Captives of New Pompeii (13 page)

“The only details in my contract were the
length of the commitment and the rate of compensation. It was clear
to everyone that it was an anything-goes, take-it-or-leave-it
offer.”

“And you chose to take it?”

He snapped his cards close and placed them
on the tabletop. “I thought we were going to play poker.”

“I’m not allowed to know anything about
you?” She folded her cards as well but kept them in her hand.

“Why would you care?” There was no hostility
in his tone, but the note of bitterness stirred her curiosity. He
was the one trying to seduce her. Shouldn’t he try to appease
her?

“If you’re going to shadow me for the
next—who knows how long, I’d like to know a little bit about
you.”

“And I’d like to see you naked. Is that
going to happen anytime soon?” His soulful eyes lit with mischief
and she couldn’t help but smile. He was such an odd combination of
charm and danger.

She shrugged and raised her hand, indicating
the cards. “If I win a hand, you answer a question. If you win, I
take off an article of clothing.”

“Fine by me. I’ve spent a lot of time
playing poker.” He picked up his cards and fanned them. “I dealt,
so you go first.”

She kept two kings, tossing the rest into
the discard pile, then picked up the new cards he passed her. The
replacement cards were even worse than the ones she’d tossed, so
she was stuck with the two kings. “I’ve got a pair of kings.” She
told him after he’d switched out his own cards.

He smiled. “Three of a kind.” They were all
fours, but that still beat her kings.

“Fine.” She leaned down and took of one of
her shoes.

He chuckled. “Your deal.”

She won the next hand and she immediately
asked, “What made you apply for the New Pompeii project? I know
they’re requiring a ten-year commitment. Most people won’t agree to
that.”

“The compensation is unparalleled. I needed
the money. There is nothing unusual in my motivation.”

“That might be true, but there’s more to it
than that.”

“You’ll have to win another hand to find
out.”

He effortlessly won the next four hands and
her mood began to darken. He’d warned her that he was skilled, but
no one was this lucky. “Were you a gambler before you joined the
army? I feel like I’ve been set up.”

“How is that possible?” He pushed back from
the table and crossed his legs. “You proposed the game, not
me.”

“So I did.” He’d already won her shoes and
stockings and she wasn’t wearing a bra. Should she take off her
blouse or her pants? All she was wearing under the pants was a
thong. Standing, she opted for the pants. “Just because you get me
naked doesn’t mean I’ll sleep with you.”

“I don’t want to sleep with you.” He paused,
gaze burning into hers. “I want to fuck you for hours, in every
position you can imagine, until you come so hard you see
stars.”

Her fingers fumbled and her mouth went dry.
His graphic admission should offend her, but it didn’t. She was
tired of games, tired of emotional maneuvers that left her
frustrated and confused. Every man she encountered wanted something
from her, and it seldom had anything to do with sex. Her bed had
become a doorway to power and influence.

The hunger in Quade’s dark eyes promised
incendiary pleasure. She imagined him pinning her against the wall
and pounding into her with controlled ferocity. Her legs would hug
his lean hips and her nails would bite into his back.

He stood suddenly and pushed the table
aside.

“Wait! You only earned my pants. We’re not
doing this yet.”

Brushing her hands aside, he unfastened her
pants. “I’m no good at games, Laetif. I’m in this room because your
husband ordered me to come, but I’m going to fuck you because
you’re the most desirable woman I’ve ever seen. I think your
husband is an imbecile for not understanding what he’s got.”

Which was, of course, exactly what she
needed to hear. And it was precisely the reason she didn’t believe
him. “I don’t want you inside me until I know more about you.”

“Fair enough, but I’ve already earned your
pants.” He slipped his fingers inside the waistband and pushed them
down over her hips. The garment obediently dropped to her ankles
and she stepped out. He caressed her hips and thighs then reached
back and squeezed her ass. She gasped and twisted away. “What the
fuck?” He turned her and raised the hem of her blouse, exposing her
bruised behind. The marks were faded and the swelling was gone, but
she knew it still looked bad. “Who did this to you? If Xyell beats
you, I’ll kill him!”

