Secrets of New Pompeii Read online

  She tugged his shirt out from inside his pants and pushed her hands under the material. He did her one better and pulled her shirt off over her head. Her breasts swayed, the nipples peaked and ready for his lips. Needing more of her sweet kisses, he teased her nipples with his thumbs.

  Her agile fingers went to work on his pants while he savored her taste and the tenderness expanding within him. Life in the ludus was vicious and unrelenting. Being with her under any circumstances would be paradise by comparison.

  She was back in his arms where she belonged. And he would remain at her side or die fighting his way back to her.

  She pushed her hand down into his loosened pants and closed her fingers around his cock. He groaned into her mouth, staggered by the simple pleasure of being touched by her. Their mouths separated as she worked his pants downward. He lifted his feet so she could take them off. Neither of them had put on the boots that accompanied the uniforms, so her pants joined his in a matter of seconds.

  Naked and breathless, they looked at each other, caressing with eyes rather than hands. “You are so beautiful.” He swallowed hard, aching to be inside her yet knowing it would be over far too soon.

  An appreciative smile slowly parted her lips as her gaze boldly assessed his body. “I never get tired of looking at you.”

  “You’re welcome to do more than look. I certainly intend to.” He raised her hand toward her breast, but she sank to her knees and captured his shaft with her long fingers. She pumped him a few times while he trembled with need then she took the tip in her mouth. “Oh sweetheart, that feels so good.”

  He watched his cock slide in and out of her willing mouth. Her gaze locked with his, revealing the pleasure she found in the act as well as the depths of her need. She cupped his balls with one hand while the other stroked his shaft. And all the while her eager mouth sucked and her tongue swirled. The combination was more than he could stand. With a strangled moan, he pulled out of her mouth and lifted her to her feet.

  “Not tonight. I want you beneath me, legs wrapped around me, while we come together.”

  She grinned, eyes passion-bright. “Works for me.”

  Max took Naloni by the hand and led her to the makeshift bed. Her heart pounded in her chest and tension coiled deep in her belly. Having his cock in her mouth accentuated the ache building between her thighs. Would he go down on her as Dario had suggested or was his need too great for more foreplay?

  She lay down in the middle of the bed and raised her arms, welcoming him. She didn’t care what he did as long as he did something. She had waited so long to feel these feelings again, to build upon the foundation they had abandoned.

  He stared down at her, obviously debating how to proceed. Emboldened by his obvious desire, she bent her knees and opened her thighs. Cool air wafted across her damp folds and she moaned. Her clit twitched as if the tiny nub were trying to draw his attention.

  Kneeling between her thighs, he traced her slit with the head of his cock. The smooth slide focused her mind on her pussy and the emptiness waiting to be filled. He rubbed himself against her clit and she bucked helplessly.

  “Is this what you want?” He pushed inside just enough to let her feel his thickness.

  “Yes, oh yes.” She pushed up with her legs, but he pulled back with a wicked smile.

  “Well, I’m not ready to give it to you yet.” He lay on his stomach and arranged her legs over his shoulders.

  His tongue continued the teasing pattern his cock head had begun. Up and down, circling her opening while avoiding her clit. She squirmed and murmured, restless and needy. He swirled his tongue inside her core and gently sucked on her folds.

  Tension built gradually, incited by the patience of his mouth. He pushed into her cunt and stayed there while his upper lip dragged against her clit. She trembled, poised on the brink of orgasm yet unable to let go. His hands left her hips and moved upward, capturing her nipples between his finger and thumb. He rolled then pulled and finally squeezed until she cried out.

  The sharp sensation released the tension and she came in deep spasms. Her inner muscles rippled around his tongue while pleasure flowed out through her body.

  He raised his head and wiped her juices from his lips and chin. “Stop holding back on me or I’ll spank you. And we both know where that leads.”

  A violent shiver shook her and she bit her bottom lip. Each time he’d spanked her, his fingers ended up in her ass. And each time he finger-fucked her ass, his cock soon followed. “We don’t have lube.”

  “We don’t need lube for this.” He pushed his fingers into her pussy and coated them with cream then moved lower and teased her anus. “I want to hear you scream this time.”

  “But Dario—”

  “Dario knows what we’re doing.”

  His lips closed around her clit as his long middle finger pushed into her ass. Pleasure rolled up her spine and she arched into the torrid caress. He released her clit and switched to a slow, circular motion that better matched the slide of his finger.

  Her body came alive again, responding to his touch as naturally as breathing. Her cries escalated along with the pleasure. Cream seeped out of her pussy and coated his hand, allowing him to thrust faster and push the sensations higher. His circles grew smaller until his tongue rubbed directly over her clit. Another orgasm rushed toward her, tighter and more intense than the first.

  She raised her arms over her head and clutched the bedding. A second finger increased the pressure in her ass and she came with a startled scream.

  In a sudden show of strength and agility, he surged up along her body and buried his cock in her wet core. She cried out again, the echo of her pleasure nearly as strong as the orgasm itself. He released one of her legs and tucked the other under his arm as he thrust fast and deep.

