Shy Talent (StarLords Book 3) (7 page)

“All night?” She sounded adorably confused, leading Agnor to wonder just what kind of lovers had been in her past.

“Oh, yes, my dear. I want to savor you. I want to make it last.” Naked now, he sat beside her. She blinked up at him. “I get the impression your past lovers have been rather vanilla in their tastes?”

“I’m not a virgin,” she said, blushing. “But I guess you can tell I’m not very experienced with variety. I’m sorry if that’s disappointing to you.”

“Never,” he was quick to state. He reached out, wanting to reassure her. “I think you’ll like what I have to show you. And if there’s anything you don’t like, you just tell me, and we’ll try something else, all right? I love the idea that I’ll be your teacher in some of these things, but I suspect we’ll learn together. You have as much to teach me about what you like as I can show you.”

He began stroking her lovely breasts, knowing she was sensitive there. He felt a jolt of satisfaction as her breathing hitched and her gaze turned languorous. He lay beside her, turning her so he could kiss his way down her neck, stopping at her breasts for a good long while.

He maneuvered her over him so her nipples hung above him, just waiting for his tongue. And then, he gave her what he sensed she wanted—he sucked and nipped until she was squirming over him.

“Like that?”
he ‘pathed directly to her mind. He was calm enough—rational enough—now to use his Talent even while he made love to her.
“I know I do. You have a beautiful body, Bet.”

She moaned and writhed over him until he finally took pity and allowed her to settle on his hard cock, letting her set the pace of his invasion. She took him quickly.

“Fast or slow, it’s up to you, Bet,”
he ‘pathed.
“Do you like the way I fill you? Do you like the feel of me inside you?”

“Yes…” she whispered as she took him, slowing her pace as she seemed to draw out every sensation for them both.

What followed was a slower, but no less satisfying, climax after a long build-up. Bet was in charge of that orgasm, and the two that followed, but before morning, Agnor took over again, showing her the highest pinnacle of the encounter.

He invited her to share his bed every night thereafter, and much to his satisfaction, she did. Their days were filled with main shift duty and work, then a few hours spent working on her skills in his meditation chamber, dinner and then a long night of the best sex Agnor had ever known.

They went on like this for a few days, though they didn’t speak much about their feelings. Agnor figured they’d talk about the emotional aspects of their growing relationship when Bet was ready. He still had the feeling that the slightest misunderstanding would scare her off, and that was the last thing he wanted.

* * *

Glena Zimt was ranked at Alcotar, and unfortunately, she had very poor personal shielding. Even after Agnor had requested that everybody put up tighter shields, her thoughts still came through loud and clear to Bet whenever they came within a few hundred feet of each other. Glena was in one of the small storage areas just off the hold, getting some cleaning supplies for her gunnery station. Bet knew the exact task, though the other woman hadn’t bothered to explain her presence in Bet’s domain, because she could read every thought in her head without even trying.

She reached for the additional shielding Agnor had begun to teach her about, and to her immense surprise, it worked! Glena went about her task, and for a few moments, Bet was pleasantly free of the buzzing thoughts in the younger woman’s mind.

But it only lasted until Glena came out of the small room, a bag of supplies in her hand. She turned to smile politely at Bet as she made her way out, and it was as if her thoughts were piercing Bet’s brain, so focused they were.

“Yeah, she’s the Loadmaster all right. Although I can’t imagine why the captain would want to shoot his load into her. He must be weirder than I thought.”

It was as if because the uncomplimentary thought was about her, it had extra power to penetrate even Bet’s new shielding. But she couldn’t let on that she’d heard the other woman’s innermost thoughts. On the surface, the younger woman was polite, if a bit distant, and Bet didn’t think she was mean enough to say such things directly to her face. For one thing, she had no motive. But Bet heard the cutting remarks anyway, and they hurt her.

The realization dawned that she was damaging Agnor’s reputation with his crew by being seen with him. Apparently, everyone was well aware of where she’d been sleeping the last few shifts, and she began to wish she’d never let him near her. She could only harm him. Hanging around with her hurt his reputation and standing with this new crew, and she would never knowingly harm Agnor. Never.

