The Playful Prince
Page 8
“It better be good,” Vitto said as she came to sit by him on a long bench they’d found in the supplies. “It’s the only thing we have. Five cases of nothing but stew and dehydrated coffee.”
“Ugh,” Tori grumbled. “You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re kidding.”
Quinn was crazy. He knew it. He was walking through the marshland on foot, to confront a woman that he hardly knew, trying to find out why she ran away from his bed. Yep, it was a crazy plan. A stupid plan. It was his plan.
He’d been walking for an hour, thinking about what lame excuse he’d use once he arrived at the campsite. Maybe, because he was the ambassador, he wouldn’t need an excuse to check in on her—them. Hearing voices, he stopped. Tori’s laughter rang up around him, and he couldn’t help smiling when he heard it.
“Does it look good?” Tori asked.
“It better be good,” Vitto’s voice answered. “It’s the only thing we have. Five cases of nothing but stew and dehydrated coffee.”
Quinn came to the trees. His eyes narrowed as he saw Tori sitting close to Vitto on the bench. She leaned in to bump his shoulder with a playful nudge. Claws grew from his fingertips, ready to cut through Vitto’s throat if she dared to touch the man again.
“Ugh,” Tori grumbled. “You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Not at all,” Vitto answered. His arm reached around to give Tori a hug. Quinn gripped the trunk of a tree and dug in his claws as he fought a full shift. His nostrils flared, and his jaw tightened painfully.
“Hey, knock it off you two,” Grant demanded. “You know the rules: No affection unless I’m in on it.”
“Oh, baby, come here and give mama some sugar,” Tori teased.
Quinn’s scraping the bark from the tree as he pulled his hands into fists. He forced his claws to retract before he stabbed himself in the palms. Taking a deep breath, he shook with outrage. But, instead of storming forward like he wanted to, he turned and stalked away.
“Oh, baby, come here and give mama some sugar,” Tori teased Grant with a roll of her eyes.
Grant paused in his walk across the campsite and pointed a finger at her. “Don’t tempt me, sugar mama. I just might crawl into your tent tonight and bite you on the ass.”
“Is that how you got Linzi into your bed?” Tori asked with a smirk. “With threats?”
Grant made a small noise and took a deep, dramatic breath before sighing loudly. “Oh, she was the only one doing the biting last night. I tell you what. She brought out these chains and a whip—”
“Oh,” Tori and Vitto grimaced in unison.
“Too much,” Tori shouted in laughter.
“My ears, my ears,” Vitto chimed in, taking his arms from Tori to put them over his ears.
“Quiet,” Simon demanded. They all looked at him with wide eyes, surprised at his harsh tone. He motioned for silence with a large spoon. “You two let the boy speak. This conversation was just getting good.”
The younger scientists rolled with laughter, and Simon just grinned, moving back to stir his pot.
15
After a few weeks at the camp, the scientists fell into a normal routine. In the mornings, they would map out the caves and check for signs of contamination. The equipment HIA sent them was unable to sense through the rock, so they had to search each cavern individually. It was a tedious process, but they were scientists and well used to tedious assignments.
In the late afternoons, they collected samples from the surrounding swamplands—water, soil, green and black moss. They discovered that air was what killed the black moss, so loads of rock and dirt were hauled into the laboratory tent where they set up a special environment to test the strange fungus.
During their time, the four scientists had no contact with the outside world. They were used to the isolation, but for some reason it seemed to be wearing on Tori more than usual. At night, alone in her tent, she would relive each moment with Quinn in her head. In the scheme of things it hadn’t been that long ago, but it felt like a lifetime. The way he’d kissed her, made love to her, stayed in her thoughts during the day. At night, he haunted her dreams. There was no way around it. She missed him.
“Ah,” Tori yelled as mud splattered onto her face. A large clump got into her mouth, making her gag. “Oh, crap! Blast it! Crap! Crap! Crap!”
“Tori?” Vitto called, his voice giving away his concern. She heard the tent flap lift behind her. “What happened?”
