by Opal Carew
Though he spoke to all of them, his glowing green gaze settled on her. Her breath locked in her lungs as a need more intense than anything she’d ever experienced before surged through her.
If there were any way on Earth to make it happen—and she was sure she’d find one—she’d be stroking his muscular butt within the next couple of hours, as she devoured what she prayed was his spectacularly huge cock.
“This way.” He gestured toward a corridor on the left.
“Aren’t the elevators the other way?” Jenna asked.
“The normal ones, yes,” Terrien answered, “but we’re taking the VIP elevator.”
“Mmm, VIP. That’s my kind of action,” Crystal murmured to Aria and Jenna.
Kate walked beside Baryn, Eva walked a couple feet behind them, and Crystal followed with Jenna and Aria. Terrien fell in behind as Baryn led them down a narrow corridor, then opened a door labeled “Authorized Personnel Only”. At the end of another narrow corridor, they came to an elevator. Terrien pushed a key into a lock on the control panel, and the doors opened. They crowded into the small space, and the doors closed.
“This doesn’t look very VIP to me,” Crystal grumbled, gazing around at the small, ordinary-looking elevator.
Her attention immediately switched back to Terrien. Standing in such close proximity to the man sent her temperature rising, even though he had chosen to stand on the other side of the elevator with four women between them. Still, his gaze kept flickering in her direction. Her whole body tensed and the deep yearning that had been building for weeks flashed hotter.
God, she wanted this man. And she didn’t know why. Well, she knew why. She was horny and he was extremely sexy. But she’d never wanted a man so desperately. The intensity of it unnerved her.
If the other women hadn’t been in the confined space with them, she would have stopped the elevator and torn off his clothes immediately. Her heartbeat accelerated and the world started spinning out of control. Then she realized the elevator seemed to have sped up. It jostled a little from side to side. Aria swayed sideways and grabbed on to Crystal’s arm. Crystal placed her hand over Aria’s and glanced at the other woman. Aria had gone as white as a sheet and she looked as though she might throw up.
“You okay, honey?” Crystal asked. “You look a little green.”
Eva clasped Aria’s other hand. “You don’t look well.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine in a minute,” Baryn said.
The doors opened, and Kate, Baryn and Jenna stepped out. Aria took a step or two and then her knees started to buckle. Crystal grabbed one of Aria’s arms and Eva took the other. They steadied her as they helped her from the elevator.
They entered a moderate-size room with upholstered armchairs facing one wall. The décor had changed dramatically from the coral and green they’d seen everywhere else in the hotel. Also missing were the warm wooden details. This room was cool blue with very minimalist, clean lines.
Crystal paused, feeling a little dizzy herself, whether from the disorienting elevator ride, the jarring change in environment, or the sudden distance from Terrien, she didn’t know.
Eva led Aria to a chair.
“I don’t know what came over me.” Aria’s cheeks flushed red.
“The transporter has that effect on some people.”
Crystal turned toward the unfamiliar female voice.
“The what?” Aria’s eyes widened.
A striking woman with a cool expression and an authoritative air stood beside Baryn, who was taking off his suit jacket. The woman handed him a dark green jacket just like the one she wore and he pulled it on. It looked like a military uniform of some sort.
Crystal’s gaze shifted to Terrien, who had already donned a similar jacket and her heart fluttered. She stared mesmerized at his broad chest and muscular arms.
Oh, God, she loved a man in uniform.
“The transporter,” the newcomer repeated.
The woman’s long, straight hair was pulled back tight from her face and fastened into a ponytail on top of her head. It was so light it was almost white, but it shimmered with soft lavender highlights when she moved. She pushed a button on a small console on the wall beside her, triggering a loud humming.
The wall started to slide upward, revealing windows beyond. Aria gasped, echoed by several of the others, as a stunning vista of stars was revealed.
“It transported you to our starship.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Crystal wondered if this was some kind of space fantasy camp or something, but she wasn’t interested. She wanted a man, a bed, and a solid cock. And the bed was optional. All this space-fantasy crap would just get in the way of her getting laid.
She stepped to the window and peered outside. Still, they’d done a great job on the display behind the glass. She could almost swear she was looking out at a real star field.
