Lady Lure Page 12

  Immediately, her lips opened and moved against his. The sweet invitation was too much for Halvo’s tenuous hold on self-restraint. Fiercely, he thrust his tongue into her. He felt her startled withdrawal, then a moment later, her shuddering relaxation. She sank into his kiss. The interior of her mouth was hot and moist and slippery, and her little tongue was like velvet. When she began to suck on his tongue, Halvo quickly withdrew, fearing he would lose all control.

  “Oh, how lovely,” Perri whispered. Her face was buried in his shoulder, his arms were around her, and they were lying together on her blanket. Halvo fought the urge to roll over on top of her. He knew what would happen if he did. It must be enough for him, for the time being, just to hold Perri and reassure her. His own desires would have to wait until she was as eager as he was.

  “Halvo?” Her fingers touched his face, moving slowly as if to memorize each bone and line through her hands. When her fingertips trailed along his lips, Halvo opened his mouth and drew them inside, sucking them, curling his tongue around each finger in turn, while Perri gasped and stared at him as if he had lost his wits.

  “Why are you doing that?” she whispered.

  “Because you taste so good.” To prove it, he nibbled on a finger; then, with great daring, he moved closer to chew softly on her earlobe.

  “Halvo!” A silence followed, during which she did not protest his further excursions behind her ear or along her throat to the collar of her tunic. She caught her breath, her breasts lifting against his chest before she spoke again. “Your tongue in my mouth tasted …salty.”

  “Did it?” He tilted up her chin and advanced across the slenderness of her throat toward her other ear, kissing and nibbling along the way. “Your tongue and your skin taste sweet. Perhaps it is the difference between male and female.”

  “Halvo, why are you doing this?”

  “I thought you liked it.” He wove a hand through her thick, silky hair. “Shall I kiss you again, Perri? Would you like to discover if my tongue is still salty after licking across your skin?”

  In response, she wriggled against him in an inflammatory way. Yet Halvo had the impression that she did not realize the effect she was having on him. There was something oddly innocent about Perri’s lovemaking. He could tell she welcomed his advances, but she did not act as if she knew what they meant. As an experiment, Halvo let one hand drift downward in a casual way until it rested on her breast. She went perfectly still, then with a whimper, she pushed herself into his hand. Her eyes were wide with surprise, but Halvo could tell she found the sensation pleasant. Slowly, he began to stroke and knead. Perri sighed, allowing the caresses.

  “How kind you are to me,” she whispered.

  It was then, with Perri swooning in his hands and his own senses rapidly approaching a state of flagrant disarray, that Halvo had a brilliant idea.

  “Perri, would you like me to show you the Demarian way of giving comfort?”

  “Oh.” She went rigid in his arms, making Halvo regret his suggestion. “What would I have to do?”

  “You don’t have to do anything,” he said. “The purpose of the activity is for a man and woman to comfort each other, to their mutual pleasure.”

  “You do need comfort, Halvo. I can see you do.” Perri considered the matter for a moment, her eyes contemplating first Halvo’s glaringly obvious need and then his serious face. “Perhaps it would be best for you if it were done in your own way.”

  “I agree completely.” Halvo could feel her trembling, though whether it was from fear or eager anticipation he could not be certain. He did know that Perri had locked inside her a wealth of vibrant emotion. It only wanted release. Perhaps a judiciously administered shock or two would help. “The first thing we must do is remove our clothes.”

  “You wish to see me naked? No one ever has, not since the day I was born, except for Melri – and Rolli, of course.”

  “I thought you wanted to do this in the Demarian way,”’ Halvo said.

  “Well, yes. I am sure the Demarian method would be more pleasing to you.”

  “Exactly. Shall I help you with your tunic?”

  “Thank you.” Her fingers were already at the shoulder fastenings. With Halvo’s assistance she pulled the tunic over her head. The sleeveless shirt she wore beneath was as white as her skin and made of a sheer, clinging fabric that revealed the luscious curves of her breasts and their small, firm nipples.

