by Anna Hackett
She was sitting up, with her legs tucked beneath her. She wasn’t quite naked, though—she was wearing one of his white shirts. The buttons were undone, baring a strip of skin down the center of her torso, and giving him a delicious hint of her breasts.
“Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to come closer?” she asked.
He shook himself out of his reverie and nodded, setting the tray on the table. But first, he had a burning need to capture her like this. To record the moment. “Don’t move.” He grabbed his sketchbook off the table, then sat on the bed near her, careful not to touch her.
He knew once he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He started sketching.
“Don’t tense up,” he said. “You’re beautiful.” His hand moved quickly over the page, the image of her taking shape. Desire was driving him to move faster. “Take the shirt off.”
With an elegant shrug of her shoulders, the shirt slipped away. “You show that sketch to anyone and I’ll hurt you.”
Niko smiled. That was his Mackenna. Finally, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He tossed the pad behind him, and reached for the tray that he’d brought from the kitchen.
“What’s that?”
“A few little treats.” He handed her a beer.
She smiled and tipped it back. He watched her throat work as she took a long drink. When she pulled it away, he watched her lips, envious of the bottle.
She offered it to him and he took it, placed his lips where hers had been, and took a sip of the tart drink. Then he reached out and pushed her back until she snuggled into the pillows.
“I bet I can make this taste even better.” He tipped the bottle just a little, and a few drops of amber liquid sprinkled on her thigh. Niko leaned down and licked it off her skin.
She gasped. He moved up and tipped a little more on her flat stomach. He licked that up too, taking his time.
“Are you hungry?” he murmured.
“Starving.” Her tone was breathless.
He set the bottle on the bedside table and then reached for the small bowl of whipped cream on the tray. He dipped his fingers into it, touched her skin, and smeared the sweet stuff across her breasts.
“You are the most beautiful canvas I’ve ever used.” He picked up a bowl of raspberries now, selected one fat, luscious berry, and stroked it down her skin, leaving a tantalizing smear.
He leaned down, sucking the cream off her breasts, nipping at her nipples. He lapped it all up, then started following the trail of raspberry red down her middle.
He kept rubbing the delicious food over her and licking it off, watching her writhe under his touch. Holding a berry to her lips, he watched her bite into it, her gaze hot on his. She sucked the juices off his fingers. With a growl, he lowered his head and nipped her lips. Then he moved lower, lower, between her thighs. He loved that she was clean-shaven, and he could see all of her—so pink and pretty. He put his mouth on her. As her moans filled the room, he licked and sucked and tasted her delicious flavor.
Then her hands tangled in his hair, tugging his head up.
“No,” she said. “I want to come with you inside me.”
The words were like gasoline to fire. With a growl, Niko sat up, and stood beside the bed. He made short work of peeling his clothes off. Her gaze went straight to his cock, which was already hard and rearing up against his belly.
A second later, he knelt between her legs, gripping her thighs and pushing them apart.
“Do you have an implant, or do I need to use a condom?” He had three that he’d traded for over the last few weeks. But three would never be enough.
She moved against the sheets. “My implant’s good for a few more months.”
He could have her without any barriers.
Fuck. The thought of sliding himself inside her, skin to skin, nothing between them… He was such a caveman.
He reached down and fisted his cock. Her gaze watched his hand as he pumped himself slowly. Her chest was rising and falling with every breath.
“You want this?”
She nodded.
He rubbed the swollen head of his cock against her, feeling how slick she was, how her juices lubricated him. He moved up, rubbing himself against her clit. She jerked and let out a small cry. That sound made him harder.
“How long has it been, Mackenna?”
She licked her lips. “Since before the invasion.”
He liked that. That she hadn’t been with anyone for a long time. “Me, too.”
With a heavy gaze, she smiled at him. “But I touch myself.”
It was far too easy to imagine her lying back, naked, legs splayed, with her fingers on her clit. He groaned, rubbing against her more. Then he moved just a little, the head of his cock lodging between her lips. Slowly, he pushed inside her.
She tossed her head back, moaning.
She was so tight. Niko gritted his teeth. So good.
“Stop being so slow.” Her left leg shifted, coming up to clamp around his hip. “Harder. More.”
His control evaporated. He slammed home, then he gripped her thighs, and started to piston inside her.
“Niko!”
The room was filled with the sounds of their moans and flesh hitting flesh. It was raw and hungry. He needed her more than he needed anything in his life.
It wasn’t long before he felt the little spasms inside her. She screamed, and her body clamped down on him.
Niko shoved deep, holding himself there, and let out a roar as he spilled himself inside her.
***
Mac rested against Niko’s side.
The sex had been…amazing. She snuggled into his naked body. God, she’d never been a snuggler, but she was more than happy to stay right here.
She looked down and realized that she still had red and white stains on her from the raspberries and cream. “We made a mess.”
She felt him smile against her hair. She lifted her head. He looked like some big, lazy, satisfied cat.
“I’m not sorry,” he murmured.
She reached over the edge of the bed and scooped up some raspberries from the discarded bowl. She popped one in her mouth, then rubbed the other one down his chest. She leaned forward and bit him.
