by Lauren Dane
He shrugged. “As safe as we can be under the circumstances. Once we arrive, they’ll process our papers. That’s the last big thing. The governance of this way station is supposed to be independent, but it’s where a lot of information got through in the scandal rocking the Federation right now. Treason trials of Family members. Hundreds died. We pay our bribes like everyone else. Hopefully that’ll be enough. If not, well, we’ll work through it.”
“I trust you.”
He hoped so.
Chapter 18
Carina waited up for him, snuggled in their cozy bed in the tiny room. They’d had trouble some hours before when they’d reached the waypoint station, but they’d listened to Andrei’s gut and had hidden. It was a good choice as they’d been boarded, searched and held up for hours until they had no choice but to let them go.
They’d gotten out of the portal and headed toward the Core as soon as they’d been allowed to leave. By that point, her leg muscles had begun to cramp at the close quarters, and poor Daniel, at a head taller, was twisted up like punctuation by the time they’d tumbled out of the compartment.
A meal had lifted everyone’s spirits, and then Daniel had urged her to rest while he sent a coded transmission to his commander. She’d tumbled into the warm nest of blankets, trading her shirt for one of his.
He’d shaken her that day. Not for the reasons he believed. Oh, she knew he thought he was too violent for her. As if she were some precious flower! But he’d been so male, so ferocious and had not let anything stop him from getting her to that transport. Never had she felt that sort of attention and focus. All these things made him who he was, the kind of man she couldn’t stop thinking about, a man she trusted with her heart and her life. But from the things he said, she had the distinct feeling he may have felt as if she would judge him for killing men.
And she did judge; she judged that he would move mountains for her. Moreover, he would because he would do anything on her behalf.
How could she not be in love with that man?
She knew she faced some problems with the differences in their social status, but she didn’t care. None of them had any power over her. The coded data on that chip was her protection. If they didn’t want to let her be with Daniel, she’d insist or not give them the data.
She may have detested her father for many reasons, but she’d learned how to control people, how to manage them with fear and love, and if she had to play a hard game to get what she wanted, to be with the man she was meant to be with, she’d do it without guilt.
He’d brought Vincenz back into her life. Part of her saw the difference in him; he was a cynic now where the boy and teen she knew had been far more idealistic. But he still did work he knew was important, and for all his talk about the Phantom Corps being different, she wondered if part of him wasn’t envious that he was not in those ranks. There seemed to be a story there, and she hoped they got the chance to visit a lot more once they’d arrived in Ravena.
She worried Daniel’s family wouldn’t like her. Worried about all sorts of things she knew she couldn’t control. This thing she had with Daniel felt so precious, the threat of losing that lurked in the back of her mind all the time.
She drew the blade of her knife across the sharpening stone over and over, the way Daniel had shown her earlier. Chances were she wouldn’t have to use it now that they were in Federation territory, but a girl should always have a sharp knife.
She laughed out loud at how much her life had changed in such a short time and in turn, how much she felt like it suited her. Did she want to do this all the time? Seven hells no! She couldn’t imagine how Daniel managed all the fear and worry with such calm. But she did like the idea that she could protect herself. She knew it now. Before, she’d had training but not real testing. And she had a man, a man and love. She’d taken a leap and had been terrified, still was many times every day. But she’d survived and she continued to. That was something to be proud of.
Sometime later, the door opened, and he stepped inside, hair still wet from bathing, skin scented with the clean soap he’d used. A towel hung low on his hips, leaving her breathless because she knew what was beneath.
“Did you walk around the transport like that?” she asked, smiling when he tossed the towel aside and climbed into the bed with her.
“Just from the shower to here. No one saw me. Andrei’s seen it all before, and Marame is too busy arguing with Vincenz on the best kind of ammo for blasters to notice my towel.”
She rolled atop him. “No one is too busy to notice your towel, Daniel. It’s a very impressive . . . towel.”
“I appreciate your protecting my honor.”
He had such a sexy grin. It sent shivers through her body as she rocked against his cock. They fit together so well, perfectly. She’d always been curious about sex, had snuck around to watch what she could, but she’d never quite imagined how all-consuming it could be, and not just the actual physical act while it occurred. He mesmerized her, had charmed her, had become essential to her, and she loved that.
“Take your panties off.” He nearly purred it as he touched gentle fingertips over the bandages on her arm.
“You’re so irresistible.” She smiled down his way, leaning in to kiss him. When she bent to do that, he grabbed the waist of her shirt, of his shirt, and whipped it over her head. “And sneaky.”
“My mother tells me this all the time. Usually after I liberate a pie or two. She bakes when she’s worried or happy or sad. It’s all to the good. Your panties are still on, Carina.”
“My. Top of the class for you.” She undulated, teasing him until he simply ripped them in half, exposing her pussy to his cock. Both of them let out a ragged moan when he made contact with her bare flesh.
“You’re so wet. I could slip in you right now.” He teased around her gate, pushing in just a small bit and pulling back out.
“And you’re not doing that why?”
“Because teasing you is so much fun.”
