Hearing a knock on the door, she stiffened. That had to be Quinn. Her fingers shook as she moved across the suite to answer it. When she pulled the door open, she stiffened. It was Quinn and he looked absolutely gorgeous. Her heart did little fluttering somersaults in her chest, making her instantly lightheaded. His light brown hair flowed down over his shoulders, framing his face to perfection. His bright blue eyes bore playfully into her and she realized he just couldn’t seem to help himself. He always looked like he was up to something mischievous.
Tori began to open her mouth, but he held up a finger to silence her. Slowly, he let his eyes roam over her body, scorching her with the fire of his perusal. She couldn’t help but do the same to him. He wore the traditional clothes of his people, crossed laced shirts and pants that exposed the sides and hips. Leather boots molded over his calves. Damned, but he was too sexy for his own good and, by the smirk on his face, he knew it.
She waited breathlessly for him to say something romantic. His eyes moved back up her, as potent as a caress. His mouth opened to speak. A slow smile tried to creep onto her features.
“That dress looks hot on you,” Quinn stated, grinning. “But it’d look better off of you and crumpled on the bedroom floor.”
Her smile fell. Quinn boldly laughed as he stepped in. Waving his hand behind him, he motioned a group of guards forward. Their arms were laden with gifts, which they promptly set around the suite. Tori stood before him speechless.
“I looked up your earth dating customs, since you’re insistent you want me to bring you on a date before you let me into your bed.” When her mouth opened to deny him, he rushed on. She wasn’t sure what she’d say with the guards there anyway. “No, don’t worry. I have no problem playing it your way. There was quite a bit of information, but I managed to secure all the necessary items.”
Tori made a weak, baffled sound as she tried to shake her head. The guards left just as quickly as they entered. Quinn shut the door behind them. When he turned back to her, he winked.
Tori watched, speechless, as the prince crossed over to a giant block of chocolate sitting on a large silver platter. The hunk was twice the size of his head and had taken two guards to carry. “Lithorian chocolate, the best in the galaxy.”
“Quinn--”
“Wait, I’m not done.” He motioned to a strange bird that looked like a stuffed earth turkey, only with razor sharp teeth and claws. The hideous thing was mounted on a wooden plank. “We didn’t have a stuffed bear. And, since I’m not even sure what sort of beast a teddy bear is or where one would find it, I brought you a stuffed baldric instead. It will have to suffice.”
“Quinn, I--”
“Wait, there’s more.” He gave her an exasperated sigh at her interruption and motioned at about five vases overflowing with a pale white flower with blue centers and brown stems. “These are solarflowers, native but rare to this planet. Again, didn’t have roses, so these will have to be sufficient.”
Tori didn’t even bother to speak this time when he paused. She kept her mouth closed, watching him, completely baffled.
“According to your royal king and queen tradition of...” Quinn stopped, thought a minute, and said, “...high school prom. You’re supposed to wear a gown and I’m supposed to give you a shower.”
“A shower?” Tori asked, confused. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Yes, a corsage, which when I looked it up, meant spray. When I looked up spray it meant shower. You already have the gown. So, if you come with me, I will happily put a shower on you.” Quinn stepped toward her. An excited gleam entered his eyes as he tried to reach for her.
Tori shook her head and backed up. “Uh, I already had a bath, thank you. And I believe the word corsage is also just a flower you pin onto your chest or wrist.”
“Earth men pin flowers into their women? Doesn’t it hurt?” He looked horrified. “Do you find there is a problem with blood loss due to artery--?”
“No, to the clothes,” Tori quickly amended. Weakly, she said, “They pin the flowers to the clothes.”
“Ah,” Quinn sighed. “That makes more sense. You earth women have a thing for flowers then. I always thought they were more like weeds, but the harem women seem fond enough of them too. Very well, I will have more vases delivered before we get back tonight and I will pin them all over your dress.”
“What’s the pitcher for?” Tori asked, almost afraid of the answer as she changed the subject. Stuffed turkeys, a mountain of chocolate, showers--she didn’t know how many more earth customs she could take.
