Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Nera stayed very still. Pleasure her? She hadn’t heard those words…ever. Sex for her was a quick, sweaty ride—that she instigated and controlled—and a short pop of an orgasm.
It had been a long time. Since this…infatuation with Niklas had grown, she hadn’t wanted to hire a pretty pleasure worker or pick up some young space jock at a space station bar. And deeper in her past…well, sex had never been about her pleasure.
She swallowed, hiding the unfamiliar nerves. She hated being nervous. “What did you have in mind?”
“Just let me do the work.” He spun her, his big body pressing up against her back.
God. Her eyelids fluttered. The sensation of him was… She could stay here for hours, absorbing him. She let one hand rise up, touching his face.
“Uh-uh.” His hand circled her wrist.
“Don’t restrain me.” She hated that her words sounded clipped.
His grip loosened instantly. “Put your hands on the wall.”
She hesitated. She didn’t take orders from anyone.
His lips nipped the back of her neck, and she arched into the touch. “It’s a request, Nera. I want you focused on what you’re feeling, not me.”
She placed her palms against the wall. The metal was cool under her skin, while Niklas’ body was burning hot at her back.
“That’s it.” One of his hands slid around her front, caressing her belly. “I’m amazed at how smooth your skin is. It’s got me wondering how smooth it is on your belly, your thighs…between your legs.”
She hissed out a breath. “So find out.”
“Patience.” He teased at the hem of her shirt. Then he dipped his fingers beneath, brushing over her belly. He made a humming noise.
Nera stared blindly at the wall. She always imagined that when she and Niklas finally came together, it would be an explosion. Wrestling, rolling, tearing at each other.
This…seduction was not what she’d expected. Although knowing his steady patience for his work, maybe she should have guessed he’d apply the same concentration to sex.
His teeth were at her earlobe, nipping and tugging. That small touch shot through her, arrrowing between her legs. She shifted restlessly.
The hand at her waist slid down over her skirt. Then it ducked beneath the silky fabric, and her breath hitched. Fingers trailed up her thigh.
“Such strength and beauty all rolled together,” he murmured.
Those slightly callused fingers rubbed circles on her inner thigh, moving higher and higher. Every muscle in her stretched tight. She was always in control. She always selected a partner and initiated sex. She was never seduced. Warmth spread through her, flaring white-hot.
His fingers reached her underwear. He teased at the silky edge, and his breathing rate increased, his chest rising and falling against her back.
It made something in her loosen a fraction.
She wasn’t alone. This was affecting him as much as her.
But how could simply touching her, pleasuring her, turn him on so much?
His finger slid under the silk and all her thoughts scattered.
He stroked through her folds and groaned. He traced the tiny strip of hair above her sex, seemingly fascinated.
“I…researched you. And the women you’d had in the past,” she said breathlessly. He stroked again and her hips moved into his touch. “You like a woman…well-groomed.”
“Nera.” He groaned again, his touch becoming more forceful. “I should be angry at you, prying into my love life.”
“There haven’t been many lately.”
He slid a finger inside her, his body pushing hard against hers. Against her bottom, she felt the hard prod of his cock. “No, there haven’t been any lately, have there?”
All she could focus on was that thick finger moving deep inside her. He pulled out, leaving her feeling empty. Then two fingers sank back into her and she moaned.
“Holy stars, Nera, you are so tight.”
She couldn’t form any words. He kept those clever fingers moving, pushing her higher.
Then his thumb brushed her clit, and she jerked hard with a moan.
“You like that?” He brushed again, his touch firm. He flicked, pushed, learned what she liked from her cries and movements.
Nera couldn’t take it anymore. She moved her hands and clamped them on the outside of his strong thighs.
He didn’t say anything, so she just gripped him, needing something to anchor her in the firestorm of sensation crashing over her. She heard small cries echoing in the room and realized they were coming from her.
Hot lips were at her ear, the side of her jaw. “Come for me, Nera. Come on my hand and let me hear you.”
She was helpless to do anything but give him what he wanted. One more hard caress of her clit and she exploded like a supernova. She screamed…and it was Niklas’ name she called out.
When she could think again, she was held up by strong arms wrapped around her middle. His chin rested on her hair and he surrounded her. Strong, solid Niklas. She let herself sink back into him and enjoy the moment.
Then she became aware of the rock-hard erection jabbing into her ass. She licked her lips. Oh, she really wanted to explore him, learn what drove him crazy. She reached back, and pressed her hands to the front of his trousers.
