Daggertail

by Kaitlin Maitland

  “You okay?”

  His words rumbled through his chest, vibrating beneath her ear and tickling her cheek. She nodded. Verbalizing her current state of mind would have taken effort. Besides, she’d just muck it up anyway. She was no good with words.

  He sighed.

  This was usually where the men wanted to get up and leave. But since Xave had no way to leave with the Daggertail halfway between Hyperion 4 and Janus 5, she wondered how things would work.

  Tavish began to tense up, waiting for the unspoken signal that would tell her to get up and get dressed. She began to worry whether he might be annoyed with the way she’d collapsed on top of him. Tightening her tummy, she attempted to put a little distance between them.

  Xave’s hand pressed against her back, mashing her closer to his warm chest. “Not a chance.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “That means relax and quit overanalyzing everything.”

  A smile tickled its way onto her face. “What makes you think I’m analyzing anything?”

  “Just a feeling.”

  She considered this. “Is that how a guy in your line of work survives?”

  He made a low noise of agreement that reverberated throughout her body and created a delicious feeling. The man was a walking powerhouse. But his rough-hewn exterior gave no hint to the complexity hidden beneath muscle and bone.

  The hand pressed against her back relaxed when she did. Moments later he began threading his fingers through her tangled hair in an alien yet oddly satisfying fashion. How was it possible to feel cherished by a man she hardly knew? Tavish wasn’t even certain Xave liked her. They had more communication problems than the Interplanetary Senate.

  “I’ve never done this before,” she said after several minutes passed in silence.

  “Done what?”

  “Just laid here.”

  “I seem to recall someone using the term snuggling.”

  Tavish stiffened. “Someone as in some other woman?”

  He chuckled. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

  “Of course not. That would be ridiculous.”

  “I can’t recall spending much time snuggling with a woman. Dating isn’t easy in my line of work.”

  The urge to giggle struck her. “Mine either.”

  He joined in the laughter, his rich baritone blending with her voice.

  “You’re kind of nice when you’re not growling at me,” she said.

  “Wow, was that a compliment?”

  “I suppose you could take it as one.”

  Silence stretched between them. The ship’s drive hummed in the background. The cabin was comfortable, and Xave’s body heat kept the chill at bay. Her eyes had just begun to drift closed when he spoke again.

  “You need a new line of work.”

  And there it was. He had gone back to that “having-higher-standards” thing.

  Well, fuck that. She was what she was.

  “Tavish?”

  “It’s just a job.”

  “It doesn’t have to be anything.”

  “I’m not in a position to choose whatever career catches my fancy.”

  “There are plenty of independent women out there who don’t have to sell their bodies to get by.”

  She flushed with embarrassment. Why did this man have the ability to make her ashamed of something she’d long ago come to terms with? If she was fine with being a whore, why should he care? And she was fine with it. Wasn’t she?

  “I even know a few female bondsmen.”

  “Warrick hiring women? I find that hard to believe.”

  “Don’t be such a skeptic. The women in this trade are damn good at what they do.”

  “Most women are good at what they choose to do,” she said quietly, “regardless of what it is.”

  Chapter Eight

  Why did it matter to Xave what she called herself? Why did he care if she chose to continue selling her services once they parted ways? It wasn’t as if a bright, shining future waited among the stars for an odd couple like Xave and Tavish.

  Linking their names gave him a perverse sense of satisfaction. A dangerous thing in any situation, but damn near catastrophic when it came to relationships. He didn’t do relationships. As he’d told Tavish, dating was next to impossible, but it had very little to do with his line of work. Sometimes biological incompatibility complicated matters beyond the normal scope.

  “You’re doing that thing again,” Tavish whispered.

  “What thing?”

  “That thing you do when you think.”

  Xave sighed. He couldn’t very well outline his thoughts for her. She’d ask him to define biological incompatibility, and he had no interest in doing that. “I’m thinking about possible places to pin down Mendez.”

