by Anna Hackett
Lexa wandered into the room. It was surprisingly cool. The rock-cut walls were smooth but there were narrow veins of some glittering mineral here and there. She stopped at the window and took in the wide sweep of golden desert. It looked just as magnificent and unforgiving from here as it did when you were riding in the middle of it. But, right now, with sand in places she didn’t even want to think about, she was happy to take a short break from it.
Damon was silent, and Lexa found nerves were starting to creep in. It was silly. They’d been through so much in a short period of time and she’d come to trust him. In fact, she hadn’t felt this close to someone in a long time.
A door opened and she turned. He was heading into an adjoining room. She followed and moaned in pleasure.
The room was carved back into the rock and against one wall was a deep-cut pool with water bubbling up and steam rising off it. The room had no window, but three modern ball lights were suspended from the ceiling, each one glowing with a soft light.
Damon ran his fingers through the water. “Mineral water.” He nodded his head at the pool. “Why don’t you get in, take a soak. It’ll help those aches and pains you’ve been trying to hide.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “So, Mr. Malik, are you going to offer to scrub my back?”
“I thought that might be a bit…clichéd.”
“Oh?”
“I thought I’d just strip you naked, carry you into the water and fuck you senseless.”
And just like that, raw need flared inside her, arrowing between her legs.
She wasn’t sure who moved, her or him. But suddenly, she was in his arms, his mouth on hers.
She parted her lips eagerly. His arms wrapped around her and his tongue swept into her mouth, demanding and unyielding.
Lexa slid her hands into his thick hair. Before she knew what was happening, he was urging her forward until they reached the edge of the pool.
He gripped her shirt and tugged it off. He groaned. “Damn, this sexy underwear makes me hard.” His skillful fingers made short work of opening her sea-blue bra and dropping it to the floor. He groaned again. “Although what’s under it is much, much sexier.” He cupped one breast and she leaned into his touch. Her nipples puckered.
“Ah, such pretty breasts.” He flicked a thumb over her nipple, making her gasp. “Do you want my mouth here?”
“Yes.” Her answer was a breathy whisper.
“Then get in the water.” He knelt and slipped her trousers down her legs.
Staring down at his dark head, she fought back a tremble. His hot gaze slid over her bare legs as he slipped a finger under the waistband of her silk panties and snapped it against her skin.
“Something else pretty under here for me?”
Oh, stars. She wanted to close her eyes, savor the sensations, but she couldn’t pull her gaze off him.
He tugged the panties down. Staring at the juncture between her thighs, he made a hungry sound, then urged her toward the water.
Lexa sank into the bath. It was almost too hot but after a few seconds her skin adjusted. She found a narrow ledge under the water and sat. She turned to look at Damon and almost swallowed her tongue.
He was shedding his clothes in quick, economical movements, uncovering bronzed skin and his lean, muscular body.
Her mouth went as dry as the desert outside. There wasn’t an inch of fat on him. Just muscles on muscles, each one perfectly defined.
He dropped his trousers and straightened, unabashedly naked. Now, she couldn’t breathe. She knew her eyes were wide and she was staring at his cock, but he was…generously proportioned.
“Sweetheart, I’ve been wanting to see that exact look on your face when you looked at me for a while now.” He sauntered toward the pool.
She looked up at him and crooked a finger. He stepped into the water.
“I want to touch you,” she murmured. “All of you.”
“You’ll get the chance, Lexa. But first, I’m going to take care of you.” He grabbed up a natural sponge and the liquid soap set out beside the pool. He squirted some soap onto the sponge and moved closer to her.
He ran the sponge over her shoulder, the surface of it rough against her skin, and the sensual scent of Vedian jasmina combined with some woodsy fragrance followed. He dragged the cloth down and ran it under her breasts, then his glittering gaze locked on hers. Her lips parted.
He set to work with a determined focus, washing her breasts, then her back and belly. As the sponge and his hand slid lower, her breathing increased.
“You like that?”
