Claimed by an Alien Warrior

by Tiffany Roberts

  Zoey’s brows furrowed. She lowered her other arm and touched her chest. Her bare chest. Shifting her arm aside, she looked down at herself.

  Had she been embarrassed before? She was fucking mortified now! Here she was draped over the toilet, puking her guts out, dressed in nothing but a pair of purple panties with her boobs and every roll on display!

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Ren, why am I naked?”

  At the corner of her vision, he tilted his head in apparent confusion. “You removed your shirt and harness before I brought you to bed.”

  “My shirt and my what?” She winced as a bolt of pain split through her skull.

  “Your…harness,” he said, holding up two of his hands and cupping them in front of his chest as though cradling a pair of objects in his palms.

  “My…bra? Are you saying I took off my shirt and bra? No, no way. I wouldn’t…”

  He frowned. The hurt in his eyes was strong enough to clear her head a little. “You don’t remember what happened last night?”

  “Y-you mean… That we… Oh God, it wasn’t a dream was it?” she asked, staring at him. Her gaze dipped briefly, and sure enough, his junk was just there, dangling between his legs. “Did we…?”

  “We kissed. I touched you. And then you fell asleep.”

  Please let me be struck with lightning now. Like right now.

  All at once, she remembered kissing him, running her hands over his chest, feeling his hands on her…

  It wasn’t a dream. It had really happened.

  And she’d fallen asleep!

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “It wasn’t… I didn’t…”

  Ren moved a hand to her cheek and guided her eyes to his. “It was good, Zoey. More than good. I cannot blame you for having been exhausted.”

  Her cheeks flamed; despite the combined effects of her hangover and her embarrassment, warmth spread through her at his words. Had he really liked it? Liked her? Kissing her, touching her, and…seeing her?

  “It wasn’t exhaustion, Ren,” she said quietly. Damn her headache. Damn the fucking hangover. If she didn’t feel like keeling over, and if her mouth didn’t taste like vomit and ass, she would have kissed him. “It was the wine. I drank too much.”

  “It was the drink?” he asked, blinking his outside and inside eyes slightly out of sync. “Is…is that also why you are sick today?”

  “Yeah. Wine is an alcoholic beverage. It’s basically a drug that helps humans forget their inhibitions. Helps us relax and loosen up. Sometimes, a little too much. It’s been a long time since I drank, and I guess I forgot to limit myself.”

  “You drank nearly the entire bottle.”

  She winced. “Uh, yeah… Like I said, I forgot to limit myself.”

  “There is a substance on my planet called tsirisk,” he said as he took the cup from her hand, refilled it, and passed it back to her. “It is something that has been known to my people for thousands of generations, made from a plant that grows deep in the jungle. The lesser of the Khorzar, those who do not have nyros, sometimes consume tsirisk before battle. It imbues them with great strength and speed.

  “But when it has run its course, their bodies are left in weakened states, and the more they use it, the more dependent they grow upon it. Tsirisk is not the same as your alcohol, but what you said reminds me of it. And because of that, I will allow you no further alcohol while you are in my company.”

  Zoey groaned and laid her head back down, keeping one arm across her breasts for modesty’s sake — though she was sure all her modesty had been murdered and buried in the back yard by now. “Not even a little?”

  “No.”

  “A smidge?”

  “Human…”

  Zoey smiled despite her discomfort. “At this point, I don’t want any more either.” Just the thought of more alcohol made her nauseous.

  Rendash looked her over and released a sigh. “I dislike seeing you suffer like this.”

  “Believe me, I don’t like it either.”

  “Do you feel well enough to move back to the bed?”

  “Just…give me a little while longer.”

  Ren continued to rub her back, trailing his hand up and down along the line of her spine, then back and forth across her shoulders. The fingers still holding her hair up lightly massaged her scalp. Before long, Zoey’s eyes drifted closed.

  “I think I can go back to bed now,” she mumbled.

