by Lynn Rae
“I did. This bed is very comfortable.” And why weren’t you in it with me?
Nodding and pressing her lips together, she walked closer, two steps now, and she leaned over to brush her hands against the coverlet over his legs. Her robe gaped open a little. He held his breath as she straightened and met his gaze again. Thank the stars he’d averted his eyes from her cleavage just in time. Right, he was hot, awake, and in the grip of the normal male morning physiological reactions. “Welti doesn’t quite have the environmental settings adjusted yet, and this room always seems cold to me. You had enough blankets? You stayed warm enough?”
Swallowing, he shook his head. “No. I was cold.”
Lia made a small sound of acknowledgement and was finally close enough to touch. But he didn’t. After her quick exit last night, he wasn’t sure how she felt about him, and he needed her to make some indication of interest. Some sort of sign she wanted him even half as much as he wanted her.
“I’m sorry about that.” She leaned over him and pulled the blanket up over his chest. “I should have checked on you.”
“Yes, you should have.” Colan brought his face close to hers and peered at her. Had their far too hurried encounter the night before made zero impact on her? Was she regretting it or not even remembering it?
“Are you cold now? What can I do?” Lia took a shallow breath and looked at his mouth, and he wanted to grab her, pull her down against him, and start kissing her again so they wouldn’t have to continue this inane conversation. “Should I get in there with you?”
Unable to stop himself, Colan reached for her as she moved over him, their limbs tangling with the sheets and cover as he finally had her in his arms again. He stared into her eyes as she shifted against him. “You should have been here all night.” One quick kiss, which she returned, and he was busy pulling at the fabric bunched between them; her slippery robe, the coverlet, a stray pillow, all of it needed to move away now.
“You needed to rest; I didn’t want to disturb—”
He cut her off with another kiss as he slid his hand past the opening of her robe and stroked his palm along her shoulder and collarbone. Her skin was warm and smooth, and a hint of her musky scent teased him into burying his face into the skin he’d uncovered. Stars, she was amazing.
“Too late, you already disturb me. Constantly. I find you incredibly disturbing.”
“And disruptive? You are very disruptive to my focus.” Lia gasped as he licked farther down, her breast swelling near his cheek. One more shift and he found her nipple already hard, before he fastened his mouth on it with a gentle suck. Her whole body tensed under him, a vivid echo of how she’d moved when he’d made her orgasm before. Oh, they were going to do that again.
“I’m not going to apologize for that. You’re too tense.” Speaking against her skin, he felt the vibrations of her rapid breathing through his lips.
“I know. I feel like I might break apart.” Lia gasped out as he shifted his mouth to her other breast, his hand sliding along her side to shift the robe away. There she was, beautiful, soft, and made for touching. So he did.
“I won’t break you.”
Colan growled against her belly as his hands stroked her hips. Lia automatically moved her legs farther apart and groaned when he moved to lie between them. Every nerve ending in her body begged for his attention, and he seemed to hear them as licked and nuzzled his way down her torso. She reached down and clenched her fingers in his unruly hair as she’d wanted to since she’d first seen him on the landing deck. He bunched his shoulders and frowned up at her. Had she hurt him?
“Why did you just leave last night?”
“Because I was scared.”
“Of being blown up again. Makes sense”
“And of you.”
“Are you scared now?” He looked up at her from between her thighs, his black velvet eyes intent, and she shivered with anticipation.
She shook her head. “Not anymore. I want this.”
“I do, too.”
Nodding, she watched him for a second longer and then lay back when he narrowed his eyes. His nose and lips swooped along her skin, and she groaned and tightened when he first tried to lick her.
“Let me,” he whispered as his fingers pressed against her inner thighs, encouraging her to sprawl open for him.
