Falling Hard (10 page)

He dragged his gaze from her glistening pussy and compressed his lips. “Then let’s cut to the chase, shall we? You know why I’m here.”

She glanced down at his thigh where he knew she could see the clear outline of his fully aroused cock. ”Do you want to discuss it?”

About to reply that there was nothing to discuss, his cock pulsed, and the sexual hungers he’d spent years wrestling under control overwhelmed him. Surrendering to the pull of the fast approaching full moon and his innate needs, his thought process changed.

Why rush to deliver her to a fate she’d probably hate while depriving himself of a pleasure he’d earned at the same time? The woman before him possessed all the qualities he’d long sought but never found in a possible mate. Growing up in a culture that celebrated and encouraged sexual polygamy, he’d always felt out of place because he envisioned a life spent with one woman capable of generating enough passion in him that he’d happily settle into a mutually exclusive and monogamous relationship with her.

Unfortunately, this woman was a bounty. Finding her gave him hope he’d find another he could take as his bond mate. But he couldn’t lose sight of the fact that he commanded such high fees because he always delivered. Even though he found the thought distasteful, he’d deliver her to Telmira as promised—but only after he’d fucked her out of his system.

He smiled down at her, his gaze on her exposed body. “Over a drink?”

She nodded.

He glanced at her side arm. “Is that invited?”

After a brief hesitation, she placed her weapon on the bench seat beside her.

He slipped onto the bench on the opposite side of the table, his heart racing with anticipation.

She resumed her seat and deliberately closed the long, cream-colored duster that provided the perfect complement for her lovely skin tone. Unfortunately, she cut off his view of the loveliest rack he’d ever seen. But if things went as planned, he’d get to know them—up close and personal. “What did you want to discuss?” he asked, making no effort to look anywhere but at her cleavage.

“I want to discuss what we can do to improve the chances of this situation not getting out of hand.”

He decided not to point out that things had progressed too far to worry about that. The situation had careened out of his control the moment he set eyes on her. Now all he wanted was her lying naked and aroused under his equally nude body. He glanced around, noticing several males staring in their direction. All had obvious erections. None had better come anywhere near her or he’d show them why males of his clan were feared by those from lesser clans.

“Why don’t we discuss that in the comfort of my cruiser?” he invited.

She slowly dragged the tip of her tongue along the contour of her full lips before responding. “Isn’t the idea of comfort and a bounty cruiser mutually exclusive?”

Her sultry voice sent waves of lust thundering through him. He smiled. Should he bother to point out that he didn’t plan to give her time to worry about anything but how many times he fucked her before they both passed out from sheer exhaustion? “I’m sure you’ll find my private quarters adequate.” Eager to totally possess her, he rose and gestured toward the door. “Join me?”
And let me spend every waking moment of the next week in your arms.

She nodded, rose, and opened her duster.

Her side arm quickly rose from the bench and disappeared inside the duster moments before she quickly closed it.

Delsin suppressed a surprised exclamation. Damnation. Small wonder he’d been paid such a large down payment. Her sentient side arm would make taking her next to impossible—for a hunter with less skill and experience.

He placed a hand in the middle of her back and escorted her to the door. He should have been thinking of ways to get around her sentient side arm. Instead, holding and loving her dominated his thoughts.

* * *

The palm in the middle of Parmia’s back felt almost hot enough to sear her skin through her duster. She cast a quick, surprised look up at the tall male at her side. It wasn’t often that she encountered a male with almost blue-black hair and golden brown eyes deep enough for her to dive into and lose herself in. Too bad they were meeting in a shifter pleasure den. Too bad he had no idea what was in store for him. Under other circumstances…she gave herself a mental shake as he held the door open. The situation was the situation. What was the point of wasting valuable time engaging in baseless fantasies about situations that didn’t exist? The commission she earned from this last job would ensure her life as a reluctant courtesan ended with him.

