Page 58 of Rescued By the Convicts
With his nose, Zev nudged the essence stone aside and latched onto a nipple, hoping to drive her as mad as she was driving him. She reached between them, toward her clit, until he pushed her hand away. Her clit, her pussy, her body. . . For these few minutes, they belonged to him.
He circled and lightly pinched her nub, loving how each touch sent spasms through her body, ultimately making her wrap her arms around him as if she depended on him. She didn’t though. Melina was the strongest woman he knew, and she had three other men to rely on.
With one last pinch, her pussy squeezed his cock, and he released into her. The sudden memory of shooting his cum and writing his name on her chest, claiming her per her people’s custom struck him, but he stayed inside her until his cock calmed again. She honored him with several more kisses as he withdrew.
His fingers glided over her chest, writing his name in cursive this time, so she wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t an official claim, it couldn’t be, but in his mind, she’d always be his.
She stared into his face and smiled. Despite every instinct, every part of him pushing him to ring her, he couldn’t.
“That was really nice,” she said, her smile a mixture of naughty and innocent.
“It was selfish of me,” he said, returning with a wet washcloth to clean her thighs.
She stayed his hand. “No, leave it.”
“You’re going to shower again?”
“Tradition,” she said. “Can’t wash for a full day after a claim.”
Fear pulsed through him. He didn’t want her growing attached to him. He’d tried to avoid that from the start. “That wasn’t a claim.”
“I thought. . .” Her eyes lost their glow. “It doesn’t have to follow Bacculan tradition. And this is the second time, Zev. In the cave, you wrote your name on me then, too.”
She’d noticed. He’d been a fool touching her, wanting her. He cupped her cheek, and his thumb caressed her jaw as he debated how to tell her. There was no easy way.
“Melina, I can’t go with you when you leave here. Ivan won’t allow it.”
“Of course he will.”
“He thinks I betrayed you, all of you.”
“You’ll explain.”
“But the thing is, I did betray him, Mel. I didn’t tell him the whole truth. He didn’t know I was part of Namir’s organization.”
“You were undercover, Zev. You’re innocent of Namir’s crimes.”
Not entirely. He’d crossed too many lines over the past two years, but that wasn’t what he was talking about. “I promised Ivan that Reece would rescue you from Hawke and return you to the bunker where you’d be safe.”
“I was only safe there when I had all of you.”
“Don’t you get it, Mel? I lied to Ivan. I planned to have Hawke hand you over to Namir the entire time. It was the only way I could get everyone off the planet.”
“You’re right. Ivan won’t appreciate that you lied to him, but your intent was good. You did what you thought was best for us.”
“I put you in danger. More than I should have. Look at you!” He brushed his hand over the bruises on her cheek and then over the fresh cuts on her lower back.
She winced as he traced one of the scars. “I’ll heal. And Ivan will understand. Give him a chance, Zev.”
“He gave me several, and I blew it. I won’t earn his trust after this.”
“I’m not leaving without you.”
Zev laughed. “Oh, Mel, I love how determined you are, but this isn’t up to you.”
“I’ll talk to Ivan.” With his help, she jumped off the counter, again wincing as the movement pulled at her injuries. Then she reached up and held his face between her palms. “Ivan’s reasonable. Mostly. Don’t give up on me or him.”
She’d made up her mind, he could see that. If anyone could sway Ivan, it was her. Perhaps it was worth her trying.
