Braden (13 page)

Braden sat back and blew out his breath. What Justin had
just told him would change the world.

If the Bor Nargan government discovered that Shareem seed
was viable, what would they do? Round up all Shareem to ensure no seed ever got
out?

And what the hell would they do if they found out that young
Sybellie had been fathered by a hated Shareem?

Braden thought of Sybellie’s pretty face in the rose-colored
veils, they way she’d chatted so happily with her friends. Her happy future was
finishing university and moving on to a profession, taking a husband, planning
for children. Moving into her own house on the Vistara, browsing the market to
find the perfect decorations. An easy life, one without fear and strain.

But not if her father were Shareem.

If Sybellie were found to carry Shareem DNA, her life would
become hell. At best she’d be exiled, but most likely she’d be experimented on
or even terminated and dissected. Her innocence would be ripped from her in one
swift stroke.

This was dangerous, dangerous knowledge.

Braden glanced around but the bar was still empty. He didn’t
fear listening devices, because Judith swept the place for them every day and removed
them, and the patrollers seemed to have given up putting them there. Got tired
of hearing the flush of Judith’s waste disposer, Braden figured.

“Does Sybellie know any of this?” Braden asked.

“Gods, no. I’m sure she’s been brought up to despise Shareem—if
she even knows we exist.”

“Then if you can’t talk to her, if she will never even know
about you—why did you come back?”

“To see her.” Justin’s face softened. “I just wanted to see
her.”

The pain in his Shareem-blue eyes proved the lie that
Shareem could feel no emotion.

Braden took another gulp of ale. “So what are you going to
do?”

“I don’t know.”

“You know you can’t leave Bor Narga again. You gave up your
whole life for the chance of a few glimpses of your daughter from across a
street?”

“Yep.”

Before Braden had met Elisa, he’d have thought Justin
insane. But now Braden felt a sharp tug of longing. To be bonded to someone
like that, even if he could never have her, would be sweet, something to hold
on to. Forever.

Braden thought of the taste of Elisa’s cheek as he kissed
her goodbye before slipping away. Would he give up everything in his life just
to be able to look at her from across a street?

Damn it all. I would.

I would.

How in the name of all the gods did this happen to me?

* * * * *

Braden left Justin, who said he wanted to linger, and went
back home. He nodded politely to Kamile, the woman who ran the fruit shop
across the street, and keyed open the door, troubling thoughts chasing through
his head.

Shareem were bred to fuck, not think. The problem was,
Shareem now had too much time to think, and it hurt, stirring the emotions they
weren’t supposed to have.

Braden stripped to his loincloth and lounged back on his
sofa, swinging his monitor around to tap in Elisa’s call number. “Hey,
sweetheart,” he said.

Elisa’s face filled the screen, sleepy, hair mussed. She
blinked. “Braden. Where are you?”

“Home.”

“I thought… Why didn’t you stay with me this morning?”

He gave her a smile, as though he hadn’t been shocked out of
his mind by Justin’s revelation. “To make you ask me back,” he said.

This was the moment of truth. Braden tensed, a trickle of
sweat running down his back. Would she want more, or decide to end it right
here? Would they continue the game another day or would Braden never see her
again?

Didn’t matter that Braden was level three. Elisa was in
charge, and he knew it.

Elisa wet her lips, that sexy gesture he already loved.
“Will you come back?” she asked.

“That didn’t sound very enthusiastic, sweetheart. More like
asking if I felt like going for a walk.”

Elisa flushed. She looked so sweet and beddable. “Braden, I
would like you to come back to my house.”

Good, good, good.

“I need more than that, darling.” Damn, this sucked. He knew
how to make women beg for him—he was an expert—so why was he now worried about
pushing Elisa too hard? What was he, a
gentle
Dom?

Elisa’s blush deepened but so did the need in her eyes.
“Please come back, Braden.”

“I’ll consider it.”

Elisa’s mouth became a round O. “But—I hired
you
.”

Braden cut the connection. It killed him to do it, but this
was the game. The woman had to want him. She had to make herself believe the
fiction that the Shareem was in control—of all her needs and her sexual
satisfaction.

