by Amelia Jade
“Are you okay?” he asked at one point as she whimpered in pain.
“Oh hell yes,” she gasped back. “It’s a good hurt.” A moan filled the air. “A very good pain. Kind of like being spanked,” she said with a wink, letting him know that he was okay to partake in such activities if the opportunity arose.
“Duly noted,” he grinned, and then pushed the rest of himself forward.
Rachel half-moaned, half-groaned, but she didn’t stop him, reveling in the ecstasy brought forth from having him inside her.
And then there was nothing but her, Hector, and their bodies, pressing against each other as they connected on the deepest level, exploring each other’s bodies and minds as their hips bumped, bodies contorted, and sounds of passion filled the room.
Hector was a gentle lover, very at odds with his physical stature. He caressed and touched her, seemingly needing to feel skin under his fingertips everywhere he touched her. It was an interesting sensation for Rachel, who had never before been with someone so intimate about simply touching her, of enjoying her body aside from the sexual pleasure it brought both of them. She shuddered every time he touched her, and for a long time was simply in heaven.
Eventually though, another need overtook her. Something deeper, more hungry. More primitive and raw. It welled up deep inside of her and began to venture forth. Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but Hector’s eyes blazed in understanding. He lifted her to her feet and turned her around. Rachel’s cries of delight as he bent her over only seemed to spur him on. When he took her hips and pulled her back onto him, she could have sworn he was even harder than before.
Hector took her from behind, rougher than before, but still finding that gentle balance between what they both wanted and what she could take in her current condition. It felt good though, to be had that way. There was something about the position that called to a deeply atavistic part of her, satisfying a need she’d never known so strongly before.
His hand came down on her cheek, leaving a stinging mark on her ass where he’d made contact, and Rachel cried out in mixed pain and delight.
“Again,” she growled.
Hector obliged, this time on the other side, and she bit her lower lip as his eyes went wide with frenzied lust.
Rachel had no idea how long they went on for, but it seemed like both ages and seconds before Hector tensed, nearing his own climax. She wanted to give him pleasure, to provide for him what he’d done for her. She was worn out and exhausted, having been practically assaulted with several more explosive climaxes, brought on by his cock and his fingers reaching between her legs. Now it was her turn. She wanted to give him whatever he needed.
“Wherever you want,” she said, looking back at him and answering the question on his lips. “Whatever you want to do, do it. I’m yours,” she gasped.
It was true. Just like he was hers, she was his, and she didn’t hesitate to let him take advantage of that.
Hector growled, the sound originating somewhere below his throat and sounding entirely inhuman, something no normal person could make. He thrust hard against her, his hand slapping her ass several more times until it was red and stinging, much to her delight. He never hit too hard, just the right amount to turn her on.
She could feel him swell up inside of her as he moved quicker, and then his fingers clenched tighter on her waist.
“Do it,” she gasped over the blistering pleasure of having him inside her. “Please, Hector. I want it.”
He groaned loudly and suddenly heat erupted deep inside of her. Hector stopped his movement as he came, allowing her to easily feel him shoot stream after stream within her, his cock pulsing with each shot. It was an intensely arousing and intimate feeling that unfortunately passed far too quickly.
Then he was abruptly spent and the two of them just stood there, her bent over, him holding her waist, gasping as they tried to recover their breath. Their brains and bodies were battered by the endorphins rushing through their system now, giving them that post-sex high that was almost as good as orgasm itself.
She had no idea how long they waited before moving again, going through the all too awkward and never fully addressed cleanup stage before she tugged on his arm and led him to her bedroom, where they both fell into the queen-sized bed that occupied the majority of the space. Hector rolled her onto her side and curled up behind her, his arm draped across her and pulling her arms in tight as he held her to him.
Very few words had been spoken through the entire course of events, and yet Rachel now felt like she knew him even better than she had before, as if their coupling had created a bond that was knowledge of one another in itself.
Which it is, I suppose. I now know him in the most intimate way possible. We’ve seen each other exposed and vulnerable, and we’ll always have that memory. So I suppose I do know him better. Much better.
“That was intense,” he said after several minutes. “I’ve never felt so powerful a connection.”
“I know what you mean,” she said, still slightly winded. Being pregnant didn’t do much for her cardiovascular health, unfortunately. “That was…unbelievable. I felt like we just sort of ‘got’ each other, knew one another’s desires and needs. Without needing to speak. I…” she fell silent, not entirely confident she could put words to what had just happened between them.
“Yeah,” he said after a minute, laughter bubbling up in his voice. “Exactly that.”
She giggled, and that set him off, which set her off, and they went back and forth like that for several minutes, until they both subsided. Hector pulled her a little tighter to him, a squeeze that said thousands of words on its own. She lifted one hand up to grasp his wrist where it rested under her chin, pulling his arm tight around her upper body in response, nuzzling her head against his forearm.
