Secrets of New Pompeii Read Online Free Page A

I will
not bed you unless you are willing. Are you here of your own free
will?”
    She nodded as tension gathered in her
stomach. Could she really give herself to a stranger just to spite
her father? The image of her would-be husband appeared in the back
of her mind, driving away her uncertainty. If she would be forced
to spend her life with a man of her father’s choosing, her first
sexual experience would be with a man she chose!
    “I want this,” she lowered her gaze as she
added, “but my experience is limited.”
    His warm hand touched her upper arm, his
thumb gently rubbing. “How long will you be allowed to stay?”
    “As long as I like.”
    “Then we will take our time—linger at each
step until you are ready for the next.”
    His words thrilled her and soothed her. She
hadn’t expected gentleness from such a brutal man.
    Taking her by the hand, he led her toward his
cot. There wasn’t far to go, the room was tiny. They faced each
other, awareness pulsing between them. He traced her collarbone
with his fingertips while his gaze caressed her face.
    “Are you from this place, or were you brought
here in a skyship?” He sounded distracted and seemed more
interested in the texture of her skin than her answer.
    “I am from here.”
    Naloni felt the vision begin to shift and
fought the transition. Now that the event was before her, she
longed for the feeling of Max’s mouth on hers and the fullness of
his cock deep inside her. “Please,” she whispered to Bertrom, “just
a little longer.”
    “Trust me.”
    She relaxed her mind and the scene refocused
as opposed to progressing to the next event. She saw Max from her
current perspective, without the emotions that had monopolized her
attention on that night. His features reflected a greater conflict
than she remembered. He had seemed so controlled, so sure of
himself and what they were doing.
    “Tell me what you see,” Bertrom prompted.
    “He was as terrified as I was. Why is he
afraid?”
    “These are your memories. I can’t sense his
emotions. We can only speculate. Why do you think he would have
been afraid?”
    “He’d left his world and everyone he’d ever
known and come to this strange planet. He was at the mercy of the
founders. Perhaps he was afraid I was a trap or some sort of
test.”
    “Better, but dig deeper. What else can you
perceive?”
    “Loneliness. There is such sadness in his
eyes.”
    “Perhaps he feared a few hours of pleasure
would make the empty days that much harder to bear.”
    The scene resumed from the new perspective.
Naloni watched as he bent and pressed his lips to hers. The first
kiss was slow and tentative, a simple brushing of lips against
lips. She felt the slight pressure and the cascade of heat, yet she
was an observer too. It was all very confusing and undeniably
stimulating.
    He pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “Are
you sure you want this? I cannot fathom why—”
    She placed her fingertips against his lips,
silencing his argument. At the time, she’d thought he was being
gallant, but now she saw the uncertainty buried beneath the
smoldering desire. He hadn’t been sure he wanted to go any further.
Was Bertrom right? Had her nights with Max only made his existence
more miserable?
    Wrapping her arms around his neck, she
pressed her breasts against his chest. “I want this. As long as you
want this too, there is nothing more to talk about.”
    His fingers curved around the back of her
neck as his mouth returned to hers. She caressed his back and
shoulders while she rubbed against his lower body. His tongue swept
across her lower lip then pushed into her mouth and she
shivered.
    “Do your people not kiss like this?” he
whispered against her damp lips.
    It wasn’t that she’d disliked the sensation.
It had just caught her by surprise. She couldn’t admit that she had
no idea how her people kissed without admitting to her complete
lack of experience. She was never allowed to be alone with a