“Too late, Asirian! That ship has already sailed!” Gods! She was so furious she wanted to hurl herself at him and scratch out his eyes. “Get out! We’re over!”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re a long way from over, aschema.” His hand shot out, and he grabbed her by the hair, pulling her to him. She screeched in fury, but he held her tightly. “Behave yourself. You’re upsetting your friend here, and I’d hate to have to shoot him.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Of course, I would. I ought to kill him just for touching you, but I won’t because I can see he means something to you.”
Kei gave him a tight smile. “She wouldn’t have gone through with it, Asirian. The minute my lips touched her, I knew.”
“I told her I’d ruin her for any other man.”
Solae flinched as he tightened his grip in her hair, wrapping it around his fist. “I swear, I will geld you the first chance I get.”
A bark of laughter escaped both of the men, and Raav raised an eyebrow at Kei. “You see what I put up with?”
Solae bared her teeth at him. “You haven’t seen anything yet, Asirian.” She fought back a cry as he used her hair to drag her toward the door.
“Stay put, gladiator,” Raav warned.
Solae’s eyes widened as the two men stared at one another. Finally, Kei spoke. “Harm her and there will be no safe place for you to hide, Asirian.”
“Duly noted,” Raav said with a nod. He activated his com and pressed the button to speak. “Cargo obtained, Mr. Phaeg. We are ready to transport.”
“Cargo!” Solae growled. “You’re going to wish you’d put me in the cargo hold, you ass.”
Raav holstered his weapon and wrapped an arm around her. “Ass. Now, there’s an expletive a man can sink his teeth into. Care to take a guess at whether you’ll be able to sit on yours tomorrow?”
Chapter Thirteen
He didn’t release his hold on her when the transporter deposited them in Raav’s quarters. Instead, he guided a struggling Solae into the adjoining room. She hissed and spit like a cat when she saw the metal frame attached to the bed, leather sling and straps attached and ready for use.
“Do this and I swear, you’ll have to sleep with one eye open, Asirian.”
“Such bluster from someone who loves to have her backside warmed before she’s fucked.” His fist in her hair kept her from moving when he pulled the kimono from her body. He guided her into position and cuffed her to the curved steel arms, then positioned the sling against her hip bones and pushed her down, leaving just enough slack so it could swing forward and back. The thigh cuffs came next, and within moments, she was bent over and spread wide, ass in the air.
Raav caressed her smooth ass, then slid a finger into her pussy from behind. Jesus, she was ready and he’d barely touched her! “Wet already, my love, despite all your protests?”
“Fuck you, Asirian.”
He chuckled. “Maybe later, aschema. First, I’m going to fuck you…everywhere.” He watched her eyes widen as he pulled out a ribbed anal plug and a small paddle, laying them on the bed, before slowly stripping.
“Hard to decide where to start,” he said conversationally, climbing on the bed. “Maybe I’ll have you suck my cock.” He gave her a pointed look. “Don’t even think about biting, aschema, or I promise, even standing up will be painful for you. Understood?” She didn’t respond, so took a fistful of hair in his and pulled her head back.
“Suck me, Solae,” he demanded, his voice smoky and soft. “Let me feel your lips close around my cock, your tongue stroking it while you suck it.” She opened her mouth and he thrust inside on a sigh. “Yes. Yes, aschema, that’s so good.”
He watched her through hooded lids as her mouth worked over his engorged shaft, thrusting gently. “Think about how I’m going to fuck you, Solae. Suck me and think about my mouth between your legs, licking your pussy, sucking your clit.”
It was all he could do to maintain his cooing as his words enflamed her. She gobbled his cock, sucking harder, moaning as he increased his thrusts. “Yes, just like that. I’m going to give you more, aschema.” He thrust deeper and she took him eagerly, her tongue massaging the thick stem as she sucked. “I love eating your pussy, aschema. I love the way your juices soak my lips. The way your pussy quivers. I’m going to make you quiver, Solae. I’m going to eat you while I use that new toy to fuck your pretty little ass.”
