Virile (20 page)

Vocal and appreciative, he moaned as she suckled and laved his flat brown nipples, and willingly turned to his belly when she asked, despite how uncomfortable it must have been to lie on that boner. But she needed to get her hands on that fine ass and actually set her teeth in it several times, reveling as Kellis lurched and shuddered. When she soothed the red marks with her tongue she was certain he growled but didn’t resist. His cock was straining at his navel when he turned over, the crown so engorged it looked purple in the dim light.

“Ride me, Adara. Now. Before I break my promise and fuck you into oblivion.”

Suppressing her amusement, she slung a leg over and planted her knees at his hips. Soaked because of the foreplay, her thighs coated with her cream, Adara fit his cock between her pussy lips and slowly took him into her body. His hands clutched the sheets, crumpling them as he visibly held back.

With slow, rocking strokes she varied the depths with which she took him, leaning back to place her hands on his thighs, glorying in the control and concentrating on every nuance of sensation. She was in no hurry because it felt so good—and so connecting. Kellis accommodated her for some time and then he spoke, voice strained.

“Come with me, my love.”

Chapter Thirteen

The next two weeks passed with no discernible pattern, except Thorn always slept with her while one of the twins kissed her goodnight—on the cheek or forehead—and took himself off. When she finally begged enough for an explanation, although it likely sounded more like a demand, Thorn advised her that Virile had become more and more dangerous with the arrival of individuals fleeing their own worlds, then turning to crime on Virile. Outlaws. Thus one of them monitored the security systems in the night when trouble was more likely to arrive.

Movement at night on Virile was contraindicated, at least where the natives were concerned, with unpredictable windstorms the main concern, but some of the more dangerous animals were nocturnal. So everyone hunkered down at night, except for the outlaws who had nothing much to lose but their lives—and those weren’t worth a lot either, considering their lot on the planet. Adara wondered why they would even want to come here.

“There are rumors of riches and prolonged life, my sweet,” Orion explained before Thorn’s clear disapproval.

“Well, that would do it,” she agreed. “Riches might not be the biggest deal, although if one lived longer I suppose it would be good to have funds while you’re doing it.”

Kellis had asked her which she would choose if she had to. “Probably living longer. And that’s because I’ve been fortunate enough to have what I needed. But I’d want to be healthy if I lived longer.”

They told her more about their family and how they were the first to settle Virile.

“So your ancestors weren’t born here?” That was a surprise to her, although they looked, outwardly, like the men on her own world except considerably larger.

“We hail from your planet, Adara. At least the old star charts indicate it. A very long time ago when things were overcrowded and your world was struggling to feed everyone and chaos reigned.”

The information shocked—and also comforted her. The alien feel of Virile suddenly didn’t seem so…alien.

“That obviously makes a difference,” Thorn commented.

“Strangely, it does,” she admitted. “I wish I’d known before.”

Silence greeted her comment, and she tried to read three impassive faces.

“Would you have come here more willingly? Submitted more easily?”

Thinking hard, she sifted through the past two weeks from her arrival to the present day. “I might have been less afraid.”

“Because we share DNA?”

“Because the D/s would probably be the same. I mean, your ancestors probably practiced it back home and brought it here, right?”

“You feared violence.” Thorn read her mind with ease.

“That was part of it. Virile has a reputation and despite the contract, despite Sammy’s reassurances, I guess I feared the worst.”

“And now?”

“You’re Doms.” She shrugged. “I might not always agree with your approach—in fact, I strongly disagree with spankings—but it’s your way and seeing as I’m here, and it’s your home…”

Kellis laughed and Orion joined him. Thorn’s mouth lifted a trifle at the corners.

“Submission pleases us, my love. You please us as you’ve come to understand in a short period of time.”

“Baptism by fire,” she muttered.

“By correction and pleasure, Adara.” Thorn cut her no slack. “And you’ve no reason to complain for the past several days—and you well understand the reason why.”

