Her pulse sped up, and she was damp between her thighs. “So do them. For one night, I want to forget. I just want it to be me and you.”
He kissed her. Then he lifted her off her feet and carried her toward the edge of the pool.
She kissed him back, desperately, hungrily. Then he laid her on the grass, and it was soft like a blanket beneath her.
He stood above her and shed his clothes.
Her chest hitched. He was so damn magnificent. She wanted to bite him all over.
He unbuckled his harness and dropped it onto the grass nearby. Now, she licked her lips and pressed her thighs together. His large, erect cock rose up, and she couldn’t take her gaze off it.
Rhain knelt and pushed her legs apart. He was breathing harshly.
“Come inside me, Rhain. I need you inside me.”
He lunged forward, covering her with his body. She felt his energy splay out around him, and her own rose to meet his. It electrified her skin.
Rhain slid an arm under her hips, yanking her up.
“Yes,” she breathed.
He grabbed his cock, then guided it to her.
Mal bit her lip. Her gaze met his.
He thrust inside her.
She’d taken him before, but it felt like the first time all over again. Her body stretched to accommodate his thick invasion.
But Rhain’s patience was gone.
He began thrusting into her heavily, every plunge deep. She raked her nails down his biceps, crying out.
“Mallory,” he groaned.
“Rhain!”
The angle of his thrusts brushed her clit. She cried out.
He threw his head back, the muscles in his neck straining. Mal absorbed every sound he made, the heavy thrust of his hips, the deep stretch of his cock inside her.
Her release hit, splintering her apart.
She clung to him, her anchor, her rock in the storm. Waves of pleasure crashed over her.
He made a tortured sound, and with one last thrust, poured himself inside her.
Finally, he shifted, collapsing partly to the side but still inside her. He kept her pinned to him, his breathing harsh.
“That was…” She couldn’t find a word adequate enough.
“It was.” His voice was low and hoarse.
They held onto each other as their skin cooled. It was really scary how right this felt. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. How for the first time in her life, she understood what it felt like to know you were in the right place.
She just wasn’t sure Rhain felt the same way. And if he did, how long it would last.
Stop thinking, Mal.
She ran a hand up his sweat slicked back. “I guess we could have a swim in the pool.”
“We could.” He moved his hips.
Mal gasped. God. He was still thick and hard inside her.
“Or, I have a better idea,” he said.
He rolled onto his back, keeping her in place. She rose above him, straddling him, his cock deep inside her.
Mal rocked her hips. “I do like your idea.”
The next morning, Rhain strode into the front courtyard of the outpost.
The pleasures of the night before seemed very far away. He was dressed in his armor, swords on his back.
It was time to head out and find Krastin.
“Overlord.” Aran hurried over. “I hope you slept well.”
He’d slept with his face buried in Mal’s silky hair. “I did.”
“My team had an excellent idea for how you can get out.”
Rhain looked up and saw Thadd and the other fighters gathered. Everyone looked prepared.
His captain nodded.
“You go out in our mining transports,” Aran said. “They’re not as fast as your ruggers, but they’re sturdy and built for the terrain.”
Rhain frowned. “Go on.”
“I’ll have some of my people take your ruggers, and lead the Zhylaw away.”
“And we sneak out while they’re busy.” Thadd pointed. “I took the liberty of transferring some extra weapons to the mining ruggers.”
The mining ruggers were built of a dark-black metal, and rode lower to the ground, with a small flat bed at the back, no doubt for transporting equipment and craxma metal.
Rhain looked at Aran. “It’s a good idea, Aran. But I don’t want your people hurt.”
The man nodded. “They won’t be. They know this terrain well. They’ll get back inside the shield once you’re clear.”
Mal strode out of the nearby building.
She wore Zhalton armor, and the bronze metal hugged her trim torso, leather trousers slicking down her legs. Her sword hung in a scabbard on her back. Her hair was in a tight ponytail that bobbed as she walked.
Her face was resolute, composed. She was ready for battle.
In his head, he had a flash of her naked and under him, taking him.
His gut clenched.
Mal was his. He’d keep her safe, then he just had to finally convince her to trust him. Convince her that she belonged here with him.
“Ready?” she asked.
Rhain told her the plan.
She smiled. “I like it. Simple but sneaky.”
“The mining ruggers are almost ready to go,” Thadd said.
Mal swiveled and rubbed her fist against her chest. “The tug feels stronger today.”
Rhain gripped her shoulder. “We’re going to find her.”
Mal nodded.
Soon, they were loading into the mining ruggers. It was a tighter fit, and not as comfortable as the ones they’d arrived in. Thadd had set up turrets in the beds on the back. The captain sat in the seat of one, and another fighter, Lira, sat on the turret on the second mining rugger.
Inside the vehicle, Rhain sat behind the drivers, Mal beside him.
They listened to Aran on the comm line.
“Open the shield. Send out the decoys.”
Rhain leaned forward, tense, and he watched as the ruggers they’d arrived in from Citadel zoomed out the front gate of Emex Outpost. Aran’s mechanics had worked all night to fix most of the damage the ruggers had received the day before.
There were only two people in each—Aran’s best drivers who knew the terrain around Emex best.
“Pull up the projection,” Rhain ordered.
They watched a bird’s-eye view from the Emex cameras. The two ruggers spread out, driving hard and fast. At first, nothing happened. They raced across the terrain.
“Where are they?” Mal muttered.
“There,” Rhain pointed.
Two Zhylaw vehicles burst out of the ground in pursuit.
Mal sucked in a breath.
Another appeared. And another one right in front of the ruggers. The ruggers swerved.
The two vehicles raced on, taking a wild, zigzagging path across the countryside.
“It’s clear.” Aran appeared outside their mining rugger and banged his palm on the side of it. “Go now.”
“Move out,” Rhain ordered.
Their rugger went first. They exited the outpost and turned away to the north, away from the other ruggers. They would take a more circuitous path to avoid detection.
They bumped over the rocky ground. It was a much rougher ride than the regular transport ruggers.
“Anything on scans?” Mal asked.
“Nothing,” the driver, Cedo, responded.
All the fighters in the vehicle sat silent, tense.
“Overlord,” the co-driver, Kasra, said. “Emex just sent a message. The ruggers returned safely.”
Rhain blew out a breath, and he saw Mal smile.
“Excellent,” he said.
Now they just had to reach their destination safely.