“No, Father. There’s nothing to say about that. Do you think that I didn’t know the pain you suffered from Mother’s absence? I felt it, too. She wasn’t happy here and it didn’t have anything to do with you. I know you loved her. But that was a quiet, respectful love. You grieved for six long years and there should be no guilt in your heart any longer. What I saw on your face when you pulled Tana through the palace reminded me of what I feel for my Avelina. There is no explanation needed.”
Lucien felt the bite of tears and struggled to compose himself.
“Son. The greatest thing your mother ever gave me was you. I would have suffered a thousand years just to have you in my life. There is no prouder father.”
Drusus pulled him from his chair and clasped his arms around him. Lucien held him tight and felt as if his heart would explode with the amount of love he held for his child. Stepping back, he enjoyed the large smile on his son’s handsome face.
“So, when does she arrive?”
Lucien took a deep breath and plopped back into his chair. “In the morning if she didn’t fight Sotarios trying to coax her into the helicopter.”
“Fight? Why would she fight with him?”
“I may have finally gotten my head on straight, but I did a lot of damage before she left. I hurt her. The last time we spoke, she didn’t want anything to do with me. I can’t blame her if she refuses to come back with him.”
“Well, then fix whatever you did and if she won’t come willingly, go to her.”
“That’s exactly what I plan to do. I just hope it’s not too late. I may have lost her trust.”
Drusus leaned forward and whispered, “Then remind her that you had her trust before. Do what you need to get it back.”
* * * *
Tana blinked and lifted her hand to cover her eyes as she stepped out of the tent. “Geez, this is so freaky. One minute I’m looking up at the night sky and now I need sunglasses.” She turned at Sotarios’s chuckle.
“If you’re in the mood for a few hours of weight training, then I’ll show you how to keep your ass up the rest of the day. It’s the only way I know to ensure my eyes remain open until I can get turned back around.”
She snorted and turned to wait for Kallon to exit the tent. “Nope. Think I’ll pass. Just find me some coffee and I’ll use the medicated path. I have a feeling that Kallon would have to do surgery on me from my muscles revolting.”
Sotarios laughed. “You’re no fun, Tana. I was hoping to get you in the gym so you could tell the other warriors about the beast. There’s a running bet going that we just found the carcass and hacked the horn off. I’m almost positive Maxim started it since he couldn’t get one of his own. I need vindication.”
“Tell you what. When the senate has me chained to a wall so I won’t escape and tattle on all of you, then you can bring in tour groups and I’ll regale them with your bravery. It’ll give me something to do.”
“Damn. You’re a funny female. I like that. The senate isn’t going to come within five feet of you, sweetness. You’re the empress. They’re going to be kissing your ass, if anything.”
Tana raised a brow at him. “Okay, you guys have got to get a different story here. I’m tired of telling you that I’m not your emperor’s mate. Oh, just forget it. I give up. Think what you want. Hey, Kallon. What is it with you and delayed returns? What happened this time?” She was surprised when his face colored.
“I forgot something in the helicopter. I can’t believe I almost left it behind. Oh, good, the transports are arriving. I didn’t hold anything up.”
Turning, Tana watched as two sleek silver crafts approached. It kind of freaked her out that things like this weren’t freaking her out. Amazing how fast the mind starts adjusting to the bizarre. Blue aliens, gorgeous aliens, three moons, dinosaurs, vortexes, and now flying cars. Just another typical day in Tana’s new life. She had a feeling that if they did let her go, Earth was going to become a very boring place.
The doors slid open on both vehicles and Tana smiled when she saw Maxim grinning at her from the front seat of the craft. When she looked closely at him, she frowned.
“Damn, Maxim. You’re filthy. What the hell have you been doing?”
He snorted and motioned for her to get inside. “Don’t ask. All I can say is that someone owes me big time.”
“No doubt.” Tana hesitated when Kallon and Sotarios called out a good-bye to her and started to get into the other transport.