  His gaze bore into hers, hot and demanding. She found the bed with her free leg and pushed up into each thrust. His back flexed beneath her palms, his skin moist and heated. He released her other leg and framed her face with his hands, claiming her mouth in a breath-stealing kiss.

  She kept her legs bent and open, taking him as deep as she could. Nothing existed except for this moment and Max moving inside her. She returned his kiss and squeezed his cock, amazed by the perfection of their embrace.

  How could she have let this slip away? How could she have been so foolish?

  He thrust harder, the impact jostling her breasts and making their kiss hard to maintain. His features tensed and his eyes closed as he neared his own release.

  Wrapping her legs around his waist, she held him close. Never again would she allow anything to separate them. She would fight her father or any force foolish enough to try! This was right, perfect, so obviously meant to be.

  His back bowed, driving his cock to the mouth of her womb as he came in shuddering spasms. Her core echoed each spurt, welcoming his seed with greedy squeezes. Their kiss slowed, became less frantic. Their lips slid and their tongues curled as they slowly drifted back to reality.

  “There are towels in the middle trunk, but the water is in here,” Dario called out from the other room.

  Naloni marveled at the utter abandon that had allowed her to momentarily forget they had company. Max chuckled and rocked back onto his knees, separating their bodies.

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He retrieved one of the towels and snatched his pants off the floor, walking into the other room without bothering to dress. Their voices were too muffled for her to make out their words, and then Max returned, wearing the pants and carrying the now damp towel.

  She cleaned up and dressed quickly, not knowing how much longer Dario would behave. When he strolled into the chamber a few minutes later, she was pulling on her boots.

  “I certainly hope you two feel better.” He snickered. “It certainly sounded like you worked out your differences.”

  Max ignored his comments and said, “Tell us about this tunnel and where our ‘ride’ is taking us.”

 
Chapter Six

  Max looked at Naloni as he waited for Dario to explain the next move. She looked adorably tousled and flushed. He had no illusions that one extremely pleasurable fuck was going to alleviate all of their obstacles. Still, he was cautiously optimistic. If they were willing to work together—and she was honestly willing to sacrifice… Sacrifice being a princess? What woman in her right mind would give up the life she’d been born to so she could be with him?

  He sighed. Apparently his insecurities ran deeper than he’d realized.

  “There was a young man named Benignus. He and his two sisters were visiting relatives in Pompeii during the catastrophe, so they were separated from their parents by the evacuation. When they arrived, the magistrate explained their options, which were not many because none of them possessed a viable skill. Benignus was large for his age, so he signed on with Ludus Olla. Out of the kindness of his heart, Prince Tarhee also indentured the sisters as house servants.”

  “Did Benignus become a gladiator?” Naloni asked.

  “He developed our skills, but he lacked the ferocity essential for survival in the arena.”

  “What does this have to do with the tunnel?” Max had no patience for evasions. He’d asked a direct question and he expected a direct answer.

  “I’m trying to tell you. It’s not a simple tale.” Dario looked at Naloni uncomfortably as he explained. “All three were unusually attractive. Tarhee started with the older sister. When he tired of her, he summoned the younger, and then…”

  “He set his sights on Benignus?” she guessed. “I know Tarhee has both male and female lovers. Were these siblings willing?”

  “More or less. Consent is far more objective when your master requires your obedience.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her, obviously upset by the tale but certainly not shocked. “When did they decide to run?”

  “When he began summoning all three together and insisting they…interact with each other.”

  Now she looked shocked and disgusted. She bit her bottom lip and shuddered.

  “You said off-worlders dug the tunnel,” Max reminded. “I’m still waiting for the tie-in.”

  “After an especially perverted session, they ran. The girls were captured, but the high priestess helped Benignus escape.”

  Max smiled. “Felicia is an amazing woman. She has risked her life and safety so many times it’s staggering.”

  “She’s on your team, I take it.” Speculation made Dario’s dark gaze gleam.

  “It’s more like I’m on hers. She was part of the resistance long before I joined.”

  “So, Benignus was smuggled through the barrier,” Naloni prompted. “What happened then?”

  “He was supposed to take a shuttle to a colony outpost, but he refused to go. I don’t know all the details, but at some point he made contact with the Fedoran military, or they made contact with him. He offered to train field operatives in hand-to-hand combat if they would help him tunnel under the barrier.”

  “They used off-worlders so our security grid wouldn’t pick up their movements,” Naloni mused, and Dario nodded, confirming her supposition. “A cluster of id signals progressing steadily from one side of the barrier to the other would immediately raise eyebrows. What about his sisters? Did he arrange their rescue?”

  “They were the first to ‘disappear’ through the tunnel.”

  “Why didn’t Benignus tell Felicia about the tunnel?” Max said. “This option would have been invaluable to the resistance.”

  Dario fidgeted, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “The military paid for the tunnel, so they control its use.”

  Dread washed over Max, cooling his damp skin and clenching his stomach. “Then who’s waiting for us at the end of this tunnel?”

  Looking from Max to Naloni and back, Dario made a helpless gesture. “How was I to know you were lovers?”

  “What did you promise them in exchange for their assistance?”

  Dario paled.

