Among Galactic Ruins by Anna Hackett Page A

you get at
least a little bit of rest.” She spun with a swirl of skirts
and was gone.
    Lexa wandered into the room. It was
surprisingly cool. The rock-cut walls were smooth but there were
narrow veins of some glittering mineral here and there. She stopped
at the window and took in the wide sweep of golden desert. It
looked just as magnificent and unforgiving from here as it did when
you were riding in the middle of it. But, right now, with sand in
places she didn’t even want to think about, she was happy to take a
short break from it.
    Damon was silent, and Lexa found nerves were
starting to creep in. It was silly. They’d been through so much in
a short period of time and she’d come to trust him. In fact, she
hadn’t felt this close to someone in a long time.
    A door opened and she turned. He was heading
into an adjoining room. She followed and moaned in pleasure.
    The room was carved back into the rock and
against one wall was a deep-cut pool with water bubbling up and
steam rising off it. The room had no window, but three modern ball
lights were suspended from the ceiling, each one glowing with a
soft light.
    Damon ran his fingers through the water.
“Mineral water.” He nodded his head at the pool. “Why don’t you get
in, take a soak. It’ll help those aches and pains you’ve been
trying to hide.”
    She chewed on her bottom lip. “So, Mr.
Malik, are you going to offer to scrub my back?”
    “I thought that might be a bit…clichéd.”
    “Oh?”
    “I thought I’d just strip you naked, carry
you into the water and fuck you senseless.”
    And just like that, raw need flared inside
her, arrowing between her legs.
    She wasn’t sure who moved, her or him. But
suddenly, she was in his arms, his mouth on hers.
    She parted her lips eagerly. His arms
wrapped around her and his tongue swept into her mouth, demanding
and unyielding.
    Lexa slid her hands into his thick hair.
Before she knew what was happening, he was urging her forward until
they reached the edge of the pool.
    He gripped her shirt and tugged it off. He
groaned. “Damn, this sexy underwear makes me hard.” His skillful
fingers made short work of opening her sea-blue bra and dropping it
to the floor. He groaned again. “Although what’s under it is much,
much sexier.” He cupped one breast and she leaned into his touch.
Her nipples puckered.
    “Ah, such pretty breasts.” He flicked a
thumb over her nipple, making her gasp. “Do you want my mouth
here?”
    “Yes.” Her answer was a breathy whisper.
    “Then get in the water.” He knelt and
slipped her trousers down her legs.
    Staring down at his dark head, she fought
back a tremble. His hot gaze slid over her bare legs as he slipped
a finger under the waistband of her silk panties and snapped it
against her skin.
    “Something else pretty under here for
me?”
    Oh, stars . She wanted to close her
eyes, savor the sensations, but she couldn’t pull her gaze off
him.
    He tugged the panties down. Staring at the
juncture between her thighs, he made a hungry sound, then urged her
toward the water.
    Lexa sank into the bath. It was almost too
hot but after a few seconds her skin adjusted. She found a narrow
ledge under the water and sat. She turned to look at Damon and
almost swallowed her tongue.
    He was shedding his clothes in quick,
economical movements, uncovering bronzed skin and his lean,
muscular body.
    Her mouth went as dry as the desert outside.
There wasn’t an inch of fat on him. Just muscles on muscles, each
one perfectly defined.
    He dropped his trousers and straightened,
unabashedly naked. Now, she couldn’t breathe. She knew her eyes
were wide and she was staring at his cock, but he was…generously
proportioned.
    “Sweetheart, I’ve been wanting to see that
exact look on your face when you looked at me for a while now.” He
sauntered toward the pool.
    She looked up at him and crooked a finger.
He stepped into the water.
    “I want to touch you,” she murmured. “All