Sera leaned in and kissed him, tenderly at first but with increasing heat as she tugged at his shirt, revealing the splendid topography of his abdomen. She ran her hands over the muscles there, feeling the rise and fall of them, knowing the strength of the man before her. He all but purred in the back of his throat and trailed his hands up her sides, his touch light as a feather and making her tingle.
Theyn knelt at Beno’s feet and took off his bond mate’s boots, first the right and then the left. He put them aside, then returned to his seat on the couch, watching his lovers.
Their kiss was deep, now, and Beno’s hands found their way beneath the fabric of her shirt, his skin hot against hers. He dragged his fingernails lightly down her stomach, making her twitch with delight at the touch.
‘Stop tickling me!’ she scolded. He smiled into their kiss, and she bit his lower lip just hard enough to make her point.
She pulled back and stripped his shirt the rest of the way, laying his body bare for her to see. She loved the look of him: the hard, flat planes of his chest speckled with shining bronze scales, the broadness of his shoulders, the defined muscles of his arms, and the perfect inverted triangle of his torso. She ran her hands from his shoulders to his belt, her gaze following the trail her fingertips blazed. When she looked back up into his face, he was no longer smiling. Instead, he looked at her with passion that made her mouth water.
Their eyes locked, and she opened his belt, sliding her hand inside. He shifted, making it easier for her to explore, even while his own hands released her aching breasts from their confinement. He drew her shirt aside and let his eyes linger on her body.
‘I want you,’ she told him.
‘You have me.’
She found was she was looking for, that steel-like rod clad in burning, velvety flesh. She grasped it in her hand, squeezing and gently stroking, and she was rewarded with a shiver and a hitch in his breath. He pushed against her jeans, flicking open the stud and releasing the zipper, dragging down the denim and the soft lace that she wore underneath. She helped him, and soon she was standing before him in the nude, watching him as he drank in the sight. All of her insecurities burned away in the heat of his gaze, and she held out her hand to him.
He stood, abandoning his shirt and boots, his desire freed from the prison of his trousers. He took her hand and followed where she led, wrapped in the moment and in her. Sera pulled him closer for another kiss, and he embraced her, his arms tight around her body, holding her to his chest where she could feel the beating of his heart.
She remembered their mate, who was still on the couch. ‘Theyn…’
The two men shared a private telepathic moment, and then she could feel his gentle smile through their bond. ‘We don’t always have to merge. The two of you should have this time alone. It’s good for both of you.’
The brunet’s silent gratitude echoed through their telepathic link. Beno took her hand again, leading her into the bedroom. He turned to Sera, his green eyes luminous, and told her privately, ‘Thank you.’
She was confused. ‘For what?’
Through the bond, she could sense that his emotions were thick and almost too strong to parse. He had trouble putting it into words. ‘For being in my life,’ he responded. ‘For being so damned beautiful.’
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands in his hair, and she pulled him down into a passionate kiss. He groaned softly and gathered her up in his embrace, carrying her to the bed. Together they cast aside the rest of his clothing, and when he was fully nude, Sera studied him with a gleam in her eye. She never tired of looking at his powerful, muscular, exquisitely masculine body.
‘God, Beno. You’re gorgeous.’
He smiled and came to her, lying beside her on the bed. They kissed, their tongues engaging in a lustful dance, their breaths mingling together. Beno knelt over her, and she opened her legs to welcome him in. She needed him desperately. He ran his lips softly over her skin, trailing them from her neck to the hollow between her breasts while his fingertips gently stroked her inner thighs. She squirmed when his fingers found something else to rub, and when she could bear it no longer, she grabbed his hips and pulled him down. He went happily, sheathing himself in her wet heat.
