by Lauren Dane
“I can definitely agree to that. In addition to the other.”
“Gods, don’t you ever just quietly agree with anything?”
Delighted, she laughed and then moaned when he shoved her shirt up and licked over her nipples. “You can always put something in my mouth to keep me quiet.”
His eyes darkened as one brow slid upward.
“Yes, that’s what I mean.”
He unzipped and pulled his cock free. Her gaze was frozen on the way he fisted himself a few times, smearing the bead of come all over the head. She licked her lips, swallowing hard, imagining how it would feel when he finally let her at it.
“All right then. Suck my cock, Piper.”
She managed to kick her pants off and crawl to him, pushing him to his back and scrambling atop his body to look down and wonder at his beauty. His belly called, and she gave in, kissing over the flat muscle, licking the hollow at his hip after she shoved the pants open.
“Easy, take it all.”
She wanted to rub all over him like a cat when he talked that way.
Eager to please, eager to bring pleasure, she took him deep, breathing through her nose. He urged her closer, not more than she could take, but right at that edge. She paused to swallow, and he let go.
Pulling off, Piper looked up into his face. “No. I want all of it. If you go too far, I’ll tell you.”
He took a deep breath. His mouth quirked up at one corner. “Fine. Get back to it then.”
She did, licking up the long line of him, cupping his balls in her palm as she angled his cock with her other hand to keep him just right. She sucked. She licked and even nibbled, taking her cues from the way he sounded, from the pressure of his hands urging her onward.
Andrei was delicious in so many ways. Swirling her tongue over the head, she sucked slow and hard down, over the crown, deeper and deeper as his nails dug into her shoulders.
Winning emotion, words and deeds from this man who never wasted any of those things, turned her on beyond bearing. Each time she took him all the way down, her clit got squeezed by her movements, labia pressed against the swollen, slippery knot, giving friction. Not enough. Enough to bring a tremble in her knees, enough to know she’d be begging him only too soon.
He snarled and arched up, pressing deep, so deep her eyes watered as he came. She took every bit of him, everything he gave her, his essence filling every part of her senses.
She pulled off, locking her gaze with his, licking her lips.
He’d been so lazy there as he recovered she hadn’t expected the way he sprang up and pounced. She found herself on her back, her shirt buttons flying everywhere and a hungry mouth on her nipple.
His need for her was fierce, a full-blown grass fire though his system. Heating, blinding, bringing nothing but need and a drive to fill it. To bring her pleasure. To drown himself in her taste and feel.
He nipped her velvety skin, laving the sting. He gave her love bites, reveling in her surprised cry and the way it wisped into a moan. And finally he reached her pussy. Pressing his face against her mound, he breathed her in, pulling her pants all the way down and off.
The wind picked up, the sand against the outer walls like the harshest of caresses, a roar of white noise. He lost himself in it as he settled between her thighs and spread her labia wide.
More.
He licked through her, tasting every fold, every slick dip and curve. Her geography, the map of her intrigued him. He teased and tantalized as she dug her fingers in his hair, tugging. He liked that, too. Liked the way she boldly grabbed her pleasure from him. Demanded he give it the way she liked it.
Bold was his Piper. Bold and brave and beautiful.
Shoving the rush of emotion away, he pushed her, mouth on her pussy, tongue rimming her gate. A bit more and she’d beg. A breath over her clit, the lightest touch of his tongue. She moved restlessly against him, rolling her hips to get more contact.
And he’d happily give it to her. Once she asked for it.
Her groan vibrated through her body, her breath catching when he gave her clit a little more attention. And then he brushed his knuckles through her cunt, twisting his wrist a little, placing pressure over her gate and then down again, over her rear passage.
This time her moan was ragged, hesitant at first, and then she relaxed again, widening her thighs. He’d take her there, too. Before he left and she went back to her life without him, he’d bury himself in her ass.
“Please, pleasepleaseplease, Andrei, make me come. I can’t take it anymore.” Her words slurred, her breath stuttered. He opened his eyes and found her looking down at him, bottom lip caught between her teeth, skin aglow with sweat and exertion.
He gave her what she so prettily asked for, sliding two fingers into her cunt as he sucked her clit between his lips and pressed ever so gently.
She sucked in a sharp breath, her body leaving the bed as she arched into his face, hips rolling as he fucked her with his fingers while she came in a hot rush.
One last kiss and lick, and he pressed another to her belly as he got to his knees, helping her get her pants back in place.
She said nothing, only put her palm to his cheek. An act of such aching tenderness his heart seemed to expand. Only she got to him like this.
They puttered around each other, neither wanting to disturb the peace that had settled between them. He listened to the storm outside as it raged on. He thought of taking a risk and making her tea, but he wasn’t entirely sure if they could trust the foodstuffs there or even the water. Chances were, it was fine, and if they were stuck there much longer, he’d consider it.
Instead, he made sure she ate some more of the protein cake, knowing she’d need the energy and the boost to her health. His legs were a little sore, so he was sure hers would be as well. Her strides were shorter, so she’d had to put more power into her run than he had.
