Diva (Jit'Suku Chronicles)

by Bianca D’Arc

  He was a little annoyed when his entire unit decided to tag along, but it couldn’t be helped. Enhanced soldiers had few friends and tended to hang out together, even when on leave. Most had little family to speak of, or they wouldn’t have taken the step of becoming Enhanced. Enhancement meant estrangement from most of humanity, and most of the troopers with family—mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters—usually didn’t sign up or were talked out of it.

  So the Enhanced units were their own family of sorts. John couldn’t object to his men—his Enhanced brothers—tagging along for a concert he knew they would all enjoy. Hell, he even took them backstage for the reception after the show when Binki saw him and invited him back.

  That raised quite a few eyebrows, and John felt proud that he could get a whole unit of men backstage at one of the most popular concerts in the galaxy. His men were impressed, he knew, though none of them said much. They were too busy drinking the free champagne and ogling the high-powered guests.

  Maggie saw John standing a few feet away and lost her train of thought completely. She apologized to the ambassador she’d been speaking with and made a beeline for John.

  Dimly, she realized he was flanked by several other huge men. Spec Ops warriors from his unit, she guessed, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but John. Standing there. In the flesh. Smiling only for her.

  Maggie launched herself into his arms and buried her face in his muscled neck as he squeezed her tight.

  “You’re home!” she whispered, near tears with joy.

  “I am now, Maggie mine.” John’s low words were for her alone, and she clutched them to her heart.

  A flash went off, and suddenly, the men who’d stood immobile at John’s side sprang into action, surrounding John and Maggie and giving them a quiet perimeter of privacy in the crowded room. Somewhere in the distance, she heard the sounds of a scuffle and realized one of the big men with John had confiscated a recorder. There weren’t supposed to be any in this room to begin with, so he was perfectly within his rights. She’d have to thank him for that later, but right now, all that mattered was John.

  She pulled back, intending to kiss him, then caught sight of the shocked faces around her. This was definitely not the place to show her one vulnerability. She didn’t want John subjected to media scrutiny or otherwise harassed because of her, and she knew it could happen all too easily. She’d very nearly blown it as it was.

  Maggie disengaged her arms from around his neck, pulling back and allowing her Diva mask to slide firmly into place. She saw the look in John’s eyes change and hoped he understood.

  “It’s so good to see you again, Captain.” Her voice was pitched so that a select few others around them would hear. She knew word would spread from there of just who and what this little scene was all about. “I thought you were stuck out on the rim for another year or more since you escorted me on that last tour.”

  He let her slide down his hard body until her feet hit the floor, and he finally let her go. She missed his touch immediately.

  “Just back for a week of R&R, ma’am. Along with my unit.” He gestured to the big men forming a perimeter all around them.

  John could have wept when Maggie rushed him, jumping into his arms as if she belonged there. And she did. She felt so right, so good, so warm and womanly in his arms, he never wanted to let her go.

  But Diva had responsibilities.

  Maggie seemed to realize that about the same time he did. He actually felt her composing herself as she moved back from him, her eyes speaking a subtle message that he fully understood. They were in the public eye, and she had to be Diva, not Maggie.

  John mourned the loss of the real woman but knew it was for the best. At least his men would stop kidding him now about those discs. To a man, they were eyeing him with new respect and a little bit of awe. And they eagerly lined up for introductions as he prepared to present them all to her.

  “You must be PeeWee.” Diva shocked them all by stepping right up to PeeWee Jackson and giving him a peck on the cheek. “John told me there was a guy in his unit even bigger than him, but I didn’t believe it. Now I do.” She laughed, and everyone laughed with her. She had that kind of effect on people, and John could see his men were thoroughly charmed.

  “And you’re Jase, right?” She moved on to his XO, flooring them all as she went down the line, guessing who was who with incredible acuity. She addressed them all by proper rank too, which impressed the hell out of the guys, and John knew a moment of pride when she thanked each and every one of them quietly for their service. Only he knew her father had been like them—a Spec Ops warrior willing to give his all that others might live free.

