by Joanna Wylde
“You’re a Pecoraio?” he asked, startled. She smiled shyly at him.
“Yes, does that make a difference?”
“It probably should,” he said, momentarily chastened. Then he shook his head and gave a rueful laugh. “No, I would have taken you if you were the daughter of the first Councilor himself. But I’m glad I have a battle cruiser to hide you in, because that’s probably what I’ll need to keep me alive once they figure out what happened. Did you know that the engineer who designed the new weapons systems for the ship is part of your family?”
She nodded her head, that shy smile coming back.
“I’d heard that,” she murmured. “But don’t worry about my family. They’ll be happy that I found a mate.”
The word hung in the air between them, tantalizing him. Mate. Her gown fell loose, sliding to one side as she dropped the priceless broach to the floor. To his dismay, the curve of one pointed breast caught the flowing drape, keeping it from displaying her form fully.
“Do you think you could take that other clip off now?”
Her smile this time wasn’t shy in the least and she shook her head carefully, reaching up to pull the clips out of her hair, breasts swaying but remaining hidden behind her gown. Waves of rich, dark brown fell down around her shoulders. Unlike most young women of her class, she’d chosen to cut it and the ends curled becomingly around her shoulders. Now it was his turn to lick his lips.
“Take off the other broach.”
She laughed, the noise deep and throaty.
“I like this,” she said. “You’re the big man on this ship, but I think I’m the one who’s really in charge right now.”
Her words pushed him over the edge and he crossed the floor between then in two quick steps. She gave a startled gasp as he pulled her close with one arm, ripping the frail fabric of her gown free. It dropped to her waist, where the pressure of their bodies caught it. He cupped a full, ripe breast in his hand, creamy and white, the nipple a tight, round little berry he wanted to suck and nuzzle until she screamed.
His cock jumped and he reached down to caress it through his loincloth, studying her face as he touched himself.
She gasped. Saul leaned forward to kiss her long and hard. She swayed into him, as soft and yielding as she’d been at the arena. His hands wandered down her back, feeling the gentle curves of her body while noting that under those curves was tight, toned muscle. Not a lazy girl, his lifemate. He grasped her bottom, rounding the curves, gripping them and pulling her tight against his prick. He couldn’t wait to sink his cock into her.
K’rilla didn’t protest when she felt his fingers digging into her bottom. She’d never felt anything as heavenly as his hands pulling her tight against his erection. She wanted him in her, the molten heat of her core throbbing as she rubbed herself against his body. He would fill her completely, everything about their joining would be perfect. K’rilla decided to let go of whatever doubts that still lingered about their mating—Admiral Saul Darius was her lifemate.
Thank the Goddess.
Darius lifted her, carrying her across the room with her legs wrapped around his waist. The muscles of his arm tensed as he took her weight, but his strength never faltered. He wasn’t the type of man to build muscles for their own sake; she knew that instinctively. Darius did some kind of physical labor on a regular basis. She clutched him, reveling in the scent of his sweat, the musky perfume that she knew no other woman could ever appreciate the way she did.
Saul Darius had been created specifically for her.
When he set her down on the little storage cabinet, he confused her. She’d expected to go to the bed, but the cabinet’s possibilities became clear quickly enough. It was just the right height for him to access her body and she slid her hips toward him, loving every moment. He thrust against her, the rounded head of his penis rubbing back and forth against the heat of her clit. She arched, enjoying the sensation at first. But then the fabric separating their bodies was too much of a barrier, too rough and scratchy compared to the smooth skin of his cock.
She needed to feel his flesh against her own.
Darius, as if reading her mind, stepped back just long enough to rip his loincloth free. Then he shoved up the filmy remains of her dress. It took only an instant to work his hand under the lace of her last protective barrier, pushing the delicate fabric to one side and sinking three fingers into her. K’rilla gasped at the sudden stretching stimulation.
“Oh that feels good,” she murmured as he found her clit with his thumb. He shaped her, wiggling the tiny spur of flesh back and forth as she collapsed backward. Darius seemed to be touching her everywhere at once, the sensations building on each other until she hardly knew what to wish for—his hard cock in her body or the continuing pleasure of his cunning fingers. Higher and higher he pushed her, right to the brink of explosion. He is really, really good at this, K’rilla thought, feeling a sudden surge of jealousy as she wondered who’d taught him these tricks.
Darius pulled his fingers free. K’rilla mewed in protest as he laughed. Then she watched, mesmerized, as he raised his hand to his face and licked his fingers slowly and deliberately.
“Delicious.”
K’rilla shivered, feeling cold and lonely without his touch. She gave a little whimper of need and thrust her hips toward him. He took the hint, reaching down to steady his cock. Then he rubbed the soft, round head up and down along the ridge of her clit for several seconds, bathing her with the pearls of fluid seeping from the tip. Sensation throbbed through her, blood rushing to her core. She squirmed against him and he gave a low, satisfied laugh.
“You want it, don’t you?”