The male beside her looked as if he could take care of himself—it was in his blood. Besides, he’d manage to escape the Blue Desert once. He could do it again, if he wanted. Dismissing the last remnants of regrets she felt
, s
he stepped out into the searing heat of the pre-evening desert.

The male with her whistled.

A huge, magnificent black stallion with an auburn mane trotted around from the far side of the den.

Parmia caught her breath and slowly approached with her hand extended. She glanced at the male with her. "May I?"

After a quick glance at the stallion, he nodded.

She slowly stroked the stallion's mane before sliding her hand along his flank. "What's his name?"

"Renas."

She leaned close to rub her cheek against the horse’s big, sleek body. “Renas? You’re as big and regal as a Centaurian Stallion.”

He is Centaurian,
Markes said.
And I don’t think his name is Renas.

Although surprised, she accepted the word of her sentient side arm, Markes. She had never seen one of the fabled Centaurians in person while he had served with at least one.

The stallion turned his head and gently brushed it against her body.

She impulsively linked her arms around his big body and kissed his mane.

He made a soft, encouraging noise.

She smiled and kissed his mane again before looking at the male who stood staring at them. “And you?”

“And me what?”

“What’s your name?” Of course, she knew his name but he didn’t know that.

“Delsin Adarinas.”

Delsin Adarinas; famed and feared bounty hunter to the rich and infamous. He always delivered his bounty. Yet he seemed unaware that this time the target was on his own back.

“Aren’t you going to ask my name?”

He shook his head. “Parmia Leeosa, courtesan to the rich and discerning.”

She gave him a surprised look. He’d just made the profession she practiced with reluctance and shame sound honorable and exclusive. “Yes.”

Adarinas mounted the horse and then leaned a hand down to her. “Join me?”

He made it sound more like a request than a semi-command—as if he actually intended to give her a choice. Placing her foot over his in the stirrup, she offered him her hand. Clasping it in his, he pulled her up onto the horse in front of him. She drew up her hood and adjusted the sun shield before she settled herself against him. She liked the feel of his big, male body behind hers.

Judging by the way he shifted his body closer and brushed his fingers against her breasts, he liked her proximity as well.

So far they were on the same page—at least for the moment. And to her surprise, the possibilities excited her. Of course, once he found the tables had been turned on him, all that would surely change. Until then, she intended to fully enjoy what was happening to her.

When he pushed her duster aside, she felt Markes tense.

“
It’s all right,”
she told her sentient side arm.

Markes subsided until the hunter placed his palm on the inside of her thigh. Then she felt the almost silent buzz he made before he attacked.

“
No,”
she told him.
“Don’t.”

“
I don’t like when they touch you.”

Generally she didn’t either but her father’s unexpected death had left her with nothing but her latent sexual abilities and Markes. After several weeks of grieving and a few more struggling to survive, she’d come to the painful realization that she needed to make the most of her meager assets. Now, five years later, all the distasteful sexual dalliances were over. Well, almost.

“
This will be the last time, Markes. Stand down unless I’m in danger.”

Markes obeyed and she shivered as the big palm slid up her thigh. Warm, insistent fingers touched her slit. She immediately creamed. The strange, wonderful feeling enveloping her must be the reason so many women enjoyed doing this for a living. She felt alive and hungry to experience what she felt would be the ultimate delight with him.

While the big stallion trotted across the hot sands, Adarinas slipped a finger inside her pussy and rubbed his thumb against her clit.

She sank her teeth into her bottom lip in an effort to control her desire. It didn’t work. The thumb rubbing her clit made her shiver in anticipation.

Allowing the stallion’s reins to fall, he slid his other hand inside her duster to cup over her breasts.

She leaned back, only just resisting the urge to rub her rear against his groin.

Then he flicked her nipples until they pebbled.

The intimacy that she usually found intrusive and unpleasant lit a fire in her and stirred emotions she’d never felt with any other client. The flame that ignited in her belly quickly singed its way down to her pussy. He pinched her nipples and slipped another finger inside her.

