Part 24 (2/2)

Over the next few days as they traveled to the Maw Cl.u.s.ter, Maggie got used to having his hands always on her body and to her shame, she found she didn't mind it at all. In fact, she liked it-liked it a lot.

But it wasn't just the touching she enjoyed-it was Kor's company. His sense of humor. His protectiveness and attentiveness to her every need. In fact, she was beginning to wonder about herself. Was she falling in love with him? Or was it simply the way the implant made her feel?

It must be the implant, she told herself uneasily. I love Donald-I'm engaged to him. I still haven't even known Kor a whole week-not while I was awake, anyway. It would be crazy to throw away a five year relations.h.i.+p for one only a few days old. And were they even in a relations.h.i.+p? It was more like they were on some twisted quest together, just acting as traveling companions until they could get rid of the ruby mplant.

Except traveling companions didn't usually do the things that Kor did to her. Things that Maggie was afraid to admit she was growing to crave, even to herself.

To start with, Kor kept her dressed in a long sleeved b.u.t.ton down s.h.i.+rt that looked a lot like a man's dress s.h.i.+rt from Earth. It was dark red and big enough to pull around her if she got chilly but he asked her to leave it unb.u.t.toned at all times so he could always reach her. It provided what he'd said he wanted-easy access to her body. And slowly, Maggie began to get used to opening the s.h.i.+rt and letting him touch her any time he wanted to...or was it any time she needed him to? It was hard to tell...the lines began to blur as they fell into a routine.

They ate every meal together and sat together during the day, reading or watching vids on the couch or simply talking-a luxury they hadn't had when they first met. Maggie learned a great deal about the man she had helped escape from the clutches of Lady Pope'nose because little by little, Kor opened up to her. She learned of his past as a slave, knowing that his life was not his own and the b.l.o.o.d.y fights to the death in the arenas of the Blood Circuit. She also heard how he had lost the only woman he knew as a mother and had seen countless others torn away from each other as well.

”That's why I left you,” he said in a low voice, when they were talking late one night. ”I should have waited to see that you got safely aboard that Kindred s.h.i.+p. But I couldn't stand it...couldn't stand to be the one saying goodbye. Especially not when you were the one going.”

”Oh, Kor...” Maggie's heart swelled and she pressed herself against him, putting her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, not caring that her naked b.r.e.a.s.t.s were pressed against his broad, bare chest. It seemed right to offer him comfort-to try and ease his pain the way he eased hers.

Kor made a soft, wordless noise and buried his face in her hair, breathing her in. He wrapped long, strong arms around her and held her to him as though he never wanted to let her go. And in that moment, Maggie didn't want him to.

Of course, Maggie opened up to him as well-physically as well as emotionally. She told him about her work and her family although they avoided talking about Donald as much as possible. Kor was a good listener, asking a lot of questions about her life on Earth which seemed to fascinate him.

Just as Kor had said, physical contact was a necessity. At any given time when they were sitting on the couch he either had an arm around her or she was nestled in his lap. And most of the time he was either stroking one of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and playing idly with her nipples or cupping her bare p.u.s.s.y.

Sometimes he was content to simply hold her in his hand-at other times he would spread her outer lips and slip one finger into her hot, inner folds. It made it hard to think when he traced her swollen c.l.i.t over and over. At first Maggie complained about it...but Kor pointed out that she needed it-needed regular, deliberate stimulation to keep the implant in check. She couldn't argue with that but she still felt unsure about letting him finger her so intimately and make her come when she didn't really need to. Hesitantly, she told him so.

”Is this better then?” Kor asked, sliding two long fingers deep inside her. ”Want to just sit her like this while we talk instead of having me stroke your c.l.i.t?”

Maggie s.h.i.+fted in his lap, feeling exposed, feeling penetrated, and realized to her shame that she liked the sensation. There was something hot about being open and wet for him any time of the day, something intensely exciting about giving up control of her body to Kor and letting him do whatever he thought was good for her.

”I guess...guess either one is okay,” she said at last, s.h.i.+fting again as his fingers began f.u.c.king slowly in and out of her.

”That's good, blondie,” he growled. ”Because I like fingering your soft little c.u.n.t. Like it a lot.”

That was the end of that discussion and Maggie never tried to stop him from touching her again. Instead she was much more likely to spread her legs when he pushed his hand between them. It simply felt too good for her to keep worrying about it. And whether it was an effect of the implant or simply the way she felt about Kor, she was always hot and ready for him whenever he touched her.

After a day or two of this she got so used to it, it began to seem strange if he wasn't touching her in some way. And since it was true that the constant touching kept her implant from cycling out of control again, she told herself being naked and in his arms all the time was necessary. Something she couldn't help or control. So she might as well relax and get used to it and stop stressing about it. Stop stressing about Donald, you mean and the way you're cheating on him, whispered a little voice in her head but Maggie pushed it resolutely away.

