by S. E. Smith
Borj couldn’t resist touching Hannah at every opportunity. He bit back the small smile of satisfaction as he noticed that every time he touched her, she seemed to let his hand stay a little longer before pulling away. It would take considerable restraint on his part and a lot of patience but he was determined she would grow to trust him.
“My people are called the Prime. We are a proud warrior people who live in a galaxy that has several habitable planets.” Borj answered as he wound a long strand of Hannah’s hair that had come loose around one of his fingers. “There are three planets in the Prime system that can support life comfortably. Only one is fully inhabited, though. My planet is called Baade. It is the home world of the Prime. There are two smaller planets, Lacertae and Carafe, as well. They are small and used primarily as cargo ports, mining facilities, and military. Our most important resource is base crystals. It is used to help power our world and our warships.” Borj said distractedly as the silky strand he was playing with caressed the circles against his left palm.
“You are so beautiful. I can’t wait to claim you as my own.” Borj thought as he watched the colors in her hair dance as the sunlight from the windows hit it.
“What the…” Hannah jerked in surprise as she heard Borj’s voice in her head.
Borj’s own eyes widened as he realized the bond was getting stronger. He knew that in bond mates a telepathic link developed between the male and the female. This evolved as a way for the males to protect their mates from other males who might try to take or harm them. He had never heard of it forming without the mating ceremony being complete and the male’s claim on the female sealed through his claiming of her.
“You can hear me?” Borj thought cautiously.
“I can hear him in my mind.” Hannah thought at the same time as she nodded her head. “What…what’s going on?”
Borj was unable to resist pulling Hannah over onto his lap and crushing his mouth down onto hers in a passionate kiss. There was no denying she was his bond mate. Their bond must be incredible strong for them to be able to communicate like this before his claiming, Borj thought in awe.
“God, you two need to get a room.” Cosmos said breaking the mood.
Hannah flushed a deep red and scrambled off of Borj’s lap. She moved away from Borj to stand next to the bank of windows overlooking the river and turned her back to both men. Hannah muttered a curse as she straightened her shirt with a frown.
“When did it ride up?” She wondered.
“I think when my hand was moving towards your breast.” Borj replied with a chuckle.
“Stop that!” Hannah said crossly looking over her shoulder at Borj who just grinned at her.
“Stop what?” Cosmos said looking back and forth between Hannah and Borj.
“He’s talking in my head now.” Hannah said with a pout towards Borj. Turning, she looked at Cosmos with a determined expression on her face. “Cosmos, you said you would try to see if you could get rid of the circles on my hand. What are you planning to do?”
Borj surged off the couch with a low, dangerous growl. Hannah squealed as Borj wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t even see him move! Borj jerked Hannah up against his body holding her tight and turned so that his body was between her and Cosmos.
“Never!” Borj snarled in a deep voice. “She is mine.”
“Whoa! Come down, man. I won’t touch her.” Cosmos said with a laugh.
“COSMOS! You promised!” Hannah cried out as she tried to wiggle out of Borj’s arms. “You…” Hannah’s words ended in a gasp as her lips were covered by a set of very determined ones.
“Never, Hannah. Never can you break our bond.” Borj said fiercely.
“Come on, guys! Give a guy a break! I haven’t been laid in almost six months and you two are making it really, really difficult here.” Cosmos complained as he threw up his hands in frustration.
Hannah jerked back and looked at Cosmos in shock. “That is way too much information for me, Cosmos!”
Cosmos grinned before replying. “Yeah, I know. But I figured it might douse the flames burning in here.”
Borj shook his head as he looked at Cosmos. “Is he always like this?”
"Unfortunately I've seen him worse." Hannah replied relaxing in Borj's arms.
Borj let Hannah slide down his body making sure she could feel his body's reaction to her. He knew the minute she felt his arousal by the way she froze and a wild, panic look came into her eyes. Borj frowned when he felt Hannah's hands immediately go between them and she pushed herself back away from him.
"It is so not going to happen." Hannah hissed out in a low voice at him.
Borj's eyes lit with determination. Bending forward until his mouth was almost touching hers again, Borj whispered back huskily. "Yes, it is."
"Cosmos, there is someone else at the door." RITA's voice came over the line. "Oh! It's Tilly and Angus! Land sakes, I wasn't expecting them."
Hannah groaned out loud at the same time as Cosmos did. "You have to hide him.” Hannah said frantically as she started pushing Borj towards the stairs leading to Tink’s living quarters. “You have to hide! If my parents see you there will be no end to the questions.”
Pushing Borj was like pushing a solid concrete wall. He wouldn’t budge. “Come on, you have to move, dammit. Faster!” Hannah said desperately.
“She’s right, Borj. If Tink’s mom and dad get a look at you, it is all over, man.” Cosmos said grabbing Playboy and Penthouse magazines and shoving them under the cushions of the couch, under the couch itself, and in the drawer of the coffee table. He was shoving them anywhere he could with the hope that Tink’s parents wouldn’t see them. God, he was feeling like when he was a teenager again!
