Braden (18 page)

“That’s it, my sweetheart.” Braden’s voice was ragged. “Let
your Shareem fuck you in the ass. You love it, don’t you?”

“Yes. I love it. I love it.
I love it
!”

Elisa’s cream poured over her hand, her fingers working
herself. Braden kept on inside her, ramrod hard and yet so smooth.

He rubbed her back, kissed her hair, glided in and out of
her. Hot wildness filled her, heat rippling from the glorious friction. She
loved what he did to her, loved
him
.

Elisa sobbed in her climax and still he rode her. On and on.
She’s so tight, so fucking tight. Damn it I love her.

Braden reveled in the sound of her voice, broken and crying
his name. He loved how her climax opened her wide to him.

He wanted her now, wanted her forever. Elisa squeezed him in
little pulses, not even knowing she did it. Her ass was so beautiful, and he
knew that her pussy was too, where she rubbed herself with the heel of her
hand. He wished he could see her pleasuring herself. Next time, a mirror.

Braden’s mind went blank to everything but the feel and
scent and sight of her. He felt his seed work its way up and into her, too
soon, but damn it was good.

Messy, messy, hot and fun.
Gods, thank you!

Braden groaned as he pulled out of her, more spent than he’d
ever been. He let himself collapse beside her, cuddling her so she spooned back
against him.

They were sticky, sweaty and the room smelled of lovemaking.
Braden pushed Elisa’s still-working hand aside and cupped her bare, sweet pussy
himself. Her clit was still swollen and he rubbed it for her, knowing how much
she loved the fiery sensation.

Elisa rocked back against him, tired now, her sighs
gratifying. She relaxed and closed her eyes as he played, a woman happy.

Her Shareem was happy too.

Chapter Fifteen

“Can we do it again?”

Hours later, Elisa woke, rolled over, smiled up at Braden
and asked the question. So cute she was, eyes sparkling in anticipation.

Braden kissed her mouth. “Vixen. Didn’t you get enough?”

“I don’t think so.”

Braden kissed her lower lip, which led to him licking the
seam of her mouth, which led to a deep, tongue-melding kiss.

She tasted so good, all salty and warm. He licked the
corners of her mouth, the backs of her teeth, slid his hand to cup her breast.

He loved her breasts. He broke the kiss to study them. Firm
globes, dusky tips, the areolas round to fill his mouth. Braden nuzzled the
weight of one breast, licking upward until he drew the nipple into his mouth.

Lovely. The soft satin of the areola and the hard point of
the nipple felt good against his tongue. He suckled, drawing the nipple
tighter. Elisa rose against him, pressing her breast into his mouth.

Gods he would miss her. Braden suckled harder, cupping her
other breast in his hand. He loved the feel of it in his palm almost as much as
he did the one in his mouth.

Braden circled her nipple with his tongue one more time then
slid his body upward until he lay on top of her, face-to-face, staring into her
eyes.

“Why green?” he asked.

“Pardon?”

Braden touched her lashes. “You have green in your eyes.
From where?”

“Oh, it’s from my great-great grandmother. She came here
from Castor Seven a long time ago and married a Bor Nargan.”

Why she’d want to, Braden had no idea. “The women of Castor
Seven must have beautiful eyes.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been there.”

“Neither have I. But I know they do, because you do.”

She smiled, liking the compliment, and Braden kissed her
lips. These kisses weren’t heated, they were slow, sweet, loving. If she were
his, it could be like this whenever he wanted.

While she’d slept, Braden had showered to clean himself and
the toys. So now he was perfectly ready to part her legs and slide inside her
slick pussy.

He made love to her, face-to-face, man to woman. No
manacles, no plugs, no restraints. Just Elisa lifting to him, and Braden
leisurely thrusting into her. It was slow, hot and wonderful.

They warmed to each other until they were moving in rhythm,
the room filling with soft cries and sounds of need. Her pheromones and the
smell of her come scented the air, and Braden’s eyes grew wet.

I love you, my librarian.
He pushed all the way into
her, taking her mouth in a long, dark kiss.

I will always love you. Forever and ever.

No matter what.

* * * * *

How Elisa found herself an hour later, dressed and staring
at the closed door of Braden’s apartment from the outside, she never quite
knew.

