Secrets of New Pompeii (9 page)

She laughed, a light, musical sound. “There
is slow-and-tender sex, fast-and-furious sex, I’ve-missed-you sex,
and
I-will
-miss-you sex. There is angry sex and makeup
sex.”

He brushed her lips with his and whispered,
“I want to try them all.”

Her lips parted beneath his and excitement
spread through his body, stimulating his senses and awakening his
soul. Without her, he merely went through the motions of life. He
focused on surviving each endless day so he could return to her in
his dreams.

“Is this real?” Her lips moved against his as
she spoke, the caress even sweeter than their kiss. “I’ve dreamed
of you for so long, I’m afraid I’m about to wake up.”

“It’s real, love. Somehow we found our way
back to each other.”

She tugged his shirt out from inside his
pants and pushed her hands under the material. He did her one
better and pulled her shirt off over her head. Her breasts swayed,
the nipples peaked and ready for his lips. Needing more of her
sweet kisses, he teased her nipples with his thumbs.

Her agile fingers went to work on his pants
while he savored her taste and the tenderness expanding within him.
Life in the
ludus
was vicious and unrelenting. Being with
her under any circumstances would be paradise by comparison.

She was back in his arms where she belonged.
And he would remain at her side or die fighting his way back to
her.

She pushed her hand down into his loosened
pants and closed her fingers around his cock. He groaned into her
mouth, staggered by the simple pleasure of being touched by her.
Their mouths separated as she worked his pants downward. He lifted
his feet so she could take them off. Neither of them had put on the
boots that accompanied the uniforms, so her pants joined his in a
matter of seconds.

Naked and breathless, they looked at each
other, caressing with eyes rather than hands. “You are so
beautiful.” He swallowed hard, aching to be inside her yet knowing
it would be over far too soon.

An appreciative smile slowly parted her lips
as her gaze boldly assessed his body. “I never get tired of looking
at you.”

“You’re welcome to do more than look. I
certainly intend to.” He raised her hand toward her breast, but she
sank to her knees and captured his shaft with her long fingers. She
pumped him a few times while he trembled with need then she took
the tip in her mouth. “Oh sweetheart, that feels so good.”

He watched his cock slide in and out of her
willing mouth. Her gaze locked with his, revealing the pleasure she
found in the act as well as the depths of her need. She cupped his
balls with one hand while the other stroked his shaft. And all the
while her eager mouth sucked and her tongue swirled. The
combination was more than he could stand. With a strangled moan, he
pulled out of her mouth and lifted her to her feet.

“Not tonight. I want you beneath me, legs
wrapped around me, while we come together.”

She grinned, eyes passion-bright. “Works for
me.”

Max took Naloni by the hand and led her to
the makeshift bed. Her heart pounded in her chest and tension
coiled deep in her belly. Having his cock in her mouth accentuated
the ache building between her thighs. Would he go down on her as
Dario had suggested or was his need too great for more
foreplay?

She lay down in the middle of the bed and
raised her arms, welcoming him. She didn’t care what he did as long
as he did something. She had waited so long to feel these feelings
again, to build upon the foundation they had abandoned.

He stared down at her, obviously debating how
to proceed. Emboldened by his obvious desire, she bent her knees
and opened her thighs. Cool air wafted across her damp folds and
she moaned. Her clit twitched as if the tiny nub were trying to
draw his attention.

Kneeling between her thighs, he traced her
slit with the head of his cock. The smooth slide focused her mind
on her pussy and the emptiness waiting to be filled. He rubbed
himself against her clit and she bucked helplessly.

“Is this what you want?” He pushed inside
just enough to let her feel his thickness.

“Yes, oh yes.” She pushed up with her legs,
but he pulled back with a wicked smile.

“Well, I’m not ready to give it to you yet.”
He lay on his stomach and arranged her legs over his shoulders.

His tongue continued the teasing pattern his
cock head had begun. Up and down, circling her opening while
avoiding her clit. She squirmed and murmured, restless and needy.
He swirled his tongue inside her core and gently sucked on her
folds.

