by Aubrey Ross
He moved downward, his mouth teasing a path along the side of her throat. “Oh Corry,” he murmured, and her excitement surged.
“Say it again,” she whispered.
“Corry.” Her nipples, already hardened from his touch, gathered into tight, aching peaks. He circled one with the tip of his tongue and then firmly sucked the other.
She raked his hair with her fingers, urging him on, wanting more. Shifting positions carefully on the narrow bunk, he got his legs beneath him without releasing her nipple. His hand pulled hers off the pillow and he chuckled.
“This could be a bit challenging,” he said.
“Not if you release the stupid thing.” With stubborn intent, he bent her leg nearly to her chest then draped it over his upper arm, alleviating the obstacle.
“Much better.” He grinned and settled on his knees between her thighs. He traced her slit with his fingertip, nearing but not touching her clit. “What were you thinking about before? You were so turned-on your desire woke me up.”
“Don’t ruin this with words,” she pleaded. “I want you inside me.”
He moved their hands above her head and braced himself on his forearm. Then, staring deeply into her eyes, he pushed two fingers into her passage.
“Were you dreaming or fantasizing?” He passed his thumb over her clit and she started, sensations zinging through her belly. “Tell me.” His gaze narrowed and his thumb rubbed, the warning unmistakable.
“A little of both,” she admitted. He rewarded her honesty with several slow, deep thrusts. “I was mostly asleep until you touched my breast.”
“What did I do in your dream?”
“What you’re doing now.” She squeezed his fingers with her inner muscles, hoping to distract him from his questions.
“Just this?”
“No, you sucked on my nipples until I came around your fingers then turned me over and took me from behind.”
His lips caught one of her nipples and she closed her eyes. It hadn’t been her intention when she told him her fantasy, but she’d just placed her order for the night. He pumped his fingers into her pussy. The firm strokes made her crave a more substantial penetration.
Each time he drew on her nipple he rubbed her swollen clit. Sensations darted from her chest to the apex of her thighs and back. He sucked harder and rubbed faster, his fingers never stopping the rhythmic shuttle.
She tossed her head, trembling on the brink of orgasm. Her fantasies were a pale imitation of the delight he unleashed. She arched and cried out as she came in pulsing waves.
A faint hiss signaled the deactivation of the restraints. She moved her arm, testing her conclusion. His empty cuff now dangled from the one still in place around her wrist. Before she could object, he grasped her hips and turned her over. Only then did he release her wrist as well. He took the restraints and dropped them to the floor beside the bunk.
Too impatient to undress her completely, he helped her pull her arms out of the sleeves and peeled the suit downward. He bared her bottom and hips, but left the material bunched around her knees as he unfastened the front of his pants.
She expected frantic brutality. He had something else in mind. Kneeling behind her, he bent her over until she braced herself on her forearms. Then he eased his shaft between her legs and parted her folds. He rubbed the plush head of his cock over and around her sensitive nub.
“Please,” she moaned. “No more teasing.”
“Teasing is offering something you don’t intend to give.” He pushed into her just a bit. “You’ll get all of me, but I like to savor this part.” He gave her a little more. “Do you have a problem with that?” He found her clit with his thumb and forefinger, plucking gently as he slowly filled her core.
Her legs shook and tension wound, binding tighter and tighter until she clenched her jaws to keep from screaming.
“Scream if you need to.” He pinched her nipple with his other hand. “Don’t hold back.”
He rocked his hips, hesitating with just the tip of his cock inside her. She tried to rock back, to bring him deeper, but he wouldn’t allow it. Then he grasped her hips and drove his full length into her with one forceful thrust. His balls slapped against her mound and sensations burst within her, spiraling up her spine and blossoming in her chest. She screamed. He thrust hard and fast, the thick slide of his shaft prolonging each spasm.
Where one orgasm ended and the next began, she couldn’t say. Sensing what she needed before she understood it herself, he changed the speed and force of his thrusts. He added a teasing touch when she craved it and stopped when she wanted nothing to distract from the savage pleasure of his cock surging into her body.
She felt him in her mind, forging some sort of link. Instinct warned her against the invasion. She resisted, pushing outward and shaking her head.
I want you to feel me as I feel you. This will give me no greater access than I have now. His hips slowed. His hands cupped her breasts. I won’t force this on you. I want you to want it.
“I will,” she panted, “just not tonight.”
He came to rest deep inside her and brushed her hair away from her face. “I’m sorry.” He kissed her shoulder. “I’m moving too fast.”
She didn’t argue. All of this had taken her by surprise. How could she desire the enemy? “Now you’re not moving at all,” she pointed out, hoping to minimize the damage.
His hands caressed her back and the outer swell of her breasts as he resumed his strong, steady thrusting. Resting her forehead on her hands, she concentrated on the fullness and the heat they were generating.
Thought suspended and reality narrowed. A darker, more primal desire twisted through her mind. Sensations bombarded her brain, feelings not emanating from her body. Ashton’s pleasure poured across the half-formed link.
