Page 8 of Black Star

“I --”

“Yes or no?”

She shifted in the water to cover her breasts beneath its surface. “No.”

Without another word, Mikiel began ridding himself of his clothes. Off balance as she was, Nadira couldn’t take her eyes off him. As each inch of flesh was bared, her body did things it had never done before. Her stomach fluttered when his abdominal muscles rippled, and her nipples tightened beneath the water. Mikiel seemed to be unaware of his effect on her -- which was good as far as Nadira was concerned.

He slid his pants down his hips and stepped out of his shoes. Powerful, muscular legs bunched and undulated with each movement. Heavily muscled arms and shoulders were the final testament of how correct her assumption had been that he took great care of his body.

When he finally stood and started toward Nadira, she saw the semi-erect flesh of his cock for the first time. Even in a flaccid state it was impressive, and she couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like. Mikiel might not be what she considered “handsome,” but his body was a work of art. It was as if he had been fashioned out of her deepest, darkest, wildest fantasies. She didn’twantto see him as anything other than her “master” at worst, her enemy at best, but seeing him like this made her see him as a man. Nothing more.

Nadira resisted the urge to move away from him as he stepped into the bath and settled himself in the water. When he opened a bottle of liquid cleanser, a crisp, clean fragrance of mint spilled into the room.

He took her arm and pulled her toward him. When his arms closed around her, she caught a brief glimpse of lust on his face before he turned her around and removed the clip from her hair. White-blonde tresses spilled down her back and into the water. She wanted to protest, but bit her lip to keep from it.

Mikiel guided her to a depression in the bath so that she sat in the water slightly lower than chest high. He was behind her, his legs at her back. “Rest your head on my knee.” Nadira wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted, but moved to do his bidding and found she didn’t have to understand what he wanted. His hands guided her into position.

She lay face up with the back of her neck resting on his strong thigh and her hair floating gently in the water behind her. He scooped water over her head and when he started massaging the wonderfully scented soap into her hair, she couldn’t suppress the groan. His fingers worked through her hair, then on her scalp. The cleansing gel tingled and cooled the sensitive skin underneath his fingertips. Mikiel urged her to lean her head back farther and he rinsed the soap from her hair in careful but methodical movements. The air felt cool as the peaks of her breasts emerged from the warm water as she was repositioned.

Once her hair was clean, Mikiel began to cleanse her skin with the same lightly scented soap. He soaped her limbs and it seemed like he was going through movements he’d done hundreds of times. The methodical motions were designed to do nothing more than cleanse her, and she almost allowed herself to relax and let him pamper her.

As he caressed her from head to toe, her mind focused on the sexual abilities of the incredible man touching her so intimately. What kind of lover would he make? Would sex simply be a means of release for him, or would he expect her to draw out his pleasure until he tired of the game? Would he make sure she enjoyed herself or would he take what he wanted and leave her to find her release on her own? Would he train her to please in the manner Asalian men liked, then rid himself of her? All these questions flew through her mind before she finally landed on,Does he find me physically appealing? Moon and Stars! She hoped he kept his word that she wouldn’t be a slave. She didn’t think she could handle the emotional ride involved.

With that line of thought, it didn’t take long for her to interpret his ministrations as sexual. It seemed like he might have lingered on her breasts longer than was necessary and, after a few passes over her fleshy globes, Nadira wanted to squirm. The moan that escaped her lips was slight, but any doubt Mikiel heard her moan and knew exactly what it meant evaporated when she saw the hot look of lust in his eyes.

With a growl, Mikiel hefted her out of the water and his lips closed over one nipple. Nadira didn’t even try to stem the cry this time. The sensations flowing through her were overwhelming, and she knew that if this man chose to take her body as he had done to countless others, she wouldn’t raise her voice in protest. In fact, she thought she might even beg him to continue should he stop now.

She arched into him and her fingers found his bare scalp -- seemingly on their own because she couldn’t remember raising her arms -- and she held him to her as tightly as she could. When she felt one of his hands push between her thighs, she parted her legs eagerly. Nadira screamed the second his large, callused hand touched her clit. Mikiel stroked it several times before plunging his fingers inside her and Nadira rocked her hips in time to his movements. It didn’t take long before she felt the tingling sensation start, centering around her clit and pussy.

When Mikiel pulled his mouth from her breast and looked at her, Nadira’s breath caught. This man was as affected by their intimate moment as she was. An orgasm like none other she’d ever experienced washed over her, and spasms seized her body. A reflex action caused her to wrap her arms around Mikiel and cling to him, her lifeline in a sea of sensation.

