What should I do, cower at her feet, beg for her forgiveness when I know she is lying? If she wants something, she’s going to have to come out and say it. I don’t bend to manipulation. I make agreements. I make deals. I make mutually beneficial compromises. But I will never be played. Not even by her.
13
Madeline
I storm back to my room. My whole body is shaking. The door slides closed behind me and I feel tears welling up in my eyes. I can’t believe what I said to him. It all feels so wrong. Like I’ve betrayed everything we’ve started and everything we could have been.
The tears flow and I don’t have any control over them. I’ve never felt so lost. I try to pull myself together and remind myself what matters.
I’ve just met Damious. We don’t actually have a relationship. We’ve spent all of one day together. Sure, he brought me a beautiful necklace, but what does that really mean anyway? He probably just did it because it was part of his courtship training. Not because he really cares about me.
But he told me he likes me. What does that even mean to a Martian? I know these thoughts are ridiculous. I’ve seen Doris and Jaxxo together. They are probably the sweetest couple I’ve ever seen in my life, here or on Earth. I don’t have any reason to believe that the way Jaxxo loves Doris is any different than the way any man loves any woman.
I just want to believe that it is to assuage my own guilt over what I’ve done. I’m trying to gain leverage over Damious to use to persuade him to go back to Earth to get Abigail. But if I succeed and he brings her back here for me, what will I have left on Mars?
The fact is that I’m being a total hypocrite. I snooped in his room. I’ve watched the video of him at least ten times. It’s that bad.
The tears flow from my eyes. I’m a smart woman, but right now I feel so stupid. Maybe I should just tell him the truth. But after the long conversations I had with Sophia, who left early this morning, I decided that my best bet was to use myself as leverage.
Damious wants the matching system to work. He wants to ensure the next generation of Mars. And I know he wants me. If I can deny him me, then I get him to do what I want when I finally ask him for it.
I have no idea how to play this game. I’ve never manipulated someone for anything in my life. It all seems like such a bad idea now that I’ve confronted him. But when I was talking to Sophia, it seemed like the only way.
I cover my face with my hands and cry. I cry so deep and hard that by the time I’m finished crying I’m exhausted. I wish Sophia was still here. I could text her, but I feel too dumb to even reach out to my best friend.
I have to figure this out on my own. She loves Abigail as much as I do. And she’s determined to save her from the Mantises. But she doesn’t understand what it’s like to be matched with a Martian yet.
Maybe I should reach out to Doris and ask her advice. She had similar issues with Jaxxo. But she forgave him everything and now they are happy.
She has a baby on the way and she’s now literally the most loved person on Mars. That could be me. I don’t care about fame. I don’t care about being Queen. But I do care about Damious.
Like it or not, I have feelings for him. Trying to use him like this is far harder than I’d ever imagined.
I wish I could think straight whenever I am around him. It takes all my will to not jump in his lap and throw my arms around his shoulders. I know he’s battling the same impulses.
I don’t blame him for spying on me. The truth is, if I had the same capabilities, I would have done the same thing. And have.
I really hate myself right now and I have no way of alleviating the feeling. I miss Abigail. I miss Damious. I miss my life back on Earth.
I just wish something made sense. But nothing does. It’s all such a blur. Back on Earth, I always knew what to do. Study for a test, practice for an upcoming meet. The path forward was always clear. Now, nothing is clear.
I can just imagine if people back on Earth could see me now. What would Abigail think of her Valedictorian, over-achiever sister floundering like this, totally out of my depth.
She’d laugh at me. I wouldn’t blame her. I deserve to be laughed at. I’m making mistake after mistake.
I should just go tell Damious what I want. But I’m too embarrassed now. I feel like I’ve screwed everything up.
I pick up the tablet, tempted to watch the video of him, of us, one more time.
I’m so sick. I seriously need help. My emotions are churning, and my body is screaming for him.
Instead of giving into temptation, I go to my bed and flop down, face first like a dead fish and groan into the comforter.
I wish I had a test to study for or an essay. I wish I had some prize to win. Using myself as a political bargaining chip is not fun. And I don’t want to do it anymore.
I don’t want to lie anymore, and I don’t want to play this game. I’m going to tell him the truth. All of it. That I want him to save my sister. That I don’t care what it takes because I’m a selfish girl who doesn’t give a damn about Mars.
I roll over on my back. But I do care about Mars. I care about Mars because it’s his world. And this is where safety is. I just want him to find a way to give me what I want.
Without Bobby’s constant complaining in my ear, it is far harder for me to feel any animosity to the Martians for bringing us here.
I wipe the tears from my cheeks. There has to be a way. There has to be a way for everyone to get what they want.
Right now, all I want is him. I stand from the bed and wash my face before reapplying my makeup. I straighten my clothes and start down the hall to his room. I’m having flashbacks to the day I found the video. My body is already flushed with heat.
I stand at his door, hesitating. I’m about to turn away when it slides open. He’s standing in the doorway, staring at me with a blank look on his face. It’s like he’s daring me to speak first.
“Hello,” he finally says. He smiles. OMG, he’s hot.
