Tarrel cupped her breasts, passing his thumbs over the tightly drawn nipples. A cry left her, and she arched instinctively. Closing her eyes, there was nothing but what he did to her and the pinpoint focus of stimulation.

Hot, wet sucking closed over one tip. Neela sobbed as the ache pulled in time with his lips until her clit stung. Unable to stop herself, she thrust against his cock.

Tarrel came off her breast, exactly the opposite of what she wanted. “Slow down, sweetheart. We have days to get this right.”

She grabbed his head, hoping the desperation in her eyes was adequately conveyed. “Now. You must fuck me now.”

“I’d love to. Except I have a goal in mind, and fucking comes later.”

“But I need,” she sobbed, searching for the right word and deciding need was the best she had.

“Let it build. Makes the arrival so much sweeter.”

“I don’t want to,” she insisted.

“I’m driving this train, beautiful.” He dipped, taking the other crinkled peak deep and hard.

Neela shook with pleasure. Still clasping his head, she now held it to her breast, the sting between her legs and the intense pleasure of him suckling her equal parts necessary and torturous.

He inched his hand downward between their bodies as he tried to move to the side. Reluctantly, she released her leg hold on him.

Tarrel stroked her pubis back and forth with the tips of his fingers as he continued pay blessed attention to her breasts. She felt the graze of his teeth on her nipple.

“Harder,” she said, hearing the pleading in her voice and not caring.

He nipped her harder, capturing the peak between his teeth and lashing it with his tongue. Neela squirmed in earnest. Her fingers dug into his scalp.

One of Tarrel’s thick fingers speared her cunt, sliding easily through the moisture. He groaned. Neela hooked one leg off the bed, opening her body wider to him, urging him to do whatever he wanted as long as he did it immediately.

He didn’t disappoint. He touched her, running up the channel between her inner and outer labia, so like most humanoid species, and down the ridge of her inner lips. He took her other breast between his lips treating it to the same nipping sucks as he began a slow counterclockwise circle around her clit. He switched directions. She mewled as a new set of sensations overtook her.

“Touch me. Please, touch me.”

He flicked a finger over her clit. Neela screamed as every one of her nerves stretched to the outer limits of her ability to manage. She needed to come. God, just let her come! Tarrel held her on the edge, rubbing and smoothing, then flicking her bud once until she was just there. Just at the precipice, only to retreat.

She burned. She ached. Every muscle in her body was tensed for release but he hadn’t given it to her yet. She might have to throw him off and finish herself. Except that would mean a break in the unbearable pleasure he gave her and the possibility that she’d miss the culmination of all he’d fostered. Neela strained for it, willing her body to succumb without his permission but it seemed too far under his mastery to listen to her any longer.

Her spine blazed like hot coals, heating her sexual nerve endings as if they were in a closed kettle waiting to blow its lid. Just a little more fire and she’d-

Tarrel thumbed her clit around and around. She lost all track of thought, riveted to the joy of that one digit finally, finally dedicated to bringing her off.

So close, God she was so close. Blindly racing for her climax, she lifted her hips. Tarrel switched directions just as she found his pattern. She wailed, tossing her head side to side. Suddenly, he jammed his fingers deep inside her cunt knuckling over a swollen lump at the top of her channel. Her body shook as a scream ripped from her, matching the intensity of her orgasm.

It went on and on, shaking her to the core and just when she thought she was done, he’d press in again and another shot through her until she was hoarse. Tarrel lifted her hips. She looked down at him, still gasping and watched the erotic slide of his veined cock disappear into her clutching cunt.

He pushed in, through the quaking of her body, and fucked her hard, grunting with the effort of his thrusting hips. The slick member pulling from her and shoving in again made her tummy flip. Tarrel flattened a hand on her pelvis. Neela nearly blacked out with pleasure as her body seemed unable to stop undulating with responsive orgasms.

Finally, he shouted, his cum spurting hard and high inside her. He pumped a few more times until he’d completely emptied, and she’d come down off yet another high.

His expression turned to one of concern. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t even know. She needed him close, that’s all. He lowered himself to her. Neela hugged him tightly to her chest as tears spilled into her hairline.

