Desire's Prisoner Read online

  “If you gentlemen will excuse us,” Evena said, and walked quickly to the door. Her heart beat fast, and she felt a smile warm her face. Everyone should be as happy as I am right now!

  “About that little thing,” he said as he caught up.

  Evena giggled then bit her lip. Her pace picked up.

  “Why are you in such a hurry?” he asked, amusement in his voice.

  “We’ve only seven hours until morning. Do you want to waste a minute? Of course, perhaps you’d rather spend the time with your men.”

  He snagged her with an arm around her waist and pushed her against the wall of the corridor. “Perhaps we shouldn’t waste time finding a bed.” His hands landed on the wall on either side of her shoulders, and he leaned down to kiss her.

  Evena hooked a leg around his hips and ground her pussy against his cock. “I don’t care if you don’t.”

  “Captain.”

  “Yes!” Evena and Adam both shouted as Mary strode down the corridor, face dark as a thundercloud.

  “Fights are breaking out in the cells.”

  Evena drew her gaze from Adam’s lips and frowned. “What the hell do they have to fight about?”

  Mary rolled her eyes. “Whose shirt is whose? Who gets which pirate?” She threw up her hands. “Everything!”

  Evena lowered her leg with a sigh. “Sorry. Duty calls.”

  Adam’s sigh was louder. “Don’t be long,” he growled.

  Evena wrinkled her nose then followed Mary down the hallway. “Think we need clubs?”

  “No. But we might want them, anyway. Darak’s gonna find himself some trouble if he doesn’t wait for me.”

  Evena laughed, and the two women loped down the corridor.

  *

  Several hours later, Evena made her way back to her cell, tired and cranky. Women! Thank God, after tomorrow they were Adam’s headache. Her days as CB Captain were over.

  The door to her cell slid open silently, and she stepped inside. Adam’s gentle snore greeted her. Well, damn.

  In the dim light of early dawn, she stripped off her suit and walked over to the bed. His large body sprawled over the mattress, leaving only a small space next to the wall. She climbed over, careful not to disturb him, and lay down on her side. With her hands tucked beneath her face, she watched him as he slept.

  All mine. From his dark, tangled hair to the beard stubbling his strong chin, this man was very dear to her already.

  His chest rose and he murmured, and then rolled toward her, his heavy hand landing on her hip.

  Evena’s gaze trailed down his chest, and she couldn’t resist touching what she saw. Her fingers combed the light furring, circled his velvet-skinned nipple, and then trailed lower to follow the arrow of dark hair framing his sex. His burgeoning sex. She glanced up and found him watching her, a smirk tilting the corners of his mouth.

  “Don’t stop now,” he whispered.

  Needing no further invitation, Evena wrapped her fingers around his cock and slid down the bed. Her heart beat loudly in her chest.

  Adam’s hand lifted the hair from her neck and wrapped it around his fist. “God’s ballocks, woman. What the hell took you so long?”

  Evena grinned, and then smacking her lips loudly, poised over his cock. “Believe me, sweetie, you don’t want to know.”

  Adam’s eyes narrowed. “So long as the reason wasn’t another of my scurvy crew, you can stow it until after you’ve had breakfast.” His hand pushed her face closer to his cock.

  “Did I ever tell you Rufus is a very impatient little man?”

  “Will you get on with it, woman?”

  Evena trailed the tip of her finger down his length.

  His cock jerked. “Evena?” His voice rose in warning.

  Evena opened her mouth, pushed the head of his cock inside, and then commenced chewing softly.

  “Sweet Je—Evena!”

  She laughed and licked the places she’d abused, and then slid her lips and tongue down one side and up the other. His hand tugged on her hair, but Evena remained steadfast. Torture—slow and uneasy—was the name of her game. She rose and knelt beside his hips, her lips never leaving his cock. At this angle, she could sink her head over his cock and swallow a good bit of him—if she had a mind to. But, she didn’t.

  Adam’s head thrashed and his hand pulled harder on her hair. “There will be a price, sweetheart.”