“I don’t know, Crystal.” Kate’s voice sounded on the edge of panic. “Look!” She pointed upward.
Crystal followed her gaze. The wall panels continued to retreat over the ceiling, revealing a beautiful but quite disturbing view of Earth.
“Oh, my God.” Eva sank into a chair, sounding a little panicked. “We’ve just been abducted by aliens.”
Chapter 3
Crystal stared at the big blue planet, her heart pounding. Could this really be happening?
She glanced around at the other women’s faces. All of them were in a state of shock. She turned back to the window, but her gaze caught on Terrien.
He was watching her.
Her heart pounded faster as their gazes locked. His eyes, a striking forest green, were filled with a concerned, almost protective, glow.
Her chest tightened, unnerved at being the center of his attention.
At the same time, she wanted him to have eyes only for her. She wanted to believe that he was staring at her because he wanted her so badly he could barely stop himself from dragging her into his arms and backing her up against the wall, then—
Oh, God. She sucked in a breath before her wicked daydream went too far. She had to keep her wits about her.
“You.”
Crystal’s gaze darted to the uniformed woman who now pointed at Aria.
“Come with me.”
Crystal didn’t like the sound of that.
“We stay together,” Eva insisted as she stood up and walked toward Aria protectively.
“No, actually you don’t,” the woman responded in a commanding tone.
As Aria stood up on shaky legs, Crystal stepped forward too but stopped in her tracks when Terrien moved in front of Eva. He wasn’t menacing, but Eva seemed reluctant to push past him. Did he have the same effect on Eva as he did on her, or was it simply that he was tall, strong and masculine?
Oh, God, intensely masculine. She could imagine his strong hand grasping her arm, the heat of his body close to hers as he restrained her. Then the feel of his lips against hers as he took her mouth with a wild passion.
She sucked in a deep breath as she pulled herself back to the here and now. Something very strange was going on around them and all she could think about was one of the hot hunks responsible for kidnapping them.
She licked her lips as she watched the uniformed woman lead Aria to a door, which slid open as they approached. A couple more uniformed men appeared and herded Crystal and the others toward another door. They were jostled together as they were urged into a corridor, led past several doors, then around a corner to the right. A moment later, they found themselves in another room, this one smaller than the last, with a couple of easy chairs and a couch around a large, oval coffee table. Terrien didn’t follow them into the room and Crystal felt an immediate sense of loss.
Crystal and the others sat on the couch and huddled together. Crystal’s heart thundered in her chest. Something very strange was going on, but alien abduction?
“Where’s Kate?” Jenna asked, her voice thin.
Crystal’s body tensed as
she glanced around and realized Kate was nowhere to be seen.
Eva patted Jenna’s hand. “It’s okay. Everything will be all right.”
Eva spoke in a calm tone, but Crystal could tell that was just a façade. She was certain Eva felt as freaked out as Crystal did right now.
But Crystal refused to be a meek little lamb cowering in a corner. She glared at the two uniformed men standing between them and the door.
“What is going on?” she demanded.
As if on cue, the door slid open. Crystal turned to see another gorgeous hunk of man step into the room. His honey-blond hair fell in waves to his shoulders and his uniform jacket, adorned with three small gold ovals on the stand-up collar, hugged his broad, muscled chest.
The man’s deep turquoise eyes turned to Eva and her breathing seemed to stop. He smiled, and Eva’s breath expelled. Crystal watched as Eva’s wide-eyed gaze remained locked on him as he moved to stand in front of them. This man seemed to be having the same effect on Eva as Terrien had on Crystal.
“Good evening, ladies. I’d like to welcome you to our ship, the Patira Alana. I am Commander Larson Raa-ling, the first officer. I’m sure this has been quite a shock for you.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Crystal said.
“I want to assure you, you will not be harmed,” he continued.
“What do you want from us?” Jenna asked, her voice quavering.
“Let me explain why we have brought you here.”
He sat in the chair facing them and settled back into the cushioned upholstery. The tapered line of his uniform accentuated his broad shoulders and slim waist. From the fascinated expression on Eva’s face, she seemed to be mentally stripping away his uniform piece by piece.
