9781618852014TheSpaceCougarsCadetPierce (4 page)

“Very
well. I shall do my best…though you do make it difficult to maintain
self-control at times.”

She
smiled and licked her lips. “Yes. That’s the idea. Trust me, you’ll like it. A
lot.”

Jaret
looked skeptical, but he didn’t object as she lay
down between his legs and cupped his balls. Her fingers rubbed the plump orbs
as she used her other hand to tilt his shaft toward her lips. Slowly, she
traced his dome-shaped cockhead with the tip of her tongue. Overcome with
excitement,
Jaret
moaned and fell back onto the
mattress. His legs opened wider. Whether he had done that deliberately she
couldn’t tell.

Layla
found that she loved the taste of his skin—fresh and
exotic, scented with her own soap. She bore down on him with enthusiasm,
licking and sucking while he writhed. His lungs dragged back a deep and excited
breath, and she knew he was getting close. Lifting her lips away from his cock
for only a moment,
Layla
pivoted around and gripped
his shoulders with her ankles.

“Use
your tongue,” she urged him. “Get me ready for more.”

Murmuring
his agreement, he inclined his head until his lips came to rest on the
still-damp patch of hair between her open thighs. Cautiously, he slithered his
tongue up her slick flesh, easing his way into her center. When he found her
clit, he dabbed at it a few times, almost as though he were afraid of causing
her discomfort. When she made it clear that he would not, he started with more
gusto and gradually with more skill. He’d always been a fast learner, she
remembered—that had made him successful in her course and no doubt in many
others. Luckily for her, he carried that same dedication and enthusiasm into
the bedroom.

He
went on teasing and tasting her until she felt full and ripe…and close to
bursting.
 
Suddenly, she raised up and
spun around again. This time she scooted down and gripped his hips between her
thighs while she lowered herself onto him. Just like before, he filled her
perfectly, as though they were two halves of some exotic being that had
temporarily separated, but had now made itself whole once again.

Sweat
streamed down her shoulders and beaded on her breasts as she moved up and down
on him, lifting herself almost completely off his cock and then slamming back
down on him. It only took a few deep strokes until her entire body seized up in
a massive spasm of pure pleasure.

“Now,”
she said, the word coming out as a half-moan. “Now, now!”

His
own groan answered hers. She was sure she felt his balls swell and then deflate
as he released a bolt of liquid heat up into her. As his passion melted away
inside her,
Layla
reflected on a historical account
she had once read about ancient sexual habits on Earth. In the old days, she’d
learned, the partners sometimes had to encase themselves in primitive materials
like rubber and latex to prevent unwanted pregnancy and disease. Though she
admired their practicality, she felt sorry for her ancestors. Thank goodness
modern technology, in the form of a brief and painless injection for both
genders once a month, had solved those problems in her own time. She couldn’t
imagine giving up the delight of him coming inside her.

She
arched her back, bucking and rocking on top of him until the final shudders
passed through her body. By then he was holding onto her thighs, meeting her
movements by thrusting up into her. Eventually he dropped in exhaustion, and
she reluctantly slid off him. More satisfied than she had ever felt in her
life,
Layla
drifted off into a relaxing sleep, her
head resting against his chest.

Some
time later, exactly how long she wasn’t sure, she stirred awake and noticed he
had gotten up. She spotted him on the other side of the room, leaning against
the one-way glass that provided a dazzling view of the brightly lit campus. The
room was too dark to reveal his expression.

Stealing
up behind him, she slid her arms around his waist and drew herself to him. One
of her hands brushed idly over his cock, which stirred to life against her
fingers.

“I
must return to my quarters soon,” he said sadly. “My roommate will wonder what
has become of me and it wouldn’t do for anyone to see me leaving this structure
at daybreak.”

“I
understand,” she said, letting her hand drop away. “I wish you could stay the
night, though.”

It
was impossible, they both knew. A melancholy silence stretched between them.

Suddenly
Layla
brightened. “I have an idea. Tomorrow. I can
sign out a short-distance
travelcraft
and take a
one-day personal leave. You can tell your friends you need to study privately.
There’s a recreation and training station an hour from here. No one is using it
during finals.”

He
turned to look at her, nodding. “I know the place. I took part in a survival
exercise there in my first year.”

“We
can be alone there, and out of uniform…in more ways than one. I’ll bet getting
away for a while will help you concentrate on your finals again, too. I can
even help you study, if you like.”

“Your
suggestion has merit. I would be grateful for your assistance…academic or
otherwise.”

“All
right, then.
 
Meet me at the Transport
Bay after breakfast.”

“I
look forward to it,” he said. Then he leaned over and kissed her hard…only on
the mouth, for now, but she knew that was just the beginning.
 

* * * *

They
flew the
travelcraft
to the other side of the planet,
where various types of landscapes had been
terraformed
and domed for use as training environments. When the cadets had no use of them,
Institute officials could reserve the areas for private recreation and even
meditation. Making no mention of
Jaret
,
Layla
had signed out one for the day, citing her purpose as
spiritual rejuvenation. That wasn’t a total lie, she rationalized. She expected
both of them to come back in a fully refreshed state.

Jaret
insisted on piloting the craft and
Layla
didn’t object. “I enjoy it,” he explained as they
hovered near the marked landing spot. “This way, I can focus only on the task
at hand and free my mind for a while.”

“You
seem to have a real gift for it,”
Layla
observed. His
skills at the controls didn’t surprise her in the least.
Jaret
seemed to reveal a gift any new thing he tried, most certainly including sex.
She could hardly wait to see what delights they would discover today in a state
of total freedom from prying eyes and Institute responsibilities.