She nodded, her voice seeming to have deserted her. The sponge slipped between her legs. He washed her with slow, steady strokes that made her gasp.
“Completely bare, just pretty, feminine flesh,” he murmured. “I like it.” He kept stroking, like he was happy to keep it up for hours.
“You have too much patience,” she said, her voice breathy.
“A skill I’ve perfected over the years.” He leaned down and nipped at her lips. “But you’re testing it. Watching you—” he shook his head “—it drives me to the edge of my control.”
She needed to even the playing field, and she desperately wanted to touch him. “Let me touch you.” She ran her hands over the hard planes of his chest, then leaned closer and pressed her mouth to his flat nipple.
“Mmm.” His breathing quickened.
She let her hands drop into the water, her nails scoring over his hard abs.
“Lexa.” A warning, a plea. “Wrap your hands around me.”
She did, her fingers curling around his sizable erection. He was hard, hot and smooth. She pumped him, all the while imagining taking him inside her. She shivered.
He made a growling noise and suddenly the sponge disappeared. Now it was only his hand exploring the folds between her legs.
“Yes,” she hissed, her hips canting forward.
He sank a finger inside and made a guttural noise. “So tight.”
She was moving her hips enough that the water lapped at the edge of the pool. His thumb slid through her slick folds until he found her clit. Now, she cried out.
“I want you to come for me.” He put more pressure on her clit.
She stroked his cock again. “I want this inside of me.”
“And you’ll get it, after you come on my fingers.” He sank another finger inside her.
She felt the pleasure growing, a liquid heat coiling low, threatening to spill over. Stars, she fought to control the sensation, but with another clever flick, she shattered.
Her back arched and she heard her own cry echo off the rock walls. Before she’d come all the way back down, he pulled his hand away and turned her. He pushed her forward until her stomach touched the edge of the pool.
He kept the gentle pressure until she bent forward, her breasts touching the cool rock. She writhed, the contrast of the cool rock, the warm water and the hot touch of Damon as he pressed up behind her overwhelming.
He shifted her body, urging her ass up and again his fingers were touching her where she was hot and needy.
“God, Lexa, you are so beautiful.” His other hand shaped her buttock. “You have a Naamah?”
The implant was a new technology that protected from pregnancy and disease. She nodded.
“Good.” The thick head of his cock nudged her folds, then he thrust into her with one heavy slide.
She cried out, her hands clamping onto the edge of the pool.
“That’s it.” His mouth was at her ear, his big body covering her and his thick cock stretching her. “You feel that, don’t you? I’ve wanted to be deep inside you for what feels like forever.” He pulled back and thrust again.
She moaned, the sensation of him filling her was all-consuming.
He started moving faster, his strokes harder, firmer. “All night, Lexa. I’m going to pleasure you every way I know how. And you’ll still want more.”
She shoved back against him, gratified
by his groan. “I’ll give as good as I get.”
He gave a low chuckle. “I never expected anything less.” Their bodies slapped together as he picked up his pace. “Now just feel.”
It was all she could do. The feel of him within her wiped out every thought of treasure hunts, temples, desert wolves and treasures.
He powered into her, the incredible pleasure coiling low and deep inside her, and she knew she was lost.
Chapter Twelve
Damon kept pumping into Lexa’s hot, tight body. Damn, he hadn’t felt anything this good in a long, long time. He felt her release growing, her body gripping him tighter.
On his next thrust she came, his name ripped from her lips and her scream echoing around their small sanctuary. Another two thrusts and he seated himself deep, his own release roaring through him like a blast. He groaned as he spilled inside her, and they both collapsed, half in and half out of the bath.
When he could think again, he pulled her back down into the water with him. Her body was lax and her head dropped back against his shoulder. Her eyes were closed, but he could see a faint, and very satisfied, smile on her face.
After a brief soak, he swung her into his arms and headed for the bed. He didn’t bother to dry them off, just parted the gauzy hangings, set one knee on the mattress, and dropped her onto the plain white sheets. He climbed in after her and curled around her. She scooted back, settling into him, her fabulous ass nestled against his cock. The damn thing twitched. Trying to kill him, no doubt.
