Mercenary Courage (Mandrake Company) (34 page)

“You know I don’t like not having you by my side for long,” he said, more emotion than he had intended creeping into his voice. He didn’t try to retract the words. Maybe she would like hearing the feeling in them.

Ankari lifted her gaze to his face, a question in her eyes, a hint of vulnerability replacing the humor. “Does this mean you want me to stay?”

He swallowed. Hadn’t she already figured out that he wouldn’t send her away if she didn’t want to go? Even if it wasn’t the wisest choice, he couldn’t let her go if she didn’t wish to leave. He wasn’t even sure he would have been able to let her go if she
did
want to leave.

Viktor stepped toward her. There was far too much distance between them. “I never wanted you to go. I just wanted what’s best for you.”

Some of the doubt left her face, and she came forward to meet him, resting her hands on his bare waist. “
You’re
what’s best for me.”

“An aging mercenary captain is what’s best for you? Did you hit your head when those bombs went off?”

“Did you forget? You’re a hero now. The reporter said so.”

Viktor grunted. “We’ll see what actually ends up on the news.”

All that mattered to him was that the
Albatross
had been allowed to leave dock. Midway 5 had not objected, nor had any of the Fleet ships moved to follow them.

“Hm.” Ankari eased closer.

The fabric of her blouse brushed the tip of his penis, and a wave of sensation crashed through him. He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. It was going to be difficult to restrain himself so he could give her the evening she deserved. He would manage it though. He looked forward to causing her to writhe with desire, crying out for him, and he wanted her to enjoy that writhing.

He smiled at this thought. “Will dinner wait?”

“For what?” she asked, her eyes widening with feigned innocence. “An appetizer?”

She lowered her hand to his cock, grasping him lightly. She licked her lips again, this time deliberately, slowly, running her tongue from one side of her bottom lip to the other. A shudder ran through him, and he almost lost his resolve to be the one to please her first.

“An appetizer,” he agreed. “But for you.”

He rested his hands on her hips, intending to slide them around to her butt, so he could pick her up and carry her to the bed.

But she rubbed her thumb along his heated flesh, sending a fresh surge of blood through his swollen shaft.

“Are you sure?” she whispered, her voice husky. She leaned forward and kissed his pectoral muscle. “I wouldn’t want you to be hungry.” As she spoke, the warmth of her breath whispered across his bare chest.

She traced his musculature with her tongue until she found his nipple. Viktor froze, basking in the attention of that tongue, in the flashes of electricity streaking through his nerves. She licked his nipple and eased closer, as if she longed for more of him. Her body pressed against his erection, and he reached up, grasping the back of her head and thrusting his fingers into her cool, soft hair. She sucked eagerly at him, then revealed her teeth, grazing his sensitive flesh. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a selfish thing to let her satisfy him first. Then it would be easier to control his urges and give her the attention she deserved.

“Viktor?” Ankari whispered, resting her chin in the valley between his pecs and tilting her face toward him. “I never want to leave you.”

The naked adoration on her face filled him with a surge of warmth that had nothing to do with erections and sex.

“I love you,” she added, that vulnerability back in her eyes.

The words sent a jolt of energy through him that was just as powerful as the lust charging through his veins. She had said the words before, flippantly, usually in parting, but she hadn’t gazed into his eyes and spoken them with real feeling. Neither of them had. Perhaps because they had both lost so much in their pasts, been hurt so often and endured so much. Teasing and irreverence were easier than admitting feelings.

Viktor growled and picked her up. He
would
please her first. He didn’t know if he could manage words, but he would make sure she knew that he felt the same way.

Ankari caught his shoulders, her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t look worried. His growls never fazed her, whether they were growls of rage and leveled at someone else or growls of desire leveled at her. He kissed her as he carried her to the bed, reminding himself to keep the touch of his lips gentle and loving rather than eager and thrusting. There was time for all of that later. For now, he wanted to lavish attention on her, to adore her with his hands and his mouth, to thank her for being his partner and his confidante.

