So close! She’d been so damn close to fulfilling her first mission. “It wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“Well, I can’t promise the same.” He snarled as he dragged her up off the floor and flung her over his shoulder.
Each of his angry steps drove his shoulder into her belly, making it hard to breathe. She kicked and twisted, hoping to dislodge herself, but he only tightened his hold on her thighs. “I can’t…breathe!”
“If you can’t breathe, you can’t talk. Save the complaints for later.”
He walked into the large bedroom at the end of the hallway, but he didn’t toss her onto the bed as she’d expected. He activated a sliding door on the far side of the bed and took her into the small adjoining room. Lights didn’t cycle on as he entered, leaving them in relative darkness as he set her down in the middle of the room.
“I wasn’t going to—” His hand collared her throat, an unmistakable warning.
“You will speak when I ask you a question and not before.”
He caught her hand and pulled her arm above her head, cuffing her wrist before her terrified mind could anticipate his intention. She twisted and kicked as he reached for her other hand. Why hadn’t Autumn warned her that Ulrick was crazy?
With minimal effort he secured her other wrist then stepped back and turned on the lights. She looked around the room, dread cramping her belly. Though not large, the playroom was well furnished. A variety of whips hung along one wall, a selection of paddles displayed below. As well as the cable-and-cuff system he’d used to restrain her, there was an adjustable bench off to the side, and old-fashioned manacles bolted to one wall.
“I warned you that you weren’t ready for me.” His features smoothed, leaving only the incandescent amber of his eyes to hint at his transformation. “I should have realized you were up to something. No one goes from victim to courtesan in less than a month.”
She wanted to explain, but what could she say that wouldn’t reveal Autumn’s secrets? Besides, Ulrick had told her to remain silent unless he asked a question. He circled her, gaze narrowed and bright. If he’d meant to kill her he could have snapped her neck in the living room. Yet that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt her.
Her gaze shifted to the whips and an odd flutter passed through her abdomen. She was utterly helpless—so why was her fear easing? She’d known a moment of terror when she saw his face, but the emotion quickly dissipated. Despite his fierce appearance, he hadn’t hurt her. Even as he carried her to this room, he’d been careful to restrain his strength.
Is this why he’d remained out of sight while he touched her? Had he not wanted to frighten her with his transformation?
He faced her again and lightly fisted one hand in the back of her hair. “You might be more suited to this than I thought.” His lips brushed against hers, teasing and arousing. “I don’t smell fear anymore.”
She parted her lips, needing to speak, wanting to ask him if her conclusion had been accurate.
His free hand grasped her nipple, holding the tender peak between his thumb and forefinger. “Who sent you?”
“I don’t know.” He squeezed, and she cried out, but pleasure rippled through her chest, and her clit twitched. Damn it. She wasn’t supposed to enjoy this. Was she?
“Who gave you the device?” He tugged on her other nipple as he waited for her answer.
She rode the sensation until pleasure spiked into pain. “I can’t tell you!”
He chuckled. “That’s honest at least.” Bending to her breasts, he soothed her nipples with his tongue.
The warm wet stroke felt wonderful on her heated flesh. She relaxed and her senses expanded. Cool air currents teased over her skin and the inflexible pressure of the cuffs hugged her wrists. Reaching up, she grasped the cables connected to the cuffs, feeling weightless and…secure? Why would helplessness make her feel safe? It didn’t make sense.
She swallowed hard, not wanting to admit where this line of reasoning led. But the conclusion wouldn’t be silenced. The cuffs didn’t make her feel safe. Ulrick made her feel safe.
He sucked one breast and then the other, drawing long and deep. Her nipples tightened against his tongue and her breasts swelled. Her pussy ached for fullness and motion.
“You like being bound.” It wasn’t a question. He was simply stating what they both already knew. Releasing her neck, he slipped his hand between her thighs and lightly touched her wet folds. “Oh yeah.” He pushed his long middle finger up inside her. “So fucking hot. Want more?”
“I don’t want to do this if you’re still angry.”