  She continued her sweet torture, but a niggling doubt cast a shadow on her love play. What form would his revenge take? Evena decided to stop teasing and give him what he wanted. Besides, her belly was tightening, and she wasn’t sure how long she could keep this up before she had to have him inside her to assuage the kindling fire.

  Her mouth opened wide as she bobbed over his cock, sucking hard. Her hands joined her play and, in concert with her mouth, enfolded him in her warm, moist heat.

  Adam groaned and planted his feet in the bed to leverage his hips, pushing up into Evena’s hot little mouth. The faster her head bobbed and the harder she sucked, the closer he came to ending her play and giving her the banging she deserved. Little witch!

  Then Evena started to make groaning noises of her own, and he knew she was ready. “Evena, come around to me.” He let go of her hair and urged her with his hands to come over him. When her pussy poised over his mouth, he latched on to her labia and sucked and chewed and tongued, until she squirmed.

  Her lips disengaged from his cock. “Adam?” Her voice rose on the last syllable.

  “Mmmm, sweetheart. I could go for hours. How about you?”

  “Do something. My clit—your fingers—please, Adam!”

  Adam smiled and reached around to pat her ass. “Revenge is sweet, huh, love?”

  “Bastard.” She rose, turning to take his cock inside her pussy.

  Before she sank, he rolled her on the mattress until she lay beneath him, her legs spread wide—her cunt his for the plundering. “I’ll teach you to tease.” He realized he was poised at her nether mouth. He held himself still, but his cock twitched.

  “Who is teasing whom?” she asked and rolled her hips, taking his head inside. “Looks like Rufus is in charge here.” She snickered.

  Adam closed his eyes. Bad move. All sensation centered on her hot, slick tunnel. Her entrance pulsed around the sensitive skin at the crown of his dick. His hips lunged forward.

  Evena screamed and her legs pumped, urging him to move. “Adam! Do something!”

  Adam went wild. His hips jerked, his cock leading where Adam had resisted. Pounding, hard and deep.

  Evena’s legs rose, and her hands gripped the backs of her thighs to bring them higher still.

  A move he approved. Anything to keep his hips unimpeded.

  “Give it to me, baby!”

  Adam pounded faster, his balls slapping her ass. Then he loosed a growl that rumbled in his chest, as an orgasm ripped though his balls, releasing a stream of steamy come deep inside his love.

  Evena screamed again and released her legs, darkness blending with light. Then she realized she hadn’t stopped yelling until the sound bounced around the walls and back. She unclenched her eyes to see Adam leaning over her, his face stretched into a wide, cocky grin.

  “Good morning, love.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Eat me.”

  “An invitation I can’t refuse.” He leaned down and kissed her lips, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth to mate with hers.

  Evena pushed him away.

  He rolled onto his back and tucked his hands behind his head.

  Evena turned on her side and scooted her body as close as she could to his, her leg rising to slide over his hips to nudge his cock. “Adam?” Why was she hesitating? Just blurt it out. Where’s my backbone?

  “Yes, love?”

  “I want to go with you.”

  “I know that. I never had a doubt in my mind you’d see the sense—”

  “Adam. Not that. I meant, I want to be with you when you go pirating.”

>   Adam’s complacent expression turned sour. “I won’t have it. I’ll not put your life in harm’s way. Besides, it’s bad luck to have a woman on a raid.”

  Again, she rubbed his cock and didn’t look back into his eyes. Cowardly, but she didn’t want to lose this argument and needed to keep her wits about her. “That’s nonsense. I’m strong and smart. I’ll learn fast.”

  “Give it up, Evena. I won’t take you.” His voice stayed firm and even.

  “But I know there are female pirates out there. Why, there’s Annie Cohen—”

  “That’s not the same. She was born to it. Women don’t belong aboard a pirate ship. My men wouldn’t have it. Women are too distracting.”

  “For whom? I wouldn’t be any trouble.” Evena slid her hand over his stomach, and then lower to scrape her nails along his cock. “How long will you be gone?”

  His cock twitched and stretched. “I could be away for months.”

  “And I’m supposed to be doing what in the meantime?” She grasped him at the root and squeezed. “And with whom?”

