Mission To Mahjundar (24 page)

Tilting her head, she extended her hand, palm up, and he laid the necklace in the center. Drawing a deep breath, she closed her fingers over the precious possession, holding the pendant to her heart for a moment. “Will you put it on for me?”

Awkwardly, he reached to loop the chain around her neck.

Shalira adjusted the locket so it sat on top of the Windhunter collar. As she fiddled with the jewelry, she said, “What happens to you and me next?”

“Are you sure you want to have this conversation now?” he asked.

“We left words unspoken between us before.” Her voice was low, almost a sigh. “It’s only by the grace of the goddess we were given a second chance. We mustn’t waste her gift. Tonight we’re safe. Tomorrow?” Sketching a small sign in the air with her fingers, as if warding off possible bad fortune, she shrugged. “Who knows?”

He rolled his shoulders. “After what you endured at Bandarlok’s hands, I was concerned you might not want to worry about these matters tonight. I don’t have to sleep in here unless you want me to.”

“Yes, you did say in Bandarlok’s tent you were performing a rescue without strings.” She smiled. “I’m more grateful for your help than I can ever express.” She began braiding her hair. “There’s no haven for me on Mahjundar any longer,” she said. “Even if my father lives, he’d be the first to order my execution, for breaking the treaty with Bandarlok. He’d lose face if he didn’t. And Maralika hates me.”

Mike reached out, catching her hand. “Don’t braid it tonight, okay? I like it down, around your shoulders.” He let the silken strands flow through his fingers. “I’ve never seen such beautiful hair. Each filament practically glows in the firelight.”

“Oh.” Smiling, she folded her hands in her lap. “In that case—”

Taking a deep breath, Mike said, “Let’s begin at the Valley of the Tombs, when I was completely out of line, what I said to you. I do understand your actions, going ahead with what you felt was your duty.”

Shalira stared straight ahead. Twining her fingers through his and squeezing gently, she pressed a kiss on the back of his hand before rubbing her soft cheek against his palm. “You were so angry. And then we had no chance to talk. What were you offering me, there in the tomb?”

Lords of Space, why is talking about this stuff so hard?
He’d rather charge into battle naked than talk about his emotions but this was his chance with her and he had to find the words. “Time to breathe, time to make another decision for yourself, time to fall in love with me maybe? Although, as it turned out, with Bandarlok arriving, it was a futile gesture on my part.”

“I was already in love with you.” Face set in serious lines, brows drawn together, she said, “I had to send for Bandarlok, or so I believed. I’d summoned him long before I met you.”

Hugging her tight, he kissed her forehead. “I know. To be honest, I was probably buying time for myself, too, not laying it all on the line, what was in my heart. I wasn’t sure myself. I said a lot of harsh things in the heat of the moment, there in the tomb. I apologize.”

“No need. I understood your suspicions. And you were right in your accusations. Originally I was merely—what did you call it?— hedging my bets, by getting my father to assign you to escort me. I had little concern for you and Johnny, only that you were from the Sectors and Maralika and Vreely wouldn’t want to have outworlder eyes on any of their black deeds. But the longer you and I were in each other’s company on the road, the more I had to fight my heart when it came to you.” She pulled the furs tighter.

Mike drew a deep breath.
Here we go, this is where I blew it in the tomb
. “You know I’ve got deep feelings for you?”
 

“But you don’t want to rush me.” Her voice held a hint of amusement again. A small dimple showed in her cheek.

“Right. What you said, about the goddess giving us a second chance? I don’t want to miss the opportunity. I want everything to go right where you and I are concerned.” He ran his free hand through his hair. “Riding away from that bastard’s camp yesterday, leaving you behind, knowing you were being mistreated, in danger, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I wanted to take my blaster and level the place, grab you and get the hell off this planet. Anyone who knows me will tell you I never lose control on a mission, never get distracted from the job, but lady, you got through my shields without trying. I’ve never felt like this about a woman before.”

Evidently pleased by his emotion, she tilted her head. “Should I apologize?”