At last, the wind died down, and he broke the seal carefully. “Stay here. I want to check to be sure we’re clear, and then we need to get out of here and back to the zipper.” He hoped it was still there and in one piece in the wake of the storm. If not, they faced a great deal more walking and running to get close enough for them to call for a ride.
“I’ll tidy up and get ready. Be careful.”
Outside the abode all was still and utterly quiet. The storm still raged off in the distance, in the direction of the mine, and he hoped it kept them grounded long enough for him and Piper to make their escape.
She waited at the door, weapon in her hands, and pride burst through him. He’d seen his share of strong-willed women. His best friend had married one, and the man’s sister, another strong-willed female, was married to the most powerful man in all the Known Universes. And yet Andrei knew both women, though tough as pikes, were not trained as warriors, not trained to deal with the harsh realities of life out here near the Edge as Piper had been.
Tough, ball-busting bitch was what she was. Unapologetic about it. He loved that.
“Can you run?”
“Yes, but I’m going to expect a lot more orgasms for this, because my legs will surely fall off.”
They took off after resealing the door and leaving some credits for the shelter. And ran.
Chapter 11
“I’m going away with Andrei. He says we should be back shortly.” Piper announced it as if the two of them had decided together. Andrei’s brows drew together, and Taryn looked to him and shook his head.
“Should we be worried?”
“She’s your sister. If I were you, I’d be worrying all day long, every day. Why don’t you tell her to stay here? I’ve been telling her exactly that for hours, and she won’t listen to me.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. He packed things into his bag, already having secreted the data chip on his person and the samples in different places between the bag and his body. He’d done this in his room while she wasn’t looking. If she’d known, he knew she’d have insisted on helping and carrying some of it
herself.
“You’ve met my sister. Does it look to you like anyone tells her anything?” Kenner shrugged.
“Stop talking about me as if I am not here. I made my mind up, and that is that. Anyway, Andrei, Kenner and Taryn know I love you. My place is with you. At your side. Getting your back. I can’t believe they’d send you out on such a dangerous mission all alone.” She shook her head, and Taryn groaned.
Andrei reined in his smile at her moxie. The woman was a law unto herself. Intractable. He should not be amused by it, damn it. She was a handful, and now she was his handful. Then again, he’d have her to himself a little while, and what harm could there be in that?
Taryn was made of sterner stuff as he attempted to rein her in. “Piper, leave it be. I’m sure Andrei is quite capable of doing this on his own. It’s his job. You should stay here. We need you.”
“Don’t try to make me feel guilty. It won’t work. And weren’t you just telling me a few turns ago how much I needed to go off’Verse for a holiday? Well, here you go.”
“This isn’t a holiday, Piper.” Andrei hefted his bag onto his shoulder.
“Of course it isn’t. Which makes it even more important that I go with you. What if you get lonely?”
Kenner snickered, and Andrei gave a long, put-upon sigh.
“Let’s just quit it. She’s not going to do what she doesn’t want to. She’s made her mind up.” Kenner shrugged. “Andrei will keep her safe, and you know she’ll do the same for him. We can manage without her.” He looked back to Andrei. “What do we need to know while you’re gone?”
“Listen to me carefully. Those soldiers are Fardelle’s most dangerous. They will stop at nothing if they think you’re getting in their business. Stay away from them if you see them in town. Tell them the zipper is broken down.” Andrei held up a part. “This disrupter will take a while to order a replacement for. If they ask, this is why you can’t do any runs for them. Don’t try any of this on your own. We’ll be back as soon as we can.” He paused. “In your personal comms I’ve placed a special contact. You’ll know what it is when and if you need it. The people on the other end will get to you as soon as possible to help.” Andrei sighed. “There will be an evacuation and then a very loud explosion. Be sure to keep as far away from town as you can.”
He held a hand out to Piper and opened the door with his other hand.
She kissed and hugged each brother and grabbed her bag from him. “I can carry this. I’m not useless.”
She loved the Portal. It was, without a doubt, the finest thing in Asphodel. That she had access to, anyway. The Portal itself stood, ringed by loading platforms for arrivals and the lower set for departures. Carts were being guided along the baggage and freight corridors.
Below, as the town spread out at the foot, were food hawkers and stalls selling every ware imaginable.
She’d been off-’Verse many times as she ran cargo, but had only used the official Portal three times in her life. Once when they’d arrived from Earth after three months’ travel. She couldn’t remember any of it, having been less than three years old. The next time had been when they’d traveled to Borran to check in for military corps training. She’d been assigned right back to Asphodel shortly after their basic training had been completed. The last had been a trip to Sanctu for a joining ceremony of some friends she’d met running cargo.
This was different. She was traveling with Andrei, who kept a protective arm around her at all times. With her man, she’d travel in the sleek private transport tethered just ahead of where they’d climbed the blue departure deck. She’d never been in this part of the complex before. It was one with lots of security, far more than the norm. He showed his papers only once. Whatever they’d been, no one even asked for hers.
