Save for Shardae (10 page)

Before he lost complete control, he stopped. He wanted her, but he had to be sure. So much was happening: the three traitors in the brig, the attack on her, the Scarlet Burn poisoning, and now this. Zander couldn’t risk it. “Shardae, you’ve been sick. Dr. Raja said no strenuous activity. I want more than anything to be with you, but I want you to be just as sure. A lot has happened.”

Big brown eyes met his. He held his breath. So many emotions in her eyes, she clearly felt
something
for him. But only a few short minutes before she’d suspected him of trying to kill her. She had to be sure of what she was doing.

“I -- I,” she stammered, swallowed, took a big breath of courage. “I want you… and I want this.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I want you, Zander.”

It was his turn to groan in surrender. Oh, how he’d waited for this moment, for her to speak those words. He led her back to the bedroom holding her hand.

Shardae grinned at him. “A.I.: Aspen winter.” She unzipped her uniform pants’ zipper. Snatching off her earpiece, she tossed it onto the counter off to the side.

“Get ready.”

Zander’s mouth dropped as the room melded into a wintry scene. Even the temperature changed, but one look at Shardae in her lacy, crimson thong deliciously parting her tight, round buttocks chased all the cold away from the room. The matching bra had sculptured scallops that cradled her magnificent mounds. He remembered how those pieces had looked folded neatly in her drawer, but now on her person -- that changed everything. Her dark mocha flesh warmed by the crimson color seemed to blush. The red undertones of her skin shined because of the underwear set. She was red hot, but he wanted it off.

“You look… wow,” he said. Words failed. His brain couldn’t connect to anything concise or even remotely articulate. Sure, in his quarters he’d sexed the sergeant scores of times -- just not in reality. No hologram or simsex program compared to this woman in the flesh. He knew, because he’d tried.

Shardae strutted to the entrance to what had to be her shower. She crooked a finger at him. “You’re a very dirty boy, Zander. Come on, let me clean you up.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Zander never took his eyes off her face as he very slowly removed his jacket, then his shoes, taking his time to unlace them. She squeezed her thighs together. Zander watched for her involuntary responses to his body. She looked down the toned torso. The thin undershirt skimmed every delectable inch.

“Hurry,” she cried. She hooked her thumb into the thong. “I’m going to start without you.”

The icy spray made her gasp, but it warmed in seconds. She cupped her hands. Automatically the soap squirted into her palm. The stumble of feet. A slightly muffled “oh!” brought a smile to her face. Shaking her head, she began to lather, her hands spread over her belly, her arms, and thighs.

“Let me,” Zander said, his breath cool on her neck.

His hands glided through hers, taking suds with them. She moaned and laid her head back against his chest. The hardness of his cock rubbed against her lower back. Damn, she couldn’t help it. She wiggled slowly across the very sensitive head.

“Oh hell, Shardae,” he growled.

Now that she had him started, he didn’t stop. He raked his cock over her buttocks, obviously enjoying the sensations. He kissed her neck. Those pillow soft pilot hands filled with ivory suds cupped her breasts, sliding across their surface until they reached her nipples. Long fingers pinched her overly sensitive tips, making her slam her ass into his rod, wanting so badly to feel all that stone cock inside her. Each titillating tweak of her nipples made her clit throb.

He spun her around. “Wash me,” he ordered through clenched teeth.

He’s on the edge of losing it
. She did as he asked. How small her hands looked spread across his chest. Her hands glided through the scatter of hair on his torso. Using her nails, she raked them down and across, making shapes in the suds.

The spray of water stunned them both. Their shower time wound down so fast she couldn’t believe it. Zander smirked at her through his half-mast eyes. He spun her around and guided her to the wall of the shower. He reached down to her slick well and with those fingers traced her labia.

“Wet,” he choked out.

“Hurry!” Her hand dipped between her thighs. He teased her engorged clit. Ripples raced through her and she thrust her ass out toward him. “From behind, Zan, fuck me from behind!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, then, without warning, pause or patience, pushed his hard rod into her.

She screamed. Not from the thickness of him or the incredible length, but at the suddenness of his actions. He’d teased until she couldn’t hold it any more. She came right then.

“Damn,” he said. “So good.”

