Why in the ’Verses did he have this reaction to her?
He shoved it all away as deep as he could and concentrated on the tasks before him.
Once he found the communications array, he settled in and started the download of information. He logged that they were alive and on the run. There were several directions he could take, depending on what happened over the next hours, so he’d go from there, arrange to have contacts at each portal he could take. Leaving it loose meant they could change plans as necessary. He read the updates posted by his people and set the messages to send in small bursts of data so they wouldn’t be tagged.
Finally finished, he leaned back in the chair and gave in to what he’d wanted to do since his first glance at the beautiful Carina Fardelle. Unzipping his pants, he pulled his cock out, slowly, squeezing at the base to prolong the pleasure.
As he stroked, hand over fist, again and again, he thought of the sweet hollow at her neck, just below her ear. He imagined the skin there would be soft, scented of night flowers, heady and sticky. Her breath would catch as he licked that spot, knowing no one had ever before, knowing he’d be the man to introduce her to sensual delights in a way she’d never forget.
He thought about what she might sound like, that cool, regal voice with just a hint of the fire she kept in her belly. One hand would slide down her perfect spine, the curve making love to his hand until he settled, cupping the weight of the cheeks of her ass. Her skin would be pale, supple, extra-sensitive to each caress. He’d pull her close, rolling his hips just enough to create delicious friction against her clit. Just a breath of intense sensation before he pulled back, letting her adjust slowly.
She’d arch against him as he moved around to unbutton the bodice of her dress, her breasts spilling into his hands. Perfect. He’d watched them that day as she’d run, knew the beauty of the curve at her neckline. He’d bury his face there, thumbs slowly sliding back and forth across her nipples, driving her toward climax, just the first of a long evening’s worth.
He considered slowing down as he continued to fuck his fists, but he couldn’t. He needed her, needed to taste her desire. Wanted to kiss down her belly as she trembled. Not with fear but anticipation. He needed to kiss her pussy until she whimpered. Wanted to pay homage to that sweet cunt so she’d be extra soft and wet when he was ready to fuck her. To ease her way and his. He wanted to last.
That wouldn’t happen just then, in the penetrating cold from the stone that surrounded him, trailed by elite troops. All that aside, he still needed to come, and he groaned long and hard as he climaxed, the heat of it against his skin. Thinking of her beneath him.
C
arina bit her bottom lip so hard she feared it would bleed. She’d followed him after she’d finished preparing the meal. She told herself she was worried about him, but if she were to be totally truthful, she wanted to see him, to be alone with him to see what he would do with her if she caught him at a weak point. She burned for him to touch her, to notice her.
But when she came around the corner, what she saw was Daniel, head back, rapture on his face as he self-pleasured.
Masturbated.
Fucked his fists.
She’d spied on men as they’d masturbated before, the sight always intensely titillating to her. But there’d been nothing in her life that could have prepared her for the sight of him there like that. She pressed her fingertips to her eyes, the vision of such intense sexuality and maleness burned into her brain like a fever. She made her way back as quietly as possible and hoped he wouldn’t notice. He’d been magnificent there, taking what he needed. His cock had been beautiful in a way she hadn’t expected. Hard, masculine, feral. She’d nearly swooned as he gasped. As he gasped
her name
. He’d said it, and it had been lightning to her pussy, to her heart, as the electricity of the moment had hit.
He’d come on a groan that seemed to echo between her thighs and then totally relaxed. The machines had started to hum, and that’s when she’d turned tail back to the kitchen.
All this time and she’d been half convinced he pitied her and the other half of the time she thought he hated her. Obviously he didn’t hate her enough to stop himself from orgasm while thinking of her.
Her hands shook a bit at the excitement in her system. She wasn’t stupid. Daniel wasn’t convinced she was genuine. He was wary, held back because he was a professional. Or something like that.