He pressed his face into her neck, then rose up onto his elbows to look down into her eyes. She tried to keep her eyes open, but the feelings were too good, too intense, and she closed them almost involuntarily, too transported by the sensations in her body to do anything else. She moaned and clenched around him. He let out a shuddering sigh and began to move, slowly at first but with mounting intensity and speed as they both fell into the bliss. Sera wrapped her legs around him, hooking her ankles at the small of his back. He drove into her, his body rubbing against her pleasure focus with every thrust. She cried out as she was overtaken by a rush of pleasure, a deep-seated ecstasy that blasted through her entire body like a thunderclap, leaving her trembling. He followed closely behind her, spending his passion deep within her.
He moved to lie beside her, taking her into his arms. She pillowed her head on his chest, listening to the strong beating of his heart. She was overwhelmed with emotion, filled with so much love for the man at her side that it nearly left her breathless. She put her arm around his waist and held on tight. Beno stroked her back with one hand, gentle as a whisper.
They said nothing, but nothing needed to be said. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Chapter Six
Joely escorted him to his temporary quarters, a room on the same hallway as the apartment she shared with Asa. The Ylian hybrid had received medical attention at last after hours of waiting, and his scars and cuts had been treated and were covered now with a sort of medicine-infused mesh that was meant to speed his healing. He looked like a mummy.
“You should have everything you need,” she told him, palming the lock, “but if you don’t, just pick up the phone there and push ‘9’. An operator will come on and will make sure you get whatever it is that you’re looking for.”
He smiled ruefully. “I don’t think they can give me what I need the most, but thanks for telling me anyway.” They hesitated awkwardly at the now open door.
“Uh, I live two doors down, right in that apartment there, with the welcome mat in front.” She crossed her arms. “You’re welcome to come down any time.”
Itan glanced at her door, then back at her face. “You don’t live alone.”
She blushed, feeling as if she’d been caught doing something wrong. “No. I live with a -”
“Your husband?”
“We’re not married yet.” She sighed. “But you are. Do you know where your wife is?”
He shook his head. “I think she probably cast me off.”
“Why?”
Itan shrugged, looking saddened. “I can’t merge. She wants children.”
“Couldn’t she just do, like, in vitro or something? If she loves you -”
“She doesn’t. Our marriage was a business arrangement more than anything.” He stepped back. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“You’re welcome.”
Another awkward moment passed where they looked at one another dumbly. Finally, she took a step toward her own door.
“Uh… if you need anything, you know where I am.”
She turned and started to back away, and he called after her. “What’s your name?”
She answered with a brilliant smile. “Joely Thompson.”
Itan nodded to her, almost bowing his head like a Victorian gentleman in an old movie. “Joely,” he repeated. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
The door to her apartment opened, and she jumped, startled. Asa emerged with a friendly smile on his face. “There you are,” he greeted her in his Texas twang. “I was wondering where you’d gotten off too. I didn’t figure you were still with Lady and the Tramps.”
She giggled at their irreverent nickname for Sera and her mates. “I was hel
ping out with the refugees from Itzela.” She gestured toward Itan. “Asa, this is Itan. Itan, Asa Brunner.”
“Your mate?” the Ylian asked.
She was spared the necessity of answering as Asa stepped forward and offered a handshake. “Sort of.”
The Ylian clasped Asa’s wrist, and after a moment’s indecision, Asa returned the gesture. “A pleasure.” They released one another, and Itan glanced at her. “You’re a fortunate man.”
“Yeah,” the Texan nodded. “I know.”
Itan retreated into his new home and put his hand on the inside of the door jamb. “I suppose I will see you tomorrow.”
“Yep,” Asa nodded. “I s’pose so.”
The Ylian vanished into his apartment and closed the door. She let out a breath, and her boyfriend turned to her. “What happened to him? He looks like he got really hurt.”
“I’ll tell you later.” Joely took his hand. “It’s a pretty night. Let’s go for a walk.”