She clutched the bedding and matched him stroke for stroke. As the intensity built, it became impossible for her to distinguish his feelings from hers. She absorbed all the pleasure with greedy abandon. Why had she resisted this?
He was holding back, waiting for her to come, determined that they find release together.
“If I feel you…come inside me, it will take me with you.”
His fingers dug into her hips as he drove deep one last time. He shuddered against her, his hot seed bursting out in distinct jets.
She closed her eyes and opened her mind. His orgasm washed over her and pulsed through her, triggering her own release. A low cry escaped her throat as she surrendered to the breath-stealing pleasure.
Wrapping her in his arms, he rolled them to their sides in much the same position they’d been when they awakened. She snuggled back against him, feeling sleepy and somewhat sad as the sensations receded.
“Why can’t I feel you now?”
He chuckled. “I’m only human, sweetheart. Give me a few minutes.”
“Not your… I can still feel that just fine. Toward the end, I could sense your emotions, but it’s like the line went dead.”
“I didn’t realize the link took. I tried to dissolve the connection. I was a bit distracted at the time.”
“Do you create this link every time you have sex?”
He didn’t answer for a long moment. “I’ve never wanted to share myself with someone before.”
And she’d refused the link, resisted his attempt to connect with her. “It was amazing. I should have realized you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Not intentionally.” He sighed and pressed a kiss into her hair. “Go to sleep, Corry. We have a long way to go tomorrow.”
* * * * *
Feeling like a leashed pet, Corry followed Ashton around the schooner as he gathered what he deemed necessary for their trek through the wilderness. She tugged against the cuff every chance she got until her wrist turned red. He simply ignored her. After all they’d shared the night before, she couldn’t believe he’d had them waiting when she woke up.
“None of your messages got through?” She finally broke the silence
as he tied a length of rope around the pillowcase he’d filled with supplies.
“No one responded. It’s possible the messages got through and the schooner didn’t receive the reply, but I doubt it. I think we’re on our own.”
“Do they have a transport station on this outpost? I’ve never been here before.”
His brow arched in challenge as he reminded her, “I don’t know a damn thing about it. You’re the one who scheduled this detour.”
They set off through the trees. Ashton activated the directional guide on her control band. They were east of the settlements. They just didn’t know how far. She didn’t ask questions. Dense and choked with vegetation, the jungle was nearly impenetrable. Her motivator was their only weapon. They needed a machete. Ashton tore at the vines and kicked a path through the entangled branches. It was slow going at best.
Heat and humidity combined in a sweltering haze. Sweat tricked between her breasts and she stumbled over the uneven ground. Why couldn’t they have made it to Chiron? The agricultural outpost was highly populated and she could have arranged for transportation at any of its export centers. She really hadn’t planned this very well.
Waving away a swarm of tiny insects, she dared to speak. “Would you happen to have insect repellent in that bag?”
“Yeah, it’s right next to the homing beacon and the inflatable spaceship.”
“You don’t have to be such an ass! Release the cuff and hike back to the schooner. There was plenty of dehydrated food. You can wait for Daddy to come find you.”
He paused for a glare. “Now who’s being an ass?”
She scrambled for just the right obnoxious reply, but he abruptly turned away.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Bugs buzzed around her face and muggy air rustled the trees, but she heard nothing out of place. He pulled her in a slightly different direction, apparently tuned in to the suspicious sound.
She finally heard the rushing water moments before he kicked his way into the clearing. At the far side of a rippling pool, three identical waterfalls flowed from the cliffs high above. “I’ve seen this in vidfiles,” she said softly. “These are the Cliffs of Enarre, a sort of open-air temple for the Perrlain Tribe. Their settlement can’t be far.”
“The Perrlain Tribe?”
“They’re naturalists. They worship nature and shun technology.”
He shook his head. “Why couldn’t we stumble onto the tribe that exploits nature and worships technology?”
“They all live on Halley Prime.” She softened the jibe with a chuckle.
A rumble erupted behind them, deep and menacing. Turning, Corry spotted a creature half-hidden by the thick underbrush. Its grizzled brown fur looked coarse and matted. Sharp quills adorned its flat tail.
“I don’t think it likes you,” Ashton teased as the creature growled again.
“What is it?”
Ashton shook his head. “I don’t know, but stay away from that tail. Damn, those quills look painful.”
As if understanding his words, the creature flipped up its tail and launched the quills directly at Corry. She yelped and ducked. Ashton threw himself in front of her. The quills caught his shoulder, embedding deeply.
He cried out, clutching his upper arm just below the injury. Corry snatched her motivator from his pocket and fired on the beast. It shrieked and ran off into the trees.
“This stings like a son of a bitch!”
She carefully plucked the quills from his shoulder, touching only the very end. “Take off your shirt. Let me see if the wounds are swelling.”
He groaned when he moved the affected arm, but they managed to rid him of his shirt. Corry angled his body toward the sunlight filtering through the canopy of leaves. He swayed. She steadied him, lifting her gaze. Perspiration gleamed upon his cheeks and dotted his upper lip.
“You look terrible. Sit down before you fall.” Without a word, he slumped to the grass, his eyes bright and dazed. “You packed the schooner’s medical kit. It might have an antitoxin.”
