“I’d do tricks like a pet for the privilege of seeing your breasts.” It was his first attempt at Earth humor and he was eager to see how she responded.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she teased playfully.
Maybe he could understand human females after all. Daron stood still as she undressed him again. Nothing could be better than the feeling of her hands on him. Standing naked in the shower with the water drizzling over his body, he watched her undress. She was intoxicatingly beautiful, especially when she removed the top swath of clothing, revealing two small, rounded globes to his eyes, causing his manhood to rise. If she noticed his brazen display of need, she didn’t speak on it.
“Turn around, I’ll wash your back.”
“What is a date?”
“What?”
“You said the word date twice at dinner. The multi-language virus interprets the word incorrectly. It’s using a variety of words that mean couples spending bonded time together.”
“That’s exactly what a date is.”
“We’re not a couple.”
“Then we shouldn’t be naked together.”
“Are you attempting Earth humor again? It’s confusing me.”
“Maybe, I just like to fantasize that we’re a couple. It’s an enjoyable little game I play in my head.”
“Females are fantastical creatures, so I suppose there’s no harm in your innocent game.”
“So, does that mean I have your permission to have all sorts of naughty fantasies about you?”
That sounded an awful lot like the pretty females asking permission to think about them mating. “I’m unclear on what kinds of fantasies you’re referring to.”
Running her hands around his waist, she gripped his manhood in a shameless display of daring. Stroking him slowly, she leaned her cheek against his back.
“Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to stroke you until you peak. Would that be crossing the line?”
Leaning both hands on the wall, he allowed the pleasure of being touched intimately to roll over him. Her hands were small and soft, yet her grip on his rod was firm. “I don’t think you need my permission for such things.” Pulling forward and out of her grasp, he tried to get his bearings again.
She stepped closer, placing her hands on his hips. “Say stop, and I’ll stop.”
“I’m clanless, therefore you shouldn’t be…”
His stammering stopped when he felt her front slick against his rod, and her hands dropped down slightly to his testes. Did she even know what she was doing? He suspected not, until she leaned over and ran her tongue over his nipple. It hit him hard and fast that the little human was seducing him, and she was very good at it.
Throwing his head back, he rubbed himself against her soapy front. Every fiber of his being called out for him to strip her, pull her legs apart, and bury his face where her womanly scent would be the strongest. Pleasuring a female was every warrior’s dream, yet this one only wanted to pleasure him. The moment she bit gently down on his pectoral muscle, he came with roar. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
Looking up at him with a rather pleased expression, she quipped, “Best day of my life, that’s what today is, big guy.”
He tried to focus his vision again, realizing he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. Within moments, he was dry and sitting on her settee, much like the night before. Again, she spread the round, glowing lights around him.
“You look like you’re about to fall asleep.”
“I won’t, this is my promise to you.”
“You better not. If you nod off, I’m coming over there.”
“In that case, I may sleep intentionally.”
“Now who’s trying to be funny?”
“May I see your drawing when you’re finished?”
“Sure, you can. On my world, models usually get paid to pose.”
“I’ll consider looking at beautiful breasts payment enough.”
“That was forward.”
“Shall I apologize, Miss Cassidy?”
“I’d rather have more compliments on my breasts.”
“Are you doing the date with me? I thought we agreed not to do that.”
Gliding her drawing implement gracefully down the page, she responded, “You said it was a bad idea, and I distracted you with sexy, naked time. Did it occur to you to wonder why I did that?”
Knowing crept forward from the back of his mind. “You wished to prove that making the date with me was a good idea.”
Nodding, she repositioned her drawing.
Daring to make some date himself, he stated, “In that case, you should know your attempts didn’t convince me.”
Glancing up from her drawing, her eyes caught his. He saw her admiring him again. This time there was also some heat. “That wasn’t my best effort. Not by a longshot.”
“You don’t say. Tell me, human, what does your best effort entail?”
“What would it take for you to consider dating me?”
“I wish to taste your body.”
“I didn’t think Krylons kissed.”
“It’s taking the multi-language virus a short paragraph to explain the human kiss. I’m getting images as well to demonstrate. It looks interesting. However, that isn’t what I meant. I wish to put my mouth on your female parts.”
“Oh, my word, that’s something women usually have to coerce their males to do.”
“We’re not on your home world. Every Krylon warrior worth his sword wishes for this.”
“Even the clanless?”
“Because I cannot keep you doesn’t mean I must forgo the pleasure of your company during this trip.”
“Let us talk some more on this tomorrow. I wish to think about it.”
“That you’d even consider engaging in such activities with a clanless male astonishes me.”
“Sharing sex with you is a definite yes. I’m just worried about starting something with a guy that I’m already falling in love with, who’s telling me from the start he doesn’t want me long term. It feels like asking for a heartache.”
Sitting up straight, he spoke, “You think you’re falling in love with me? That is simply not possible. I’m not handsome or socially positioned to take a mate.”
“Correction, you’re totally hot. And I’m getting tired of hearing about your clanlessness.”