Sucking in a breath, Lia complied and cried out in surprised pleasure as he found her—first with his lips and then with the tip of his tongue. Kissing her sex as he had her mouth, Colan stroked and pressed, making an exploratory survey of her most tender parts. She waited for every touch he gave her, shifting her hips, unable to quiet her little sounds of entreaty the hotter and wetter she became. A different kind of tension filled her; tight, localized, and so different she couldn’t control it as it lifted her up with every caress. Without warning, Colan stopped kissing and shifted away. Lia rose in protest as her hands slipped from his hair.
“Where are you going?”
“Be right there.”
Colan lifted himself up and lowered his body next to hers, twisting her so she rolled to her side to face him as he pulled her leg over his hip and tucked her closer. Panting, she wasn’t sure where to look until his fingertips caught her face, and he snagged her gaze.
“Yesterday was too fast. Just watch me,” he urged her in a quiet voice, and she relented, giving him a slight nod. A smile worked across his lips, and he slid his hand down between them to position himself, guide her, do whatever he wanted, because those calloused fingertips felt good as they slid and twisted against her. She pressed her hands against the hair and hard muscles of his chest, needing to hold onto something.
“Colan, please,” she whispered, eyes narrowed as he smiled again; his own breathing finally as strained as hers. His face tightened as he pressed his erection there, and she arched in to him, anxious for more, wanting him to fill her and strain against her. He might have moaned her name, but her ears weren’t working correctly because so much blood thundered through her body. She held his gaze and watched as he pushed deeper, pulled tighter, and began to make slow, shallow thrusts. It wasn’t enough; she cried out and tried to thrust her hips to encourage him. His hand clamped her hip, and he held her still.
“Easy. Slow.” Lia might have lost her temper with his return to terse communication, but she was too far gone to care. She was so hot and tense she wasn’t sure how she hadn’t reached an orgasm yet. Panting, she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, but how could she when he was right there deep inside and pulling her with him?
“Look, Lia. Watch.” His soft, strained voice interrupted her struggle, and she tightened her fingers into his hard shoulder. His skin was beaded with perspiration, just as hers was, and for a split second, she was in awe of his self-control. As soon as she opened her eyes, he began to move again, stronger, tilting her to her back and driving deeper, all while watching her. She’d never felt a willingness for such intimacy from anyone. His face tightened, and as she recognized his faltering control, her orgasm tore through her body in a volley of contractions. Everything fizzed silver, and Lia arched back, reveling in her pleasure and Colan’s answering growl.
Chapter 11
Now, that was better. Colan let one self-satisfied thought drift through his head before he pulled away from Lia’s limp body. He shivered with post-orgasm endorphins, and she was inert, so he guessed it had worked for both of them that time. With his last bit of strength and concentration he pulled a blanket up over their bodies and then collapsed into her pillows, sucking in deep breaths as his heart hammered. That had been much better.
She stirred, and he reached out for her, ready to touch her now that she seemed conscious again. Rolling on to his stomach, he slid his arm up her thighs and settled it around her waist as she wriggled. Her fingertips skittered along his shoulder and plunged into his hair where she stroked his scalp in a mesmerizing way, reminding him of how she’d pulled when he’d licked her to near-release. She’d tasted like
a delicious fruit, and he couldn’t wait to please her again. In a little while. After some nourishment and perhaps an early morning nap.
“That was…” Lia trailed off, and he grinned. Indescribably good? Earthquake intense?
“Was what?” he prompted, and she pushed at his head weakly. She hadn’t recovered her strength yet, how gratifying.
“You tell me, man of few words. I’m drawing from void space over here.” Her voice was low and throaty and filled with good humor, overlaid with a glaze of irritation.
“I think—” Colan raised his head to catch her gaze. He sank into those beautiful brown eyes which had stared at him with such anticipation when he’d pressed into her welcoming heat. It had been as amazing as he’d imagined it would be. “I think we should have done this the day you arrived. It would have made negotiations much more pleasant.”
Her soft, full lips curled into a scowl. “What? I should have propositioned you right there in the mud at the edge of the landing deck? Right in front of everyone?”
“No, you could have waited until we were indoors. But you should have definitely propositioned me as soon as possible.”
“How could I when you could barely stomach talking to me?”
