Luken (Seduced by the Gladiators Book 2) Read online

  Luken groaned. He buried his lips in her neck and sucked lightly at the sensitive place below her ear. Slowly, he pulled out, and returned.

  The cadence began. When he pulled out, Hannah wept, only to gasp with joy as he slid back in. Sweat slicked them both; his muscled chest and torso slipped against her breasts just as his cock slid into her.

  Hannah tilted her hips and pulled him in deeper. The beginning of an orgasm coiled in her belly. A twitch ran down her thighs.

  Luken lifted his head from her neck and captured her lips with his. The texture of his flesh on hers, the clean scent that came from his breath, all drew her deeper into passion.

  He thrust into her, faster, picking up the pace.

  She never wanted him to stop.

  Fuck me forever.

  The strands of pleasure twining through her met the power of his thrusts, and she began to come undone, the waves of ecstasy washing over and through her, as if she were about to wash away. Again and again tremors racked her body.

  His movements intensified, and she heard her cries of pleasure escape from my throat and mouth as if from far away. They were all she could hear.

  Luken pounded into her, his cock rubbing against her delicate walls. Hannah kept expecting him to come, but it just continued building.

  She surprised herself by screaming out again. A second orgasm had come out of nowhere, exploding out of the remnants of the first, even more intense. She was outright screaming now, her fingers pulling the blankets into her fists. She couldn’t have forced her eyes open, even if she’d wanted to.

  “I’m coming, sweetheart. I’m going to come,” he gasped in between breaths.

  “Please,” she whimpered, almost incoherently. “Please come inside me.”

  He claimed her mouth with his own, his tongue thrusting inside her in time with his cock.

  And as his cock expanded and thickened, stretching her inner walls even further, the remnants of that orgasm spun out to every part of her body, sending chills of pleasure through her as Luken jerked inside her, the heat of his orgasm filling her as they cried out into each other’s mouths, the sound echoing between the two of them alone.

  * * *

  Long moments later, Luken rolled off her, gasping for breath. “Goddess,” he stuttered, grabbing her hand and showering her fingers with kisses.

  Hannah closed her eyes until her breathing slowed. When she could speak, she said, “Oh, my.” She looked at him, embarrassed her words had so poorly expressed her feelings.

  There are no words.

  Luken watched her with eyes still glazed with passion and adoration. His lips twitched, and she wondered what teasing words he was preparing.

  “Yes?” she asked. She placed her hand on his chest over his heart and measured his heartbeats as he spoke.

  “You’re more beautiful than I thought possible. Will you marry us?”

  The reverent tone, the sincere words, however simple, brought a tear to her eye.

  Luken alone was incredible.

  And there’s still one more to discover.

  “I can’t believe how lucky I am,” she said softly. She pulled him in for a kiss, wanting the magic of his lips again.

  She stretched the muscles aching from her ride that morning. “The goddess,” she said, “was promised hot water up to her neck.” She finished her stretch and peeked up at him through her lashes.

  He grinned and slanted a gaze at him. “Oh, and she’ll have it.”

  A chill of excitement ran through Hannah’s body. His suggestive tone hardened her nipples. “Really?” she asked, her tone teasing.

  “Absolutely,” he said, adding a flick of his eyebrow. Abruptly, he sat up and asked, “Hungry?”

  Hannah licked her lips, thinking of another kind of hunger.

  “Food first,” he admonished. “I don’t want you weak from hunger.”

  “Yes. Feed me,” Hannah concurred. She hadn’t eaten since the meal cakes in the Outlands.

  He leaned over and kissed her, long and slow, his lips melding with hers, his tongue dipping into her mouth. Her entire body went limp.

  “Think about that, and I’ll be back,” he said.

  Hannah closed her eyes. The day had been fraught with questions that Luken had temporarily wiped from her mind. As much as she still sought those answers, her body ruled in favor of rest, and she drifted to sleep.

  First, she smelled something buttery—a pastry. She opened one eye with a smile. An array of edibles beyond her E2 imagination was displayed on a side table. She sat up and her stomach rumbled.

  “Oh, my,” she said.

