by Cara Wylde
“What are you doing in there?”
“Taking a bath, I told you.”
“Oh, yes, yes. I’ve never seen a woman taking a bath before.”
“And you never will!”
He left the door alone, and Pippa could almost imagine him pouting. She washed her hair as fast as she could, rinsed it, then got out of the tub and dried herself in a mere minute. She scrunched up her nose when she realized she’d have to put on the same clothes, then spotted a long, fluffy bathrobe neatly folded under the sink. Risky. Ash was waiting for her in the bedroom, and she wasn’t sure she’d feel completely safe knowing she wasn’t wearing anything underneath the bathrobe. On the other hand...
“Hmm... that’s not a bad plan at all,” she whispered to herself.
The decision was made. She wrapped herself in the white bathrobe, stole a glance in the mirror, then unlocked the door and stepped onto the thick fur pelt that covered the floor. Ash was sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with a pocket knife, pure boredom written all over his handsome features. When he saw her, he dropped the knife clumsily, jumped to his feet, picked it up in a haste, and gave her a sheepish grin.
Pippa forced herself not to laugh. With all those dark, intricate tattoos on half of his face, that grin looked ridiculous. She crossed her arms over her chest, which pushed her breasts up and caused the bathrobe to reveal a thin patch of white, creamy skin.
“What do you want?” Her voice was firm and confident.
Ashtar furrowed his brows. He didn’t like the way she talked to him, but the obvious fact that she was naked under the bathrobe distracted him to no end.
“I brought you food,” he pointed toward the nightstand.
Indeed, there was a huge tray on it, with various bowls and plates. To Pippa’s annoyance, they all had lids, so she’d have to step closer to Ash and remove the lids herself if she wanted to know what was in them. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she blushed to the tips of her ears.
“How come you speak English?” she asked. She had to change the subject, so she wouldn’t think so much about food. She didn’t want to eat in his presence. “Your writing looks nothing like English.”
“Oh, that. Our galaxy isn’t so far removed from out neighboring galaxies, you know. Through the years, we’ve had a lot of contact with the Milky Way and the people of Terra.”
“Slaves. I almost forgot.”
Ash averted his gaze, but his discomfort didn’t last long. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.
“There are a few Terran slaves on Iarna, yes. But just a few. Our planet doesn’t agree to the slave trade as much as other planets in the Lichora Galaxy. Like Sephara or Innoth.”
“Then why not banish it?”
“We belong to the Coalition. Peace within a galaxy as big as Lichora comes with respecting the same rules and laws.”
Pippa didn’t say anything. She wasn’t about to make this easy on him. She had a plan, and she was pretty sure it would work with Ashtar, but she had to tread carefully. She took a step toward him, casually, as if his presence didn’t affect her in the least and she was just getting back to doing her own thing. Which was... what? Sitting in bed and staring at the ceiling? Her plans for the night sounded so sad in her head. But they didn’t have to be, if she could help it.
“And this?” She made a wide gesture with her hand and motioned toward the room, the walls, the furniture. “I would have expected the houses on an alien planet to look more... err... alien.”
Ashtar cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t like it?”
“No, I... it’s just unexpected.”
He shrugged. “It’s obvious that you haven’t traveled much. But I have, and if I realized one thing, it’s that it doesn’t matter what planet or galaxy people are from. Skin color, religion, and customs don’t matter that much, either. We’re not very different from each other. The Coalition of the Lichora Galaxy understands and accepts that, so we’ve decided a long time ago to welcome the new instead of rejecting it, observe it, try it on for size, and adopt it or discard it depending on how much of an advantage it brings to us. So, yes, on Iarna a lot of our people speak English because it’s the most commonly spoken language on Terra and most of the Milky Way Galaxy, and we have commercial trades going with some of the planets on your part of space.”
“Legal or illegal?”
