Hearts of Ishira (Hearts of Ishira Saga) (46 page)

“Little one,” Hunter pulled her close and kissed the top of her head, “There is no other woman I want. If my brother wishes to carry on the family line, then he may find another woman to do so with, but I have wanted you since I first saw you lying there in the mud, before we spoke, when we first touched minds, before you did speak and worked your way into my heart. I am afraid that my soul will accept no one else, even after I get to know you, which you seem to think will change my feelings for you. Besides that, Jace is already researching possible alternatives. Our technology is more advanced than yours. There is still reason to hope. Not that I need it. I will take you as you are.”

She offered him a wobbly smile that tugged at the foundations of his very soul, then hitched a breath and swiped at her eyes again.

“I’m sorry,” she tried to laugh a little, though the sound was watery. “I don’t know why I’m so emotional. I just… I know it hasn’t been very long, but think I’m starting to fall for you. I care for you so very much already, and the thought of your not wanting me… it about broke my heart. I… didn’t want to wait, to let it grow and hurt even more when we were through.”

“There is more to life than children, Arianna,” he said softly, hugging her to him and resting his chin on her head. “Perhaps I should have clarified that when we first talked of your special situation.

“Yes, our colonization directive states that we must build the population. And I would be lying if I told you that a warrior does not fervently wish to carry on his line. Above that, he wishes to give his woman children to love and nurture and to comfort her when he is gone. It is clear that you want children, more than anything else. But if you cannot have them, it will not be the end of our happiness. Once the others begin to build their families, there will be urchins running around under foot all the time, creating all kinds of mischief. And try as we might as leaders, there will be unfortunate accidents, illnesses, deaths, or something else that creates a need for children to be taken care of by others for a time. If, by some tragedy, a child should end up orphaned, you and I can provide homes for them. We would need to do so, regardless of whether we had children of our own or not, because we
are
their leaders. Most of these men are of my clan. When the babes start arriving, there will be many children, and they will be as close to you as you wish to have them. The entire clan raises our children, and everyone is an aunt or uncle, to some degree.

“In the meantime, I cannot say that I am unhappy that we will be able to enjoy time together without distraction, to help lead our people and create our own society here.”

Arianna smiled a bit more surely now, hearing his extensive plans. His was not simply a heart-felt admission of his affection, a decision based on hormones. She realized that he had been thinking hard about this. He brushed at a stray tear she’d missed then kissed her nose.

“Now, we will have no more talk of this, eh? The matter is closed. If Jace wishes to withdraw his suit of you, so be it, but I will not. I fear that my heart is already more than a little bit lost to you, and I prefer you to some nameless, faceless child that might or might not have been, either way.” He planted a firm kiss on her lips, then lightly slapped her butt where it rested on his lap. “Now, is that settled? Need we discuss it more?”

She held his gaze and slowly shook her head. He could sense that she was afraid to hope, but she felt that he meant every word that he said, that he’d rather have her, without children, than someone else who could give them to him. He narrowed his gaze on her, opening his mind to her and reinforcing his thoughts until she felt much better about it. Her walls were still in place, but wobbling. He’d have to work on her later.

“Good.” He smiled tenderly at her and stood up with her in his arms. She would never get used to being toted about like a child. “With that settled, perhaps you would like to keep me company while I prepare our morning meal? Jace will be home soon, and he has been working since yesterday’s dawn. He needs food, some attention from his mate, and then rest.”

She nodded tentatively and allowed him to carry her over to the kitchen area. As he cooked, they spoke of the plans both had been contemplating for their people. She was embarrassed over her behavior and a bit reserved at first, but Hunter kept at it, forcing her to talk about mundane issues that had nothing to do with her barrenness. She needed to know that life went on, that the subject was closed, and that he still wanted her. He didn’t know how else to convince her, other than to just go on with life. By the time breakfast was ready, she was once again laughing and speaking animatedly about her ideas for combining their two cultures.

