by Kelly Goode
‘Oh my god,’ she gasped.
‘You haven’t seen anything yet,’ he replied, as he eased her knickers down her legs and threw them on the floor. She felt his cock, hot and hard against the back of her thigh, as he positioned himself against her.
‘I thought I was dreaming.’
Blake slid inside her, filling and stretching her, and she groaned.
‘Does that feel real?’
‘Yes, oh yes, Blake. Oh god, yes.’
He rocked his hips back and forth in a greedy tempo that pushed them both towards their peak. She reached behind her to dig her nails into the muscular flesh of his arse. She needed him deeper and faster. Blake tightened his grip on her hips and she pushed back to meet each and every thrust. The small room soon filled with the scent of sex, sweat, and heavy breathing.
When Blake slid his fingers across her clit in the same rhythm as he bucked his hips, Carson fell apart. Her second climax caused a warm tingle to travel from her toes directly to her core and she cried out his name. Blake growled and bit down on her shoulder when he plunged one final time deep inside her and reached his own release.
They lay together for a few minutes, catching their breath and enjoying the warmth from their naked bodies, before Blake pulled out and headed for the bathroom. Carson followed shortly after and he beckoned her under the hot sprays of the shower.
‘Come in with me. I’ll wash you down.’
‘We won’t both fit.’
Blake tried manoeuvring his giant frame to make space in the shower cubicle and Carson laughed when he hit his shoulders against both sides of the panel.
‘Told you,’ she said.
‘Damn.’
‘It’s probably for the best. Less temptation if we shower separately.’
‘You’re right.’
They took turns under the shower and Carson tried to ignore the heat that flared in her stomach every time they brushed up against each other.
Blake kissed her bare neck. ‘Sorry I bit you earlier. You might end up with a bruise.’
‘That’s ok; I like it when you go animalistic on me.’
‘Be careful what you wish for. I shouldn’t have lost control like that. It’s lucky I didn’t break the skin.’
‘Honestly, it’s fine.’
Carson tried to tame her short hair into something that didn’t resemble a mad scientist, but the grenades had charred the ends into disorderly spikes a few days ago.
‘At least the singed bits aren’t as noticeable,’ Blake said, trying to hide his grin, but failing.
‘Lots of things have changed this week. You, however, are still as annoying as ever.’
‘How can you say that when I just gave you the best sex of your life?’
‘How do you know it was the best sex?’
He leaned in and captured her lips with his. ‘I know, Carson. Just like I knew from the minute I laid eyes on you that we were meant to be together.’
Carson watched him scoop up his discarded clothes and put them on. Whilst she was sorry to see all that bare flesh and muscle disappear beneath his jeans and T-shirt, she followed suit and quickly dried and dressed in black leggings and long sleeve shirt.
‘Not that I’m complaining about your early morning wake-up methods,’ she said, when they were ready to leave, ‘but how did you get inside the medical bay?’
‘I used the door.’
‘But I set the lock.’
‘So?’
‘So how did you get inside?’
Blake shifted from foot to foot, as he made a show of fastening his wet hair away from his face. Stalling was the word that sprung to Carson’s mind and her eyes narrowed as she studied him. Gone was his relaxed posture and easy-going smile.
‘Does it matter?’ he finally said.
‘Yes. Tell me how you got inside this room.’
She stared into his green eyes, knowing she wasn’t going to like his answer but needing to hear it all the same.
‘I used the key code.’
‘Your key code?’
‘You already know my code won’t grant access.’
She felt her earlier contentment turn to unease.
‘Did you use my code, Blake?’
He hesitated for a split-second, and then said, ‘yes.’
‘How did you know what it was?’
Blake shrugged his wide shoulders and tried to mask any discomfort with an overly-wide smile.
‘Come on, Carson. It wasn’t hard to guess. It’s your door number and then your shoe size.’
She placed her hands on her hips to stop from physically lashing out at him. She cursed her predictability and his nerve to act as if it was no big deal.
‘Have you used my key code before?’
Blake’s green eyes widened, even as his jaw clenched. ‘What exactly are you accusing me of?’
‘It was my key code that was used to access the building around the time of Ted’s murder.’
Blake advanced towards her. Her instinct was to take a step back, but she straightened her spine and stood her ground.
‘Be careful what you say next,’ he said. ‘Once you say it, you can’t take it back.’
His eyes told her everything she needed to know. He’d used her key code and he’d been in the building when Ted died.
Why?
Only that wasn’t the question that left her lips.
‘Did you kill him?’ she whispered.
She’d said it to hurt him. To hurt him in the same way that he’d hurt her with his deception and Blake reeled backwards and slammed his fist into the wall. His eyes almost looked golden when he turned to face her again. Carson didn’t flinch. She’d faced scouters, desquamaters and more. She wasn’t scared of Blake. Only that was a lie. She was scared of him - scared that she’d allowed him into her heart and now he was going to break it.
‘I didn’t kill Ted.’
‘You didn’t protect him.’
‘He was asleep when I arrived. Asleep not dead.’
‘Why did you use my code and not your own?’
