Virgin (26 page)

But Ava had changed that. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he had a chance at happiness. Just the thought of her filled his heart with joy.

They were alone now. No Threld to tell him what to do, no Waroun to make suggestive comments—or unexpectedly support him—and no passengers to ride herd on. They would be together the entire night and possibly into the next day if the others didn’t return. He could leave Luke on the ship if they decided to go back to the city. Kots could take care of him, and then he and Ava could do anything they liked.

Then there was the beach. Having grown up on a starship, Dax had never been immersed in water in his life. While the thought of Ava lying wet and naked in the sand made him purr, he had no intention of actually getting in the water himself. To him, the ocean was a bottomless pit filled with creatures waiting to suck him down into the depths. Anything could be lurking down there, ready to eat him alive. On top of that, he didn’t know how to swim.

He’d seen other people out in the water, bobbing among the waves, and he understood the concept—at least in theory—but it was something he’d never learned and wasn’t particularly interested in attempting. However, if Aquereis really did like to mate underwater as Waroun had reported, he might be called upon to try it. Dax didn’t know if Ava shared this preference or not, and he was almost afraid to ask.

Realizing that, as tall as he was, he could be in fairly deep water and still touch the bottom cheered him considerably. He hated the idea of turning her down and probably would have agreed even if she’d asked him to do it while swinging from a lamppost.

Though the hour was late, the spaceport was humming with activity, and Dax and Ava passed through the checkpoint and then boarded the
Valorcry.

Dax was now faced with yet another dilemma. Should he ask Ava what she wanted to do or just rip her clothes off as soon as the hatch was closed and take her right there on the floor? It might be more romantic to sweep her off her feet and carry her to his quarters—or should they go to her room?

In the end, Ava took the decision out of his hands. “I thought we’d never get here.” After yelling for Kots, she unwrapped her dress, tossed it onto a nearby chair, and kicked off her shoes. “C’mon, big guy. Kots can take care of Luke. I want you naked. Right here, right now.”

***

The timing of the Drell’s win had been perfect for making the incident seem like a simple robbery. Junosk had only to wait in the shadows near the entrance for Vandilorsk and his companions to enter and find the unconscious Quinn.

Revealing himself to the Drell had been a necessary evil, though none of the group seemed to be worried that an assassin might be lurking around every corner. From that, he could only assume that the Drell didn’t remember that Junosk had been looking for him, specifically. Or for the one called Ava.

The Cylopean’s story led Junosk to believe that Ava truly didn’t know what she wore around her neck. Anyone who understood the danger would have kept it concealed. She, however, was playing right into his hands.

As he shadowed her, he began to question the need for theft or murder. No one else knew of his discovery. Where was the harm in simply letting Ava keep the stone and go on with her life? The Great Alignment was imminent, and the flight plan for Vandilorsk’s ship made no mention of Aquerei. Junosk need only ensure that she never set foot on that world until the time for the New Age had passed.

The New Age would bring profound change to Aquerei, something that Junosk was determined to prevent. However, though he could be as ruthless as the next man when dealing with those who understood the power of the Aquina, he balked at the murder of an innocent girl.

The odds were good that she would simply leave Rhylos and go on her way, taking the stone farther from Aquerei and the temple city of Rhashdelfi. The Great Alignment would come and go, and the stone would be rendered worthless.

The trick would be to hide it from those who understood its significance. Perhaps he could arrange another attempted theft, which would discourage her from putting it on display.

With these thoughts in mind, Junosk went in search of the Cylopean. Better to have Ava think that someone other than an Aquerei coveted the stone. He knew where Vandilorsk’s ship was berthed and the schedule for its departure. He had time.

Chapter 17

Ava didn’t know how she’d managed to keep from jumping Dax on the way back to the ship, and she hadn’t been under the influence of any drugs, weird aphrodisiacs or pheromones, either. It was merely an overwhelming attraction to the hottest man she’d ever seen—pure and simple. She knew quite well why she hadn’t gone after him sooner, but now that the ice had been broken, there was no reason to deny the way she felt. The deed was done, and it wasn’t as if she could take it back. Not that she would have wanted to.

Kots gathered up the puppy and hovered away with him, presumably for a much-needed bath, and Ava pulled Dax’s shirt off over his head. “You should never wear a shirt,” she murmured. “You have the most incredible chest.” His muscles were clearly defined without being bulky, and his broad chest narrowed to a waist that dipped into his cargoes—pants that she knew had nothing underneath them but a succulent man. She unzipped them and folded the fabric back to expose the treasure trail that led to his dark nest of pubic hair. His cock was pointing downward, out of sight, but the thick root was clearly visible. If he wasn’t hard now, he never would be, because Ava felt her own slick moisture halfway to her knees. It had begun to flow just as soon as the others had left them but had turned into a flood when Dax started talking about babies.

She’d been so sure she and Russ could have the kind of family she’d never had herself, but she hadn’t thought much about having kids ever since she’d run off with Lars. Somehow, he had never struck her as good father material. But despite his current lifestyle, Dax did, and the more she considered the matter, the more she became convinced that he would be the best father her children could ever have.

Sliding her hands down his back, she took his clothing with them, dropping his pants to his knees, exposing that luscious cock. Her mouth, which had nearly gone dry moments before, was now salivating like that of a starving beggar at a feast. Dropping to her knees, she took him in her mouth, sucking and licking the slick fluid from the head. He tasted like forbidden fruit, and his hot juice went straight to her core, setting off multiple explosive orgasms.

She could have sucked him all night, but his balls were dangling enticingly, giving her all sorts of erotic ideas. Ava sat back on her heels and pulled off his boots. When he kicked off his cargoes, the mere sight of him in all his naked glory triggered another orgasm. Pushing his legs apart to widen his stance, she gathered his balls in her hands for a gentle massage.

