He’d asked for a traditional Earth dinner and was surprised at how much the unfamiliar food smelled like a meal he’d find at home. Maybe he was picking up on Laney’s feelings. He chuckled when her stomach grumbled and picked up a fork.
He scooped up something that looked like creamy white cotton and lifted the food to her mouth. Her eyes flashed annoyance but she opened her lips for the offering, humming when as her lips closed around it and he slid the utensil free. He took a bite and found himself echoing her approval.
“What is this?”
“Mashed potatoes.” She grinned. “Bad for you, but oh so good.”
He cocked an eyebrow and fed her another bite. “Bad how?”
After swallowing, she answered. “Fattening. Lots of milk and butter.”
Grinning, he continued to feed her, this time cutting off a piece of soft meat. “Don’t worry. I’ll work it off.”
It looked stringy and a bit red to him, but she groaned when it hit her taste buds. He took a bite but didn’t find it as appealing as the potatoes. Too bland for a palate more accustomed to hot spicy foods. He speared a cylindrical green vegetable. Her reaction to it wasn’t as satisfying, but she did close her eyes and chew with a sigh.
“And that?”
“Green beans. And roast. Can I have another bite of the roast, please?”
He speared the meat with the fork again and watched as an expression of near bliss crossed her face. There was something incredibly alluring about watching the woman eat. His cock swelled and urged him to hurry.
“You act like it’s been years since you’ve eaten,” he joked, trying to distract himself from the lust surging through his veins.
“Mmmm,” she mumbled around a mouthful of the roast. “Army rations leave a lot to be desired. What did you do? Kidnap one of our civilian chefs?”
He chuckled. “I have no idea, but I think I’ll find one to take back to Delroi with us.”
She didn’t react to his mention of his home world. Disappointment and irritation warred together. She was still resisting their union despite it being inevitable. He expected that. She was a soldier, after all, and unsure of his people. What he didn’t expect was her lack of communication. After their initial clash there was no railing against her fate, no cajoling, no negotiating or curiosity. Well, maybe that was what her wandering around this evening was about. Whatever her feelings were on the situation, she was keeping them to herself and that just pissed him off.
He sensed a frontal assault would backfire on him, though, so he kept his thoughts to himself, redirected them to where he could make headway. Her body was his. His instrument to play and master. Through it he’d convince her that her heart and soul were his too, her fate intertwined with his.
When he fed her the next bite, he leaned forward and kissed the hollow of her neck. She swallowed convulsively but otherwise didn’t react. Determined to get a response, he repeated the action, moving lower with each bite. By the time he reached the swell of her breast, her skin was hot, her breathing labored. He fed her another bite, then closed his mouth around her nipple. She bowed off the bed, brushing her body against his and setting his blood on fire.
“No more,” she panted.
“Mmmm.” He swirled his tongue around her nipple then sucked it back into his mouth. He lifted his eyes to meet hers, saw they were wide and wanting. Straightening, he turned to the tray. She’d eaten enough to satisfy him, but the galley staff had also left dessert. He’d been on Earth long enough to recognize the chocolate cake. Next to it was set a small bottle that intrigued him. The label proclaimed it chocolate syrup and he picked it up. He knew what syrup was and he knew what chocolate was. The two together had fascinating possibilities.
He turned back to her and upended the bottle. A fine drizzle of the stuff poured out and he guided the bottle around her torso from the tops of her breasts to her belly button, leaving an interesting path that had to be cleaned up. With his tongue. He started with the end of the trail over her stomach and followed it up.
Laney watched. She wanted to close her eyes and just feel, but they wouldn’t obey her. Who knew being fed could be such a sensual act? That was hard enough to fight but the chocolate syrup was over the top. She gave up resisting the pull. His tongue followed a track with a clear destination. It scraped over nerve endings made raw from his previous attentions, brought her body to a fever pitch. When his tongue reached the first nipple, swirled around it to sweep up every drop before his teeth closed over and tugged it, she exploded. The pleasure was so intense her mind simply flew apart.
His tongue followed the trail across her chest to the hollow between her breasts and up to the other side. While she convulsed with the aftershocks, he sucked on her other nipple and she came again. Her body seized up with the bliss. Her mind disintegrated. She tried to remind herself she wasn’t supposed to like this—the alien lover bending her to his will, being tied down and forced to accept what he gave her—but she was so far gone, so frantic for his touch, for more, that she didn’t care. She’d agree to anything, anything at all to have him.
“Alrik. Please.” She strained against him, against the bonds, her hips thrusting up in a mindless demand of their own. He released her nipple with a slow wet slide and shifted to loom over her, his eyes meeting hers.
“Anything der’lan,” he whispered. “Just tell me what you need.”
She almost sobbed. He knew what she needed, but would make her say it. Ask. Beg. And she’d do it. He’d stripped her bare; she had no pride left.
“I need you inside me.”
Okay, so it came out more demand than plea. He didn’t seem to mind. One side of his mouth turned up to a half smile and he stood, jerking his clothes off before coming back to her. He blanketed her with his body, his cock hard and long and throbbing resting against her entrance. He took her face in the palms of his hands and held her still, meeting her gaze.