“Shh, honey. It’s okay.” He kissed her eyes, her lips, her cheeks. “Whatever it is, I’ll fix it.”

She shook her head.

“Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?” His gaze flew over her face.

“No,” she managed to choke out. “I’m not hurt. I’m just-”

“Crying?” he finished for her.

She nodded.

“So they aren’t bad tears?”

She shook her head no.

“Then they’re good ones,” he extrapolated.

She nodded, unable to put words to her thoughts as the tears continued to fall.

He smiled softly. “I did good then.”

She laughed, partly from embarrassment she wasn’t used to feeling, and partly out of relief that he’d broken the tension with his nod to sex.

“I’m glad,” he said more seriously. “There’s one thing I know without a doubt. You’re the kind of woman who needs to be thoroughly loved on a regular basis.”

The words made her uncomfortable. “This isn’t love. It’s not.”

“What just happened is called making love. That, lieutenant, wasn’t just sex.”

She felt her brow pull together. “Of course it was.”

He sighed. “Maybe for you, it was just sex. For me, I was giving you everything I had.” He flashed another bright Tarrel-smile as he climbed off her and sat at the edge of the mattress. “Then again, there’s a lot more I’d like to show you.”

He stood and walked to the bathing room. She liked the way his ass flexed with each step, and seeing the familiar easy stride without the obstruction of clothing.

“Care to join me?” he called.

Her breath caught. She did want to join him. Very badly. Her pussy throbbed pleasantly and her thighs still felt trembly, but she wanted to have sex with him again as soon as possible.

Her smile faded abruptly. This was the inhibitor making her think these things. When she was herself again, she’d be able to resist the temptation. If she wanted to. The thought that he’d made love to her, while she’d expected sex, made her nervous.

Did he love her? Was he expecting her to love him back? A pit opened in her chest. She couldn’t let that happen. She didn’t want to love like a human. History was littered with the volatility of the human race and what emotions did to them. War, divorce, battery, drunkenness, suicide. Those were the legacy left by humans. She wanted no part of it.

She glanced toward the bathing room again. While she definitely wanted Tarrel, however she could get him, what he offered her was at a price she couldn’t-wouldn’t-afford.

“You go ahead. I’ll clean up after you.”

He poked his head out, a funny expression on his face. After a minute he retreated. “Suit yourself, sexy. But don’t think this thing between us is over.”

“It’s over,” she whispered to herself. “It has to be.”

Chapter Three

Neela spent the next two days staying as far away from Tarrel as she could, in the small skiff. She told him that she didn’t feel right about going to King Thrax fresh from Tarrel’s bed and though he didn’t look like he believed her, he respected her decision. The only reason she got away with the misdirection was because there was some partial truth to it. She did feel trampy going from one man’s bed to another.

Neela left the sleeping compartment and scooted around to sit in the co-pilot’s chair as they made their final approach. Tarrel only gave her a cursory glance that echoed the same tension that had filled the air for the past forty-eight hours or so.

He flashed her a tight smile. “Don’t worry. You’ll get away from me soon enough.”

The inhibitor kept her from outright lying so she couldn’t give him reassuring phrases like, “I’m not trying to stay away from you, really.” So she kept her silence.

He seemed to appreciate the illusion because he never directly asked her how she was feeling after they’d had sex powerful enough to make her cry for the beauty of it. It still shook her.

She sighed, trying to relax as they cruised just outside Prill’s gravitational pull.

A collection of ruddy-pink patches of Prill’s open plains and the yellow tufts of Surrilla trees were easily distinguishable at this distance. Mild climates, concentration of different gasses and its position as fifth planet in the system gave vegetation a dreamy hue. One day she hoped to have a vacation home by one of the Decoran lakes.

“I’m going to ask that you be allowed to stand guard during negotiations,” she said calmly.

She could feel his curious gaze on her profile. “You want me to watch?”

“I want you to make sure he doesn’t hurt me in my current state.” Her cheeks flushed hot. She knew it wasn’t a fair request, but her nerves were shot. She’d never been anything but absolutely confident with herself. It had only recently become apparent that part of that was due to her natural emotional restraint.

“If you need me, I’m there,” he answered flatly.