“I do understand the point you were trying to make, darling, so I’ll keep this short and sweet. If you ever make a spectacle of me again, you won’t need your fabulous cock, because I’ll put your balls in a vise and squeeze them till they’ve turned to jelly. Are we clear on that?”
Raav closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as she squeezed him once again. “Absolutely clear, aschema,” he groaned.
“Good. Now, you mentioned something about strategy?”
Chapter Ten
“Stop looking at me like that,” Solae snapped, as she and Raav buckled themselves into the small transport vessel. “It’s not like I actually carried out the threat. Your balls are intact.”
“Barely.”
Solae snorted. “Yeah? And my ass is none too happy to have me sitting on it right now, either. So, I guess we’re even.”
“There’s no comparison. Besides, your ass is tougher than shoe leather.”
It was all she could do not to laugh. Gods, men were such babies! “Never mind my ass, just program in the coordinates and let’s get this over with. And be sure your harness is securely buckled. This wormhole is notoriously unstable so we’re bound to get bounced around.”
“So, I guess a blow job is out of the question, huh?” He grinned and wagged his eyebrows at her.
Solae rolled her eyes and uttered a long-suffering sigh. “Well, unless you’d actually like to have it bitten off, I’d say so. Do all men think exclusively with their dicks, or did I just luck out when I found you?”
“Actually, I found you, aschema,” he replied, programming the coordinates into the on-board computer.
“Oh, my gods! You’re so competitive! What does it matter who found whom?” With a shake of her head, she began the preflight systems check.
Raav finished his task, then took her hand, kissing the knuckles. “It matters to me. I’ve spent the better part of ten years chasing you from star system to star system. At the very least, I should be rewarded for my persistence. So, just you remember who caught whom the next time you feel like putting my balls in a vise.”
Solae’s hands stilled. She turned in her seat and reached for him, grasping his freshly shaved cheeks. “I love you,” she said fiercely. “You know that, right? I mean, just in case anything goes wrong. I want you to know you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. No matter how things shake out, I will always be yours, Asirian. Always.”
He pulled her as close as he could and kissed her deeply, passionately. Gods, but she loved him! She’d thought her capacity for love had died along with her mother and sister. Never, in a million years, would she have believed herself capable of this depth of feeling. It was both exhilarating and frightening, this love business. Raav Asirian was capable of filling her with such joy, she often felt she couldn’t contain it, but with that power, came the ability to utterly destroy her. She was no fool, and no stranger to the desolation of an empty soul. He was a dangerous man, and not just because he was a mercenary.
“I feel the same, aschema.” His eyes held hers. “Nothing will happen. We’ll do what we’re being paid to do, get out quickly, and then we’ll take some time, just the two of us.”
Solae nodded. “That sounds wonderful.” She leaned in and kissed him again, marveling at the feelings that flooded her. “I can’t imagine my life without you now.” She laughed softly. “You and your dastardly toys, you shit.”
Raav laughed. “That’s my girl. Let’s do it.”
* * * * *
The small ship dropped from the bowels of the larger cruiser, Raav engaged the throttle, and the transport shot forward, hurling them toward an unknown future. Within a few moments, they entered the throat of the Xat-Rah wormhole.
Traveling through a transversable wormhole was like combining a roller coaster ride with a luge. It was wickedly fast and full of loops and turns. One moment you were racing through the tube sideways, only to drop hundreds of feet at incalculable speeds. Interuniverse travel was not for the faint of heart. Solae loved it, hooting like a child with each twist and turn. Raav, having never traveled through a wormhole, had a raging hard-on by the end of the journey. Too soon to suit her, the ride was over, and Raav adjusted the throttle, slowing the craft as it entered Xat-Rah airspace. Setting the controls to autopilot, he unbuckled his harness. With a sensual glance, he reached over and freed Solae as well.
“We have plenty of time before the deadline, aschema. Climb in the back and take off your clothes.”
