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  Tory nodded. “So, he’s on his own.”

  “I wouldn’t get in the middle of that tornado. Tesia doesn’t strike me as someone who is going to appreciate any interference.” One side of her mouth lifted in a smile. “I wouldn’t.”

  Tory? Little help here. Jezar sounded desperate.

  You’re on your own, buddy. Sorry.

  Alex kept her gaze averted. “I imagine Tesia found out some stuff she wasn’t ready for.”

  He longed to touch her, but thought it best to let her alone. The bridge had been a revelation for both of them. Normally, they could have revealed themselves to each other slowly, tentatively. The mental connection ripped through the walls that they both hid behind. Even though they both found a solid ground to stand on, the connection wasn’t comfortable. Too much information too fast meant no time to process the things revealed. And it didn’t eliminate doubt about the other person’s feelings. Human beings were too complicated and the maze of emotion didn’t make for clear answers.

  “I imagine she did.” He wondered if Alex found out things she wasn’t ready for, but he was afraid to ask.

  “I wasn’t ready for what I found,” she answered his unspoken question and his chest tightened. He had suspected she’d been surprised and confused by their connection, still it hurt to hear her say it. She continued, “But if we hadn’t connected, I might have doubted you to the very end.” Finally, her gaze met his. “I couldn’t believe, after everything I’d done, that you could love me.”

  He stared at her. Was that true? He thought about the fear and guilt surrounding the rock-solid emotion of her love for him. Perhaps, it was true. “There was nothing you could have done to change that, Alexandra. It has gotten more complicated, a little twisted—”

  “That’s exactly what I saw,” she said excitedly. “A twisted skein, tangled, complicated.”

  He nodded. “I know this isn’t how you wanted to be courted—”

  Her hand reached out and stroked his cheek. “I don’t care how.”

  “I wanted to do it our way, with the contract and the ceremonies.” He knew women on his planet loved the ritual, the safety of the courtship rites. She would miss that.

  “Did you know that I had never asked for a Courtship Contract before you and none after you left?”

  He blinked. What? But men must have been clamoring to court her, possess her. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Why do you think my father and my brother objected so strongly?” She smiled. “They both knew I’d made up my mind to have you.”

  Stunned, he found that words failed him. Damn it, he didn’t want to be navigating a fucking shuttle right now. He wanted to get his mate naked and do things to her she’d only glimpsed. Up to now, he’d given her a taste of his dark, delicious intentions. All those years of searching for a sexual release, frustrated without her, thwarted from having her were going to pay off. If he could stop flying the damn shuttle and touch her.

  She met his gaze and grinned. “I love it when you’re speechless.”

  Fuck the shuttle. His hand whipped out and yanked her out of her chair into his lap. He plundered her mouth, reveling in the sweet softness and marveled that she was his. All his.

  She broke the kiss and slid off his lap. “I think I’ll keep us from crashing,” she told him, laughter lacing her tone.

  The sound he made was feral and involuntary. She reduced him to a fucking animal. He focused on getting the damn ship docked so he could rush her back to their quarters.

  No more fighters appeared as they traveled the rest of the way and docked in the bay of The Pinnacle. He’d managed to get blood back to his brain but it was a near thing. Once they stepped off the shuttle, he had one thing in mind.

  Unfortunately, he was a Commander on a vessel supposedly carrying a level-four containment box that every Teran government clamoring to get their hands on. The minute his feet hit the bay, Pulzer was by his side with several communiqués for him to inspect.

  Alex walked by his side, her silent, fluid grace solid and comforting. The bidding had continued despite the general announcement that it was closed. The message from Teran Four was clear. Take their bids or be boarded by Teran Four soldiers. Teran Five was less aggressive, more cajoling. But ultimately, their message was the same. Teran Three objected to the bidding at all on moral grounds. Which they would, the religious fanatics. Teran Two had nothing to say at all. Which they wouldn’t, being completely uninterested in technology of any kind—even a plague that didn’t differentiate between a peaceful human being and a warmonger.