That grin. Those sparkling amber eyes. What am I supposed to do? I’m powerless against this.
“Hi,” I say weakly. I feel like such an idiot. “Can we talk?”
“Of course,” he says, standing aside and inviting me into his room. I act like I’ve never been in here before and comment on the furnishings.
He nods and motions for me to have a seat across from him in his sitting room. He sits back in his chair and stares at me. His eyes penetrate me like a drill. I feel like he can read my thoughts.
“What can I help you with, Madeline?” he asks in a business-like tone. I suddenly feel like I’m interrupting some important business. And I probably am. There is a lot going on right now. I’m probably the least of his worries.
“I…um…”
“Yes?”
“I want to tell you the truth,” I say, looking down at my hands.
“The truth?” he asks, flatly. “About what?”
“About me. About us. About everything.”
“Go on,” he says in that same uninterested tone.
“My sister is back on Earth. I love her more than anything in the world. I want you to save her.”
“I see,” he muses. “Is that why you snooped into my room and touched yourself on my bed?”
My jaw drops. I want to speak in my defense, but all that comes out is a squeak. He lifts a tablet from the end table and flicks the screen. Footage of me in his bed begins to play, with full audio. I watch myself come, while watching him come.
“I can’t do this,” I say, standing. I start toward the door.
But he is there behind me before I take two steps. He grabs my arm and turns me to him. I look up into his face, deep shame spiraling into the depths of my being.
“I’m sorry,” is all I can say.
“About?”
“About everything,” I stammer.
“You were trying to manipulate me,” he says in a low voice.
He’s so close. I can feel the heat of his b
ody, smell the scent of his skin. He stands above me, massive and intimidating. I shiver in his shadow. I don’t know if it’s fear or desire or shame.
I shake my head as if I can deny his accusation with the gesture. But my eyes are tightly shut. I bite my lip so hard I can taste blood. He grips my chin and stops me shaking my head. I open my eyes and stare up at him.
“Tell me the truth,” he commands.
“I…I didn’t want to. I just didn’t know any other way. Damious, I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for, Madeline? Tell me everything.”
“I’m sorry for pretending I was superior when I watched you too. I’ve watched you so many times.” I try to look away, but he won’t let me move my head.
“What else?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth about wanting you to get my sister.”
“And?”
“And for trying to use myself as a political pawn.”
He lets me go and nods. “Better. Now we can start over. I don’t know how we can build a relationship with games like that between us.”
“How long have you known?”
“That you were trying to get something from me? Since the beginning.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He sighs. It’s his turn to look away. He starts to pace the room. I watch him, watch the powerful muscles beneath his clothes. I imagine what he looks like naked. And wish for a moment that I’d looked for more security footage from his room. I catch myself having these thoughts when he stops and turns back to me.
“I need this matching system to work. Being matched with you is probably the greatest thing to happen in my life. Not for the people, not for Mars. But for me.”
His voice is low and soft. Almost bashful. My heart breaks. I’ve been such a bitch.
“When I first saw you, I knew you were mine. When they finalized the match, I knew I was the luckiest man alive. But it wasn’t until I got to know you that I realized how lucky I truly am. However, I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that you didn’t feel you could tell me the truth.”
“Everyone says it’s nearly impossible to go back to Earth right now.”
“At this time, it is.”
“So, I just thought…”
“If you used my desire for you against me, you could force me to jeopardize the planet?”
“When you say it like that, it sounds horrible.”
“Because it is.”
“Damious, I’m so sorry.” I cross the room. He turns to me. In a heartbeat, we are in each other’s arms.
He pulls me tight against him and crushes me to his chest. He lifts me off my feet, cradling me in his powerful embrace. His lips consume my mouth. Our tongues greet each other hungrily.
Liquid heat passes between us and a flood of desire rushes from inside me, wetting my panties until they are soaking. His hands grip my ass as he rubs me against his hard cock.
He sits us down on a chair, holding me tight to him. Our kiss is hot, wet, and deep. I slide over his hardness, pressing my damp pussy against him. It feels so good. I need more of this. I need to feel him skin to skin.
I want him to forgive me. I want to start over. But I can’t forgive myself. And I can’t forget about Abigail.
How can I let myself be happy while she is stranded on Earth being eaten by giant bugs?
I pull away, scrambling to my feet. Breathless and wet, I stumble away.
“I can’t. I just. I can’t.”
“Madeline,” he says, reaching for me. I put my hand up, blocking him from pulling me back.
“I need to think. You don’t understand. My sister is going to die!”
A tear slides down my cheek and falls on the floor between us. I turn away as he stands motionless, staring at the wet droplet on his perfect carpet.
I slip out of the room, and he doesn’t follow me. All the way back to my room, all I can think is that I wish he would.
14
Madeline
I storm into my room, gasping for breath. I feel terrible. Like I’m being drawn and quartered. Torn apart by four wild horses. Each ripping a different piece of my heart.
This would be so much easier if Damious were a bad man. I could just hate him. But he’s not a bad man and the Martians aren’t bad people. If they were, maybe then I would have to accept that my sister is gone. I’d have to learn to accept being a real sex slave like Bobby likes to say.
