B Clones, page 18
“Spread your legs open for me.”
Her cheeks grew very pink, and he saw her swallow hard, but she obeyed him. It was sexy as hell. He crawled closer and decided the best way to alleviate her fear would be to distract her with pleasure. He’d just need to ignore his throbbing dick that desperately wanted release.
He lowered onto his stomach and cupped her inner thighs, gently urging her to move them where he wanted. Hailey complied. He noticed that her breathing had increased and she writhed almost nervously.
“Trust me, baby. I’ve got you. You’re beautiful and perfect.”
“Even down there?”
He barely heard her whispered words.
He grinned and inched closer. “Especially down here.” He licked his lips and spread her more, exposing her sex to his view. She was wet and pink. “So sexy.”
“Are you going to examine me? I really haven’t had sex before. I’ve heard some husbands check to make certain a woman isn’t lying about that. Not that you’re marrying me or anything.” Her voice came out a little high-pitched and she spoke quickly. “I’m not expecting that from you, nor will I demand that you marry me. I don’t want you worri―”
His Hailey liked to babble when she was nervous. That adorable quirk made him want her even more.
He lowered his mouth and captured her clit. He had a little experience with oral sex. Some clones wanted to try such things. Two had asked him to go down on them in the past. He felt grateful to both of them when Hailey’s words cut off abruptly and she gasped. Her entire body jerked under him, and he tightened his hold on her thighs when she tried to slam them closed.
He played with her, testing what she liked best as he licked and sucked on the little nub above her slit. Her moans and the way she dug her fingers into his hair were great indicators. He really liked it when she panted his name. Too soon, her body tensed under him and she tried to wiggle away. He refused to let her, relishing when she cried out his name and came hard.
He released her inner thighs and crawled over her. A bit of smugness filled him as her eyes opened. The brown seemed even lighter in color than normal when she was sated.
“So fucking beautiful,” he rasped, before kissing her.
She welcomed his mouth. He cupped one of her breasts and lightly pinched the beaded nipple. She moaned against his tongue and her shaky legs lifted, wrapping loosely around his hips. He slowly built her passion back up until she was rubbing her pussy against him.
He reached down as he lifted his hips and cupped the underside of his dick, using the crown to feel for the right spot. She was so wet…he knew she was ready for him. He did worry about how small that little slit of hers felt, but he lined them up and pushed his hips forward just enough to press the tip against her opening.
Hailey pulled her mouth from his and dug her fingernails into his shoulders. He opened his eyes and held her gaze, freezing in place. He waited to see if she’d change her mind.
She pulled her legs up higher, until her bent knees were almost to his ribs.
He’d take that for permission.
“I’m going to be gentle as possible, baby.”
She nodded and eased her grip with her fingernails.
He pushed forward and clenched his teeth as he felt a little resistance. She was tight. Incredibly so. He pressed again and her body gave, taking him. He entered her a bit farther, releasing his shaft and bracing his body above her slightly. He lunged for her mouth and kissed her.
Blade suddenly knew real torture. His body urged him to thrust into her deep, wanting to fuck Hailey hard and fast. His balls were screaming for release of the pressure that had already built there. He focused on her reactions instead, making sure to go slow and gentle as he breached her deeper. So far, she hadn’t flinched or stopped kissing him back.
She was so hot, tight, and wet. He withdrew a little and pushed back in. She wiggled under him, and he groaned against her tongue. He thrust deeper. He felt her tense, and he froze.
Hailey broke the kiss. “Don’t stop. It’s a bit uncomfortable but it doesn’t hurt. You feel huge…but I want you.”
He opened his eyes and gazed into hers, smiling slightly. “Here we go…”
He pulled out, then pushed into her deeper still. His reluctance to cause her any pain helped keep him from coming.
Her body jerked a little but she didn’t seem to be hurting. He began to thrust slowly, letting her take more of him each time, until he was fully seated inside her. He paused there for long seconds to let her adjust to his size. Then he took her mouth, kissing her again. When he felt her pussy clench around him, he began to rock his hips.
Hailey moaned against him and adjusted her legs, digging her heels into his ass. He picked up the pace and knew she was enjoying having him inside her by her sounds and movements. He shifted his hips a bit, testing her. He knew he’d found the right angle when she clawed at his skin—then he stopped holding back.
Blade felt it when she climaxed, and he let her inner muscles milk him into oblivion.
Then he rolled, taking Hailey with him, before he collapsed into a happy puddle of satisfaction.
Chapter Six
Blade felt certain that he’d changed course enough times that none of the pirates would be able to follow the Morgan. He’d plotted it out before they left the Nornor Sector. They’d assume he’d fly in a straight line toward his next location. Right now, if he guessed right, they’d believe he was visiting Kellerton Station.
It was tempting to contact Big again, but he resisted. He’d gotten lucky the last time. His fellow clone had been too shocked to hear from him to really dig for answers about what exactly had happened to him, and who he was bringing home with him.
