9781618852014TheSpaceCougarsCadetPierce (3 page)

“Go
ahead,” she coaxed him, opening her legs wider. “It’s what we both want—need.
And don’t worry. You won’t hurt me.”

He squinted, his
expression becoming one of intense concentration. Bracing his arms on either
side of the bed, he drove his body forward and pushed himself inside her.
Layla
clutched his shoulders, squeezing his flesh as he
pumped his hips in quick, staccato thrusts. Bursts of heat filled her while the
rigid swell of his thick base stimulated her swelling clit. The excitement
generated by her earlier fantasies about him faded to insignificance compared
to the real sensations flooding her body. Every lunge forced her closer to the
edge.

Just
before she got there,
Jaret’s
body went rigid above
her, and he moaned as sudden climax gripped him. Worried that he would pull
away and leave her stranded,
Layla
slid her hands to
his buttocks and forced him deeper inside.

“Don’t—stop—”
she managed to gasp, arching her hips and grinding her clit against him. At
last, their friction triggered her own implosion. The sweet pull of orgasm
clutched at her and turned their entwined bodies into a single flash of
white-hot light. Her head spun a little as she floated down, her fingers still
pressed into his sweat-slicked skin and her thighs still clasping his narrow
hips. Gradually, he slowed his thrusts and soon eased himself out of her.

His
face flushed with a mixture of triumph and self-consciousness she found
endearing. “Did you find that pleasurable?” he asked as he stretched out beside
her.

“I
did.” She traced path down the center of his chest. “And you?”

“I
found it one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life,” he said, a touch
of wonder in his voice. “I understand now what you meant about seeing immediate
results.”

Layla
nodded. “Giving the other person pleasure should be
every bit as rewarding as experiencing it for oneself.”

“I
shall remember that.” To her surprise,
Jaret
shifted
away from her and sat up. “And now I am afraid I must take my leave. The study
group has been gracious enough to reschedule the review session I embarrassed
myself at earlier today. I trust I will be able to concentrate more effectively
this time.
 
I will not, of course,
elaborate on the reasons for my recovery.”

“Of
course not.”
Layla
watched with some amusement as he
got up and gathered his clothing. Did he think a brief sexual interlude could
fortify his academic abilities, like a gulp of caffeine or a stimulant tablet?
She could predict what would happen at his study group, where he would no doubt
squirm in pain as his body continued to remember what his mind tried to push
aside. He had so much to learn—briefly she wished she could be the one to guide
him through the exciting labyrinth of claiming his sexual identity just as she
had taught him the basics of alien diplomacy.

However,
his approach seemed sensible and certainly the safest as far as her career was
concerned. They could part somewhat formally, their respective roles at the
Institute intact. He would find someone else with whom to continue his more
personal studies and she would return to her impeccably professional life. She
sighed.

“What
is the protocol for taking leave of one’s lover?” he asked, back in his
uniform, his manner carefully composed and respectful.

She paused,
caught off guard by the question. “Maybe you should kiss me. After all, we
haven’t tried that yet.” “Very well. I suppose that is the most suitable
expression of thanks in this case.”

Without
hesitation, he bent down and kissed her. His lips were warm and supple, his
taste warm and spicy. She wished he would stay long enough to place his mouth
on other parts of her body and practice a more exotic form of kissing with her.
But she’d gone too far already; to do anything more with him would be insane.

Jaret
drew back, pursing his lips for a moment as if
savoring her flavor, too. He opened his mouth to say something, but apparently
thought better of it. Then he turned and was gone.

* * * *

Layla
spent the morning conducting formal review sessions
for her current students, energized by the memory of her delightful
transgression. Her dreams had been filled with hazy, but nonetheless exciting,
images of other passionate moments she and
Jaret
might steal together—behind the data racks in the library, on the desk in her
office, even in the of the gravity gym with the atmosphere adjusted to simulate
pure weightlessness.

Though
she knew none of these scenarios would ever come to pass, at least not with
Jaret
, she now had a rich store of fantasies she could call
up whenever she wanted one. Stepping outside the boundaries of proper behavior
once in a while was, she believed, both psychologically and physically healthy.
As she walked from her last class of the day toward her office, she heard
someone run up behind her.

“Professor!”

She
turned to see
Jaret
fall into step beside her.

“I
trust you’re feeling more engaged with your classes today,” she joked.

He
looked distressed. “Indeed I am not. I am afraid my most recent review session
proved an even greater disaster than the first. I considered returning to your
quarters to discuss the problem further, but I didn’t want to impose.”

Layla
knew the proper response would be to express some
noncommittal sympathy and encouragement and send him on his way. Instead, she
smiled at him in a way he could not possibly misinterpret. So she’d gone
insane. What choice did she have but to enjoy it? She wanted, more than
anything, to see him again.

“You’re
right. We should talk. Why don’t you come back tonight?”

“I
fear I would be interrupting your work.”

“I’d
already planned to get everything done this afternoon since I have to attend a
faculty dinner. Come afterward. I would be happy to devote the entire rest of
my evening to you.”

The
hint of a smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I have no right to expect
that, but I am grateful just the same.”

“Not
at all. I look forward to more…conversation.”

“Very well.
Until then.”
Jaret
gave a short bow and rushed off.
Layla
returned to her office, hurried through her work for
the next few hours and got back to her quarters with time to spare. She changed
into her dress uniform and sat through a rather flavorless meal, capped with a
lecture by the current military commander in charge of containing the space
brigands. She spent the entire evening in a state of physical and mental
torture aching for Jareth’s body.
 
Every
moment seemed to last a solar hour and every pause in the commander’s speech
made her hope the talk was ending. Each time, her hopes were brutally dashed.
Provost
Xath
, seated beside her, leaned down and
flashed her a knowing smile.

