She went on talking, telling him about growing up alone, unwanted.
Cren. These were old hurts that she never let herself think about anymore. Now, she was an Eon warrior. She’d found her place, a place where she belonged.
Donovan groaned.
Oh, by the warriors. The wound was so bad, his breathing shallow. She said a small word to the warrior Eschar, praying for his healing.
Airen realized that the way Donovan looked at her… Maybe she’d been missing something from her life for all this time.
Passion. A connection to one special person. Maybe it was worth the risk?
She listened to his breathing rattle and he thrashed again.
“Donovan.” She leaned over him and pressed her forehead to his. She knew in her heart that he was dying.
And there wasn’t a thing that she could do about it.
For the first time in years, she felt tears well in her eyes. They slid down her cheeks.
“I don’t want you to die. I want you to kiss me again, to look at me that way you do. With desire, admiration. No one’s ever looked at me quite like that. And you make me laugh.” She rubbed her cheek against his. “No one makes me laugh like you do.”
He went still, his chest barely moving. She was losing him.
Airen bit her lip and held his big hand, clutching it to her chest.
“I’m sorry, Donovan. I’d do anything to heal you.”
Her helian throbbed, grieving with her.
Warmth flowed from her symbiont, and coalesced in her chest, burning hot. She felt movement and when she opened her eyes, she gasped.
Black scales were flowing from her helian and across to Donovan. By the warriors.
The scales covered half of his naked chest, over his wound. She swallowed. Only mates could share armor. Her helian had recognized Donovan as her mate.
She felt a pulse through her helian, and watched as his breathing eased. Her helian was healing him.
Relief filled her, and she lay down beside him, hand over his heart. She felt his heart beating stronger.
Then worry nipped at her. Donovan had made it clear that he didn’t believe in love, or long-term relationships, and definitely did not want a mate.
She worried her lip. She couldn’t think about that now. All that mattered was that he was getting better.
She had a mate. Wonder filled the corner of her heart before she forced herself to block it. Tiredness hit her and she realized how worried she’d been.
She listened to his even breathing and before she knew it, she fell asleep.
Airen stirred once more through the long night, and found herself wrapped in strong arms. She swore that she dreamed of lips at her temple.
The next thing she knew, she blinked open her eyes. Morning light streamed through the window.
There was a hot, hot body beside her.
She turned her head and found dark-gold eyes watching her.
She glanced down Donovan’s chest. Her scales were gone from him and she swallowed. She wasn’t going to tell him. She wouldn’t force him to be with her, if that wasn’t his choice.
Her gaze wandered over his skin. His healed skin. The wound was gone.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
“Alive,” he said.
She smiled, then it faded with the remnants of worry. “It was close.” Too close.
He yanked her down, his arms closing around her. She pressed her face to his chest, fighting back all the relieved emotions swelling inside her.
When Donovan released her, he rubbed a hand over his chest. “Our hosts must have some good meds.”
She made a sound she hoped passed for agreement.
He sat up. “Damn, I feel great. No pain. Full range of movement.” He shifted his shoulder. “I could eat a horse, but I have loads of energy.”
She sat up as well. “You need some food?”
He nodded.
“Well, why don’t you freshen up? There isn’t much left to eat from what they left me, so I’ll get you something from Sanya’s people.”
He grabbed her hand. “Thanks for being with me, Airen. Without you, I’d be dead.”
She squeezed his fingers, pushing her raging emotions down. She rose from the bed.
“Airen?”
She turned, watching as he lounged on the furs.
“I like your outfit.” He shot her a wide, white smile.
Fighting off a smile, she rolled her eyes and left the room.
Chapter Fourteen
She was so happy that Donovan was okay.
Holding a small plate of food, Airen pushed open the door quietly. He might’ve gone back to sleep.
She froze.
He wasn’t asleep.
He was still washing, standing naked beside the tub.
Heat slammed into her. She’d felt desire before, wanted sex before, but she’d never felt anything like this.
He was all hard muscle and sleek lines. She had a glorious, side-on view of his hard ass and thick, muscled thighs.
Airen let her gaze run over his back, and that beautiful, dark skin. Her hand shook with need and she crouched, setting the food down before she dropped it.
Sensing her, Donovan turned, his gaze meeting hers.
She closed the door behind her. His hand moved, the cloth running over his hard chest, leaving a trail of dampness. He moved lower to his delineated abs.
Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t look away. He washed around his thick cock.
His thick, hardening cock.
“Come here, Airen.” His voice was a deep rumble.
“You’re hungry. I brought food.” By Alqin’s axe, her tongue felt thick.
“I’m hungry, but I don’t want food right now.” He held out a big, strong hand.
Those hands had held her up during this ordeal. They’d earned her trust.
She crossed the room, trembling. She’d never trembled before in her life.
He took her hand and pressed it to his chest. She felt his heart beating hard.
“What do you want, Airen?”
She blinked. Had anyone ever asked her that before? She’d fought hard to become a warrior, but no one had ever asked her what she wanted.
