A sound from behind her made her twirl again, hastily pushing her dress back down. Baralt was standing at the entrance to the bathing room, his eyes glowing. His scent filled the room, and when her gaze dropped instinctively down his body, she gasped. The head of his cock was emerging from his sheath, dark purple and glistening. The bedroom had been in darkness, and other than a brief glimpse the first day, she had never really seen him before. As she stared, more of his shaft emerged. He was huge.
She would never be able to take him—wait, what was she thinking? They were not going to have sex, no matter how kind he was or how attractive she was beginning to find him.
He prowled toward her, coming to a halt close enough that she could feel the soft fur covering the hard muscles of his chest against her taut nipples. With a shock, she realized that despite her denial, she was aroused.
“I guess you approve of the outfit,” she said breathlessly, trying not to give into the urge to rub against him.
“It only enhances your natural beauty.”
Well, that was sweet—even if the look in his eyes was anything but. He ran a big hand down her back, not so much to pull her closer as to encourage her to lean into him. She bit back a moan when he reached the short hemline, and his hand slipped beneath it to cup her bare ass, slowly kneading the soft flesh.
The heated bar of his cock pressed against her stomach, and both curious and reassured by the fact that he was only holding her lightly, she reached out to touch him.
Oh my. He felt even larger than he looked, hot and slippery and too big for her to grasp in one hand. Her fingers squeezed instinctively, and he groaned.
“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” She started to pull away, but he closed his hand over hers.
“You could never hurt me. But it has been a long time since I have felt a female’s touch.”
“Really?” To Izzie’s annoyance, Tugtai had been filled with stories about Baralt’s prowess. “You seem to have a reputation.”
Did he look embarrassed?
“There was a time when I was young and foolish. Were you never like that?”
Now it was her turn to be embarrassed. There had been a brief time in high school when her resentment over her father’s disinterest had caused her to act out in the hope that he would notice her. He never had, and she’d quickly realized that a succession of loser boyfriends had done nothing to alleviate the pain.
Her hand had stilled at the memory, and now Baralt sighed, starting to step back. “I’m sorry if I said something to trouble you.”
“No, you’re right. I’ve been foolish before.” She stopped him from retreating by tightening her hand around his cock as she smiled up at him. That was when she noticed the line of blood-matted fur running down one side of his chest. “You’re hurt!”
“It’s only a scratch,” he said dismissively. “It was my own fault for underestimating my opponent. I had forgotten how hungry the lower-ranked players are to advance.”
Now that she was looking for it, she thought she could detect signs of strain on his face. And he was going to fight every day? Because of her?
Guilt washed over, and she tentatively slid her hand down his shaft. He was doing this in order to help her. The least she could do was provide some comfort.
“You do not have to touch me.” Even as he protested, he pressed into her hand.
“Maybe I want to touch you.” Her voice sounded unexpectedly sultry, and she realized that this was about more than giving him comfort. She liked exploring him, liked seeing him shiver at her touch. “But would you be more comfortable in the pool?”
She saw the quick longing in his gaze and didn’t wait for a verbal answer. Still holding his shaft, she led him over to the pool steps, then reluctantly let him go.
“Go on.”
“Are you going to join me?”
For a fraction of a second, she hesitated, but this was her choice. She nodded firmly, and he rewarded her with that fierce, attractive smile. As he settled into the water with a sigh of relief, she unfastened her dress and let it drop to the ground. Even though she had been naked in front of him before, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she saw him watching her, and she hurried into the water. He held out a hand, and she took it, joining him on the underwater bench.
“I was wrong,” he said thoughtfully.
“About what?”
“You are more beautiful without clothing, my aria.”
Chapter Ten
Izzie blushed at Baralt’s words, but they still gave her a glow of pleasure. Despite that, now that they were in the pool, she was beginning to have second thoughts. Her instincts told her to trust Baralt, but her instincts had been wrong before. And he was so much bigger and stronger than she was that if he took her interest as encouragement, he would have no difficulty in overpowering her.
She shivered, and he immediately put his arm around her, his touch comforting rather than sexual.
“Why do you call me that? Aria?” she asked, seeking a distraction.
“It is a small creature that exists on my world. When it is young, its skin is soft and bare and golden. Like yours.”
“And when it’s older?”
“Ah, then it has golden fur and fierce fangs.”
His description made her think of a lion, and she decided he was calling her kitten. That was really rather sweet. He was rather sweet.
They sat silently in the pool as she leaned against him and tried to decide if she was ready for more. A surprising amount of arousal thrummed through her body, and when she looked discreetly at Baralt, his cock still reared hard and ready between his legs. The fact that he was not trying to force himself on her despite his obvious arousal gave her courage. Taking a deep breath, she reached over and put her hand around him once more. He gave a low growl of pleasure, but he didn’t move. Encouraged, she slipped her hand up and down his thick shaft, too slippery to be attributed to the water alone.
“You are very slick.”
