by Anna Hackett
“You’re supposed to rest when you can, Madeline. Healers’ orders.”
He stalked closer, and her heart thumped. Suddenly, she felt very much like prey in the presence of the big, dangerous predator.
“I’ve always sucked at relaxing.”
Something flashed in his eyes. “I have a few ideas.”
Heat curled through her. Then, without warning, he reached for her, tugging her against his chest. His mouth took hers—hard, possessive, and hungry. With a moan, she kissed him back, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
His lips slid away from hers, nipping at her jaw and going lower. One of his big hands cupped her breasts through her shirt.
“I want you, Madeline.” He flicked at her nipple, making her arch. “I want to touch, taste, and pleasure you. Is that what you want?”
“Lore.” Her voice cracked a little, desire pooling low in her belly.
His teeth locked on her neck, and she cried out. He backed her up and, a second later, she felt her desk behind her. He pushed her back onto it.
When she looked up, she saw stark hunger in his gaze, those eyes more silver than gray.
“Tell me yes, dushla.” His fingers hooked in the sides of her shorts. “Tell me you want me.”
They stayed there, caught together, the moment taut like a bow. Her chest squeezed tight, all the air caught inside her.
It came out in a rush. “God, yes, Lore. Please.”
At her words, he yanked her shorts off in one fluid move. Then he was nudging her thighs apart with his wide shoulders. He shoved her shirt up, baring her breasts. His hot gaze moved over the heaving swells, skimming down her stomach, to the center of her. He was looking at her like he was committing it all to memory, like he owned her.
No one had ever looked at her like this. No one had ever made her feel so beautiful or wanted.
He palmed her between her legs, fingers running through her curls. With a strangled cry, she arched into his clever fingers. Then he lowered his head.
As his mouth closed over her, she bucked her hips, her head falling back. His tongue licked at her and he growled against her, a wild, sexy, satisfied sound. He settled deeper, lapping and sucking at her.
Madeline clamped her hands on his head. It was too much, and not enough. Heat was a firestorm burning through her.
His mouth found her clit, licking it once before he closed his mouth on it. She jerked against him, crying out with each suck.
He pressed a big hand to her belly, holding her down, and kept working her. He made a low sound, like he couldn’t get enough and wanted more.
Madeline moaned, her body strung tight and filled with a bright mass of sensation.
“Let yourself go, Madeline.” He nipped at her inner thigh. “You’re safe with me.”
He plunged two fingers inside her, his mouth sucking hard on her clit.
With a wild cry, her release crashed over her, like the brightest supernova. And held safely by her gladiator, Madeline let herself fly apart.
Chapter Ten
The taste and feel of Madeline was driving Lore out of his mind.
He growled, still lapping at her. He watched the pleasure shake through her body and color flood her cheeks. As her sexy body bowed up, laid out for him like the prettiest of offerings, he luxuriated in her pleasure.
She’d trusted him. She’d given herself to him.
When she finally subsided, lying on the desk, body sprawled in abandon and her chest rising and falling fast, he leaned over her, hands braced either side of her body.
“What do you want next?” he demanded.
She licked her lips. “I want you.”
“What do you want to do with me, dushla?”
“I want to pleasure you.”
“How?”
She reached out, running her hand down the center of his chest. “Like you did to me. With my mouth.”
His cock throbbed at the thought. His gaze dropped to her kiss-swollen mouth.
He straightened and pushed her back down. He circled the desk, running his hand over her naked body. She was gorgeous, with her smooth skin and womanly curves. He stopped near her head, tipping it back over the edge of the desk. She watched him, upside down, and he slid his finger into her mouth. She sucked on it, and the heat in him reached unbearable levels.
Quickly, Lore shoved his trousers off. His swollen cock sprang out, and he slowly rubbed it across her lips. She opened her mouth and he slid it inside.
She made a hungry sound, and started sucking.
Drak. So wet and tight. Lore squeezed his ass, thrusting forward into her delicious mouth. She never took her gaze off him as she worked his cock furiously.
“Enough.” On edge, out-of-control, Lore pulled out.
He grabbed her and spun her around until she was facing him, her bare bottom sitting on the very edge of the desk. He cupped her breasts, feeling the tantalizing weight of them fill his palms. He teased the pink nipples to hard points, loving the sounds she made. He leaned down, sucking one nipple into his mouth.
Madeline cried out, grinding against him, her hands tangling in his hair.
Finally, he lifted his head and pushed her legs apart. He gripped his cock, rubbing it against her folds. “Watch.”
He saw her gaze drop to his heavy cock. Tension hummed between them.
“What do you want, Madeline?”
“I…you…”
“Say it. What do you want me to do?”
Her hips bucked, trying to get him inside her. “Fuck me. I want you to fuck me, Lore.”
He pressed the mushroom head against her, and slowly, ever so slowly, he pushed inside her. She moaned.
“Tell me how it feels,” he growled.
“Big. Solid.” Her voice was strangled. “I feel so full.”
She felt so good and tight around him. Unable to stop, his control evaporating, Lore slammed inside her.
