Hinekiri (21 page)

“Come with me.” Hinekiri led him directly to her chamber. She closed the privacy door after them and turned to Richard. “Take off your clothes.”

Richard’s brows rose. “An order.”

“Got it in one, sailor.” Her hands went to his shirt buttons and she undid them rapidly. A Dalcon robe was much more efficient. Hinekiri wondered if Earthlings realized how much time they wasted dressing and undressing—unnecessary, in her opinion. Her hands went to the belt and she unbuckled that as Richard shrugged off the cotton shirt. It fluttered to the floor.

“I thought I was meant to disrobe for your viewing pleasure,” he said in wry amusement. “You seem to be doing most of the work.”

“I’m impatient.” Hinekiri let Richard take care of the rest of his clothes while she started removing her own. “Wait on the bed.”

Richard grinned but obeyed. She paused to admire his firm backside as he walked away. When he rolled on to the middle of the bed, she savored the view from the front. A lump built in her throat almost choking her when her thoughts skipped to her solitary future. Focus. She needed action and distraction.

Hinekiri ripped off the last of her clothes and strolled to the bed. “We won’t adjust the gravity this time. I have something else in mind.”

Richard placed his hands behind his head, looking relaxed and ready for anything. “Should I worry?” He grinned, looking so much like his son she blinked. A strong resemblance. Janaya had more in common with her aunt than she knew. Good taste for one.

“Oh yeah,” Hinekiri retorted. “You’re the picture of concern. You might want to think about my surprise.” That wiped the smirk off his face.

“Bring it on, woman. Don’t keep me in suspense any longer. I’ll count to ten. If you haven’t started by then, I’m going to take things into my own hands.” His brown eyes gleamed with sensual promise even as his gaze traveled slowly across her face and lower to her breasts. They tingled even though they weren’t touching. “We still need to have that talk.”

Hinekiri jerked before moving. She adjusted the light level and the room became intimate. Hinekiri tried to hold herself aloof, tried to remain distant as she should have from the first meeting. It didn’t work. Richard had wormed his way into her affections and she knew it was going to hurt when she left.

She pushed a button on the control panel inset in the headboard of the bed. She pressed another series of knobs and felt the glide of a hand across her back. The cool fingers moved steadily down her spine.

“What the hell?” Richard spluttered, jerking bolt upright on the bed.

Hinekiri let her head drop back as the male behind her tugged the pins from her hair. Lock by lock the strands of hair tumbled down her back. He ran his hands through her hair, massaging her scalp. A sigh whispered from her lips.

“It’s the mind machine,” she whispered. “A type of hologram. I’ve set it so we can both feel the sensations. The sensations feel colder than normal.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a little bit freaky seeing my image making love to you while I’m sitting here on the bed.”

Hinekiri shivered as the hands of the male behind her shifted down to cup her buttocks. Then his hands traced the crease where her buttocks met her thighs. She trembled again when the heat in Richard’s gaze intensified.

“Come over here,” he whispered. “But can you do something about that fella’s face? It’s bad enough seeing my mug in the mirror each morning when I shave, but it’s bloody disconcerting seeing my face making love to my woman in the bedroom.”

His woman
.

Hinekiri’s legs almost gave out. Her hand trembled when she hit the buttons to redesign her hologram lover. She hit the buttons to make a fourth lover to add to the party—a female one—and taking Richard’s words to heart she requested a woman who looked different from her. A female with dark hair, alabaster skin and a curvy figure appeared.

“Hello, sailor,” she purred, and she strutted over and claimed the portion of bed on the far side of Richard. “I just know I’m going to enjoy this game.” Her hands stroked his bare buttocks and Richard jumped in surprise.

“Bloody hell,” he croaked. “Four of us?”

“It’ll be fun,” Hinekiri promised.

“I keep thinking of that song. Four in bed and the little one said, ‘roll over, roll over.’ So they all rolled over and one fell out—”

“Oh please!” Hinekiri chortled.

“You know I’m really not sure about four in this bed,” Richard said in clear doubt.

“Chicken.”

“Am not,” he snapped back, his eyes narrowed. “I’m safety conscious. What if one of us falls out?”

Hinekiri approached the bed and knelt beside Richard, making him the filling in a sandwich between her and the female hologram.