‘I didn’t want anyone to know I was there.’
‘Because you broke into Chief Melman’s office and thought the best way to cover that would be to frame me or blame a system glitch.’
‘It’s not as simple as that.’
‘It sounds simple to me. You’re hiding something. Several somethings in fact. From the team. From the chief. From me.’
Blake reached for her, but she side-stepped him.
‘I saw that creature in the chief’s office,’ she yelled. ‘That half-formed alien hybrid. I defended you. I said you couldn’t have killed it. You used me.’
‘Carson, I love you.’
‘Really? You have a funny way of showing it.’
There was a firm knock on the door and Carson and Blake fell silent.
‘Carson, are you awake? It’s Tom. Is everything ok?’
She inhaled sharply. ‘I’m fine.’
‘I need you to join me in the boardroom.’
‘No problem. Give me five minutes.’
Carson waited for Tom’s footsteps to fade before she spoke again.
‘You need to tell me what the hell is really going on, Blake. Before you lose the opportunity for me to listen.’
18
‘Wake up.’
Helen stirred and rubbed the grittiness of sleep from her eyes. Her mouth was dry and her head felt too heavy for her neck. She’d only meant to close her eyes for a few minutes, but as the engine was now switched off, it appeared she’d slept for the entire journey.
‘Is this your place?’
Victor nodded and she pulled herself upright in the leather seat and looked out of the window, seeing only concrete walls and fluorescent lighting.
‘Where are we?’ she asked.
‘London Docklands.’
That was only about ten miles or so away from the ISCU base in Romford. If the team discovered her location, they could have her out o
f there in half an hour. The only problem was she didn’t know if she wanted to be rescued yet. She’d had her chance to leave and chose to stay with an alien instead.
‘My apartment is on the top floor,’ Viktor said. ‘I’ll fix you something to eat and then you can rest properly.’
‘Oh right, thanks. I’m sorry I crashed out earlier. I didn’t realise I was so tired.’
‘That’s ok; it gave me time to think.’
At the seriousness of his tone, she felt a prickle of panic crawl up her arms like a spider.
‘About me?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘I shouldn’t have told you I wanted you to stay.’
She reached out and took his hand. He interlocked his fingers with hers and squeezed gently. His skin didn’t feel different; no alien scales or weird markings. She’d seen him naked and he certainly looked like a human man, but she had to keep reminding herself that he wasn’t.
‘But you did say it,’ she whispered.
‘I did. You made quite the impression on me from the start. No one in our colony has such striking red hair as you.’
‘But you still tied me up and shoved me in the boot of the car.’
Viktor’s blue eyes reflected his remorse.
‘You bit my lip.’
‘You kissed me.’
‘You liked it.’
As if to prove it, he leaned forward and kissed her, slow and gentle at first, but then harder and insistent. Her hands twisted in his hair, as he unfastened her seatbelt and lifted her from her seat so she was straddling his lap. The steering wheel pressed into her lower back, forcing her closer against his chest. In the confines of the car, his erection rubbed between her open legs, causing an eruption of heat and moisture.
‘It’s times like this I’m sure I imagined you changing into some wolf-beast,’ she said, as she pulled away to catch her breath. ‘Why couldn’t we have met in a bar like normal people?’
‘Because I’m not a normal person,’ he replied. ‘I shouldn’t be thinking about you like this. I have a duty to protect my colony.’
‘That sounds like a lonely existence.’
‘I was the only prince on Jakttera. I have known loneliness my entire life.’
Helen’s heart broke for him.
‘Will you tell me about your planet?’ she asked, as she pressed a light kiss against his jaw. ‘How did you get to Earth? What are your plans for the future?’
‘I’ll do better than tell you, I’ll show you. But first, we eat.’
19
Helen was silent during the ride from the lobby to the penthouse, but Viktor could tell she was impressed with the added luxuries his apartment building offered. The lift doors opened and he gestured for her to exit before him. Her head moved left and right as she took in her surroundings. It was a lavish space with a spiral staircase that led to the bedrooms and underfloor heating in the lounge area, but Viktor didn’t spend much time here. He didn’t like city life and preferred the solitude of the Essex countryside. London was noisy and full of humans.
‘Can I look outside?’ Helen asked.
‘Of course.’
Viktor unlocked the sliding doors and pulled them open for her. She smiled her thanks and stepped out onto the terrace. She walked right to the edge and gripped the handrail, obviously not afraid of being over four hundred feet from the ground.
‘This view is amazing,’ she called over her shoulder. ‘Don’t you think?’
Viktor joined her, careful to avoid being whipped by her long red hair as it lashed wildly around her face in the breeze.
‘I’ve never really thought about it.’
‘This is a prime piece of retail, Viktor. I hate to think of how much it cost.’
‘A few million.’
Her mouth dropped open slightly, and he enjoyed watching the wondrous expression on her face as she took in the views of Canary Wharf, the River Thames and even The Shard. After a few minutes, she shivered and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder to protect her from the cold.
‘Let’s go back inside,’ Viktor said. ‘You must be hungry.’
‘I am.’
