“No,” she said quickly, trying not to look at him. The last thing she wanted was for him to realize how much he had disconcerted her. Of course, as soon as she said it she realized how silly it sounded.

“So you often wander the garden in the night?” Jax asked, his voice filled with gentle humor.

“Yes,” she said tightly. He sat down beside her on the bench. She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, but she could sense his imposing presence next to her. His smell, masculine and slightly sweaty, filled her nose. Her body clenched, and a wave of lust swept through her. She remembered the feel of his lips against hers that afternoon. He had all but taken her in his room, would have taken her if it wasn’t for Able.

“About this afternoon…” she started, but he cut her off.

“Sarai, look at me,” he said.

Reluctantly, she turned to him, looking up at his face. The moonlight was reflected in his eyes - eyes hard and filled with desire. Without realizing what she was doing, Sarai gave a small whimper.

Jax’s arms came around her and his lips came down on hers, hard.

He thrust his tongue into her mouth, sweeping the inside of her mouth with rough determination. His arms were like bands of steel around her body. She whimpered a half-hearted protest, but he pulled her roughly across his lap, head slanting against hers.

He kissed her with a desperate energy, refusing to let her free long enough to catch her breath or consider the consequences of her actions. One hand pulled apart her robe, then reached down into the neckline of her gown. He found her breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers until it tightened with need.

It was as if there was a direct line between her breast and the sensitive area between her legs, because the need his touch created in her was almost agonizing in its intensity. She moaned against his mouth.

He responded by standing quickly, pushing her robe off her shoulders. His mouth left hers long enough for him to pull her gown over her head, then he pulled her to the ground. Within seconds, he was on top of her. He kissed her again, one hand moving between her legs to massage her clit.

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It felt like nothing she had ever experienced before. Sarai was out of control, there was a need building in her for something, but what was a mystery to her. Sex with Calvin had been nothing like this. She wanted more of Jax, and pressed herself against him. She twisted wantonly, searching for some kind of release that she knew instinctively only he could provide.

“Please,” she gasped. “Jax, please, help me.”

Jax muttered something, then his hand left her clit for a moment. She cried out in protest, but he kissed her, promising it would be better soon. She could feel him fumbling with the fastening of his pants. Then the hard, hot length of his shaft pressed against her and she gasped.

He pressed down, skewering her with his cock.

Sarai realized that Jax was much larger than Calvin, and the stretching sensation of his entrance both hurt and gave her unbearable pleasure. She twisted against him, and he stilled, resting his chin against her forehead and breathing heavily.

“Do you need me to stop,” he asked, pain etched in his words. “Because if you do, you’d better say so right now.”

“Oh, Goddess,” she whispered. “No, I need more, Jax. Fill me more.”

He growled in triumph, then thrust his entire length into her in one fierce motion. She tried to scream, but he swallowed the sound with his mouth, slamming into her again and again. Her body felt as if it might split from the force of him, but her clit was hard with arousal and every movement sent waves of agonizing stimulation coursing through her body.

Then it hit her–the most incredible sensation she had ever experienced. It felt as if she was shattering into a thousand pieces, the world seemed to dissolve around her. Her entire body stiffened in ecstasy, every muscle spasming simultaneously. A part of her realized that Jax, too, was in the throes of orgasm. She could hear his cry, and somewhere deep in her body she could feel his seed entering her. It was too much to take in, though, so she simply let the waves of her own pleasure wash over her.

Sarai came back to herself after a few minutes, realizing she was lying naked on her back in the garden.

Jax, still fully clothed, pinned her to the ground with both the weight of his body and his still-hard cock.

He was gasping for breath, cradling her face against his chest with one strong arm. The other was supporting his upper body so she wouldn’t be crushed.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked. She stretched experimentally, trying to tell. She would be sore in the morning. His still felt massive within her–how had she taken it all inside? Yet she was all right, she realized. He hadn’t injured her.

“I’m fine,” she said quietly, trying to process what had just happened between them. “Could you get off me, please?”

He rolled to one side, and she sat up, nervously crossing her arms across her br**sts. Horror filled her.

She was naked, had rolled in the dirt with a strange man like a complete wanton. What had come over her?

Wordlessly, Jax handed her the discarded robe. She pulled it around her, and started to get up.

“Why don’t you lie in the grass with me for a while,” Jax said. “We’ve already had sex. I can see you’re upset how quickly it happened. Let’s take a little while to just be together and enjoy things, rather than you rushing back to your room to be angry with me.”

He pulled her back gently against him, and together they lay in tense silence, watching the stars. After a while, she felt some of that tension ease.

“Where is Saurellia?” she asked eventually.

Jax pointed to the northeast, where a patch of stars shone brightly.

“Right there,” he said. Then he pointed to another bright patch. “That’s the asteroid field where you and Calla came from.”

Sarai stiffened beside him, cold fear punching through her. “How do you know where we came from,”

she whispered in horror. “I didn’t tell you that earlier. How do you know that?”

“Because Seth told me,” Jax said quietly. “He’s a good friend of mine.”

Sarai moaned wordlessly, realization rushing through her.

“Where is he?” she asked in a panicky whisper. “Is he with you? Are you here to punish us for what we did to him?” She sat up, scooting away from him as quickly as she could. She had to get the children, wake Calla. They had to escape right away, or they were finished. Where would they go this time?

Moving more quickly than she had ever seen a man move, Jax caught her and held her against him.