“Her hands are cold,” he complained.

Hinekiri felt the male hologram move up behind her. The designers had done a good job since the male felt so real, his flesh and working equipment, but Richard was right about holograms feeling cool. It was one of the things that drove her to seek out real lovers when the loneliness became too much.

“Come here.” Richard’s voice was thick with need and it brought an immediate reaction in Hinekiri. Her breasts puckered, the crests pulling tight. Achy. Hinekiri crawled across the smooth bedcovers and snuggled against Richard’s solid body. She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead, enjoying the silky slide against her fingers. A shuddery inhalation dragged his spicy masculine aroma deep into her lungs—another thing to remember. She loved the way he smelled, his scent reminding her of the crisp outdoors instead of the stale, perfumed chambers of the aristocracy on Dalcon.

The male hologram settled behind her, his cock nestling into the crease between her buttocks. Hinekiri sighed as her lips met Richard’s. They teased each other, lips nibbling and sucking. Playful. Hinekiri pressed against his warm body, savoring the thud of his heart against her breast. That was another thing a hologram didn’t have—a pulse.

The kisses became slower—open-mouthed and full of intent. Richard slid his tongue into her mouth and stroked the tender skin of her inner cheek. Their tongues played together in a dance of seduction. She tasted a trace of mint and maybe a hint of the tea he was so fond of drinking.

Hinekiri felt the male behind her stroke her back, his cool hand glided down her spine and then he moved back enough to fondle her ass. He moved down the bed and nipped the fleshy part of her butt, the jolt of pain combined with Richard’s kisses sending arousal galloping through her veins. The male continued to knead her bottom, sometimes gently and other times a smack. Hinekiri’s eyes fluttered closed to savor the sensations. A hand snaked between her legs while another tugged at taut nipples. A warm mouth fastened over her nipple and gently suckled. It felt as if a cord attached her breast to her clitoris, each gentle tug on her breast bringing an answering jolt from her core.

The hand between her legs spread her juices up toward her puckered rosette. Cool fingers pressed, kneaded and teased until she shuddered.

Suddenly Richard froze. He ripped his mouth from her breast with a startled curse. “What the hell does that female think she’s doing with her finger up my arse?”

The glare he sent over his shoulder was fierce and if a hologram could look chastened, this one did. The female froze while Hinekiri concentrated on keeping the snigger building deep in her chest contained. Gut instinct told her this was not the time to laugh.

“That’s it,” Richard snapped, still glaring with disfavor at the female hologram. “Where’s your fancy gizmo?”

Disappointment surged through Hinekiri. She pushed back against the male behind her, indicating she wanted to move. Silently, he obeyed the order. Hinekiri grabbed the control and deleted the female program. She started to delete the male program but Richard stopped her with his words.

“Good. I think three in a bed is more than I can cope with now. We can build on the numbers later, once I’ve managed to become used to the concept.” His grin was crooked and endearing as Hinekiri returned to his side.

Acceptance.

Emotions welled inside Hinekiri so strong and powerful that she had to swallow several times to contain herself. Although her ways were different from his norm, Richard tried to adjust. He gave her a chance to explain and actually listened instead of trying to shove her into an assigned role. He treated her as an equal and it was a heady thing.

“On Dalcon when undergrowns reach a certain age they are taken to a sorcerer to have their horoscopes charted. I’ve told you about this before.”

Richard nodded, his forehead creased in a frown that told her he didn’t think much of horoscopes.

“When it came time for my life to be charted, all my family went along. It’s a time of excitement and celebration. The old man calculated everything twice but the reading was the same. I didn’t have a suitable match with the male my family had arranged as my mate. According to the horoscope, I was destined for life as a courtesan. My father stormed off and my mother followed to comfort him. My brother, Janaya’s father, disowned me on the spot. They left me there to hear the rest. According to the old sorcerer, I would never have a mate. I’ve lived alone ever since. A courtesan. My father called me a whore…” Hinekiri trailed off, unsure of where she should look and terrified at what she might see in his face.