  The one message missing was from Teran One. But then, they had sent their message in the form of fighters.

  They reached the elevator and Alex stopped as if she was going to go to their quarters without him. He gripped her arm. “Come to the bridge with me.”

  Her eyes widened for a moment, slid to Pulzer and then she nodded. Pulzer said nothing, but his gaze stayed straight ahead and his lips tightened. Tory’s second probably thought he was being replaced. “At the moment, we only have one navigator, Jezar.” He met Pulzer’s gaze. “Alex will be the relief navigator. We need one.”

  The slight relaxing of Pulzer’s muscles told Tory he’d been right. “Yes, sir.”

  Tory put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I couldn’t do a thing without you, Pulzer.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  The doors opened and they entered the bridge. Dink grinned. “You have made an impression on the Teran One military.”

  “He always did,” Alex quipped.

  “Send Teran One a message. Tell them the price has gone up. Tell them it’s now— What was that last bid, Pulzer?”

  “Two hundred million leders.”

  Alex’s sharp intake of breath was the only sound on the bridge. Two hundred million leders was the entire budget of Teran One.

  “Tell them, Dink. Two hundred million leders.”

  “What the fuck is in that thing?” Dink asked.

  “Something the Teran One government wants badly.” He didn’t like keeping his crew in the dark. He felt better knowing the box was off the ship. The decoy was in place. Only Jezar, Tesia and Alex knew the box wasn’t the one from Alex’s shuttle.

  “Something Teran Four wants badly as well,” Bud spoke up.

  “Be prepared for an attack from Teran One or Teran Four.” Tory instructed them.

  Jezar entered the bridge. “What is our heading?”

  “We’re heading to the Teran system. I imagine we’ll have company.” He glanced at Tesia, who had slipped in behind Jezar. “Keep the weapons hot and the shields ready.”

  “Will do.”

  “Pulzer, you’re in charge.” He strode toward the elevator and took Alex’s arm along the way.

  Once inside the elevator, Tory slammed Alex against the metal wall. He gave her no chance to resist or say a word, but took possession of her mouth with his. The hour from Ardasia to the ship had been excruciating, wanting her, needing her. He loved the way she shifted to rub against him. His tongue thrust inside her mouth, dominating her, taking all she had to give. His pulse pounded, his hands itched to rip her clothes off right there in the elevator.

  The ping indicating they’d reached their destination managed to penetrate his sexual fog and he broke the kiss. The dazed expression on her face and the way her lips were parted drove him insane. He practically dragged her down the corridor toward his quarters.

  Slow down. Slow down. He took a deep breath as she stumbled into his quarters ahead of him. He clenched his fists and inhaled again.

  Fingers pulled at his clothes and Alex’s mouth pressed against his. He moaned as she yanked his clothes off, tearing his uniform in her haste. Stars, he wasn’t going to last two seconds. He’d be buried inside her before he had a chance to savor her. “Alex.” His voice was hoarse with need.

  She dropped to her knees and his cock was in her sweet mouth before he regained control. “Oh fuck. Alex!” His hands buried in her hair
and he thrust inside the hot cavern of her mouth. When her hands stroked his balls, he gritted his teeth. His cum boiled and churned, ready to explode from him. He controlled it, forced it back. Barely.

  He pulled out of her mouth and she groaned in protest, which almost made him come all over himself. He lifted her to her feet and she began to nibble on his neck. If she continued to torment him, he wouldn’t last. And he wanted this to last. “Alex, you remember what you saw when we were bridged?”

  “You mean—”

  “I mean the rack.”

  “And the flogger.”

  “And much more.”

  She leaned back and a hungry look tightened her features. “Yes.”

  Her acceptance was almost too much for him. He yanked her closer and captured her lips with his, his hands ripping and tearing at her clothes. Naked. She needed to be naked. Now.