One moment she drowsed with Braden after the sweetest
lovemaking imaginable, the next he was hurrying her out of bed, into her
clothes and out.

Finished. Over.

The wonderful things they’d done inside that apartment would
never happen again.

“I just got in some real strawberries,” the elderly woman
said behind her. “Come and see. You look like you can afford them.”

Elisa turned, but everything was blurry through her tears.
“I’m sorry. Not right now.”

The woman gave her a look of understanding. “That’s Shareem
for you. They lure you in then they turn around and break your heart. Rio was
the same.”

Elisa wiped her eyes and approached the woman, curious in
spite of herself. “I thought Rio went to Ariel.”

“He did. Found the ‘one’, he told me. Rio was going to send
her away for her own safety—sacrifice his happiness for her—but she convinced
him to go with her. If you want Braden, you’ll do the same.”

Elisa’s tears threatened again. “But the wanting has to go
both ways,” she said. “Or it doesn’t work.”

“Don’t give up, love. You keep at him. I’ve watched Braden
for the year he’s lived here, and only you have given him the haunted look he
wears now. He needs you.”

“He’s pretty stubborn. It will take a lot to convince him.”

The woman nodded, not bothered. “You’ll do it. Now, have
some strawberries. Finest in the city. I won’t even charge you.”

* * * * *

Later that evening, Braden faced Rees in Rees’ little
basement apartment. Talan had a nice little hideaway on a moon resort, but Rees
had kept this place because getting to that moon resort wasn’t always easy, and
he liked having crash space in town. Talan getting the five of them to her
villa, especially with the new rules, would have been impossible.

The basement room was crowded by the time Rees, Talan,
Braden, Justin and Calder squeezed themselves in. Calder, the biggest of them,
leaned on the open door to the bathroom.

Aiden and Ky weren’t coming—they were involved in a dispute
with their landlord about Brianne staying with them when a human was no longer
allowed to be with more than one Shareem at a time.

Rees eyed Justin. “Braden wants you in on this, and I agree.”

“In on what?” Justin slid off his sun-blocking robes and
hung them on the hook Talan indicated. Talan, the gracious hostess, offered
them ale, water or other drink of choice, which they each declined.

“Leaving.” Rees took a seat in front of his terminal, tapped
a few things on the screen and brought up a list that looked like gibberish to
Braden. “For the last few months, Talan and I, with the help of Brianne and
Katarina, have been looking for ways to get Shareem off planet.”

“Yeah?” Justin looked impressed.

“You understand that me telling you this endangers you? If
we’re terminated for it, so are you.”

Justin shrugged. “I never mind a little danger.”

“Ariel is willing to take Shareem, but they like everything
nice and neat and highly legal. Which means they
will
take us, but one
at a time, over long intervals. That’s fine, but each of us getting off Bor
Narga at long intervals will be a problem. We have to go all at once or the
ones left behind get snagged by the patrollers.”

“True,” Calder rumbled.

“I can arrange transport,” Rees said. “Braden was able to
give me timetables, and Judith’s guy, Mitch, said he can hook us up with a
pilot who asks no questions. Plus Mitch can help out himself but his rig’s not
big. I’ve seen it. Three seats and a hold that’s designed for cargo that
doesn’t need to breathe. One of the seats is for the pilot, so that leaves room
for two.”

Braden broke in. “Mitch knows that if he’s caught illegally
transporting Shareem the officials of Bor Narga can arrest him, right? Plus they
might arrest Judith as his accomplice, whether she knows anything about it or
not.”

“Mitch understands,” Rees said. “And he says it’s not a
problem because he won’t get caught.”

Braden grinned, having known Mitch would say something like
that, but Calder shifted. “So we trust Mitch? How do we know he’s as good as he
says? Or that he won’t turn around and give us up to the patrollers?”

“I don’t think he will. I’ve gotten to know him pretty
well.”

“Yeah?” Calder said. “And he’s going to do this because he
loves you? Because he loves Shareem? Gods, don’t tell me he has the hots for
Aiden. Aiden’s already too damn full of himself.”

“Not anything so funny,” Rees said. “Mitch is doing it for
Judith. I think he’d do anything for Judith.”

“That bad?” Braden asked.

“That bad.”

