Close Remembrance (The Krinar Chronicles 3)

Desperate for her taste, Korum bent his head and kissed her, reveling in the way her tongue curled around his, stroking and caressing the interior of his mouth. She was a skilled kisser now, a far cry from the shy virgin he’d forced into his bed back in New York. Her fingers found their way into his hair, her nails delicately scratching his scalp, and he almost groaned, rocking his hips back and forth, pushing his erection into her belly.

His skin felt hot, and suddenly their clothes were too confining, too much in the way. Korum pulled down the top of her dress, imprisoning her arms in the fabric and baring her pretty breasts to his gaze. They were white, firm, and perfectly round, and her nipples were a beautiful pink-rose color. Unable to resist the temptation, he dropped to his knees and brought those small hard nipples toward his mouth, sucking first one and then another. She moaned, arching toward him, her hands holding the back of his head, and Korum slid one hand under the skirt of her dress, feeling the softness of the curls between her thighs.

“Korum, please,” she whispered, and he knew she was aching for more, just as he was. Still tonguing her nipples, he pushed one finger inside her, his balls tightening at the warm, slick feel of her interior channel. He wanted her to come, but at the same time, he wanted to keep torturing her, to make her scream with pleasure in his arms. His thumb entered between her folds, found her small clitoris, and he pressed on it lightly, keeping his touch too gentle for her to reach her peak. She bucked against him, and Korum did it again, loving the helpless little sounds that tore from her throat. His cock felt like it would explode, but he kept pushing his finger inside her, feeling a gush of moisture with every stroke.

Sweet, she was so fucking sweet to him. Ripping apart her dress, he bared her stomach and the dark triangle between her thighs, his mouth leaving her breasts to kiss every inch of the skin he exposed. There was so much he wanted to do to her, so many ways he wanted to take her, and he would do it all in time, but for now he needed to take it slow, to gradually introduce her to all the pleasures of the flesh. She was trembling in his arms, her delicate inner walls quivering around his finger, and he pushed a second finger inside her, stretching her, his thumb still playing lightly with her clit.

“Korum . . .” Her tortured moan was like music to his ears, and he smiled triumphantly, gently scraping his teeth across the delicate skin of her stomach. He didn’t break the skin, but she still gasped at the sting, and he felt her pussy tighten around his fingers, coating them with more delicious moisture.

“Yes,” he murmured, “yes, you can come for me now . . .” And she did, her head thrown back with a scream, the pulsations of her inner muscles adding to the blazing heat inside him.

Withdrawing his fingers, Ko

rum licked them, savoring her taste, then tugged her down on the floor beside him. The intelligent material was soft around them, massaging their knees and calves with tiny finger-like appendages, but Korum barely noticed the pleasant feeling, focusing only on the woman in his arms.

Mia was still shaking, her breathing fast and uneven in the aftermath of her orgasm, and Korum arranged her pliant body so that she was on her hands and knees, facing away from him. The curve of her perfectly shaped ass was an unbearable temptation. He could see the wet, swollen folds of her sex and the tiny rose of her other opening, and he wanted to be in both places at once, to fuck her in every way possible.

Pushing his thumb inside her slick channel, he gathered the moisture from there and then used it as a lubricant, pressing that same finger to her ass. She cried out, her muscles resisting the intrusion, and he paused, letting her get used to the sensation before he continued slowly working it into her tight passage. When it was all the way in, he grasped her hips with his other hand and sank his cock deep into her pussy.

She arched, moaning, and Korum sucked in his breath, his thumb feeling the movement of his shaft inside her through the thin wall that separated her two orifices. So fucking sweet. The pleasure was unbelievable, almost intolerable. Unable to wait any longer, Korum began fucking her without restraint, feeling her inner muscles clinging to his cock, gripping him so tightly he felt like he was about to explode.

And then he did, his head thrown back with a deep roar. She screamed too, bucking against him, and Korum felt her inner muscles milking him, squeezing every drop of semen from his body.

Panting, he sank down on the floor, still buried deep inside her. After a few moments, he withdrew his thumb and pulled her naked, trembling body against him. She was breathing as hard as he was, and he kissed the delicate shell of her ear, knowing she needed tenderness after the way he just took her like a savage. “I love you,” he whispered, and she turned toward him with a smile – the smile of a woman who had just been thoroughly satisfied.

“And I love you,” she said softly, stroking his face with her fingers.

They lay like that for a while longer, just holding each other and enjoying the feel of skin against skin. Then Korum heard Mia’s stomach rumble.

She blushed slightly, and he grinned. “Shower and lunch?”

“Yes, please,” she said, then laughed as he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.

* * *

The guardians came for Saret at two in the afternoon. Alir was among them, his black eyes cold and expressionless.

When they reached for him, Saret shrugged off their hands and walked out of the room on his own, following them toward his execution chamber.

Laira was already there, looking somber as befitting the occasion. Saret had met her once and immediately disliked her. She reminded him of Korum. Same sharp intelligence, same ruthless ambition. She applied to work in his lab a few decades ago, before she became known as a rising star in the field. After a brief interview, Saret turned down her application, enjoying the crushed look on her face when he told her she was unqualified.

There was some twisted irony in her being his executioner today.

They strapped him down on a float, making sure he was fully restrained for what was to come. Saret didn’t fight them. What would be the point? The guardians were armed to the teeth, and even if they weren’t, they were skilled fighters. He wouldn’t stand a chance. At this point, all Saret cared about was dying with dignity.

And death is what this would be. Even though his body would remain, his mind – that which made him Saret – would be gone, thoroughly erased. He would never be himself again; his memories, his personality, his essence – it would all be wiped out.

Laira approached him, holding a small white device in her hands. Saret recognized it. He’d used a version of it on Mia just a couple of months ago.

“I am sorry,” Laira said, pressing the device to his forehead. “I am truly sorry for this.”

Her face was the last thing Saret saw before his world faded into darkness.

Chapter 32

The morning of their wedding dawned crisp and clear.

“Mia, honey, you look –” Her mom wiped away tears. “You look so gorgeous . . .”