No, he was the kind of man who would deny himself personal pleasures because doing the right thing meant everything. That sort of person was so rare in her existence it made him powerfully more alluring and attractive to her. He would tell himself she was young and inexperienced. That the wisp of skin that created the technicality of her virginity was worth something, therefore he could not take it. Daniel was a man of substance, even as he carried more weapons than anyone could logically expect and used them with vicious efficiency.
She should respect that. Just let him get her to Ravena safely. Shake his hand as he dropped her off, and forget everything about him.
But she wouldn’t. She knew this as well as she knew her own name. He’d done something to her brain so he dominated it. She craved him, and for the first time in her life she wanted to give rein to that selfishness, wanted to evoke something from him. Wanted to know he wanted her as much as she him.
She busied herself, waiting for him to come back, and when he did, striding into the room looking a bit more relaxed than when he’d left, she tried to pretend she wasn’t thinking of him masturbating at all as she placed their meal out on the table.
Perhaps she should have taken the time alone to have an orgasm, too. It certainly seemed to have unknotted his spine.
She sent him a smile, pretending she hadn’t just spied on him. “It’s ready.”
He nodded once, keeping his distance. “I’m going to wash up quickly. I’m dusty.” He nearly ran from the room, leaving her confused.
She stared after him, wondering just what had happened between them just then. It was as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. Did he know what she’d seen? Oh gods! Did he catch her spying on him and think it was about the data instead of her utter fascination with him?
F
eeling slightly embarrassed but admittedly less distracted, Daniel peeled his sweater and undershirt away from his body. The water in the basin had been warm, most likely kept in catchments near the surface where the sun would keep it that way. The soap wasn’t the most luxurious he’d ever used, nor did it burn his skin like some had. As far as hidey-holes went, this place was a good one. Secure.
Getting her to Ravena safe and soon was the only way this situation would end well. The longer they were together, the more he’d want her, want to touch her, the more he’d want to do to her everything he’d already imagined and more.
He had to keep his distance, or he would break every rule, and they’d both be damned for it. She was royalty. So far out of his rank it wasn’t humorous in any way. She was innocent and soft, and there wasn’t any way a man like him would be allowed to have her. Or should be.
Just a while longer, and he’d turn her over. They’d both be way better off if he kept his hands to himself.
Carina looked up when he came around the corner, cleaned up and looking less agitated, though the distance still lit his eyes. Hmpf. What was it with men anyway?
“Sit down. I brewed some tea as well. It’s getting chilly in here.” She smiled and gestured at a chair.
“This looks good. Thank you.” He nodded toward the platters of food, and she found herself less annoyed with him, which only annoyed her again.
“You’re welcome. Any news? Did you get what you needed?” She watched him, trying not to smile as the double meaning of her words hit her.
“Not totally what I needed, but it’ll do for now. We’ll have backup wherever we head next. They know we’re on the move. We can stay here a while longer, rest up and head out again. We need to get off this ’Verse and to the Edge as soon as is safe.” He hesitated and then began to eat again.
Panic hit. “What? There’s more, I can tell. Is it my mother? My brother?”
He looked up, his distance gone now. “No. There’s been more violence. Imperialist troops fired on Federal troops at a crowded portal station in Parron. Seven civilians were killed. The Federation has expelled the Imperial troops and their ambassador. War is only a matter of time. Which makes it even more difficult to get you back.” He paused, touching her temple. “What do you have, Carina? What’s in that head of yours?”
“I don’t know all of it. Honestly, I don’t. The things I’ve seen over the years have been minor compared to whatever this is. My mother was terrified because of it. He’s building something, using his labs to help research it. She said she overheard my father talking about evacuating civilians around the site, whatever he meant by ‘the site.’ She’s risking her life for it, so you’d better get me out of here.”