They
left their craft on the landing strip and entered the dome she’d reserved. Once
they passed through the opening and resealed it, they found themselves standing
in a perfect patch of subtropical forest. The lagoon, surrounded by engineered
plants bearing succulent fruit and colorful flowers, beckoned them with its
sparkling surface.

“Come
with me,” she said, pulling him along by the hand. Moments later, their clothes
lay on the shore while they waded into the balmy water. Since the circular shape
of the lagoon prevented actual swimming, they settled for floating together,
their limbs entwined among the bobbing lily pads. Eventually they climbed out
and gathered a few wild fruits to take back to their blanket.
 

“This
is nice,”
Layla
said, stretching out beside him and
turning her bare skin toward the sky, well, the top of the dome anyway, without
shame. “Only the two of us. No uniforms. No exams. No sneaking around.”

“No
worrying about what comes after graduation,”
Jaret
added grimly.

“Why
are you worried?” she stroked her fingers down the middle of his chest and kept
going until her hand rested on his velvety
ballsac
.
“As I’ve often told you, you’re a brilliant student. Every commander in the
fleet will be fighting to get you as part of his or her crew.”

His
troubled expression returned and
Layla
frowned as
well. Most cadets would be buoyed, or even thrilled, by such praise. Still, she
let it go when
Jaret
peeled open one of the thick,
pulpy fruits they had picked and stroked it over her nipples. The juice left a
sticky residue that tingled against her skin until he bent to lick it off.

She gasped when
his mouth swept lower, coming to rest between her legs. His lips opened and his
tongue boldly teased her. At the same time, he squeezed the fruit over her and
let the juices drip down to mix with her own. The combination of his probing
mouth and the tang of the nectar soon had her shivering with need despite the
warm air. Closing her eyes, she opened her arms to him as he moved into
position on top of her. He entered her with no of the hesitant fumbling or
worries about causing her discomfort. He seemed to know now that he fit inside
her perfectly, his cock sliding against just the right spots to arouse her
fully and swiftly.

Layla
moaned, arching her back against him, her inner
muscles squeezing him deeper inside. A strange idea flashed through her mind,
telling her that she could have loved him in another life. Maybe a life where
the two of them were wandering space brigands or just regular colonists on some
distant world. Or maybe she loved him already.

Before she had a
chance to analyze that startling thought, orgasm gripped her with a powerful,
flooding warmth. Instead of the quick, hot bursts she usually enjoyed, this one
spread slowly through her, wrapping around her bones, attacking each sensitive
nerve ending with a pure and intense pleasure she hoped would never end.
Jaret
joined her in her moment of bliss, burying himself
inside her warmth and crying out with the force of his release. All too soon it
did, though it left a peaceful feeling in its wake. Once again they lay side by
side on the blanket.
Layla
rested her hand against
his.

“Have
you ever been in love?” she asked him suddenly. “On your home world, maybe, or
at the Institute?”

Jaret’s
face tightened in confusion. “No. At least, I don’t
believe I have.”

“I
think you’d know if you had,” she told him, amused. “It’s not hard to figure
out. First, you would think about the person all the time. You wouldn’t be able
to eat or sleep.”
Or study
, she
suddenly realized.

“It
sounds uncomfortable,” he said, “and possibly harmful to one’s health.”

“Oh,
it isn’t. It’s wonderful…even if the other person doesn’t return it, or even
know. If the feeling is returned…well,
Jaret
, it’s
the most addicting emotion Earth people can experience.”

He
fell silent for a while, considering her words. “Most of the marriages on my
world are arranged,” he said at last. “Genetic engineering often plays a role.
Emotional excesses would impede the work of our scientists. No wonder it is not
encouraged.”

“Will
you have that sort of marriage?”

He
shrugged. “Not necessarily. My oldest brother, yes, for the good of the
Thek
dynasty. Since I am a younger son, I have more
freedom.”

“That’s
good.”

“Yes.
I think so.”

His
mouth hardened. Perhaps some family drama lay behind his reaction. She didn’t
pry. Presently, they dressed and returned to the Institute. They spoke little
on the way back. Something had changed, but
Layla
suspected it wasn’t because they had begun to lose interest and drift apart.
Quite the reverse.

If
only things were different, she mused, hating herself for her weakness. If only
he had been older, or she younger. If she were free to leave the Institute and
run off with him. But such things could never be. Each of them had different
destinies to fulfill.

“Thank
you for inviting me,”
Jaret
said as they stepped out
of the craft in the Institute’s docking bay. “I shall return to my work now. I
have indeed conquered my fear of the exams.”

“I
know you’ll do wonderfully.” Discreetly, she reached out and squeezed his hand.

“As
to what happens after graduation. I shall remind myself not to worry about
unknown quantities.”

“Good.
Things have a way of working out. You’ll have to trust me on that.”

“I
do.” He gave a brief, formal half-bow that charmed her and broke her heart all
at once. “I have enjoyed our time together. You are a wonderful teacher.”

He
walked away.
Layla
headed back for her office to pick
up some work. She didn’t think she could face her empty quarters just yet.

She
had barely entered the administrative building when she saw
Xath
walking toward her. He looked stressed.

“What’s
wrong?” she asked, hoping she wouldn’t hear that rumors had begun circulating
about a professor and student running off together for the day.

“A
conflict has broken out,” he said. “Another brigand attack, this one much worse
than the others. We will be mobilizing for war games soon.”

Chapter Four

Layla
spent the next several hours in emergency faculty
meetings. While she and
Jaret
had been enjoying one
another in their private paradise, a fresh wave of brigands had breached an
important security net and entered a quadrant rich in resources and settlers.
The assembled faculty members drew in a collective gasp when the Chancellor announced
that some of the colonized planets had already been plundered, while the rest
were bracing themselves for violent raids.