He had a feeling Big wouldn’t be pleased about Hailey. It wasn’t because she was a human. Big wouldn’t like her visiting the base, only to be returned to her colony at some point. It risked them all if she guessed the secret location and told someone. Their only home would be blown to hell if the authorities heard about free clones.
A slight ache began in his chest, thinking about giving Hailey up. Everything had changed the day before, when she’d asked him to kiss her and he’d carried her to bed.
They’d made love, rested, and then he’d tugged her into the shower. He found her shyness very appealing and sexy. She’d blushed when he’d crouched down to soap her body, wanting to touch every inch of her. He’d wanted to make love to her again but she had admitted to a bit of soreness.
It had been her first time, and she wasn’t a clone. They healed faster. He’d prepared dinner for her but he’d stopped to kiss her often. She was addictive. They both seemed to enjoy spending time together.
She’d allowed him to sleep with her, as well. To feel her cuddled in his arms, her head resting on his chest, had been even more addictive. Hailey felt so right, snuggled against him. He hadn’t drifted asleep quickly, like she had. Instead, he’d just enjoyed the contentment of having her close.
He didn’t want to let her go.
“I’m fucked,” he sighed.
She’d mentioned how she didn’t expect him to marry her, but he wished he could become her husband. He’d share vows with her in a heartbeat. There wasn’t anything he’d enjoy more.
But Hailey would never agree to stay with him. Everything she’d said assured him that her parents meant too much for her to give them up. And it would be suicide for him to attempt to live on her colony. The port authorities would kill him the second they realized what he was. Which would be when they ordered him to place one of his hands on a scanner as he stepped off a shuttle. He hadn’t been imprinted with data chips under the skin the way humans were.
It was a hell of a problem.
“So fucked.” He punched part of the console with his fist.
“What’s wrong? More pirates going to attack us? What are long-range sensors telling you?”
He twisted his head, staring at the focus of his thoughts. Hailey visually scanned the windows at the front of the cockpit. He spotted a flash of fear and stood, opening his arms. He just wanted to touch her. Hold her. He pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her.
“Everything is fine. I’m sorry if I scared you. I was thinking about something else.”
She hugged him around his waist. “A cookie for your thoughts.”
He smiled and stared down at her, his eyebrows arching. “I’ve never heard that saying before.”
“It’s a Prospect thing.” She grinned. “Sweets are what we bargain with to get family and friends to tell us something we want to know, or to do us a favor. I don’t think we actually have cookies in the kitchen. I haven’t seen any, but I could hydrate a pie. I’m trying to bribe you into telling me what upset you. You punched the controls and cursed.”
He debated over being completely honest or not.
“You can tell me anything.”
“I don’t think you want the truth…”
That he was falling in love with her. Hell, maybe he already had. It wasn’t just the sex. Hailey was sweet, kind, and he liked everything about her.
She frowned. “We’re partners, remember? In this together. Is something wrong with the ship? Did an alert go out to the authorities about the Morgan? What is it?”
Guilt surfaced. “It’s none of those things. We’re safe, and I’m certain we’ve lost the pirates. I’m avoiding all the common flight lanes to reach where we’re going, and it’s remote. I feel secure right now that we’ll make it there without running into more trouble.”
“Then what is it?”
He released her, backing up before pulling her onto his lap as he took a seat again. She settled on him to get comfortable. He liked that she didn’t protest. “I promised to return you to your parents.”
Emotion he couldn’t read filled her eyes. Her body stiffened.
He quickly explained before she might come to the wrong conclusion. “I will get you back to them. It’s just that it’s going to make me sad when I do. You probably don’t want to hear this, Hailey…but I have feelings for you. And it’s more than just physical. I realized how much it’s going to hurt when I can’t be with you anymore.”
“Oh.” She sighed and buried her face into his shoulder. Her hands slid up and she hugged him around his neck.
He tilted his head, pressing it against hers. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes. I’d never keep you with me against your will.” He swallowed. “Even if I wish that I could.”
“Oh, Blade. I know.” Her word came out muffled against his shirt. “I have feelings for you, too, but I’m all my parents have. They’d be devastated if I didn’t go home. Did I tell you that they wanted to have more children but couldn’t?”
“No.”
“There was an accident at the mine right after I was born. It was a cave-in, and my dad was trapped. You know how I told you childbearing women can’t work there? Well, it turns out that if a man has any open wounds and is exposed for a long period to the gasses found in the mines, they can become sterile, too. Dad and his crew were down there for three and a half days before they were able to dig them out. Three out of his sixteen member crew were cut up pretty bad by falling rocks. Him included.”
He stroked her back. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too. It made my parents kind of cling to me, I guess. I can’t tell you how many times they’ve said I was everything to them. It’s why I never put my foot down about them inviting men to dinner. I hated them interfering in my life like that, but I know they just wanted me to find a loving husband.” She rubbed her face against his chest. “To have what they have. Plus, they really want grandchildren.”
He flinched. Children were something he could never give Hailey.