He groaned and for a second, thrust against her hand. She got the impression of a thick, generous cock before he pulled back.
She spun, frowning. “Your turn, now. Let me return the favor.”
He shook his head. “Soon, but not tonight. Tonight was for you.”
She frowned. A man turning down a chance to come? “Niklas—”
He leaned down and pressed a quick, very brief kiss to her lips. She blinked at him as he walked her out the door and down to her cabin.
“Goodnight, Nera. Sleep well.”
She got another quick kiss, this time to her forehead, before she watched him walk back to his room.
Inside her cabin, she pressed her back to the door and gently touched her lips. She wondered if Niklas Phoenix would ever stop surprising her.
Or doing things that made her want him more than she already did.
Nera stood outside the Drake. The pilots had landed it on a flat plain of black rock that looked almost like a hardened lava flow.
Behind her, she heard the Institute team bustling around, preparing to trek into the nearby ruins.
She lifted a hand and shaded her eyes. New Mexico City. Here, the desert came up to the northern part of the city ruins. The southern half looked far different. She lifted her binocs and zoomed in. Vegetation. Black, twisted trees and plant life crawled over the southern half.
The ruins here were also much more intact than those in New York.
It was easy to imagine the people who’d lived here. Men and women walking the streets, kids playing, people hurrying to work. Now…well, now everything was dead.
“Sun feels hotter here, brighter.” Niklas stepped up beside her.
She wanted to scowl at him. She’d tossed and turned for a few hours before she’d finally fallen into a fitful sleep. Even with the orgasm he’d given her, she’d been edgy, desire a low burn in her body. The man had far too much patience and self-control for her liking.
“Good morning. And yes, the sun is harsher.”
His gaze was on the ruined city. “Amazing so much is still standing. But it was a newer city, so many of the buildings were built with more modern technology and better materials.”
“There’s vegetation to the south.”
“Yes, but it looks nasty.”
Someone walked up behind them. Nera turned and saw Solomon stop beside them.
“Nice day for a treasure hunt,” the young man said.
“It’s always a nice day to find treasure,” Nera answered.
Solomon cleared his throat. “I wanted to thank you both again. For saving me in New York. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe us anything, kid,” Niklas said.
“Yeah, I do.” Solomon shoved his hands in his pockets. “Never leave a debt unpaid. My father taught me that.”
“Sounds like a wise man,” Nera said.
“When it suits him. You both have a marker from me. Call it in whenever you need it.” Solomon turned and headed to the small group of Institute agents milling nearby.
Nera regarded him. “He has a story, that one.”
“We all do.”
Maybe, but she recognized the shadows in the young man’s too-old eyes. “But his is not a pleasant one.”
“You aren’t going to hold him to his debt, are you?”
She lifted a shoulder. “We’ll see. I like collecting debts, you know that.” She eyed Niklas’ rugged face. “You owe me quite a few. I just haven’t made you pay up yet.”
“Something tells me you never will.”
“Don’t bet on it, Phoenix.”
“All right, everyone.” Avril stepped forward.
She was wearing an Institute uniform, and Agent Ryant stood a few meters behind her, with a small number of his security team.
“Our primary target is the Museum of Anthropology. We’ll head straight to the museum together.
Once there, we’ll split into smaller recon teams. If you see anything on the way that looks promising, let us know.
” She tapped her ear. “The radiation here is at lower levels than in New York, so we have four hours exposure time. We also have limited comms, so the quality isn’t great. ” She nodded. “Let’s move out.”
They walked into the city and were soon heading down a long, wide street.
The security team fanned out ahead. Gunn and Solomon followed behind Avril, with Niklas and Nera bringing up the rear.
The pavement was cracked and worn. Here and there, some black plant life twisted up through the cracks.
The buildings nearby were mostly tumbled ruins, but it was easy to pick out their shape and functions.
Nera spotted the remnants of a metal sign. It was red with some sort of bottle logo on it. “There are some small finds around here.”
Niklas nodded. “Yes. I’m sure the Institute will fund further expeditions and come back to explore some more and pick up the smaller stuff.”
They turned a corner and an eerie sensation fell over Nera. Here, the buildings were much more intact. Time hadn’t knocked down walls or stripped away all the paint.
“Gorgeous,” Niklas murmured.
“I keep expecting someone to walk out of one of these buildings,” she added.
“There it is,” Avril called out.