“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes.
What the fuck?
“I’m tired of this animosity, Nu. When we reach Ragga, I’ll go my way and you go yours. I appreciate the hospitality you guys have given me, but to be fair, I didn’t ask for it. Set practically demanded I come with you. But you know, that’s okay, because I prefer Set to you anyway. I’ll be in the galley. When you’re done using this room, let me know.” She left with her book.
Nu stared after her, not sure he’d heard correctly. When had the mild little submissive turned into a tiger? Her eyes had been as hard as diamonds, her manner firm and unbending. She made him so damned hard with that attitude and that sweet pussy that he shook.
He reached for his cock and withdrew it from his trousers. In less than a minute he came, her scent wrapped around him as tightly as his fingers held his shaft. By Vas’ balls, what it must feel like to fuck that ass. To shoot load after load in her mouth. Nu shook and came again, shocking himself with the absolute need to claim Anin.
Swearing as he finally came down off a sexual high, he cleaned himself and the room and settled into an exhausted slumber. In his dreams he saw Lita and Anin battling over him.
Poor Lita cried and raged as her bastard lover, Ivar tried to draw her attention. She glanced at him for a mere second before Anin was there, ploughing a fist through her belly, killing Nu’s child and the woman who would have borne it.
“Nu was never really yours,” Anin said to Lita’s body with a soft smile. “He belongs to me.” Before he could say or do anything, she turned to him with scorn. “But I don’t want him. He’s nothing of importance, not like Set.”
She went down between Set’s legs and sucked him off.
“We could have shared her, brother. But you lost your chance.” Set shrugged and spent in Anin’s mouth, then drew her to feet and fucked her right there in public, in front of family and friends.
Nu shrunk in size, growing smaller and smaller until nothing of him existed but a lost cry for what might have been...
He shot up in bed just as Anin entered the room dressed in a different overshirt. She cocked a brow at him. “Are you all right?”
He was hard as hell, his head throbbed and his eyes felt gritty, as if he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. “I’m fine.” He rose out of bed, uncaring about his nudity. Nothing of importance, was he? So she preferred Set to him?
Gratified when Anin stared at his crotch with wide eyes, he advanced on her until her back hit the wall. Her scent intensified, and he drew some comfort from the fact the little witch did want him.
“Enjoy your book?” he asked.
“Ah, yes. Yes I did.” She licked her lips and fixated on his mouth. Then, noting his interest, she straightened her shoulders and poked his chest. “You’re crowding me.”
“No, I’m not.” He pushed closer and rubbed his cock along her
shin
covered belly. The soft material of the shirt slid over him like loving hands. “When I crowd you, you’ll know.”
When I cram my cock into that tight ass, you’ll feel it for days.
The desire to protect her was still there, but the need to treat her supposed frailty with tenderness no longer existed. And for that he was glad.
“Gee, Nu. I’m scared.” Anin shoved him back with a strength that stunned him. Good Night, but she handled him as if she were a male Ragga! He panted with lust, no thought but fucking Anin on his one-track mind. “Glad you’re feeling awake and perky. The lav’s
that
way.” Deliberately pushing him away from her again, she settled into the bed he’d just vacated and promptly closed her eyes.
Livid, Nu took a step in her direction when Set entered the room. “Oh, good, you’re awake. After you’ve cleaned up, join me in the bridge. Mother wants to talk to you.” Set grinned at Anin. “Sexy isn’t she? You should see her without
my
shirt.”
He left Nu with a greater headache.
What the fuck was going on around here?
Just two days ago Set had wanted to share Anin, yet now he made no more mention of it. Anin, the sweet, gentle woman with looks to die for, had turned into a sexual temptress with a leer cat’s temper. Her aggression aroused Nu like nothing else could. Like Set, Nu was dominant. But he didn’t want a completely slavish woman under him in bed. He wanted someone to rough into submission. Without a challenge, it didn’t feel right. But not many women tolerated a Ragga pounding into them, which was what had made Lita so special. Or so he’d thought. Despite liking his sex rough, Nu would never take a woman who didn’t want his type of aggression.
Anin, however, wasn’t giving off sexual vibes. Except for her obvious appreciation for his body, she ignored him. Contrary to what he’d thought before, he didn’t want her unaware of him. And knowing she’d taken his brother made him that much hungrier to have her.
