by Dawn Ryder
His words confused her, or at least her reaction to them did. She was caught between fear and excitement. Both sets of emotions were so intense they tore her away from rational thinking. His lips hovered over her neck a moment before gently biting the skin. Sensation shot down her spine and into her passage. All the anger in her didn’t change the fact that her body thought getting naked with him was a very fine idea.
“Admit you find me attractive.”
Not a chance! Her body shivered as she clamped her jaw shut. She was stronger than…well…lust. That was what the craving in her passage was. Pure, primitive instinct. She was a modern woman, educated, and captain of her own destiny.
But the arms that bound her were thick with muscles. She could actually smell his skin, and it hit her as ultra-male. There were crazy little details that she was noticing about Thorn. Like how thick his cock felt pressed into her bottom. Something about the situation had tripped a hidden switch inside her brain. Something left there by Mother Nature to ensure procreation.
Now was one hell of a stinking time to notice it too!
“I will never hurt you, Noel, but I will mate you. Think about it—us. There’s a whole world out there for you to explore, but I will be a part of it.”
A second later she was free. A little quiver shook her passage as he left the room. Noel bit her lip because her body complained about the separation. How on earth could she want to sleep with a man who considered her his personal possession? That fire had boiled her brain. The cells were warped.
But the crotch of her panties was wet and no matter what she tried to think, that little fact wasn’t changing. Turning in a huff, Noel walked back towards the bedroom. She needed a shower or whatever bathing process they used. She would just dunk her stupid, primitive-responding body in the coldest water she could find and that would take care of her problem.
For now anyway.
Until Thorn showed up and rubbed that cock against her again… Grrr. Or kissed her—the guy could really kiss. It was a sad fact that most men underestimated the power of a good kiss. Thorn apparently knew that a long hot kiss was a surefire way to melt a woman at the knees.
Peeking around the doorjamb, Noel stopped and listened outside the doorway to the bedroom before stepping into it. That red beam of light came slicing through the air towards her once again. Standing still, she watched it. The light cut across her eyes before the lights in the bedroom brightened.
“Improved remote control.” Walking into the room, she looked around it. The bed looked like it might have been a normal thing from her own life. The rest of the room was bare. Turning back towards the doorway she looked at the master control pad Thorn had mentioned. The thing was blank at the moment, but instantly sprang to life the second her finger got close to it.
At least English appeared to still be in use. She scanned the icons and words, relieved to be able to read them. It was a small thing, but at the moment worth celebrating. Asking Thorn to help her find the shower wasn’t exactly going to help with her plan of blasting away her case of the hots with cold water.
A portion of the wall slid away to show her the bathroom. It was small and rather Spartan. No tub, only a shower stall, but once again at least the thing looked reasonably recognizable. A pass of her hand and the water began to shoot from the showerhead. Temperature was still controlled by red- and blue-colored sides of the control unit. Dropping her shirt and panties onto the counter, Noel stepped under the spray and gasped.
Damn…damn…damn!
Thorn smiled as he listened to Noel. She was stubborn and it was kind of cute. So was her bottom. He considered the main security system and felt a momentary tug of guilt before he shrugged it off.
Winning wasn’t always done by the rules. The man who used strategy was often the victor. Watching Noel bathe let him indulge his need to view her without agitating her any further. He needed to control his reaction to her, at least long enough to let her develop trust for him.
Thorn grimaced as she turned and showed off her bottom. His cock was painfully hard, but it just made him more secure in his decision. He had spent most of his life fantasizing about this moment. Reared in the ranks of soldiers, the dream that kept them all striving for excellence was in front of his eyes. If they survived and made it to promotion, the reward would be a home.
That was something Thorn had never known except through other men’s stories. The idea had shimmered in front of him on the horizon, beckoning him forward when his body wanted to quit. He and his fellow ranks had been placated with bits of tempting glimpses into a life that didn’t revolve around military campaigns.
He would always serve the Earth forces but now he would have something to come home to. It was the greatest gift a man might get to touch. His eyes lingered over Noel’s image as his lips tightened—she was the greatest treasure he had ever touched.
Females were an interesting combination of needs. They could allow a man into their bodies and hold them. An intimate embrace was what he truly craved, something that took them beyond sex and was more than lust. That tempting reality had driven him to distinguish himself on the battlefield. Now it was up to him to find the control to gentle her. Trust was something you earned.
The corners of his mouth lifted until his teeth showed through his smile—now that was one mission goal he was going to make his personal duty.
Chapter Four
“We will have company for the noon meal.” Thorn moved far too silently. Noel couldn’t stop her body from jumping as his voice just hit her ears like he had materialized in the room with her. The guy moved silently. Her eyes swept him up and down before she managed to scold herself back into ignoring his extremely male body.
She had principles, after all! But company sounded like a really good distraction from the heat uncurling in her belly.
“Sounds great.”
A smug grin appeared on his face and Noel looked at it suspiciously.
“There are a great many things you will enjoy about Earth today. I’m not sure where to begin showing them to you.”