“Hey, where are you two going? Why aren’t we riding together?” They just grinned and disappeared inside.
Maxim chuckled and clasped her hand to help her in. “Don’t worry about them, you’ve got a different destination.”
Flopping back against the comfortable seat, Tana sighed in resignation. “I guess this is it. I’m being banished to a remote area where I’ll never find my way out. Well, it’s not like I haven’t been in this situation before. Just leave me a kitchen knife and some rope and I should do okay. A food drop every week would be nice.”
Laughing, Maxim shook his head. “You have an extremely vivid imagination, Tana. Hold tight, we’ll be there in just a bit.”
Reconciled to her fate, Tana stared out the window and watched the scenery fly by. She’d already seen the Trancis River and its wide bend that skirted the city of Urbis. She watched the large towers of the palace disappear into the distance and wondered how damn far out she was going to get planted.
Scooting a little closer to the window she let herself get lost in the increasing beauty of the planet. The yellow trees were growing thicker and she actually saw some green undergrowth. At least that was a little familiar. The magenta grass broke away to tall golden grass that waved languidly in the soft breeze.
Soon the terrain turned into small rolling hills sporting colorful flowers. Eventually, the hills became larger and closed in to form a deep valley with tall cliffs and thicker vegetation. She gasped when Maxim slid the vehicle between several thick, dark green trees and pulled alongside a large pool of water fed from a lovely waterfall. It reminded her of her bathing pool, and she tried hard to shove the memory into the deepest part of her mind. She looked over to Maxim.
“Is this it?”
“Yep.”
“I should get out now?”
“Yep.”
“Promise you’ll check on me every now and again, Maxim?”
He chuckled and waggled his fingers at her. “You’re silly. I’m not dumping you here. Now go enjoy yourself and I’ll see you soon.”
She gave him a confused look and a little wave as he flew away. Turning, she looked around the surroundings and frowned. What the hell was going on? Was this some type of test she needed to pass before they’d let her go back to Earth? Hell, she wished they would at least give her a hint on the rules. Releasing a breath she shrugged and headed to the shadiest area.
When she came up on one of the tall yellow trees, she gasped when it reached out and touched her arms and legs. Crap! The thing was pushing her along the perimeter as if it wanted her to keep walking. No problem.
Eventually, she saw where it was guiding her. The far right side of the pool was lined with lush vegetation and made a colorful cocoon of fragrant flowers. What had her mind in a spin was the large blanket laying on the ground and a partial stump resembling a table sitting close-by. On top sat a platter full of pineapple rings. Gasping, Tana swung around and scanned the area.
And then she saw him.
There, on the opposite side of the pool, standing underneath a yellow tree, stood the object of all of her fantasies, the entity that could make her heart flutter until she thought it would leap from her chest, and the Insedi that she knew full well that she loved beyond all reason.
She clamped her hand over her mouth when he languidly peeled his tunic off and cast it to the side. He leaned down and quickly shucked his boots and socks. Not once did he take his eyes off of her when he unbuckled his black trousers and slid them down his narrow hips and thick thighs. When
he rose, his excitement to see her was obvious. His cock was thick and fully extended from his groin.
Tana watched in awe as he stepped into the sunlight, reached back, and released his hair. It fell across his broad shoulder and drifted down across his chest. The sun cast a gleam across the deep black to remind her of its softness. Shivers worked like a snake up her spine and she steadied her legs to keep from dropping to her knees. He was breathtaking.
The muscles of his abdomen bunched and stretched as his breathing increased. He moved slowly into the water and disappeared under the calm surface. She stood there for several moments thinking that she’d just dreamed him. The whole place was eerily reminiscent of their encounter by her pool. Was she going crazy? Did this planet have the ability to pull your greatest desire from your brain and replay it like a living movie?
Tana squealed when Lucien burst from beneath the water. He was mere feet away and steadily climbing from the pool. Sheets of water cascaded down his hard flesh and dripped from his long, thick lashes. She hadn’t even realized the many steps she’d already taken toward the shoreline. It was so easy to move effortlessly into his arms and turn her face up to his.
