The spasms in her body died down and Draco ceased his sweet torment. Maddelyn’s breath hitched as she watched him peel off his pants, the rest of his body even more glorious than she’d already seen. Her heart flipped a little in her chest when her gaze travelled downward to his groin. She reached out and touched him. Her fingers barely covered his thick length. He was hot and hard, like steel encased in velvet.
Maddelyn’s gaze met Draco’s once again. His eyes were so bright, they reminded her of a lion in the dark of the forest. His blood ran hot as he throbbed in her hand, and she squeezed him gently. He closed his eyes and groaned. Her thumb circled the head of his shaft and settled on the underside of the sensitive head. She increased the pressure, making him groan louder.
In one swift movement, Draco was on the bed and poised himself over her body, capturing her arms and holding them above her head. His knee spread her legs and he settled between her thighs, his erection barely touching the sensitive folds that ached to be a part of him.
His eyes. His eyes glowed. So brightly, it almost hurt to look at him. But Maddelyn couldn’t tear her gaze away. They were beautiful, yet painful at the same time. Sparkling, molten jewels of fire.
He lowered his mouth, his lips resting against hers. “You burn so brightly, Maddleyn. Like a star amidst all this darkness.” He kissed her roughly, the head of his shaft teasing her aching nub briefly. “Burn with me, Maddelyn.”
Maddelyn lifted her hips off the bed to rub herself slowly along the hard length of him. “Yes, Draco.” Burn with him, she would. Perhaps leaving nothing of her pain and despair but a pile of ash.
With a loud growl, he plunged into her body, her wet channel stretching to accommodate him. Maddelyn cried out in surprise and pleasure, his thick rod filling her completely as he thrust into her over and over again.
Draco released her arms and pulled her hips toward him. He hooked her legs up over his shoulders, opening her to him thoroughly, so that with each thrust, he went deeper than before.
The air around them shimmered with heat. Sweat slicked Draco’s chest and settled between Maddelyn’s breasts as he continued to pump into her body. His fire scorched her from the inside and outside at the same time. Maddelyn was positive she would burn up completely. Consumed by his fire until there was nothing left of her. But what a death it would be.
Draco leaned down, forcing her knees back. His thrusts became even more forceful as he bent his head, his lips closing tightly around one of her nipples. Waves of pure bliss coursed through Maddelyn’s body, making her muscles clench tightly around him. He groaned and circled the hard peak with his teeth and tugged.
That was all she needed to send her plummeting over the edge once more.
A sizzling wave rocked her body as she came, hard and fast, all her muscles locked and rigid. Her fingers dug deeply into Draco’s shoulders as she bucked against him in pure abandonment, lost in his touch and his heat.
He pulsed inside her, throbbing as his own climax neared. His gaze locked with hers and for a moment, Maddelyn was sure the room had disappeared. Flames danced before her eyes as they surrounded Draco’s head in a fiery halo, his eyes filled with fire of their own. He cried out and tensed, jerking inside her. Pure, searing heat snaked through her body as her muscles spasmed again, another orgasm taking her by surprise.
Maddelyn clung to him, their bodies slick with sweat and pulsing together with surges of blistering pleasure. He let her legs fall back to her sides. His ragged breathing matched her own as she fought to come back down from wherever Draco had just taken her.
Still buried inside her, Draco held himself so that his weight didn’t crush her. He brushed a damp lock of hair out of her face. His golden eyes had returned to their regular amber color.
“Do your eyes always change like that?”
Draco caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Not always. Only when I’m angry. Or aroused.”
Maddelyn gasped as he moved inside her, a small jerk that sent her reeling. He kissed her softly, then pulled away, settling beside her on the bed. Sweat cooled on her body in the night air. She shivered. The absence of his body left her wanting in more ways than one.
As if sensing her distress, Draco gathered her in his arms, and pulled her body close to his. Instantly, she was warm and peaceful, enveloped in his light that so easily banished her darkness.
