Chapter 12
Panicked at how close the blasts got to Sasha renewed Jaron’s determination to get them to safety. Sweat dripped down his face as they dodged about overgrown trees, his body blowing hot and not used to the sudden burst of activity after being confined.
In the distance, he spotted a shallow entrance to a darkened area. A cave possibly since he wasn’t familiar with their location. He spurred Sasha onward, hoping all the while they didn’t disturb a creature indigenous to this world in the middle of a hibernating cycle.
Jaron glanced behind them. The one level building blazed with flames, loud explosions rocketing around them. Fire filled the air with ashes and the tainted odor of burned chemicals. Below the hillside two factions went against one another. Dr. Kirkem’s guards and an unknown force.
If he was alone, Jaron would have risked confirming the identity of the new arrivals. He turned toward the large white cat at his side. But not with Sasha. Her sides bellowed, mouth parted as she panted. The spikes on her stubby tail quivered as she ran.
She was as fluid in motion as he expected, her body bunching and moving easily over the rock crusted terrain while his bare feet absorbed every cut and scrape.
Seeing her in action continued to amaze him. He’d watched his teammate Arak fight in his Argoran form and the soldier was deadly and precise. Sasha showed the same precision with an added edge of viciousness Jaron hoped to never face.
He led them to the rough entrance carved into the side of a mound. He ducked low to fit, Sasha’s fur brushing his bare legs as she joined him. The space allowed for very little room. Enough to stretch out full length if they chose without anyone outside the wiser. Once inside, she shifted, arms and legs collapsing. Her chest rose and fell, every breath a gasp. Her green eyes sparked and she barely looked around at their dirt filled surroundings.
He knelt next to her and ran a hand through her sweat soaked hair. His own breathing wasn’t quite steady. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” She nodded, then shook her head in denial. “No.”
Pure adrenalin. Smiling, Jaron placed a brief kiss on her temple. “Good job back there.”
“Your Jutaks are here? Why are we hiding?”
Great question. Except Jaron was no longer sure if the battle taking place beyond them at Dr. Kirkem’s facility was due to his friends. They wouldn’t have risked hurting innocent victims held inside with the volume of force being used. Until he knew for certain, he planned to keep Sasha hidden as long as possible.
Making room though a tight fit, he twisted to sit next to her. “If its my Unit, they’ll give a signal. For now, we wait. Let the fight take place around us.”
It was their best bet. Sasha curled into his side, her body a warm weight against him. The cave warmed as they both blew off heat in steamy waves. “Alright. I need to rest.”
Concerned, Jaron smoothed a hand over her shoulder. He checked for any injuries but didn’t see anything. What if one of the weapons had struck her and he’d missed it? His heart stuttered. “Are you hurt, Sasha?”
“No. Drained. Haven’t shifted in a while and my cat didn’t want to let go. She’s a bit blood thirsty.”
The explanation relaxed him. “Rest. I’ll keep watch and wake you if we need to move.”
Lack of sleep was nothing new to him. He knew the moment she dropped off. Not because her body went slack. It was the sound he’d grown accustomed to listening for at night. Familiar purrs filled the silence of the cave. It soothed in a way Jaron least expected.
Before long, their positions changed. No bars meant he could hold her the way he’d imagined doing so many times. Jaron stretched out on his side and after some slight tugs had Sasha sheltered between his legs, facing the outside. He wrapped his arms around her middle and curved about her back. In this position, he could see anything or anyone approaching.
Lack of clothing provided its own challenge as Sasha pushed back into him, her ass aligned perfectly with his cock. Propping his arm beneath his head, he listened to the sounds of laser fire, and screams, all the while holding onto a woman who could prove to be his downfall.
More concerning was Ari, Minu and Luna disappearing. The three hadn’t slowed down at all as they took off. Jaron hoped they escaped during the confusion. He wished they’d all stayed together, but now he worried Dr. Kirkem might well have recaptured them.
If the Marenians really were working with him, his resources would be exponential. Anger simmered below the surface. Nothing he could do about it now.
Jaron stroked a hand through Sasha’s short curls and rubbed his chin along the top of her head. “Not sure what I’m going to do about you.”
Because Jaron knew the Argoran was digging her way into a part of his heart. There was no room in his life, no time for a Chosen. Yet he held her clasped tightly prepared to fight if anyone tried to take her from his arms.