He growled, sitting up and scooting backward until he was resting against the headboard. He grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. She straddled his body, feeling his hard cock between her thighs.
Hmm, she liked this.
He grabbed her wrist, lifted it to his mouth, and ate the raspberry out of her hand. He sucked the juice off her fingers, and she squirmed against him. Then he pulled her hands up until her fingers curled around the headboard either side of his head. “You’re in charge.”
She shifted her hips, rubbing against him. “I like that.”
“I can tell.” He leaned forward and caught her mouth. He tasted like raspberries, his tongue sliding against hers. “What are you going to do to me, Mackenna?”
Mac rose up, positioned his cock beneath her, then sank down. She watched the pleasure cross his face. “I’m going to take you inside me.”
“Do I stretch you?”
She felt every inch of him slide inside her. “Yes.”
Then there was no room for talking. She moved her hips, finding her rhythm, and rode him. Soon, she was slamming down on him, desperate for the relief she felt shimmering just out of reach.
“Mackenna.” He bumped his hips up to meet her, his hands digging into her hips.
Then she felt one hand slide down between their bodies, his thumb rubbing across her swollen clit.
She came, her back arching. She threw her head back, trying to stifle her screams. He grabbed her hips, pulled her down, and came a second later, his big body shuddering.
Mac slumped forward, her head resting on his shoulder. She stayed there, glued to him by the light sheen of perspiration on them. He stroked a hand down her back, tracing her spine.
“I’m so very glad you c
ame to the Enclave,” he said.
She turned her head and kissed his ear. “Me, too. Even if you are corrupting me and ruining my reputation.”
His fingers gripped her chin and urged her head up. “Here, in this room, you don’t need the armor, Mackenna. It’s just you and me. All I need is for you to be yourself.”
She blew out a breath. “The tough part is me, Niko.”
“Bullshit. Sure, it’s one aspect, but it doesn’t define you.”
“It’s been bred into me.”
He touched her cheek. “By your father.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt talking about her dad right now. “He was a good man. Decent and hardworking. But he had no idea what to do with three kids, let alone a daughter.”
“He should have just let you be yourself.”
“It wasn’t bad. I loved hunting, fishing, shooting. And I loved the traveling.”
“But?”
She snuggled in deeper, listening to his heartbeat. “Okay. Maybe I wished for a home sometimes. A place where I could cook, collect a few pretty things. We moved around so much, we just couldn’t take too much with us. I had this doll once…” She pulled a face. “I, ah, borrowed it from the local store. He made me pay for it, and then leave it behind when we left for his next job.” She deepened her voice. “Don’t get attached, Mac.”
Niko’s arm tightened on her. “I don’t mind if you get attached to me.”
God, and she would. This man could be an addiction she might never recover from.
“I won’t be a pretty ornament hanging off your arm, Niko. The Enclave leader’s pretty piece.”
He snorted out a laugh. “God, perish the thought. I’m not a damn politician. Just be you. That’s all I want.”
Mac felt a shot of heat in her belly.
Then a big hand slid down and cupped her breast, stroking her nipple. She pressed into his touch.
“You’ll have to get used to me spoiling you, though. There are enough tough, hard circumstances in our new world. I want to give you nice things. I want to feed your sweet tooth and make you come multiple times a day.”
Mac laughed. “Giving me daily orgasms is spoiling me?”
He stroked her jaw. “I want you to collect those pretty things, Mackenna. With me. Now how about a shower?”
***
With steam rising around him, Niko slapped his palms against the tile to hold himself upright. He fought back a strangled moan. Mac was on her knees between his legs, sucking his cock down her throat.
The sensations were roaring through him, strong and steady. Hell, her mouth…it was so damn good.
He felt his orgasm threatening, coiling low. He leaned down, slipped his hands under her arms, and pulled her up.
“I wasn’t finished,” she complained.
Niko couldn’t form the words to reply—desire was riding him too hard. He spun her, palmed her tight butt, and slid inside her.
Their cries echoed off the walls, the wet slap of flesh inflaming him more. He thrust into her again and again.
A second later, they both groaned as they came.
“I can’t walk,” she said.
With a flick of his wrist, Niko turned off the water. He scooped her up into his arms. “We’ve been fucking all day, so it’s time to refuel. Time to head down to the dining room for a meal.” He needed some food or he’d pass out.
She groaned. “Why can’t we stay here?”
Because his inner caveman wanted to show her off. Wanted to make his claim public.
“Come on, Carides.” He set her down and gave her a light slap on the butt. “I expected more stamina than this.”
She glared daggers at him, then grabbed her clothes off the floor and started to dress.
They held hands as they walked toward the dining room. He was surprised she let him, but as they got closer and could hear the murmur of voices, she tried to pull her hand away.
“No.” He held on tightly.
“I know what you’re doing,” she muttered.
“Holding the hand of my woman? Enjoying her touch?”
“Beating your chest.”
“Don’t you want the women to know I’m off-limits?”
She leaned in close. “I shouldn’t need to advertise the fact we’re sleeping together for them to keep their hands off you. Trusting you should be enough.”