  Once they were skin to skin, he resisted the urge to plunge inside her, to drive her to pleasure again and again. This need to possess, to connect with her was so overpowering, so intense, he barely controlled it.

  His hands shook as he pressed the button for the rack and his other hand rolled one of her nipples. She shivered and, a flush spread over her neck and chest. God, she was so beautiful. Her braid was loosened, but he undid the braid slowly and buried his face in the thick tresses. She smelled like the water at Olani Falls, fresh and clean.

  Her head dropped back and he scraped his teeth along her neck, all the while backing her up to the rack. His cock was iron-hard at the thought he would have her restrained, aroused and naked in his contraption. A fantasy come true.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The cool metal on her wrists and ankles sent shivers down Alex’s spine. This time, there was no fear, no pride. Only need and desire. Her skin burned, and her pulse was erratic and she felt as if she was floating in a pool of liquid. Tory clicked the restraints in place and stepped back. She opened her eyes and met his gaze.

  His were dark indigo, desire and need deepening the lines around his eyes. He’d kicked his uniform away and she drank in the sight of her mate. His muscles showed the dangerous life he kept prepared for and his chest narrowed down to his hips. His cock, encircled by his hand, erect and long, mesmerized her. She licked her lips, the taste of him still on her tongue, and wished he was in her mouth again.

  “If you keep looking at my dick like that, I won’t last very long.” He slid closer to her, the heat from his body warmed her skin and she arched toward him. He ran his finger from her earlobe along her neck, her shoulder, the side of her breast, down her rounded hip and finally flicked her clit just once. She groaned. Why didn’t he touch her, take her, fuck her? She bit her lip.

  He moved behind her, his hand still warm on her skin. His lips touched her ear. “I’ll stay here where you can’t tempt me.” He tempted her, though, his finger slipping along her slit with a featherlight slide that made her whimper.

  That teasing finger dipped inside her pussy and probed her until she gasped. There! Oh stars, there. She held her breath and he added a second finger, pressing on the spot he’d found within her like a key to a lock. Her body jerked and tensed. A wave of pleasure washed through her, over her, tightening her whole system like a bow ready to release.

  Just as she began to slip over the edge, his fingers on his other hand pressed against her anus. The skimming of his fingers around her tight entrance only increased her tension. He controlled her response with every twitch, every thrust of his hands. When he stopped teasing and slid two fingers into her, matching the pace of the two in her pussy, she gasped. Impaled on his seeking fingers, she rotated her hips, thrusting him deeper into her pussy and her ass. Her orgasm hit her hard and she yanked on the wrist restraints, the sting of the metal pinching her skin adding to the explosion until she felt the rush in every single nerve of her body. Control didn’t matter and she let the sensations take her wherever they led. No one else had ever had this kind of hold over her and no one ever would. Though she tried to deny it, her heart had been his before he had claimed her. She should have been shocked by his dark desires, but she wasn’t at all. If anything, it was as if hidden fantasies of her own were clarified and sharper because she knew his.

  Behind her, his breath was warm on her skin. His cock was a rod of iron against the back of her leg and she felt him leave a trail of wetness there.

  His fingers slipped out of her pussy and he kissed her shoulder. “I have a present for you,” he said, his voice low and seductive.

  She shivered and blinked when he walked around to stand in front of her. He opened a drawer and removed a belt with a small, round button. She didn’t even care what it was. She’d do whatever he wanted. She thought of the flogging she’d seen in his vision. Even that. She wanted that.

  “I bought this on Sethos Five.” He slid a finger over her nipple and she tried to move closer. “You know what Sethos Five is, don’t you?”

  Did she? She couldn’t put two thoughts together. Her brain was fuzzy. “A…pleasure planet?”

  “That’s right,” he said and he palmed her breast with his free hand, the belt dangling from the other hand. “They provided me with this rack and many other…toys that fueled my fantasies.” He brushed her lips with his. “My fantasies about you.” He slipped the belt around her waist and she realized small spikes dug into her skin and vibrated gently. It echoed through her whole body and sent more fluid rushing to her swollen labia. Oh stars. She was one raw, exposed erogenous zone.

