Her Master's Collar (On the Hunt) (10 page)

He reversed the position of his hands, pushing her body against the unforgiving metal. He pinned her with his hips, fitting his hands around the curvature of her rib cage. His thumbs grazed the underside of her unbound breasts, causing her breath to catch in her throat. The quiet little sound she made when she was too far gone to care rolled through him, boiling his blood.

“Korene—”

“Please, Roland. Just…don’t stop. Oh God, please. I need you inside me. I need
this
so very much.”

The last word trailed off as he cupped both of her breasts. His lips trailed up her neck to her jaw and across her face to capture her mouth again as he roughened his touch. She whimpered into his mouth, stealing his breath. He savored her arousal as he swallowed.

He pushed away suddenly, needing more than simply his hands on her. With swift, frantic movements, he lifted her, positioning her body so she lay spread out on the tall container. The height allowed him to stand while her legs fell open.

“You are exquisite, Korene. And mine. So very much all mine.”

His fingers spread wide against her hip to hold her in place as he dipped his head to draw his tongue against her already drenched folds. The first pure taste of her labia told him she still tasted the same. As if he’d come home.

She came alive under his touch, her body electric. Despite the frantic need shaking his entire body—and hers—he took his time to slide the flat of his tongue against her clit with deliberate slowness. Encouraged by her soft mewls, he sucked on her. When her hands fell to his head, her fingers playing over the short hairs, he lifted.

“Hands flat on the case.”

When she complied, he dipped his head again to tease and lick the delectable flesh she presented to him. He continued his patient attention, alternately blowing cool air across her wet pussy as she blossomed. Her quiet whine slid through him like perfectly aged whiskey.

He ducked lower, sliding his tongue into her opening. Encouraged by the growing volume of her cries, he moved, pressing his thumb into her. Her back arched in reaction, trying to drive him deeper. Denying her, he nipped at her clit again, relishing the satisfied sound she made as her clit throbbed against his lips.

While the taste of her was exquisite, he needed more. Neither of them would be satisfied until they came together. And they were quickly running out of time. Reluctantly pulling away, he tugged her off the container. When her hips were level with his again, he wrapped her legs around his hips.

“When this is all over, I will spend hours, possibly even days, paying homage to every inch of your very sweet pussy by burying my face between your legs.”

Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. Pink flushed her cheeks as her body quivered against his. “No complaints from the peanut gallery, as I intend to return the favor. But for fuck’s sake, Roland, just give me your dick already.”

Normally he would have made her beg more, command she show him just how much she truly wanted him inside her. But not tonight. He was determined to have her before they landed on the planet. He tugged at his pants to free himself and drove his cock into her with one forceful thrust. They both sighed at the sensation, her body trembling against his as her body was rocked by his relentless possession.

He shifted her weight, pulling it all against him and spun, dropping them both to the floor. They hit the metal with a soft thud, but he didn’t register the pain. He was too caught up in how she felt surrounding him.

Tight. Wet. So fucking perfect.

Pleasure exploded behind his eyes as his body called to her. Her delighted laugh, husky with arousal, shot straight through him, tightening his balls. Her legs shifted higher, allowing his strokes to plunge deeper.

“Please.” Her breathy whimper heightened the arousal gathering at the base of his spine. The hushed sound also broke through his desperation. As much as he wanted to feel her erupting around him, he decided he wanted to hear her beg a little after all. She squirmed as he pushed up and skimmed his hands over the generous curve of her waist. He settled on his knees, preventing her from any sort of movement.

“Oh please come back to me. Please.” She reached for him, her fingers tightly gripping his forearms.

Lifting her hips, the position allowed him to delve deeper into her heat as he grew longer and thicker. “I am with you, pet. Who else could be inside you, branding you as theirs?” He pushed her hips away, pulling her back so his cock slowly disappeared into her cunt. She grew wetter, the small change indicating she was approaching climax despite his easy movements. The walls of her pussy clamped around his dick, trying to draw his length inside her.