Niko grinned at her. She trusted him. Damn, a gift like Mackenna Carides’ trust seemed better than a roomful of treasure. “You can trust me.”
She gave him a nod, then her eyes narrowed. “But be warned. If I catch you touching someone else—” she lowered her voice “—I’ll kill you.”
He shook his head. “You are so damn sexy.”
She was laughing when he tugged her inside the dining room. He noted a few curious looks, and then he spotted a table at the back. Squad Nine was sitting with Hell Squad.
“Hallelujah,” Cam cried out as they made their way over. “Mac finally got laid.”
Mac scowled at her friend. “A bit louder, Cam. I don’t think they heard you in Outer Mongolia.”
Cam rubbed her hands together. “That just leaves Taylor and Theron for me to sort out.”
“What about me?” Sienna asked.
“Sweet Sienna, you just bat those lashes of yours and flash those pretty curves, and you have men falling all over your feet.”
The brunette pouted. “But they never stick around. I intimidate them or something. And, well, they’re all kind of boring. They’re vanilla gelato, and I’m a chocolate-with-sprinkles-on-top kind of girl.”
Marcus nodded his head toward some spare chairs. “Take a seat. If you hang around with these ladies long enough, you’ll get used to this.”
From nearby, Reed Mackinnon rolled his eyes. “No you don’t.” His fiancé, Natalya smiled from beside him.
As Niko and Mac sat, he saw Elle smiling at them.
“Hi,” she said. “I heard about the hairy mission.”
Niko felt Mackenna’s hand flex on his. “Thanks, Elle,” he said. “Everyone’s okay. Any update on the drone parts we recovered?”
Elle shook her head. “Noah thinks he might get some information off it, but he is still working on it.”
“Dev and Santha’s intel guys are going over the photos,” Marcus added. “They’re researching everything we have on birds of prey—eagles, hawks. Trying to do up a profile on its behavior.”
Plates of food were delivered a moment later, but Niko was lost in thought. They needed more than this. They needed to find the damn drone killer and finish it before it took down more of their drones.
Or worse. He looked down at the woman by his side. Before the damn thing got someone killed.
Chapter Eleven
Mac liked the table in the conference room off the Command Center. It was a large, black, glossy affair, and if the situation wasn’t so serious, it would give her some naughty little fantasies.
But right now, it was covered in maps, papers, and sketches. The screens on the wall displayed electronic maps with the downed drone locations marked on them, and that nest they’d investigated at the tanks at the airport.
Niko stood with his hands pressed to the table. He had his sleeves rolled up, and her gaze kept moving to his muscular forearms. They made her think of what the two of them had done all day yesterday and all night. She felt a flush of heat in her cheeks.
For the first time, she admitted to herself that she was falling for him.
Her sexy Russian artist was seducing her. Making her believe that she could have it all—her job, her man, indulge in the little things she enjoyed…and love. Most of all, he made her believe in love.
At that moment he looked up and gave her a smile. But it was strained. He was stressed about finding the drone killer. She turned her head, and stared at the electronic sketch on the screen. They’d all pooled their impressions of the animal. It looked like a hawk, but with black, leathery scales. It had the sleek body of a bird of pre
y, and Roth had said he’d seen eerie green eyes.
“Maybe the aliens keep it locked away?” she suggested. “Caged somewhere.”
Niko’s jaws tightened. “Maybe they’re making more of them.”
There was a gasp from the doorway.
Mac turned and spotted the slim figure, but not before she saw Niko stiffen a little.
Selena was a shock to the system, at first. It was strange to have an alien in the heart of their base.
“Hi, Selena,” Mac said.
“Mac.” The alien woman had a soft, melodic voice.
Her skin was incredibly pale, and her long hair was white. No, that wasn’t quite right. It was kind of shiny and pearlescent. She had large, green eyes in a delicate face. She’d been rescued from alien captivity along with Claudia Frost. Her species was an enemy of the Gizzida.
But Mac knew that many Enclave members were still unsettled by her. She’d been sticking to herself and laying low since they’d arrived.
Mac turned her chair. “How are you doing?”
The woman gave a tiny shrug. “Fine. Thank you.” Sadness was like a shroud around her.
Mac couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be stuck on a planet, far from those you loved, with no way home.
A frown marred Selena’s face. “But I wanted to ask why you have a picture of a gyr?”
Mac straightened. “A what?”
Selena walked closer and pointed at the image on the screen. “It looks a bit different…its skin isn’t right. But this is a bird from my planet, Florum.”
Mac’s heart skipped a beat. She shared a look with Niko.
He pulled out a chair and gestured. “Please take a seat, Selena. Tell us more.”
“The eyes give it away.” She waved at her own face and her overlarge green eyes. “We all have green eyes. It fascinates me to see the variety of eye colors in humans.”
“So this bird looks like a gyr from your world?” Mac repeated. “But it also looks different?”
She nodded. “The black scaled exterior is different. On Florum, they are usually white. They are excellent hunters and ambush prey from the clouds.”
Niko started scribbling down notes.