  Her hand trailed over his chest, fingers circling his nipple until it puckered into a hard point. The teasing touch alone could make his cock stir with life inside the warmth of her body.

  He placed his hand over hers to still it.

  “Mendez, hmm? You’ve got your cock inside a naked woman, and you’re thinking about him? You’ve got serious problems.”

  “Maybe so.”

  “He shouldn’t be hard to find.”

  Xave glanced down in surprise. Her face was tilted down and hidden from view by a riot of wispy auburn hair spread across his chest.

  “Mendez spends a lot of time with a guy named Aiello,” she said. “Do you know him?”

  “He owns a string of casinos on Janus 5 and some factories in the Terran system.”

  “Sounds like the same guy.”

  “You think Mendez will try to hook up with Aiello?” He felt the delicate shrug of her shoulder against him.

  “It’s as good a guess as any. Aiello owns a couple of high-end casinos. After the way you shook him up, Mendez might feel safer there.”

  “Nowhere is safe with that kind of bounty on your head.”

  “Obviously.” She sat upright, naked breasts bobbing and a teasing grin on her face. “What possessed you to try and take him right out of Louie’s? Nobody does that. It’s insanity.”

  He shot her a wicked grin. “I got sick and tired of waiting for him to walk outside.”

  “Surveillance isn’t your thing, huh?”

  “Not really. I’m an action kind of guy.”

  She wiggled her backside on his lap. “I sort of got that.”

  He groaned. He cupped the soft flesh of her ass in his hands and squeezed. His reward was her cry and the flex of her vaginal muscles around him.

  His cock sprang to full attention. Her pussy was slick and damp with his semen and her cream. Xave took a deep breath. The primitive perfection of that scent went far beyond science or technology. It triggered a primal response in his body on a cellular level he couldn’t have explained had he wanted to.

  “Ride me, Tav. Rub that sweet cunt all over me.”

  Her green eyes widened, pupils dilating, and her nostrils flared. A soft pink flush crept over her body, tinting her cheeks and the fullness of her breasts. Her nipples hardened into points.

  She rocked forward, grinding her pelvic bone against him. He tried to hang on to his composure as every ribbed muscle inside her cunt compressed his cock. The wet sounds of her body rocking against his filled the cabin of the Daggertail.

  She began to pant. Her full lips parted, the tip of her tongue flicking over their plump surface. He slipped one hand up over the curve of her ass, past the dip of her spine, and over one smooth shoulder, and then he cupped the back of her head.

  Small hands settled on his shoulders and then linked behind his neck. He dragged her closer and covered her mouth with his. The heady kiss kept rhythm with the thrust and grind of their sweat-slick bodies.

  He pulled back to watch the expressions on her face. “Come, Tav. I want your sweet pussy to explode.”

  “I can’t,” she panted. “Not like this.”

  His hand left her ass, slipping across the damp skin of
her thigh and finding the place where their bodies joined together. The position of her legs left her slit open to his touch. The sensitive tip of her engorged clit protruded past the plump edges of her labia.

  He dipped two fingers into her creamy juices. The tip of his finger brushed against the root of his cock. He shuddered. To feel Tav taking every inch of his cock into her pussy from both the inside and the outside was beyond erotic.

  Forcing himself back from the brink of climax, he slid his fingers against her swollen clit. She moaned, her head falling back to expose the column of her throat.

  “Now come, Tav. Let my fingers push you over the edge.”

  “Xave!”

  He plucked at the sensitive nub. Delicate spasms made her shiver and tremble. Her hip movements became frenzied. Nails scored his shoulders, driving him insane with lust and a fierce desire to possess the woman in his arms.

  Her hips ground against him. His testicles drew tight against his body. With a shout, he thrust upward, ejaculating in long, hot spurts. She cried out, her body melting around him, and then she collapsed against his chest.