His console softly chimed. Braden let it for a moment, let
her panic, thinking he wouldn’t answer.

“What is it, sweet thing?” he asked when he turned it back
on.

“What happened? Why did we cut off?”

“I cut you off, love. I have some rules. I don’t want to
hear any talk about hiring. I choose who I go to, and that’s final. All right?”

“Oh.” She blushed, but a spark entered her eye. Good, she
wasn’t the easily cowed type. “I beg your pardon, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Wasn’t she precious?

“You beg me to return and I’ll consider it. Then you thank
the gods I’m not like Calder. He never let a lady in a second time. Ever.”

“But I don’t want to be with Calder. I want to be with you.”

Damn it, she was breaking his heart, and Braden didn’t want
his heart breaking.

“I said, I’ll consider it,” Braden said, pretending to sound
hardass. “This time, I bring a collar.”

“Collar? What for?”

“To keep you close to me, sweetheart. And other things.”

Curiosity glowed in her eyes, but he saw that Elisa was too
polite to let on she was interested. He’d have to change that.

“Braden,” she said. “Please come back.”

As a plea, it wasn’t much good. She didn’t sound desperate
but Braden saw what was in her eyes. She wanted this, needed it.

And for some reason, her quiet, “Please come back,” caught
at him far more than the last little off-worlder on her knees screaming,
“Braden, please,
please
! I
need
you.”

“Braden?”

Braden flashed her a smile. “I’m thinking about it, love.”

“No, I mean, is something wrong? You look…troubled.”

Troubled? What troubles did Braden have? Yeah, well, maybe
he’d just found out that Justin had come back to Bor Narga looking for his
daughter
,
for the gods’ sake, opening a whole new can of worms for Shareem.

Justin proved they weren’t naturally sterile. So what would
happen if Braden missed his shots? Would his seed impregnate the first woman he
was with—maybe the beautiful one on his vid screen right now? Or would it take
a while for the effects to wear off? Or had the inoculations done permanent
damage?

Or was Justin an aberration, a failed experiment?

“Braden? Is everything all right?” Elisa’s voice radiated
concern. Sweet thing.

Braden gave her a tight smile. “Just wondering how long it
will take me to see you again.”

He knew that
Elisa
knew he was hedging the truth. Her
expression told him so. She knew something was wrong but she wasn’t going to
push it, not on an open channel, may the gods bless her.

“Very well,” Elisa said. “I’ll wait.” She quickly tapped the
button to break the call.

Braden blew out his breath and touched the screen where her
face had been. This was getting bad, and getting bad fast.

* * * * *

Elisa stopped at the singing sphere in the hall and touched
it.

Its beautiful notes sang out, filling the hall like musical
sunshine.

“Legends say that the crystals used to be alive,” a deep
male voice said in her ear. “Eons ago, before humans ever landed here. Then
they went dark, and now only the best artists know the secret of how to make
them live again.”

Elisa tried to turn around but Braden’s hard arms kept her
pinned. Her heart beat swiftly, and the delight that he’d come to her matched
the beauty of the music.

Braden went on, “I like to think about that sometimes. The
crystals inside the caves, lit up, each ringing with a different note but
working in harmony. It must have been beautiful.”

“It’s beautiful now,” Elisa said.

Braden kissed the back of her neck then Elisa felt something
supple but strong encircle her throat.

She reached up and touched a leather collar as Braden
lowered a thin chain down her back. The cool metal touched her through the silk
of her sleeveless sheath.

“
This
is beautiful.” Braden kissed the collar and
Elisa’s skin above it. “My librarian. In chains.”

Chapter Eleven

She looked so fucking good. Her simple dress, her hair
pulled into a knot and the slim band around her throat made a fine picture. The
chain whispered when she moved. So satisfying.

He wanted to lean her into the wall, strip off her clothes
and slide inside her right now. Braden needed that.

But he knew he needed to go slowly with her. Level three
didn’t mean diving into raw sex whether the lady liked it or not. Level three
meant taking care of his lover, giving her what
she
needed. Sometimes
she needed it hard and fast, sometimes easy and slow.