“That is because I am very aroused, my aria. Do human males not produce honla to ease their way into their mate?”
“Not really, no. Women are the ones who become wet.”
“I remember.” The heat in his eyes intensified. “Never have I experienced anything as delightful. Or delicious.”
Her cheeks were heating again, damn it. She wasn’t the type of woman who blushed easily, but Baralt seemed to have that effect on her. Looking away from him, she concentrated on watching her fingers trace up and down the massive column of his cock. Unlike a human penis, the head and shaft formed a single column except for a curious ring around the base.
“What is this?” She traced her finger around the ridge and heard him growl again.
“My kotra ring. It will swell when I ejaculate inside a female and lock us together.”
Oh my. That image should not be as appealing as it sounded. She traced the wide ring again, trying to imagine his already massive cock increasing in size. Would it be painful or pleasurable?
Stop that, she scolded herself. You are not going to find out.
“Do you like it when I touch you like this?” she asked.
“Very much.”
“You, um, asked me to show you what I liked. Will you show me what you like?” She couldn’t look at him as she spoke.
He didn’t respond in words. Instead, he lifted her effortlessly into his lap so that she was facing him, trapping his erection between their bodies. “I like this. I want you close to me so that I can see your excitement and feel your wet little cunt pressed against me.”
Putting a big hand on her ass, he pulled her closer so that her labia parted, and she could feel the hot, slippery hardness of his shaft against her sex. His other hand cupped her breast, pulling gently at the stiff peak. The sudden rush of sensation threatened to overwhelm her, but when she pushed against his chest, he immediately lifted his hands away. Her anxiety receded, and she allowed herself to relax into his touch as she took hold of his cock o
nce more.
“I meant how did you want me to touch you,” she said, her voice shaking.
“You are touching me,” he pointed out, deliberately angling his hips so that the ridge at the base of his cock slid over her swollen clit.
God, that felt good. She forced herself to concentrate. “I wanted to please you.”
“You are pleasing me. Very much.” He repeated the slow roll of his hips.
Determined to bring him equal pleasure, she tightened her grip and stroked upward in a long, hard pull. He shuddered against her, and she smiled triumphantly. Two could play that game.
He must have read the challenge in her smile because he grinned as well and grabbed her hips again. She started to freeze, but his hands were gentle, and he only used his grip to rub her clit against his cock, sending pleasurable shock waves through her body. Stacking both hands on his shaft, she alternated strokes, feeling him harden even more and increasing the pressure against her own body.
Her breath came in rapid pants, and her body tightened, on the verge of orgasm, but she was determined to bring him with her. She increased the pace of her hands, tightening them as much as possible around the increasingly firm length of his cock. Every muscle in her body locked as her climax roared toward her, and she knew she was going to lose this battle, but then a stream of liquid, hotter than the surrounding water, covered her hands just as the pressure against her clit sent her flying.
She clung to him as her body convulsed, her channel grasping on emptiness. The swollen ridge at the base of his cock, now twice as large, throbbed against her clit, prolonging her orgasm until her body finally went limp, and she collapsed against his chest.
“Very pleasurable,” he murmured, and a startled laugh escaped her lips.
“You can say that again.”
“Very pleasurable,” he repeated obligingly. “I find I approve of this expression of yours.”
“That’s not exactly what—you know what, never mind. It was definitely worth saying twice.”
She looked up to smile at him, and the expression on his face took her breath away. She expected to find him amused or satisfied. She didn’t expect to find him regarding her with what looked like tenderness. Their eyes locked, and then she panicked, scrambling hastily off his lap. He made no attempt to stop her as she rushed to the steps.
“I’m just going to dry off and put this outfit away, along with the others. I took over some of your storage space—I hope that’s all right—but you don’t seem to be using it, so I thought you wouldn’t—”
“Isabel.” His deep voice interrupted her babbling. “I will not try and keep you here, but you do not need to run away.”
“I’m not running away,” she said quickly, lifting her chin.
He didn’t respond, still watching her with that unsettling tenderness.
“Well, maybe a little,” she admitted. “I just need some time to think.” She headed for the door as she spoke.
“Take all the time you need. If my presence disturbs you, I will be leaving shortly.”
“Leaving?” His words stopped her at the door.
“Yes. I have another fight this evening.”
“But that’s two in one day. And you’re hurt.”
“I told you that it was just a flesh wound. Look. You can’t even see it anymore.”
Forgetting her desire for a hasty departure, she returned to the edge of the pool. He was correct—she couldn’t see the wound any longer—but she still knew it was there.
“Do you have to fight tonight? Can’t you give yourself another day to heal?”
“Not if I want to be sure and meet my numbers. But don’t worry. The match will be with an inexperienced fighter and will be over quickly.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Very shortly. I want to go through some exercises before it’s time to enter the arena.”
“But aren’t you even going to have something to eat?”
“I will take a protein supplement.” He studied her face. “But perhaps I can have that here while you eat your meal. Would that please you?”