  The Daggertail’s control panel began to blip insistently.

  “Don’t answer it.” Her voice was muffled against his chest.

  He smiled, trailing his fingers down her bare back. “We’re getting close to Janus 5. The autopilot will disengage when we enter the atmosphere.”

  “Can’t the ship just land itself?”

  “You’re not tired, are you?”

  She yawned. “No. But I’m comfortable.”

  He had to agree with her. Their mingled juices dampened his thighs, and the entire cabin smelled of sex. But duty still called. A red light on the panel began to blink.

  “That one’s Warrick.”

  She sighed, drumming her fingers on Xave’s chest. “He’s too pushy.”

  “I’ll let him know how you feel.”

  “Fine with me, as long as I’m several systems away by then.”

  He laughed, lifting her from his body. Despite reaching climax twice, his cock still stirred with life when it slid from her wet channel. Her responding shudder told him she felt the same desire.

  Hopping a little, he hiked his pants over his hips and sank into the captain’s chair. Still bare chested, he keyed a quick sequence of numbers into the comm system. Moments later Warrick’s face appeared on the screen.

  “The Daggertail isn’t that big, Xavier,” Warrick said. “Don’t take so long to answer next time, regardless of what—or who—you’re doing.”

  A string of unintelligible curses from Tavish ended with the discernible word bastard.

  Xave grinned.

  “I heard that, Tavish,” Warrick growled.

  “Good.”

  “Have you changed your mind about the backup, Xavier?”

  “I told you. I work alone.”

  “Then remember to keep your comm link active at all times. I don’t want to waste time recovering your corpse.”

  “Wow, keep that up and I’ll think you actually care.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I simply don’t want you to get yourself killed before I can collect the information I need from Mendez. His bond didn’t come cheap. I damn sure want to make my money back on this one.”

  Xave grunted. He operated under no illusions about Warrick Stone. “I need an invitation to one of Aiello’s casinos.”

  Warrick arched one dark brow. “Any one in particular?”

  “The Persian Maiden,” Tavish interjected from the back of the cabin.

  “Thought you worked alone, Xavier,” Warrick said.

  “You’re the one who set me up with a partner.”

  Warrick’s deadpan mask slipped for one brief instant. He might’ve looked pleased, but that would’ve been ludicrous.

  “Can you arrange it or what?” Xave demanded.

  “Of course, but the two of you are rather underdressed for that kind of place.”

  Xave grimaced in distaste. “I’ve got my IID.”

  “And Tavish?”

  “Can handle her own wardrobe.” She leaned over Xave’s shoulder, sending Warrick’s image an acidic smile. “But thanks so much for thinking of me. Really.”

  A smirk twisted the corner of Warrick’s mouth. “Remember, Xave, comm link on at all times. I want to know what’s going on.”

  “Yes, sir,” Xave grumbled. “Daggertail over and out.”

  Xave didn’t bother waiting for Warrick’s face to blip out before spinning his chair to face Tavish. She hadn’t bothered to dress. Her mons peeked out beneath the long tail of her green shirt. He didn’t mind.

  “So, what’s the plan, Tav girl?”

  She cocked her head to one side, her smile a mixture of uncertainty and amusement.

  “What?”

  “Sorry, Mr. Kovuchenko. For a second there you sounded playful.”

  He reached out and captured her hips in his hands. Bracketing her body, he pressed his fingers against her thighs until she spread her legs. He cupped the short damp curls shielding her pussy.

  “Xave. My name is Xave.”

  She inhaled sharply. “Xave.”

  He spread her labia with one hand and traced her folds. The pink flesh was still swollen and slick with the mingled essence of their sex. Her heady scent whispered over his senses.

  Her hands settled on his shoulders, nails scoring his skin. “I can’t stand up when you do that to my pussy.”