Ash smirked. “Details, details...” He took a step toward her, and his smirk grew when he saw she didn’t back down. “As for... home design...” His tone had a hint of sarcasm. “I hope you’re not under the naïve impression that the people of Terra invented the... what do you call it? Wardrobe. Or the bathtub. Clothes drawers, glass windows, oversized beds, underfloor heating...”
Pippa swallowed heavily. She could feel the tension in the air. Waves of electricity crackled between them as Ashtar moved even closer. She stood her ground, and when he was close enough that she could smell the manly, musky scent of his skin, she leaned in ever so slightly, unable to resist his powerful, overwhelming presence. He held her gaze, and she couldn’t have looked away even if she wanted to. Her fingers itched to touch the soft fur around his neck.
Ash reached out and sneaked an arm around her waist. He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear:
“What do you want, Pippa Steele?”
She chuckled nervously. “What do you mean?”
“You know what each of us wants. I want to keep you, Trev wants you to stay and save us all. Kay... Well, Kay can be persuaded. But you... what do you really want?”
She placed a trembling hand on his wide, strong chest.
“I want to go to Uthea. Why do you keep asking when you already know?”
Ash squeezed her closer to his chest. He looked deep into her blue eyes and was silent for a long moment, as if he was trying to read her thoughts. With his other hand, he caressed her wet hair, then grabbed a red lock between his fingers and pulled at it playfully.
Pippa dragged in a sharp breath. She couldn’t believe how much of a traitor her own body was! She’d always loved it when a man touched her hair and played with it, and what Ash was doing was slowly turning her into a puddle at his feet. He pulled at her hair again, and she squeezed her thighs in an attempt to keep her hot juices in. Was that even possible? Her bare folds were already coated, and her very core was throbbing for this man, for this alien warrior who seemed to know exactly what to do to make her body sing.
She cleared her throat and did her best to look relaxed and undisturbed.
“Can you arrange something?” she asked. “To get me to planet Uthea... I’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”
Had she really said that out loud?! Pippa’s eyes widened at her own words and at how dirty they sounded. Yes, that was her plan: to seduce Ash, convince him to send her on a ship to Uthea, and make him believe that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. But to offer herself so freely and blatantly? No, that hadn’t been part of the plan. Teasing and seducing him until he thought he was in love with her was one thing. Selling her body for a trip to the Milky Way was something else entirely.
“Hmm...” He leaned in, his eyes fixed on her plump lips. “Is that so? And how will you make it worth my while? What exactly do you have in mind?”
She gulped. His breath smelled of something that reminded her of cinnamon and... beer. Odd combination. She couldn’t wait to taste it herself. She licked her lips, smiled sensually, and lifted herself up on her toes. He was so tall that her chin barely reached the level of his shoulders. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his, gasping when he immediately pushed his tongue inside, not even asking for permission. The gentle, playful tugging on her wet lock turned to full on hair pulling when Ash sunk his hand into her rich, red hair and grabbed a fistful of it. She moaned and held on to him, feeling her knees give out as he moved his hand from her waist to her butt to give it a possessive squeeze. She was wet, and she’d given up fighting it. She could feel his rock-hard ere
ction against her belly, and images of him throwing her onto the bed, ripping off her bathrobe, and slipping inside her took over any trace of rational thought. For a minute, she tried to keep up with his soft, wicked tongue, then she sighed and gave up, allowing him to explore her mouth as he pleased. She felt like a poppet in his arms. In an attempt to better steady herself, she let her hands travel up his chest until her fingers found the dark yellow fur she’d so badly wanted to touch. Without hesitation, she grabbed two fistfuls of it, marveling at how smooth and real it felt. The oddest thing happened, though, leaving her shocked and gasping for air.
Ashtar growled deep in his chest, bit her tongue rather painfully, then pushed her away and took a few steps back. The door was behind him now, and he reached for the handle. His blue eyes turned a shade darker, and his whole body tensed. He looked like he was almost having a panic attack. Fight or flight. With him, there could also be a third option: tackle and fuck.