“Do you have any insight as to why he has changed his tack with us? Our two sides haven’t been friends, but the last years have been different. He’s gone out of his way to be aggressive toward the Federation Universes. He can’t possibly think he can win. We’re bigger and have better weaponry. We have more troops. I’m not trying to put you on the spot, I know he’s your father, but if we could understand his motivations or mind-set better, perhaps we could find a solution to this before it blows up in our faces.”
He couldn’t have had any idea how his seeking of her opinion made her feel. Most people tended to ignore her, to think she was pretty and good at knowing how to put dinner parties together. This was the first time anyone like him had ever asked for her feedback.
“It’s difficult to say. My access to information is severely limited. I’m quite sure I don’t know the entirety of what he’s doing and has done. It started going wrong around the time my older brother disappeared. My father became more secretive, more sensitive to anyone questioning him. Some of his closest advisors left then, and even more left when my younger brother died. Precisely the wrong kind of men filled their places. He doesn’t talk to me the way he would if I were male. But he oftentimes shows a sort of jealous rage, a general feeling of grievance whenever the subject of the Federation ’Verses comes up.”
“If you ever want to know something, ask. If I can tell you, I will. Naturally some things will be off limits, but I understand you’ve been in somewhat of an information vacuum. As that sort of thing would bother me a great deal, I can understand how it might affect you.”
Shiny baubles and the softest of materials would not have meant more to her than this.
“We will hole up here, get some rest. Recharge and wait. We’ve got a difficult course ahead of us, but I’ve done this a time or two before.” He grinned, and she went soft inside. “If we fail, he wins. And failing makes me angry.”
He shrugged and continued to shovel food into his mouth at an alarming rate. She noted that about him the day before. The way he ate, steady but in huge amounts. She’d seen enough of his body to know he didn’t carry a bit of extra fat on his body. She wondered if he’d had bioengineering enhancements done.
She knew her father’s Skorpios had them, and their central nervous systems had been damaged to the point of them having to take chemicals to keep balanced or die a painful death. It made them lightning fast and very eager to accept his orders, but he hadn’t shown any signs of dependence or their sometimes jittery movements.
Daniel looked up, as if he’d forgotten she was there. “You’re still upset. What is it? If I had information about your mother, I would tell you. I have a mother, too. Like yours, mine would risk her life for her children as well.”
Oh, damn him! Just when she’d worked up her indignation that he’d not been obsessing over her like she had him, he goes and says something comforting.
“Your metabolism is very fast.” She didn’t know if she could talk about her mother just then. Not without crying.
“I burn a lot of calories while I’m on a mission. But that’s not what you mean.”
His tendency to see right through her was unsettling. “Do you have bioenhancements, then? My father’s men have to take in more calories, too. They carry around special protein bars.”
He snorted. “Special protein bars? Is that what they call them? Let us be honest, shall we? They carry around bricks of chems laden with stimulants because your father’s labs have turned them into super soldiers. He’s created an army of addicts, and he’s their source. That’s not loyalty. It’s a dangerous line he walks. I’m not addicted to anything but good food. I work with my body. I need the calories. I’m not in the military because it’s the only way I can get my drugs.”
It had been the longest speech he’d given since she’d met him, and despite her offense and some shame, she found herself fascinated by the cadence of his speech. The way he spoke, like each word weighed a certain amount and they all had to fit, precise, and yet there was wildness, too, just beneath the surface.
“I apologize. It wasn’t meant to insult you.”
“I’m not insulted by your question. You didn’t mean it to be offensive. I understand that. I told you I’d give you answers when I could, and I mean that. I’m insulted by the way humans are engineered to serve better, but in doing so, they’re unmade and turned into automatons. Automatons chemically dependent on your father. To live. That offends me. I serve willingly. Others should have the same choice. There should always be a choice.”
Shame made her skin hot. “I agree it’s not perfect. But to assume
you
had not been pushed into a place where you chose this life, but over something worse, is somehow free choice, is to underestimate how dependency works, does it not?”
He chewed, thinking. She sat back, sipping her tea and watching him, fascinated with the way he processed information.