True. Their dynamic had run smoothly and she sat comfortably because she hadn’t rocked their boat. Orion worked with her every afternoon, and she felt appreciated for her business acumen. Kellis took her with him to the yard and walked her through the labor side of the operation, which gave her much of the bigger picture.

“Will you grant us an additional two weeks?” Holy shit. Thorn was asking, not demanding or telling, and she could only guess what it cost him.

It wasn’t difficult to give them her answer. She liked being here, actually liked it, now she’d adjusted and there were no more dreams, voices in her head or weird planetary hiccups. She had amazing sex with three hot men—with no censure attached to it, unlike what she’d experience at home. Ménages were apparently fairly common on Virile, the lack of women dictating up to five men claiming one. Adara shuddered at the thought. She could barely cope with three—although it took three of them to deal with her some of the time. That gave her a smug sense of satisfaction although she’d never admit it.

Cenna was sweet and kind. Even though the other woman wouldn’t allow her to lift a hand insofar as housework or cooking went, they had tea or coffee in the mornings and Cenna provided insight about Virile. She liked the farm hands she’d met and enjoyed her work with Orion and time spent with Kellis despite the often abysmal conditions outside.

That left Thorn. He remained slightly distant while never relaxing his vigilance around her. He was in her head much of the time, reading her mind and anticipating her. It was unnerving but drew her to him nonetheless. Despite the fact he beat her ass, she felt safe with him. Weird but true.

She thought she was indeed coming to love them—or strongly care about them—but what did she have to compare to? Still, the idea of leaving in just under a week didn’t sit well. There was still lots to do and—she shut her excuses down. She didn’t want to leave these men, at least not until she had more time to explore the relationship. Relationship. That’s what was going on here, and she wasn’t as anxious as she might have been as she accepted the fact.

“I’ll stay. For two more weeks. I’ll need to advise Sammy.”

“I’ll arrange it.” So Thorn would supervise that contact. It nearly made her rethink her decision, except Sammy would freak and she’d need Thorn’s support. She froze then stared at him. He knew it. He wasn’t supervising her but supporting her. Would she ever just trust him and quit with being so prickly?

Impulsively, she threw herself into his arms and cuddled close. His strong arms enveloped her, and he rested his chin on her head. There was nothing said and no need for it.

       
****

 
They reclined around their beloved’s sated form, deep in sleep after yet another night of fulfillment. Orion idly stroked her feet, lifting each of her little toes to kiss them, which made Adara grumble and pull away, although she never came awake. Kellis breathed in the scent of her hair, weaving the strands through his fingers. Thorn couldn’t take his eyes off her face and wondered if his feelings for her would continue to expand exponentially until his heart exploded.

Again she’d taken them, after hours of working her into sub space. The vision of her petite body, stretched on the cross, would be forever etched into his memory. As he’d promised, Adara begged for his mark, and the fine pink welts from his favorite flogger still decorated her porcelain skin. Coral nipples were now berry red as a result of Orion’s fetish, and her swollen cunt, visible between her slightly spread thighs, had been succulent and tight. He’d taken particular care in treating her bottom hole after reaming her while she hung on the cross with Kellis penetrating her pussy. And that was after she’d sucked them all.

Their little redhead—a bundle of fire and remarkable strength and resilience—made for them. And to hell with destiny.

“We don’t care about fortune either, Thorn. Adara coined it when she said she had enough so would choose living longer.”

Had he said his thoughts out loud? The brothers tended to complete one another’s sentences, and often knew how the other would respond, but still…they were nearly reading one another’s minds.

“You should see your face, brother. You just want her. As we do. We love her.”

Thorn made himself nod slowly. “She’s ours. Regardless. And her choice of a long life has already been honored.”

“But without her knowledge.”

“Yes, Orion, but we were so sure—hades. I’m not second guessing our decision. We knew she was going to stay. She
is
going to stay. And we can’t risk her becoming ill or aging prematurely. Virile is hard on newcomers.”

