Tamed: A Prison Planet Romance (The Condemned Series Book 4) Page 21

  She pressed her hand to his chest, the heat of his skin searing her palm, the beat of his heart beneath her hand acting as an anchor.

  She did not know if she could become a part of his world as he hoped, but she would continue to try. For him. For what was growing between them.

  “C-come inside me. I want be even closer.” How had she ever feared this man? He’d only ever given her everything she wanted.

  She was drowning in the pleasure of his hands and the hard steel of his skin. The muscles beneath her palms were more molten that whalh metal.

  With every caress, with every undulation of their bodies together, she skirted closer and closer to the edge, drawn by the invisible ropes of a male she’d once considered her enemy, but who now felt like solace.

  Her chest pressed tight to his, she writhed against the hard staff pressing against her belly and center, wishing she could dive beneath his skin. Wanting to get so close nothing could ever part them, not even the future and all the complications that still lay in their path.

  She rubbed harder up against him.

  “Fuck, yes, wild thing.” He grabbed her hips, holding her still against him. Deliberately not putting himself inside her. “You decide when, beautiful.”

  She did not hesitate. “Now.”

  She was more than ready to lose herself in the white-hot tension winding tighter in her belly. To let him fill her so deep the loneliness subsided and she felt complete.

  She arched toward his touch, guiding his cock to her center while she balanced on her tiptoes and wrapped one leg around his hip. She spread her legs as wide as they would allow. “Now, Grif. Show me, now.”

  He stilled, and then with a growl, his hands wrapped around her bottom. He lifted her, lining his cock with her slick center. “I’m going to give you everything, wild thing.”

  She didn’t know if he could. Not when her everything was so different from his, but she clung to the sweet words anyway, curling them around her heart and letting them sink into the broken cracks inside her chest. She’d take what she could, while she could.

  His strength was astonishing. He held her easily, easing her downward onto his shaft. Both of them groaning as her channel gave way and she stretched to take him in. He was so thick, so big, and yet, as promised, there was no pain.

  Only exquisite pleasure.

  He worked himself deeper with slow, shallow thrusts. Each more delicious than the last. Until he was seated inside her, the dark curls at the base of his cock pressed against her pubic bone, her body spasming as he stretched her wide.

  “Good?” His voice was that low, lethal rumble that had once terrified her, but now only aroused her more.

  “Yes. Good. So good.” She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him deeper. He might be the more forceful of the two of them, but she was learning.

  “Ah, hells, wild thing.” He nipped at her neck, dragging his teeth along her tendon. “I love when you show me what you like.”

  “I like all with you.”

  He pressed his mouth to her ear, running his tongue along the sensitive pointed tip. “You ready for more?”

  “Yes.” She was certain—and unafraid.

  He pulled back. Thrust deep.

  “Again.” She threw her head back. Moaned. The way he filled her better than she could have imagined.

  Rough or gentle, he made her come alive.

  With every thrust, with every caress, with every wild claiming of his fingers and tongue she was remade. Every bad memory erased as he reshaped her body and reformed her soul. Uncovering a female who was alive, worthy, and no longer mired in dirt and shame.

  “Grif.” She could barely breath, her body winding tighter with every rough thrust.

  “Let it happen, wild thing.” His command was a near snarl. “I want you to fucking soar on my cock.”

  She shattered, splintering into a thousand white-hot particles as he thrust faster and came with a roar of his own, warm liquid sealing them tighter together. The two of them flying so high and bright they blazed like two stars in the night sky.

  “I’ve got you, wild thing.” Strong arms circled her, wrapping her close, as his knees folded and he brought her down to the ground so she was sitting in his lap, her legs straddling him, his shaft still buried deep inside her.

  Again, he had kept his promise.

  The beauty of what he’d shown her pulsed through her, along with awe.

  From here on out, no matter what the Ancients had in store, she would always know what it was to be this close to another soul.

  Even if the faint voice in the back of her mind whispered that it couldn’t last.

  34

  She woke before dawn in a nest of coverings. A big warm body curled around her, one thick, veiny forearm slung over her hip and stomach, an insistent bulge pressing into her bottom. The campsite was quiet. Even Sharluff, who Grif had given a makeshift pen and tied up tight, was still sleeping from the sound of the low, mewling snores just audible through the tent flaps.

  She had never woken up in anyone’s arms before.

  As quietly as possible, she turned. He was so beautiful to her now. His dark fierceness and blatant strength no longer frightening, but comforting.

  It was still hard to believe it had only been a short time since he’d first trapped her in his pit. It felt as if she’d been an entirely different person back then. Someone who knew so little about the universe, Others, herself.

  Now a world of possibilities loomed before her—and so much potential for even greater heartbreak.

  “Morning.” His voice rumbled through her, surprising her. She’d thought him asleep. “You nervous about today?”

  “Yes.”

  Grif had left her briefly last night to pack, shoving bars and waterskins as well as rope and various other supplies into the Other pouch he’d called a backpack in preparation for travel along the water currents. She had nothing, so her preparation had been minimal.

  “I understand.” He rolled to the edge of their nest of coverings and she thought the matter ended.