“Oh, so you wanted to have relations as soon as you saw me?”
“No!” She tried to draw away, widening her eyes with outrage, and he tugged her down along his body, tucking her in tight and relishing how she bent her leg over his and pressed her breasts to his chest, belying her aggravated tone. “I didn’t. You were gruff and grumpy and ran away as quick as you could.”
“I’m just poorly socialized. You startled me with your sophisticated ways.” Colan nuzzled along her neck as he talked. “If you’d have kissed me and wrapped your legs around me, I would have calmed right down. Despite my common sense telling me to stay away from you.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. You didn’t like me.” Her voice was soft, and he stopped his kisses to meet her gaze. Caution glimmered in her eyes, and she pushed at his arms as she twisted away.
“I don’t like anyone. Why do you think I map uninhabited planets?” He tried to joke and immediately regretted his words as soon as he saw her face tighten. Because he wasn’t properly socialized he just kept going. He’d hurt her and that made him angry with himself. “And it’s not as if you like me either.”
As his words landed in her ears, Lia’s eyes narrowed, and she began to push him away. Rather than wrestle her into submission, which would take all morning because she was stronger than she looked, Colan withdrew his hands and held them up in surrender as she rolled off the bed and whirled the robe around herself. In a rush of outrage and cloth, she fled the room, brown hair streaming behind her.
He watched her disappear, his mouth hanging open with unsaid words that might have stopped her. But it was too late. The panel slid closed in a controlled and quiet way, and he began to scan the room for his clothes. Way to ruin the moment, you idiot.
Lia tried to breathe deeply, but she was having a hard time when all she wanted to do was cry. And how stupid was that reaction? She’d had spontaneous, restorative sex with a man who didn’t like her. A man who thought she didn’t like him in turn. Which was an extremely insulting indictment of what he thought of her as a person.
Anger percolated in her blood like acid, and she stared at the breakfast she’d started in her kitchen before she’d heard him stirring in the bedroom and had gone in to her doom. There was no way she was going to try and cook for him now. Of course, he’d probably have made fun of her amateur efforts anyway, so no harm done.
Shoving ingredients back in her chiller, she missed the noise of him leaving the bedroom and was startled when he slammed something metallic on the counter behind her. She jumped, turned, and was confronted with a simmering Colan Nestor. His eyes narrow, a flush on his cheeks. He stood there, shirt unbuttoned, trousers hanging open, his belt coiled on the countertop between two place settings. He didn’t even have on underwear; she could see the trail of hair leading—
“What’s with you running away?”
“I’m supposed to stay and listen to your misanthropy?”
He took a deep breath, chest swelling, and she staggered with a sudden pang of lust at the sight of the body she’d caressed so recently. Too bad the man inside it was an insensitive hermit.
“What’s all this?” Changing the subject, he gestured at her carefully laid out plates, glasses, and napkins. Oh, how pathetic she’d been to want to care for him as she’d waited for him to wake after a traumatic night, to reciprocate the care he’d given her. Instead, she’d had reckless intercourse with him and been insulted immediately after.
“It was going to be breakfast,” Lia countered as she rapidly gathered up the things, plates rattling and glasses clinking together. She was too rough and shaky to be more careful. “But now it’s nothing. Put on your belt, your pants are falling down.”
He whipped the strip of webbing from the counter with far more force than necessary and threaded it through one loop before he stopped to taunt. “Huh. You liked it well enough when my pants were off.”
With a little shriek of outrage, Lia threw the handful of plates and glasses into the sink where they shattered with a tremendous and satisfying crash. Colan’s eyes widened, and he took a step back as she walked around the counter, raising her arm to point at her door.
“Out! Now! Not another word!”
He opened his mouth to reply when her door pinged. Lurching to a halt, Lia stared at him. Backing around him cautiously, she went to her door, hoping it wasn’t Zashi responding to the noise with a stunner drawn. Checking the monitor, she gusted out a tremendous, aggravated sigh. It was Stev, bright-eyed and well-put together. Not rumpled and distraught as she was.
