Seducing the Saint

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Really?” He opened his eyes and took each nipple, tugging gently. She jerked in reaction. “There seems to be a few places you missed.”

  Bending his head, he skimmed kisses along her shoulder and then moved to her neck as he continued pulling on her nipples. Libby moved her hands to the shower wall, but said nothing, showed no other reaction. He smiled. Libby loved to play games. She saw foreplay as a way to engage in a battle to see who would crumble and beg first. Was it any wonder he had to have her any chance he got?

  “See.” He moved one hand down to her cunt. Her breathing hitched. “I’m sure that one or two places might need some extra-special attention.”

  He rubbed his cock in the cleft of her buttocks, his control slipping at the slight contact and motion. Lord, he wanted to sink into her pussy, lose himself in the feel of her muscles clamping tight around him, draining him. As he continued to move against her, he slipped a finger into her. She was slick, hot. Not able to help himself, he groaned. Damn, she was always like this. From their first time together…her first time… she was always wet and ready for a good fucking.

  He added another finger and moved his other hand back to her hip. She moved in rhythm with him. Each time he withdrew his fingers, she pushed back against him.

  “Brady.” Her voice was filled with need and surrender.

  He nibbled her earlobe and she groaned his name again. “Whatcha need, baby?”

  She drew in a deep breath, and he knew she was fighting an inner battle. She wanted him, but she wanted to hold out, push both of them to the point where they couldn’t stand it. To help her make up her mind, he flicked his finger against her clit, and she bucked against him.

  “Oh yes, like that, Brady. Ohhh.”

  Her muscles tightened against his fingers and he knew she was close. Damn, he wanted to have his dick buried inside her when she came this time. To draw out the pleasure, he slowed his motions and she cursed.

  “What’s the matter?” He challenged her with a teasing voice.

  “I -I was really close, Brady.”

  “You want to come, baby? Want it bad?”

  She bucked again and another gush of liquid wet his fingers. The movement caused him to jerk against her. Shit. If he didn’t get inside her soon, he wouldn’t make it.

  “You know you want it. Just tell me. Tell me what you want.”

  Pushing back, she tried to increase his tempo, but he wasn’t going to allow that. He held her hip steady with one hand and tortured her with his other. But with each passing second, his control was slipping and he knew he was just a moment away from begging.

  “I want you. Now, oh, Brady.”

  He wanted to tease her, push her further, but the desperate plea burned through his blood, and he knew if she begged again, it would push him over the edge. Stepping back, he pulled her legs wider.

  “Bend over more, Libby.” She complied immediately, her body fairly quivering with the need for her release. He took his cock in hand and pushed at her entrance, just letting the tip enter. Her muscles teased and tensed around him and he closed his eyes. Damn, that felt good. Slipping into her was like heaven every time.

  She wiggled, apparently irritated with his slow movements. He knew he might be able to hold out a little longer but the need clawing at him took over. In one thrust, he planted himself fully inside her. She clamped down hard around him. For just a moment, he held still, enjoying the feel of her sweet pussy. But soon his body begged for more—for release.

  He withdrew and began to move in controlled, measured thrusts. Libby continued to moan his name, her voice so husky he could barely hear it above the water. Each time he shoved into her, his stomach slammed against her ass with a loud smack. He reached around to tease her clit.

  One… two… and she exploded, her pussy clamping tight around him, pulling him deeper. Her orgasm spurred his. His balls drew tight. After two more thrusts, he came, groaning her name, his voice echoing off the walls of the shower.

  Moments later, he leaned back, his cock still inside her and slid his arms around her body. He kissed the side of her neck and she gave a little contented sigh. He was helpless to fight the warmth that curled into his heart when he heard the little sound. It was if she had never left and he knew truthfully she hadn’t. She’d been right there all along.

  * * * * *

  They’d made it to bed finally and gotten a decent bit of rest. Brady had awakened her sometime during the night with his mouth on her, her body humming for release. She woke this time with a start, knowing before she opened her eyes that she was alone in the bed.

  Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she glanced around the room, noticed Brady’s pack on the floor by one of the chairs and relaxed. He might have thought about leaving her behind for her own safety but he wouldn’t do it. Because he knew she would hunt him down and hurt him.

  She stretched her arms over her head, trying to work the soreness out of her muscles. It’d been a long time since she’d used a lot of them. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. And some other muscles she hadn’t used in awhile, she thought with a wince.

  The door opened, and Brady stepped in. When he saw her sitting on the bed, he smiled. Her heart did a flip-flop. Oh Lordy, he was gorgeous. He closed the door and approached the bed.

  “I wish we didn’t need to leave so soon.” The devilish look in his eyes let her know exactly what he was thinking of doing. It was then she realized she was sitting there naked as the day as she was born.

  Libby wasn’t a prude and she definitely had never been shy about her body. Still, her face flushed.

  “Jesus, Brady. Can’t you think of anything else?”

  She got up with a huff and he chuckled. He grabbed her arms and pulled her into his.

  “Not where you’re concerned, lass.”

