CourtesanTales Masterfile (7 page)

When he bent his head to kiss her,
she turned her head away. “Where have you been?” She knew she had no right to
ask the question but she had to know if he’d sought pleasure with another
woman.

“I’ve been with the clansmen you
conspired to trick me with,” he said, rubbing his hard, heavy shaft against her
body.

Parmia tensed. “I…I…” She wanted to
tell him she hadn’t contacted them, but that smacked of betraying Markes who
she loved and who held a greater claim on her loyalty than anyone else. “I can
explain.”

“Really?” He ground his cock against
her belly.

“Yes—if you’ll just give me a
chance.”

“Maybe I’ll be in the mood to
listen—later.” He lifted his hips, gripped his cock, and pressed it against her
entrance. “Right now I have hungers only you can fully satisfy.”

Only her? Did that mean whoever he
had been with the previous night had left him longing for her? Still jealous,
but reassured, she determined to ensure he wouldn’t feel the need to mate with
other women again. Clenching her hands in his ass cheeks, she thrust her hips
off the bed. “Then take me and all the satisfaction you want and need.”

“I intend to,” he said, his voice
brusque. He angled his body until the head of his cock slipped between the lips
of her slit.

Her stomach muscles clenched and her
pussy flooded as she slowly impaled herself on his cock. With his entire hard
shaft buried deep inside her body, she slipped her hands up to his shoulders to
pull his upper body down onto hers. “Crush me and brand me as yours,” she
pleaded.

As his chest muscles crushed her
breasts, she parted her lips, inviting his plunder of her mouth. Instead, he
touched his lips to hers with a tender passion that swelled her emotions in a
way she couldn’t deny or conceal from him. She closed her eyes on a rush of
tears and clung to him. “I’m yours,” she whispered.

He cupped his hands under her ass and
tilted her hips allowing deeper penetration. With his lips and tongue, teasing
and caressing hers, he commanded her complete surrender. She gladly gave it.

With each slow, deep slide back into
her, he claimed a piece of her exposed heart.

As if his sole goal was to please
her, he kept his strokes even and just hard enough to ensure each movement
increased her level of pleasure and arousal. When she sobbed and came, he
pressed his lips against her ear and whispered softly to her in a voice husky
with desire.

The words infused her body with heat
and her heart with the belief that he was promising her a level of commitment
no creature other than Markes had offered her. Overcome with emotion, she
trembled helplessly under him, and made no attempt to conceal her tears from
him.

Rolling onto his back, he eased his
cock out of her and held her cradled against his body until her sobs subsided.

“I have you,” he told her. “There’s
no need to cry or ever be afraid again.”

Pressing closer into his arms, she
closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Warm, nibbling kisses on her mouth
and breasts roused her sometime later.

Opening her eyes, she turned onto her
side.

Delsin, fully dressed, sat on the
side of the bed. A tray rested on the bedside table to his right. “Are you
hungry?”

“I’m famished,” she admitted, her
gaze locking with his.

He lowered his lids before she could
read the expression in his eyes. “I’ll leave you alone to eat and shower. Then
we need to talk.”

“What about?”

“About how we’re going to handle the
situation we find ourselves in.”

She couldn’t decide if such a talk
would be a good or a bad thing. “Can’t it wait?”

“No. We need to clear the air and be
honest about where we go from here.” He kissed her breasts before he stood
upright. “Please join me on the observation deck when you’re ready.” 

She watched him walk out with a feeling of dread. Clearly, he
knew of her treachery. So what was there to discuss? Not only would she have no
future with him, but she also wasn't likely to earn the rest of her fee. The
implications for her and Markes stunned her.

Standing under the sonic shower, she allowed herself the
luxury of a quick sob before she left the shower.

Markes waited for her in the bedchamber.
"Are you
all right?"

She had a sick feeling that it would be a long time before
she was all right again. She'd committed the cardinal sin for a courtesan—she'd
fallen for someone who couldn't possibly return her feelings.

