Absolution (Delroi Prophecy Book 4) (4 page)

“Come on. I need to see if we’re ready
to leave and if not what the delay is. You can see the ship and we’ll get
dinner on the way back.”

If it would get her out of this room,
and the haze of desire that hadn’t lifted even with the conversational shift,
she was game for just about anything.

“Sure. That would be good.”

He’d removed his weapon’s belt when he
entered but he put it back on now. His gaze swept down her body as he did so.
There was nothing sexual in his regard but she had to fight the urge to press
her thighs tight anyway.

“Are you always armed?”

“Yes. In my business, it would be
foolish to be caught without a weapon.”

“It is unusual for Delroi women to
carry a weapon,” he said leading the way into the corridor. “Most warriors
would forbid it.”

She tensed, expecting him to try. She
had no intention of following such a stupid order, whether it was a cultural
thing or not. He surprised her, however.

“Under the circumstances, your enemies
and the strife in my clan, I would prefer you continue to do so, though I don’t
imagine you’ll have cause to use them.”

She relaxed as they turned a corner
and came to a stop. Xan put his hand on the access plate and they stepped into
what appeared to be the command center. The room was large and shaped like a
blunt nosed triangle. A wide screen opposite their position showed the earth
and computer stations lined the other walls. There were other stations in the
center of the room many showing holographic images of what she guessed were
star maps. Kaal approached and stopped in front of them. If he questioned her
right to be there she saw no sign of it on his face, but she sensed disapproval
under the surface. Or maybe she imagined it since Xan didn’t seem to notice
anything wrong.

“My lord. Lady Bana,” he said, meeting
her gaze just a moment before turning back to Xan.

She was so stunned by the title and
attached last name she had no idea how to respond so she simply nodded. It
seemed to suffice.

“We’ll be ready to depart in half an
hour,” he told them.

“Good. Any problems?”

“No, everything is going smoothly.”

“We’re going to dinner. You can reach
me on my comm if anything comes up.”

“Yes, my lord.” He slapped his closed
fist to his chest, the Delroi warrior salute, and returned to his duties.

She followed Xan into the corridor.
After a couple minutes they entered a much wider hallway and began to encounter
many other people. They greeted Xan as they passed. Some stared at her a moment
before walking by. Finally they entered what she guessed was a bar or lounge.
There were several warriors at the tables and a handful of couples at others.
Most were eating and drinking. Some looked like they were working. He led her
to a table in front of the long window, yet again overlooking Earth.

“Wait here. I’ll place an order.”

Then he turned and went to the bar on
the far wall, typed something into a keypad she couldn’t see from this
distance, and waited as the man behind it handed him two glasses. He was back with
her in minutes. When he sat she blew out a relieved breath, unaware she’d even
been holding it. People were watching them and pretending not to. She strengthened
her shields, not wanting any stray judgements to find their way into her mind.
He gave her a quizzical look.

“There’s no danger here, love,” he
murmured, leaning close, into her personal space.

Her stomach dropped at the hunger she
saw in his expression and her body responded in kind. Heat rushed through her.
Hard nipples chafed against the contact of her bra and she felt the slick
neediness of her pussy dampen her panties. She’d never been so tempted to throw
cause to the wind and control out the window.

“Maybe we should eat in your
quarters,” she whispered.

Otherwise she might just obey the
demands of her body and rip his clothes off here in front of everyone. Without
a word, he stood, took her hand, and hurried from the lounge. She lost track of
corridors and turns, had no idea where they were until he opened the door to
his rooms. As soon as they were inside he pushed her against the wall, his body
hot and heavy and hard against hers. She grabbed at his shirt and he helped her
yank it off. He dropped his belt to the floor then went to work on her blouse.
The buttons proved too frustrating so he took the edge in his hands and ripped.
She shrugged out of the garment while he eyed her bra with distaste. She
reached behind her for the snap and let it slide down her arms. Then she
dropped her weapons to the floor. When she reached out to touch him, to stroke
and explore his broad muscular chest, he caught her hands and lifted them above
her head. He looked down her body then back up again to meet her gaze.

“Lower
your shields, sweetheart,”
he whispered to her mind.
“Let me in. I can handle everything you’re
afraid of.”

She shouldn’t but she wasn’t thinking
very clearly at the moment. She was hot and needy and he seemed so certain.
Even so, she hid part of herself when she did as he asked. As his masculine
touch swept inside her mind, he kissed her. It was different from the first
one. Desperate. Greedy. Then he spoke the prayer of his people in her mind,
strong and determined, and she felt their minds merging deeper and deeper. When
he finished the connection was stronger than any rock or gem. Unbreakable. She jerked
away from the kiss and glared at him, not sure if she wanted to put a halt to
this or not. Her body hummed with lust but she was furious he’d forged the bond
without her consent.

“Why did you do that?”

His eyes were dark and moody as he
looked down at her. “You’re mine. All of you. No secrets and no holding back.
You won’t be able to do that now.”

Fear raced through her veins, but so
did excitement and challenge. She wasn’t going to just blindly follow him or
give into his every whim. He was in her mind, could feel her defiance, and a
slow answering grin crossed his face. Before she could react to that he scooped
her up and carried her to the other room to drop her on the bed. She leaned
back and watched as he stripped off his boots, socks, pants and underwear. He
was magnificent. Golden skin stretched over firm defined muscles. His cock
jutted out temptingly, thick, long, and engorged.

She rose to her knees on the edge of
the bed and reached for him. Her hand formed a tight circle around his
erection. He gasped when she stroked up and down. When she leaned down and
swiped her tongue over the drop of pre-cum on the head, he groaned, twisting
his hands in her head and tugging her away.

“Not this time,
der’lan
,” he said in a gruff tone.