She decided she would stay in her own compartment that sleep shift—and all the others thereafter. She sent a quick message to Agnor’s compad that he would find when he finally retired for the night.

She couldn’t face him. It was better this way. He could find another willing partner among the crew—someone who wouldn’t make him look like a freak because he wanted to bed her. Someone who wouldn’t raise eyebrows and questions among the rest of the crew. Someone normal.

* * *

When Agnor finally reached his cabin, he was disappointed that Bet wasn’t already there. He wanted her so badly. But all he found was a blinking message light.

He read the terse message with disbelief. His first impulse was to ‘path her. He would order her to come up to his cabin and explain herself.

Then saner thoughts prevailed. Bet was a shy woman, a woman who had been so reserved and withdrawn with him until just a few days ago. She was still shy and reserved with the rest of the crew, and she had that unpredictable talent for hearing the innermost thoughts of those around her. He knew the things people thought, that they would never speak aloud, sometimes cut her already low self-esteem to ribbons. He’d bet good credit that something had happened to make her want to run from him and hide. But he wouldn’t let her do it.

He wanted her too much, and he wanted too much for her. He wanted her to continue to grow and blossom, not be forced back into her protective shell. He formed a plan as he left his quarters to go knock on her door, just down the long hall.

He knocked loud enough to be heard, but she refused to answer. He tried ‘pathing her.

“Sweetheart, let me in. I’m not going away, and I’m beginning to look pretty silly standing here in the hall.”

Wordlessly, the hatch slid open. She’d apparently activated it from her bedside console. She sat facing the small viewport, staring out into the deep black of space.

“Why didn’t you keep our date, little mouse?” He pitched his voice as he came up behind her. He had to play this carefully. He didn’t want to scare her off.

“You don’t know what they think,” she said vaguely, but Agnor was afraid he knew all too well what she meant.

“It doesn’t matter what they think,” he said calmly. “All that matters is what we think. What we feel. The rest of the crew—hells, the rest of the
galaxy
—can go hang for all I care.”

She turned to him, her expression clearly upset. “You can’t mean that. How are you supposed to lead a group of people who are doubting your sanity behind your back?”

“My sanity?” Agnor was surprised by her words. “Why in the world would they—”

“Because of me,” she whispered, turning away once more. “Because you’ve been spending all your time with me. They don’t understand why you’d waste time with someone like me. I’m hurting your reputation, Agnor, and I won’t be the cause for that. I’ll have to end our…our…association.”

She couldn’t seem to come up with a word to describe their relationship, and Agnor realized he’d waited too long to discuss the emotional aspect of their bond. Now, of course, anything he said on the matter would be suspect. He had to figure out a way to prove to her that she was wrong, without seeming to wheedle or suddenly come up with emotional words that would mean little because they wouldn’t seem spontaneous. He’d timed everything wrong, and he was going to have to work to dig himself out of the hole.

“You’re wrong, Bet, and I’m going to find a way to prove it to you.” He sat beside her, placing one arm around her shoulders. “Do you trust me?”

She hesitated before answering. “I do trust you, but you don’t know what I heard.”

“I assume this is something you
over
heard because of your special Talent, right?”

Slowly, she nodded. The fact that she hadn’t pulled out of his loose embrace gave him hope.

“Who was it? Can you tell me that?” When she seemed reluctant to name names, he played his trump card. “As captain, I really do need to know if a member of my crew isn’t loyal.”

That seemed to make Bet pause. Finally, she spoke.

“It was Glena,” Bet admitted in a small voice. “She was accessing the cleaning supplies during her shift and was near the hold. We crossed paths, and her shielding has never really been that good. Even when you asked everybody to tighten their shields, hers always leaked. I tried to block her out, but her thoughts—and they were mean things—were directed right at me like…like…missiles or something. I couldn’t seem to help overhearing them.”

Bet sounded contrite, as well as truly hurt. Agnor hugged her, hoping to ease some of her discomfort.

