Stud (17 page)

Still, no matter how many women he’d been with, at this moment, Lucy was the one meeting his needs, and it made her feel useful, needed, and above all, special. She wanted to give him everything and spoil him rotten. He would probably never come to rely upon her, but the thought that he might was one she couldn’t quite shake. She wished she was as beautiful and beguiling as he was irresistibly handsome; then she could make it as hard for him to leave her as it was for her to leave him.

Which she still intended to do. A blissful existence with Tarq at her side forever simply wasn’t possible. Still, though she might have dismissed the idea as nonsense, she could dream. The house she’d imagined came back to her again as she kissed him, the way it could be, the way she wished it would be. Putting every ounce of emotion she felt into that intimacy, she was rewarded with his passionate response and silently vowed to return every kindness he showed her tenfold.

Releasing her inhibitions, she kissed him with wild abandon, tasting every part of him her mouth could reach. Fisting her hands in his hair, she forced his head back, exposing his neck to her caressing tongue while he purred his approval. With her lips pressed against his throat, she let the vibrations penetrate her flesh, seeping into her mind and body, soothing and enticing her soul. Tarq hissed as she took his skin between her teeth, biting it gently.

“Oh, Lucy,” he sighed. “What you do to me…”

In another moment, he was inside her, his hot shaft melting her from within, moving first with long, steady thrusts, then softening to a slow dance as though he had all the time in the world to make her feel how much he wanted her, needed her…

She wouldn’t allow herself the next thought. No, he didn’t love her. Her own family didn’t even love her. The best she’d ever managed to receive in the love department was in the soft-eyed gaze of a trelink when she fed it stale bread.

Don’t think. Just feel.
Her spirits lifted instantly as those words took over, letting her become aware of nuances of sensation: his breath on her skin, his fingers threading through her hair, his cock delving deeply, discovering sensitive spots whose existence she’d been unaware of until now. The sound of his purr, his soft growls, the quiet sucking sounds his cock made as it moved within her wet folds—all these things combined to bring her to a high she’d never experienced, even with Tarq. When his slick fluid triggered her climax, she felt separated from her own body, all the while becoming more intimately acquainted with his. As the surge of pleasure began to ebb, her hands found his back, drifting aimlessly over his skin, absorbing every peak and hollow, every muscle as it moved. The beat of his heart, the steady expansion of his chest, the glow in his eyes, the flash of light on the tip of a fang—all these things poured into her, deepening her awareness of him. So much so that when he reached his climax, it felt as though it originated in her own mind.

The powerful burst of exhilaration swept through her before sliding quietly down into the blissful serenity of
laetralance.
Tarq was right about it being the best way to describe the feeling. No other word even came close.

This time, when she felt the sweeping motions inside her, she knew them for what they were. Sadly, she also understood the reason for the downfall of his species. No other man could even begin to approach the levels of joy a Zetithian could take a woman to, no matter how hard he might try. It simply couldn’t be done. Regret filled her then. Finding another man was no longer an option. Not when she’d already been with the best man she would ever know.

Tarq watched the joy blossoming in her eyes and, as before, knew it wasn’t enough. He had to quit doing that—looking for something he would never find. Not in her. Not in anyone. It was pointless to keep trying when the result was always the same. He couldn’t blame her, though. She couldn’t help how she felt, how she responded, any more than she could help how her scent affected him.

Sighing, he slid off to lie beside her but couldn’t bring himself to let go just yet, leaving a hand splayed out on her stomach. Yalka itself was less than a day away, and this friend’s home was even closer. He had one more day—not even another night unless he was lucky and something occurred to delay them. Too bad there wasn’t anything interesting enough along the way to make them linger. Until they’d come across this stream, the terrain hadn’t changed a bit since he’d left Reltan.

Breakfast could take a long time if he made a point of it. Leisurely. That was the word he was looking for. No hurry. No worry. No fuss. Fix it, eat it, clean up. Pack up the tent… Oh, yeah, he could stretch that out into a good hour and a half, maybe even longer. They could even wash their clothes in the stream and hang around waiting for them to dry, which would take at least until lunchtime. He’d been in too much of a hurry the day before. It was stupid of him not to go slowly when she was asleep. Today, she would be awake and would probably fuss at him for puttering along like a man whose speeder could barely fly.

If her father could be believed, he wouldn’t be coming after her so there was no need for haste, and the best he could tell, this friend of hers wasn’t expecting her. Tarq smiled to himself. This could turn into a real vacation if he took his time. He could stop every half hour if necessary. He could invent speeder trouble, spot some interesting birds—though he hadn’t seen very many—or feign a cramp in his legs from sitting in the speeder for so long. He could make sure she drank plenty of water so she’d have to pee a lot. He would be stalling for time, but she didn’t have to know that. Then he realized he wouldn’t have to lie if he just flat-out asked her.

“Are you in a hurry to get to Yalka?”

She seemed to hesitate. “Well, sort of. Why?”

“We aren’t far from the sea. We could take a side trip if you like.”

There it was again—that moment of hesitation that made his heart drop a beat. She was staring up at the glowstone suspended above them, a blank expression on her face. “That’s up to you, Tarq. It’s your speeder. I’m just along for the ride.”

It was all he could do not to wince. She was so much more than that. “I’d like to go for a run on the beach if it’s not too rocky, and then maybe we could go for a swim. Would you like that?”

