Frozen Earth Lionsheart Read online

  Shiffley snarled and grabbed Gretta by the front of her coat. “Get up. You need to be warmed up, and I need to see what other damage was done to you.”

  He didn’t give her time to protest, but dragged her stumbling after him to the back of the ship and his sleep room. Once there, he shoved her onto the bed. She landed on her bottom and didn’t move, only looked at him as if waiting for him to tell her what to do next. Shiffley fancied that perhaps he’d finally made the right impression on her, that she finally realized he meant business. The slight tilt of her head, though, indicated she was more curious than frightened.

  With brisk, swift movements, Shiffley pulled off every layer of Gretta’s clothing until she was nude and shivering. There were bruises and partially healed lacerations on her body that should never have been there. Every one of them she’d picked up in Dead Man’s Keep. She must have fought every single day she’d been there. No wonder she looked so haggard.

  “Son of a bitch,” he breathed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “What the fuck were you thinking, Gretta?”

  Gretta had never heard that tone of voice from Shiffley. He sounded almost… concerned. Shiffley had always been there for her. He had taken her in when she was a mere girl of twelve, and she’d been in his care ever since. In all that time, though, he’d never once been “nice” to her or given any clue he worried about her.

  He’d gotten her out of trouble, taught her how to get herself out of trouble, and left her to her own devices most of the time. But she knew better. It was about time he stopped acting like she meant nothing to him when it was obvious to everyone -- even her -- that she meant everything.

  “I was trying to do the right thing, Shiff. They shouldn’t kill anyone for trying to find something to eat.”

  “I know, Gretta, but you can’t save the world.” He bit out his words angrily and took a deep breath before he spoke again. When he did, he fixed her with an icy gaze colder than the surface above them. “What, exactly, do you suppose would have happened to you had I not been there?”

  His soft-spoken question grated on Gretta’s nerves. Did he have to be so smug about it? Shiffley always used that tone when she’d done something particularly stupid. Like she didn’t already know. “You don’t have to rub it in, Shiff. I knew I was a goner.”

  “I know that too,” he answered quickly and moved closer to her so they were practically nose to nose. “You deliberately provoked that Lionsblood hoping for a swift death. Don’t you care if you live or die?”

  Something in his eyes clued her in. Had she been anyone else, she’d have missed it, but Gretta knew Shiffley. Quite possibly better than anyone else. “Maybe. Maybe not.” She was still cold, but he’d apparently turned up the heat in this smaller part of the ship. The vent above her now blew out warm air right where he’d pushed her down on the bed. “But I’m betting you do. Probably more than you want to admit.”

  “I practically raised you, girl. Of course I care.” He’d taken a step backward, a sure sign she’d put him on the defensive.

  “I was grown when you found me, Shiff.” She leaned back on the bed, her hands behind her supporting her weight. She was acutely aware her position thrust her breasts up at him. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking I see you as a father figure. I don’t now, and I never did. You taught me how to live, but you didn’t raise me.”

  Despite how uncomfortable she was, something inside her compelled her to do this. It just felt right.

  His face hardened, and his gaze roamed her body, chasing away all lingering effects of the cold. A flush crept up her neck and suffused her face. Instead of cold, she was hot. Burning. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but one she gave free rein. But only for Shiff.

  “I know that.” He lunged for her, and forced her to scoot back on the bed. Still fully clothed, Shiffley covered her nude body with his much larger one. “I just wanted to make sure you did.” And he claimed her mouth with his.

  * * *

  It was about damned time! Shiff wasn’t exactly sure when he’d first realized he loved the little minx, but he was damned sure he did. She was his. She had always been his. It was why he’d taught her to defend herself, and why he’d risked everything and took so many chances to rescue her this time.

  Her surrender was sweet, though he was hard pressed to be sure she was the one surrendering. He’d fought his attraction long and hard, so he didn’t push her too quickly. Shiffley was a formidable enemy, but Gretta scared him shitless.

  “You’re in more trouble than you’ve ever been in your life, Gretta. I hope you realize that.” Shiff didn’t release his hold on her, nor did he stop his kisses. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, as he longed to do with his cock into her pussy. “If anything had happened to you, I’d have killed everyone in the compound.”