Thankfully she appeared to be deeply asleep and missed his confession. Setting an internal alarm, Jaron allowed himself to doze. His lids drifted, his last thought on how much trouble Sasha would bring into his life.
***
“Jaron?”
Jaron’s eyes blinked open in the dark. Sasha had somehow managed to twist about in his arms without waking him and now lay facing his chest. He stiffened, alert for any danger or invaders in the tiny cocoon they’d created.
“What’s wrong?”
She tugged his face down, their foreheads bumping. “Nothing.”
He cradled her close. “Did something wake you?”
“Yes.” She undulated her lower hips in a suggestive manner drawing his notice to the arousal pulsing between them. Corresponding desire snapped to life.
“This isn’t a good idea.” Not in any way, least of all the current situation they found themselves in.
She pouted. His eyes dropped to her mouth. Lips made for sin.
“Jaron.” One look. One glance. His body tensed as a rush of nerves came alive. She must have felt a similar punch. “Don’t say no.”
He tried one more time. Had to make her understand. “We can’t, Sasha.”
Her hands slipped through his hair, setting his scalp to tingling with every gentle caress of her fingers. Her mouth touched the corner of his. Petal soft. Jaron flinched and closed his eyes. Another brush of her lips. This time her aim hit dead center. He groaned.
She lifted her right thigh over his hip. The move plunged his aching cock between her legs and in direct contact with her wet center. Another groan ripped from his throat, but Sasha continued to tease his mouth with light kisses, flicks of her tongue and her fingertips stroking his hair.
“Stop.” Keep going. He wanted to beg for more. Stars, he wanted more!
Sasha hummed under her breath, the vibration rocking him to his soul. Jaron clenched his hands to keep from reaching for her. Her lower half bumped his again, igniting a blazing fire in him from the outside in.
His heart pounded for totally different reasons now. Thoughts of enemies nearby faded, worry for the other prisoners vanished and concern for when his Unit would find him waned. All because of the woman in his arms doing her best to destroy him.
“Like this right,” she whispered against his mouth.
Dazed from the potency of the moment, Jaron frowned. “What?”
“This is how you like to be kissed by a woman. Soft. Her hands gripping your hair.” She demonstrated by tightening her fingers. “Tongue wet and slick. Teasing.”
She recited word for word what he’d said from their talk earlier.
Fuckity fuck.
His cock throbbed and his hips thrust against her.
“Yeah, that’s what I like,” Jaron breathed.
Her lips quirked. “And then you take over, right? Make it deeper?”
She undid him. Good intentions vanished and Jaron was lost. He snatched her close and rolled her beneath him. His hips settled between her splayed thighs, her knees hugging the outside of his.
“I make it deeper,” he agreed and pushed up to his forearms to gaze down at her. He didn’t know where to start. Skin like dark honey and eyes to make a man beg.
He wanted all of it.
“Kiss me, Jaron. Show me everything you said in that horrible place.”
And take away the dark memories. The last unsaid. Jaron grazed his mouth along her collarbone, his hand going to her hair. He yanked her head back and nipped at her throat.
“Yes!” Sasha cried out in pleasure, heels pressing into the back of his upper legs, body arched in offering.
Inhaling deeply, he filtered the scent and taste of Sasha. Warm skin, a slight hint of sweat and the beginning musky scent of desire. Reversing the path he’d intended to take, Jaron kissed his way up. Flutters beat against his tongue when he licked her erratic pulse at the side of her neck. The hands in his hair drifted to his shoulders. Sharp pricks from her claws warned of her predatory nature.
Jaron continued, moving his mouth back and forth along the line of her jaw. Her breath sighed against his face, tiny puffs of air he almost missed they were so light and gentle. Like the woman in his arms. Oh, she was tough on the outside. As strong as some of his teammates he was willing to bet.
Yet, deep within, Sasha contained a wary fear of being hurt. Somehow Jaron knew he had to have a care. He trailed his open mouth toward her ear and paused. “I wanted you the moment I opened my eyes and saw you in the cage next to me.”
Fierce. Proud. Beautiful.
She jerked, then moaned and lifted her leg higher to clasp about his waist. “You have me now.”
He shouldn’t. “This is wrong. So wrong for the both of us. But I can’t resist how much I want you.”
Sasha’s smile slowly grew. “Why resist? We need the physical release. Both of us know that’s all it is.”