  She turned to leave the warmth herself.

  “Here.”

  She blinked in surprise. A fur pelt of red and tan hovered just in her line of vision, gripped tightly in his hand.

  She looked at it, question in her gaze.

  “You will use it as covering.”

  Pain sliced through her. The thin healing tissue just beginning to blanket her wounds ripped wide.

  She should have known. Her hands trembled as she shook it out, looking for the opening to put over her head.

  A firm hand gripped her chin, tilting her gaze to his. “It’s an old cloth of mine for your hips. And another you can use as a wrap around your breasts.” His eyes darkened. “It’s not another anazi.” His grip tightened. “You are never covering yourself like that again.”

  She swallowed hard. Trembling. Wanting so badly to believe.

  As always, he knew. “You’re fucking beautiful.” Each word staunched the bleeding. “Looking at you brings me as much pleasure as touching you. Believe it.”

  A part of her had been holding her breath since he’d held back from killing Sharluff. Even though she’d agreed to join him, a part of her still believed it could be a trick. That soon his words would be exposed as lies.

  But with every word he uttered, her fears disappeared.

  She was truly beginning to believe. A new life—the kind she’d always longed for—might truly be in reach.

  “You are welcome to use my shirt as long as you like. It’s yours forever. But I wanted you to have these, too.” His gaze dropped to her breasts before returning to her lips, lust in his gaze. “Of course, the thought of keeping you naked has my dick hard and cheering.” He reached out, his finger skimming along the slope of her shoulder. “But this perfect, silky skin is delicate—and I want it protected from the suns and rocks, and you’ll need something hardier than the shirt for what’s ahead.”

  “Th-tha
nk you.” She could not have stopped her lips from tilting upward if she tried, the soft coverings pressed tight to her chest, so precious to her. Because they were from Grif. And he’d given them to her because he cared.

  He smiled back. “I brought you these as well.”

  He rolled back to the other side of the nest of coverings and pulled something from his pack. Her feet coverings. Rumpled but still wearable. He held them out. She clutched them to her. “Thank you.” She decided not to ask about her spear.

  “The pieces of your spear are with Bain.” As always, he knew her mind. “If he can get it to work and make others, it will be returned to you when all this is over.” His stare turned determined. “When. Not if. Trust me, wild thing.”

  She nodded.

  When, not if. He truly believed they could find a way for their people to be more than enemies.

  Unable to help herself, still clutching the soft coverings to her chest, she leaned forward, rubbing her nose against his collarbone and breathing in deep.

  He sucked down a sharp inhale. Every muscle in his massive body suddenly tense as he growled low.

  She skittered back, fearful she’d gone too far.

  “Whoa. Where are you going?” A massive hand wrapped around the nape of her neck and dragged her back into place.

  Still, uncertainty sifted through her. “I-I sorry. I should not have done that. I just…” It was a common pack gesture of affection. Another act she’d watched, but never engaged in. Like all her important firsts, she’d wanted it to be with him. “I move too fast.”

  His low chuckle wound through her. “Too fast? I don’t think so. That’s the first time you’ve cuddled with me outside of sex and I want more. Best way to wake up ever.”

  Shock slammed through her. He’d been waiting for her to touch him outside of sex? She had never considered he might want more from her in that way. Pack females did not usually initiate touch.

  Her gaze found his.

  “Is that a pack form of touching?” he asked.

  “Yes. A…a sign of affection.”

  His gaze heated. “Now I like it even more. Do it again.”

  For such a fierce man, he could be so sweet.

  Her gaze stayed locked with his as she tucked her new coverings and boots to the side. Then she leaned forward, inhaling his scent as she skimmed her nose across his collarbone.

  “Yes, wild thing. Just like that.”

  Confidence growing, she brushed her nose against his throat. Up his jaw. The scent of him, the taste of him, filling her with a sense of rightness.

  “Now, it’s my turn.” His lips grazed hers.

  She stilled. The sensation was strange. Nice.

  This was not a practice her pack indulged in. The mouth was the gateway to the spirit and viewed as too dangerous to allow someone else access. But Grif had already pushed his way inside her and seen her weaknesses. If this was something he liked, she didn’t mind.

  He drew back. Intent emerald eyes studied her. “Have you ever been kissed?”

  Was that what that was? She shook her head.

  A flash of guilt, then pain, flared in his gaze. He was growing easier to read now that she knew him better.

  “I should have done this way before.” He cradled her face between his big hands. “But then again, we’ve done everything ass backward, haven’t we?” He cleared his throat. “Close your eyes.”

  His low command curled through her, making her woman’s center throb.

  Her compliance was instantaneous. She trusted him in this.

  Still, she startled when his lips brushed hers once more.

  “We Others do this even when we’re not going to have sex.” His lips moved against hers as he spoke. “It’s a form of affection, too.”

  Affection. Her belly fluttered as she soaked in the sensation and the implications. The warm heat of his lips skimming over hers made hers tingle, but compared to the sensations he’d provoked elsewhere with his hand, his mouth, and his cock, it was less than expected.

  He chuckled. “Not what you thought, huh?”