  Halvo could not resist. He placed his hand over one breast. The sound Perri made was not a gasp or a moan or even a sigh, but rather a combination of all three and yet her own inarticulate expression of astonishment and delight. She went perfectly still when Halvo pulled the undershirt out of her waistband and lifted it high so he could replace his covering hand with his mouth.

  She was unbelievably sweet and soft. Her skin was like rich cream, her nipple a tightly budded flower beneath his lips. Halvo was close to losing himself in her, frighteningly near to forgetting that the lovely creature in his arms had some peculiar gaps in her experience.

  “Why are you making me feel this way?” Perri cried. “I cannot think clearly.”

  “What I am doing is an old Demarian custom,” Halvo said with all the gravity of an ancient wise man.

  “But if I lose my wits, how can I serve you properly?” she asked. “I do not wish to hurt you, Halvo, but I may if I am not fully aware of what I am doing.”

  He did not tell her he intended for her to lose her wits completely. He did not say the only way she could hurt him was by refusing to go on with what they were doing.

  “You must remove your trousers and boots,” he said. “Then it would be very nice if you would help me to take off my clothing.”

  “You want to be undressed, too?” Plainly, she was puzzled by his Demarian ideas. “It is not necessary for a man to undress.”

  Blast you, Elyr! What have you done to this girl? What did you make her do for you? Halvo was beginning to have a pretty good idea as to the answers to those questions, but he decided not to dwell on thoughts of Elyr. It was Perri who was important to him.

  “It is the Demarian custom for both participants to be unclothed,” Halvo said.

  “Oh, I see. Well, I would not want to infringe on the traditions of your homeworld.” Without any further protest, Perri removed every garment she wore.

  For his part, Halvo was too entranced by the beauty she revealed to do anything but lounge on one elbow, watching each graceful movement she made. Her waist was slim, her hips curved perfectly, and her legs were long and shapely. And there, where her thighs joined, was the place…

  “Now.” She knelt before him, blushing down to her lovely breasts, but not acknowledging any embarrassment. “You wanted me to assist you.”

  “Yes.” He sat up and let her remove his tunic. He stayed very still while she looked at him and touched a few of the battle scars, both old and recent.

  “Truly, you were badly wounded,” she murmured.

  “There are worse scars beneath my trousers,” he said. “You should be prepared, Perri. My body is not a pleasant sight.”

  “I think you are a marvelous sight.” Her fingers played lightly with the hair on his chest, then wandered down toward his belt. “Halvo, we ought to hurry. You appear to be dreadfully uncomfortable.”

  “I can wait a while longer,” he said with a throaty chuckle, “because I know at the end I will find complete comfort in you, Perri.”

  “I hope you will.” She was having trouble with the fastening of his belt. Halvo undid it for her and then, brushing aside her hands, he peeled off his trousers and boots and stood so she could see him as he was, scarred and discolored and ugly. He had to know if she would show any sign of revulsion, if she would flinch away from what he had become after space pirates and Jurisdiction surgeons had had their way with him.

  “Oh, poor Halvo.” Her concern was not for the wounds he had once suffered, nor for the scars they left on healing. There was not the least flicker of disgu
st in her eyes, and she looked at him from head to heel. What she put out her hands and touched, what she took into her hands and caressed, was the swollen manhood he could not control. “How painful it must be. Let me ease you now.”

  “Not yet.” He seized her hands in his, lest she instantly accomplish what he was trying his best to delay. He dropped to the blanket and pulled her down to lie beside him. “There are still some Demarian preliminary customs to be observed.”

  “I apologize. I assumed you would want immediate relief. Tell me what I should do, Halvo.”

  “What I want,” he said, “is for you to instruct me. I want to know what will please you, Perri. On Demaria, the man always pleases the woman first.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely.” Could any experienced woman actually be this naive? She claimed that since the night of her sixteenth birthday she had repeatedly been taught how to pleasure a man. She was certainly eager to get her hands on Halvo, and from the gestures she had made toward him, she knew what she was doing – was remarkably skilled, in fact – yet she appeared to be unaccustomed to feeling desire herself. The answer to that puzzle was obvious to Halvo. Elyr had taken his pleasure and left Perri unmoved. Halvo was determined that before he took his pleasure Perri would believe the stars had moved.

