Return to Dark Earth (19 page)

He’d almost lost her. She’d almost died.

Cursing, he stomped into the tiny bathroom.
He stripped off his armor and his dirty clothes, and dropped them
on the floor. He was usually tidy, but right now he didn’t have it
in him.

After running the water burning hot—well, it
was mostly spray with the water-saving devices ships used—he
scrubbed off the filth. Then he switched to cold to douse his still
raging emotions. He pressed his palms to the wall and let the water
beat over his head. It didn’t work.

Finally, he flicked off the water and got
out. He ran a towel over himself, then wrapped it around his hips.
He might need to hit the gym, or pull out some work to do, anything
to distract himself from thinking of Nera falling, his hand
uselessly grabbing air.

He stepped into his room. He’d taken a few
steps when a weight hit him, sending him sprawling onto the
bed.

An agile body landed on top of him. He
smelled the familiar scent of her mixed with damp skin. She pinned
him with her legs, her knees digging into his ribs. Her hands
slammed his wrists above his head.

“You don’t shove me out of your cabin in
some misguided idea of taking care of me.”

“Nera—”

She shoved at his hands, pushing him deeper
into the bed. “I say when I fuck, not you.”

“You fell into a bloody pit of zombies. I
thought I’d let you recover from that.”

“Oh, I plan to recover.” She shifted against
him.

He noticed her hair was still damp from her
shower and slicked back against her head. And she was wearing a
simple T-shirt. His gaze narrowed. One of his T-shirts. One that
had gone missing months ago. Her strong body slid against his, and
in a flash he realized she was bare under the shirt.

She leaned down and nipped his jaw. “I plan
to recover by riding us both into oblivion.”

His cock swelled. “Nera.”

She pushed his wrists again. “Leave these
here, understand?”

He wanted to touch her, but he saw something
in her eyes…he nodded.

“I have a Naamah,” she said.

The implant protected against pregnancy and
disease. “I do, too.”

She released him and reached down. She
snatched his towel away and made a humming noise in her throat.
“Finally.”

Nik closed his eyes and made a choking
noise. She was going to kill him.

She circled his cock, started stroking it.
“I want you to know what to expect. I’m going to slide down on your
cock, fill myself with you, then I’m going to ride you hard.”

His hips jerked toward her.

“You like the sound of that?” She leaned
down and nipped at his mouth, tugging his lips between her teeth.
“You’ll keep your hands where they are.”

“I want to touch you. I will touch you.”

“Not right now. Right now, I’m going to
touch you. Take you.”

He saw her shallow, fast breaths, felt the
tremble of tension in her body. She was enjoying herself. She
undulated her hips and he felt the wetness of her on his hipbone.
He groaned.

“Don’t move,” she warned and scooted back
until she sat on his thighs.

Then, before he realized what she had in
mind, she leaned down and sucked his cock into her mouth.

Damn. He tried to stay still. Her mouth was
so hot and she was sucking him so tightly. She didn’t start gently,
no, not Nera. She swallowed him down and worked him hard. She
pulled back, swirled her tongue around the head of him, teasing the
underside, before sucking him back in.

“Nera…I want…” He could barely string words
together. “I want to be inside you.”

She raised her head, licked her lips. “I’d
like to feel you spill down my throat. But I want you inside me,
too.”

His cock twitched in her hands and she
smiled. She let go of him to pull the T-shirt over her head. Then
she was rising above him.

His lungs constricted. It was the first time
he’d really seen her naked. She was all slim, muscled limbs, a
small waist, and the gentle flare of hips. So damned beautiful. Her
breasts were high and firm, her nipples pink against her smooth
skin. She lifted her hips, and used one hand to position him
between her thighs. Then, watching him, she sank down.

“God.” He threw his head back deeper into
the pillow. But he never looked away from her nebula eyes. Her lips
parted as she took him inside her. She was tight and hot, and it
took her a little while to work him all the way inside.

“You fill me up, Niklas.” She pressed her
palms to his chest, her nails biting into his skin. Then she
started to move.

