Authors: Cyndi Friberg
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Romance, #Science Fiction, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Space Opera
Feeling her absence with his entire body, Blayne clenched his fists. “That’s a human attitude. It doesn’t work that way with Ontarians.”
“And why is that?” She crossed her arms over her chest as defiance raised her chin.
“
If we had sex, the link connecting our minds would expand. You would feel everything I feel, every sensation, every emotion. It’s impossible to remain casual about that sort of intimacy.”
She shrugged, mocking him with her indifference. “I’ll risk it.”
He sprang like a coiled snake, focused and deadly. His arms wrapped around her as he kicked her legs out from under her. She cried out and grasped his upper arms,
expecting the carpet to slap her back hard. His knee absorbed the force of their fall and he carefully lowered her to the floor before arranging himself on top of her.
Kneeling between her legs, he drew her arms above her head and secured them there with one long-fingered hand. She didn’t really struggle. This is what she’d wanted after all. She just hadn’t expected him to be so aggressive about it.
His mouth claimed hers in a kiss far different from the ones they’d shared moments before. His tongue parted her lips and filled her mouth with one forceful thrust. Wild and demanding, he rocked his hips against hers as his tongue moved in her mouth.
Heat cascaded through her body and her mind seemed to crackle with excess energy. Then their link buzzed to life and emotions streamed into her being.
Hunger
. She felt ravenous and restless, desperate for more than a fleeting release. She wanted to wrap herself around him, to fill the endless void with passion and tenderness as he surged into her aching body.
“Does this feel casual?” Searing need accompanied the question, but he didn’t give her time to reply. His mouth swooped down and silenced her again.
She moaned and arched, trying to bring her nipples into contact with his chest. The emptiness between her thighs became painful. She needed him inside her,
now
. She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him tight against her body.
In me.
Please
!
Rocking back onto his knees, he frantically unfastened her jeans
then tore off her boots and socks. She drew her legs up as he pulled her pants down, making the maneuver easier. Her panties came off with the jeans and she ripped her shirt off over her head, leaving her naked and panting.
His gaze bore into hers as he pushed two of his long fingers into her wet core. She arched into the thrust, taking him as deep as his fingers could reach. She tightened her inner muscles, reveling in the fullness. It was a far cry from what she really wanted, but it felt amazing just the same.
She kept her knees bent, legs spread, shameless in her abandon. He pumped his hand, sliding his fingers in and out. His heated gaze focused on her sex and possessive pleasure blasted into her mind. It excited him to see his fingers thrusting into her body, knowing he had made her this hot, this wet.
Overwhelmed by the emotions twisting his expression and inundating her mind, she
closed her eyes and imagined his cock in place of his fingers. This was just sex. It felt good for a while, but it meant nothing, changed nothing.
As if in response to her thought
, he growled and drew his fingers out.
“Blayne!”
Her eyes flew open and she pushed up with her feet, thrusting her needful sex closer to him.
He pushed her legs toward her chest and lowered his mouth to her
crease. She cried out with the first brush of his tongue then her breath caught in her throat and she could only moan. His tongue traced her slit, teasing her opening before moving higher to circle her clit. He accented the emptiness deep inside her while building the tension swirling through her. She’d never needed to come so badly in her life.
She grasped his hair and ground against his mouth, but he quickly draped her legs over his shoulders and caught her wrists. He pulled her arms beneath her and continued his slow, sensual exploration of her folds. He touched her clit just often enough to keep her senses simmering without allowing her to c
limax.
She arched and wiggled, determined to bring his kiss back to her aching clit. “Stop teasing me!”
He pushed his tongue deep into her core then slowly swirled. Sensations spiraled along her inner walls and her clit twitched against his upper lip.
Be still.
Enjoy what I give you.
It felt strange to remain passive
yet responsive. She was usually more sexually aggressive than her lovers. But Blayne obviously needed this from her. She relaxed, allowing her body to follow his lead. His tongue slid in and out, his lips caressing her folds.
She felt lightheaded, floating on a sea of tranquil pleasure. He licked and stroked against and into her. In the past her lovers had focused on her clit and brought her quickly to orgasm. This was different. He explored her, learned her taste and texture from the inside out.
Then he gently sucked on her folds, drawing a throaty moan from her with each tender pull. Her hips began to rock, helpless to remain still despite her determination to surrender. He released her wrists and allowed her legs to slide down his upper arms. She ended up sprawled before him, open and accepting.
He pushed his fingers back into her
passage as his lips closed around her clit. She was primed and more than ready for detonation. His lips pulled in a slow, careful suck as his fingers gradually filled her. She arched and cried out sharply as pleasure burst inside her. Her inner muscles gripped his fingers in rippling pulses and his lips skillfully prolonged her release.
She felt his fingers sliding in and out and yet she could feel her body caressing him. His lips tenderly worked her clit as the taste of her passion filled her own mouth. It was confusing and exhilarating, unlike anything she’d experienced before. They were united by desire, connected in a way she’d never dreamed possible.
He slowly pulled his fingers out of her clinging warmth and raised her against his lips. He genuinely loved her taste, savoring the evocative musk as he licked her clean. Angie trembled, stunned and uncertain, yet utterly replete.
Long moments later, he arched over her and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Do you understand now? That was just foreplay. If I join my body with yours, the connection will be even more intense.”
Understanding shattered her momentary calm. He hadn’t been overwhelmed by desire; he’d been determined to prove his point. She shoved him away and scrambled out from under him, desperately reaching for her discarded clothes. “Thanks for the lesson, asshole. I won’t bother you again!” He reached for her arm, but she twisted away and ran for the nearest bedroom.
