Chapter 6
2 Weeks later
Another night here. Another night of captivity. Jaron glanced to the right in the waning light filtering through the window near the ceiling. Another night of Sasha moving closer to the bars while she slept. Light snuffles from her pursed mouth had his lips quirking. Cute and distracting even in sleep.
When awake, she disarmed and deflected with her mix of tough no nonsense exterior countered by short bursts of inner vulnerability. She tried hard to hide the soft parts going so far as to snap or respond to his conversation with cutting remarks which hid her true feelings, but her eyes gave her away every time. The green stare would always tell the truth of what she felt.
Their small group continued to be subjected to experiments. Sasha only once more, the others at least twice. All except Jaron, though he tried to mentally prepare for when his time came.
“How long do you think we’ve been here?”
Sasha’s question broke the silence. Jaron shifted and rolled onto his side to face her. Apparently, something had awakened her. Slight creases marred her smooth cheeks from the way she’d slept and her green eyes held a shimmer of drowsiness. Usually Sasha dropped off with seemingly little effort only to rise in the morning with an alertness Jaron could only admire.
Mornings weren’t his best and he took a while to get himself together. Not that anyone knew his deep guarded secret. If his team mates figured it out, they’d use it to get back at him for all the jokes he played on them.
“Not sure.” He’d lost track of time, though he guessed at least a week or more had passed since his capture.
“Hmm.” She folded her arms beneath her head and stared at the ceiling.
Snores from their cell mates assured they shared a rare moment of privacy. This wasn’t the first time they talked in hushed whispers in the dark. Jaron waited for her next question because Sasha always had questions. It was as if she thirsted for conversation, leading him to wonder what her life as a Bounty Retriever was like.
He’d never met one, though he understood they tended to operate on the opposite side of the law depending on the client. Rumors claimed them to be a rough bunch with a thin code of honor. After meeting Sasha, he tried to view his perception with the reality of her. Was she capable of getting the jump on runaway criminals?
Yes. Jaron could well imagine her in full sprint chasing a bounty. Muscles flexing, long legs stretching out. Or responding to theft claims, the angles of her face sharp with concentration as she retrieved stolen artifacts.
It was a loner profession. No team or partner needed. Maybe that was why she talked. Argorans were social by their very nature. He relaxed back against the floor and listened as she rambled, throwing out question after question.
Tonight’s topics ranged from reasons why he became a Jutak, his toughest mission ever and to his amusement his favorite food. He answered each until she threw him off with the last. What she asked left Jaron stunned for words. “What?”
Her chuckle whispered along his nerve endings adding to the sudden spurt of desire pouring through his every fiber. “You heard me, Jutak.”
Despite the teasing they’d developed, Sasha only used his title if no one else could hear. More proof his trust wasn’t misplaced.
She eased up to her elbow and propped her chin on her palm. Desire stirred. Rounded breasts, plump and full drew his gaze, the dark nipples crinkled in texture. Perfect weight for his palms. Tempted further, he allowed himself to fully enjoy her exposed form. Something he’d been too respectful to fully take advantage of before. Tight quads, delicate knees and firm calves he’d witnessed during her attack.
“How do you like a woman to kiss you? Are you one of those soldiers who likes it hard and bruising where a girl’s lips are numb after? Or do you skip kissing in general?”
Words failed him. Only Sasha could blindside him like this. He shouldn’t be surprised since she never did the expected. And yet he floundered for how to answer. The wicked glint assured she well knew what she did to him. Two could play.
Jaron rolled to his back, propped his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling to block the image of her smirking expression. The throbbing erection he sported rose against his abdomen. Nothing he could do about it unless he wanted to take himself in hand.
“Well? Is it a top Enotian secret?” Humor and her snickers encouraged him to join her in this subtle dance they played.
Mild flirtation, sexy taunts and dares neither of them planned to follow through with. It was a byproduct of their situation and he had to remind himself of that whenever temptation reared its head.
Jaron cleared his throat. “Every woman kisses different.”
“Not an answer.” Her snort shot another jolt to his loins.
He tilted his head toward her, catching the mischievous smile and the dare in her green eyes. Behind the bravado he also caught the quiver of her nostrils, the rapid beating pulse at the base of her throat. Though she’d twisted to her side, giving him her attention, Jaron knew her nipples would be rigid peaks. He directed his gaze back to the bland ceiling with its uneven gray walls.
