“I’m fine, thank you for your concern,” Liv said stiffly. “Now do you mind leaving so I can get out?”
“Feeling shy?” he rumbled, an amused look in his golden eyes.
“No,” she lied, keeping her hands firmly in place. “I just…don’t like being naked with someone I’ve known less than twenty-four hours. I’m funny like that. Now do you mind?”
“I don’t mind a bit.” His eyes were half lidded with desire and his voice was a soft, deep growl. “I’ve been watching you in my dreams for months but the reality is a hundred times better.”
For a moment Liv was thrown off balance by his mention of their dream-sharing. “I…you’re different from the dreams I had of you too,” she said softly.
“I was in a dark place then.” His liquid gold eyes were suddenly far away and filled with so much pain they were hard to look at. “Seeing you every night, memorizing your face, learning your body…it was the only relief I had.” He looked at her seriously. “You saved me, Olivia. As much as if you’d put out a hand and pulled me out of the pit yourself.”
Liv was at a loss for words, as she always was when he talked about the time before they met and the things he’d gone though. Part of her wanted to ask where he’d been and what horrible things had been done to him but she sensed he wasn’t really ready to discuss it yet. Or maybe ever. The remembered agony in his gorgeous, wild eyes was intense—almost too much to bear. But somehow, without even knowing it, she had helped him bear it. She remembered all the mornings she’d woken up after dreaming of him, feeling his despair and wishing with all her heart she could reach him, the dark man in her dreams, and find a way to save him. Was it possible that her sympathy for him had somehow traversed the strange link between them?
“You’re so damn beautiful,” Baird rumbled, still looking down at her. “Your beauty and strength of will kept me going when I wanted to lay down and die. I couldn’t give up because I knew if I did I’d never see you in person.”
“I’m here now,” Liv offered, not knowing what else to say. “But, Baird, I can’t promise to stay with you forever.”
“He shook his head. “Forever is a long time. Right now tonight is enough. Will you come out of the water?” He held out a plush crimson and gold towel as big as a sheet.
Liv bit her lip and tried to stop the stirring of desire his hungry look started in the pit of her belly. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed her. That what he felt was more than just lust, more than just the carnal desire to take her. But she couldn’t help that—she wasn’t ready for his need. She hadn’t asked to be his savior, his dream girl or the love of his life. And if she ever wanted to get back to Earth and the people she loved, she had to be firm. “This is an invasion of my privacy,” she told Baird sternly. “I’d appreciate it if you would leave so I can get dressed.”
The corner of his full mouth quirked upward. “This is our claiming period, Olivia. Legally, you don’t have any privacy. But since you’re still shy…” He shook the towel again. “Come on out, I promise not to look.”
“I’m not coming out until you leave.” She frowned up at him, keeping her hands firmly in place. “I can stay here all night—I don’t mind a bit. I like it in here.”
“Suit yourself.” Baird let the big, puffy towel drop in a heap by the side of the bathing pool. “I’ll see you in the bedroom, Lilenta.” With a final hot look he sauntered out, closing the door behind him.
“You’ll see me all right—but not very much of me,” Liv muttered, watching him go. What was it about him that made her feel so strange? She ought to be outraged right now but instead she felt absurdly…flattered. The way he looked at her, as though she was the most beautiful woman in the world might have something to do with it. And all those promises about the sinfully pleasurable things he intended to do to her the minute he was legally allowed to touch her naked body probably didn’t hurt either. If she hadn’t felt so strongly about leaving Earth and her family to come live on the Kindred ship, Liv might almost have been tempted to let him do whatever he wanted. Almost.
She climbed out of the tub and snatched the towel off the cool tile floor to wind around her dripping body. She was glad she’d brought the big cardboard box Sophia had sent into the bathroom with her. It would have made her nervous to dig through it in the bedroom under Baird’s hungry gaze.
The box had everything she’d asked for plus a short note from Sophie that put a lump in Liv’s throat.
Love you, Sis. Stay strong.
