Authors: Lauren Dane
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Erotic fiction, #General, #Adult, #Erotica, #Mercenary troops
Mesmerized (27 page)
His gaze caught hers, snagged as she got higher and higher, brushing his cock, which was reviving quite nicely, before she moved up again to his belly and chest.
“Where did you learn this?” He nearly purred at her as she pressed all the right places in his hands. Between his fingers, over the heel of his palm, over his wrists and up first one arm and then the other. Carefully, she attended to his back and then told him to stand so she could rinse him.
“When I did my compulsory time in the corps, I learned the ancient art of reflexology and massage from one of the other soldiers in my unit. I can get rid of headaches and stomach pains, too.” She grinned.
His features, though, stayed serious. “No one has ever taken care of me like that. No one but you.”
His quiet words lodged in her heart as she smiled up at him. “I love taking care of you.” She tipped her chin toward his cock. “And you return the favor plenty.”
He got out and stood still as she dried him off. When she turned to grab another cloth for his hair, he grabbed her, hauling her body to his. Skin to skin, and she sighed, melting into him. “I could have lost you.”
“But you didn’t. I’m hard to kill, Piper. Count on it. I will be back to you after every op, even if I have to crawl to get there.”
“I get all ready to be angry with you, and then you’re so sweet. You undo me, befuddle me, leave me breathless and tingly.”
He sent her a smile closer to a leer, and she laughed, leaving the room, off to find some clothes.
She found him in the small living space, looking over the briefings that had come in when he was in treatment. He wore underpants and a snug, dark colored tank. She wanted to lick him from head to toe and back again.
“Your hair is still wet.” She touched his shoulder, leaning down to kiss him. “Why didn’t you come in to shower with me right away? You couldn’t possibly have thought to bathe yourself without my help.”
“It wasn’t difficult, and if I’d had you nearby and we’d both been standing, I’d have nailed you again. And again for good measure.” He turned, cupping her cunt in his palm, the heat of him nearly scalding her. Instead, she jutted her hips forward.
“I’m available for all and any nailing you’d like to administer, sir.”
He quirked a smile. “That so?”
She nodded, swallowing back anticipation.
“I’ll keep that in mind for later.”
Happily clean, fucked, warm and dry, she settled into her seat, curling up to face him so she could watch him work. And then she stood. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
In the sleeping quarters, she found exactly what she needed.
“Here.” she stood behind him, her thighs brushing the back of his chair. “Let me brush the tangles free.”
She brushed and remembered the times he’d braided her hair back then. She’d sit on the floor between his knees as he braided and talked. Braided and sometimes smoked. With his hands on her, she’d always felt better, stable, adored.
“Feels good.” He nearly purred it, leaning back into her touch.
“I’m sure your ladies do it for you all the time.”
He snorted. “Piper, I told you, there’s no one else. And before”—he shrugged—“I didn’t stick around to get my hair brushed.”
“If you try to not be around
this
lady, you’ll walk with a limp forever more.”
this
lady, you’ll walk with a limp forever more.”
“One of your most charming qualities.”
His hair was soft and cool against her hands and arms. So much of it. She pressed her face to it, breathing him in, taking in the scent, his scent, a mixture of weapons lubricant, sex, power and warm skin. No one and nothing else smelled like him.
“Can I braid it? Just one long braid, I don’t think you’d look as pretty as I do in my braids.”
He spun, catching her by surprise. “You please me.”
She tumbled into his lap, laughing and wrapping herself around him. Totally, utterly flattered and happy.
“Good. You please me, too.”
“Let’s get this update finished so we can go to bed. And eventually sleep.” He looked at her then, one brow raised.
Grinning, she nodded. “All right. I have some vid footage to look at. I’d finished most of the southwestern quadrant. It’s got to be somewhere.” The processing plant couldn’t be so totally hidden. She’d comb over every single inch on the surface to find it so they could get rid of it.
“Take some breaks. You’ll get a headache if you don’t.”
