A Minx for Ryek & Holden : A Sci Fi Alien Romance (Tallean Mercenaries Book 5)

by Lynnea Lee

  Angie stiffened next to him. And before he could turn the female down, she said, “Actually, Holden’s already coming over to my place tonight. Why don’t you ask one of the other guards to help you out? I’m sure one of them would love to.” The words came out sugary sweet.

  Angie was jealous. It was moments like this that gave him hope.

  Jen rolled her eyes. “I thought you two weren’t a thing anymore.”

  “You thought wrong.” Holden draped an arm around Angie. “Sorry, Jennifer. But I’m sure one of the other guards would love to spend the night with you.”

  Many of the guards had and would continue to spend the night with her. Jennifer never lacked male attention. She just wanted what she couldn’t have.

  Jennifer’s gaze moved three feet to the left and landed on Ryek. But before she could say a thing, Ryek said, “I’m heading home with Angie too. Sorry.” He leaned into Angie and rubbed his face into the side of her jaw, the Tallean equivalent of a kiss.

  Jen shrugged. “Maybe next time,” she said, and strutted away, swaying her hips and mumbling something about sluts hogging all the good men.

  A soft growl emanated from Ryek’s chest as he dragged his fangs down the column of Angie’s neck, and a rush of lust enveloped their booth. Holden breathed in the heady scent. The thought of Angie sandwiched between him and his friend sprang into Holden’s mind, and his loin stirred. He grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips, and drew a line of kisses down her arm.

  Holden met Ryek’s eyes and lowered his chin in a nod. It seemed the idea intrigued all three.

  “You like that idea, don’t you, little minx. Do you want both of us tonight?” Ryek whispered in her ears. Her teeth left little indents on her lips, and Holden wanted to capture those lips and leave his own teeth marks on it.

  The sound of a heavy plate forced their attention back to the pub and the people around them.

  Natalia gave a low whistle as she slid a glass of wine over to Angie. “Tension so thick here I could cut it with a butter knife.” She handed Holden his utensils. “Eat fast, and then just go and fuck already. I thought Talleans didn’t beat around the bush when it came to sex.” As she walked away, she muttered to Angie behind a smile, “You lucky bitch.”

  Holden laughed as Angie took her wine and drank almost half of it in one gulp.

  Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, they never made it back to her place. The teasing in the booth had gone too far, and Angie remembered now why spending time with the two of them was a huge mistake. Her love life was already a mess, and she was glad circumstances saved her from making it worse.

  Angie spun side to side on an oversized swivel chair in the colony’s communications office as Ryek took a very tense comm. The threat of the Dominion’s attack just became very real. A small group was on their way to Reka 5 from Vosthea right now.

  Zeylum’s face was sober on the screen. Zeylum was the captain of a mercenary vessel, the Defiant, that Ryek often hired to take care of problems in and around the colony. His crew had just been at Vosthea, breaking up Dominion forces there. The Dominion had planned to use Vosthea as a launching pad to attack Reka 5 after Ryek had refused to give up his colony.

  Ryek was the epitome of an honorable man. He had not only taken in many escaped human slaves, but he had also given them citizen status on his colony. The threat of the Dominion must be incredibly stressful to him, but he never let it show. Angie knew that the human colonists at Reka 5 would fight to the end for their freedom. They’d all fought tooth and nail once to make it to Reka 5, and they would all fight again to keep their new home free.

  “We scattered their forces on Vosthea and expected the Dominion to call off the attack on Reka 5. But a small group is heading to your location as we speak. They should be there in three light cycles.”

  “That’s not a lot of time.” Ryek scratched at his hairless jaw. Tallean males did not grow facial hair; it impeded their cheek creases. “I will notify the mercenary crews we have on standby. I regret that we do not have enough left in the coffers to hire the Defiant as well.”

  “Our crew have family and friends at Reka 5. We will come to help. There was a ship in the bunch the Mercenary Alliance would pay a lot for. We will take that as our prize.”

