Page 14 of Champion (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #6)
“Can I give you some mating advice, Charick?”
His gaze jerked to me, eyes wide, whatever dark emotion that had gripped him replaced by expectation.
“Of course.”
I took a deep breath, knowing my next words might not be well received. “One thing about us Earth women… we don’t go for our mates’ keeping secrets.”
I wasn’t trying to blackmail him for the information. It was the truth. If whatever this strange thing between us had any sort of chance, we needed to be honest with each other.
Charick’s eyes returned to his clasped hands, and a deep, heavy breath whooshed from his lungs, followed by the faintest growl.
“As I told you, I was groomed for diplomacy from an early age, but I wanted to be a warrior, like my father and brother. When I finished the training standard for a Vaktaire, I thought I would have the choice to continue the warrior’s path.
When I found that way closed to me, I rebelled, choosing to leave my home world and find training elsewhere.
The best place to learn to fight—so I thought—were gladiator pits not unlike this one. ”
“You were a gladiator?” The water surrounding me suddenly felt chilled.
“Yes,” Charick admitted, but wouldn’t lift his gaze to mine, ashamed of the admission. “They called me Champion. I never lost.”
“Did you ever meet Adtovar in the arena?” Watching them spar was an astounding exhibition of strength and skill. I could only imagine if they went at it for real.
“No, thank the goddess.” He gave a low laugh without much humor.
“But there were so many others. Too many. The fight promoter who held my contract wasn’t a good male.
I began noticing that my opponents possessed little fighting skill.
I told myself that it was because he wanted me rested for the bigger matches. I lied to myself a lot that way.”
“What happened?” Dread grew in the pit of my stomach.
“I found out most of the beings pitted against me weren’t warriors. They were innocent. Innocents sent to their death at my hand by evil males.”
Charick’s hands wrestled together to the point I wondered if he might actually pull off a finger. My heart jumped and skittered. I pressed a hand against my chest, willing my heart to be calm, to be forgiving, and prayed that if all this mate shit was true, somehow Charick would feel it as well.
“When I learned the truth, I walked away from the arena. By that time, the Romvesian-Vaktaire skirmish had started and despite my inclination for diplomacy, everyone with warrior training was needed to fight. While my father and older brother acted as strategists and avoided most of the actual fighting, my younger brother followed me into battle... and died from it. After his death, I walked away from violence and devoted myself to peace and diplomacy. I’ve spent years trying to make up for my time in the pits, but I can never escape the shame that I wasn’t a Champion.
I was nothing more than an assassin and because of it, ultimately, I lost my brother. ”
I felt hot wetness prick my eyes, yet the threatening tears didn’t dim my vision. Charick might have been young and stupid, but he wasn’t a bad man. Not then. Not now.
Something grew deep in my stomach, a yearning… a desperate longing to comfort him, to make Charick look away from the awful vision he held of his past and see himself the way I saw him: honest, protective, kind, and oh so sweet.
Was Adtovar right?
Maybe.
Dammit!
Life with Charick probably wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It might even be… nice. Based on the way he could kiss, it might be way more than nice. A low hot throb began in the pit of my stomach at the idea.
I felt attracted to him. Why deny it? My tongue nearly lolled out of my head the first time I saw him, and now…
after getting to know him, the attraction had only gotten stronger.
I wasn’t sure how far I wanted things to go just yet.
I might never be at the point where I’d agree to be called his mate.
I was ready for one thing, though. I wanted to kiss Charick again… a lot!
Even more than just physical pleasures, I wanted to rid him of the regret and recrimination that he wore like a blanket.
“Look at me, Charick.“
He raised his golden gaze to mine reluctantly, sheepishly.
“Adtovar was right about you.” I smiled at the way his eyes widened, uncertain of what might come next.
“What did he say?” The words came out grated, like he didn’t want to ask.
“He said you were a good, honorable male.”
A flash of shock colored Charick’s features. Our eyes met and held as I gave a slow, deliberate nod to let him know I felt the same. Well, not exactly the same, if I was being completely honest. I felt more.
I wanted more.
Slowly, I put my hands on the sides of the metal tub and rose from the water.
