Bianca D'Arc

by King of Clubs

  Her body quaked as he began to move in slow, deliberate strokes. Wetness gushed to ease his way as her pleasure deepened. Her need became acute as Chip began a steady rhythm that began to pick up speed and force on each withdrawal and return. He kept up the motion until soon he was pounding into her, the strength of his thrusts moving her slightly up the bed, but she didn’t care.

  He followed, adjusting himself to take her even more deeply. He let go of her hands, only to cup her shoulders, holding her in place for what came next. Lila barely had time to catch her breath before he redoubled his efforts, making short, hard digs into her soft pussy, fucking her harder and faster than she’d ever experienced.

  She cried out on each thrust – not in pain, but in the purest ecstasy she’d ever known. Her orgasm hit and extended, thrust after thrust, drawing out the pure note of heightened sensation for long, almost timeless moments, where nothing existed outside of them and the enormous pleasure he gave her.

  Lila screamed his name as she hit a crescendo that threatened to take her consciousness. A split second later, she felt him tense and begin to come inside her. He shot into her, filling her with warm jets of his essence and she enjoyed the sensation in a way that was new and surprisingly intense. It brought on another series of quaking jolts of rapture that held her in thrall while they climaxed together for the first time.

  The first of many, she hoped. She realized in that moment, she could easily become addicted to this man. To this pleasure. This hard, fast primeval fucking.

  When he groaned her name, she felt something crack open in her heart to let him in. Damn. She hadn’t meant to let that happen, but really, how could she help but feel something for this giant of a man who’d shown her so much respect in the days past, and so much pleasure this night? She tried not to think about what it would mean to fall a little bit in love with him. It might hurt later, but for now, it felt right.

  He kissed her, coaxing her to open her eyes. His smile took her breath and made her give him the smile she was feeling throughout her well satisfied body in return.

  “Are you all right?” The concern in his expression melted her heart a little more.

  “I’m the best.” She stretched up to nibble on his stubbly cheek.

  “The best, eh?” His smile teased her as she settled back down on the bed. She simply didn’t have the energy to keep her head raised off the soft black satin of Alex’s sinful sheets.

  “Don’t get conceited. You must know how good you are at this.” For emphasis, she used her inner muscles to squeeze his softening cock. She liked the way he shivered in response, so she did it again. Was she mistaken or was he recovering already?

  “I’ve never had any complaints.” He winked at her and she had to laugh. “Quite the contrary, actually.”

  “I’ll bet.” Yes, he definitely was becoming aroused again. She was a little shocked. “Um… is that… um… normal for you?”

  “Are you asking if I’m always this fast on the draw, the answer is yes. Are you up for it, Delilah?”

  Oh, goddess. Judging by the way her insides were beginning to heat with renewed interest, she’d have to answer a resounding YES!

  “I could be convinced,” she answered instead, trying not to sound too eager. She had to make him work for it just a little bit, didn’t she?

  “I’m very good at convincing.” He moved within her, bringing strung out nerve endings back to life with the simplest touch.

  “I’ll just bet you are,” she whispered, already falling under his spell for the second time.

  Chip spent the rest of the night—with a few breaks for refreshment, cleaning up and sleep—convincing her. And she loved every minute of it.

  Chapter Six

  Chip woke early and lay in bed, watching Lila sleep. She was so soft. So delicate. Yet, she seemed to have a core of steel that appealed to him. She’d come to him willingly. No, he revised his thought, not just willingly, but eagerly. Once he’d given in to the attraction he’d been fighting, she’d all but jumped him. And he liked the thought of that a lot. The high born lady had become a sex kitten, clawing his back and purring in his ear as he’d taken her.

  Damn. That had been hot. She’d blown his mind and rocked his world. He didn’t want to let this night end. Not ever.

  It was a frightening thought for a man who’d decided to live his life alone, never committing to one woman. He didn’t think it was fair to saddle anyone with the baggage he carried around. He was a battle scarred vet who had been rebuilt with the use of gene therapy and cybernetics. He lived a dangerous life and his compassionate sensibilities wouldn’t let him drag an innocent woman into that.

  But was it so wrong to want to have someone to call his own? And was Lila as innocent as she looked? After last night, he thought perhaps not.

  Not only was she a hellion in bed, but she’d admitted to a past career as an intelligence operative. When she’d mentioned General Winters and said she’d worked for him, she was as good as admitting she’d been a highly placed operator. Only a very special few reported directly to Winters.

  If she were a player in the intel game, she knew what his life was like. Maybe that would make a difference.

  One thing he knew for certain—he wasn’t ready to let her go. Not until the danger was over. Maybe not even then.

  Chip crept out of bed to use the lav and get dressed, leaving her to sleep a little longer. When he returned, she was still sound asleep. He thought about how to wake her as he sat on his side of the bed. She’d turned to face his empty place while he’d been away. The thought touched him more deeply than it probably should.

  As he watched, her eyelashes fluttered. A second later, her eyes opened and the sleepy kitten stretch of her arms above her head made him smile. Damn, she was cute. Her eyes focused on him and a smile lit her face. It was as if a rose had bloomed in his heart, unfurling its petals and filling every empty space inside him.

