Faros

by Layla Nash

  He imagined her legs and hips, the soft sweet flesh of her thighs, the way she parted for him when he knelt between her knees. Her breasts had moved with every thrust, bouncing in time with his rutting. They were a good size, although they would grow larger when she carried his young. He stroked faster, groaning through clenched teeth as he imagined her heavy with his offspring. Her belly would swell with his seed and her breasts would grow heavy with milk, her hips fuller and softer and begging for a good spanking.

  Lightning and ecstasy gathered low in his back as he neared his peak. Violet would carry his child and he would fuck her every day for the rest of their lives. He’d never get enough of her. They would have strong sons, beautiful daughters. A new child every year so her body was always lush and fertile and beautiful, ready for more. Ready for him. His whole body jerked as he came, groaning loudly enough he knew she must have heard through the walls, and he stroked through the spasms to milk every last drop from his cock. It was the last time he would climax alone in the shower, wasting his seed on the wall and floor. The next time he came... he’d come in her as his cock swelled and sealed them together. He just had to show Violet that she was ready to be a pirate queen.

  It took him a few moments to collect his wits and make sure he could walk in a straight line after the ball-busting climax. Violet’s scent clung to his bed—her sweat, her sweet arousal. It nearly sent him into a frenzy again. He needed to get her out of his head at least for a little while, until he had a chance to sort things out with the Tyboli. Then they could start over and he’d take her on a proper courting.

  Maybe.

  Faros didn’t have the patience for dating. He already knew what he wanted, and there wasn’t any reason to wait when it was just as clear that she wanted the same thing. Or so he thought. Earthers were damn hard to read sometimes.

  He dressed and returned to the bridge, still scowling. He passed the quarters where she slept—and the guard in the hall—but didn’t stop or even hesitate. He didn’t have time to deal with that just yet. She’d reacted strangely when he told her to stay in her quarters, so no doubt some trouble brewed with her anyway. Faros had to focus on keeping control of his ship and dealing with the Tyboli, then he could figure out what upset the Earther.

  He strode onto the bridge and ignored the look Wyzak gave him, since no doubt the second-in-command suspected what went on between Faros and the Earther. The captain didn’t care. “Scan for new targets. Is there anything in this quadrant?”

  “Not that we’ve found,” Wyzak said. “The only thing moving was that transport full of settlers, then Kryken’s ship.”

  Faros threw himself into his chair and scowled at the viewing screen. It was entirely too bad he couldn’t just order a lucrative target to materialize in front of the Sraibur. Life would have been so much simpler if he could. “And we’re sure there wasn’t anything valuable on that damn transport? Even if we sold the scrap metal from all their tools and the ship itself?”

  Wyzak hesitated, then shrugged. “Only thing the Tyboli would want were the settlers themselves, and we don’t deal with slavers. Unless you want to change that, there’s nothing in range.”

  He considered it for barely a parsec before dismissing the idea. He wasn’t a slaver. He wasn’t ever going to be in the business of taking someone’s freedom away. Well, except for kidnapping Violet, and even then, that wasn’t permanent.

  Although... He frowned and glanced over at Wyzak. “Kryken’s ship went in the same direction as that transporter, though, didn’t it? What are the odds the Tyboli will find them?”

  The second-in-command shrugged. “No way to tell unless you want to chase after Kryken and find out. I would suggest we don’t have time for that sort of thing, but you’re the captain.”

  Faros wanted to throw something at the other warrior. “Start scanning this quadrant for anything that looks like we could take it. Are there any inhabited planets within range?”

  The second-in-command went to work and summoned the rest of the crew, muttering something about the bridge being safe once more without the Earther on it, but Faros ignored it. He’d have to fight Wyzak if he made an issue of it, and he—oddly—didn’t feel like bloodying his second-in-command. Faros wanted some other type of physical exertion, but after Violet’s reaction earlier, he doubted she’d welcome an epic fuck. He scowled at the viewing screen and gripped the arms of his chair. Just three standard days to deal with the Tyboli, and then he could focus on what the hell he wanted to do with the Earther.