  The front piece of the belt dipped down over her pussy, the straps following the crease between her thighs and her torso. The button on the belt rested directly over her clit and Tory flicked a switch. It hummed on her throbbing flesh and she cried out. “Tory!”

  “That’s right, my Saria, my mate. You’re going to come so many times you’ll be exhausted. You’ll think you can’t have another one. And then I’ll slam my cock inside you and you’ll go supernova, like a new star.”

  She was a hot as a supernova. The buzz of the small button on her clit, the spikes vibrating on her flesh and his sexy voice brought her so close to the edge. Freedom was only a stroke away, freedom from loneliness and grief, freedom from an empty life of duty and obligation. She hardly knew herself anymore, but it didn’t seem like a bad thing. She growled low in her throat, a sound she barely recognized as her own.

  Suddenly, she was there, flying over the cliff, falling, spinning. She thrust her hips, seeking to capture his cock inside her emptiness that ached for him, clenched for him. The keening sound she made sounded strange to her own ears and she trembled violently. Slowly, the wave receded. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. The barely controlled need was there in his eyes, in his face. “Do it, Tory. Fuck me. Love me.”

  He made an impatient sound and gripped her hair in one hand and grabbed her ass with the other as he seemed about to complete her. Instead, he kept his dick just out of reach. His mouth closed over her breast and she screamed her pleasure, the huge wall of pleasure-pain crashing over her.

  Weak and breathing heavily, she begged him, “Please, Tory, please.” She barely got the words out. His fingers sought her anus and she gasped as his fingers stroked her tight entrance.

  Just that stimulation sent her into more convulsions; her muscles tightened and clenched, her orgasm almost painful in its intensity. Tears leaked from her closed eyes and she sobbed. “Tory, Tory,” she chanted his name.

  Suddenly, her ankles were free and he lifted her legs around him. His mouth devoured hers in a shattering kiss that sent her reeling into another universe filled with unlimited pleasure.

  It was just as he said. She didn’t think she could have another one. Her body was spent. He broke the kiss, her lips tingling and parted. And it was now that he ordered her, “Open your eyes, Alexandra.”

  She blinked away the tears and gazed at him through half-lidded, heavy eyes. He held her stare and withdrew and thrust inside her, his cock deep inside her pussy, completing her, join
ing her to him. He pressed so deep inside her, she felt like he was beneath her skin, a part of her very soul. She didn’t just explode. She went nuclear. Molten pleasure rocked through her, every nerve sizzling and snapping. Her muscles clenched around his cock and squeezed him.

  There couldn’t be more. She thought she’d die from the pleasure of her own release.

  Then he exploded inside her. She screamed as her orgasm reached another level, another place. His answering shout rang in her ears and her heart clenched with a feeling of intense of satisfaction. His thrusts were less controlled and he bruised her with his clenching hands.

  Slowly, her system began to level, the vibrations of the belt still sending shockwaves of pleasure and pain shooting through her. She trembled and shook, unable to control her response.

  “I lied,” he said, his voice muffled, buried in her neck.

  “You did?” she said faintly.

  “You were better than any fantasy I could come up with,” he choked out.

  She pressed him closer, her legs still around his waist. He reached out a groping hand and released the wrist restraints. Her arms floated down around his neck and she kissed him with light, sweet kisses. How had she gotten so fucking lucky? She didn’t know and didn’t care. “I love you, Tory.”

  He gazed at her. “I love you too, Alexandra.”

  She became vaguely aware there was a persistent sound interfering in her warm, safe bubble. Tory didn’t seem to hear it at all. He staggered to the bed, still connected to her intimately, his mouth brushing lightly over the skin on her neck. He laid her down and covered her with his body.

  The sound didn’t go away. “Tory,” she murmured.

  “Hmmm?”

  “I think there’s an alarm going off.” She groaned when his mouth captured her earlobe.