by Lily Graison
Unless he turned out to be a cannibal or something and that scent lingering on his skin was a lure of some kind to draw in prey. She pushed the thought aside. She had enough to worry about without pondering grim what-ifs.
Those wandering fingers of his tracing her collarbone slid right down the front of her chest to the valley between her breasts. She gasped and smacked his hand away. “Not so fast, handsome. We just met.”
He met her gaze, then looked down again. “I wish to see you.”
She laughed. “I bet you do. You could at least buy me a drink first.”
A huge splash in the river caught their attention and whatever spell they’d been under died in an instant. Toren looked to where the sound had come from, then over at the alcove. “Go sit. I’ll find bryna reeds to make a warm nest for you and see if I can find something for you to eat.”
He turned and left her there watching his muscled back as he disappeared into the trees. Did she stay or go? Toren seemed as if he had her best interest at heart but there was no mistaking the way he’d looked at her, or the fact he’d wanted to see more. If she stayed, would he expect more from her other than friendship? Was she willing to give him more? She chewed her lip. Lord knew he was the hottest thing she’d seen in years and whatever that scent was on his skin made her think crazy things, but that didn’t mean she was ready to hop into bed with the first alien she met.
Of course, the alternative was getting caught by a lot of aliens not nearly as pretty or smelling as nice as Toren. She looked at the alcove again. The choice was obvious. If she was stuck here, she’d rather be stuck with a pretty alien than the alternative. She wouldn’t wish being captured by one of the others on anyone.
Chapter Six
Her name was Sarra. Toren searched the vegetation that grew along the riverbank, looking for bryna reeds to make a soft nest out of. The tall, bushy grasses grew along the bank in thick patches, if he could find them. He walked a good distance down the river before spotting a cluster of them and gathered enough to make a thick bed, bundling the reeds tightly to carry them back. Tucking what he had under one arm, he stood, stepping back under the canopy of trees and saw several shoots of sidra hiding under a bushy leaf. He pulled the roots free and searched for more. They’d eaten nothing in two days but a handful of nuts and berries and hearing Sarra’s stomach grumble in protest caused more guilt than he liked as his own hunger was sated from the teshen he’d eaten after finding her.
Pulling all the roots he could find free, he headed back to the clearing. He’d have to scout the area once he’d made a comfortable nest for them and see what else he could find for her.
Carrying the reeds and roots back to the clearing, he found Sarra sitting by the small stream at the foot of the waterfall. She stood when she saw him. Dropping the reeds, he held out his hand, offering her the roots. “Wash these while I get the reeds laid out.” She took them from his hand, a question in her eyes. “Sidra roots,” he said. “They’re not as filling as meat but they’ll do until I can find something better.”
She took them to the stream and bent down to give them a wash. The short garment she wore left very little to the imagination and he knew if she bent over just a fraction more, he’d be able to see the rounded curve of her bare bottom.
He turned away. He seemed to have a one-track mind where she was concerned. He knew it was because he’d been so long without the company of a female. He’d have plenty of time to think about bedding her later, but for now, he needed a soft nest for her.
Gathering the fallen reeds he spent long minutes breaking each shaft apart down its length and exposing the fluff inside. The stalk turned soft in his hands. He tossed it under the overhang and grabbed another reed, breaking it apart, exposing the fluff until he had a soft mat. It was a sorry excuse for a bed. He stared at the reeds, wondering if his lair in the mountain was empty. He had no idea how long it had been since he’d been there. After seeing three dragons killed for no other reason than they were dragons, he’d found the crumbling temple and crawled into its depths. If it hadn’t been for the wyvern, he’d probably still be sleeping in his mountain lair, tucked away from the seeing eyes of those who now controlled the world.
His chest heated, fire licking through his veins as he thought of them. His two-legged brethren had been accepted here, welcomed by the Draegon, only to have them sell out to the invaders and became enforcers of their evil. They now patrolled the sky and bullied those on the ground into doing what they wished. One-on-one, the dragons were evenly matched in skill to the wyvern, but getting caught meant death. He’d yet to see a dragon captured who’d been allowed to live. The Draegon were destructive and he burned to end them all. It would take so little to fire half the world but what would it accomplish other than putting a target on his back?
Sarra touched his shoulder and he jolted, his black thoughts clearing. There was a question in her gaze. He scattered the reeds, making the thick nest spread out more until he had a thick blanket of it, then stood. She was holding the sidra, her hands still wet. “Come,” he said, taking her free hand and tugging her toward the nest. “Come sit and eat. I’ll find something more for you later.”
Her mouth turned down into a frown as she looked at him. He motioned for her to sit. She stared at him for long moments before doing so, raising her hand and holding up the roots. He took one, bit off half of it and chewed. She stared at the rest of them, then raised one to her mouth, biting off a piece. He watched her as she ate, took in the way the single shaft of light peeking through the canopy filled the alcove and shined off her hair, the creamy smoothness of her exposed shoulders and the way she had her bare legs tucked up close beside her. The barely-there garment she wore did little to cover her and as much as he enjoyed looking at her, she’d need more clothing. Where he’d find it he had no idea but that was a problem for another day. For now, his only concern was making her comfortable—and making her his.