The same shadow of reluctance played across her face he’d seen when he’d asked—no, begged—her to let him take her to Yalka. It was painful to watch; he glanced away, but it was even more painful to note that her arms lay at her sides, making no attempt to touch him, even though he still had a hand on her belly.
If
I
only
knew
what
she
was
thinking!
A second later, he revised that wish when he realized it might not be a good thing—especially if she was trying to come up with a reason to refuse. Tarq didn’t think he could stand that. Better not to know…

“We could have a picnic on the beach.” He stole another glimpse at her face. She was biting her lip. “Come on, Lucy. It would be fun.” Reaching up, he turned her head toward him with a finger on her chin. “When’s the last time you did anything fun?”

She stared at him, round-eyed, for a long moment before her incredulous expression gave way to a burst of laughter. “About… oh, let me think… fifteen minutes ago?”

Well, at least she thought it was fun…
“I mean a different kind of fun, like a vacation.” He traced the outline of her cheek with a fingertip. “Ever done that?”

“No,” she replied, her eyes growing misty. “I’m not sure I’d know what to do with myself on a vacation.”

Tarq smiled. “That’s just it. You don’t have to know. You do whatever you want whenever you feel like it.” He gestured at the tent. “Plenty of people would say we were already on a vacation. You know, a camping trip in the wilderness?”

“Well, we’re certainly in the wilderness, and I guess we
are
camping.” She let out a short, rueful laugh. “I’m already on vacation and didn’t even realize it, which proves how much I know.”

Tarq nodded his agreement. “It’s pretty bad when you need me to explain it to you—sad, even.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I don’t want you to be sad, Lucy. I want you to be happy.”

“I’m working on it,” she said. “Leaving home was the first step. Nat and the money you gave me will take care of the rest.”

With a firm nod, Lucy rolled away from him and sat up, not seeing the way his hand reached for her, or the stricken look on his face.

All
she
needed
to
be
happy
was
money?
Tarq knew better. He had more money than he knew what to do with, but he wasn’t happy. Maybe it was different with women.

She was already pulling on her clothes. “Want some breakfast?”

Tarq had intended to cook for her, but didn’t think he could stand up, let alone fix breakfast. He felt like he was dying. His chest constricted with an ache that not only halted his breathing but probably his heart
.
With an effort, he drew in a breath.

He was still alive. His next breath proved it. “Sure.”

“I’ve got some bread and cheese we could have. Might be good toasted over the fire.”

Tarq managed a smile. “I can do better than that, Lucy. Let me make it.”

She was in the process of pulling on her khakis but missed the second leg hole and nearly fell over. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“No. Why would you think I’m kidding? I cook for myself all the time.”

“Not one of those precooked meals you ate last night?”

“Nope. Real food.”

She was still gaping at him like a fish that had been hooked and landed. Tarq, on the other hand, was breathing much easier. Obviously this was something she hadn’t expected. His confidence grew. “I’m thinking an omelet with cheese, pesto, and grilled mushrooms.”

“Sounds great… Sure you don’t want me to fix it?”

Tarq shook his head. “No, Lucy. You’re on vacation. Remember?”

She blinked and went back to putting on her pants. “I keep forgetting…”

He understood her now. He could give her every credit he possessed and take her on a trip from one side of the galaxy to the other, but it wouldn’t mean anywhere near as much to her as fixing breakfast
. I should have known. She’s been working her butt off serving her family all her life. Now it’s my turn to serve her
…

Lucy was at a loss to explain why Tarq was grinning at her like the cat that got the cream, but he looked so darn cute she didn’t care.

“Are those the same clothes you wore yesterday?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Got any others?”

Lucy nodded. “Yes, but I’m saving them for when these are really—”

“Put on the clean ones.”

She gaped at him. “Excuse me?”

“Put on the clean ones. We’ll wash those.”

“I thought you said your speeder didn’t have a washing machine.”

“It doesn’t, but we can still wash them in the creek.”

“Sounds rather primitive.”

“Camping is like that,” Tarq said. “Look, you couldn’t possibly have much in the way of clothes with you, so you might as well wash them while we’ve got water handy.”

“You make it sound like we’ll be on the road for a month.”

Tarq shrugged. “You never know.”

“I don’t have enough food for that long.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got plenty.”

He seemed to have an answer for everything. “I’ll… pay you.”

“With what? The money I gave you?” He snickered, holding out his hand for her clothes. Obviously he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Seems kinda pointless, doesn’t it?”

Lucy couldn’t argue with that.

He snapped his fingers. “Clothes, Lucy. Now.”

“Oh, all right! You can be awfully pushy sometimes.”

“Yep.”

Glowering at him, she skimmed off her khakis and tossed them at him, hitting him in the face. A second later, she realized why he wanted to wash her clothes. His cock snapped up like a balloon being filled with compressed air. Obviously he wanted to get through the day without needing sex again, and washing her clothes to remove her scent would probably help with that. “Sorry.”

He didn’t seem the slightest bit upset, but gave her trousers another sniff and began purring. His lips curled into a devilish smile. “The shirt, too.”

Eyeing his erection, she blurted out, “But we just did that!”

He licked his lips as though about to devour her. “Yes, we did. And it was fun, remember?”

“Yes, but—”

“Don’t worry, Lucy. I’m not going to nail you again—”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Until after we’ve had breakfast.” He untied the flap on the tent and pitched her clothes outside. Even after saying that, she watched him walk toward her with some trepidation, but he simply picked up his jeans and pulled them on.