The need to come roared in his ears, pounding through his veins, but he ignored it.

He shifted his hand, pushing his thumb firmly against the hardened nub of her clit. Her short fingernails dug into his forearm as she raised her hips. “You play me so well. Please…feels so good. Yes, harder. Make me come for you.”

“This? You want this?” He powered into her, pinching her swollen clit at the same time.

“Oh fuck yes.” She hissed, rotating her hips as he only moved his fingers.

“Not quite yet, I think. Not enough.” She growled her displeasure, reaching between her legs to brush her own fingers against the hard nub of her clit. He slapped her hand away, narrowing his eyes. “Nothing would please me more than to see you explode. Which is why I’m making certain you do. We both know we’re pressed for time and we both know I never do anything half-assed. So hush and let me do my job properly.”

She moaned quietly as her body relaxed. She trembled beneath him, her breathing growing rapid and shallow as he ground his pelvis against hers. He tugged on her hardening clit, thrusting unhurriedly as he sought to find the proper rhythm that would set her off. She shuddered, gasping as she teetered right on the edge of giving in completely. He watched her catch her bottom lip between her teeth, his name a quiet whisper on her lips.

Just a few more…there. “Come hard for me, pet. Show me.”

She fractured under him, her eyes widening then fluttering closed as she came. Watching her world turn inside out was pure heaven. Knowing he’d been the one responsible for her pleasure? Euphoric. That kind of feeling made him want her all over again, even though he hadn’t finished with her yet.

He covered her body with his, clamping his mouth over hers. Her body convulsed against his, wrenching his climax from deep inside his balls. He could do nothing more than hold on, shuddering and emptying into her until he was spent. Gasping for air, he collapsed onto his hands, his arms bracketing her hips as they both fought for air. Her heart beat fast and steady against his forehead as he leaned against her abdomen.

Her fingers stroked over his hair as she cradled his head. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. I just wanted to torment you some after what you did to me in the room.”

He nodded. “I know.” His heart rate decreased, settling back into a normal rhythm before he realized he still had his cock buried inside her. His back and knees ached from the position, but it was a pleasurable throb he would gladly accept.

He didn’t want to leave her, but they’d need to get moving soon in order to strap into their seats again. With a sigh, he pushed up, only to stop when she clenched a hand around his forearm. Looking down at her face, he was surprised to see genuine worry in her expression. “What’s wrong? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Panic darkened the flecks of gold in her eyes. “I’m fine. I know this is the wrong time to ask, but I didn’t think about this until just now…shit, this is embarrassing. You didn’t just cheat on someone, did you? I mean, I’m not stepping on another sub’s toes or anything, am I?”

“Just Rosie.” He wiggled his fingers. Korene gave a light giggle, tightening the slick vaginal muscles still surrounding him. Doubts vanished from her face. “She’ll be heartbroken to realize you’re ultimately more satisfying than she is any day.”

She moved, releasing his arm as she rolled over onto her side before pushing up to kneel. She eyed the pile of clothing, and seemed to decide it was too far away to bother with the effort for the moment. He agreed with her choice, sighing as the hard, flat floor supported his back when he flipped over and laid himself out.

He listened as she settled next to him, her head on his shoulder. Wasn’t this a surprise? He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, tugging her sweaty body close. They were both sticky with perspiration and other fluids, but neither seemed to care at the moment. What he did care about was the fact he’d let it go so far. He hadn’t planned this at all. Hadn’t intended to let the power of the moment carry them both.

As if she sensed his distress, her fingers lifted to press against his lips. “Don’t. Just don’t say whatever it is causing tension in you. It’s better if you don’t. I’m just as responsible as you are—probably more so considering the fact I egged you on.”

“You certainly got that right.”

She pushed up and away, shaking out a pair of tattered work pants. Her body was flushed and so beautiful, he didn’t want to see her cover it up just yet. He rose, not bothering to scoop up his discarded clothing as he approached. She lifted her leg to step into the pants, but he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.