When Jace came home a little later, bleary-eyed and weary, she fussed over him and made sure he felt welcome and wanted, fed him, then kissed him sweetly and insisted that he go to bed immediately, that she was fine. He took in her reddened and tired eyes and looked as though he didn’t quite believe her, but at Hunter’s subtle nod of reassurance, gratefully found his bed.

Once Jace’s door had closed, she helped Hunter clean up from the meal as best she could then sighed, not looking forward to another long day without him. But he didn’t leave, just stood there, watching her. For a moment, she wondered what he was waiting for. HHHHe usually left for the command center shortly after breakfast. Tilting her head to the side in curiosity, she watched as his eyes took on a wicked gleam. Her breath hitched and her heart started pounding as he came around the kitchen counter and situated himself between her thighs where she sat on the high bar stool. Looping his arms around her back, he pulled her slowly to him until she was forced to tilt her head back to hold his gaze.

“Now, little one…” he said, nibbling on her lips. “I sense that our conversation has not fully reassured you.”

She licked her lips, following the path of his. She shook her head, wanting to be honest but wondering what he was getting at. He sighed and nodded once, as though confirming his suspicions. Then he leaned down and took her mouth in a searing kiss that had her moaning softly and her bare toes curling against the rung of the stool.

“Then I shall simply have to demonstrate,” he whispered.

She squeaked a bit when he jerked her into his arms and toted her into his bedroom. His chest rumbled with his amusement at the cute little noise. She heard the door firmly shut behind them and her heart raced in anticipation. He plunked her down on the bed, then lowered himself until he was spread over her, holding his muscular form off of her chest, but insinuating his hips between her legs. Her skirt would only allow him so much room, though, and as he kissed the very breath from her, he reached down to quickly skim the material up. She was bare to him, her core open and already pouting for his touch. He groaned into her mouth, then pulled back to stare down at her, letting her see the rising passion in his eyes, feel the emotions in his soul.

“What about… hurting me?” she whispered a little breathlessly, linking her arms around his neck. She gently freed his hair from the leather thongs that held it. He shook his head, his slick black hair sliding from his back to hang over one shoulder. She sucked in a breath. He was so very handsome, so incredibly beautiful at that moment, as he stared into her eyes and stroked her hair back from her face, fanning her dark brown curls across the pillows.

“I fear that not making love to you now will hurt you more,” he admitted, nipping at her lips, her nose, her chin. She tilted her head back, giving him greater access, and he took it, growling just a bit as he found and sucked on the skin over the pulse thrumming so violently there. She moaned softly, tightening her arms around him, widening her thighs to let him settle more fully against her center. When the hard bulge in his leather pants met her core, she cried out in sweet sensation. He pressed hard against her for just a moment, his body quaking in reaction. Then he gave a small grunt, heaving up so that he could drag her clothing completely away from her body and toss it to the side.

When he laid her back down, naked but for the splint on her leg, he stilled and contented himself with looking at her for long moments. She fought the urge to cover herself. She was chubby, not the ideal back on Earth, but he didn’t seem to realize that. Instead, his eyes heated even more and he licked his lips. It seemed as though he was trying to decide which piece of flesh he wished to sample first. Catching her wide-eyed stare, he grinned and raised himself on his knees, looking down at her with passionate intensity as he slowly, agonizingly, undid the closure of his pants and began skimming them down his hips. His long hair slid and shifted over the muscles of his arm and chest as he did so, doing crazy things to her heartbeat.

She gazed up at him, her breath kicking up a notch, watching as his cock sprang free, bobbing slightly with his movements. It was huge, bigger than any other she’d ever seen in real life, and though she had been waiting for this for more than a week, she was suddenly a bit apprehensive. What if it didn’t fit, after all? She knew that women were made to take a man into their body, but those were human women, with human men. This was a wee bit different. Okay, a whole lot different. But excitement soon replaced fear. She wanted to know, had to know, all of him. Reaching out a shaking hand, she touched him for the first time.