“You’re
looking rather flushed, my dear. Too much wine?”

Layla
pressed her fingers to her cheek. Sure enough, her
skin was burning up. “Yes, that must be it.”

Xath
sighed. “Personally, I can’t wait for this to end. I’m
looking forward to a pleasant evening with just myself and a book. You too?”

“Yes…more
or less,” she improvised. She hated lying to him and knew she was no good at it
anyway. “I mean, I have some…some student evaluations to complete.”

“Oh,
how tedious.”
Xath
winked. “On the other hand, I
suspect you have ways of making the process both creative and personally
satisfying.”

“I…ah…I
do my best,” she said. Her blush deepened. Fortunately, just as she started to
worry that she might faint in the stuffy banquet room, the lecture ended and
she and
Xath
started moving toward the exit.

The night air
felt cool and refreshing as
Xath
walked her across
the courtyard to her residence unit and left her at the doors of the lift with
a small bow. She knew he was dying to follow her up and see what secret had
left her so nervous, but he would always be too much of a gentleman to insist.
Through the one-way glass panes of the lift, she saw him glance back over his shoulder
and then continue walking along the campus path. When she stepped out on her
floor, she found
Jaret
standing in front of her
quarters, looking harried and fidgety. She wondered how long he’d been waiting.

“I
see the Provost made sure you arrived home safely,” he observed in a tight
voice.

“Yes.
We attended the faculty dinner together.” Amused by his vexed expression, she
added, “He and I have been very close friends for a long time. Nothing more.”

Relief
crossed his face. “I see.”

“Come
in. We can talk inside.”

“Thank
you.” He followed her in and took a seat on the couch when she motioned to it.
He sat slumped over at the shoulders, a perfect portrait of misery.

“So
I understand you are still having some trouble concentrating on your studies?”

He
nodded. “I am beginning to grow concerned. Final exams start in two days. I
feel woefully unprepared for the time in my academic career.”

“You’re
not unprepared. You’re simply experiencing a form of anxiety that’s blocking
you from accessing your long-term memory. All the information you've learned
over the past four years is there.
 
It’s
just hidden behind a kind of screen your emotions have put up.”

“That’s
it exactly,” he said, straightening up on the couch.

“I
thought so.” She took a seat beside him. “I have to admit, I’m experiencing the
same thing myself.” Her lack of attention to the after-dinner speech was a
perfect example. Even now, she could hardly remember a word of it. Before all
this happened, she would have listened to every word and perhaps even taken
notes to peruse later. “Well, I’ve been giving it some thought since we talked
this afternoon and I think I know what the problem is. You know how sometimes
you have a project you know you could have completed much better if only you’d
had more time?”

“Yes.
Of course. A constant problem for a cadet, though I do try to manage my time
wisely.”

“I’m
sure you do. Still, I believe the reason you felt distracted again today was
that we didn’t succeed in driving away all of those…urges that were distracting
us. Tonight I suggest we go much slower and pay attention to every part of our
bodies, not just the more…ah, obvious areas. That way, we will both feel as
though we have completed the job in a more satisfactory way. We’ll probably
both feel an immense burden lift from our minds.”

He
listened with the same attention he might have given a classroom lesson on sub
quantum physics. A flush crept up his neck, though his expression betrayed his
attempt to contain it. The crotch of his uniform pants was rising, too.

“Agreed,”
he said and then swallowed.

“Very
well. We can start right now. The truth is, I’d like to rinse off after that
long and tedious dinner. I think I’d like you to help. Follow me.”

Jaret
followed her into the washroom. She stopped at the
control panel on the wall and punched in the specifications for her shower—very
hot, at the highest pressure setting. While the water gushed, filling the
bathroom with steam, she turned back to
Jaret
.

“Take
off your clothes,” she told him.

Chapter Three

Layla
shucked off her dress uniform and watched while he
peeled out of his tunic and crisp blue trousers. He moved slowly, his arousal
obvious and most likely painful. When at last he had completed the task, she
held out her hand and drew him with her under the hot, soothing spray.

“Now
why don’t you wash me?” she asked, handing him a dispenser full of sparkly
shower gel. “Everywhere.”

“Very
well.” Stepping back so he would have room to maneuver, he tilted the gel
bottle and squeezed a dollop into his hand. The steam soon took on a sweet
smell as
Layla
turned and fitted her back against his
chest. His soap-coated fingers slid over her nipples and settled between her
legs. She moaned as his touch became more familiar still, massaging the wet
curls and spreading the scented suds around her most intimate folds. She gasped
when he dipped a fingertip inside her, the brief stimulation making her long
for something much thicker.

“Now
it’s my turn,” she said when he eased his hand away, a hungry look on his face.
Layla
gently took the gel from him and smeared a
generous helping over his cock, making him groan with need. Her hand roved over
him, teasing and tugging, even encircling his balls under the pretext of
applying the scented lather. Before long, his distended erection jutted up
against her thighs.

Her
nerves were on fire. She reached out and touched the control panel, switching
the shower spray off.
 
Without a word,
she turned on the “dry” function instead, and a balmy breeze fluttered over
them, instantly drying their skin. The whispery feel reminded her of his hands
sliding gently up and down her bare back. She couldn’t wait to experience the
real thing.

Grasping
both his hands, she pulled him through the room and onto the bed with her. She
pushed him onto his back and straddled his knees, drinking in the sight of his
pale, supple flesh and straining cock. His abdomen fluttered with each ragged
intake of his breath.

“Let’s
try something,” she suggested. “I’m going to go slowly and build up to release.
I want us to experience it together. Hold back and don’t give in until I tell
you to.”