  Max lived by instinct and his instincts were screaming Beware! He attacked without further warning, grabbing Dario by the throat and sweeping his legs out from under him. Dario recovered before he hit the ground, slamming his forearm against Max’s hard enough to dislodge his hand.

  They rolled across the floor, grappling with far more menace than they had during their wrestling match. Max punched him squarely in the face and blood poured from Dario’s nose, coating Max’s knuckles before he pulled his hand back.

  Fueled by fury and betrayal, Max forced Dario over onto his back. He straddled the other man’s chest, pinning his arms beneath his knees. He pulled back his arm, meaning to hit him again, when Naloni stepped into his field of vision.

  She stood above them, pulse pistol pointed at Dario’s head. “What did you promise them, you worthless son of a bitch?”

  “Max! All right? They get Max and I get you.”

  “You get her for what?” A fresh wave of fury crashed over Max.

  “To force the emperor to drop the barrier! This isn’t a game. Our people need to be set free.”

  “We agree with you.” Naloni’s tone softened though she didn’t lower the gun. “But betraying your friends and terrorizing others is not the way to accomplish our goal.”

  “How much time do we have?” Max shoved off Dario and stood. Naloni’s stance didn’t change, so Dario stayed on the floor.

  “They’ll be here in less than an hour,” Dario admitted.

  “Can you knock him out with that thing, or does it only kill?”

  She triggered a short burst of shimmering light into Dario’s head and he slumped against the floor, unmoving. Max watched Dario’s chest rise and fall before he turned his attention toward Naloni. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “We can’t just leave him here.”

  “He chose his allies, now he must deal with them.”

  “You might have made the same choice if you believed someone you loved was in danger.”

  Max shook his head, unwilling to temper his anger. “His alliance with the military had to have been in place long before his sister was taken. He is a self-serving traitor. He threatened you and was willing to sacrifice me. And now he will face the consequences of his decisions.”

  “All right.” She didn’t seem pleased by the outcome, but she relented. “Where are we going?”

  “This is your world, Princess. You tell me.”

  “Do you know how to contact Caleb Thrax?”

  The question surprised him. “How do you know about Caleb?”

  “He brought Elaina and Theos to the spaceport on his way to the colonies. He’s your main smuggler, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, but the fewer people who know about it the better.”

  Her brow arched, her expression both amused and disappointed. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “Of course I trust you. Where do you need Caleb to take us?”

  “Nowhere. I just need an untraceable comlink and a smuggler is bound to have one.”

  “All right.” Tension gathered in the pit of his stomach. With one call she could return to her life and leave him adrift in a world he struggled to understand. Eventually he’d adapt to the culture, but he’d faced this possibility once before. He didn’t want to become part of Fedoros unless Naloni was by his side.

  It took them twenty minutes, but they finally found a portable comunit. They grabbed one of the torches off the wall and headed out through the far side of the tunnel. Near the entrance, the green light on the front of the comunit blinked, indicating it had reestablished connectivity.

  They jogged across an open field and huddled behind a small rock formation, the only thing resembling cover in their general vicinity. She entered the designation Max had given her and tried to contact Caleb.

  “Thrax here, go,” Caleb responded to the encrypted page.

  She handed the comunit to Max, watching him closely.

  “Hey, Caleb. It’s Max. We have an emergency. Is there any way
you can come to…” He looked at Naloni and asked, “Where are we?”

  She took the comunit back from him and scanned the area for geographical indicators. “We’re southwest of the barrier. I can see Prichette Towers in the distance.”

  “Copy. If you need cover, head for the woods farther east. It’s a bit of a hike, but it will take me about twenty minutes to reach you.”

  Which meant he’d arrive ten minutes ahead of the army, Max figured. “We’ll head for the trees, but the sooner the better, my friend. Things could get interesting fast if you’re delayed.”

  “Copy that. I’m on my way.”

  They dashed across the open field, feeling exposed and vulnerable.

  “Who are you going to contact once Caleb arrives?” Max asked once they’d reached the trees.

  “Stevon.” She braced her hands on her knees, panting softly. “We need to know if his teams captured any useful images.”

  “That makes sense.” He leaned against a tree trunk, dreading the answer to his next question. “Are you going to contact your father?”

  “He needs to know I’m all right.” He agreed with a stiff nod and then she smiled. “He doesn’t need to know where I am, at least not yet. Dario fried our chips. We’re untraceable.”

  They lapsed into silence after that. Naloni seemed to be planning their next move while Max just dreaded the future. Would she stay with him for another few days, perhaps another few weeks? Then what? The fundamental obstacle complicating their relationship still loomed between them, crushing what little happiness they’d stolen in the tunnel.

  She obviously felt more for him than a fleeting infatuation, but what did that mean in the harsh light of reality?

  A shuttle approached from the north, flashed its running lights once then landed as close to the trees as possible. The hatch opened and Caleb came bounding out of the small craft a pulse pistol in each hand. “Step away from the princess! Toss all weapons down!”

  Max looked at Naloni, who was as mystified as he by the captain’s odd behavior. A warning shot grazed his shoulder and Max tossed his weapons in the grassy dirt, stepping to the side and putting more distance between him and Naloni.