  He growled, but he lifted his hips to spear between the fingers clutching his cock. “I’ll lock you in a bloody chastity belt with only my palm print to open the lock.”

  “That will guard my vagina, but I guess that wouldn’t be so bad. Now that I know how enjoyable—”

  “You will not have another man anywhere near your ass. It’s mine!” His hands came out from beneath his head, and his arms encircled her, pulling her on top of him.

  Evena rubbed her chest on his. “And my breasts have become extremely sensitive to touch. I suppose so long as he scraped me with his stubbly beard—”

  “Who? You little witch!” He pulled her up his body until his cock fitted into her pussy.

  “Tell the truth,” she said, wriggling to take him deep inside. “You wouldn’t have flown your pirate ship out of port before you missed me.”

  He grunted. “True enough. Fact is, I’m not sure I can stay out of your sweet cunt long enough to be a proper captain ever again.”

  Evena opened her thighs to straddle his hips. “So I get to go a-pirating?” she asked with a little shimmy and bounce.

  “My men will mutiny.”

  Chapter Eleven

  ‡

  Adam congratulated himself on the satisfactory outcome of his single-minded campaign to win Evena’s heart. Someday, he’d have to tell her he’d never intended to leave her aboard the New Attica. Someday soon. Before she’d decided to come with him, Adam’s plan had already been set in motion. The timetable was just pushed up.

  Evena’s capitulation only made things easier. Her agreement hadn’t really changed the outcome, but it did ease his conscience regarding his original intention to remove her from the prison—bound and gagged, if necessary. Her body’s intolerance for the electro-stun would have precluded a more peaceful kidnapping.

  She would soon discover the truth, anyway. For days, First Mate Cantor had been busting his gut laughing over his predicament. Adam was sure their frequent, secret conversations, via the portable comm-box he’d brought with him, had been the source of much enjoyment for the crew aboard the Intrepid.

  No, Cantor wasn’t known for his discretion. Adam wouldn’t put it past him to use his knowledge of Evena’s seduction to rile the woman, just to put a spanner in the works for Adam. Hopefully, Cantor would have his hands so full with organizing the women aboard the ship, he might forget Adam’s plan for a time.

  The fact was, Evena’s fate had been decided, with or without her consent, the first moment he’d seen the feisty jut of her chin.

  Eventually, being the sensible person she was, she’d concede the logic of his decision. That is, once she got past her anger at his arrogance. He rather looked forward to the battle she would give him.

  Adam watched the woman who would be his mate as she walked down the long rank of women. The line stretched down the length of the corridor and beyond. All waited patiently for transport to his ship. The many cartons of their meager belongings would be loaded last.

  Evena stopped every few feet to talk to the women, reassuring them all was going according to plan.

  Pride welled in his chest for the strength she’d shown over the past few hours. Early that morning, she’d led the women in a funeral ceremony as they’d launched Aurelia’s silk-wrapped body into open space.

  Then, she’d set the women to preparing food for the prisoners in HS block who would not be traveling with them. The most dangerous women would remain on the New Attica until the warden and her police force arrived. Evena had made sure each would be as comfortable as possible until that time. Every one, that was, except Celestine. She received no food or water. Her loud curses could be heard in the next cell block.

  “You seem awfully relaxed for a man who’s about to run a Dominion gauntlet, Captain,” Darak said as he drew alongside him.

  “Huh,” Adam grunted, never taking his gaze from Evena.

  “Ivan’s confirmed the window opens in ten minutes. As we speak, Cantor’s readying the breaching craft. When it’s clear, they’ll begin ferrying the women to the ship.”

  “Good. I hate this waiting game. I’d like to get a good head start on the Dominion fleet.”

  “Aye, Captain. We’ll need it. The Intrepid’s not built to outrun cruisers.”

  “As long as we can make Arturia before they catch up, we’ll survive.”

  “So, do you still intend to split up once we get there?”

  “Hard enough hiding three hundred fifty women in prison-issue reclamation suits. Unless we’re able to purchase or steal another ship at port, we’ll have to take the women fifty at a time aboard our cruiser to the new planet.”