  Tugging her closer, he urged her to straddle his lap. The new position spread her open even farther. He delved into her wetness. She was slick and hot and ready to come again for his pleasure. Blood rushed into her pussy. Her clit plumped until it throbbed beneath his fingers.

  “You have the hottest cunt I’ve ever seen.”

  “So you’ve seen a lot?”

  “A few.”

  “But you like mine?”

  Was that insecurity in her voice?

  Without knowing why, he wanted her to know that hers wasn’t just the best. He wanted her to understand the depth of an infatuation he hadn’t come to terms with yet himself.

  Using two long fingers, he brushed her wet slit. She convulsed, her empty pussy clenching. He did it again, this time continuing the sweet torment until she trembled on his lap.

  “Your pussy is incredible. I’ve never continually wanted something so badly before in my life. Feel your sweet juices? No one could be this wet for me. Your pussy wants to come for me.”

  “I-I can’t.”

  He glanced up to see her teeth clenched against the intense waves of pleasure. Slipping one hand around her narrow waist, he delved into the cleft of her ass. She stiffened until he slid one cream-covered finger into her anus and three into her pussy. Pressing his thumb against the engorged hood of her clitoris, he forced her to the edge.

  “Now, Tav. Come for me.”

  Her green eyes glazed over and slid shut as she came on a groan and a sigh. Her entire body clenched in satisfaction. He rode out the undulating waves of her orgasm, content to watch her come until he felt a spurt of hot fluid in his palm.

  He could have never predicted what the sight of her feminine ejaculate would do to him. Xave growled, and the sound echoed around the Daggertail until his ears rang. Ripping open the fly of his pants, he pulled his cock free and wrapped his wet palm around his shaft.

  The heat of her ejaculate drew his testicles hard and tight against his body. Xave groaned in desperation. He’d never been so close to climax before in his life.

  “Yes, Xave,” she whispered into his ear. “Don’t let me come alone.”

  Her voice doubled his ecstasy. His hand pistoned up and down his shaft, his speed increasing until he couldn’t take any more. Straining forward, he pressed his forehead to hers and shot a stream of hot semen over his hand.

  Still pulsing with his own hot ejaculate, he opened his eyes when she slithered down his body. Her tongue lapped at the creamy white fluid. Eyes locked, he watched her swallow every last drop
of his cum.

  I think I love this woman.

  The jarring thought came unbidden as she finished with a beguiling smile and rose to her feet in one fluid motion. Xave froze in place, unable to react, still floored by the possibility of a long-term attachment with a woman like Tavish.

  Face it, Kovuchenko. There is no other woman like Tavish.

  Chapter Nine

  Tavish was losing track of how many orgasms she’d had since meeting Xavier Kovuchenko. That it had become possible to lose track of something like that was still a marvel to her. Actually, that she’d even had one orgasm was a marvel.

  “You should dock somewhere near the border of the Bravo sector near the red-light district, Xave.”

  He gave a curt nod, uncanny eyes darting over the readouts on the Daggertail control panel as they sped through Janus 5’s atmosphere.

  She studied his rugged profile in the low light. If someone had told her two days ago that she’d be willingly reentering Janus 5 airspace, she’d have laughed outright. Of course, if someone had described Xave and told her he would come and turn her life upside down for good, she wouldn’t have believed that either.

  “Where is it we’re going, Tav?”

  Tav? When had he started calling her Tav? Why did she feel all mushy inside just because he had shortened her name to Tav?

  “Destination?” he prodded.

  “Dame Heidi’s. It’s a women’s clothing outlet on the border between the red-light district and the shopping district.”

  “There’s a shopping district on Janus 5?”

  She rolled her eyes. “How do you think the rich guys keep their wives busy while they sample the goods in the red-light district?”

  “Guess I’d never considered it.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I really don’t want to get into it with some bitchy wife.”

  He glanced over at her, his expression indiscernible. “You’d cause a scene with my wife?”

  “Only if she tried to keep me from fucking that wonderful cock of yours.”