His protectiveness pleased her, but she was
trying hard not to smile. “My husband didn’t do this and it was not
forced on me. I found the experience quite…cathartic.”

He stared at her for a long time, conflict
clear in his night-black eyes. “If pain is what you need, I’m
doomed. I can’t hurt a woman, any woman. Even if she wants me
to.”

“I don’t need pain.” Even as the words left
her mouth, a strange diffused ache branded her a liar. “The other
night just happened. When I ran out of here, Caleb—”

“The captain did this to you?” It was none
of his business, but she nodded and waited for the inevitable
question. “Did he fuck you?”

“Why would you care if he did? I’m an
assignment, remember? I’m your boss’s wife!”

He lunged so suddenly she cried out and
covered her face with her forearms. Time paused and nothing
happened. Her heart thudded wildly and she licked her lips.
Nothing. No movement, no sound. She slowly lowered her arms and
found him facing the other direction, hands clenched at his
sides.

“You can’t fake that reaction. Does your
husband hurt you, or was it your father?” The pain in his voice
confused her. Was this guilt, or had he known a woman who suffered
abuse?

“It was Mikko, but it hasn’t happened for
years. Hurting me would require too much energy. I’m no longer
worth even that. I’m sorry I reacted like that. Old habits die
hard.”

He turned and approached her slowly, hands
at his sides. “I’m thrilled he’s lost interest in you, but I’m
sorry you ever suffered at his hands.”

They looked at each other for a long time,
each sensing a kindred spirit. “Your mother?” she guessed.

He nodded. “I still dream about her screams
and the sound of fists hitting flesh. They finally subjected him to
cerebral rerouting, but none of us ever recovered. He was a zombie
after the procedure and she tortured herself with guilt. I know I
was too young to protect her, but that didn’t stop the dreams.”

Unable to ignore another haunted soul, she
wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed him tightly. “It
wasn’t your fault.”

“I know, but men who abuse the women they’re
supposed to protect are beneath contempt in my book.”

“Where is she now?” She leaned back so she
could see his face. “They aren’t still together, are they?”

“She died while I was fighting on the
frontier. It’s been almost fifteen years ago by now. Dad is in a
sanitarium like all the other zombies. Out of sight, out of mind.”
His hands gently touched her hips then slid down to her ass cheeks.
“Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore. I just have to be careful when
I sit down.”

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I
guess a wall banger ain’t gonna happen if I can’t grab your
ass.”

She shivered. Had his imagination produced
to the same image, or had he read her mind? Her gaze snapped to
his. “Are you psychic? That’s one of the reasons Mikko avoids
colonists. You never know what you’re getting.”

“Why? Were you thinking about being taken
against the wall while you wrapped those long legs around my
waist?” He pushed his leg between hers and rubbed his thigh against
her mound.

Her clit pressed against her pelvic bone and
she groaned. Her desire had been simmering since Caleb sent her
away without a proper fuck. The shattering orgasm he’d given her
had only whetted her appetite for more. She wanted the fullness of
a cock, not hours and hours of foreplay.

“I say we try.” She unbuttoned the top two
buttons on her blouse then yanked it off over her head.

His hungry gaze fell to her swaying breasts,
but his hands flew to the front of his jacket. With an urgency that
perfectly matched her mood, he shucked his uniform jacket, tore off
the undershirt and kicked off his pants. She watched him in silent
wonder, spellbound by the savage beauty of his body.

Utterly ripped, his torso was a testimony to
years of discipline and a lifestyle requiring physical prowess.
He’d mentioned fighting on the frontier, so he’d been a soldier
long before he sold his soul to Prince Tarhee.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” His
cock rose high and hard against his belly, proof of his demanding
need.

She wrapped her hand around his shaft and
gazed into his eyes. “I want this as much as you do, but we’re
going to talk when we’re done.”

“Deal.” He hurried her toward the nearest
wall and snapped the narrow straps of her thong. “Gods, these
things drive me crazy. Why bother wearing anything at all?”

“I usually don’t,” she admitted with a
sensual smile.

