Free Captives of New Pompeii by Aubrey Ross Page B

spasms going with his thumb,
circling her clit with slow, steady pressure. Pleasure clouded her
eyes, making them rich and smoky. He savored every nuance,
mesmerized by the beauty of her uninhibited response.
    When she finally relaxed, she sprawled
across the bed, limp and sleepy. He eased away and watched the rise
and fall of her breasts as he licked her cream from his fingers.
Hating to disturb her, he went to the bathroom and found a tube of
ointment for the welts on her ass. If he didn’t treat them now,
they’d bruise and take longer to heal.
    He returned to the bedroom and found her
lying on her stomach, chin resting on her folded arms. She watched
him silently, gaze calm and assessing. “Who are you? You are so
different from the strutting pirate you show the world.”
    “Strutting pirate?” He laughed. “Was that
really your first impression of me?”
    “I know it’s not fair. We’d hardly exchanged
two words before tonight. But you’re damn good-looking and you know
it.”
    The criticism didn’t bother him. He’d heard
it before. “In my line of work you use any advantage you can find.
If my face opens an occasional door, I’m not going to complain
about it. But my appearance does not define who I am.” He warmed
the ointment between his palms before spreading it across her
sensitive skin. “I don’t want this to bruise. Your skin is so
delicate.”
    “My skin might be, but I’m not.” She smiled.
“And somehow you sensed it. How is it that half an hour in your
cabin accomplished more than five years of therapy?”
    “Feel better?”
    She laughed. “Understatement of the year. I
feel so light I could float. How the hell did you know that’s what
I needed?”
    He shrugged and pushed to his feet, fiddling
with the tube of ointment. “Part of it was experience, part of it
instinct. Our mother is empathic, so Aiden and I both have better
than average instincts when it comes to people.” That caught her
attention. She shifted onto her side and propped her head on her
hand. His cock twitched—an unneeded reminder that he had postponed
his own release while he focused on her.
    “Tell me about your homeworld. I know very
little about the colonies.”
    “They aren’t that different than Fedoros.
Smaller, less refined, but our outposts were populated by
Fedorans.”
    “Were your mother’s abilities spontaneous or
was she genetically engineered?”
    “Enhanced,” he corrected. “Psychic abilities
are either naturally occurring or scientifically enhanced. Genetic
engineering sounds so nefarious. My mother was enhanced.”
    “Was? Is she no longer alive?”
    “We lost her nine years ago.”
    “And your father?”
    “Alive and kicking. He still lives in the
same house where I grew up. Likely will until he dies.” He sighed
and ran his hand through his hair. He needed her to understand that
there were clear boundaries in his life. He had to keep things
compartmentalized. This was the first time he’d allowed a woman in
his cabin and it felt odd. Not necessarily bad, just different.
    “Do you want me to go?”
    Apparently she’d noticed his agitation. “For
now. You need some time alone to reflect on what we accomplished,
and I need to finish what we started.”
    Her gaze dropped to his crotch and she
blushed a vivid red. “I’m sorry. I’m lying here like a floozy and I
didn’t even think about… I can help you if you’d like.”
    “Not tonight,” he said firmly. “Get dressed
and I’ll escort you to your cabin. I want to make sure your
unwanted guest has returned to his master.”
     

Chapter Six
     
    Felicia awoke the next morning confused and
disappointed. Sometime during the night Aiden had returned to his
cabin and covered her with a blanket. At least she hoped it had
been Aiden. She’d been sleeping like a baby.
    He had also placed a stack of uniforms
beside the bathroom door. They were black and green, like his and
Caleb’s. Which meant the people in red and gold must