“I apologize for my clanless state. It’s an ugly subject to discuss with a lady.”
Slamming her drawing implement down, she took a deep, steadying breath. “Did it even occur to you once that you have a right to be angry about being cast out of your clan?”
“Being angry serves no practical purpose. My stepmother had every right to de-clan me. Women have the power on our world, they sometimes use it unfairly. It’s an unfortunate fact of life for one such as myself.”
Instead of having a calming effect, his words provoked more ire from the small human. “Repeat after me. “I’m honorable, strong, and competent.”
Attempting to appease her, he did as she asked.
“I didn’t do anything wrong, nor did I deserve to be cast out of my clan.”
Feeling a surge of genuine adoration well up in his soul for the sweet human, he repeated her words. Had any female ever been outraged on his behalf?
“And I don’t need stupid Earthlings to tell me how to stand up for myself.”
His head snapped up to look into her eyes. His heart sped up at the playful and admiring look she gave him.
“Apparently I do.”
“Now, it’s our turn to be assertive.”
“You’re correct. I didn’t deserve to be de-clanned.”
“You can do better than that. Be convincing and I’ll give you a little reward.”
“I like your rewards. How about we agree for me to make a formal complaint about the de-clanning tomorrow and you reward me now?”
Smiling, she sco
oped up a tiny pad and sat with him.
“What is this?”
Holding it out to him, she bit her bottom lip before speaking. “It’s the tiny pad I use to sketch ideas in. Would you like to look through it?”
“Yes. I’d love to see your work.”
Taking the palm-sized pad, he flipped through the sketches. His heart sped up a bit, with each turn of the page. She had filled the entire pad with sketches of him. Some were close ups of his face, others were of him stooped down making a repair, and others were of him wearing only his sarong. The last one was him standing in her shower wearing only the sarong as the water drizzled over his body.
“I’m shocked that you seem so fascinated by my scarring.”
“I’m fascinated by you in general, not just your scars.”
Handing it back, he struggled to figure out an appropriate reply.
“Keep it. It’s my gift to you.”
“Will you teach me to make the human kiss?” Unsure where in the verse those words had come from, he glanced away. “This is the first time I have made a request to a female.”
“This female likes getting such requests from you. She might even respond to a demand every now and then, if it’s sexy and phrased correctly.”
Though a smile sprang unbidden to his lips, he couldn’t imagine making demands of a female. It wouldn’t feel quite right to him.
Feeling a soft hand turning his face back to her, he watched her move closer. It felt like time stood still for them, as her lips touched his. The brief moment, just before their lips met, he felt her chest touch his. It snapped any resistance he had managed to hang onto. He realized a moment too late that he had absolutely no natural resistance to her smooth seduction. Before he could think to stop himself, his arms pulled her roughly to him. Rather than struggle, she came willingly. Her submission felt better than any victory earned in battle.
Her mouth opened and her tongue swiped against his lips. Opening for her, he enjoyed the human custom of the kiss. Their tongues touched and it reminded him so profoundly of their custom of pleasuring females with their mouths that he craved her all the more.
The moment she broke long enough to breathe, he allowed his lips to slide down the side of her delicate neck. Nipping and kissing his way to her shoulder, he heard a small, strangled cry break from her lips. Looking up, he saw her expression was thoroughly aroused. Continuing, he captured her blushing nipple in his mouth. Sucking and tonguing it until it formed a firm peak. Satisfied, he switched to the other.
Taking liberties without asking seemed to make her hotter for him. Not wishing to disappoint, he covered her hand with his and brought it to his rod. Needing very little prompting, she delivered long, languid strokes. Just as he began sliding one hand down the front of her sarong, an alarm sounded.
“I’m sorry, Miss Cassidy. I must go. The ship may be under attack.”
“I’ve never heard that sound.”
Pulling on his dirty clothing, he rushed towards the door. “It’s reserved for serious danger. I’m locking you in this room. Don’t attempt to leave. You’ll be safe in here if we’re boarded.”
“Just don’t forget about me. I don’t want to be locked in here for days by myself.”
“No male could ever forget you.”
Engaging the lock command as soon as the door snicked shut, he trotted down the corridor towards engineering.
Chapter 6
~ Cassidy ~
Cassidy’s Music Mix
The blaring alarm stopped, but the white lights running around the top edge of the room still blinked. To her mind, that meant they were still in danger. She’d tried to get a com signal out to speak with Carolyn, but it kept stalling out. That meant her only recourse was to spend another hour pacing or try to find something to distract herself.
Walking over to her gigantic sketch pad, she flipped the page and began drawing an image depicting her beautiful clanless warrior in battle. She drew his long, dark hair spilling carelessly around his shoulders. His uniform wouldn’t only be dirty from working earlier in the day, but also tattered and torn from hand-to-hand combat. Though clanless warriors didn’t have the huge swords the other warriors carried, she created one for her warrior, styled after ancient Earth Celtic swords, with a bowed blade serrated on one side, like the knife he carried at his side. Feeling whimsical, she created a clan emblem for the breast of his uniform. It had two swirling dragons, fitted together in a heart shape with accompanying heraldic symbols. Sketching the background around her warrior, she added scattered insectoid bodies that had been vanquished in battle.