Touched, she hopped to her feet. “Braid first.” She made quick work of it, standing back to admire her work. His face was exposed that way, showing the masculine beauty there. “Gods, you’re even better looking this way. Clearly I need to be with you just to keep all the other ladies from putting their hands on you.”
“My hero.”
Chapter 16
A
ndrei planned, step by step, how he would kill Julian for barging into their room and waking them up. He’d had plans for her—detailed, filthy plans—and instead he woke up to Julian’s voice, telling him Ellis and Daniel would be comm conferencing within the hour and to get up.
ndrei planned, step by step, how he would kill Julian for barging into their room and waking them up. He’d had plans for her—detailed, filthy plans—and instead he woke up to Julian’s voice, telling him Ellis and Daniel would be comm conferencing within the hour and to get up.
Now he sat in a briefing room with a bunch of other people and most definitely not back in his bed with Piper’s pussy wrapped around his cock. Contrasted with this room filled with agitated soldiers, he preferred the way he’d been waking up since she’d come to his bed. And, he supposed, it brought home just how used to her he’d grown. How much he’d come to expect that time with her, naked and snuggled up into his side, her snuffling little snores.
He dragged his thoughts from her soft, creamy pussy and back to his job.
“The materials have arrived safely in Ravena, and they’re currently in the process of building the device.” Daniel looked at the papers before him. “We need to find that processing plant. I want it triple time to find it. Andrei, you’re my second-in-command; organize the Federation soldiers there at the installation. Get them combing every rock, every stream and tree, every grain of sand. I want that processing plant.”
“So we’re just giving up on Parron as a possible location for a processing plant?” Piper sat forward, tapping her pen on the edge of the comm keyboard. Andrei heard the tension in her voice.
“We’ve got twelve thousand confirmed dead. Eighty-five thousand injured and three million homeless. They have enough problems. They’ve moved on. We’re not concerned about Parron in any way other than humanitarian aid at this time.”
“Respectfully, sir, I disagree with this angle. I worked around these Imperialist types for years now. They’re not the kind who’d hesitate to destroy two-thirds of an entire ’Verse to keep people away from their work. Why else would they do it?”
Andrei didn’t necessarily agree with her, but she had a point.
Daniel took a deep breath. “It’s not our belief that this is the case. We want the focus on Mirage.”
He signed off, and Piper sat back, clearly unhappy.
“He’s wrong.”
Everyone stared at her, and she shrugged. “What? I didn’t say he shot anyone in the face; I said he was wrong about Parron. Vincenz”—she turned to face him—“you’ve lived out here a long time. Long enough to know how things go here.”
Vincenz laughed then, startling Andrei.
“Thank you, Piper.”
“For what? You agree about Parron?”
“Not necessarily. But you didn’t assume I knew because I was
one of them
.”
one of them
.”
Her expression said it all, and Andrei couldn’t help a smile.
“Because you’re not. You’re one of us.” She waved it away.
At that moment, Andrei was very proud to be loved by her.
Vincenz continued. “I agree to a point that the Imperialists are totally capable of carpet-bombing an entire ’Verse to keep people away. Then again, I’d agree that the Imperialists would carpet-bomb an entire ’Verse to hide evidence of what they’d been up to before moving on.”
“We haven’t found it here.”
“We haven’t looked everywhere,” Julian countered.
None of them downplayed her opinion, but if she wanted to be taken seriously as a member of their team, she’d have to learn to hold her own, even when Andrei wanted to handle it for her.
“No, but it’s a processing plant. It would have to be either near a portal or near some method of transport to a portal.”
“What makes you feel so strongly about it? If we’re thinking it’s not here, then why not Asphodel?” Andrei was interested in her logic.
“I think the atmosphere on Asphodel is too harsh to have a processing plant of that sort. Most high-tech gear is made off-’Verse because of that. They can’t keep the clean rooms sealed. Dust finds a way.”
Andrei nodded. That much was very true.
“I’ve felt strongly about this since we heard about the bombing and everyone lost the focus on Parron as a possibility for the processing. I just don’t think we should write it off.”
