“Oh, fuck,” he whispered quietly.
“Kam,” the voice said again, startling him with how close the man had gotten while he’d been deep in thought. He looked up to see two G’trobian princes, dressed in everyday average clothes, looking at him expectantly.
“My Lords,” he said formally and tried to bow even though he was seated. Shit, the kid had landed more than one good punch in his midsection, and he was hard-pressed to breathe.
“Don’t. Here, on this ship, we are Ben and Trey, pirate crew. Nothing more,” Ben said quietly.
“Pirate crew?” Was this situation going to get even more fucked up? Was that even possible? Goddess, maybe he’d hit his head harder than he’d thought. He reached up to touch the tender spot of the back of his head as he tried to focus long enough to understand what was happening.
“Yes,” Trey said with a small laugh. “You and your ragtag crew attacked one of the most dangerous pirate ships in this galaxy. Fortunately for you, things have changed recently, and we no longer shove prisoners out the air lock.”
“Pity,” Kam whispered before he could call it back. Ben gave him a sympathetic look and asked the question Kam had been dreading.
“What happened to Ky?”
“He died in a vehicle collision.” He couldn’t force more past his lips, the pain intensifying as he remembered the bewilderment as more and more questions arose in his mind over his brother’s death. Ky shouldn’t have been in that vehicle or on that particular road at all. No one knew why he was there or how he came to die in what seemed to be a suicide. One thing Kam knew for absolute certain was that Ky would never have left him behind intentionally. The official report may have said “suspected suicide”, but Kam knew it was wrong.
Ben and Trey glanced at each other, obviously sensing his deep distress, and changed the subject.
“Why did you attack the ship?”
“Honestly, I think we were desperate. The leader was on the other vessel. Did you destroy it?”
“No,” Ben said, sounding a little surprised that Kam would ask. Goddess, nothing made sense. What sort of pirate ship was this? Kam shook his head, trying to concentrate on what he actually knew, not all the questions swirling in his head.
“The leader ordered the attack despite several of us pointing out that even though this is a merchant ship—well, we thought it was a merchant ship—it was still a very big ship. We are quite low on supplies, and he probably thought we wouldn’t get another opportunity.”
“How low?” Ben asked. Kam shook his head. This conversation wasn’t really going at all like he expected.
“Low? As in supplies?” Kam asked. Ben nodded. “Down to a few days’ worth, I suppose.”
“How many men in your…er…community? Are they all displaced sons?”
“Only nine,” Kam answered truthfully, still confused by the emotions he felt emanating from Ben and Trey. Tactically speaking, it didn’t hurt for them to know that the other ship was not a threat, but he couldn’t quite understand Ben and Trey’s distress. “And, yes, we are all displaced from G’trobia.”
“Can you contact the other ship?”
“Why?” Kam asked as suspicion snaked up his spine. He may have been sensing concern coming from these two, but it didn’t mean he would lead his associates into a trap. He still had no idea what Ben and Trey, or whoever ran this damn ship, had in mind for them. They’d joked earlier about no longer tossing prisoners out the air lock, but it didn’t mean they wouldn’t make an exception.
“Because we could use your skills on this ship. We’ve been managing with an almost skeleton staff in engineering and maintenance. We also have a few places in tactical and away missions.”
Kam really had no idea what to say. He hadn’t been expecting a job offer. He laughed a little as the ridiculousness of his life since losing Ky hit him full-on. He’d gone from a highly respected concubine trainer to a failed raider being offered sanctuary on the strangest pirate ship he’d ever heard of, one that just happened to contain the crown princes to the throne of G’trobia.
Trey smiled kindly. “We can give you time to consider the situation, but I would recommend that you make a decision quickly. If the others of your group are as desperate as you say, they may try something even more reckless than attacking this ship.”
Ben and Trey turned back to the door, but Trey stopped and said over his shoulder, “G’baena would like to speak to you. I’ll send her to you shortly.”
Kam nodded, uncertain how to react. G’baena was their intended. Since she seemed to be living on the ship, he assumed that they’d claimed her, so his casualness was a little perplexing. G’trobian protocol meant that a G’trobian female was escorted and protected by her mates, so why had the young Pendarian come to her defense instead of Ben and Trey?
“Ah, perfect timing,” Ben said as a human woman stepped into the holding cell. “Tee, this is Kam. He and his brother were friends to our family.”
“Nice to meet you,” the woman said as she opened a black case and removed what seemed to be several medical instruments. “Looks like
Del
landed quite a few good hits.” She stepped toward him, but he leaned back and looked over her shoulder at Ben and Trey.
Both men wore amused expressions.
“Tee-ani is the ship’s doctor.”
“A female doctor?” he asked before he thought how much that might annoy the woman who was about to fix his injuries.
“Yes. I’m a human, a female, and a doctor. I am also an ex-slave and mated to these two big lugs. Now, should I fix your injuries, or would you rather suffer in peace?”
“Apologies, Tee-ani, it was not my intention to offend. I am only just learning of the world beyond G’trobia.” He licked his split lip again before he remembered how much that hurt, but was distracted from the pain when the rest of what the purple-haired doctor had said finally sunk into his brain. “You are mated to the crown princes?”
“Yup,” she said as she lifted a medical instrument toward him.
“So that makes you the future queen of G’trobia?” She hesitated a moment, and he felt her discomfort just before her face broke into a determined smile.
“Nope, that makes me the ship’s doctor and a happy woman.”
“So what does that make G’baena?” He knew he was pushing his luck with so many questions, but he really wanted the answer to this last one. Tee-ani considered him for a moment as if she was wondering if he would understand her answer.
