Stud (26 page)

Nothing to fear… Everything simply…
wonderful.
Her first orgasm struck and she tightened around him. He felt so hot, so hard, so right… giving joy even before he filled her with his
snard
. He was lying on her now, pinning her to the ground, his weight barely supported by his elbows and knees as he made love to her slowly, deeply, and with such sweet tenderness…

At first only his hips were moving, and then only his cock. He filled her, stretched her, made her feel…
“Ohhh…”
He swept her inner walls, coating them with the elixir of his love.

Love? Was it only her imagination, or did she truly feel loved? Tarq was kissing her, purring against her lips, his tongue sliding deep into the recesses of her mouth to sample her essence. His cock drifted back and forth inside her, sending waves of delight coursing through her body, but there was more. A mental element she’d never detected before. Too overwhelmed to even attempt to analyze it, she simply allowed herself to bask in its glow.

Tarq shifted his weight and began to isolate the movement of his pelvis rather than his penis, and every thrust sent shock waves resonating through her, compounded by the orgasms incited by his coronal secretions. If she’d been wondering why any man would be jealous enough to castrate him, she understood it now. Even if she’d been in love with someone else, she wouldn’t have been able to resist Tarq, and once she’d had a taste of the joy, there would be no going back. Having experienced nirvana, just plain sex—even great sex—would lose a large part of its appeal, perhaps all of it.

She’d been relatively passive, but now desire spurred her into action. Spearing her fingers into his hair, she gathered fistfuls of it and pulled while she took control of her inner musculature, squeezing him with all her might.

“Oh, Lucy, please,” he groaned.
“Harder.”

Lucy wasn’t sure which action he was referring to, so she did both. His response was a deep-throated growl that had Rufus stirring, but the dog relaxed when Tarq stiffened in release. As her euphoria began, he whispered melodious words in her ear—words she didn’t understand but made her feel as though he’d told her he loved her. She might ask him to explain later, if she remembered to do it. Right now she was flying—and Tarq was right there with her.

Chapter 17

Tarq was right; Lucy fell asleep even before his softening cock slid from her body. Poor girl, she’d certainly had a time of it while he lay helpless. He tried not to see his involvement as having ruined her life, but that was about the only spin he could put on it. If she loved him, he could make her life easier than she ever dreamed possible, but if she didn’t love him, well…

He searched her pockets for the pistol and then moved to a better vantage point, a little away from her so her scent wouldn’t distract him. The dog lay beside her. He was thankful she’d at least had Rufus for company; otherwise she’d have been awfully lonely.

He toyed with the idea of retracing their steps in an attempt to get the drop on their pursuers and steal his speeder back. That would make everything much easier in the long run, but it would also diminish the amount of time he’d have left with Lucy. With the speeder, he’d simply take her wherever she wanted to go and then head on to Noklar. Talus hadn’t proven to be the best world for him to visit, considering what he had to offer, and even if he could never work in the brothel again, perhaps it was time to return to Rhylos. Or he could buy land on Terra Minor and retire. Either way, he would at least be among friends.

Only one problem with that: He was too young to retire. He had a long life ahead of him, but without love—without Lucy—it would be a very empty, meaningless existence.

The silence surrounded him, filling him with loneliness. Glancing over at where Lucy lay sleeping, he knew everything he ever wanted was right there.

Why didn’t he ask her? He’d never considered himself a cowardly man, but knowing that she could rip his heart in two with one word kept him silent. He wasn’t ready for that yet. As long as he didn’t ask, she couldn’t refuse him. She was allowing him to use her body to ease his needs, but that didn’t mean anything. Women had been doing that for eons and, often as not, were paid for their trouble. Sex for money was something Tarq understood all too well, though female hookers rarely got rich. Funny how women were willing to pay so much more for it than men.

He pondered this oddity for a time, eventually coming to the conclusion that while men merely sought physical release, women were searching for love—a far more rare and valuable commodity.

The sky began to clear as the waning moon rose over the mountains, but if anything was abroad that night, it was harmless. Tarq waited until the moon hung directly overhead and then woke Lucy.

She crawled out from under the blanket and dressed quickly. “See anything?”

Tarq shook his head. “No, but take the pistol and keep Rufus with you, just to be sure.”

He pointed out where he’d been keeping watch and as she turned to go, Tarq took her hand and pulled her into his arms. Maybe he couldn’t tell her he loved her and ask her to be his mate, but he could do everything else. She fit perfectly in his embrace, her enticing aroma and the soft sweetness of her lips luring him toward an end he couldn’t see yet.

“Be careful out there,” he whispered. “The pistol is set on heavy stun. Don’t be afraid to shoot first and ask questions later.”

“I won’t be.” She hesitated for a long moment. “What was the kiss for?”

“I-I just wanted to… thank you for looking after me. I’d like to return the favor and rescue you sometime, but I’d much rather you didn’t need rescuing.”

“Me too.”

Her gaze sought his, but he turned away, afraid she’d see too much even in the pale moonlight. He responded with a nod, knowing if he said anything at all, it would probably be a mistake.

“Get some sleep,” she said gently. “I’ll wake you at dawn.”

He watched her go. Assuring himself that she wasn’t visible even to his keen night eyes, he settled down and pulled the blanket over himself. The noise in his mind had kept him awake while on watch, but now it fell silent. With one last prayer that someday he’d be able to spend every night holding her, loving her endlessly, he drifted off to sleep.

Lucy settled down with Rufus, absently stroking his head while he lay beside her. She half wished that Tarq had remained unconscious so she could do the same thing to him. Again. Without his knowing, she’d sat beside him for hours, wiping his face, washing the blood from his hair, kissing him whenever she felt the need. She’d never loved anyone the way she loved Tarq.

