Shielder — A new Science Fiction Romance (Book 1, Shielder Series) (24 page)

He kissed his way to her nipple. "Do you
like this?" He drew it into his mouth and sucked. She dug her
fingers into the mat as waves of sensation spread through her
breast, somehow mysteriously traveling lower.

"Yes," she gasped.

A moment later, he lifted his head, his
searing expression taking what little breath she had left. "I'll
bet you like this." Nudging her thighs apart again, he stroked her
sensitive, feminine flesh.

Heat and need flooded her. "Chase!" she
cried, writhing against his hand.

"And this." He slid a finger inside her,
moving it in and out.

Hurtling way past the point of modesty or
pretense, she spread her thighs wider, totally of her own volition
this time. "Yes. Oh, yes!"

He gave a low laugh. "I thought you might.
You're hot and ready for me." His voice sounded strained. "I want
you so badly, I think we'd better finish this
now
."

Claiming her mouth in a drugging kiss, he
positioned his body over hers. Inundated with a need so aching, so
intense and overwhelming, Nessa forgot her earlier fears, focusing
only on the feel of Chase's penis seeking entry into her body. She
arched against him, urging him inside.

Even so, he entered her carefully, then
stopped. It wasn't enough and frustrated, she wiggled against him.
He groaned. "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head against his chest.
"No."

"Good." He pressed deeper, filling her
completely, then withdrew. He returned to fill her again, and
again. She experienced no pain this time, only incredible pleasure.
She found herself moving with Chase's rhythm, meeting each thrust,
urgently seeking more. He seemed to understand what she needed.

"Pull your legs back," he instructed
hoarsely. "That's it. Stay with me, Nessa."

Gasping, she pressed her head against the
mat, ensnared in the sensations engulfing her entire body. Vaguely,
she heard a woman's cries, as if from very far away.

Were those sounds coming from her? Shocked
at the sudden realization, she clamped a hand over her mouth.

"No." Chase drew back, prying away her hand.
He twined it with his and pressed it against the mat. "Sounds of
enjoyment are part of mating. Come on, sweetheart. Let me hear how
good it feels."

He increased his tempo, driving hard and
deep, and her inner muscles tightened around him. Nessa gave up
worrying about the sounds that flowed from her throat as readily as
he moved inside her. Instead she surrendered to the mounting
tension within, to the delicious, building anticipation.

Then she exploded in ecstasy so fierce and
intense, she wondered if she'd died and gone to Haven. She cried
out as shockwaves of pure pleasure radiated from where she and
Chase were joined, spreading heat and light through her entire
body.

A moment later, he cried out as well,
heaving and shuddering. Then he collapsed on her, his breathing
ragged.

They lay that way for some time. Utterly
boneless, Nessa didn't mind Chase's weight pressing her down. In
fact, she savored the sense of warmth and security his body
offered. Eventually, he shifted off her, drawing her against his
side and guiding her head to rest against his shoulder. She fit
there perfectly, she thought dreamily.

Shards of pleasure still tingled through her
body, gradually subsiding to a relaxed glow. The force of the
physical release astounded her, as did the total contentment it
left in its wake. Even more surprising, a sense of intimacy
lingered between her and Chase, as if the act of baring one's body
to someone else bared one's soul as well.

She stirred and Chase drew her closer. His
fingers stroked soothing circles down her back and on her rear.
Touch certainly had its benefits. She felt so peaceful, so
protected with Chase's arms around her, she wished she could stay
there forever, forget about Orana—and her plans for tomorrow.

His warm hand grasping her chin jolted her
from her reverie as he lifted up her face and kissed her. He took
his time, his tongue leisurely stroking hers before he withdrew to
feather light kisses on her lips.

"So you really do like mating," he murmured
with masculine satisfaction.

Oddly shy now that the mindless passion had
receded, she lowered her eyes from his triumphant expression. "I
told you I did."

He chuckled softly. "Still embarrassed,
after what we just did? Better get used to it, Nessa, since I'm
certain we'll be doing it again very shortly."

