though, so she decided she must be on the right track. Have to step things up a notch. Standing up, she put herself directly in Baird’s line of sight.
“Can you see me?” Reaching up she pulled the clip out of her hair and let it swirl around her shoulders. “Can you see how much I want you?” Was there another flicker in his eyes? And were they just a little more golden than brass? Have to go further—have to do more. Liv was well aware that to an outsider what she was about to do might seem bizarre, but there was no one there but herself and Baird. And since everything else had failed, she was determined to keep on trying the one thing that seemed to work. Feeling a strange mixture of hope and erotic need, she began a slow, sensual strip tease.
Of course the jeans and med smock she was wearing weren’t exactly super sexy but she took them off as slowly as she could, humming softly in the back of her throat for accompaniment as she worked her hips and pushed the tight jeans down her legs. Were his eyes tracking her movements? Was he watching her? Liv couldn’t be sure but she thought he was. She was down to her bra and panties now, a matching pair in navy blue lace that made her skin look creamy and soft. The bra hooked in the front, offering easy access. Now if only Baird would lift his hands and unhook it himself.
“Come on, Baird, is this what you want?” Please, please come back to me! Liv shimmied enticingly in front of him but though his eyes seemed to follow her movements, his hands remained curled into fists at his sides. Frustrated, she straddled his hips, getting closer. She was just going to have to help him out a little. Unhooking her bra, she peeled it open, revealing her bare breasts to him. “Watch me,” she murmured, twisting her nipples enticingly, stroking the ripe tips of her breasts as she looked into his eyes. Sparks of pain and pleasure shot though her body as she began to really get into it. “Watch me touch myself for you. See how much I wa
nt you?”
His eyes actually seemed to be tracking now and she could feel the ridge of his cock getting even harder. More, just need a little bit more to get through to him. Somehow she knew it was true.
Getting up on her knees she spread her legs wide and gently directed his head so that he was looking downward. “See this, Baird?” Slowly she tugged down the front of her lacy panties until her pussy slit came into view. “Look how wet I am for you,” Liv murmured. She had never done this, never exposed herself willingly to a lover like this before and she couldn’t help feeling like her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. But this was for Baird—the only way to bring him back. Swallowing her shyness, she reached between her thighs with her other hand and spread her cunt lips open, baring her slippery inner folds for him, giving him the view he had so enjoyed before. “You told me once before that my body would get ready for yours,” she told him. “Well, I’m ready, Baird. I want you. Want you so much.”
Almost…His big body was trembling under her and a low groan came from his lips but still he seemed paralyzed. My scent is working on him, Liv realized. The same way his always worked on me. He just needs a little more…a little taste of me to break the spell. A little taste—that was it! Baird literally needed to taste her. Liv was suddenly sure of it.
Feeling a strange mixture of embarrassment and desire she pressed two fingers between her thighs, dipping into the liquid depths of her pussy to gather her moisture. Then, carefully, she smeared her honey across Baird’s mouth, coating his lips with her essence. “Come back to me Baird,” she whispered as she pressing her fingertips into his hot mouth. “Taste how much I want you and come back to me now.”
The effect was immediate. With a low roar Baird reached up and gripped her hips. His tongue came out, lapping at her fingers and cleaning her honey from his lips with obvious enjoyment. Even better, his mating scent suddenly filled the air around them, invading her senses like a dark spice. Once Liv had feared it but now it filled her with joy. It told her that Baird was in there somewhere, that he still wanted her, wanted to bond her to him…Suddenly Sylvan’s words came back to her. “Maybe if you two had already established a bond…”
That’s what we need to do—what I need to do to bring him back. We have to bond. The idea felt so natural and perfect she knew it was right at once. But was Baird recovered enough to make it possible?
Baird answered that question for her by leaning forward and nuzzling her breasts. Liv gasped and looked down to see that his eyes were almost completely golden again and filled with the old hunger she knew so well. Baird wanted her—needed her as much as he ever had. And she had a strong sense that doing this with him was the one thing that would bring him all the way back from the punishing effects of the AllFather’s mental torture.
“Baird,” she whispered, pressing forward to rub against him—God his scratchy cheeks felt good against her tender flesh! “Baird I want to do this with you—want to make love with you. But you have to help me.”
“Lilenta…” His deep voice startled her but when Liv looked down again, she saw him looking back at her.
“Yes, Baird? Did you…did you just talk?” she whispered. She was afraid to hope—maybe the voice she’d heard had been in her head because she wanted it so badly. But then…
“Need…you.” His voice sounded rusty and hoarse from disuse but the longing in his tone could not be denied.
“I need you too.” Liv felt like crying again—with happiness this time—but she held herself back sternly. They weren’t out of the water yet and she sensed that she needed to keep it up in order to bring Baird all the way back. “Try to touch me,” she urged him, lifting his big, warm hands to her breasts. “Let me feel your hands on me.”
He groaned again as he cupped her soft mounds. Under her ass Liv could feel his shaft getting hotter and harder. Good, that was exactly what she needed—what they needed. Spreading her legs, she lowered herself down and ground against him, rubbing like a cat in heat as he continued to stroke her breasts. She could feel the ridge of his cock pressing against her, parting her pussy lips through the thin silk of her panties and teasing her throbbing clit. God, how she wanted him! And she was so close to having him.
