Discovery

by KD Jones

  “What are you doing?”

  “Commander LemAN, are you experiencing issues?”

  Before he responded that it was a mistake, Teagan spoke. “Hey, is this Lieutenant ComEY?”

  “Yes. Is this Teagan?”

  “Yep! I’m learning all about shuttles today.”

  “Well, just don’t press the blue button. It blows everything up.”

  She laughed. “Nice one. Commander already teased me with that! How’s your digital music player? Is it still giving you issues?”

  “No. Whatever you did has it working perfectly. You’ll have to come by my quarters and check it out for yourself.”

  A growl escaped LemAN before he could stop it. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Are you okay?”

  He felt heat rise to his face. “Lieutenant ComEY, let me know if you detect anything in the vicinity.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He turned off the communicator. “We’ll be landing shortly and need to keep the line open.”

  She shrugged. “Okay.”

  LemAN wanted to find out exactly how much time she had spent alone with Lt. ComEY in his quarters, but he had no right. How would he justify that? He would question the lieutenant upon their return and make sure he knew that Teagan was under his protection.

  “I forgot how beautiful Balar is.”

  He looked out at the planet. He had seen many in his lifetime. “Not as beautiful as Katiera.”

  Chapter 4

  They had arrived on the planet at seven and Leader Toro had someone waiting to show Teagan to a room so that she could change. She wasn’t sure about the outfit that was laid out for her. There had been five but this one was the most modest of them.

  It was a soft ivory-colored flowing dress with one shoulder strap. It reached down to her feet but was so sheer she worried that it would show too much of her body. Using another much thinner material as a type of slip, she put the white dress on top of it. The shoes were pretty little sandals.

  Toro had also sent two females to help her get ready, which she didn’t need. It was weird having someone trying to help her bathe or put on clothes. She shooed them away but did let them help with her hair. The Balar women, like the Katierans, didn’t wear makeup or underclothing. They watched her with avid curiosity as she applied a little of her red lipstick and some of her eyeshadow and blush. Normally she didn’t bother with it but tonight she wanted to look beautiful. The Balar women laughed good-naturedly, calling her a painted beauty. They did find the lipstick particularly pretty so she helped them apply some. It wasn’t like they needed help looking more gorgeous than they already were.

  Now, an hour after arriving, she was escorted by the nice women to the banquet hall. Her nerves were getting to her. The women next to her were tall with athletic builds and lighter blue complexions than their male counterparts. To her they were exotic beauties but they assured her that she was the exotic beauty on their planet. Teagan wasn’t sure if she wanted to stick out like a sore thumb.

  Two blue warriors stood at the entrance of the banquet and opened the door for her and the other women. She entered and paused to take in the breathtaking view. The banquet area was an open-air room that looked like a huge, wide gazebo. The roof of the gazebo was made out of glass so you could look up and see the stars.

  “So beautiful.”

  “Yes…you are.”

  She shivered hearing LemAN’s deep voice behind her. She turned and gasped at seeing him. He was wearing different clothing. His pants were white and he had on a shirt with no buttons that hung open, exposing his bare chest. Teagan wanted to run her hands up and down that firm, muscular body.

  “Hi.” That sounded pathetic. “You look—” Don’t say hot, don’t say hot. “Good.”

  “Leader Toro’s people insisted that I change as well. I’m not sure about this. I admit I don’t feel entirely comfortable without my uniform.”

  Teagan smiled at his unease. “I bet you have your weapon with you, though.”

  “Of course I do. I wouldn’t be a good warrior if I didn’t keep my weapon handy.”

  Soft music playing caught her attention. There were people dancing slowly in the center of the room. She looked up at him. “Do you want to dance?”

  “No.”

  She frowned at his decisiveness. Maybe he didn’t know how. She was about to ask him but caught sight of Toro coming her way.

  Teagan had to admit he was a handsome man, even if he was blue. He wore the same type of white clothing as everyone else at the banquet. The only difference was the beautiful blue and gold weaving on his lapels, which she assumed reflected his status. His black hair was pulled back in a man bun and his biceps displayed to his advantage.

  Toro smiled at her while giving her appearance his approval. “You look lovely, little Teagan.” He bent and took her hand to bring it up to his lips.

  “Thank you. You look handsome.”

  He lingered a little longer than necessary. Teagan was surprised when she heard LemAN growl from behind her. Was he feeling okay? He seemed to do that a lot.

  “Teagan, my lovely, please dance with me,” Toro asked, pulling her hand and moving toward the dance floor.

  “I guess so.” She glanced once more back at LemAN and watched as his face showed anger before it went blank.

  “Is your room to your liking?” Toro asked.

  “What?”

  “Your room, is it to your liking?”

  “Yes, but I won’t be in it long. I hope you didn’t go to a lot of trouble.”

  “I was hoping that you and the commander would be staying overnight. We have an early morning meeting to discuss what we found.” Toro pulled her around into his arms and swayed with her.

  “Oh, well then, I guess I’ll be staying.”

