Shifter Planet (24 page)

Drowning in sensation, she tightened her arms around his neck. She crossed her ankles over his back, squeezing him between her legs, afraid she’d be swept away on the wave of ecstasy building higher and higher until it crashed into her, shoving her over the screaming edge of orgasm. Every muscle in her body contracted at once, the walls of her sheath convulsed, rippling along his hard length, sucking him deeper and deeper as she tugged his mouth back to hers once again, desperate for the taste of him, drinking in his roar of climax as he joined her, the two of them coming over and over until there was nothing left.

T
hey lay together, limbs wound so tightly it was difficult to say where hers ended and his began. His face was in her neck, his breath almost cool against her overheated skin, as they both gasped for air, their chests expanding in sync, bodies coated with sweat. She stroked her hand down his strong back and firm ass, smiling to herself when he shuddered with renewed desire. She wanted to say something, to tell him how wonderful he felt inside her, how it had never been so good, so right.

She didn’t say any of that. She didn’t want to spoil the perfection of the moment with what she feared would be unwelcome emotion. So she lay beneath him, feeling his cock still firm inside her, still twitching with the aftereffect of his climax, his big heart thudding against her breasts.

He moved finally, turning slightly so she could stretch her leg out, murmuring softly about not wanting to hurt her. He wasn’t. She didn’t tell him that either. He rolled over, taking her with him, tucking her beneath his arm and against his chest, holding her close. And she dared to hope that maybe it had been good for him, too. And wasn’t that just the worst cliché ever?

Neither one of them said anything for what seemed like a long time. They just lay in each other’s arms, breathing.

Finally, when the air had begun to chill the sweat on their bodies, he said, “We should have done this a long time ago.”

Amanda breathed a soft laugh, and let one teasing hand stroke down his chest to his groin and over his cock, her fingers stroking him into renewed hardness. “We’ll just have to make up for lost time,” she whispered.

He sucked in a breath, flexing his hips against her hand. “I don’t think there’s enough time in the world,
acushla
.”

“Then we better get started,” she murmured, as she shifted to her side and began licking her way down his chest and over his hard belly. She would have taken him into her mouth again, but he fisted his hand in her hair with a growl, his strong arms pulling her up and under him in one smooth motion, sliding his fully-hardened shaft into her soaking wet sex and starting all over again.

Chapter Thirty-Five

R
hodry woke the next morning feeling lazy. No, not lazy, he realized at once. Peaceful. Relaxed. Something he hadn’t felt since he’d left his mountain home, or maybe even before that. For the first time in too long he came awake without wondering if his enemy was close at hand, or if a new trap had been set for him.

Snugged against his chest, Amanda breathed out a long sigh of sleep, one arm resting along his ribs, her injured leg thrown over his hips so that he could still feel the slick heat between her thighs. He had a moment of guilt that he’d been so rough with her, that he’d forgotten about her leg in the urgency of taking her over and over again. Hell, just the thought of what they’d done had him hardening with need once more. He moved slightly, trying not to wake her, succeeding only in increasing the pressure of her full breasts against his chest. He stifled a groan as her lovely nipples grew to stiff peaks with the contact, and his shaft responded ever more eagerly, brushing against the soft skin of her thigh.

A low and sexy purr of sound washed over his skin as she laughed softly, letting him know she was awake. Without raising her head, she swirled her wet tongue against one of his flat nipples, undoing any good intentions he might have had about letting her sleep.

“You’ll be the death of me.”

She dismissed his words with a puff of breath. “Big strong shifter like you can handle it.”

With no warning, she rolled over to straddle his hips, her short hiss of pain becoming a long sigh of pleasure as she began to rock gently back and forth, sliding his hard cock up and down along her silky crease. He placed a hand on each of her slender hips, enjoying the rhythm of her movement, the friction of her sleek skin beneath his rough hands. Her blond hair was free of its perpetual confinement, slightly damp, wavy from its braid, and hanging loose over her full breasts, which swung enticingly with every sway of her body, her pretty nipples surrounded by wide, pink areolas. She leaned forward to kiss him, and her breasts crushed against his chest as their mouths met in a hungry tasting of lips and tongue.

