Steam Guardians 01 - A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious (20 page)

Darius snickered, still too arrogant, but she was too busy trying to pull air into her lungs to protest.

“I wonder how you taste, sweet siren.”

“You can’t—”

He chuckled and grazed her open slit once more as she fought to draw in her next breath. Pleasure pulsed through her in a wave so thick, she couldn’t fight her way free of it to remember why she was arguing with him. The pictures of the erotic texts flashed through her mind in the same moment that she felt his breath against her folds. Her clitoris throbbed so hard, it felt like she might climax the moment he touched her. But he seemed to sense it and offered her only the softest of strokes from his fingers.

“Can’t what, sweet siren?” His fingers grazed her slit back and forth, producing pleasure so intense her eyes closed because she only wanted to feel. “Can’t…stop?” He targeted the little nub at the top of her cleft and rubbed it. “At last we are in agreement. I don’t believe I can stop either. The idea of tasting you is driving me mad.”

Anticipation nearly twisted her in half. It felt like her insides were being wrung, and breathing took every bit of strength she had.

The only thing she could do was moan and twist as he replaced his fingers with his lips. She’d never thought a man’s lips might feel so hot. Darius’s tongue lapped along the inside of her slit before toying with her clit. Her muscles tightened and felt like they might snap, sweat rising on her skin as her heart raced. Every thought was centered on the soft strokes being applied to her clitoris. Time slowed down, and it seemed a small eternity between each lap. She was suspended between need and pleasure, yearning for it the moment his tongue moved away. She strained toward him when pressure returned, desperate for just a tiny bit more to send her over the edge into climax.

Darius didn’t give her release. Instead, he sucked on her before teasing the entrance to her passage with one fingertip.

“More, Darius! I need more.”

He thrust his finger deep, drawing a moan from her. The sound bounced around the tiny cabin, but she hardly recognized it. All that mattered was lifting her hips, straining upward to be filled. The walls of her passage were slick with desire and ultrasensitive, but his finger wasn’t enough to make the pleasure crest either. Instead, she remained poised on the edge of the abyss, longing threatening to destroy her sanity.

“More!” she demanded. Forcing her eyes open, she curled up. “Give me more, damn you!”

The sight of him between her thighs was too erotic, too forbidden. He looked up her body, his dark eyes glittering with determination as he sucked harder on her clit.

She cried out, sure the sound was ripped from her belly because it felt like she was being torn open by the surge of pleasure moving through her. It traveled up her body, forcing the air out of her lungs as she twisted beneath him. By the time she drew in breath again, her vision had gone dark and her body collapsed onto the bed.

“Damn you, Darius…” She panted. “I’m an Illuminist now…You will not…dominate me.”

He sat back on his haunches, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. “I was proving my worth. A siren would be satisfied by nothing less.”

Janette sat up, the muscles of her belly feeling strained, but her desire was still only partially sated. Yet it was enough for her pride to rise above her yearnings. Her gaze centered on his cock, which stuck up swollen between the edges of his open trousers.

“Well, if you insist upon calling me by the name of a mythical Greek creature”—she slid off the narrow bed and cupped both sides of his face—“perhaps I should act like it.”

“You are mesmerizing, Janette. I fell victim to your song the moment you refused to cower in my office.”

His voice was husky and needy. She slid her thighs over his until she felt the head of his erection pressing between her slick folds. His hands found her hips, gripping them firmly, but she remained poised above his length while she leaned down to kiss him.

His hand trembled, and she heard him groan.

“And you reduce me to being willing to beg at your feet because I’m so besotted by you.” His face had drawn tight. “Because I can’t think beyond my need to be inside you.”

“A feeling I share.”

She slid her hands down his firm jawline and along his neck until she gripped his wide shoulders. He thrust up into her, sending delight through her belly.

“No,” she admonished him. “I am taking you. I saw it in a drawing…”

“You are taking too long to gain the saddle, sweetheart, and your stallion is ready to ride.”