“No disrespect intended, but, Piper, there are people with more expertise at this who think otherwise.” Julian said it, not unkindly, and still Andrei kind of wanted to punch him in the face.
“None taken, even though you should dial back the condescension more if you truly don’t mean for anyone to take offense.”
Andrei didn’t hide his smile of amusement.
“What I mean is—”
“We know what you mean, Julian.” Andrei sent him a look, and Piper shook her head.
“No, it’s all right. If I’m to be taken seriously, I have to back up my opinions. I don’t have the training you all do. But I have expertise nonetheless. It is my opinion that ruling out Parron without a comprehensive check for the processing plant is lazy. You want to cross it from the list because it
seems
logical at first glance. But it’s not. You looked at Parron without knowing what you were looking for, and then you isolated the gel. Before anything else happened, the Imperialists bombed it, effectively shutting down all further investigation.” She shrugged. “Which is a good thing for them, don’t you think? To be left alone to keep working on making material for the device? All while we scour another ’Verse. Totally out of their way.”
seems
logical at first glance. But it’s not. You looked at Parron without knowing what you were looking for, and then you isolated the gel. Before anything else happened, the Imperialists bombed it, effectively shutting down all further investigation.” She shrugged. “Which is a good thing for them, don’t you think? To be left alone to keep working on making material for the device? All while we scour another ’Verse. Totally out of their way.”
Andrei leaned forward and hit the hail button on the comm. “Get me Wilhelm Ellis and Daniel Haws. It’s urgent.”
“Do you believe me?” she asked him.
“I believe you have some very good points, and I believe you should be able to make them to people who’d have the ability to make the decision to send some teams to Parron. Or not. Either way, it needs to be brought up.”
Ellis got on first, clearly busy and agitated. He was short, and his instinct was to brush off what she’d said. Surprisingly, it was Daniel, who’d discounted her only minutes before, who’d picked up her points and had underlined them, getting Ellis’s attention.
“We need to discuss this. For now, status quo.” Ellis’s word was final. “Get out there today and find that fucking plant.” They both signed off, and Andrei stood.
“Julian, work with the lieutenant. I want those soldiers sitting around this installation doing something. Send out teams of three. Break it down quadrant by quadrant. Let’s search every fucking bit of this ’Verse until we find that plant. Piper, with me. Vincenz, stay back here and work on the device. You’ll be my liaison between the field work and the Center.”
He stalked out, Piper at his side.
“I’m not mad, you know.” Piper said this as they moved at a very quick clip to the hangar.
“Good. You won’t always get your way in this job. Sometimes you’ll have to follow orders you’re sure you’d have given better. Anyway, he listened to you. Daniel. He’s very influential with Ellis. If he thinks your idea has merit, he’ll find a way to open the door for some investigation. Until he can do that, we need to focus here.”
She nodded, not missing his
this job
comment and the base assumption that she’d be there permanently. “Don’t be mad at Julian.”
this job
comment and the base assumption that she’d be there permanently. “Don’t be mad at Julian.”
“He acted like an asshole. But he’s hurting, and you’re a newcomer. And you handled yourself just fine without my punching him in the face. It would have discounted your point if I had.”
“I don’t think he meant to act like an asshole.”
Andrei snorted, underlings scurrying out of the way as they strode in, heading straight for the most beautiful aircraft she’d ever seen. She skidded to a halt and gaped. “Wow.”
He turned, the hardness of his features melting away as he reached out to cup her cheek. “I thought you’d like it. It’s got all the best mapping tech in the camera system on the underbelly.”
All that ferocity within him, and he touched her with such exquisite gentleness, awe sometimes. She felt special every time he looked at her. Every time he showed her the Andrei most never saw.
Knowing he believed in her abilities enough to stand back and let her make her own arguments filled her with confidence.
With his predator’s grace, he hopped up into the cockpit and took the nav seat, leaving her to do her own checklist. Knowing that’s how she preferred it. He let her be. She smiled as she went about her ritual.
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