He held onto her when she would have sat back, raising his head to take each breast in turn into his mouth, sucking each nipple to a plump, rosy nub, then biting gently before letting go. He could feel her already wet center grow slicker and hotter as he suckled, heard her intake of breath as she ground herself against him, increasing the friction on her clit.

“Rhodi,” she breathed, full of wanting. He felt his own hungry response to the need in her voice and tightened his fingers on her hips, lifting her enough to position his throbbing erection between her swollen lips, lowering her slowly to savor the feel of her tight heat against every inch of his cock, hearing her gasp of pleasure that matched his own groan of desire.

Needing to be closer, he sat up and wrapped his arms around her, gathering her softness against the hard muscles of his chest. Her breath was hot on his neck as she licked her way up to his mouth and he felt her smile against his lips. She began rocking faster, riding his cock with every stroke as he thrust against her, her breath coming in quick gasps of air until he heard her first cry of delight.

In a single swift movement, he rolled her beneath him so he could plunge deeper. Her legs tightened around him as her cries grew more frequent and more desperate, until her inner walls clenched and rippled along his cock. He swallowed her scream of climax, and thrust even harder, his own orgasm building until he came with a surge of release so powerful that it verged on pain. He hissed with desire, closing his eyes against the strength of it, wanting to roar with triumph as her body responded once again, milking the last of his seed as she cried out his name.

He collapsed, shifting his weight to one side and rolling them over again, so that she lay mostly on top of him. When she would have moved, he tightened his grip, not yet ready to let her go, to slide his shaft from inside her. She relaxed against him, and he slid his hands down to cup her sweet ass and hold her in place.

Her face was nestled beneath his jaw, and he tilted his head slightly, touching his lips to her sweat-warmed skin, finding her cheeks wet and salty with tears. He froze.

“Did I hurt you?”

She didn’t answer, only shook her head and kissed his neck, her hair tickling his chest where it spread out over both of them. Rhodry shifted his arms up to her back, holding her tightly and wondering how he could ever go back to the city, with its politics and conspiracies, after this.

Chapter Thirty-Six

A
manda lay almost on top of Rhodry, soaking in the heat of his body. His heart beat hard and strong beneath her ear, his lungs a rush of sound deep within his chest. He’d almost undone her this time. When he’d asked if he’d hurt her, she couldn’t have answered without sobbing, so she’d just shaken her head and snuggled closer. She was never this emotional about a man. Because no man had ever touched her soul before, made her
feel
the things that he did.

Maybe she was just tired. Overwrought, as her mother used to say. Every single day since she’d stood in the Guild Hall yard that morning before her trial began had been both emotionally and physically exhausting. Even so, it had been less than two weeks since she’d rescued Rhodry, so why did it seem as if she’d known him all her life? Sure, she’d wanted him, but this feeling was so much more than that. And how was that possible? How could Rhodry, of all people, have gotten to her? He was chauvinistic, old-fashioned, stubborn…handsome, charming, smart, courageous and strong. She laughed silently and he patted her back, as if he thought she needed comforting. Maybe she did.

“Rhodi?”

“Aye?”

“Do you believe I can hear the trees?”

He gave a long-suffering sigh. He was probably wondering what the hell she was on about now. “I’ve said I’m sorry for that, Amanda. Of course I believe you.”

She swallowed a laugh. It seemed he was the one who needed comforting this time. She stroked his chest dutifully, and thought about going back to the city and what it would mean. They would have to go back eventually. He had family who would be worried, and her mother would expect to hear something soon, even allowing for transmission delays. Elise knew about the trial, and knew when it had started. She’d worry if the silence dragged on too long.