Sliding up and down, she was graceful at
first. She looked like some pagan priestess, taking a faithful
worshipper on a sensual journey.

But beneath that sense of reverence, he felt
wild desire ignite—hot and scorching. It was pure need, nothing
divine about it. She started moving faster, slamming down on him
harder. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip.

“That’s it,” he groaned. “Ride me.”

“I always knew it would be like this.”

“Like what?” he asked.

Her eyes opened. “Perfect.”

With a growl, he lifted his hips up, meeting
her downward stroke. He sank into her as deep as he could go and
she moaned.

He felt his release growing, circling at the
base of his spine. But he wanted to watch her come first. “Come for
me, Nera.” He felt the fine tremors in her body, knew she was
close.

She shook her head. “Can’t. I just want to
watch you come.”

He frowned. No way in hell. He wanted to see
her pleasure first. “You
will
come.”

Her eyes flashed. “You aren’t in charge of
me, Niklas.”

“Maybe not. But I am the man who’s in charge
of your pleasure.” He moved one arm down. “I’m going to touch
you.”

She stared at his hands, her hips still
rising and falling. She didn’t say a thing.

He took that for assent. He cupped her
breast, flicked at the nipple with his thumb. She made a small
sound.

Later, he promised that he was going to suck
those pretty nipples into his mouth and explore every inch of her
skin with his tongue.

But for now, he traced a path down her
middle, touching her belly button, and admiring the sleek muscles
of her flat belly. “All this lean, attractive strength.” Then he
dipped lower. Her movements slowed, her body tensing a little.

Softly, he touched her between her thighs.
He moved lower until he felt where they were joined, then he slid
his fingers up and found the hard nub of her clit. “Keep riding,
Nera.”

She rose and fell again, and the movement
made his fingers rub against her.

She gasped, then clamped down on him. Her
movements became faster, harder.

He moved his thumb, tried small, firm
circles, flicks, and gently pinching her clit between his fingers.
He discovered what made her cry out.

He smiled, then he kept caressing. She was
losing her rhythm, driving herself down onto him mindlessly,
focused only on sensation.

“Niklas.”

He heard the faint tremor in her voice. “I’m
here, I’ve got you.”

Another plunge and she exploded. Her back
arched and she screamed his name. Nik had never heard anything so
right before.

She shuddered above him and he gripped her
hips. He yanked her down hard and his own release rocketed through
him. He roared out loud, knew he’d be leaving bruises on her
hips.

When he fell back, spent, she dropped down
on top of him, her face pressed to his neck.

They stayed like that, recovering, until
their harsh breathing returned to normal.

“Well,” he managed, when he could finally
speak again. He stroked a hand down her bare back, tracing the
knobs of her spine.

“Hmm.” She stretched against him and,
shockingly, he felt his cock twitch. Hell, he didn’t think he’d
ever recovered that quickly before. Not even as a teen.

“I always knew it would be good, but this—”
he slid his hand up to the back of her neck, flicking at the ends
of her hair “—was kind of off the charts.”

She lifted her head. “You didn’t mind that I
like to be on top?”

“Whatever works for you works for me.
Watching that sleek body of yours above me is no hardship.”

She smiled. Then she moved her hips against
his now-hardening cock. “And it looks like you’re ready for round
two.”

***

“Yes, right there, Niklas.”

Nera stood in the small confines of the
shower, the plas tiles cool behind her back, her hands tangled in
Niklas’ dark hair. He was on his knees, his clever mouth between
her thighs, the steamy mist bathing them. His tongue stabbed inside
her, before he pulled back and found her clit. God, the sensations
were unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

For a long time, Nera had equated sex with
pain and domination. It had taken years, but she’d learned it could
be pleasurable—although she still preferred to be in control. But
that was less about her past and more about who she was.

But with Niklas, she felt safe enough to
lose herself…just a little bit. He made her feel so damn
much…exhilarating, overwhelming feelings, like she could shatter
apart like a supernova.

He sucked on her clit and her hands
tightened in his hair. She gave one strangled cry as her body
contracted, then splintered. She cried out, knew she must be
hurting him, even as she tugged on his hair.