Bloody fucking stars, he hadn’t meant to let her make him come, yet his balls were tightening and contracting, his cock pulsing with need. “Ah, gods, aschema! I can’t hold it!” He thrust once, burying his length in her mouth, coming in a heated gush. She took all of him, without complaint, glowing with satisfaction when he sank back on his heels, shaken by the intensity of his orgasm. She gave him a defiant smile, causing him to laugh. “You’re far too cocky for your own good, woman.”
Raav rolled off the bed and picked up the paddle, wrapping the strap around his wrist. He swung and the leather paddle connected with a satisfying whap. He leaned down and licked the red spot forming on her ass. “You were going to try fucking me out of your head, weren’t you?” He smacked her harder this time, and she yelped. “Answer me!”
“Yes!” Another resounding thwack of the paddle. “I…oooh! I wanted to! I intended to fuck him until there was nothing left of you!”
His jaw clenched with the effort to hold back. He gave her three sharp blows, then tossed the paddle aside and thrust his fingers into her soaking pussy. “Never again, Solae!” He rammed his fingers deep, flexing them. He felt the spongy flesh of her G-spot and stroked it over and over.
“Oh, gods!” she screamed as his fingers continued to work inside her. “I’m going to come!”
“Not yet, you’re not,” he growled, and pulled his fingers from her weeping cunt. He smacked her ass again and reached for the anal plug. His emotions ran the gamut from furious to so turned on his cock felt like a steel rod.
* * * * *
Solae moaned as the tip of the plug probed her ass. It had been quite some time since he’d taken her there, and she’d expected some pain, along with the pleasurable sensation of fullness. Would he use his cock on her later, filling the narrow channel with his significant girth? Gods, she hoped so.
She uttered a gasp of pleasure as the ridged surface of the toy pushed past the elastic band of muscles. There were five ridges in all, each one stretching her, until the plug was firmly planted in her ass. He gave the toy a twist and it began to vibrate deep inside her. “Oh, gods!”
The next sensation was the brush of his silky hair against her thigh as he positioned himself between her legs. She moaned as his tongue began a lazy exploration, lapping at the moisture pooling there.
“So sweet and tasty,” he whispered, pausing to fuck her with his fingers. “I’m going to make you come, aschema. And then I’m going to fuck this juicy pussy until you scream.”
His tongue, oh, his tongue. She tried to stay quiet, tried to deny him the moans and cries of impending orgasm, but she couldn’t. With each flick of his tongue against her bursting clit, she cried out. When he finally sucked it into his mouth, nursing her with strong, deep tugs, she screamed. “Oh, gods, finish me! Make me come, you bastard!” His only response was to crank up the speed on the plug and work his fingers into her until she was frantic.
She was burning. Every nerve ending, every centimeter of skin was so sensitive she could barely stand to be touched. And then she was there, her body convulsing, arching until it seemed her spine would snap. She threw back her head and howled as her pussy gushed. She nearly fainted.
And then his cock pierced her, ramming hard, thrusting deep, burning her cunt with its snug fit. She knew he must feel the ridges of the plug along the stem of his cock as he thrust into her tight pussy.
This was no gentle mating; this was a conquering. His hands closed around the sides of the sling, using it for leverage as his cock speared through the soft folds of her pus
sy again and again. She clenched her teeth, her breath coming in harsh gasps as he fucked her. Dammit! She wanted to participate, wanted to push against him, fuck herself on his rigid cock, but he wouldn’t allow it. He was in complete control, and aware of her desires.
“Come on, Solae. Give me another one. Feel my cock fucking you, so hard and so deep. Don’t fight it. I love you, aschema. I’ll love you every day of my life. Give it to me.”
Tears coursed down her cheeks. Gods, she wanted to deny him! Didn’t want his words of love, even though her heart soared as he spoke them. She wanted her body to deny his, refuse the cataclysmic orgasm he was prepared to wrench from her sodden body.