  Chapter 23

  Violet

  Violet gave up on sleep after only a few hours. She was too restless and unsettled—irritated at Faros but also still aching for him to finish what he’d started. She’d climaxed more times than she could count, but there was still the matter of feeling him come. It felt like they’d almost reached the peak together and that bulb on his cock was going to expand inside her for one final, massive, star-shattering orgasm.

  And then he’d just—left.

  It still made her mad. Her thoughts kept wandering back to the unbelievable sex and the look on his face when he first lay between her legs and started exploring her body. He’d looked almost... reverent. Like he meant to treasure their time together and that she wasn’t just another in a long string of lovers. Like it meant something to him. She hadn’t been prepared for that.

  Maybe that was what made her uneasy. She’d been prepared for a fling, a little exercise, and a good rush of endorphins if she got lucky enough to come once or twice. She hadn’t been ready at all for a connection. Something more than just a good lay.

  She paced inside the comfortable quarters until she couldn’t take it, then opened the door and frowned at her guard. “I want to go to the gym.”

  The kid’s eyes widened but he otherwise looked unruffled. Maybe he hadn’t expected her to speak to him? Violet tried the few words she knew in Xarav and asked the same question; he nodded and started walking, so she fell in behind. Maybe running or throwing weights around or just physical exhaustion would help her forget about sex with the Xaravian pirate.

  She doubted it, but it was worth a try.

  The guard nodded at a set of double doors, but when Violet started to go in, he shook his head and gestured for her to step back. The kid went in first, barking their rough language at whoever was inside. Violet cleared her throat and started to tell him it was fine, she could work out with others in there, but the three crewmembers inside disappeared fast the moment they saw her.

  Which just irritated her more. Had Faros said something to the rest of the pirates so they’d all avoid her?

  Then the guard made it clear she could go in, though he remained in the corridor. Violet shook her head and figured that was something the Xaravians could figure out between each other. If the guys didn’t want to finish their workouts, then it wasn’t really her fault. She jumped on a treadmill and started running, hoping to get Faros out of her mind.

  It didn’t work.

  At least an hour later, she was still working out and still furious with the pirate captain. The physical exertion only made her want more from him. What the hell was wrong with her? Had he worked some kind of weird barbarian pheromone trick to get her addicted to him? Was she starting to fall under a hostage syndrome, where she fell in love with her captors? Violet snorted and immediately dismissed the idea. She didn’t love him, that was for damn certain. She might have enjoyed his body quite a bit, but that wasn’t love. It was just…hormones. Endorphins. Chemical attraction.

  She clenched her jaw and searched for weights that were light enough for her to actually use. Those Xaravians threw around a lot of poundage; some of the weights were more than double her total body weight. She’d have to keep that in mind the next time...

  Violet stopped herself. She’d been about to think of all the creative ways to fuck Faros that took advantage of his immense strength. Which wasn’t a good use of her time or mental energy. She needed to focus on getting th
e hell away from the Sraibur. She’d let her opportunity with the transport ship pass her by; she couldn’t afford to let another opportunity disappear. The next time she saw a chance to get free, she had to take it.

  But it was as if her thoughts summoned him—the door to the gym opened and admitted Faros, who looked about as irritated as she felt. “You were supposed to stay in your quarters.”

  “You were supposed to finish what you started,” she said under her breath. But she hoped he didn’t hear all of what she’d said. That way lay trouble and madness. Violet spoke louder, so he’d definitely hear. “Your guard didn’t do his job then, did he?”

  Faros’s eyes narrowed into silver specks that tracked her as she bent to retrieve more weights. “He is too…kind.”

  “For a pirate, or a Xaravian?”