Maddelyn could almost see herself moving on from this disenchanted life, with Draco at her side. But that hope was unrealistic. This world was not Draco’s. He had problems of his own. And a ship that would take him far away from this place. But at least she’d have this one memory to hold onto, where war and death remained in the shadows while she basked in Draco’s bright light.
Draco tightened his grip around her. “As long as I remain breathing, Maddelyn. Do not forget that.” His lips brushed her ear in a whisper.
Such a promise his words held. Dare she let herself believe it?
With a sigh, Maddelyn drifted off to sleep.
****
Draco relaxed his hold on Maddelyn as he felt her breathing even off with sleep. Her curves molded perfectly to his body, and desire to take her again nearly overwhelmed him, leaving him hard and aroused. But a bitter pang of guilt pricked at him for his carelessness. She was vulnerable, and he should have been strong enough to resist. He didn’t want this to be something she regretted tomorrow.
He’d meant to be gentle with her, giving in to the sensual caresses she’d permitted. But after tasting her, feeling her pressed against him, her moist heat banished all of his control. He was left powerless against the primal need to claim Maddelyn, practically branding her as his own.
Draco sighed and rested his face against her hair. He inhaled her scent, the musk of their lovemaking heady in the room. Her reaction had been unexpected, but normal for some. Reaching out for intimacy in the face of grief was one way to reclaim your heart. Physical pleasure as a way to escape the emotional pain. He’d worried that she’d sank into a pit of sorrow, never to climb out. Being her beacon was the least he could do, though he was beginning to hope for the chance to be so much more.
Each passing moment spent with Maddelyn, he heard her thoughts more clearly. Typically only those races with telepathic abilities could breach his mental boundaries. As far as he knew, Maddelyn had no such abilities, but as they joined, he distinctly heard her in his mind, longing for that small chance to move on through all of this.
He’d meant what he said to her. Keeping her from harm had just become his number one priority. Only by protecting her could he find out about the connection they shared. And with that, perhaps she’d really find a way to move on and think about a future. With him.
That thought eased a bit of his inner turmoil. Only the morning would bring the answer to his questions. And to get there, he needed sleep.
Chapter Seven
Maddelyn stretched, her muscles stiff from sleep. Heat climbed along her back where her skin touched Draco’s. Reluctantly, she wriggled out from under his arm and stood. She turned and studied him a moment.
His large frame nearly took up the entire bed, his bronze skin a sharp contrast to the ivory sheet that lay coiled around his body. One arm lay over his eyes, the bicep almost as large as her thigh. He was simply beautiful.
Heat flooded her body at the thought of what happened between them last night. Maddelyn had never considered herself a prude when it came to sex, but she also wasn’t one to “sleep around” either. She’d only had a few boyfriends in school, and didn’t date much as an adult. She did have a steady boyfriend before the Raknorg came, but that all came to an end when Timothy died the same day as her brother Jared. Ever since that day, she had closed off her heart, piece by piece, focusing on survival. So many of her friends had turned to the comfort of each other, seeking that intimate connection to deal with all the death and loss. Never made sense to her until now.
Then came Draco. Even though Maddelyn had only known him a short while, there wa
s something about him that she trusted. Not only that, but she had trusted him enough to let go with him and share an unfathomable moment together. One that had surely saved her from tumbling into that black abyss of grief permanently. He’d been the light for the salvation of her soul and her heart. But where did they go from here? Would he consider last night to have been a one-time thing? Did she want it to be? Or could she really have a future that might include Draco?
Maddelyn turned and scooped up her panties and a t-shirt, slipping them on. Draco’s ship would be repaired by now, so there was nothing to keep him from leaving this world, even though he had promised to protect her. But hadn’t that promise been made in the heat of the moment?
“I do not make promises I do not intend to keep.”
Draco’s deep voice startled Maddelyn out of her thoughts and she jumped. She turned to find him propped up on one elbow, studying her intently.