“So what do we do now?” she asked, still acutely aware of the nakedness of both her and him.
“That depends,” he said, his voice shifting slightly.
“On what?”
“Whether you want more or not.”
“More?” she asked. “You’re ready to go again?”
He leaned forward into her slightly so his chest pressed fully against her back and then growled as he spoke into her ear. “For you? Always. You might need to help me along just a bit, but with an ass like that, it won’t take much,” he said, sliding his hand down her side and around to squeeze her rear.
Rachel had to think about it, to ask her body how it was feeling. To her surprise, it came back with an enthusiastic, if tired, yes. To answer Hector she thrust her ass out and began to grind against him.
“Will this help?” she whispered as sexily as possible, looking over her shoulder at him as she did it.
The look of tight desire on his face was all the answer she needed, though Hector decided to emphasize it by pressing his hardening cock between her legs so she could feel it as he grew thick and solid behind her.
“Gentler this time though,” she said. “Slower. I really want to feel you.”
Hector was only too willing to oblige.
Chapter Fourteen
Hector
He crept out of Rachel’s unit just as the mountains to the east of Cloud Lake that separated it from his homeland of Cadia began to grow orange with light. Sunrise was coming, and he jogged back across the town this time, not feeling the need for an all-out sprint. As he grew closer to the embassy, his heart began to thud in his chest, beating faster than it had all evening with Rachel.
The embassy appeared and he slowed to a walk, keeping his eyes out for any figures. Hector had no idea what was awaiting him upon his arrival. It seemed unlikely that Martin had decided not to report him for fighting him and then leaving, which meant he was going to have to deal with those consequences now.
He’d specifically avoided talking to Rachel about his departure from the embassy and how it hadn’t gone anywhere near as smoothly as planned. She didn’t need to know the sort of trouble he was in. She wa
s already worried enough about him, and about them. That wasn’t something he was going to burden her with.
The first rays of sunlight crested the mountain as he stood underneath his open window. Hector eyed the lip of the window, flexed his legs, and flung himself up just high enough to grab onto it with his fingers. Then he hauled himself up and over the ledge and into his room. He swiftly returned the screen to its place and then turned to head for the shower. So far so good. Maybe Martin hadn’t—
“How was your evening?”
Hector jumped. There was no getting around it. He practically leapt six inches in the air as the voice spoke from behind him. The room was still cloaked in darkness, not yet lit enough for him to have seen the figure standing at the far end covered in shadows. If he’d paused to inspect his apartment he would have looked into the darkness and saw him. But since he’d seen the lights off and assumed it was empty, he hadn’t bothered.
“Andrew,” he said, recovering his composure and once again acting like the big bad bear shifter that he was.
“Where have you been, Hector?” his boss asked, flicking on the light even as the room began to brighten as the sun started to clear the mountains.
He didn’t respond. There was no point. They both knew the answer.
“The woman.”
“Her name is Rachel,” he snapped harshly.
Andrew inclined his head in apology. “Rachel, yes. How is she?”
“She’s fine, thank you for inquiring,” he responded stiffly.
There was a long pause. Andrew didn’t speak, and Hector felt like he was missing a cue, as if he were supposed to be the one speaking here. He wasn’t sure what Andrew was expecting from him, however. He wasn’t going to make an excuse. He’d done what he’d done. That was the end of it, so if Andrew was waiting for him to try and weasel his way out, he would be waiting a long time.
“Martin is also fine,” Andrew replied at last.
Oh. That was what he was supposed to have done. Asked about the guard he’d beaten up on his way out of the embassy. Oops.
“That’s good.”
“You didn’t have to beat him up,” Andrew sighed.
“I know. I tried to not to. I told him to go away, to just leave it be. But he insisted on bringing me to see you. Said that I was disobeying the rules if I didn’t.”
“He was right.”
“Of course he was right,” Hector growled. “I’m not an idiot. But we both know that confining me to quarters wasn’t right. It was an overreaction by you, but you can’t go back on it now, because it will look bad. I get that; I don’t blame you. That’s why I’m back now, and why I left without anyone seeing me. If Martin had just kept his trap shut, there would quite literally be no issue.”
“But you beat him up to go see a woman,” Andrew said, spreading his hands. “Whatever might have been changed the instant you struck him.” His eyes hardened. “And what is necessary or over the top is not for you to decide. That’s my job.”
Hector swallowed and bobbed his head. Andrew was a good friend, and an excellent boss. But there were times where he was forced to remind those around him that he was the boss, and not just a peer. This was one of those times.
“So, how do you want to handle this?”
“No idea,” he responded. “But I need to get to work.”
Andrew’s eyebrows rose in a mixture of surprise and confusion. “Work? You’re still relieved of duty, Hector. That certainly hasn’t changed after what you did last night.”
