Striker Page 8

  He adjusted his cock as he walked. His erection was almost painful. If he couldn’t take his mind off his wayward desires, he'd be in trouble. There was one thing for sure, this wasn’t the time or place to be starting anything.

  They were in trouble, and he couldn't forsee a way out. Not if he couldn’t send a message to Jo’Aquin or the crew. And he couldn't do that without the jet. Or a tower, if they even still existed.

  Once a planet was invaded by the Reptiles, no one knew exactly what became of it. They set a cyber-net over the planet. No information could get in or out. It was like the planet, and everyone on the face of it, imploded.

  Vivien’s questions ran through his mind. The biggest one was, why? The Council, and everyone else for that matter, had their theories, but no one really knew for sure.

  There were no demands made. No negotiations entered into. On the surface, it was nonsensical. Who would invade a planet, dedicate resources, costs, lives to do such a thing without a seeming payoff?

  He shook his head, his thoughts warring between Reptile motivation and sex. He stifled a groan, adjusted his erection - again - and strode towards the entrance to the cave. Maybe watching out to see if there were Reptiles in the area would give him some relief.

  He wedged his body through the crack and stalked the length of the winding tunnel. Eventually, he rounded the corner and edged his way to the entrance, careful to remain hidden in shadows.

  The air was criss-crossed with low flying transports, carrying two and three Reptiles at a time. As he watched, a transport flew overhead and into the depths of the forest below. It was a hive of concentrated activity, so much more than it was when they'd found the cave.

  Chances were, it would only be a matter of time before the cave, and then they, were found. If their situation could get worse, then it just had. The Reptiles were tenacious. If they were looking for them, the creatures wouldn't stop until they were found.

  He eased back from the entrance, careful to avoid making any noise that might be detected with any tech, and disappeared back into the tunnel. He had expected the Reptiles to be looking for them, but they were looking hard in a highly coordinated effort.

  What also struck him was that they weren’t using the mind-enslaved to do their work. The Reptiles were inherently lazy, using their slaves wherever and whenever they could. Including searching for escapees. It wouldn't matter to them. In fact, he hadn’t seen any inhabitants at all.

  He muted the light from his Seeker and slipped back through the crack. It meant this sanctuary was not safe. It would only be a matter of time before one decided to explore the depths of the cave, but his thigh still throbbed with his leg wound, oozing fluid through the bandage, and Vivien was still recovering from the Reptile poison. She was in no condition to walk through an unknown forest. They needed to rest. Just a little more before he had to move them and get a message out.

  Turning, he positioned some vines and stacked some of the larger stones to cover the fissure. At first glance, it might look like a dead end and act as a deterrent. He reached for a stone, to discover it was covered in a soft, almost fuzzy texture. He picked it up and frowned. It was light. He sniffed it. It gave off a slightly citrusy scent. A scent that had his stomach rumbling as it recognised food and protested the fact that it hadn't had any for a while.

  He broke his thumb through the tough outer skin and worked out a portion of the insides. Sweet, blissful flavour burst on his tongue, followed by an effervescent flash. It was good.

  He searched through the froth of leaves at the base of the vines, finding another. Strange he hadn't seemed to notice them before now. He swore they weren’t here, but he had other things on his mind.

  Vivien would also be hungry. Steeling himself, he looked for her, but she was asleep on the pallet. That was good. It meant she was recovering.

  He gathered a few of the fruits, put them nearby and settled next to Vivien. Even in sleep, there was an intensity about her. A solid strength. Her body had been honed for fitness and power. Muscles delineated her arms, even relaxed. Her form was lithe and lean. Not willowy, but rather healthy. Fitness borne from years of hard work. He had to wonder just how hard she had worked to achieve such strength.

  He knew she was in the armed forces, but her skills and inner determination showed she was more. He could almost see her mind working through problems and teasing them out in her sleep. A true tactician.