“Is it?” She scooted down, settling between his legs. His cock was hard, and she simply took the time she wanted to look at him, to rub her cheek from his sac to the head. It was when she decided to lick across the slick bead at the slit that they both shivered through a moan of pleasure.
He tasted so good.
Using her hands and her mouth, she set a rhythm, licking around the crown, then sucking him in as far as she could before pulling back again. She knew some women disdained this act, but she couldn’t seem to get enough of him, of his taste. He was masculine and salty, spicy.
He tried to hold back; she felt the tremble of his muscles. “Don’t hold back with me, Daniel.”
He groaned, his head thrashing from side to side briefly.
“Do you like this?” she asked, licking over the head while her eyes were locked with his.
“Fuck yes. What clued you in? The moaning? Begging?”
“I could make you beg? Really?”
His face lost its tension as he grinned and then laughed. “Carina, there’s no one like you. Not anywhere, not ever. Please, please suck my cock.”
“Certainly. I can’t say no to such a lovely request.”
This time when he got close and he tried to pull her back, she refused to move.
“I’m going to come. Let me be inside you when I do.”
“You will be. First in my mouth, then in my . . . pussy. I want this, Daniel, please.”
His groan was desperate, and he stopped trying to hold her back. Instead, he rolled his hips, meeting her when she moved her mouth down him. Not too much but just enough that his need rode her as well.
When he came, she tasted the essence of him, what he was to her. Surprising that she could evoke such a response from such a man.
“Give me a few minutes. Once I recover, I’ll return the favor, and then we’re going to fuck.”
She moved up, fitting in that spot against his body, her head resting on his shoulder. “So I was all right then?�
��
He laughed. “Sweet, you were far more than all right. You’re perfect.”
“Good.” Silly, how safe she felt against him just then. But she did. “So you were able to get your message to your boss?”
“Yes. I also sent a brief note to my sister telling her to expect a visitor at their home for a while when you arrive.”
“I’ll be with you! Are you going to do this forever? You’re being unfair. You say you want to be with me, and then you foist me off on someone else.”
He had the audacity to roll his eyes at her. “Stop jumping to conclusions, for fuck’s sake.”
“What else can I do when you toss these barriers up between us every chance you get?”
His sigh was very nearly a growl. “When we get there, you’ll be taken from me instantly. They don’t care that you’ll want me to be there. They’re going to be about the business of saving the citizens of the Federation from more war and bloodshed. When I checked in, I found that there’d been two more attacks, this time with biological agents. Faelene has been quarantined, her citizenry hugely affected by an ailment they eradicated, or thought they did, on Earth generations ago, called dysentery. It made the water undrinkable. The elderly and children are hardest hit. It’s a simple and devastating illness that renders populations useless from bowel issues and dehydration. They have teams there now, treating the sick, cleaning up the water, disposing of the dead.”
She sat up, her hands over her mouth. “My father did this?”
“We have every reason to believe so, yes. So when we arrive, I’ll have to go and be debriefed, which can take a while. They’ll use scans to see what I saw, to pick apart every image.” He must have seen the panic on her face. “No, that’ll be filtered out. No one but the scan operator will see. It’s their job; that data gets expunged instantly.” He traced down her neck, and she relaxed a bit.
“You’ll also be debriefed and be taken to a place where they can access the data without harming you. I may be sent on another mission, depending on what they find. I just want you to be safe and with people I trust while I’m gone. Part of my job involves me being gone, I told you that. None of that changes how much I want to be with you. None of that changes the fact that when you get there, when things have calmed and a routine of sorts settles in, you might change your mind. I can’t refuse to deal with reality because you don’t want to.”
“See, you had me until those last sentences. Why does everyone keep doing that? As if I’m so shallow I’d walk away from you once I see shiny things and men with Rank!”
“Someone really should have told me about this “women being a huge pain in the ass” thing before I fell for you.” He sighed, and she contemplated kicking him for a few moments.
“I’m certainly not your first woman, Daniel. I’m sure those before me had female attributes.” Still, she didn’t miss the comment about falling for her, and she warmed before she realized it and snapped out of it, firming her resolve.
He snorted then. “Get that look off your face, Carina. Imagine if you froze that way, and all your life from now on people would think you just ate something sour or were about to lecture them about your religion.”
Oh him and that humor! She tried not to be moved, not to smile, but failed. “You be quiet. You’re making it seem like I’m a freak or something.”
“Did you know the term freak came from Earth? There used to be these traveling shows, and they employed people with various physical defects to entertain the crowds. They were called freaks.”
She froze, looking him over, finding herself yet again disarmed and charmed. He was a menace.
“Why do you do that? I’m set to be angry with you and you do that and I can’t be because you’re charming and funny and damn it all.”
“You forgot right. You know I’m right. I’m not trying to push you away, you infuriatingly beautiful pain in my ass. I’m trying to tell you what to expect. I’m trying to be sure you’re safe and in a place where you can withstand all of that. Your presumption is incorrect.”