She didn’t have time to protest before
he stripped her out of her remaining clothes and stretched out on top of her.
The full body contact made her burn. As he slid down her body and swirled his
tongue over one hard nipple, the heat turned into an inferno. She moved against
him, spreading her thighs so his hips settled between them, the head of his
cock just nudging at her entrance. She wanted him inside her, thrusting fast
and hard. He moaned against her breast but didn’t hurry, simply turned his head
to lavish attention on her other breast. She considered begging, didn’t because
she knew that was exactly what he demanded. He wanted her so desperate for him
she begged for release.

She wasn’t the begging type.

Chapter Four

Xan felt her struggle. Her resistance.
She fought the bond and the desire that flared so hot between them. She didn’t
trust it. Didn’t trust him. She held part of herself buried behind high walls. He
had a week to break through her defenses. He needed her firmly by his side when
they reached Delroi. He needed her complete support and trust. Forging the bond
so soon, indulging in sex now, probably wasn’t the best way to attain his goal
but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He’d underestimated his desire for her.
It was so much more than lust. A craving he felt to his very marrow. This woman
would be his absolutely. Now he only had to show her.

He gave her nipple one last lick before
kissing and nibbling his way down her body. He spread her thighs wide enough to
accommodate his shoulders. Looking up, he held her gaze while he slowly spread
the folds concealing her pussy and clit. Her eyes were bright, shimmering with
desire that went beyond simple hunger. Her need filled his mind. Amplified his
own ravenous arousal. He leaned close, put his palms under her ass, and pulled
her to his mouth.

She was slick, her juices spilling
from her body. He licked her, loving her moans of pleasure, before thrusting
his tongue into her entrance, and found himself perilously close to spilling
his seed before he even entered her. Her tight channel would fit his cock like
a glove and her taste was ambrosia. Before he lost all control, he shifted his
focus to her clitoris. It was hot and throbbing under the sweep of his tongue.
He circled it, lapped at it, and finally followed the urging in her mind and sucked
it between his teeth.

He felt her orgasm like it was his
own. She bucked against his mouth, then froze, her muscles locking up as a cry
of completion left her lips. Incredible. Glorious. He wanted to hear it again
and again before he found his own release. His body had other plans, however.
Struggling for control, he rose over her, kissed her while his fingers brushed
her pussy. He judged her ready and lining up his cockhead, eased into her. Breaking
the kiss, he stared into her eyes, needing to see her acquiescence, her
surrender. She lifted her hands to cup his face, a tiny smile curling her lips.

“Not surrender,” she whispered. “That
isn’t what you want, a weak and pliable woman.”

“Not in everything else. But here I
want all of you, which doesn’t make you weak, sweetheart,” he replied just as
softly as he pushed inside her.

Her eyes widened with each inch, her
breath turning to pants. He eased in and out, short shallow strokes that
tormented them both. Watching her, he kept his senses open, noting everything
that made her sigh and groan and silently urge for more. A firmer thrust made
her gasp and clench around him. He knew that’s what she wanted. He was in her
mind; she couldn’t hide it. But he continued the slow torture, slowly driving
himself mad, until she asked. He felt the moment her resolve broke, buried his
triumph.

“Xan.
Harder, faster. Please.”

“Anything
you want, love. This time.”

He tilted her hips higher, closer, his
grip biting, and thrust hilt deep. She was wet, warm. Inviting.
His mate.
He caught her gasp in a kiss
that was almost bruising, reminded at the last moment no matter how strong her
mind was, her body was fragile compared to his. Laughter filled his mind and
she kissed him back just as fiercely.

“You
won’t break me, Xan. I promise.”

He accepted her word and took her the
way his instincts demanded. Hard, fast, rough. She met him stroke for stroke.
He was no longer sure whose pleasure he felt, hers or his. It didn’t matter.
Knowing he wouldn’t last much longer, he worked a hand between them and rubbed
his fingers over her clitoris, pinching when her sex convulsed around him. She
cried out his name, her cunt squeezing him in a tight fist as she came. He
followed, felt like he stepped off a precipice as the most extreme pleasure
he’d ever experienced overcame him. He rolled over so he wouldn’t collapse and
crush her, then pulled her into the circle of his arms.

He should say something, but he had no
idea what. He’d enjoyed many women over the course of his life. None had been
important to him. Anna Leigh deserved the soft words, the tender emotions he’d
never learned to express. With a delicate little snort, she tilted her head to
meet his gaze.

“You think that’s what I need? Or even
want?”

He sensed her amusement, knew she used
it to distract him. She held a part of herself in reserve, but he was a Delroi
warrior. He could be patient when the situation warranted. His stomach reminded
him they’d missed their dinner. He stood and held a hand out to her, led her
into the shower.

Inside she found the controls and
adjusted them until the water was comfortable and it slicked over her body. He stepped
in with her. It was cramped with one person much less two but he was still tempted
to linger, unusual for him, so he did. He reached for the soap before she
could. Had her lathered and slippery, pressed against the wall in seconds. He
held her wrists, tiny in his hands, above her head. He stared at her throat,
the sensitive part right above her shoulder. When they arrived on Delroi, his
mark would be tattooed there. It wasn’t soon enough. He bent to lick away a
drop of water that teased him. Stayed to suck her flesh between his teeth. To
bite. Anyone who saw her onboard would know she’d been claimed. He moved to
more tempting places, kissing his way to her breasts.

“Xan,” she rasped out when he flicked
his tongue over her nipple.

Answering the yearning he heard in her
voice, he straightened and covered her mouth with his. It was a wild kiss. She
met him with passion, her tongue stroking against his. Teeth nibbling if he
withdrew. His cock was an aching throb he ground against her belly. This time
her gasp was in his mind.