by Mel Teshco
She sighed, luxuriating in the afterglow created by his amazing lovemaking. God, sex was so much better than anything she’d imagined. Not even the most explicit book had given any real indication of how good the experience could be.
Her breath caught in her throat. What if their union had created more than a brief interlude in ecstasy? Dear lord, what if she was pregnant?
Reality sank its barbed claws into her consciousness.
Her child…children, would never get to meet her mum or dad, nor her sister if Eden was able to sabotage the tower’s airwave transmitter.
Her belly twisted sickly. Never mind the fact she’d do anything in her power to destroy the aliens device to find their intended Earth women…she’d never see any of her family again.
She could only hope and pray that Bonnie had returned home with the gold chain and pendant around her neck, giving her family a good indication of what had happened to her and where she’d gone.
Bloody hell. She’d been gone for just a day and already homesickness beckoned. She tensed. No. Far longer than one day. Three weeks, while she’d been induced into a coma-like state.
Genesis’ powerful arms flexed around her, a stark reminder of where she was and who she was with. His breath tickled her ear, sending tingles down her spine as he murmured, “I wondered how long it’d be before you woke.”
Her eyelids flickered for a moment as she adjusted to the glaring brightness. The suns seemed harsher than ever outside, lighting up the bedroom of his home—donya—better than any Australian summer, though inside it was pleasantly cool.
She lay still and taut in his arms. “I’ve been sleeping a while?” she asked.
“Eleven Earth hours,” he said with a hint of laughter in his voice. “Not bad considering I cleaned off your virginal blood and you didn’t stir once. And that’s not to mention you’ve not long woken from being asleep for close to three Earth weeks.”
He’d cleaned her? Somehow she felt no embarrassment. That he’d cared enough had her inwardly smile. As for her deep sleep, she’d always been that way. And there was no question her first sexual encounter had worn her out. She cleared her throat. “What about you? Did you sleep too?”
“Not for nearly as long.” One of his hands hooked a strand of her hair behind an ear, one of the many strands that’d worked their way loose from her topknot. She really needed a shampoo and a brush. His voice deepened into a husky timbre. “I found myself wide awake, enjoying the scenery.”
Self-consciousness caused her face to flame, undoubtedly as bright as her damn hair! Though on Earth it hadn’t mattered that she’d never matched up to Aline in the beauty stakes, right then, in what was rightfully her sister’s intended arms, it suddenly mattered a hell of a lot.
Guilt returned all the harder knowing she’d deprived Genesis of a mate so much better suited than she. She swallowed. Hard. “Well I hope you weren’t disappointed.”
His disbelieving chuckle stroked her senses and caused her to fire up as if she was freshly lit tinder. But all anger and guilt dissolved the moment he clasped her nearest hand and guided it to his too-hard cock.
“Does it feel as though I’m disappointed, Sheehar?”
Her breath snagged. Stark need instead fought for dominance. “No,” she said raggedly.
Definitely not disappointed.
Relief crashed around her even as she bit back a sudden sob that threatened to give away her true feelings. But it was a sob built from joy and hope and a whole lot of other emotions she didn’t want to examine too closely, especially when Genesis’ lips trailed down the back of her neck, his fingertips gliding beneath her breasts.
“It’s too soon, isn’t it?” she asked unsteadily, wishing just this once she was experienced and wise in the art of seduction. Especially with his cock still held loosely in her hand, his shaft satin warmth over steel hardness. She cleared her throat and clarified, “To do it again, I mean.”
“Not unless you’d prefer to wait.” His gentle tone was laced with a passion that was unmistakable, but it was gratifying to know she was in charge.
She shook her head. “No. No waiting.”
His hand skimming past her belly, her breath expelled in a rush as he headed to her pussy lips and sank a finger deep into her moist cunt. Dear lord, definitely no waiting! Her body all too easily accepted his entry and only wanted more as he pushed in and out in effortless slides.