“It makes G’baena free to decide her own future.” She lifted an instrument to his split lip. “You’ll like life on the outside,” she said. She winked and then held his chin steady so that she could heal the injury.
* * * *
“Why did you stop before?” Devlin rocked back on his heels a little as he registered G’baena’s anger. She stepped closer to him. “I wanted what you wanted and then you didn’t want it. Why did you stop?”
Devlin desperately tried to hide his smile. He’d seen G’baena tired, frightened, sad, confused, concerned, but he had never seen her quite so determined. She was amazing. Compared to his massive size, G’baena was tiny, her head barely reaching his shoulder, her slim figure adding to the aura of fragility, but at this moment, with anger blazing in her golden eyes, she was simply magnificent. She flicked her dark gold hair away from her face as she stalked closer. He couldn’t help it—he grinned.
And, oh, how he loved her reaction.
“What is it, pirate? The fact that I’m an ex-slave or that I’m the wrong species?”
Devlin tried to open his mouth to say something, but the silly grin gracing his face stopped the words cold. She growled low in her throat, grabbed his ears, and pulled him down for a heart-stealing, soul-revealing kiss.
His arms wrapped around her slim waist, pulling her closer as she sighed in satisfaction and deepened the kiss.
“I want you.” She said it so simply it took every ounce of strength he owned to try and control his body’s reaction to her soft words. He wanted. He ached with want, but was it the right thing to do?
“I want you, too, but—”
“No buts. I want you, you want me, so there is no problem.” She pulled him close again, trying to kiss him, but he managed to hold her away from him, barely.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
She laughed quietly. “You won’t. Please, Dev, I need you inside me.”
He had half of his clothes off before he even realized he’d made the decision. He took a deep breath, trying to slow himself down, and then inch by delectable inch he revealed her beautiful body to his sight. Gone were the scars and bruises and reminders of her time as a slave. She was still too thin, but a few weeks of decent food on board the ship had added a little more weight to her slender frame.
When he finally had her naked, he saw her hesitate.
“Honey?” She didn’t quite look at him, and panic started to filter through his mind. He wouldn’t hurt her, hell, he’d cut off his own limb before he hurt her, but fuck, she’d seemed so certain just a moment ago. “G’baena, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head and finally looked him in the eye. “I’m not sure what to do,” she whispered brokenly. “I want to kneel, but I know that would upset you, so I’m not sure what I should do.”
“Oh, honey,” Devlin said as he dragged her against him and rocked her gently. “There are no rules. Not between you and me. Never between you and me.” He stroked her back lightly, his fingers dancing slowly up and down her spine as she gradually relaxed in his arms. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he said as he lowered to his knees.
Chapter Seven
Confusion gripped G’baena as the human she’d grown to love dropped to his knees in front of her. Unsure how he would kiss her from down there, G’baena was wondering whether she should kneel, as well, when Devlin wound his arms around her thighs and pulled her closer. Her knees buckled as he kissed her mound, his tongue leisurely exploring the sensitive flesh before his lips found her clit and nibbled gently.
His large hands held her suspended as his lips and tongue worked her into an agony of need. G’baena ran her hands through his short hair, urging him closer, insatiable arousal pulsing through her. She gasped as his tongue found her entrance and plunged deep into her passage, sending her excitement into overdrive.
“Come for me,” he said, the vibration of his words winding her tighter, higher, needier. He lowered her to the floor, his hands pressing her thighs open wider, impossibly wider as his tongue and fingers and lips drove her to the edge, teasing, tormenting, entrancing her before finally pushing her into blissful release. Brilliant colors burst behind her eyelids, her heart hammering against her ribs, her breathing choppy and uneven, as liquid heat drenched her veins and melted into her bones.
She barely registered Devlin moving to lie beside her, his arms pulling her close to his chest as he breathed almost as heavily as she did. He held her close, keeping her still, seemingly happy just to give her pleasure, but there was no mistaking the hard, hot flesh that rested against her ass cheeks.
Even now, with warm lassitude stealing her sanity, she wanted him inside her, wanted that feeling of connection, of belonging with this amazing man. She pressed her ass back against his erection but hesitated again when he hissed in genuine sounding pain.
“Give me a moment,” he said through gritted teeth. “Watching you come like that has me on a ragged edge. One wrong move and I’m liable to lose control.”
“Would that be so bad? To lose control, I mean.” He loosened his grip slightly, and she rolled over to face him.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said again. He’d always been so concerned for her. For her happiness, for her well-being, for her future. A part of her heart belonged to him, whether he realized it or not, and suddenly, she wanted to give him everything.
She pushed him onto his back, grinning widely when he complied. He was so big, so strong that if he hadn’t wanted to let her have her way, she wouldn’t have stood a chance. Moving slowly, she rose onto her knees and shimmied backwards on the floor so that she knelt near his knees. Carefully, she wrapped her hand around his engorged flesh, amazed at how similar his cock looked and felt to those of G’trobian males.
She wondered if they’d taste the same, too.
Before he could protest, she lowered her mouth over the flared head and took him deep into her throat, running her tongue over the thick vein. He groaned a sound of agony but tangled his fingers in her hair and massaged lightly.
“Oh, Bae, that feels so amazing.” She grinned at the compliment—and the affectionate shortening of her name—and then sucked hard against the length in her mouth, her fist still working the base, her other hand brushing against his balls. “Honey, Bae, honey,” he said breathlessly as she moved faster, sucked harder.