  All told, Diva probably spent about fifteen minutes with the men from Unit G-18, but each minute was precious when John was in her company. Still, it wasn’t long enough to raise too many eyebrows, though her manager did come over to fetch her back to a long line of ambassadors. Just before she left, though, she reached up to kiss John on the cheek and whispered a question.

  “Are you staying in the BOQ?” He nodded just slightly against her cheek. “I’m at the Imperial, under Maggie Smith. Come to me if you can, tomorrow for dinner, okay?” Again, he nodded, and then, she was gone.

  “Hell, Captain, I owe you an apology.” Pete smiled at Diva’s back as they watched her walk away. “That’s one helluva woman, and she sure seems to like you.”

  John only smiled. Pete really had no idea.

  *

  Maggie was nervous the next night. Dinner had been ordered and delivered in warming trays that would keep it fresh and ready until they sat down to eat. She wasn’t sure exactly what time to expect John, and waiting for him to arrive was wearing on her nerves.

  She had two reasons she wanted to see him. First, she just wanted to be with him. If she didn’t know better, she’d say she was already deeply in love with him, but she also knew that just couldn’t be. They both had too many responsibilities elsewhere to allow the undeniable attraction between them to blossom fully.

  The second reason was much more serious. She’d gained information that needed to be passed on right away, but her normal channels would take too long. John might be able to get the warning out in time, but she had to do it—somehow—without compromising her cover. She trusted John, but there were others in his chain of command she wasn’t too certain about. Still, the information had to be disseminated as quickly as possible.

  The bell chimed.

  Maggie jumped up and hit the switch that would slide the door open, and then, he was there. Right in front of her.

  “John.”

  Her whisper reached out to him, calling him inside the spacious hotel room. John swept through the doorway, aware of it closing behind him as he stepped right up to Maggie. The next move would have to be hers. John was nothing if not polite, and he didn’t want to take anything for granted.

  “These are for you.” John offered her the bouquet of daisies. She had once told them they were her favorite flower—completely unpretentious and sweet. Just like her, he remembered thinking.

  Maggie faced him, her eyes glistening as she took the flowers in one hand. So much was going on behind those beautiful eyes, he could tell from the way her delicate muscles twitched as she shifted from one dainty foot to the other.

  Finally, she just reached out, plastering herself to his chest, the hand with the flowers settling at the small of his back, her other arm reaching up to circle his neck. God, she felt good in his arms. As far as John was concerned, she was right where she belonged, against him, her heart beating in time with his.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered.

  “I missed you too, Maggie, but your letters and discs kept me going.” He lowered his head, nuzzling her temple, then her ear as he spoke in soft tones. “I loved your holos and the descriptions of your trips. You made me feel like I was with you, instead of on the front lines, if only for just a little while. I can never thank you enough for th
at.”

  “Oh, John.” She pulled him down for a kiss.

  John wasn’t about to argue. He’d missed her taste, her softness, her sweet scent. He was a starving man thrust suddenly into a banquet of the senses, and he soaked her in. He kissed her long and hard, delicate at first, then blossoming into the hunger kept long banked beneath the surface. The flickering flame threatened to erupt into a conflagration, but John was careful to keep himself in check.

  Nothing had changed since the last time they’d been together. Any relationship between them was still impossible. He was Enhanced. He could never have children, could never marry, really. It would be totally unfair to any woman to ask her to put up with his limitations, his obligations. Then, there was the fact that Diva was a galactic superstar. Why would such a woman tie herself, even temporarily, to a simple soldier?

  But none of that really mattered as he held her in his arms for the first time in months. John kissed her and kissed her, reacquainting himself with her taste, her touch. She was like a drug he could never get enough of, but by damned, he was going to try. These few moments might be all he had with her, and he’d make the best of them.

