Authors: Joanna Wylde

Gladiator's Prize (8 page)

Joanna Wylde

got the explosive chip implanted? It’s not just an affectation, Darius. Even civilian engineers are combatants in this war. Every one of us is ready and willing to die to keep the Federation safe. If my skills are needed on this ship, you have no right not to bring me along.”

He stood, pacing across the room, a caged animal. After long moments of silence he stopped moving, turning to look at her. His face twisted, filled with anguish.

“I know that,” he said. “It’s killing me. And what if you get pregnant? What then? I won’t risk our unborn child.”

“You have a pretty good opinion of your own sperm,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll use birth control. Now is
not
the time for a pregnancy.”

He froze, his expression dark.

“Saurellian women do not use birth control.”

K’rilla narrowed her eyes, standing to face him, crossing her arms in front of her body belligerently.

“Saurellian women on Saurellia do not typically use birth control,” she said, keeping her voice mild. “But women in dangerous situations do. I will. Get over it.”

She half expected him to shout her down, although she knew the priestesses would back her up on this one. Instead he just shook his head slowly.

“This is nothing like what I imagined when I dreamed about finding a lifemate.

Women are supposed to be soft and sweet and welcoming,” he said. “And you’re supposed to obey your lifemate.”

K’rilla couldn’t help herself, she laughed out loud. Again.

“You’ve been with the fleet for too damn long. Saurellian women have never been like that.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he said finally. “My mother died when I was ten years old. And I shipped out young—I looked for a mate, but every woman I met seemed scared of me.

Gladiator’s Prize

Their families too. It didn’t look good for my chances and I was already getting myself in trouble.”

“I can understand that,” she said. “You put on a pretty good show and they were probably young and silly. But I’m a grown woman, Darius, and I’m not scared of you.

I’m your mate, and whether you like it or not, we’re partners. That means we each get a vote.”

“Not when it comes to running the fleet, K’rilla,” he replied, his voice suddenly hard.

“You’re the admiral, I’m the engineer. I understand that. I’m not an idiot.”

“So I hear,” he replied, his voice losing some of its harsh edge. His face softened.

“Call me Saul. That’s my name, although nobody has the nerve to use it.”

She smiled at him, then said his name, rolling the sound around on her tongue.

“Saul.”

K’rilla walked over to him, laying one hand across his uniformed chest. She tested the fabric, then cocked her head at him flirtatiously.

“I think I liked your gladiator togs a little better.”

He smiled back.

“I liked your dress better than the brig jumpsuit too,” he said. “Too bad we don’t have anything for you to change into. Your parents are sending a package and I’m sure it will include clothing. But until then, that’s really not the best color on you.”

She laughed.

“Do you want me to take it off?”

He gave her a hopeful look and K’rilla felt the same sense of power she’d had earlier. Saul wanted her, she could see it in his eyes—physical lust and emotional desire heady in its intensity. Of course, the attraction wasn’t only on his side. Just looking at him sent her heart rate upward. K’rilla slid her hand down his body, enjoying the hardness of his muscled form. Difficult to believe that he really, truly belonged to her 57

Joanna Wylde

and nobody else. Her hand trailed down his stomach, finding the stiffening length of his penis, and she gripped it through his clothing.

“Well, you’ll just have to wait a bit,” she said, rubbing him up and down, all but purring. “Because I want to try something else out first. I’ve read about this, you know…”

K’rilla slid slowly to her knees, reaching for the fastenings of his pants. They came open quickly enough and then she slid them down around his ankles. His erection stood proudly before her, ridged with veins, swollen red with his blood. The tip looked so smooth and silky that she couldn’t help but touch it, wondering at the texture. He shuddered as her fingers played across his flesh, the look on his face a mix of pleasure and near pain. It was every bit as soft as she’d imagined, such a contrast with the hardness that made up the rest of his body. She rubbed the back of her hand along the bottom of it, enjoying the soft sigh he gave at her touch. Then she reached down lower, ringing his girth with her fingers. Sliding them up and down experimentally, she saw a soft pearl of whitish fluid seep from his head.

K’rilla glanced up at Darius to check his expression, then leaned forward and caught that tiny drop on the tip of her tongue. He tasted salty and just a little bit sweet.

He reached down, threading his fingers through her hair, trying to pull her closer.

“I don’t think so,” she said, shrugging off his touch. “I’m calling the shots right now, Admiral Darius.”

He groaned, but obediently pulled his hands away. K’rilla savored that thrill of power and desire again, lust drifting through her as her nipples tightened with need.

She took her cue from them, reaching up to slowly open the front of her brig jumpsuit, freeing her breasts for his view. Then she cupped her mounds with her hands, teasing the nipples. His cock jumped and she laughed, enjoying herself immensely. Then she had an idea.

Gladiator’s Prize

Leaning up and forward, K’rilla let the tip of her breast brush against his swollen member. It jerked and he leaned closer. She rubbed him again, sliding his erection between her breasts, pressing them close around him.

“You have no idea how good that feels,” he muttered. “Don’t stop.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she murmured. He started thrusting against her, and she watched, fascinated, as his cock rose up between her breasts again and again. She’d intended to suckle him with her mouth, but this seemed to be working quite well.

K’rilla liked the way his face had started to flush and the way that each thrust grew a little harder. The head of his cock wept fluids, easing the way between her flesh, and she felt an answering wetness between her own legs. Suddenly the novelty of the position wore off, K’rilla becoming acutely aware that he was having all the fun.

She dropped her breasts and pulled away, rising quickly to her feet.

“That’s not going to cut it for me,” she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the bedroom. “I want to have some fun here too.”

