Ellora's Cavemen: Jewels of the Nile III Read online

  They turned her into a creature of pure sensation, a song of passion reaching toward a crescendo. Her heart raced. Her body strained. And their touch became even more demanding, even more possessive, until finally she screamed in a shattering agony of release.

  Aria made a small sound of appreciation when Haven picked her up and padded across the room to slip into the heated waters of the sunken tub. She didn’t protest when he put her on his lap, her back against his chest, her legs straddling his.

  The water soothed her, might have lulled her into sleep except for the hard presence of Haven’s penis behind her and the sight of Raeder following them to the tub. His muscled, well-toned body made her think of the dangerous mountain cats that sometimes grew hungry enough to hunt in the mines.

  His cock was still hard, thick and proud, glistening where it pressed against his abdomen. The heavy testicles swinging freely between his thighs were a primitive display of potent masculinity. And the sight of them made the muscles of her sheath clench and unclench as if hungry to milk him of more of his seed.

  Raeder slid into the water as Haven lathered his hands with soap gathered from an artfully concealed dispenser built into the design of the tub, then used it on himself and her.

  Aria moaned at the feel of Haven’s slick hands, at the sight of Raeder lathering his own before gliding them over his skin in a slow, sensual invitation.

  Raeder’s dark eyes were impenetrable as his hands slipped beneath the water to his hardened cock and full testicles. She felt his lust intensify as his gaze traveled over both her and Haven, knew in that instant his carnal desire wasn’t limited to her.

  Shock made her stiffen in Haven’s arms. Fear followed, but lasted only until she remembered she was no longer on Iyon, where men who lay together were stoned to death. This was Z’nyia, a world dedicated to the pleasure of the senses.

  Dark, forbidden curiosity made heat coil her belly. Her labia filled with blood again, parted. “You’re lovers,” she said, her voice unable to hide what the thought of watching them couple did to her.

  Erotic fear skittered along her nerve endings at the predatory expression her words brought to Raeder’s face. He leaned in, placing his hands on the edge of the sunken tub, trapping her in heated masculinity. “It excites you to think of Haven and me together.”

  “Yes,” Aria whispered and felt the effect her admission had on them.

  Behind her Haven’s breath became ragged. His cock pulsed against the curve of her buttocks and tension filled him, anticipation. In front of her, Raeder’s lips firmed, dominance radiating from him in waves that had her shivering.

  Perfect, Haven thought. She’s perfect for us.

  He’d dreaded the moment she discovered he and Raeder were intimate, had known if she couldn’t accept their love for one another—emotional and physical—then he would insist they return to Adjara without her. Doing so would have left a gaping hole in his heart, a terrible wound to his soul, but he couldn’t deny the part of himself that craved and was satisfied only by his relationship with Raeder.

  There were men on Adjara who partnered with cousins or brothers and found release only with their own hand until they gained their female. He didn’t condemn them for their choice. For some, the thought of coupling with another male went against the fabric of their being. But he wasn’t like them, and neither was Raeder.

  Raeder’s hand left the edge of the tub to trace over the tattoos on Haven’s arm. The touch made him harden further.

  There’d be no foreplay to determine which one of them submitted, no sensual battle until someone moaned the word please. Determination was etched on Raeder’s face. The first time Aria saw them together, he wouldn’t be the submissive partner.

  Raeder pulled Aria from Haven’s arms and lap. He placed her on the plush material that surrounded the sunken tub, commanded her to lie back on her elbows.

  Pleasure coursed through Haven at the way Aria obeyed, at the way she so readily submitted. He took himself in hand when Raeder pushed her thighs apart to display her flushed, rosy slit. He shuddered as Raeder’s fingers toyed with her clit and she lifted her hips, wanting to be touched and petted.

  Haven didn’t resist when Raeder’s hand circled his arm and guided him so he knelt on the ledge beneath the water. Without urging, Haven leaned forward to press his lips to Aria’s wet folds. He moaned with the first taste of her. Lost himself to the silky smooth feel of heated skin and the intoxicating scent of the woman who belonged to them.