“Really?” Noel hadn’t thought about Thorn being uncertain. He appeared too confident for that flimsy emotion. His grin turned into one of amusement.
“This is the first home I have ever had.” He looked at the bedroom behind her and his eyes reflected his pride. “Eighteen percent of my birth year has survived to date, but only three percent has been promoted.” He looked back at her as his expression turned serious. “Private living quarters are a reward for those who gain promotion.”
“Eighteen percent?” It was a horrible number that shocked her with the amount of death that he accepted as part of his life. Her eyes traveled over his arms and their thick muscles once more as she saw them in a different light. Thorn was a survivor. His head offered her a sharp nod.
“Dekonians have been attempting to colonize Earth for fifty years. There have been birth years with fewer survivors.”
And he looked like it was an accepted part of life. Noel looked at the calm expression on his face and felt her stomach knot. She might not like being his reward but she couldn’t very well begrudge him being happy about it. Surviving eighteen to eighty-two odds sort of entitled a person to a little joy.
“Aren’t there any girls around that you might have married? Um…to share your promotion with?”
He considered her comment for a moment before offering her his hand. With his palm facing up, there was no missing the invitation to lay her hand on top of his. His dark eyes watched her hesitation but he didn’t drop his arm, instead one dark eyebrow rose in question. “Do I frighten you that much, Noel?”
She slapped her hand down on top of his in one second flat. That smug grin returned as his fingers curled around her hand and he turned, taking her with him into the hallway. She knew he was big, but her hand looked so fragile in his. Noel hurried along behind him because she was taking two steps to each of his.
They ended up in the outer room again, onl
y this time Thorn tapped the panes of glass to make them completely transparent. Her eyes instantly took the opportunity to look at the Earth that was now her home. The street was full of the three-row jeeps that hovered above the smooth surface of the road. As far as she could see there were men in military uniform. No kids, no women, not even a pigeon or a dog or even one old man.
“Humans have survived, Noel, but at the cost of our individuality. Every person and every thing was needed to save our planet. Now, we are trying to recapture the lifestyle that made us humans. We learned from the Dekonian that our differences made us unique, but now we have to learn how to be more than a fighting force.” Thorn turned and twisted their forearms together, bringing her close enough to smell him again. His eyes burned a path into hers as he took a deep breath. “Our females are egg breeders who have never known the idea of mothering. Relationships aren’t something that they understand or even desire anymore. The closest thing to parents any of us have are stories passed through the generations.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, there are few females—synthetic gestation was used for population increase of males.”
Her eyes rounded as she looked at his face. “Are you a clone?”
“No.” His voice was sharp before she watched him soften his harsh expression. He appeared to search for the control to not be offended by her questions before he continued. “Human eggs are harvested from breeders and fertilized with human sperm. There isn’t a shortage of males to donate and the human female produces eggs every month. Only a womb was needed to gestate the growing embryo. That in turn freed the female for duty. Pregnancy is a weakened state.”
“I see.” And it did make sense if the entire globe was under attack. Noel scanned the moving traffic outside the window and marveled at the human spirit that had driven them to change so radically. But it wasn’t the first time. History had shown that in times of war, the human will could overcome amazing things. Whole societies changed so that they could survive. Her own grandmother had traded in her apron for a welding job on the production line during World War II. A picture of her in her steel mask had proudly hung on the wall next to Noel’s desk back in 2005.
The population in front of her was a prime example of fitness as well as height. There wasn’t a short man among them. “I guess only the healthy women were asked to donate eggs.”
Thorn nodded at her. “The strong survive. Like you.”
Pulling her attention from the view, Noel looked at Thorn. “Me?”
He gave her a sharp nod that hit her as respectful. “You wouldn’t leave your friend behind, despite the fact that you could have escaped on your own. Your dedication is commendable.”
He really meant that too. Noel felt her pride lift its head and preen. There were a whole lot of things that she might not be comfortable with, but there was also a great deal that she could admire in Thorn. The fact that he respected her was…well…great. The man could fold her in half and wipe the floor with her if he decided to, but he offered her respect and that hit her right in the gut.
His eyes dropped to her mouth and her breath froze in her lungs. The way the man looked at her was…intense. Sure, the root of the idea was getting into bed with her, but right then he wanted to lay another one of those kisses on her. The sensitive skin covering her lips tingled with memory as her mouth went dry.
This time his kiss was slow. He held her close by their twisted arms as his mouth touched hers and the tip of his tongue licked across her lower lip. A little moan came out of her throat as his mouth pressed hers open. He still didn’t change the speed. His tongue made a slow pass over hers as she shivered with the jolt of sensation that shot down her spine.
Thorn pulled his head back and Noel lifted her eyelids, wondering why. A single corner of his mouth twitched up in response. He sucked in a deep breath before stepping away from her. It looked like he was struggling for control as he swept her body with his eyes.