Yes. Their encounter might have confused her, but she wasn’t ready to let him go off to the fight.
“I don’t like eating alone,” she said as casually as possible, but from the look on his face, she hadn’t fooled him.
“Then I will stay,” he said gravely.
“And I’ll get dressed.” Her mind a confused whirl of emotions, she fled the room, and this time, he didn’t call her back.
Baralt watched Isabel leave the bathing room, satisfied that they were making progress. His body was limp and contented, although the ridge around the base of his cock was still swollen and aching. But more importantly, she had responded to him once again. She had even initiated the contact between them.
He hadn’t asked her, but slaves were common to most fight pits and he had witnessed the damage wrought by the slavers before. He suspected that she had been mistreated. The thought made his claws extend. As soon as she was safe, he would find a way to make them pay. For now, the fact that she found pleasure with him gave him great satisfaction, and he hoped that in time she would learn that she was safe with him.
After reaching for the soap, he cleaned the wound on his chest. Fortunately, the water had washed away the blood and his fur had made it difficult for Isabel to see the extent of the injury. Unfortunately, the wound, while not deep, was still going to have an impact on his abilities.
He mentally reviewed his upcoming opponent’s skill set. He was a Rangarn, tough but untrained. Baralt needed to defeat him quickly before youthful persistence had a chance to overcome experience. With a sigh, he rose out of the water, doing his best to ignore the twinge in his knee. It was going to be a difficult week.
But then he heard Isabel moving around in his bedroom, and he smiled. The week would be over soon enough, and whatever damage he suffered would be a small price to pay for the chance to free his female from this place.
Chapter Eleven
Izzie paced the floor anxiously. This was Baralt’s fourth fight in as many days, and she couldn’t help but worry. As much as he tried to dismiss her concerns, she could see the toll the battles were taking on his body. Whenever he forgot that she was watching, she would see him favoring his right leg, and he finally admitted that his knee was not one hundred percent. He then proceeded to assure her that it didn’t matter, but each time he fought, he returned with additional wounds. Admittedly, none of them seemed to be too serious, but with the schedule he had chosen, he had no time to rest and recuperate.
Her sense of guilt added to her anxiety. He was doing this for her so he could leave with her and protect her from being dragged back into slavery. But despite her guilt, she wanted him to go with her. She wanted him to escape this planet as well.
The time they had spent together over the past few days had only increased her appreciation for the big warrior. They had not repeated their escapades in the pool, although she could admit to herself that she had been tempted. But she had not wanted to distract him from focusing on his fights. They slept together every night, and she invariably woke up to find herself in his arms. Just thinking about it caused a throbbing ache between her thighs, and she briefly considered touching herself, but she didn’t want to miss his return.
Instead, she forced herself to sit and pick up the tablet that was teaching her to read Imperial Standard, the most common language in the Empire. Baralt had procured it for her after she’d mentioned being bored when he was not around. She wasn’t foolish enough to try and leave his quarters, but while he was training or fighting, there was little for her to do.
The learning process reminded her of being back in school, and there was a comforting familiarity to it. At her request, he had added a module that specifically dealt with legal issues, and she was slowly becoming familiar with the laws that governed the Empire. But tonight, she couldn’t focus or lose herself in study. She was too worried about Baralt.
The door opened, and he stood in the opening as he bid good night to someone she couldn’t see. He stood tall and apparently uninjured, and her breath escaped in a sigh of relief, but then the door closed, and he slumped against the wall. She rushed to his side.
“Baralt! What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Do you need to see a medic?”
So far he had refused to seek medical aid, telling her it was because he didn’t want word of either his fights or his injuries to get around, but if he was truly hurt, she was going to insist.
“No, my little aria.” He gave her a tired and oddly sweet smile. “My opponent tonight emitted a type of gas that weakens the body and slows its reactions. I’m still feeling the effects.”
“Do you want to take a shower? Do you need to wash it away?”
He shook his head. “The effects will wear off now that I am no longer exposed to it. I think I would prefer to go straight to bed and sleep it off.”
He pushed away from the wall as he spoke, then staggered. She quickly slid beneath his arm to provide what support she could. Of course, if eight feet of heavily muscled warrior collapsed, she would have little hope of preventing his fall. His arm tightened around her. She could actually feel him allowing her to take a minimal amount of his weight, and that worried her even more.
“Aren’t you going to ask me if I won?” he murmured as they moved slowly across the room.
“Of course you won,” she said firmly, then bit her lip. “Didn’t you?”
“Yes, but it was closer than it should have been. I was unprepared for the effects of the gas.” He sighed. “For all his faults, Mehexip does a good job of investigating my opponents.”
Unwilling to credit the manager with any positive traits, she didn’t respond. Mehexip had visited them again, and she’d liked him even less the second time. She could ignore his leering glances, but she couldn’t ignore the way he treated Baralt. He obviously viewed him as a big dumb fighter and was only concerned with how much money he could make off him.
Izzie and the Icebeast: A Scifi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 9) Page 7
