by Missy Lyons
He lay her down on the floor softly as a gentle melody played in the background with something very similar to a Caribbean steel drum and flutes with a gentle melody. It made her feel peaceful and completely relaxed.
Ryder pointed to the sky at a fiery, red planet that circled the dark-red sun. “That is my home planet Cimera.”
“Really? That’s amazing you can show me what it looks like.”
“Oh, I can show you much more than this. I just thought we’d start at the beginning.”
“Okay. What else can you tell me about Cimera? How far is it until we get there?”
“It will take us a few weeks to travel there in a ship this size.”
“Oh, that long?”
“It will give us a chance to get to know one another better.” His powerful hands traveled over her stomach in a fluid motion that made her sigh in contentment. She could use a little more than a simple touch, but she hoped this lesson would end with a lot more than a lesson about the stars.
“I hope so. I just think I am anxious to get to know what it will be like when I move in. I am just nervous about the unknown. I know what I gave up to be here with you and Saber, but I have no idea what I am going to.”
“Every planet in the federation has something to offer the superpowers and to help keep the peace between the worlds. Kreed is a mining planet that has a great deal of metals and minerals. Swannea is a farming planet, and they ship food to planets that have more people than they do farmers.”
“What does your planet do?” She blinked up at him.
“Cimera is seen as a more undeveloped nation. We are recognized for the brute strength of our warriors and our hunters and trackers. For generations the federation has used our men as soldiers of war, mercenaries, and we have been recognized as some of the best trained warriors from this side of the galaxy. The virus was developed in a test tube as biological warfare and unleashed on my people as a way to control us.”
“Why would anyone want to do that?”
“Wars are a profitable business to the winners, but my people are not victims. We are strong warriors and feared in the galaxy. Even when our scientists were finally able to find a cure, the damage had already been done to our females. That’s why it’s so important that we find mates we can breed with and continue the line. Our people are our greatest resources.”
Lily tried not to think of the fact she was expected to be a baby maker for Ryder and Saber. She knew Saber and Ryder only looked at her as a potential breeder, but she still wanted to pretend she felt love in their arms and there was more than lust she saw behind their eyes. She worked quickly to change the subject. It was becomingly painfully personal. “What other resources were they trying to steal? Were they trying to enslave you?”
“We have worked hard not to destroy the planet, but its unique volcanic properties combined with the large sources of water have made the perfect environment to naturally develop crystals.”
“That makes no sense. Crystals are pretty, but why would anyone want crystals?”
“Our planet’s crystals are special. They can be used as a condensed power source and are frequently used for long-distance space travel. These crystals don’t grow anywhere else but on our planet.” His serious tone helped her to understand. It could have been gold or silver or anything that one person considered a valuable resource, but it was the power source that drove the aliens to war.
“Oh, so they are powerful enough to start a war over.”
“Exactly. We like to keep control over them, and the demand keeps them pricey. We trade very few a year, and the outsiders are pissed off we won’t play with them, but it’s the queen’s way of paying them back for the misery they gave our planet years ago. We cut off trade altogether with the planet we believe is responsible for developing the virus, and there are strict laws in place to keep control over our resources.”
“That’s interesting. I guess it doesn’t matter how far I travel from home, because there will always be politics.”
“No, and my mother will be pleased to hear you have experience and expertise in diplomacy. She has need for people that can protect the planet’s interests.”
“I would love to help if I can.” Lily needed to be used in some other capacity besides making a baby. Lily was good at politics, and it was possible she could help them with their interactions with other governments. It made her feel a little less apprehensive about her future as well. She snuggled closer to her he-man. His male scent infiltrated her senses, and he smelled clean yet wild as if he just spent a day in the woods without her. She knew it was impossible, but that was what his smell reminded her of. Something wild and primitive.
“My mother would be glad of the help, but do you see the planet there in the corner next to the sun?” Ryder raised his arm into the air, and with a wave of his hand, the galaxy changed. Their view zoomed in on the red planet, and she got her very first close-up of his world.
“Yes.” She could see the mountain ranges and the clouds circling high in the atmosphere. It had two moons that followed it closely. She had nothing to judge its size by, but she wouldn’t be surprised to find out his home world was larger than Earth. It certainly seemed to have more land mass.
“That’s our home,” his voice said wistfully.
Our home. She liked the way he said that, and it felt like he cared to make her feel welcomed. From this distance she could make out large swirls of red and blue laced with a network of white clouds. The water was blue, and the landscape was mostly made of red rock that looked similar to the Grand Canyon. It was similar to Earth, and yet the colors were more vibrant and the planet seemed alive even from this distance. “I can’t wait to see it in person.”
“Do you want to see more?” His hand slid over her breast as if by accident, and she looked up to see the most curious expression on his face as if he teased her.
“Can I?”
“Of course,” he answered her but then raised his voice to speak to the computer. “E.V.E., please program fantasy number 1699.”