He followed her and they ran into the room together, ripping off their clothes and grinning at each other like two unruly teenagers. She felt young and silly and happy.

Carefree. Probably stupid, considering they’d be leaving soon on what could very well be a one-way trip to fight Imperial forces. But none of that mattered right now—all she cared about was joining with her mate, binding themselves together and enjoying this brief reprieve from all their cares and worries.

As she stepped out of her pants and kicked them away, she felt his arms come around her. He spun her down onto the bed and she landed on her back. Saul followed her down, kissing her on the mouth. At first his lips were hard but they softened as the kiss deepened. K’rilla closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall into his caress and truly relax for the first time since her release from interrogation. Lying in his arms felt good—

more than good. Being with Saul was like coming home and for once she didn’t feel awkward and strange. She’d never fit in with the other girls, even before any of them 59

Joanna Wylde

found their lifemates. Among the engineers she just felt like another one of the boys.

But with Saul? He made her feel special and soft and wonderful.

Not to mention horny.

His lips pulled away from her, trailing down her neck to her breast, sucking one of the soft peaks into his hot mouth.
Oh damn…
K’rilla squirmed against him and he slipped a hand between her legs. Two fingers dropped down between her inner and outer lips, sliding back and forth in the slick wetness of her arousal. Each movement caressed her clit without ever providing any direct stimulation. Saul matched each tug of his fingers with a deep suck of her breast. At first it felt amazing, but the longer he continued the less satisfied she felt. Her body demanded more.

Now.

K’rilla arched against his hand, mewling. Saul pulled away from her, giving a low chuckle.

“Dammit, you can’t just stop,” she muttered, opening her eyes to glare at him. The smug, satisfied look on his face was almost more than she could stand.

“I’m not stopping,” he replied, sliding down her body. “I’m just adjusting. Shut up and let me do my work.”

K’rilla narrowed her eyes at him. Then he pushed her legs farther apart and lowered his mouth toward her pussy. She decided to follow his lead, at least for the moment. She wasn’t sorry. Saul reached between her legs and spread her lower lips wide, blowing softly on the engorged flesh of her clit. Heavenly. Then he flicked his tongue out, tracing the tiny, engorged nub. She had a pretty hard time holding her body still after that. Every suckle, every swirl of his tongue, even the tiny fluttering motions he made with his tongue seemed to pull her closer to climax. She felt her flesh growing more sensitive until it almost hurt when he caressed her, yet he showed no mercy.

Now his tongue felt like some bizarre instrument of torture, hot and wet and utterly remorseless. Her breath came fast and hard, the tension building up inside until she had trouble breathing. Still Saul’s hands held her firm as she struggled against him, 60

Gladiator’s Prize

desperate for relief and terrified he might quit at the same time. His mouth sucked her deep inside, hard. Then it hit.

K’rilla’s body spasmed as she came, pussy walls clutching for the cock he still hadn’t given her. This was even better than it had been before but he wasn’t done yet.

Before she could even begin to catch her breath, he flipped her over and she landed on her hands and knees. Saul grasped her hips and thrust into her from behind, hard.

K’rilla gasped. She’d forgotten how big he felt inside her, stretching the delicate membranes of her opening as he pushed through again and again. She braced herself, taking each thrust with her body and then shoving back at him. They fell into an exquisite rhythm, his cock filling her until she thought she’d scream from the intensity.

Then he reached down under her, fingering her still-raw clit, and she did scream.

The second climax hit her hard and fast, without warning. He didn’t let up for even a second, handling that sensitive nub so roughly it hurt. But that tiny bit of pain heralded even greater pleasure. The combination of his fingers and the thick length of him pummeling her from within brought her to the point of explosion once more.

K’rilla screamed again, collapsing to the bed, unable to support her body any longer.

Darius offered a triumphant, satisfied laugh. His hands grasped her hips firmly, pulling her into his body as he continued his thrusts. Again and again he filled her body until he gave his own cry of relief as waves of hot semen filled her cavity. Then he pulled her up and into his arms, cradling her as he collapsed against the bed in turn.

They lay together, panting, for several moments before he spoke.

“All right, I guess you can come with me.”

K’rilla giggled, burrowing deeper into his arms.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I mean, if you’d rather I can stay behind and we can just do things like this in our imagination…”

“Woman, you don’t know when to quit,” he growled, pulling her up for a hard kiss on the mouth.

Joanna Wylde

“That’s probably true,” she replied when he finally released her. “But to be fair, I’m hungry and that’s impairing my judgment. If you want me to be any use to you as an engineer, you have to feed me.”

“I can do that,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. Then his face grew more serious.

“You’ve never seen combat. It will be bad, K’rilla. Worse than you can imagine.”

She looked him directly, willing him to believe her words as she spoke them.

“We can do this together, Saul Darius,” she said. “We were created for each other, and we were created for a purpose. The sooner we go out and kick those Imperials in the ass, the sooner we can come home and spend all day, every day in bed. How does that sound to you?”

“Engineer d’Pecoraio, I think you’ve summed up the situation perfectly. Now let’s eat before the food gets too cold.”

K’rilla laughed and rolled off the bed. The weeks and months ahead would be hard, but for the first time in her life she felt like she really had the power to make a difference.

This lifemate thing wasn’t too bad after all.

About the Author

Joanna Wylde is a freelance writer who worked as both a journalist and a fundraiser before finding her niche in erotic romance. In April 2002,
The Price of Pleasure
was released as an ebook and quickly found a receptive audience. Jo is married and lives in north Idaho with her husband, David.

Joanna welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Saurellian Federation: Dragon’s Mistress

Saurellian Federation: Garnets or Bust

Saurellian Federation: Jerred’s Price

Saurellian Federation: Price of Freedom