Knight, Dee S. - Bride of the Pryde (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Dee S. Knight

  “Prepare a lunch we can easily eat in our cabins. I think it’s a good idea to quarantine ourselves until we’re sure the Pheron’s power is diminished.”

  “Aye,” Charlie said. He stopped at Susan’s side and squeezed her arm. “Don’t worry. The captain will get to the bottom of this. It wasn’t your fault,” he said and then left the bridge.

  Did the man ever lose that sweetness? Susan shuddered at what he might keep hidden deep within, something that might be released now that he had Pheron in his system.

  But damn, he was cute, with his magnetic green eyes and tall, muscular body. She shouldn’t have been so mean to him on the hover craft. Sometimes she could be a bitch, it was true, but she shouldn’t be bitchy with good-looking, delicious men like Charlie.

  Where the hell did that come from?

  Criminy, the Pheron must already have started working. Becoming distracted in dangerous situations was totally alien to her nature.

  Adam stared at her for several moments before passing by. She felt the tug of a mind probe but thankfully kept up her barriers. He nodded and left the bridge behind Charlie. Dilly knelt at her feet, wiping the glass and Pheron into a HazBag. She looked up to find Captain John Erik watching her through hooded lids.

  She once again sensed the power emanating from him. His command of the ship and the loyalty he enjoyed from his crew—two men who were no slouches themselves, not to mention the walking, talking formation of nuts and bolts—impressed her.

  And then there were his looks. He reminded her of a Viking from an ancient fairy tale her mother had read her as a child. Vikings were reputed to roam the northern latitudes on Earth long, long ago. Like the pale northern sunlight, their hair glistened like gold. Like pack ice, their eyes gleamed blue. They wore the skins of monstrous bears and had the strength and shape of those same animals. They had seemed mystical to her, listening to her mother those many years ago, but now she knew they were not mythical creatures shrouded in mist because one stood before her. If she were a normal woman instead of one steeped in intrigue and peril, she might have fallen in love with such a man.

  She had long ago given over her life to her government, forsaking her own desires and womanly needs for the greater good. In the beginning, the constant adrenaline rush that came with the job kept her focused on things impersonal. Lately, though, her work had lost its appeal. The more she tried to do, the less it seemed she accomplished. No matter what evil she helped to eradicate, something just as bad—or worse, like Pheron—popped up.

  Had she made the right choices, especially in denying her softer half? She normally banished the doubts and second guesses. But sometimes, in the dark of night, they stole into her mind and weakened her resolve. In those times, did she dream of a man striding out of the mists to claim her, body and soul, a man wearing an animal skin and looking much like John Erik? Yes, and more. She yearned for him to rescue her, to give meaning to her wasted life, to make her a woman by filling her body and her soul. By giving her laughter. By giving her peace. Maybe by giving her a child.

  Susan closed her eyes on a gasp at the stab of loss and emptiness. She shook her head to clear the images. This had to be the Pheron acting on her. Idiot! Stay focused.

  When she opened her eyes, Erik stood within inches, his face so near they could kiss with very little effort. Oh, how she wanted him to kiss her. Her breath caught in her throat.

  He studied her eyes. “Who are you?” he whispered. “How can you make me ignore every—” Stopping suddenly, he stepped back, compressing his lips until they were thin lines. “Go to your cabin. When Dilly brings your food, please remember that he is a member of this ship and you are not. Try not to irritate him any more than you already have.”

  Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Heat flushed her cheeks. “Me, irritate him? Go to hell, Captain. Your pile of scrap iron will meet you there soon enough, I’m sure.” With that, she spun on her heel and strode off with as much dignity as she could muster.

  Guess I told him! Why then did she suddenly and uncharacteristically feel like crying?

  * * * *

  “Damn! Why do I let her get to me?” Erik planted his hands on his hips and stared after her.

  How could one woman make him want to throw her on the bed and claim her in every way possible and yet protect her from whatever she was running from? He’d never met a woman more irritating. Or more afraid. Something had her scared shitless, but Erik didn’t think there was a chance in hell she’d ever admit it.