She brought her other hand up, marveling at her pale skin against the dark sheen of his. His strong body made her feel almost delicate, feminine. She went up on her toes and kissed him.
He growled against her lips, and kissed her back.
She slid her arms around his neck, her body pressed against all that naked maleness. His hard cock pressed against her belly.
She tore her mouth away. “I want you. Naked, on the bed, under me.”
At her words, she felt his cock throb.
He smiled. “You giving me orders, Second Commander?”
She pushed him. “Yes.”
This time, she was taking what she wanted.
He obeyed, dropping down, and stretching out on the bed.
Airen’s mouth watered. Oh, that body, that cock. She moved to join him, but he held up a hand.
“Lose the trousers, Airen.” He grinned. “But keep the top.”
She felt humor shoot through her desire. She’d never smiled or felt the need to laugh during sex before. She unfastened the trousers and pushed them down her legs.
Donovan made a strangled sound and she straightened. His hot, gold gaze was on her.
She wasn’t wearing any underwear. He stared at the tiny strip of hair at the juncture of her thighs, and she shifted, her thighs rubbing together. She was so wet.
Then she pressed one knee to the furs. She needed to touch him. Taste him. Staring down at that big muscled body, she felt like she was under a spell.
He stared up at her. “You have no idea how beautiful you are.”
Her heart did a little tumble. She reached out and touched his abs, stroking the hard ridges. His hand came up and touched her breasts where they pushed up against the leather. They felt swollen, sensitive.
> Airen straddled one of his thick thighs.
“Fuck, I can feel how wet you are,” he bit out.
She stroked her hands over his chest, and scratched one intriguing nipple. He jerked. She lowered her head and licked the flat nub. He moaned.
His hand gripped her hip, bit in. Then his fingers whispered over her skin, moving between her legs.
She released a breathy moan. His fingers were between her thighs, stroking. She started to move against them.
“Yeah, that’s it, sexy girl.” He slid a thick finger inside her. Then another.
Airen bit her lip, trying to control her moans.
Donovan’s big thumb rubbed her clitoris and she cried out.
“I see Eon women are similar to Terran women,” he murmured.
“I need you.” Her voice was thick.
“Good, because I’m all yours.” He lay back, spread out for her.
She shifted, moving to circle his hard, swollen cock. She pumped it, liking the harsh sound that broke from his chest.
She lifted her hips and notched that cock between her legs.
Their gazes met, locked.
“Right now, you are the sexiest, hottest, most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen,” he growled.
With those words, Airen drove down on him.
“Christ.” He groaned, his hips thrusting up.
She cried out, full of Donovan. That thick cock speared into her, stretching her to the point of pain.
“Move, Airen.”
She did, rising and falling. She pressed her hands to his chest and started slow at first, building speed. It felt so good. She rocked, riding his cock, pleasure growing.
“Faster,” he ordered, his hands on her hips. “You feel that?”
“Yes.” She felt it all, too much, not enough.
Her climax was building, accompanied by a flutter of fear. It was so huge, intimidating.
Then he rose up to sitting with a flex of his muscles, until they were face-to-face. He kissed her, his tongue plunging against hers.
Airen came, filled with Donovan. She imploded, crying out his name, and her world flashed bright white.
A second later, he thrust into her, bit her bottom lip, groaning as he came. His cock throbbed inside her, his strong arms locked around her.
Holding her tight.
* * *
Donovan fell back on the mattress, Airen’s slim body on top of him.
He stroked her slick back. “You okay, baby?”
She nodded against his chest.
He slid his hand into the mass of her hair. Her sensible braid was deceptive. She had a lot of hair.
He smiled. He liked it spread over him. He cupped the back of her head, massaging gently.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
His smile widened. She had absolutely no reason to thank him for what they’d just done together. “For what?”
She lifted her head, black-and-turquoise eyes meeting his. “For wanting me the way you do.”
A dark weight pressed on his chest. Eon men were clearly idiots if they hadn’t made this incredible woman feel cherished.
He urged her head up and kissed her deeply. When he pulled back, her face was a little dazed. He had planned for them to eat something, and then talk over their plan for getting off Oblivion. But then and there, he decided to have her again.
“We aren’t leaving today,” he said. They were safe enough hidden in this rocky fortress.
She nodded. “I think we both need a little more time to recover.”
Donovan had no plans to spend the day napping. He was going to explore every inch of Airen, and make her come again. And again.
He rolled, spreading her out flat on the bed.
He watched her gaze sharpen. He undid the vest and pulled it off her.
Damn, she had pretty breasts. She was mouthwateringly gorgeous. He’d always dated fellow soldiers, once a firefighter, and a combat paramedic. He liked a warrior woman.
Airen was that, but she was also a hypnotic blend of hard and soft. Tough but sexy.
He lowered his head and sucked one nipple into his mouth. She moaned and he took his time. Once the nipple was hard, he moved to her other breast.
Glancing over, he spied the plate of food she’d brought for him. He rose and went to get it. When he turned, he found her hot gaze glued to his ass, then his cock.
He smiled. “Like what you see?”