The “nest” as Toren called it, was nothing more than fluffy reed-like grasses but it was so soft Sara sank right down into them. She leaned back against the rock wall, then shivered as the cold stone sent a chill up her spine. Toren left again, saying he would find her something else to eat and as hungry as she was, eating was the last thing on her mind. She had to figure out what to do, find Marcy if she was even alive …
She sighed. She couldn’t think like that. Marcy was alive. She just had to find her. But beyond that, she had no clue what to do. If she found Marcy in the next five minutes, she’d still be exactly where she was now. Stranded on an alien planet with the worst criminals in the galaxy who were probably, at this very moment, looking for her.
She took a bite from the sidra root. It tasted a bit like a mix of raw potato and turnip. She had no idea how filling it would be but hoped it replaced her lagging energy. She took another bite and kept chewing as she wondered how her life changed so much so quickly? Being kidnapped by aliens had been a harsh adjustment but those same aliens tossing her out into a violent environment, forced to run and hide, then saved—sort of—by a dragon, then escaping him only to be caught by Toren left her weak. The fear she hadn’t had time to let sink in before now caused her skin to break out into a cold sweat, gooseflesh dotting the skin on her arms and legs. Fatigue made her weary and lethargic and her ordeal was only beginning. She still hadn’t decided if Toren was one of the good guys or not and she was too exhausted to try and figure it out at the moment. Crazy as it was, she felt safe with him. So far, he hadn’t tried to hurt her. He’d done the opposite by protecting her without reason to do so. Oh, she wasn’t stupid enough to not know why. The Big Heads had told them what the aliens on this planet wanted. They wanted women and whoever caught them first got to keep them—if they were strong enough to do so. Just because she was with Toren didn’t mean she’d stay with him, so she had to weigh her options. Stay with the good-looking alien who probably wanted to play house or run and let one of the ugly ones find her—and play house with him instead
with no guarantees he’d treat her kindly.
She wasn’t stupid. She’d take door number one, thank you very much.
The sidra roots were more filling than she thought they’d be and she left a few for Toren, laying them close by, and stretched out on the soft reed bed trying to keep her ridiculous excuse for clothing pulled down enough her ass wasn’t shining, then closed her eyes. The past few days played out behind her closed eyelids and every bit of it was enough to scare her stupid if she gave it more thought. The dragon alone would give her nightmares. She had no delusions about the fact he was probably going to eat her. Why else would he have snatched her from the sky? Of course, he had dropped the carcass of some beast by the river. The thing was more than enough to fill his belly. Much more than she would have been, so maybe he hadn’t been saving her for lunch.
Sleep dragged her down and she didn’t wake up again until she felt movement behind her. She jolted, then froze when something clamped down on her waist and tugged her back. She noticed the heat next. Hot, bone-melting heat warmed the entire backside of her body from foot to neck and she sighed a bit, sinking deeper into the reeds. It was Toren, the sweet, spicy scent that clung to his skin hit her next and even though she knew she shouldn’t be laying with him like this, that he’d get the wrong impression if she stayed and let him continue to wrap himself around her, she couldn’t make herself slide away.
She shifted and his arm moved, his hand coming to rest between her breasts. Grabbing his arm to shove his hand away, she realized some sort of cloth covered her. It was draped over her shoulder and fell all the way to her calf. Where had he—
The thought dropped off when she realized what it was. The cloth Toren had worn wrapped around his hips was now serving as her blanket. Had he been wearing anything underneath it?
She shifted again to look over her shoulder. As dim as the light was she knew that was his bare hip she saw, which meant that heat against her bottom was a very naked alien with his naughty-bits tucked nice and flush against her backside. The barely-there dress wasn’t pulled down enough in the back and the more she thought about him pressed up against her, and the heat radiating into her skin, the more aware she was of him.
What did she do? Pretend she was sleeping and ignore it? Move away so his naked flesh wasn’t flush against her skin.
He shifted behind her, his hand sliding over to cup her right breast. She gasped, and he stiffened behind her, then moved enough to let her know he was now awake. The hand cupping her breast tightened and she tried to slide away but he held firm and buried his face into her hair, that heat pressed against her backside growing a bit hotter. The moment she thought about him pressed so intimately against her, an ache throbbed between her legs, her brain automatically dragging her back to the last time she’d had sex. New Year’s Eve, two years ago, with who she thought was The One—only to find out he was The One for three other girls as well.
The hand on her breast shifted and her nipple tightened, that tingle between her legs growing. Her traitorous body reacted on instinct and she tried to think of anything other than sex.
“Sleep, Sarra. The sun will find us soon enough.”
He said nothing for long minutes then lifted his head, his knees pressing more firmly into the back of her own. “Unless you would rather mate. I will stay awake for that.”
Had he read her mind? Oh hell, please don’t let him be able to read minds!