The world winked out of existence for a few seconds -- only the stiff, solid pleasure pulsating in her pussy remained -- only him, only Zander.

“So fucking tight, Shardae,” he growled against her neck. “By Mars, I could stay here forever.”

“Please,” she whispered, airing a deep, inner hope she didn’t know she had.

He withdrew all of himself but the tip, then rammed himself back into her still quivering pussy. His rhythm increased. Soon he was slamming into her with so much force she propped her hands against the wall to keep from hitting it. She pushed back, meeting his pistoning thrusts with equal fervor. The sliver of another orgasm crested her horizon. A tightening in her lower abdomen confirmed it.

She was going to hit the ceiling again.

“Oh hell,” he whispered, his voice weighted with his own approaching release. They’d both played it too long -- and as incredible as the first climax had been, this one threatened to…

“Ah shit!” Zander barked. “Fuck, come on, Sergeant… come for me!”

And she did.

Time ceased. Everything froze except for the waves of pleasure plowing into her. She screamed. Her leg muscles stiffened so tightly they hurt. She thought she heard Zander roar out his release, his own body rigid in pleasure. His cock emptied inside her. Warm liquid filled her womb. Her muscles eagerly milked him for every single drop.

For a brief flash she thought of her womb and Zander depositing his seed inside her. Pregnancy wouldn’t be good and she was glad she’d received her inoculations. All IGO soldiers had STD inoculations. Every soldier, male and female, had an implant that controlled pregnancy. The IGO didn’t want soldiers risking their unborn children.

With her head still ringing, she managed to fully stand up. Her neck hurt. Her body throbbed. Panting, she closed her eyes because the shower kept whirling.

He withdrew. She felt hollow, unfulfilled the instant he left her.

His arms snaked around her waist. He drew her back into his embrace. He rained kisses along her neck and across her shoulder blades.

“You need rest,” he said, his voice reduced to a rasp from his shouting. “Dr. Raja will kill me if you don’t get some rest.”

She laughed. “He’ll be pissed anyway because I’m pretty sure what we just did counts as strenuous activity.”

Now that neither of them moved, she braced for the blower. It blew huge gusts of dry air against them, drying them off. It wasn’t until the blower ceased that he replied. “Not quite. Wait until you come back from your morning shift.”

They left the shower and she fell into bed, exhausted. Zander crawled in beside her. Spooning back into his warmth, Shardae stifled a yawn. Now, she could relax.

Chapter 14

Ignoring the
beep, beep
of her earpiece, Shardae snuggled closer to Zander’s hard chest. In response he tugged her closer, moaning her name and something about love. It warmed her heart. It swelled in the outpouring of affection from him. Even in slumber, he seemed to hunger to keep her close.

“Sergeant Simmons!” roared Tate’s voice from someplace far away. She shut her eyes tighter against the sharp voice slicing through her peaceful sleep. “Report!”

Giving in at last, she opened her eyes. She lifted her head and searched the dim, snow-lit room. Along her walls, snow fell in big flakes down to the floor. A snow owl questioned softly. Shuddering against Zander, she smiled when his arm instinctively pulled her closer to his warmth. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep, but her alarm hadn’t gone off, so, she hadn’t been asleep very long. The sleep she had received had been a deep, good sleep. It annoyed her it had been disturbed.

“Sergeant Simmons! Take the freakin’ comm!” Tate yelled, impatience making his voice whine. “Incoming, damn it!”

That snapped her right out of her drowsy bliss. Shardae swore beneath her breath as she pushed herself up from the bed. She threw off the down blanket covering their nakedness. She took a deep breath. Zander groaned as if he knew she’d left the circle of his embrace.

She picked up her comms earpiece and slipped into the outer room. Slinging it over her ear, she walked to the wall’s plasma screen. The communicator waited with the audio. Its
beep, beep
in her ear pressed the point. She had to answer it. The prisoners were safe and sound. Stein and the others could handle three prisoners. “Yeah, Tate?” she asked. “A.I.: close doors to bedroom.”

The doors to her bedroom hushed closed. She didn’t want to wake Zander.

She pressed the small oval button. “Sergeant Simmons,” she said. “Tate, I’m…”

“Commander Ashe is on her way to your cabin. No one at the brig is responding to comms. No one. She sent down Lieutenant Stein. He didn’t return. Now he’s stopped responding to comms!”