Suddenly, what she wanted didn’t matter anymore. Restrained, controlled by his every move, his body pumping hard and fast into her, she finally gave in and gave up control. “Oh, it’s happening. I’m co…oh, gods!” She grasped the steel arms of the frame as she sobbed her release. She didn’t think she’d ever stop coming as her body shook and shuddered with his final thrust.
* * * * *
In the calm that followed the storm, Solae accepted his tender ministrations as he cleaned her and helped her into the red, silk kimono. She protested when he picked her up and carried her into the main room. “I’m perfectly capable of walking, you know.”
Raav chuckled, kissing her cheek. “Indulge me, Solae.” He set her on the bed and strode to the replicator.
Solae frowned when he returned with a steaming cup of cocoa. “Hot chocolate?”
“One of my weaknesses. Drink it, it’ll cure what ails you.”
“What is it you think is ailing me, Asirian?”
“A lack of knowledge.” He retrieved the data crystal from the pouch of her utility belt. “Mr. Phaeg was kind enough to gather your belongings from the gladiator’s house.”
“And what exactly is on that data crystal?”
“Proof my brother did not kill your family. Fyn showed me a copy of the crystal he sent along with hostages.”
“Proof? What kind of proof could he possibly have that any sane person would believe?”
“He said the brown-haired Ru-Qut woman was supposed to give you the original data crystal. This is it, correct?”
“Yes, but you know these things can be edited, manipulated. What’s to say Du-ket didn’t do exactly that?”
“There are ways to check to make sure the crystal hasn’t been tampered with. You can do that at your computer. Have you even looked at it, Solae?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m afraid to see what’s on it. What if he recorded their deaths? I couldn’t bear to see that.”
Raav crossed to her and pulled her from the bed. “Come, we’ll watch it together. Pull up a chair while I run a check on this thing.”
Solae sat down next to him, watching as he inserted the crystal into the port on the computer. He ran a quick diagnostic check, then took a deep breath and looked at Solae. “No evidence the crystal was edited in any way. What do you say? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“All right. Let’s watch the damn thing and get it over with.”
The data on the crystal was in video form, and Solae shuddered as Du-ket’s face filled her computer screen. He was sitting in what she assumed was his office, a serious expression on his face. After a long pause, he spoke.
“I know you don’t want to hear thi, Captain O’bora — Solae — but, for your own good, you must. I did not kill your mother and young sister, but I know who did, and this crystal contains the confession of the man who committed those crimes. But first, some history.
“You remember you years at the private girl’s academy? You were very young, perhaps thiteen years, when I first saw you. My sister, Necceru, went to the same school. I often picked her up for holidays, and we met once, while you were waiting for your father to pick you up.
“I was just twenty-one when you turned sixteen, and felt I was ready to settle down and take my place in the family business. I was ready to take a wife, and, though you were young, you were the one I wanted. I knew some time would have to pass before you were old enough to marry, but I thought if I spoke to your father…
“I went to your home that day — the day your mother and sister were murdered. discovered their bodies. I also discovered the man who killed them. I had my headset turned to record, because I wanted to send a live feed back to my crat, so I could build you a home that would remind you of the place where you grew up. It pains me to know the images on this crystal will force you to relive that day, but I could not take a chance on editing the data, for fear you would not believe what you are about to see. I urge you to jump ahead several frames so you will not see the bodies of your loved ones. What follows, Solae, is the confession of the man who killed your mothe and your beloved sister.”
Solae sat frozen in her chair, unable to speak.
“Solae, I’m so sorry.”
“No!” Solae howled. She leapt to her feet, knocking over her chair. “It’s not possible! How can this be possible? It’s a lie! Du-ket faked the recording!” She wanted to run away but there was nowhere to go. “My father would never…how could I not know? How is it I couldn’t see through the veneer of his grief?”
“He’s your father. When had he ever given you reason to doubt him?”
She was going to be sick. Oh, gods. She raced to the bathroom and threw up. It was all a lie. Her whole life was nothing but one big lie, stacked one on top of the other. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she curled up on the cold tile floor, her body wracked with sobs.
