Page 77 of Master
"I think you just want to get me naked," Clara purred as I finagled the hateful hooks at her back.
"Always," I murmured, dropping the bra to the floor.
Gods. Even splattered head to toe with Kerzak blood, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
Clara's only comment was a soft gasp when I swung her into my arms, crossing the few feet to the shower. Setting her under the water spray, I shrugged out of my pants, leaving my loincloth. Clara needed rest and caring—not my erection.
As I guided us under the cascading water, her soft sigh mingled with the gentle hiss of the shower. Her body instinctively pressed against mine, seeking warmth and comfortin the falling droplets. The steam rising from our skin created a hazy aura as we stood in this intimate embrace, suspended in the ebb and flow of the water’s rhythm.
In soft murmurs, Clara told me what Parlow admitted regarding the mumje attack as I washed her skin and hair. She trembled as she talked—a delayed stress reaction many warriors suffered after the heat of battle.
"You're safe," I told her when she'd finished her tale.
"I'm with you." Violet eyes gazed at me through a haze of stream.
Her arousal perfumed the air with spicy sweetness. Forcing back the urge to push her up against the wall and sliding balls deep into her warm slickness, I turned off the water and grabbed a towel. A few minutes later, Clara moved toward the bed while I lingered in the bathing room, needing a few moments to shore up my self-discipline.
After wrestling a clean loincloth over my throbbing cock, I emerged. Clara sat on the sofa, wrapped in a fluffy white robe. On a low table nearby sat a tray laden with savory stew, bread, drink, and something she called 'apple cobbler' and promised I'd love.
I fixed her a bowl, putting more meat than vegetables in her serving. Protein would help her heal. I dished up a bowl of stew for myself and sat next to her, feeding her bites of meat from my serving when I didn't think she ate enough. Clara remained too pale for my liking. Feeding her bites of bread proved my favorite, especially when her soft lips brushed my fingertips as she took the bread on her tongue.
"I can't believe that damn grizzly bear bit me," Clara groused, lifting her arm out straight and then over her head. Her range of motion looked good, with no hint of pain from the movement. Despite the application hurting like hell, the healing form worked quickly. My fingers absently ran across the center of my chest, remembering a time the foam kept me from developing a nasty scar from an altercation with a Trogvyk.
"Kerzak are vicious and known for their love human flesh." I sat my bowl to the side, the soft braised meat no longer appetizing. Addressing myself to the cobbler, I issued a small moan of pleasure as the fruit and bread mixture crossed my tongue.
Clara’s small white teeth settled in the middle of her lower lip. "Do you think there are any more Kerzak on Tau Ceti?"
"I sensed no more nearby, but Tau Ceti is a big place. The Bardaga's planetary scan will detect all life forms. If there are others, we'll find them."
"How long do you think the Bardaga will stay on Tau Ceti?" Her teeth worried at her lower lip, and she shivered as though chilled.
I set the dishes aside, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her tight against my chest. Clara sighed, cuddling close. My fingertips trailed up and down her spine, slowly warding off her tremble.
"Until we are assured there is no more danger to the people here," I promised.
Her head gave a clipped nod before she asked, "What will happen to Parlow?"
"Peacekeeper Munroe is interrogating him at the moment." And beating the shit out of the fucker, I hoped, but didn't say aloud. "After that, he will stand trial in front of the Alliance council and mostly likely end up on the Alliance prison moon in the Reinaald system… if I change my mind about killing him."
Clara raised her head and gaped at me. "Why would you kill him?"
"He is responsible for your abduction and pain." I thought it rather obvious.
Clara's face softened, her fingertips trailing along my cheek. "It's very sweet of you to offer to kill him to avenge me, but for a man like Parlow, prison is worse than death."
"I can make his death slow and painful," I assured her.
A soft giggle escaped her lips, a sound I adored. It reminded me of the gentle rustle of leaves in the wind.
"I know you can, but Parlow's not worth killing. Promise me you won't waste your time."
I hated setting aside my thirst for vengeance, but I hated the idea of disappointing her more. "If you don't want me to."
"Good." Clara patted my cheek, her smile turning from sweet to sly. "If alien prison is anything like Earth prison, Parlow will be the cell block bitch by the end of his first week."
I grinned. My Clara was bloodthirsty. Could she be any more perfect?
I shifted her onto my lap, hooking a finger under her chin to draw her gaze to mine. “You impressed me by how you waylaid the mayor's escape attempt."