A moment later, the water shut off, and then
he was lifting her into his arms. Good thing, because she didn’t
think she could walk.

He took two strides and set her bare ass on
the tiny sink.

He moved between her legs, nudged her thighs
apart. With one hand, he fisted his cock. It was swollen and huge.
He pressed the head against her and waited.

She looked at his face, the strained lines
and tight jaw.

“Nera?”

God, could this man get any more perfect?
And damned if he didn’t read her like an open holo-book.

“Yes, Niklas. Fill me up.”

“Watch,” he whispered.

She looked down and watched the first inch
of him disappear inside her. Then the second. Even after the
orgasms he’d already given her, she still felt him stretch her. He
moved until their bodies met, his cock lodged deep inside her. He
gripped her hips, thrusting in and out of her. For a second, she
felt dominated, out of control. She felt her muscles
stiffening.

“Put your hands on your head,” she rasped
out.

He eyed her for a second, then let her go.
He put his hands behind his head. She gripped his hips now, her
legs wrapping around his waist. She urged him to keep moving and he
did. He slammed in and out of her, his grunts growing deeper.

Another few thrusts and she started to come.
She let her head drop back, her breasts arching forward.

“Nera.” Just her name, and a second later he
slammed deep and stayed there as he spilled himself inside her.

Lost in the haze of pleasure, she couldn’t
move. He shifted, and she didn’t like it when he slipped out of
her. Then he was scooping her up—what was it about a big, strong
man carrying you around that made you feel so…cherished? He laid
her on the bed.

He settled on his back and tugged her into
his side.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what?” his voice was lazy.

“For…not letting you touch me the way you
want to.”

He went still for a second, then he hugged
her closer. “I’ll take you as you are, Nera. I’m not asking you to
be anything else.”

She smiled. “Then maybe sometime I’ll let
you touch me…if it suits me.”

His arm tightened on her. “All I want is
your pleasure. If me keeping my hands out of the way achieves that,
it isn’t a problem.”

She rubbed her cheek against the warm skin
of his chest. He was so damned good. He deserved so much better
than her. But for now, he was hers, and she would do everything she
had to do to keep him safe.

As Niklas walked alongside Nera the next
morning, he felt sated and relaxed…but he had more than a few
aches. The scratches on his back stung, he had a handful of bite
marks, and his muscles were aching. None of it had anything to do
with escaping from rampaging zombies. He smiled. He’d never felt
better.

He glanced to the right and studied her lean
profile. God, he wanted to hold her hand—like a lovestruck
teenager. But he knew she’d never allow it, and he’d never do
anything to jeopardize the badass reputation she’d worked so hard
to build.

Her head turned and when she saw him
staring, her lips quirked upward. “The ship’s underway.”

He nodded. “I felt the engines start up a
few hours ago.”

“Then let’s get to Avril’s planning meeting
and find out where we’re headed next.”

“You snuck out while I was in the
shower.”

She nodded and eyed the empty corridor. “I
went to see Alarah.”

He tried to read her even tone. “How is
she?”

Nera’s face hardened. “Broken.” She dragged
in a breath. “No.” One determined word. “She isn’t broken. Not
irreparably. I’ll make sure she has a chance to make it.”

Outside the door to the library, he heard
the murmur of voices. They paused, and because he couldn’t stop
himself, he allowed himself to run his hand down her back. “You
aren’t alone. Whatever help you need, you let me know.”

She didn’t look at him this time, but once
again, her lips flicked into a small smile.

They walked in side by side.

Avril glanced up, the light from the
holo-table illuminating her face. Her gaze flicked between the two
of them. “Nice of you to join us.”

Nera stepped forward, a cool smile on her
face. “Cheating death leaves you with this intense need to—” she
ran a proprietary hand down Nik’s arm “—celebrate still being
alive.”

Nik barely controlled his jerk of surprise.
He heard Solomon turn a laugh into a cough, and Gunn was looking at
Niklas like he was crazy.