Well, maybe it was a bit presumptive of her. But if he thought she was going to take any more of this nonsense about how he wasn’t right for her, he was wrong. It was pretty sweet of him to take care of her, though.
“I’ve asked Abbie to represent you, or to at least be your advocate during the process. Wilhelm is a good man, but he has a job, a job that comes before everything else. Roman will keep you safe, but it’s Abbie who will advocate for you. They’re all afraid of her, which will serve you well. Anyway, they live in a compound. I figure you’ll be at home with the sheer immensity of the house and grounds.”
She pouted; she knew it, but she didn’t want to be with anyone else; she wanted to be with him. Period.
“If I have to go off on another mission, it will ease my worry to know the most powerful people in the Federation are on your side and will protect you. When I am done with work and once they release you from debrief, we can talk about where to live. I have a flat, but it’s not a place for a couple.”
She scowled, and he laughed. The fear that he’d been trying to foist her off on someone else passed, and she rubbed herself against him shamelessly.
“I see you’re feeling better now.” He flipped her so he was on top. “Shall I eat your pussy then? Make you come so hard you scream my name?”
She nodded enthusiastically as they both laughed.
His mouth on her belly was hot and wet. But that’s not what she wanted. “Wait. I have something else I need instead.”
“And what’s that, sweet?” He nuzzled her belly, sending pleasure skittering through her enough to nearly make her forget what she was about to say.
“Over! On your back.”
He grinned and flipped. She loomed over him, taking in how unbelievably gorgeous he was. All that strength and courage, and he was hers.
“You’re my reward. I’ve decided.” She settled in astride his lap.
He swallowed, his cock hardening against her pussy as she rubbed herself over him. “How’s that?”
“Well, I mean, I left a lot behind. Hartley Alem actually grabbed my breast when he thought he’d be the one to rid me of my virginity.”
Daniel tensed, baring his teeth.
“I’m not sorry he’s dead. Though I don’t believe for one moment he was part of any conspiracy to get me out of the Imperium.”
Daniel shrugged but said nothing. He knew something, she could tell.
“Would you care to weigh in on the matter?” She arched a brow at him.
“I’d prefer to fuck you.”
“Grr.” She rose up a bit, grabbing him around the base and guiding him straight into her body as she lowered herself.
“Sweet levels of heaven, that’s so good.”
The power of making him feel good rolled through her. That a man like him would be attracted, no, that he’d find her irresistible, that he’d want her as much as he clearly did, made her feel like a queen.
“Ride me then, Carina.”
She braced herself, resting her weight on his biceps as she began to rise and fall on his cock. Each time she got him all the way in, she swirled her hips, surprising them both with how good it felt.
Body to body, interconnected heart and mind. This was all sex could be and more.
“I’m spoiled.” She sat up, arching her back to get him deeper.
“How so?” he croaked.
“You, of course! Look at you. My first experience is the best one I ever could have asked for. You’ve ruined me for all others.”
He laughed. “Good to know.”
She could see the effort in his muscles, the effort to let her be in charge of the pace. She appreciated it very much and secretly it delighted her to test his control.
“Tell me something. Teach me.”
“You’re going to kill me,” he muttered, sweat sheening on his chest.
“Piffle. You’re a tough man, hard. Strong and fit. Teach me something about
sex.”
“I thought that’s what I was doing. Though, to be honest, you’re doing more than fine on that score.”
She beamed at him, making him laugh.
“I’ve noticed you like this.” She pressed all the way down, circling her hips with him deep inside her.
“Yeah,” he wheezed. “That works. If you want to continue to kill me, try tightening your inner muscles.”
“Oh! That hadn’t occurred to me at all.” She did it, and he moaned, holding her in place before sliding his palms up her rib cage and cupping her breasts. The grin he wore told her they had engaged in a game to see who could make the other the most insensible.
“Let’s see here,” he said lazily, one hand tracing down her belly, his fingers spreading her pussy open. “So lonely there, all shiny and wet.”
When he slid his fingertip over her clit, round and round, increasing his pressure, she knew he was winning.
Laughter shook her, and he tried to frown. “What? Since we’re learning things and all, laughing at a man when he’s trying make you come is considered bad form.”
“I was laughing”—her breath came shorter now as he drew her toward climax—“about how you were winning, and then I remembered that either way, I win.”
“Okay then.” He grinned and made some special secret agent moves on her clit, and she shot into orgasm so hard she probably drew blood when her nails dug into Daniel’s arms where she’d been hanging on. With him inside her, it felt different, the orgasm was bigger, more intense. It felt as if it would never stop as she arched her back to get more.
He gave a ragged groan and unloaded deep inside her. She felt each spasm of his cock as he came.
“I always knew I loved school,” she mumbled and fell to the side. He chuckled, holding her as they surrendered to sleep.
Chapter 19
“We’re nearly in Ravena.” Daniel paced, worried about the future.
“Abbie and Roman are going to meet the transport. She’ll take care of Carina, you know that.” Marame patted his arm.
“I’ll be here awhile, to help her transition, too.” Vincenz spoke from his place at the table where he pored over some reports of recent border violence.