“It is wine. We don’t bottle our liquor and I thought this was better than a barrel. Though, if you wish for the barrel, I can have one brought to you--”
“No, no, the pitcher is perfect.” Tori forced a polite smile, though what she really wanted to do was laugh. When she thought about it, though all wrong, it really was sweet of him to make the effort--even if he was doing it just to get into her panties.
“Great!” Quinn grinned. “So, let’s go to this coronation and then we can come back here and have sex.”
“Wait, just because you do all this, doesn’t mean we’re going to have sex,” Tori stated, her cheeks flushed. Did this man never give up?
“Yes, I was afraid of that.” Quinn nodded and then winked. “But, you can’t blame a man for trying. Every time I’m around you, I smell your longing and it clouds my judgment. I know it will be soon. I can wait for you to know it as well.”
“Oh, um,” Tori sighed and gave him a helpless smile. “It’s not poetry, but it’s ... not even close to poetry actually.”
The playful look he shot her was utterly stunning in its simplicity. Holding out his arm, he asked, “Shall we go, my lady?”
* * * *
The banquet hall was filled with the Var people who’d come to see their new queen. Tori was a little unsettled to be at the head table next to Quinn and the royal family, where all the attention was being directed. She saw many speculative glances cast her way and she couldn’t help but wonder what they were thinking.
Several times during the long meal, Quinn’s fingers would stray to her thigh and twice he got so bold as to dip his hand behind her back and into the cross laces of her gown. His warm fingers on her flesh nearly wrenched a scream from her lips, as a shockwave of pleasure assaulted her. When she didn’t hit him right away, a grin spread over his features and Tori was forced to wiggle away from his touch.
“So,” Tori began, looking at Quinn as the plates were taken away. Traditional Var music played in the background. It was beautiful, but she missed her oldie earth tunes. She was on the end of the head table, away from Quinn’s brothers so she had no one else to talk to. “Tell me more about the houses of Var and Draig.”
“The Draig have been the enemy of the Var since before I was born. My father believed that we were too different to coexist in peace.” Quinn shrugged and leaned back in his chair to study her. “But now Kirill is working for peace.”
“You don’t want peace?” Tori asked.
“I want what is best for the Var people.”
When he spoke of his duty and his people, she saw a rare seriousness in his eyes that wasn’t there at other times. Quinn may be playful, but he was also very dedicated to his job and his position in Var society. His love for his culture and his race ran deep.
During dinner, Quinn spoke of his people and their great history--a history the princes had lived through. The Var lived a long time and sometimes passed that long life on to their life mates--aided by the same mystical power that guided them and the radiation from the blue sun.
He told her much about the former King Attor’s rule. From what she already knew about him bringing the biological weapons to his own planet, Tori was kind of glad he was dead. She would hate to have met him. It was an opinion she wisely kept to herself.
Long ago, several hundred years before the princes’ birth, before Attor became king, things had been different for the Var people. It wa
s a wild time, a time when the Var let emotions rule their heads and their hearts. They acted rashly and on pure instinct. Looking at the charming Quinn and his never-ending barrage of come-on lines, she doubted very much that things had changed as much as he’d have her believe.
For reasons completely unknown to his son, Attor changed the ways of the Var. He was a good king, one who worked hard for his people. He encouraged emotional detachment so that if one halfmate died, there could be others to take her place. It was Attor who encouraged men to have control, to drink nef--a drink that somehow calmed them sexually and gave them restraint. When she swallowed nervously at that, Quinn grinned and said, “Don’t worry. I never really liked the stuff and don’t drink it.”
Tori blushed profusely and quickly took a drink of her wine to hide her red face. Quinn chuckled in response and ran a hand lightly over her spine. She nearly fell off the chair with the jolt of pleasure it gave her.