His mind rebelled against the truth of what she said. It implied they were fine with using one another as a stress reliever. This was more than that. To alleviate his rising guilt, Jaron rained kisses on the side of her face, her neck and buried his nose in her hair. Musk and all Sasha.
“Then we’ll make the most of this moment.” He placed one final kiss on the top of her shoulder then leaned back.
Sasha licked her lips and nodded. “I agree. This moment only.”
“Give me your mouth,” he demanded. “I want to kiss you until you don’t know where I end and you begin. I want to be all over you. And most importantly in you.”
Not waiting for her to comply, Jaron tipped her face up and slammed his mouth to hers. He took, he ravaged, he tasted.
***
Hope and fear kept Sasha on the razor sharp side of collapse. This would be enough. She wouldn’t ask for the wild sex her Argoran nature craved.
Sasha should have known better. Once more Jaron seemed to read her mind. The force of his loving, the devastating pressure as he drove his hands into her hair, pushing her all the way back onto the rough ground met her needs better than she ever hoped.
“How is this?” Jaron jerked on the ends of her hair, creating a sting that rolled down her spine and a gush of wetness down her thighs.
Sasha purred as she melted beneath his greedy onslaught. Need consumed. A continuous rumble rolled from her chest in sync with the pleasure blurring her vision. His kiss gave no quarter and allowed no mercy. She burned and writhed beneath him, wanting Jaron like she’d wanted no other. For this brief time, she wanted to languish in the sensations and give in to a desire that could lead no where. They’d have tonight and she would look back on the memory fondly.
Her heart twinged in sadness. Jaron’s mouth eased back on one last lick. His brilliant blue eyes shone with the dark heat of his desire. A warrior and intense soldier all in one. The hard lines of his face melded together to create a savage demeanor. Beneath the layers of his playful persona, a gentle man existed who gave her something she thought she’d lost long ago.
Hope.
All those days, weeks alone together. Sasha wished…she shook her head in refusal. There was no need to deal in wishes. She’d long ago outgrown the need for being tempted by things she couldn’t have and this Jutak warrior was far beyond her reach.
But her subconscious planted the seed and it took everything in Sasha not to let it bear fruit.
“What is it?” Jaron stopped his sensual attack and studied her face intently.
She shook her head again and forced her lips to curve up. If she opened the crack in her heart wider, he’d sneak all the way in. Only pain lay in that direction. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”
They stared into one another’s eyes and she knew he read the lie in hers. The blue deepened and his lips flattened, but his hand entwined in the wild curls of her hair softened. “You sure?”
“Positive.” She held her breath, worried he’d push the matter and ruin the moment. Then as if realizing the futility in pursuing the truth, he let it go. The ease with which he did it blew Sasha’s mind.
An alpha man who was willing to look the other way when he knew there was more. Demands would have triggered her stubborn nature anyway. Of course, he probably didn’t want to travel that path either. Neither of them needed to discuss all the reasons why pursuing this accidental pairing was wrong. Reasons of right and wrong didn’t matter when desire blinded to all else.
Without breaking eye contact, Jaron slid lower, hands gliding from her hair, down her throat, thumbs pausing to massage. Sasha sank into the dreamy state he created. Petting made her drowsy and Jaron did it in a way guaranteed to cause a reaction. She adjusted for the luxury. Then he moved away and settled his hands on her shoulders. She mewled in protest.
“I’m here.” Jaron’s mouth hovered over the budded peak of her nipple.
Expectation drove the moment. The pause, the hesitation before he made contact kept the breath lodged in her throat. Firm lips nudged. The warm clasp of his mouth followed by wet pressure from his tongue. Sasha bit down on her inner cheek to hold in her cry. He sucked hard and the blood rushed to the sensitive tip.
“Jaron!” She raked her fingers down his back, remembering at the last second to retract her claws.
He shivered above her, but his mouth never broke its enthusiastic suction. Every nerve ending sparked to life and sensations rolled down to her core. Sasha’s head tossed on the ground, moan after moan breaking through.
Next, he moved to the other breast and gave it the same treatment. Moisture gathered at her loins and she clenched her legs around him, mindless to anything but the ecstasy as she searched for relief.
“So responsive. I bet you’d go off like this. Me sucking the dark berry of your nipples.” He tongued the wet buds, first the left then the right and back again.