Solae licked her lips, then smiled. “I like the way you think, Asirian.”
Raav sat in the front, watching as Solae doffed her boots and made a striptease out of disrobing, lowering the zipper on her suit, and shrugging out of it one sleeve at a time. His heart quickened as she cupped each breast, manipulating the nipples into stiff peaks. Propping her feet on the back of the pilots’ seats, she raised her hips and slid the jumpsuit down and off, leaving only a pair of transparent panties for him to remove.
Watching her slip her hand between her legs proved to be his undoing. He was naked in seconds, crawling across the console to spread her wide. “I’m going to eat your pussy until you come screaming, aschema.”
On his knees, he draped her legs over his shoulders and lowered his mouth to her heated center, slurping the cream already forming there. Gods, but he loved to make her squirm under his mouth. He lapped and sucked, prodded and poked, penetrating her with his tongue and fingers until she burned for release.
“Come for me, aschema,” he growled, then sucked her clit between his lips to ravage it with the tip of his tongue.
Her moans egged him on, and he thrust two fingers into her dripping pussy, gently fucking her as he continued to lap at her clit. Her hips thrust against his mouth as her fingers grasped his hair, pulling him tight against her.
“Mmm… That’s so good…so close,” Solae moaned. “Make me come, Raav. Make me come!”
“I’ll make you come, all right,” he promised, and shoved his thumb into the tight opening of her anus.
She bucked against his face, as he fought to hold her against his ravenous mouth. “Ahhh!,” she screamed, as his fingers and thumb drove into her. Her back arched, and her body went stiff as her orgasm pitched her over the edge of reason.
Raav maneuvered onto the seat beside her, and pulled her across his lap to straddle him. Without preamble, he guided his straining cock into her opening and, with an upward thrust, buried himself inside her silky heat. It took all his control to prevent himself from coming when her pussy contracted around him, in a short, but intense orgasm.
“Easy, love,” he crooned. “Lean back and rest your arms on the backs of the pilots’ seats.” As she leaned back, he scooted forward, driving himself deeper. “That’s right, there you go. Now fuck me, aschema. I want to watch my cock sinking into you over and over again.”
The muscles of her arms flexed as she fucked him, rising and falling on his cock, slowly driving him toward the peak. Stars, but she looked like she was in another world as she lost herself in the act taking him deep inside her body.
Raav leaned forward and took her breast into his mouth, drawing deeply on her nipple while he cupped the other in his hand, pinching until that one was stiff too. He groaned as he felt her tighten around his cock. She would come again, and soon.
He knew she was nearly there when she threw her head back and intense little mewling sounds emanated from the back of her throat. She was holding back, waiting for him, and the effort nearly had her sobbing with need.
Raav leaned back in the seat, pulling her against him, and when she raised up, he slid a finger into her bottom, making her keen. Her pussy contracted once, and when she rose again, he gave her one more digit to sink onto. “Now, aschema,” he demanded, his voice thick as smoke. “Ride my cock and fingers. Come for me!”
He held on for a few moments longer as Solae ground her hips against him, lunging and cursing as her orgasm hovered just out of reach. “One more,” he growled.
“I’ll give you one more.” He did, thrusting one more finger into her, burrowing as deep as he could go. And she shattered like glass in his arms, howling as she came.
Gods, she was clasping him in the heated vise of her pussy so tightly it seemed she would never let him go. He ground into her, pumping furiously as he came. “Aschema!” he bellowed as his cock leapt, emptying his seed in a heated gush. Pulling free of her quivering ass, he wrapped both arms around her, holding her close as they began their descent from the heights. “I love you, Solae. Never forget that.”
“I won’t,” she said on a sigh.
Chapter Eleven
“Isn’t that sweet?” The com lit up and Du-ket’s voice filled the space. “I could just weep from the sentimentality.”
Solae grimaced. “Well, well, if it isn’t Du-ket. Don’t worry about it, big guy. It’s difficult to grasp the concept of true feelings when you have none yourself.”