Oh, yes. His lips were soft and wet as they slid against hers and demanded entry. She opened to him and immediately basked in his wondrous exploration of her mouth. He tasted of pineapple and it almost made her cry. She grabbed both sides of his face and practically devoured what he was offering. She felt the hard bands of his arms wrap her up and she plastered herself against his body. Tingles shot across her flesh and she wished she could crawl inside him and stay forever.
All too soon, she felt him pulling back and she whimpered her disapproval. She quieted as he rained tender kisses across her cheeks, forehead, and eyelids. She melted at his soft, husky words and his strong hands caressing her face.
“Donavi mea. Forgive me. Please forgive me. Mea amor ista, mellis. I love you, sweetness. I’m stupid, so stupid.”
Before she could respond to his passionate words, he took her mouth again and kissed her senseless. She was barely aware of his hands lifting her T-shirt or the quick removal of his mouth as the wet material slid over her head. He sipped at her lips, sucked them inward and released them before thrusting his tongue back inside to lap at her tongue and caress the inside of her cheeks. He was overwhelming in his ardor.
She gasped at the feel of his hard muscles sliding across her breasts, completely shocked that her bra was gone and they were now skin to skin. Her nipples beaded into tight points and tingled at the caress of his warm flesh. She felt his broad hand sliding down her back and gripping her left butt check before it slid to the front of her jeans. He had the button popped and was releasing the zipper before she could comprehend he was moving her backward. She clung to his thick shoulders as her world tilted and her back sank into the soft blanket and the giving planet beneath.
Tana knew she should stop this. What was so different from days ago when she’d made him leave her room? She was still confused as to why he’d let her go. But those thoughts slipped away as she heard her sandals plopping to the ground beside the blanket and her jeans moving down her hips. She opened her lids and looked up into his piercing green eyes as he hovered over her like a god just descended from the sky. It could wait. She wanted this, no matter the outcome. She wanted to experience the mind-boggling connection when she was with him. It was too addictive to push aside.
Chapter 33
Tana’s nipples beaded into painful buds when his chest rumbled and his eyes took a leisurely journey across her body.
“You have no idea how breathtaking you are, lying there with your fiery hair fanning across my blanket. The green of the material makes your eyes scream their beauty.”
He leaned forward and grazed a finger across her left nipple, and she shuddered from the touch. Chills ran a race across her skin and her stomach rippled as his long finger continued an unhurried pace down her chest, belly, and then to the top of her covered mound. He’d left her thong in place.
“So sensitive.”
Tana watched a small drop of water travel across his chest and bump up against his mating necklace. She reached up and palmed the tooth before looking back into his gorgeous eyes. Her words were barely a whisper.
“It’s still warm. You didn’t break our bond.”
His eyes widened, then quickly narrowed as he leaned closer. “You know of the cycle?”
When she nodded, his lips lifted into a small smile and he cupped her breast. The index finger of the other hand continued to slide along the top of her thong and was driving her to madness.
“Then you know what I want, don’t you, Tana?”
Her words came shaky and hushed as she tried to talk through the tantalizing brush of his thumb as it circled her tight nipple.
“No. I honestly don’t know, Lucien. You keep me confused and I just give the hell up on trying to understand you.”
“It’s very simple, sweetness. I lost my gods damn mind for a short period of time and now I have it firmly back in place. I should have never questioned what was between us. I should have talked with you instead of being a coward and running from imagined scenarios.”
Tana frowned. “What scenarios?”
He moved his hand away from her breast and placed his palm flat to the ground next to her shoulder. He hovered directly over her now. He was so big he blocked the sky with his wide shoulders.
“That you would not want to reign beside me. That you preferred the comfort of the country and would wither and die in the confines of the court. That you would grow to hate me for trapping you in a world of deceit and rumor. I let old fears almost take the best thing that has ever happened to me away. I’ll not make that mistake twice.”