  Could be the drug.

  No, he’d sensed her fear before the Pheron. He wished Adam had been able to read her so he knew what he was working with. He, Adam, and Charlie had formed a kind of easygoing lifestyle. They were open and friendly, yet they respected each other’s professionalism and expertise. Danessa—or whatever her name was—was disturbing the ship’s equilibrium as well as his own. They had a long flight ahead, and the ship wasn’t so large that they wouldn’t be thrown together. He’d rather know what to expect from her.

  “Dilly!” He’d make sure their wayward guest stayed in her quarters while under the influence of that drug. God knew he was feeling something strange, too, though at any other time he’d think it was lust, pure and simple. Drug or hormones, a driving need surged through him.

  “Dilly!” Where was that damn robot when you needed him?

  “You needn’t yell, you know. My audio chip is calibrated to hear a whisper from a hundred feet.”

  The dryness of Dilly’s response didn’t escape Erik. He forced himself not to smile. Turning, he said, “I want you to be damn sure Ms. Vanessa stays in her cabin. I don’t care what it takes.”

  Dilly folded his hands at his waist. “Yes, Master. And where will you be?”

  Erik straightened, throwing back his shoulders. “Wherever the hell I want to be. It’s my ship.”

  “Oh. I just thought maybe you would want to be the one to make sure she stays in her cabin.”

  “And why would you think that?” Erik sought iciness in his tone but instead heard only the inkling of desire.

  Dilly adopted a smug expression, as though he knew he had just planted an idea in his captain’s head. Damn him.

  “Her cabin is part of your ship, isn’t it? And keeping her submissive was your idea, wasn’t it?” His hand flew to cover his mouth. “Oh! Did I say submissive? I meant secluded, of course.” He winked at Erik. “But take it as you wish.”

  Erik shook his head. “I swear, sometimes I wish you had an off switch.”

  He faced the front viewing screen again. The image of Danessa submissive and beneath him burned in his brain, just as he knew that hunk of nuts and bolts intended.

  His breath quickened. His groin tightened. He felt every corpuscle of blood rush straight to his dick.

  He fisted his hands at his sides and willed his mind off the woman just a short stroll up the companionway. Would she fight him? Or would she walk willingly into his arms? Would she spread her legs under him or demand to ride him, taking control?

  “And your order is, once more, please?” Dilly asked from behind him.

  “To prepare lunch.”

  “And our guest?”

  “I’ll take care of her.” Erik winced at Dilly’s short laugh as he left the bridge.

  A couple of minutes later Erik stood outside her cabin door. He should knock. With anyone else he would have, but his surging erection and barely harnessed lust made him want to set the ground rules. And the first rule was that he, John Erik, commanded this ship and everything on it.

  He flashed his hand over the biometrics pad and waited impatiently for the door to slide open. Nothing happened.

  He held his hand up again, positioning it over the pad for a second or two. Still nothing.

  “That…woman!” He pounded on the door.

  “I’m not hungry. Go away.”

  “It’s not lunch, you…Open this door, damn it!”

  “Why?”

  “Because I said
so.”

  “Not good enough.”

  Her words were sharp, but Erik detected a breathlessness, a strained aspect. Just as he was feeling. “I want to—” He leaned his arm against the door and his head on his arm. What could he say now? I want to fuck you into senselessness. Would she open on honesty? No, he decided. “I want to talk to you.”

  “I can’t. I’m…” She sounded close, as though she rested her head on the door, too. “I’m not in control.”

  “Let me in. Please.”

  He heard nothing. Then she said, “You can open it now.”

  Running his hand over the pad, he was gratified to see the damn panel slide into the wall. He stepped through. Danessa had backed against the far wall, arms crossed over her chest. Across those luscious tits he longed to taste. She didn’t look frightened, but wariness filled her eyes.

  “How did you jam the door?”

  “I’m not without talents.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a minute.” He took a step toward her. Then another. And another, until only a breath separated them.