“I—I got distracted,” Tori answered, swiping mud from her eyes and spitting. She flicked her gloved hands in the air. “I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and I got careless.”
“Blast it, Tori, it’s in your eyes,” Vitto’s steps moved away from her only to come back. She felt a cool rag on her face as Vitto swiped her clean. “This distraction has been happening a lot lately. Care to share?”
“No,” she grumbled. “I just want to take a bath.”
“Listen,” Vitto began. “I’ve been thinking that it’s about time we headed back to the palace to report to HIA, not to mention King Kirill. We’re almost done with the caves, except for that lower subsystem Grant found yesterday in the east tunnel. I know you’re in charge, and we’ll do what you decide, but it’s just a friendly suggestion.”
“Grant just wants to see Linzi,” Tori answered, chuckling. She’d honestly been putting off going back to the palace though she knew Vitto was right. They did need to check in with HIA and report. And it never hurt to keep the locals informed of their progress. It also made for good relations when and if they needed to stay longer than planned.
“And you want a bath, and I want to eat something besides that horrible dehydrated, ‘I’m sure the Agency really just wanted to kill us with it anyway’ stew.”
“I know. I think we’re all at least fifty pounds lighter since this began,” Tori chuckled, tired. She could use a bed and a warm bath. Slowly, she nodded. “All right. Have everyone secure our site so we can go. We’ll leave in about an hour and a half for the Var palace.”
16
When the four weary scientists trudged into the palace, they were greeted by the king. He smiled at them, not appearing surprised that they were there. Tori guessed the guards had alerted him before they even made it to the edge of the Var city. After a brief report to Kirill and Falke about their progress, they were allowed to go back to their rooms to rest.
Tori searched for Quinn, as she made her way back to her suite, but didn’t see him. She was almost afraid to face him, scared of what he thought of her. She’d acted completely wanton, and she’d been too nervous to face him in the light of morning. He hadn’t tried to contact her since she left though she secretly longed for him to do so. There were many nights she laid alone in her tent, wishing and praying he’d come to her, even if it was for one night.
Now that she was back in the suite, the memories of Quinn flooded her anew. Her body heated, curling with the beginnings of desire. Humming a twentieth century Old Earth tune, Tori stretched her legs across the bathtub. The curtains were drawn over the windows, leaving the bathing area dim. Water was so much better than trying to clean with a hand sanitizer in the cool air of morning out in the forest. Rubbing soap over her skin, she washed at leisure, daydreaming that it was Quinn’s hands on her body.
“Want some company?”
Tori jolted in surprise. The words materialized as if out of her thoughts. She turned in the bath to see Quinn standing below the platform. An instant blush stained her features, and she swallowed nervously. She hoped the steam from the water made her looked flushed so he wouldn’t notice. He looked tired, but gorgeous. Just seeing him took her breath away. Her heart leaped.
“Quinn,” she said, breathless. “You’re here.”
“Kirill told me you were back.” Without waiting for her permission, he began undressing. It seemed natural that he would do so, and she didn’t protest. Tori watched him, as his beautiful body was unveiled.
“I figured I’d come and help you relax,” he answered, giving her a small grin.
Tori studied him carefully. There was something different about him, but it was hard to name. It was his eyes. They didn’t seem such a bright blue. And his smile, it didn’t appear so mischievous in intent.
“Is something the matter?” she asked as he came up next to her. “You look stressed. Are you having problems with the Draig? With Lord Myrddin? Has something happ—”
“How was your work?” he interrupted, instead of answering. Taking the rag from her hand, he lathered it up and motioned for her to turn around. She did, and he began washing her back.
Tori moaned. His strong hands felt as good as she remembered along her skin, easing the tension from her muscles. She loved his hands.
“Work was fine,” she answered at length. “We think we’ve got the caves almost cleared though we didn’t expect to find much.”
“And our neat Var marshland mud?” he asked.
She glanced over her shoulder, and he winked at her.
