Riley’s frown turned to amusement when she heard the laughter from numerous voices coming from the console. She heard the deep voice speaking to someone else on the other end. "I think we have found our missing hairball," the man said between chuckles. "I’m just not sure who he needs rescuing from, the Marastin Dow or the female who is manning the communication console.
"I heard that, honey," Riley replied with an exaggerated Midwestern drawl. "I would place all bets on that bossy, arrogant, demanding…" Vox’s loud roar of rage interrupted her descriptive response. She turned and glared at the huge cat that was glaring back at her in fury. "Well, if you don’t like what I have to say about you then you can just dump my big ass back on my planet!"
Riley refused to back down. She was royally pissed at him, and he was about to find out just how unpleasant she could be when she was pissed. She had enough self-esteem problems without him broadcasting to half the solar system that she needed to lose weight. She was happy with the way she was, and he could just shove it up his hairy ass if he thought she was going to let him put her down. She had to deal with that from enough people when she was growing up.
She turned when she heard the voice of a woman on the other end of the console. Her face flushed when she heard the woman introduce herself as Carmen Walker from Wyoming. She clenched her jaw as a wave of emotion swept through her. Tears stung her eyes before she forced them back. Her chance to go home might just be on the other end of this console, and she was going to grab it with both hands. If Vox didn’t like her the way she was, well, that was probably for the best. It was better to stop these annoying feelings coursing through her before things went any further, anyway.
Riley was just telling Carmen she hoped she’d had a better time of it than Riley had when Bob’s deep melodious voice spoke out in protest. He was asking her if it had really been all bad. Riley released a resigned sigh before explaining to Bob he had been a dear. "…I was referring to that annoying pile of cat…" This time her voice faded because Vox had shifted back into his two-legged shape again and was walking toward her with a look that promised retribution.
"By Guall’s balls, Riley, I’m going to spank your ass until it is bloody red if you don’t stop giving me a hard time," Vox snarled out impatiently as he thrust the dead body of a Marastin Dow away from him and headed for her.
"Don’t you mean my big ass, you moron?" Riley replied sarcastically, determined to make him more than willing to toss her ass on the nearest spaceship heading toward Earth.
Her eyes widened when his face darkened and a low, dangerous snarl escaped him. His eyes glittered with determination. Riley could have handled it if the determination written on his face promised he was tired of her smart mouth. Instead, the look smoldered with a deep passion that scared her more than any amount of anger could have.
"Female, I am going to…" Vox’s voice faded in disbelief when Riley raised her arm pointing the laser pistol Banu gave her at him. She remembered at the last minute to flick the charge to the lowest setting before she aimed it at his arm and pulled the trigger. Vox’s loud curses filled the air. "You shot me!" he roared out in astonishment, freezing and looking at her as if he couldn’t believe she had really pulled the trigger. If it wasn’t for the burning on his arm, he wouldn’t have thought she had it in her.
"But not where I was aiming for," Riley snapped back defensively. "So help me, Vox, you better stay away from me until my temper has cooled or I won’t miss where I’m aiming for the next time I shoot you."
"Vox, do you need assistance?" a different male called out from the console.
"Yes! I need you to come and…" Vox growled out, taking another menacing step toward Riley, his mouth set in fierce determination. He was going to whip her ass good for this little stunt! He groaned when she aimed and fired at him again as he took another step toward her, almost grazing him in the leg. "Come on, Riley. I didn’t mean anything when I said you had a big ass. I like big asses." He stopped when he saw her standing up and taking aim between his legs with fury glittering from her eyes. Shit, she was really pissed off at him this time. "I…" he started to say before he jumped to the side when she fired again. "…Shit. Will you quit shooting at me!" he yelled out, moving behind a chair before he finally took refuge behind Tor and Lodar who were too busy laughing their asses off to move fast enough to get away from him.
Vox peeked out from behind his chief engineer and his medical officer with a low moan. "I thought you two were my friends," he muttered as he looked at Riley who was busy adjusting the charge on the pistol in her hand.
