To her dismay, the spider skittered forward and she froze again. The moss was past her ankles now and she could feel it sticking to her.
I’m on a giant fly trap, she thought hysterically as she looked around frantically for a weapon on any kind. The branches and rocks that had littered her trail were completely absent now that she needed them. As she scanned the ground, a gleam of white amidst a thick patch of flowers caught her eye. If she could get that rock into her bag…
She dragged a foot free of the moss and took a half-step in that direction. The spider clicked its mandibles together threateningly, but it didn’t come any closer. She looked back down to judge her distance to the rock. She could see more of it now, oddly round and white against the golden moss…
Her stomach churned as she finally realized that it wasn’t a rock—it was a skull.
Mr. Tiddles trembled on her shoulder, but he gave a defiant little growl at the spider, still watching them from the edge of the trees. She had to be brave for his sake, as well as her own. Keeping a wary eye on the spider, she bent down to grab the skull. The moss clung to her fingers as she reached it, but she managed to pull them free along with the skull.
The weight of the bone gave her a small degree of comfort, but she wasn’t quite sure how to use it. She doubted she could throw it hard enough, or straight enough, to damage the spider. Instead, she decided to use it to weigh down her bag. It dropped down inside with a satisfying thud, and she took a firm grip on the strap.
Now what? She could try to reach the other side of the clearing but the moss was even thicker in the center, the patches of flowers larger. The moss already clung to her feet and ankles and she was afraid that if it got much deeper, she would have a hard time freeing herself. The spider thing was still watching her, unmoving. She tried taking a few more steps away from it, staying parallel to the edge of the woods but as soon as she moved, it hissed and followed her.
Her knees shook, but she couldn’t just stand here until night fell. The longer she stayed in one spot, the more it felt as if she were sticking to the ground.
“I think we’re going to have to run for it,” she muttered to Mr. Tiddles, giving her bag an experimental swing.
The creature’s thin, spindly legs didn’t look that strong. With any luck, she could swing the bag hard enough to knock out a few and give them the chance to get away. She took one step, then another towards the trees, but the spider mirrored her movements. Each step brought it a little closer to her, and her heart sank as she realized that it would reach her before she reached the jungle.
“Just go away, dammit!” she yelled, fear and frustration bubbling to the surface.
To her shock, the spider reared back. Did the noise intimidate it?
“Go away!” she yelled again, and Mr. Tiddles added his minuscule growl to her words.
Her heart pounded even faster as the spider poised on its rear set of legs, but just as she started to hope that it would retreat, it dropped down on its front legs and charged towards her.
A deafening roar echoed through the jungle as a large, green male leapt down from the trees to land between her and the charging spider. Frozen in shock, she stared as he easily dispatched the spider, metal flashing in his hand as he separated its head from its body in a gush of yellow blood. The body twitched, legs still scrabbling, and he tossed it easily into the center of the clearing. As soon as it landed, small tendrils of golden moss began to creep over the carcass.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, horrified at what might have happened if she had ventured further into the open area.
A stream of harsh words distracted her and she turned back to see her savior stalking towards her. He did not look happy.
She suspected he would have been an imposing sight under any circumstances. Easily a foot taller than her, his broad frame was layered with muscle upon muscle – all of which was clearly visible because all he wore was a thin rope twisted around his waist. His body was essentially humanoid but no human man had ever possessed skin in multiple shades of green, nor the white fangs she could see all too clearly as he continued to berate her. He had short, dark hair and as he came closer, she could see dark lashes surrounding eyes that gleamed a fierce gold, accented by catlike pupils.
He came to a halt in front of her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his body, as he continued to yell at her. Even though it was difficult not to feel intimidated looking up at the huge, angry male, her relief at her rescue was finally replaced by anger.
“Stop yelling at me! I have no idea what you’re saying, and I don’t think I want to know. It was a stupid mistake and I know that now—but shouting at me isn’t going to change anything.”
By the time she finished speaking, she was yelling almost as loudly as he had been, and he was finally quiet. He glowered down at her from his imposing height, and she did her best to withstand the heat of that angry yellow gaze, straightening her shoulders and glaring back. Then, to her utter shock, he burst into laughter.
Taraxan had no idea what the female was saying, but she clearly had run out of patience with his lecturing. He couldn’t blame her. The knowledge of how close she had come to disaster had shaken him out of his usual composure. He had made the mistake of dropping behind in order to collect more fruit for her, lulled into complacency by the lack of danger during the day.
When he had caught up with her and seen her standing up to the arachnoid with nothing more than her makeshift weapon, his heart had literally skipped a beat. Although her bravery had impressed him, he intended to make absolutely sure she didn’t need it in the future.
“You are a very brave female,” he acknowledged, happy to see that he had not intimidated her with his anger. Or perhaps she had realized that he was not angry at her but at himself for letting her get so close to danger. He sighed and started again. “This isn’t exactly how I intended to introduce myself, but I am Commander Taraxan Bellkandis.”
