Codename Winter (9 page)

Drizzling lube into her crease, he smoothed it over and into her anus. She tensed each time his finger pushed inside her, reinforcing his decision to wait. Patience would overcome her uncertainty. All he had to do was give her time.

“Try to relax, love,” he coaxed. “Let your body respond to my touch.”

Winter clutched the bedspread and tried not to shrink away from Ulrick’s invading finger. It felt so strange, so intrusive. He’d promised not to hurt her. No, he’d promised to do everything he could not to hurt her. His cock was huge. There was no way she could take him without pain. Anxiety washed over her, threading through her desire and speeding her pulse.

He added a second finger and the pressure made her squirm. Her pussy ached and her clit tingled, needing his touch. Unable to remain still, she moved with him, pushing back onto his fingers. Heat spiraled up through her back passage and expanded in her belly. Oh that was nice.

“If it helps to move, move. I want you to enjoy this.”

She whimpered. She wanted to enjoy it too. She just wasn’t sure how. Moving her legs a little farther apart, she rolled her hips, accentuating each of his strokes. Long, slow motions created the most pleasurable sensations, so she told him. “Slow and deep.”

Immediately his motion changed. He pushed in as far as he could and pulled back slowly, allowing her to feel every millimeter of his long fingers. “Better?”

“Yes.” She gasped, and he did it again, and again.

His free hand slipped between her thighs, circling her other opening before focusing on her clit. Sensations gathered beneath his fingertips then radiated outward. Her womb tightened and her pussy clenched. She teetered on the brink of release, and then his fingers stilled.

“Ulrick! I really need to come.”

“Not yet.” He slowly drew his fingers out and her arousal spiked, making her gasp. “Take this, and then I’ll fuck you as long and as hard as you like.”

She wasn’t sure what “this” was, but the long, hard fucking part sounded pretty damn perfect. Something pressed against her back entrance, blunt and cool, obviously not his cock. “What is that?”

“A toy. It will help you take me.”

Looking back over her shoulder, she tried to capture his gaze, but his attention was squarely focused on her ass. “You’re not going to…”

“Not yet. You’re too tight.”

“No, you’re too big.” Her assertion made him smile. Then he drove the mysterious toy inward and she groaned. The pressure stopped just short of pain, but it made her damn glad he’d given her a reprieve. He rotated the toy, stimulating her nerve endings before he pushed deeper. She lowered her forehead to her folded arms and let the sensations wash over her. Another firm push and her body adjusted, closing around a distinct narrowing. It was a butt plug. She’d seen them before but had never been brave enough to use one.

“How’s that feel?”

“Odd.” She shifted her hips and tightened her muscles around the plug. “It’s making me…restless as hell.”

“Turn over.”

She rolled to her back and stretched her arms overhead, feeling decadent and naughty. “I never thought of that part of my body as sensitive, but this is wild.”

He smiled and lifted her legs to his shoulders, desire burning in his eyes. His tongue thrust into her pussy and she arched her back, wanting him deeper, wanting more. He coated his tongue then sucked her cream directly into his mouth. He was so demanding, so ravenous. It was as if her essence sustained him.

Then he calmed and his lips closed around her clit, sucking with slow, careful pulls. Her pussy clenched so hard she cried out, the pressure in her ass unbearable.

Tossing her head from side to side, she clawed at the bedding as his persistent lips drove the pleasure higher. Her back bowed and her toes curled as she came in tight, rolling spasms.

He shifted her legs to the bend of his elbows as he struggled to his feet. Pulling her closer to the edge of the bed, he positioned his cock at her entrance. “Look at me.”

She moved her gaze to his face and shivered. His transformed features didn’t frighten her now. He looked ferocious, but she understood what caused the change. He wanted her, needed her, and he would protect and care for her.

“Who do you belong to?” His voice was more like a growl.

“You. Only you.”

He drove into her slowly, his gaze every bit as penetrating as his cock. She relaxed and accepted him, savoring the immense fullness, and the obvious effort it took to restrain his need. Even in the midst of ravenous hunger he was careful with her. Tender.