Tension built gradually, incited by the
patience of his mouth. He pushed into her cunt and stayed there
while his upper lip dragged against her clit. She trembled, poised
on the brink of orgasm yet unable to let go. His hands left her
hips and moved upward, capturing her nipples between his finger and
thumb. He rolled then pulled and finally squeezed until she cried
out.

The sharp sensation released the tension and
she came in deep spasms. Her inner muscles rippled around his
tongue while pleasure flowed out through her body.

He raised his head and wiped her juices from
his lips and chin. “Stop holding back on me or I’ll spank you. And
we both know where that leads.”

A violent shiver shook her and she bit her
bottom lip. Each time he’d spanked her, his fingers ended up in her
ass. And each time he finger-fucked her ass, his cock soon
followed. “We don’t have lube.”

“We don’t need lube for this.” He pushed his
fingers into her pussy and coated them with cream then moved lower
and teased her anus. “I want to hear you scream this time.”

“But Dario—”

“Dario knows what we’re doing.”

His lips closed around her clit as his long
middle finger pushed into her ass. Pleasure rolled up her spine and
she arched into the torrid caress. He released her clit and
switched to a slow, circular motion that better matched the slide
of his finger.

Her body came alive again, responding to his
touch as naturally as breathing. Her cries escalated along with the
pleasure. Cream seeped out of her pussy and coated his hand,
allowing him to thrust faster and push the sensations higher. His
circles grew smaller until his tongue rubbed directly over her
clit. Another orgasm rushed toward her, tighter and more intense
than the first.

She raised her arms over her head and
clutched the bedding. A second finger increased the pressure in her
ass and she came with a startled scream.

In a sudden show of strength and agility, he
surged up along her body and buried his cock in her wet core. She
cried out again, the echo of her pleasure nearly as strong as the
orgasm itself. He released one of her legs and tucked the other
under his arm as he thrust fast and deep.

His gaze bore into hers, hot and demanding.
She found the bed with her free leg and pushed up into each thrust.
His back flexed beneath her palms, his skin moist and heated. He
released her other leg and framed her face with his hands, claiming
her mouth in a breath-stealing kiss.

She kept her legs bent and open, taking him
as deep as she could. Nothing existed except for this moment and
Max moving inside her. She returned his kiss and squeezed his cock,
amazed by the perfection of their embrace.

How could she have let this slip away? How
could she have been so foolish?

He thrust harder, the impact jostling her
breasts and making their kiss hard to maintain. His features tensed
and his eyes closed as he neared his own release.

Wrapping her legs around his waist, she held
him close. Never again would she allow anything to separate them.
She would fight her father or any force foolish enough to try! This
was right, perfect, so obviously meant to be.

His back bowed, driving his cock to the mouth
of her womb as he came in shuddering spasms. Her core echoed each
spurt, welcoming his seed with greedy squeezes. Their kiss slowed,
became less frantic. Their lips slid and their tongues curled as
they slowly drifted back to reality.

“There are towels in the middle trunk, but
the water is in here,” Dario called out from the other room.

Naloni marveled at the utter abandon that had
allowed her to momentarily forget they had company. Max chuckled
and rocked back onto his knees, separating their bodies.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He retrieved
one of the towels and snatched his pants off the floor, walking
into the other room without bothering to dress. Their voices were
too muffled for her to make out their words, and then Max returned,
wearing the pants and carrying the now damp towel.

She cleaned up and dressed quickly, not
knowing how much longer Dario would behave. When he strolled into
the chamber a few minutes later, she was pulling on her boots.

“I certainly hope you two feel better.” He
snickered. “It certainly sounded like you worked out your
differences.”

Max ignored his comments and said, “Tell us
about this tunnel and where our ‘ride’ is taking us.”

