Bonded (9 page)

Each husband, each prize, had given her a little more of the reward she knew she deserved. Ethlinda had never imagined her hunt would be stopped by a mere girl more pathetic than she herself had once been.

The treacherous little body slave had been a gift from her second husband. A wedding present. The lecher had his eye on the girl then, though she was barely thirteen. Fortunately, the appropriate opportunity to get rid of him had arisen before he had done anything in that direction. The humiliation would have been unthinkable.

Ethlinda trailed behind the couple.

Jaren Caradoc was easy to follow, even in the crowd, standing head and shoulders taller than most native Lorians. He paused from time to time, a quick, intimate smile crossing his rugged features as he bent down to listen to whatever it was the little girl was saying to him. How very chivalrous of him to feign interest.

Once that smile had been for her and only her. Too bad it was being wasted on someone who wouldn’t know how to take full advantage of it.

Captain Caradoc would not be as easy to catch this time. He was just smart enough to be on his guard against her, whether she kept her disguise or not. But according to the extensive gossip among servants and commoners, he was here with an all-male crew.

Which would work to her advantage. Very. Nicely.

Chapter Seven

“That’s it. That’s the last one.” Jaren finished off his signature with more flourish than usual and handed the parchment sheets to the Head of Inspections. “This means we’re clear to leave, right?”

The Lorian official gave a haughty sniff. “There are no launch coordinators on duty this evening. It’s the final night of the festival.” Before Jaren could say anything, he added: “Our guards will remain posted throughout the night. You and your crew may take possession at your leisure. The guards will be fully informed about who is and who is not allowed on board.”

Interesting. Some of the old suspicions still lingered, and would continue to linger until Ethlinda was back in Lorian prison.

Dev nudged him in the ribs. “Ready to move back on ship, Captain?”

Odd question. The
Marama
had been Jaren’s main home since leaving his ex-wife. He’d let go of his small apartment on his home system when he first married and never bothered to find a new one. “Not immediately. I need to clear things back at the inn.”

His friend raised a brow. “Enjoying yourself too much to leave?”

“I didn’t say that.” The hesitation he felt surprised him. He certainly wasn’t going to explain it to Dev, even if he could. “What about you? Going on board tonight?”

“Not a chance.” Dev puffed up his already massive chest a little more and plastered on a mockingly lecherous grin. Waggling his eyebrows made the expression more ridiculous than disturbing. “The festival’s been everything it’s advertised to be.”

Tension knotted the back of Jaren’s neck as unwanted memories forced their way front and center. “I hope you’re not taking any foolish risks, old friend.”

“You know me better than that.” His first mate hesitated. “Too bad
you
can’t remember how to have fun.”

“Dev.”

“Thought little Taimi might be able to teach you how.”

“I’m not going to discuss her with
you.” Not now. Not ever
. His friend expected far too much. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

* * * *

“Now this is a nice sight to come back to.”

Taimi was deliciously naked, just as he had left her. His cock immediately hardened. The pants they’d acquired from one of the crew members draped across her lap but hid little. The shirt hung from one of the bedposts, visibly reduced from its earlier size.

She glanced up, needle and thread poised in her small hand. Her dark eyes lit up, and she smiled. “I’m glad you’re back. I missed you.”

His breath caught at the simple intimacy of those words. He wanted to believe them. Some small part of him seemed to have escaped the damage wrought by Ethlinda’s treachery and did believe her, yet he could not return the words. “The inspection is complete. We have clearance to return to the ship.”

A flicker of tension passed over her lovely face, so brief he thought he imagined it. Her voice hitched for a moment before resuming her usual sweet serenity. “W-we’ll be returning tonight?”

The same odd reluctance he’d felt earlier returned, stronger than before. He must be going mad, and not just from the potent air of the Lorus system.

He stared at the lovely young woman who had given her virginity, and so much more, with little hesitation. Every part of her body open. His for the taking.