"We are, otherwise we wouldn’t let you hide behind us," Lodar chuckled. "I think this is a fitting payback for the hell we’ve been going through knowing Riley is your mate. You have no idea the effect she has had on all of us, including Fred and Bob! I need a good fuck so bad I’m about ready to take a Marastin Dow female as a captive."
Vox ducked back behind Tor—who was shaking with laughter—when Riley looked around the room to see where he was hiding. "I would kill you two for that comment if it wasn’t for the fact I need you two standing so she doesn’t kill me!" he snapped out ruefully.
Tor chuckled again. "Well, you have to admit you can’t complain about being bored anymore."
Vox glared at the back of his friend’s head wishing he could smack it but knowing if he did that Tor might move and give Riley a clear shot. He opened his mouth to make a smart-assed comment, but the freighter gave a horrendous groan at that moment. The lights flickered on and off before finally staying off. Vox had no trouble seeing in the dim lighting, but he knew Riley would. He made his move, pushing Tor and Lodar out of the way and springing for his aggravating mate. His large hand wrapped around the laser pistol, pulling it to the side where it fired into one of the control panels. Smoke rose and alarms sounded as an automated voice came on announcing that the life support system was in critical failure, immediate evacuation was recommended.
"Oh hell," Riley huffed out, blowing her hair out of her eyes. "Not again! How many frigging things can go wrong in my life?"
"That’s all right, Riley," Fred said coming over to where Vox had his arms wrapped tightly around her. "I’ll get your pink case for you."
"You might want to let me get it, Fred," Tor said with a deep sigh. "It’s heavy."
Riley smiled at the guys, happy that everyone appeared to have survived the attack. "Thank you, guys, for protecting me and everything."
Vox listened as Riley’s voice softened when she talked to the other males. His cat hissed angrily, blaming him for the mess they were in. All he wanted to do now was to get back home so he could have Riley in an environment totally controlled by him. He hoped if he was at least on his home turf he could finally quit acting like such an idiot where she was concerned.
"Come get us off this piece of worthless Trillian shit," Vox snarled out to the Horizon. "There are ten of us on board. You can kill any number over that," he added as he pulled Riley closer to him.
"A shuttle will be dispatched immediately," the male responded with a chuckle. "It is good to hear your voice, my old friend."
"Yeah, well, your uncle isn’t going to like to hear it. That piece of royal Valdier ass is mine! He’ll wish he had never messed with this Sarafin prince," Vox bit out harshly as he recognized Creon Reykill’s voice.
"Yewww, the big puddy-cat is hissing again," Riley’s sarcastic voice grated out. "Watch out—the next thing you know you’ll be shooting hairballs," she snapped out in a drawl as she stomped down on his instep and darted away from him when he jumped back with a startled yelp.
"Riley, so help me I’m going to wring your neck when I catch you!" Vox snarled out as he watched her jump over a pile of dead purple bodies as he stomped after her.
"Tor!" Riley called out loudly as she hurried down the corridor after Titus, Adur, Cross, and Banu who were laughing loudly. "Vox is being mean to me again."
"Don’t you listen to a thing she says. I am not being mean to h
er! What did I ever do to deserve a mate like this?" Vox groaned out before the communications link blinked out as the emergency power failed.
Chapter 12
Riley nervously smoothed down the robe over her nightgown as she stared out the viewport at the darkness of space. She had always been a sucker for sexy lingerie. It was the one thing that made her feel all girly and not like an oversized cow in a china shop. She had to admit, she thought she looked good in the stuff. She had a full figure with an hourglass shape. She was big on top and had wide hips which made her waist look small. She shook her head when she remembered what one boy told her when she was fifteen. She had gone to an afterschool dance; it had been the first and last one she ever attended. She had been standing awkwardly to the side, watching as one girl after another got asked to dance. The night was almost over when one of the football players, Todd Patterson, came over and asked her to dance with him. It was a slow song, and she had been thrilled. Sure, she stood a couple inches taller than him, but it wasn’t that bad. He had placed his hands on her hips, and they had rocked back and forth for a couple of seconds before he squeezed her, pulling her closer.
"You feel good," he had murmured in her ear.
