Virgin (19 page)

“No underwear.”

Her laughter was infectious. “I’ve always felt like I needed the extra ball room.”

“Oh,
my
…”

Smiling, he sat back on his heels as his gaze swept down her body to focus on her feet. “There’s something I’ve been dying to know about you too…” Moving slowly, he lifted her foot and found the delicate membranes between her toes. “So it’s true… your feet are webbed like your hands…”

He moved back up, and she reached for him, her warm hands sliding over his back to delve beneath the waistband. The feeling was soothing but also exciting. Arching his back, he slid forward over her soft skin, giving her better access. Slowly, she pushed his cargoes down past his hips.

Dax gulped in a breath as his cock skated across her stomach. Her hands on his ass had been fabulous, but this was incredible. He rose up to tease her belly with his cockhead’s scalloped corona, letting his slick fluid puddle in her navel. Testing his control, he painted her skin with his cock, delighting in her soft moans.

Using only his lips, he made his way across her cheek, then down her neck to her unbelievably soft breasts. Dax loved the way she gasped when he licked her taut nipples, but her scent was drawing him downward to the source. Dipping his head between her legs, he tasted her—soft, wet, and delicious. Delirious from her scent and flavor, Dax teased her pussy lips apart with his tongue. Plunging into her core, he curled his tongue and took a sip.

The fire that ignited in his cock could only be quenched in the same place it began—a place where he would find both relief and joy. Dax got up on his knees, scooped up her legs, and pulled her onto him.

The feeling as he slid into Ava was unlike anything Dax had ever imagined. She fit him like a warm glove, and as her legs wrapped around his waist, Dax felt complete for the very first time. Closing his eyes, he held his breath, savoring the moment.

“Breathe, Dax,” she whispered. “And look at me.”

His lids flew open, and their eyes met. Hers were as round and beautiful as ever, but with an expression he’d never seen before—one he couldn’t identify. Then he felt her orgasm squeezing his cock and realized what he’d seen. He waited until it passed, pleased that he was able to give her that kind of pleasure from the very beginning, but still not quite sure…

“Are you ready? I—I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” she promised. “Bring it on.”

And then he began to move, purring as he rocked into her. Slowly at first, feeling his way, but pretty soon he picked up the rhythm—a rhythm as old as time and as natural as breathing.

“You feel
so
good. I never knew how good it could be, and I’m so
very
glad I waited for you—for lots of reasons…” His voice trailed off as he shifted to a different angle. The new position must have had some effect, because Ava made an odd sound. He wasn’t sure if she was laughing or crying—though it might have been a little of both.

“You say the sweetest things. It’s hard to believe I’m your first.”

Dax shook his head. “I never said anything like that before.” Leaning closer, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “It’s because of you, Ava. You bring out the lover in me.”

Dax had never felt like much of a lover before. He was inexperienced with the act as much as the emotion. He’d been orphaned too young to remember how it felt to love his family, but it was coming back to him now. Ava aroused emotions that went far deeper than sex.

He’d been trying to take it slowly, but knowing that the best was yet to come—for both of them—had him increasing the speed and strength of his thrusts. Following his instincts, Dax did the one thing he remembered from all those sexual discussions he’d tried so hard to ignore. Thrusting in as far as he could, he let his dick do the work. Back and forth, around in circles and in every other pattern he could think of, he stroked her inner walls with his stiff cock while the orgasmic juice poured from the head. If he’d been trying to keep track of the number of her orgasms, he would have lost count then. It was impossible to tell where one broke off and another began.

Dax wished he could have kept it up for hours, if for no other reason than seeing his efforts reflected on her face. All too soon, his ejaculation began building, and Dax knew he couldn’t last much longer. Suddenly, his eyes squeezed shut and his mind went blank. He felt nothing but the force of his ecstasy, bursting through the dam to flood her core with his
snard
.

Opening his eyes, he watched it unfold. Within seconds, Ava’s pupils had dilated completely, obliterating each iris until it was no more than a thin rim to the windows of her soul. Dax would never forget her expression until his dying day: It reflected sheer amazement, ultimate pleasure, and profound bliss. Knowing something about his own species, he’d expected that much, but her mixed Terran and Aquerei blood must have been responsible for what happened next. Her skin began to shimmer in the starlight, taking on an iridescent glow. While this was beautiful and wondrous to behold, it was nothing compared to what happened to her hair. As the effect of his semen took hold, her blond locks began tossing like waves on a stormy sea, swelling and cresting before crashing onto the shore.

A flash of light caught his eye. Glancing down, Dax saw that Ava’s pendant was the source. Though it had slipped sideways to lie in the grass beneath her shoulder, the facets of the huge crystal had somehow captured the glow from her skin, sending out fiery sparkles rivaling those of a diamond. Then, as her skin lost its shine, the stone went dark.

***

Ava gazed up at Dax’s glowing eyes and knew then that the rumors were true: Once you went cat, you
never
went back. Ava might have been a virgin herself, unsure whether to lie back and let him do as he pleased or take a more active role.

Stars twinkled behind him as his curly locks dangled enticingly around his face. The tattooed flames licked his neck and cheek the way Ava longed to do—and
would
do—every chance she got. As her orgasm began to subside, she felt the ruffled head of his cock stroking her from within, prolonging the ecstasy. At last, her legs lost their grip and she eased down onto the grass as his penis slipped from her body.

“What was it Treann said?” she murmured. “Something about joy?”

Dax smiled. “It’s the standard Zetithian pick-up line—or a promise. I’ve never been sure which.”

“Say it,” she said. “I want to hear it from you.”