  He didn’t know how much time passed while they kissed, but John became aware slowly that he was holding Maggie about a foot off the ground. Her lithe little body was his to command as she returned his kiss with all her strength.

  She raised no objection when he moved to the wide couch, stretching her out beneath him. He didn’t want to crush her, but he needed to feel her lying next to him. Just once more.

  “I’ve thought about you every day since you left.” Her voice floated up to him as he loomed over her. She was so beautiful it almost hurt his eyes, but her beauty wasn’t just on the surface. It was soul deep.

  “Me too, Maggie. I missed you more than I can say.”

  “I’ve never felt like this before, John.” Her little hands clutched at his uniform shirt. “I know there are a million reasons why this couldn’t work, but my heart doesn’t care about a single one of them.”

  He hugged her, shifting on the couch so that she lay next to him, her head cradled against his beating heart as his arms held her safe and warm along his flank. He stared up at the ornate ceiling, his thoughts racing, his heart lurching at her words.

  “Ssh, sweetheart. It’s okay. I don’t know how we’ll get through this, but we will. We have to.”

  She pushed up to meet his gaze. “You feel it too? John, please tell me I’m not alone in this.”

  He lifted slightly to kiss her swollen lips. A gentle salute.

  “You’re not alone, Maggie. You’ll never be alone as long as I live. No matter where I am, or where you are. I think…I think we’ll always be part of each other. I don’t understand it at all, but I know it’s true.”

  “Oh, thank heaven.” She collapsed against him, her hands stroking over his chest in a soothing, yet arousing way. “John, I’ve been so uncertain, and that’s not at all like me.” She laughed softly, and he felt it in his bones. “There’s so much I’ve wanted to tell you, so much I couldn’t say, but—”

  “No regrets, Maggie.” He put one finger over her lips and levered them both into a sitting position on the couch, side by side.

  “I only have one regret, John.” She leaned in to kiss his chin, his jaw, his lips. “I regret never making love to you. I’ve thought about it every day since we parted. I’ve dreamed of you every night.”

  Maggie felt a moment of triumph as John pulled her in close. She went willingly. Oh, so willingly!

  “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you, Maggie mine.” His gravelly voice whispered over her senses, firing her passion higher.

  “Make love to me, John. I want to have real memories instead of just dreams.”

  John kissed her deeply, standing from the couch with her draped in his arms. She was thrilled by the massive strength of his body as he carried her through the suite toward her bedroom. Shouldering open the door, he went in and then deposited her on the soft bed.

  Maggie sighed in bliss as he came down next to her, the fluffy mattress dipping under his weight. Opening her eyes, she found him stretched out at her side, leaning sexily up on one elbow, just watching her with those beautiful laser blue eyes of his.

  “What?” she asked, wondering at his mood.

  “Are you sure about this?” His voice was pitched low, intimate, but strong. As if he would do anything she asked, even if it was to leave her.

  His thoughtfulness touched her heart.

  “Are you kidding?” Maggie sat up and tackled him, taking him down on the huge bed. He let her wrestle him flat, a broad grin on his chiseled face.

  But his strong hands stayed her gently.

  “I mean it, Maggie. I’m weak enough that I’ll take whatever you want to give me, but there are still reasons—important reasons—why we can’t take this much further than we already have. I’m a soldier. I have responsibilities, and there are things about me that I can’t reveal to you or anyone. Not to mention the fact that you’re a galactic star and all that entails.”

  Maggie placed one finger gently over his lips.

  “All that matters is right now, John. Tomorrow will take care of itself, and we’ll have to go back to being who we are, but for right now, it’s just you and me. Maggie and John. Not Diva and Captain Starbridge. We can go back to being them tomorrow.”

  “If you’re sure…”

  “The only thing I’m absolutely sure of is that I want you. Now, John. I want you now.”