Sophie
Hot tears pricked at her eyelids and she felt ashamed of the things she’d been thinking earlier. Of the fact that she’d been tempted—more than tempted—to let Baird do all the deliciously carnal things he seemed to want to do to her body. She had to stay strong, just like Sophia had urged her to, had to resist his advances no matter how tempting they were if she ever wanted a normal life with her loved ones on Earth again.
Reaching into the box, she went straight for what she’d asked for—the contents of her top dresser drawer. It wasn’t a secret weapon or a can of mace. It was just her winter sleepwear—granny panties and a long pale blue flannel nightgown.
She didn’t have much call to wear them in Tampa but every once in a while there was a pretty hard cold snap—usually in January or February—that sent her running for the decidedly un-sexy outfit. Liv reflected that she was apt to be a little warm in them tonight but that was okay—better a little too warm than so hot she lost control of herself and gave in to Baird completely.
Of course when she’d asked Kat and Sophie to send her the frumpy night gear she’d had no idea she would find the big Kindred warrior so damn appealing. She’d been mainly thinking of modesty. But now that she knew she’d be lying so close to him, trying to resist the urge to give in, she was twice as glad for the thick flannel gown. And as for the granny panties, well, they were made of good sturdy white cotton and came clear up to her navel. Protection was an understatement—Liv might as well have full body armor on
There was a full length mirror in one corner of the bathroom that she’d missed on her earlier tour in the dark. Liv went over to it and looked at herself with satisfaction. Yup, she was lookin’ good. Or rather, bad. The blue flannel gown had long sleeves and it came up to her chin and down to her ankles, effectively hiding every detail of her body. Baird probably wouldn’t even want to touch her when she looked like this. Let alone do anything else.
Feeling secure, if a little stuffy, she let down her hair and left the bathroom.
“Ready for bed Lil—” Baird’s voice cut off abruptly as she entered the room. Taking in the long, thick, flannel gown his eyes widened and then narrowed. “What in the seven hells have you got on?” he demanded.
“My nightclothes.” Liv felt a little thrill of satisfaction at thwarting the big warrior so neatly. “Do you like them?”
“Not nearly as much as that little black outfit you had on the first time I saw you.” He sighed. “But if that’s what you want to wear, well, you look beautiful, Lilenta. Always beautiful to me no matter what you’re wearing. I just wish…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
Liv frowned. “You wish what?”
Baird shook his head. “I guess I just wish you weren’t so afraid of me.” There was sorrow in his eyes that looked sincere. “Wish you didn’t feel you had to hide your beautiful body from me.”
Liv put her hands on her hips. “I am not afraid of you.”
His eyes flashed liquid gold. “Of course you are. You’re afraid of what my body would feel like against yours. Afraid of how you might react if I touch you. That’s why you’re hiding behind that…that thing.” He gestured contemptuously at the flannel nightgown.
“I told you,” Liv flared. “I’m not afraid of you and I’m certainly not afraid of my reaction to you.”
“Oh yeah?” he raised one eyebrow mockingly. “That robe thing you have on says otherwise.”
“For your information, this is not the
only sleepwear I have,” Liv told him. “But it doesn’t matter what I wear. I could wear the skimpiest, sheerest little negligee I own and it still wouldn’t bother me to sleep next to you.” It was a blatant lie but she wasn’t about to let the big warrior know how he affected her.
“Is that right?” he drawled, an annoying smirk playing around the corners of his full mouth. “You sure about that, Olivia?”
“More than sure.” She crossed her arms over her blue flannel clad chest.
Baird stopped smiling and sighed. “You’re right—it doesn’t matter what you wear. I’m not allowed to touch you and I refuse to risk another scene like the one we had when I first brought you to the suite.”
“You mean when you grabbed me and kissed me against my will?” Liv was really getting pissed now. “That’s a breach of contract, you know.”
He looked at her from under lowered eyelids. “As I recall, you were kissing back pretty eagerly, Lilenta. You can’t claim breach of contract when you were so obviously ready and willing.”