Suddenly the galaxy changed to something else altogether. The walls shimmered, and the pixels combined to form light and darkness. The birds were chirping around them, and they were on the edge of a forest with thick trees that looked as big as the redwood forests, and they had thin needles as leaves like a pine tree. Some tree trunks were as large as a small car. The forest had to be hundreds of years old, and it was an awesome sight. She knew it was an illusion, but everything about it looked real from the dirt to the sky above them. It was amazing for a simulator to make the environment look this real.
Ryder got up and dusted himself off and held a hand out for her. She took his hand in hers, and he lifted her effortlessly to her feet. The forest trail was beat down as if it was well traveled by men or by animals hunting small prey. They followed it, and as they did, the sounds of the ocean got louder. They walked until they reached a cliff, and the sight took Lily’s breath away. The palace was luxurious in every detail, built of a smooth, crystal-like substance that was smooth like glass and shone in the light. It was a brilliant shade of crimson that matched her dress, and if she looked closely she could see people scurrying about their work, but from their vantage point the people were so small they looked like tiny ants.
“That’s amazing.”
“That will be your home, until we can build our own palace grounds for our children.”
“This is the mother with a harem of fifty men?”
Ryder’s deep laughter startled her. “Most of the men were gifts from diplomats. She had to accept them or risk insulting other worlds.”
“That’s taking it a little far, don’t you think?” She couldn’t imagine having fifty different men in her bed. She wasn’t sure she could even remember that many names. All the different faces would blur together, and as much as she loved sex, it was personal when she took a lover. She wanted to care for the man and have them in return care for her on more than a physical level.
>
“She has many men who please her, but only seven have the right to take her bed. Those are her mates,” Ryder said. His soft breath fanned her neck, and she felt herself melt against him. The way he held her made her feel complete and a treasured part of his life.
“Seven men—seven nights in a week. I see it as a win-win. That’s one man for every day of the week,” she joked. “I wouldn’t want any more than that.”
“Well, for now two will have to be enough.”
“Are you saying there wouldn’t be anyone else willing to have me?”
She saw his eyes flash with jealousy. “Me and my brother plan to keep you very busy. You won’t have time to look for another mate for quite some time.”
“How’s that?” The question came out perfectly innocent, but it was a challenge to see if she could get a rise out him.
She did.
He swept her off her feet so quickly she didn’t have time to think—to speak. She didn’t have time to do anything but feel. In a half second he had her body pressed up against a tree, and she could feel the ragged bark against her back. The dress she wore offered little protection, and she felt it bite into her skin. Ryder’s hard male body pinned her down to the tree behind her.
His lips were hard and unforgiving. When she opened for him, he invaded and his conquering tongue demanded her complete submission. In a whirlwind of lust and desire, he pressed the advantage, and caught in the heady throes of her desire, she felt his knee push between her legs.
He did something to her dress, pulled a tie, and the entire ensemble fell to her waist and would have fallen to the ground if he had not held her so closely to him. She sucked his bottom lip when he finally withdrew from her.
He chuckled, seemingly amused at her weakness for him.
She sighed. Her movements were slowed because of the drugging effects of his kiss.
She opened her eyes to see his face inches away from hers. His eyes were shaded with lust, and his long, dark hair fell forward, framing his handsome face. She gasped as he cupped her breast in his large hand. The large breast more than filled his hand, and when he squeezed it, she felt a shiver of delight travel her spine and set off the butterflies in her stomach.
“Ryder, please,” she whimpered.
“It is my duty to see to my mate’s needs.” The dress she wore hiked up and bunched around her waist. She had to look a mess by now.
“I need you now,” she pleaded.
“Whether that is food, or shelter, or clothing, or…sex.” With those words, he had his belt unfastened and freed his cock to slide home. “I am here to provide for you, my sweet Lily of desire.”
“Oh!” He slammed his thick cock home inside her moist pussy, and she clung to him. Her fingernails raked his arms and his back. She didn’t touch the ground the entire time, he had her rammed against the tree, but she was so driven by lust and passion she didn’t care. Her vision swam, and she saw blue when she closed her eyes.
She clung tightly to him, and yet he still managed the smooth slide in and out of her. He withdrew when she sought to hold him there at the perfect apex of her thighs touching the center of her pussy. He seemed to sense her body’s pleasure, pushing her beyond what she could normally handle. He tortured her with his dick in the deliberately slow, deep strokes inside her.
“I can’t stand it any longer!” she screamed. “I need to come. Just fuck me, please.”
He chuckled. Then he used the side of his hand, sliding it between their bodies, and smoothed it across her clit.
She exploded. Her head tilted back as he tensed inside of her, pushing deeper than before, and his hot seed spilled inside of her. She gasped as her body convulsed around him, milking his cock. She couldn’t control the pleasure she felt in his arms, but as he slid her to the ground to begin again, she realized she didn’t want to stop him.
Sex with Ryder couldn’t be controlled or even planned.
It was raw passion and fire, and she loved every second of it.