It was sheer torture. Release whispered along her senses. Whimpers broke through as she arched into his touch. “Yes. Don’t stop.”
Jaron worked her breasts, alternating rough nips with barely there licks. Each time she climbed up, he eased the pressure backing her slowly away from the cliff. Frustration mounted, growls slipping past her gritted teeth as he worked her over like a master.
Sasha’s hips pumped, rubbing against the hard length of him. Using her hands as implements of torture in return, she trailed her fingers down to his firm buttocks and squeezed. He gasped and moved further out of reach, breaking the hold her legs had on him. Kisses landed on her torso, licks caressed her navel and didn’t end until he reached the cleft of her thighs.
The only warning Sasha received came in the form of light puffs of air right before he nuzzled her mound. Realization of what he intended ruined the slow build he’d created and changed the rising crest to a thunderous outburst of heat. Her legs shifted restlessly and her eyes closed.
He’d guessed right. She was close to coming from the attention he lavished on her breasts. She danced on the edge of climax, the slightest touch would tip her over.
“Please. Please.” It was all she could get out.
The damp heat of his mouth teased her swollen clit and then Jaron once more shocked Sasha by taking the delicate flesh between his teeth and biting. Shock, pain and pleasure clashed together in a beautiful symphony of sensation and her orgasm blasted from her center spreading like a molten river of fire from her core to every inch of her body. No part was left untouched from the impact.
She screamed and his hand slapped up to cover her mouth while he continued to voraciously lap up her cream. Sasha shook, trembled and bit the palm of his hand as she rode out her release against his lips and teeth still playing her.
At last he pulled up with a sharp gasp. Their gazes met, though she could barely keep her lids open. “If I only have now, I’m going to make it count.”
Purrs erupted from her chest. She pushed at his shoulders. “Let me return the favor.”
His smile imprinted on her inner thigh as he kissed her there and scooted up. He teased the tip of his shaft around her entrance. A blunt finger tapped her teeth. “Not with these fangs, kitten.”
Offended, Sasha hit his very hard, very sexy bare chest. “I have never—”
This time Jaron tapped her lips reprovingly. “I’d rather not here about another man while my cock is bathed in the wet of your release.”
Heat burned her cheeks as he thrust against her, emphasizing his point. “I only meant—”
“No.” He smacked her upper thigh, startling her.
Sasha growled and flipped him to his back. Jaron grunted in surprise and soon they tussled for the dominant top position. The longer they grappled, the more serious Sasha grew about winning. Her growls deepened as she tried to use her legs to her advantage. Jaron tossed her to the side before she could lock them about his waist.
She yelped, but lunged back toward him. The dark in the cave didn’t impede her at all with the aid of her cat’s night vision. Jaron’s corresponding laughter however pissed her off. On her next approach, she made sure to accidently elbow him in the forehead as she unsuccessfully attempted to throw him as he’d done her.
In a pure stroke of luck, Sasha nailed him in the eye with a fist causing him to fall back. She jumped on him and straddled his waist, knees gripping tight. Jaron grabbed her arms and shoved, but Sasha pinned him in place with a forearm to his throat and taunted, “I can hold you here all night, Jutak.”
“Really?” He leaned up and nipped the curve of her swaying breast. With teeth.
He’d discovered her weakness. The sizzle of pain brought back the memory of exactly what else he’d done with his teeth. As a distraction, it worked and Sasha found herself back on the bottom, her wrists held to the dirty ground by a determined soldier whose training kept her from reversing their position again no matter how hard she thrashed about. Sasha gave in with a huff and snarl, allowing her body to go slack.
“That was sexy.” He said the words against her cheek.
Humor broke through and Sasha chuckled, relaxing further. “The fighting?”
He grazed a finger down her cheek, letting her wrists go. “And the growling. For a minute, I actually got worried. Thought you might take a bite out of something important.”
She highly doubted he suffered a minute of worry. Sasha massaged the lower slope of his back, enjoying the sheer joy of touch and Jaron’s cock nestled between her legs. The fight aroused as much as it soothed and invigorated. “Note for the future, I’ll only ever bite you for fun.”
As soon as she said the words, Sasha caught her breath. They didn’t have a future. He was the first person she trusted completely in her adult life. The weight of it stunned. Not since her parents had Sasha given anyone the ability to get beneath her protective layer. Even Orland had grumbled about the distance she’d maintained during their relationship.
