SnaredbySaber (13 page)

“What about inside? Is there a scent here
or maybe in the cleansing room?”

“Nothing.”

Eva stared at him, her frown echoing his
scowl. “That’s a little peculiar. What should we do?” A part of her realized
she was asking his advice instead of acting independently, as was her normal
manner.

Saber’s brows rose, almost as if he were
reading her mind. He gave her a quick flash of grin and her lower belly—and her
pussy—pulled tight. Whether in alarm or desire, she decided she wouldn’t
examine her response too closely.

“What do
you
want to do?” he asked
in a silky voice.

Eva didn’t break his gaze. “
I
want
to strip off what’s left of this shirt, the socks and jump into their
sanitizer. Once I’m squeaky clean, I’ll treat my injuries and eat some of their
food and drink. Then, tomorrow, if our gracious hosts haven’t returned, I
suggest we leave an IOU for the hospitality. Now you.”

“I’m up for your plan, as long as it
includes bed and some hot sex.” Saber smiled again, the green color of his eyes
so pretty in his masculine face, she stared harder. It was like dropping into
freefall.

Sexy and brutal. A little scary.

Liberating.

A laugh started to build deep in her gut.
It exploded from her throat in a sound of pure joy. “Last one in the sanitizer
is a rotten stink egg.” She sprinted for the cleansing room, and once she was
through the door, she flung off her shirt and stooped to roll off her socks.
They landed with a thud on the tiled floor.

Saber was right behind her, his boots
already hitting the floor. He grabbed her by the shoulders before she slipped
into the sanitizer and hauled her around to face him. His eyes were even
greener than normal, and she giggled—actually giggled—the carefree sound
astonishing her. She ceased her struggles and let him draw her close. He licked
a slow line down her neck, his tongue rough against her tender skin. He licked
his way back up, stopping near her ear. “A cat loves to stalk its prey,” he
whispered.

His hot breath sent a shudder through her.
She wasn’t sure how to take his murmured words. A threat? A promise? “Is that a
good thing?”

“It is if there’s sex involved.” He used
his finger to tip up her chin and placed a gentle kiss on her upturned lips.
“Do you trust me, Eva? Will there be sex?”

“Yes.” Heat bloomed in her cheeks when she
realized she hadn’t hesitated.

Saber reached past her to power up the
sanitizer. “In you go.” He gave her a gentle shunt and crowded in behind her
before closing the door of the unit.

“I don’t think—”

Saber’s mouth came down on hers. This time
his kiss was hard, almost savage. His arms were tight around her, and she felt
the pressure of his hard length against her belly. His tongue slid into her
mouth and dueled with hers. He ravaged her mouth, his hands wandering, teasing,
a little groping and lots of stroking while the sanitizer performed its wash,
rinse and dry cycles.

When he opened the door to the unit and let
them out, she felt sparkly clean and her knees were acting up. She staggered,
and Saber chuckled.

“Food, I think.” He plucked her off her
feet and carried her over to the platform sleep-bed in the other room. “But
there’s something else we need to deal with first.”

“What?” Eva pushed her befuddled mind, gave
it a swift mental kick to help it reset. Clear as Dalcon mud. “Oh, you mean the
medi-box. It’s over there.”

Saber sat on the edge of the bed and in one
quick move, had her facedown and draped over his knee.

“What are you doing?” Eva attempted to
scramble off but he held her easily.

“Giving you the spanking you deserve for
scaring the fuckin’ crap out of me,” he said in a matter-of-fact voice.

His hand came down hard on her buttocks.
The sting shocked her, paralyzed her mind again. The second blow dragged a yelp
from her throat.

“Stop! You can’t smack me! I’m not a
child.”

The third blow came and
frying fungus
,
it hurt.

“You acted like a child.”
Smack.
“You put yourself in danger.”
Smack.
“I probably have gray hair
sprouting as we speak.”
Smack.

Oh,
flibbergidgit
, that hurt.

Smack.

He shifted her slightly, changed the angle
of the blow. It still hurt—but a surprising jolt of heat went through her.
While she was considering that, he struck her again. Another different angle.

Flying Finnian bats
. Along with the slap of pain came another arrow of heat.

“Nothing more to say?” he taunted. “No more
excuses?” He punctuated his words with sharp slaps.

“I thought you were in league with the
Dearbhorgaills.”