She cried out, her ass moving on the desk. As he hammered into her, her arms gripped him for an anchor, her nails scratching down his back.
“Yes,” she cried, her hips pumping against him.
“Come for me again, Madeline.”
She moaned again, her body starting to shake. She was getting close and from the heavy sensation gathering at the base of his spine, so was he.
He kept sliding into her. “Your body’s milking me, dushla. You’re going to make me come deep inside you.” He gripped her hips, feeling her body tense up. “That’s it, Madeline. Come apart for me now.”
Her body shook harder. “Oh…oh…” Her hot gaze met his.
Staring into her eyes, he watched as her orgasm hit, her eyes widening. He held her shaking body, slamming home one last time.
With a roar, Lore poured his release inside Madeline, feeling her clawing at his shoulders. Drak.
He collapsed forward, trapping her against the desk, his almost violent release leaving him hot and stunned.
***
Madeline lay stretched out on the desk. She was dimly aware of the cool surface beneath her naked body, and extremely aware of the hot, hard male lying on top of her.
Every muscle in her body was lax and languid, heat still ebbing in her belly. The only sound in the room was the sound of Lore’s harsh breathing.
He moved, pressing a kiss to her belly. She quivered.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
She heard him yank on his trousers and his footsteps as he walked away. She lay there for a moment, but then started to feel exposed. She’d had a lot of offices during her career, and she’d never once been naked in any of them. Let alone naked and stretched out on her desk after being thoroughly fucked.
She was just sitting up when Lore reappeared in the doorway.
He was carrying a tray.
He set the tray down on a small table by the lone couch in the office. It wasn’t the prettiest couch, covered by some rough-looking brown fur. Lore turned, scooped her off her desk, then settled himself on the couch, ar
ranging her in his lap. He picked up a steaming cup off the tray and handed it out to her.
“A cup of Ar’bor tea.”
She sipped the delicious drink. The man was a gladiator, through and through, but he really enjoyed taking care of others. That protective streak was the width of the galaxy.
Next, she watched him pick up a small vial. He tipped it onto his hands and she saw a clear oil. The scent of musk and wood filled the room.
“I bought this off Regan. It’s her latest batch of massage oil.”
He nudged Madeline forward, then his hands were at her neck and shoulders, massaging deep. A small moan escaped her mouth and her chin fell to her chest. He found the knots of tension and pressed his thumbs into them. The man had very clever hands. She wondered how many women they’d pleasured.
“Stop thinking,” he whispered. “Just for tonight.”
One night of bliss sounded amazing. But Blaine and those women didn’t have that luxury. “I need—”
“There’s nothing you can do right now. You need to switch it off sometimes, Madeline. It helps you cope.”
“It’s not like flicking a switch or pressing a button. It’s not that easy.”
“No, it’s not, but you have to work at it. I’ll help.”
The hands kneading her shoulders slipped over her front, cupping her breasts. She arched back against him, barely noticing when he took her empty teacup and set it aside. He played with her nipples until her breasts felt swollen, her nipples tight. Then one big hand slid down over her belly and between her thighs.
She opened her legs, her breath hitching, and he found her clit.
“So fascinating, this little nub.” He rolled it between his fingers.
Soon she was gasping and rocking on his lap. Beneath her, she felt the hard press of his cock through his soft trousers.
Madeline was on fire. When he slid one finger inside her, thrusting deep, she cried out. She could barely contain the sensations rocketing through her.
Sex had never been like this before. So much sensation, so many feelings.
His mouth nipped at her earlobe, his teeth scraping over her neck. “Stop thinking.”
“I can’t.” Her mind never shut down.
“Yes, you can. And now I want to hear your cries as you come on my fingers.”
“I can’t come again.” But she felt another release teasing her, shimmering just out of reach.
“Don’t deny me, Madeline.”
“I only ever come once, Lore.”
“You’ve already come on my mouth and cock, so I know that’s a lie. And Raiden, Thorin and Kace have mentioned some interesting things about women from Earth.” He slid two fingers back inside her, stretching her.
Madeline made an incoherent noise. “We aren’t all the same. Every woman’s different.”
“You will come for me again.” His tone was firm. This was the determined gladiator under the charming showman. He hid it so well, that it was easy to forget.
But her release stayed stubbornly out of reach. She made a frustrated sound.
Suddenly, he was on his feet, carrying her forward. He crossed the distance to her desk and pressed her face down onto it, her hips hitting the edge. One big palm rested between her shoulder blades, while his other hand nudged her legs apart.
“Surrender to me, Madeline.” A hot, sexy whisper. “Give your pleasure over to me.”
She made a noise, feeling Lore’s fingers running through her wet folds.
“It’s just you and me here.” His teeth raked down her spine. “And I want to make you feel so good.”
“I…I can’t.”
She knew she held on to everything too tightly. She liked being in charge, in control, always making things fit right. Maybe she liked it too much, but all that had been taken away from her when she’d been abducted.
Lore’s palm came down and connected with her buttock with a sharp, shocking smack. Madeline cried out, rearing up. But he held her down. It hadn’t been hard enough to hurt, but it did sting.
