Diva (Jit'Suku Chronicles) (11 page)

Chapter Eight

John hugged Maggie to his chest and lowered his lips, placing them right next to her ear. She hadn’t expected his slow, deliberate actions in response to her admission of love, but then, John was the one man in the universe who still managed to surprise her on a regular basis.

“I meant what I wrote to you that last night we had together. I love you too, Maggie. I will always love you. Until the stars burn out and the universe itself ceases to exist.”

His heartfelt words, whispered right next to her ear, meant more than all the flowing phrases she’d heard so often from admirers of her music. They were heartfelt and genuine. And they came from the only man who mattered to her. The one man she would love for the rest of her life.

If anyone asked her later how they eventually got to the bed, both naked and striving toward one of the most beautiful orgasms of her life, Maggie would be hard pressed to figure it out. Although she would admit, there was a bit of instigation on her part when she picked up a gossamer piece of fabric that appeared to be a shimmersilk scarf and draped it around her body.

While she was more of a singer than dancer, she did what she thought was a credible job of imitating a very intimate veil dance for John. At least, it seemed to drive him right over the edge…just where she wanted him.

He unwrapped her from the improvised veil and every layer of her clothing bit by bit. He sat by the small table, and she stood in front of him as he worked on relieving her of the fabric. Occasionally, he’d pause to feed her one of the hors d’oeuvres or, even better, spread a little of the topping on her skin. When he did that, he’d lick it off with slow, almost torturous motions.

The most…um…memorable had to be when he spread some spicy bean paste over her nipples. Not only did they tingle from the peppery herb used to season it, but then, his mouth followed up, sucking hard and laving her sensitive skin with his agile tongue. Her knees almost buckled at that point, but he held her up, one strong hand at the small of her back, another cupping her rear.

He wouldn’t let her fall. He’d never let anything hurt her. Maggie knew that with a certainty that could not be shaken. John was like no other man she’d ever known. He was her rock. Her solid foundation in the maelstrom that was her life. How she wished she could stay with him, like this, forever.

Before she could think the inevitable sad follow up, he turned the tables on her, relieving her of the last of her clothing before sweeping her into his arms. He lifted her right off her feet, shocking her by placing her on the table. The platter of snacks was pushed aside, and she found herself as the main attraction.

John nibbled his way down her body and then back up, leaving no spot untouched.

“You taste much better than any of those hors d’oeuvres,” he growled against her skin, making her giggle.

“I think your palate isn’t very discerning, Captain,” she mock argued. “I liked the venti stalk spread on genli toast. They’re one of my favorites.

John glanced over at the tray and picked up one of the toasts. “You mean this?” He took a bite, thoughtfully chewing half the portion before turning the remainder toward her mouth.

She ate from his fingers, pausing to suck them into her mouth and swirl her tongue around his digits before letting them go. She saw the spark in his gaze as she let herself have fun with him. Only with John was she free to let her inner vixen out to play. Up to now, she’d always had to temper her true personality, but with John, all the barriers were down. Or, at least, most of them were. It was liberating. He had freed her from so many constraints.

“Mm. Tasty,” she said when she let his fingers go. She chewed the small portion of toast with topping and swallowed as he did.

“That’s good, I’ll grant you, but this…” He leaned forward and kissed her breast, licking around her taut peak once before looking up at her face. “This is much better.”

“I’ll have to take your word for that,” she told him, grinning even as her blood heated to near the boiling point. She wanted him inside her. Now.

His hands left her waist as he seemed to test the table. She saw a glint of deviltry in his eye as he looked at her, and she knew she was in for a treat. Creative lover that he was, he was considering something. At least, she
hoped
he was. She’d follow the good captain anywhere he led.

“I wonder if this table is strong enough?” he mused aloud, his eyes daring hers to follow his lead.

“Strong enough for what?”