  He knew the look. Had seen it on numerous of his own people during the untold wars he'd taken part in. It didn’t go away. You couldn't hide in dreams. Sometimes they were the worst place to seek a reprieve. The horrors of battles always left scars. You just couldn't see all of them, but once you had them, you recognised it in all others. It seemed to be a universal truth. Other species were not spared.

  He'd thought about it often and accepted it, but seeing it playing out in Vivien's sleep was the first time it had made him angry. If war and battles had to happen, sleep should at least be a haven. At least that was what he now wanted for Vivien. It would seem she needed it more than most.

  He eased away a strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek. It was still damp at her temples from her bath. That bath.

  Just recalling it sent a shudder through his body and an instant stiffening of his cock. He shifted uncomfortably. He really needed to get his libido under control. His reactions were questionable. He was attracted to her, he couldn’t deny that, but wanting her was like a drug in his system.

  He traced the line of her jaw. Couldn’t help himself. Her skin was so soft, like petals of an Earth flower. Fine lines feathered from the corner of her eyes, and a slight line broke the skin between her eyebrows. He smoothed over it with the pad of his thumb.

  He had to touch her. It was more than a desire; it was a need. Something he couldn't seem to deny himself. But she was sleeping, and touching her was an invasion of privacy. Besides, when he touched her, he wanted her to know it. That set off another flash of erotic images through his mind.

  His stomach tightened and his chest constricted at the erotic imagery. First he'd touch her shoulders, arms, her whole body, then when he couldn't stand any clothing between them, he'd unwrap her body, just like the best present received on the Festival of the Gods. He'd take his time, be aware of everything about her as he unveiled her beauty, until she was naked and open and wet and warm and willing and reaching for him with the same need as he reached for her.

  His body might not see the problem about doing this while she slept, but his mind still held on to a vestige of chivalry. A tremor worked through his arm, but he grit his teeth and willed his fingertips away.

  Then she opened her eyes.

  Chapter Eleven

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  He bent over her like he was about to kiss her. Ravish her. And her first reaction was to reach for him and pull him down to her waiting lips. But then cool, hard reason worked its way into her brain, hard as ice.

  He blinked, the fog in his eyes clearing. He leaned back, looking almost confused at finding himself so close to her. Illogically, she wanted to pull him right back where he'd been. Instead, she willed her weak limbs to obey her command and sit up. All her muscles groaned in protest as she made herself move. She felt like she'd run for a week. Up a mountain. With a thirty-kilo kit attached to her back. Continuously.

  She ran her palm over her face, trying to work some energy back into her system. If only she could go back to sleep. For about a week.

  “Here.”

  She focused on a blue rock about the size of his palm that he held out to her. “What is it?”

  “Fruit. It's quite tasty.” He struck his thumbs through the skin and pulled it apart. Droplets of juice spurted into the air as it came apart.

  “Smells like oranges!” She didn't know how long it'd been since she'd last eaten, but from the way her stomach clenched, it had been a while.

  “Tastes good too,” he said.

  He gave he
r most of it and saved a tiny bit for himself. His gaze never left her as he ate. Usually, she hated being the centre of someone's attention. But from him, it was different. And that was something she didn’t like.

  She didn’t want to dwell though and focused on the fruit instead. The insides were a pale lilac, the skin a tougher furry blue, and it seemed to be the consistency of a melon. It was hard to reconcile something looking like this and smelling of something familiar. She fleetingly wondered if it would be safe to eat, but the water was fine and Striker, who had taken several bites already, had stopped and was watching her as though he was waiting for her.

  She raised the fruit, sniffed it. A succulent, sweet smell made her mouth water. She was too hungry to over think anything now. She sunk her teeth into the flesh. Flavour exploded in her mouth. “It's an orange mixed with strawberries. My favourites!” It was incredible, and before she knew it, she was skimming the peel with her teeth. Even the strange tingling on her tongue felt good.

  “Want another?” He held out another to her.