  Chapter Five

  The very air sizzled where they touched. Clothes were removed, lost along the way somehow, until they were both skin to skin, as it should be. When John was with her, all felt right with her world. It was a rare feeling for a woman who lived so close to the edge, always on guard, always a moving target.

  For this little space of time, she could forget all that and just be herself. A woman. A woman with a remarkable lover who felt the same. It was a novel experience for her.

  She licked his chest, biting gently as he made a purring sound. She liked that, so she experimented further. She wound around him as she nibbled on his neck, pressing her teeth down on his earlobe, not to hurt, but to entice.

  He moved his hands over her like a maestro, playing her sensitive spots before homing in on the places she wanted him most. He caressed her breast with one hand, squeezing the nipple just right, while his other hand moved lower. He touched her gently at first, then with more surety, plunging two fingers within her hot core, exciting her almost beyond bearing.

  Maggie was panting with need as their bodies intertwined and he showed her levels of pleasure she’d only ever dreamed of before. He held her gaze as his fingers moved within her. When he withdrew them, she almost cried. Where was he going?

  John answered her wordless question when he repositioned them, moving her limbs around just the way he wanted them. She’d never had a lover so sure of himself and what he wanted from her. She’d never allowed such liberties, but with John, it felt right. She had no other explanation for letting herself be moved around like a living doll.

  John seemed to enjoy posing her just so. He paused every few moments to caress and excite wherever he felt the impulse, and soon, she was breathing hard again, wondering where he would touch her next. No spot on her body was off limits to John. He touched her everywhere.

  Places she hadn’t thought could be the least bit erogenous were proven to be incredibly shocking to her senses. When he licked behind her knee, then breathed onto her wet skin, ripples of goose bumps rose along her thighs. When he pinched her bottom, then delved between her cheeks, one part of her wanted to squirm away, but another part of her wondered what he was going to show her next.

  His fingers toyed with her back entrance, and rather than being repulsed, she found her breath hitching in her throat. What in the world? She hadn’t ever imagined letting a lover touch her there, much less liking it, but apparently with John, there were n
o boundaries. No limits. No right or wrong in pleasure. Just him and his knowing touch, and the insatiable need he inspired within her. She needed him so badly!

  As if he’d heard her, John finally came down over her, positioning himself just inside her eager body and then… He waited. He met her gaze and smiled, waiting for…something.

  “John?” she panted, unable to really catch her breath. She was on the precipice of something profound, and he’d just stopped. What was he waiting for?

  His smile grew wider as he gazed into her eyes. “That’s what I wanted,” he whispered in a tone brimming with emotion. “I want to hear my name from your lips. I want you to know who’s making love to you and shout it to the rafters. I want my name to be on your lips when you come, Maggie mine.”

  His urgent words rasped through her, and she wanted it too. She wanted nothing more than to be his in every conceivable way. She wanted his hands on her breasts, his hard cock warming her body from the inside out, his gaze locked with hers. She wanted to feel the pleasure his body promised hers, to know that he was finally with her in truth, and not just in dreams. She wanted it all. With John, and nobody else.

  “I want that too.”

  She shuddered against him as he began to take possession, sliding a fraction deeper with each short pulse, holding her gaze as she strained against him. He was large, but she could handle him. She felt as if, in that moment, she had been born just for this. For him. For what they could be together.

  He took her inch by inch until he was finally seated within her. And then, all hell broke loose in the most pleasurable way imaginable.

  He was wild. She was wilder. He pushed, and she followed his lead. He moved and she moved with him. He commanded, and she obeyed.

  He was masterful, but oh-so-sensitive to her needs. Everything he did—every hard thrust, every tender retreat—seemed geared toward wringing every last facet of pleasure out of her. One of his hands held her in place while the other searched for and found the little button of her clit. He circled it once, twice, and on the third time, she exploded, crying out his name, just as they both wanted. It took only a second before he joined in the bliss that only he had ever created within her body, mind and soul.