Justin (17 page)

“You
are
crazy.”

But Deanna wondered. Would she feel horribly embarrassed seeing two people making love to each other, or would it spur her—especially if Justin was next to her—to want it too? Pheromones were unpredictable things.

Even so, such an idea was out of her realm.
Justin
was out of her realm.

“I’m not sure about that,” Deanna said.

“Don’t worry. I said, I have many ideas.”

“Once you find Lillian, though . . .”

“Once I find Lillian, what?”

She wasn’t certain. If Lillian was in a celibate order, Justin couldn’t run off with her, but what would he and Lillian decide to do? They’d been something to each other once, and they shared a child.

“Justin, what we have can’t possibly go anywhere,” she said in a rush.

“I was thinking the same thing, actually, until you broke into my house this morning and chained me up.”

“I know I did, but . . .”

“Now, I’m willing to think about it. I’m ready to let what happens, happen. I learned a long time ago not to throw something away because other people try to screw it up for you. What I have with you is none of anyone’s business.”

“But it’s dangerous for both of us,” Deanna said. “You don’t know everything about me, Justin. Anything, really. My mother . . .” She studied her ale, then decided it better to meet his gaze as she explained. “My mother is very ill. Incurably, they tell me.”

The sudden compassion on Justin’s face surprised her. “Gods, Deanna. I’m sorry. What happened?”

Deanna told him briefly while he listened, still with that compassion. “And there’s really nothing . . . ?” he asked when she finished.

Deanna shook her head. “I’ve looked into every treatment. There might be something off-world I don’t know about, but anything I’ve found that might help even a little is so hideously expensive, I couldn’t possibly save up enough for it in time . . . And I won’t try some strange experimental treatment that might make her worse.”

“I wish you’d told me,” Justin said.

“Why?” Deanna asked sharply. “Would you have left me in peace?”

“No, I would have tried to help you sooner. I have resources you don’t know about.”

“What resources? What are you talking about?”

“People. Knowledge. Money.”

“I looked you up, Justin. I learned every last thing about you. You don’t have money. You have a house on Sirius, but it’s sitting empty. And I know who you know. If you mean Katarina d’Arnal, your medic friend, she’s not qualified to treat profound chemical problems like this one.”

“Databases only cough up what people put into them, doesn’t matter how good your clearance code is,” Justin said. “If the database doesn’t know about it, no one can find out about it.”

“Meaning you’re keeping secrets from the Bor Nargan government?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Deanna lifted her ale and took a nice, long drink.

Justin grinned. “See? You’re not so bad. I’ll make some inquiries and let you know. In the meantime . . .”

“In the meantime?” Deanna’s heart beat faster. She didn’t think he could help her—the situation was beyond help—but she liked that he wanted to.

“In the meantime, I think we should do what you suggested and have more sex.”

Deanna felt her mouth move into a smile. She looked into his eyes, which had scared her and fascinated her the first time she’d seen them. “Maybe you’re right,” she said.

*** *** ***

Justin thrust again, liking how her eyes half-closed whenever he slid all the way inside her. And she made such delicious little noises.

“I love fucking you,” Justin said. “Just fucking, no games.”

“Yes . . .”

Justin held onto his bed frame and thrust again, she face-up under him, the sweat between their bare bodies slick and hot. She smelled good, womanly musk and salt.

“You’re tight,” he whispered. “You’re making me come again. Damn it, I’m not ready.”

Deanna gave him a languid smile and
squeezed
. The little sweetheart had learned her lessons well.

“Deanna,” he said as his mind blanked to everything but her. “Deanna.
Gods
.”

Her own cry joined his as Deanna peaked, her body moving in rhythm under his. “Justin,” she groaned. “Justin,
I love you.”

*** *** ***

The room went silent as they wound down. Deanna’s face was relaxed in passion, but her eyes held trepidation, almost fear.

Justin kissed her, the warm, slow kisses of afterglow. “Shh.”

“Justin . . .”

“No,” he whispered. “Don’t take it back. Don’t, sweetheart.”

Deanna bit her lip, and Justin pulled her close. He felt the shudder of her breath, her fears, everything that was between them.