She must have felt it, because she lifted her head. She studied his eyes, then paled. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said. “I’m sterile. It’s a fact of life. Your parents would never want you to be with me, even if it were possible for me to move to Prospect. Which it isn’t.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Don’t cry, baby. I’ll be grateful for the time that we have together. You’re a blessing to me. I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone.”
“Me either.” Tears slipped down her cheeks.
He reached up to wipe them away. “We’ll make the best of whatever time we have. Let’s just live every day as though it’s our last. I will get you home to your parents. Big will help me figure out the safest way to do so. He’s pretty smart. We can also reach out to the others. Between the six of us, we’ll come up with a plan. Do you want to hear about the other clones?”
“Yes. Please.”
She didn’t protest him changing the subject, which is exactly what he was doing. “Big and I worked in security together.”
“You told me that he’s taller than you, and you were born in the same year.”
“Produced,” he gently corrected. “Yes. We’re probably the most like brothers because we shared many shifts together, and he slept on the bunk above mine in the dorms. I could always talk to him about anything without any fear that he’d betray me.”
“Clones betray each other?”
“Not generally, but some can get frightened enough to go to an officer to report us if we’re too verbal about our resentments. If a clone were to cause any type of rebellion, all clones associated with him or her are killed.”
She appeared horrified at the idea.
“It’s to dissuade us from even considering such a thing. Humans see rebellion as a disease, or at least the ones in charge at Clone World did. They didn’t want it to spread. So in theory, a clone could tell an officer if they believed another clone was considering causing trouble. To report it would ensure Clone World wasn’t…infected and wiped out.”
“That’s awful.”
“Yes. I never worried about Big, though. We shared our unhappiness and resentments. We got close to Freak—who now goes by the name Free—after we accidently witnessed something that would have gotten him killed. We didn’t report it.”
“What did he do?”
“He had feelings for a human. A very important one. She’s related to the owner of Clone World. They were holding hands, and he hugged her.”
“That’s a death offense? Was he harassing her? Did she not like him back?”
“It was obvious their feelings were mutual. That was the problem. It’s one thing for a human working there to have consensual sex with a clone maybe once, but anything more is considered dangerous. It’s against the law there for a human and a clone to form emotional bonds to each other.”
He wanted to tell her that was the very human who’d helped them escape, but he’d already shared too much.
“Anyway, we’d keep watch to give them some stolen moments.”
“That was sweet of you.”
“Free desperately wanted to escape so he could be with her. He pulled in a friend of his who he trusted, to help plot our getaway. Figures worked with him, and they were as tight as brothers. He goes by Fig now. That still left us needing two more clones.”
“Why?”
“It’s better if you don’t know all the details…but suffice to say, we had to have six clones to make the plan work. We instantly thought of Ram. Months before, something happened with him that we were able to cover up. He owed us for saving his life.”
“Can I ask?”
“It’s not a good story.”
“I’d like to hear it anyway.”
He nodded and settled more comfortably in the pilot’s seat. “Ram was a maintenance worker. They’re highly skilled at fixing anything from mechanical engines to replacing a leaking pipe under a guest sink. He was called to one of the cottages because the trash compactor stopped functioning. He got there, but before he entered, he heard a woman sobbing and pleading to be let go. He overrode the lock with his access key and rushed inside. The human guest had scheduled a massage, and he had a female clone pinned on the floor. He was tearing at her clothing to sexually assault her. The man pulled a knife and said he’d slit her throat if Ram didn’t leave.”
Blade paused, watching Hailey’s face. She stared up at him in shock.
He sighed. “I told you it’s not a good story. Ram refused to leave, so the idiot released her and tried to kill him. Ram looks like you’d imagine someone with that title might. He tackled the human to take him down and ripped the knife out of his hand. Unfortunately, the human struck his head on a table on the way down. The masseuse ran to get help. It was Big and I who’d responded… Are you certain you want to hear the rest? You might not like me much afterward.”
“Tell me.”
“We staged it to look like an accident. The guest spilled oil from the massage table, slipped on it, and unfortunately hit his head. They would have killed Ram for defending another clone and for accidentally killing a human intent on stabbing him to death.”
He closed his mouth, waiting to see how she’d react, hoping she didn’t hate him. In his experience, humans tended to stick together.
“Good.”
He couldn’t help but frown. “That’s all you have to say?”
She nodded. “That man sounded like a horrible person. We get some of them on Prospect too, you know. We call it neighbor justice.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“You’ve told me some of your secrets about Clone World. So, I’ll share one of the biggest ones about Prospect. An off-worlder moved in with a local widow about eight years ago. He liked to beat her. I’m talking broken bones. She tried to have him arrested and demanded he move out. But he was a commander at the port, so port authority wouldn’t do anything. We’re just considered a bunch of nobodies on a crappy mining world. My parents and the others hid her from him, to keep her safe, but he sent out port guards to search for her. It’s a small place, so of course they eventually found her. He had her arrested and taken back to her house…where he beat her again.”