Du-ket laughed, and Solae’s skin crawled. “Don’t kid yourself, Captain O’bora. I have feelings. And currently, they’re feelings of lust. Who would have imagined you were so passionate? And here I thought you only used your sexuality to capture hapless men.”
She looked at Raav, a tight smile on her face. “Gosh, I hope this doesn’t mean he expects me to use the same techniques on him. Last I heard the bounty was payable dead or alive.”
“You won’t find me easy to kill. Though I dare say it would be fun letting you try.”
“Something to look forward to then.”
“Enough of this banter, woman. Just get your asses moving. We’ll meet you on the beach. And don’t even think about running. You may have taken out my ships at the entrance to the wormhole, but there are more where they came from. And Asirian, you’ll pay for destroying my fighters.”
Raav shot Solae an I-told-you-so look, then said, “You didn’t leave me much choice, Du-ket.”
“Ransom delivery can be tricky. Lucky for you, they were just decoys and none of my men were lost. There are two fighters off your port and starboard sides, follow them in.”
On the surface of the planet, the fighters set down forward and aft of them and immediately disembarked. Raav carried the ransom in a large, silver case, dropping it when given the order. The two fighter pilots hurried to retrieve the case and open it. Satisfied, they whistled sharply. Moments later, Du-ket walked out of the heavy foliage lining the beach, the hostages walking submissively behind him.
“You’re going to have to fly them back to the ship,” Solae murmured, keeping a close eye on the women.
Raav shook his head. “No way I’m leaving you here alone, Solae. Get that thought out of your head right now.”
“But…”
“The ship has autopilot. It’s already programmed for the return trip. They’ll be fine. Mr. Phaeg has instructions on how to proceed.”
Solae sighed. There was no use arguing with him; he’d made up his mind. “If that’s what you think is best…” she began, then her eyes widened in disbelief. “What the fuck?”
Solae and Raav watched, astonished, as the two women dropped to their knees next to Du-ket, wrapping their arms around his legs, weeping. As they got closer, they heard the women begging to stay with the pirate.
“Please, Fyn!” the pretty brunette wailed. “Do not make us go back! We want to stay with you.”
To her everlasting amazement, Solae watched as the pirate drew them gently to their feet, kissing each girl on the forehead. He draped a silver necklace adorned with a bullet shaped crystal over the head of the brunette. “But you must return, my lovelies. You have a duty to your fathers and your countries. Someday you will be great queens, and when you are, perhaps you will remember your treatment here and pardon me for my crimes, eh?”
She seriously wanted to puke. How in the world had Du-ket managed to get his victims to grovel at his feet, begging to stay? She looked at Raav, shaking her head. “Those women obviously need help. It’s as if he’s bewitched them.”
Raav nodded. “I read about this somewhere. The victims become attached to, and begin to identify with their captors, so much so, they defend their actions.”
“Well, those girls are going to have to be deprogrammed.” She sighed. “Their families are going to be horrified. Not to mention the prospective husbands.”
Hands on her hips, Solae watched as Du-ket gave each girl a gentle nudge in their direction. Her mouth was set in a grim line when they finally stood before them. “There are clothes in the transport,” she told them. “I suggest you change before Captain Asirian’s crew takes you onboard. Your families await you on Toru Two.”
The blonde finally spoke. “But we don’t want to leave! We want to stay here with Fyn!”
Solae rolled her eyes heavenward, then sighed. “But he obviously doesn’t want you here, now does he? Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sending you away.” The girls blanched at her cruel words, but Solae maintained eye contact. “But you do have family who miss you very much and want you home with them. Now go.” She gave them a shove in the direction of the ship, then shook her head at Raav. “If I ever get like that, shoot me, okay?”
He laughed, then reached for her, holding her close against him as Du-ket closed the distance between them.
“Hello little brother,” the pirate said.