“What’s wrong?” Pippa touched her bruised lips. She tasted blood in her mouth, which meant that Ash had bitten her harder than she’d thought.
“Eat your food,” he said in a stern voice.
Pippa wasn’t stupid, though. He might have tried to hide it, but she could see how breathless he was. The way he looked at her... She didn’t know whether she was afraid of him, or whether she wanted him to stop fighting his predator instinct and ravish her right then and there. She pressed her palms to her chest and willed her wild heart to slow down, so she could think clearly.
“Will you think about it? My proposal...”
He furrowed his brows. “Maybe.” With that, he was out of the room.
Pippa blinked in confusion.
“The hell just happened?”
She tightened her bathrobe around her, then looked at her own hands, her intuition telling her his reaction might have had something to do with her touching him... there. She could still feel the strange softness of his fur collar on her fingers.
* * *
Ash
Ashtar slammed the door behind him and started down the hallway with wide, thunderous steps. His heart was beating like crazy, his stomach was doing somersaults, and his cock was throbbing so painfully that he was just about ready to rip his pants off for some sweet, blessed release. He could have gone straight to his room and taken care of the problem himself, but he didn’t want to. It wouldn’t even come close to the sinful pleasure of burying himself inside the Terran woman and making her scream his name, so jacking off was a hard pass now. What he needed was a pint of strong, bitter ale.
He ran down the stairs and motioned for one of the guards by the main entrance to step closer. In a harsh language that sounded nothing like English, he told the Iarnian warrior he was now in charge of the woman upstairs. He tasked him with bringing two more of his guys to help guard the villa, and he was to keep an eye on the Terran and report her every step back to him. She was free to walk around the house as she pleased, but not allowed to leave the grounds unless she was accompanied by either Trev or Kay. Even so, the guard was to inform Ash immediately.
“This stays between us,” Ash said. “No word about the woman’s presence here leaves this house. Understood?”
The warrior nodded.
“Good.” Ash patted him on the back. “If anyone asks, I’m at the Angry Cerber.”
He grabbed one of the winter coats hanging by the door and headed outside. As much as he hated the damned cold, he had to admit that it did help clear his head and tame down his painful erection. He covered his eyes with his snow shades and dragged his snow bike out of the huge garage. It didn’t look as big and angry as the Red Beast, but it still made quite an impression in town. In this hellish weather, when it was snowing all the time, only General Ashtar Y’tamin had the balls to drive a snow bike. Unfortunately, thanks to the Terran woman and her cruel games, his balls were rather sore now, which made straddling the thick, heavy bike and driving into Kriva one of the worst ideas he’d had lately.
“Damn her,” he murmured under his breath as he revved the engine. “I’ve had all the women on Iarna, single or mated to triads. I’ve had the summer girls on Sephara, too. Who does she think she is?”
As the bike shot through the snow like a well-aimed arrow, Ash felt the rough wind ruffle his collar, soothing the skin underneath, where Pippa’s touch had almost burned him. Metaphorically speaking. He doubted she’d actually left any marks, as she’d barely had time to run her fingers through his fur. He couldn’t explain his reaction to her back there. The kiss had been nice, her full curves had made his blood boil and his cock stand to attention... Then, that touch. Those long, thin fingers finding their way up his chest, digging into his fur as if she knew... As if she knew she could own him like that. Many women had touched him there, caressed him, played with the blond fur covering his shoulder blades and upper chest. To none of them had he reacted the way he’d reacted to Pippa. What was wrong with him?
“No, seriously, what is wrong with me?” He was alone on the road, but it didn’t matter anyway. The snow bike made so much noise that no one could have guessed he was talking to himself. “She gave herself to me, practically begged me to take her, and I ran? Fuck.”
He stopped in front of the Angry Cerber and took another minute to compose himself. He couldn’t go in there looking like a madman. Adrenaline was still running through his veins, pushing him to start the engine again and ride until he was so cold and frozen to the bone that he couldn’t ride anymore.
