STORY EXCERPT

“No one is going to hurt you, Ava. I swear it.”

She shook her head. “How can you make that promise? You don’t even know me. You don’t know anything about my life.” Even as she said it, she wished what he told her was true. She wished she could live even one day without fearing it would be her last.

Jaxson rubbed his thumb against her cheek. “I know. But if there is a way, I will find it.”

“Who are you really? Are you a spy?” The thought had just occurred to her. If she got caught with a spy…

“No, I’m not a spy. I’m not even from this world. I came here looking for information. My father is dying from a poison. I think it’s the same poison your keepers are manufacturing.”

Ava relaxed a little. Even though she didn’t know this man, some instinct told her he was speaking the truth. “I’m sorry. If he’s already been poisoned, there’s nothing you can do. My keepers haven’t been interested in developing an antidote.”

She felt Jaxson’s shoulder slump. “I know. I’m hoping our scientists can develop one if I get them a sample of the poison.”

“But…your father will be dead by then. It only takes a few days for the poison to kill someone.”

“We have a rather unique physiology. I believe it is what has slowed the progress. My father has been ill for a while. At his current rate of deterioration, we think he only has a couple of months left, though.”

They fell into silence for a while as Jaxson cradled her against him, sharing the heat from his body to keep her warm. Ava thought about what she would do and the lengths she would go through if someone she loved needed her help. She thought of the red-haired woman in her dreams. The feelings she had carried for that elusive and mysterious woman were the closest things to love she had ever known.

“Ava, if I could get you out of here, would you come with me?”

The question was so unexpected after the long silence that Ava was momentarily confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said. If I could get you off this planet, would you go?”

Ava looked up into his eyes. She searched for some hint that he was teasing her, but she saw only sincerity there. The unanswered question repeated in her head, over and over again. Would she go?

“I think I would. But it’s not possible.”

“Why?” Concerned lines etched Jaxson’s handsome face.

She reached up and smoothed the lines away, not really sure why she felt so drawn to touch him. “I have a chip somewhere in my body. It’s a locator. If I run, they’ll find me.”

“Why? I’m not trying to be rude, but, if you are a slave, wouldn’t they just find another to do your job? Why would they go to the trouble to pursue you across space?”

She thought about that for a minute. “Maybe they wouldn’t. But I’m the best collector they’ve ever had. Better than the other top three combined. Besides, I’ve never seen a collector leave. Not alive, anyway.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “What if I could get rid of it? Would you come then?”

She looked into his eyes. She didn’t know this man, but something made her want to know him. Something deep inside of her wanted to trust him. Would she leave? This place wasn’t her home. Not really. She didn’t know where her real home was. She hated what she did here. Hated what the keepers made her do. Given the chance to leave, would she face the unknown and all the uncertainty that came with it? Would she put her faith in this man who seemed to be pulling at her soul and drawing her closer to him with each passing second?

“Yes. I would go with you.” She didn’t truly believe he could take her away from here, but the thought of it was enough to light a hope in her heart that had long ago burned out.

Jaxson closed his eyes and held her hand against his face. Then he turned his head and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. His lips felt hot against her skin and the contact sent shivers down her arm. Heat bloomed inside her and she felt a tingling sensation work its way down her body. Her pussy clenched with a need she had never experienced before and she felt moist heat pulse from her with each spasm.

Jaxson breathed deeply and his eyes shot open. He looked at Ava and his eyes glowed even brighter than before. She gasped at the beauty shining back at her from those eyes. They were mesmerizing. She felt as though she could lose herself in them.

“Ava, have you ever been with a man?” His voice was low and hoarse against her skin.

“No. Never.” She knew what he was asking. She understood what he wanted. She had seen enough collectors together in the common showers, but she had never been physical with anyone. Would she allow herself to do this with someone she didn’t even know?

“I know this is fast, Ava. I want you so badly, but I will respect your wishes.” He held her stare and waited for her answer.

So many thoughts raced through her mind, yet she could hardly grasp any of them. Part of her knew this was crazy and that she should be running back down the mountain to the relative safety of her room. But another part of her, the part that was winning at the moment, wanted this man. She wanted the freedom he offered, even if she couldn’t have it. He could at least give her something no man had ever given her before and likely would never give her again.

“Yes. Please, Jaxson. Yes.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Ava almost couldn’t breathe. The sight of Jaxson’s hard cock had almost sent her running, but she was not backing down from this. Her body was screaming at her, demanding that she let him take her.