“Hello, Stev, what is it?”
He grinned into the monitor. “Came to invite you to breakfast. I wanted to hear all about the excitement last night. Are you all right? I thought I heard a crash.”
She sensed Colan come up behind her, the heat from his body matched the anger radiating from him in pulsing red waves.
“Let him in. He likes you.” His hissing words in her ear made her cold with rage. Jabbing at the release tab, Lia jerked her elbow back, hoping to catch him in the gut, but he was too agile, dodging to the side as the door opened, and Stev looked in, his grin fading as he took in the sight of the two meters of half-dressed, agitated male standing in her foyer. With a superior nod at the blinking man, Colan strode out of her apartment, boots in hand, trousers bagging, and belt trailing along behind him.
Lia wanted to cry.
“Tor, hey Tor, wait!” Colan paused in his retreat down the middle of the muddy street of Pearl, trying to put as much distance between his addled self and the disaster in Lia’s suite, and turned to face Gina Healy. She was trailed by both her boys, who, despite the ruckus of the night before, or perhaps because of it, seemed entirely rested and fit. Colan was exhausted and shaky, but both disabilities were his own damned fault, so he could hardly blame anyone for the contrast. Ermil walked right into his leg and circled his thin arms around Colan’s thigh.
“You’re not blowed up.”
“Not at all.” Colan laid his hand on the little boy’s head and greeted Perrin and Gina all while wondering how many more dishes Lia broke. Or perhaps she was crying on the shoulder of her former lover he’d left her with like an entirely enormous idiot.
“Tor. Have you heard about Riva?”
Dread filled his belly. “Is she—”
“No, she’s improving. She might wake today. But that’s not why I stopped you.” Gina grabbed Perrin’s shirt collar as he tried to drift toward an alley filled with cans of refuse. “Wayde and Rob are in a bit of a situation.”
“What now?”
“They’ve contracted to lead the initial party to the new base camp the settlers are going to construct over in the big cocker forest. I know they’re capable of getting themselves there, but they tend to wan
der when they feel there are some good shells over the next horizon. I’m concerned they might lose a few new folks before they actually get there. The settlers moved their departure time up because of the recent disturbances, and I can’t really blame them.”
Colan sighed. He knew where this was going. “You want me to go along and keep everyone in a straight line.”
Gina nodded, her stressed expression lifting for a moment. “If you would. The last thing anyone wants, after all that’s happened, is for any more people to be endangered. It would be intensive liaising.”
And it would mean he could get out of town and dramatically cut down on the number of people he’d have to deal with. Especially one female with silky brown hair and outrage in her eye. Done.
“When do they want to leave?”
“Today. And before you go, I need to ask if you’ve decided on what you want to do when it’s time for you to transfer off-planet. No, no.” Gina held up her hands and stopped him before he could speak. “I haven’t released you from your Gamaliel contract yet. I still need you as a liaison for the next month or two, at least. But I also need to put in authorization for your next assignment. Have you decided to take another planet or settle in somewhere and write your guides?”
Colan stayed quiet as he lifted the laughing Ermil up and down out of the muck. The little boy squealed and shrieked each time his shoes made a sucking sound in the mud. Another month or two here? With an angry Lia Frei dogging his every move? “Set me up for a planet again.”
“Really?” Gina narrowed her eyes. “You know that writing up those guides and publishing is the better choice for you, professionally speaking. There will always be more planets to survey, but the longer you go without writing up your planet guides, the more difficult it will be. You’re what, three surveys in and not a book in sight.”
Shrugging and using the motion to pull up Ermil and Perrin, who’d latched on to his other arm, Colan tried to look unconcerned. He was behind in his publishing. So what? He was a field man. He’d always been more comfortable on his own in uncharted territory than sitting at a desk and putting one word after the other. Gina, on the other hand, seemed to produce a study or paper every six months, and as head scientist, she took it upon herself to encourage her staff to mimic her rigorous academic schedule.