He seethed at the reminder of the punishment that had been laid upon him. “I’m aware of that,” he said, teeth clenched. “I was referring to getting back to work on fixing the embassy.”
“Ah,” was all Andrew said.
The door opened. “He’s here!” Martin said loudly as he came inside. “And Hector is back!”
Andrew held up a hand to forestall Hector from saying anything as Martin entered the room.
“See, I told you he snuck out,” Martin said. “So what are you going to do? Arrest him? Ship him home?”
“Martin,” Andrew said gently.
“He broke my nose,” the other shifter said.
“Martin,” Andrew repeated, but his voice had become icy.
The other shifter finally got the hint and stopped. “Yes?”
“Go away. This isn’t your jurisdiction.”
“But—”
Andrew shot him a glance, as if daring him to keep speaking.
Martin’s jaw worked several times, but in the end he simply stared angrily at Hector as he backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“So,” Hector said into the silence that followed.
“So,” Andrew echoed.
“I should get to work.”
There was only a slight hesitation from his boss before he jerked his head in the direction of the door. “I expect you to work your ass off today,” he said.
Hector nodded. “Of course. And tonight?”
The pause was much longer this time.
“Do a better job of not being seen,” Andrew said.
Hector was very careful not to smile as he darted from the room and headed downstairs to pitch in. Most of the other shifters were just waking up, but they would need to eat first. Hector intended to ensure that he would begin helping to prepare the food before the majority of them arrived. It was the least he could do, now that he was unofficially off house arrest and could see Rachel on the regular!
All throughout breakfast he was smiling and chatting with the other shifters, unable to conceal his mood. Things were starting to look up again. He didn’t have his job back, but he’d proven to Andrew that he wasn’t going to run away from the situation, and that he was here to help make it right as well. The world had conspired against him for a bit, but now it was starting to work with him instead.
The day passed swiftly, and his mood generally remained good, though it was soured by the reminder that someone had died because of his actions, something that Hector was going to have to live with for the rest of his life. He wasn’t entirely sure how to begin coping with that just yet, but he knew he would have to at some point, before it became too deep-seated and started causing issues with him.
Working with his hands was a soothing way of letting his brain think about other things. Hector, like most shifters, had plenty of experience building things, as all construction in Cadia itself was done by hand. Everyone was expected to pull their own weight, and use of tools was ingrained upon young shifters at an early age.
The more he thought about it though, the more he felt guilty over Corvin’s death. The shadow loomed up and over him, despite where he was going at the end of the day. Even the prospect of heading to Rachel’s couldn’t cure him of the blackness that he felt was infesting his soul.
How was he going to handle this?
Chapter Fifteen
Rachel
She had just finished pulling on some clothes when the door rattled under a firm fist.
Her heart leapt in her chest as hope blossomed inside of her. Could that be Hector? She’d been asleep that morning when he’d left, and she’d woken to an empty bed beside her, much to her dismay. Although he’d made it very clear that he had to leave before sunrise, she still didn’t like it. Him sneaking out in the middle of the night sucked. She wished he could stay. Especially after the night they’d shared, and the bond that had formed between them.
After making love for the second time, they’d lain on her bed for hours, talking about small things, telling embarrassing stories of prior loves and stupid things they’d done. None of it was particularly earth-shattering information, but between their intimacy and the conversation, she felt like she’d gained a more thorough connection with him. She’d gained a friend, a companion, as well as a lover. It was something that most people couldn’t say for their own relationships.
But it was ridiculous to think that he could be at her door now. Hector had never said anything outrigh
t to her, but she could tell that he was nervous about going back. About what he was going to find once he got there. She doubted that it would be a warm reception, and a part of her wondered if he was likely to end up in even more trouble for sneaking out to see her. That seemed like the sort of thing that he would do, but she hoped desperately that he had gotten home unseen.
They hadn’t talked about when he would see her next, though both of them had expressed the desire to do so. She knew it could be a while, a long while in fact, before he was able to sneak out to see her or, or perhaps once his punishment had been eased. So Rachel had decided that until then she would throw herself back into her groups that she loved so much. She was attending another one that evening, in fact, and she couldn’t wait.
Reaching the door, she peered through the peephole.
Hissing in surprise, she pulled back, her heart racing. The view was of someone’s broad chest. She couldn’t see the face; they were too tall. Only shifters were that tall. Could it really be that he was here to see her? Almost as soon as she thought that, another darker, more sinister idea flowed through her mind.
What if it was someone coming to speak to her because of what had happened the night before? Could they be after her, to get her statement, to interrogate her for information on his whereabouts? Hector had said he was heading straight back to the embassy, so that he could help with the repair work in the morning. But what if he hadn’t? What if he’d decided to leave entirely? That could explain why a shifter would be at her door. It was six thirty, almost on the dot. There was no way that it could be Hector. Sneaking out at this hour would have been impossible!
The door shook again as the shifter on the other side knocked.
