Grace Goodwin - The Virgins - Complete Boxed Set

She shuddered and the reminder of Neron had me pulling her into me, pressing her cheek to mine. I could feel her breasts against my chest; the silkiness of her hair teased my chin, was warm and soft beneath my hands.

Her lips grazed my earlobe as she whispered her confession. “But I’m scared. Scared of Neron, of going with you, and…”

“And?” Her voice had quivered on the final word and my instincts flared to life. The rest of that thought was of vital importance.

She remained quiet, but her heart rate had climbed; I could feel the frantic beat of her pulse beneath my palm where I’d lowered it to her neck.

Twisting her hair about my hand, I tilted her head back so she had to look at me. “And what, Cassie? What are you afraid of?”

“Myself.”

Her answer shocked me and before I could consider the myriad meanings a woman might give that one word, our gazes locked for scant seconds before she crushed her lips to mine, kissing me with reckless abandon, with complete surrender.

My cock hardened instantly and I crushed her to me for long minutes as I took what she offered, reveled in her taste, in the soft sounds she made in the back of her throat when I lowered my hands to cup her round ass.

As much as I wanted to take what she offered, I knew I could not. Not here. Not yet.

With a supreme act of will, I pulled back and settled my forehead against hers so I could share her air, her heat for a few more seconds.

“I want you, Cassie, but I can’t make you mine until we get to my ship. We’re not safe here.”

Cassie

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—” I turned away, suddenly mortified by my lack of good sense.

Perhaps it had been the terror at possibly losing Maddox that drove me to kiss him. To be fair to myself, it had been a horrible day. First, I’d found Mr. Anderson and the other boarder with his throat slit and then Maddox had been thrown from his horse. People died from something as common as that.

“No, Cassie. Never apologize for reaching for me. I intend to make sure you do a lot more of that.” His hand was wrapped around the base of my neck and I leaned into him, unable to resist the lure of his scent, the feel of his lips on the top of my head. I didn’t want to think about blood and death and being hunted by Neron. I just wanted to close my eyes and sink into another dream with my Maddox.

My Maddox . I knew the thought as both impractical and improper, but I couldn’t force myself to rescind the thought, not even in my own mind. I didn’t know him well, but I knew if he touched another, my heart would shatter into a thousand tiny pieces.

Maddox pulled me to my feet and led me to my horse. “We’ve got to keep moving.”

“I know.” I handed the ReGen wand to him and watched as he made his way to his own horse and stashed the odd object back into his saddlebag. After we both mounted, I led my horse from the bottom of the gully up the best route I could find, my favorite mare, Cali, picking her way up the steep embankment with steady feet.

The mountains spread out before me, completely covering my view of the horizon as Maddox joined me on his horse. I tried not to think about what I’d lost today. I’d known Mr. Anderson almost my entire life. He’d taken me in generously and raised me practically as his own. I’d wed his son and become officially part of the family. They were all gone now. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, and Charles. I had no family left. No one who belonged to me, no one who would miss me. I felt completely alone. And seeing my adopted father dead, so viciously and callously, would haunt me forever.

But the idea of Maddox dying was horrifying. Beyond that. The thought of something happening to him ripped my heart open. Charles had always felt more like a brother than a lover. His touch barely creating a gentle tug on my emotions, but Maddox, who I’d known for two days—two days!—made me feel so deeply, so intensely. I hadn’t even known such emotion was possible. It was all so confusing!

I’d wanted him to keep his hands to himself, to let me adjust to even the idea of him being from somewhere else… some other planet. How could I give myself to a man who was possibly crazy, or even worse, from outer space?

He spoke of Everis and spaceships as if they were real and I’d doubted him. How could I not? It was fiction, pure and simple. But then he’d shown me the healing device, a ReGen wand, and I could doubt no longer. But another planet? It was hard to fathom. I couldn’t even imagine a large city like Denver or Omaha, let alone a flying ship.

A flying ship! I could barely envision something that traveled through the air. A bird, yes. But the idea that a ship could travel beyond the sun and moon, into space, was beyond my comprehension. And there were other people living out there, in space, far, far away. And Maddox wanted me to join them.

All I knew was that I wanted to be with Maddox. I wanted to be held by him, kissed by him, loved by him, and I was too weak to deny myself his touch. I’d told him not to touch me, and then I’d kissed him. And not just any kiss. I’d felt as if I were drowning in him, would do anything to feel the heat and safety of his embrace. For even as he made me burn with desire, I felt protected in his arms. The duality was not one I was accustomed to. Maddox was irresistible.

Humble, as well. He had listened as I showed him how to sit a horse for a trot. We started off slow, then spurred our animals faster once he felt comfortable. Then faster still. The way he watched our surroundings, I knew he was eager to get to his ship over fear of Neron. We didn’t need to be slowed again by another mishap. But every once in a while I felt his gaze burning through me and I knew that wasn’t the only reason.

I wanted the journey over as well. Long hours in the saddle had made my legs and bottom sore and I was coated in sweat. I was hot and miserable, and determined not to complain. I wanted this journey to end, whether at a hotel or a spaceship; at this point I didn’t care as long as I could expect a bath and a soft bed.

We had to stop to let our horses rest once, finding a small creek that was flowing, letting the animals drink and nibble on grass. We didn’t touch each other by tacit agreement and Maddox remained vigilant, watching the horizon the entire time even as he asked me about the creatures we saw and the trees we passed. We reached the mountains well before nightfall and I fell in line behind Maddox as we wound our way through a canyon.

We cleared a hedge of stalwart pines and I followed Maddox around a sharp curve into a remote canyon. And there, before us, was the most amazing thing I’d ever laid eyes on.

His ship. I’d seen my fair share of machines, as the train passed through every few days. But this looked nothing like a train engine, or even the printing press at the newspaper with its round gears and iron presses. No, this was smooth as polished silver but darker; the outside reminded me of the dark gray of tarnished silver. It was nearly the size of the boarding house with four sections and almost no windows. The surface appeared to be separated into strange block patterns with small black eyes and other projectiles dotting its surface; the black orbs reminded me of a spider’s eyes that pointed in every direction. It was as big as four train engines built into a giant “T” shape with a narrow neck, like a chicken. At its head, I could see inside the windows to a small room with multiple chairs and buttons.