  “Both.” Faros inhaled deeply and his scales seemed to expand. They flared blue-violet with gold and silver streaks, and he lurched a step in her direction before he caught himself.

  Violet watched him warily. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I was going to exercise to pass the time until we take another ship,” he said. She tried not to be surprised that it was an actual answer instead of a flippant lie or dismissive joke. “But you’re here.”

  “Don’t let that stop you.” Violet turned her back on him and started doing squats. Maybe if she burned out her thigh muscles, she wouldn’t imagine riding his body for hours at a time. “I don’t take up much space and this is a big enough room—”

  A growl was his only response, and when Violet looked back, goosebumps broke out all across her. Faros’s nostrils flared as he watched her. “It is not a good idea.”

  And damn if he didn’t have a massive hard-on hiding under his robes. Well, it wasn’t hiding, per se.

  Violet put her hands on her hips and deliberately looked at the tent his excitement made. “Do you have something to say?”

  The pirate bared his teeth. “Your scent is... tempting. Even if your attitude is off-putting.”

  “Off-putting? My attitude?” She laughed. “I’ve been kidnapped and assaulted, and you’re complaining about my attitude?”

  “You weren’t complaining when we were in my quarters,” he shot back.

  Violet’s face grew hot and tight with fury and embarrassment. “Maybe not, until you leapt up and ran off before you finished what you started.”

  His dark eyebrows arched and a slow smile curled his full lips. “You’re angry because I didn’t fuck you long enough?”

  “No,” she snapped. She wanted to throw something at him or wallop him over the head with the biggest weight she could pick up. The smug bastard. “Go fuck yourself, because that’s the only action you’re going to be getting for a while. And do it somewhere else, because I’m—”

  “You’re ready for me,” he said, and Violet flushed more. Faros stalked toward her and she backed up out of instinct. “You want more. Just admit it.”

  “I hate your face,” she said. Maybe it was more to convince herself than to anger him. “I hate everything about you and your stupid ship. I want to get the fuck out of here, and I’m tired of dealing with your bullshit. It was a moment of weakness that convinced me to…go along with your attention, but I definitely do not—”

  He laughed, silver eyes gleaming, but his scales turned a little red around the edges as he started to get angry, too. Violet didn’t care. She needed to get out of the gym before she made yet another stupid decision.

  “Convinced you to go along?” Faros’s eyes narrowed as he got closer still, his hands clenching and unclenching with each step. “You kissed me, girl. And now you’re trying to rewrite what happened because you’re embarrassed that you might not be the perfect little prissy lawyer you want everyone to think you are.”

  “I’m… That’s not true!” Violet stopped retreating and instead went on the attack. She flicked her damp hair out of her face and marched right up to him so she could plant her fist in his chest. “You’re a beast. An inconsiderate, lying jackass without any manners or propriety or—you’re just the worst.”

  And she wanted him. Newton help her, she wanted him.

  Faros seized her shoulders and dragged her close, crushing her mouth with his, and growled with lust and fury as his scales rattled and the spikes stood up on his shoulders. Violet bit his lip and buried her knee in his stomach, even though she wanted to wrap her legs around him. Faros staggered and his grip loosened. She took the opportunity to tackle him, knocking him off his feet until he hit the ground hard, and she stood over him and tried to decide what to do. “Don’t you dare—”

  The pirate growled more and jumped immediately back to his feet. “Prove me wrong, Earther.”

  She had no idea what he meant, but then he was kissing her again and every logical thought fled her brain. Nothing made sense and everything made sense, all at the same time. Violet struggled just a little and his arms tightened around her, and she felt caught. Almost…safe. Encircled and restrained and just…surrounded. She didn’t like the implication that she liked being restrained by him, but it made her thighs clench with need until she felt flushed and heavy and ready. Ready for everything.

