Marked for Pleasure (6 page)

But doubt crept in. Would a man responsible for the death of so many lives, supposedly so callous, have stepped in front of her when threatened by the Brotherhood? She shook her head vigorously.

By the time she started to raise her hand to fire the weapon, he was there and twisted it out of her hand. She thought she was dead. He'd kill her now. She slumped against the wall, berating herself for her weakness.

Instead, he gripped her arm and dragged her with him down the corridor toward the shuttle bay.

Conner checked his watch. They had about ten minutes. It would take them five to get to the shuttle. The question was, how long would it take him to get the shuttle going? He sprinted past security, dragging Rhea behind him.

“Conner, behind us,” she warned him breathlessly.

He glanced over his shoulder. Two more Brotherhood assassins. A cold rage shot through him. The fucking general had betrayed him. His cover blown, they'd decided to maintain deniability and get rid of him. He'd make the old man pay for that.

The shuttle bay was almost empty when he and Rhea exploded through the door. He slammed the button to close the door and backed away to fire his laser pistol through the console wires. That might give them enough time.

There was no time to figure out whether anyone had sabotaged his vessel. He'd have to steal a different one. He jerked the woman with him and chose one of the shuttles at random.

In the cockpit, he slammed her into the copilot seat and produced his handy cuffs. He slipped them on her hands, and she stared at him. Those blue eyes were like lasers through him. She stuck her chin out. “I can help you fly this bucket.”

He studied her closely. He had to decide quickly. The shuttle had dual controls, both the horseshoe shape he preferred, but that meant engine checks and fuel mix would be difficult to coordinate. With Rhea at the other control, he could concentrate on getting them the fuck out of there. With a flick, he removed the cuffs. “I'm probably taking my life in my hands, but we only have a few minutes.”

Her fingers danced over the console, and he joined her, their movements like a symphony, firing up the shuttle and sliding it toward the exit. They weren't waiting for “approval.” He fired up the forward weapon on the shuttle.

Anyone in the bay would be warned by the humming whine that they needed to get the fuck out of the docking section. Sure enough, they all escaped just as Conner blew the door to space open.

Engines burning, they shot out of the bay, and he made a sharp right turn toward the nearest gate. Just in time.

They were seconds from the space gate when the
Star of Pleasure
exploded into smithereens. The impact slammed into their shuttle just as it entered the space gate. Conner fought the controls, but the explosion ripped through the ship and knocked it off course in a frightening lurch.

His hands were full just keeping the damn thing in the space hole. If they tumbled out of it, they would be crushed like a tin can. By his side, the mysterious woman fought with him to keep the systems online.

Debris slammed into the back hull. “Shit!” Conner's arms strained to hold the damn thing steady. The ship spun through the fucking corridor. They could be lost here, stranded, helpless, caught between one point and another. He gritted his teeth.

“We're losing power.” Her voice was pretty calm, considering they were about to die. “Switch from the shields,” he snapped.

“But then the debris—”

“It's pasting us anyway. Do it!” Another shudder rattled the shuttle.

Alarms blared, red lights flashed, and power dropped from the engines. Damn it. He gripped the controls and strained every muscle to fly through the void.

“There's a gate coming up,” she shouted over the roar of the engines.

Another chunk of metal careened into the back of the shuttle, and he was slammed into the controls. Rhea's face bounced off the console. Battered and bruised, they both managed to control the ship from spinning into nothingness. His heart pounded, his arms ached, and he wondered if any of this shit was worth it.

“Get ready.” He jerked the ship around, and they shot out of the gate like a laser cannon. As they careened through space, Conner fought to keep the ship stable.

His stomach lurched when the ship spun around five or six times. The alarms continued to blare, and then they suddenly stopped. The only sound in the cockpit was the rasp of Rhea's harsh breaths combined with his.

Finally the shuttle straightened and slowed down. “Damage?” he bit out.

“Right engine is fried, and the left is down twenty percent,” she answered him. An alarm blared. “Check that. The left engine is off-line. We can't use a space gate. We won't have enough speed.”

He checked their navigation. Where the hell were they? When he saw their location, he let out one word. “Fuck.”

“What is it?”

“We're in the Sethos system.” She had to know what that meant. Only three planets were inhabited. Sethos Prime was a nasty little dictatorship and would throw them both in prison just for the hell of it. Sethos Blue was a water planet, and humans weren't accommodated, so no place to land. Sethos Five was their only choice.

A sex planet.

Sethos Five had an odd hierarchy, complete with deviant rules of conduct for visitors. Single women were fair game. If an unattached woman showed up on the planet, she became a temporary consort of whoever bid the highest. Many women enjoyed that sort of game. Plus, she had the right to refuse any bid based on her own pleasure needs. But she had to accept someone within twenty-four hours, or she'd be kicked off the planet. The standing government on Sethos Five believed pleasure was the only reason to be there. They traded in fantasy, in toys, in equipment, in lives.

“Sethos Five,” the woman said softly. “Shit.”

“Exactly.”

She blinked and met his gaze. “I've only heard rumors.”

He snorted. “They're all true.” He raked his hand through his hair. There were few options, and the only one that made sense would probably piss her off. “We can't land with you as an unattached female.” He swept his gaze over her sweet curves, her smooth skin, and her sparkling blue eyes. “The bidding for you would be way out of my league. And you would be at the mercy of whoever had enough money to buy you.” And that was only on Sethos Five. It would be worse on Sethos Prime. An unattached female wasn't safe at all in this system.