“Why you—I was not! I mean, I wasn’t…wasn’t myself for some reason.” Liv still had no idea why her self control seemed to fly out the window when she got in close proximity with the big Kindred warrior but she was too angry to try and analyze it now. “Anyway, it’s not like you have any better self control than me—you started it! Why do you think I’m dressed like this?”
“I don’t know—why don’t you tell me?” His eyes flashed gold. “You claim it’s not because you’re afraid of me. Could it be that you don’t trust yourself?”
That was closer to the truth than Liv wanted to admit which only made her angrier. “It’s because I don’t trust you, you big bastard!”
A corner of his full mouth went down and his eyes were suddenly cool. “I told you before I would never take you against your will. You could dress in the most revealing night clothes imaginable and I wouldn’t lay a hand on you if you didn’t want me to.”
“Is that right?” Liv lifted her chin and looked at him speculatively. His words had given her the beginnings of a plan but she’d need some help to carry it out.
“Yeah, that’s right. I have no interest in taking what you don’t want to give.”
“We’ll just see about that. How do I go about contacting my sister? I need her to send me some things and those goons dragged me out of the house without my cell phone.”
Baird frowned at the change of subject. “You wouldn’t have been allowed to keep your communication device anyway. You’re not supposed to contact anyone on Earth directly but you can send a letter.”
“A letter? Can’t I send a holo or even an e-mail?” Liv couldn’t believe she was restricted to such outdated technology here on the advanced alien ship.
He shrugged. “Sorry. Those are the rules.”
Liv sighed. “Fine. I’ll write her a letter.”
“I’ll make sure she gets it. But a word of advice—don’t put anything in there you wouldn’t want the Kindred Security Team to know.”
“You mean they read private mail?” Liv was outraged. “That’s a federal offense.”
“No, that’s security. Don’t worry—they don’t care about personal details. So as long as you’re not plotting anything you don’t have to worry.”
Oh, I’m plotting, all right. I’m plotting how to get out of here and away from you before… But Liv didn’t want to finish the thought. “I’ll write it in the morning. In the mean time, I need some sleep.”
“You need more than that, Lilenta, if you’d only admit it.”
“What are you talking about?” Liv demanded as she climbed into her side of the bed.
Baird turned over and propped himself up on one elbow to face her. His chest was bare and the muscles under his tan skin flexed in a mouthwatering way Liv tried not to see. “I’m talkin’ about what my body needs from yours and what yours needs from mine. This is our claiming period—we need to bond. And you’re going to feel more and more restless and needy and unsatisfied until we do.”
“What are you saying? That I’m going to develop some kind of actual physical need to have you, uh, touch me?”
“To have me breed you. Fuck you.” Baird’s eyes were half lidded and golden.
Liv felt a flash of heat go through her entire body. “I…I don’t believe you.” But her voice shook when she said it.
“Believe it, Olivia. It’s part of the claiming. I need to be inside you, filling you. And you need to be filled.” His deep voice was a soft, intense growl and Liv felt her stomach flutter with something like fear…or desire.
“Guess I’ll just have to live with an itch that can’t be scratched then,” she said tartly but her insides were a mass of butterflies. Could he really be telling the truth? Would she develop an actual physical need to have him touch her, take her? It was unthinkable and yet…Why do I find him so hard to resist? Why do I want to touch him and let him touch me? It is some kind of connection from all the times we dreamed of each other? Or something else?
“Suit yourself, Lilenta.” Baird lay down beside her. “Lights out.”
The room was plunged into darkness and Liv lay in the huge Kindred bed, scared to death. What am I going to do? Should I really send that letter to Sophie?
As the plan took further shape in her mind, she wondered if she had the guts to carry it out. She’d always been fairly modest, although no one who had seen her running around dressed in the skimpy black nighty Baird had first seen her in, would know it. But if it works I can go home and go back to my normal life.
