A Hero’s Welcome (5 page)

His groans had sounded so erotic as she
’
d undulated her hips against him. He’d brought such pleasure to her. She wanted to experience the fantastic desire again. Wanted to feel his hot sperm shoot into her womb.

She
’
d kept their sheets. Put them on her bed. The aroma of their lovemaking had sifted out of the material and filled her nostrils during the nights he
’
d been in the Sperm Bank.

Now she had him back. It had come at a high price. But he was here.

And she was afraid to wake him. To take him, like she
’
d so brazenly taken him in the clinic.

Annie bit her bottom lip and tiptoed to the chair beside his bed with every intention of simply watching him sleep.

Unfortunately his colossal penis beckoned. Since he
’
d arrived this morning, she
hadn
’
t been able to keep her hands off it. Perhaps it was because of his size. Or maybe because she knew how sore he would feel when he awoke.

Annie dipped her fingers into the yellow salve lying on the night table and gingerly wrapped her fingers around his smooth, limp shaft. Using her other hand she sensuously rubbed the creamy salve up and down his inflamed rod. To her surprise, his cock thickened powerfully in her hands and lanced straight up from his belly.

“Not that I’
m complaining, but we
’
ve
got to stop meeting like this.”

The amused sound of a masculine voice shocked her brain and she jerked around to find Green Eyes watching her.

A split second later fear cleaved into her spine as she realized she
hadn
’
t tied his hands or his feet to the bed.

He must have noticed, because he suddenly sat bolt upright.

He was free.

Free slaves were dangerous.

Annie struggled to inhale air into her lungs. Her gaze searched frantically for a weapon and she spied the bread knife lying on the table across the room.

She was halfway out of the chair when his strong fingers clasped over her wrist like a handcuff. Memories of last year’s Slave Uprising rained down on her and a bad case of the shakes slammed into her full force.

“Let go of me!”

“Annie! It’
s okay!”

He tried to wrap his arms around her waist. Panic welled up and broke free from her. She pushed against his chest with all her might until he fell backward. He groaned as his back smashed hard against the wall.

Annie leapt from the chair and ran for the knife.

She
didn
’
t make it far. He caught her arm and tugged hard. She
couldn
’
t believe his strength as she found herself whirling around and slamming into his hot naked length.

Panting, she twisted in his arms and tried to break free. But his arms were too powerful, his chest a wall of cement.

She
couldn
’
t break loose!

“Please, let me go. Don’
t hurt me!” She pleaded.

“Calm down, Annie! I’
m not going to hurt you.” His voice sounded low and soothing but did nothing to squash the fear rampaging through her insides. She continued to struggle.

Suddenly he gripped her chin. In an instant his mouth brushed against her lips in a soft caress that sent a whisper of desire ripping through her terror.

Startled by his tenderness, Annie
couldn
’
t help but hope she was wrong about Green Eyes. A vague memory of his mouth sucking her breast pushed its way into her mind. He could have hurt her then. He
hadn
’
t.

The tenderness in his lips slowly turned to a desperate fierceness. Sensations ripped through her mouth and
cunt
like a bomb. It devastated her. Made her feel as if she were sinking into a whirlpool of sexual cravings.

Dark and dangerous cravings.

Ignoring the warnings in her head, she allowed her mouth to melt against his lips. He tasted mysterious and delicious. Of dominance and power. Of male.

Hot desire pounded through her veins, setting her body on fire. She found herself pressing her breasts against his muscular chest, gasping at the intimate gesture. She arched against his strapping penis. She wanted him desperately. So much that it hurt.

Suddenly he broke the kiss and pressed his lips against the column of her neck.

“Now that I have your attention, how about you cutting me a slice of bread? I
’
m starving,” he whispered.

Confusion cut a path through her desire. He wanted her to serve him bread? Serving a male was against the law. It was a sign of dominance. His over hers. A very bad thing.

To her surprise he let go of her, stepped away and handed her the knife.

A gesture of trust?

Trust she wished she could give him, but no matter how hard she tried, she
couldn
’
t. She
’
d never been around a male who
hadn
’
t been restrained in some way. Or a male who could speak more than one or two sentences at a time.

Green Eyes was dangerous. In more ways than one.

He wavered slightly and slumped into a chair, all energy seemingly draining from his body. Concern washed over her at his suddenly pale appearance. “Are…are you all right?”

“I’
m afraid I
’
m not up to full par. If I was…” He let his words trail off, leaving a hot promise in its wake.

Annie found herself nodding numbly as the full impact of his words set in. He wanted to fuck her. She could see the lust in his eyes. Had felt it in the way he
’
d held her so closely. In the way he
’
d kissed her.

He craved food so he could gain strength. To gain power over her. To do with her what he wanted, instead of the other way around. And she would be powerless to stop him, just like the women of the hub had been powerless during the Slave Uprising.

She should attack him with the knife, wound him enough so she could subdue him. But he was expecting that. He would be on his guard.

On horribly trembling legs, Annie kept a wide berth from him and walked to the steaming bread she’d set on the counter only minutes ago.

Heart pounding against her chest, Annie lifted the knife and began to cut the bread.

“Do you have any jam? Butter?” His strong voice curled over her shoulder and she tensed. He’d come up behind her and she hadn’t even heard him.

“We don’
t use butter. Not good for the heart. Berry Jam is in the cooler.” She nodded toward the trap door in the floor. “Open the door. It
’
s just inside.”

She
couldn
’
t help but peek at him as his powerful naked form bent over. His back was toward her. His firm buttocks jutted out in a way that made her wish she could reach out and caress them.