Jaxson gently laid her down on the shirts he had spread on the ground. Her whole body shivered with anticipation as he moved her legs apart and settled himself between them. He leaned over her and braced his arms on either side of her. The times she had inadvertently witnessed other collectors having sex in the showers, it had been fast and passionless. It was treated as though it were nothing more than something to pass the time or satisfy a basic need, like eating dinner. Having nothing else to compare, Ava closed her eyes and braced herself, expecting Jaxson to take her equally hard and fast.

Instead, surprise shot through her when he claimed her lips in a slow, burning kiss. He lowered his body to hers, keeping most of his weight off of her, and slid his body along hers. Ava felt her nipples harden as they responded to the friction between them. He released her mouth and his lips blazed a trail across her jaw to her ear. His teeth played with the soft lobe and his tongue slid around her sensitive ear. Ava’s breathing quickened and her chest heaved. The sensations were maddening!

His mouth moved from her ear and down her neck, leaving soft kisses along the way. She gasped when his tongue circled the aroused peaks of her nipples. He sucked one nipple into his mouth and her back arched upward. A cry of pleasure tore from her throat. While his teeth and tongue tormented her, his hands ignited fires all over her body, caressing her breasts, her ass, and the sensitive flesh along her abdomen.

His lips released her nipple and followed his hands, moving down her body and driving the heat higher. She wanted more, but she wasn’t certain she knew what it was her body needed. Jaxson’s fingers gently parted the folds of her pussy and she shot up onto her elbows, stunned by what he was doing.

“Watch me, sha-lia.” Jaxson’s glowing eyes held her captive. She couldn’t have looked away if she tried.

Jaxson lowered his head and kissed her inner thigh and then turned his head and kissed the other one. He looked up at her as his fingers spread her lower lips apart. With a blazing look in his eyes, he licked her folds with one long stroke of his tongue and then circled her clit.

Ava couldn’t think. She was completely helpless to the onslaught of sensation. She watched as Jaxson sucked her clit into his mouth and teased it with his tongue and teeth. Just when she thought she couldn’t stand it anymore, she felt pressure at her entrance as Jaxson slipped one finger inside her. She felt a stretching sensation, but it wasn’t unpleasant. As she got used to the feeling, she felt more pressure and realized he was slipping another finger inside her. He scissored his fingers, stretching her and driving her to new heights.

It was too overwhelming. The combination of his fingers inside her and his mouth on her clit was too much. She threw her head back and arched against him. With one last thrust, he pushed his fingers inside her and his teeth grazed her clit. Light exploded behind her closed eyelids. She convulsed and tremors shook her body. Jaxson sucked her clit as she rocked against him. Heat and pleasure raced through her with every tremor.

Finally, she opened her eyes and looked down at him. “What the hell was that?”

Jaxson laughed and crawled up her body. “That, my love, was just the beginning.”

Ava snorted softly, fairly certain that nothing could ever top what he had just done to her. Jaxson arched one eyebrow and grinned down at her with a look that told her he was about to prove her wrong.

He settled himself between her legs and let his weight rest on her lower body. She could feel his hard cock pressing into her abdomen and she trembled.

“Will it hurt?”

He stroked her hair and ran his finger along her jaw. “Only for a moment. I promise.”

She nodded and he lowered his lips to hers. His tongue pressed into her mouth. She tasted what must have been her juices on his tongue. Their combined tastes and the passion of his kiss left her dizzy, but he didn’t let up. His tongue drove her into a frenzied state once again. She felt his hand slide down between their bodies and slide across her pussy. She felt pressure at her entrance again. She knew it wasn’t his fingers this time.

He released her lips and his glowing gaze locked on hers as his hard cock slid into her slowly, inch by inch. She felt pressure again, stronger this time, and he stopped moving. His hand slid back between them and she cried out when he brushed his fingers against her swollen clit. He rubbed the sensitive nub until she thought she would fall over the edge of uncontrolled bliss again. Just when she couldn’t take anymore, he thrust into her. A sharp, fast pain stabbed through her. Jaxson froze. Ava’s breathing came fast and hard. She faced the unfamiliar pain and let it wash over her. She closed her eyes and rode the wave and then pushed the last of the pain away from her.

She opened her eyes and met Jaxson’s concerned gaze. She smiled and nodded at him. The concern left his face and he slowly rocked against her, letting her get used to the pressure and the feeling of his cock inside her.