  She let him pull her tighter against him. It was nice being held. She hadn’t had that in a long time and, with LemAN pushing her away, it was good to feel a man’s arms around her.

  “Are you and the commander together?”

  She pulled back to look up at him in shock. “What?”

  “I notice the way he looks at you. Even when you were here before, he did not want to leave you alone with any male, especially me. I wanted to know how you felt.”

  Teagan glanced over his shoulder at LemAN, who hadn’t moved one inch but stood there watching them intently. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. He’s not interested.”

  Toro chuckled. “Is that what you think?”

  “That’s what I know. Every time we kind of get close he pushes me away.”

  Toro shook his head. “That male needs his head screwed on better. You are beautiful, smart, and sexy. Any male who looks at you wants you, including me.”

  She glanced away from him, not sure how to respond to that compliment. She usually didn’t get many of those back on Earth. “Thanks.”

  “Your cheeks are red. Are you feeling well? Do you need a healer?”

  “I’m fine, just not used to having compliments paid to me.”

  “Males from your Earth are foolish. If you were mine, I would make sure you are protected and taken care of every day of your life. I would see to your happiness…and your pleasure.”

  “She’s not yours,” LemAN said through gritted teeth as he came up behind her.

  The two men stared at each other and she was caught right in between their big bodies. She was like the human meat in their alien sandwich. She put one hand on LemAN and the other on Toro and pushed them away from her.

  “Enough of this!” She kept her voice low enough that hopefully no one else heard her.

  “I need to excuse myself to speak with my security. Perhaps we can finish our dance later.” Toro bowed before leaving.

  LemAN started to walk away but she wasn’t letting him off the hook so quickly. She grabbed his hand and yanked him to a halt.

  “No, you don’t. You don’t get to interrupt my dance, which I was really enjoying, only to walk aw
ay and sulk in the corner of the room.”

  “I don’t sulk.”

  “I don’t care. You’re dancing with me.” She moved to stand in front of him and frowned when he didn’t pull her into his arms. Sighing, she grabbed his hands, put them on her hips, and then wrapped her arms around his neck. She waited but he just stood there.

  “I don’t know how to dance,” he confessed.

  “It’s easy. Just sway with me.” She moved her body and he copied the motion. She watched him look at others and copy their moves as he turned her and moved them around the floor. He was a quick learner. “You’re doing a great job.”

  He nodded down at her. “You are right, it is easy. I still don’t understand why people would want to do this.”

  “It’s fun. On my planet some people dance for a living or even like a sport. It can be very athletic and good exercise.”

  “Is that why you like to dance? For exercise purposes?”

  “No, I just like the feeling of moving my body to the beat of the music. It’s the only time I feel graceful.”

  “Right, so it holds no real value.”

  Frustrated with his attitude, she decided to show him what else dancing could offer. “My people also use dances as a means of romance.”

  He hesitated but it seemed he couldn’t stop himself. “How?”

  She turned so that her back was against his front. Teagan moved his arms down to wrap around her waist.

  “What are you doing?” he asked with a deep, raspy voice.

  “Dancing seductively,” she said, giving him what she hoped was a sexy look as she moved her lower body against him.

  They swayed together, their bodies moving in sync with each other. Everything else seemed to fade away, the music, the other people around them. All she could hear was his heartbeat which somehow matched hers and their breathing which deepened more and more. She tilted her head back to lie on his chest and he nuzzled her neck.

  Yeah, he pushed her away but she knew he was attracted to her. She had to stay strong and wear him down. Either he would have a real reason to not give in to his feelings for her or he’d finally give them what they both wanted.

  He inhaled deeply and growled. “You smell so good.”

  She shivered with need. Pressing her ass harder against him, she could feel his arousal. She turned slowly around and pressed her front against his. His hands ended up right on her ass. He squeezed her. Teagan ran her hands slowly up over his chest then pinched his nipples.

  “Do you like dancing like this?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “It could be better.”

  His eyes looked at her doubtfully. “How?”

  She leaned up and whispered, “We could be naked.”

  Teagan gasped when he lifted her quickly and moved her to a dark corner of the banquet. “What—” She was cut off when his lips claimed hers.

  The touch of his tongue on hers had her melting in his arms. If he hadn’t been holding her she would be a puddle at his feet. The man knew how to kiss. Their tongues dueled and he dominated her but not in a threatening way. It excited her that she could elicit passion in such a strong, powerful man.

  “We should get a room.” She moaned as he nibbled his way down to her neck. One of his hands moved to cup her breast, and her nipples pebbled in reaction. She wanted to shove his shirt off so she could be skin to skin with him. She cupped the back of his neck and held him against her. If they kept going like this, she would be giving the Balar people a real show.

  She pushed him to move away from her. “Come with me.” Teagan didn’t give him a chance to say no. She took his hand and led him out of the banquet room.

  The warriors guarding the doors gave her a look of desire. “We like the new dance you did. Perhaps you could show us that dance later.”

  The sexual innuendo was a little insulting but she was going to let it go. However, it caused an unexpected reaction from LemAN.