“Let go, Madeline.” He hit her other cheek. He gave her a few more slaps and soon all Madeline was thinking about was the warmth and sting across her bottom.
“Lore.” A choked cry. “Please!”
“My good little dushla.”
She heard the rustle of fabric, and then his thick cock was sliding inside her.
The relief made her cry out. She needed him so badly.
But he didn’t give her a chance to adjust. His fingers gripped her hips and then he was thrusting into her—hard and fast and rough.
Madeline heard someone crying out and begging for more. Oh, God, it was her.
As Lore thrust again, her orgasm ripped through her. She cried out his name, could do nothing more than feel. She heard his long groan as he poured his release inside her.
She’d been lost for so long. But right here, right now, she felt found.
***
Lore could get used to this.
He was lazing in the giant tub in his bathroom. The hot water felt nice on his skin. He’d grown up on a spaceship, traveling from world to world. He hadn’t been able to indulge in long baths and had to make do with short showers.
Madeline walked into the bathroom wearing a silky black robe. She looked hesitant, her eyes uncertain.
He sighed. He could practically see the thoughts turning through her head. The only time this woman switched off that busy mind of hers was when his cock was deep inside her. “Get in, dushla.”
She fiddled with her robe, then unbelted it and let it fall to the floor.
Praise the stars. He could look at her lovely body all day long. The intriguing dips and flares. Those dark curls between her legs. The intriguing dark spot on her left breast she called a mole.
She stepped into the bath. “Ouch, it’s hot.”
“Sorry. That’s how I like it.”
She sat, keeping some space between them. Lore snorted. He’d busted down the barriers that she used to keep the world out, so he wasn’t letting her rebuild them again. He yanked her to him, water sloshing. She gave a startled squeak.
Turning her, he settled her between his legs, her head resting back against his chest. He started playing with her dark hair.
It took her a moment, but finally she relaxed back against him.
“I know Galen had a meeting this morning with the other gladiator houses,” she said. “He should be back soon, right?”
“Yes. But it’ll take however long it takes. Trust takes time.” Lore reached down and stroked her slim leg. He knew that better than anyone.
He heard her breath hitch. He knew she didn’t realize it, but she was incredibly sensitive to his touch, and he loved that. There was so much passion locked away inside this woman, and he wanted to help her set it free.
He trailed his fingers higher and she closed her legs, trapping his hand.
“I enjoyed last night,” she said primly, her muscles tightening. “Thank you.”
Lore rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “It was my pleasure.”
“As long as you understand that this is just sex. A biological response.”
“Oh?” He hated hearing her say that. It was strange, usually he was the one telling a woman that they were just having some fun. He pressed his fingers into her tense shoulders, massaging the knots of tension. When she tried to stifle her moan, he smiled.
“I think you enjoy a variety of women,” she said. “You have quite a smorgasbord of easy offerings.”
“You aren’t easy.”
Now she went stiff, turning her head to look at him. “So why are you here?”
“Because you fascinate me, Madeline.” He reached out, fingering her damp hair. “Because this isn’t just sex.”
Her eyes flashed. “Lore—”
“Because I’ve been in your position, your entire life destroyed, and I have to say, you’re coping a lot better than I did.”
“I don’t feel like I am.”
“One day at a time.”
She leaned back against him. “I liked it when I was in control of my life. When I knew what I was doing and I felt like myself.”
“Dushla, I think I should tell you that you’re in control here, as well. And you always seem to know what you’re doing.”
She froze, considering that, her gaze turning inward. Had she not realized how much she was doing around the House of Galen? How much she was helping in the search for Blaine?
Lore traced the shell of her ear and pretended to pluck out something. He held it out to her. A beautiful blue jewel the same shade as her eyes.
“It’s lovely.” She stared at it but didn’t touch it.
“Just take it.”
For a second, he was sure she was going to argue with him. Then she snatched it.
Then she really surprised him, turning in his lap to cup his cheeks. She yanked him forward for a deep kiss. It only took a microsecond for fire to thrum through his veins.
“I never expected anyone like you,” she whispered.
Those quiet words broke his heart. He knew what she really meant. That she never thought she deserved someone who cared about her. He pressed his mouth back to hers. He deepened the kiss and had them both groaning.
He rested his forehead against her. “Unfortunately, we have a meeting to go to, to get maps to the sewers.”
She pulled back, her gaze sharpening. “A meeting with whom?”
“With the information merchant.”
Her eyebrows rose. “The mysterious Zhim.”
“He’s really not mysterious. More annoying than anything. But yes, we’re meeting him at the spaceport. Apparently, he’s doing work there.”
Madeline shot to her feet, water sluicing off her body. “Then let’s get going.”
Chapter Eleven
Lore regretted leaving the nice, warm bath, and he regretted even more watching Madeline pull clothes over her naked curves. They strode into the living area where Raiden and Nero were waiting for them. Raiden was wearing his red cape and Nero wore a leather harness across his chest, topped with gray fur.
“Ready?” Raiden asked.
Lore nodded, watching Nero’s gaze move between him and Madeline. Yeah, it was pretty obvious what he and Madeline had been doing. “Any word from Galen?”