He covered her body with his and kissed her lightly on the cheek and on the lips until her breathing returned to normal, and then she felt his cock pulse deep inside her pussy. She shifted her hips, and he began a steady thrust once again.
“Again? So soon?” She closed her eyes in delight, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close. His skin had a woodsy, masculine scent that reminded her of this forest. She loved the way he held her, the way he fucked her, and the way he looked at her like he absolutely adored her.
“Do you mind? Are you sore? I can’t seem to get enough when it comes to you.” He thrust home, and the breath caught in her throat. “But I can stop if you need me to.”
“Never. Don’t stop.”
“I hoped you would say that.” He chuckled softly, and his day-old beard tickled her chin when he nuzzled her neck. “I want to fuck you all day long and do nothing but sink my cock inside of you.”
“A girl can dream.” She giggled as he set light kisses onto her lips and pressed inside her lips, tantalizing her with a remarkably similar tempo to his cock. When he released her from her lusty stupor, she admitted, “I could definitely get used to this.”
“Could you love me?”
“I already do. I love you so much it hurts.” The words were out before she had time to think about them. He seemed pleased as he drove into her, but what really made her begin to question whether she was going to leave with a broken heart was that he never returned the sentiment.
* * * *
Lily…
Saber sighed before pounding the dashboard with his fist.
With all of his real work done, he couldn’t think of anything else.
He wanted nothing less than to bury himself in her body and forget everything else, but he couldn’t. Not when he just told Ryder they should be saving their seed for her fertile time. Not when…
What made him say he could stay away?
It was impossible.
Saber got off his ass and headed to the simulator, hoping a few rounds of boxing would help him as an outlet for all his extra energy at the moment. When he saw the red light above the door, he stopped in his tracks. It was occupied, which could only mean one thing.
They were in there together.
Anger flared up deep in his soul. His hand hovered over the door panel before he fisted it and turned on his heel. He couldn’t go in there now. They were probably all wrapped up in themselves, bodies entangled, two sweaty naked bodies lost in mating.
Fucking.
His fisted hand rested on the door before he leaned against it.
He shouldn’t have come down this way. Now he would have that image glued in his mind, of Lily’s voluptuous curves being fucked, her eyes deep in lust, her red hair spread around like a halo, and her mouth just opened as she begged for pleasure.
His cock strained at his pants just at the tempting thought. She was behind the door, and if it wasn’t for his brother, he’d be in there making sure his mate was satisfied. Every muscle in his body tensed for battle. He wanted to go in there and throw him off. Then they could battle for the right to have her, or learn to share.
This intense lust he felt for his mate was too new. He wanted her to himself, and that just could not happen, but logic was not overruling this insane desire to fight for what was his. He had to burn off some steam before someone got hurt.
He walked swiftly to his second favorite location on board the ship. The first favorite contained his bed, but without Lily in it, the room held no appeal for him and the last thing he would be doing at the moment would be sleeping.
Two doors down, he slipped inside the exercise room. It was dominated by a large ring used for fighting matches. The ones on his home planet had sand in the ring, but here that tended to interfere with the electronics, and he did agree with E.V.E. that sand aboard a space cruiser was messy and impractical. However, it also absorbed the blood.
“Looking for a fight, Saber?” E.V.E. interrupted his wayward thoughts
with her question.
He undid his formal uniform and removed his undershirt. It was easier to fight bare-chested and without the restraints of that tight-fitting garment. He tossed it over a nearby chair and climbed into the ring.
He finally answered her, “Yeah, make sure it’s a good one.”
“No weapons then?” she asked, and the holograph of a man equal to his size and strength flickered before hardening and becoming flesh. The simulated human was quite real, and every hit that he landed would hurt as much as if it had been his brother. E.V.E. interrupted his reverie, “Looks like you just want to have the crap beat out of you today.”
“Did I ask your opinion?” Saber shook his head and motioned for E.V.E. to continue. “Just do your job.”
The clone had no thoughts, other than those the computer put there, and his dark-brown eyes stared blankly at Saber. He had the characteristics of one of his people, with wide hips, broad shoulders, and his thick mass. Taut, blue skin covered muscle, and Saber knew from experience the clone may not have thoughts but he would be strong as an ox and swift as tiger. The computer programmed him to know advanced fighting styles, and Saber had to outwit or outfight him.
Saber crouched in a fighting stance, knees slightly bent, and his fists shielded his face defensively. “Begin.”
The clone narrowed his eyes before advancing in on Saber. He attacked with a high kick to the head area, but Saber neatly dodged it and landed a hit on the thigh which would have broken a leg if the clone were alive. Technically it was a hologram, but when it hit Saber in the gut with a solid punch, it felt very real. E.V.E. could manipulate the air on a molecular level that allowed the simulations to be as real as the warriors wanted these fights to be.
The clone returned the favor by pinning Saber to the ground. He wrestled with him for a few minutes until he was out of breath and sometimes flipping the man over on his back or out of the ring, but the clone kept coming no matter what he did.