“Okay?” He ground out the question between clenched teeth, his fingers digging into her hips.

“Oh yes.” She squeezed his cock and he shuddered, launched into action by her encouragement.

His hips pulled back then lunged forward, thrusting his full length into her eager core. The pressure in her ass made her pussy that much tighter. But there was no pain,

just blissful fullness and smooth motion that quickly had her panting and rocking into each firm stroke.

Suddenly he released her legs and pulled her pelvis flush with his. “Grab my neck.” The second her arms grasped him, he lifted her off the bed and turned. He sat on the edge of the bed and she folded her legs on either side of his hips. “Ride me.”

She needed no other encouragement. His mouth fastened onto one of her nipples as she raised her body upward. Her pussy clung to his cock, as if it wasn’t ready to let him go. Then she pushed down, impaling herself on his length. He moved his mouth from one breast to the other as she found the depth and angle that created the most intense sensations.

Needing the warm intimacy of his kiss, she dragged his face away from her breast and licked her lips. He understood her invitation and framed her face with his hands. Their mouths met and melded, tongues tangling as she maintained a steady rhythm with her hips.

He began to move with her, thrusting up as she drove down. It increased the impact and the pressure on her clit. She gasped, momentarily losing the rhythm. His hands dropped from her face and grasped her hips, steadying her as they moved together.

Another orgasm built deep inside her, spreading like wildfire in a drought. He thrust his cock deep into her rippling passage and came with a muffled shout. The hot spurt of his seed pushed her over the edge and lights danced before her eyes. They soared together, clinging to one another as the pleasure swept them along.

Winter settled on her knees, feeling content and sleepy. “I saw stars.” She smiled and looked away from his intense eyes. “Do you always come that hard?”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Only with you.” His features gradually smoothed and the heat in his gaze simmered. “It’s never been like this before.” Without warning, he grasped her hips and stood, then turned and laid her back across the bed. “Don’t move.”

She groaned as he separated their bodies and her face burned when he carefully removed the butt plug. She hadn’t been embarrassed when he inserted it, but she wasn’t desperate for an orgasm now. He walked into the bathroom and tossed the toy in one of the sinks then returned with a damp towel. He wasn’t going to… Yes, he was. She covered her face with her hands as he cleaned up the mess they’d made.

“Would you prefer I bathe you with my tongue?” he teased. “That didn’t seem to embarrass you.”

She took a deep breath and lowered her hands. Her belated modesty was seriously silly. “I’m just not used to being this intimate with anyone.”

He pulled down the bedding and she crawled between the sheets. “Tell me about Earth before this all happened. What was your world like back then?” He stretched out on his back and she snuggled against his side, head resting on his shoulder.

“Everyone was in a hurry. Fast food and instant gratification. We all worked too hard and seldom focused on the things that really mattered. None of us ever imagined how fast it could change.”

“Were the Gathosians your first contact with other beings?”

“Yes. We’d learned enough to suspect we were far from alone, but our manned space missions never left our solar system.”

He brushed the hair back from her face, his gaze searching hers. “What were you like? Were you still living with your parents?”

“I was about to graduate from college. I had accepted the fact that my lover was not the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but I hadn’t figured out how to tell him.”

Light sparked in his eyes and he pulled her closer. “Thinking of you with anyone else makes me crazy. It’s better if you don’t mention it again.”

“I have no problem with that. I think about the past, and it seems like a dream. That college student isn’t any more real to me than Cub. I’m Winter now. And Winter is determined to take each day as it comes.”

“A wise strategy, as long as the Gathosians are in control.”

Silence followed his statement, sadness tainting the tranquility. “What if they weren’t?” She knew what-ifs were pointless, but the question just slipped out.

“They are,” he said emphatically. “And we’re both locked into behaviors that we find intolerable.”

She propped her head on her hand, looking down into his face. “My situation has become far more tolerable recently. Now we need to work on yours.”