As her hold on his cock instinctively tightened, he rasped, “You keep doing that and I won’t be held responsible for how hard I take you.”
A spasm of lust gripped her for long seconds, followed by an overwhelming need to experience his lovemaking fully, unmitigated and without restraint. She brushed her thumb along the slit of his cock head, finding the bead of pre-cum that instantly formed and swiping it across his shaft. “You forget I’m half Carèche, I can take everything you can give.”
His voice roughened, deepened. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“As your intended, I want to experience all of you, gentle and not-so-gentle.” Somehow the lie at being his intended came easily to her lips this time. Because, like it or not, if she had any hope of being happy, of being his partner for real, she had to believe it even to herself. Pressing his cock between the lips of her pussy, she added, “And I know exactly what I’m saying.”
His hands moved to clasp her hips and, with a harsh groan, he pulled her back and thrust forward. The slick glide as he entered her was all raw power, setting up an unrelenting, dominant rhythm that all too quickly accelerated in pace.
This was no long, slow lovemaking to be savored. This was wild and reckless and no holds barred, where every thrust slapped skin-on-skin, where his every grunt and groan was an echo of her own.
She closed her eyes, soaking in the pervasive, incredible sensations of his cock hammering into her pussy from behind. But when he pulled free from her, then flipped her around so that she lay on her back, her lashes flicked open. Her breath caught. Poised above her, he was possessive and dangerous…and a whole lot more.
She didn’t have time to acknowledge his possessiveness was for the wrong woman. She didn’t have time to worry about what he’d think and do if he found out the truth. Holy shit. She didn’t have time to worry about anything but the moment. Not when he took hold of her thighs and slid deep, sheathing himself in her pussy.
She swallowed back a sob, wishing her lover really was her intended even as she wished that she didn’t feel such a powerful connection to him. A connection that felt more than physical, despite knowing she wasn’t his true intended.
Angling her a little, his next stroke punched into her G-spot. All thought dissolved and she surrendered to him completely. The burst of his hot seed and an electric charge reverberated to her toes and back, detonating the climax impatient for release.
Wow.
She smiled at the all-over delicious sensation that left her floating long after the act, even when he gently disengaged from her wet heat.
He swept over her face with assessing eyes and murmured, “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you?”
She shook her head, totally languid by the aftereffects of great sex. “Not unless orgasms are fatal.”
His laugh rumbled from his chest and seemingly filled the bedroom. “You’re precious, Sheehar, you know that, right?”
She turned in his arms and whispered, “I think I’m starting to believe it.”
He frowned, as though incredulous she’d think otherwise. “Of course you are. Don’t ever doubt it.”
She nodded. “Okay.” Did he have any idea how big a gift he’d given her by melting away most—if not all—her insecurities? If she was honest with herself, she had more than once felt envy that her parents coddled Aline so much, even knowing it was because they thought they’d soon lose her.
His eyes searched hers. Then he smiled, lightening the intensity of the moment. “Good.” He leaned forward, his lips covering hers in a quick, hard kiss. “
Now let’s get you bathed and dressed. My people are growing impatient to meet you.”
It was only then she heard the faint murmur of voices outside. Oh crap. Had they heard her cries of ecstasy? She pushed aside the thought, she had enough to deal with. Genesis climbed to his feet and she accepted his outstretched hand before asking him wryly, “Your people couldn’t have met us when we arrived earlier?”
He grinned. “Let’s just say in the six weeks I was away, all but Trasean and Auron celebrated the coming of their princess.”
Her hand locked in his. “Ah.”
She’d seen her father overindulge in a little too much of the Earth wine that had been stored in the cellar by the family who’d once lived in the house. It’d been hilarious. But the resulting hangover had caused him to avoid wine from then on in.
That was one night. Six weeks of celebration seemed…excessive.
His grin widened. “A princess is cause for much revelry.”