Smack.
“I’ve
never met them.”

“They could have hired you through a third
party.”

Smack. Smack.
“I am
not
an assassin for hire.”
Smack. Smack.

Now she’d done it. Her poor bottom smarted.
It was hot and tender while her pussy ached with an echo of her pain. She
didn’t understand her body’s reactions one bit.

“Anything else you want to say?” he asked,
his voice silky.

“Uh…” Her brain had gone blissfully blank
and all she could think of was the next blow on her bottom. Would it hurt
again? Or would it ratchet up the ache between her thighs.

“Eva?”

There was clear warning in his testy tone.
What did he want her to do? Her brain struggled to formulate a reply even as he
spanked her again. The pain arced over her buttocks and to her needy core.
Without thinking, she raised her buttocks.

Saber gave a hard laugh. “Eva?”

He wanted her to do something, but what? He
was angry because she’d run away, caused him to worry and had almost died in
the cooking pot. She got that. In hindsight, she hadn’t acted wisely, but he’d
kidnapped her. What was she meant to think?

Smack
.

Tears sprang to her eyes, a direct contrast
to the edgy sensation, the almost pleasurable sensation that tingled in her
pussy.

“Eva?”

Finally,
finally
something clicked
in her mind.

Frying fungus.
He wanted her to apologize.

Smack
.

“
Ow
, I’m sorry. Is that what you
want to hear? Do you think I enjoyed being an ingredient in a stew? It wasn’t
my idea of a good day out. My birthday, and one I’ll never forget.”

“Your birthday?”

“Yes, well, the day I celebrate. I don’t
know the real date of my birth.”

His hand settled on the hot skin of her
buttocks and stroked. “Not the most gracious apology I’ve ever heard.” An odd
note colored his tone. “But I guess it will do.”

He turned her over, and her gaze went
straight to his face. The horrid man was trying not to laugh.

“It’s not funny.”

His humor slipped away. “That’s my point. I
was worried about you. If I’d arrived twenty minutes later you’d have been
dead.”

Contriteness bloomed inside her. “I know.
I’m sorry.”

“Don’t do it again. Talk to me,” Saber
said. “Know that I will never hurt you intentionally.” He lifted her and placed
her facedown on the bed. “Stay there and I’ll get the medi-box.”

She sank into the mattress, her backside
aching, her pussy aching, her feet aching. A fair portion of her body throbbed,
now that she thought about it.

Saber returned to her side and sat. He
opened the medi-box and grunted. “They have the good stuff. Expensive.”

The cooling touch of the gel on her
backside made her groan in appreciation. “That feels so good.” Already the
tightness and heat were retreating, the tiny healing nanos in the gel doing
their work.

Saber rubbed the gel into bruises, cuts and
the lingering spots caused by hot water. He treated the backs of her legs and
her feet. “Turn over for me.”

Eva rolled, feeling more relaxed than she
had since leaving the resort. Saber continued to minister to her until all the
achy pain left her body. “Would you like me to do you?”

“Later.” Saber grinned. “After food. My
stomach feels as if my throat has been cut.”

“Charming.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t mind. Anything, as long as it’s
filling.”

Eva watched Saber rub the healing gel on
his body, but he didn’t have many ouchies. She stared openly, allowing herself
the thorough visual tour she hadn’t before. He had a strong body, a fit one
with sculpted pecs and ridges that went down his belly. His cock thrust out in
an impudent manner, the ruddy head glistening. Someone was thinking about sex.

Someone else
,
she amended silently. That was her one remaining ache—a sensual one that seemed
to bloom and grow with every lingering peek at his hot body.

“I should move,” she said.

“Stay there. Let me get you something to
eat and drink.”

Saber wandered over to the cool cube. Her
mouth watered at the idea of a decent meal. While she enjoyed fruit, she didn’t
want to eat it for days on end. She thought about her favorite dish, with hot
spices and vegetables and noodles.
Frying fungus
, she could practically
smell the fragrant spices cooking.

“Drink this,” Saber said, handing her a
glass of water. “You’re dehydrated. We should have drank water as soon as we
arrived.”

She downed the liquid. “What are you
cooking in the hot cube?”

“I don’t know. I picked a meal and put it
inside to heat.” A ding signaled the end of cooking, and Saber went to retrieve
it. “Take a seat and I’ll serve your meal.”