  Luken chortled. “I think you already said that.” He leaned against the doorway next to the display, naked.

  Behind him, water ran into the tub. She had a sudden vision of her and Luken locked in embrace in the water. She stood up and walked to him. As usual, his smile was infectious, even if she didn’t know why he was so amused.

  “What?” she asked.

  He grinned broadly and passed her a dark fruit. “Passionberry,” he said. “Known for its amorous effects.” He popped one in his mouth.

  Hannah grinned and followed his example. She eyed the bakery items and picked up one of the buttery pastries. Before she could get it to her mouth, a drop of the icing fell onto her breast.

  Luken was on it immediately, licking the drop from her flesh. “Hurry and eat your sweet,” he said. “The water’s ready.”

  Hannah gulped the pastry and licked her fingers as Luken tugged her into the bath.

  “Come on,” he chided, walking backwards and pulling her along. When he got to the tub, he turned off the water and stepped aside. “For you.”

  “Bubbles?” Hannah asked. She reached out and picked up a handful.

  Luken blew, and they puffed up and floated away.

  She laughed with delight.

  Luken stepped into the tub, still holding her hand. “Come on.” He winked. “Last one in—”

  “Hey, no fair, you’re already in.” She got one foot in the tub, and Luken slid down and pulled her in on top of him.

  She shrieked as the suds and water splashed out of the tub. Luken grabbed her by the ribs before she could get settled, and tickled. As she evaded his fingers, more water left the tub.

  “Stop,” she said, holding his hands back. She panted, breathless from laughing. Water and suds were all over the floor, and Luken still had that look in his eye.

  “No,” Hannah laughed as he threatened to tickle her again. “No, you promised hot water up to my neck, not all over the floor.”

  He pulled her down and nestled her on top of him, her back to his chest. “Lean back,” he said softly.

  Hannah settled in. He was so solid she could feel the cut of his chest underneath her. Beneath her buttocks, his cock was at rest, bumping into her ass cheeks as they drifted in the water.

  “This is so peaceful,” she said. She pushed the remaining suds around the surface of the water.

  Luken reached up one foot to turn on the hot water lever. “Never fear,” he murmured. “The goddess gets what she was promised.”

  Hannah relaxed and drifted in the water. “What do you think will happen with the Outlanders?” she asked.

  “The games have historical meaning, the weight of tradition,” Luken answered. “If Kazen excels, he’ll get the opportunity he wants.” He turned the hot water off and stroked Hannah’s calf with his foot. “What does my goddess want to happen?”

  The answer was clear for Hannah. “I want people to be happy. They should have the chance to decide for themselves what makes them happy.”

  A quiet settled in as they floated together. He stroked her leg; she held onto the edge of the tub as she drifted in his lap. “Luken, tell me about Domiku.”

  He exhaled heavily, his breath blowing against her neck. He pushed her wet hair aside and kissed her neck. “It’s not a pretty story.”

  “Was it the Lupa?” Hannah asked.

  “Yes. Dom
iku used to live in New Biscayne; he was in love with a woman there.” He pulled Hannah’s hair over her shoulder to let it stream out in the water. “She had hair the color of sunrise, like you.”

  Hannah twisted about to see Luken’s eyes. “Oh, no.”

  Luken pulled her back around and nestled her back into his lap. “She was kidnapped right from under Domi’s nose. It took him two days to catch up with them. By then they had chopped off her hair. That’s how they mark their slaves.”

  Luken’s tone was so solemn, Hannah covered her face with her hands, afraid to hear the rest of what he was going to say.

  “Domiku was closing in on the Lupa, so they left her behind, but they cut her.” He touched Hannah in her upper thigh. “The Lupa cut her here. Domiku couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

  Hannah moaned into her hands. “How awful for him. No wonder I—”

  Luken hugged her close. “You’ll find a way to ease his pain.”

  They sat quietly for a few more moments, Luken running his fingertips in circles around her breasts. He pushed his hips into her behind.

  The heat of desire coursed through Hannah, spreading out from her breasts. Beneath her, Luken’s flesh stirred. She looked down and the head of his cock poked up out of the water.