  It was an intimacy he’d never desired with a paid pleasure worker, one he’d never experienced with a woman. But as he pressed his lips to Aria and ran his tongue through honeyed arousal, Haven knew he’d forever crave her. He’d be her willing slave if it meant he could bury his face between her thighs.

  Haven sucked on her heated woman’s flesh and the tiny, erect clitoris. He made her thrash and moan, surge upward to fuck the tiny organ through his lips.

  It was unbearable pleasure, an intimacy that had him air-humping, moaning even before Raeder parted his buttocks and coated the rosette of his anus with lubricant.

  Haven pushed backward, impaled himself on Raeder’s fingers. Wanted Raeder’s cock.

  And then it was there. Breaching him. Filling him one slow inch at a time.

  Haven felt Aria shudder. He lifted his face to find her watching, her eyes dark and carnal, her nipples tight with need.

  Hot lust washed over him. He thrust his tongue into her sheath aggressively. And when she clamped down on him hungrily, canting her hips off the plush floor covering, he used his forearms to pin her down, to hold her open and helpless.

  The steel band of Raeder’s fingers encircled Haven’s cock in a tight, commanding grip, ensuring there’d be no release until he allowed it. The lack of control intensified Haven’s focus on Aria, translated into a need to dominate even as he was being dominated.

  Haven conquered her with his lips and heated breath, with his tongue. He fucked her to the same rhythm as Raeder’s cock took him, denied her the sweet bliss of orgasm until Raeder’s hand went from torturous vise to stroking ecstasy, making Haven cry out as semen escaped in lava-hot jets and Aria’s sheath clamped down on him in convulsive pleasure.

  Haven slid back into the water, taking Aria with him—at least until Raeder claimed her, pulling her onto his lap then lathering his hands, making her moan as he bathed her. Contentment flashed hot in Haven’s chest and his cock stirred despite how many times he’d come. He found it erotic watching Raeder bathe Aria, seeing the hands capable of meting out death or wielding a heavy pick caress feminine skin so gently, so reverently.

  Love and need settled in Haven’s belly at the tender expression on Raeder’s face, the softening of hard muscle and the protective curl of his body around Aria’s as he saw to her comfort, took care of her in a way that wasn’t acceptable between males—even between males with a bond like the one he and Raeder shared. Having a third was everything Haven had dreamed it would be.

  Haven followed when Raeder rose from the sunken tub and stepped under the heated air of the drying wand. He was fully aroused by the time they returned to the bed. Only instead of lying down with Aria between them, Haven positioned himself next to Raeder, took advantage of a mellowness usually encountered only after a successful desert hunt.

  As soon as Aria was settled comfortably, Haven rolled on top of Raeder and knew the icy-hot pleasure of cock against cock, the satisfaction of having Raeder cant his hips, offer what usually could only be claimed after an erotic struggle.

  He glanced at Aria and found her watching with her hand between her thighs. The thought of those delicate fingers fucking in and out of her sheath as she witnessed him fucking Raeder was intoxicating.

  It took only a second to find the concealed dispenser, to coat his penis with lubricant and do the same to Raeder’s opening. And then it was Haven who controlled, who orchestrated the dance of passion and demonstrated with thrust after thrust that he and Raeder were
equals in bringing each other pleasure—and that their pleasure was Aria’s as well.

  Masculine grunts and moans joined with softer, feminine whimpers and sighs. The sounds of pleasure becoming a symphony that raced toward a shouted conclusion and was followed by the silence of completion and satisfaction.

  Haven rolled off Raeder. He smiled when he saw Aria’s face relaxed in sleep, her hand still between her thighs, the fingers wet from the sweet honey of her release.

  “Tomorrow we take her home,” Raeder said.

  “Tomorrow we take her to the market and replace the flute she lost on Iyon,” Haven countered.