He just stared at her and Corry’s heart lodged in her throat. The holes in his shoulder swelled, becoming inflamed and red. She turned his arm so she could reach the control panel. He didn’t try to stop her, which compounded her fear. He sat there staring, swaying slowly back and forth.
As soon as the cuff released, she unhooked it from her wrist and reached around him for the supply bag. Please, God, let there be an antitoxin. Fingers shaking, she struggled to unknot the rope.
Ashton groaned and collapsed onto his side.
“Shit!” Frantic now, she clawed at the rope. It gave and she opened the pillowcase, spilling its contents into the grass. She snatched up the medical kit and struggled with the latch. Bandages, ointments—damn it, where was the mister? Finding the cylindrical device, she quickly sorted through the inserts. An antibiotic, two pain relievers…
“Yes!” She grabbed the tube labeled Antitoxin and shoved it into the mister. “Hold on. This should do the trick.” She opened his mouth and depressed the trigger, releasing a cloud of mist.
Hot. His skin smoldered under her palm. The puncture wounds started to seep and Corry let out a frightened cry. “Come on, Ashton. You can’t die on me now. Who would I antagonize?”
He moaned. His body went rigid and then began to shake. Fuck! Was his fever triggering the seizure or was this an effect of the poison? She straightened his limbs, moving the supplies away from him and rolling him onto his side.
She grabbed his shirt and ran to the pool, drenching the garment in cool water. Spreading the shirt over his torso, she smoothed her wet hands over his face. His body heat quickly saturated the shirt, making the material feel warm.
Stripping off the utility jumper, she doused it in the pool. She exchanged his shirt for the cool jumper and hurried back to the water’s edge. Could she roll him into the water? Why’d he have to be so damn big?
By the time she’d switched out the garments for the third time, his body relaxed and his breathing evened. He still felt hot, but his temperature had definitely lowered. She turned her attention to the puncture wounds. They had closed off, forming high, pus-filled blisters. Her stomach heaved and she gagged.
“I’m not a freaking doctor. How am I supposed to know what to do?”
Common sense had guided her so far. He was hot, she’d cooled him down.
Okay, think. You don’t want the poison spreading, so you’ve got to let it out.
Rummaging through the medical kit, she found a “splinter remover”. The thin strip of metal formed a distinct point sharp enough to lance the blisters. She opened several packets of absorbent gauze and braced herself for the task ahead.
She poked the first blister and shuddered as the pus oozed out. “I am not cut out for this.” Holding her breath against the smell, she repeated the process over and over until all of the blisters were lanced.
Gently lifting one lid, she gazed at his eye and then laughed at her own foolishness. “What the hell are you checking for? You don’t know what’s good or bad.”
He felt cooler. His breathing was slow and steady. What else should she do? As her panic receded, she glanced down at herself. Wearing only her panties, she knelt beside her unconscious captor. What a mess!
“Is your companion injured?”
“Where did you come from?”
Gasping at the softly spoken questions, Corry folded her arms over her breasts and looked behind her. Two young men stood near the pool, one blond, one dark-haired. They stared at her with a mixture of fascination and mistrust.
“Our ship crashed into the trees. We were trying to find a settlement when an animal attacked my companion.”
The dark-haired man moved forward. “What are his injuries?”
“It had quills in its tail and it shot them right at me.” Her tone grew soft and distracted as the memory replayed within her mind. “Ashton jumped in front of me. He saved my life.”
“I am Lutton. Di
d you remove the quills?”
“Yes. Was that wrong? I didn’t know what else to do.”
“They needed to be removed, but the quills of a malignari are incredibly poisonous.”
Corry glanced at her hands and gasped. Her fingers were swollen, her skin starting to blister.
“Go get help,” Lutton called to his friend. “We will need a litter for the man.”
“I gave him an antitoxin mist. Is he still in danger?”
Lutton’s grave expression sent a chill through Corry. The pounding in her head intensified and her vision blurred.
“You are both in danger.”
Lutton’s words followed her into the void.
Chapter Seven
Wishing her hair were three inches longer, Corry took a deep breath and entered the hut. The sweltering heat made clothing optional as far as the Perrlain Tribe was concerned. Most wore a scrap of material wrapped around their hips, but Corry had never seen so many naked breasts in one place.
Ashton sat, legs crossed in front of him, attempting to force down some unrecognizable substance contained in the bowl he held. He looked up at her entrance and smiled. His dark gaze caressed her mostly naked body and her nipples hardened in response.
“Now this is much more interesting than their idea of food. When did you become so uninhibited?”
“Facing death can change your attitude about a lot of things.” The Perrlain didn’t bother with furniture. She could join him on the pallet or stand. She stood. “You look better.”
“I feel better.” He chuckled and set the bowl aside. “Guess that’s not surprising.” Solemn intensity replaced the amusement in his gaze. “Thank you seems pretty lame when you owe someone your life.”
“I’m extremely thankful.” She watched the bunch and flex of his muscles as he pushed to his feet. “You didn’t give me a chance to say it.”