“Okay. Number one, you scared me silly. Number two, how is it that you seem to always know what I’m thinking about?”
She stepped over to the bed and sat down, waiting for an answer. Draco gently took her hand and kissed her palm. A jolt of electricity shot through her body.
“How are you feeling?”
Warm and tingly, and wanting to jump your bones. “I’m fine, and don’t think you can change the subject with your distracting lips. Please answer my question.”
Draco arched a blond eyebrow at her. “Jump my bones?”
Maddelyn’s mouth dropped open for a second in disbelief. “See? I didn’t say that out loud. I only thought it.”
Draco sighed and leaned back on the bed, his hands under his head. “Sometimes, I can hear you in my mind.”
Maddelyn made a face in confusion. “What, like hear what I’m thinking? Read my mind?”
“Yes.”
“No way.”
Draco rolled on his side and faced her. “I told you my people have telepathic abilities. That we mind-speak with each other.”
Maddelyn inhaled deeply, a tiny spot of panic taking root in her gut at the thought of her private thoughts not being entirely her own. “But you never said you could do that with other kinds of people.”
He reached out and trailed his finger down her arm, leaving goose bumps in its wake. “That is because we usually cannot. Not unless that race is specifically telepathic.”
Maddelyn shook her head, still stunned by Draco’s revelation. “But I’m not telepathic, so this doesn’t make any sense.”
Draco gave a heavy sigh. “So I assumed. Many things have not been making much sense lately.”
No kidding. “You could hear my thoughts the whole time? Could you hear Serra, too?” Saying her niece’s name out loud caused a twinge of pain in her chest, but Maddelyn gritted her teeth and pushed it away, focused on getting answers to her questions.
Draco tugged Maddelyn over to him. “At first, I could only sense a slight buzzing invading my thoughts, indicating the presence of another mind. Then I’d catch flashes of emotion from you. Now phrases come through. The longer we are together, the stronger the connection gets. And it never happened with Serra.”
Maddelyn swallowed, her mouth dry suddenly. She would have liked to have known what was really going on inside that stubborn head of blond curls. If Serra was aware of how absolutely much Maddelyn loved her. Guilt washed over her in a suffocating wave.
Draco leaned forward and planted a light kiss on Maddelyn’s forehead. “Serra knew how much you loved her. Have no doubt.”
Tears burned behind Maddelyn’s eyes, threatening to fall. She didn’t want to cry. She might never quit if she gave into that grief now. “Stop.”
His amber eyes flashed with concern. “What is wrong?”
Maddelyn took a deep breath and stood. Perhaps putting some distance between them would help her think more clearly. “My thoughts are my own. You listening to them is like having a spy in my brain.”
The sheet coiled around Draco landed on the floor as he climbed out of bed. Maddelyn turned her back on him, and he grasped her shoulders. “It seems I have upset you. I apologize.”
Maddelyn leaned back against him, giving in to the need for his support. His body was so solid, so firm. And she didn’t think she’d ever get used to how much heat he gave off. Even now, it seared her through her clothes.
Behind her, Draco’s hands worked through the stands of her hair, undoing her braid completely so the locks fell in waves around her face and past her shoulders. “Besides being angry at me for my telepathic trespassing, are you all right?”
A sigh escaped Maddelyn’s lips. Draco’s hands massaging through her hair relaxed some of the tension from her body. His question was a poignant one. Was she all right? Draco’s admission of being able to hear what she’s thinking was a little unsettling, but their time together had been amazing. The wonderful things he had done to her body had filled her with light and warmth, saving what was left of her heart. Perhaps even saving her soul. Without him, the fact is that she would have given up and succumbed to the hopeless despair of losing Serra. She would have waited for death, having forgotten what it meant to allow yourself to live, losing herself to the darkness.
Draco swept her hair aside and leaned to nuzzle her neck. His lips teased her shoulder, then moved to her earlobe, lightly nibbling with his teeth. “It is you that are amazing to me, Maddelyn. Your fire warms me more than you know.”