  “Good morning.” Her voice was roughened with sleep, purring over his senses and making him feel warm in all the cold places.

  “Good morning,” he replied, smiling because he couldn’t help himself. “Can I interest you in breakfast?”

  Her eyes narrowed, a smile still playing about her lips, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to make of him this morning. She sat up, clutching the sheet to her luscious breasts. She was a gorgeous woman inside and out. Built just the way he liked, if a bit on the small side. He’d had to be careful last night, not to squash her, but she’d been a lot more resilient than he’d expected, matching him move for move. She’d managed to surprise him more than a few times as well. All in all, it had been one of the most memorable experiences of his life. And he wanted more. So much more.

  But there was a lot to be done today and the first order of business had to be Lila’s safety—or there would be no more nights like the one just passed.

  “What time is it?” Lila rubbed one delicate hand over her eyes, stretching again.

  “Half past eight. I let you sleep in.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. In reality, he’d had to stop himself from waking her for a repeat of the mind blowing pleasure they’d shared multiple times the night before.

  Lila swung her legs over the side of the bed, exposing the lovely, long line of her back. Chip had to fist his hands to keep from reaching out to touch her. If he touched her, they’d never get the bar open. He’d keep her in bed all day and then their relationship would be out in the open and the talk in the bar, when it finally reopened, would be difficult. There was too much going on right now to take the day off.

  “We need to talk about your safety, Lila,” he reminded them both as he got out of bed, not looking at her. He knew he’d just brought her crashing back to reality and he regretted the need to do so, but it was necessary.

  “All right.” She sounded resigned. “Let me hit the lav and then we’ll talk.”

  She got up and took the sheet into the lav with her. Chip watched her go. He would ha
ve been amused at the picture she made if the situation wasn’t so serious. She was in danger and he had to do his absolute best to keep her safe.

  Chip got dressed and headed into the galley to get breakfast in order. Alex had months worth of rations in his pantry that required little finesse to produce a tasty meal. Chip got busy and by the time Lila reappeared, breakfast was served.

  She paused on her way to her seat at the table to place a gentle kiss on Chip’s cheek. He was shocked into immobility for a moment, astounded by the way such a simple thing could make him feel. His heart skipped a beat, then fluttered back to life and suddenly he wanted her soft kisses every morning for the rest of his life.

  Whoa, boy. He had to slow down a bit. Lila wasn’t his. Not on a permanent basis. Maybe not even beyond this morning. He had to settle a few things first and then maybe… maybe… with full disclosure on his part, which was going to be painful… he might be able to ask her to consider staying with him.

  Of course, that was only if all the planets aligned and he could keep her safe through whatever was coming on the station. He had a job to do and she was at the heart of it, which worried him as he’d never worried before. It was one thing to risk his own life and wellbeing in the line of duty. It was another thing completely to risk Lila.

  She sat down, blissfully unaware of the turmoil her familiar gesture had caused within him. He wouldn’t let her see it either. He’d have to come to terms with the changes she wrought in his life as they happened, or there would be no future for either of them. His inability to adapt might get them both killed.

  “This is great. Thanks for making breakfast.” She tucked into her meal with a grin as he poured coffee for them both before taking his own place at the table.

  He ate a few bites before broaching the subject that weighed on his mind.

  “I don’t like how many people know your schedule, Lila. They know when and how you leave the bar each night and it’s obvious they now know where you’ve been living. How else could Beezus have been waiting at your stop?” He scowled as he thought about what could have happened if he hadn’t been there. A thought occurred to him. “Would you have had advance warning from your, uh, gift if I hadn’t been with you last night?”

  She lowered her fork to the table very deliberately. “I probably would have felt his anger and perverted glee, but I’ve been wondering what I could’ve done to save myself at that point. The pod was programmed for that station. I would’ve had to go there and the hatch would’ve opened. My only chance would’ve been if I could get the hatch closed again before he grabbed me and programmed for another location.”

  They both knew the pods didn’t work that quickly and the red signal would have kept the pod exactly where it was. Beezus would’ve had her without Chip’s intervention. He reached out to cover her hand with his. She was trembling.

  “I don’t want you going back there tonight. In fact, I’d like for you to move in here, with me. We can go over this afternoon and get your things. One of the guys will watch the bar for an hour or two. What do you say?”

  She sat back in her chair and looked at him for a long moment before replying.

  “This is moving a little fast.”

  Not the answer he’d been hoping for, but he could work with it.

  “You’re better off if Beezus and his pals know you have a protector. We could play this two ways. Either we’re seen as a couple and they know if they mess with you, they mess with me. Frankly, I prefer that scenario. Or, if you want to keep things under wraps, we keep it quiet and keep them guessing. Either way, you don’t go back to your sister’s rooms. You stay here. In my bed. I don’t have to be in it with you, if you have a problem with that. I’m not trying to pressure you into anything sexual, but I cannot, in good conscience, let you go out there on your own.”