At night they slept close together in the large, elaborate gilded bed which had a place of honor in the center of the s.h.i.+p's one and only bedroom. Because she needed constant intimate contact, they slept naked-a situation which had made her nervous at first, especially since the minute Kor pulled off his black leather trousers, his ma.s.sive c.o.c.k sprang free. It stood up between his thighs, thick and pulsing-clearly hard and ready for action.

”It's all right, blondie,” he'd rea.s.sured her, sliding into the bed and holding open the covers for her. ”Didn't I promise never to hurt you? And you know I won't take advantage-won't do anything you don't want me to.”

”I...but I...” How could Maggie tell him that the reason she was hanging back wasn't because she didn't trust him...but because she didn't trust herself?

”Come on,” he said patiently. ”I don't bite.”

Reluctantly, Maggie crept into bed with him. Kor was lying on his back and he turned her on her side and pulled her close fitting her against him like a piece of puzzle. Maggie's head rested on his chest and she fit against his side perfectly.

She couldn't help snuggling against him, rubbing her cheek against his warm, scratchy chest and breathing in his dark male spice. His arm around her shoulders made her feel safe and secure and his big body was so warm she wasn't cold at all.

Maggie had to admit to herself that she could never remember feeling this comfortable with Donald at night. For one thing, her fiance most definitely was not a snuggler-in fact, he got aggravated if she invaded his side of the bed. And for another, he was just too boney. Sleeping with Donald was like trying to sleep with an irritable skeleton who always stole the covers.

Kor's body, on the other hand, was big and hard but comfortable. It seemed to fit with hers perfectly, as though they'd been made for each other. And since they were sleeping so close, cover stealing wasn't an issue. It was actually really nice.

Kor must have felt the same way because he sighed with evident pleasure once he got her settled against him.

”G.o.ds, this feels good. Being so warm and naked and close with you. Love the feel of your soft, curvy little body pressed against me, blondie.”

”It does feel nice,” Maggie admitted, though she missed his big hands on her, constantly stroking her b.r.e.a.s.t.s or cupping her p.u.s.s.y. She wondered uneasily if they would be able to hold her implant induced cravings at bay while they slept. After all, he couldn't reasonably be expected to touch and caress her intimately while they were sleeping. So what were they going to do?

Kor seemed to be thinking the same thing.

”Better spread your legs blondie,” he murmured. ”Press your p.u.s.s.y against my thigh. I think as long as we have skin-to-skin contact that way all night you'll be okay.”

Maggie blushed but did as he said. Throwing one leg over his long, muscular one, she pressed her naked mound against his hard thigh, feeling the muscles contract as he reacted to her proximity.

”G.o.ds, you're wet,” he muttered, his voice dropping to a low, l.u.s.tful growl. ”You think this'll help keep your cycle down while we're sleeping?”

Maggie bit her lip. ”I don't know...maybe.” She didn't sound too certain, even in her own ears. It wasn't that the feel of his thigh against her wasn't good...it just didn't seem to be deliberate enough. She could feel the implant pulsing a little faster at the thought. What would she do if she woke up in the middle of the night with the ruby blinking like a strobe light and her desire completely out of control?

Kor was still watching her closely. ”How are you feeling, sweetheart? Need me to touch you or lick your p.u.s.s.y?”

Maggie felt her cheeks get warm. ”Kor...”

”I'm serious, blondie. Let me know what you need.”

Maggie thought about it but finally shook her head. ”Having you, uh taste me, might help to start with but I don't think the effects would last all night. And I really don't need you to right now. I'm just worried about later.”

”Later. Right.” He sighed and s.h.i.+fted. ”Too bad. I love eating your sweet little p.u.s.s.y. You taste so sweet and come so hard when I bury my tongue in your soft c.u.n.t.”

”Kor,” she protested again, feeling herself heat up with an all-over body blush. ”We...you shouldn't talk like that. We're only doing these things because we have to.”

”Just because a male has to do something doesn't mean he can't love it,” he murmured. ”Just thinking about going down on you makes me hard as a rock.”

To Maggie's discomfort, she could see the hard bulge under the covers and knew he was telling the truth. Knowing that he was hard because of her gave her severely conflicting emotions. On one hand she felt guilty because he was constantly pleasuring her and she was giving nothing in return. But on the other hand, she felt guilty because she was certain that touching Kor intimately when she didn't need to would be taking things too far-would be cheating on Donald.

Okay, so maybe her feelings weren't so conflicted after all. Basically, she just felt guilty.

”Kor...” she said, s.h.i.+fting against him restlessly. ”I'm, uh, sorry I can't...I haven't...you know, helped you the way you've been helping me.”

”Why should you?” He seemed surprised. ”I'm not the one with the implant, blondie-you are. Why should you touch me?”

”Well, because...you've been touching me all day, making me feel good, helping me not to hurt. And I haven't, uh, reciprocated at all.”

”You don't have to,” Kor said gently. ”I like touching you-h.e.l.l, I f.u.c.king love it. It's not your fault helping you out makes me hard. Besides, I'm a big boy-I can take care of myself.”

He slipped one large hand under the covers and Maggie watched with wide eyes as the bedspread twitched with the movement of his stroking.

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