He swept her a formal bow but to his surprise, she bit her lip and took a step back.
“Taraxan Bellkandis,” he repeated slowly, patting his chest.
He repeated his name once more before she attempted to mimic him. Her accent was atrocious, and she stumbled over his name several times before she finally managed to say, “Tarax.”
Close enough, he decided. He patted her chest peremptorily. “And you are?”
She jumped at his touch, her blue eyes huge in her pale face.
“I mean you no harm,” he said as gently as possible. “I just want to know your name.” He patted his chest again. “Taraxan. And you are…”
He extended his hand towards her again, but she caught it before he could touch her. Her small fingers weren’t strong enough to prevent him, but he recognized that she was trying to stop him. The feel of her soft skin against his sent an unexpected streak of pleasure through his body. He turned his hand to enclose her fingers in his, and her eyes widened again.
“Whatareyoudoing?”
The words were unintelligible, but the meaning was clear and he gently squeezed her hand with his.
“I mean you no harm, little female. What is your name?”
She finally seemed to understand, patting her chest with her free hand. “Jane.”
“Jayn?” It took him several tries before she finally shrugged and nodded. “Jayn,” he said with satisfaction, enjoying the sound of her name on his lips.
Her companion had been perched on her shoulder the entire time, eyeing him curiously, and now he chittered at him.
Taraxan laughed. “I know you are Misstuh Tiduhlz.”
“Howdoyouknowhisname?” Jayn asked, her eyes widening.
Once again she was looking at him suspiciously, and she attempted to withdraw her hand. He wasn’t ready to let it go, but he reluctantly released her fingers. He half expected her to run, but instead, she only took a step back and looked at him.
“Idontsupposeyouknowthe way outofhere? Orcanyouhelpme find thisplace?” sh
e asked. A few of her words made sense to him, and he realized that the translation implant was beginning to decipher her language.
She reached in her bag, grimacing as she touched the skull she had chosen as a weapon. As she started to toss it away, he put his hand over hers again and shook his head.
“Hold onto it. I don’t intend to let you run into danger again but it never hurts to be prepared.”
She frowned up at him, then nodded and left the skull in her bag, reaching past it to retrieve her lap.
“Canyouleadmetothis place?”
She pointed at the destination on her map, and now that he was close enough to examine it in detail, he realized that it was identical to his destination. He also realized that she seemed to assume that he was a native of the planet. Without a common language, he didn’t think he could explain to her that he too had been abandoned on this planet. And really, what did it matter? Her assumption would allow him to accompany her and keep her out of danger.
He nodded. “Yes, I’ll take you there.” He took a quick look at the sky. “We have time to travel further before the sun sets and I will be happier if we are a long way from here. Shall we go?”
He held out his hand to her. Once again, she hesitated, but then she placed those small soft fingers back in his and satisfaction roared through him. She would accept his protection.
Chapter Five
Jane kept glancing surreptitiously at her companion as they walked. So this was a native of the planet—and he was not at all what she had expected. She didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but she couldn’t help wondering why he had shown up to rescue her. And why was he willing to take her to the location on the map? Didn’t he have any friends or family?
She looked up again only to find him studying her in return with those odd golden eyes. When she blushed, he grinned at her and despite the white flash of things, it was a remarkably attractive grin. In fact, despite his differences, he was a remarkably attractive male. She had never been particularly attracted to athletic men, but here in the jungle those rippling muscles and his air of easy competence were very enticing.
She was so busy looking at him that she tripped over a half-hidden branch and stumbled to a stop. Tarax stopped as well, studying her thoughtfully before spreading out his arms as if to say take a good look. She found herself focusing on his chest where the ridges of muscle seemed to delineate the varying shades of his skin.
Curious, she started to stretch out her hand, but didn’t quite have the courage to touch him. With an impatient sound he grabbed her hand and brought it firmly against his chest. His very hard chest. The ridges of muscle felt more like armor than skin, she realized as she explored his massive pectorals.
Could he actually be wearing some type of body suit, she wondered, but then her curious fingers reached his abdomen. Still impressively muscled, but with the warm firmness of skin rather than armor. Her fingers skated down the ladder of muscle, one, two, three… Good lord, he had at least an eight pack.
But then he made a muffled noise. Startled, she looked up to see that his face was rigid, his eyes closed. She couldn’t possibly be hurting him, could she? She looked down again and… oh my.
The effect of her exploration was all too clear. He wasn’t fully erect but his already impressive cock was definitely thicker, stirring even more beneath her gaze. But it wasn’t just the size that had her staring. More ridges covered the surface, expanding as she watched.
She started to reach out a curious hand, then came to her senses and jumped back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you, um, excited. I was just curious. Thank you for letting me touch you, but maybe we should just get moving now…”
Her words died down in a flurry of embarrassment. He didn’t respond, but when she dared to sneak a look at his face, he looked almost amused. Hmph. Not entirely sure she appreciated that reaction, she cast one more quick glance at that much too intriguing cock, lifted her chin, and turned to continue the journey. And promptly tripped over a vine.