“It’s still neat,” she returned, giving a small laugh. “I wanted to ask you about the black moss, though. Like, where’d it come from? How—?”
“Shh, later. We’ll discuss it later.” He leaned in to lick at her earlobe.
“Mm,” she moaned, instantly forgetting about work and black moss.
“So, did you miss me?” he questioned, dropping the cloth and rubbing his hands around to her front to glide around her large breasts.
Tori wasn’t sure how to answer, so she just made a weak sound. Yes, she had missed him, terribly.
His hot breath hit against her ear, as he came up along her back and pressed his body along hers. Heatedly, he whispered, “Did you miss this?”
“Ahh,” she panted, weak.
He pulled her tightly against his kneeling frame, so she could feel the heavy length of him in full detail. His soapy fingers pinched her nipples into hard buds, massaging the weight in firm strokes. She arched back into him, running her hands behind her head to touch his silken hair. Her fingers tangled in the locks, pulling him closer.
The warm probing lick of his tongue found her ear. It swirled around the outside rim, making her shiver with anticipation. After showing the lobe the same thorough attention, his kisses moved to her neck. He lightly nipped at her flesh until it stung pleasurably.
Quinn’s hand slid down her stomach, settling between her thighs. His finger parted the lips of her body, gliding forward to stroke her tender flesh. She shivered, crying out in ecstasy. She’d missed him so much. It was difficult to explain, but she had. He was the best lover she’d ever been with, making her orgasm so many times she’d nearly lost consciousness. The idea that he would do so again caused her to turn around in his arms.
Tori paused, looking deeply into his eyes. It felt as if no time had passed since they’d last touched. She leaned forward, kissing him, rolling her tongue between his lips to massage the velvet heat of his mouth.
Her hands explored his body, gliding over his arms and chest, playing along his nipples, curving down to stroke his firm stomach and sides. She pulled her mouth from his to explore the taste of his neck, his shoulders. She couldn’t feel enough of him as she rediscovered his body’s secrets. When her hand moved between his thighs to take his length into her palm, he let loose a loud moan into the room. The warm water of the bath made her fingers glide with ease.
Tori stroked him, moving to cup the soft globes underneath as she ran her fingers up and down over his shaft beneath the surface. If not for the water, she’d have taken him in her mouth. She remembered how much he’d liked it when she’d done that, how much she’d liked doing it for him.
“Ah, Tori,” he groaned softly, thrusting his hips up. “Sacred cats, woman! You drive me mad.”
Pleasure rolled through her as she continued to kiss him. His hands were on her back, her breasts, searching down to explore between her moist thighs. Lightly, he circled a finger over the sensitive nub he found buried in her wet, hot depths. The warm water only made his exploration all the more gratifying.
Eagerly, his hands found her hips and he lifted her body astride his. Without pausing, he pulled her onto him, impaling his shaft deep within her as he pried into her ready body. Water splashed around her waist, rocking in waves between them. She watched his eyes shift to green ecstasy. The threat of his shifted form thrilled her, made her heart leap inside the walls of her chest.
“Ah, you feel so damn good,” he groaned, throwing his head back to rest along the tub’s rim. His hands stayed on her hips, as he lifted and pulled her in very shallow, very gentle strokes. Tori loved the look of him next to her, of his graceful, streamlined body. She liked how his muscles moved and bent beneath his flesh as he thrust his hard length inside her. “So tight. So hot. Sacred cats, woman, every time I see you I nearly explode with need.”
Tori shivered. She braced her hands on his shoulders and pulled up. His hands on her hips followed her as she moved. When he was almost out of her, he pulled her down forcefully. They both groaned. This time, Quinn pushed her up fast and pulled her down again, repeating the rapid motion.
Their primitive instincts took over, and she began to ride him. Her breasts bobbed before him, and he eagerly thrust his face between them, smothering a moan of enjoyment in their valley as they worked up and down over his cheeks. His hands grabbed the heavy globes, rolling the nipples, drawing them over so they’d pass by his tongue as she moved. She loved his fascination with her breasts.
