Guardians of Paradise by Jaine Fenn Page A

her driven from his mind. And she had free access to his thoughts.
     
    The wave of rising pleasure surprised her. The signals from her own body were interfering with her concentration, and for a moment she considered blocking the sensation, or else bringing herself to climax quickly, the better to free herself of such distractions.
     
    But then, why should she not enjoy this to the full?
     
    Maintaining her hold, forbidding him to orgasm, she forced him to work faster, slaving his will to her pleasure. As she came she heard herself cry out and wondered at the lack of dignity, even as she relished the mindless release.
     
    After the last shudders had passed through her she pushed herself fully upright, focusing on her partner for the first time in some minutes. His skin was grey and filmed with sweat, his half-healed stomach wound livid. But he looked up at her as a worshipper looks upon a goddess.
     
    She touched his forehead with a quivering finger, smiling as pleasure exploded through him and he shuddered beneath her. She let herself ride the sensation, all thoughts of reading him forgotten in the face of this wordless, animal communion.
     
    She felt his physical climax riding hard on the mental one, and retained just enough self-control to block it.
     
    Her eyes were still closed when he spoke in her head, his voice ragged with yearning.
     
    She opened her eyes, and looked straight into his.
     
    As she began to move on him for the last time, she sensed the fear in him, the soul-deep realisation of what he had committed himself to.
     
    A final wave of resistance passed through him.
     
    She dispelled it effortlessly.
     

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    Jarek woke slowly, wondering what the weight on his leg was. Of course: Taro. They’d ended up in his cabin eventually. The couch on the bridge wasn’t built for sex, though that hadn’t stopped Taro trying. Jarek smiled to himself, before remembering how the evening had started. Hot on the heels of that memory a new realisation swam up from the depths; another discovery he’d made at Serenein, one that hadn’t seemed immediately relevant before last night.
     
    He eased Taro’s leg away and sat up, wincing at a twinge from his bruised ribs.
     
    Taro opened his eyes, smiled up at Jarek, then frowned, no doubt also remembering why they’d ended up in bed together.
     
    ‘Did you want to stay here for a while?’ asked Jarek. He hoped he would. The extra complication that had just occurred to him was going to make things even worse for the boy.
     
    ‘No,’ said Taro, though he didn’t look convinced. Jarek found some relatively clean clothes, and lent Taro a robe.
     
    Nual sat alone at the table, nursing a steaming mug. From her still-wet hair Jarek guessed she’d just showered. ‘Good morning,’ he said with forced cheerfulness.
     
    She looked around, surprised; she must’ve been so deep in thought that she hadn’t sensed them there. Taro put his arms around Jarek’s waist, with his head on his shoulder and one hand dangling just above Jarek’s groin. Jarek resisted the urge to shake him off; pleasant though the contact was, Taro wasn’t doing it for his benefit.
     
    Nual said nothing, just looked at the two of them, her face unreadable.
     
    Jarek decided there was no easy way to tell her what she needed to know. ‘Listen, did you . . . if you didn’t, uh, take precautions you might want to get yourself checked out.’
     
    He felt Taro tense.
     
    Nual spoke slowly and carefully, as though each word was fragile, potentially dangerous. ‘What do you mean?’
     
    ‘Well, you know . . .’ He’d assumed she’d probably use contraception, until he thought about the kind of solitary life she must have led. ‘Precautions, as in—’
     
    ‘No,’ she said, her voice as cold as space. ‘I did not.’ She stared at him for a moment, then flinched. ‘Why did you not tell me this before?’ she