The quick nod of her head, the rising flush in her face—together they were almost enough to send Saul over the edge. He pressed down into her, feeling her warm flesh squeeze his cock as he sank deep. Her cunt was a molten glove, almost hotter than he could handle. Would she burn him up, given the chance? Darius supposed the thought should scare him, but it didn’t. All he wanted was to be with her and damn the consequences.
She panted a little as he penetrated her, each inch a little closer to bottoming out. She clenched suddenly, the strength in her muscles cradling him. Oh that was good—she felt like a glove of sweet fire around his cock. He was all the way in now and he paused for a moment, enjoying the moment. It was good. Really good. Better than anything he’d ever imagined. She leaned back from him, resting against the wall, a dreamy expression on her face. Her bare breasts hung between them, her seductive position completely uncalculated.
A sexual Goddess in repose.
“You’re beautiful,” he said and she smiled up at him, the expression washing across her face like a brilliant sunrise.
“Thanks.”
She wiggled her hips around him suggestively and he laughed.
“Impatient, aren’t we?”
“Always,” she said. “You’d better get used to it. I waited a long time for this, so don’t think I’m going to let you get away with half a job completed.”
He rested his hands on her hips and pulled out a bit before sliding back into her a little harder than before, studying her reaction. K’rilla smiled at him, letting her eyes close, so he started moving a little more quickly. After a few moments he found himself sliding easily through her body. Perfection. A gentle flush worked its way up her form, her nipples bouncing lightly with each of his thrusts. She relaxed completely into the moment with the abandon of a professional. But no whore had ever been this tight or so exquisitely shaped just for him. She reached up to grasp one breast, fingering the nipple with gentle insistence—and Saul felt the blood pound in his head as he groaned. Her eyes flew open and she gasped, dropping her hand.
“I can’t believe I did that!”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed with me,” he replied. “It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.”
She blushed bright red, but after a moment’s hesitation she touched herself once more. She rolled the nip
ple between her fingers before tugging at it very lightly. Her eyes closed again and she seemed to drift away from him, lost in the pleasure of the moment. To his delight, she reached up with her other hand to touch between their legs. Her fingers came to rest against her clit, just brushing his penis as he thrust into her, and they both froze. Her eyes fluttered open.
“I used to dream about this,” she whispered. “About meeting my lifemate. I’ve been lying awake at night for years, imagining what it would it would be like to have my mate inside my body. I’d touch myself like this and pretend your fingers were on me, but it was never this good. I wish you’d come for me sooner, Darius.”
Saul stopped moving, overwhelmed. He reached down and took her hand, kissing the back of it gently before placing it back on her clit. He fondled her with her own fingers, feeling them against his penis too, and the moment hung long between them.
“Nothing could have stopped me if I’d known you were here,” he said finally. “I thought I would always be alone.”
She studied his face without replying, her breasts rising gently with each breath. Her eyes were too intense, her face too open and vulnerable. He didn’t want to contemplate her suffering or remember his own hopeless longing. Instead he thrust into her once more, harder this time. He needed to be close to her, to claim her, to imprint on her body his absolute dedication to never leaving her wanting and waiting again.
She continued the soft fluttering of her fingers, each thrust caressing him and herself as they sank deeper and deeper into the moment. Everything in him focused down to the heat between them, the energy growing as his need and the strain in his cock intensified. Back and forth, in and out, every movement tight with suppressed emotion and a burning physical need beyond anything he’d imagined possible.
And then she came.
It hit her gradually, the movements of her fingers losing their coherence, her breath coming in quick pants. The flush across her face and upper body grew and she moaned, rolling her head back and forth. Then she clenched him, painfully hard, her muscles gripping his erection like a vise as her back arched. She gave a little moan, then collapsed back against the wall, a slow smile playing across her face as she opened her eyes to look at him.
It was enough to push him over the edge too. He thrust three more times, feeling his seed shoot deep inside, release exploding through his body. It was more than orgasm, more than simple fucking. He claimed her—for the rest of their lives, this moment would be burned into their brains.
It was, quite simply, the best moment of his life.
Saul leaned forward, kissing her softly, and she smiled up at him.
“That was nice,” she said, her voice soft. “Maybe we should do it again some time?”
“Works for me,” he said, her voice melting him. “Any time you want.”
She stretched, arching her back and leaning into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“How about the bed next time?” she said. “This was great, but the bed might be nice for cuddling afterward…”
“I can take a hint.”
Chapter Four
K’rilla fell back against the bed with a sigh, happy to be free of her clinging robes. Darius lay next to her, and she turned her head, studying him. The man was stunning, no question of that. Tall, roped with muscles, and despite the fact that he spent much of his life in space, his skin had a light tan. From his visits to the arena? He had scars too, many little ones and a large one right across his chest. She reached over to trace it, enjoying the way goose bumps formed on his skin, his nipples tightening as his muscles flexed.
“That works,” he murmured, closing his eyes.
“How did you get this?” she asked, musing. “I don’t really know anything about you…”
“I got it on Tyre,” Darius replied. “When they turned on us. It was a slaughter, only a handful of our delegation escaped. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You don’t have to,” she said, feeling sudden sadness for him. Everyone knew about Tyre—after a century without diplomatic relations, the emperor had invited a Saurellian delegation to his capital to discuss peace. Then he betrayed them, killing as many as he could, setting off this newest round of fighting. Like all her people, she’d read the reports breathlessly, praying for survivors, hoping some lucky souls might make it back to safety.