“RITA, don’t you dare let them in yet!” Hannah called out over her shoulder as she dragged a reluctant Borj behind her.
“Sorry, dear. I already did. They are headed up the stairs. But don’t worry, the stairwell is kind-of dark and I think your dad just grabbed your mom’s butt. The heat signatures are definitely increasing!” RITA said with a chuckle.
“Oh God! Talk about too much information.” Hannah groaned. “When are they ever going to get enough of each other?”
Cosmos picked up a stack of Sports Illustrated magazines and thrust them under some of the wildlife magazines laying on the end table. “Knowing your folks…never. Even I don’t know how your dad does it at his age and I’m the scientist of the bunch.” Cosmos called out as he picked up the empty cups, plates, and plastic bags filled with water from the melted ice and hurried to carry them into the kitchen. “Go hide him. I’ll try to distract your folks for a little while.”
Hannah yanked on Borj’s arm trying to get him to move faster. He really, really didn’t understand how serious this was. If her parents discovered there was an eligible man besides Cosmos in the same building as Hannah, she was doomed. They would have her married to him by this afternoon! Her parents had both made up their minds that it was high time Hannah worked through her phobia of men and relationships. For the past three years her mom regularly sent her emails of matchmaking web sites, emails of eligible male children of their friends, and even hired a relationship advisor for Hannah. That was the number one reason she had avoided her family for the past two years. Her mom was worse than a dog in a dinosaur exhibit. She would have made T-Rex sit down and weep. But, if you threw her dad into the mix as well…Hannah shuddered and looked at Borj who had an amazingly cute look of pure confusion on his face.
“Why are you so frightened of your parents? Do they hurt you? Tink seemed to think your parents were wonderful? Did they not love you?” Borj asked confused.
“Ohhh, be quiet! I don’t want them to hear you.” Hannah whispered fiercely pushing Borj further into Tink’s living area and looking down the stairs fearfully. “If they see you, especially the way you look at me, we’ll be married before the end of the day! My parents want me to meet a guy so badly they’ve thrown every Tom, Dick, and Harry in
my face.” Hannah muttered peering down the staircase and listening as Cosmos talked to her dad.
“You mean if your parents see you with me they will want me to claim you?” Borj asked quietly looking intently at Hannah’s flushed face as she looked around the corner of the staircase.
“Yes.” Hannah whispered distractedly.
She was really trying to hear what was being said. Maybe her parents wouldn’t even know she was here. Maybe she would get a break. She could get Borj to bring Tink back and get out before her parents realized she was back in the States.
“They would insist if one of these men looked at you and touched you that you must bond with them?” Borj asked as his eyes began to flame again and his mouth began to curve into a wicked smile.
“Are you kidding? If my folks found out you were a horny alien here to kidnap me they would probably – no definitely – get you the rope to tie me up! This is worse than any TV reality show.” Hannah hissed out under her breath as she shooed with her hand for him to back up.
“I…” Hannah’s voice faded as she got a look at Borj’s face. “Oh, no….oh, no…you are so not going to do what I think you want to. If you thought last night hurt you haven’t felt anything yet.” Hannah said pushing herself against the wall and trying to scoot around Borj.
“I will take my chances.” Borj said as he reached for her.
“Uh, Tink isn’t here right now. I know she is going to be upset at missing you. She, uh, she went out of town for a while.” Cosmos said looking up at Angus Bell with what he hoped was a convincing face.
“Oh, dear. I knew we should have called first.” Tilly said looking around with a frown.
Cosmos bit back a curse when Tilly walked over and pulled one of the Penthouse magazines out from under the sofa cushion. Her eyes widened with delighted interest and she turned and sat down on the sofa. Cosmos was turning back to Angus when a loud scream followed by a stream of curses filled the air from above them.
“I thought Hannah was here.” Tilly said calmly as she leafed through the magazine turning it this way and that way at times.
Cosmos’ closed his eyes listening at the sound of grunts and alien curses coming down the stairs. Cracking his eyes opened, he watched as Borj fought to keep from getting his nose busted. His shins were not as fortunate. Cosmos grimaced as another flash of pain crossed Borj’s face.
“Let me go, you jerk!” Hannah yelled. “I am so going to beat the crap out of you.”
Borj grunted as the back of Hannah’s head connected with his chin. He felt the taste of blood as his lip connected with his teeth. His mate was a blood-thirsty little thing. Borj tightened his arms around her effectively trapping her arms against her side. He should have thought about tying her feet though. Borj groaned as the thought of having Hannah tied up in his bed drew vivid pictures in his mind.
“You can just keep dreaming, buddy! It will be a cold day in hell before I let you tie me up!” Hannah growled out trying to reach around far enough to bite him.
“Oh dear, Angus, I think I love him already. What do you think?” Tilly Bell’s lilting voice chuckled out.
Angus looked at his wife who had a picture of Miss June opened up on her lap. He leaned down over the couch and brushed a kiss across her neck. Tilly tilted her head to the side to give him better access with a low moan.
“I think Miss June has nothing on you, my love.” Angus said with a quiet growl.