“Good to know.” He rocked back and forth, easing his cock along her slick folds.
She leaned her head back as he teased, each stroke hitting the swollen knot and driving her higher. Much more of this and she’d come again. “I want to feel you inside this time.”
“You’re going to feel me.”
Her lips quirked. Always with the ready humor. Sasha rubbed her hands over his broad shoulders, enjoying the bunch of muscles and hot skin. Jaron’s breathing picked up and her grin widened. He wasn’t as stoic as he tried to be. She hiked her legs upward and clasped his pumping hips. If she tilted her lower half just right, the tip of his rounded head danced along her entrance. The resounding groan near her ear tickled her heart.
“I don’t trust easily not even my former lovers, but I trust you.” He stiffened. “Give me something you’ve never given another lover.”
Sasha wasn’t even sure why she’d issued the demand and regretted the impetuous words immediately. Actually, she did understand. She wanted something to remember during her lonely times sure to come. The quiet grew loud beating out the slap of their skin together as they rocked without full penetration.
Jaron’s lips brushed her temple, the whisper so low she almost missed it. “Jaronoto. My full name is Jaronoto.”
His admission caused a cascade of emotions to ripple through her, skin pebbling in response. Sasha savored the unfamiliar feelings. Falling for this soldier was going to be her biggest mistake no doubt about it and she was helpless to prevent it. She bit her bottom lip, hoping the jolt of pain would keep her from revealing more than she wanted.
“It’s tradition on Enotia for the descendants of the first families to give their children the name of their ancestors. I carry the name of one of my great-papans,” he continued.
Faster, faster. Sasha built a wall around the cracks in her heart. She had to be quick, damn him for the effortless kindness he showed. If the conversation got any more sappy, she’d do something completely embarrassing like cry. Another thing she hadn’t done in years.
Wrapping her arms about his neck, Sasha tugged Jaron down for her own kiss. Mouths, tongues and every bit of need she couldn’t hide. When done, she murmured against his lips. “Thank you for that.”
“My pleasure. As is this.” He flipped her over to her hands and knees.
“Jaron,” she cried out.
He entered her in one smooth stroke, rough and deep then rested in place. “Easy.”
His chest aligned with her back, the large hands she’d admired held her at the waist for the deep penetration. Every panting breath stirred the hair at her nape. He pulled back then rocked forward hard enough that she scooted forward on the ground, her head bobbing.
“Jaron.” His name was all she could cling to.
“Sasha, kitten.” His mouth teased along the back of her neck, teeth grazing her shoulders.
She lowered her head, face almost touching the ground and let the sensations rip through her. Part agony and part pleasure but all ecstasy. Her nerves thrummed with life, reawakened. And demanding. She needed more.
Hips smacked into hers and her butt wobbled. Jaron groaned, his hand going right there to squeeze. Now it was Sasha’s turn to voice her pleasure in a long drawn out moan.
“Give it to me, Jaron. Give it to me.” Was that her begging? Sasha never begged and if he didn’t start to move again, she was tempted to claw him.
“Anything you want.”
He said the words lightly, but everywhere Jaron touched her verged on torture. His fingers wisped over her aching nipples to brush down her torso. She widened her legs, chanting his name at the same time. When two fingers parted her slick folds, her eyes closed. Delicate strokes was what she expected.
Why did she assume to know him? There was nothing delicate about the fingers he shoved inside. Forceful and exactly what she craved. Her back arched on a growl as he pumped them in and out, along side his thrusting cock.
Her blood boiled. “Jaron. Good. Oh, you feel so good.”
Their passion lost its rhythm, the fine-tuned sync they’d achieved became mindless. Pumping, thrusting the act mirrored their earlier wrestling session except with a deeper tone. Each time Sasha tried to pull away and regain her breath, Jaron slapped her ass and rocked harder.
“Still. Like this.”
She snarled and clawed at the ground. He’d broken her down to her basic nature and Sasha loved every bit of it. Together they rode the rise and swell until he erupted, filling her inside with the hot splash of his essence. Sasha came behind him on a long drawn out whine. Jaron kept moving and each slick pass sent another shudder through her frame.
She collapsed on to her elbows, his arm tightening about her waist to carefully lower and roll her to the side. Before they settled, she ran her nose along the side of his face. Only one thought stood out.
She was in trouble.