She held her tongue as he led her through the area, weaving around the crowds, and she marveled, not for the first time, at the way he moved with a grace she’d never seen in anyone else. He was magic when he moved like this. Flowing through the place as if it were natural to move with such silence and stealth all while in open view. She supposed it was an asset to his job.
The captain met them at the docking doors. “We will be leaving shortly. There’s some sort of problem out in the Wastelands, I hear. Just caught via comm traffic that there’d been a massive storm and damage to some operation out that way.” He shrugged. “Never knew they did anything out there these days.”
Andrei guided her past, his hand at the small of her back. “Interesting.”
Crew showed up and began to unlock the tethers holding the transport in place. “Get settled then. We’ll be on our way momentarily.”
The transport was as fine as the Portal to her eyes. Public transports were more stripped down, but this was not so at all. Sumptuous fabrics covered lush seating areas as they made their way to the staterooms.
And when he opened the door and motioned her inside, she stood, still beyond impressed with the lodgings.
He locked the door and dropped his bag. “Sit down. We’ll be shifting soon toward the Portal and get moving.”
The flutter in her belly was partly due to that but mainly due to him. To his presence so very near.
True to the captain’s word, they were under way and sliding through the Portal not too very long after she’d settled on the bed, her stocking feet up.
“I’ll order some food and drink once we get the green light.” He moved through the room, looking at everything. Running scans.
“Aren’t these people on our side? Why do we need to look for listening devices?”
“I trust very few people. Least of all total strangers.” He continued to work, and she continued to watch.
“Where did you learn to move like that?”
He finished, putting the scanner away and settled at the small table, bending to remove his boots. “Like what?”
“You . . . I don’t know how to describe it really, but you’re sort of a shadow. All these people all around you, and you glide through them like water or a wind. They don’t even see you, and you’re right there! When we were . . . out last night, there were four men looking for you. They walked right past you as if you weren’t there. I don’t remember you having that before.”
He shrugged.
“Do you need to imbibe a great deal of liquor before you say more than four words at a time? Or, your cock in my mouth?”
Oh, she loved the way he paused and straightened, his gaze locked on her like a hungry predator.
“I don’t know where it came from.”
“Did they train you to do that?”
“They trained in surveillance and the avoidance of detection. Stealth is necessary for what I do.”
“But with you, it’s more. Isn’t it?”
He licked his lips. “It’s something I’m good at, yes.”
“What do you think when you do it? Is it something you do on purpose?”
His smile was quick and bright and gone within moments. Piper loved his smile, loved evoking emotion from him.
“What? I’m curious, Andrei. I want to know. You left as this boy, barely a man, who had so much anger. Always moving. And you came back thoughtful, accomplished and with this amazing capacity to do all the things you’ve done. I’m . . . I’m amazed by you.”
How could he resist it? “I don’t think about anything. I just turn it all over to my instincts. If I think on it, I stumble. I let the white noise swallow me up, and I flow through it. My gut understands exactly where I should step, how I should move and when. I give myself to that.”
Her eyes lit, and he didn’t regret sharing.
“You’re a gifted pilot. Did you ever consider staying in the corps?” He changed the subject as he keyed in an order for refreshments and sent a coded message to Julian, letting him know they were on the way and that the mine had had an explosion. He’d fill them in when they arrived. He hesitated and then added that he wasn’t traveling alone. Better to not let her presence be a surprise.
“Forever? I’m not judging what you do, so get that look off your mouth, it’s too lovely for you to mar it with that grimace.”
She relaxed, looking quite satisfied.
He found himself saying things he hadn’t intended to around her a lot. She did things to him, made him want to please her and make her happy.
She shrugged. “It keeps us fed. Keeps the power working and our people clothed. Not a lot of options out here, you know. I tried to get hired on as a pilot for the Portals, but the wait list is years long. I’m still on it.”
He’d look into that, because running cargo might be lucrative, but it would be increasingly difficult to do as this thing between the Federation and the Imperialists was heating up and travel would be restricted. It had already started, and it would only continue to get worse. He didn’t want her caught up in any raids or other nonsense.
She deserved a life free from want. Free from strife. He’d spent a lot of time—years of his life—doing the right thing, putting by for that time when he’d need the power and credits he’d accumulated. Now was that time, and he meant to use it to make her life better.
“We should arrive in half a day’s time.”
He leaned back in the chair, trying not to think about taking her again. And failing.
“Do they know I’m coming with you?” Her voice was so casual he suspected her instantly. There was nothing casual about Piper Roundtree. She was up to something.
“I sent them notice of that, yes.”
“How did you describe me?” She fluttered her lashes, and he groaned.
“I should have told them you were a beautiful pain in the ass. They know I’m working with you. They know you have some details about what we’re doing.”
“Beautiful? Do you think I am?” Her face held no teasing, and though he could have made light and the hurt would have given her some distance from him, he hadn’t the will to intentionally harm her.