They lay together for a long time, he still inside her. He knew he’d missed his window of opportunity to get himself to the Vistara and see Sybellie, but he’d forgo that for one day.

Right now, he needed to be with Deanna. Even though he knew rough times would come, especially in light of Rees wanting to get them off planet, he hadn’t liked Deanna’s declaration that they couldn’t have anything beyond this. He wanted this, and so much more.

For now, he could hold her, drink in the scent of her, and let himself bask in just being with her.

And play with her. After a time, when he knew she’d rested enough, he murmured, “You made me come too soon, little darling.”

“
I
did? How?”

“By being your sweet self. And squeezing like I taught you.”

“Like this?” She gave a little squeeze, and Justin went rock hard again.

“Damn you, woman. Just for that . . .”

He pulled out, much as he hated to, and had her on her stomach before she could fight him. His velvet-lined cuffs were ready, and he locked them around her outstretched wrists. She wriggled and cried out in protest.

“There,” he said. “How do you like being on the receiving end?”

“Justin.”

Justin locked the handcuffs together around the headboard with a slim chain. “Hmm, this looks familiar. Except it was me with my ass in the air.”

“You let me go right now,” Deanna said, but not very convincingly. “I’m a patroller.”

“That’s true. A patroller who’s been very, very bad. Sleeping with Shareem, playing with toys.”

As he spoke, Justin reached for the oil that he’d had Aiden mix for him, the one that smelled of jasmine. He opened the bottle, the heady aroma filling the air, and dribbled oil onto her back.

She jumped. “What are you doing? Oh, that smells good.”

And because Aiden, the best level one ever, had mixed it, the oil had soothing pheromones in it as well. A concoction to make a woman relaxed, happy, and needy.

Justin smoothed the oil down her back and over her buttocks. Deanna stretched and purred.

“This is the nice part,” Justin said. “Level twos get to be a little bit level one.” He lifted his hand away. “And a little bit level three.”

He let his hand come down—
smack
—on her ass.

Deanna jumped and yelped. Justin spanked her a few more times, then rested his tingling hand on her warmed buttocks. “That’s for tying me down. Which I liked, so I’m being nice to you. Don’t even think about what I’ll do to you for arresting me.”

“It was my job.”

“This is mine, sweetie. This is what being with a Shareem is. He finds out all your desires and makes you live them.”

“You can’t know what I want,” Deanna said.

“Bet me. I know you like this.” Justin raised his hand and slapped it down on her backside again. “You like me spanking you.”

“No.”

“Then why are you letting me do it?”

“Because you’ve handcuffed me!”

“Deanna, love, those cuffs aren’t that strong. I’m not level three. You’re not struggling to get away. That tells me you like it.”

Deanna
did
like it. She’d never admit it out loud, but the heat on her buttocks, his hand resting there, excited her amazingly. Even more when he lifted his hand away, and she clenched her body in anticipation.

What she felt next was not his hand, but his tongue, seaming between her buttocks and touching her opening. She jumped.

“You like that too,” Justin said in his dark voice. “My naughty patroller.” He lifted his beautiful tongue away, and
slap, slap,
his hand came down again.

Deanna pulled at her bonds, but he was right, she didn’t try very hard. “Let me go.”

“I don’t think so. Now, what else did you do to me? Oh, yeah.”

Justin reached to his box next to the bed and took out a plug that looked much like the one she’d used on him. Deanna caught the whiff of sanitizer when he removed it from its case then the sweet smell of lube.

“Wait,” she said. “I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

Justin leaned down until his face was close to hers. She liked him so close, his sandpaper whiskers beckoning her touch. “You are ready, Deanna. You really are.”

He held the plug where she could see it, while his big fingers deftly coated it with lube. He touched the plug to her lips. “Kiss it for luck.”

She should arrest him. Deanna should rip open her bonds, jump from this bed, and arrest him for making her so excited.

Gingerly, she kissed the tip of the plug.

“Nice.”

Justin slid his hand between her buttocks and gently rubbed her. He kept on rubbing, touching his fingertip to her opening, which Deanna felt widening and relaxing whether she told it to or not.