“Being with you has always been so intense. I don’t know how you do it, but even when you have me thrown out of whack, you always manage to turn my world right side up. I’ve missed it. Sorry, no, not
it
. I’ve missed
you
. There was a void in my life I don’t want to ever experience again.”

She turned to him, the corners of her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel someone’s absence this much. I want to work this out with you, Roland, and we will. Collar or not.” Her hand pressed against the center of his chest. “I like hearing you call me pet. I want to hear it again and for a long time to come, I think. If you’ll have me back as your submissive, that is.”

“Without question and without reservation.” His mouth dipped, teeth and lips feasting on hers as he took possession of his sub once more.

Chapter Five

A few hours later, darkness spread out in front of Korene. The lightless hole in front of her was a stark contrast to the oxidized sand beneath her feet. The gaping mouth of the cave seemed ominous enough without adding the fact it was pitch black. She didn’t realize she was blindly staring at it until Jericho touched her elbow.

“You all right?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” The lie spilled easily from her lips. In truth, she wasn’t fine. The frantic moment she and Roland had shared in the cargo hold helped her forget the danger they all faced, but the reality had slammed back into the moment she’d stepped out onto the sand. There was a very real possibility no one would return to Earth.
What a morbid fucking thought.

Annoyed with her own head, and her inability to stay out of it, she plastered on a smile. “Just another day in the office.”

He continued to stare at her for a few moments, his concern evident. Luckily, Roland called their names so she turned to catch the pack of supplies he tossed her way. “Everyone check their systems before they step off. Especially your
thrusters
. Looks as if it’s a long way down. Don’t need anyone trying to become one with the wall.”

She held her breath as she watched Roland step forward, engaging the small
deflection boosters
embedded in the soles of his boots. Finley went next followed by Markus. Jericho gestured for her to go. Because she knew he wouldn’t allow her to remain here alone, she held her breath as she took the first unnerving step.

Nothingness spread out under her feet. Vertigo spun the odd-shaped opening a few times, forcing her to close her eyes as she waited for everything to stop spinning. When she opened her eyes a second later, she caught sight of the lights of those who’d gone before her. The
boosters
on her feet compensated to control her descent as she trailed behind them.

Falling slowly, she had time to take in her surroundings. The vertical rock walls fenced her in. With the blackness both above and below her, she got the impression she was the only being for miles. The sensation was just as unsettling as it was freeing. As she continued to descend, she thought back to what happened on the ship.

Everything about their stolen moment had felt right. Even when he’d called her pet. She needed that from him again, needed his domination. Given the passionate heat between them in the cargo hold, it was certainly going to be an interesting trip discovering each other again once they got back to Earth. She hadn’t intended to tease him as much as she had simply because it was completely out of the norm for her. But watching Roland struggle had been far too tempting to simply push aside the opportunity.

She did feel relieved knowing there was no one else. As much as he’d scolded her for not taking another Master after his exit, she’d wondered if he’d taken another sub when he’d returned to Earth. If only to fill a void she knew had to exist with his need to have someone under his care. Roland was the type of Dominant who needed a submissive kneeling before him.

A hand clamped around her ankle to signal she could cut the
boosters
.

Roland’s handsome face filled the
plastishield
of her facemask. His smile, though innocent, made her think inappropriate thoughts. Well, inappropriate for most people. Since his return to her life just a few short days ago, that kind of kinky reflection had become the norm once more. Since their clandestine encounter in the hold, she’d found herself thinking about swallowing his cock.

She’d tried, over and over, to remember how his hardness tasted on her tongue. So far, she hadn’t been able to recall. Just as he’d swore an oath to lavish attention on her pussy when he had more time, she intended to follow through with rediscovering what his cum tasted like against her tongue. Definitely something to look forward to when this was all over.