When her climax passed, her eyelids grew heavy but she made an effort to hold them open. As she focused on his eyes once again, she found a trace of annoyance but as he continued to stroke her cunt and clit, his expression grew more and more filled with lust and possession. Now it seemed like everything he’d done had been designed to give the master a better sense of the property he’d newly attained. Even if she wasn’t really a slave, she felt like one in that moment.

When Mikiel had stopped caressing her pussy, he urged her to sit, then stand. Once he’d exited the bath and dried himself, he helped her out and dried her with gentle but brisk movements, leaving her the towel to finish herself. Finally, Mikiel said the one thing Nadira had hoped to be able to keep to herself, at least for a little while. Now she had to deal with it. “You are untouched.”

She felt her cheeks heat up. Never having had sex before wasn’t something she’d ever been embarrassed about. Then again, it had never seemed important before now. As it was, there was a very real chance she wouldn’t remain a virgin much longer if her bath was any indication. She didn’t want to answer Mikiel, but something in his eyes told her it would be in her best interest to answer quickly and truthfully.

“Well, I’ve had orgasms, but --”

“Have you been with a man or not? It’s not a difficult concept.” His clipped, brisk question made her flinch when she would have preferred to stand her ground, but standing there in nothing but a towel gave her a feeling of utter helplessness. She was so far out of her element, so off balance, she couldn’t shut out her emotional responses like she was able to in the pilot’s seat. As it was, she was tense, stiff.

When she flew theBlack Star, the one thing she relied on was her ability to pay attention to every little vibration within the ship, no matter what was going on around her. Now she felt like she was too focused on what was in front of her. It felt like she was flying blind. “No. I haven’t.”

His only response was a slight grunt before he took the towel from her and directed her to the bedchamber. Mikiel hardly spared her another glance. “I have arranged for you to have access to my computer if you wish it. You’ll find everything you need to know about flying a ship of this class. My study is open to you.”

Nadira knew an order when she heard one.

She was relieved, of course. Having to be in the same room with Mikiel after what had just happened was more than she was prepared to deal with emotionally.

Cold chills covered her body and she shivered. It reminded her she was still unclothed and her hair was still wet. She was definitely chilly, and promptly went in search of clothing. What she found was a sleek black flight suit that covered her from throat to ankle yet still managed to hide very little. It hugged every curve of her body, showing every imperfection she had. Sighing, she recognized there was little she could do. This was obviously the way he wanted her dressed and she’d simply have to deal with it. With a shrug, she decided to block it out by doing exactly what Mikiel suggested. She’d learn this ship as well as she knew theBlack Star. She might not be able to do that solely by computer, but she could go a long way toward her goal.

Going to Mikiel’s private workstation, she sat and tucked her legs underneath her in the large, high-backed, padded chair and pressed her palm to the screen imbedded in the surface of his desk. When the welcome popped up on the three-dimensional screen, Nadira started her studies.

Chapter Five

Mikiel dropped to his bed. All he wanted was to close his eyes and rest for a week. What thefuckhad he just done? He had taken Nadira for her piloting skills. Nothing more. Hehadto remember that. Without her full attention on learning how to flySword Breakeras efficiently as she had theBlack Star, she wouldn’t be able to bond with theSword Breaker. At present,Sword Breakerwas the only Asalian vessel to be equipped with cyborg intelligence -- computers combined with human brain cells -- but who knew how many the Vok’nair had. So far, no one had been able to bond withSword Breaker. Who knew how many Vok’nair vessels had been bonded.

When he’d seen the way theBlack Starmoved and fought, he knew he had to find out everything he could about her pilot. When theSword Breakerhad been commissioned, the ultimate goal had been for the three key people aboard a ship to bond with it -- the captain, the second in command, and the pilot. Given the degree of skill with which theBlack Starhad moved, of those three people, the pilot had been the most likely to have bonded with the ship. It was still possible one or both of the others had bonded as well, but given the fact that they hadn’t pursued yet, he figured they either didn’t have a good bond, or hadn’t bonded at all. With the addition of Nadira to his crew, he began to think there might be a possibility of finding the key to this stupid three-quarter cyborg, one-quarter human tin can. The only reason the Asalian Coalition had builtSword Breakerin the first place was to keep up with the Vok’nairs’ technology. It was a colossal waste of time, materials, and manpower as far as he was concerned.

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