Despite the fact that she found him completely exasperating, she hated to hurt Baird. Deep down he seemed like a decent guy—when he wasn’t being an arrogant male, that was. But the truth was, Liv didn’t know if she could take a whole month of the tension between them without giving in. Hell, she didn’t know if she could take another week. It was only her first night and despite the fact that she was pissed off and frightened, she was still having to fight the urge to roll over and trail her fingertips over his broad back. To reach around and stroke his warm, muscular chest. To…Stop it, there you go again!
Liv rolled over in bed, putting her back to the big warrior. It was no use—she was going to have to do it. She had to get out of here sooner rather than later—or risk not getting out at all. Tomorrow she’d write Sophie and Kat a note asking them to send her some new things.
She just hoped her plan didn’t backfire.
* * *
Baird lay in the darkness, his fists clenched, fighting himself. Every instinct he had was screaming that his woman was lying right beside him, just waiting to be claimed, to be taken and bonded. Every inch of his skin throbbed with need for her. But she doesn’t want me—or doesn’t want to admit that she does, anyway.
It was so damn frustrating! Baird had thought he’d been through the worst torture imaginable aboard the Scourge Fathership but the most devastating pain they could inflict was nothing to lying here beside Olivia, unable to touch her. I want her. And damn it, she wants me—I can smell it on her! She’s ripe and ready. If I parted her thighs right now I know I’d find her wet for me. Wet but not willing—it was a contradiction he could scarcely believe but it was true. Olivia’s body might want him, but her mind most certainly did not.
I’ll wear her down, he told himself, trying to get more comfortable and forget that she was lying beside him. Trying not to think of the tantalizing glimpse he’d seen when she’d been lying in the bathing pool before she covered herself. Gods, he’d been able to see her nipples and her soft little slit—everything. He tried to put it out of his mind. I’ll wear her down and if I don’t, my scent will. She’s already reacting to it, it’s just a matter of time.
He felt bad about that in a way—if what Sylvan said was true, humans didn’t understand about mating scents or the way the Kindred pheromones could affect them. But at this point Baird was ready to fight dirty—hell, he was ready to do almost anything to have the woman he so desperately craved. Th
e woman who was lying right beside him but might as well be a galaxy away. He’d warned her as much as he was going to by telling her she was soon going to be wanting him as much as he wanted her. Let her make of it what she would and in the mean time, he would have to keep his hands to himself and let his mating scent do the work for him.
I’ll have you, Lilenta, he thought with renewed determination. Sooner or later you’ll give me what we both want so desperately. And then I’ll claim you for my own and we’ll be together forever.
Staring into the darkness, he imagined what that moment would be like. He would part her thighs gently, slowly so as not to frighten her. Then he would spread her pussy open, sliding his fingers into her slippery depths first, making sure she was wet enough to take him. She would moan his name and he would kiss her while he stroked her clit, making her hotter, pushing her higher. Finally, when he knew she was ready he would mount her and press the head of his cock to her tight, wet entrance.
He would enter her slowly, of course, giving her time to adjust. From what he’d heard human males didn’t have very big equipment as a rule so she’d need to get used to his size. Baird could imagine her shifting under him, trying to be open enough as he slowly filled her, inch by inch. He would be kissing her, whispering encouragement, telling her how much he loved her, how much he wanted and needed her the entire time. Her eyes might be wide and frightened at first but he would soothe her anxiety, he told himself. Soothe her and pleasure her until her lovely silvery grey eyes were hot with lust, filled with a need to match his own. And then when he was finally all the way inside her, touching bottom in her sweet, hot pussy, his mating fist would begin to swell. Once it did they would be locked together for hours, bonding, their bodies and souls entwined.
And then you’ll be mine, as you were always meant to be, Olivia. Mine forever. Comforting himself with the thought, Baird closed his eyes and tried to rest. But it was a long, long time before he could get to sleep with Olivia lying so close beside him and her sweet, feminine scent filling the air.
Brides of the Kindred Volume One: Books 1-4 Page 14