She snorted at herself. Evidently the quick fuck in the cargo hold hadn’t been enough to burn off her need for him. Wanting more with—and from—Roland had evidently become her reality again. From the way her body still ached from the cold press of the floor against her back as he devastated her with a powerful orgasm, she clearly didn’t mind.

“Thanks for catching me.”

“Anytime.” He gestured for her to remove the suit before turning away to dole out orders to his team. “Get me some readings from the area, Markus. Tell me something.”

“You’re a first-class asshole.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, you fucker.”

Jericho settled on the cave floor next to her, chuckling at the banter between Roland and Markus. Despite the fact Roland, Finley and Markus were all walking around without their protective helmets, Korene found herself holding her breath as she cracked the seal on her suit. The thought of taking that first inhalation was terrifying. But when her lungs began to burn from the lack of air, she took that first halting breath. The artificial oxygen smelled stale, but ultimately breathable. Grateful, she peeled out of the rest of the cumbersome spacesuit.

Glad to be free, she slung her pack over her shoulder, checking to see if her
phaser
was strapped to her thigh before following the group. It only took a few minutes to make their way over the jagged rocks to arrive at their destination. She recognized the equipment scattered around the site because of the elaborate Braddock logo scrawled along the sides.

Though the situation had already been weighing heavily on her mind, seeing the equipment cemented the seriousness of the crisis. They were responsible for bringing these men back to their families. And here she’d been cavorting around with her former lover as if she didn’t have a care in the universe. A heavy weight settled on her chest as the knowledge crashed into her. If anything happened to these men, she’d never forgive herself.

“Boss, I got something about three kilometers from our location at your nine.”

“Can you identify?”

Valentine frowned, studying his handheld unit closer. “No.”

Roland extracted his weapon from the holster, disengaging the auto-lock with his thumb in one smooth motion. The others followed suit, trusting their leader’s intuition that something was amiss.

As she palmed her own weapon, she thought about how long it had been since she’d last fired a gun of this type. The range she routinely practiced at once a month didn’t allow military-grade weapons to be fired on their property. Even rusty, she didn’t doubt her abilities because she’d had an excellent teacher.

Roland took the lead as they crept along, making his way to where Jericho indicated a blip on his sensor. He held up a hand to stop them as they entered a tall, expansive chamber. Valentine pointed in the direction he’d picked up a reading. The group made their way over the rocks, moving as quietly as possible in order to remain undetected. No telling what they faced.

Korene peered over the ledge, sucking in a surprised breath. Her workers, what was left of them, huddled together at the bottom of the small chasm. A man wearing a sophisticated-looking rifle strapped to his back held an oversized
phaser
as he walked slowly back and forth in front of the row of workers.

Roland jerked his head, using a few hand gestures to communicate his intentions. One gesture toward his waist area stood out. A quick peek over the lip again let her see the communicator strapped to the man’s hip. He wasn’t working alone. The question was how many other people were there?

Finley and Valentine slithered out of sight, standing once they were a few feet away and disappearing into the darkness. She assumed Roland had sent them to scout farther down the tunnel in search of more people. Markus tipped his head, disappearing in the opposite direction on a mission of his own.

As Roland continued to watch the pacing guard, she turned her focus to the line of men positioned in a neat row. Their hands and feet had been bound so tightly, dried blood darkened the skin under the tight bindings. Her heart ached for them. They shouldn’t have to go through something such as this just because some renegade band of people had gotten their panties in a wad with how the World Government chose to run things. These men had no dog in the fight other than the fact they were trying to support their families.

A loud shout echoed off the rocky walls. The guard wearing a pattern into the cave floor suddenly went on full alert.

“Shit. They know we’re here.” Roland threw himself over the edge before she could blink. A small cloud of dust kicked up into the air as he slid down the embankment. He slammed into the guard, causing her to wince as they landed in an ugly pile. As the men continued to tussle, she noticed the guard had gotten the upper hand on Roland despite the punch he fired into the man’s jaw. Roland was too busy struggling to notice his foe had managed to get a hand on the weapon strapped to his waist.