"We will?" She looked at him in wide-eyed
surprise, not at all sure such an outburst of passion could
possibly happen again so soon. "Is that what most people do when
they mate?"

Chase grinned wickedly. "Many of them do.
Unless one of the partners runs away and hides in the lav—or the
shower. But I don't think we'll have that problem, do you?"

She realized he was teasing her, like he had
done with the children. A giddy warmth filled her, leaving her
lighthearted and playful, feelings she'd left far behind ten
seasons ago. She smiled back. "Oh, I don't know. That could prove
to be very interesting.”

His eyes widened. "Why, you little tease.
Come here."

He pulled her on top of him. Her breath
caught at the feel of her nipples rubbing against his chest; at the
twitch and expansion of his penis against her belly. Heated need
flared again, sudden and urgent.

Chase held her face between his hands, his
molten gaze sending sparks along every nerve in her body. "Do you
know what happens to impudent females who tease their bed
partner?"

Her heart raced erratically as erotic images
flashed through her mind. "What?"

"This." He pulled her face down and kissed
her hard, his tongue mating with hers. "And this." He turned her
onto the mat, his hands moving over her body, igniting flames and
leaving her breathless. "And this."

"Are we going to mate again now?" she asked
breathlessly, reeling from his sensual onslaught.

He slid over her, settling his hardness
between her legs. "What do you think?"

A surge of feminine power, as old as the
universe, thrummed through her. "I think not." She shoved against
him, pushing him onto his back as she came to her knees. "Not until
my
terms are met. Not until I do this." She ran her tongue
over one bronze nipple, emboldened by the sharp intake of his
breath.

"Do you like this?" she asked, amazed at her
own audacity, yet enjoying herself immensely.

"Yes! Oh, yes," he squealed in a mock
falsetto.

He so surprised Nessa that she laughed and
hit him with the pillow.

Chase stilled, pushing the pillow out of his
face. He studied her, suddenly serious. "That's the first time I've
ever heard you laugh."

When was the last time she'd felt so joyous,
so free? She couldn't remember.

"I like hearing you laugh. Do it some more."
He started tickling her.

"No! Stop!" She tried to squirm away, but he
pursued his assault relentlessly. They tussled a few minutes, Nessa
laughing and gasping for breath at the same time. "Please! I
surrender," she finally pleaded, her voice hoarse.

"You surrender, do you?" he asked silkily.
"So we're back to my terms, are we?"

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she
shook her head. Stroking her hand down his abdomen, she whispered,
"We're back to my terms."

Heat flamed into his eyes, and he rolled
back, pulling her over him. "Since you insist, I won't argue with
you. Now, where were you?"

Passion returned with startling swiftness.
"I think I was here," she whispered against his chest.

Boldly, she ran her hands over his body,
making the heady discovery he liked being touched as much as she
did; that she could render him vulnerable and incoherent with her
mouth and her fingers. That the power wielded in mating could
indeed be a mutual give and take; a safe haven where no emotional
barriers were needed.

When both of them were about to come apart,
he lifted her astraddle him. Surprised, she found herself poised
over his erection. He probed the entrance to her body, and she slid
down over him, sheathing him deeply. She moaned, stretching,
adjusting, around him.

His glittering eyes took her breath.
"Remember what we did in the chair? Just like that, Nessa. Ride me.
You're in control now. You have me at your mercy." He demonstrated
what he wanted, moving her hips with his hands.

Taking up the motion, she threw her head
back, lost in sensation. Oh…yes…oh, she liked being in control…very
much. Liked Chase's fevered encouragement, how he touched her
everywhere as she moved on him.

And the ensuing explosion…oh, Spirit…!

Sometime later, when rational thought
returned, she found it fascinating that the second mating could be
every bit as good as the first, perhaps even better. And the shared
intimacy even deeper. She cuddled against Chase, too exhausted to
move. Beneath her, the sheets felt cool and damp.

"We're sweaty," she said with some
surprise.

"Yeah, we are," he agreed, his voice laced
with satisfaction. His hand slid over her breast. "We'll have to
take a shower later."

She tilted her head to look at him. "I don't
know if I have enough energy."

