If he was strong enough to catch me.
I rushed through the ship, nearly colliding with Devil, who had the good sense to hit the wall. I opened up my senses just as Dev grabbed my arm. “Don’t make it so easy on him.”
What did he mean? He passed me the device that he used to hide me from the guys when he’d abducted me from Mars Station. We’d used it on Trenton to hide him from the Evander soldiers, too. I grinned at him, putting it on my wrist.
With a nod, I took off even though, from behind me, I heard Kellan curse. Yep, we’d just made this much more of a chase. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, trying to keep silent as I did. Eventually, I made my way to a bay that I was told had once grown fruits and vegetables. I couldn’t remember who had used it that way. This ship had so many people who had run it, I couldn’t keep track from one story to another of who did what.
I didn’t really care. Right now, the bay was filled with cartons that were filled with things to fix the engines and repair parts of Artemis should we need it. More like a storage warehouse. I grabbed a wrench from a box and waited. Eventually, he would find me, and then he was going to have to disarm me, too.
Why I got wet thinking about that was beyond me. It wasn’t as though I wanted others to do this. I absolutely did not. In fact, if Anders tried this, it would be strange. But Kellan? Yes, this is what I craved. Find me, Kellan, catch me, and take away my weapon.
I vibrated from wanting it, and staying silent was hard. But it added to the anticipation. I listened for him. He was close. In the right hallway. He took deep breaths. It was like he was searching for me with smell. Why find me by sound if he could follow his nose?
Grinning, I continued to listen. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to do that. But then I’d never had to use these newfound abilities in battle, never had to try them. Maybe Kellan had to use his nose before.
I could run again, but now I wanted to fight. So I stood there. And I waited for him.
He didn’t let me down.
The door flung open, and he stood in the precipice, waiting for a second. Framed by the light, he looked huge and strong. My mouth watered.
He scanned the room for me, but I wasn’t hidden, just waiting in the corner.
“Take the device off. I need to hear you.”
It was the need that got me. I took it off and set it aside. Kellan nodded a second later and for one brief moment closed his eyes. “Not hearing you is painful.” A muscle pulsed in his jaw. “But now that we’ve taken care of that.” He strode toward me. “Oh, she holds a wrench. How quaint.”
I loved his tone like this. Cold and yet filled with heat. Kellan was a predator. I wanted to be his prey. But he had to earn it.
“Think you can take it from me?”
He smirked. “Blaze hasn’t taught you weaponry yet. You’re holding that like you want to stir soup with it.”
Was I? I looked down at the wrench, and he was on me, throwing the wrench over his head to the side. It hit the wall with a clank, and we were both on the ground, him on top of me. “You’ll learn soon enough, if we hit that level of training, that distraction works as well as anything else. It’s basic but effective. When was the last time you stirred soup? Ever? Why would you know how to do that?”
So he’d tricked me. It was sort of sexy. Or nothing sort of about it. “You caught me.”
“I’ll always catch you. I’ll always find you. That is what I do. And thank you for this. Sometimes I get so tired of having to try to be human. I’m not ever going to be just like them. It’s exhausting spending all that time trying to be.”
I tilted my head. “Who said you have to be exactly like everyone else?”
“Not you.” He kissed me gently. The hard press of the lips didn’t come. Instead, he planted kisses all over my face. Caresses like he was afraid he might hurt me with his mouth. “I caught you. I get to keep you now. I get to worship your body, because you are going to let me. Do you understand?”
I nodded. Yes, I did. And it was exactly what I wanted. “Yes.”
“Good. You’re such a beautiful doll right now. Mine to play with.”
The rougher and more demanding his words became, the more opposite his movements were. I’d never felt more treasured or taken care of. He kissed down my body, removing my robe as he did. We were on the floor, but it felt soft, like I was on a bed.
“You need me to take care of you right now.”
I nodded. I absolutely did. “Yes.”
I was fully naked, and he was still totally dressed. But he’d handle that. I knew he would. If he wanted me to touch him, he’d have to take off his clothes.
“Put your hands over your head and keep them there. For now.”
I nodded. We’d never done this together before, but it felt like we had, there was that level of comfort with him. The newness was there, sure, but also this inherent trust in him. He’d caught me. Oh, how it turned out I’d needed that. I put my hands over my head. Somehow, he’d earned the right to tell me to do that.
And I loved it.
He dropped his head at about the same second that he pushed my knees apart. I didn’t have time to clench or think about it before his mouth was on my pussy. I shuddered. Kellan licked and sucked in just the right places. What was more, he really seemed to relish the sensation. He moaned and sighed, breathing me in while he did it.
I arched beneath him, unable to stop the movement of my body. He put his hand higher on my knee but otherwise didn’t stop me. I would stop if Kellan told me to. I’d find a way, but he didn’t, and so I could move as I wanted.
In no time at all, I writhed against him. It was close. So close. But not enough. I couldn’t quite get what I needed. I didn’t know why. My clit throbbed. My body begged for relief. It was just not happening.
“I want you to come.”
With an unexpected ease, I did. Sometimes it was so nice to be told what to do. Now was one of those moments. He held my legs while I let go, feeling the wave of the orgasm he’d brought me. My breasts ached and my insides begged for more.
He pulled his shirt off, followed by his pants. Kellan had scared me the first time I saw him. Not anymore. Sure, he was lethal, but he was my lethal man.
Kellan took my hand and placed it on his cock. He was long, hard, thick, and heavily veined. My mouth watered. But he hadn’t put my mouth on him, he’d put my hand. I stroked him once, then twice.
“More.” He closed his eyes.
I did just as he said, loving every second of this and practically squirming from anticipation. I cupped him on his head and then stroked down all the way to his balls. He let out a long hiss. “That’s enough. I just had to feel your hands, so the next time I’m jerking myself off, I can picture yours better. I want you all the time. It’s a constant battle to restrain myself.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You waited a long time.”
“I’m a jackass, but I love you.”
That was quite a confession from him. It was hard for him to say things like that. I bit his chin, and he grinned. He took my hand off him and pushed inside of me. With one hard jerk of his cock, he was balls deep. I gasped and then sighed. Yes, I’d needed this connection. What’s more, I was certain he did, too.
We ground at each other, every move a dance of possession. I let him set the rhythm, let him determine the pace. I was happy to follow his lead. This was Kellan. He was mine, and I was his. This was how things should be between us.