Her fingers slid through his hair and gripped the back of his head as he laid her on the bed, coming down beside her. Not atop her, as his cock wished, but next to her so he could kiss her, and stroke her body as he slowly removed her clothes.

Ankari let him take the lead, but her hands roamed, too, running up and down his back, pushing through his hair, and scraping lightly across his skin with her fingernails. As delicious as he found the sensations, he kept his focus on her, on kissing her lips, then moving down her throat, licking and sucking as he slid the fastener of her blouse open. Her pert nipples were already tight, pushing against the material of her bra, even though he had not touched her breasts yet. Her responsiveness always excited him, and he lowered his head, nibbling at her through the satiny material.

Both of her hands found the back of his head, and she pushed up toward him even as she pulled him down, as if she wanted him to swallow her whole. Good. He slipped his hand behind her back, brushing the fastener on her bra. She wriggled, helping him push it and her blouse away, and her shimmying breasts arrested his attention. He cupped them with his hands and nuzzled her, enjoying her scent and the touch of her soft skin as he kissed his way over the curves of her body. He took his time, ignoring the hard ache of his cock as it pressed against her thigh.

Her breathing quickened, and she groaned when he pinched one of her nipples, teasing it even as he laved the other with his tongue. Gooseflesh arose on her sweet belly as he left his hands to lavish attention on her breasts while his mouth traveled lower. Her muscles quivered as he traced them with his tongue, licking the tiny beads of sweat gleaming on her skin, evidence of how much she was straining toward him, how much she wanted him.

“Viktor,” she breathed, her fingers curling in his hair, tightening as she nudged him lower.

While he kissed his way through her mound of curls and to the liquid heat waiting for him, he thought of the way she had watched over him while he fought that young upstart in the gym, the way she had climbed that tree and risked venomous dragons to walk at his side, and the way she had fearlessly dealt with those bombs while he was too busy fighting elsewhere to notice them. He curled his hands under her ass and slid his tongue between her lips, stroking with enthusiasm, inhaling her scent, relishing her taste, enjoying the way she panted and squirmed against him. He wanted so much to share his appreciation with her, to make sure she never had a reason to revoke her earlier words, that she wanted to stay with him, always.

“Viktor,” she repeated, his name a gasp this time as she bucked beneath his mouth, pushing up to him.

Her fingers dug into the blanket underneath her as she spread her legs, giving all of herself to him. The knowledge that she trusted him as fully as he had come to trust her made him swell with even greater desire. His cock strained toward her, insanely aroused by the glistening pink flesh before him, and once again, he had to battle with the urge to spring atop her and take her like some animal. Instead, he stroked her languidly, brushing against her sensitive nub, not rushing anything, even though her squirming grew more frenzied and she called out for him again. He wanted to prolong her pleasure, to make this memorable for her.

When her breaths came in gasps, the taut skin of her belly shivering as she pressed up toward him, he knew she was ready. He shifted his focus to her clitoris, covering it with his mouth and cupping his tongue around it. She panted, writhing on the blanket, and whispered an impassioned, “Please... I can’t... I—”

Viktor sucked gently, stroking her with his tongue, almost as excited as she was. He shifted his hips, his cock rubbing against the blanket, and he groaned at his own sensation, as well as at her quivering body. The vibration of his lips against hers made her cry out, stiffening, and then collapsing on the bed. The tension fled her body even as Viktor’s own need heightened. He shifted against the blankets again, wanting her hand—her hot body—around him, rather than the rasp of fabric.

He stroked her further, while she settled, her shuddering breaths gradually slowing. Finally, he lifted his mouth and gazed past her glistening flesh and up to her face, watching to see what she wanted. She was watching him back, meeting his eyes across her breasts, the pale mounds rising and falling with her deep breaths. The sight of those lush peaks made him think once again of pouncing on her, driving into her until—

“I believe you were open to taking some instructions?” she asked, and he forced his attention back to her face. Her eyes were sultry, her lashes brushing her cheeks. Instructions, she had said. He knew he had pleased her—it was written in the satisfaction on her face—but he was not above taking direction; he wanted this to be special for her.