Dax moaned as she moved closer. Tilting her head back, she grasped his butt and pulled him down slightly, allowing his testicles to drop into her mouth. Guiding him with her hands, she pumped him up and down on her face, letting his nuts glide in and out past her lips. His erection hung just above her eyes, filling her visual field with nothing but hard, hot cock.

She could hear him growling as he reached down to grip his penis and slide his fist up and down the shaft. Joy juice was pouring from the head, and his hand was awash with it, making soft sucking sounds as he pleasured himself. Ava wanted to tell him to stop—that his cock, along with his balls, belonged to her now—but she kept quiet, realizing that a thirtysomething virgin deserved all the sex he could get, and jacking off while someone sucked your nuts had to be one of the better ways to go. Digging her fingers into his ass, she urged him on.

It didn’t take long. Dax may not have done it before, but he figured it out pretty quickly. She could tell from the purplish blush of his cockhead and his short breaths that he was very close. Arching her neck, she waited for him to come.

He didn’t disappoint. His body stiffened, and his breath caught in his throat. A heartbeat later, he came in an arc that had to have landed halfway across the room. Three more spurts followed, and then the rest ran down over his fingers as he aimed it upward.

Ava let go of his balls and fell forward onto her hands and knees. Despite her stiff neck, she had no regrets; her own erotic satisfaction was worth every bit of the pain.

Within moments, Dax was on the floor beside her. Rolling her onto her back, he straddled her, resting his weight on knees and elbows. His hands tangled themselves in her hair, and she could feel it curling around his fingers. His lips covered her face with hot, wet kisses while his cock teased her belly. She couldn’t believe the range he had with it. One minute he was tickling her navel and the next, the serrated head was gliding over her tight clitoris and labia. If she’d been a taller woman, she doubted that he could have done it. She lay there beneath him, thanking heaven for their disparate heights.

Moving downward, he kissed, licked, and nipped his way from her neck to her breasts. Experience might not have taught him very much, but his instincts were impeccable; everything he did to her felt fabulous and new. His rough tongue on her nipples drove her to the edge of climax, but when he brushed them with the side of his fangs, she went over the top. Her body curled into a tight ball, and her hair went wild.

Dax pushed her legs apart, and she felt the tickle of his warm breath. The ache was becoming unbearable. First the visual of his big, thick cock dripping with desire before his climax, and now his smoldering feline eyes were locked with hers, his hot tongue waiting to taste her. His breath on her clit was driving her absolutely insane. A quick swipe of his tongue sent a pulse blast ripping through her body.

He turned, pivoting his body so that his cock and balls were dangling right in front of her face. “Look at what you’re doing to me, Ava. Just breathing in your scent has me so hard… I used to think there might be something wrong with me. Women hardly ever affected me. But you, Ava…” His words sank into a deep sigh that deluged her pussy with warmth. “I’m so hard and it feels so good and you smell and taste like… I don’t know what… but it’s better than anything I’ve ever dreamed of.”

He smelled good too. She pulled him down until his big balls were resting on her face, filling her nostrils with their scent. She licked them gently and then directed his cock to her mouth. Clear fluid dripped from the points of the head, coating her tongue with orgasmic essence. As he filled her with his hot, slick meat, her body became one giant orgasm, her clit straining to ejaculate the way his cock could. It shouldn’t have been possible, but somehow something spewed forth anyway, hitting him in the open mouth.

His snarl would have made her think he found this objectionable if his cock hadn’t suddenly erupted, spraying his seed on her face and breasts. Pressing his body to hers, he pinned his ejaculating cock it the valley between her breasts, sliding it back and forth in his own semen. Suddenly, it seemed that he couldn’t take anymore; he was gone, and she felt chilled to the bone without him. But then he was back, pulling her legs up in the air and plunging his still-hard cock into her slit, pounding her with more power than a man ought to have left after an orgasm of that magnitude. Unable to resist his relentless thrusts, Ava lay flat on her back, her arms outstretched and limp, her heels resting on his shoulders. What her hair was doing, she couldn’t have guessed and didn’t care.

The soft, deep carpet cocooned her body in comfort while the vision of Dax’s face suspended above hers took her to new heights. He was stretched out over her, his upper body supported by his hands. The muscles in his arms bulged with the effort while his hips undulated, driving his powerful cock deep inside her. The effect of his fluid seemed to be waning; her orgasms became less intense, then less frequent until they ceased altogether. She ought to have been disappointed, but she wasn’t; just the feel of him moving inside her made her wish he could go on all night. She didn’t care if she was stiff and sore for a week; on this night she could have no regrets.

Dax leaned down and captured her lips for a kiss, his tongue delving into the recesses of her mouth, tasting her, and purring like a big kitten. Then he lowered himself onto his forearms, kissing her neck and licking her ear, sending thrills racing down her spine. “I still can’t believe this,” he whispered. “I’m actually inside you… and I never want to leave.”

“Take your time, Kitten,” she said. “We’ve got all night.”

“And then what? Does it end after tonight?”

“Shh,” she whispered. “Don’t think about that now. Just focus on this moment and this moment only.”

Dax closed his eyes and arched his back. The flame tattoo licking the side of his neck drew her eye. She had bitten him there earlier, but there were no teeth marks on him to prove it. She didn’t feel like biting him now; she wanted to kiss and caress every peak and hollow of his body. No pain, only pleasure. If it was, indeed, the only night they would ever spend alone together, she wanted nothing to mar its perfection.

“The inside of you feels as beautiful as you look… as beautiful as you
are
.”

“Good for the soul?”

“Very
good for the soul.” He rolled onto his back, taking her with him. “Let’s go to bed now—in your room. I want to see you lying on those blankets that match your eyes—although the view from this angle is pretty nice.”