He opened his eyes and focused ahead to begin his nightly mantra.
My name is Kane Epps. I am from New York. I am the son of Margarine and William Epps. Mia and Myles are my sister and brother. Anna is my wife. I am from Earth. I am human.
Every night for the past year he had chanted this in his head. Trying to hold on to something he felt slipping away—himself.
Although he was close to everyone, only JB knew of his nightly ritual. As Kane left the bathroom, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. JB lingered, using the sharp tip of a knife to clean his nails. Kane ignored him as he worked the ties down his pants. If JB wanted to stay and watch him undress, then fine. Kane was tired.
“Sooo…about these aliens,” JB said.
“What do you expect me do with them? If we let them go they’ll probably report our position to the fuckin’ Galactic Council.” Kane stepped out of his pants and left them crumpled at his feet. The cold air bit into his bare-naked ass as he crawled into bed. “Some casualties can’t be avoided.” He rubbed his legs together as the heating blanket worked its magic.
Heat was hard to control in a vessel the size of a small city. Especially since three-fourths of the power had been cut off and diverted to the engines. So far, their vessel named The Vengeance could outrun any other vessel it came up against. This came in handy since they were currently being pursued by the Galactic Council.
Finally feeling the heat surround him, Kane started to relax. Unfortunately, JB hadn’t budged. JB was stubborn as a horse. Born and raised in Alabama, he still had many of his Southern characteristics. The Southern drawl and the easygoing temperament were just a few. JB could outwait him any day of the week.
“I think they may be important,” JB said nonchalantly, flicking the knife closed. “Ryan heard the guard call one of the females ‘Princess’.”
Hot damn.
That sparked Kane’s interest. Business had been drying up. In the beginning, it had been almost too easy to seize vessels and steal their goods. Apparently these aliens were trusting and had never encountered pirates before. Now, after a year in the same business, they were wanted men. The Galactic Council had increased their patrols, and other vessels had become much wiser.
“Why didn’t you tell me? We can ransom them back to their home planet. Where are they from?”
“Ryan didn’t catch that. We’re working on it.”
Ryan, the pilot and his second-in-command, was the only crew member with one of those fancy Universal Translators in his brain. Their former owners, the Galontaers, had implanted the translator. They had also taught Ryan how to pilot the vessel in order to help transport the metals from the mines. As for Kane and the other slaves? The Galontaers had thought they wouldn’t live long enough to justify the expense of translators. The only thing the slaves had to do was follow simple commands or get the whip.
“How many captives do we have?” Kane pulled the cover up to his neck and snuggled into the soft mattress.
“Four.”
“Hmm…only four passengers? How many are guards?”
If they did have a princess, it meant there had to be at least two or three royal guards. From past experience, royal guards were nothing but a pain in the ass.
“Just one. We had to damn near kill him. He was a hard son of a bitch to control. He took enough tranquilizers to kill a horse.” JB shook his head in disbelief. “We got him though. He’s locked down tight. We put him in one of the secured cabins. I suspect he won’t wake up for a couple days.”
Kane nodded his approval. One guard? The royals must not be too important. “Keep them all secured for now. We can decide in the morning if they’re even worth keeping.”
Or if I have to empty my blaster in them.
Kane yawned and rolled over. He closed his tired, red eyes. When the familiar swoosh of his door opening and closing didn’t happen, he cursed. “Now what is it?”
“There are three women.”
He waited for JB to continue. “And…?”
“We haven’t docked for a couple months. Everyone’s a little restless.”
True. Xenarians were famous slave traders. No one from the crew ever got off the vessel while docked on their planet. Kane wouldn’t put it past those underhanded bastards to “mistakenly” sell one of the crew in Xenaris’ open slave market.
Kane didn’t turn or open his eyes. The lack of sleep made his head heavy on the soft pillow.
“If they are willing, you can have the females. Play nice and share,” Kane said, his words muffled by the pillow. “Don’t harm them, we need them alive and able to walk when we ransom them.”
