Unchained (21 page)

Cidra closed her eyes. Moisture skimmed
along her throat and across her collarbone. She thought steam would
surely rise. Gentle kisses followed, his warm breath sending
shivers down her spine.

Then he stopped. She opened her eyes to find
the cloth in his fist hovering inches from her throat and over her
breasts. His eyes were dark, fathomless, and locked onto hers. She
knew what he was doing—giving her one last chance to run.

“
There’ll be no going back,
Cidra.” It was little more than a raspy warning.

The slow smile that touched her lips gave
him all the sanction he needed. Lucid thought evaporated.

Grey squeezed the cloth. One drop at a time
rolled down her chest and disappeared between her breasts. A soft
moan escaped her lips as he laid the cloth to her chest and
followed the water’s trail.

Holding the cloth in place, he reached for
the fastener in the back of the sheath dress she wore. Blue gazar
slid lazily to a puddle on the floor. She stood before him wearing
only white silky panties. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think at
all.

Her deep breathing lifted her breasts to
him. With intense concentration, he drew the cloth down and circled
each nipple, calling them to hard attention. His hands shook as he
passed the cloth over one tip. Cidra gripped his wrist tightly, her
fiery eyes met his, demanding and turbulent.

No longer willing or able to prolong the
game, he pulled her roughly to him and closed his mouth over hers.
The cloth dropped to the floor, forgotten. She met his ravenous
hunger with her own, opening her lips for him in a frenzy of blind
desire.

He sucked in air when she slid her arms
around his neck, tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed her
body against his. A low growl escaped his lips. This time she was
ready for him. He hadn’t expected so much passion. Heat roared
through him like a supernova. Her unexpected urgency fueled the
fire, igniting a deep, rumbling groan.

Reveling in her effect on him, she slid her
hands down his strong neck and across his broad shoulders. There
was so much of him. She wanted to explore it all.

His kiss took on new urgency while his hands
moved over her, possessing and claiming. She dug into his
shoulders, demanding more, need conquering fear. Grey’s warm
fingers glided down her back and rested firmly on her bottom,
pulling her against his burning arousal. Stunned by his size and
hardness, she trembled in anticipation and want.

She had always been in full control of her
mind and body, but suddenly she felt swept up in a violent
whirlwind she couldn’t begin to conquer.

Grey’s kisses deepened as his hands moved up
to her breasts, cupping them gently in each large palm. Sliding his
mouth down, he whispered against her throat. “Be mine, Cidra. Be my
mate.”

She tipped her head back, struggling to get
a decent breath of air under his onslaught.

“
Yes.” It was a gasp of
surrender. He was right. There was no other choice. This was their
destiny. Unstoppable, unavoidable, inevitable. Just like the gypsy
wings.

Grey knelt, wrapped his
arms around her waist and pressed his face to her stomach. He
lifted her straight up and carried her to the bed. Laying her down,
he covered her completely. She felt his unconcealed desire straight
to her bones. She needed more.
Now
. She arched her soft body against
his hard body and heard him swear.

Cidra fumbled to unfasten his shirt. He
brushed her hands aside and yanked it off impatiently. Her hands
stroked his bare chest, reveling in sleek muscles and hard planes.
When she kissed his throat, a soft growl erupted deep in his chest.
He rolled off and rid himself of his pants.

Grey came back to her and slipped one strong
leg between her thighs. He moved his mouth down to a delicate
nipple and sucked gently, his hot, rapid breath enflaming her skin.
Distracted by the sensation, she jumped when his hand reached down
to the silken panties and tugged at them. She was in no condition
to help him. Frustration finally won out as he tore them off.
Moving to her other breast, he mumbled something to her about
another apology.

Whatever he said, she missed it. Those
masterful hands were on the move again.

Grey heard Cidra’s gasp as he explored the
fine, soft tangle of hair between her thighs. He pressed his head
to her breast, momentarily stunned by the wetness and heat. She was
ready for him and it threatened to send him over the edge. Clamping
down on his own runaway desire, he forced himself to continue with
the scene he had replayed in his mind a thousand times in the last
few days.