He grasped the handle of the door in the floor and tugged.

Annie grabbed the nearest pot and crashed it over his head.

Chapter Six

Joe woke up to find the first rays of gray light seeping through the windows of the tiny one-room cabin. From a nearby open window, warm air spilled inside and curled over his body.

He wasn’t surprised that it was warm. They’d been here one week and the planet’s temperature had remained a steady 70 Fahrenheit during the night and wavered between 80 and 90 Fahrenheit during the day. Sunny days were the norm and from the look of the lush vegetation on the planet, it did rain just enough to keep the trees green.

The soft sound of someone breathing caught his attention and he spotted a woman
’
s curvy body sitting in the chair beside his bed.

Annie.

Lovely black lashes framed her pretty eyes as she slept. To his disappointment she was still fully clothed. But her thin top left little to his imagination as he watched her full breasts rise and fall with her every breath.

The mere thought of what he wanted to do to her made the blood in his veins run hot and his shaft harden with need. His fingers itched to touch her velvety flesh. He craved to fill his palms with her plump softness. Ached to kiss the seductive swells of her breasts and suck valiantly on those precious nipples until her sweet gasps of delight filled the room.

Have mercy! Was he turning into some kind of a sex maniac? Or was there something else going on? Had they pumped him full of sex drugs before bringing him here? Is that why he was feeling so horny?

He sighed in frustration. Whatever the reason for his intense reactions to her, he needed to get out of here. Before he ended up making love to this luscious creature named Annie.

Unfortunately he
couldn
’
t do anything because once again he was lying on a bed with his wrists and ankles handcuffed to the bed
’
s railings. And he was totally nude.

At least this time he
wasn
’
t in the clinic or the sterile cubicle in the Sperm Bank where anyone could walk in and do with him what they wanted. This place smelled clean and fresh like Annie, not of medicine and stale sickness.

He studied the brightening room and the sparse furnishings. Two sturdy twig chairs were pushed beneath a solid pine planked table. A coarse brown rug lay beneath it. A simple kitchen was nestled toward the far wall. Cabinets were made of knotty pine. A gray slate stone was being used as a countertop. And the floor was planked wood. The walls, square logs, were chinked with dry moss.

Everything appeared to be handmade. Including the charcoal drawings that hung on the walls.

Maybe this was Annie’s home, although he didn’t think so. He pictured her as having wildflowers in a vase and colorful drapes and cozy furniture. And no clothing on her gorgeous body. Yet it was the other way around. She wore the clothes and he wore nothing.

He felt miserable being chained to a bed. Not being able to roam freely or to touch her was getting on his nerves.

Yet Annie slept as peacefully as if he
wasn
’
t even in the room.

Interesting.

Earlier when he’d awoken to find her silky fingers wrapped around his aching shaft, his simple comment about how they kept meeting like this had sent a wave of terror washing over her pretty face. She had run from him and when he
’
d grabbed her, she
’
d begged him not to hurt her. He
’
d been stunned by her reaction and had tried to quench the panic by giving her a reassuring kiss. He’d hoped to remind her of their fantastic coupling in the clinic. He
’
d given her the knife as a show of trust.

It
hadn
’
t worked. The instant his back was turned, she
’
d whacked him right over the head, knocking him out cold.

Now he was back to square one. Cuffed helplessly to the bed and with a sore-as-hell shaft aching for her tender touch. Not to mention a headache the size of
Mt.
Everest
.

And
dammit
, he wanted out of this bed!

In sudden anger he yanked at the handcuffs. Pain sliced through his wrists and the entire bed creaked ominously.

“What are you doing?” Annie blinked wildly from her perch on the chair.

“I’
m getting pissed off, Annie.” He growled, truly getting ticked at hearing the fear in her voice. “I don
’
t know why you hit me. Or why you
’
re so scared of me. Quite frankly at this point I don
’
t give a rat
’
s ass. I just want to leave, okay. Just cut me loose so I can leave.”

“I can’
t do that.”

“Why the hell not?
Isn
’
t that why you got me out of that madhouse? Or…would you prefer that I fuck you first?”

The soft inhale of her breath gave her away.
“You make it sound so harsh.”

“So that’s what you want
. You snap your fingers and expect a man to begin fucking you. You say stop, he stops. Where
’
s the fun in that? How about switching roles?” At that suggestion, her eyes widened with shock.

“That’s illegal!”

“Just like a man speaking his mind is illegal. What the hell kind of world is this anyway?”

Realizing he’d given too much away, he clammed up. He needed to rein in his anger or he’d be spilling all the beans. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out he was from another planet.

A pretty little wrinkle burrowed between her eyebrows as she watched him with curiosity.

“Educating males hasn’t been done in decades. Which outlaw female taught you?”

Outlaw female?
Ookay
. Whatever.

“Just let me go and pretend you never saw me.”

“I can’t. You belong to the Queen now. You are a slave.”

“
Fine. I’m a slave
. Just untie me and I’ll do what you want,” he lied. The minute she untied him he was out of here.

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and avoided his gaze.

That pretty pink blush stained her cheeks again and a large part of him wished she’d climb on top of him and sink her heat over his sore penis, like she’d done in the clinic. Another part of him wanted her to trust him. Wanted her to undo the cuffs, so he could make proper love to her, like a man should do to a woman he cared for.

Joe cursed inwardly at that thought. Caring? How the hell could he care for a woman who was afraid of him? A woman who cowered away from him when he was free to be a man.

“You think I’
m dangerous when I
’
m free, don
’
t you? That
’
s why you hit me.”

“I…I’
m sorry. I
shouldn
’
t have hit you so hard.”