Strong arms encircled her, lifting her up against a rock-solid chest. Asirian. Oh, gods, Asirian! How could she have doubted him? How could she have believed he would ever betray her? “I’m sorry!” she wailed.
“Hush, aschema,” he crooned. “It’s all right. I understand.” He carried her into the next room and sat down on the bed, holding her tightly in his arms. “We’ll get through this, Solae. There’s nothing we can’t overcome, as long as we’re together.”
Solae clung to him, sobbing her grief. Of all the things she’d suffered over the years, this betrayal was worst of all.
Chapter Fourteen
He looked down at Solae, curled in his arms. All cried out, she had fallen asleep. He eased her down on the bed and stretched out beside her, curving his body around hers, protectively. Difficult as it was to admit, he’d done so many things wrong with her. Manipulating her into spending that first night with him. Forcing her to partner with him in pursuit of his brother. But the biggest mistake had been not telling her who he was, that he and Du-ket were related, and that Du-ket was innocent of the murders attributed to him.
He would have had a fight on his hands. Solae was as hardheaded as they came. He couldn’t resist a smile thinking about the number of times they had butted heads, and the varied manner in which they’d made up. But he would rather have had to fight her tooth and nail than to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Mending it would be a monumental task. Would she ever trust him again? She moaned in her sleep and he tightened his hold on her. He would see to it Solae had her justice, or die trying.
Raav was just drifting off when he felt Solae stir. She rolled over and opened her eyes.
“Du-ket, he’s alive?”
He nodded. “He’s alive. The house is equipped with a medical rejuvenation unit. We got him there quickly. He asked me to tell you there are no hard feelings.”
She flopped onto her back, covering her eyes with her hands. “How can that be? My mother and his father had an affair and conceived my sister? I can’t believe he doesn’t hate me. Sirius was his sister. My family ruined his life.”
Raav pulled her hands away from her face. “You were both victims in this, Solae. Fyn knows that. But he chose to run, and he made the choice to turn to piracy. He could have gone to our father, should have gone to him. None of this is your fault.”
“I nearly killed him! And he’s been blamed for h
undreds of crimes he didn’t commit!”
“But you didn’t kill him. Besides, he knows the risks of the life he’s made for himself. We may manage to get him cleared of the murders hanging over his head, but he’s still a pirate. He’s looted and taken hostages for years. He’s my brother, and I love him, but I hold no illusions as to his character. Someday, someone will catch him, and he’ll have to answer for the things he’s done. My only request is that you not be the one to bring him in.”
His relief was enormous when she nodded her agreement. He still intended to build a life with this woman, and wasn’t sure he could do that if she insisted on her relentless pursuit of his brother. Large sapphire eyes pinned him to the spot.
“I…” she swallowed a sob. “I need you.”
“And I need you, aschema. Always.”
He pulled her to her knees, skimming the kimono off her body. Stars, why was he always so hungry for her? It would strain his patience to take his time with her, but she needed a long, languorous fuck, one that would send her flying out of her body and into a world where only the two of them existed.
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, slowly, deeply, savoring the taste that was uniquely her. His mouth dropped to the curve of her neck, nibbling the delicate flesh as his hands stroked her shoulders, slid down her arms, and took her ass in his hands, pulling her tight against him.
“So firm and yet so soft,” he murmured against her neck. He stroked the outer lips of her pussy from behind. “So hot and tasty. Lie down so I can taste that sweet pussy, aschema.”
She lay back and closed her eyes. “Open your legs, love.” She did as he directed and he moved between them. “Mmm, so beautiful. I hardly know where to begin.”
He rose above her and leaned down to suckle her breasts, each in turn. She moaned as his teeth grazed each taut nipple. “Someday, these breasts will fill with milk to feed our children. I can hardly wait to taste the nectar that will flow from them.” He gave her a good, hard suck to emphasize his words.
Across the Stars Page 10