He took her hand and led her into the kitchen, which housed every modern appliance needed to create the perfect meal, but Viktor had never used any of them. He paid a small, discreet team of staff to clean the apartment and keep it stocked with essentials. He opened the fridge and took out several plates that his trusted housekeeper had prepared in advance. He removed the film and placed them on the marble island, which was the centre piece of the room.
‘That looks great,’ Helen said, as she sat at one of the stools and eyed the plates of cold meats, cheeses, and bread. ‘I’m starving.’
‘Me too,’ he replied, although his hunger for her, far out-weighed his need to eat. He couldn’t comprehend the intensity with which he wanted her. This wasn’t normal behaviour for a jaktten. Most males were hunters – loners. They mated to produce off-spring, but even that didn’t happen easily. Female jaktten were only fertile at certain times of the year, and since crashing on Earth only a handful of babies had been born. Yet he had a sudden desire to see redheaded younglings running around his colony.
Viktor opened a bottle and poured two glasses of Chablis. If he wasn’t trying so hard to impress her then he would have chosen tequila for himself.
‘Thank you,’ she said, as she accepted the glass. ‘Yesterday you tied me to a chair, now you’re offering me expensive wine. What a difference twenty four hours makes.’
‘You’re no longer my captive, Helen. You can leave at any time.’
She smiled as she snagged a piece of cheese from the plate and popped it into her mouth.
‘And leave all this luxury when I’ve only just arrived - not a chance.’
He laughed and helped himself to some food. They ate in companionable silence, where the only sounds were the scraping of cutlery against porcelain. Viktor enjoyed watching her eat. He enjoyed everything about her.
He was in trouble.
‘Stop looking at me like that,’ she said, putting her knife and fork down and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
‘Like what?’
‘Like that.’
Viktor sipped his wine and continued to stare. He couldn’t understand why he’d thought human woman were ugly. Helen was beautiful, even more so now the wine had brought a rosy glow to her cheeks. He knew the longer he spent with her, the harder it would be to say goodbye, but he would say goodbye. His infatuation would fade and life would go back to normal. As a prince, he set the example for the colony, and that meant avoiding humans.
His mind drifted back to the attack at his country house. Brandon and Jared hadn’t deserved to die like that. They’d been loyal servants. Firstly, he needed to find Erik and make sure he was ok. Then together they would reform the council and deal with the desquamater threat once and for all.
‘And stop looking at me like that too,’ Helen said, interrupting his dark thoughts.
‘Like what?’ he repeated.
‘Like you want to break something.’
‘I do.’
‘Not me.’
He shook his head. ‘No, not you, Helen. You’re the one good thing that has come out of this mess.’
20
‘I need to shower,’ Viktor said, abruptly changing the subject as he picked up the empty plates and placed them near the sink. ‘Make yourself at home.’
Helen nodded. Up until that moment, she’d forgotten about the blood stains on his shirt and the horrendous alien attack. She’d just been a woman, enjoying a man’s company.
‘Unless you would like to shower too?’
His question caught her off-guard and she faltered.
‘With you?’
His smile was slow and full of promise, and she felt the heat of her embarrassment mingle with the heat from the wine.
‘I have three other bathrooms,’ he finally said. ‘We don’t need to share.’
&nbs
p; ‘Oh right. In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to clean up and change my clothes.’
‘Come on. I’m sure I can find you something to wear.’
He took her hand again and led her towards the spiral staircase. His penthouse was tastefully decorated in shades of cream and blue, but she doubted he’d had much input in the design. The furniture was minimal but no less lavish than his other residence. She noted the plush rugs, marble fireplaces, and large media unit, which alone probably cost more than the contents of her entire apartment.
‘You like nice things. Expensive things, I mean.’
Viktor watched her in his usual unsettling manner, as if he was constantly analysing her every expression and emotion.
‘I don’t care about money,’ he said.
‘Rich people say that because they have it.’
‘And you don’t?’
She laughed, trying not to let the bitterness creep in. ‘I worked my arse off to pay for medical school and even when I graduated, I was left with debts, so no I’m not rich, not in the slightest.’
She followed him up the stairs and into a large bedroom. The complete back wall was floor to ceiling windows, giving uninhibited and stunning views of London’s skyline.
‘Wow.’
Viktor rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a T-shirt.
‘This will probably be long enough to wear as a dress,’ he said. ‘Bathroom is through that door. I’ll shower in the guest suite.’
‘Is this your bedroom?’
She took in the larger than average sized bed and resisted the urge to jump up and down on the mattress like a child.
‘Yes.’
‘In that case, I’ll use the guest suite.’
Viktor shrugged his shoulders.
‘Whichever you prefer, it doesn’t matter to me.’
He showed her to the room next door, which was smaller and decorated in muted shades of cream and brown.
‘I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re ready.’
‘Ok.’
He hesitated in the doorway, as if testing whether she would ask him to stay. She clamped her lips tightly together before the temptation proved too much. The attraction she felt for him was unnerving and she needed to remember that yesterday she hadn’t even known about aliens, let alone kissed one.