Eva glanced down at her naked body. “I’ll
grab a robe first. I’m sure I saw one in the other room. Do you want one?”

“Why not?” he said. “Let’s do formal and
dress.”

Eva grinned at his casual ease with his
nakedness. “Just because you and your people go around naked, doesn’t mean I
need to follow suit.”

“But the scenery is so pretty.”

He actually meant that. It gave him
pleasure to look at her. No one, not even Pryce, had complimented her on her
appearance. The closest she ever came was “scrawny”, and she was even scrawnier
at present. She plucked a turquoise robe off a hanger and rifled through the clothes
until she came upon a green one, just a fraction lighter than Saber’s eyes.
Perfect.

Robe donned, she ambled back to Saber, her
limbs, her breasts becoming heavy under his close scrutiny.

“Very pretty,” he said, his gaze drifting
down her body, garbed in the form-fitting robe. “Have a seat. Dinner is
served.” He gestured at the table.

“That’s my favorite meal!” she said.

“Mine too,” Saber said, indicating a plate
with a big steak. “Want some beer or would you prefer wine? They actually have
a bottle of wine from Earth.”

“I’d love some,” she said, her stomach
gurgling in anticipation. “I can’t wait. I have to taste this.”

Saber settled opposite and handed her a
glass of the wine. “No need to wait.”

The taste of the familiar spices danced
across her tongue. The vegetables were cooked but still crisp while the noodles
were better than any she served in her restaurants. She swallowed and groaned.
“That is delicious.”

“My meal is good too,” Saber said after
swallowing a mouthful of meat. He cut open a food she hadn’t seen before. It
was white inside and had a crispy skin. He added a thick, white, creamy
substance and a knob of butter to the white part and sprinkled on a chopped
green herby plant. “Vegetable,” he said with a lazy smirk.

Oh, my fruity starters.
She wanted to eat
him
. The sex part of his equation was
looking better and better. The ache in her pussy, the throb in her breasts—they
were transmitting urgent communications to the rest of her body. She lowered
her gaze, stared at the cooling vegetables on her plate.

“Eat up,” he said. “You’re going to need
your energy.”

She jerked her gaze up and got lost in
those incredible eyes of his. Way too easy to imagine waking up to those every
solar day. Way too easy. This path of thinking—it wasn’t good for her.

Enjoy
, the
logical part of her brain whispered.

Enjoy
, the
temptress inside her crooned.

Enjoy
.

“Do you like the wine?”

Eva started and his brows lifted, silent
humor dancing in his gaze. She grasped the glass and took a swig.

“Hey, that wine costs a bomb on Earth. I
imagine with import taxes that it costs a small fortune here. Sip. Savor.”

“Ah, sorry.” He was right of course. She
took a sip and let the liquid sit on her tongue before swallowing. Hints of
tropical fruits, sunshine. Delicious. “It’s good.”

“Do you think we should attempt to make
some here?”

“You know how?”

“My family owned vineyards on Earth. We all
know how to make wine. It’s a matter of growing the vines. We have some in
stasis, along with several other Earth plants, and could import more at a
price. The soil looks suitable.”

“You should make wine,” she said. “Make it
exclusive to your resort and charge a premium for it. Play the nob factor.”

“Nob?”

“One who thinks they’re better than anyone
else and expects to have the best, and shoves the lower levels’ noses in the
fact they can afford luxuries.”

“Ah,” he said. “I like it.”

Feeling less jumpy, she set about
demolishing her meal. Saber did the same, and for the first time in days, her
hunger subsided.

“Dessert?” Saber asked.

“What do we have?”

“I’ll surprise you.” Saber removed their
empty plates, poured her another glass of wine and tipped up her chin to steal
a kiss. She was still tingling all over when he swaggered to the cool cube and
pulled out something white. When he set it in the middle of the table, she saw
the top was studded with juicy red berries and something else resembling shards
of syn-choc.

Saber sat at the table and cut into the
dessert. “Pavlova. My favorite dessert.” He slid a dish over to her and served
a larger portion for himself. “It’s crunchy on the outside with a fluffy
center. The meringue is always covered with cream and decorated with
strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, and slivers of dark chocolate. My
mother used to make one for my birthday every year.”

Clear pleasure shone on his face. Happy
memories.

She didn’t have many of those.