“I’m angry too. And I’m not sorry.” Her nails sank in more. Then she relented . . . but not really. They dug in again. Scratching him even harder.
He didn’t flinch. It excited him. She felt it, and was faintly annoyed by it.
“Guess I had that coming,” he said. “Do it again.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Would be nice if it actually hurt,” she said tartly.
She rested her hands on his shoulders, pulling on him. He took that as an invitation to lower himself. Slowly and carefully. Bad kitty took no prisoners.
“Oh, it did hurt,” he assured her. “Hurt just right.” He caressed her slick folds with his stiff, aching dick. Slow, voluptuous up-and-down strokes.
She could see nothing besides the outline of his body looming over her, whereas he saw every detail of her. Lithe and luminous, offering herself at last. Caressing his chest.
She cried out as he sank his thick, throbbing shaft into her tight slickness.
“Close your eyes,” he muttered. “If you can’t stand me looking at you.”
She shook her head. “It’s like you can see in the dark. I can feel your eyes.”
“Keep feeling it,” he said roughly, thrusting again. Balls deep in her hot, quivering clasp. “Feel all of me.”
“I do.” Her hands slid down his sides to his butt. Holding his hips. Digging her nails into the driving muscle, taking him deeper and deeper.
He struggled to master himself. The pleasure was so intense, he wanted to throw himself into it headlong. No. He couldn’t lose control completely.
He preferred to think about Caro. Experience Caro. She lifted her hips eagerly to meet each stroke. He let his own energy break loose when she was right at the brink.
They both went for it, full force . . . and exploded together.
They stayed like that for a long time afterwards. Twined and motionless, their hearts still thundering. Wet with sweat. He kept his hand on her ass, to keep them joined . . . until she stretched and shrugged him off.
OK. He had to take care of the condom anyway. He got rid of it fast, as if she’d vanish like smoke if he turned his back. But she was there when he returned, sitting up.
“Your smartphone’s doing the strangest thing,” she said. “It’s glittering.”
He glanced at it where it sat on the chest of drawers, startled. He’d programmed it to give him a visual signal when Sisko messaged him using their private code. But he’d set it to light frequencies that unmods shouldn’t be able to see.
He grabbed the phone and tapped in the password. “This is a work thing. Mind if I deal with it now?”
“No,” she murmured.
Sisko’s message was brief.
Asa Stone. Specializes in darknet datamining. Auctions illicit information in secret to highest bidders. Big enemies.
The message was followed by several links.
So his brother was active on the darknet in some sort of criminal way. Not that Noah would expect anything else with their background and training. Or from a kid thrown out on the streets at fifteen.
“Are you OK?” Caro asked.
He had a swift, red-tinged data scroll going now. Damn. He exited from the message and quickly put the phone down. “Fine. Why?”
“Your vibe. Seems like you got some bad news.”
He shook his head. “Just some old stuff.” He slid back under the covers, pulling her jealously into his arms again. She felt so good.
“I should go now,” she said.
His whole body contracted. His heart thumped hard and the combat program data flickered and scrolled in blurred stripes of light.
“No way,” he said. “You said you’d spend the night. We’re not even at the half-way point. You’re safe here. You can sleep.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “That’s not why I came here, Noah.”
“I’ll fuck you as many more times as you want,” he said. “I stand ready to serve. Until then, get some rest.” He was working the masterful, steely-alpha vibe again.
Successfully, this time. She was too exhausted to object. Her colors shifted along with her brain waves, colors muting as she sank into a deep, heavy sleep.
He didn’t follow her there. Couldn’t anymore, not really. He never slept, just rested one brain hemisphere while the other stayed razor sharp. Sentinel sleep, they’d called it. After the their escape, he’d never seen any good reason to unlearn it.
Sentinel sleep was perfect for lying around for hours in bed, looking at a beautiful sleeping woman. Soaking it all in. Not missing a single goddamn second.
He could look at her forever. Time was racing by. He listened to the slow thud of her heart, wishing he could slow time down. Make their night last forever. He liked it, that he could always stay sharp and vigilant for her. Her shelter and her shield.