He smiled, but his eyes remained wary and somewhat cold. “Did the brainwave modulator have something to do with your remarkable recovery?”

The device was patterned after Saroji’s ability. “Maybe.”

“You don’t trust me? After all this, you still don’t trust me?”

“I trust you with my body and my life, but these secrets involve other people. It should be their choice when to take you into their confidence.”

He was obviously annoyed by her answer, but he let it go. “So what happens now? Do I need to sign a contract or something?”

Her heart lurched at the concept. She had almost forgotten she was an ambassador, a paid companion—a whore.

“Don’t look at me like that. I just want to make damn sure no one else can touch you.”

“I understand, and you’re right. It just caught me by surprise.” She took a deep breath and forced herself past the sorrow welling in her heart. This was reality, and all the orgasms in the world wouldn’t change it. “I’ll speak with Mistress Autumn in the morning and find out what needs to be done.”

The following morning Winter returned to the embassy in Ulrick’s private skimmer. He’d already left for work when she awoke, so she hadn’t lingered in his house. It felt cold and empty without him there and she had to attend to business.

After a long hot shower and a change of clothes, she went in search of Autumn. She wasn’t sure how to explain what had happened without admitting that her first mission had been a miserable failure. She sat in Autumn’s office, fiddling with the hem of her blouse when she realized what needed to be said.

Autumn joined her a few minutes later. “Ulrick’s message only said you’d be spending the night. Did you seduce him outright, or use the succubus?”

“I’m not sure who seduced whom, but the succubus wasn’t necessary.”

“I see.” Autumn sat beside her rather than accessing the power position behind her desk. The madam’s approachable demeanor was one of the things Winter liked best about her boss. “Were you able to learn the location of Evard Keenan?”

“Not last night, but I know how to motivate Ulrick into telling us anything we want to know.”

Autumn smiled. “That’s a rather bold statement.”

Winter chose her words carefully, not wanting to hint at the bond rapidly forming between her and her protector. “I found out how the Gathosians control him. They have his brother locked in stasis, and Ulrick does their bidding to ensure his brother’s safety.”

“So if we whisk his brother beyond their grasp, he’ll be less likely to do their bidding?”

Winter scooted to the edge of her chair and pivoted toward Autumn. “Not less likely, it’s guaranteed. Like Earth, his home world was devastated by the Gathosians.”

Autumn wasn’t nearly as impressed as Winter had hoped. “That’s true of every member in the Protectorate.”

“But they made it personal with Ulrick. He has suffered things you can’t imagine.”

After a thoughtful pause, Autumn said, “I’ll run this by Ra’jen, see if he knows anything about Ulrick’s brother.”

“Thank you.” Winter started to stand, and then realized there was one detail left. “Ulrick wants to know if he needs to sign a contract or something to make sure no one else comes near me.”

Autumn snickered. “Ra’jen took a more direct approach. He bent me over the back of a couch and fucked me in the lobby. Word of our relationship spread like a virus.”

Winter’s body warmed at the idea of being so consumed by desire she didn’t care who was watching. “I don’t think that would work for us. Ulrick is intensely possessive. He doesn’t want anyone looking at me, much less watching us fuck.”

“Understood. I’ll work up a contract and send it over before the day is through.”

“Thanks.” Winter pushed to her feet and prepared to leave, but Autumn caught her hand.

“How are you adjusting to all this? Do you have feelings for Ulrick?”

“He’s…amazing.” She sighed. “I just wish I could give him more than mind-blowing sex.”

Evard drew his legs toward his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees, trying to conserve his body heat. Last night the tiny cell that served as his bedroom had been so hot he’d slept on the floor in the adjoining laboratory.

Tonight Inwatta had chosen cold to torment him. The bedding had mysteriously disappeared off his cot, and she’d included the lab in her efforts. Luckily none of his

experiments were temperature sensitive. Unfortunately, there was no retreating from the bone-chilling cold.

How long had he been locked in this battle of wills? Weeks? Months? He honestly couldn’t remember.