* * * * *
Fyn Du-ket watched as the color drained from Solae O’bora’s face. “What, he didn’t tell you?” Alarmed, he reached for her as she wrenched herself from Raav’s side. She looked as though she might faint.
“Don’t touch her,” Raav snarled, giving his half-brother a murderous look before turning to Solae.
“Aschema,” he pleaded. “I meant to tell you, truly, I did, but…”
Solae staggered away from him, a horrified look of betrayal on her face. “But what? You were too busy seducing me into following you here?” She took another step back when he would have reached for her. “To what end? To deliver me into the hands of a murderer? How could you, Asirian?”
Du-ket gave her a surprised look. “You thought I meant to kill you? Why would I do that?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” she shrieked, backing farther away as both men advanced on her. “That’s what you intended when you killed my mother and sister, isn’t it?”
Her words stopped him in his tracks. “I did not kill your mother and sister, Captain O’bora.”
Du-ket watched helplessly as she bent over, hands on her knees, and gulped for air. “Oh, gods. This can’t be happening.” She spun around and vomited into the sugary white sand.
Bloody fucking stars, what the hell had Raav been thinking, not to tell her? “Captain O’bora? I know this has come as a shock to you, but I give you my word that I mean you no harm.”
Her back was turned and the pitiful sobbing, intermingled with gagging sounds, weren’t abating. Gods, was she crying too? His concern was nearly his undoing, for when he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, she whipped around and sliced a good-sized gash into his chest. He stood there, gaping at the blood pouring through his fingers as he sought to put pressure on the wound.
“Are you crazy?” his brother shouted, reaching for him. “Gods, Fyn, let me look at it!”
Du-ket dropped to his knees on the sand. There was nothing quite like a knife wound to create a distraction, he thought, watching as Solae raced toward Raav’s transport ship, the case carrying his ransom tucked under her arm. “There she goes, little brother,” he said with a grimace. “Looks like you’ve lost your craft.”
He took the hand Raav offered and hauled himself to his feet. “Not to worry, though, the truth will out.” He draped an arm around Raav’s shoulder as the ship’s engines powered up. “I am sorry about the ship though, and that you’ve lost your woman. I could order my men to stop her.”
Raav’s pained reaction surprised them both. “Actually, it went better than I expected, all things considered. She could have killed us both. Lucky she was more concerned with escaping than she was w
ith revenge or we’d both be bleeding. Besides, she won’t be that difficult to find. A woman like Solae just naturally attracts attention.”
Fyn shook his head. “You always did have a thing for dangerous women.”
* * * * *
Solae hit the control for the door and it slid shut with a whoosh, the locking mechanism engaging automatically. “Buckle those harnesses, ladies, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” The two women gave her a blank look. “Now!”
Solae flipped the manual override switch and took control of the helm. She’d been through this wormhole before, so nothing new there. The trick was going to be slipping past Raav’s freighter and getting back to Komae Nine to refuel and then on to Toru Two, where her own ship awaited her. The little transport craft was significantly lighter than the freighter, therefore, it was faster, so she figured she could uncloak just before she got out of communication range and let the first officer know to meet them on Toru Two.
As devastated as she was by Raav’s betrayal, she couldn’t contain a whoop of laughter. “Fuck with me, will you?” she crowed. She turned and looked at her two passengers. “Hang on to your tits, girls!” In one smooth move, she pulled a one-eighty and hit the throttle. In a matter of seconds, the ship catapulted into the Xat-Rah wormhole.
As they shot out of the other side, Solae heard moans of discomfort behind her. “Don’t you puke in my ship, ladies. All’s well that ends well. We’re through the wormhole and on our way back to your families. Close your eyes and try to get some rest.”
Coming out of the wormhole cloaked had provided Solae with the time and distance she needed to prevent the Nomad from snagging her with a seizure beam. Now, she slowed the little craft to a crawl as she approached the border of the sector and hailed the freighter.
Across the Stars Page 8