But they aren’t. So I feel like there has to be a way to save her. I’m dealing with reasonable people in a reasonable society. That means there are options. That means that I can find a way to make things work in my favor.
But this course of action is not working. I can’t keep trying to play Damious. He was on to me from the start. It was a stupid idea to begin with. I never should have even tried. I’m so far out of my depth, I don’t even see land anymore.
I feel like I’m losing my mind. The thought of my sister back on Earth, getting eaten like Mrs. Henderson haunts my every move.
And I am here, living in a palace, matched with the king of a planet. The guilt consumes me like quicksand. I have no foundation to stand on. I have no hope of salvation.
Tears are silently streaming down my face. I don’t even recognize myself. Gone is the confident Type A personality. I’m now a mess of confusion, frayed nerves, and aching reproductive organs.
I look at myself in the window reflection. I can’t stand what I see staring back at me. If I don’t figure out how to make this all make sense, I will lose myself completely.
The AI announces him at my door, and I turn, wiping my face. I tell the door to open. Damious is framed by the squat rectangle.
His eyes are focused on me. He’s breathing in short, shallow pants. I wipe the last of the tears in my eyes and sniffle.
“Are you all right?” he asks, his voice low and rumbling.
“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
“What’s wrong?”
I can’t answer. I turn away and stare out the window at the fading sun. I feel his hand slide over my shoulder. It’s warm and strong and comforts me to the bone. I need this. I need him.
I turn to him, and his arm wraps around me. I look up into his eyes. His expression is tentative. I can feel the tension in his touch, as if he’s a coiled spring. His eyes are hooded and dark. I can’t tell what he’s thinking. I want to know. I want to know everything about him.
“How can I help you?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I don’t know if you can.”
“I must.”
“It’s impossible. But I can’t let it go.”
“I can’t let you go,” he says, wrapping the other arm around me.
He towers above me, as wide as an ancient oak and as strong as an ox. I feel so small beside him. But he doesn’t make me feel weak, he makes me feel protected.
He pulls me closer, running his hands down my back. Cupping my ass, he lifts me up to him. I wrap my arms and legs around him as he presses me against the window.
I let out a gasp as our lips meet. His cock is hard under me, pressing against my aching need. Just two thin layers of fabric separate us. I quiver and moan for him. My breasts swell as his mouth consumes me.
I hold him tight, pulling him closer, as close as he can get like this. His tongue thrusts into my mouth. His teeth slide over my lip. Our kiss is insistent, demanding.
I can barely breathe and come up for a gasp of air. He holds me against the glass with his body, his hand running over my breast. He squeezes and presses his cock against me.
I look him in the eye, mouth open. I’m quaking with shock and need. I don’t know which is stronger. But I can’t think anymore. I need to have him. I need this.
His fingers pinch at my erect nipples through my dress. He growls angrily and rips the neck of my gown down over my breast.
I groan and look heavenward as his mouth envelopes my breast. Whimpering, I run my
fingers through his hair, holding onto him as if he is my lifeline.
He rips the other breast loose of my garment. My dress is in shreds now. I’m so wet I know I’m soaking his pants. He licks up my other breast, biting at my nipple and sucking it into his mouth.
I buck against him, needing to feel his hardness against the unbearable ache in my pussy.
He grabs me and carries me across the room to my bed. Lying before him, my dress in tatters, my pussy throbbing, I feel like he looks like a monster, or a god.
He rips the rest of my clothes from my body, and they break loose with little effort. I’m naked in the low light of my room. The stars twinkle in the darkness outside my window.
He’s panting as he stares at me and takes a deep breath of the sex scented air. My legs shake as he crawls toward me on the bed. His eyes are so bright with hunger when they catch the light, I gasp. My pussy clenches and dribbles juices down my ass.
His gaze moves to between my legs. I stare down at him past my swollen breasts. His eyes are so focused on my pussy I feel heat rise in my cheeks.
He grips my thighs, spreading them wider. I don’t know what to do with my hands, so I grab at the sheets, gripping them for dear life. He leans down, inhaling my fragrance.
“I didn’t know it would smell like this,” he growls. His voice is so primal and deep I barely recognize it.
“Is it bad?” I ask.
All he does is laugh. It’s a shocked laugh, almost mocking. He stops short. “No.”
He says nothing else before diving into my pussy. He takes me in his mouth and sucks. His tongue flicks up my slit, from the edge of my ass to my clit.
A long, powerful moan escapes my lips. I sound so desperate and depraved. It can’t be me. But it is. And this huge Martian is sucking my pussy and thrusting his tongue in my channel with such ferocious abandon, I barely have time to register what is happening before an orgasm rips me to shreds.
I scream, my thighs quivering around his head. He holds me still, pinning me to the bed as he continues to consume me. He is lapping up all of my juices. He’s sucking and nipping at my clit. I don’t know if I should be ashamed or awestruck.
Alien King's Match: Alien Abduction Breeder Romance (Timegate Mars Book 2) Page 8