Two males, one special female, a bonding, a child...
He could almost hear his fathers whispering the secrets of Ragga marriage as he stared at Anin. Such a slight frame, yet one that had shoved him on his ass. He imagined her belly rounded with his and Set’s child, could see himself laughing at her as they made their home and crowded it with young.
“Shit.” The vision seemed almost real. Rushing to the lav, he stayed upright in the solar cleanser far longer than needed, letting the heat push his worries away. One more day, he told himself.
I can last one more day...
Chapter Four
A day later, Anin waved goodbye to Set and Nu’s family. She’d had a very brief introduction before Nu, Set and she donned light robes with hoods. Once appropriately clothed to combat Ragga’s harsh climate, they entered the Fas family stable and mounted
raks
. The large, intelligent beasts were strong enough to carry mature Raggas and could run at amazing speeds. She’d studied about them in books, but Anin had never seen an actual
rak
until today. The creature beneath her had been well trained. Its sandy flesh blended seamlessly with the area around it. Sharp teeth indicated it ate more than the bales of grass she’d seen in the small pen outside the family unit. But its gentle gaze reassured her.
She rode in front of Nu, with Set on a mount beside them. They headed for Nu and Set’s home some distance from the main family unit. Until they mated, the brothers would live apart from their family. When they found mates, they’d move into the wing their fathers were presently building, which she found curious. Why build it now, and why had Nu been so upset with his family because of the construction? Had Nu and Set reached a certain age that mandated they marry? She’d unfortunately had no time to ask any questions.
A quick introduction to Nala, their tall, fair-skinned, slim mother, as well as to a pair of males who looked alike, was all Set and Nu had allowed. Tall, dark, and muscular, with coppery skin and orange eyes, all of the males in the Fas homestead were huge. The two she’d met had fascinated her. She had a hard time determining which man had fathered which son. They both looked so much alike, and young enough to be Set and Nu’s brothers.
Raggas didn’t age the way many in the System did. They lived for hundreds of years. But because of their difficulties procreating, which was still a great mystery to those outside of the Ragga culture, she supposed nature mandated that they have plenty of time to repopulate the planet.
As she rode in front of Nu, she refused to look at him, aware he stared at her all the time now. Set loved that she’d broken Nu’s resolve to ignore her. Anin wasn’t so sure this was a good thing. Set cherished her. Nu looked like he wanted to break her. And the sexual chemistry between the three of them was enough to drive her steadily insane. If not for Set’s orders not to give up this charade, she might have confessed to Nu what she was doing.
She feared what he’d do when he found out she’d tricked him.
Perversely, Anin also liked arousing the large male. Nu seemed to study her with respect as well as puzzlement. She intrigued him, whereas before she’d unnerved him, which made her nights all the more difficult. Her libido, now awakened, dogged her every moment. Set stayed away from her since he’d taken watch on the ship, and Nu still hadn’t made a move. Thoughts of obeying his every wish made her wet. A natural submissive, she understood that desire to succumb to a stronger male. But that didn’t explain why she grew aroused at thoughts of trying to resist him.
She shivered, and Nu tightened his massive arms around her. Though her new situation wasn’t reassuring, she couldn’t help liking what she was becoming.
Through Set’s encouragement, she’d begun learning more about herself. Anin had been specifically created to serve. Yet, telling Nu what she thought came easier to her each time she did it. She liked not having to worry about offending her Handler—
not Handler, friend,
S
ynster’s dead,
she reminded herself—for fear she’d be punished.
“We’re almost there,” Nu murmured into her ear. His warm breath whispered against her sensitive canal. When he nipped her lobe she almost moaned aloud. A waft of scent drifted on the breeze, and she prayed the wind blew it away before Nu realised her desire. Thankfully, he did nothing more. But her body remained tense, needy. She wanted so badly to relax into his frame, but Set’s warnings held fast and she remained apart.
Set cautioned her with a narrow-eyed stare before smiling. He waved at the bleak landscape. “What do you think, Anin?”