He lifted her, proving that his strength was merely controlled. Beneath the thin fabric of his shirt, his shoulders were packed with hard muscle. It pleased her in some dark corner of her mind.

He released her and thrust up at the same time. She gasped as his cock penetrated her deeply and immediately rose off it. This time he used his hold on her hips to push her down.

“That’s the way, siren. Prove you’re my match, and I promise to make you work for the privilege of saying you kept pace with me.”

He was challenging her, but she liked the sound of his words. Pleasure began to build inside her once again, their position placing more pressure against her clitoris. The light was still on, granting her a clear view of his face. Savageness lit his eyes as she ground herself down. His grip had become tighter, bordering on pain, but somehow it enhanced the flames burning inside her. Her heart was racing, but she felt more alive than she ever had.

“Come now. Where’s the spirited ride you’ve been promising me, Darius?” She leaned forward and bit the skin on the side of his neck. He growled and thrust up into her with a powerful motion.

“You’d have to accept letting me off the bit…”

His tone was edged with warning, but instead of making her hesitate, it sent excitement through her. His hand was on her nape, holding her head steady, and their gazes locked. She watched something flare up in his eyes in response to her lack of hesitation.

For a moment, he stopped moving. One arm bound her against his body, stilling her efforts to continue their ride. She felt fragile against him, completely engulfed by his greater strength. But she wasn’t alone in her emotions; beneath the savage enjoyment of the moment, she witnessed the first uncertainty she could recall seeing in his eyes. She cupped his cheeks once more, slipping her fingers along his smooth skin until she encountered the short sideburns.

“Do your worst.” She sounded husky and confident in a way that surprised her. But it thrilled Darius.

He pressed a hard kiss against her mouth before lifting her off his length. The man handled her body like she weighed nothing, turning her and depositing her on her knees so she was facing away from him. She only had a moment to feel vulnerable before he flipped her skirt up, removing the fabric from covering her knickers. He grasped her hips and thrust into her with enough force that she fell forward and braced herself on all fours.

She should have been offended or maybe…something else; instead, all she knew was that she was caught up in the intensity of the moment. He rode her hard, driving his cock in and out with enough force to make her body jerk.

“Some men prefer their women do the riding, but I admit I enjoy proving my worth to you, Janette.”

He was half snarling while increasing his pace. She discovered an urge to move back and meet him. It increased with every solid thrust. Need was threatening to rip her in half again, her desire insisting she move faster, harder, and somehow press his length deeper.

She cried out with the need. It was all-consuming, and she heard an answering cry from her partner. Their skin smacked when it met because they were moving so fast, but her clitoris was left begging for enough pressure to send her into climax again.

“Now finish with me.”

He reached around her body, sliding one hand across her belly until he found the opening of her drawers. Her palms hurt because she was pushing them against the hard floor to maintain her position as he worked in and out of her from behind.

Nothing mattered but the progress of his hand. Her clitoris throbbed unbearably when she felt his fingertips parting her curls.

“I want to feel you milk me.”

He groaned, but she was more fixated on the decreasing distance between his fingers and her clitoris. She felt suspended between seconds, every hard thrust forcing her breath from her lungs, and then she frantically gulped it back in so she wouldn’t miss the first stroke.

It was soft. When he reached her tender flesh, he pressed down and rubbed. She cried out, her need snapping like a thread pulled too tight. Pleasure went sailing through her at an incredible speed; it cut through everything and continued until even her scalp tingled.

“Ah…yes, milk me dry.”

Her passage was tightening, and his cock began to jerk as his seed erupted. She didn’t control it, merely experienced it as her body contorted with satisfaction. Her lungs refused to work, but she didn’t care because she was too busy smiling as she heard Darius crying out.

It was harsh and male, but satisfying beyond even the pleasure pulsing through her nerve endings. He collapsed onto the floor and pulled her down onto his chest. Somehow she ended up in his embrace, his hands smoothing the hair back from her face as their hearts slowed.

She let her eyes close and ordered her mind to remain fuzzy. Clear thinking was for the morning. For now, all she wanted to concentrate on was the steady beating of her lover’s heart.

