Beloved Stranger: Gaian Series, Book 5 Read online

  “You miss the moons.”

  Roan’s face cleared. “Yes. And the sky your eyes remind me of. The sunlight that’s so similar to your hair.” He touched her face. “But now I have you, and that makes up for so much.”

  She felt her face heat and knew she must be blushing. A blushing bride. Was there ever as big a cliché as that?

  Fortunately, Roan returned his attentions to her breasts. He touched a nipple, and it tightened into a tight bud. Roan seemed to find that fascinating. “Does it hurt when it does that?”

  “It feels good. Feels even better when you touch it.”

  He leaned forward and touched the hardened tip with his tongue. Sonja let out a hiss that caught him off guard, and he startled into a smile.

  “Touch it like that?” he asked with a touch of mischief in his voice.

  “Oh, yes.”

  Roan licked the nipple again and then closed his mouth over it. His eyes closed as he ran his tongue around the tip, and then he sucked lightly.

  The sensation ripped through her, and Sonja moaned. Her back arched, giving him more of her breast to suckle on. Roan jerked up in surprise but seemed to realize that what he’d done had pleased her. With a grin, he went back to playing with her nipple. When he finished with one, he went to the other, Sonja’s moans rising.

  He sat up and undid the front of his robe, letting it fall off his shoulders. Sonja stared at his wide, smooth chest. Now that she could see, it seemed even larger than when they were in the marriage meet’s dark room. She’d been impressed then with his size, but now she had to admit he was a dauntingly large man.

  Roan was also a handsome man. In addition to the small one on his face, she saw a few scars along his torso. Not unsightly, but definitely the result of some kind of knife fight. She had a few like that herself, mostly on her arms from before she learned to defend herself. She traced one of the longer ones on him that stretched across his hard belly. Roan watched the progress of her hand and shook his head.

  “You should see the other guy,” he said.

  “Should I?”

  He grabbed her hand and kissed it, his eyes turning hard. “On second thought, no. I don’t want you seeing another man this way.”

  Sonja sat up and let her open gown fall off her shoulders, leaving her bare to the waist. Roan’s eyes widened with appreciation.

  “I’m with you now.”

  He smiled, and his face lost the trace of grimness. “And glad I am of it. Whatever your past, that’s not important. Only what’s between us.” He took her shoulders and pulled her against him. Her nipples pebbled against his bare chest, and she couldn’t help rubbing herself against it. Roan buried his head in her hair and groaned.

  “I can’t believe how good you feel.”

  “We’re about to feel even better.”

  She slid her gown off her legs and now sat naked on the bed. Roan blinked again, but then pulled off his own robe and let it fall to the floor.

  His shaft stuck out from its nest of curls, hard and proud, and it was Sonja’s turn to stare open-mouthed. She’d seen more than a few similar specimens, but Roan’s was one of the largest and certainly thickest in her experience. Come leaked from its heavy head as Roan touched it, looking somewhat awed. “Look what you’ve done to me,” he said reverently.

  “I’m sure we’ll find a good use for it.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “It’s strange. I’ve thought about this for as long as I can remember. Trying to imagine the first time making love with my woman. How it would be. I expected serious passion. I never expected that I would laugh.”

  “Why not? Sex should be fun, not serious.”

  His hand reached out to cup her face. “It is fun, with you. But perhaps we could get a little serious now.”

  Something in the look in his eyes grabbed her and she caught her breath. The intensity. The passion he was looking for filled her, and for a moment she found it hard to breathe. “I guess we can have that too.”

  He moved forward, and without thinking, Sonja leaned back until she was flat on the bed and he hovered over her. Her legs fell open beneath him and the next thing she knew he was caught between her thighs, his erection resting at the cleft of her sex. He glanced down at where their bodies met and something almost like worry sped across his face. “I’m so big. Will I hurt you?”