“There you go, sweetheart,” Justin said in a low voice. “The plug is smaller than my finger. It won’t hurt.”

Deanna had no idea whether to believe him. The warmth of his fingertip went away to be replaced but the much cooler and stiffer tip of the plug.

She tightened, but Justin shushed her, heating her skin with his breath. When he touched with the tip again, Deanna unclenched her hands, forcing herself to relax.

“That’s it.” Justin pushed the plug a little bit inside her. “Now, we’ll see. You’ll either love it, or you won’t.”

The small thing felt strange inside her, where she’d never thought to put anything before. Justin didn’t thrust it in or wriggle it but held it and let her get used to it.

Deanna closed her eyes, opened her body, and suddenly, the small plug went all the way inside. “Oh.” She gasped. “Now I understand why you like this.”

“You see? I didn’t even push it in. You did that yourself.” He leaned down to her. “Now, do you love it? Or hate it?”

“I love it.” The babbled words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. “Justin, I love it.”

“Good. We’ll do more then, when you’re ready. I’ll teach you to take bigger ones, and then me.”

“Yes.
Yes
.”

Justin had once told her that the plug would make her feel full and needy. And it did. It fulfilled her and at the same time made her want more.

Justin lay down next to her and slid his arm underneath her. “Come on over on top of me. I’ll make you feel doubly good.”

Before she could ask how, Justin pulled her thigh over him and positioned her against his already hard-again cock. He eased her all the way upright, the plug never moving, until he fit smoothly against her very wet pussy.

And then he was inside. Long and hard, pressing high into her as she straddled him, while the little plug filled her from behind.

The orgasm topped everything she’d had with him until now. Deanna came apart, twisting on him, every coherent thought gone, except her need to pull him
deeper
.

Justin, I love you!

She’d cried out the words before, now she whispered them in her mind. To herself, to keep them a part of her.

Darkness rippled through her, her only point of consciousness Justin and his hardness inside her, and the brilliant blue of his eyes. She let herself drown.

*** *** ***

Justin came out of a pit of sleep to find his com beeping next to his head. Deanna was next to him, her head on his pillow, one leg over his.

Justin didn’t want to answer the com, but it kept
beeping
. If he didn’t shut it off, it would wake her.

He reached over and tapped its button. “What?”

“Is something wrong with your console?” came the voice of Elisa n’Arell. “I can’t see you. There’s only audio.”

“You ask that, in a Shareem house? What is it? Did you find something?”

“Of course I did. Talan and me and Brianne.” He heard the smile fill Elisa’s voice. “We found her, Justin.”

Of course, it couldn’t be that simple.

“She’s in the Way of the Sun, the most secluded of the orders,” Elisa said. “I managed to get permission to go to the house, but only because Brianne d’Aroth still has a lot of power. I can go, and Talan, and though they said you could travel out there with us, Justin, there’s no guarantee they’ll let you set foot on the grounds or even talk to Lillian.”

Deanna was up on her elbow, wide awake. “It’s worth a try,” she whispered.

“Yeah, thanks, Elisa. I really appreciate this. Let’s see what happens.”

“Does that mean yes?”

“It means, I’ll be at Braden’s in a few, and we’ll discuss it.” Justin cleared his throat again, trying to get hold of his emotions. “It means, you’re a peach, and I owe you big time.”

“We haven’t seen her yet,” Elisa said. “This might be all for nothing.”

“You’ve still done a lot, Elisa. I’ll be there.”

Justin snapped off the com and lay down again, to find Deanna staring at him. “What?” he asked irritably.

“You should be jumping up, rushing off to see her. Happy for the chance, any chance.”

“I am happy. I was worried as hell about her. I’m glad she’s all right.”

“But . . .”

“No buts. It’s just . . .” Justin rubbed his hand over his face and found it bristly with new beard. “When all doors are closed, and suddenly they open, it’s hard to get used to.” He brushed his hand across her bare hip. The room was the perfect temperature, because the cooler had finally kicked in, but he wanted to curl up around the warmth of her. “Will you come with me?”