Tori screamed in approval. Her body moved faster, the movements becoming shallow strokes. The tension built between them, driving them harder as they neared release. He felt so good, so big and strong. Quinn’s mouth latched onto her breast, and he sucked a firm nipple deep into his mouth. His thumb moved over her stomach to find the sensitive nub, rubbing it in tight circles, as she thrust herself harder and faster.
“Oh my, Quinn,” she screamed. Quinn bit down on the sensitive nipple between his teeth and answered with a throaty groan. “Quinn, oh, yes, there, don’t stop. You feel good. Right there. That’s it. I’m coming. I’m com—ah!”
Tori cried out, throwing her head back, as she thrust her body firmly onto his. Tremors racked her, shaking her to the core. Quinn groaned as she took her pleasure, her convulsing body spurring him to do the same. His seed released inside her and, for a long moment, they were completely connected.
Tori dropped weakly along his body, and a purring noise sounded in the back of her throat. Her eyes closed, and she rested against him, so relaxed she almost fell asleep in his arms. “Mm, Quinn.”
Quinn leaned over to look at her beautiful features. Dark circles purpled beneath her eyes, indicating the fact that she’d been working hard and nonstop. He’d sent guards out to check on the scientists, unable to force himself to go back. Even now, after weeks had passed, jealousy reared its ugly head inside him.
When the guards reported her proposed return to the palace, he’d sworn to himself that he wasn’t going to see her. Or, if he did, he was going to act nonchalant. He stood around the corner, listening to the report she gave Kirill. Just the sound of her low, professional voice had stirred his blood and at that moment he knew he could no sooner stay away from her than he could live without air in his lungs. He just had to see her.
The palace had become a dismal place without her in it. How it happened in such a short time, he’d never know. He missed her, fantasized about her, and not just about sex though he did have those thoughts aplenty. He fantasized about her soft laugh, about the light noise she made when she was nervous, or the strange tunes he’d heard her hum when she was preoccupied. He was sure she didn’t even know she did it.
Or, how in bed, she liked it when he stroked inside her sex to the left just a little harder than to the right. How sen
sitive her breasts were and how she enjoyed it when he bit at them. How she was the most vocal woman he’d ever brought to climax, which did great things for any man’s ego. Not once did she become shy about it, worrying about who might have heard her. He’d learned all that in just a few short days of knowing her. It was permanently committed to his memory.
As her chest rose and fell in even breaths, he smiled. She was asleep, her arms draped over his neck. Carefully, he stood. Tori mumbled in light protest as he lifted her from the tub. Then, pulling a towel from nearby he tried to dry them both off. Her eyes opened lazily, and she grinned at him, a catlike smile that instantly distracted his thoughts.
“Why don’t you carry me to the bed?” she murmured, obviously content to lean against him. “I don’t think I can walk.”
Quinn chuckled and easily lifted her into his arms. Laying her on the bed, he drew the covers over them and pulled her into the cradle of his body.
“You’re not going to take off again, are you?” he asked, almost hesitant. Her eyes were closed, and she couldn’t see the vulnerable look that crossed his features.
Lazily, she opened one eye to look him over. “Are you just going to lay there, cowboy, or are you going to saddle up?”
Quinn frowned, confused. “Cowboy?”
“Mm, never mind, I’ll have to explain the concept later.” Tori lifted her arms around his neck, and a soft chuckle escaped her. “It could be fun.”
“Then you must explain it to me,” Quinn murmured.
Tori was still sleepy, but her body clearly warmed of making love to him again. Her fingers roamed aimlessly along the deep contours of his chest. “Why don’t you be on top this time?”
Quinn didn’t have to be asked twice. He maneuvered his hips between hers, rotating to lie on top of her. He made love to her slowly, savoring her body with his mouth and hands. His lips latched onto her heated center, bringing her to climax with his exploring tongue and lips. And, as the shivers of it still racked her, he lifted himself and entered her in slow, deep strokes, keeping the sensation alive.