Waves of heat engulfed her pussy as his finger slid further beneath the lace of her thong, stopped, and then started the slow back-and-forth caress. His sensuous voice mesmerized her with the husky, lilting accent and cadence.
“So, now I will do what I should have in the beginning when I realized what you meant to me. Tana, do you want to leave me and return to Earth to live a quiet life in the country?”
She sucked in a quick breath and moaned her response. “No, Lucien. I don’t want to live in the country. I want to stay here on this beautiful planet.”
His finger lowered on her quivering flesh.
“Tana, could you see yourself beside me as the empress to my world?”
“Yes, yes. I want to be next to you forever.” Oh god! He was gripping the material now and his voice had lowered even further. Shit! She latched on to his strong arms before she floated away.
“Tana, could you handle the multitude of ridiculous old men that would smile to your face and plan your social downfall from within the shadows? Could you trust that I would never let them harm a single strand of your beautiful hair?”
Tana looked directly into his eyes and nodded vigorously before pushing out her response.
“Yes. I trust you completely, Lucien. I love you.”
Her back arched from the blanket as he tore the thin material from her hips and pushed her legs wide with his knee. Broad hands gripped her thighs and slid to cup her buttocks in a firm grip. She cried out to the trees as his mouth traveled downward across her mound, latched on to her sensitive lips, and began licking and sucking her into oblivion. One quick pull of her throbbing, distended clit into his mouth and she came so hard her muscles froze.
He was relentless in his push to bring her quickly to another. She rode his face and dug her heels into the ground for better traction. His hair had started to dry and she shoved her fingers deep into the silky mass and clung on for dear life. He was destroying her. Higher and higher he pushed her until the fire burned so hot she thought she would burst into flames.
“Lucien! Oh, god. Yes. Yes. Like that.” The thick finger sliding inside her was the catalyst to sending her over the cliff again. She grunted like a depraved maniac as wave upon wave of clenching fire rode hard w
ithin her groin. Sweat beaded her skin and she felt him sliding along her body until he could seat himself at her opening.
Tana lifted her legs and spread them wide. She panted out her demands.
“Get inside me. Now. I have to feel you.” She heard him grunting as he pushed forward and halted. He was so thick and hard he had to slide in and out several times to gather enough juices to fully push inside. She’d never felt so stuffed before in her life. He touched every inch of her clenching flesh and was trying to find more room to seat himself. She felt his cock graze across the tip of her womb and tunnel deep into the little bit of room beside it. She cried out at the exquisite feel of his groin rubbing and bumping against her clit. Releasing his hair, she slid her hands around his hips and clutched the hard muscles of his ass. She felt them harden and relax as he continually pushed in and retreated from her body in a slow, rolling wave.
“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. I’m coming again.” Who was this insane woman warbling like a maniac and thrashing around like she was having a seizure? God! No one ever told her that it could ever feel this way. Lightening rode her skin. There was no other word for it. Streaks of energy lifted the fine hairs and threatened to peel her skin from her muscles. It was too intense and strong to survive. She latched on to his voice to keep her sanity.
“Sweetness, forgive me. I have to move lower and enter you. Will you let me in? I want to finish the cycle. Do you trust me, mellis? I need for you to trust me. Tell me I haven’t lost your precious trust.”
“Yes, Yes. Do it. I want this, Lucien. Kallon warned me. I’m okay. Do it.”
She felt him pull out and a flood of warm moisture followed him. His hand slid in between them and he swirled his cock in her abundant juices. The bulbous head slid into her virgin opening and halted as she tensed around the intrusion. She gripped his hips and winced at the bite of pain as he stretched her wide.
“Relax, sweetness. Let me in. That was the worst of it. Relax your muscles and let me push inside. Breathe through it. I’ll make it feel so good. Trust me, baby. Just trust me.”
Fueled by Lust: Lucien (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 28