He stood and cupped her ass in both hands, drawing her right to the edge of the table as he stepped between her legs. His clothing was gone, though she’d lost track of when he’d disrobed. All she knew was that she was grateful there were no barriers between them. Especially not when he fit his hard cock to her slick entrance and pushed home in one long, smooth thrust.

“For this,” he said, almost unnecessarily. She moaned as he made a few tentative motions, but the small table wobbled, and he quickly halted. “Hmm. No. Not this way.”

He withdrew, and she wanted to whimper, but he lifted her off the table and turned her around, stretching her out over the small table’s surface on her tummy, her feet on the floor, her ass exposed. Oh, yeah, she liked this idea.

“Hold on to the edge,” he told her as he guided her hands up over her head to grab the opposite side of the small table. A moment later, he slid inside her again, this time from behind.

She couldn’t contain her groan as he filled her to capacity. The feel of him from this angle was different. Tighter. Hotter, for some reason.

He grabbed her ass as he again tested the position by thrusting a few times. This time, the table was much more sturdy. She didn’t ask how. All she wanted was more of that pulsing rod up her pussy, until he made her come.

John complied with her unspoken wish, beginning a steady rhythm that made her just about lose her ever loving mind. And when he placed a wet pinky finger at her back entrance and pushed just a little way inside, she couldn’t contain the scream of pleasure as a massive orgasm rocked her body.

She must’ve blacked out for a little while because the next thing she knew, she was in the bed, in John’s arms. He must’ve carried her, but she had no real recollection of how she’d gotten from her last position, bent over the little table, to the soft bed. All she knew was that she was in John’s arms, exactly where she wanted to be.

He made sweet love to her all through that night, taking her to the stars again and again without ever leaving the room. Only he had ever been able to make her head spin and her senses whirl like this. Only he had ever claimed her heart and soul in a way that left her in little doubt of the return of her feelings.

She reveled in the joy of knowing that the man she loved, loved her in return. He was a man like no other, and she very much feared that it would be hard to live without him when they had to part… Which would be all too soon.

Screaming his name in ecstasy as he took her for the third time, she clung to him, her hands in the short hair at the nape of his strong neck. She kissed him a thousand times over as he claimed her body with patient sureness. His strokes lifted her off the bed a little as he neared his own pinnacle, and she went with him, over the precipice, falling into the bliss she found only with him.

They lay twined together in the aftermath as their breathing slowly returned to more normal rhythms, content for the moment. Though they both knew the end of this idyllic time was near. She didn’t really want to talk about it, but she also wanted to know exactly where she stood. She needed to know how much more time they would have together, so she could store up every moment in her memory and not be unpleasantly surprised when time ran out.

“I heard you got orders.” She introduced the topic.

He sighed, and his jaw firmed. Apparently, he wasn’t happy with the topic either, but his gaze was strong when he met her eyes.

“I need to report to the dock at fourteen-hundred,” he said quietly, resignation in his tone.

Maggie looked at the chronometer. “That doesn’t give us much time.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he agreed softly. “I’m sorry, Maggie. When I’m with you, I wish I owned my own future, but I don’t. I made the choice to give my life to the service long before we ever met, and I never regretted it…until now.”

“I know, John.” She placed her hand over his heart, feeling the strong beat. “I love the man you are, and that includes the choices you’ve made. I wish we could run away somewhere and just be together, but we both have lives and commitments that we need to honor.”

“And the fact that you understand that…” he leaned in and kissed her, “…means more to me than you realize. We’re made for each other in a lot of ways, though our careers are pretty much designed to keep us apart.” He chuckled, softening his words.

They rang with truth, nonetheless.

*

At fourteen hundred, John joined his unit in the docking bay. He noticed a sleek little civ transport parked off to one side, and then, he saw Maggie standing by the ramp, watching him.

He couldn’t wave. Military discipline had to be maintained in the presence of others. He couldn’t acknowledge her in any real way, though his gaze remained on her for as long as he could possibly keep her in sight. She held his gaze, and he knew she was having as hard a time parting as he was, but they’d said all there was to say during the long night just passed.