  “It must be that the drug has me in its power,” he said. “I find my deepest, darkest desires involve you.”

  “Just shut up, Captain.” She unfolded her arms and tore off her halter top before slinging her arms around his neck. When she stepped into his kiss, he found a passion that matched his own.

  He hadn’t thought it possible, but Dilly was wrong. Her tits were far better than big. They were more than a mouthful, more than a handful. More than he’d dreamed. And right now they were all his.

  Chapter Six

  Susan took the plunge over the sensual waterfall. And like jumping into an actual waterfall, she tumbled and rolled out of control. She didn’t care.

  With all the secrets she held tightly inside, all the violence she controlled and desire for action she kept reined in, who would have guessed that the Pheron would release desire so strong it felt like a living thing?

  Thank God Erik stopped talking. If he expected her to form words and actually speak, he’d be greatly disappointed.

  And thank God he kissed with all the same passion she had pent up. He opened his mouth and took her lips, changing the tilt of his head so that he left not even an ando-width untouched. His hands roved her body before slipping under the waistband of her jeans and pushing them over her hips. She shoved them farther, never losing contact with his lips, until she could pump her legs and force them the rest of the way off. She stood naked, pressed against John Erik’s body, and she loved it.

  Was that the Pheron, too? Did it not only release inhibitions but ensure that you enjoyed letting your darkest fantasies fly? Just how dark her fantasies were had her throbbing with need.

  A large, very firm erection prodded her abdomen. She wanted nothing more than to feel it inside her mouth, inside her body, pushing deep, making her experience the well of emotion she kept locked behind the vault door in her mind.

  One of his hands gripped her butt cheek while the other skimmed her stomach, over her mons, and straight to her pussy. He slid two fingers into her slick passage just as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. She drove her hips forward, sucking his tongue and riding his fingers as shock waves shot through her. He prodded her ass with another finger. Susan moaned, wanting it all, her mouth, ass, pussy. Now. All at once.

  But with only one man holding her, she’d be happy with what she could get. She hoped Erik had stamina.

  Breaking the kiss, she dropped to her knees. Erik unfastened his uniform pants and she ripped them down his legs. The deep purple of his penis hugged his stomach. She tipped it down and into her mouth. Erik grabbed a handful of hair and pulled it back from her face Did he watch? She tilted her head back to see. His eyelids were hooded. His breath came harshly through his nose, and he appeared entranced, watching her suck his cock into her mouth and tug it out.

  She licked the tip, lapping up the drop of cum that seeped from the slit at the apex. Then she ran her tongue along his length, following with her hand to spread the moisture. He groaned and braced himself on the wall with his free hand. When she took him in this time, he thrust himself to her throat. Her tongue teased the bottom of his shaft. She grasped his hips and went down on him with vigor, sucking in, scraping out, tonguing his slit, licking his crest. Eyes closed, she gave herself over to the rhythm.

  Without warning he pulled out, panting hard, his legs trembling. “Not like this, not this time,” he said harshly, tearing his shirt off. She could barely focus after so extreme a change. But focus wasn’t needed when he took her arms and forced her to her feet. Both hands on her butt, he lifted her and placed her back to the wall.

  Susan fit down over his cock as though her pussy had been bored to match his bolt. He took her mouth, thrusting his tongue into her mouth in time with his cock’s thrust into her pussy. She hooked her legs over his hips and her arms across his shoulders, not with the need to hold on—Erik supported her handily—but with the desire to touch, to feel his corded muscles flex beneath her fingertips.

  God, how he filled her. With each slow drive he scraped her clit with the root of his shaft. The light hair covering his chest tantalized her sensitive nipples, and his tongue took control of her mouth. Thoughts couldn’t form and she didn’t care. She wanted to feel, only feel, without concern or holding back.

  Erik pressed her to the wall with his hips, broke the kiss, and dipped his head to take her nipple. His mouth—wet, hot, wonderful—sucked at her. He licked and then bit down. Slight pain mixed with the heaven of having his mouth on her. He drove his hips forward then rocked in tiny thrusts, stroking her clit. She burst into starlight, all heat, all shimmering rays of energy.