King Attor had urged the Var men to prove their worth and dependability with emotionless detachment. He taught by example that to prove great prowess in the bedroom showed prowess in the field of battle, until strength in one meant strength in the other. Many of the elders followed the old king’s example and took many halfmates, though none so many as the king. Life mates were a privilege of the lower classes--tradesmen, farmers, even hunters and lower ranked soldiers, all men who could ill afford to keep many mates on a planet so barren of women to begin with.
That is why the fact that King Kirill took a queen as a life mate was such a big deal. Many of the elders, especially the one called Lord Myrddin, wouldn’t look favorably upon the decision. However, many of the Var people would. The rumors of Queen Ulyssa’s sacrifice for them in looking for the biological weapon had been widely spread. By the glint in his eye, it was easy for Tori to see Quinn had a hand in spreading those rumors.
King Attor’s father, Quinn’s grandfather, had suffered the folly of mating with one woman. She died when Attor was born and his father never recovered enough to breed more women for sons. Although he took women to his bed, he left Attor without any brothers to help lead the Var nation. So, when Attor took over the throne, he became reliant on a few noble houses--like Lord Myrddin’s. Even when Attor had his sons, he relied heavily upon the old house nobles. With Kirill as the new king, the old house nobles were no longer needed, for Kirill had his brothers. Lord Myrddin wasn’t happy to be out of power. It was a new era for the Var.
Lord Myrddin was the technical owner of the land she’d be camping on. Since the king decreed she would go, Quinn assured her she shouldn’t have a problem with the old Var lord. Tori wasn’t so confident. Angry, desperate men in power made her nervous and she didn’t want to be caught in some kind of political crossfire.
“You should allow me to take this cream back with us to your suite. I would love to lick it from your body.”
Tori blinked in surprise. She’d been lost in thought and nearly choked on her drink at his words. For awhile, besides the wandering hands, Quinn had been acting like a perfect gentleman--opening doors, pulling out her chair, leading her about on his arm, politely introducing her to those who came to the table to greet the new queen. He’d even referred to her as a guest of the greatest honor. Glancing down at the table, she saw the servants had left a cream covered dessert before them.
The idea of Quinn licking it off her naked breasts was almost too much. She pushed the dessert away and focused on not being aroused. She didn’t want him “smelling” her reaction to his comments. It was almost unfair that he could sense when she became turned on by him. Before she could answer, a woman’s voice broke into her concentration.
“Someone pulled all the solarflowers from the side lawn near the harem.” Taura said, with a very dignified nod of her head. She was a tall, stately woman with long willowy limbs--very characteristic of her Roane heritage. Her gown of gold shimmered as she moved. Her long, golden brown hair fell in shiny waves down her back, the color mimicked by the hazel-gold of her almond shaped eyes. She was a beautiful woman and Tori could instantly see why Attor had chosen her as his first halfmate.
Taura was also Prince Falke’s birth mother. Tori didn’t see how such a slender woman could give birth to a giant like the commander prince. According to the introduction she’d been given to the woman, she’d been a mother to all the princes--especially when their own birth mothers had died. At her words, Quinn paled slightly and looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Tori realized that the flowers were in her room were stolen from Taura’s flower garden. He had said they were rare.
“Ah, Dr. Elliott,” the king stated. He leaned forward to block Quinn from Taura’s view, as he saved his little brother from getting caught. He gave Quinn a knowing look, which Taura on his other side couldn’t see. “Have you got all your provisions?”
Tori looked across the banquet table to the king and nodded. “Yes, thank you. The HIA has left us well taken care of.”
Tori saw Queen Ulyssa smile slightly at her words. She really was beautiful with her red-blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Whenever the woman looked up at her husband, it was with utter love and devotion. Tori turned back to her meal, wondering at the sudden jealousy and longing that assaulted her senses when she saw the happy couple. She glanced at Quinn, feeling him all the way down to her toes. Her body wanted him that was for sure. But she knew it simply wasn’t wise to get involved with him. He was a prince, her key to staying on the planet, and Tori knew better than to mix business and pleasure--no matter how cute the pleasure was.