Cidra closed her eyes, lost in the wealth of
sensations rushing through her. His mere touch left wild fire in
its wake. A chaotic flow of heat and passion fused together in
strange union.

“
Grey!” she called as fire
burned from very her core, coiling and tightening to an unbearable
point.

“
Let it take you, Cidra.”
His mouth returned to hers while his fingers continued the gentle
assault, pulling her towards her climax.

Unable to stop it, she allowed the moment to
vanquish her self-control, crying out in a half-sob. Pressure
unleashed with frightening force in wave after wave.

His control near its limit, he slipped
between her legs and positioned himself against her, waiting for
her to recover.

“
Look at me Cidra,” he
demanded softly. She opened her eyes dreamily and startled at the
raw, animal desire in his face.

“
I promise this will be the
last time I ever hurt you.” With that he surged into her and
stopped. She was more stunned by the tightness than the pain. He
felt so large inside her, she was afraid to move.

“
Breathe, Cidra. Relax.
Trust me.”

His big body shuddered with the effort.
Sweat glistened over his entire body. She could feel the leash he
held onto, loved him for the struggle it took. Cidra finally
exhaled, allowing her body to relax. She trusted him, with her
life, with her love.

She softened her fierce grip on his
shoulders and heard the release of his own breath. Cidra felt him
tremble as he began to move slowly, thoroughly, beautifully.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on his
heat, the smell of him, the power in him. He was pure male muscle
and strength. Anticipating his rhythmic thrusts, she pulled him
into her with increasing enthusiasm. The coil tightened again. This
time she welcomed it, her cry filling the chamber.

Although he heard her, he was blind to the
world around him, connected body to body, soul to soul. If he could
capture this moment in time, he’d die a happy man. He finally let
loose the last remnants of restraint and buried deep inside her one
final time as his body screamed in liberation.

Commander Plass stood still and silent in
the thunderous grip of déjà vu. Although the ship had changed and
the crew’s faces were different, the view was the same as it had
been over ten years ago. The planet of Saurel sat squarely in his
ship’s main viewport.

Expunger
was a superior d’Hont espionage starship, capable
of camouflaging itself to its surroundings and negating any scans
that might detect its presence. Plass always preferred to study his
quarry before taking action. It was a strategy that served him well
and kept him alive.

Before leaving Dakru, Plass had commandeered
the ship and hand-picked the crew. He now worked for himself. He
was determined to uncover the truth, the reason why Tausek lied and
then dismissed him. Locating Grey Stone’s ship in orbit around
Saurel confirmed his suspicions.

He recalled standing in this exact spot ten
short years ago, negotiating a contract for twenty Saurelian
fighters with a broker named Bohr. Plass had chosen the man based
on his willingness to sell to a client he had never and would never
meet. The transaction had been covert with no hard documents to
support it. Just the way Tausek had ordered it.

They just happened to be the same ships used
in Tausek’s attack on the refugees. The same refugee attack that
coincided with the Dakru shipment. The same Dakru shipment detailed
in the files accessed by someone on Stone’s ship. The same ship
Plass had tracked to Saurel. Plass hadn’t become the d’Hont
Commander by believing in luck, miracles or coincidences.

The footsteps behind Plass jarred him back
to the present. He turned to face his First Lieutenant.

“
Commander Plass.” The
officer addressed him with a perfect salute. The boyish face looked
out of place inside a d’Hont uniform.

Plass nodded once. “Report, Lieutenant
Fiske.”

The young officer squared his shoulders. “We
have confirmed that Stone and Faulkner are meeting with Bohr as you
suspected. The tracking device has been attached to Stone’s K12
jet. We should be able to follow them even at hyperspeed. Do you
wish us to detain them?”

“
That won’t be necessary.
We need more information before we take that step.” Plass’
attention turned back to Saurel.

“
Yes, sir. Will there be
anything else?” Lieutenant Fiske asked.