  “That could take us months. A lot could happen on Arturia before we’re finished.”

  “I’ve gold enough to grease the palms of the local constabulary for a while, but I’ll have to take the Raptor back out.”

  “I thought you were selling her.” Darak’s eyes widened. “Are you planning to return to piracy?”

  “For a time,” he replied curtly.

  “What about Evena? Does she know you’ll be abandoning her as soon as you get to Arturia?”

  “She’s coming along.”

  Darak blinked. “Sir, you know it’s bad luck to take women on raids.”

  Adam waved a hand. “We’ll make our own luck. Besides, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Ooh-hoo! You’re sounding hen-pecked already. I’m surprised you don’t just tie her up and send her along with the other women. That was your original plan, after all.”

  Adam gave him a searing glance. “You’re to forget that bit of folly, and that’s an order, scivvy!”

  Darak laughed, unimpressed with Adam’s ire. “Does Cantor know yet that you’re appointing him interim governor until your return? He won’t like being grounded.”

  “I haven’t had the pleasure, yet.”

  A light dawned in Darak’s eyes. “Ah, you’re making sure he and Evena are kept separate for a time.” He laughed merrily. “Very nasty. But, I like it.”

  “Cantor’s a fine choice for the job.”

  “If you say so. Somehow, I can’t picture him in charge of a company of women.”

  “The responsibility will make a man of him.”

  “He’ll kill you.”

  “He can try.” Adam’s gaze was drawn once again to his woman as she strode toward him, a smile on her face.

  “I fear that one will lead you a merry chase, sir.”

  “God, I hope so,” Adam murmured. “By the way, you’ll be in charge of the women left on Arturia.” Surprisingly, Darak didn’t appear a bit perturbed. Then, Adam watched Darak’s expression grow soft when his gaze lit on Mary Grogan. “So, have you decided to take Mary as your mate?”

  Darak smiled. “To tell you the truth, I’m not so sure who did the choosing. But, aye, she’s the one for me.”

  “The one?” Adam was well aware of Darak’s procli
vity for variety.

  “My ‘Number One.’ Too cruel to leave so many unattached females without the love and support of a good man.”

  Adam’s mouth twitched. “I suppose you’ll sacrifice your manhood for the greater good?”

  “You know our motto: So many women, so many cunts to plunder.”

  “Ships, dammit. It’s ships!”

  Evena’s eyes narrowed as she stepped close. “You definitely have to find a new motto, Captain.”

  “Captain, huh?” He placed his arm around her waist and pulled her near.

  “Only in public. Don’t go getting all puffed up,” she warned, with a sliding caress of his cock. “Can’t have more than one aboard a ship. And, since I’m a pirate-in-training, that title can’t be mine.”

  “And what will you call me when we’re alone?”

  “Oh, I think we’ll find much more interesting things to call each other.”

  “Master and slave?”

  “Hmmm.” Her eyebrows rose. “Sometimes. But we’ll have to trade roles, occasionally.”

  “How about…husband?” He held his breath.

  She looked up, her eyes shining. “And wife?”

  “If you’ll have this pirate.”

  Evena leaned upward to kiss his mouth.

  Their tongues mated and their bodies aligned. Oblivious to their amused audience, Evena and Adam sealed their promise.

  “Ahem, Captain.”

  Adam bussed Evena’s lips one more time before shooting Darak an annoyed glance.

  Darak raised his hands. “Thought you might like to know, the breaching crew’s opened the portal.”

  A cheer arose from the women, and they surged forward to greet the newcomers climbing through the opening.

  Evena sighed. “We’ve work to do before we can continue this discussion.”

  Adam brought her hand to his mouth. “Tonight, then.”

  “Bring a slave’s torque?”

  “Will you wear it for me?”

  She glanced sideways and lowered her lashes. “I was hoping to try it on Rufus.”

  Adam grinned. “Ah! He’s a slippery fellow. Do you really think you can chain him?”

  She licked her lips slowly. “I can make him my slave.”