  He’d hoped to impress upon her the seriousness of the situation, but Gretta actually smiled as he continued to kiss her. “Ah, Shiff,” she sang as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him even deeper. “You say the sweetest things.”

  Shiff groaned. “Damned woman. You’ll be the death of me one day.”

  Gretta held him close for one more, hard kiss, then pushed him off her and got to her knees. “I certainly hope not. But I may kill you myself if you don’t get your damned clothes off and let me see that hard body of yours.”

  She had never been shy about letting him know what she wanted. It was the main reason he’d held back from her and tried not to let his lust show.

  Gretta didn’t wait for him to undress. She reached for his outer fur lining and worked her way inside. When she peeled his inner shirt from his skin, her eyes widened, and she actually licked her lips. Shiff had the sudden urge to cover himself in the face of her unabashed lust. He had never been this open about what he wanted from her. At the same time, he wanted to puff out his chest and flex. It was totally ridiculous.

  Without asking, or giving any other warning of what she was going to do, Gretta dipped her head to his chest and licked his left nipple with a wet, hot flick of her tongue. “Mmmm. I like.” Her husky purr went straight to his dick, and he couldn’t help the groan that escaped him. He was the big bad Vampire/Lionsblood. He had the best both races could offer in the way of physical and mental strength. Yet here Gretta was. In just a few swift moments, she had gone from the weaker of them to the aggressor.

  “Sweet Sun, Gretta. Slow down!” With anyone else, he’d have despised himself for his weakness, but with Gretta all he felt was relief. She was part of him, and he had only begun to realize just how much. In fact, it wasn’t until he faced the possibility of life without her that he’d finally admitted how much he needed her.

  “What? You always told me to seize what I wanted.” She gave his nipple a sharp little nip, and he sucked in a breath. “Well, I want you, Shiff. Only you. Always you.”

  “I know,” he growled and pulled her away from his chest and back to his mouth. He kissed her deeply before pushing her away and back onto the bed. He slipped to the floor to rid himself of his boots and pants to stand before her naked and unashamed of his desire for her. “I’ve always known. I only wanted to make sure you knew as well. But, by the Sun, Gretta, I’m so fucking hard I’m about to explode. If you make me embarrass myself this first time, I’ll never let you forget it.”

  She laughed, pure joy and excitement in her face. “I’ll never let you forget it either, Shiff. Now get that big cock over here and fuck me with it. If you’re coming, I’m coming with you.”

  Who was he to disappoint his woman?

  Shiffley didn’t immediately pounce on her and fuck her silly, as they both wanted. Not yet anyway. He wanted to taste her. Her scent had often tantalized him beyond endurance, and he had to sample what his nose told him would be a fine meal. Spreading Gretta’s legs, he licked her from cunt to clit in one long, slow stroke. Gretta squealed and gripped his hair, pulling him to her.

  “Fuck, yeah, Shiff! Sweet Sun, I love that!”

  Wa
s this his sweet little Gretta?

  She writhed beneath him, grinding her pelvis so hard that her clit scraped against his upper lip and the stubble he knew abraded her sensitive flesh. She wasn’t an innocent girl, but a woman grown. A woman who knew what she wanted and seized it with both hands. This was a woman who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer, and he had no intention of denying her anything.

  Shiffley lapped at her cunt, sticking his tongue where his dick would be soon and coaxing every drop of moisture from her he could. He loved that she creamed so plentifully for him, and that she embraced his need of her and her need of him.

  The slightly musky sweet smell of her intoxicated him almost as much as the way she freely gave her body to him. But she was no passive lover. Even as he lost himself in the taste and silky feel of her cunt, her passionate cries and screams surrounded him like rich, beautiful music.

  But it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. His body cried out for hers as surely as she screamed his name as he brought her to the brink of orgasm only to let her slide back down without reaching the ultimate pleasure.

  It wasn’t long before Gretta, too, had had enough. After he pulled back from what was probably the promise of a very strong orgasm, Gretta shrieked at him and pounded his shoulder with her fist.