“Don’t you dare.” Unable to resist temptation, he leaned over to kiss her, keeping the contact light.

Shalira seemed to have other ideas, grabbing him so hard she pulled him off balance and narrowly avoided falling on the bed. She kissed him with mounting passion, her tongue tracing the seam of his lips until he parted them with a groan and shifted to pull her into his lap, into a better position as their tongues tangled in an erotic dance. Her shapely bottom pressed against his raging hard-on and Mike broke off the caress, fighting to stay in control of the situation, remembering she’d recently been traumatized by Bandarlok. Ignoring her puzzled expression, he moved her off his lap, onto the blanket beside him.
 

Taking one soft hand in his, he said, “Back at the tombs, I was pretty mixed up, not sure of my emotions, afraid to trust myself, so I didn’t speak plainly and I nearly lost you.” He stopped, taking a deep breath against the pressure of emotion in his chest. His heart thumped so loud he was sure she could hear it. “I love you, and I don’t ever want to be parted from you again. Will you—will you marry me? I’m sorry I don’t have a ring to offer you, but I swear I’ll have the
Andromeda’s
captain marry us as soon as we arrive in orbit.”
 

She rested her fingers on his lips in a gentle shushing motion. “Rings and ceremonies won't change what’s already between us. The gods wouldn’t have favored us this far if they didn’t mean to see us through to the end. You answer my unspoken wishes, grant the dreams I’d locked in Pavmiraia’s amulet. You give me the true love I never thought I’d find. I can’t imagine any other future than being by your side.”

“As my wife.” Unwilling to accept anything less, determined to give her all the protection he could, in his world or hers, Mike pulled her close again and resumed the kiss. He slipped down on the sleeping pad until they lay wrapped around each other, his erection tenting his utility pants, pressing into the warm crevice of her equally clothed body.
 

Startling him a little with her boldness, Shalira yanked his shirt loose and ran her hands under the fabric, massaging his naked back in lazy circles as they continued to kiss.

Mike pulled away, rubbing noses with her for a moment before saying, “You’ll be my one and only wife, by the way.” He hoped she could hear the teasing tone in his voice. “In case you had any doubt.”

Shalira laughed as she unfastened the unfamiliar tabs on her borrowed uniform shirt. “I’d better be! I’m convinced the Sectors model for marriage is far superior to the Mahjundan custom.” She kissed his neck, nipping ever so slightly. “No concubines, either.” She tossed the shirt aside.

“Not one, I swear.” His eyes were drawn to her exposed breasts, covered now only by the filmy white bra she’d been allowed to keep by the nomad women. He cupped the soft mounds, one in each hand, and planted kisses on the pillowy tops, slipping one thumb under the edge of the fabric to tease at the left nipple, watching the sensitive flesh pebble under his attention. Shalira closed her eyes and arched into his touch, grinding her hips against his erection.

Mike swallowed hard, pulling his hands away from her delectable body. “Shalira.”

Probably startled by the seriousness of his voice, her eyes flew open. Arms entwined around his neck to keep him close, she said, “What is it? What’s the matter? Why are you stopping?”

“Are you sure you want to make love to me tonight?”

“Don’t I look like a woman who wants to pleasure her man and be pleasured?” When he didn’t immediately respond, she released her hold on him, rolling onto her side, propping her head on her hand. “I appreciate your restraint and I honor you for it, but I’m not as delicate as you believe. What Bandarlok tried to do was ugly and violent and full of hate. I’m leaving all of that on the other side of the river. We’re here now. You’re my future, the man I love, and I want to replace the bad memories with good ones. I need such peace. I need you.” She reached out, touching his thigh and sliding her fingers until she found his cock, straining at the heavy fabric of the utilities. Her clever fingers undid the fastening and slipped inside his trousers. Wrapping her hand around as much of his erection as she could and stroking from root to tip, squeezing gently, she said, “And I don’t want further delay in starting on those good memories. All right?”