Braden rubbed his cock between her buttocks, the friction
nice even through layers of clothing.

“Take this off.” Braden undid the catch that held her sheath
in place.

Elisa slid the fabric from her shoulders without asking
questions. That little act of obedience made his heart beat faster.

“And this.”

Braden touched the underwear that hugged her hips even as he
pressed a kiss to her bare back.

That made her hesitate, but finally Elisa unfastened them
and let them fall. Braden ran his hand down her front, easing fingers across
her clit. Wet…very wet.

“You stay bare for me,” he said. “Until I say.”

Elisa nodded, her stance tense. Braden wrapped the chain
around his hand and pulled her gently back into him. He kissed her neck, giving
it little licks up and down.

While Elisa closed her eyes, relaxing, Braden flicked her
clit, then parted his fingers and drew them down either side of her opening.

He rubbed the wiry hair between her legs. “I need to shave
you.”

Her eyes popped open. “Why?”

“I told you last time. Shareem like their ladies bare.
Didn’t you know that?”

“That wasn’t in any database about you. I checked
especially.”

Braden chuckled. What a cute, sassy mouth. He needed to kiss
it.

Braden pulled on the chain until she tilted her head back.
He leaned down and bit her lower lip then moved his mouth over hers.

Beautiful, warm kiss. Elisa had learned how to do this by
now, and her tongue flicked up into his mouth. Braden suckled it in hard little
strokes, and she tried to suckle his back, the little sweetheart.

Braden explored with his tongue then dropped kisses around
her mouth. He nibbled on her lips a little before plunging his tongue between
them again. Her tongue met his, Braden’s stroking and swirling around it,
licking all of her mouth.

When he finally pulled away, her lips were red and slightly
swollen, her eyes half-closed. Elisa reached for him again but Braden used the
chain to pull her away from him. She made a noise of frustration.

“Don’t want to get you too raw too quick,” he said. “We’re
going to do a lot more, don’t worry.”

“Braden.” Elisa’s eyes held eagerness. “I’ve decided that I
want to suck your cock.”

Braden’s heart missed a beat then started banging away
again. “Whoa, baby. It’s me who gives the commands.”

“I wish to learn what it feels like to have you in my
mouth.”

I wish to learn.
Oh gods, she was going to kill him.

“My librarian, you are impossibly sweet.”

“I just wanted you to know,” she said. “In case.”

He loved looking at her eyes, watching the green flecks.
Braden leaned forward and eased her eyes closed with kisses, loving the feel of
her lashes on his lips.

“All right, love. If that’s what you want.”

“It’s what I want,” she whispered.

Braden kissed her. “As you like to say,
very well
.”

It was all kinds of well. Braden drew his tunic off over his
head, threw it to the floor, unfastened his loincloth and let it fall. His cock
stuck straight out, happy to be free.

“Kneel,” he said.

Elisa’s eyes widened. “Right here?”

Braden’s hand tightened on her chain. “Yes, here. In the
front hall. Now.”

Before she could respond he used the chain to gently ease
her to her knees. With his other hand he brushed the singing sphere, making it
shimmer with lovely music.

Elisa studied the cock in front of her, the intensity of her
gaze making Braden’s entire body tighten. Then she leaned forward and softly
blew on his cock.

Gods, where had she learned that?

Next, she licked the tip.
Fuck.

“Suck it, baby,” Braden said. “Put your mouth around it and
suck hard. Suck for all you’re worth.”

Elisa licked the tip again, ignoring him. “You taste good.”

“You are so asking for a spanking.”

She slanted him a little smile. “Maybe.”

Braden’s cock jerked. She was learning, yes she was. Soon
she’d be a cute, sassy little sub, deliberately disobeying him and daring him
to discipline her. He couldn’t wait.

“Suck,” he said.

Elisa kissed his tip one more time. Then she opened her
mouth and drew him deeply inside.

Elisa was right about how he’d taste. Beautiful.

She had to open her mouth as wide as she could to
accommodate him. Braden’s cock was heavy on her tongue, the tip bumping the
roof of her mouth.