  Knowing she enjoyed kissing, he resumed his lovemaking there, tasting her mouth so thoroughly that soon she was whimpering and moving against him in innocent provocation. Halvo had to force himself to remember his overall purpose so he could banish the urge to release his mounting desire in her before she was completely aroused.

  He covered her face and throat with kisses, and while he did, he let his hands wander across her soft, smooth skin along breast and hip and thigh. She touched him, too, and he allowed it, knowing the tactile sensations would further awaken her desire. But there was one place where he could not allow her to go. Repeatedly he had to snatch her hands away and tell her to wait. He could see her confusion growing, even as she steadily warmed to him.

  And finally, gently but firmly, he drew his hand upward along her inner thigh and began to explore her most sensitive spot, hidden beneath dark red curls. Perri bit off a scream.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” she cried. “What does it mean?”

  “Hasn’t anyone ever touched you here?” he asked. He could not say that cursed man Elyr’s name. Not there, not at such a moment.

  “Is this the way a man feels when a woman touches him?” Perri gasped.

  “Just this once,” he said, “stop asking questions and allow yourself to feel, Perri.”

  She fell silent. Slowly, Halvo let one finger slide inward, gently so as not to frighten her, steadily so she would know he was not going to stop.

  She did not ask him to stop. She made a soft sound of acceptance, her body closed around him, and Halvo knew his time of waiting would soon be over. He nearly spent himself just thinking about it, but by concentrating on what Perri would require of him first, he managed to gather the last shreds of control and hold on. She would be worth the waiting.

  Perri was lying beside him with her eyes closed, her body moving in a slow, sensuous reaction to the constant stroking of his finger. Halvo withdrew his hand. Her eyes flew open.

  “Oh, please don’t stop.”

  “I won’t,” he said. “I have only begun.”

  Drawing her thighs wider apart, Halvo positioned himself at the entrance to the one place in all the universe where he wanted to be.

  “Halvo, what are you -” Perri moved as if she would fight what he was doing. Unable to stop himself, Halvo pushed against her. Sudden comprehension brightened her lovely features. “This is what Demarians do? Oh, Halvo, yes, please! Please!”

  He required no more encouragement. Halvo moved boldly forward until he met an obstruction. Perri winced, but then pushed against his presence to help him. Her small hands were flat on his buttocks, pressing hard, giving him a message she was too caught up in amazement and passion to speak aloud. Halvo was filled with joy at the discovery he had just made. Not wanting to hurt her, he tried not to be too precipitous, though his body was clamoring for its long-denied release. After a second or two, during which he fully expected to die from the strain he was exerting upon himself, Pern’s body stretched to accommodate him. Halvo buried himself in his love. When Perri smiled up at him there was nothing he could do but kiss her, long and deeply and passionately.

  Before he dragged his mouth away from hers she was wriggling beneath him, getting the feel of him so far inside her. When he saw a question come into her eyes, he answered her before she could speak. He began to move, slowly at first, then, realizing that he was not causing her any pain, he stroked faster and more fiercely. To his delight, Perri moved with him.

  Halvo told himself to hold on just a little longer. Perri was sighing and moaning and pushing herself against him. Her fingernails dug into his back, urging him to continue. It would not be long. She began to struggle, as if the pleasure were becoming more difficult for her, and Halvo reached down a hand between their bodies to help her.

  She screamed and convulsed around him. Never had Halvo seen anything as beautiful as Perri experiencing her first fulfillment as a woman. Then his own reward was upon him. He could wait no longer. There was no more need for him to wait. Halvo poured all his passion and all his love into the woman still shivering in delight in his arms.