Cassidy wasn’t sure how long she’d been sketching, but she looked up when her door slid open. A gruff male voice sounded off, “Fine, but don’t let me catch you out of quarters again.”
“With no further preamble, Carolyn careened into the room and fell to her knees.”
Pushing herself up, she stalked to the door and screamed, “You stupid, worthless, pile of steaming dog shit. Get yourself back in here.”
Cassidy quirked her brow, now quite believing what she saw. “What, pray tell, are you doing?”
“His lord and master, Faron, thinks he can boss me around like one of his warriors. I’m going to…”
Waving her hand, Cassidy interjected, “You’re going to what? Scream at him, beat him up, tear his clothes off… tell me what exactly you’ll do.”
Throwing herself down onto the settee, Carolyn folded her arms over her chest. “I’d scream the walls down for sure, I might even give him a good punch up, but I’m never getting into bed with him…” She trailed off, mumbling something under her breath.
Trying not to smile, Cassidy went back to putting the finishing touches on her masterpiece. “That last part sounded an awful lot like you saying you’d never get back in bed with him again, which leads me to believe you might have been using him for a bouncy castle very recently.”
Her sister huffed out an exasperated breath. “The stupid fool tried to lock me into his room when the alarm sounded.”
“I wouldn’t tolerate that for a hot second. Wait, Daron did the exact same thing before he left, so I guess I can’t act too shocked.”
Walking over, her sister admired her sketch. “Damn, overprotective bastards.”
Chuckling, Cassidy looked over her shoulder. “Have you been hanging out with Krylon women? You’re starting to act just like them.”
“The alarm sounded, just when I was about to… you know. I guess that I’m a little frustrated.”
“I totally understand that. Daron and I didn’t get quite that far.”
Gesturing to the sketch, Carolyn commented matter-of-factly, “I’ve noticed you always make him look super sexy in your sketches. In this sketch, I see that you’ve given him a really impressive sword and made him a new little clan symbol.”
“Spit it out, sis, what are you trying to say?”
“Are you planning on keeping him? It looks like you’re getting real attached to tall, dark, and scary.”
“Refer to him that way again, and you and I will go a round or two.”
Shaking her head, she walked off. “You’re keeping him. I don’t even know why I’m surprised. I’m apparently the only woman on this vessel with absolutely no clue what in the name of God I’ll do with myself.”
“Whoa, calm down. You’ve got years to figure that out.”
“Well, what if I never do figure it out? What then?”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, okay?”
“Sure. Cassidy, what’s that scratching noise?”
“What scratching noise?”
“Listen. It seems to be coming from the duct work.”
Growing quiet, they listened to the sound. Scrape, scrape, scratch. It sounded over and over again, seemingly growing closer. It came from the vent in the far back of the space. Pressing themselves closer to the door, Carolyn attempted to get the locking mechanism to diseng
age.
“Hurry, whatever’s in there is getting close.”
“Stop talking. Maybe it will pass us by.”
“I… I don’t think so. Look.”
Carolyn followed her pointing finger directly to the overhead vent. Two slightly rounded claws moved ominously, as if attempting to grab onto the grid covering the vent.
Cassidy whispered breathlessly, “Get us out of here.”
Ripping the scanning plate from the locking mechanism, Carolyn grabbed the long pencil she’d been sketching with from Cassidy’s hand. Turning, she used it to pry parts out of the little square box. Just when the creature began jerking at the grid, the door slid open and they stumbled out.
If Cassidy had thought being in the room was terrifying, being in the corridor was much worse. There were bodies strewn about, mostly alien with insect features.
A couple of Krylon warriors were dead as well. Cassidy kneeled by one, and Carolyn by another. “They died trying to protect us.”
“It looks like they were partially eaten.” Carolyn reached down and picked up the warrior’s weapon. “Don’t even think about not getting a weapon.”
“I wouldn’t. The insect weapons are smaller. I’ll try one of them.”
Just then, they heard a screeching from the doorway to their room. A huge insectoid came into view. It had scales like a lizard, huge bug eyes like a fly and two antennae adorning its head. Hissing, its mouth opened, revealing jagged teeth.
Carolyn heaved her weapon up with two hands, taking aim directly at the creature. There was a brief pause then she pulled the trigger, sending a laser straight into the creature’s chest. Unfortunately, it had little effect. Cassidy jerked off a shot with the insectoid weapon in her hand. It sent the creature hurling back into the wall with a gaping wound through his chest.
Carolyn threw down her weapon. “Right, we shoot like bugs today. Gather up as many as you can carry. We don’t know how many shots we’ll get out of one before it stops working.”
“I agree. What’s the plan?”
“I hate to say it, but we need to check on the other women. If the bugs are in the vents and the women are all locked in their rooms, that makes them sitting ducks.”
Maruvian Bride (Alien SciFi Romance) (Celestial Mates Book 5) Page 5