  Realizing she'd demolished her fruit, she sent him an apologetic smile. “Must have been hungrier than I realized.” She waved off the fruit. “It's okay. We'll leave it for later.” She looked up at him. He licked a drop of juice from the corner of his mouth. His lips looked wet, and soft, and tempting. She cleared her throat. “Uh. Thanks for finding the fruit. Where was it anyway?”

  He pointed in the direction of the vines. “Just at the base of the foliage over there.”

  She glanced over. The twinkling lights seemed to be a lot brighter, but that was probably because her eyes were used to the relative darkness in the cave. “Wasn't there a way out of here?”

  He nodded, disposing of the peels by burying them in the sand a little way away. “I covered the gap with vines. I went to the opening of the cave. It…doesn't look good out there.”

  “What exactly does 'doesn't look good' mean?”

  His thigh grazed hers as he sat back again next to her. Heat simmered with the contact, soaking right into her muscles and erupting with a smattering of goose bumps and heightened awareness.

  She shook her head a little, trying to dislodge the hyperawareness of him. His large palm settled on her shoulder, fingers massaging as though he just had to touch her. “Are you okay?”

  Looking up at him was a big mistake. Still, she tried to work through it by asking questions that were important but lacked urgency. “Yes. Just… tell me what you meant.” Tell me anything to stop thinking about how good your hand feels on me.

  He licked his lips, his gaze dropped to her mouth and dragged back to her eyes, a look of bewilderment on his face. “The Reptiles are making a concerted effort to find us. It might not be safe to stay here too long.”

  She agreed. Always move. Never be still. Don't give your enemies a chance to find you. But the way his thumb moved in a little circle against the skin of her collarbone was making it very difficult to concentrate on tactical manoeuvres.

  “We have to send a message out. We have to get to a communication tower, or back to your ship. Sneak on board and send a message. Do you know where one is?”

  “One what?” His gaze lowered to her mouth, and he leaned forward a little.

  She tilted her head against the back of his hand, like a cat angling for a pat. But it was his touch that lit fireworks on the tender flesh of her cheek. “A tower. Or your ship.”

  He held up his wrist, tapping the screen. Light illuminated his face. His pupils were so dilated, they’d bled out all the colour. A schematic image appeared in a floating three-dimensional hologram. Three silently blinking dots, one yellow and two red, appeared within a grid that clearly indicated a landscape.

  “We're the yellow dot here. I think that’s a tower right there. The red dot is the ship.”

  He moved, and his thigh paralleled hers from hip to knee. His leg was massive. She knew just how hard those muscles were. She leaned towards the hologram, her palm rested on top of his thigh. There was a long, slow exhale of breath.

  “It doesn't seem so far away.”

  He'd stopped looking at the hologram. When he lowered his wrist, the display disappeared. He leaned so close, his breath caressed her cheek. “I think that…”

  When he swallowed, she watched his Adam's apple jump in his throat. She vaguely wondered how aliens even had Adam's apples before the thought of his lips on hers clouded her thoughts.

  “Think..?”

  It was so hard to think when all she wanted to do was feel; his hand on her body, to be precise. Her fingers clenched on his thigh, nearly hard enough to leave a bruise, but he didn't seem to notice. Or care.

  “It's almost too close. Too easy to get to.”

  His massive palm cupped the back of her head, and she sighed when his fingers threaded through her hair. A slight pressure, and she fell against him, her head tilted, her palms flattened on his chest.

  “Easy. Yes.” It would be so easy to close that small gap that was between them and let him do what her body yearned for him to do. The intensity was unbearable.

  She was sure there was some urgency with what he was saying, something she should be more aware of, but right at this moment she couldn't seem to gather any sort of caring.

  Her hand slipped from his chest to his nape, fingers sliding along silken flesh. “We have to be…”

  “Be…”

  “Careful.”