* * * * *
Angie was still trembling an hour later when someone knocked on the bedroom door. It was insulting that it had taken Blayne this long to make sure she was all right, but she wasn’t ready to confront him so she just glared at the barrier.
“Angie,
it’s Aria. Is it all right if I come in?”
She scooted off the bed and hurried across the room. “Are you alone?” It was a cowardly way to ask. Still, she was too conflicted to deal with
Blayne right now.
“The men are downstairs. Blayne said you weren’t feeling well, so I thought I better check on you.”
Angie eased the door open and offered Aria a thin smile. “I’m fine, just confused by all this.” She let the door swing open and returned to her seat on the side of the bed. Aria pulled a chair closer to the bed then sat as well. “I knew me and Tori had stumbled into something dangerous, but this is more than even my fertile imagination could have dreamed up.”
“The Rodytes are ruthless.
Believe me, I know. If the Shadow Assassins are in league with them, it’s best to just stay away.” Aria folded her hands in her lap. With mauve-streaked silver hair and lavender eyes, she looked every bit as ethereal as her name.
“I’m not sure I can. If Nazerel gives up on me, he’ll victimi
ze someone else.” She shook her head and released a shaky sigh. “I can’t let that happen if I can do anything to stop it.”
“And can you? Has Blayne taught you to control you
r gift in a few short hours?”
Heat crept up her neck as she thought about how she and Blayne had spent a good portion of that time. It wasn’t just the shattering orgasm. Every touch, every lick and suck had been
evocative in its own right. She’d felt his need, his hunger for more than a fleeting release. And her emotions had been just as intense. He was right. Sex with an Ontarian was far different than anything she’d experienced before.
“Are you lovers?
” Aria’s delicate brows drew together over her nose. “I thought you’d just met.”
“
We did, but that doesn’t seem to matter.” She sighed, knowing it was impossible to explain something she didn’t understand herself. “We’re not lovers, yet, but it’s headed there fast.”
Aria
smiled. “Mystics have that effect on a lot of women.”
Thinking of Blayne with “a lot of women” made Angie frown
then realizing her reaction only deepened her displeasure. She was not a jealous person. Why was she acting this way with a man she hardly knew?
Rather than stew in her own discontent, she changed the subject. “Did you know Drakkin before you came to Earth or was yours another whirlwind romance?”
“Definitely a whirlwind. Drakkin snatched me out of my dressing room and brought me to Bilarri to keep me safe from people I didn’t even realize were hunting me.”
“That must have gone over well.”
Aria chuckled, her gaze suddenly dreamy. “I thought he was some sort of crazed fan. I was terrified yet fascinated. I’d never met anyone who was so…intense.”
“Another Mystic trait, I presume. All Blayne has to do is look at me and I can’t think of anything but him.”
“Drakkin had to work to earn my trust, but it still happened really fast by Earth standards.”
Angie leaned back on her hands and studied her friend. Aria had been secretive on Earth, cautious, always guarded. Now she seemed far more confident,
playful even. “I know Drakkin is some sort of ruler, but is he comparable to a European king or the mayor of an American city?”
“Hautell is roughly the size of Canada, though it’s much more
densely populated. But Drakkin is no longer Hautell’s king. He abdicated the throne when his son was old enough to rule. Drakkin had been king for several hundred years, so he was more than ready for someone else to take on all that responsibility.”
It seemed rude to ask Drakkin’s age. She didn’t really know Aria all that well. Besides, a specific number didn’t matter as long as he treated Aria with respect and tenderness.
“And how does a retired king spend his time?”
“Drakkin is Director of the Symposium. They
’re a council of esteemed minds from several different galaxies. They’re responsible for the Wisdom of the Ages.”
“That sounds very impressive.” Angie laughed at her own ignorance. “But I have no idea what it means.”
“Think of Earth’s internet, but every fact that’s entered into the Wisdom of the Ages is verified by at least three objective sources. Each member of the Symposium must agree to complete neutrality. They offer information without bias or social commentary. Their only allegiance is to the Symposium.”
“If someone threatened you or the people of Hautell
, Drakkin would remain neutral?” That seemed hard to believe even after their short acquaintance.
“Of course not.
He would take a leave of absence until the danger had been neutralized. If any member of the Symposium is directly involved in a conflict, they do the same. The policy protects the integrity of the information and prevents anyone from manipulating the Symposium as a whole.”
“Earth could certainly use something like that. History is continually rewritten to further political agendas and
too often propaganda becomes curriculum for the next generation.”
“It was those sorts of trends that motivated Drakkin to form the Symposium in the first place
. He’s dedicated the past century of his life to expanding the concept.”
“Is Drakkin really more powerful than the Mystics on Ontariese?” The question sounded so ridiculous Angie immediately regretted the impulse.
“The Conservatory was founded by a man name Vee. Vee was Drakkin’s apprentice. Vee was also my father. That’s why Drakkin came after me. He’d promised my father that he would protect me, and Drakkin takes his promises very seriously. As for being more powerful…” Aria paused for an elegant shrug. “I suppose he is. He’s had more time to hone his skill and increase his energy stores. Drakkin is
much
older than he looks.”
“It doesn’t bother you that your husband is older than your father?”
“Age is irrelevant when your lifespan is measured in centuries rather than years.”
Was she talking about Drakkin or herself?
“Will you live that long?”
“Hopefully.
Our life forces are now joined so his incredible well of energy will extend my lifespan considerably.”