  She opened one eye. Shrugged.

  His eyes darkened. “How about this?”

  He slanted his mouth over hers. His tongue flicked against the seam of her mouth, then one of her fangs, tracing it as if it were precious. She shivered, opened eagerly. There was something so beautiful and arousing about trusting another with the entrance to your soul. Both of their vulnerabilities on display.

  His tongue slipped between her lips, the taste of him exploding inside her. A claim. A siege. A shock of rich sweetness that went straight to her blood.

  The tingle inside her exploded into a frantic drum beat. Her body went wild. Her need ferocious. With a moan, she leaned into him, greedy for more, latching her fingers behind his neck while she wound her body around his.

  “I like this kissing.” She spoke the words against his mouth.

  He half chuckled, half groaned. “Me, too, beautiful.”

  His hands roamed over her skin, stoking her need. Until she was panting and desperate for him to ease the fire inside her once more.

  “Touch me, too, wild thing.”

  That’s right. She was still learning. Still coming to terms with the fact that he wanted her touch as badly as she wanted to give it to him. She had never thought such a thing would be.

  Set free, her hands relearned him as well.

  Until she was grinding against his thigh in frantic need.

  A few small shifts in position and his hard shaft was against her center, exactly where she craved him most.

  Between soft moans and desperate pants, she managed a single thought. “I…I thought you say kissing not always lead to sex.”

  He gave her a wink. “That’s true. But if done properly it damn well should.”

  Silly sounds bubbled up from her throat, almost a song. Playfulness with another soul.

  Another first.

  35

  “It’s through here.” Eyes bright with excitement, Nayla gestured to Sharluff to lead the way.

  Once the feathery beast had given a yip and barreled forward, she ducked beneath a low overhang and followed, giving Grif a perfect view of her gorgeous ass as she bent over.

  He stifled a groan. Told himself to rein it in and focus. He needed to be sharper than ever. There had never been more at stake than there was now.

  She was growing to trust him. With her body, her secrets, and her smiles. This morning she’d shown him how to make the paste her people used to control reproduction and then dutifully added it to her breakfast.

  Now, she was sharing one of the biggest secrets of her pack: showing him and his crew the underground waterways her people used for transport and travel. It would be a game changer for their survival. What’s more, it was the first step toward bringing the missing females home.

  She was giving him so damn much. And he was falling so damn hard.

  That second part was one he hadn’t foreseen.

  He’d thought claiming her and taking her under his wing would help her, changing her life for the better. He hadn’t realized she’d alter his world even more.

  He hadn’t expected how her shy smiles and quick defense of him would sink into his bones and sinew. He hadn’t prepared for how essential protecting her would become, not just for her own survival, but his.

  He could not allow her to be hurt on his watch.

  But what if Dragath25 didn’t care about what he would allow?

  For a male who’d clung to control his whole life, the sudden lack of it was terrifying.

  “You sure we’re not walking into a trap?” Malin’s voice sounded from behind.

  Grif’s mood soured even further. “Yes. I am sure.” He ducked beneath the overhang. Just his luck, the whole crew was with them, but somehow he’d ended up with Malin riding his ass.

  Nayla was a blur up ahead, following Sharluff and moving faster than the rest of them. Grif wanted to shout at her to slow down, but he
didn’t want to give the other male any more ammunition. Instead, he picked up his pace.

  Unfortunately, so did Malin. “I’m just saying…it doesn’t pay to get too lovey-dovey. If she turns out to be a liar, or we have to kill her people to get our females back, how do you think that’s going to pan out? She won’t be so willing to spread those pretty golden thighs then. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

  Turning without warning, Grif slammed his forearm across the male’s chest, pinning him against the rocky wall. “I can look out for myself—and Nayla.” He let the bastard go and stepped back before any witnesses made their way beneath the overhang. “I’m in charge of this mission. You don’t like it, head home. Otherwise, fall in line.”

  Their gazes locked.

  Malin’s hands fisted by his sides. “You don’t see what I do. I’ve seen this happen before. It’s new, pretty, and different now, and you think you can trust her, but you can’t. You think you can satisfy her, give her what she needs, and make this work. But you can’t. You’re too different. She’ll choose her people over you and then we’ll all be screwed. I can’t let that happen.”

  Someone had done a real number on the male at some point. “It’s not your choice. I appreciate your concern for the safety of the group, but I don’t agree with your assessment. Nayla is on our side and I won’t tolerate any more threats.”

  “But—”

  “Watch yourself, soldier. I know you think you’re pretty tough, but I’ve come across assholes far worse than you, and I mowed them down without a second thought.”

  He left Malin glaring after him, breathing a sigh of relief when he rounded the next bend and caught sight of Nayla once more.

  He’d have to watch his teammate. He had a bad feeling the guy would not be backing down despite the warning.

  “Sharluff say just little more.” She gestured him forward, thankfully unaware of his recent exchange, her feet light as she skipped over the rocks, her ankle much better thanks to her miracle paste.

  He smiled back. He loved seeing her this carefree. Even if her statement was hard to believe. He’d been listening for the rush of water and heard nothing.