Maverick

by Cheryl Brooks

  “I saw the strangest thing a moment ago,” she whispered. “Orange lights that changed as I inhaled and then dissipated as I breathed out. It was sort of like witnessing a chemical reaction, only I was seeing it at the molecular—or at least cellular—level. Very weird.”

  Larry’s eyes widened. “I didn’t see anything at all. My mind went totally blank. But you… For a while there, I thought you’d gone off somewhere and weren’t coming back.”

  “You mean you thought I was dead?” She’d heard orgasms described as the “little death,” although she’d always assumed that description only applied to the person who was actually in the throes of climax. She doubted anyone else could actually see it.

  He shook his head. “More like your consciousness got separated from your body and was floating somewhere”—he glanced toward the ceiling—“up there.”

  “An out-of-body experience? Not exactly. More like an inner-body experience. Really inner.”

  Larry bit his lip, trying not to laugh, but soon succumbed to helpless mirth. “I got in as far as I could without causing any damage.”

  Althea laughed along with him, despite being convinced that what she’d seen was no laughing matter. Something highly significant had occurred when they made love.

  And she was fairly certain they hadn’t made a baby.

  Chapter 16

  Even if they had made a baby, there would have been more than one.

  Zetithian children were nearly always born in litters of three. On Utopia, generations of Mordrial witches like her mother had never given birth to more than one child—always a daughter—and yet Tisana had borne two litters. The prevailing theory was that Zetithian semen acted like a fertility drug, inducing multiple ovulations in the females of any compatible species. While this was an excellent trait for an endangered species to possess, it could spell doom for others. The conversion would take centuries, and it wouldn’t happen on every planet, but the dominant Zetithian genes could eventually cause some humanoid life-forms to become extinct.

  Althea had just experienced the primary reason why almost any female would prefer a Zetithian over males of her own species, whether she loved him or not.

  Which begged the question: Do I love Larry?

  She honestly didn’t know. He was like a brother to her, so of course she cared about him. But that was a different kind of love. Now that they’d done the deed, if nothing else, chemistry would keep them together.

  Althea wasn’t sure she liked that idea, although for a Mordrial witch, finding The One had less to do with love and more to do with genetic compatibility. Even Mordrial men couldn’t always impregnate the woman they loved, which was why those women often took more than one husband.

  Is Larry The One?

  The witches of Utopia reportedly knew when they found the right man, even though such a man might not stay any longer than it took for the woman to conceive. Althea’s parents had broken that tradition by remaining together.

  No one knew what would happen with this first generation of Zetithian crossbreeds. Unlike many hybrids, they weren’t sterile; Larry’s mother had made no secret of having her own sons scanned to determine their breeding potential. And to a man, they were all capable of producing viable sperm.

  Tisana had been less concerned, preferring to allow nature to provide the answers. Now, Althea was beginning to wish her fertility had been verified. One thing was certain: Jack wouldn’t like the idea of Larry mating with a woman who couldn’t bear his children. If she’d known about Celeste—and Althea was fairly certain she didn’t—she probably would’ve insisted on a comprehensive scan before letting Larry even think about marrying her.

  She understood why Larry would consult her before checking with his mother. By the time Jack was through making sure they could produce healthy offspring, if she didn’t truly love him, Celeste would have run screaming in the opposite direction.

  Of course, that was why he’d gone to Barada Seven in the first place. Larry could’ve backed up his claim that Celeste was the right woman for him with Althea’s empathic reading, leaving Jack no choice but to accept her.

  No way was she providing that kind of evidence now. Nor would Larry ask for it.

  Their mating was apparently a done deal, and they’d always been good friends. But love?

  Seems like I should know…

  One glance at Larry had her questioning her sanity. He was gorgeous, kind, funny, responsible, hardworking, and everything else a good man should be. How could she not love him?

  Unfortunately, matters of the heart were seldom logical. Throughout history, bad boys had been sought after by women of every culture and species in the known galaxy. Keplok probably had women crawling all over him back on Statzeel. Dartula’s dislike merely reflected her superior taste in men, and with Larry as a shining example of Zetithian manhood, any comparison between the two would be to Keplok’s disadvantage. Especially after that scornful speech he’d given earlier. He hadn’t even been talking to Althea, and she was still itching to deck him.

  She snuggled up to Larry, thanking her lucky stars Celeste had given him an excuse to go looking for her. She could do a lot worse than being mated to her lifelong friend. And yet, a niggling doubt plagued her, making her question how much better life would be if she actually loved her mate.

  Her sexual craving had been satisfied for now. Knowing they could share a bed whenever they liked was not only comforting, it also meant they could continue on to Palorka and focus on what awaited them rather than wrestling with the sexual tension between them.

  Lost in her own thoughts, she’d almost forgotten what she and Larry had been laughing about. Then there was Larry’s conversation with Dartula. Had there been more to it than their mission to save the Guardians? Was this the right time to ask? For that matter, what did people talk about after mind-blowing sex? Nothing seemed appropriate, and she saw no need to relate what she and Keplok had discussed.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Larry asked, breaking the silence as he draped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Nope. Everything felt great.” The warm hug he gave her made her feel even better, if that was possible.