Plass nodded. “Inform Major Berman that I
would like to speak with him immediately in my private quarters.
That will be all.”

The young Lieutenant acknowledged the order
and departed.

Plass clenched his jaw. Stone knew about the
ships. That was the only explanation for his meeting with Bohr.
Treasure hunters had no need for Saurelian fighters. If he knew
about the ships, he probably knew who purchased them by now. The
only connection between those ships, that refugee attack, and the
Dakru shipment was Tausek. Directly or indirectly, he was the
common denominator.

Plass stared at Saurel one more time before
heading to his quarters, wondering what else Stone knew.

Cidra felt the weight of oppression lift as
the K12 breached Saurel’s atmosphere. They had bid a hasty
farewell, with Bohr more than a little anxious to be rid of them.
Cidra noted he never left them alone with Sil for even a moment.
The thought of Bohr shaking in his boots over a mere female finally
prompted a huge grin.

Grey glanced up from the transport controls
curiously. “What’s so funny?”

“
I think Bohr has a whole
new respect for females.” Cidra didn’t try to hide her
victory.

Grey shared her shameless grin. “I couldn’t
have done better myself.”

She blushed at his open admiration. He
believed in her, respected her abilities. “Thank you.”

A long silence filled the
small cabin while Grey set the K12 on autopilot to rendezvous
with
Calíbre
.

Grey folded his arms across his chest and
stared out into space. “What are you going to do once we find the
missing shipment and clear your father’s name?”

Cidra’s eyebrows raised. “My, so
optimistic.” She smiled sweetly. “You make it sound easy.”

Grey shrugged. “It’s only a matter of time.
It always is. I want to know what your intentions are once we’ve
completed this mission.”

His sober expression suddenly alarmed
her.

“
My intentions? I work for
you, remember? Don’t you want me to stay on?”

Grey didn’t take his eyes off the expanse of
deep space in front on him. “I more or less forced you to come with
me. I’m giving you a choice now. You’re strong enough to take care
of yourself. You don’t need anyone to watch over you. I have a
right to know what your plans are.”

Cidra stared at him incredulously. “Are you
serious? Do you really think I’d have agreed to come with you if I
didn’t want to? I already made my choice, Grey, whether you realize
it or not. I’m not leaving unless you throw me out.”

Grey swiveled his seat around to face her,
his expression serious, his voice ominous. “I’d never have the
strength to throw you out, love.”

“
I’m more than your lover.
I’m your mate or have you forgotten?” Cidra clipped, unable to curb
her rising indignation.

His face hardened. “I haven’t forgotten. I
meant every word. I just wanted to make sure you understood what it
meant.”

Cidra threw her hands up in the air,
admitting defeat. “Then tell me Grey, what does it mean?”

“
It means you’re with me,”
he said in a low, steely voice. “This is my life, my livelihood.
I’m not going back to Avion. I’m not settling down on Vaasa or any
other planet. We’re out here, together. If you choose to stay,
everything I have is yours. The good, the bad, and everything in
between. No more, no less. Now do you understand?”

Cidra sat in silence,
dazed. “Grey, don’t
you
understand? I have no choice.” Her voice dropped
to a whisper. “I love you.”

Cidra watched Grey’s
stunned expression with utter surprise. He acted as if he’d never
heard those words before. Maybe he
never
had.

His anger melted, his arms reached for her.
He pulled her out of her seat and across his lap, taking her face
in his hands. He nuzzled and kissed her gently. Cidra knew he
hadn’t said the words, but she could taste them on his lips. It was
another step toward trust. For him, love and trust were tied
together. He couldn’t give one without the other.

She felt the fire build with every kiss
until it was all passion, all heat, all Grey. His hands moved up
and down her spine, around her bottom, up her waist, finally
resting under her breasts. His thumbs slid across her nipples,
tugging at the passion deep within her. He opened the front of her
shirt, baring her breasts to his plundering. The kiss deepened in
quiet charge. His hand slipped down between her thighs demanding
entrance. She gasped as his other hand snagged the fastener of her
pants and released them deftly.