Part 31 (1/2)

188.

Antic.i.p.ation stretched her taut. She couldn't see him. Had idea where he would touch her. Or if his touch would bring more wonderful caresses or the slap of his palm and fiery heat. Yet she liked not knowing. Her synthari had never ached so much. And at the tightness gathering in her belly, she suspected, that her body could not accept much more stimulation before she spasmed with pleasure. ”What do you want from me?”

She heard him moving to the bath, leaving her, and she fought to hold back a sob.

Surely he wasn't abandoning her? Surely he meant to continue?

An eternity pa.s.sed while she was strung taut, and she clung to the notion that he would soon return to do exactly what she'd wanted. He'd given her body a few minutes to cool down, adjust. And she gritted her teeth, realising he was an absolute master at keeping her on a thin edge.

With his return, his weight depressed the mattress and the bindings on her ankles tugged her open wider. And then with absolutely no warning, his mouth closed over her synthari.

Stars. If not for her bonds, she would have jerked at the sudden heat of his wet tongue rasping over her most tender flesh. But she could not move. Could only remain pliant and appreciative.

He must be on his back. And that was her last coherent thought as his hands clasped her b.u.t.tocks and held her tightly against his mouth-as if she could have gone anywhere.

Between her tied hands and ankles, she couldn't so much as wriggle. Not that she wasted to. His bewitching mouth, his playful lips, and his roving tongue would have had her hips bucking. Yet his hands on her tender bottom held her absolutely at his mercy-and he had none.

Panting, frantic for release, she could do nothing but accept the pitter-patter of her heart, the crackle of sizzling electricity that caused sweet purrs of encouragement from her throat. Expertly, he employed his clever tongue, and when she was once again about to explode, when one more caress would have given her release, he stopped.

And she wanted to curse him in every language she knew as frustration overwhelmed her, but her breath was to ragged for words. Her throat too raw for coherence. I... can't... take... much more.”

”You will take as much as I choose to give.”

His words arrowed straight to her heart and she denied what her body wanted so badly, instead of submitting, accepting his demands-even as she found it incredibly hard, undeniably s.e.xy. ”Yes.”

Suddenly, his hands were ma.s.saging her bottom with some kind of oil that felt cool at first but quickly warmed her skin. ”Ummm. That feels... ah.” The oil trickled between her cheeks and his fingers followed, gently exploring and opening her. She ordered her quivering muscles to relax, but that was impossible. The oil was so slippery and his 189.

fingers were everywhere, under her, over her, inside her. Moving in and out in a steady rhythm.

Just one touch of his hand on her pleasure center would have given her release. But that was the one place he didn't stroke, and tease. Waiting for him to decide what to touch, where to touch, how much to touch, caused her stomach to tense. Her nipples were so tight.

”Tell me you want more,” he demanded.

”More,” she agreed.

And then he spanked her bottom with one hand while he continued to play with every exposed part of her with purring softness, coaxing hardness. The stinging slaps made her flesh smolder, his caresses on her delicate synthari altered from tender to decadent and naughty.

”Again?” he asked.

”Yes.” Knowing that if she'd had freedom to move, her bottom would have risen up halfway to meet the spankings, even as her hips wanted to buck to keep his fingers inside.

His alluring fingers methodically entered and withdrew, and with perfect timing, he spanked the curves of her upturned cheeks until her entire body throbbed with expectation. ”Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.”

The heat. His fingers. Pain and pleasure rolled into one until she couldn't tell where one started and the other left. Her head spun. Her fingers clenched. Her toes curled into the mattress.

And then he entered her with his tavis. She had no idea when he'd removed his sarong, Didn't care. Finally. Finally, he was inside her, filling her with torrid pressure.

His hands came around and slid oil over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and she cried out from the raw pleasure. And then she was spasming, the explosion starting deep in her center and radiating outward with electric force. But as he kept moving, thrusting, she didn't so much shatter as rocket. And the burn kept escalating, taking her higher, farther, in a series of eruptions that went on... and on... and on.

And still he didn't stop. His fingers found where she was most sensitive and he applied steadily increasing pressure. Each gus.h.i.+ng spasm triggered another, each more violent, each topping the last. She totally lost herself. Her body short-circuited.

And she blacked out.

190.

Chapter Eighteen.

Dora exploded into a world of brilliant colors. Cyan, turquoise, celadon, and golden ochre. Streams of color suffused her as if she floated among clouds. At first she thought she was dreaming. But this was like no dream she'd ever experienced. Color encompa.s.sed her, flooding through her and feeding her psi. As she reached out, the coalescent ribbons of color thinned until she sensed another presence in the swirling rainbow of shades.

Ranth?

Dora?

She wasn't speaking with her mouth but she heard him all the same. The connection was psi-linked with empathic overtones, allowing her to guess at his vigilance, yet he was most definitely happy to communicate. And beneath the wariness, she sensed Ranth's loneliness and fear, deep azure and indigo coloring his thoughts.

Where is this place? she asked, but as the henna and cinnabar and honey faded along with his azure and indigo, she recognized Ranth's vault.

But she was not on the outside looking in, she was inside with him. Somehow, she'd catapulted her psi exactly where she'd wanted to go. And she prayed she wasn't trapped. Before she couldn't remain separate from her body for too long or it might die, leaving her spirit with no place to return.

I created a doorway that would recognize only you. Ranth informed her.

Thanks. We're working on a way to free you from the dampeners. And Selgren L Matti has abducted Kirek. We need any help you can give us to get him back.

I can link with you and leave through the doorway, but my powers will be limited.

Dora understood. The doorway Ranth had opened was a tiny bandwidth. He could operate only a puny part of his intellect through such a small crack.

Any and all help will be appreciated. Stay linked with me as I withdraw.

Compliance.

Keeping Ranth with her was like carrying Kirek. In the beginning, he was light and easy to take along the journey back to her body, but eventually she tired from the load.

Determined to hold him close, she concentrated, but like muscles that had been pushed too hard, the psi link weakened.

Ranth shot her a virtual sigh. You're losing me.

Sorry. I'll come back.

Soon?

191.

Soon, she promised but doubted he had heard her reply. The link sliced sharp and clean.

With a shocking thud, her consciousness ricocheted into her body.