  “I doubt it, not the way I feel right now. Still, there is only one way to find out.” She reached down and fit his erection to her. He felt large, but as he gave an experimental push she felt her body welcome him.

  She grinned up at him. “I think we’re going to be fine.”

  He gave a short laugh, which stopped when she raised her bottom, drawing him farther in. “Enter me, Roan. I want you.”

  Roan pushed hard, and this time he slid in completely to the hilt. Sonja cried out at the invasion, feeling him stretch her in a way she really hadn’t experienced before. He paused, letting her get used to the sensation. After a moment she felt full but not uncomfortable.

  Not at all uncomfortable. Being joined with Roan felt…strangely right.

  Something in that strange rightness must have been what he sensed as well. He stared down at her, astonishment in his face and bearing. Then the edges of his eyes crinkled and he actually smiled.

  “I think you look as surprised as me.”

  She was, but she wasn’t about to admit it. “Shouldn’t you be moving?”

  “I’m savoring this. But you are right.” He pulled back then pushed back into her.

  Sonja moaned. “I think that’s the right way to do it.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe I should try it again.” He did, and they moaned together.

  “I definitely think you are getting the hang of this. But maybe I should help.”

  “If you’d like.” He pulled out, and when he entered again she pushed up, meeting him halfway. Roan caught his breath and nodded. “Yes. I think that will do it.”

  After that they moved together. Roan set up a rhythm Sonja had no trouble keeping up with. Each stroke brought them closer to a peak.

  Sonja couldn’t remember any other sexual experience being like this. Maybe it was the superior physical specimen. Or maybe it was that he was totally devoted to what was happening between them. He believed and behaved like she belonged with him, and that was unusual in her experience.

  No man had made her feel this way, like she had a place with him, not just now but in the future. But Roan believed it, and for just a fraction of time, she did as well.

  Maybe it was that she was starved for sex, but she didn’t think so. This with Roan was different, and if she couldn’t put her finger on the why, she could enjoy the what. As he sped up, his breath coming faster, the friction built within her, and her body and mind reached for that moment of intensity, when thought slowed, giving in to simple sensation.

  And then there was no thought at all, and she wasn’t able remember why she was there. All that existed was this man she didn’t know, but who somehow was part of her. Or she was part of him, or together they were halves of one whole. Memory and thought no longer existed, and Sonja’s mind danced free on a wave of pleasure.

  Soon, all too soon it seemed, the pleasure flooded over her, and Sonja climaxed with a scream. Roan stiffened over her, his body tensed for what seemed to be a very long moment, and then a groan pushed from deep within him as his cock erupted within her.

  He stared down at her, eyes wide and chest heaving. At the look in his eyes something stirred deep within her that didn’t seem to have anything to do with the great sex they’d just had. Tenderness—an emotion that had nothing to do with who she was or even who she was pretending to be.

  The feeling shook her.

  He blinked at her and smiled. “That was… astonishing.” He collapsed to one side of her. “Is sex always like that?”

  She tried a lighthearted laugh but it didn’t come. “No.”

  “No? How is this different?”

  �
��I’m not sure I can explain. It just is.”

  He seemed to accept that, or perhaps he was just too tired to question her further. Instead he pulled her closer, and she leaned into him as he settled her on the bed next to him.

  Sonja was grateful for the anti-conception pill she’d taken before the marriage meet. She wouldn’t be left with a child, a permanent reminder of being in bed with Roan.

  Even so, as he lay next to her, head buried in her hair, his harsh breathing evening out into what she recognized as incipient sleep, she realized she was holding him as if she really did belong to him and he to her.

  After tonight there would be nothing between Roan and her, but Sonja had an odd feeling part of her would remain with him.

  Chapter Five

  Sonja waited until Roan’s breathing had deepened to true sleep before attempting to leave the bed. He murmured something that sounded like a protest as she slipped from beneath his arm and gently slid the leg he’d thrown over her off to one side. Once freed, she edged over to the side of the bed and waited. She wanted to see if he would wake, but his sleeping self seemed to take her loss reasonably well. One hand made a few searching motions, but when it failed to locate her, he pulled it under his chin, and then he went completely still.