“Yes.” He might already be struggling not to climb atop her, but he felt proud that he had pleased her, that she wanted more. He could contain himself to give her that. When he finally took her, the release would be all that much sweeter.

“Good,” she whispered.

He shifted back over her mound of curls, expecting her to want more attention from his mouth.

But she patted the pillow next to her. “Come lie down.” That mischievous smile returned to her face. “On your back.”

Ah, now what did she have in mind? He remembered the way she had straddled him in that maintenance tunnel, how quickly he had grown aroused at having her legs spread across his lap, her core pressing against his cock. He would have gladly joined with her there, station alarms and tight quarters be damned.

He kissed her curls and gave her a few lazy parting licks before he moved to follow her instructions. He surprised a gasp out of her and smiled, knowing he could bring her to readiness again soon, if she wished that.

“Hurry up, soldier,” Ankari said, though she was still smiling. As he shifted himself up next to her on the bed, she placed a hand against his chest, pushing him back. “I see you’re slow to obey orders.”

“I thought they were instructions,” he said, sliding a hand up her arm but not moving her palm from his chest. Even that chaste touch was enough to send a fresh surge of blood pulsing into his shaft. He hoped that whatever play she had in mind would not take too long. She sat up, her naked body on display for him, and it took an extreme effort not to push her back to the bed and roll on top of her.

“Nah, they’re orders.” Her eyes gleamed, and she bent her head to kiss his chest.

He touched her hair, holding it back from her face, so he could watch her lips touching him, her tongue flicking out to swipe across his hard nipple.

“Hands behind your head, soldier,” she said, giving him another kiss, and then leaning back, her lips full and moist as she grinned down at him. Enjoying giving orders, was she? It would be a shame not to be able to touch her. He reached out, cupping a full breast before giving in and clasping his hands behind his head.

“
So
slow to obey.” She clucked her tongue. “However did you make it through your Fleet training?”

He might have had some witty response, but she slipped her leg over him, her knees resting on either side of his hips, and she grasped his rigid penis. It responded as if it had a mind of its own, pressing against her hand, eager for the attention he had been denying it. She rose up on her knees, rubbing him against her lips, and he groaned, his eyes locked on her. Her moisture dampened his shaft, and he wanted to thrust upward, to bury himself inside of her. He almost reached out to grab her hips, to center her on him, but he remembered her order and instead clenched his hands in the pillow behind his head and watched her. Oh, how he adored the sight of her lithe body, and it was on display beautifully for him now. He arched his hips, wanting to find her tight depths.

“I love the feel of you, Viktor,” Ankari breathed, her eyes closed.

Her breasts swayed as she shifted her weight, stroking his stomach with one hand and holding him against her with the other. Her hair dangled free about her face, framing those beautiful mounds, and he couldn’t help himself. He reached out, capturing one with his hand, rubbing his thumb across her nipple.

She moaned, her lips parting as she leaned into his grasp, and he did not think she would object to his touch, but she seemed to remember her order then. Her eyes opened, and her eyebrows rose. “Where are your hands, Viktor?”

“About three seconds from grabbing your hips,” he said. It came out as a growl. His cock ached to sink into her, and he didn’t think he could handle the teasing any more.

“Good thing you’re the captain,” she said as she rose up higher on her knees. “You make a horrible subordinate.”

She spread her thighs farther, preparing to come down upon him, and his cock strained toward her.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, both hands stroking her breasts now. He flexed his abdomen and rose high enough to capture one nipple between his lips, and her gasp delighted his ears.

“Don’t stop.”

Ankari planted her hand on his chest and came down on him. She slid onto his engorged cock, taking every inch of him, clenching him within her tight walls as she descended. Shudders of pleasure ricocheted through his body. He groaned, or maybe it was another growl. His mind stopped working as she rose and dipped, the friction delicious as she gyrated atop him. Exquisite pulses of sensation came with each stroke, and with her head flung back, her lips parted, she seemed to be enjoying herself, too, but he wanted to make sure. He lowered one hand to her hip and with the other slid his thumb between her lips, finding her swollen clitoris.