"We need to leave now," she told Markes. "Can
you ensure a safe passage without killing anyone?"

"No one will keep us here against our will,"
he assured her.

She glanced at the bed, inhaled quickly, and started towards
the door. "Then let's go. We'll get a room for the night and decide how to
proceed."

"What about our fee? We earned it."

She shook her head. "I couldn't take it."

"I can."

"Then you get it!" she snapped. "I don't want
anything to do with it!" She wanted Adarinas—not credits. She stormed
across the room to the doors, which slid open. Stepping out into the corridor,
she glanced around.

Markes hovered near her head.
"He's waiting for you
in the observation deck."

"I don't want to see him again and I doubt he wants to
see me. Let's go."

"Are you sure you want to go without seeing
him?"

She nodded. "I'm just not sure how we'll make it across
the desert to the shifter den."

"I have a hovercraft and a pilot on standby.
"
He was silent for several moments.
"I've contacted the pilot. He's on
his way and will be outside the hangar shortly."

"Oh, Markes. What am I going to do without you?"

"You're your father's daughter. You'll thrive on
your own and we'll keep in touch after I have my upgrade."

They'd keep in touch but would never have the same level of
closeness again. Blinking back tears, she walked quickly down the corridor
towards the exit. With each step, she hoped and expected Adarinas would appear
and—

And what? Declare his affection for a woman who slept with
other men for credit and who had conspired to trick him into returning to a
place he'd avoided for years?

When the cruiser’s outer doors opened, she rushed out into
the hangar and ran towards the exit. Once outside in the desert, she saw a
small hovercraft idling several inches above the desert.

With tears of regret prickling her eyes, she rushed across
the sands. As the pilot appeared at the entrance, Markes stopped beside her.
"Parmia?"

"I don't want to talk. Let's just please go," she
whispered. “I don’t want him to try to stop me.”

“He won’t. He’s asleep and won’t wake for a while.”

“Asleep?” How could he sleep when she was about to walk out
of his life forever? “But—“

He urged her onto the hovercraft before he replied.
“Drugged
him while you showered,”
Markes said.

“Oh, Markes.”

“Thought it would be easier on you. Drugged but didn’t hurt
him.”

She held her tongue. Markes only spoke in clipped tones when
he was angry or upset. As the hovercraft turned and flew away, she closed her
eyes on a rush of tears. She was leaving the only man she'd ever loved. When
Markes left, she'd be alone in the world for the first time. Alone and
heartsick.

Sometime later, she and Markes were at the Denhari
spaceport, awaiting transport off the planet. Ever resourceful, Markes had
managed to secure the rest of their commission and they were set to go their
separate ways within hours. He had insisted on seeing her safely on a transport
off Denhari so she would leave first.

Waiting, she couldn't stop crying.

Markes rested on her lap in silence.

The knowledge that she would soon be separated from the only
sentient creature who cared about her welfare made the wait seem endless.

When her transport departure was announced, she sobbed and
clutched Markes to her breasts. "I know you'll do well, but please let me
know how you're doing," she said when she released him.

"I will contact you when I finish my upgrade. Contact
me if you need me and I'll come—even if I have to stop my training. I'll always
come if you call."

She wiped her tears. Hell would ice over before she interfered
with his training. It was time she stood on her own two feet—as her father
would have expected. But she nodded and wiped her tears. “Thank you.” She
turned, picked up her case and walked towards her transport, feeling as if her
heart would break.

“Parmia!”

She turned at the transport door.

Markes rushed towards her.
“Never loved anyone or
anything—not even your father. Respected him. Love you. Always.”

“I love you too, Markes.” She stroked her fingers along his handle
before stepping onto the transport.

The doors slid shut, cutting her off from the only living
creature who loved her. She was alone and afraid.

Delsin woke on a lounge chair on the observation deck with a
pounding headache and a stiff neck.

“Are you all right?”