Max looked at Naloni as he waited for Dario
to explain the next move. She looked adorably tousled and flushed.
He had no illusions that one extremely pleasurable fuck was going
to alleviate all of their obstacles. Still, he was cautiously
optimistic. If they were willing to work together—and she was
honestly willing to sacrifice… Sacrifice being a princess? What
woman in her right mind would give up the life she’d been born to
so she could be with him?

He sighed. Apparently his insecurities ran
deeper than he’d realized.

“There was a young man named Benignus. He and
his two sisters were visiting relatives in Pompeii during the
catastrophe, so they were separated from their parents by the
evacuation. When they arrived, the magistrate explained their
options, which were not many because none of them possessed a
viable skill. Benignus was large for his age, so he signed on with
Ludus
Olla. Out of the kindness of his heart, Prince Tarhee
also indentured the sisters as house servants.”

“Did Benignus become a gladiator?” Naloni
asked.

“He developed our skills, but he lacked the
ferocity essential for survival in the arena.”

“What does this have to do with the tunnel?”
Max had no patience for evasions. He’d asked a direct question and
he expected a direct answer.

“I’m trying to tell you. It’s not a simple
tale.” Dario looked at Naloni uncomfortably as he explained. “All
three were unusually attractive. Tarhee started with the older
sister. When he tired of her, he summoned the younger, and
then…”

“He set his sights on Benignus?” she guessed.
“I know Tarhee has both male and female lovers. Were these siblings
willing?”

“More or less. Consent is far more objective
when your master requires your obedience.”

She crossed her arms in front of her,
obviously upset by the tale but certainly not shocked. “When did
they decide to run?”

“When he began summoning all three together
and insisting they…interact with each other.”

Now she looked shocked and disgusted. She bit
her bottom lip and shuddered.

“You said off-worlders dug the tunnel,” Max
reminded. “I’m still waiting for the tie-in.”

“After an especially perverted session, they
ran. The girls were captured, but the high priestess helped
Benignus escape.”

Max smiled. “Felicia is an amazing woman. She
has risked her life and safety so many times it’s staggering.”

“She’s on your team, I take it.” Speculation
made Dario’s dark gaze gleam.

“It’s more like I’m on hers. She was part of
the resistance long before I joined.”

“So, Benignus was smuggled through the
barrier,” Naloni prompted. “What happened then?”

“He was supposed to take a shuttle to a
colony outpost, but he refused to go. I don’t know all the details,
but at some point he made contact with the Fedoran military, or
they made contact with him. He offered to train field operatives in
hand-to-hand combat if they would help him tunnel under the
barrier.”

“They used off-worlders so our security grid
wouldn’t pick up their movements,” Naloni mused, and Dario nodded,
confirming her supposition. “A cluster of id signals progressing
steadily from one side of the barrier to the other would
immediately raise eyebrows. What about his sisters? Did he arrange
their rescue?”

“They were the first to ‘disappear’ through
the tunnel.”

“Why didn’t Benignus tell Felicia about the
tunnel?” Max said. “This option would have been invaluable to the
resistance.”

Dario fidgeted, looking decidedly
uncomfortable. “The military paid for the tunnel, so they control
its use.”

Dread washed over Max, cooling his damp skin
and clenching his stomach. “Then who’s waiting for us at the end of
this tunnel?”

Looking from Max to Naloni and back, Dario
made a helpless gesture. “How was I to know you were lovers?”

“What did you promise them in exchange for
their assistance?”

Dario paled.

Max lived by instinct and his instincts were
screaming
Beware!
He attacked without further warning,
grabbing Dario by the throat and sweeping his legs out from under
him. Dario recovered before he hit the ground, slamming his forearm
against Max’s hard enough to dislodge his hand.

They rolled across the floor, grappling with
far more menace than they had during their wrestling match. Max
punched him squarely in the face and blood poured from Dario’s
nose, coating Max’s knuckles before he pulled his hand back.

Fueled by fury and betrayal, Max forced Dario
over onto his back. He straddled the other man’s chest, pinning his
arms beneath his knees. He pulled back his arm, meaning to hit him
again, when Naloni stepped into his field of vision.