They needed to stop this once they returned to the ship. This time in the inn was a moment outside reality, a fantasy of sex and closeness where the usual rules against fraternization did not apply. Or so he told himself. “No. There’s no need. Apparently all the launch personnel are out enjoying the last night of the festival. As are my crew.”

“I see.”

“This is the last night for us too,” he said, feeling the need to remind them both. He stroked her cheek, her skin as soft as satin despite her harsh background. Jaren feathered a kiss on her lips.

Taimi drew back slightly, scanning his face as if searching for…something. She frowned. “It doesn’t have to be.”

“Impossible. I won’t ruin your reputation with my crew.”

“They’ll think me your concubine.” Her expression was open and earnest. “That’s not a bad thing. A position of honor.”

He cringed. Her words implied a continuation of her old slave status, as if she still belonged to him. “Things are different in the Alliance.” Despite several explanations, Taimi was not able or perhaps not willing to comprehend the difference. “They’ll think you’re using sex to improve your position.”

“I don’t care.”

“You should.” He sighed. “I don’t want to argue with you about this. Not now.”

“As you wish.”

He bit back another reminder. Taimi had spent her entire life suppressing her free will to the authority of others. He could hardly expect her to change over just these few days. “Is there anything you would like to do tonight? I know it’s the festival, but perhaps we could find a place to dine or take in a show?”

She shook her head. “I don’t need any of that. I just want to be with you.”

“Good idea.” He nodded toward the fabric in her lap. “Did you finish?”

She tied a knot and cut the thread. “It should fit now, but it feels strange. Almost indecent.”

“It’s just different from what you’re used to.” And it would be easier for the crew to accept her if she dressed like one of them. Or so he hoped. “You’ll need it when we go back to the ship. It will be easier to move about in trousers instead of skirts. Let me see how you look.”

She hesitated for a moment, staring at the cloth. Her hair fell forward and obscured her features. Finally, she unfolded her slender, graceful limbs and stood beside the bed, still avoiding his gaze.

She reached for the shirt first and furled it around her naked form without doing the buttons. She pulled on the trousers. The waist fit, and the legs now matched her height, but the overall sizing remained baggy, hiding the slender curves of her hips and sweet little bottom.

Jaren stepped forward. Buttoned the shirt, starting at her waist and working back up, careful not to touch the soft skin beneath the fabric. Her breasts rose and fell rapidly, and the fabric over her heart quivered with the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat.

Her breath rasped, quick and harsh. “I must look ridiculous.”

“You look great. Beautiful.”

She shook her head.

He caught her by the arm and dragged her up against his body so she could feel the truth in his words. Let her feel the way his body responded to hers. Her soft breasts were pressed into his chest, and she tilted her head back, parting her lips in invitation.

All the unsettled emotions he’d experienced faded away, the feel of her in his arms overriding everything else.

She felt right there.

More right than he wanted to admit. A perfect fit.

He kissed her hard, letting his hands roam over her slender body. He needed to touch her. All of her. Her clothing became an annoying barrier, the bagginess making it difficult to feel her.

Taimi made a soft sound deep in her throat and moved closer.

One definite downside to putting her in pants, rather than letting her remain in skirts. Her sweet pussy would be open to him right now, if she wore the latter. Just open his trousers, and he could be inside her almost immediately.

He tugged at the fastening, and her pants slid down her slender legs to pool around her feet.

Perhaps they were not so restricting, after all.

The shirt also proved to be no barrier, easily lifted off her body without opening a single button.

She was naked again, and wrapped in his arms. One of life’s perfect moments.

He carried her to the bed and eased her onto her back. He wanted to plunge deep inside her, to pound hard and fast until they were both mindless with release.

Control, Jaren. Take it slow
. She was still a novice in bed, despite the training she’d received from the auction house.
Take. It. Slow.

He followed her down. Cupped his hands around her face and kissed her again. She opened her mouth beneath his. He thrust his tongue between her lips, plundering her taste. They began to rock together, in perfect time. She wrapped her legs around his waist, squeezing him tight and holding him close. The front of his trousers grew damp from her moisture.