  She moved quickly to find the negligee robe where Roan had tossed it, and fumbling in the pocket, she found the dart.

  Roan opened his eyes as she stood over him and smiled sleepily at her. His eyes widened when she raised her arm and jabbed the dart in his arm. “What?” he managed to get out before collapsing back onto the bed.

  “Sorry,” she said quietly. Tamping down a sudden surge of guilt, she headed to the sanitary. Once the door was closed she worked quickly, cleaning up and dressing. From the bottom of her bag she pulled her black multipocketed pants and form-fitting shirt. The familiar garments were reassuring, particularly once she’d strapped on her favorite knives and filled her pockets with the tools she’d need for breaking and entering. From inside the deepest and most hidden compartment of the bag she pulled her stunner and set it to maximum before dropping it into the pocket at her waist.

  The first place she’d need to break out of was Roan’s apartment, and she suspected that wasn’t going to be easy. She didn’t think he was the kind of man who skimped on the security of his home, particularly if he was keeping anything of value in it, such as his black market inventory. Even her lock-picking tool could have trouble.

  With luck she wouldn’t need her stunner, but she wanted it handy, particularly before she got away from Roan. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it on him. Stunners left their victims with terrible headaches, and that would be a nasty trick to play on her unsuspecting would-be husband.

  After putting her hair up in her usual tight bun, she dumped the rest of her clothes back into the bag and considered what to do with it. Taking the bag would be a burden, but the skirt and blouse would make better camouflage if she had to blend in with the women here. Better to bring it along—she could always dump it later if she had to.

  Equally, she considered the narrow marriage band on her wrist. The flat portion was engraved with several wavy lines running parallel to each other, and for a moment she wondered why Roan had picked that symbol. It represented Roan and the life he expected her to live as his wife, a life she could have no part of. A life she didn’t want a part of. But like the clothes, it would allow her to blend in better with the people here. With a shrug, she left it on her wrist.

  Cautiously, she opened the door to the bedroom. Roan was a still figure in the bed, dimly lit by the faint glow of a single small lamp near the bed. She listened but there wasn’t any sound other than his soft breathing. She watched him for a moment, waiting to see if he was having a bad reaction to the drug, finally relaxing as it seemed he wasn’t going to have a problem. At least she wouldn’t have his death on her conscience. One curl of dark hair had fallen over his forehead, and she tucked it back. Even in a drugged sleep he was a handsome man. But he wasn’t the man for her.

  She stepped away from the bed. Time to find his datastore and see if her hacking skills were up to a Gaian man’s security.

  Slowly she crept through the room and to the living area, closing the door after her. One of the tools built into her lock-pick device was motion-detector checker. It read there was nothing in the room to check for movement or sound so she moved quietly into the room. Roan had a datastore set up next to the kitchen counter and a few pokes at it revealed a security screen. Still half an ear on sounds from the bedroom, she tried every trick she knew to get past it.

  After a half hour she had to declare defeat. During the last six months she’d learned every encryption method the Gaians used, and whatever was running on Roan’s machine wasn’t one of them. Nothing worked, and the dart wasn’t going to keep him unconscious forever.

  Whatever else happened, she needed to be out of here before he woke up. Maybe she could find a public terminal out in the main part of the bubble.

  Sonja headed to the door to the outside corridor. If there were any extra security measures she needed to worry about, they would be here. Carefully she analyzed the door’s lock. There was the usual auto-deadbolt that would slam home the second someone tried to pick the lock from the outside, making opening the door virtually impossible without the unlocking key. Sonja thought of the data wand that Roan had carried and suspected she knew where he kept the key to the security on the door. She considered hunting for the wand, but she had no idea where he kept it, and with an extensive search she risked still being here when he woke.