Richard grasped her shoulders and drew her closer next to him on the bed. She was aware of the male hologram sliding into a comforting position behind her but she had eyes only for Richard. How would he react? Even though Richard held her with tenderness, Hinekiri gulped uncomfortably at the silence. Richard’s finger under her chin realigned her gaze. Instead of the disgust Hinekiri thought she’d see, there was understanding and a hint of concern.

“None of us are perfect, sweetheart. We search for companionship—it’s the nature of most species.”

“I search for love.” Hinekiri lowered her gaze again at the confession. Acid fear jumped in the pit of her stomach. If she wanted to scare him away, she was going the right way.

Richard laughed but it held a trace of bitterness. “So did I. I’m not proud of the fact. When things became tough between Felicity and me and we’d drifted apart, I was so lonely, so desperate for the warmth of another human being I had an affair. It was a woman I met in the course of work. She lived in another town and it didn’t last for long. I loved Felicity but sometimes she was difficult. She suffered from bouts of depression.”

“You stayed married to her.” Richard’s confession of being lonely eased the guilt that hovered on her shoulders.

“For the sake of the children and at the end, out of loyalty. I couldn’t leave her when she was so sick. I loved her. We were friends.”

“You’re lucky. With my job I work alone for a lot of the time.” And she searched for love between jobs. It was the truth. She couldn’t lie to herself any longer. She was desperate for love, companionship, a male who belonged to her. Yes, she wanted a male whom she could belong to as well.

“Ah, Hinekiri.” Richard lowered his head and kissed her tenderly. “I’m your friend.”

Hinekiri’s heart twisted painfully. Was that all they were? She sighed, wanting to place her head in her hands and howl. Yet another relationship that wasn’t going anywhere.

“Kiss me, Hinekiri. Make love with me. Please.” His brown eyes caressed her face, her mouth and her breasts. Richard tangled his fingers in her hair, sliding them through the silky locks as he lowered his head to kiss her.

Behind Hinekiri, the hologram cuddled up to her backside. “Let me delete the male program first.”

“No.” Richard stayed her with a kiss on the tender skin below her ear. He scraped his teeth across a pulse point. “Leave him. I’m willing to share if it makes you happy. Not that I’ve ever tried this before. You’ll have to show me what to do with my hands. I don’t want to touch him in an inappropriate manner. And he’d better not put his hands on me either. The only hands I want on my body are yours.”

“He’s not real. He’s merely a solid image generated by computer machines.”

“Hinekiri, I’m not a youngster. I need to experience change slowly. I think I’ve coped well with meeting aliens and talking animals. Just give me a little more time and we’ll add more sexual experiences to my repertoire.”

But he was willing to try. Hinekiri hid her slow grin in the crook of his shoulder. What a male! Richard was ready to experiment. He trusted her even when he was unsure and out of his element. “Okay. We’ll take things slow.”

“Pleased to hear it.”

Their lips met and bodies sank together. The hologram male closed the distance between them, squeezing her between them. Richard moved down the mattress a fraction and bit her nipple, a light, exquisite pain that had excitement coursing through her. He flailed her nipple with his tongue, the touch reverberating with a pleasant hum.

The male behind her became busy with his hands, delving between her legs and hitting her sweet spot. A throaty moan escaped when he wedged her legs apart to gain better access.

“It kind of takes a bit of getting used to,” Richard whispered against her breast. He glanced up at her. “Another set of hands, I mean.”

“You should try it,” Hinekiri purred. “It feels marvelous.”

“Maybe later,” he said.

“I think you need a little personal attention, sailor.” As she spoke, her hands crept across his hip.

“Maybe.” His voice was gruff.

Hinekiri wrapped her hand around his hot arousal. His cock pulsed beneath her fingers, smooth and yet strong to her touch. All male. She pumped his cock slowly, watching his face the whole time to gauge his reaction.

“That feels good.” Richard’s hips jerked in emphasis of his words, bringing a feeling of success to Hinekiri. She loved knowing she could pleasure him so well. Beneath her ministrations, his cock grew bigger, filling her smaller hand with his hardness. Hinekiri kissed him wherever she could reach, licking and nipping, tasting the faint saltiness of his skin and breathing in his scent. She gloried in the catch of his breath, the husky command to continue.

While she was pleasuring Richard, the male ran cool hands the length of her cleft, repeating the move until her hips started to move involuntarily. Cream slipped from her pussy.