  “Glad to hear it. Sorry if it seemed like I was laughing at you. I wasn’t. The whole inner-body experience thing just struck me as funny.” With a sigh, he added, “Guess I inherited some of Mom’s tactless sense of humor after all.”

  “I wouldn’t say she was tactless. Just…outspoken.”

  “Which am I? Tactless or outspoken?”

  “Neither. You’re not that much like her, you know.”

  “More than you’d think. I couldn’t help wondering whether we made a baby, which would’ve been the first question she asked. The way she drummed the importance of procreation into us guys, it’s a wonder we aren’t all grandfathers by now.”

  Althea giggled. “That’d be tough to do, even for a Zetithian.”

  “You know what I mean,” he said as he gave her another squeeze. “She’s dying to be a grandmother. So far, none of us have even attempted to fulfill her wishes.”

  Placing a fingertip beneath her chin, he tipped her head back. When their eyes met, something strange and wonderful happened—as if another link in the chain that bound them together had been forged.

  “What are your thoughts on children?” he asked. “Or is it too soon to ask?”

  “Might be a little soon,” she cautioned. “Especially if I follow true Zetithian form, which means it’ll take a few more times for me to become fertile.”

  “Don’t feel dizzy, do you?”

  “Not at the moment. I’ll let you know if that changes, although you’ll probably be able to tell.”

  Zetithian women didn’t have a monthly cycle like that of humans, only ovulating after being intimate with a potential mate. Ordinarily, it took several encounters to trigger ovulation,
but it had been known to happen almost immediately, and dizziness was the primary symptom. The light-headed feeling would eventually subside, but according to what she’d heard, pregnancy was the fastest and most reliable cure.

  Chuckling, he pulled her closer still. “You mean you’ll be so dizzy, I’ll have to pick you up and carry you to bed? I believe I’ve already done that.”

  “So you have. But I wasn’t dizzy. Just overcome by the need to experience your sexual prowess firsthand.”

  “Yeah, right,” he said with a snort. “Sorry about the orgasms, by the way. What you said about going insane from having so many is something I’ve wondered about. I mean, for guys, one climax is usually enough. Having one right after the other seems like too much of a good thing.”

  She elbowed him in the ribs. “You mean you can’t go again right away? What kind of Zetithian are you?”

  “Oh, I could go again if you really wanted to. But you know how that is. You have to want it.” Leaning closer, he inhaled deeply. “Nothing there that I can smell.”

  She started to apologize for her current lack of desire until she remembered how incredible making love with Larry had been. “Sated, actually.” She grinned. “I’ll let you know when that changes.”

  Cupping a hand behind his oh-so-bitable neck, she pulled him down for a kiss. She sighed as their lips met, unable to imagine how she’d lived a full twenty-five years without ever even speculating about how delightful kissing Larry could be.

  I must’ve been blind. Or out of my mind.

  Arguments could be made for both. She hadn’t run off to Barada Seven to go bird-watching. She’d gone because the mental noise threatened her sanity. Back then, she wouldn’t have been able to shut out the distractions enough to even notice Larry purring for her, if indeed he ever had.

  Should she ask him if he’d purred? No. She needed to phrase it with a bit more tact.

  “Did you ever think this would happen between us?”

  He shrugged. “I thought about it. We all did. Mom always hoped you’d mate with someone from our litter, and given the limited number of Zetithian men in your age group, we seemed like the logical choices.” His caress of her cheek was so light, she barely felt it. Only the subsequent rush of tingles proved he’d touched her at all. “I think our mothers’ biggest fear was that you wouldn’t mate with anyone.”

  “And now it seems that I have.”

  A tentative smile was held briefly in check before finally being released. “Curly and Moe will be so disappointed.”

  She arched a brow. “Larry wins again?”

  His lips twisted into a moue of distaste. “Remember what you said about me being the ringleader and my brothers being in my shadow? I never gave it much thought before now, but I believe you may be part of the reason for that.”

  “How so?”

  “When you were a little girl, we all thought you were the cutest thing we’d ever seen. We used to fight over which of us would get to hold your hand when you were learning to walk. I know we were only a year older, but until Kang, Kor, and Kolath were born—and believe me, those guys kept us pretty busy—we helped to look after you and your brothers.” With a sheepish smile, he added, “You always seemed to like me best.”

  “So you’re saying Moe and Curly were jealous because of me?”

  “Jealous might be too strong a word. You see what I mean, though, don’t you? We were all vying for your attention, and you usually chose me.” Once again, he stroked her cheek with a gentle fingertip. “At the time, I didn’t realize how significant that was.” His smile broadened as the glow from his pupils grew brighter. “But I do now.”