  Chapter Five

  Everything about Z’nyia is meant to please the senses, Aria thought as she stepped through the doorway of the bungalow and entered a world of brightly colored flowers and exotic birds, sweet scent and beautiful song. A blush rose to her cheeks as a warm breeze slipped underneath Haven’s borrowed shirt, traveling the short distance up her thighs to caress her bare mound in a sensual reminder of her nakedness beneath the thin material.

  Nervousness made her take a step backward. On Iyon, a woman dressed as she was and out in public invited abduction and rape.

  “It’s okay,” Haven murmured, his hand on her back halting her retreat. “In the marketplace you’ll see women wearing far less and leaving little to the imagination.” He leaned in and traced her ear with his tongue, sucked the lobe into his mouth and sent a shiver of ecstasy to her cunt along with the comfort of his steadying emotions.

  A moan escaped when Raeder’s hand followed the path the breeze had taken, slid up her thigh before cupping her heated woman’s flesh and stroking wet, parted folds. “No one will bother you,” he said, his voice as possessive and sure as the feelings radiating from him.

  In the open air it was easier for her to shield herself from the emotions of others. But Aria found she didn’t want to separate herself from Raeder and Haven, either physically or mentally.

  A shiver of a pleasure went through her as she remembered Haven’s earlier words, his hesitant admission. From the first moment we learned of you, we knew…we hoped…we believed you’d be the perfect woman for us.

  She didn’t resist when they each claimed one of her hands and led her to the marketplace. Anticipation crowded in on her as open-air stalls gave way to glass-walled shops. She glanced at Haven’s and Raeder’s faces, wondered what it was they were excited about showing her.

  A burst of warmth exploded in her chest, a sheer joy to be with them. Reluctantly she blocked her mind to their feelings, wanting to give them the gift of her surprise. There’d never been a time in her life, even in those short fuzzy years when her mother lived, that she’d ever felt as cared for and cherished.

  They halted a little while later. “Close your eyes,” Haven said and Aria obeyed though her hands tightened on theirs when they began walking.

  When they stopped again, a door opened, the muted tinkle of a bell announcing their presence. They guided her into a shop and to a distant wall.

  Footsteps approached, muffled by carpet. The air smelled of wealth, of wood and metal, paper and resin.

  Haven pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Raeder and I want you to choose the gift that will please you best. You can open your eyes now.”

  Aria did and emotion clogged her throat. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and slid down her cheeks at what they offered her.

  In front of her was a display of flutes.

  “Choose,” Raeder said, his voice gruff.

  Aria allowed the mental barrier to fall away and felt Raeder’s panic at her tears along with Haven’s understanding of them.

  Haven brushed her wet cheeks with the gentle swipe of his thumb. “Take your time. Choose any one of the flutes and it’s yours.”

  She took a shaky breath, expelled it, thought only fleetingly of refusing their offer. The hollow place left in her soul by the loss of her music wouldn’t let her turn away from the counter and the small man hovering behind it, anxious to assist and excited by the prospect of a big sale.

  Aria looked at the flutes. The selection was overwhelming at first. The sparkle of gold and silver competed against glittering inlaid gems and elaborately engraved patterns.

  The designs became simpler as she moved along the counter. The small man grew resigned to making only a tiny profit, finally giving a disappointed sigh when her gaze settled on a wooden flute.

  In shape and design, it looked much like the one lost to her, though the wood was different and the quality of craftsmanship higher. Perhaps it was its familiarity that spoke to her heart, but Aria knew the instrument in front of her was the right one for her.

  “I’d like this one,” she said, glancing up quickly when she felt Raeder’s consternation and Haven’s conflicted concern.

  Raeder pulled a gem pouch from the pocket of his trousers and dropped it onto the counter. Its heavy thud was a testament to the wealth it contained. “You won’t beggar us with a different choice, Aria. Haven and I can afford this gift.”

  Bristly masculine pride accompanied the words, making Aria think of the porcupines she’d occasionally encountered on Iyon when she went to the stream to haul water. But before she could attempt to soothe Raeder, the music seller said, “Try as many of the flutes out as you wish.”

