The Lovers [Settler's Mine 2] [NOOK Book]

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Zelda's ass rode up in the air as she peeked over her shoulder at the man behind her. Her folds dripped with her essence, with her desire. "Bren." He'd been playing with her for an hour, not giving her what she wanted, and he knew full well what that was. Did she have to drive him home herself? She should have stayed on top. Her two orgasms hadn't taken away the need, the want of her man inside of her. Only he could do that, but instead, he toyed with her as she'd let no one else do. Only Bren could get away with tormenting her in words and with his body like this. Good thing she enjoyed him or she'd have to kill him.

He twisted up to his knees. "Something you want, Z?" A smile played on his lips. Why'd he have to be such a tease?

"You know what the fuck I want."

"To be fucked?" He winked at her, knowing the truth of it. His cobalt irises danced with the mischief that he always exuded.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. He thought she'd forgive him anything. And he was right. Even now, so full of pent-up frustration. "What I have to deal with." She pulled her body forward slightly as if to end their lovemaking session.

His hands clenched on her sides, keeping her from moving out of reach.

In one strong forward thrust, his cock surged into her pussy, filling her to the core. His large hands wrapped around her middle as he plowed himself forward and even deeper into her depths. "Deal with that." His voice gritted tight from between clenched teeth. She didn't need to see him; she could hear the tension in his guttural tone.

Now, that move she could deal with. Her body went slack from the length of him stretching her, setting off all the beacons ofnerves in her pussy and upward. "Oh, Bren." Her breath wouldn't move through her lungs for a moment, then spilled out in one great gasp.

One of his hands stayed where it was, splayed against her stomach. The other pressed down over her abdomen to pluck his thumb over her turgid clit. That touch was all it took.

She came gloriously again, only held up by him, as wave after wave of pleasure raced through her.

He stilled, letting her orgasm rock her before it faded, leaving her a mewling pile of gelatinous goo. Then he moved, ever so slowly, in and out, creating a rhythm, before picking up the pace. Faster and faster, he thrust, ramming himself into her, the wetness easing the friction of the angle.

His vicious thrusts slapped his balls against the back of her thighs. As his body arced upward, he lodged in her as deeply as he could. Hoarse cries escaped from the back of his throat, mostly her name poured forth with hot breath. His hot seed pumped into her as his hips continued to move against her and they became one.

One body. One heart. One being.

Joining with him was the most real thing she'd ever done. How glorious to be mated to him. Especially when he gave her times like this where she could go mindless in the grip of his passion.

Warmth spread against her back from his heartstone, which hung on a hemp cord around his neck. She didn't have to be facing him to know the stone glowed an iridescent blue, swinging about an inch or so away from her skin. She'd seen the light before. Many times since that first glimmer had united them as mates.

Hers shimmered in answering light to his, same color, same shade, same pulse. Her heart pounded in her chest, both from what they'd shared and the answering of their heartstones.

Her man. Her lover.

It always set her breathing on edge, herself aflutter. Not much else made her that way in life. She treasured these special moments with Bren. The ones where emotion set the heartstones aglimmering. They were few and far between in the business of their lives.

His big, tanned body moved from atop hers to snuggle in beside her. He never lingered with his weight on her, for fear of crushing her, but she never minded him on top. The pressure of his body reminded her of what they'd shared, always a good thing.

"Z, you dealt with that well. We'll see how you deal with round two shortly."

She snorted. "Feeling your grains today. I swear. It's been..."

The clearing of a throat, along with the snapping shut of a door, alerted them they weren't alone. They'd been too into their satisfaction to hear the door open. How long had the stranger been there?

Not long, or even in their passion they would have sensed him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Zelda's head came up to assess whomever stood before her. How dare someone come back into her private rooms? Those who came to barter or mine had orders to stay out of the small group of rooms she called hers and Bren's. She kept her official office separate from where they slept.

They never bothered locking doors because no one ever broke the rules.

Until now.

The boy flushed as her gaze met his. No, not a boy stood in her doorway, but a tall, lanky young man, not long past the cusp of his adulthood. His face would always have that youthful cast upon it, even when he was much older. He took a step backward, bringing her attention to his trim hips.

The blush told her more than anything else. A virgin. No one heated like that unless they'd never fucked.

The second clue to that conclusion was the absence of a heartstone around his neck. Anyone who'd found theirs wore it. The heartstone found the man, then found their mate.

"I'm looking for Zelda." The man, whose sharp angled features and muted clothes clearly marked him as Etruscan, cleared his throat again, shifting from foot to foot. His voice spiraled out self-assured, but he couldn't hide his anxiety. His back straightened too much, hands shifting, as if he didn't know what to do with them. He was old not to have a heartstone yet. And that was probably why he was here at Settler's Mine.

As she sat up on her raised bed of black silks and satins, moisture pooled between her thighs. "You've found her." She could have covered up, tossed something over Bren as she did so, but as this man was the interloper, she had no intention of grabbing her blankets. He could enjoy the show, if that appealed to him. She had nothing to hide. "Now get the fuck out."

The man's eyes stayed down as he attempted not to look at her, but they skittered up any chance he got to peek.

Bren shifted behind her, his calf brushing across hers. Neither she nor Bren had issues with nudity, unlike the obvious discomfort of the stranger. Etruscans were notoriously prim and proper. All hung up with their vows being their bond. They were even more peculiar than Natives, and that said a lot.

"I ... I'm sorry if I interrupted. But I need to see you." He stood his ground despite his discomfort and her belligerence.

That caught her interest. So many cowered in the face of confrontation or grew hostile. Rarely one possessed this measured patience.

"If?" Bren let out a chuckle, stopping the man's speech before he lay back with his head on the pillow. Bren's leg flattened on top of hers as if it were his way of saying, "Get him."

She'd had the mine when Bren had come into her life. Most considered her the owner, listening to her better than Bren. Not something that made him happy, but something he'd learned to deal with, so except in times of danger, he deferred to her on the mine's running. He'd assessed the man in front of them and hadn't seen a threat, or he would have reacted much differently. The young man better be glad Bren hadn't perceived him as a danger, or things would have gotten uglier than they were about to.

Laws could either be upheld here in the outposts of space or be ignored. The laws of her realm would be those upheld.

The man flushed deeper. "I need ... I need to dig. I've heard Settler's Mine is the best. The best at finding heartstones."

Zelda nodded. "It is. But you heed me right now. These are our quarters. No one trespasses here. No one." Her voice dipped down as cool as frozen steel.

He swallowed. He needed something from her, so now he was sweating that he wouldn't get what he wanted. "I ... apologize. But I must find my heartstone. Everyone says here is the best place to look. And that you, not your managers, are the best one to see to find my heartstone."

Must? Only one thing made a man, even one of his advanced age for finding a heartstone, in that much of a hurry--well, besides the fact that he couldn't fuck until he found it. But a woman back home, wherever home might be, must be making him eager to find his. A female that he wanted. Like heartstones cared about metaphysical shit like that. They didn't give one fuck about matters of the heart. The stone had already picked the mate who would claim him eons before he'd been born. The heartstones were centuries in the shaping.

"What did you say your name was?"

"I hadn't yet. It's Amory."

"Amory." She tasted the word and found it like cuttle, prepared just the way she liked it, fine and tasty in her mouth. "Amory."