Tiger of Talmare by Nina Croft Page B

he asked.
     
    She nodded and turned away. A moment later, she felt the head of his cock probing the opening to her body, and with one fluid move, he filled her. She gasped, and he went still, waiting for her to grow accustomed to him.
     
    "Jesus, that feels sooo good," he murmured.
     
    It did, and she bucked against him, wanting more. One hand held her hip steady as he started to move; slowly at first, pulling out of her almost completely only to push back in. The sensation of his cock dragging against her sensitive flesh was exquisite, and she moaned softly.
     
    She sensed the tension radiating from him as he ruthlessly controlled his movements, and she pressed back against him. His other hand came around to touch her between the legs, lightly stroking over the tight little bud. She was still so sensitive that she came immediately, and she screamed.
     
    "Shh," he whispered, "or we'll have Leila coming in here to rescue you."
     
    She bit her lip, muffled her groans in the pillow as he picked up speed, both hands on her hips now. He slammed into her harder and faster, sending shock waves of pleasure shooting through her until she felt his final thrust as he spilled himself inside her.
     
    For a moment, he was still. "Okay, that was a pretty good start. No doubt we'll get better with practice."
     
    "Can't do it again," Mel said. "I've died."
     
    Easing out of her with a groan, he collapsed on to the bed beside her.
     
    A long time later, Mel lay on her side, her body aching. Zach was beside her, lying on his stomach, head resting on his folded arms, eyes closed. She had managed to stir herself enough to do it again. And again. Now it was Zach who was exhausted.
     
    She reached out and trailed her fingers along his back, tracing the pattern of black and gold tiger stripes. They were beautiful. She looked back at his face to find his eyes open. He was watching her.
     
    "Does it bother you, that I'm not classified as human?" he asked.
     
    "No, why should it?" she replied. "With the exception of Darla, no-one on The Revenge is."
     
    "Well, I know about Leila, and Angie and Grace are pretty obvious."
     
    Mel grinned. "Yeah, we rescued them from an experimental space station. They're some sort of plant hybrid; they can even photosynthesis. It's cool."
     
    He was looking at her curiously. Obviously trying to work out just what it was that made her "not human".
     
    "So what about you?" he asked.
     
    "You mean it wasn't in 'my records'?"
     
    "I never picked it up."
     
    She twisted to show him the scar on her left shoulder where she had carved away the tattoo.
     
    His eyes widened. "You're a clone?"
     
    She nodded. "Born and bred in a lab."
     
    "So what happened?"
     
    "I left."
     
    He raised an eyebrow in query, clearly not satisfied with her answer. Why not tell him? He already knew the worst bits. "One day we had a visit from my Primary, that's what they called them in the lab, the originals who paid for us to be created. We weren't supposed to know what we were, but I overheard them talking, she was asking when could they do the operation, and I got curious. They were lax about security in that place so when she left, I sneaked out and looked at the records. I was eighteen. I wasn't ready to let my brain be discarded so some rich bitch could have my body.
     
    "Anyway, I waited until I had the opportunity, and I ran. Then I hunted her down and killed her. The problem was, I'd never been outside the lab before, so of course, they caught me pretty much straight away."
     
    "Was it worth it?"
     
    "At the time, I thought so." She grinned. "I made sure that bitch's brain was mush. No way was she putting that brain into any other body."
     
    "And now?"
     
    "Looking back, I guess I'm glad I did it. But ten years ago, chained to a cot in the space brothel, well, then I wasn't quite so sure. Maybe I shouldn't have killed her. Maybe I should have just run. But I wasn't the first of her clones, and I wouldn't have been