“We probably shouldn’t touch the princess until we find out how valuable she is.”
If she was traveling with just one guard, she probably wasn’t worth her weight in gold. “Whatever. I’m giving you responsibility over their safety. Keep them unharmed,” Kane said, already half-asleep.
“Yes, Captain.”
Finally, there was the familiar swoosh of the door. “You’re welcome!” he yelled. The guys were getting Christmas early this year.
Space pirates.
In all his thirty-five years, he would’ve never guessed his new profession. Ha! He’d graduated from Harvard Law School and had a secured partnership in one of the largest firms in New York City, for Christ’s sake.
What would Anna have said about his new career? What would she think of him now? Of the man he’d become? His Anna…
* * * * *
Anna’s warm body curled against his arm and torso. Her smooth legs were flung haphazardly over his. Her knee brushed lightly on his cock. Even in sleep she could cause him to have an erection. He inhaled deeply. The scent of her skin filled his nostrils—flowers and…something else. He couldn’t place it and didn’t try. Her favorite scented bath soap and lotion changed with each passing day.
“Umm,” he moaned.
While many of his friends complained about the loss of attraction they felt for their wives, his for Anna grew stronger with each passing day. He pulled her closer and began to stroke her shapely leg. She stiffened but the next second she relaxed.
“Do you have to get up early?” he asked, his voice thick and heavy. As a kindergarten teacher, she sometimes left hours before the start of school to prepare for class.
No answer. Instead, music played softly in the background. “Mmm, what is that song on the radio?” he whispered.
Anna snuggled closer. She spoke in whispers he couldn’t understand. Her words seemed muffled by the pillow. He smiled at that thought. She could keep her face in the pillow…and her ass in the air.
Music played again. Anna’s warm breath tickled his ear. His cock twitched on his abdomen. Her fingers ran lazily across his chest, playing with the tussle of hairs spread there. She stopped to pluck his nipple.
His cock throbbed in response to her touch. Groaning, he grabbed her hand and led it to his shaft. Anna moaned deep in her throat. He wrapped her delicate palm around it, encouraging her to stroke it.
“Mm,” she moaned.
His cock jerked in her grasp. She stopped.
“No, don’t stop,” he pleaded.
Anna’s hand encased him again, stroking faster. His pre-cum began to coat his slit. She stopped to run her finger across it and scoop it up. The licking coming from her lips made him want to explode on the spot.
Music played again. She fisted him, stroking up and down. She stopped only to taste the fruits of her labor. Damn, if he let her continue he would end up spilling his seed on the sheets.
Kane rolled to his stomach and pinned her beneath him. He nestled between her legs, where his bare chest rubbed against silk. He began to trail kisses along her slender neck to her breasts.
He reached under to palm her plump, round ass. Digging his fingers in her soft flesh, he squeezed, pressing his cock on her slick valley. Her sticky wetness coated him as he rubbed his hard length across her folds. The sensitive ridge of his c
ock brushed her opening with each passing.
Her hips rotated and moved in time with him. One hand cradled his head while the other grabbed his ass. He planted light kisses around the swell of her breast. Her breasts were larger than normal, voluptuous even. Pregnancy was treating her body well, plumping her up in all the right places. She held on to the back of his head and fed him her erect nipple.
Mm, aggressive.
Anna had never been the aggressor in bed. “I like this side of you,” he groaned.
Obliging, he latched on to the nipple that brushed his lips. She squirmed and moaned under him. Within moments her legs were wrapped around his waist. His lips tweaked and tugged the bud, teasing it.
He flicked his tongue over her erect tip before blowing cool air over it. She raked her fingernails through his hair, urging him on. He took care to suck, squeeze and nibble until she bucked beneath him.
She arched her hips, grinding on his hard shaft. Her slick juice was proof she was ready to receive all of him. He couldn’t resist the heat radiating from her valley any longer. He planned to bury his dick balls-deep in her tight sheath and make her scream out tonight. The neighbors could give them funny looks in the morning, he didn’t care.