  There were other ways around even this kind of security system, and she had some of those built in to her electronic lock pick. She adjusted the tool to compensate for the auto-deadbolt and carefully used the controls on the tool to slide apart the door lock tumblers. After a few moments there was an audible click that seemed to echo in the quiet apartment, and the door slid open, revealing the corridor beyond.

  For a moment, she hesitated. When he woke up, Roan would know she wasn’t the woman he’d thought her to be. There wasn’t any excuse she could use for darting him. Even so, she didn’t want to leave. Earlier she’d thought that marrying him had been a means to getting inside the colony and nothing more. She still felt that way—mostly. What had happened between her and Roan had been great…well, okay, better-than-great sex. She’d never forget the way he made her feel.

  For a moment in his arms she’d been a different woman, the woman he wanted her to be, someone other than the Sonja Deems the universe was familiar with. She’d liked being that woman for a little while.

  But she had a mission, and she wouldn’t let the sudden empty feeling she had at leaving Roan stop her from completing it. She didn’t want to be part of his life, and he certainly had no place in hers.

  Sonja stepped through and let the door slide shut behind her. She made a point of stopping and re-securing the door’s lock behind her. She might be sneaking out on him, but she wouldn’t leave Roan unprotected.

  Only when she was sure the door lock was good as new did she head down the hallway towards the lift that would take her to the ground floor. Once there she would look for a public terminal that would let her access the mine’s computer system and use her sisters’ names to find their locations.

  The lift’s security seemed only directed at restricting entry on going up rather than down. Roan had had to use his data wand to access this floor from the ground, but when she entered and pushed the ground floor button, the lift readily moved and deposited her at the base of the building.

  Getting back to Roan’s floor wasn’t going to be a problem since she had no plans for returning to him. Even so, an odd emptiness filled her at how each step took her farther away from him.

  Sonja shook her head. This is ridiculous!

  In the past few years since losing her sisters and escaping the slavers who’d stolen her from her family’s farm, she’d joined a group dedicated to interfering with the sla
ve traffic in the Outer Colonies. In that time she’d developed a reputation.

  She was Sonja, pirate and fearsome scourge of slavers everywhere. She was known for her viciousness, and particularly her knives. There was no way a man could make her feel this way. She couldn’t be getting soft.

  Her mission was to find her sisters and get them off this rock, not fall into a happily-ever-after relationship with a Gaian, of all people. Ruthlessly, she suppressed the emptiness and headed back down the path, moving quietly between the buildings. There must be a public terminal somewhere.

  Several hours later, though, she was more than a little discouraged. The buildings in the area seemed to be residences with few buildings for public use. Nowhere was there an open terminal.

  For a moment she wondered if perhaps she’d made the wrong decision earlier when she’d left Roan’s apartment. It wouldn’t have taken that long to get permission to use his datastore. Once she had, all she would have needed to do was wait for him to leave the apartment before leaving to find her sisters.

  That would have been a better plan. So why was she just now thinking of it?

  That funny empty, somewhat scary, feeling returned, and Sonja wondered if maybe she hadn’t acted precipitously because she’d been nervous about staying any longer with Roan than she had to. Maybe darting him and leaving in the middle of the night had been her way of coping with something she hadn’t the courage to deal with.

  She sat on the bench outside one of the last buildings she’d searched. It had held exercise equipment, running pads, climbing walls and courts for ball games, but no computers or other kind of communications equipment. The bench sat alongside a long pool of water, probably for swimming. As throughout the bubble, trees and flowering bushes surrounded the buildings, keeping the air fresh and sweet-smelling.

  The place had the feel of a high-class resort rather than a prison. Given the fact that you couldn’t leave the bubble without special equipment that she was sure would be hard to get hold of, or get to the spaceport without going through extensive security, the place was still a cage. But she had to admit it was a very comfortable cage.