Justin folded his arms. “Yeah, but will Judith do anything
for Mitch? You’re trusting your life that Mitch won’t get pissed off at Judith
sometime down the road and betray us?”

“If you all had been paying attention, you’d get it,” Rees
said. “Mitch will do
anything
for Judith—and she’ll do anything for us.
If she thought there was the slightest chance of Mitch giving us up, she
wouldn’t have recommended his services to me.”

“That’s a lot of trust going around,” Justin said.

“We don’t have a choice,” Rees said. “This is the best
chance we’ve ever had. Rio is opening things up for us on Ariel, but if we go
to some intermediary place—a station or planet that won’t extradite us—we can
get to Ariel one at a time. We can pull this off.”

“What about Sirius III?” Braden asked Justin. “The sticklers
for no human trafficking or selling sex?”

“It could work,” Justin said. “I know people there. A flood
of Shareem might not be what they want—same problem as on Ariel—but they’re not
as regulated as Ariel. At worst, we’d hang around in a Sirius spaceport waiting
for clearance.”

“We might have to split over several places,” Rees said.
“But my biggest worry is getting out of here in the first place. Justin, can
you contact people there without getting caught? Or you can give names to me
and I’ll contact them? I know I won’t get caught.”

Justin lifted his brows. “You’re damn sure of yourself.”

Talan, who’d been standing behind Rees, smiled and caressed
Rees’ shoulder. “He is. It’s tough to put up with.”

She gave Rees a look of such total love that Braden felt a
twinge of envy. What they had was special, a bond no one could sever.

“I can try,” Justin said.

“We can pay anyone necessary,” Rees said. “I’m good for it.”

“
You
can pay them,” Justin said. “I won’t be going.”

Talan blinked, surprised. Rees’ look turned hard and Calder
pushed himself from the doorframe.

“We all go,” Calder rumbled. “This is an all-or-nothing
thing. Any of us left behind will get arrested and most likely terminated. It
would be too risky for you to stay.”

Justin gave Calder an unworried look. “I came back to Bor
Narga on purpose. I can’t leave. Not yet.”

“It’s not optional,” Rees said.

Justin shot his gaze right back at him. “Sorry, Rees. I can
hide out in a desert colony or something in order not to jeopardize your plans,
but I can’t leave the planet. Not yet.”

Braden knew damn well why he couldn’t leave, was the only
one in the room who did. And he didn’t blame Justin at all for not wanting to
go, because Braden wouldn’t want to either. Not if he knew he had a child, an
impossible miracle of a child, living her life only a few miles away on the
Vistara. Nothing short of a planet-wide disaster would drive him away from her,
and then he’d linger to rescue her.

“I’m not leaving either,” Braden said. “I’ll stay behind
with Justin.”

Justin shot him a surprised look and Rees got to his feet.

“Damn it, this is not a debate,” Rees said. “You want to
stay here forever getting inoculations, knowing you can’t ever have a real
life, knowing that even falling in love is dangerous? Is that really what you
two want?”

No, it wasn’t what Braden wanted. He knew he could never
have what he craved with Elisa.

At the same time, he didn’t want to leave the planet she was
on. He could at least see her, know she was there, watch over her. Braden
understood exactly what Justin felt about his daughter, because it was what
Braden felt about Elisa.

She stays, I stay.

Justin apparently saw no reason to explain. “Sorry.”

“You’re coming,” Calder said. “Whether you like it or not.
I’ll get Katarina to tranq you both and I’ll carry you out if I have to.”

“Then you’d have a fight on your hands, my old friend,”
Braden said.

Rees stepped in front of Braden, his blue eyes full of
anger. “Braden, what the fuck? You hate it here. This planet is your prison and
I’m working my ass off to break you out. If you and Justin stay, you’ll be
dead. You think the rest of us want to live with that?”

“Sorry, Rees,” Justin said. “I never meant to throw off your
plans, but I can’t go. I’ll help you and the others get out of here but I can’t
leave.”

“Is it worth staying behind to die?” Rees demanded.

Justin nodded. “Yes.”

Rees looked at Braden. “You too?”

Braden steadily returned the look. “Yeah.”

“Shit.” Rees was keeping his temper down with effort, one
Dom trying to out-dominate another. “Braden, you know Elisa has already taken
her vows. Giving them up and leaving the order for a Shareem would ruin her.
She knows that.”