Knowing she needed to do something, and do it fast, she swung over the lip, trailing her hand out behind her to help control her descent. Rock and dirt tore at her suit, but she forced herself to ignore the pain. Instead, she focused on not breaking a leg once she reached the bottom.

She pulled her legs up just short of the end, rolling neatly around by using her momentum to carry her. Using some of the combat techniques Roland had taught her long ago, the guard wrestling Roland found himself staring at the business end of her weapon.

Markus jogged up behind her, followed closely by Finley and Jericho. “One of them got the jump on us. Finley took him out before he could finish. I managed to disarm the charge he set since the ass seemed to be of the mind to blow us all to Kingdom Come. Searched him, but didn’t find anything. He can’t be alone, though, there’s got to be more somewhere around here.”

A deep, cackling laugh saturated the air. The volatile undertone of evil raised the hairs on the back of Korene’s neck. The sound caught her so off guard, it took a few seconds to realize it was coming from the man on his knees before her. “What’s so funny?”

He pressed his forehead hard against the end of her weapon, almost as if he wanted to goad her into firing. “You are. You
all
are. It was so simple. Too simple that I didn’t think it would work. But here you are so I can finish the job I started years ago.”

The hatred in his eyes caused her to stare at him in astonishment. She’d never seen someone so consumed by their loathing.

Finley stopped cutting through the bindings on one of the hostages and gestured to the prisoner with her knife. “Roland, would you gag him already, so we can out of this hellhole and collect the reward for this son of a bitch?”

Korene’s blood ran cold. “What did you say?” Finley swore loudly, the knife slipping in her hand and slicing one of the hostage’s fingers. Those unique eyes went dark as she worked to come up with an excuse. “Forget it. I think I get it now.”

She reengaged the safety on her weapon, stepping away from the man. Fugitive, she corrected, based on Finley’s confession. Roland’s hand slapped around her wrist as he stepped in to point his own weapon at the kneeling man. “I’ll explain all this when we’re done. Right now, I need for you to keep a level head. Think about this situation very, very clearly. We’re already in a precarious position as it is. Don’t make it worse.”

She wrenched her hand out of his grip, the fragments of her trust falling away to coat the dirt floor of the cave. “There’s no need to explain, you bastard. You used me. My company. Everything. I’m such a blind, lovesick fool.”

He leaned closer, tightening his grip. “I said I’ll explain, but not here. Now is not the time because there are too many unknown factors going on as it is. Don’t make this any more complicated.”

Valentine waved his gun in the air. “What the fuck are you doing, Roland? Get the asshole so we can get out of here.”

Jericho’s words cemented home the fact she was the only one in the dark. She breathed deep, her stomach hurting from the realization she’d been played for a fool.
He lied to me.
She breathed again, holding it for a few seconds before slowly releasing the air. “What the fuck
are
you doing?”

The man on his knees sneered, his eyes glazed over with the heat of his anger. “Don’t you get it, you corporate bitch?”

Roland suddenly cursed so loudly the terrified hostages winced. “Finley, would you hurry up? We need to get everyone out of here.”

Korene holstered her gun, determined to get to the bottom of things. “This scumbag obviously knows what’s going on. Someone better start talking and at this point, I don’t care who it is.”

“You stupid fuckhole.”

Changing her mind, she pressed her weapon against the man’s forehead again. His soulless eyes glared at her. “Someone needs to teach you some manners.”

The man’s laughter rang out again, the horrific sound echoing off the cave walls. “Get it through your little skull. He doesn’t give a shit about your hostages. This was all just a fucking ruse to get what he really wants.” He grinned as he turned his head to meet Roland’s gaze. “Me.”

A rumble vibrated through the floor. The shaking grew more violent, causing Korene to stumble. Roland jerked the man to his feet, capturing him in a modified choke hold. “You better start talking right now about where the rest of the charges are or I let her fire, Baxter. The price on your head be damned.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re all dead anyway.”