Apparently Baird felt the same way. Liv moaned softly as one of his large hands made its way from her breast down to the tender V between her legs. He stroked roughly over the panties for a moment and then she felt his fingers curve inward, gripping the gauzy material tightly. With a quick, jerky motion Baird yanked, ripping the panties away and leaving her bare just as he had the first time he’d brought her up to his suite, what felt like a million years ago.
Liv’s breath caught in her throat at the sheer eroticism of his act and the molten heat in his eyes. “That’s right,” she whispered as she felt his hand cup her bare sex. “Touch me. Make me naked for you.”
Baird’s fingers were seeking inward now, exploring her wet depths, rubbing slowly over the slippery inner folds of her pussy. Liv moaned breathlessly as he found the pink pearl of her clit and began to work it gently with his thumb. God, he still knew just how to please her!
“So hot,” she heard Baird rumble as his fingers worked deeper. “So wet.”
“Can’t…can’t help it,” she assured him, grinding shamelessly on his exploring fingers. “I always get wet for you. God, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you!”
“Missed you too…Lilenta.” His speech was much less jerky now and his eyes, when they found hers, were almost back to the brilliant gold she remembered. It occurred to Liv that she could probably stop now and he would be all right. But I don’t want to stop now. I want it all! All of him inside of me.
The realization had her fumbling for his pants and before she knew it, the hard, thick, length of his cock was bare between them. Liv touched it tentatively at first, eliciting a groan from Baird, and then more boldly, wrapping her fingers around his throbbing circumference and stroking up and down slowly. She even caressed the hard ridge of his mating fist, down around the base, with searching fingertips. This would have to be in her too. She would have to take all of it—all of him—if she wanted to bring him back and keep him forever. That’s exactly what I want. I don’t care how hard it is or how long it takes.
“Baird…” She leaned forward and kissed him, full of pleasure at the way he took over the kiss and invaded her mouth with his tongue. She could taste herself on his lips, salty and hot. Sharing her flavor with him, tasting her honey on his mouth turned her on in a way she wouldn’t have believed possible. God, she wanted him, no needed him inside her! At last they pulled apart and she leaned her forehead against his, breathing in his warm, spicy scent. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
“I’m glad too.” He kissed her again and nipped her neck gently. “How did you know what to do to bring me out of it?”
“Just a lucky hunch, I guess.” Liv grinned at him naughtily and pressed forward, rubbing her breasts against his bare chest until he groaned.
“Gods, Lilenta, you’re driving me crazy.”
“Not half as crazy as you’re driving me.” Raising up a bit, she repositioned. Gripping his heated shaft in one hand, she rubbed the broad, mushroom shaped head over her slippery entrance. Here we go. This is it. Biting her lip, she lowered herself down, moaning softly as she felt the first thick inch of his cock slip into her pussy. Fighting the urge to clench around his thickness, she pressed down, trying to be open, wanting to take more, to take him all the way inside… but she was stopped by Baird’s hands on her hips.
“Wait a minute.” His eyes were blazing and he was breathing hard but his grip was like iron. “What the hell do you think you’re doin’?” he demanded, his eyes flicking down to where his cock was piercing her pussy and then back up to meet hers.
“Making love with you.” Liv gritted her teeth and tried to lower herself again but he wouldn’t let her budge so much as an inch.
“Why?” He frowned at her. “Because you mi
ssed me? Because you feel bad about the way we ended?”
“Baird—” She wiggled enticingly, eliciting a groan from him but still he wouldn’t let her move. “Please…” She was practically begging now. She wanted more of him inside her—needed more.
“Because I have to tell you, Olivia, I’m not looking for a quick fuck.” He caught her gaze with his own and wouldn’t let her look away. “I don’t want to do this half way—I want all of you.” His voice was a low growl, filled with desire. “That means my cock all the way inside your hot little pussy. My mating fist locking us together while I fuck you and come in you over and over until you’re mine forever. Are you ready for that?”
His hot, explicit words and the blazing need in his gold eyes sent a shiver of lust through her entire body. “I’m ready,” she assured him breathlessly. “And…and that’s what I want too. I want you all the way inside me.”
“But why?” he persisted pulling out of her and putting some distance between them with an obvious effort. “Why the change of heart? I don’t want you doing this out of a misguided sense of guilt or pity.”
“I’m not.” She leaned forward again and gave him a long, leisurely kiss on the mouth. “And I’m not doing it because I can’t help myself either. It’s because I want you and I want to be with you…forever.”
“Gods, Lilenta, I love you.” He crushed her to him in a hug that nearly took Liv’s breath away. “Which is why I can’t do this with you. Not tonight.”
“What?” Liv pulled back and gave him a look of disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Afraid not.” He shook his head firmly.
“But…but I thought I’d lost you.” Liv blinked back tears. “And then when I finally get you back and all I want to do is be with you forever you say no. Why?”
Baird sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not because I don’t want you. Gods, Lilenta, I have never wanted anything more than I want to fill you with my cock and bond you to me right here and now.”
Brides of the Kindred Volume One: Books 1-4 Page 34