  “Luken,” Hannah whispered, rolling her eyes in comic fear. “There’s something in the water with us.”

  He burst out laughing and grabbed her ribs, tickling.

  Hannah thrashed in the water to escape, soaking what wasn’t already wet outside the tub. Breathless and unable to escape, she flipped around in his arms and kissed him.

  Her breasts were sensitive and her core already clenched with desire. He held on to her as she pulled her knees forward, riding the tip of his cock. “Luken,” she whimpered. “I need you inside me.”

  “Yes, my goddess,” he whispered against her throat. He stood, lifting her up with him, then bent over and wiped down her arms and legs, sluicing the suds from her body.

  Hannah let her head fall back as he ministered to her. His hands on her body, slick and soapy, stimulated her already growing heat. “Luken, what did you do to me?”

  He stood, bent his legs, and inserted his stiff cock between Hannah’s thighs, rubbing open her lips. “The passionberry,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

  She’d never been so hot. She stepped out of the tub and ran her hands down his body. When she got to his cock, she pumped him several times and rubbed her cheek on his belly.

  “Here,” he said, pulling her over to the mirror, placing her in front of him. He wet his fingers and reached in front of her to rub her clit. With his free hand, he raised her hand to her breast and massaged. “You do it,” he whispered.

  Hannah rubbed her breast and pulled at her nipples, seeing their reflection through an erotic haze.

  Passionberry, she thought.

  Behind her, Luken maneuvered and held his cock. His arm moved up and down; seeing him stroke himself excited her.

  Between Luken’s fingers and the passionberry, her entire body was reduced to one pure sensation streaming out from her center. Her belly clenched, demanding fulfillment.

  Luken pulled her hips back and she let him position her, watching his passion-glazed eyes in the mirror. ‘Now?’ he mouthed. She blinked, slowly, consenting, pushing her ass into him. He entered her in one hard push.

  Hannah watched Luken’s hands hold her hips as he pumped, sliding in out, moving faster and faster. “Luken,” she whispered. When he looked at her, she licked one finger and lowered it to touch her clit.

  Her orgasm exploded. She arched her back, pressing into Luken as wave after wave of ecstasy shook her body. Wanting more in her passionberry frenzy, she cupped his hands around her breasts, bringing another series of orgasmic convulsions.

  Luken shuddered and collapsed against her back, holding his weight off her with trembling arms. “Oh, Goddess,” he whispered.

  Hannah’s legs shook, ready to give way. Luken slipped from her and she wiped herself dry. Staggering, she tumbled to the bed with Luken close behind.

  He snuggled up behind her and they lay like spoons. Slowly their hearts came to beat in time together.

  Hannah smiled contentedly.

  Two down, one to go.

  Chapter 5

  Hannah woke to the light touch of a kiss against her forehead.

  “Goddess, I must go.”

  “Luken,” she whispered. In her half slumber, she grabbed his arm. “No, don’t go, stay with me.”

  “I have gladiator games today,” he said. “Your orders are to attend Ambassador Gray for the purpose of defending him from Ambassador Urkiza.”

  Hannah drew fully awake, frowning. “Oh, no,” she groaned.

  “Kazen and I are leading teams against Mikolaus and Domiku.”

  “Won’t your pairing with Kazen put a strain on the triad?” Hannah sat up, pushing her hair back.

  Luken tucked an errant lock behind her ear. “Worry not, goddess,” he said, puffing out his chest. “We are a triad; we do not fall asunder so easily.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Despite your high-flown language?”

  With a grin, he gave her a parting kiss on the forehead. “Dress Lurran.”

  After Luken left, Hannah rose and picked through the pastry and fruit left from the night before. “And don’t eat that,” she muttered, pushing the passion berries aside.

  “Dress Lurran. Hm.” She reached in and pulled out the very last hanger.

  Purple, the color of the Goddess. Not a tunic, but a stiff, purple top that hugged the bosom and cinched in the waist, yet left the neck and shoulders completely bare. The long sleeves were slashed and bound at the wrists with purple ribbon, exposing her arms more than covering them. A matching, thigh-length skirt cut in the same style as the sleeves bared her legs. A black lace-up girdle with a purple belt and a sheathed knife completed.