  Angie had friends on the Defiant. Lettie and Mia had lived on Reka 5 briefly, and both had mated Tallean males on the Defiant. Angie was glad that the Defiant would come help. They were a formidable ally.

  Ryek ended the comm and stood at the screen, unmoving. Then he slammed both palms onto the counter and cursed. The sound echoed in the stark, clean room, bouncing off the white walls. The outburst was uncharacteristic of the stoic male.

  Now that Angie had the chance to really look at Ryek, it was clear that he was beyond stressed. There were lines she hadn’t noticed before etched on his face. And the muscles of his shoulders and neck were filled with tension. The fate of their colony rested on his shoulders, but he put on a brave face when he faced his people.

  Holden, who had been checking the security feeds during the comm, got up and placed a hand on Ryek shoulder. He gave a sympathetic squeeze. “The colony will fight, and we will win. We have the element of surprise. The Dominion will not expect that all our citizens will be armed and ready.”

  Ryek nodded slowly. His personal comm beeped. “One of our weapon shipments are here. I need to go meet them.”

  “I’ll go instead. You need to calm and rest.”

  “But—”

  “No, Ryek. I can handle receiving a shipment. You need to learn to delegate. Take a few hours off so you can come back with fresh eyes. Who is my contact?”

  “Bax and his delivery crew are bringing in our first weapon shipment.”

  “They sound familiar.”

  “They should. One of his crew started a fight with me a few years ago.”

  “I remember! He was quite drunk, too.”

  “There’s been talk of that crew taking down Soren, the big merchant from Vosthea, over a human female. I forgave them and hired them again because of that rumor. I wanted a human-friendly crew.”

  “Yes, I have heard of the rumor. You stay with Angie.” Holden gave his friend one last pat on the shoulder, then walked towards Angie. “Ryek is stressed, and we need him functional. Now might be a good time for one of those massages of yours.”

  Holden was pushing her to spend time with Ryek alone. This was new. When they had experimented around with other males, Holden had gotten extremely possessive at the thought of her spending any time with them without him. She had never wanted to spend time with the other males alone anyway. And they had never invited any of their temporary thirds back for a second romp.

  It was still a bad idea to encourage the two males. But one look at Ryek’s stiff posture and stressed-lined face, and Angie decided. Ryek needed to relax; the colony's future rested on his shoulders, and he deserved a moment of quiet understanding. One back rub. But that would be it. Nothing more.

  Angie got up and sidled over to Ryek. He was still standing in front of the large screen, unmoving, the muscles of his neck and shoulders corded up in stress. Pulling over a chair, she motioned for him to sit.

  “Let me give you a back rub while Holden takes care of the shipment. Sit.” She pushed him down onto the chair.

  “Demanding little minx.”

  “You can boss me around later. Right now, just relax.”

  Angie rubbed her hands together to warm them. Talleans were warmer than humans, and she didn’t want to touch him with cold hands. Wishing she had oil to help her fingertips glide across his taut skin, she smoothed her hands down his traps, pushing down and out towards his shoulders. She repeated the movement a few more times, increasing the pressure.

  She kneaded the ropes of his muscles, digging her fingers into the hard cords and smoothing out the tension. She pushed and squeezed and manipulated until he started to relax. He leaned back lightly against her and si
ghed.

  “You carry the weight of the colony on your shoulders. You are a good male, Ryek. But you are not alone. The whole colony is behind you, and we will fight to our death for the life you have given us on Reka 5 and for freedom.”

  She continued to rub his shoulders, moving slowly up the side of his neck, chasing away the knots of worry.

  He released a held breath. “That is one of my worst fears. That my colonists, my people, will fight and die. You all came here for protection and safety. I don’t want to fail you.”

  “No, Ryek. We came here for freedom.” Angie wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “And as for fighting? That is our choice. We choose to fight. And you gave us the right to make that choice. You gave us freedom.” She moved to his side to see his face better. His brows were furrowed in consternation, and her fingers massaged his forehead, smoothing away the wrinkles. “You kept us safe. The colony you’ve built means the universe for so many of us. Now, let us fight for this freedom and safety. It is our turn. Let us help you.” Suddenly overwhelmed with the need to show him more tenderness, she planted a kiss on his forehead.