She gave a contented sigh and he felt her drop into an exhausted sleep.
Damon stayed there, spooned around her, the afternoon sun casting a glow on the rock walls and a lazy fan spinning on the ceiling above. He pressed his face against her hair and breathed deep. Having Lexa wrapped up in his arms felt…right. He looked at the rock above them. He’d always thought he wanted a simple life, especially after the machinations and complexity of a life in the GSS. A challenging, but non-stressful job, his own place, and his own goddamn bed—not a different one every night. The occasional casual woman when he was in the mood, but nothing too serious. He’d imagined himself in the future as a grizzled old bachelor who could still charm the odd lady when he needed one.
Now he wasn’t so sure.
He closed his eyes, exhaustion and the sensual aftermath of coming inside Lexa dragging him into sleep.
When he woke several hours later, he thought he must be dreaming, and a damn good dream, at that.
The sun had set, and the room was wreathed in shadows, just the glow of a small lamp giving off any light. Warm lips were traveling down the center of his chest. As they reached his abdomen, they took a lot of time exploring each ridge, nails scoring his hipbones.
He looked down, mesmerized by the sight of Lexa’s dark head against his belly. She looked up and smiled, an expression that was full of feminine promise.
She moved lower. “I’ve been dying to explore all these lean muscles of yours.” She nipped his hipbone.
He jerked under her touch. “They’re all yours.”
“Good.”
God, he’d been famous for his control among the small group he’d worked for in the GSS, and for never losing his cool over a woman. He’d been known to delight in all kinds of women, some he’d liked, some that had just been a job. He’d even had the most practiced courtesans of Windassia work him over as a gift from a grateful potentate.
They had never made him feel as close to the edge as this.
Lexa gripped his cock and gave it a solid pump. His hips jerked up of their own accord. He growled.
“I like driving you crazy. Mr. Malik.” Her lips engulfed him.
Fuck. Her mouth was warm and she used a lot more force then he’d have guessed. Lexa looked sweet and classy, but there was a core of steel in her. She bobbed up and down, making small noises that told him she was enjoying herself. She slowed down and took him deeper, and his answering groan was long and loud.
He wanted to keep watching those pretty lips of hers stretched around his cock, and come in her mouth. But he wanted to be inside her even more.
He moved fast, grabbing her and yanking her up his body.
“Hey—”
“Inside you. Now.” He couldn’t even make full sentences anymore. He pulled her higher until she straddled his hips. Then he was urging her up, the head of his cock nudging between her slim thighs.
She bit her lip, their gazes locking.
She sank down, taking him in one long slide.
“Oh, God.” She pressed her hands to his chest and her head fell back, exposing that long neck to him, all that smooth skin.
Unable to stop himself, he reared up, adjusted her in his lap and forced his cock into her at a deeper angle. She made a strangled sound, her nails biting into his skin. He pressed his mouth to her neck, nipping where her pulse fluttered wildly.
She rode him, her hips rising and falling. He kissed her, pulling in the taste of her, loving that she kissed him back with wild abandon.
Then she stiffened. “Oh, Damon, I’m going to come.”
“Come, Lexa. Come for me.”
She did, moaning and grabbing onto him tighter. A second later, he followed her, thrusting hard inside her.
Then her eyes shot open. “What’s…oh God, Damon…I’m—” Wide brown eyes clung to his as the second wave of her orgasm hit, making her scream.
They fell back in the bed, wrecked. She was sprawled on top of him, their legs tangled. He stroked a hand lazily up her back.
She turned her head. “I think I like you.”
He tugged a strand of her hair. “Good. Because I really like you.”
“I still think this might be crazy. We could get back to the museum and hate each other again.”
No. Everything in him revolted at the thought. “Let’s not borrow trouble. We have a treasure hunt to finish, first.”
She nodded, her cheek pressed to his chest. “You have two heartbeats.”