“Anything for you, my der’lan. Anything.”
Then he plunged into her and the combination of his erection and the soft whisper that promised absolute carnal delight threw her over the edge again. He whispered in her ear as he worked her. Hot desires, hotter demands. He kept her coming until she rode a high of pleasure so intense it was almost painful, until she knew she’d never be able to associate physical joy with anyone else and her brain shut down. She passed out. When she came to, her hands were free and Alrik was leaning over her a worried but satisfied expression on his face.
“I’ve heard rumors but I never believed them,” he said.
“Of what?” She knew by his smirk she probably didn’t want an answer to the question.
His smile broadened. “That it was possible to pleasure your mate so much she’d faint.”
She scowled, felt her brows draw dangerously close together. He was really pushing his luck. “I did not faint. I just blacked out for a second.”
“Of course, darlin’.”
“And not from pleasure either,” she added mulishly. The truth underlying his statement was outrageous. Unbelievable. “You had me tied down. I was under duress.”
Rolling over to lie on his back next to her he laughed, a big belly laugh she never would have expected he was capable of. It was delightful. “We both know that for the lie it is, Laney.”
She stared at the ceiling and pressed her lips together, fighting her own laughter and unable to deny his assertion, but not quite ready to admit to anything either. She’d kept herself divorced from strong feeling for so long she didn’t know how to cope with this. So she forced her mind to turn analytical while her body struggled to remain focused on the man, the alien, next to her.
It wasn’t like any attraction she’d ever experienced or witnessed and the sex was many times more intense than any fantasy could hope to compare to. Even now, when she should be sated and satisfied, her pulse spiked and her body flushed with anticipation. Maybe he had supercharged alien pheromones. Actually, that might not be so far off. What did they k
now about the Delroi really? She rolled her head to the side to watch his profile, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him.
“Why would your seers send you here?”
He turned to meet her gaze raising one eyebrow. “What?”
“Your brother said yesterday your seers were right,” she reminded him.
“Ah.” He crossed his arms under his head and looked up as if searching for words. “Our xenobiologists believe humanoid life in this quadrant of the galaxy began all in one place. It would explain why we’re so similar.”
She frowned. Her people had spent much more time at war with each other than exploring beyond their solar system.
“So there are other planets like ours? Other people like ours? Why come to Earth then?”
He sighed, rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow. With one finger he traced the contours of her face and she fought her reaction, the rising tide of lust and affection. Where was that coming from? She was here as a prisoner, not by her choice.
“There are other humanoids, but not like you. Or us. We’re the most similar. The others have evolved too far from whatever the original gene pool was.”
He leaned down slowly, incrementally, letting her see him come. As if she could run? Even if she’d wanted to she couldn’t. She was frozen in place, held still by the emotion glowing in his eyes. It was more than lust, more than mere desire. His need for her raged and it took her breath. Stole into her heart. When his lips met hers they were soft, tender. His tongue swept into her mouth the same way. Gently demanding, gently marauding. They were both panting when he lifted his head.
“That’s why we came here,” he whispered. “There isn’t anything like this in the universe. Like the connection we share. That true mates share.”
He rolled on top her, pulling her legs up over his shoulders before thrusting into her.
“And yes. It’s worth going to war over.”
Laney woke slowly the next morning and bit back a moan at the unaccustomed soreness in her body. What she wouldn’t do for a hot pounding shower and some clean clothes. Hearing voices from the other room, she considered pulling the sheet over her head and hiding out for the rest of the day. Years of ingrained habit couldn’t be broken in one morning, however.
She stood and took her first good look around, which was surprising considering all the time she’d spent in the room. There was a long dresser on the wall opposite the bed and her bag rested on top of it. She hoped Alrik had gone to get it himself. She didn’t like the idea of him looking through her things, but a complete stranger would have been worse. She’d worry later over why she wasn’t as bothered as she should be by his taking it on himself to move her in.
A door tucked in the corner of that wall stood open and she walked over. It had to be a bathroom with—please God—a shower. Peeking her head in, she was happy to see the standard facilities and a small shower stall.
In the bedroom, she dug through her duffle and found her personal kit. She carried it with her to the shower, figured out how to get the water going and adjusted by randomly playing with the buttons on the wall, then let its heat pelt over her. Pouring shampoo in her hand, she worked it through the long length of her hair and wondered what was expected of her now. She was tempted to bang her head against the wall. A good whack might do her good.
Yesterday she’d joined the Alliance side of the negotiating table out of lifelong habit, but under the circumstances could she still consider herself a Sergeant Major answering to Earth? Or was she cut free of those obligations and now answering to alien authority? Which faction did her loyalty lie with? Because she didn’t fool herself. If the marriage went through, and apparently it was going to, and if the union produced offspring, a distinct possibility, then her allegiances would definitely shift. She frowned, then sighed. Not that she could turn her back on Earth, but there was no denying her feelings toward Alrik were softening. She felt pulled in ten different directions.