He met her gaze as his hand pumped between her thighs. “No escape, remember? You agreed to let me fuck you for as long as I want you.”
“But that was before—”
“Then tell me what you tried to do to me!”
“It wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“That’s not what I asked.” He added a second finger and thrust faster. “If you want me to stop, all you have to do is start explaining.”
He watched her eyes, his gaze hot and penetrating. His thumb brushed across her clit, launching sensations through her abdomen. She jerked, her inner muscles clamping
down hard. His thumb immediately left her clit and she arched and wiggled, desperately searching for his thumb.
Ulrick felt his transformation barreling toward him and started to turn away. No, her fear would work to his advantage. He needed to know what the device did and she was enjoying this a lot more than he’d expected.
Her cream had soaked his fingers and pooled in his palm. He wanted to spread it over his chest and lick it off her inner thighs before he fucked her with his tongue. The smell alone was driving him crazy.
His eyes transformed first, erupting in a burst of stinging heat. Then the change rolled across his features, creasing his forehead and sharpening his cheekbones. His senses expanded and intensified. Urges and longings that simmered before now blazed, consuming everything in their path. Lust and possessive hunger surged within him. He needed to be inside her, now!
Abandoning her just long enough to strip off his pants, he slipped his arm under her knee and lifted her leg up and out. She didn’t struggle, nor did she assist him as he draped her other leg over his forearm and lifted her off the floor. His cock found her opening without assistance, but her body resisted his entry. She was sopping wet, but her passage was narrow, and he was unusually hard.
She needed to relax, to soften around him. “Kiss me.” He growled the command against her lips, supporting her weight with his hands. Her lips parted and her tongue tentatively ventured into his mouth, bringing her taste with it. He wrapped his tongue around hers and took control of the kiss, eager for more of her sweetness.
Her inner muscles gradually relaxed and his cock slipped deeper into her pussy. He didn’t rush her. Instead, he concentrated on the grip of her cunt around his cock head, and the silken slide of her tongue over his.
She angled her head and inhaled his breath, taking his scent deep inside her. She was supposed to be intimidated by his aggression. Sexual interrogation was pointless if she reveled in the intensity.
Who was he kidding? This was no interrogation. He’d wanted her bound and naked since she walked through his front door.
Her ass cheeks flexed within the cradle of his palms and her breasts quivered. Deeper and deeper he sank, until his balls pressed against her damp skin. He savored the heat and the pressure until his body demanded more. Pulling back slowly, he paused then thrust his entire length back inside her. She cried out against his mouth, but the rhythmic tightening of her body assured him he hadn’t hurt her.
Her gaze was passion-bright and muddled as she pulled back and looked at him. He could see confusion in her gaze as well as a touch of wonder. Apparently her “college sweetheart” had been a very unimaginative lover.
“Wrap your legs around my waist.” She did, and he moved his hands to the outside of her legs and firmly grasped her ass. Then he thrust strong and steady into her slick depths. “So good.” She squeezed him again, the tightening intentional this time. “Can you come again?”
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “It’s never felt like this before.”
Thrilled by her admission, he eased his hand between them and gently circled her clit. His finger slid in her cream, her nub swollen and hot. He wanted to close his lips around it and listen to her scream in pleasure. He wanted her mouth, and her breasts, and her ass. He wanted his scent so strong upon her that everyone would know she was his.
Her thighs tightened against his sides and her inner walls contracted so tight he groaned. He moved faster, thrusting up into her with wild abandon. His eyes burned and his balls tightened, demanding release. He fought back the urge, not ready for it to end. It felt too damn good.
But she arched, thrusting her breasts toward him as she succumbed to the intensity. Her pussy rippled around his shaft and she whispered his name over and over, a litany of sweet surrender.
He threw back his head and roared. Pleasure burst from his body and saturated his mind as his seed jetted deep inside her. He clutched her against him, his legs shaking, as he rode out the shuddering sensations.
As the bliss receded, he nipped her bottom lip and stared into her eyes. “Are you going to tell me what the device does now, or do I get to fuck your ass?”