  A small smile played over Aria’s lips with thoughts on how best to convince Raeder of the rightness of her choice. “I’d like to try this one,” she said, indicating the wooden flute.

  The excitement generated by the sight of the gem pouch diminished in the music seller as he retrieved the instrument and handed it to Aria. With the first touch, she knew her heart had spoken truly.

  Aria closed her eyes and lifted the flute to her mouth. The emotions so hard to block in the enclosing walls of the shop became notes in a larger song, a wellspring of feelings with infinite depth. She gave herself over to the music that flowed into her and became a part of her, found its voice through her.

  Time and place had no relevance. There was only haunting melody and sacred truths, the feeding of the soul through song.

  Only when the last note faded away did Aria open her eyes and become aware of her surroundings and those with her. In front of her the music seller wept unashamedly. Next to her Haven and Raeder were spellbound, their gazes fixed on her in wonder, their feelings a tangle though she sensed their pride.

  “This is the flute I want,” she said, breaking the spell, pleased when no one suggested she try another instrument.

  Raeder picked up the gem pouch and opened it, shook out a small part of its contents onto his palm. He studied the colorful jewels for a moment before selecting a dark blue stone to offer as payment for the flute.

  The music seller wiped at damp eyes before accepting it. He turned to Aria. “You have only to name your price for the privilege of hearing you play. Please come back if you seek employment. I’ll introduce you to those in a position to make you wealthy beyond imagination.”

  Aria felt the absolute truth in his words and nodded, but her heart raced with the sudden tension radiating from both Haven and Raeder. And as they led her from the shop, their emotions buffeted her and made her uneasy though she found it impossible to fear them, just as she found it equally impossible to question them and erase the joy of their gift so quickly.

  “Let’s get something to eat before returning to the bungalow,” Haven said, his fingers circling her arm with a sure, confident grip while Raeder’s hand was a possessive shackle.

  They were such a contrast, and yet at the core they were very much alike. She couldn’t prevent herself from responding to their touch, the dominance that was so much a part of them.

  Lust made her cunt lips swell and part. Liquid arousal escaped to slide down her inner thighs. Small tremors went through her, worry about the future intermingling with the desperate need to cling to the feeling of being safe and cared for.

  They returned to the section of market containing open-air stalls. The s
mell of roasting meat and baking bread made Aria’s stomach growl and her mouth water.

  But when they turned down an aisle-way full of food venders, it was the planet’s moon, Adjara, that drew her attention. Its face seemed near enough to touch and she wondered how those who lived on the pleasure planet could be at ease in such close proximity to a place populated by men whose way of life was so harsh that those who no longer served a purpose—including the women brought there to become broodmares—were put out in the desert to die.

  Aria’s grip tightened on the flute. Images rose up, of the shack she’d shared with her father, the hardscrabble existence and the constant fear she’d be gambled away. Her stomach clenched, not in hunger but in remembered fear of the slug-tongued whore-master and his carriage with its windows barred. She shivered at how close she’d been to ending up in the brothel Lodur owned, a place where the women who entered were rarely seen again. If Haven and Raeder—

  “Aria?” Haven asked.

  Her attention was drawn to the food sellers who were calling out, trying to entice them to colorfully decorated stalls. “I’m hungry enough to eat anything. You and Raeder can choose.”

  They chose tender meat and fried vegetables wrapped in thin layers of bread. And afterward, a pudding-like dessert served in browned, melted sugar.

  Despite being in the midst of a marketplace bustling with activities and filled with stalls she’d yet to explore, after the last of the food disappeared Aria felt as if she could curl up for a nap. She excused herself to visit one of the washrooms set aside for women, felt how loath Raeder was to let her out of his sight, and how calming a touch and word from Haven were to him.

  Their closeness deepened her desire for them. Out in the open air, she could tell Haven and Raeder shared more than sexual attraction. They were bonded in a way she’d only encountered between a few married couples on Iyon.