Her nostrils flared. “So, what do we do?”

He sighed. She wasn't going to like it. “You will have to be my mate.”

“No.” Her absolute refusal was emphasized by her clenched fists. “I know what you are and what that would mean.”

Damn it, she was stubborn. She had to know what they would face if she didn't go along with his plan. “You don't know anything about me,” he snapped. “And what you do know is wrong.”

She glared at him. “I know you're a Nyral colonist.”

“I am.” That much in his file was true.

“I know you were kicked out of the Nyral military as a traitor.”

Part of his cover, and one that gave him access to some of the uglier parts of space. “That's what my bio says,” he told her.

Her lips tightened. “You want me to be your Nyral mate. I know what that entails.”

“You do?” He studied her. She had no idea what being a Nyral woman meant. And he didn't have time to explain it. “Then you know that Nyral women are sexual submissives and wear the mark of their master when they mate, right?”

Her lower lip trembled. “I've seen those marks.”

He nodded slowly. “And you won't wear one.”

She glared at him. “Never.” Her chin shot up. “I am not a submissive.”

“Bullshit,” he shot back. “You are, and you won't admit it.” He shook his head. “I don't have time for this shit. Wear the mark or be up for the highest bidder on Sethos Five. Take your pick.”

Tears gathered in her pretty blue eyes. He steeled himself against the pity he felt. It wasn't his fault Sethos Five had archaic views of women. Some ignorant people thought the Nyral didn't treat women with respect. Most didn't understand the true meaning of the relationship between a Nyral dominant and his submissive. Usually the woman on her knees held all the power. And though male dominants and female submissives were the norm, a small part of the population had the reverse. But the traditions on his planet were geared toward female submissives. They were the leaders, the healers, the ones who taught. Male dominants were the doers, the laborers, on his planet.

But this was no time for a history lesson. He'd given her time. Now she had to make up her mind before a Sethos Prime flyby picked them up. “Choose, little bird,” he demanded.

Without another word, she reached out her left arm.

A sigh escaped him. He clicked the shuttle on autopilot and took her outstretched hand. He led her to the back and faced her. Her head was lowered, her gaze on his boots. “You say you know about the mark. Do you know how it is made?”

Her head shot up. “I assumed—” She bit her lip.

His lips twisted. “I know people believe we brand our women like cattle. But that's not true. Like most of what you know about me, your information is faulty.”

Her eyes widened. “Then how—”

“Strip,” he ordered. She hesitated, and he glared at her. “Do it, or I'll do it for you.”

She slid out of her clothes and stood before him naked, glorious. He slid a finger down her neck. “Lift your arms above your head, and don't lower them until I tell you to.”

Her arms flew up, and her breasts rose, her nipples hard and tempting. He removed his clothes, his gaze never leaving her face. Her nostrils flared and her lips tightened, but she didn't lower her arms. He stepped closer, his fingers brushing the tips. “Did you know that fake marks are instantly noticed by the knowledgeable? I've never known why, but somehow the real thing stands out among the counterfeit. You will have a real one, trust me.”

She glared at him. “Trust
you?
Why?”

His cock nestled in her soft curls above her pussy. “Because once you're marked, I'll never hurt you, I'll protect you forever, and I'll be yours as much as you'll be mine.”

What was it about this man that erased her common sense? Rhea's body heated as Conner's fingers brushed over her aching nipples, and she struggled not to moan with pleasure. How was he going to mark her arm if he didn't brand her? She didn't understand, and a niggle of fear shot through her.

But the feel of his cock near her hot core and his soft words sent her senses reeling, and the fear disappeared, replaced by need. “
I'll never hurt you, I'll protect you forever, and I'll be yours as much as you'll be mine
.” Her arms trembled, and she fought to keep them over her head. His mouth hovered near her neck. She shuddered when his breath slid over her skin. His tongue rasped along her sensitive flesh and reached the outside of her ear, where he nipped her earlobe. “I wish I had more time,” he whispered.

She moaned, a low, keening sound she barely recognized as her own. His fingers continued to torment her breasts, and his teeth sank into the skin below her ear. He sucked the flesh into his mouth, marking her, she was sure, with the suction. She spun as sensation after sensation ripped through her. His hands dropped to her ass and squeezed her hard, pressing her closer, his dick hard on her clit. He hefted her up until her thighs rested on his hips. “Drop your arms around my neck.”

Her breath came in gasps, and her lungs burned. She twined her fingers behind his neck. His slow assault on her body was tearing away her resistance, her identity, until she was
his
. His mouth claimed hers, and she stopped breathing at all. She was helplessly enthralled by his possession.

He tore his mouth away and demanded, “Look at me.”

Her eyes flew open and met his. His green eyes were a swirling kaleidoscopes of color that fascinated her. Then his cock thrust inside her. She exploded, her orgasm shooting through her like a comet, and she screamed his name. But her gaze stayed connected to his. Every stroke, every slide of his cock inside her, sent her higher, rolling into another cascade of pleasure.

And then he came inside her, his cum slamming into her like a fist. Every one of her muscles strained, rippling in intense, almost painful pleasure. Tears fell on her cheeks, and she barely noticed as her body convulsed around him.