“I had planned to take you shopping for clothing.” He smiled at her as he raised both his eyebrows at her. “But if I keep kissing you, we will not be thinking about clothing very long.” His gaze lingered on her lips. “And we won’t be needing clothes at all.”
Noel shut her jaw and kept it tight. What could she say? Her knees were currently jelly, and heat pulsed through her body like fire. Her nipples had tightened into little pebbles that Thorn dropped his eyes to and stared at. He sucked in another one of those deep breaths before turning away from her.
The effort it took for him to move away made her nervous. How had her life suddenly plunged into complete uncontrolled madness? A shadow of blue sparks moved through her memory as she looked at the tight muscles cording on the side of Thorn’s neck.
Like it or not, she was here. Maybe that didn’t mean she was getting naked with Thorn, but it did mean she needed him if she was going to find her feet in 2231. But she was thinking about getting naked with him, a whole lot more than she should have been. The idea was shimmering like gold to a prospector. It tantalized her with the thought of what it would feel like if she reached out and let her fingers trail over his skin, just to discover how warm and sexy his shoulders felt…
“So, where are we going for lunch?”
He turned and offered her his hand once again. Noel placed hers on his with only a slight hesitation and earned a smile from him.
“I’ll be happy to show you.”
Man, oh man, there were a lot of things to be said for 2231. The air was so much clearer! Noel spent the entire ride with her nose practically pressed to the window glass.
They rode in one of the three-row hovercraft jeep things. Only, it didn’t belong to Thorn. In 2231, all transportation craft were collectively owned and you would type in your destination at a loading zone and wait for one to land to pick you up. All citizens paid a tax that maintained the craft.
In fact, she was learning that the idea of personal property was rather foreign to these men. They were all in the military force. Every last man. It didn’t matter what job you had, it was assigned and you reported for duty. They all wore the same thing too.
The rifles were the oddest thing to get used to. One of the black weapons had appeared on Thorn’s shoulder the second they left his house and it was still there as they left the hovercraft behind. But he would have looked out of place without it because every man had one slung onto his shoulder.
Men turned to stare at her as they walked down a length of sidewalk. Thorn sent the ones who lingered too long a hard glare that turned them away. He caught her watching him and placed a hand on the center of her back.
“Do not let it concern you. They are curious and a bit jealous but I would never let them touch you.”
She wasn’t sure if it was a protective statement or a warning. Maybe both. The restaurant they went into was neat and sparkling clean, but it didn’t have much in the way of decoration. A whistle came sailing across the room and Thorn grinned.
“This way. Our company is already here.”
The hand in the center of her back moved and captured her hand. Thorn walked in front of her as she caught the scent of lunch. Her stomach rumbled in response and Thorn looked back over his shoulder at her. “The medical officer warned me that you would wake up hungry. I should have fed you earlier.”
Anything else was cut off as they reached the table and two men stood up. Thorn pulled her forward and slipped his arm around her waist before she realized his intention. She ended up pressed to his hard body as two more sets of keen eyes latched on to her.
“This is Blade 45623 and Hunter 13245. We are comrades and friends.”
Both men smiled at her so she stuck her hand out and they looked at it before looking at Thorn. A quick nod of his head and the darker-haired one, Blade, clasped her hand in his before Hunter was shouldering him aside for his turn.
“So, shaking hands isn’t the custom anymore?” Noel sat down as the rest of their group did.
“Not between genders.”
&
nbsp; “But only because there are so few women, right?” Thorn’s eyebrows lowered as he considered her words. Apparently, she had touched on something that was just a part of his culture and he had never questioned it. But his face took on a guarded expression as he offered her a shrug in response. Noel didn’t like it. She wasn’t about to play the role of pampered pet just because she was a female.
A waiter showed up to end the topic. Thorn offered her a menu and she found her attention taken by the strange food choices. Apparently in 2231, nutritional value was more important than it had been in 2005. The calorie count and breakdown of fat, carbohydrates and proteins was listed right next to the name of the dish. She looked through her eyelashes at Blade and Hunter and saw the same physical perfection that Thorn had.
Her memory suddenly recalled that their names included numbers. But if they were gestated in synthetic wombs, then maybe numbers would have been better. Everything that she’d been was broken down into numbers back in 2005. Her name was attached to that data but what the computer recognized first was the number.
A pair of women walked into the restaurant and Noel lifted her head to look at them. She wasn’t alone. Ninety percent of the men dropped their conversations to aim their attention at the women.
The really odd thing was the fact that the girls expected it. They stopped just inside the door and looked around the room at all the men staring back at them. They enjoyed their moment of attention as men began to stand up and offer them a place at their table. They gave each other a hug before they each turned and selected their own different table to go and sit at.
Noel felt her jaw drop as one of the girls sat down at the table closest to her. She proceeded to kiss all three men at the table. No little peck on the cheek either! This was deep French kissing and she laughed when she finished, as the man she had been kissing last very publicly gripped her butt. She didn’t seem to care that the place was full of people and neither did the men. Another man at the table boldly cupped one of her breasts and rubbed his thumb over her nipple.