Renas stood over him, holding out a small, pale pill used to
alleviate the symptoms of too much drink and carousing.

Delsin swallowed the pill and slowly rose. He glanced out
the observation deck windows onto a moonlit night. What the hell! He turned to
look at Renas. “She’s gone. Isn’t she?”

Renas nodded.

Delsin took a deep breath. “Where?”

“I’m not sure.”

“How long have I been out?”

“I’m not sure about that either. I was at the pleasure den
with Kayden for several hours before I got a message from Markes that you
needed me here.”

“What in the hell are you sure about?”

“That she’s alone. While you were out, I did a trace and
found that Markes took a transport alone.”

“Damn! She must have left too. I have to find her!” He
stalked across the room.

“I know where she’s headed.”

He came to an abrupt halt. Daylon stood in the doorway.

A wave of relief washed over him. He had to take a moment to
swallow before he could trust his voice to remain steady when he spoke. “Where
is she?” Realizing he must appear disrespectful, he impatiently dropped to one
knee with his head bent. “I beg your pardon, Alpha.”

Daylon crossed the room to place a hand on his shoulder.
“Rise.” He handed Delsin a small communication device. “She’s on a transport that
left Denhari a few hours ago. I called in a few favors and had them do a
layover in the Waymen Desert. They’ll only wait for two hours. So if you hurry,
you might catch her before she takes another lover.”

The thought of the courtesan who had stroked his deepest
emotions allowing any male other than Renas to touch her infuriated him. For
the first time in his life, he felt a murderous rage in connection with a woman
who earned her credits teasing and pleasing strange men who meant nothing to
her. Of all the women to move him, he had to fall for one who viewed him as
nothing more than an opportunity for profit.

And yet, it would be a calm, balmy day in the Blue Desert
before he allowed her to walk away from him without even giving him the
courtesy of admitting she wasn’t worth his time or affection.

“Thank you, Alpha,” he said and moved towards the bridge as
Daylon headed for the exit.

“Oh, Delsin.”

“Yes, Alpha?”

“When you have her, try to remember that this is home. I
went through a considerable amount of time and expense to finally get you back.
Don’t think I’m prepared to allow you to fly off again.”

Daylon had admitted that he’d paid Parmia and a woman from
Telmira to pretend to hire him to “capture” Parmia as a sex slave. “Alpha?”

“I don’t expect my credits to be wasted as you traipse
across the galaxy again. Although I loved and respected my father, I don’t
share his views. I lead a more enlightened clan. We’re now ready to welcome and
embrace all our scattered kindred brothers back into our clan. Daria and I want
you where you belong—back with us—at home.”

“Alpha, I’m not sure I’m ready—“

“We insist on your return, Delsin and are not prepared to
accept any answer from you except yes.”

Delsin felt a rush of emotion. He inclined his head. “Thank
you, Alpha.”

* * *

 Alone in her private quarters aboard the transport, Parmia paced
until her legs ached. Then she sank down onto the bed, fighting back tears. The
life she had envisioned on the neighboring planet of Aeolia no longer held any
appeal. Even though she had prepared herself for the loss of Markes’ protection
and companionship, she hadn’t expected to fall for Adarinas.

She had been a fool to sneak away without talking to him.
Now, even if she went back, he would think she’d participated in drugging him.
How would she ever convince him that he had touched her heart so deeply she was
prepared to embrace his way of life and be his woman? She was prepared to stay
with him—even if his interest in her only lasted until he settled down with one
of the tiny blondes his people preferred.

Parmia shook her head. The sooner she accepted the fact that
she was on her own, the sooner she could conquer this incessant urge to sob. Placing
a hand on her belly, she bit her lip. She could feel changes in her body that
told her the seed of her lovers had found their mark.

Soon, she’d have a new life on which to shower her love and
affection. No. She’d welcome two new lives into her world. At some point, she
knew her children would want and expect to know their fathers. But for now, she
was alone and having second thoughts about the advisability of having allowed her
belly to be swelled.