Overwhelmed by her body’s unexpected response to him, she tossed her head back against him and arched her back, driving her wet slit onto his fingers. With the hot sun on her body and the motion of the horse providing an added stimulus, she ground herself against his thrusting fingers. She did that with a wild heat until a rush of delight shook her body and shut out the rest of the world as the most incredible feeling of bliss swept over her. Lost in the allure of pleasure, she cried out as she experienced her first orgasm.

Bending his head, he nipped and licked her neck and ear as he continued to finger her flooded channel and rub his thumb against her clit.

Overcome with emotion and pleasure, Parmia enjoyed multiple orgasms, each one more intense than the one before. Totally lost in a feeling of bliss she’d never experienced, her concept of time and place dissolved. The world consisted of his magical fingers, the warm lips pressed against the side of her neck, and the husky voice filling her ears with strange words that nonetheless heightened her passions.

With her heart racing and her body on fire, she tried to steel herself for the moment when he would lift her hips and slide his cock deep into her erupting pussy. But strangely, he seemed content to give her pleasure without regard for his own.

Finally, with her senses on overload, she surrendered all efforts at rational thought. When her senses returned, she found herself seated alone on the stallion outside a huge transport hangar. The hunter reached up to lift her down from the horse’s back. His strength and the ease with which he did it surprised her. Not many men could lift her and none had given her even an ounce of the pleasure he had. If they had, the last five years might not have been so unpleasant.

Instead of releasing her once her feet touched the ground, he slipped his arm around her waist before allowing his palm to brush against her rear.

She inhaled and suppressed the urge to lean against him. Embarrassed by her inability to control herself with him, she glanced away and reached down to fasten her duster.

“Oh, no. Don’t do that,” he said, gently pushing her hands away.

She moistened her lips and allowed her hands to drop to her sides.

He lifted her chin and smiled down at her.

She gazed up at him, unable to look away. His smile was as seductive as his fingers stroking inside her.

He slipped a hand inside her duster briefly to caress her bottom. Expertly parting her nether cheeks, he pushed his thumb against her anal cavity.

Parmia trembled. She hadn’t allowed any of her clients the privilege of reaming her ass for a long time. Feeling his thumb worrying her tight opening, she knew she’d welcome anal sex with him. After the pleasure he’d given her, she couldn’t imagine objecting to anything he wanted to do to or with her body.

He slapped each cheek before he took her hand in his.

With her ass stinging, she eagerly walked inside a rather nondescript cruiser with him.

Markes gently probed her thoughts. “
Are you all right? You didn’t answer on the way here. You just kept moaning. I almost killed him.”

She trembled with terror at the thought. “
I don’t want him hurt, Markes!”

“
Why not? You don’t like it when men put things inside you. He did it several times and made you moan.”

“
And yet you didn’t kill him. Why not?”

She felt his confusion before he answered. “
You were making sounds but I didn’t feel any pain or distress from you. I didn’t think you’d be pleased if I killed him. If I killed him, I’d have had to kill the Centaurian as well.”

“
And that would bother you, Markes?”

“
Yes. I served with a Centaurian who was very like this one. He was valiant and loyal. He died in a battle saving your father. Killing one of his brethren would have been ungracious. But my first duty is to you. If I erred, I can kill them both now that we don’t have to worry about being stranded in the desert.”

“
No! No. I don’t want either of them hurt or killed. Especially not Adarinas.”
She glanced at the man standing looking down at her. The look in his golden gaze filled her with anticipation. For the first time in five years, she would enjoy a night spent with a stranger instead of dreading every moment of pawing that seemed never ending.
Our client didn’t pay so well to have him injured or worse.

The cruiser doors slid open.

With his hand on her waist, Adarinas guided her into a long corridor. He nodded to the right. “My private quarters are at the end of that passage. Will you go inside and make yourself comfortable while I take care of Renas?”