On the other hand, it wasn’t like either of them were attached or in danger of becoming attached. Tori shook her head, refusing to consider it. What was she thinking? He was royalty! You just didn’t have a casual affair with royalty on a whim and she certainly wasn’t going to justify sleeping with Quinn just because she was hot for him. No, once she got away from him and the palace, she’d be able to put it all into perspective. Until she could consider all sides and make a logical, rational decision, nothing was going to happen between her and the handsome Var prince.
* * * *
Quinn walked the lovely scientist through the long, mazelike halls of the palace as they made their way back to the guest suite. When he first saw her in the gown he gave her, it took his breath away. It pleased him that she wore it. He’d been scared her stubborn nature would’ve refused the gift.
There was something about Dr. Elliot that captured him. Her smell, her look, her voice--it all drove him to distraction. He wanted her desperately, but was willing to wait for her. He just prayed to all his gods that she didn’t make him wait too long. Quinn was a patient, easygoing man, but even he had his limits.
Dr. Elliot did something to him, something he’d never felt before. When he touched her, he felt all hot and cold at the same time. His body stirred to her, like it had never stirred to anyone. When her gaze lingered too long on one of the guards, he grew jealous and ready to fight to win her attention back--like by dipping his hands beneath her dress to make her shiver.
Sacred Cats! She had skin like silk, warm smooth silk. Quinn suppressed a groan, feeling her on his hands even now.
It was true Dr. Elliot had burrowed beneath his skin. Maybe it was because she obviously wanted him, yet sought to deny them both. Or, maybe it was the way her hips moved beneath the glimmering black gown. Quinn’s eyes became heavy and his breathing deepened. He slowed his step, as they rounded a corner, just so he could check out her firm butt again. Biting his lip to keep from moaning, he briefly closed his eyes and shook his head. Yep, it could definitely be the way her hips moved beneath the gown. It took all his willpower not to grab her up against the wall. If he never drank nef before, he might just have to start drinking it now. The degree to which he was aroused, he really needed to be sedated to keep it under control.
Without thought, the prince reached over, grabbed a cheek firmly in his palm, and squeezed. Tori yelped and looked over her shoulder at him. Quinn shot he
r an audacious grin, refusing to look at all apologetic. Why should he apologize for wanting her? It wasn’t as if his attention was insulting. He kept his hand on her until she quickened her step and pulled away.
Tori watched Quinn from the corner of her eyes, waiting for him to make another move and secretly hoping he would. She had to admit, the man’s boldness and persistence excited her as a woman. There was nothing sexier than confidence. But, as a professional, which she was most of the time, she knew it was bad for business. She stayed firm, giving him a properly chastising frown for the wandering hands before stepping out of his way.
“Dr. Grant seemed taken with Linzi,” Quinn said, breaking the silence.
Tori glanced back at him in surprise. They’d walked in virtual silence and it seemed an odd topic to break it with. Quinn took the opportunity to catch back up to her side.
“Are you jealous?” Tori asked, doing her best to act nonchalant. She was teasing, though her heart did skip a little while waiting for the answer.
“Why would I be? She’s not my woman,” Quinn answered. He shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“But, you were in the hall....”
“Nothing happened. We were just fooling around,” Quinn filled in when she hesitated.
“You say that as if it was no big deal.”
“It’s not. She is a woman, I’m a man. We have needs. We fulfill them. It really is a simple concept. Neither of us was attached, least of all to each other. Besides, Linzi and I were never together.” Quinn reached over and picked up Tori’s arm. He winked at her. “I’ve turned my sights to something better.”
Tori blushed prettily. Okay, it was a strange compliment, but it still gave her a rush of pleasure to hear that she was “something better.”
“I’m sure sex to you, Dr. Elliot, is a well calculated, academically fulfilling pursuit.” Quinn smiled, showing he was partly teasing. “Tell me, do you make lists of why and why not you should choose someone as a lover?”
The Playful Prince Page 5