He followed her without protest into the cooling night air. It was summer, but this was still Siberia and autumn wasn’t far away. They left the building through a pair of sliding doors at the far end of their corridor, passing through a beautifully-manicured flower garden and heading toward a graded walking path. The walkway wound around an artificial pond where a fountain bubbled and hissed. Their destination was on the opposite side of the water, where a secluded, ivy-covered gazebo stood isolated from the rest of the compound, heavily shaded by its cloak of greenery. They walked there every evening after dinner, sometimes talking, sometimes just enjoying comfortable silence and the happiness of being together.
Their silence was not comfortable tonight. Joely was nervous and guilty, even though she hadn’t done anything she should be ashamed of. Asa seemed to notice that something was amiss, but he clearly had no idea what emotions or actions were behind it. His mystification seemed to be irritating to him, and she sighed. They were both out of sorts.
As they walked, Joely told him, “He’s pretty banged up, but you should see some of the others they brought back with him. One of them actually died after they got him to the medical center.” She shook her head. “It was horrible.”
Asa put his arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled into him, walking with her head on his chest, at least for a moment. During all of the strange things that had happened around them, and through all of the unexpected changes they’d experienced since the Ylians had come into their lives, she had come to depend on his quiet, steady strength to make her feel protected. He was an oversized teddy bear, gentle, supportive and undemanding. She was lucky to have him.
She had to remember that.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Asa was saying. “Ladies shouldn’t have to see suffering.”
“I’m a lot of things, but I’m no lady,” she objected.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Tomboy, butch digger, self-sufficient archaeologist. Check. Nice try, Lara Croft. I know you’re a powder puff inside.”
“Like you’re any different?”
He smiled. “Never said I was.”
They reached the gazebo and he sat on the railing, facing into the interior of the structure with the curtain of ivy behind his back. She stepped into the space between his knees, her arms around his waist, and she kissed him. He returned the embrace, and when they separated, he was smiling.
“What?”
“I was just wonderin’,” he drawled, “who you pissed off to make them relegate you to babysittin’ duty.”
“Nobody. I volunteered.”
“Volunteered? That ain’t like you.” She poked him in the ribs, and he laughed. “What? It’s not! You’re not somebody who goes lookin’ for things to do.”
Joely took his hands, and he held their interlaced fingers against his jeans-clad thighs. The muscles under the fabric were hard and powerful from years spent working as a cowboy on his family’s ranch. She gave them a squeeze, eliciting a chuckle from her boyfriend. She sighed.
“I’m so bored here. I wish all of this would go away so we could go back to Austin and just pick up our careers. I need to dig something, man.”
“I know what you mean.” He sighed. “Doc Cooper seems pretty happy, shackin’ up and makin’ babies and all, but I really want to get back into the field. Any field.”
A blinding flash of light in the sky startled and silenced them. A sonic boom followed the flash, and Joely frowned. “What the hell was that? More UFOs?”
“Who knows?”
An Itzelan shuttle appeared, its engines whining as the pilot throttled them and dropped out of the sky. The ship settled into the green grass as lightly as a feather, and the walls shimmered briefly as the ship’s systems powered down.
Joely shook her head. “Now what?”
*
Theyn heard the sound of the shuttle and put aside the data pad he had been studying. He looked quickly toward the bedroom as Beno emerged, his soldier’s instincts having woken him from a sound sleep. He was fully, magnificently nude, but he held his weapon in his hand. Theyn had to admit that it was an impressive sight.
‘Stay here and watch Sera and the baby,’ Beno instructed. ‘I’ll check it out.’
‘Fine, but put on some clothes. Exhibitionist.’
One corner of the dark-skinned Ylian’s mouth quirked for a moment in an almost-smile, but he quickly complied. Through the window of their sliding exterior door, they could see that the shuttle’s hatch was opening. A squad of human soldiers, the security unit for the camouflage installation, ran forward and surrounded the little vessel, their automatic rifles at the ready.
‘This is a disaster waiting to happen,’ Theyn told him, ‘and I don’t think it’s going to be waiting for long.’