At least under Genesis’ rule the alien laws seemed relaxed. She released a breath. She only hoped she didn’t need to fall back on that bit of information should her real identity be exposed.
He tilted his head to the side. “Are you okay?”
Her smile was genuine when she said, “Of course.” She crinkled her nose at him playfully. “Now, where’s this bath?”
Leading her through another shield, she discovered the “bath” was actually big enough to be classified as an in-ground pool, or at least a nice size pond, the fabric of the donya floor evidently having water-proof capabilities to hold the large volume of water.
She put a toe into the steaming water. “Oh, that is so warm!”
He nodded. “The three suns keep the lake at a constant temperature.”
“Then wouldn’t it be easier to just go outside and bathe?”
He shook his head. “The lake isn’t like the water you find back on Earth. It contains many toxins and naturally occurring chemicals that thrive in the warmth. Only the most adept of our planet’s creatures can tolerate Carèche lake water.”
“So…this water is safe?”
He held her hand and walked with her down the four inbuilt steps, the water lapping luxuriously at her toes, thighs then belly. As she sank deeper into the bath he explained, “Yes, more than safe. It’s travelled through our shield pipes, which absorb the poisons and impurities.”
She released his hand and sank to her neck with a blissful sigh, her green eyes reflected in the clear water. She might already have been clean, but after so many weeks without a bath this was…magic.
“Come here.” Genesis beckoned, retrieving a shampoo and conditioner bottle from an alcove nearby. He smiled at her evidently wide-eyed expression. “When we realized how much Earth women adored these, we bought a big supply of bottles back from Earth with us.”
She freed her hair so that it tumbled past her shoulders, the ends slapping the water. Genesis’ eyes flared with appreciation, then she dove under the water to fully wet her hair before surfacing close to him.
He reached for her and turned her around, so that her spine was close to his chest while he massaged a good dollop of citrus-scented shampoo into her hair. When he helped her to rinse and then repeat with conditioner, she said, “Let me guess, the shields absorb any Earth chemicals from the shampoo and conditioner too.”
“Yes.”
Something tickled her toes and she pulled her foot back with a start.
He chuckled. “A kio kio plant.” He shrugged. “They’re a woman’s best friend, and not just because they’re amazing bath cleaners.”
“Oh?” she asked, finger-combing her hair before wringing out much of the moisture and tying the still-wet strands back into a practical topknot.
“I’ll show you later—with pleasure. But right now our people are waiting.”
The faint murmur of voices outside grew in volume while they dressed. When Genesis reached for her hand, she was all too glad. Following him to the front entrance, butterflies flittered in her belly, a sudden anxiousness to please the people who followed him and called him their prince.
The shields parted and Auron and Trasean stepped forward. With a flourish, they unfurled a caltronian fur and laid it on the hot ground so that she could stand outside in her bare feet.
“Thank you,” she said to the pair of alien males, trying not to think about the fact they could well be her future brothers-in-law, if they found her sister.
They nodded, then drifted back, allowing the others to step forward to meet her.
Genesis stood close as he introduced an Earth woman whose brunette hair was shorn into an almost masculine cut, which seemed to enlarge her already big green eyes. She wore some kind of thin foot covering in place of shoes. Three men surrounded her protectively. “This is Madge and her three intended, Nem, Larl and Parmae.” A smile curling his lips, he added, “And their baby, Carmella.”
Eden’s breath hitched as she caught sight of the baby, completely disregarding the fact this human woman had three alien husbands as she stared at the tiny form in the woman’s arms. “She’s so small.” She looked up at the human, whose pride was all too evident in her beaming face. “May I touch her?” she asked.
Madge nodded. “Of course, Princess.”
Eden felt the watchful eyes of the three men on her and realized they’d kill to protect what was theirs. In just the same way she had no doubt Genesis would kill for her.
She shivered a little. It was a somber yet somehow titillating thought.
She brushed her fingertips along the baby’s soft, downy cheeks, wishing the little cherub was awake. “How old is she?”