  The heat in his voice did funny things to her stomach. He leaned down and kissed her, never closing his eyes. Arousal darkened the blue, but there was something, something that scared the hell out of her. A rush of goose bumps prickled her skin. She could feel his erection against her stomach. Her nipples hardened and warmth pooled between her legs.

  She wanted to close her eyes, but she fought the urge, or maybe he willed her not to break the connection. Her heart was now doing somersaults.

  Before she could sort out the feelings—hers and his—he broke the kiss. He released her and took a step back. He swallowed, hard, and then looked away from her.

  “Why don’t you get dressed?” He drew in a deep breath. “We… ah…we need to get out of here before those bounty hunters know we’re here. Better to be ahead than…” He glanced at her, his gazed roaming down her body. “Do you think you could get something on?”

  The unsteady feelings that had left her breathless just moments before vanished. She giggled, she couldn’t help it. He sounded so put out that she was standing there naked.

  “Sure, Saint.” She drew out his name and his eyes narrowed. She bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

  “Woman, you don’t know who you’re messing with. Get in there and get ready.”

  He turned on his heel and left. The moment the door shut, she dissolved into another fit of giggles. But as she dressed, she was surprised when a sob erupted and tears gathered in her eyes. Stress. That was all it was. Her father, the search, fighting to get Brady to help. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was still in love with Brady. Her mind blanked, her heart bumped against her chest—hard. She sat with a thump on the bed.

  Aww, shit.

  * * * * *

  Libby had been quiet since they’d left Hunter’s outpost. Normally, it wouldn’t bother him. Women often talked too much and aggravated him to death. Libby had always been different. Sterling had trained her to be silent in the right situations and she’d always been a quiet girl. But this was different.

  From the moment he returned to the room after she dressed, he sensed there was something wrong. She’d been crying, which was very un-L
ibby-like. Sterling hadn’t allowed her any type of weakness, so Libby usually behaved like a man. No matter how much it hurt her, she wouldn’t show the pain. She kept most of her feelings inside until they festered.

  But this time, she’d been crying. She’d done it in private but it was easy to see she was upset. Considering what she’d been through the past few weeks, he’d assumed it was the situation and the worry about Sterling. He was Libby’s only living relative, the only one she’d had her whole life, and no matter how much they’d argued, he knew Libby’s world would be destroyed if something happened to Sterling. The stress of that could wear on the strongest individual.

  Two hours later, he wasn’t so sure anymore. Icy distance colored her voice and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. Something was bubbling beneath the surface, something that had his gut churning and his mind jumping from one possibility to another.

  It wasn’t the sex. He knew better than that. Libby had never been a prude. Even if she regretted making love, she’d be more likely to bitch at him about it. Or would she? A ball of irritation burned in his stomach edged with another emotion that felt something like panic.

  He brushed it way, or tried to and concentrated on their task at hand. The second sun had risen, bringing with it unwelcome heat and a rise in the humidity. They were gaining altitude also and their trail grew to a narrow overgrown path that they had to clear sometimes to get by.

  “Where are we headed today?” she asked.

  It was her first unprompted comment since they left, so he readily grabbed it as a lifeline. “I think we can get to an area they call the Funkainian Territory. Problem is, we have to avoid the Funkai.”

  “The perverts.”

  He shot a smile over his shoulder. “To each his own.”

  “There’s a difference between sexual preference and abduction and rape.” The irritation in her voice made him chuckle.

  “I agree.” He faced forward again. “And that’s why they came here. There weren’t that many people settled here. So they could come up with their own laws.”

  “Of course.” Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on him. He agreed. They were scum but debating whether they should be hunted down by the Intergalactic Strike Force and imprisoned wasn’t important right now. Getting across the area undetected was.

  She grunted then said, “I think they should be hunted down and castrated.”

  Leaves rustled behind them. “Shut up.”

  Her footsteps stopped. Shit. Now she wanted to talk. His neck prickled with awareness.

  “What did you say?” she asked.

  He turned and stalked toward her. “Listen. I know someone is here. Someone—man, alien or beast—is following us for some reason. I can feel it in my gut.” Her eyes widened and she nodded. Before he could turn around, footsteps sounded behind him.

  “Now, what do we have here, Joe?” asked an amused male voice. Apprehension curled in his gut and stole his breath. Looking back over his shoulder, he noticed three men, all of average height, wearing what looked like loincloths. All of them were heavily armed. He counted at least two knives on each of them. Their chests were bare, and all of them had tattoos on the right shoulder.

  Shit. Funkai.

  Chapter Eight

  The tension between the group of men and Brady crackled. Libby wanted to step in and try to talk their way out of it. Brady would get pissed. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that Funkai were actually human. Since Brady showed no surprise, she realized he must have known the idea of Funkai being a new species wasn’t true.

  She glanced at the newcomers and figured they wouldn’t be happy with her meddling. Tall, but not as tall as Brady, the three men were barely clothed. Their bare chests glistened with sweat. All three of them had hair down to the middle of their backs and each one was barefoot.

  They had to be Funkai. Crap. As the silence grew thick as the air around them, she tried to think of everything she knew about the sect.