  He’d said his piece. He sat back and waited to see how she would respond to it. Chip ignored the fact that he seemed to be holding his breath.

  “All right.” He started breathing again at her words. “I’ll bunk in with you for the time being. I like the idea of keeping them guessing, but I also see the point in giving them a reason for the sudden change in my living space. How about if we play it somewhere in the middle. Don’t come right out and say I’m living with you, but act a little more, um… friendly behind the bar. They can infer what they want from our increased intimacy and it would probably look less suspicious.”

  “I like the way your mind works, Lila.” He grinned at her as some of the tension left his body. She’d agreed to stay with him and some inner part of him was cheering like a madman. The more rational part of his brain thought about the situation and how he could best keep her safe while doing his job. Somehow, he’d work it out. He had to. There was no other acceptable alternative.

  They finished their meal and then went out to open the bar. Alex’s quarters were some of the most secure compartments on the station. Once the hatch was sealed, nothing and no one was getting in or out.

  About mid-morning, Chip asked his pilot friend, Julian, to take charge of the bar for an hour while he and Lila went to retrieve her belongings. The scratches around the locking mechanism to her quarters were their first clue that something had happened here last night.

  “The hall camera is out. Covered with paint,” Chip observed quietly as they both went on alert. “Probably shot from some distance to hide whoever attempted to jimmy the lock.”

  “This lock is made of sterner stuff than that,” Lila replied, supplying the correct codes to open the hatch after the tampering had shut the system down completely. “My family doesn’t take chances with personal security. Nobody got in here, though they sure did give it a try. Do you think it was Beezus?” She looked up at him as the final code made the lock click open.

  “Probably. I bet he was pissed when you didn’t show up on that pod, served up like desert.”

  She shivered. “Narrow escape. Thank the goddess.” Chip would have questioned her words but she pushed the door open and poked her head in cautiously. “Feels okay. Nobody made it past Della’s security.”

  “I could hack station security feeds, but they’d be useless considering the goop on that lens.” Chip had already tried, using his implant, and knew for a fact the camera feed was a no go.

  “It’s okay. Della installed some things that will help us discover who was at my hatch last night. Follow me.” She led the way into the narrow entry, but once inside with the hatch closed securely behind them, Chip switched places with her.

  “Let me do a walk through to be certain.”

  Lila shrugged and smiled up at him, extending one arm indicating he was welcome to do as he liked. Chip didn’t comment, moving silently through the small group of rooms. He kept one eye on Lila as best he could while he checked the rest of the small area. Living space on the station was always at a premium. Even in this better part of the ring structure, few people could afford much more than a main room with small cubbies attached for sleeping, bodily functions storage and food prep. It didn’t take long to search all the obvious areas.

  “It’s clear,” Chip said, returning to her side. She nodded and he liked her serious demeanor. She didn’t make light of his need to be certain that they were alone in the rooms.

  “Follow me.” She walked into a small storage area near the front door that was used to house coats, shoes and the small amount of outerwear one might use on the climate controlled station. Chip was surprised when she touched a hidden panel and the whole back of the tiny closet compartment opened to reveal a small passageway.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  “Della has this compartment and the one next door too. That’s the fortified one with the surveillance gear. Among other things.”

  “Should you be showing this to me?”

  It was clear that Lila’s sister was in the spy game up to her neck. On a station where the bar should have been the main covert operations point, this set of quarters had been built into the
station’s structure totally independent of the bar’s hidden pathways and private information loops. Chip sent a silent query to his implant and found no trace of this secret, armored compartment anywhere. Not on the private station schematics and not on the secret ones either. Interesting. Maybe Della had been set up to spy on the spies?

  “It’s my call. Della can get mad at me later. Right now, we need to see what happened here last night and the means are in here.” Lila led him to a small console that appeared to house a closed system.

  She punched up the outside surveillance feeds and then scrolled back to the night before. Sure enough, Beezus could be seen loitering outside her hatch soon after a small pellet whizzed by and struck the station’s camera, coating it in opaque goo. Chip wasn’t surprised at all when the man started trying to hack his way into Lila’s private quarters with little success.

  The anger on his face though, that gave him pause. Not just anger. It was more like rage. A demented looking rage that indicated bad things to Chip, who had made detailed a study of human nature.

  “Oh, boy.” Lila took the seat in front of the console and sort of deflated as she watched the rage being acted out on the screen.

  “Yeah,” Chip agreed as they watched Beezus make a few calls, kicking at her door every now and again. “Aren’t you glad you stayed with me last night?” Chip put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed gently. He hated the tension in her small frame. He wanted to take all this turmoil away and take her somewhere safe where Beezus or anyone like him could never find her.

  One of Lila’s hands rose to cover his. “For more than one reason.” She turned and smiled up at him. The universe froze for a moment out of time as he caught his breath. She squeezed his hand and everything started spinning again. Damn. He had it bad.

  “I’m glad you think so.” He dragged a box over and sat next to her before the console. “I can tell we’re shielded here and I have a few things I’d like to say to you before we go back to the bar.”