“Five weeks,” Madge said with a smile. “Born while your intended was searching for you.”
“We’ve been blessed,” one of Madge’s males said in a deep voice, a hand touching Madge’s waist as the other two males nodded agreement.
“So you’re…happy?” she asked Madge softly.
The other woman lifted a brow. “Of course.” She leaned forward, as though telling her something confidentially, though all could hear. “I was a nothing, a nobody on Earth. Alone and terrified. Here, I’m everything. And I’ve never been more content.”
Madge’s three husbands each crossed their arms over their torsos, hands clasping opposite shoulders before they inclined their heads in the gap of their arms. “Mau’et zet sa Sheehar.”
“Love to our princess,” Genesis translated, though Eden understood their words.
As Madge, her baby and three husbands moved aside, she met five more alien males who were unattached. Like the first three, these were tall and starkly handsome with Genesis’ longish, sandy-colored hair and vivid blue eyes.
So she was surprised when the next Earth woman was introduced.
“This is Sala,” Genesis said. The pretty dark-haired woman nodded, but instead of friendship, her brown eyes flashed barely disguised ill will. “Unfortunately, her intended was attacked and killed by a caltronian. She is free now to choose another,” he added gently.
Eden’s focus returned to Genesis. The telling glance he gave Sala only established what she’d already guessed. Sala had feelings for him that were unrequited.
The other woman’s smile was brittle as she gave a mockery-tainted bow of respect, her pulled back, long black hair sliding over a shoulder before she straightened.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Eden managed drily.
It was a hollow lie at best, but one Sala would recognize. Her brown gaze clinging to Genesis, the other woman stepped stiffly aside while the last two Earth women approached with their men.
Katy, a tall and voluptuous brunette, proudly indicated her four husbands and her two children, whom she announced were aged seven and five. The other Earth woman, Michelle, showed off her three husbands and one toddler, lying asleep in one of his alien dad’s arms, sucking a thumb and looking every inch like his blonde-haired mum.
Like Aline.
A sick sensation washed through Eden
’s belly. This could have been the life her sister had if Eden hadn’t pretended to be her. Given half a chance, Aline might have had a horde of blonde-headed children and been deliriously happy.
In trying to protect her sister, had she’d instead taken away her one chance of being a mother? A wife?
Being loved by her alien intended.
“Are you okay, Sheehar?” Genesis asked, stepping in front of her and pulling her close so that his bulk shielded her from the others.
“I’m fine,” she lied, voice muffled by the broad expanse of skin.
She’d never had to deal with issues of guilt before, but what little she did know of emotions was that they couldn’t be controlled. They could only be concealed.
“A feast is being prepared in your honor,” he murmured, “but in the meantime perhaps I can distract you with something…a surprise.”
She looked up, and in her peripheral caught the flash of anger in Sala’s gaze, her features drawing tight.
“Come,” Genesis beckoned.
She nodded, biting back a little shriek as he swung her into his arms and strode to the cercanne, before placing her on its seat, his eyes only for her. She smiled at him, experiencing more than a little satisfaction knowing he was so smitten. It was an odd sensation, one she never thought she’d experience.
The bike rose a little before takeoff, and as he helped place her feet into the stirrups, she turned and met Sala’s venomous gaze. A shiver brushed down her spine. Eden was a novice in the art of fighting for a man.
But if that’s the way Sala wanted to play it…
With a bright smile, she moved closer still to Genesis, wrapping her arms around him and pressing close, his warmth counteracting the chill boring into her back.
As the bike took off in a cloud of red dust, Eden realized she could never let anyone guess her real identity, especially if they matched Sala’s nastiness. If she had any hope of making a good life here, she had to keep her secret safe.
All negative thoughts disappeared right along with the dust as Genesis pointed out the group of animals surging into flight and racing alongside the cercanne. She stared. The creatures were beautiful, perhaps more so even than Earth’s horses.