  Yes, they had strange sexual practices, but most of it had never been proven. The sexual laws on Earth in the early twenty-second century had left them ostracized. A couple years after they left, most of the restrictions had been repealed. What she did know was that they were monogamous. Once a couple had paired off, they stayed together and no one encroached on either’s territory.

  A plan was forming in her mind, but if Brady got pissed and screwed it up, they’d end up in a heap of trouble.

  “We’re just passing through.” Brady’s voice wasn’t as casual as the comment implied. There was an edge there, as if he knew they were in for a fight. She looked at the men again and took in their militant expressions. He was probably right.

  “You need our permission.” This was said by the tallest of the group. He broke eye contact with Brady and smiled at her. Blond hair, pale green eyes and a muscled body made him an attractive man. She found herself returning the smile. Brady stepped in front of her.

  “Mine.” His voice was deep and threatening.

  The leader’s smile vanished. “We’ll see about that.”

  Brady bristled at the tone but she knew he would lose a hand to hand fight with the three men. One-on-one, he could take each of them, but even with her help, they still had another bruiser to worry about. He wasn’t thinking straight because he was worried about her.

  She leaned forward so she could whisper in his ear. “Brady, it’ll be okay. Trust me.”

  For a second, she thought he might fight, but finally he relented with a curt nod. Two of the men walked forward and tried to separate them.

  “I think you need to think twice about touching her.”

  Both men looked toward the leader and he nodded. Brady allowed her to go in front and he followed as the two other men flanked him.

  The leader slowed so that she could walk beside him. They were of the same height, especially with her boots on.

  “My name is Walter.” His voice was a charming purr. She almost laughed in his face. First of all, he was acting as if they were getting acquainted under regular circumstances. Maybe they were for him but this was beyond absurd. But then, when she was in Brady’s company, anything could happen. The second thing she thought of was that Walter was not a name a man wearing a loincloth and walking barefoot would be called.

  She cleared her throat. “It’s very nice to meet you, Walter. My name is Liberty.”

  His eyes widened. “Liberty Wainwright?”

  “Y-Yes.”

  “Your father’s named Sterling?”

  She nodded. Her heart fell to her stomach.

  “Have you met him?” She couldn’t keep the desperation out of her voice.

  “Yes, two…three months ago. Was looking for some legend.” His voice told her he didn’t think much of her father’s pursuit.

  “Was he with anyone?”

  He frowned. “I would rather talk about you.”

  “I haven’t seen my father. Brady and I are looking for him. He’s been missing.”

  “He had an older gentleman with him. And a young man. I remember they argued over something but they all left together the next morning.”

  “A younger man?”

  He pursed his lips, apparently not happy with her question. “This man you are with. Did he speak the truth?”

  She sighed. Men were all the same. Once their dicks were involved, they had a one-track mind. “Yes.”

  “Then why do you need to know about this younger man?”

  “My father has been missing and anything we can find out is important. It could lead us to him.”

  He nodded, his eyes sparkling with admiration. “Are you sure you’re with him? Smart females are hard to find around these areas.”

  She bit the inside of her lip. It was that or scream at him and she figured that would not get her the result she wanted. “Yes, I’m with him. Now, the younger man?”

  Sighing, he glanced at Brady, then looked back at her. “Yes, he was a bit of an ass. I have a feeling that he’d n
ever been on a trip like this one. He complained all the time about the weather, the food.”

  Her pulse accelerated, her mouth lost all moisture. A shiver of dread vibrated down her spine.

  “Do you know his name?” she asked, even thought she was pretty sure she knew who it had been.

  “Anthony Freemont.”

  * * * * *

  As they rounded a bend in the road, the vegetation cleared and Brady noticed a few scattered buildings. The structures were modern, resembling many of the homes on Earth. It seemed odd that a bunch of men who dressed like cavemen lived in probably the most modern village on the whole freaking planet. Just their luck.

  He scowled at his two friends and then at Don Juan, who’d been kissing up to Libby since they started off. His gut burned. If he thought it would do any good, he’d stomp up there and push his way between them. He knew the two men on either side of him would lay him flat on his ass if he even tried. And from the look in Libby’s eyes, she had a plan.

  She laughed at something Walter said. The sound of it danced on Brady’s last nerve. He curled his fingers into his palms. Dammit. What the hell did she think this was? Prom night?

  The man on his left chuckled. “Our friend here is worried Walter is charming his woman.”

  Figured they would be captured by a barbarian named Walter. He snorted. Libby turned and gave him a warning look, then turned back around. What the hell was up with that? Did she think he was some little boy who couldn’t behave? Like he would get them in trouble because he was jealous?

  Shit. He was jealous. Even while they were together, he’d never had a problem with jealousy. Not because he thought no one was interested in Libby but he’d been so sure of her love that he knew she would never cheat. She laughed again. The sound of it usually sent his body humming. This time, however, his blood heated. The urge to grab her by the hair and drag her off, so that all of them knew she was his, almost overwhelmed him.

  He counted backward from ten. Walter brushed a lock of her hair back over her shoulder. This time he counted backward from twenty. He knew she had a plan and charming Walter was part of it. It didn’t make it any easier to watch some jackass manhandle his woman.