Riley had felt an excited shiver run down her spine. She wondered if he would kiss her. A part of her hoped that he would. She often listened to the other girls talk about what it was like when one of the boys kissed them. The lights had been dim with the flickering of a disco ball lighting up the area, making it kind of romantic. She could hear other couples talking quietly over the music the band teacher was playing.
"Thanks," Riley had replied shyly. "Uh, you do too," she added nervously.
"You know, with hips like this you were made for having babies," he whispered in her ear. "Do you want to go out back for a little while? I could show you how it’s done."
Riley flushed as her Grandma Pearl’s warning came back to her. "You’ve got big boobs and a big ass, Riley girl. Every guy between the ages of twelve and eighty are going to be wanting a piece of you. You need to decide if you are willing to give it away for nothing, and if you do, are you willing to pay the price for giving away your body to someone who only wants to use you."
Riley had pulled back and looked down into the smirking, know-it-all face with a sinking feeling. "What did they bet you to dance with the Amazon?" she asked in a deceptively quiet voice.
Todd had flushed before he glanced over to his friends along the wall. They were watching them and laughing. "Twenty bucks if I get to fuck you. Ten if I get to cop a feel of your big tits."
Riley smiled sadly down at the flushed face. "Thank you for the dance," Riley said, pulling out of his arms. "I won’t humiliate you because you were honest about why you asked me. May I give you a bit of advice, though?" she asked as she stared down at his shocked face.
"Uh, sure," he said awkwardly.
"Even Amazons have feelings. Think about that the next time you want to use one of us as a whore. Now, I think your friends need to pay up. It’s the least they can do for forcing you to have to dance with me," Riley said as she turned to look at the three football players lounging along the wall. Her eyes glittered with fury.
She had gotten a three-day suspension and told she wouldn’t be allowed to attend any more after school functions, but it had been worth it. She had taken the punch bowl and poured it over the three guys who thought it would be fun to pick on the big girl. She had then proceeded to relate a long list of observations about the guys to the entire sophomore through senior class. She never got asked to dance again. Hell, she never even got asked out on a date. She had focused on her school work and started dual enrollment the next year. The unfortunate consequence was Tina was also punished for what Riley had done. Her little sister had been ostracized for simply being related to her.
She started and turned around when the door opened to the living quarters she had been shown to earlier. She bit her lower lip as Vox strode into the room as if he owned the place. They had been rescued earlier in the day from the old freighter and brought aboard the Horizon. There were several different alien species on board this ship—warship, Riley corrected herself. There were quite a few that looked like Adur and Cross and a few that looked like Vox, Tor, and Lodar. She hadn’t seen any others that looked like Bob or Fred, though. What did surprise her was when she saw two other human males. They had been with two of the same purple creatures that had attacked the freighter, only they didn’t appear to find the purple females unattractive.
"What are you doing here?" Riley asked nervously, looking at Vox as he stopped to stare at her intently. "You know it’s polite to knock or something before entering someone’s room."
Vox’s lips curved and his eyebrows rose at the nervous wobble in her voice. "I am here because this is my living quarters, therefore there is no need for me to ask for permission to enter," he said quietly.
Riley could feel her throat moving up and down as she tried to say something smart but nothing came out. Her mind went blank as her eyes focused on Vox’s fingers. He was undoing the hooks on the front of his vest. Her eyes followed the movement as he slowly pulled the black leather apart, then slid it off his broad shoulders. Her tongue came out, and she licked her suddenly dry lips as his hands moved down to the front of his pants. She groaned softly when he paused to toe off his boots. Her gaze flickered up to his briefly before moving back down to his fingers. She trembled as he slowly undid each button.
"I need you, Riley," Vox said softly. "My cat and I want you so badly we can taste your sweet cream on our lips."
"You can," Riley replied faintly. "I mean you shouldn’t. I can’t… I’m… This is a bad idea," she stammered, looking up into Vox’s dark tawny eyes.
They were darker than before, the yellow containing more gold than before. "Why can’t you? Why would you think this is a bad idea when I can smell your desire every time we are in the same room?" he asked. "I know you want me."