“Yeah. I have two hearts.” It gave him extra endurance and strength the GSS had prized.
“So, one of your parents was Amdorian or Cyphi?” She named the two humanoid races with two hearts.
“I don’t know.”
Her brow crinkled. “What do you mean?”
“Never knew who my father was. And my mother left for work when I was five and never came back. I have a few memories of her, but they’re fuzzy. She never said she was Amdorian or Cyphi, but she never knew her parents, either.”
Lexa was very still and quiet for a second. “What happened to her?”
He shrugged. “She might have just abandoned me, or been killed. I never found out.”
“Who raised you?”
“I’m from Ranga 9.”
She blinked. “The gang planet.”
“Yep. Gang took me in. Fed me, clothed me, beat me, taught me to fight.”
Lexa sat up, her eyes igniting. He didn’t think she realized she was naked, her beautiful breasts on full display.
“They indoctrinate kids, make them feel loyal to the gang and then use them to fight. I’ve read about Ranga. It’s been destroyed by drugs, gang war, prostitution…”
“Don’t forget thievery and people-trafficking.”
She pushed her hair back. “How can you joke about it?”
“Because I got out.” Damon knew he was one of the lucky ones. He reached out and cupped one of her breasts. She looked down and flushed a little. When she moved to grab the sheet, he shook his head. “Don’t.” He kept caressing her, kneading the soft, smooth flesh.
“How did you escape?” she asked quietly, but the flush in her cheeks now had nothing to do with her righteous anger for the child he’d been.
“I was fifteen and well on my way to earning my final gang membership. I was a good fighter and I’d taught myself to be the best at slipping around unnoticed.” He smiled. “I was also a dab hand at pickpocketing.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can only imagine
.”
“Saw this guy slinking around Ranga, trying not to get noticed. He was good. I was the only one who’d seen him.” Damon shrugged a shoulder. “Figured he was one of the perverts that sometimes slipped on-planet looking to steal a kid no one would notice missing.”
Her eyes fired again and this time he tugged her down beside him.
“I figured he had money and tried to…relieve him of anything of value. He busted me.” Damon shook his head. “He was one tough guy, had this huge scar down his face. I thought he was going to beat me senseless.”
“But he didn’t.”
“Nope. Instead, he complimented me on my skills. He hadn’t seen me watching him or sneaking up on him.”
“He was GSS?”
Damon nodded. Roger Barax had been a damn good spy. “He offered me a job instead of a beating. A chance to escape Ranga 9 for good. I took it and the rest is history.”
Her hand played with his chest. “I doubt that, but I’m glad you got away.”
He ran a hand down her side. “Me too.” Then he slipped a hand between her thighs, was blessed with her small, choked cry. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here, enjoying your mighty fine body.”
He rolled on top of her, nudging her thighs apart. “We have about an hour until the dinner starts. How about we put it to good use?”
She smiled, moving so he could settle deeper against her. “What did you have in mind, Mr. Malik?”
***
When they headed through the village, the night air was still warm, the breeze ruffling Lexa’s hair. Damon had asked her to leave it loose. While they’d lost some of their supplies in the wolf attack, Lexa was grateful she still had her clothes. Yet despite that, Pris had dropped off some local outfits for them—something she’d told them was for their night in Liwa.
She fingered the soft fabric of her skirt. It just reached her knee in a flirty fall of vivid red fabric. Her top was an old-fashioned, peasant-style, white blouse, and simple sandals completed the outfit. Since she’d washed all her underwear and left it hanging to dry in their room, she was naked underneath and acutely aware of it.
She was pleasantly relaxed, her skin tingling and her body aching in a few places that had nothing to do with falling into a giant sand trap. They’d had another long soak in the mineral pool, which had turned into another extended session of lovemaking. Damon was relentless and seemed to love watching her come. He’d made her orgasm on his hand, his mouth, and finally he’d come inside her. And every time, his intense gaze had never left her face as she’d tipped over the edge of pleasure.