He threaded his fingers through her hair and
covered her mouth with his, tongue immediately seeking entrance to
her depths. She opened for him, beyond resistance or pretense. She
was a passionate woman with long-neglected needs. She still wasn’t
sure what Mikko hoped to gain by giving her ready access to a
lover, but so be it. She had been alone for far too long.

Raising one leg to his hip, he paused to
explore her pussy. His long fingers parted her folds and zeroed in
on her swollen clit. He circled the nub with featherlight pressure
and her core clenched painfully.

“In me now! I need this bad.”

Her breathy admission drew a soft growl from
his throat. He reached down, not giving her time to jump, and swept
her other leg out from under her. His hands firmly clasped her ass,
causing a moment of discomfort. Then he slid her up the wall,
effortlessly controlling her movements. Her legs draped over his
forearms, preventing her from locking them around his waist. She
felt his cock nudge her opening, but he didn’t push inside.

“My daughter,” he said in a passion-thick
voice.

“What?” Her body ached for the promised
fullness and he wanted to
talk
?

“I signed the contract to protect my
daughter. I didn’t want her raised in the colonies.” He slowly
lowered her onto his cock. “You said you didn’t want me inside you
until you knew more about me. Now you know.”

The admission left her with more questions
than answers, but the sentiment was sweet. So was his motivation.
There was nothing nobler than a parent’s love for his child. He
drew back then thrust deeper, keeping her legs spread wide.

She squeezed his shoulders and rested her
head against the wall. Shifting her lower and adjusting his stance,
he began to move in long, steady strokes that rubbed all the right
places. Heat gathered in her groin and tingles trailed down her
legs, but her mind was filled with speculation.

If he had a daughter, did he have a wife?
“What happened to her mother?”

He drove his entire length into her and
stopped. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know after. I need you
with me now.”

Then why had he brought it up? His mouth
covered hers, his lips warm and caressing. He pulled one arm out
from under her leg and she quickly wrapped it around his waist.
Then he moved the other and she settled more fully on his cock.

The kiss deepened and her pussy clenched
around him, accentuating the fullness and the connection. There was
so much more to Quade than met the eye. He was complex and
intriguing. She couldn’t wait to peel back his layers and discover
what lay beneath.

He drew nearly out then slammed back in,
warning clear in his dark eyes. “Look at me. Focus on what you’re
feeling.”

Supporting her body with one arm, he leaned
back and caressed her breasts with his other hand. His touch was
firm and confident, his gaze downright possessive. His hand
descended along her body and his gaze narrowed on her face. He
found her clit with his thumb and rubbed back and forth.

“I don’t need more foreplay,” she muttered.
“Just fuck me hard.”

“After.”

“After? After what.”

“After you come for me now.”

She dug her nails into his shoulders. “I
don’t think I can.”

“Close your eyes and concentrate on my touch
and my cock deep inside you.” His thumb changed direction, brushing
up and down. “I want to watch you, feel you with no
distractions.”

Rocking her hips forward, she made more room
for his hand. He was holding her up with one arm. Damn the man was
strong. He nipped the side of her neck, an unmistakable warning.
She tightened her inner muscles and focused on the tension building
in her abdomen.

As she centered herself more fully in the
moment, her body came alive. Her nipple peaked beneath his fingers
and her clit launched pulses of pleasure deep into her core. Still,
she felt alone and on display, uncomfortable with his scrutiny. She
opened her eyes, intending to tell him it wasn’t working, and was
devoured by his ravenous gaze.

Her passage clamped down on him hard enough
to make him moan as her back arched away from the wall. Pleasure
erupted in a brilliant burst of color and sensation, shaking her
entire body with its intensity.

Before the last spasm ebbed, he resumed his
strokes, in and out, with steady rhythm. She came again and again,
the sensory floodgates open wide. He lunged into her and ground
against her, his hands again on her ass.

She watched him through a haze of pleasure,
fascinated by the play of emotion across his features. He was
unguarded, almost vulnerable as he struggled for release. Then his
eyes bore into hers and his jaw clenched. He buried himself to the
hilt and unleashed his stubborn control.