***

“I hear you are a good man to have about, Bion.”

Bion watched Grainger as the man slipped into the chair across the table from him. The dining area was nearly deserted, the passengers all preferring their cabins and a good night’s sleep.

“You shouldn’t listen to rumors. There are a lot of men who covet my position here, and they say the worst things about me.”

Grainger lifted his hand, signaling the barkeep for another glass. Bion pulled the cork out of the brandy bottle sitting in front of him and filled the glass. Grainger took a healthy swig of the dark brown liquid before sitting back in his chair.

“You aren’t drinking, First Officer?”

Bion folded his arms over his chest. “Never while this vessel is under way. I might be called to the bridge at any time.”

Grainger looked at the brandy suspiciously. Bion offered him a dry laugh.

“The staff is dedicated to their duty of making sure anyone who sits here is well supplied, but they forget I am still in uniform.”

Grainger nodded. “It’s that dedication that I wish to inquire about.”

“How so?” Bion asked softly.

Grainger tilted his head slightly while studying him. Silence stretched out between them for a long moment.

“Pure Spirits are very rare.”

Bion nodded but denied Grainger any further comment.

“Keeping her focused is in the interest of the Order.”

Bion slowly grinned. “If you are asking me if I believe emotional entanglements to be distracting, the answer is yes.”

Grainger smiled, a cold, satisfied twisting of his lips. “Excellent. I see my information is correct. You are a man to be trusted in difficult circumstances.”

Bion nodded. Grainger tossed back the rest of his brandy before standing. He offered the First Officer a stiff bow before walking away.

But Bion watched. He kept his attention sharp because without a doubt, someone was keeping sights on him.

***

She was tired but uncomfortable. Even in slumber she twisted, trying to relieve the pinching disturbing her. Her pillow moved in response to her restlessness.

“We’ll likely find the bed more comfortable now that we’re both more relaxed.”

Her eyes opened wide as Darius sat up and took her with him. He sat her on the bed, but she stood. She picked up her peplum jacket and hung it on a wall hook. Her skirt followed, along with her shoes and stockings, which she placed neatly on the floor beneath the hook.

“Decima brought some more practical clothing along for you, since you weren’t given any time to procure your own.”

“How do you mean? My clothing is already far more practical than any I’ve ever owned.”

Darius hung up his jacket and vest too, but he kept his leather pistol harness in place. The sight of the polished handle of a weapon resting in the holster chased the last of sleep from her mind.

“If the situation weren’t so questionable, I’d encourage you to try sleeping as the Islanders do.” He propped the pillows up where the wall and bed met. “In your skin.”

He didn’t really lie down but reclined against the pillows and propped himself up against the wall. He’d even left his shoes on.

“For the moment, I believe you’ve got the right idea to leave that corset on, even if it will be uncomfortable to sleep in.”

He patted the surface of the bed, raising an eyebrow when she smiled with amusement.

“Don’t you know, Darius?” She settled herself next to him with her back toward him; in the narrow bunk, being on her side was more comfortable. “Young ladies always sleep in their foundation garments.”

He ran his hand along her side. “Sleeping in a steel-boned cage—it’s bloody ridiculous .”

“It makes as much sense as this journey.” She should have kept her mouth shut, but the memory of the pistol resting so near to her head refused to allow her any peace.

“Oh, it makes sense, Janette. I only wish it didn’t.”

His voice had gone hard. She raised her head, but he pulled her close and gently pressed her face back onto the sheet.

“Rest. I fear you’re going to need it when we reach the Crystal Fields tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

“The Navigator will take us through a dimension gate in another hour.”

He smoothed his hand over her hair, almost as though he was trying to savor the moment. Her heart wanted to believe it was so, and her mind only helped out by pointing out that he’d had her flesh, so the only reason to remain was for tender feelings.

“Why didn’t you ask me what a Navigator is, or a dimension gate?” His words were guarded, almost like he dreaded her answer, which only added more fuel to her growing emotions. Darius Lawley had always been so untouchable, at least when it came to his opinion of her.