Beno nodded and shoved his feet into his boots. ‘Stay here. And stay away from the windows. Go in the bedroom.’
Theyn did as he was told, scooping Kira out of the crib in her nursery and carrying her into the room. He locked the portal behind himself, and then Beno left through their patio doors.
*
Sera sat up in bed when Theyn came in, her blonde curls hanging in her face. She pushed them back and asked, “What’s going on?” The blond Ylian began to reply, but he stopped short, staring. She hesitated, self-conscious. “What?”
“Your eyes.”
“What about my eyes?”
“They’re different.”
She rose from the bed. “What do you mean, different?”
Sera walked into their attached bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her face stared back, but Theyn was right - the eyes that looked back at her were unfamiliar. They were blue, as they always had been, but this time the blue was a solid shining color, no iris, no sclera.
Theyn was standing in the doorway as she gaped at her reflection. “You look like a full-blooded Ylian,” he said, wonder in his voice.
Sera touched her face, shocked to the bone. “But… how?”
“I don’t know.”
Kira cooed in her father’s arms, and Sera shook her head, trying to clear it and calm herself. “Where did Beno go?”
“A shuttle from Itzela landed outside. He thinks there may be trouble.”
She frowned. “Did they know that it was you who pulled the raid?”
“I can’t say. They could certainly come to that conclusion without much trouble.” He shifted the baby on his hip. “He’s going to check it out.”
She swallowed. “Okay… I…” She glanced back at the mirror, clearly uncomfortable. He smiled at her.
“You’re beautiful.”
The smile she gave him was weak.
*
Beno crossed the green grass to stand with the human security forces. The sergeant nearest to him cast an irritated glance his way, but Beno ignored him. Even if he had cared what the human thought, this wasn’t the time to address the issue.
A ramp extended from the shuttle’s yawning mouth, and a Ylian woman in a crisp gray uniform strode down, her yell
ow eyes burning in her angry face. She wore a communication unit on her ear and her sidearm was at her hip. She focused on Beno immediately.
“Commander,” she said, speaking in their native tongue, “I demand the return of the males that you kidnapped from the Men’s Quarters.”
“Kidnapped?” he echoed scornfully. “We kidnapped no one.”
“We have you on our security video. You and the prince and two others - Commander Elina and one we don’t know - took these very sick men from their beds and brought them here. We will not retaliate if you give them back.”
“And how do you propose retaliating? Attacking this installation? Destroying the camouflage, perhaps? You wouldn’t dare.”
She faced him squarely. “Wouldn’t I?”
He scowled. “What is your name?”
“Commander Rika,” she answered. “I am responsible for the wellbeing of those males you took from us.”
“Then you were doing a terrible job, because they weren’t well at all. One of them died not long after we arrived. He was killed by the experiments that Lady Tayne was conducting in violation of every code of ethics and law known to the Ylian people.” She shifted slightly in her stance, a motion that might have gone unnoticed to anyone but him. She was surprised by his words, and he pressed his advantage while he had it. “You knew what was happening. You knew that they were being tortured. You didn’t stop it. If you are responsible for their health and wellbeing, you failed more utterly than I have seen anyone fail before.”
Her eyes narrowed, but she hesitated. “I demand that you return the men to my custody.”
“We will do no such thing.”
“You kidnapped them.”
“We rescued them.”
A female voice whispered down her communication unit, but Beno was unable to make out the words. Commander Rika’s mouth hardened into a tight, angry line. She turned her blazing eyes onto Beno once again.
“His Highness has received our demand. He is to send those males back to Itzela, and this will be forgiven as a momentary loss of vision. If he refuses, well…” She shrugged eloquently. “I can’t be held responsible for what happens. You’re his partner. You’re supposed to keep him safe. Tell him what we want, and the price he’ll pay for resistance.”
Ignition: Alien Ménage Romance (Phoenix Rising Book 2) Page 5