  * * * * *

  Halvo slept. Perri lay beneath his arm, secure and content. And while Halvo was asleep Perri thought about all the things that had been required of her on Regula and all the things that had been denied to her. She thought of what Halvo had taught her and how, in a burst of comprehension, so many previously misunderstood bits and pieces had come together in her mind, coalescing into knowledge. She could remember the women of Elyr’s household murmuring together and the way they fell silent when she approached, how they refused to tell her what they had been saying. She recalled the sudden appearance of a tiny baby, the child of two of Elyr’s married servants. No one would answer her questions about how the child had come into existence. With a dismissive gesture Elyr’s mother, Cynri, had said that when the time was right, Elyr would explain to her what should be done so Perri could have her own child.

  Now Perri knew how it was done. But she did not think she would have enjoyed the act so much with Elyr. The thought of Elyr invading her body made her ill. With Elyr, it would have been an invasion. And now Perri knew why. So many questions answered by one miraculous deed. And so many new questions raised.

  “Halvo?”

  “Hmmm.” He stirred, awakening, and his arm tightened around her.

  “Halvo, I have a question to ask you.”

  “Of course you have.” He postponed what she would ask with a long, tender kiss, but eventually he had to remove his mouth from hers.

  “Halvo, will we have a child?”

  “Would you like one?”

  “I think so. I would love it and care for it as Melri cared for me. And of course, I would have Rolli to help.”

  “You do understand that it would be necessary to get official permission first,” he said.

  “But, Halvo, what if I am already – what if …. I fear I do not fully understand the complete process.”

  “I can see that you will need further instruction in this subject,” he teased, “not to mention an explanation of the inevitable consequences.”

  “Halvo, what are you doing now?” she gasped, her mouth against his.

  “It’s an old Demarian custom,” he said.

  Chapter Ten

  “Halvo, abducted?” Leader Almaric, ruler of the Jurisdiction, looked stricken. His sharp features had gone pale and his tall figure, still lithe and slim despite his advancing age, was held stiffly upright as if to ward off the terrible blow just dealt to him.

  “Explain yourself, Capt. Jyrit,” Lady Kalina said. In contrast to her slender husband, the First Lady of the Jurisdiction was a rather stout wo
man. Her bronze hair was liberally sprinkled with gray and her sparkling blue eyes, her sole claim to beauty, were filled with a shrewd intelligence. It was widely rumored that many of Almaric’s best decisions as Leader were in fact his wife’s decisions, and the entire Jurisdiction

  knew how fiercely protective she was of her husband and of the two sons she had been permitted to bear in contradiction of the Jurisdiction law limiting a couple to a single offspring. She fixed her clear blue gaze upon Jyrit and asked the most pertinent questions first. “How could Halvo be removed from a ship of the size and strength of the Krontar? Why did you not prevent this kidnapping?”

  “Lady Kalina, it was Admiral Halvo’s personal decision to interview the boarding party sent from the Space Dragon. Unfortunately, the claim of a boarding party proved to be a trick.” Jyrit wished fervently that he were anywhere but at Capital, in the Leader’s own house, facing the two most powerful people in the Jurisdiction. He saw his career in the Service evaporating and he feared the only honorable future open to him would prove to be a ceremonial Jugarian suicide.

  “Leader Almaric, Lady Kalina, may I speak?” Armaments Officer Dysia had insisted on accompanying Jyrit to the meeting. Jyrit had permitted her presence because, like Almaric and his wife, Dysia was a Demarian and therefore might be better able than Jyrit to explain Halvo’s mysterious motivation to his parents.

  “Of course, you may speak. Tell us what you know.” Almaric sank into a chair, his head in his hands. He looked as if he had not the strength to stand any longer. Going to him, Kalina put one hand on his shoulder.

  “Sir,” Dysia said, “Capt. Jyrit, and later the leader of the best security team on the Krontar, both advised Admiral Halvo not to see those pirates.”

  “Pirates?” Kalina cried. “Halvo was wounded fighting pirates on the Styxian border. Could his abductors be survivors of that war who are seeking revenge?”

  “It is always a possibility, Lady Kalina,” Jyrit said. “However, my armaments officer has some interesting information to relay to you that suggests that perhaps we ought to look elsewhere for the villains in this unfortunate affair.” He nodded to Dysia to continue.