And in addition to their families, there were their enemies, most of whom would be very surprised when the two of them showed up alive and well. Nando and his buddies clearly wouldn’t have minded if she’d ended up as dinner for that ice bear. And Serna and Daly probably believed Rhodry to be long dead by now.

The memory of how they’d left him to die sparked a renewed flare of anger.
Damn right, we’ll go back
. They had to deal with what had been done to them. Maybe they didn’t need to go
right
back, however.

Her stomach growled suddenly, reminding her that they’d barely eaten the night before. They’d been too busy devouring each other. She smiled in memory, and her stomach growled again, louder this time, as if daring her to ignore it.

“I’m hungry.” She sat up slowly and pushed her hair out of her face. “And you must be, too.”

He gave her a very predatory look through half-lidded eyes, his stare lifting from a study of her breasts to her face with an appreciative grin. “Hungry,” he agreed.

“Not for that, you goat. Feed me.”

“Feed you?” He sat up, taking a playful nip at one rosy breast. “I wouldn’t dare. This is
your
trial, Amanda,” he said, throwing her words of yesterday afternoon back in her face.

“So it is,” she agreed. “How about fish, then? If I’m right about our location—and you know I am—we should be less than a mile from the Leeward Stream. This time of year, the silvers are running fat and slow.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

She admired the graceful play of muscles as he rolled to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. She placed her fingers in his, giving a little yip of surprise when he pulled her up and tight against his chest, holding her securely with an arm across her back.

“You get dressed and gather our things,” he said. “I’ll break down the lean-to.”

She nodded breathlessly, feeling his cock stir against her belly, watching his playful expression become something else, something… Her chest tightened at what she saw in his eyes as they stood there staring at each other.

Well
.
That was unexpected
.

Rhodry blinked, seeming as stunned as she was at first. Then he grinned and slapped her ass.

“Get moving, woman, or you’ll never get us fed.”

She pushed away from him, away from the brink of the emotions hanging in the air, and started gathering their scattered clothes.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

F
at dripped on the fire, sparking hot pops of flame as Amanda turned the spitted fish. Satisfied it was cooking evenly, she banked the fire a little, then stood up and began stripping off her torn and filthy clothes, which were the same ones she’d been wearing when she and Rhodry had fallen into each other the night before.

Rhodry hadn’t bothered to dress at all when they’d left the earlier campsite. He’d simply shifted into his animal form and taken to the trees. She didn’t have that luxury. There were too many things in the forest that would find her sweet human flesh munchable. She wasn’t worried about animals, not with her personal shifter around. It was the insects and certain breeds of carnivorous plants, too, that made it unwise for her to walk even a short distance naked.

All the same, she’d been loath to put on the clean clothes he’d brought for her, knowing she’d be cleaning fish before the morning was over. So instead, she’d pulled on the same leggings and shirt she’d worn for the past two weeks, and trudged the nearly three quarters of a mile to the Leeward Stream.

The stream was, in fact, a smallish river that cut across the Green in a long twisting route, starting from a spot somewhere in the glacier far to the north, then traveling through the Green and Ciudad Vaquero, until it disappeared again, swallowed up by the southern desert. Banks rose high on either side of the river to accommodate a water level that varied from a low of about two feet to a high, depending on run-off, of as much as eight feet.

In the aftermath of the recent storm and with the weather having warmed rather quickly, it was running just a little high today. If the mild weather held up, it would test its banks over the next several days.

Amanda lowered herself gingerly down the muddy bank, gasping as the icy cold water sucked every ounce of warmth from her body. One had to be desperate for a bath to venture into the damn thing so close to the glacial source. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and bent her knees, dunking her entire body into the freezing stream and popping right back up again. Fuck, that was cold. She already couldn’t even feel her toes.