“What?” she gasped.
Oh no. Oh hell no. Not now
.

“Commander Ashe requests entry,” the A.I. announced, cutting through Tate’s panic-riddled voice.

“Entry granted,” Shardae said. Then to Tate, “Tell Private Coppla to take Yazzie, Aoki and Miller down with him to investigate. Cannon blasters, not stunners. Wait! Have them go by medical first. Get an injection of antibiotics for the Scarlet Burn.”

“What?”

“Just do it!” she shouted, heart racing.

“Sergeant!” Commander Ashe stalked in with fury making her face red.

Tate severed the comm. With her heart racing, Shardae spun around to face her commander. How long had Tate been trying to contact her? How much time had passed? What the hell had happened at the brig? “Yes, ma’am!”

“Why are you not in uniform?” she asked, her hands curling into fists. “I’ve got an unresponsive brig. None of the security officers on duty are responding. You’re standing here like you just got out of the shower!”

“Forgive me, Commander, but I just got out of the infirmary,” Shardae snapped, feeling her cheeks grow hot with anger and embarrassment. “I didn’t have to report in for another six hours…”

Commander Ashe swore, ignoring her excuses like being poisoned meant nothing. “Damn it! Get dressed! We have a situation.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said. She hurried toward her bedchamber. She paused as she watched the commander stalk out of her quarters in a huff. “A.I.: open bedchamber doors.”

She entered, snagged by the sight of Zander on her bed, his hair scattered sexily over her pillow. Suppressing yet another sigh, she pushed those warm thoughts aside and hurried to dress.

Sergeant first -- woman second. Commander Ashe’s motto.

She rushed out into the hall and
wham
! Blind pain filtered through her temples. Spots littered her vision, but she swung a left at her assailant. Blinking furiously, she shook off what she could of the pain and punched again. This time her fist connected and she received an
oof
in reward. There was more than one person out here in the hallway, she could feel it. She also knew the security team had been dispatched down to the brig. Even if she called comms, they wouldn’t get here in time.

O’Leery held his jaw, moved it to make sure she hadn’t broken it, before saying, “Damn good punch, Simmons.”

“What the hell did you hit me for?”

“Because I can’t fucking stand you.”

The shadows of the corridor moved closer, shifting.

“Me either,” said Sauk as he slithered out of the gloom.

“Sauk,” Shardae started when someone from behind slammed into her, knocking her to the floor. Her stunner was out and she fired, the blast slamming Sauk into the wall with a
thud
.

Two men grabbed her arms, wrestling her to the ground. She fought them, but overpowered and outnumbered, she could only scowl up at O’Leery’s smirking face.

He stood over her, his stunner pointed at her forehead. Blood dripped down into her face.

“Seems I’m not alone in hating your ass. One more move and I’ll make a lot of people very, very happy.”

* * *

Zander bolted upright in the bed, disoriented and very cold. “Shardae!”

He threw the sheet off his nude body as the alarm slammed into his psyche.
Shardae is missing
.

“Fuck!” he roared. He hopped out of the bed. He stalked over to the plasma screen and logged in. His fingers a blur, he found the alert message sent through the craft. The security team had been dispatched to the brig to address the issues there. She hadn’t called for him.

“Comms,” came a voice Zander didn’t quite recognize.

“Is Sergeant Simmons still down on the brig?”

Tate normally acted as communicator for the spacecraft, but being so early in the morning, Zander didn’t know if the male voice was a replacement or something else. The entire scenario seemed slightly disjointed. He had to find her. Had to get to where she was and put his hands on her, touch her, make sure she was safe.

“You won’t see your beautiful sergeant for quite some time, Pilot Reyes,” came the voice through the comm’s speaker.

Zander scowled, his teeth clenched tight. “Who the hell is this?” The comm fell silent. He didn’t like any of this. Where was she? Something had gone horribly sideways. He squatted down to his discarded clothes and quickly dressed. He picked up his holster and tightened it in fast jerks around his waist.

Sliding his stunner out of its holster, Zander crept slowly out of Shardae’s quarters into the hushed silence of the corridor. He inched further into the hall. Where the hell was everyone else?