Daughters of Lyra: Heart of a Commander by Felicity Heaton Read Free Book Online

hadn’t
bitten her neck the first time. Van had been close to it. He only
needed a little encouragement.

    If her neck was the most
intimate and meaningful place that he could bite then she wanted
him to bite there.

    She slid her hands inside
his jacket, capturing his waist. His lips coursed along her throat
and she groaned when she felt his teeth again, scratching her flesh
in the most tantalising and intoxicating way. She leaned her body
into his, hungry to feel him against her.

    His hands mirrored hers,
grabbing her waist and holding her tight, as though he didn’t want
her to escape his grasp. She wasn’t going anywhere.

    “ Bridge to
Commander Aeris,” a crackling voice said, so loud that it shocked
her and she jumped.

    Van continued to kiss her
throat, his grip on her increasing to the point where it bordered
on painful.

    Amerii swallowed when his
mouth closed around the scratch and he suckled her skin. He
couldn’t be getting much blood from so tiny a wound. She gasped
when he sucked harder, rocking his body against hers. He was going
to leave a bruise. She’d had what her father had affectionately
called ‘hickies’ before and she was heading for a new one now, and
judging by the desperate way Van was sucking on her neck it was
going to be black, ugly and highly noticeable.

    She couldn’t go back to
her ship with a mark like that on her neck. A bite she could
probably hide, but she didn’t think her collar would reach high
enough to cover all of this.

    “ Bridge to
Commander Aeris,” the voice said again.

    Van released her neck and
gave a deafening roar. She flinched away and he instantly pulled
her to him, smoothing her hair in a clear effort to soothe her. His
heart was thundering. She rested her head against his bare chest
and listened to it and his heavy breathing. He was trying to regain
control.

    After long moments of
silence, he said, “Commander Aeris to the bridge. Go
ahead.”

    “ Nebuz-Lyra
VIII is requesting permission to continue to Varka Two.”

    “ Time?”

    “ Sixteen point
five nine point three. Designated time for departure to Varka Two
approaching.”

    Van released her and held
her upper arms, his gaze lingering on her neck. Amerii touched it,
caressing the point where he had been suckling. His gaze shifted
between her eyes and her throat and he looked torn between doing
his duty and continuing with her neck. He growled at the ceiling
and she noticed that his teeth were longer than before. Her heart
pounded. How close had he been to biting her?

    She wanted to block his
way when he walked away but couldn’t move. She kept still, watching
him collect her jacket and boots and bringing them back to her. Her
smile was weak and small when she took them.

    “ Will you be
alright?” he said in a low tone that betrayed his
disappointment.

    Seeing everything that she
was feeling reflected in his eyes, she dropped her things. He
frowned and she stepped up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck
and kissed him. His hands instantly claimed her waist and a moment
later, his body was against hers, his kiss stealing her breath.
Their tongues touched, sending a jolt through her and drawing a
moan from him. She tiptoed, slanting her head so she could deepen
the kiss. Their tongues tangled again, a smooth warm caress that
set her body alight with desire.

    The intercom
beeped.

    She slowed the kiss and
then stepped back, fighting to catch her breath. Her eyes met his
dark red ones. They burned with hunger but showed no sign of
bloodlust.

    A smile curved her lips as
they tingled from the kiss.

    “ Now I’ll be
alright,” she said.

    Picking up her things, she
dressed, her eyes only ever leaving Van for a few seconds at a
time. He sat on the bed, watching her with that same intense look
of need. A man had never looked at her with such intensity before.
It made a blush touch her cheeks and she couldn’t help
smiling.

    He hadn’t given her the
bite that she had wanted, but she