“We’re not arguing with you, but she’s coming to trust and believe we love her for her and want her forever. Learning about the nectar will be a blow.”

“We’ll deal with it.” Thorn was finished with worrying about that which he couldn’t change. He had bigger worries. The damn prophecy loomed over their heads, and he knew Adara would find out somehow. She was bright, and they couldn’t isolate her forever. Someone, one of the few who knew, would mention it at some point. And they daren’t ask them not to—spite ran rampant on Virile and while respected, they had few real friends because their prosperity was already resented. Someone would make a point of telling Adara. So they would need to tell her themselves—as soon as she surrendered. And she was close. He could feel it.

****

The danger he anticipated arrived on their doorstep. It was four days before the expiry of the extension of the contract—at least what Adara believed was the expiry date. And it didn’t take the form he thought it might. The outlaw forays onto their land continued, but were easily repulsed. The secattor prowled but appeared to confine their movements to areas farther north. The Dom Redcliff had raged and complained and threatened, but Adara faced him down with implacable sweetness. Fortunately the link deteriorated with the increasing sunspot activity of the season and they closed down with Redcliff grudgingly pretending to support her decision. Thorn was concerned with her quiet period after that conversation, but she let him distract her—with sweet loving. Just him and her. And he came so close to bestowing that kiss because he sensed her capitulation—so close.

Life was good, remarkably so, considering the double-edged sword hanging by a thread above all of their heads. His brothers attacked their work with intensity and pulled their weight entirely. He felt he had partners instead of subordinates and the relief was immense. Even that annoying grimalkin was a welcome addition to the house—no murines dared show their pointy little faces and the animal was fiercely devoted to Adara. The playroom door sported visible slashes from its claws when Adara’s screams of pleasure permeated to the feline’s keen sense of hearing. He supposed it couldn’t tell the difference between pain and pleasure, and in truth they made Adara walk that line repeatedly. And she begged for it.

“Thorn? Master Greigor is here.” Cenna’s face was inscrutable but her stance said it all. She hated the man, who misused her youngest daughter, an action nearly unheard of on the planet. And Greigor never acknowledged it. He got away with his behavior because he was wealthy and wielded considerable power, well connected to the loose political cabal that ran Virile, paying only financial recompense for his bad deeds. Thorn made a mental note that he needed to insinuate himself into politics more effectively, and would do so once Adara was securely theirs.

“Did he state the reason for the visit?” And how had the man bypassed the early warning security grid? Thorn tugged out his profiler and contacted Orion, gesturing to Cenna to wait. His brother answered, and the giggling in the background answered his question.

“Check the grid.” He knew he sounded pissed, and Orion wisely said nothing. Thorn heard the sounds of the screen being manipulated and Orion cursing.

“Fuck. Penetration at the south gate.”

Penetration at someone’s gate, Thorn thought, and made a mental note to insist activities in the study be curtailed to actual work.

“It’s Greigor. Settle Adara and find Kellis. We’ll be in the great room.”

Without replying, his brother closed the connection.

“I’ll see him in the great room, Cenna. You’ll have to supply refreshments. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll do it because of the Mistress, Thorn. And I won’t poison his.” Cenna didn’t sound like she was kidding as she stalked from the room.

Taking a chair designed to give him the greatest command of the room, Thorn sprawled out and assumed his lord of the realm persona. Adara accused him of that while in extremis and he cherished the insult derived from ecstatic orgasmic bliss. She called him other things too, many of which directly alluded to a great depth of feeling, but had yet to profess her love.

When Greigor strode in, massively overweight but still exuding presence and power, Thorn took his time getting to his feet to greet him, hinting at insult.

“Freestar. I was passing and thought to stop to discuss the state of our off world sales.”

“They appear to have stiff competition from Xanus,” Thorn concurred. Where the fuck were the twins, and what had Orion done with Adara?