  Slowly, and with impossible gentleness, Rendash gathered Zoey into his arms. Her eyes flashed open and she tensed, trying to sit up. Big mistake. She groaned with pain and sagged into his hold.

  “I’m too heavy for this,” she complained, crossing her arms over her chest. “I can walk.”

  “You are a fool,” he replied affectionately. He stood up, all four of his arms supporting her weight evenly so there wasn’t painful pressure concentrated on any single spot. Moving with care, he turned and carried her through the doorway — somehow managing not to bump any part of her on the doorframe — and to the bed.

  For the first time in her adult life, Zoey felt dainty. She couldn’t articulate the thought, not in a way he’d understand, so she simply curled against him until he sat her down on the bed.

  Once she was in place, he stepped away to retrieve her shirt from atop the nearby dresser. She took it from him and pulled it on over her head.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “Do you want your pants? The soft ones?”

  Zoey stared at her bare legs for a moment before shaking her head. She lay down, reached for the covers, and pulled them up to her chin.

  “I’m going to find a more suitable container for water,” he said.

  Zoey reached out and caught one of his wrists before he could step away. “Stay.”

  “I won’t be gone long.”

  She frowned. “Promise?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.”

  Zoey watched him leave the room, unable to help but stare at his ass and the way it flexed as he walked.

  Why do I keep telling him to cover up?

  She distantly heard him rummaging through the kitchen. Her body eased, and her eyelids slid shut. Sleep had nearly overtaken her when a soft sound nearby caught her attention.

  Ren had returned. He stood beside the bed, one hand lingering on the cup he’d placed on the nearby nightstand. The cup itself seemed surreal, something from a distant memory — it was one of those oversized plastic mugs with a lid and a fat bendy straw. The kind the nurses had given her father while he was in the hospital.

  Her eyes stung with a sudden welling of tears, making her headache all the fiercer, and she squeezed them shut.

  A gust of cool air flowed beneath the blanket. The bed creaked, and the mattress dipped. Two of Ren’s arms slipped beneath Zoey, drawing her against his hard, warm body.

  Zoey turned to face him. She met his gaze as she snuggled close, one of her legs draped over his thighs and her body tucked against his side. Reaching up, she cupped his jaw, brushing her thumb over his lower lip.

  “I remember last night,” she said, and kissed his shoulder before resting her head upon it, lowering her hand to his chest.

  “I will remember it forever,” he replied softly as she drifted to sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  Zoey felt much better when she woke up later that day. Her stomach had settled, and her minor, lingering headache would likely go away once she got some food and water in her system. And best of all?

  She was cocooned in Ren’s arms. All four of them.

  He lay with her back flush against his chest, and she was thankful to be facing away — he didn’t need to catch a whiff of her rank breath after her pukefest. If she weren’t so cozy and warm in his arms, she would’ve jumped out of bed to brush her teeth immediately.

  The security of his embrace and the heat of his body weren’t all she was aware of, however; there was also a log nestled against her ass cheeks. A day ago, that would’ve
sent her running for the hills, but now?

  She’d used up all her embarrassment that morning, so rather than feeling ashamed, she reveled in the feel of him. Ren was attracted to her. He’d been aroused by her. She knew morning wood was just something that happened to men — human men, anyway — while they slept, but God, feeling his cock against her backside turned her on. Her nipples hardened and pussy clenched, hollow and achy, and if not for an exceedingly full bladder, she might’ve been so bold as to wiggle her bottom against him and finish what they’d started the night before.

  That was one way to make up for passing out in the heat of the moment thanks to her stupid overindulgence.

  Hell, just lounging in bed with him sounded divine. She was warm, safe, and comfortable, without a care in the world.

  Well, except that insistent urge to pee.

  Way to ruin the moment, bladder.

  Zoey placed her hand on one of Rendash’s wrists and carefully lifted it. His arms tightened around her in response, holding her that much closer.

  “How do you feel?” he murmured huskily.

  Oh my God! Can a man’s voice be any sexier?