Charick’s eyes widened slightly in shock, the color turning molten as his gaze ran over my body.
How long had it been since somebody looked at me with such desire?
Had anybody ever? I was far from a virgin.
My husband and I had a good sex life as far as it went, but this…
this throbbing, hot, primal feeling that seemed to make the air undulate around me was on a level I’d never experienced.
Charick’s eyes ran up and down my body, as hot as twin suns at noon, and I saw the tip of his tongue wet his lips in a slow, gliding motion, like a lion pondering its next meal.
It made the wet throbbing between my legs increase, and from the flicker of Charick’s nostrils, I knew he noticed my scent.
Suddenly shy, I grabbed the towel from the chair and wrapped it around me.
Charick almost appeared disappointed. I’d never been this bold with someone other than my husband, and now I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed.
Granted, I was an assertive woman, but ordering someone to fuck me wasn’t in my wheelhouse.
Especially where Charick was concerned, at least not yet.
“Did you say Zahavi gave you some ointment?” I settled on something innocuous.
Charick had been leaning forward in his chair as if preparing to pounce. At my question, he released a deep breath and leaned back, one hand snagging a small metal container from the tabletop.
“Yes. He said this would relieve your soreness.” Charick’s long fingers twisted off the top, and the air filled with the smell of mint.
“Would you rub some on my shoulders for me?” I asked, daring to meet his gaze with a smile. My shoulders were a little sore, but not nearly as sore and needy as other parts of my body I wasn’t brave enough to ask him to touch.
“Of course.” Charick rose from the chair and followed me to the cot, standing while I situated myself face down on the mattress, keeping the towel tucked around me.
Just the feeling of Charick settling on the thin mattress beside me was so erotic I nearly moaned aloud.
What was I doing? I seriously had no clue, save one. I wanted to do it. I wanted to feel Charick’s hands on me. I wanted to kiss him again. I wanted to….
At the first touch of his hands on my shoulders, I shivered. Not from the sensation of the balm on my skin. It was warm, like his touch.
“Is this where you are sore?” Charick murmured, his hands running from the top of my shoulders and down over my shoulder blades to the middle of my back, pushing aside the towel to allow for unfettered access.
His hands were warm, and every inch of skin he touched seemed to react with a pulse of static electricity.
A sound erupted from my lips, something between a groan and a purr.
Jesus, I hadn’t made that sound since... .
“Does this feel good, little warrior?” Charick’s voice was guttural as his fingers increased in pressure.
I had to bite my tongue to keep from moaning again. “Um… yeah, it feels okay,” I finally managed to blurt. It felt better than okay. It felt like heaven.
Charick issued a sound that might have been a laugh. “You know I can smell your arousal.”
Well, shit!
Instead of embarrassment, this time, I felt relieved. No use denying it. Besides, I felt so needy and aching that the only thing I could force from my lips was a moan.
I felt the air pulsating along with my heartbeat as his hands slid lower over the curve of my ass, pushing away the towel to fully expose my backside.
“Your body is beautiful,” Charick murmured, running his fingertips over my ass, dipping to tease my upper thighs. “So strong, yet so soft.”
“Charick.” I meant to sound assured. I meant to sound firm and lay down some ground rules, since it was clear we headed for more than a simple massage. But as his hands kneaded my lower back, curving over the mound of my butt, all I could do was whimper.
“What is it, my heart? What do you need?” His hands continued their gentle foray over my skin.
“I need… I need….” I couldn’t say it. My words died in my throat, choked off by a deep, rumbling purr of pure need.
“Do you need release?” Charick’s voice was little more than a growl as his fingertips dipped into the aching warmth between my thighs.
“Yes,” I moaned the word, need making my voice warble.
Another low groan rolled from his chest as his hands forayed from between my thighs, over my butt and waist to trail along the sides of my breasts.
“You smell delicious. Will you let me taste you, my heart? Will you let me give you pleasure and show you how it could be between us?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t have said no if my life depended on it. My breath hitched as his hot breath tickled the small of my back. A second later, I felt his nose nuzzle at the juncture of my thighs.
“I have dreamed of this,” he muttered against my skin. “Dreamed of having my mouth on your hot, delicious cunt.”