His eyes gleamed in the semidarkness. "Oh,
you will, sweetheart. Just give me a little time to…recover. Then
we'll take a long shower together."

His unmistakably sensual meaning edged
through her lethargy. "Oh, Chase, I can't possibly—"

"Sure you can," he interrupted. "Trust me on
this."

An hour later, she found out he was right.
She also discovered there were many ways of finding pleasure in a
cleansing stall.

Much later, curled in the sanctuary of
Chase's arms, she acknowledged to herself that their intimacy had
forged inexplicable emotional bonds. Resolutely, she prepared to
sever those bonds. She'd carry the memory of this night with her
always, but her time with Chase had come to an end. She could delay
her mission no longer.

After tomorrow, she'd never see him
again.

* * * *

"How much longer until we get there?" Raven
asked. She shared the seat with Nessa as they read a computer file
on novas.

"An hour, sweetness," Nessa answered, only
half her attention on the girl. Tension knotted her insides as she
thought about her plan.

She looked over at Chase, who had Brand
snuggled in his lap. She stared at Chase's muscular arm, wrapped
securely across the boy. This gentle, nurturing side of Chase
fueled the guilt already festering. But she held to her resolve,
reminding herself how little time remained. So very little time.
Panic reared inside her every time she thought about her crucial
predicament.

Her tension increased as they approached
Odera. Chase began his usual pattern of withdrawal, mentally
distancing himself in preparation for his foray on the planet. He
appeared an entirely different person at these times—a frightening
glimpse of the shadower he was.

They strapped in to enter Odera's orbit. All
too soon, the ship skimmed over the planet's surface. Chase brought
them down on the pad with barely a tremor and cut the engines. He
released his harness and stood. "Nessa, come with me."

She rose and followed him to the hatch. He
began inspecting and strapping on his weapons. "I'm securing the
hatch with a new sequence, one you can't possibly decode. So don't
even try. There's no public transport on Odera, if you did have
passage money. I don't expect to be planetside long. If I find you
gone when I return, I'll leave without you. Is that clear?"

He acted as if last night had never
happened. Perhaps it meant nothing to him. She could grow to
despise this cold, indifferent side of him, Nessa thought. Only she
wouldn't be around long enough. She looked into his eyes,
disheartened by the hardness she found there. "Very clear,
Captain."

Where was the man whose heated touch set
every nerve in her body on fire? Who had melded his body with hers,
laughed and teased with her, then held her securely through the
night, protecting her from the demons haunting her?

She wanted to see that man one last time,
before he turned against her for good. She lifted her hand to his
face, shaping the square line of his jaw, feeling the warmth and
pulse of the man.

"Take care out there…Captain."

Surprise flashed in his eyes. His hand
covered hers and gently squeezed it. He moved her fingers against
his lips before releasing her hand. "I intend to. And you behave,
Nessa. I'll be back before you know it."

No, you won't, Chase. Good-bye. I hope you
forgive me some day.

She watched him stride through the hatch. He
turned to look at her, then punched the outside control. The hatch
lowered shut. A surprising moisture seeped into her eyes.
Ruthlessly, she reminded herself of all that depended upon her
success. She couldn't dwell on her feelings for Chase. It was time
for action.

She hurried to the control room. "Raven, I
replicated a plate of caroba for you and Brand. It's in the galley.
Take it to the cabin to eat. I have some work to do."

Obediently, Raven slid from the seat. Taking
Brand by the hand, she led him from the cockpit. Nessa went to the
computer, bringing up the PWL file and with it, her decryption
program. She printed off the codes she needed and used them to
access Chase's communication records.

She quickly found what she sought, a message
from Sabin, received the day before.

Dansan has been seen on Odera. Go to The
Nebula and ask for Kant. Sabin.

Dansan again. Nessa wondered at Chase's
obsession with the woman. Perhaps she had an unusually high bounty
on her head. Pushing aside her speculations, Nessa contacted the
sector Controller base on Odera. Using Chase's identification code,
she sent a written communication to Odera's command center. Her
message was certain to get Chase arrested.