  Chapter 24

  Faros

  Faros almost lost control the moment he smelled her scent in the gym. The perspiration reminded him immediately of the way Violet left her scent in his room after their exertions together, and it wasn’t long under the hint of her own desire reached him through the humid air. She wanted him too, and he stopped trying to hide his lust. Even if he wanted to grab her and shake her for being irrational and argumentative for no reason. She just needed to admit she wanted him, then they could move on to more interesting problems and activities.

  Like fucking until neither of them could move.

  He kissed her and she bit him, then knocked him down when he got distracted by the feel of her breasts against his chest and the way her hips moved as she tried to knee him in the groin. Faros hardly cared as she yelled at him and called him names. The beast side of him needed her too much to care whether he was rough or gentle, and from the way her nails dug into his arms when he caught her up, Violet didn’t care, either.

  He pinned her to the wall and dragged his teeth down her throat, making her shudder and moan, and Violet’s head fell back against the wall even as her legs wrapped around his waist. Faros growled and ground his hips against her core, feeling the way she moved to meet him, and reached down to drag his robes out of the way.

  He hated that the Earthers wore trousers. Hated it. He’d forbid her from wearing them ever again. They were in the way and not easily moved aside. Faros snarled and wrenched at the waist of the uniform trousers, ripping the fabric away in a single pull. Violet cursed and pushed away, trying to take her legs down from his sides, but Faros shoved her back against the wall and growled in her ear, “Don’t you dare.”

  “These are my last pair of pants,” she snapped. Violet grabbed a fistful of his hair and hauled his head back, making her own adorable little growls, as if her irritation made a dent in how much he needed her. The Earther raked her nails down his chest and tried to elbow him. “I don’t have any more clothes, asshole, since you didn’t let me…oooooooh.”

  Faros’s hands dug into her thighs and lifted her up until his cock rode between her thighs. Violet’s mouth hung open and no sound escaped as he kneaded her ass and tore away the thin fabric that separated her heated core from him. His fingers dipped lower and shoved inside of her, and Violet gripped his shoulders and raised up as she moaned. She started to ride his hand, groaning with each long roll of her hips, but continued to curse him for being an asshole and inconsiderate and a bunch of other words he didn’t know.

  He needed her. He wanted her pinned under him, writhing in ecstasy, as he satisfied himself and filled her with his seed. He wanted her with child, heavy with his child, and he wanted to fuck her every day and night for the rest of his life. But first…first was that time. That moment.r />
  Her legs tightened around him again and she moved in short, sharp jerks against his fingers. Faros growled and used his teeth to tear away her shirt so his mouth could find her breasts. Violet froze, her mouth open in a silent cry, and he felt her channel clutch at his fingers as he pressed as deep as he could. It was too much for him.

  He kept her pinned to the wall but pulled his fingers away. He waited until her eyes opened to lick his fingers clean, watching her watch him do so, and smiled savagely as her mouth formed silent words and her eyes half closed. Violet panted for breath but he didn’t wait. Faros guided his cock to her hot, wet channel and drove inside, thrusting hard enough that she made a surprised huff and immediately climaxed again. He couldn’t control himself, pounding into her as Violet moaned and clung to him. She grabbed at the heavy spikes and stroked them while cursing him, and Faros cursed her right back. Crazy Earther.

  He’d never wanted to need a female again. He never wanted to feel as though a female could have changed his mind or turned him from a decision. But Violet... she drove him crazy. Not just because she was stubborn and contrary, but in all ways. She drove him crazy in every way. The good, the bad, the ridiculous...

  Faros ground into her, needing to feel more of her, and her breasts pressed against his scales until she cried out and arched her back and absolutely clawed him with her nails. He loved it. He wanted more of the wildcat, the angry little Earther with her fierce words and flashing eyes. He caught under her knees to spread her legs more, to push her legs up toward his shoulders so he could bury himself even deeper. Violet wailed and started to struggle, bucking and thrashing, but Faros couldn’t control himself. His cock swelled but he was too close to finishing to wait for the knot to pin her. He needed her more than just the once.