  When she had enough presence of mind to realize that strong arms held her off the floor and that it was a good thing because she wasn’t sure her bones hadn’t turned to liquid, Erik’s face nestled into the curve of her neck. He breathed hard but shallowly, as though trying to control himself.

  She stretched, moving her hips and finding he was still half-erect and still inside her. Purring like an Earth tiger, she said, “Are you finished?”

  He gave a small shake of his head. “Just resting for a moment. You feel as soft as Saturn dust surrounding my dick.”

  “Your cock is as hard as Turzite diamonds.”

  He chuckled. “Not quite, but give me a few more minutes. How long before this drug wears off?”

  Susan squirmed her hips against him. “Not for a little longer, I hope.”

  “Hmm.”

  He pushed back, stiffer than just a minute ago. “Funny, but I never imagined you’d be like this.”

  “You mean kind of…needy.”

  He choked back a laugh against her neck. “Not the word I had in mind, but it’ll do.”

  She nudged her hips forward again, feeling a very satisfying poke back. “I didn’t think this would be it, either. I was thanking heaven you’d locked up my Renthaur.’

  “You’re one to watch, that’s for sure,” Erik said. “In fact, I plan to watch you quite a bit as soon as we have another go at it.” He lifted his head and took her lips in a gentle kiss that became more forceful as his cock pressed forward, farther into her passage.

  Susan inhaled his scent, something she’d been too distracted to do during their first bout. Sweat mixed with a woodsy essence, similar to what men smelled like from the Outer Section, where a few trees still existed. Would he taste as good? She licked his shoulder. His eyes turned cloudy, his lids dropped to half-mast. She savored the salty flavor of his skin, lightly sheened with sweat.

  She ran her palms over his shoulders. His muscles flexed and contracted under her fingertips, strength harnessed and used as needed. He still held her off the floor and drilled her with his world-class penis, and yet she sensed power still unleashed.

  He tore his mouth away, breathing heavily. “You do feel fucking good,” he ground out.

  “Good fucking.” She licked his shoulder again and he groaned.r />
  He stroked her clit with the root of his penis. The familiar tingle grew. She bent her head and lightly bit his shoulder.

  “Tigress!”

  He shifted her up higher and withdrew almost all the way. Short, fast thrusts had her taking in short, fast breaths. In no time at all, only a few strokes on her G-spot sent her over the edge.

  When had she so completely lost herself? It had been a long, long time.

  She found she liked it and gave herself over to time and space

  * * * *

  Damn, but she looks good! Charlie stood in the open doorway to Danessa’s room, watching the captain fuck her pretty thoroughly against the bulkhead.

  Feeling strangely, he had wandered from his room. He’d had no experience with Pheron and didn’t know what to expect. There in the passageway, outside Danessa’s cabin, he’d found Dilly. The door was open and the cyberbot stood as though transfixed. Then Charlie discovered why.

  “How long have you been standing here?” Charlie whispered.

  “Since they started.” Dilly held his finger to his lips to signal silence.

  Long before they began on the second session, Charlie was rock hard. His groin ached when Danessa threw back her head, her eyes closed and mouth open, obviously lost in orgasm.

  Then she opened her eyes and fixed her gaze directly on him.

  Erik pumped her hard and deep, ready to blow. Danessa’s back scraped the bulkhead with the strength of his drives. Her tits jiggled on Erik’s chest, her hands gripped his shoulders. Head back, mouth slightly open, her hair covered her shoulders—dark hair, not blonde. She looked satisfied and tousled, just like a woman who’d had two randy bouts of sex. She was just about the sexiest woman he’d ever seen.

  Damn! He was going to come in his uniform!

  Charlie watched her, unabashedly jealous of his captain. She lifted one hand and crooked her finger, beckoning him.

  “By all the gods,” Dilly murmured. He started into the cell.