“Stupid,” he thought. “I need a stiff drink to get her out of my head, that’s all.”
He got off the bike and strode into the bar like he owned the place. Ten minutes later, he was on the sure path of drunkenness and oblivion.
CHAPTER FIVE
Pippa
After having the most delicious dinner she’d had since leaving Earth, Pippa’s options were limited. She could stare out the window, pace the floor, or sleep. Seeing how it got dark very early on Iarna, she chose the last one. At least, it was warm and cozy inside, and the bed looked too inviting to resist it. She turned and tossed for a while, thinking about Ashtar and how he’d stormed out of the room, then decided she’d simply had to forget about it, otherwise she was in danger of breaking her own promise again and probe his energy field for clues. She could do it from a distance, too, and she could feel that Ash wasn’t in the house, nor in a very lucid state. If she closed her eyes, breathed deeply and focused on his handsome, tattooed face in her mind’s eye, she could almost hear music playing, men singing drunkenly, and a slurred voice telling dirty jokes. She could almost taste cinnamon and beer in her mouth.
“No.”
She snapped her eyes open and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. The last time she’d used her abilities was to escape the Black Laverna, and that had been fair. Her freedom had been in danger. But she was in no danger now, so there was no good excuse for doing it again. She’d have to let this one go, admit that her plan to seduce Ashtar had backfired, and move on to either Trevkon or Kayvor. Kay seemed like a lost cause, but Trev was approachable and seemed to be reasonable enough.
“But he wants something I can’t give him...”
Okay, then. She’d have to see if there was anything else Trev wanted aside from reactivating the red stone that he believed kept his planet alive. With that in mind, Pippa fell asleep easily. No dreams, no worries, and no hopes, either. Just a deep, soundless sleep that allowed her whole body to relax and heal after too many nights and days of stress and living in fear. She didn’t know what the next day might bring, but she felt oddly safe in her fur-covered bed. If Ashtar hadn’t taken advantage of her even when she’d practically begged him to, then Kay and Trev were no threat at all. The more time she spent with the three Iarnians, the more she came to the conclusion that she was the one who had power over them, not the other way around. Yes, she was their prisoner, but not their slave. Ash lusted after her, Trev had faith in her, and Kay wouldn�
��t dare get rid of her without the other two’s consent. She was okay, for now, and she allowed herself to sleep as if she’d be okay the next day, too.
When insistent knocks on the door woke her up unceremoniously, Pippa would have given the world to be left alone, so she could sleep for another day or two.
“Wait. Why is he knocking?”
She jumped out of the bed, smoothed down her fluffy jammies, and reluctantly approached the door. Her hair was a mess, she needed to brush her teeth and wash her face, but she didn’t care. She doubted it was Ashtar, anyway, and the other two had showed little interest toward her feminine charms. She wasn’t doing herself any favors by not even changing her clothes, but she was more curious to find out...
“Why are you knocking? You know I can’t...” She pressed down the door handle, and the door opened as if by miracle. “Oooh. It was... not locked from the outside?”
Trevkon was standing in the hallway. At the sight of a very cute and very disheveled Pippa who couldn’t believe she’d been free to go out of her room since the night before, he couldn’t help but burst out in laughter.
“You never tried the door after Ash left?” he asked.
“N-no. I just assumed.”
Trev walked past her and inspected the room at a glance. His gaze lingered on the bed, then he forced himself to look back at Pippa.
“Get dressed. I’m showing you around.”
“You are?”
She ran to the clothes drawers and started pulling out what she could find.
“Yes. Aren’t you curious about the house? Since you’re staying with us for a while, I might as well show you where you’re allowed to go and where you’re not allowed to go.”
“Oh, my stay here comes with rules...”
Trev cocked an eyebrow. Sometimes, with this woman, he felt like he was talking at a wall. She only seemed to register the information that stood well with her and discard the rest. Was she doing it intentionally? Did she know how much it was pissing him off? And Trev wasn’t the sort of guy who got pissed off easily.