  “Yes. Careful…” She wasn't even thinking of words or meaning or dots or maps. They were background noise to the all-consuming need to kiss him. She covered the close distance. A sigh rippled through her when her lips met his. He parted his lips, and she slipped inside, delighting in the wet, searing heat inside his mouth.

  His tongue duelled with hers, and the hand on her nape firmed. Another wound around her waist, and she was being lowered back to the pallet. She welcomed him with her arms around his shoulders, hugging him close. He settled her so she lay on the soft leaves, not breaking the kiss.

  His fingers slipped beneath her shirt and trailed from her hips, over her abdomen, rib cage to cup her breast. She arched her back, groaned into his mouth as his fingers coaxed and teased. His fingertips brushed over her budded nipple, sending a cascade of quicksand sensation filtering through her body and short fusing her brain.

  Pure need. Unadulterated desire coursed through her veins. He settled between her parted thighs, his groin pressed into the most intimate part of her body. He broke their kiss to scrunch up her shirt.

  She mourned the loss of his mouth before he slid her bra up and devoured her breast. She bucked, back arching as she cried out. Liquid heat travelled from her nipple to her groin, inflaming the absolute need for his attention.

  Her fingers clawed his shoulders as he suckled one nipple, then the other. The exquisite need spiralled into all-consuming fire when his hand slid between her legs and traced the seam of her pussy through her pants. Golden sensation ripped through her as she nearly peaked at that too-quick touch.

  He lifted his head, his pupils dilated as though it was midnight. “I can't seem to stop myself from touching you.”

  “Then don't.” She didn’t recognize her voice, it was so thick with arousal.

  His fingers flattened, and he cupped her mound. The heat of his palm seared through the material. He frowned, as though confused. “Is this what you want?”

  Why had he even stopped to ask? “More than anything.”

  She unbuttoned her pants and shoved them off her legs, along with her underwear. Cool air settled over her skin, the freeing feeling of being naked heightening all her senses.

  “I don't think…”

  She cupped his cock, rubbing his hard length through his pants. She closed his eyes and shuddered, and she stroked him from balls to tip. “One of us is overdressed.” She fumbled with the fastening before he helped her and shed himself of his clothing.

  She tugged his jacket off, then he was kneeling between her legs, naked, his cock standing to g
lorious attention. She came up on one elbow, reaching for him. His hot length settled in her palm the feel of his silky skin so soft over such hardness. She twisted as she stroked him, her thumb playing over the tip. His stare pinned her with such ferociousness, she jerked in anticipation of what she wanted to come.

  “You're playing with fire.”

  “Funny. I thought I was playing with your…”

  He launched over her, his mouth devouring hers. This time, there was no softness in his kiss. He took. She gave. Freely. He plundered her mouth, teeth clashing, nipping her lips. As he kissed her, he settled between her thighs, the tip of his cock nudging her entrance. A little tip of his hips, and the head stretched her and was inside her.

  He lifted his head, the muscles on his neck straining. “I will ask this one more time. Is this what you want?” To illustrate his point, he undulated his hips, entering her a little before totally withdrawing.

  Her entire body pounded with erotic need. “I don't just want this. I need this.” She reached between them and, with a shift of her body, impaled herself. With a deep groan, he slid home in one smooth movement until he was fully seated inside her.

  Her head fell back to the leaves, mouth open, panting. It felt so good. She opened her thighs, locking her ankles behind his arse, and rocked her hips, testing him inside her. Exquisite sensation fired, spiralling into all the pleasure centres of her body.

  “You feel so gods-damned good around me, Vivien.”

  “Not so bad yourself,” she managed to say after a few moments.

  His weight shifted, and wet heat surrounded her breast. She cupped his head as he sucked her nipple and began to thrust. She rocked her hips, meeting each long, slow, sensuous slide.

  Pressure built, climbing with each stroke. She pressed her heels into his arse, urging him harder. Faster. He slammed into her, his pace quickening. Her fingers tightened in his hair. He planted his hands on either side of her and came up over her.