“Anything you say, Your Highness.” Capturing her lips, Mike went to work on disrobing both of them as rapidly as he could.

Glad she didn’t have to spend any more time persuading Mike to proceed with making love to her, Shalira allowed him to remove her bra and slide the silky panties down her legs with aching slowness, before tossing them aside. He sat up for a moment to remove his boots and muttered something about turning down the light. She lay back against the fur, one arm pillowed under her head, while she heard him removing his trousers. Wishing she had her sight, so she could view her lover, she sighed.

Instantly Mike was next to her, his long, hard body pressed against hers, his cock jutting against her thigh insistently. “Are you all right?”

“Impatient.” She trailed one hand along the hard sculpture of his chest, past his hip bone, and caged the impressive girth of his shaft with her nimble fingers. Rubbing her thumb across the head, then teasing the edges with a light caress before sliding her fingers to the velvet pouch below, she was pleased at his indrawn breath, the way he pressed closer to her as she stroked him.
 

With a shiver of delight, she felt his lips close over her nipple, licking and teasing the sensitive bud with just enough pressure. He pulled her gently into a better position and kneaded the other breast with his free hand, murmuring in apparent pleasure while he continued his attentions. She ran her fingers through his close-cropped hair, massaging the back of his neck as he traced a path over her belly, gently parting her thighs to explore the intimate area hidden there. Releasing her breast, he trailed kisses down her stomach, which tickled and made her squirm with pleasure. Raising his head for a moment, he said, “I’ve had all the injects for any disease known to humans.”

“So practical. I wasn’t worried,” she said, pleased he cared to reassure her.

“But I don’t have any protection with me. Johnny and I weren’t expecting to be, uh, social on this trip.”

“Protection?”

“Condom,” he said, stroking her inner thigh, fingers coming achingly close to her already damp clit as he played with the curls at the vee of her legs.

“If we create a child together, I’ll be happy, won’t you?” She was puzzled and a bit hurt.

“A baby with you would be wonderful,” he reassured her and Shalira heard nothing but the truth in his emphatic tone.
 

“Well then, now we’ve settled every possible issue—oh!” She gasped as he lowered his head and his tongue embarked on a series of skillful exploration of her most sensitive places. She squirmed in pleasure as Mike demonstrated his experience and talents as a lover. Delicious tremors ran through her, his attentions pushing her over the edge, into the throes of a glorious orgasm. Trying to be quiet and not awaken Saium in the outer chamber, she bit her lip and moaned with pleasure, arching in his hold and grinding her hips against him.

“Now then,” Mike said after a few minutes, pleased satisfaction in his tone, “I think you’re ready for me.”

“You delight in understatement,” Shalira answered. She grabbed at his shoulders, pulling him closer. His cock pressed against her and he reached to guide himself past her outer lips and deeper inside, thrusting carefully at first.

Locking her legs behind his back, Shalira pulsed her internal muscles, caressing his shaft and releasing as he pushed in and out of her body, moving faster and penetrating deeper with each movement of his hips, urged on by her reaction. Talk of how to best please a man was frank in the harem, and while she wasn’t as experienced as many, she knew more than an emperor’s daughter might ordinarily. People tended to forget she was present, so quiet she was, and she had excellent hearing.
 

Shalira blanked her mind, concentrating on the moment and Mike as the waves of pleasure coursed through her, every move of hers met by an answering one from him, heightening the sensations. His cock was buried deep within her and her orgasm was close. “Kiss me,” she panted, “or they’ll hear me scream your name.”

He obliged, his tongue pushing to meet hers as they clung together, locked in the moment and the overwhelming sensations.

Mike held her close to his heart as the intensity of their mutual climax peaked and began to fade. “I love you,” he said, smoothing her damp hair away from her face.
 

“I love you, too.” Limp and sated, Shalira curled into his embrace as he pulled the fur over them. “I don’t think I could be any happier than I am right this moment.”

“A challenge if I ever heard one,” he said, hugging her. “In the best possible sense.”