“Come, mate with me, my love, and I will give you joy unlike any you have ever known.” He punctuated it with a kiss that made it seem more like a promise and less like a line. “That’s the full version we were taught as kids. I’ve never used it myself—never needed to. Should I have said it at the beginning?”

Ava considered this briefly. “No, because then I might have had some idea of what to expect. It was better this way.” She let out a long contented sigh. “Is it the same with all of you?”

“I’d like to think it isn’t, but it probably is,” Dax admitted. “Might be better with some than with others. I can only think of one woman who’s ever been with two of us, but she had already chosen one over the other. I doubt if even she could give you an honest answer.”

“It’s a wonder she survived.”

Dax laughed. “I don’t think any woman has ever died from having sex with one of us—at least, not that I know of.”

“Maybe some of the repeat customers here could tell me.” Grinning wickedly, she added, “Or I could take Jerden up on his offer and see for myself.”

“Over my dead body.”

Ava drew back in surprise. “That sounds rather possessive. Does this mean I belong to you now?”

Dax looked confused—but endearingly so. “Zetithians traditionally mate for life. I know it’s different with other cultures—and my friends here obviously don’t adhere to the custom—but I always thought it would be that way for me.”

Ava didn’t want to spoil the moment, but neither did she want to make promises she couldn’t keep. “I wish I’d known that. Trag is the only other Zetithian I’ve ever met, and he was so popular with the hookers, I didn’t realize he wasn’t typical. If I had known how you felt, I’m not sure I would have gone through with this.”

One glance at him was enough to remind her that reason didn’t always prevail over desire. “Well, maybe I would have. You’re the most tempting man I’ve ever met, but sex and love are two different things. You’ve never let yourself get close enough to any woman to understand the difference.”

Dax nodded, but Ava wasn’t sure he understood.

“What I mean is, I made a huge mistake with Lars. I don’t want you to wake up someday and find that you’ve done the same thing.”

His face was a wooden mask. “You weren’t a mistake.”

“Maybe not,” she conceded. “But I’m not sure I could live the kind of life you lead. I’d need some time to think about it.” Ava was a little surprised that she could think so rationally after making love with Dax. It was difficult to put him off, and above all, she didn’t want to hurt him. Then she realized she already had. “I’m sorry I let myself get so carried away, Dax. I honestly didn’t know.”

“Don’t be sorry. I just thought that because I wanted you, it meant something. Maybe it didn’t.”

“And maybe it did,” she said quickly. “We don’t know that yet. I can’t promise to be your mate for life right now, but I will promise you one thing: I’ll keep an open mind.”

“So, we can… do this again sometime?”

Ava smiled. “Of course! What woman wouldn’t want that kind of joy?”

“And we’re… what? Dating?”

“Yeah, we’re… dating. Just trying each other on for size. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, but would you promise me something else?”

“Like what?”

Dax took a deep breath. “Don’t let the others talk you into doing this with them.”

Ava couldn’t help but smile. “Ah, so we’re dating exclusively, then.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. I’m sure they’re all very good at what they do, but their lack of exclusiveness doesn’t do much for me.”

Dax grinned. “Yeah, I never wanted to do it with a hooker, either. It always seemed sort of… meaningless.”

“Exactly.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“How about twisting the rock? I’ll admit I’m curious.”

“Me too, but which one?” Since there were several scattered about the platform, the choice wasn’t immediately obvious.

“Try them all, I guess.”

Dax stood up and Ava’s good sense went flying off into space. It had been hard enough to keep from swearing her undying love and devotion when she was only looking him in the eye, but the whole package was impossible to resist. The other Zetithians were all remarkably handsome and well-built, but Dax came very close to her ideal—to
anyone’s
ideal. He was flawless.

Propping herself up on one elbow, she watched as Dax went from rock to rock, testing each of them in turn. Barefoot and unclothed, his catlike grace wasn’t camouflaged, making every movement a treat for the eye. If he’d been one to espouse nudity on a regular basis, Ava had little doubt that his virginity would have been stolen from him long ago.

Stealing it came very close to what she had done. His thoughts on what should happen next proved it. He wasn’t a child; he was a grown man, and though he certainly knew how to handle himself, he was undeniably naïve when it came to matters of the heart. Had his heart ever been broken? And if so, by whom? Ava hoped she wouldn’t be the one to do it, but wondering this made her realize just how little she knew about him.

She had been his passenger, not his confidant, and ships’ captains rarely had the opportunity to spend enough time with anyone long enough to know them well. Certainly the physical attraction was there, but the mental attraction? Only time would tell.

“I found it,” Dax announced. “It’s a robotender. Want anything from the bar?”

“I don’t suppose Aquerei water is on the menu.”

“No, but they do have Zetithian ale. Wonder who’s making that?”

Ava laughed. “What I’d like to know is where they got the recipe.”

“From Amelyana,” he replied. “She downloaded the entire Zetithian database into the ship’s computer. She felt responsible for what happened there and did the best she could to save us and our culture.”

“What
did
happen to Zetith, Dax? I never heard the whole story.”

“We didn’t fully understand it ourselves. We’d never been a warrior race. Our world was peaceful, but suddenly we were besieged and didn’t know why. All we could do was fight back as best we could. Amelyana suspected that her husband, Rutger Grekkor, was responsible, but until he confessed and was killed, there wasn’t a safe place for us anywhere in the galaxy. As it turned out, she
was
the reason we were almost exterminated—not the only one, perhaps—but it was her love for a Zetithian man that made Grekkor so insanely jealous that he set out to destroy us.”

“Like Helen of Troy,” Ava mused, though she doubted that Dax would understand the reference. “She must have felt very guilty about that.”