  “If you do that again, you swine, I’ll give you a taste of what I dished out earlier to those Lionsblood.”

  Shiffley chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it. It’s time for both of us to get some relief.” He kissed his way up her body, stopping to delve his tongue into her navel, then to wrap his tongue around both nipples. Once he found her mouth again, he settled his body on top of hers. He didn’t need to urge her to wrap her legs around his waist. Gretta did so and ground her clit against his painfully engorged cock.

  “Look at me, Gretta.” He tangled his fingers in her dark mass of curly hair. She met his gaze without hesitation, her eyes bright with lust and love. Slowly, carefully, Shiffley entered her. He met her virgin barrier with a slight shock, and her eyes widened slightly when he pressed against it.

  “This is unexpected,” he murmured. “Did you plan on telling me, or did you think I’d simply plunge into you without thought?”

  “Neither,” she shrugged and smiled. “I didn’t think it was necessary. You’d know if another man had touched me, and there’s no way you’d take a chance on hurting me during an act like this. You’re not the kind of man to blindly take his pleasure with someone he loves without ensuring her pleasure and comfort.”

  He sighed and lowered his forehead to hers in mock weariness. “Is nothing about me secret from you? Can you at least pretend to be impressed by me? I am, after all, one of the deadliest men in the world.”

  Gretta’s chuckle warmed his heart. “Absolutely not. Someone has to make sure your ego doesn’t build out of proportion. I’m very glad it’s me.”

  “Me, too,” Shiffley breathed before plunging into her as he nipped her bottom lip.

  Chapter Three

  The pain was slight, but even if it had been horrible, it was worth the pleasure that almost immediately replaced it. Gretta had known for a very long time that sex with Shiffley would be nothing if not pleasurable.

  Over the years, she’d watched him. He kept himself apart from everyone but her. Even the occasional woman in his life had never known the real Shiff. Sure, he was one of the most dangerous beings on the planet, but he was really a gentle man. No one saw that in him.

  But her.

  Gretta had watched him with his woman of the month on more than one occasion. It had always been rough. Hard and fast. Gretta could tell by his body language and his expressions all the roughness and seeming disregard for his partner wasn’t what he really liked. He gave each woman what she wanted and expected, but he had never enjoyed it.

  For the longest time, Gretta had considered herself a freak for being a peeping tom, but when she realized one day she knew exactly what Shiffley wanted, she could have cared less if playing the voyeur was wrong. Shiff needed a woman with every bit as much strength as he had. A woman who could challenge him at every turn. A woman who knew exactly what she wanted and grabbed it with both hands.

  Even now, Gretta dug her nails into Shiffley’s back and held on for dear life. No way she was letting him pull away from her now.

  “Oh, no, Gretta. I’m not going anywhere.” Shiffley laved the small hurt to her lip and plunged his tongue into her mouth once again, this time starting to move inside her with slow, exquisite strokes.

  “Of course you’re not,” she sighed in between wet, delicious kisses. “I’m not letting you.” Shiff chuckled, but made no move to prove her wrong. He hooked one of Gretta’s legs over his forearm and began to move faster.

  “Mine,” he growled, shifting a little, penetrating her deeper.

  “’Bout damned time, too.”

  “Later, Gretta. We’ll talk about that later.” Shiff’s voice was rough and breathy. Gretta would have smiled if she hadn’t been overwhelmed with wonderful sensations.

  Shiff latched onto the side of her neck and pulled. Gretta knew he’d marked her, but she didn’t care. She’d marked him, and they could continue marking each other the rest of the night for all she cared. As long as he kept doing this to her, as long as they kept taking pleasure in each other, she didn’t care. She was his. Had been for a very long time. It was a relief to finally celebrate it.

  The place where their bodies joined burned with sensation. Her clit tingled and throbbed, and she spread her legs as far as she could in her current position. Gretta desperately needed all the friction Shiffley could give her.

  “No, Gretta,” Shiff growled at her. “Come for me now.”