Few did.
“This has been a hard war,” Darius said, his voice a low murmur. “We’ve been on the defensive to this point, but I think we’ve got a chance against them now. They caught us off guard—our navy wasn’t a match for theirs. But you wouldn’t believe the new weapons systems we’ve got. The engineering team has been brilliant. With the changes they’ve made, we have a real shot at victory.”
His words sent a thrill of pride through her. Those were her systems, and if they won the war, she would be a part of it. None of that would have been possible if she’d found her lifemate earlier, K’rilla mused. His face tightened and he rolled over to study her face.
“It’s worse than they’ve been telling the people, you know. Billions will die before this ends.”
K’rilla leaned against him, wanting to feel the safety of his arms cradling her. Darius pulled her close and she closed her eyes, inhaling his scent. No matter the situation, she wanted to be with him, she knew that with a certainty deep within her bones.
“I’m going with you,” she said. He stiffened.
“No you aren’t. It won’t be safe.”
“If this invasion fails, none of us will be safe. The Imperials will swarm Saurellian space and you know we don’t have enough ships to defend ourselves and launch this offensive. It’s a gamble—if we lose it, I want to die with you.”
Darius rolled abruptly, trapping her beneath his body. His hands cradled her face gently, as if to soften his words.
“I can’t let you do that,” he said. “You’ll stay on Saurellia, where it’s safe.”
K’rilla met his gaze, refusing to be intimidated.
“No, I’m coming with you,” she insisted. “I’ve waited for you my entire life. I’ll be damned if I’ll let you leave me behind to watch and wait.”
He shook his head and she read the frustration in his face all too clearly. His eyes narrowed, reminding her of her father, and she instinctively set her chin forward defiantly.
“I’m an adult woman and I make my own decisions.”
“Listen—” he said, and suddenly stopped talking. “Goddess, I don’t even know your name.”
They both froze and she laughed, breaking the tension.
“I can’t believe this,” she said, shaking her head. He rolled off her and sat on the edge of the bed. She joined him, taking his hand in hers. He offered her a rueful look. “This has got to be the strangest, most surreal day of my life.”
“I’d like to tell you that I’ve been wondering about your name all along, but I never thought about it,” he said. “All I could think about was getting inside you.”
“I’m Kerill d’Pecoraio, although I go by K’rilla,” she said, offering him a formal nod of her head. “And I’m the woman who’s going with you on this ship when you leave for the invasion. I’ll be a big help, actually. I’m head of the—”
A klaxon cut through the air, accompanied by a strobing light that filled the room with bright flashes.
“Admiral, this is Captain Markus,” a man’s voice called across the intercom. “We have a weapons-system emergency. I’d like you to join me on the bridge as quickly as possible. It’s very serious.”
“Acknowledged,” Darius snapped. “I’m on my way.”
“I should come with you,” K’rilla said, her mind filling with scenarios as she ran through schematics in her head. “I’m probably more qualified—”
“You’ll stay here,” Darius declared, cutting her off. He grabbed his clothing and started toward the hatch. “I can’t do my job and worry about you too. This isn’t a game. Wait in the cabin for me and I’ll come
back to check on you as soon as possible.”
Oblivious to her nudity, K’rilla followed him, determined.
“If there’s a weapons system problem, I should go with you,” she said, trying to explain. Darius ignored her, running out of his quarters still half dressed, leaving her naked in the center of the room, fuming. Just like school all over again. Why did men find it so hard to believe she knew what she was doing?
K’rilla shook her head, forcing herself to snap out of her pique. This wasn’t about her, it was about the ship. Nobody was more qualified to evaluate the problem than her. If he couldn’t recognize that, she’d take matters into her own hands.
First she needed something to wear.
The shreds of her dress were useless, so she grabbed the first shirt she found and pulled it on. It draped over her like a tent, which she decided wasn’t a bad thing—flaunting her curves wouldn’t help the situation a bit. She found a pair of pants, yanking a man’s leather belt around her waist to hold them, quickly rolling the bottoms up. She must look ridiculous, but that hardly mattered. She needed to find out what was happening. K’rilla took a deep breath, steeling herself, and turned to the main hatch door, slapping the panel, hoping the damn thing wasn’t locked.
It slid open, revealing the uniformed marine standing guard.
“I need you to take me to the main weapons engineering section,” she told him, her voice firm. He gaped at her.
“Ma’am, you have to stay inside,” he said. “We’re at general quarters. Now isn’t the time for a tour.”
She fixed him with a stern gaze.
“My name is Kerill d’Pecoraio, and I am the engineer who designed your weapons system,” she told him firmly. “You have an emergency and I am the most qualified person in all of Saurellian space to deal with it, but I can’t do a damn thing if I’m stuck in this cabin. You’ll take me to the weapons section right now or I’ll see that you’re held personally responsible for the consequences.”