Riley looked up into his eyes again. "You’ll just use me, like the other men wanted to. Once you get tired of me, I’ll…" Her muttered words faded as he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers in a savage kiss that left them both shaking.
"Does this feel like I’ll just use you? I’ll never get tired of you, Riley," he said, pulling back until his lips barely touched hers and ran his large hands up over the silky fabric of her robe to her shoulders, drawing her closer.
"I promised myself I wouldn’t give in to a man unless he put his ring on my finger and promised me forever," Riley tried desperately to explain. "I don’t want to end up raising a baby on my own."
Vox’s dark groan filled the air at the thought of Riley rounded with his cubs. A fierce wave of need, stronger than anything he had ever felt before swept through him. He closed his eyes in an effort to regain control of his slipping hunger. If he didn’t, he would take her hard, fast, and often. His hands slid back down along her arms, and he gripped them tightly as he tried to breathe deeply. He knew that was a mistake the moment he drew in the heady scent of their combined arousal.
"You will not raise our cubs alone, Riley. I will be there for you always," he growled out in a deep voice.
"Vox?" she choked out as her eyes widened at the dark possession reflected in his.
"You are mine, Riley. I claim you," he purred out in a rough voice as he gripped the silky fabric in his hands and tore it from her body. "I have waited too long for this. My cat and I must mark you, claim you."
"But…" Riley cried out, startled, as the fabric of her robe tore under his hands. "I can’t—"
Vox’s mouth descended again, blocking her words of protest. His hands caressed all thoughts of resistance out of her mind as they ran up and down her back until he pulled her against his swollen cock. Riley raised her hands shyly up, touching his stomach and feeling the muscles tighten under her fingertips. A shudder ran through him, giving Riley a heady sense of power that her touch could draw such a reaction out of
so powerful a man. She opened like a flower to the sun under his skilled lips, moaning as his tongue swept into her mouth. She tentatively returned his caress with her own. Her hands moved up to his chest where she ran her thumbs over his distended nipples as she flicked her tongue along his sharp teeth. She ran the tip along one of his slightly longer canines and was rewarded with a reverberation of a purr.
"Gods, Riley," Vox pulled back and choked out in a strangled voice. "You fire my blood."
* * *
Vox was fighting a losing battle with his control. He wasn’t kidding when he said she fired his blood. The feel of her soft, sweet flesh under his hands and the taste of her lips ignited his blood to a raging fury. He could feel his cat pacing back and forth, determined to mark his mate with his essence. Her hands running up over his stomach to his chest tore at him. The soft, sweet hands moved slowly, as if unsure of his response to her tentative touch. How any male could resist her was beyond comprehension. He believed Tor and Lodar when they said it had been killing them. Riley had an innocence about her that brought out the protectiveness in him and his cat, and her natural sensual nature was enough to cause both of them to want to pounce on her. The sway of her hips, the flash of humor in her baby blue eyes, and the way she nibbled at her bottom lip when she was nervous all played havoc on his system.
Vox deepened the kiss, sliding his arm down under her knees so he could pick her up. He silenced her objection with his kisses, holding her tightly against him so she would know there was no more protesting. He would take her. He carried her across to the large bed. Bending, he gently lowered her onto the soft covers, never releasing her lips. He didn’t want to give her a chance to change her mind. The way his body and his cat were reacting at this point, he wouldn’t have stopped anyway. It may have been wrong, but he knew she was his even if she wasn’t sure. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind.
He had talked privately with Creon Reykill. Creon had been very receptive, even amused, and if Vox wasn’t mistaken, relieved when he had explained he would not be able to fulfill the requirements of the treaty between his people and the Valdier. Creon had laughed and slapped Vox on his shoulder and told him there was no need to worry, he was positive Zoran would have no problems with the changes. Creon had explained that each of them had taken a human female as a mate and could appreciate the effect the species had on a male. Vox had to admit after he met Creon’s mate, Carmen, he was thankful she had come into the young lord’s life. He could see the difference in his friend and thanked the Gods for sending the female to help Creon heal.
Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart Page 95