Chapter Four
Ulrick let his semi-playful threat resonate as he returned to the living room. They’d showered together, exploring each other’s bodies with soapy hands. She’d rubbed against him, her bold touches and passion-dark eyes making it obvious she was receptive to another round of love play. But he didn’t want to take her again until he knew whether or not he could trust her. Rather than allowing her to slip to her knees and “take care” of his massive erection, he’d suggested she take a bath. She’d reluctantly agreed.
He slipped on a clean pair of pants and ran a comb through his hair before returning to the living room. There had been two parts to the device. She’d stuck one to the side of his head and the larger part had still been in her hand when he fought his way through the mist-induced stupor. If he hadn’t been in his primal state when she drugged him, this drama might have had an entirely different ending.
The smaller piece was lying in plain sight, but it took him a few minutes of searching to locate the larger one. He’d been pissed when he threw it. He was surprised it hadn’t lodged in the wall.
His office appeared messy and cluttered, but he knew where everything was. The domestic staff wasn’t allowed in here, and his executive assistant had his hands full keeping Ulrick’s main office organized.
He slipped in behind his desk and activated his access terminal with a voice command. After arranging the device on his desk, he said, “Scan objects and identify.” A green beam emerged from the desktop, passing over the device. He turned the pieces over and the beam swept back in the other direction.
“One moment, please.”
Having access to the Gathosian database was one of the few aspects of his position that he enjoyed. They hoarded information, compiling facts and statistics from all over the universe.
While he waited for the computer’s response he sent a message to Autumn, letting her know Winter would be spending the night. At least one night, he thought with a smile. He wasn’t sure he’d ever sate his hunger for the lovely human. Even when faced with his complete transformation, she’d responded without reserve.
“Object identified.”
“Go on,” he prompted.
“Brainwave modulator. Likely origin, Pryett.”
Noirte! He should have known the general was involved in this. They butted heads at every turn. “What is the purpose of the device?”
“To modulate brainwaves.”
Way to state the obvious. He’d figured out that much from the name. “To what end? What can be accomplished with modulation?”
“No other information is available. Shall I hypothesize?”
He could hypothesize without the help of a computer. Besides, he had a bona fide operator in the other room. “Not necessary.”
“Shall I scan other sources?”
Accessing the off-world network would alert the Gathosians, and he was pretty sure this wasn’t going in his next report. “Negative.” He told his terminal to power down and snatched the device off his desktop, his mind whirling with speculation.
Not yet ready to let her leave, he’d locked Winter in his bedroom. It was likely she was still in the bathtub. A slow, predatory grin parted his lips. The tub was as good a place as any for their next round.
She looked up and smiled as he entered the humid room.
“Feel good?” he asked.
“It feels wonderful.” She sank deeper into the water, concealing herself beneath a massive mound of bubbles.
He held up the larger piece of the device and met her gaze. “Brainwave modulator? Did Noirte give it to you, or is he using Autumn like a puppet?”
Winter swallowed and picked up a handful of bubbles, suddenly fascinated by the iridescent mass. “What makes you think General Noirte had anything to do with it?”
“The technology is Pryett, and so is he. Coincidence? I don’t think so.” He placed both halves on the counter and knelt beside the tub, crossing his forearms on the high rim. “Talk to me, Winter. I don’t want to interrogate you.”
She bit her bottom lip and slanted him a flirtatious look. “I thought you enjoyed interrogating me.”
“What happened in the playroom wasn’t a true interrogation. Trust me, there’s a difference.” He caught her chin and tilted her face up until she looked into his eyes. “Autumn gave you the device?”
“Yes, but I honestly don’t know who she works for. She wouldn’t tell me.”
“What does the gadget do?”
She sighed, her lashes sweeping down to shadow her gaze. “Are you going to turn me in?”
He lowered his hand and echoed her sigh. “What would be the point? If I turned you over to Protectorate enforcers, you’d end up in Noirte’s lap.”