He trailed a hand over her flat abdomen.
Flat abdomen?
Shaking off the fleeting alarm, he continued to her folds—hairless folds.
Since when did Anna get Brazilian waxes?
Kane shrugged it off and let his fingers slip farther to part her plump lips.
What the fuck? Where did her clit go?
* * * * *
Kane woke with a start.
“Lights on.” Staring up at him were wide-eyed, gold-speckled alien eyes.
Who the fuck is this?
She spoke softly. A lyrical tone caressed his ears with words he couldn’t understand.
The music.
“What the…” His breath caught in his throat. The words hung heavy in the air. “You’re not Anna,” he whispered.
Smack. The sting of her palm across his cheek crashed him back to reality. The alien watched him in indignant shock.
“What the fuck?” Kane grabbed the intruder’s wrists and pinned them roughly by her shoulders. There was a hint of satisfaction as she squealed. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
Her hands curled into tight little fists as she slowly squinted until she peered at him through the slits of her eyes. His raised a brow.
Defiant little bitch, huh?
Her breasts touched his chest with each heavy gasp she took. His nipples brushed against hers. His cock strained painfully against her, as if it had a mind of its own.
Releasing her, he rolled away. He needed to get off of her as quickly as possible. He had almost…
Remembering his nudity, he abruptly grabbed a fistful of blanket, covering his rudely jutting cock.
She squeaked as he yanked the blanket from her. In front of him lay a gorgeous alien. At least she appeared humanoid and wasn’t from a species that was god-awful ugly. That shouldn’t matter, he scolded himself. Alien is alien. No matter what she happened to look like.
She was wearing what appeared to be a ball gown.
Great. JB and Ryan commandeered a bunch of partygoers.
His gaze settled on golden breasts as perfect and round as snow globes. Exposed brown nipples stood erect and swollen. He inwardly groaned.
Her dress had been hiked up to her hips. Her legs were splayed wide and inviting. He had come that close to fucking it. He could even feel her slick juices still coating his dick.
Kane cursed. How long would he have to scrub his dick to get the alien juice off him? His cock should have known it was pressing against alien pussy and should have shown support for the cause by going limp. Hell, it being limp had been the reason for leaving Jess’ cabin. Now here it was full-on and rock-hard. He’d been mere minutes away from impaling her and she hadn’t tried to stop him.
This was probably the guys’ idea of a joke. A very sick joke. He would kill them for sending an alien whore to his bed.
He stalked toward the door, dragging along the blanket. If waking up and finding his dick flush against alien pussy hadn’t made him limp, the biting chill of the room definitely should have.
Nope.
He stopped in front of the communication panel encased in the wall inches from the door.
He selected the open-channel button. As long as JB was in an active part of the vessel, he would be able to hear the call over the intercom.
“JB! Bring your country ass to my cabin.” He cut his gaze to the alien in his bed. “Now.”
The communication panel clock read 2:11 a.m. That put him in more of a pissed-off mood. He should be sleeping. Not fucking around with alien whores and JB.
As he waited for JB, he retrieved his pants and pulled them on over his still erect dick, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the alien.
What had the crew promised her? A quick ransom back to her home world if she got him to fuck her? Whatever the arrangement, she definitely got the short end of the stick. He wasn’t fucking alien pussy. Not now and not ever.
The door slid opened. JB stood there, shirtless and trousers unfastened. His dark locks were dishelved. Red scratch marks ran from his chest to his abdomen. Even though he’d told JB he could have the alien females, he couldn’t stop his lip from curling up in disgust.
He thumbed toward his bed. “What is that and why is it in my bed?”
“Her? Oh, that’s the princess.”
Kane tilted his head and waved an impatient arm. “Okay…and why is it in my bed?”
JB nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “Umm, okay. Don’t have a hissy fit but I thought the princess should stay in here with you.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?”