They both cried out softly at the exquisite contact and he hissed when her fingers slid down his length and back up, curling around him and testing his rigidity. She tightened her grasp and slid her hand up and down once, twice. She looked up at him, breathing a bit heavily at the girth and the hot sleekness of his turgid flesh. He was slightly different from human males, in that he had several veins pulsing down his length, instead of just one. And he was ridged, gentle bumps of muscle ringing his cock most of the way down. She marveled at the feel of those differences, wondering with growing excitement how he would feel inside her. As her hand moved over the head of his cock, those rings bunched together then pulled apart again. He stifled a gasp and shuddered. Her eyes widened at that very interesting contraction. Her imagination went wild, wondering if it would do that inside her. She wanted to repeat the caress, see if the rings contracted again, but he wouldn’t let her fully explore him. He wrapped his hand around hers, stopping her after only a few moments.

“I have had to wait too long, little warrior. If you continue, I will not be able to control myself,” he growled, falling forward and catching himself on his hands as he bent to capture her lips once more. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close, but he didn’t linger long on her lips.

Instead, he began moving, shifting, his mouth exploring, nipping, tasting every inch of her skin. He lingered on her collarbone when she cried out softly at his kiss there, then moved down to the slope of her generous breast. He noted every little spot that seemed to excite her, each piece of flesh that tasted more like her, smelled more strongly of her essence. He wanted to catalog it all for further contemplation when he had time to focus on a more smoothly executed seduction. For now, he had to have her, had to know the taste of her.

For a long moment, he merely looked down at her breast. Then he looked up at her, his eyes hot and his mouth wet with his explorations. She sucked in a breath at the feral look in his eyes. He held her gaze as he leaned down and kissed her nipple, ever so gently, as though he were worshiping her. At her shuddering sigh and tightened embrace, he sucked her strongly into his mouth. Her back arched and she shivered a cry, throwing her head back.

The sound spurred him on, sending fierce triumph through his veins. Urgent now, his arms slipped beneath her body, arching her more for his tasting, and he suckled harder. His tongue circled her nipple then his lips closed hard on it, sheathing his teeth as he nipped her with exquisite delicacy. A shuddering sob escaped her, so he did it again. And again. Sucking, nipping, then a bite hard enough to cause that erotic ache to shiver through her body. She felt her core clench, hot and wet and empty, and cried out in dismay. She needed so badly for him to fill her.

“Please, Hunter!” she begged him, but he simply switched his attention to her other breast, teasing and kissing, tasting and nipping, until she was writhing beneath him, making the sweetest mewling sounds, her hands moving over his back and arms restlessly, clenching in his hair when he bit gently down on the tip of her breast.

“Gods, woman,” he breathed, rising above her for a moment, “You spin my head!”

“It’s only… fair,” she panted back. Her hips bumped artlessly toward him then, and he felt the wet heat of her curls brush his cock. He shivered in reaction, staring down at her. Holding her gaze with his intense stare, he slid a hand down to those curls, his long, deft fingers sliding into her wet slit and opening her for his exploration. She nearly wept at the sensations that arrowed through her entire being when his fingers circled the little bud he found there, plucked it, then moved lower, seeking her slick heat. She sucked in a harsh breath when his finger found and entered her, sliding easily into her and sending bolts of electric current dancing along her every nerve ending.

“You’re so small,” he whispered, testing her depths with his large, blunt finger, “But we shall take it slow.”

She smiled up at him, holding his intent gaze as he shifted his hips slightly and allowed his hard length to graze down her cleft. She caught her breath when it lodged against her core, then let it out on a shuddering moan as he rocked forward just a bit, entering her only a little. Her walls tightened in reaction, clenching for him eagerly, wanting him. His eyes held hers as his fingers parted her folds, once more finding the little nub standing at attention there, and brushed gently over it.