  “Do not look at her or say such disrespectful things.”

  “LemAN, it’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not okay.” He made to move toward the warriors. One of them was prepared to fight while the other was trying to calm his buddy down.

  She couldn’t let them fight over nothing. She grabbed LemAN’s arm to halt him but he was furious and shook her off without thinking. He used a little more force than necessary and she lost her balance, falling to the floor and twisting her ankle at the same time.

  “Ouch!”

  The warriors were suddenly there trying to block LemAN from her. She shooed them away but when she tried to stand, a shard of pain shot up her ankle. She wobbled but one of the warriors caught her and lifted her into his arms.

  “She needs to see a healer.”

  “I’m okay. I just sprained my ankle.” She looked over at LemAN who wouldn’t meet her gaze. He had a horrified look on his face. “It’s not your fault I fell. I’m clumsy and lose my balance all the time.”

  LemAN shook his head as he backed away. “This was a mistake.”

  To her frustration he turned and walked away. Damn it! His retreating back was becoming a habit. She had to know once and for all if he wanted her, then he needed to act like it. No more running. Another shot of pain coursed through her throbbing foot. She would get his answer after someone helped her with her foot.

  “Yeah, I think I need that healer you were talking about.”

  Thirty minutes later she sat up on the patient bed in the medic facility, ready to leave. The Balar healer was good but LemAN had demanded that a Katieran medic check her out, too. Of course, LemAN wasn’t there but Toro came and he didn’t leave her side until the swelling was down and her pain was gone.

  “Teagan, I can press charges against Commander LemAN but you will need to testify.”

  “Hell no! He didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “My warriors say he pushed you down.”

  “That’s a fucking lie. One of them made a rude comment about me dancing with him later and LemAN got angry over it. I tried to pull him back but lost my footing, twisting it as I fell. He didn’t do this but your warriors instigated it by flirting outright with me.”

  Toro looked furious as he glanced at the other side of the room. She turned her head and paled at seeing both the warriors in question standing there.

  “Is what she said true?”

  The one who made the rude comment crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. “The Katieran male made her fall.”

  The other warrior glared at his friend. “After you made a comment about her dancing with you. Instead of guarding the door as you should have, you were ogling the females on the dance floor and talking about what you would like to do with one later. The female did fall but I believe it was an accident.”

  “Both of you will report to my command center now and wait for me to come and deal with you.”

  “Yes, sir.” They left the room.

  Toro turned to her. “Stay here until you are completely healed.”

  “Toro, could you let LemAN know I’m okay and that it wasn’t his fault?”

  “I will have someone update him on your condition.”

  She supposed she would have to be the one to talk to LemAN. Right now, she was kind of pissed off at him.

  “Are you in pain?” one of the healers asked.

  “It’s better to feel pain than to be numb.”

  The healer pressed something against her skin and she felt herself lying back on the bed. Maybe a rest would do her some good. She closed her eyes and let the darkness take her.

  *****

  “Commander LemAN, this is medic JonAH. The Earth female is resting and has been treated.”

  “Thank you for letting me know her condition.” He disconnected his comm link.

  He was furious that Teagan had gotten hurt, and it was all his fault. It only proved to him that he was no good for any female. After they completed this mission, he would send her back to Katiera where she would be s
afe.

  Chapter 5

  The next morning

  Teagan was frustrated. She woke hours ago but the healers would not let her leave until they did a full scan. A warrior was assigned to walk her back to her room and then he left. She was grateful to be alone. After taking a shower and changing her clothes back to her usual overalls, she sighed with relief at being comfortable again. She put her hair up in a ponytail and went to the door, opening up to find the same warrior from earlier standing outside.

  “Was there something that you needed, Miss White?”

  “Um…I need to speak with Commander LemAN. Do you know where I can find him?”

  “He had an early morning meeting with Leader Toro. I believe he is in his room and will rest before having an afternoon communications meeting with the Katieran Prime Leader.”

  “Could you take me to his room?”

  “Of course.”

  She followed him down the hallway. LemAN was five doors down on the same floor as her. How did she not know that? He’d never told her and she had been shown to her room before him. She went to knock but felt the presence of the warrior standing behind her. She glanced back.

  “Could you leave? I need to speak with LemAN privately.”

  “Are you sure you feel safe with him?”

  She was beginning to get pissed off. “How many times do I have to tell you people that LemAN didn’t hurt me? I fell on my own and hurt myself. Unless I’m under house arrest, I want my fucking privacy!”

  The warrior paled—well, paled enough for someone who was blue—and held up his hands as he slowly backed away. “As you wish.”

  Great, now she was making Earth females look shrieking, angry, and explosive. She didn’t care, as long as she got a private moment with LemAN. She took a couple of deep breaths before knocking on the door. He opened it up and looked at her in surprise.

  “Teagan, shouldn’t you be with the healers?”

  She moved past him into his room. “I’m fine. You would know that if you had bothered to come by and check on me.”

  “I…was busy, but I had the medics update me on your condition.”