Damn, she felt so good beneath him.

His cock throbbed. His balls tightened. He wanted her so very much.

She nipped at his lower lip, and he drew back. Mischief danced in her dark eyes. “Sorry, Captain. Don’t know what came over me.”

Instead of correcting her, he responded to her sudden playfulness in kind. Returned an answering nip to the tip of her ear. She squealed and squirmed beneath him. “Jaren!”

“Two can play that game, sweet.”

Taimi giggled. Entwined as she was around him, she didn’t have much leverage but still lunged upward. She snapped her teeth around empty air just inches away from his nose. Then growled.

Jaren laughed.

She uncurled her limbs from around his body and twisted out from under him. Scurried across the room. Her soft giggle pierced the heavy locks he’d forced around his heart.

He wasn’t going to think about that now.

Jaren gave chase.

She danced just beyond his reach, more nimble than he’d anticipated. He paused for a moment to watch her. Though she was slender and petite, her legs were surprisingly long and carried her about with a nearly feline grace. She was completely unself-conscious about her nudity. Yet at the same time, she wasn’t flaunting her beautiful curves for flattery or praise.

The sound of her laughter was intoxicating. It made him forget…so many things.

Taimi darted in for another mock snap, then slipped behind him. Something soft hit the back of his neck and shoulders.

He turned.

It was a pillow. Jaren let out a shout of laughter. Scooped her soft weapon from the floor before she could retrieve it. “You’re not going to get away with that.” He managed a quick bat against the top of her head as she tried to retreat.

Taimi scrambled away. Snatched up the other pillow from the bed and whirled, darting around the edges of the room. She managed another good hit on his arm and one on his stomach before he tapped another soft pat on the top of her head.

“No fair!” She was breathing hard, her pretty little breasts rising and falling in a particularly enticing way. Her nipples were tight and hard. “You’re taking advantage of being taller than me.”

“Maybe.” He took advantage of having longer arms than her too, and thumped the pillow on her shoulder when she clearly thought she was out of range. “What are you going to do about it?”

She bounced onto the bed, staggering a bit as the soft bedding yielded under her weight. The bed was a raised platform, with high posts at each corner and a double layer of thick mattresses stacked on the wood. It brought her into a very interesting position, with her breasts at just the perfect level for his mouth.

He lunged, absorbing another blow from her pillow. Snaked one arm behind Taimi’s knees and clamped his lips around one tight nipple, briefly grazing the sensitive nub with his teeth. She let out a high squeal and pushed against his shoulders.

He tightened his grip, pushing her back onto the mattress, and followed her down. He plucked the pillow out of her hands and pinned her wrists against the bed.

Taimi’s dark eyes turned nearly black as she gave another halfhearted squirm beneath him. Her movements allowed him to settle between her parted thighs, but he wasn’t ready to stop their play. Not yet.

Jaren held her still, keeping her wrists imprisoned with one hand. He let his fingers dance lightly along her ribs and watched her dig her white teeth deep into her lower lip. Her wriggling intensified.

He kept his voice calm. “Something wrong, Taimi?”

She shook her head.

He repeated the gesture. “Not ticklish, are we?”

“No…”

“Are you
sure
?” He moved his hand up her ribs to an even more sensitive spot, and she jumped.

A reluctant laugh escaped.

That first giggle seemed to break her resolve, and more laughter tumbled out. She writhed and bucked beneath him as he continued to tickle her. Tears streamed down her face, and she gasped for breath. “Jaren! Please!”

“More?

“No!” She bucked harder, nearly unseating him.

Jaren laughed. Stilled his fingers but let the tips linger against her skin. “Is there something else you’d rather do?”

“You’re not playing fair again.”

“Never said I would.”

“Are
you
ticklish?”

“Now why would I tell you such a thing?”

“Because you trust me.”

That
hit a little too close to home. He wasn’t sure he wanted to trust any woman, ever again, though Taimi had never given him reason to doubt her. Just the opposite, in fact.