Maddelyn spun to face him, her body tingling from his touch. That inner light permeated his gaze again. “Your eyes are glowing.”
He tilted his head to the side, a slow, sexy grin spreading across his lips. “Now why do you think that is?”
His large hands cupped her face and pulled her mouth to his, kissing all the thoughts he might hear right out of her brain. Wow. The guy’s lips should be illegal. Along with the rest of him.
When he released her mouth, he chuckled softly, his hands snaking around her waist. Eavesdropper. Maddelyn forced a scowl. “Don’t come in unless I invite you! My brain is off limits, buster.”
Draco splayed his hands in front of him defensively. “I cannot help it, it seems. The longer I am around you, the more clearly I hear you. And when we touch…”
“Aren’t there some kind of mental earplugs you can use?”
His face screwed up in confusion, his brow creased. “Mental what?”
Maddelyn rolled her eyes. “Never mind. Just try not to listen too clearly, ok?”
His hand cupped her backside and pulled her snugly against his growing erection. “How about you give me something better to concentrate on, then?”
A slow ache between her thighs made itself quite apparent right then, the warmth spreading outward to the tips of her breasts that tightened under the thin cotton of her shirt.
Draco leaned down and traced her lips with his tongue. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth briefly, then plunged his tongue into the moist recess of her mouth.
Maddelyn whimpered, his talented tongue driving her wild as he ground his pelvis into hers. One night stand be damned.
A loud pounding on the door shook the small building, freezing them both into stillness.
“Who could that be?” Draco whispered against her ear.
Maddelyn could only guess. Fear iced her blood. “Probably Raknorg. I slept through the rationing this morning. They might have noticed Serra’s grave as well.” The fact that they slept through the warning siren was a testament to how exhausted they must have been. She swiftly found a pair of jeans and tugged them on, followed by her boots. Draco hunted for his own clothes and dressed hurriedly.
“Stay out of sight. I’ll do my best to get rid of him.”
Just as Maddelyn started to pull the curtain across the room, Draco grabbed her hand and kissed it. “Be careful.”
With a nod, she moved the curtain into place and stepped toward the door, which bowed against the pounding from the other side. Just as she prepared to turn the knob, the wood cracked and the door flew o
pen. Splinters rocketed through the air as the door hung crookedly from one hinge. Maddelyn stumbled backwards as the imposing frame of a Raknorg soldier stomped inside.
“You failed to report to your post today.” The Raknorg’s voice boomed at her, hard and emotionless as his red eyes stared her down.
Maddelyn swallowed against a lump in her throat. “I’m…I’m sorry. I overslept. It won’t happen again.”
The Raknorg fixed his gaze on the small screen imbedded in the arm of his black armor. As he pushed buttons, Maddelyn noticed the veins that pulsed in the blue-gray skin of his head. “You are to report to the mining facility. It was reported that the child in your care has finally died of the sickness. A position will be assigned.”
Tears stung Maddelyn’s eyes, threatening to spill out. Someone must have noticed the new grave at the burial site. Hearing the soldier speak about her niece’s passing with little or no concern tore at her mending heart. “I will report tomorrow. Serra was the last of my family. I need time to grieve.”
The Raknorg tilted his head, studying her. “You will report now. Grieving is irrelevant.”
He grabbed her arm, the gloved fingers biting into her flesh as he jerked her toward the door. Maddelyn cried out, twisting her arm as she tried to release the Raknorg’s hold. It was no use. He was too strong.
With a grunt, the Raknorg’s other hand closed around her throat like a vise and lifted her off the ground like she weighed nothing. Her legs dangled like a ragdoll. “You will obey. You will obey, or you will die.”
Maddelyn tried to pry the Ragnork’s fingers from around her throat so she could breathe, as she kicked at the air aimlessly. The pressure was cutting off her air supply. Quickly.
Burn With Me (Legend of the Sun Whisperers) Page 8