  “Doesn’t get more Lurran than this,” she murmured.

  She straightened the disarray they’d left in the bath, blushing when she glanced in the mirror.

  Two down, one to go.

  I wonder how today will end.

  She dressed, leaving her hair loose, and added ankle boots. A black choker with dangling purple beads snapped around her neck.

  No matter how she dressed, someone wouldn’t be happy. At least like this, the only one unhappy would be Gray. She exhaled deeply and left.

  At Gray’s door, she straightened her shoulders and rapped soundly. When it opened, he stood dressed in his regulation suit. As his eyes raked over her, a scowl darkened his face.

  “Before you say anything,” Hannah held up one hand. “Remember, I am the firewall between you and Urkiza. Actually,” she said with more confidence than she felt, “right now, I’m all you have holding this mission from diplomatic failure.”

  The ambassador’s mouth, open as he prepared to launch into a tirade, snapped shut. He eyed her outfit and choked his comments back. With a nod, Hannah took his arm, patting it through his suit. “I suggest we try to present a unified front.”

  In front of the delegation headquarters, the streets were busy with foot traffic, all going one direction. Gray cleared his throat, finally speaking for the first time since he’d opened his door. “Shall we follow the crowd?”

  Hannah smiled, pleased to see her tactic working. The ambassador was old-school, but he was non-combative. She hoped his conciliatory tone would last through the games.

  The crowd swirled around them in high spirits. Vendors sold ribbons and cushions for the arena seats, drinks and snacks. Children darted about in chaotic glee while young males in packs of three. Triad society won’t disappear easily, Hannah thought.

  Adults of all ages had dressed brightly and laughter filled the air—the carnivalesque atmosphere pervaded the old town area of Galicia for blocks around the arena.

  Once they arrived in the amphitheater, Hannah looked for Ambassador Urkiza in her box. Hannah waved and Urkiza gave a decidedly lacklus
ter response—but when she noticed Hannah’s attire, her expression brightened.

  “How lovely you are today.” Urkiza stood to greet them. She glanced around Hannah to speak to Gray. “Ambassador, welcome.”

  A sigh of relief eased out of Hannah. Good. Luken’s suggestion to dress Lurran had elicited a corresponding white flag from Urkiza.

  The boy-diplomat’s advice holds true. At least for the moment.

  Gray sat, leaving a seat for Hannah between him and Urkiza.

  “You dress in the color of the Goddess,” Urkiza said approvingly. Nodding toward the field, she asked, “Who do you favor there?” She held out a program with a schedule of events, her thumb covering Kazen’s name.

  Hannah refused to rise to the bait. “Like the Goddess,” she said, smiling serenely, “my favor extends to all today.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gray’s mouth twist.

  Before Urkiza could respond, a procession marched onto the field—three men and a woman carrying horns. The four stopped in the center, raised their instruments, and filled the air with bright, brassy peals.

  “This is the call to arms,” Urkiza said, easily falling back into the role of cultural interpreter that she’d played during Mikolaus’s first gladiatorial demonstration for the delegates from E2.

  Next, three men in white emerged, following a woman dressed in purple. A silence came over the crowd as the woman stepped forward. She held her arms up to the heavens.

  “The Goddess Jainkosa provides the Quad, which is the way. May the people of Lurra remember when women were won on the field of combat. Let us not forget.” She pulled out a purple scarf and held it over her head. “Let the games begin,” she announced, and tossed the scarf up in the air.

  Ambassador Urkiza’s gaze followed the cloth. In fact, every Lurran spectator watched it avidly. A breeze lifted the scarf high above the field, circling it round and round. As every upward turned face followed its path, another gust lifted the scarf up and over the walls of the arena, carrying it out of sight.

  A collective sigh raced through the stands. Urkiza sat with her mouth open in shock.

  “What does that mean?” Hannah asked. Ambassador Gray leaned forward, looking past Hannah for Urkiza’s response.