Stepping out of the shower, she hurriedly toweled off and dressed in a clean uniform. She wasn’t sure if she still had the right to wear it, but she didn’t have any alternatives on board the ship. Digging through her bag, she found a comb and worked it through her wet hair, pinning it up in a makeshift bun rather than trying to braid it wet. Once she thought she was presentable, she opened the door and stepped into the next room.
The first thing she noticed was the smell of coffee and she looked around for the source. There was a table to her side with a coffee pot and several mugs. She would have gone straight for it, but then she noticed the silence. Her gaze swept the room and froze on the woman lounging on the couch next to Alrik. Laney felt her eyebrows arch so high they had to hit her hairline. They looked awfully cozy. What was all that talk about perfect mates the last couple of days?
Alrik stood and smiled at her, as if he wasn’t looking entirely too comfortable with some other woman. She couldn’t believe the possessive streak she suddenly felt. She didn’t want him, right? He held his hand out and spoke.
“Laney, come and meet my aunt.”
She blinked. Okay, time to beat back the jealousy, Laney. She approached cautiously, not quite sure what to expect. This was the first Delroi woman she had seen. She realized with a jolt that wasn’t true. There had been women in the hangar bay when she’d been searching for Alrik the first night and again yesterday in the lounge. She’d just been too angry to notice them the first time and too distracted the second. Laney took Alrik’s hand and let him tug her to the couch. The grin was back, this time mischievous instead of sexy and she braced herself for another shock.
“Sergeant Major Laney Bradford let me introduce you to Cilia, the Overchief of the Healer caste and my mother’s sister.”
It was a good thing she was sitting down. What was all that talk on the shuttle about a woman’s place? All his show of superior male dominance? She frowned. Come to think of it, it seemed to focus on women in the Army. She realized she still had a great deal to learn about these people and glared at Alrik. Why did she suspect he’d misled her intentionally?
Laney turned to Cilia and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Cilia smiled demurely at Alrik, but her voice had enough bite to make Laney bite her bottom lip to stop the smile. “I see my nephew hasn’t exactly been fostering diplomacy between our worlds.”
Alrik winced in response. “I had other things on my mind, Cilia.”
“Hmm,” she murmured with an amused smile. “I can see that.”
Laney watched the big soldier fidget uncomfortably under his aunt’s sharp gaze with amusement. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.
Cilia took a dainty drink from her cup and set it on a side table, then stood. Stunned, Laney caught her breath. Would she be expected to dress this way? The woman wore thin gauzy pants and a tight shirt that left a thin strip of skin around her midsection exposed. Her braided hair fell to the small of her back. She didn’t fit the pampered image Laney had of the Delroi women. She was tall and lean, well muscled and strong looking. Cilia smiled at her perusal, amusement lighting her eyes.
“Definitely gave you the wrong idea, I think.”
Laney grinned back and nodded. “I think so.”
“I’m stealing her for a little while, Alrik. You have things to do and the poor girl is going to need a crash course in Delroi society.”
Laney stood, looking back and forth between the two of them. “I need to check in with my people. I’m kind of in limbo here.”
Cilia took her hand between hers. “No dear. You aren’t. Alrik should have explained this already, but we’ll talk in the gardens.”
“Gardens?” They had a garden on board a spaceship? She knew they had far superior technology but gardens seemed a little out of character.
Cilia noticed and grinned, tugging her towards the door. “Men don’t seem to notice pretty things other than women, so we usually have it to ourselves.” She winked at Alrik. “That’s where you go when you n
eed a break from all the testosterone.”
“Excuse me?” Alrik said. “Don’t go corrupting her, Cilia. She’s not an Overchief and she’s mated into the Warrior caste. She can’t get away with what you can.”
Cilia just grinned back unrepentantly and pulled Laney into the hall. They chatted about nonsense while Cilia led her through the ship and the pattern of the corridors finally began to make sense to Laney. They walked a spiral deeper and deeper into the heart of the vessel. Finally, they stopped before a door that slid open to reveal an elevator. After stepping inside, it zipped up, stopping a few seconds later at a large platform.
Laney looked around in wonder as she followed Cilia off the lift. There was a high, clear dome above them, revealing the vast blackness of space; but around her was a lush green jungle. Paths wound out from the center like the spokes of a wheel and the sound of gurgling water filled the air.
“Amazing,” she whispered.
Cilia looked around. “It is, isn’t it? Let’s walk.” She chose a path and Laney fell into step beside her.
“Does your world look like this?”
“Oh no. Only our private gardens. Our planet is mostly desert.”
Laney arched an eyebrow. Alrik had said that, but it hadn’t really registered at the time. She’d been distracted. “Then how are your scientists going to help us? We were led to believe they could heal the Earth.”
Cilia nodded. “They can take what’s damaged or polluted and restore it in many cases. Certainly enough to restore the most fertile lands of your planet. But they can’t make an arid desert something it never was. They can’t breathe life into something that wasn’t meant to be.”
“I see.”
It made sense, she supposed, and for the first time she found herself curious about the planet that would be her new home. She’d never liked the desert, but if there were gardens like this she’d learn to adjust.
Invasion Earth Page 7