  “Better.” She turned her head to look at him. “How long have you been awake?”

  “Long enough.” There was a hint of mischief in his voice, adding a layer to it she’d not heard before — it was seductive as hell.

  Her arousal grew.

  Damn you, bladder!

  “I, uh, need to pee,” she said, cheeks ablaze.

  “You need to pee?”

  “Yeah. Like, right now.”

  Ren withdrew his arms, but not without a hint of reluctance — his fingertips lingered on her bicep and hip for just a bit longer than seemed necessary.

  As soon as she was free, Zoey leapt out of bed and ran to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Sweet relief swept in to fill the growing space as her bladder emptied.

  While she was washing her hands, she realized that the small toiletry bag on the counter was hers. With a silent thanks to Ren, she took out her toothbrush and scrubbed her teeth and tongue like they’d never been cleaned before.

  Despite her thoroughness, she still ached with desire when she was done, and decided to hop into the shower to avoid returning to the bedroom — to temptation.

  It was amazing how much better the hot water made her feel, and the tub had ample space to move around in, meaning she didn’t even have to deal with the shower curtain blowing in and slapping her leg with a jolt of cold. The showerhead was big enough that she felt more like she was standing in a rainstorm than in a bathroom.

  When she finished, she returned to the bedroom with her breath smelling of mint, her hair wet, and nothing covering her body but a towel. Ren was sitting on the edge of the bed with his pants on. Her suitcase was set beside him, open to display her clothes.

  His eyes swept over her hungrily. She could almost feel him looking through the towel, and that ignited her blood all over again. She bit her lip approached the bed.

  “Thanks,” she said, picking out a pair of leggings and a tunic. She blushed anew as she withdrew a pair of red panties.

  Awesome. My face is going to match my underwear.

  Ren reached into her suitcase, plucked up her red bra, and — dangling it from a single finger — held it out to her. “Your harness.”

  “You’re horrible,” she laughed. Snatching the bra from him, she hightailed it back into the bathroom — back to safety.

  I must really be desperate for physical contact.

  Okay, so not just physical contact, but sex. She’d only had two partners in her life — the first a one-night stand that popped her cherry when she was nineteen, and then Joshua seven years later. Sex had never been a huge part of her life. She’d gotten herself off far more times by her own efforts than with men, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want it. Didn’t crave it.

  And boy did she want it with Rendash. With an alien.

  So why not just do it? Why not get her freak on with this sexy, four-armed hunk of muscle?

  Because it’s…because…

  It’s wrong?

  She knew that wasn’t the truth. A few days ago, yeah, it certainly would’ve been, but she’d spent time with him, had come to know him. He was still other, but she’d seen human qualities in him.

  And yet, Zoey couldn’t be anything more than a curiosity to him. She didn’t want to be someone’s…curiosity fuck. She didn’t want to be used again. She deserved better, deserved more.

  She wanted more.

  It didn’t matter how much she longed for more with Rendash; he’d leave soon, and she’d never see him again. She couldn’t stand the thought of that loss as it was, so why get more involved with him and increase the hurt when that moment came?

  But if we both want it, why not take it, even if it’s only one time? Why not be selfish for a change?

  Because I want more than a one-night stand, damnit.

  She wanted stability. She wanted love. She wanted it all.

  And she needed to be stronger to obtain it.

  Mind made up, Zoey hurriedly pulled on her clothes. She would have to keep some distance between them. Set some boundaries.

  Once she was dressed, she stepped back into the bedroom. “Are you ready for those omelets I promised?”

  He straightened and offered her a smile, flashing his fangs. Zoey’s entire body reacted to it.

  Damnit. Boundaries, woman, boundaries!

  “I would ask what that is,” he said as he stood up, “but I doubt I would understand your explanation.”

  “No need for explanation. Just enjoy it.”