JB threw up his hands in defense. “Don’t worry, I checked her for weapons, she’s clean. The guys were getting really worked up waiting for their turns with the other two. I told her to sleep on the floor.”
JB nodded to the makeshift pallet on the floor. “Maybe she got too cold. Damn, it’s an icebox in here.” JB wrapped his arms around himself and rubbed.
“I don’t give a damn what you thought.”
“We found some expensive-ass-looking jewels in her trunks. We have to keep her. She’s got to be valuable.”
Kane shook his head. “She can’t stay here. Lock her in one of the unused cabins.”
“You mean one of the cabins everyone has access to? Think about it for a minute. If she’s rich—and judging from the size of her jewelry, she’s loaded—we need her. You keep saying how we need one really big score to go somewhere remote and live normal lives. This can be it, Kane. I have a good feeling about this.”
He raked an irritated gaze to the creature in his bed. If he put her in one of the other cabins, the men might pursue her. All four of them. If she was as valuable as JB thought, it might be worth his while to keep her out of harm’s way.
“Do you want me to make her get on the floor?” JB asked. “I can tie her to the bed or something if that’ll make you feel safe.” He held back a chuckle.
The day he was scared of a princess was the day he might as well turn himself back in to the Galontaers and get out of this business altogether.
“If she wants to stay alive, I’m sure I won’t have any trouble out of her.”
“Good, because I have business to finish.”
Kane noticed he wasn’t the only one dealing with a massive hard-on. JB shifted from foot to foot, adjusting and readjusting his crotch.
“We’ll talk about her sleeping arrangements in the morning,” Kane said, dismissing his friend before JB burst right in front of him. “The other two are all right?” he asked as JB turned to leave.
“Oh yeah, they’re a handful.” JB grinned and pointed to the scratches.
Whatever, Kane thought. Nodding curtly, he dismissed JB again.
Kane turned back to the female as hi
s door closed. At some point during the conversation, she had put her arms stiffly to her sides. Her gaze was still locked on the ceiling. He had no doubt shocked her real good. But she could have stopped him.
Right now he needed to find some release for his purple member. Going back to Jess’ cabin was out of the question, especially since she had told him she was through with him. Actually she had screamed it, right after she had begged him to spend the night and he chose to leave. The screaming had been followed by flying boots aimed directly at his head.
What would have been the reason for staying with Jess? He hadn’t been able to keep it up anyway. A problem he had been plagued with since Anna’s death. The guilt of losing his wife always surfaced during sex, causing him to go limp within minutes of beginning.
The only way he could ever finish was with his hand. Hell, he was surprised Jess had put up with him and his performance issues for as long as she had. But truth was, their relationship had run its course.
Kane let out a huff and walked into the bathroom and closed the door. He had business to take care of. He grasped his cock and closed his eyes, pumping hard and fast. He wasn’t going for anything but relief. His swollen cock erupted after less than three minutes.
Satisfied, he left the bathroom, bypassed his nice big comfortable bed and lay on the makeshift pallet JB had made for her. He planned to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Wrong again. The eerily quiet room kept him awake.
Is that thing in my bed going to strangle me while I sleep?
He was going to fuck JB up in the morning. As tired as he was, he now had to keep one eye open because of it.
She shifted and settled in his comfortable bed while he lay on the flimsy pallet and flat pillow. The meager cover did nothing to warm him against the biting chill. After ten minutes, he heard her rhythmic breathing. He listened for a few minutes more before deciding she had finally fallen asleep.
Chapter Three
Rising early as always, Kane dressed and sat on the uncomfortable metal chair he had pulled from his dinette table to watch the princess sleep. She had curled into a tight ball, undoubtedly to avoid any more late-night touchy-feely on his part. The thought made him snort. That wouldn’t have stopped him. That’s if he wanted her, which he didn’t.
Dangerously Yours: 2 (Loving Dangerously) Page 3