“As I said. Every woman kisses different. Being the tough soldier I am, I tend to initiate the kisses.” Her feigned choking sounds made Jaron’s mouth curve up. “But I don’t have a problem with a woman kissing me.”
In fact, he loved it. There was something about a woman confident enough to lean toward a man, reach up for him and pull his mouth down to her for a passionate kiss. Lust spiraled through him and his cock lengthened, the head twitching.
“Your thoughts are showing,” Sasha quipped.
Jaron’s laugh burst out. “Crazy cat.”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” she pointed out.
Her persistence created its own blend of arousal. Instead of asking why it mattered, he continued. “Certain situations call for certain kisses. I prefer soft. The brush of a woman’s mouth against mine, her tongue wet and slick.”
His hips pumped up against his will, thrusting into the air. He reached down, stroking himself from tip to base and her gasp filled the night. “I like to feel her hands in my hair while she holds my head as if she doesn’t want me to pull back. Tentative and aggressive at the same time, do you know what I mean?”
Aching all over, Jaron didn’t wait for Sasha to answer, too lost in describing the perfect moment while rubbing his shaft. “But only in the beginning. Then I like to take over. Grip her hair tight and yank her head back, causing her sharp gasp so I can make the kiss as deep as I want it to be. Rock her hips into mine while I taste her over and over.”
Air thick with the seductive atmosphere he’d created, Jaron waited, hand poised in a punishing grip on his erection. When no joke came after his recitation, he glanced over at Sasha. Eyes glazed and mouth open, she stared. She’d changed positions and lay on her front, head tilted his way.
“Nothing to say?” He arched a brow.
“I’m going back to sleep.” Abrupt and harsh.
Then putting action to words, she turned to her other side facing the opposite direction. Jaron didn’t mind since her new position offered him a prime view regardless. Curves, slim lines and all legs. If they didn’t have the bars of these cages separating them, he’d slide behind her, pushing his hips along those plump ass cheeks and bury himself between the toned thighs. Filling his hands with her rounded breasts would add leverage as he pulled her in close for each thrust.
Fuck! He jammed his fists to his eyes. Nothing could dispel the image permanently imprinted on his brain. No one to blame but himself. His body burned with need and Jaron groaned, uncaring who heard the raw sound.
***
Foolish, foolish, foolish. Starting the conversation with Jaron about kissing was the wrong thing to do. Decisive and to the point, his answer thrilled and aroused. Laying in the dark with her eyes closed, Sasha listened as he explained how he wanted a woman to kiss him. From his warm voice to the low tone he used, all of it shifted that last sliver of distance between them and turned her on as much as it turned him on. Scent didn’t lie.
She imagined herself in the role of the woman he kissed, easing his mouth open, taking her time as she slid her tongue between his lips and savored the wet heat of him.
Sasha wanted to groan, but Jaron kept giving details about how he’d take over and make the kiss deeper. Every word dripped from his mouth with seductive potency, leaving her loins aching. She opened her eyes able to watch as he handled his hardened length. Slow and firm. When he stopped, and spoke to her, she wanted to beg him to continue. Instead, using what will power she possessed, Sasha lied and claimed the need for sleep.
Having her back to him didn’t help. The heat of his stare burned into her skin. It took effort but gradually she grew drowsy. Until he began to speak again and Sasha knew there’d be no rest for her tonight.
“After I tasted her mouth, I’d satisfy my other craving by licking her all over. I’d start with the dip at her collarbone, the sensitive area where a mere whisper causes a woman to tremble. Taking my time, I’d work my way down to her nipples. The moment my mouth touched her there, do you know what I’d do?”
Sasha swallowed, wanting to whimper and bit her bottom lip. Don’t answer. Don’t answer. “What would you do?”
“I’d wait,” he continued in his husky voice, “until her breath caught. That fine sound that let’s a man know he has her full attention and she’s on the cusp of completely surrendering to the heat between them.”
Damn him. Sasha panted and shifted on the hard floor trying to find a position that didn’t increase her desire.
“That’s how I like to be kissed by a woman,” he finished.
Sasha muttered a nasty name for him under her breath. Not low enough since Jaron’s low chuckle assured he’d heard.
A grin tugged up the corner of her mouth.
“Goodnight, kitten.”