  Zoey ended up making Ren four omelets with powdered eggs and a little cheddar cheese that, despite the expiration date being two days earlier, appeared to be totally fine. When she joked that it was one for each arm, he laughed, and there was something endearing about his appreciation of her humor even at its corniest. More serious was his ability to throw down food; she was grateful the pantry was well-stocked.

  Ren excused himself to take a shower after he helped clean up. Zoey stared out the kitchen window for a few minutes, listening to the wind wail over the roof. The snow hadn’t slowed, and the drifts beside the house had already piled up over the base of the first-floor windows.

  They were going to be here for a while.

  She set to exploring the cabin while he finished. The place was, by far, the nicest she’d ever been in. Everything was so elegant, but it was somehow made accessible by the little, down-to-earth, rustic touches throughout. There were two bedrooms, a media room — complete with a stupid-big television and leather recliners — and a sun room on the lower floor. The garage looked large enough to house an RV, a boat, and three cars all at once.

  Upstairs, she found two more guest bedrooms. Each of the guest rooms had a different color scheme, but all were decorated tastefully and coherently. She had no doubt that some of the old objects used as décor in the rooms hadn’t been purchased at thrift stores, like the stuff in her apartment, but in antique shops. She was thoroughly impressed.

  She took a moment to breathe as she looked down over the living room from the second-floor walkway. Then she discovered the master bedroom at the end of the walkway and went from impressed to stunned.

  The woodwork on the floors, walls, and ceilings here was taken to a new level of simplistic grace, paired with intricate stonework that culminated in a large fireplace directly ahead of the massive bed. A wide bay window stretched across the far wall with a cushioned bench running its length, granting full view of fat snowflakes in their chaotic dances outside.

  A pair of leather armchairs with sculpted-wood frames were positioned in front of the fireplace. A cozy oval rug was positioned beneath them. She turned to see a dual vanity sink near the corner, with a stone countertop and gleaming, old-fashioned copper fixtures. Nearby sat a huge, jetted bathtub. It was built into its own nook, surrounded by stonework that would’ve been at home on a New England
farm, with wide steps leading up to it.

  The bathtub had its own glass-enclosed fireplace and a window looking out toward the snow-laden fir trees that surrounded the cabin. On the opposite side of the tub’s fireplace wall — and with a shared view of the fire — stood a large shower stall with stone on three sides and glass on the fourth. It looked like it had one of those state-of-the-art, multi-headed, multidirectional shower systems.

  “If I had a dream home, this would be it,” Zoey said, running her fingers over the rough stone on the wall. She stared at the bathtub. “I am so using this before we leave.”

  She turned away and moved to the dresser, pulling open the drawers one by one. There was an even split between men’s and women’s clothing inside. The walk-in closet, on the other hand, was dominated by women’s clothing and shoes. To Zoey’s surprise and excitement, the footwear and the clothing fit her.

  Stealing wasn’t right, but she hadn’t exactly had an abundance of winter clothes to bring with her from Santa Barbara, and Ren had even said this was survival. From all she’d seen in this house, she doubted the owners would have a problem replacing a pair of boots, a sweater, and a coat — if they even noticed they were missing to begin with.

  I already drank their two-hundred-dollar bottle of wine. Why not add more to the list?

  What was that old saying? In for a penny, in for a pound.

  Zoey had just stepped out of the bedroom when Rendash emerged from the staircase onto the second-floor walkway.

  “Did you finally get your exploring in?” he asked.

  “Yes! This place is a-mazing!” She looked over the railing toward the bottom floor. “I’ve never been in a place so beautiful before.”

  “I suppose the bad weather has given us something to be thankful for, after all.” That gleam had returned to his eyes, though it was subtler now; she didn’t think he was talking about the cabin.

  Zoey cleared her throat. “I know you want to get to your ship, and this is a delay, but it’ll give you time to rest and regain your strength.” Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t quite stop her gaze from roaming over his bare chest. He’d donned a towel instead of pants, but the towel couldn’t cover her clear mental image of his cock. “You, uh, should get some pants on. With it being cold and all.”