“That’s all right,” he almost crooned. “You’re not responsible for her unkind thoughts. You can only be responsible for yourself, and if you were shielding and not actively trying to read her mind, then you have nothing to feel guilty about. She’s the one who has the problem. Not you, sweetheart.”

Agnor spent the next hour talking to her, doing his best to convince her that whatever she’d heard, it didn’t matter. He would not abandon her because of a few petty thoughts by a junior crewman. He didn’t dare put names to the feelings he expressed, lest she be suspicious of the timing of his declarations. But he did his best to make her feel secure in his regard and cared for. He also did his best to reassure her fledgling confidence.

She really was fragile when it came to relationships of any kind. She’d admitted she hadn’t had much sexual experience, and he had to remember that in his dealings with her. He also got the impression that she didn’t make friends easily. She was unlike any other woman he’d known. She was special.

Eventually, he coaxed his way into her bed, and they spent the rest of that night in her cramped quarters, enjoying the closeness of a smaller bunk. While she slept peacefully in his arms after several rounds of delicious lovemaking, Agnor made plans.

He had to help her gain the experiences that would shore up her confidence and let her fit in more with the crew. Despite her progress in other areas, he’d noticed how she spent most of her time either alone or with him. She didn’t have friends on board, and she had admitted to finding it hard to make them.

He also sensed the rest of the crew’s distance from her. They didn’t seem to understand her, and they didn’t seem to be brave enough to broach the invisible barrier she kept around herself where others were concerned. They didn’t see the diamond in the rough under her bulky sweaters, or the quick wits behind the quiet manners.

Agnor would have to do something about that. He made plans, and the next morning, before he left her, he asked her to meet him in the crew lounge after main shift rather than in his suite. It was time to put his plans into action…

CHAPTER SEVEN

Uncertainty shone in Bet’s every movement as she joined Agnor in the crew lounge after their duty shift. There were others already gathered there, just hanging out, some snacking, some playing games. Others were engaged in more intimate activities.

Bet joined Agnor on one of the couches, and he put his arm around her. They watched the news vids for a few minutes until she relaxed into his hold as they sat side by side. When he caressed her breast, she shied away only a little bit before settling into his touch. And when he began undressing her as they kissed, she was with him all the way.

Shy little Bet—as he’d come to know over the past days—turned into a tigress when she was aroused. He was counting on the tigress to come out to play, and Agnor encouraged her at every turn.

When Bet clawed at his pants and freed his cock, he let her do as she willed. And when she moved to take him into her body, he let her have his way, though he knew it was time to put his plan into motion…

Agnor signaled Petris with a short telepathic message. Petris was Micah’s cousin, and he’d been friends with Agnor for some time. Micah had introduced them, and they’d spent at least one memorable voyage on the
Circe
together, gathering information on the Wizard collective.

Agnor knew Petris had a good heart and a well-earned reputation for pleasing his sexual partners. Agnor thought he would be a good match for what he had planned, and Petris’s broad smile as he approached them reassured Agnor he’d been thinking right.

“Do you want another cock? Now’s your chance, sweetheart. I’ll watch over your first joining, and make sure no one gets hurt.”

She jumped a little when she saw Petris approach, but her body clenched on Agnor, and he knew she was excited by the idea. Bet seemed to consider for a long moment, and he sensed her inner battle between the longing to be just like everyone else and the need to keep herself protected from others who might hurt her feelings.

“I’ll guide you, little mouse. I’ll see to it you’re safe.”
He sent his thoughts directly to her mind in an intimate whisper.

“You’ll be with me?”

“Always.”

She nibbled her lip, and he couldn’t resist reaching up to replace her little teeth with his in a biting, teasing kiss.

“Well then, yes, I think so,” she answered in a shy whisper. “I like Dominar Petris. He’s never been unkind to me.”

“He’ll be more than just
not unkind
. He’s going to shoot you to the stars. I can guarantee it. And I’ll help him.”

Agnor ‘pathed to Petris, sending him private instructions for just how he wanted this first joining to go down. Luckily, Petris knew him well enough not to question Agnor’s request and played along.