  She had meant the kiss to be a small, chaste one, but Ryek turned and tilted his head to nuzzle her jaw and neck with the side of his face, mouth opened so that his fang rubbed against her as well. She hummed at the contrast of soft, velvety smooth skin and hard, rigid fangs. He swiveled in his chair so that he faced her, and he pulled her onto his lap to straddle him.

  “You are a distraction.” His voice was a husky whisper.

  “Good. You need it right now. Let me help you relax.”

  His gaze drew her attention to the tenting at the front of his pants. “You call this relaxed? I don’t think you are doing a good job.”

  The fact that he reacted so easily for her was a huge turn on. It was always a thrill to feel wanted. But Ryek was off-limits. She needed to pull herself together and resist the sexy director. She shouldn’t even have kissed him just now, not even on the forehead. But the usually self-assured alpha male had looked so vulnerable that she couldn’t resist. What was she thinking? She wasn’t. That was the problem. Just as with Holden, Ryek’s presence hindered her ability to make smart decisions.

  She scrambled off his lap, heat rising to her face. “I really shouldn’t be distracting you during this crisis.” And it was the truth. Now was the worst possible time to be worried about sex and emotions. The Dominion was practically breathing down their necks.

  “Why the sudden change of heart? You were willing to take both of us back home earlier.”

  Damn, Ryek didn’t mince his words. He called it as he saw it.

  “Call it a moment of weakness.” Since Talleans appreciated directness, she explained her situation. “Holden and I can’t seem to leave each other alone, and heaven knows I’ve tried.”

  “Sounds like a mating bond to me,” Ryek interrupted.

  “Yeah, but it’s not!” Wow! That came out bitter. She lowered her voice. “But that’s not the problem. You and Holden are close.”

  “Yes, we are very close.”

  “That’s the problem. I know Holden still cares for me, and he has a jealous streak. It was a mistake for me to accept the offer earlier. I don’t want to ruin things between the two of you. I respect you both. A lot.”

  “You won’t ruin things between us.” He sounded so sincere, so sure. But how could he be?

  “We don’t know that. And that’s why it’s wrong for anything to happen between us. You are his closest friend. I don’t want this to happen. Things are complicated enough as it is.”

  “Did you not enjoy my kiss earlier during training?” He smirked at her. He knew she did.

  He stood, towering over her, and Angie's heart sped up. He took a step, crowding in, and instinctively, she shuffled back. Then he took another, and another, until Angie felt the wall at her back. Nowhere to go. Gulp.

  Ryek rested a burly forearm on the wall at each side of her head, caging her in.

  “Would you like me to kiss you again?”

  “No,” she lied, fully knowing the Talleans could scent a lie easily.

  “And if I lifted you up, wrapped your little legs around my hip, and pressed you up against the wall right now, you wouldn’t be aroused?”

  “No,” she lied again, even as lust threatened to blind her vision it was so intense. She could hardly breathe, it weighed so heavily on her chest.

  He smiled knowingly, a victorious smile.

  “As much as I want to take you right here, in front of my guards, they need to work. And you, my little minx, are a distraction. You can distract Holden and me, but no one else.” Ryek backed off, and Angie was able to breathe again.

  It was only now that Angie heard the two guards talking softly to themselves over the security feeds. Talleans were incredibly open with their sexuality, and it wasn’t uncommon to see public displays of affection and even sex. Angie, being very liberal with sex herself, took to the culture quickly. But this time, she still blushed. She hadn’t even noticed them come in.

  Ryek smirked at her. He knew his effect on her. “Let’s go see how Holden is doing with Bax.”

  Chapter 6

  Holden finished up the meeting with the now infamous delivery crew.