“Oh. My. God!” Hannah cried out furiously. “Hello! Your oldest daughter is getting attacked…manhandled…kidnapped…can’t you at least act like you give a damn?”
Tilly looked over her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared intently at the huge male holding her struggling oldest daughter against him. He was breathtaking. And, he had Hannah. He was absolutely perfect! Tilly laid the magazine down on the coffee table and stood up so she could get a better look at the man.
“Angus.” Tilly said softly.
Angus was doing some staring of his own. The moment he saw the silver flames burning in the man’s eyes he knew he wasn’t human. Hell, he wrote about aliens every single day. He knew what a human looked like but he could only dream about what a real alien would. Angus wrapped his arm around his petite wife and drew her closer.
“I am claiming your daughter as mine.” Borj said as he jerked his head back away from Hannah’s again. “She is my bond mate.”
“Uh, Borj…” Cosmos began rubbing the back of his neck again. “Uh…”
“Don’t you dare, Cosmos Raines. I will castrate you and this alien jerk in your sleep. I’ll cut you into little pieces and feed you to the fish. I’ll…” Hannah’s furious threats were cut short when Borj let out a deep growl and turned Hannah swiftly in his arms. Holding her wrists together behind her back and sliding one leg between hers to prevent her from using her knee again, he crushed his lips against hers in a savage kiss.
Hannah froze in stunned surprise at the heated fury in Borj’s kiss. He was laying claim to her in front of her parents, Cosmos, and letting them know he would not take ‘no’ for an answer. Pulling back briefly, Borj looked into Hannah’s dark green eyes fiercely.
“Hannah, please do not fight me.” Borj whispered tenderly. “I knew you were mine from the first time I saw your image. You were beautiful but it was more than that. There was a look in your eyes that called to me. Please, give me a chance to show you.”
Hannah stood perfectly still as she stared up into Borj’s flaming, silver eyes. She could see the sincerity in them. “You don’t fight fair.” She whispered.
Borj smiled down into Hannah’s flushed face. “I will never fight fair where you are concerned.”
Tilly and Angus watched the expressions flashing across their oldest daughter’s face. For the first time in ten years, Tilly felt a shaft of hope blossoming. She saw the fear and confusion but she saw something else too. She saw curiosity, hope, and wonder.
“Hannah.” Tilly called out softly. “Would you like to introduce your young alien?”
Hannah started at her mother’s voice. She closed her eyes briefly with a sinking feeling. Was she the only one blessed with two parents who would think meeting an alien was not only a seemingly everyday occurrence but totally cool that said alien was showing possessive tendencies over their daughter? Hannah sighed deeply taking a deep, cleansing breath before she looked back up at Borj.
“Let me go.” Hannah said quietly.
Borj shook his head and looked over at Angus, Tilly, and Cosmos with a mischievous grin. “Never.” He replied although he did release one of her wrists so she could turn and look at her parents.
“Hi, mom. Hi, dad. This is Borj. He is from another planet.” Hannah said with exaggerated resignation.
Chapter 7
Hannah’s loud groan filled the air as she let her head fall back on the couch. Or, should she say, on Borj’s arm on the couch. For the past three hours, her mom and dad had been grilling Borj from everything from how Tink met his brother and how she was doing, to his family, to what did his planet look like, to what base crystals were made of and how they worked. The questions went on and on and on. They would ask, Borj would answer, Cosmos would translate, and Hannah would grit her teeth.
“Argh!” Hannah growled out in frustration finally. “He needs to bring Tink home! I can’t believe you two are perfectly okay with your youngest daughter getting knocked up by some over testosterone he-man from another world. What kind of parents are you? Aren’t you worried about her?” Hannah growled out trying to get up off the couch – again.
“Of course we are worried, dear. But, from what Cosmos and Borj have said it is because of J’kar that your sister is alive. How can I be upset about that?” Tilly said calmly.
Borj wrapped his arm around Hannah’s waist pulling her closer as she struggled to get up. “Will you knock it off? I am not in the mood to deal with you and them. I need a drink, preferably something with alcohol.” Hannah snapped out impatiently.
Borj looked with concern at the wild look in Hannah’s eyes. He slowly released her but not before he ran the back of his hand gently down her cheek. Something was wrong. He tried to ask her silently but she had shut him out.
Tilly watched quietly as Hannah got up and headed for the kitchenette. She was worried about her oldest daughter. Tilly turned her attention back to Borj who was also watching Hannah with worried eyes.
“You must be patient with her. It will take her time to accept you and trust you. She has a very good reason not to trust people.” Tilly said softly.
Borj turned his gaze to Tilly. “Why?”
Cosmos cleared his throat before repeating Borj’s question. “He wants to know why?”
“It’s none of his business.” Hannah said quietly from the doorway between the kitchenette and living area. “It is no one’s business but mine.”
Tilly rose from the chair she was sitting in and walked over to her oldest daughter. Hannah was several inches taller than her mother but she always felt smaller around her. Tilly wrapped her arms around Hannah and held her. Hannah stood stiffly for a moment before she slowly wrapped her arms around her mom, hugging her back.