They’d spent every moment since the concert together and had spoken of many things. His duty. Her career. His probable assignment—though he couldn’t go into specifics—and her planned itinerary.

He was going back to the front. She was going back on tour. She’d be safely on the other side of the galaxy for months to come while he helped the mop-up operation on Andrak. From the latest bulletins, it sounded like the worst of the fighting had ended. Now, they’d be peacekeeping while the diplomats worked with the new government.

It was still a hot zone and would be for some time, but the initial bloodshed had ended. In a way, John was glad. He didn’t enjoy killing, though he was good at it. He liked flying better, all alone in his cockpit except for the voice of his lover over the sound system when he wasn’t engaged in active operations.

His unit was a multi-specialty group. All of them were exceptional pilots, and they flew in formations that few could match. They also were used in ground assaults when necessary, as they had been on Andrak. He wasn’t sure what they’d be asked to do next, but he was up for anything.

Now that he’d seen Maggie and knew that she loved him, he was up for any challenge. Any challenge at all.

He held her gaze as long as he could while his unit was loaded onto a troop transport. They’d go back out to meet their equipment, which was waiting where they’d left it. John knew it would be good to get back in his fighter again, but leaving Maggie behind was hard.

He saw the glimmer of tears on her cheeks, though she didn’t say a word. She just stood, almost at attention, near the bottom of the ramp to her ship, a support strut behind her. She was so still she drew little notice from anyone else, but John would always be able to spot her, no matter what.

It was as if there was a little string leading from her heart to his now. A delicate string that would bend and stretch, but never break. He could almost see it, joining his soul to hers. Forever.

At the last possible moment before he lost sight of her, he saw her raise her fingers to her lips, then send him a kiss on the recycled wind of the docking bay. He left her with a very non-regulation smile of reassurance. They
would
meet again. Fate would not be that cruel to either of them.

Would it?

*

Diva returned to her tour schedule a few days later. Maggie took weeks to regain her equilibrium after, first, the fear that John would not recover, then the joy of being with him, followed by the pain of parting. Her emotions had been on a roller coaster, but she hid it from her fans and settled down to touring once more with as much aplomb as she could muster.

She’d lost track of John. Her last messages to him had been returned, which wasn’t all that unusual. She’d received a few back in the past when he’d been changing assignments. While he was in transit, the courier services really had no way to find him, they’d explained on more than one occasion. Though, when he settled into his new duty station, his status cleared, and she was able to send things to him again.

Only, this time, more than one or two messages had been returned. She tried not to worry. Maybe he was still in transit to some far-flung corner of the galaxy. She did her best to keep busy, performing at her booked shows and doing all the things Diva was expected to do, though she kept searching for information on John’s whereabouts both herself and through her trusted friends.

Beauticians fussed over Maggie backstage as she prepared for yet another concert when Binki walked in. He didn’t usually see her until just before she went on stage, because until that point, he was kept busy overseeing the preparations. His presence backstage at this point was somewhat worrying.

“Binki. What’s up?” Maggie’s smile faded as she saw the look in her friend’s eyes. Whatever he had to tell her, it couldn’t be good.

“Nothing you want to hear, believe me, doll.”

The man flopped down onto one end of the sofa, making a motion with his hands for everyone else to leave. The hair and makeup people scurried out of the room, the door closing firmly behind the last one.

Binki was her childhood friend and tour manager. He was good with numbers and fantastic with the press, but his real value was in turning a blind eye to her doings with the military, and one Spec Ops officer in particular.

Truth be told, Binki had as much to do with the covert work of Dalen as Maggie did herself. Binki—born Theodore Binderkrais—was the son of an Enhanced SF soldier and a common whore. Paired together by the military general to whom both of them answered, Binki and Diva played parts that helped them help their people.