  Bax had brought his human mate to Reka 5. Samantha was curious about the colony and was eager to meet other freed humans. They planned to stay for a day and leave before the Dominion arrived.

  Holden wished that he too, had the option to take Angie away to safety before the fight started. But even if he had, he knew that Angie would never stand for it. She loved the colony and would fight to the end to see it survive.

  “Not many places are open while we prepare for our upcoming fight with the Dominion. But head over to The Hideout for food tonight. They offer fusion-style pub food tailored for Talleans and humans alike. And before you leave tomorrow, grab a refreshment from the Daily Dose. The new barista is an older human female named Isabella, and she’s a lot of fun.”

  “We were hoping to relax at the baths. Are they still running during this crisis?”

  “It’s late, and they are closed now. The baths will open again tomorrow, but only before lunch. Most places are closing early due to colony-wide training. Let me show you the way out and point you to the pub.”

  “Thank you.” Bax put his fist to his chest, pinky side out.

  Holden repeated the gestured. He liked the male. It was a bonus that he had taken out Soren and rescued the red-haired female from certain death.

  They walked out of the meeting room and headed towards the comms office. He found Ryek and Angie walking out of the room, lust and arousal forming a thick cloud of temptation around them.

  Holden updated Ryek on the new developments. “The weapons are in. Some of the sentries are sorting them and logging them into the system as we speak. I’ve arranged for them to distribute the weapons to our colonists tomorrow during training.”

  “Good. We still need to arm our ground to air missiles, but we need the correct propellant. It’s arriving tomorrow.”

  Angie, who had an arm hooked through the crook of Ryek’s elbow, yawned. She must be tired. Holden had used her well last night, and she had worked in the morning and trained in the afternoon. Then, after dinner, they had dealt with the bad news from Zeylum. She yawned a second time and rubbed at her eyes. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day to tag team her.

  Angie smiled up at him. She was not usually a timid female—in fact, Angie was wild in bed, one of the many reasons Holden couldn’t let her go—but she was still unsure about their newly established set up. It must be strange to her to have both Ryek and himself encourage her to spend time with each other.

  “I was just taking our little minx home so she could rest.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, yawning again.

  “You are going to fall asleep on me,” Ryek murmured into her ear. “Did I wear you out already?�
�

  She scoffed. “Not by a long shot.”

  Then the pair noticed Bax and the other crew members of his ship, the Nimble Star, coming up behind Holden. Ryek stood a little straighter but did not release his hold on Angie’s arm.

  “I was just showing Bax and his crew the way to the pub.”

  “Let me do that. I need to talk to old Yurgan about turning The Hideout into its namesake for our young and elderly.”

  Ryek transferred Angie over to Holden, and he gathered their female into his arms. She felt right there.

  “This must be the human female that was Soren’s downfall.” Ryek peeked behind Bax at the human female with a crown of wild red hair. “That bastard had it coming.”

  They made introductions, and Angie reached out to shake Samantha’s hand, an Earth custom Holden didn’t understand. Some Talleans living on Reka 5 had adopted it, mostly when males met an Earth female for the first time. It was a convenient excuse to initiate physical touch.

  “If you are heading over to The Hideout, check out Natalia’s soft pretzels. They are to die for. So good!” Angie suggested. “I wish I picked up one today before we left.”

  They parted ways, and Holden ushered Angie towards his transport.

  Holden glanced over at Angie as he drove the familiar route to her apartment. Her head rested against the side of the passenger door, and her eyes were closed in sleep. Soft, slow breaths raised and lowered her chest. The familiar sense of longing strummed at his chest. A friend with benefits was not enough. It would never be enough.

  Fuck her place. She belonged with him. He turned down the street towards the guard’s quarters. His home in the three-story building was more comfortable than her small apartment.

  Unlike some other colonies with homesteads spread out thin, Reka 5 was built with community in mind. Low-rise compounds filled with apartments were much easier to defend than sprawling homesteads. It also helped preserve the pristine forest around the colony. The wilderness surrounding the settlement was as much a draw to some of the residents as the colony itself.