She glanced over her shoulder at Rhodry. He’d dozed off on a wide, flat stone overlooking the river, and was peacefully unaware that she was freezing to death only a few feet away. He was still in cat form, lying on his side with all four legs stretched loosely in front of him, his black fur winking blue in the dappled sunlight. On a day like today, with the sun high in the sky and no clouds, the stone would be warm beneath him, and he was soaking it in.

Jealous, she snarled in his direction as she used wet sand from the river bottom to scrub her body quickly, being particularly careful of her various cuts and bruises, and especially the deep wounds on her arm and thigh. She’d taken the bandage off her arm. The wound was ugly, and already beginning to heal into an even uglier scar. Her thigh she’d left tightly wrapped, planning to exchange the bandage with something cleaner after she bathed.

She finished scrubbing, and braced herself against the need for a second dunking to rinse off. She really wanted to do something with her hair and scalp, even if she didn’t have any real soap, much less shampoo. More dunking, damn it. She sighed. If they decided to head directly for the Guild Hall, it would make the most sense to shadow the stream all the way home. While the water would never get warm—not this time of year, even if the weather cooperated as it was doing today—it would eventually get less cold.

If
they headed straight back, that is. An idea began percolating through her brain. Now she had to figure out a way to convince Rhodry of its worthiness.

She did a half-assed job of rinsing off, bending her knees enough to fully immerse her body and tipping back her head long enough for a quick scrub of her scalp. It left her hair thoroughly wet. Not clean, just not quite so dusty.

Her whole body was shaking with cold as she climbed out of the water and dressed in the fresh clothes from the cache. Sitting on a nearby log, she pulled on her own socks and boots, then finger-combed and braided her hair, thinking all the while of how to persuade him to her developing plan. If it worked, she’d be enjoying a steamy,
hot
bath before the end of the day. And with real soap. What bliss!

She crossed over to the base of the big rock where he was dozing and called up to him.

“Have you been topside today?” she asked, meaning had he climbed high enough into the canopy to take a bearing on their position.

He lifted his sleek head and blinked lazy golden eyes at her, apparently not inclined to shift in order to answer her question.

Oh, well. This
was
her trial. Sitting back down, she yanked off the boots and socks she’d just put on, walked barefoot over to the nearest canopy tree and began climbing. There were plenty of fingerholds in a tree this old, and her leg only hurt
a lot
when she pushed herself up.

Rhodry’s roar of outrage sent birds shrieking from above and would have startled her from her perch had he not shifted to human at the same time, and moving faster than she’d have thought possible, plucked her bodily from the tree before she could fall.

“What in all the gods—”

“Let go of me!” she demanded, slapping his hands away. “What do you think you’re doing—?”

“What am
I
doing? What the hell are
you
doing climbing a fucking tree with your leg torn up like that? Why are you climbing a tree at all? You could fall—”

“I’ve been climbing trees since I was a child! Those of us without claws and fur do figure out ways to go on living, you know. And how the hell do you think I navigate out here if I don’t climb trees?”

He put her down and stared in genuine puzzlement. “I don’t know. I just assumed you… Hell, I don’t know. I never thought about it.”

“Lucky you. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

He grabbed her with both arms before she could attack the tree again. “Please,” he begged, holding her tight. “For me. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you clinging to that thing. Just tell me what you want,
acushla
, please.”

She studied her big, bad shifter, amused, and also touched by his concern. Her leg really did hurt like hell, and she wasn’t exactly eager to find out if the long climb would start it bleeding again. Not that she’d tell
him
that. She smiled sweetly and patted his arm.

“Have you been topside today?” she repeated.

He inhaled deeply, blew out a relieved breath, and nodded. “On the way here.”

“How far are we from the city?”

“Four days above,” he said immediately, then thought about it. “So, maybe eight days below?”

“Hmmm, about what I thought. Tell me”—she wrapped both arms around his waist—“are you in a hurry to get back to the city? I mean I know you—”

He frowned suspiciously. “Why?”

She smiled. “Because I’m dying for a hot bath, and I know a place.”