She glanced around. Ragga was pretty in a stark, simple way. The orange and brown clay underfoot gave way to patches of darker sand the further they drew from the Fas homestead. Large, green-barked trees waved like spindles as they drew closer to the mountain looming in the distance. Raggas, by trade, tended to be miners. Their strength enabled them to withstand the planet’s heat and proximity to the sun, as well as to endure the harsh conditions of mining. Deep underground, the temperature fluctuated from molten hot to bitter cold. The shafts were particularly deep, and trudging through the uneven terrain required skilled and strong labourers, according to the vids she’d studied on the shuttle.
“It’s pretty in its own way,” she said when she realised both men waited on her answer.
“You don’t like it,” Nu rumbled.
She lowered her head, aware of his displeasure, when Set cleared his throat. She forced herself to turn and meet Nu’s glare. “I didn’t say that. The planet doesn’t have the lush woodlands of Mardu, or the metropolitan structures of Eyra. It’s simple, uncomplicated. I like that.” And she meant it. Nothing on Ragga seemed hidden.
They soon reached Nu and Set’s home. They left the
raks
in a covered stable where the wind made the area pleasantly cool. Entering the small dwelling, she was disappointed to see two large, single beds, a table and some chairs. A pitcher and bowl sat on a smaller side table. Dust had gathered over everything.
“Um. This is quaint. Simple.”
Set snorted. “This is for show. The actual house is underground.”
She looked around but saw no doors. Nu brushed by her and set his hand on the wall in the corner of the small home. A panel in the floor slid open revealing a darkened stairwell.
“Follow me.” Nu walked down the stairs, and as he did, a dim glow gradually illuminated the large space. The minute they touched the bottom, lights brightened the large room.
“Wow.” Though rugged, the home had been built for comfort. Overscaled furniture, to meet the needs of the large men with her, dotted the room. Stuffed chairs and couches covered in
rak
-hide and littered with
norwali
silk pillows invited her to sit. A large cooking area sat to one side. Through one of the three doorways on the far wall Anin saw a large bed.
Nu didn’t blink as he stared at her. “Set and I wanted a place to come home to where we can relax. Though most Ragga homes are like our parents’, we’ve had to take extra precautions.”
“Precautions? Why?” Anin couldn’t imagine anyone stupid enough to willingly take on a Ragga.
Set answered. “We’ve been bounty hunters long enough to make enemies. No matter that Ragga doesn’t take to offworlders, it wouldn’t take much for anyone to find us here. The home upstairs deters thieves. Only family can access this underground haven.”
Anin trailed her fingers over the tanned pillows, comforted by such safety.
“My bedroom’s through there,” Nu offered, pointing towards one of the doorways off the main room. “I’d be happy to show you around.” The intensity of his gaze and depth of his voice told her to tread warily. If she hadn’t known better, she’d swear Nu emitted pheromones of his own.
Nervous, Anin took a step back, freezing when Nu frowned. Set shook his head behind him.
Steeling the backbone slowly growing within her, Anin forced a laugh. “Yeah, well, maybe I’ll take you up on that.
After
I’ve had a trip to the lav. I need to clean up.” A subtle glance at Set showed him nodding. She tingled, aware she’d pleased him.
Nu rubbed his chin thoughtfully and glanced from Anin to Set. “The lav’s through the middle door. Set, I need to talk to you.”
Anin made her escape. Inside the lav, she took her time addressing her needs. Once again, without asking for permission, she took the initiative and made use of their crude shower. It worked with water, not solar rays. But it felt good all the same. She washed herself but couldn’t find a blower to dry off. Using the large towel draped over a bar, she wiped the excess water from her skin and wrung out of her hair. She really didn’t want to wear the same overshirt she’d just taken off. It was covered in dust.
Wrapping the towel around her, she pondered what to do about clothing when Nu opened the door. He stared at her, his eyes blazing.
“I thought you might need something to wear.”
Anin didn’t know what to say, but she did know it wasn’t appropriate of Nu to barge in. “Thanks, but you might have knocked.”
He shrugged. “It’s my house.”
She frowned, aware of a sense of danger that hadn’t before been present. “Where’s Set?”
“He’s working off a good rage. Little shit thinks he can trick me into doing what he wants. Can you imagine?” Nu advanced, and it took all of Anin’s discipline to remain still.