Her gaze flicked up, color on her cheeks. “Yes.”
He pressed a knee to the mattress and set the plate down. He spied a red berry and popped one into his mouth. Mmm. Tasted almost like a raspberry. He licked the red liquid off his fingers and saw Airen’s breath hitch.
Grabbing another berry, he stretched out beside her. He pressed the small fruit to her lips, rubbing it over them. Then he painted across one pretty breast, streaking red on her pale skin. He circled her nipple with the berry and she gasped.
Lowering his head, Donovan followed the trail he’d made, lapping at her skin. He didn’t know what tasted better, the tart berry or Airen’s sweet skin. He took his time, sucking her nipple in his mouth. She arched into him.
“You’re so sensitive,” he murmured. Grabbing another berry, he painted lower.
Next, he pressed his mouth down her lightly muscled stomach. He pushed her thighs apart, painting red juice just above her mound. She made a husky, needy sound that he felt in his hard cock.
With the last of the berry, he touched her clit. The sound she made was guttural, her body as tight as a bow.
He popped the berry into his mouth, chewed, then swallowed. “Enjoy, Airen. I’m going to suck until you come.”
Her chest hitched. “Donovan—”
He slid his tongue along her clit and her body rocked up. She pushed against his mouth.
Damn, the taste of her was better than any succulent berry. He licked and sucked, clamping his hands on her hips and lifting her up to his hungry mouth.
So damn good. He could stay right here all day, eating her and wringing pleasure out of her. Soon, her cries were incoherent, and he heard a sob escape her. A second later, she came, her body shuddering, and his name—whispered hoarsely—the best thing he’d ever heard from her lips.
Donovan let her go and moved over her. His need was a raging thing. Something he’d never felt before welled inside him. A need to claim, to mark her as his.
She reached for him, but he was too on edge. He took both her wrists in one hand and pressed them to the bed above her head.
Eyes, threaded with brilliant green-turquoise, met his. His steel-hard cock was throbbing again, weeping.
“Now,” she purred.
“I’m in charge this time,” he growled.
He gripped his cock, positioned. Then he surged inside her.
They both groaned, her legs clamping around his hips. Damn, she was so slick, tight, and wet. He started moving, thrusting deep.
She met every thrust. “Donovan!” Need drenched her voice.
He kept his gaze on hers, driving hard, learning the feel of her where she was soft and silken.
“Faster,” she urged.
“No. Slow.” He swiveled his hips, thrusting in firmly, inexorably.
He wanted to make her feel what he was feeling. Right now, right here, they were one.
Donovan felt the pleasure building, coiling at the base of his spine. Damn, his next climax would take his head off. He started to move faster, his control slipping.
Her breathing was coming in pants.
“Don’t come yet,” he warned.
She moaned.
He slid a hand between their thrusting bodies and found her swollen clit.
“Donovan.” Her body jerked.
“Not yet, baby.”
She arched up, making a mewling, desperate cry.
He thrust hard. Jesus, so warm, so tight. He thumbed her clit again. “Now, Airen.”
Her back arched, her head thrust back against the furs. As she cried
out, her body clamped on his.
Donovan pounded into her through her climax, then his own release hit him like a blow.
He lowered his head and sank his teeth into the vulnerable point where her neck met her shoulder. She cried out again and he spilled inside her, groaning her name, his world reduced to nothing but Airen.
* * *
Airen opened her mouth and Donovan slid a slice of fruit between her lips.
They were both lying on the bed, him propped up on one elbow, gloriously naked, as he fed her.
She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt this relaxed, or well-used. Her muscles were loose and languid. They’d spent the entire day making love. At times it had been playful, other times intense. Donovan was a generous lover.
Her gaze slid over his strong body—the heavy muscles, the thick cock resting against his thigh. She loved looking at him.
He reached out, fiddling with her hair. “How you doing, sexy girl?”
She smiled. “Good. How’s your injury?”
He rubbed his still-healing shoulder. “Feels better and better.”
A knock at the door made them both sit up. Donovan rose, grabbed a drying cloth from beside the tub, and wrapped it around his waist. Airen pulled a woven blanket up over her naked body.
He opened the door to show a leather-clad warrior in the doorway. The woman ran an appreciative gaze down Donovan’s body before she straightened. “Sanya requests your company for the evening meal.”
“Great,” he replied. “Tell her we’ll be there.” He closed the door and Airen stood. His gaze ran over her naked body, heating. “Hmm, you’d better wear something other than that.”
She tossed him a look, pulling on her leather trousers and vest. She worked on re-braiding her hair.
Donovan’s spacesuit was damaged, so he sawed the damaged top half off with a knife, just leaving the bottom half as his trousers. He pulled a leather vest out of the clothes that had been left for them, and slipped it on.
Her pulse jumped. He looked like a dangerous marauder. Moving closer, she touched his healing wound. It looked much better.
His long fingers circled her wrist. “It’s healing well. I feel great.” He nipped her lips. “Although, having my cock deep inside you most of the day might have something to do with that.”
Claim of Eon: Eon Warriors #6 Page 11