Tarax caught her, of course, and for just a second his hands seemed to linger against her waist before he set her firmly on her feet. He took her hand and they started walking again.
She quickly realized how much easier traveling was with him along. He created a path through the undergrowth, held vines out of her way, and steadied her when she inevitably tripped over a hidden obstacle. She still thought it was odd that he wanted to hold her hand, but there was no denying that the strength of his grip gave her added confidence.
As the last rays of the sun began to slant through the trees, she started to wonder when, or even if, he was going to stop for the night. Even with his assistance, she was tired. Her legs ached and her feet hurt and she just wanted to sit down.
“Shouldn’t we find somewhere to stop?” she asked. “I’m ready to take a break.”
He looked down at her, but he didn’t respond and he didn’t slow his pace.
She tried again. “Look, I realize you must be at home here, but I’m not, and I’m not used to all this exercise. I’m very grateful that you agreed to take me to the place on the map, but I really think we should stop for the night.”
When he still didn’t come to a halt, she tried to disentangle her hand from his. That made him stop, although he didn’t let go of her, and she realized there was no way she could escape his grip unless he chose to let her go.
“Can we stop?” She pointed at the ground. “For the night?” This time she pointed at the setting sun.
He tilted his head and studied her, so she tried some more sign language. Putting her hands together, one still cradled in his, she lifted them to her cheek and placed her head on them. Was that the universal sign for sleep?
He nodded, and she sighed with relief, but then he started walking again.
“No. I don’t want to walk any further.”
He came to a halt again and said something in his growled language.
“I have no idea what you’re saying, but I’m tired and I want to stop for the night.” Her voice broke on the last words as exhaustion and the events of the day caught up with her.
His face softened, then before she could react, he lifted her easily into his arms, cradling her like a baby against his hard chest. Both she and Mr. Tiddles let out a startled squeak, but Tarax just smiled down at her and started walking again. She wanted to protest, but he was obviously determined not to stop, and it was a huge relief just to be off her feet.
At first she held herself stiffly, trying to maintain some sense of dignity, but his steady pace and the warmth and comfort of his arms quickly overcame her reserve. With a tired sigh she nestled her head against his shoulder. Mr. Tiddles curled up in her arms, his own eyes closing.
If someone had told her a week ago that she could fall asleep while being carried through an alien jungle by a huge native, she would have laughed in their face. But as the shadows lengthened, she did just that, and it wasn’t until Tarax shifted her position in his arms that she awoke.
He had her tucked firmly against his side, one arm under her ass while he used the other to… climb? Oh my God! She gasped and threw her arms around his neck when she realized they were already halfway up one of the enormous jungle trees. Mr. Tiddles squeaked a protest as she squeezed him between their bodies, and she reluctantly eased her grip.
Tarax rumbled something that might have been intended to be reassuring, but he sounded a little too amused for her liking.
“Dammit. Humans don’t belong in trees,” she muttered. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
To her relief, he came to a halt a moment later and settled down in the notch where one of the broad branches joined up with the trunk of the tree. He kept her cradled against him as he sat and she ended up in his lap – his completely naked lap. She was suddenly extremely conscious of the warm strength of his thighs beneath her and started to jump up, only to reconsider when she realized the branch wasn’t wide enough for the two of them.
Tarax made that odd rumbling laugh again and pulled her back down. She squirmed uncomfortably, and he made another noise. This one did not sound amused, and she was suddenly aware of his cock stiffening beneath her. She froze, uneasily aware that if he intended to take advantage of her, she had absolutely no hope of fending him off. The heat of his body surrounded her, his arms held her firmly but gently, and her heart raced—but not entirely from fear.
He growled something else, a low rumble that was somehow reassuring as his arms tightened briefly in what felt like a hug. She held herself stiffly for a few more minutes, but although his cock was still huge and hard beneath her, he didn’t do anything else, and she gradually relaxed.
Mr. Tiddles had climbed out of her arms when they first sat down and was now exploring their surroundings, chittering gently. She watched him sleepily, still exhausted from the long day.
Taraxan shifted position, wedging the length of his cock more firmly between her buttocks, and she bit her lip. But all he did was reach into his belt and withdraw a handful of fruit to hand to her.
It was the same pink fruit that had fallen around her earlier.
“Do you drop these for me when I stopped before?” she asked, twisting around to look up at him. “You were following me earlier, weren’t you?” she added.
The knowledge didn’t really upset her. As far as she could tell, he had been looking out for her, first by feeding her and then by coming to her rescue.
“Why didn’t you let me know that you were there?”
Was he shy, she wondered. But looking up at that strong, competent face, regarding her with an amused look once more, she discarded that notion.
“Hmm. It can’t have been because you thought that I was a danger to you. Were you just checking me out?”
The Naked Alien Page 3