She laughed. It was a nervous reaction, nothing more, but it must not have seemed that way to him. He flipped her onto her back so fast, she barely had time to realize he’d done it before he was laying half on top of her, one muscled leg draping over hers to rest between her thighs and there was no mistaking the growing hardness pressing against her hip or the fact her dress was halfway up her backside, her girly parts now exposed.
“Why do you laugh?” He’d let go of her breast but his hand lay flat between them. “I said nothing amusing.”
She didn’t reply. He wouldn’t have understood what she said anyway, so what was the point?
The hand resting between her breasts slid up to the small strap on the ridiculous dress she wore, his fingers brushing it off her shoulder. “I can make it very pleasing, Sarra.”
I just bet you could.
His fingers were a barely-there whisper across her shoulder, his eyes following the path of his hand as he tickled the skin over her collarbone, then up her chin to land on her lips. “Does your kind share kehus with each other?”
The word does not translate filled her head. Did that mean sex? Heat flooded her body as her earlier thought came racing back into her head. She’d had sex partners who weren’t remotely as hot as Toren—not even her ex—but she wasn’t easy. Never had been and turning into a raging slut now seemed a bit inappropriate. She’d only been here three days.
Her thoughts were cut off when he leaned down, lowering his head until his mouth was mere inches from her own, until they were sharing breath, and that intoxicating scent of sweet spices filled her head again.
“I can show you how.”
The fingers he’d used to map out the contours of her face slid into her hair and before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers, sliding across in a soft nip once, twice, three times before she sucked in a soft breath. The brush of his tongue on her sensitive lips caught her off guard. When he slid past them and licked inside her mouth, every hair on her body stood on end as she moaned. The scent on his skin grew stronger and her traitorous body responded, her womb clenching tight as heat pooled between her legs. Every wet touch of his tongue caused some wanton part of her to throb and even though she knew she shouldn’t be making out with a total stranger, she kissed him back.
He murmured, “I guess your kind do share in kehus,” before pulling her tight against him and kissing her as if it was the first time he’d done it in years. His body went taut, that hard length pressed against her hip grew longer, his leg between her thighs pressing against her aching mound and she suddenly felt drugged. Her nipples ached, every part of her coming alive as if sparked by invisible flames.
She broke the kiss and held him at arm’s length. His eyes were a bit glazed as he stared down at her, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He looked as if he were about to devour her and her pulse leaped at the thought. “Slow down a minute.” She tried to catch her breath and would have had he not dropped his hand to the front of her dress and pulled it down, exposing her breast, then lowering his head. He licked her nipple and her body jolted, fire shooting through her limbs as he clamped his mouth over it and sucked, her shocked gasp causing her entire body to shift and before she could stop herself, she rolled her hips and ground herself against his leg. She groaned, her womb clenching again hard enough to shoot sparks straight to the throbbing bundle of nerves between her legs as Toren’s hand tucked beneath her bottom and pulled her tight against him. She moaned again when he pressed his leg between her own. “Toren … we can’t do this.”
He moved to her other breast, licking her nipple into a hard peek, the hand on her bottom sliding around her hip to cup her between the legs. She gasped, her eyes rolling a bit when he slid a finger between her folds. “Oh my god, Toren!” She grabbed his arm to stop him but barely gave a protesting pull when he found her clit and rolled it. Her hips jolted off the ground, another moan spilling from her lips.
“Do you wish for me to stop?”
YesNoYesNoYesNo
When she didn’t answer, he kissed her again, his tongue dipping into her mouth. “Look at me.”
Sara opened her eyes, his hand still between her legs.
“Do you wish for me to stop?”
She ached. Every nerve was on fire, every pulsing beat of her heart produced a hard thump between her legs and—
She should stop him. She didn’t know a thing about this guy. Nothing. Had known him only a handful of days. Letting this go any further was just—
He rolled her clit again and lowered his head to lick her nipple. H
er body clenched. Ached painfully, and Lord help her she was going to have to wear a slut stamp across her forehead because she let go of his arm, giving him silent permission to do what he wanted.
Something that sounded like a growl rumbled in his throat as he rubbed her swollen flesh and sucked her nipple back into his mouth and she could do nothing but lay there as pleasure rolled through her body. It had been too long since she’d been touched by anyone and a battery-operated boyfriend only took the edge off. It never satisfied completely.
She arched her back, her breath lost as he inserted a finger inside her, then another, pumping them in and out, slowly at first, then faster, his thumb continuing to roll her clit.
His mouth was everywhere, wet kisses and long licks of his tongue across her breasts and up the side of her neck. She groaned while a voice in the back of her head whispered she shouldn’t be doing this. That he was going to get the wrong impression and—she lifted her hips, riding his hand, his fingers pumping in and out of her as he took her mouth again and kissed her stupid while her body burned. When she came, screaming into his mouth, her entire body seized, that delicious scent clinging to his skin filling her lungs, his fingers still moving between her legs until she grew sensitive and twitchy.