  As if she’d been waiting for his command, Gretta’s body erupted in tingles centered at her clit and radiating outward. Her muscles seized, and she barely recognized her own cries of pleasure.

  “Shiff!” She clawed at him, holding him to her and wrapping her free leg around him. Shiff plunged into her and held her as tightly as she held him. He grunted and growled his pleasure until, finally, his member pulsed and throbbed inside Gretta as he came. Sweat erupted over his body.

  “Sweet Sun,” Shiff whispered as he kissed and laved Gretta’s neck where he’d sucked and marked her flesh.

  “Yeah.” Gretta giggled. Shiff let her leg down. Gretta sighed, pushing Shiffley over to his back and straddling him. “My turn now.”

  Nothing could have prepared Shiffley for the feel of her silky hair caressing him as she planted kisses over his chest. Feathery strands of the copper mass tickled and titillated with every shake of her head. Goose bumps rose over his skin when her tongue found one nipple and licked a wet circle. She was slowly and surely driving him mad, and he could care less.

  Shiff jumped a little when she nipped his skin just beneath his belly button, and Gretta giggled. “What’s wrong? It was only a little love bite.”

  “Witch,” he hissed. Then he lost all ability to do anything but feel.

  Gretta looked him dead in the eye and slowly lowered her mouth around his throbbing cock. It was pure heaven! Surely if he died this very second, even the gods couldn’t offer such paradise. Humming Gretta closed her lips around the head and sucked.

  “Mmmm…”

  Shiff groaned and closed his eyes before Gretta could see them cross. She already had him tangled in a sensual web like none other he’d ever experienced, but she didn’t have to know how badly she’d affected him.

  Her mouth left him in one hard pull. “Oh, no, Shiff. I want you to watch while I suck you. You’re not holding anything back from me or I swear I’ll figure out a way to get off world and I’ll never come back.”

  So much for being one of the most deadly beings on the planet. Right now, Shiff was nothing more than a lovesick pup just cutting his fangs. This one extraordinary woman had him tied up in knots just from her touch. It was a new experience for Shiff, and he couldn’t have been happier.

  “I�
��d find you, Gretta, and drag you home.” His voice was strangled and weak, but he didn’t care. She had stripped every defense he had away. Funny that he didn’t really care.

  “Good.” She smiled then, showing a cute little dimple in her left cheek. “But as far as I’m concerned, ‘home’ is wherever you are, Shiff.”

  Before he could respond, Gretta took about half his shaft down her throat. Shiff couldn’t have looked away if he’d wanted to. He didn’t want to.

  “That’s it, Gretta. Take all of me. Suck it.”

  Her humming and licking and that little thing she did with the back of her throat when she took him deep had his cock hard as granite again. He fisted his hands in her hair, not to hold her to him or force her to do more than she was comfortable with, but to anchor himself. It was all so wonderful, he was afraid it was nothing more than a dream.

  She let his cock go with a little pop and ran her tongue the length of it from base to tip, never taking her eyes from his. Finally, she went lower and took one testicle in her mouth and rolled her tongue around it. His cock jumped.

  “Enough!” He pulled her away from him. Not that Gretta had done anything wrong, but no way was he losing it before he was buried inside her again. “Turn the fuck over.”

  Instead of waiting for her to comply, he flipped her onto her belly. Gretta giggled and got to her knees, raising her ass high in the air. “My, my, but you’re impatient.”

  Wasn’t it the truth? Shiff was shaking, he was so wound up. Hadn’t he just come inside her a few minutes before? He swiped two fingers through her pussy to make sure she was ready for him, then aimed and plunged home.

  They both cried out. Gretta arched her back and pushed back against him, urging him deeper, which he happily obliged. Shiff gripped her hips and pulled her to him with every thrust. Gretta dropped to her forearms and looked back at him, turning her upper body slightly.

  She smiled, a wild, lust-filled look in her eyes. As long as she was having as much fun as he was, Shiff didn’t worry about any rough handling. He normally wasn’t into that kind of thing, but he didn’t seem to be able to help himself. Everything about Gretta enflamed him beyond reason, and her willingness to let him explore her body in any way he wanted only endeared her to him more.