That’s only because there was never anyone for me to love.
This realization hurt more than she would’ve thought, but she couldn’t deny the inherent truth. Perhaps that was why she’d fallen so hard for him. First love and all that.

No. That wasn’t true. He wasn’t her first love, only her first lover. She’d had crushes on boys in school, but her feelings were never returned, and the attraction had faded quickly. What she felt for Tarq wouldn’t diminish with time. The memory of days and nights spent with him would endure.

The night seemed interminable, but Lucy had no trouble remaining alert. The birds were the first to awaken, chirping their morning greetings as the eastern sky slowly brightened. Time to wake Tarq and move on.

Rufus went off on business of his own, and Lucy rose quietly, taking advantage of the natural cover as she made her way back to Tarq. Even knowing that they needed to get on their way, she didn’t wake him immediately but stood gazing at him, trying to memorize what she saw—the line of his jaw, the way his ear curved to a point, the soft steady rhythm of his breathing, the way the morning breeze ruffled his hair. Blinking back tears, she was busy gathering up fallen branches when he began to stir.

He yawned and stretched, his deep sigh containing a hint of a purr. Lucy placed the wood in a neat pile, fighting the urge to run to him and kiss him the way he’d kissed her during the night. Pasting on a bright smile, she drew herself upright and turned to him. “Feeling better today?”

Tarq nodded. “Much better. Almost normal, in fact.”

“That’s good.” She glanced toward the mountain pass above them. “I’m not looking forward to climbing that, and nobody tried to kick
me
to death.” Unlike her other experiences with Tarq, that was one memory she’d just as soon erase. She still couldn’t help feeling it was her fault he’d been caught alone. If she’d been with him, she might have at least been able to talk some sense into Fred. Or not.

“I’ve been over some pretty rough ground before, but not mountains.” He stood and took her hand. “We’ll make it, though. I’m sure of it.”

Lucy eyed him doubtfully. She was somewhat reassured by the warmth of his grasp, but anything could happen in those mountains. Anything.

“By the way, what do we need a fire for?”

“Well, I—” She broke off there, suddenly realizing that unless they wanted toast, there really wasn’t anything left that needed cooking. Not even tea.

“Oh, yeah. Right.”

“Guess we need to do a little hunting and gathering,” Tarq said. “Hard to do when you’re being followed—if we
are
being followed. Seems like they would’ve come after us last night.”

“Maybe they’re not any good at tracking people.”

“Possibly,” Tarq agreed. “But let’s put some distance between us anyway. Then we can see about finding more food.”

Lucy shook her head. “I’ve never heard of anyone eating a vrelnot.”

“Yes, but vrelnots aren’t the only thing living in these mountains, and even they have to eat
something.
There’s smaller game around. We’ll find it.”

Rufus came bounding up, tail wagging. Lucy knelt down to pet him. “And where have you been?”

“Hunting,” Tarq replied for him. “See the blood on his cheek? Yeah. There’s stuff here to eat. You just can’t be too choosy.”

Lucy wasn’t sure being choosy would be the problem. “If hunting takes as much time as catching fish, we’ll probably end up getting caught ourselves.”

“Sitting and waiting for it to come to you is what takes time. When you’re on the move, you tend to flush out game as you go. You have to be ready for it.”

“With what? My pistol?”

“If that’s all we’ve got, but it isn’t. We’ve got knives—”

“To throw at things? I dunno about that…”

“No, Lucy. We’ve got knives and with those knives we can make other weapons. All it takes is finding the right kind of wood.”

Lucy glanced around. The valley had been mostly covered in low bushes, but the mountainside was studded with taller trees. “Well, I certainly hope you know what you’re looking for because I haven’t got a clue.”

Tarq grinned. “I do.”

His words echoed through Lucy’s mind, reminding her of marriage vows. She put the thought firmly aside for more practical matters. “Even here on Talus?”

He nodded. “The name of the tree doesn’t matter as much as the characteristics of the wood. Don’t worry. I’ll find it.”

“Wish I had your confidence,” she said with a shudder. “I felt a lot better before we saw that speeder.”

“Yes, but the fact that we haven’t seen them again is encouraging, and I can hear a speeder a long way off.”

“Do you hear it now?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean we’re safe.” He picked up the blanket and shook it out. “Have you eaten yet?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“No need for that. I’m okay for now.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. “You need to eat something, even if it’s only half an apple.”

Tarq smiled. “I will. But not right now.”

Lucy held her tongue, though her thoughts were anything but silent. She dug into her bag and got out some bread and cheese and an apple. Once he’d stowed the blanket away, she tossed the apple at him. “Cut me a piece of that, will you?”

He caught it on the fly and whipped out his knife. Her eyes were drawn to his hands as he slid the sharp blade effortlessly through the fruit, carving out the seeds with a deftness that spoke of years of practice, though whether with apples or other things, she wasn’t sure. Either way, he seemed to know how to handle a knife.

When he gave the apple back to her, it was neatly carved into quarters, but her ploy hadn’t worked. With a look that said he knew exactly what she was thinking, he sheathed the knife and shouldered the bag. “Let’s go. You can eat while we walk.”

***

The mountain pass was more distant than it appeared, and they still hadn’t reached it when they stopped to rest at midday. Tarq had rarely spoken during their climb, but had led them doggedly over the rough terrain as though he truly knew where they were headed. Though it was difficult for Lucy to put much stock in a vision, if he’d found his way to safety by following his nose before, well, she had little choice but to be grateful for any clear path to follow.

She was still miffed at Tarq for skipping breakfast but was pleased when he finally broke down and ate something. They had enough food for the time being; it was their meager water supply that concerned her, and she was glad she’d thought to pack oranges. They split one but limited themselves to a few bites of the other foods and a couple of sips of water.