  * * *

  Hindsight being famous for its acuity, Larry could see it all now, which made him feel a teensy bit stupid for never having seen it before. He and Althea hadn’t exactly been inseparable as children, but they’d been close enough that someone should’ve commented—namely, his mother. However, if she’d ever said anything beyond the hope that one of her sons would mate with Tisana’s only daughter, it must’ve been too subtle for Larry to catch. And subtlety was definitely not Jack’s strong suit.

  Althea smiled. “I should’ve figured it out myself. I always did like you best. Too bad those feelings were never sexual.”

  He could’ve said the same thing about her. “It’s probably just as well. We could’ve gotten ourselves into so much trouble, living together on the same ship.”

  “True. Guess things happened the way they did for a reason.”

  “Maybe so.” Settling back down beside her, he held her close, combing his fingers through her hair. As he inhaled her scent, he tried to recall a time when he’d felt quite as content and couldn’t even come up with one. All he wanted to do was to stay right where he was for the rest of the trip to Palorka.

  Unfortunately, he knew he couldn’t. “I hate to be a killjoy, but we should probably check on our passengers and relieve Brak. He seemed pretty chipper a while ago, but you know how he is.”

  “Yeah. If it’s all the same to you, I’d much rather relieve Brak than deal with Keplok and Dartula. A little of those two goes a long way.”

  “Too much mental noise?”

  She grimaced. “Too much violent mental noise. Keplok is like an explosion waiting to happen. I don’t envy whoever stole those monkeys if he ever catches up with them. He’s not going to be content to simply rescue the little critters. He’s out for blood.”

  “Told you he was wound kinda tight. Dartula might be able to control him, but she’s already pretty annoyed with him. She might not bother trying to keep him from getting himself killed.”

  “Is that so?” Althea drawled. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  Larry chuckled. “That line really doesn’t work for you, Al. Nobody can fool you.”

  “It’s been known to happen,” she said with a shrug. “I can read emotions with reasonable accuracy. The triggers aren’t always as obvious.”

  “Maybe not, but your guesses are usually right on target.”

  “Hey, I was wrong about you.”

  “That’s different,” he insisted. “You can’t read me.”

  She went still for a moment. “I suppose that’s because we’re mated, which is fortunate. You wouldn’t want me knowing everything, would you?”

  He shook his head before a perfectly valid reason occurred to him. “I like the idea of being able to surprise you.”

  “Oh, please,” she said with a groan. “Promise me there won’t be any surprise birthday parties.”

  “I promise. I could never keep something like that secret anyway. You’d be able to read anyone I invited.”

  “True.”

  “Now, surprises between the two of us… That’s a different story.” Pouncing on her as she walked by would be loads of fun. Even if she was expecting it.

  Nevertheless, with the utmost reluctance, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood.

  “Oh, my…”

  Her tone made him turn. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” she said, although her awed expression said otherwise. “It’s just that I’ve never seen such a perfect backside before—on anyone.”

  He grinned. “Clearly you’ve never gotten a good look at your own.”

  * * *

  Althea was still smiling as she strolled toward the bridge. She and Larry were mates, and all seemed right with the universe. With a little more luck, she might even be able to tolerate Keplok.

  The only rub would be if Brak were to be jealous of her relationship with Larry. If so, any discussion of Larry’s sexual abilities would undoubtedly be a mistake. Brak could imagine all he liked, but she saw no need to spell it out for him. Then again, if there had ever been a Zetithian who was a bust when it came to sex, she’d certainly never heard of him.

  She couldn’t help gi
ggling.

  Maybe he would fall for Keplok. Or even Dartula.

  Scorillian mating rituals were something of a mystery, although she knew there was some wing fondling involved. It was also distinctly possible that Brak simply hadn’t met the right Scorillian, and hanging out with a hot Zetithian had skewed his perspective. That Larry didn’t in any way resemble a Scorillian didn’t exactly support her hypothesis, but love had always been one of the more inexplicable emotions.

  Antennae fluffed and waving and pincers snapping, Brak twisted around in his sling chair the moment she crossed the threshold onto the bridge. “Details, girlfriend! I need details.”

  “You’re sure you want to hear this?”

  “Without question,” Brak replied. “Tell me! Please!”

  “Well, if you insist… Let’s see now…” She tapped her chin. “The snard works perfectly—tremendous euphoria and cool visual effects. Unfortunately, that orgasm-inducing lubricating fluid works a little too well. Dunno how anyone can stand the constant orgasms. I had to stop sucking his dick after the second one.” She was exaggerating, of course. However, she saw no need to admit she couldn’t tolerate more than one.

  Brak let out a screech that had the same brain-curdling effect as Herpatronian claws on a hull casing. “You sucked his dick? The first time you were together?”

  She shrugged. “Having heard the hype all my life, how could I possibly resist the temptation?”

  “You could’ve at least pretended to be a little less wanton, couldn’t you? Maybe saved something for later instead of going for the full monty?”

  Choosing to ignore the “wanton” comment, she fixed him with a skeptical glare. “Are you saying that’s what you would’ve done?”

  His antennae lost some of their fluffiness, and his wings drooped a teensy bit. “Perhaps not,” he admitted. “I simply expected you to be more…ladylike.”