Crystal could imagine his dark green jacket slipping away, followed by the shirt beneath, to reveal muscular arms and tight, ridged stomach muscles. He was a fine specimen and she would love to fuck him, but when she tried to imagine it, images of Terrien replaced him.
“There is a power in the universe that takes a hand in our lives,” the commander said. “We call it nata’tai. It provides the means to keep us healthy, as individuals and as races.”
“We don’t want a lesson in alien religion,” Crystal sniped.
“To stay healthy,” he continued, “a race must grow. It must embrace other cultures. It must open its gene pool to other races, otherwise it will stagnate. Physically, emotionally and culturally.”
“Oh, my God, they’ve brought us here as breeding stock.” Jenna’s face paled.
Breeding stock? Crystal glanced at the other two women.
Eva held Jenna’s hand, her lips a tight line. Crystal sensed she was nearing the end of her rope. Eva stared at Commander Raa-ling and shifted in her seat. Her face went pale and she seemed absolutely terrified.
“You have not been brought here to be sex slaves,” the commander reassured. “As a race matures, nata’tai gives its people the ability to sense their tanash’ae—what you would call their soul-mate—even over great distances. To ensure a mingling of races, nata’tai directs the spirits of tanash’aei—soul-mates—to be born in different races on different planets.”
“Soul-mates?” Jenna repeated in a hushed tone.
“That’s right. Each of you is the soul-mate of a member of this crew. That’s why you’ve been brought here. To meet your tanash’ae.”
“So you intend to convince us we’re in love with some guy, then use us for breeding,” Crystal scoffed.
“This has nothing to do with procreation. I’m talking about love.” He focused directly on Eva. “The love of two people destined to be together. Of people who make each other complete. Soul-mates. Tanish’aei.”
Eva seemed mesmerized by his words.
“Excuse me, Commander.” The woman who’d dragged Aria away stood in the doorway. She had two gold ovals on her collar, while the two men who stood by the door had none. Possibly they were a symbol of rank.
“Captain wants to see senior staff.”
“Thank you, Casey.” The commander rose. “Excuse me, ladies. You will remain here until someone is free to take you to your quarters. Make yourselves comfortable.”
He followed Casey, the female officer, out of the room, followed by the other two men. The door slid closed behind them, leaving Crystal, Eva and Jenna alone in the room.
Crystal rose and approached the door, but it didn’t open. She flattened her hand on it, then dragged her fingers along the edge, searching for a way to trigger the mechanism.
“Are you okay, Eva?” Jenna asked, sliding her arm around Eva’s shoulders.
“Did you feel…funny…when that man came into the room?” Eva asked.
“What do you mean?” Jenna asked.
“She means were we hot for him.” Crystal turned to face them.
Eva shot her a glance and Crystal shrugged.
“You were practically drooling over him, sweetie.” Crystal crossed the room and sat beside Eva. “He is definitely a hunk, but I find that other one—Terrien, I think they called him—much hotter. I really would love to jump his bones.”
That was the understatement of the century.
“Crystal, how can you think about that now?” Jenna asked. “We’ve been kidnapped by people from another planet.”
“That’s the key. They are people. Just like us.”
Eva shook her head. “How can you treat this so lightly?”
“We’re here,” Crystal responded. “I figure I’ll make the best of it. At home, a lay is a lay, but here…” She shrugged. “Well, who knows what special talents these alien hunks have?”
“They said they know who our soul-mates are.” Jenna stared into space.
“That might be what they believe, but I don’t buy it.” Crystal didn’t believe in soul-mates.
“Me neither,” Eva agreed.
After about twenty minutes, the door slid open, and Commander Raa-ling entered, followed by Casey and Terrien. Crystal’s body tingled with awareness of Terrien’s masculine presence.
“You’ll be taken to your quarters now,” Commander Raa-ling said to all of them. “If you have any more questions, pose them to your tanash’ae.”
Casey approached Jenna and Terrien stepped toward Crystal. She stood up, feeling almost panicky at the increasing strength of his effect on her as he moved closer. He gazed into her eyes, then smiled and the breath locked in her lungs. Oh, God, she needed to have this man. She desperately needed him to satisfy the intense craving deep inside her. He turned and she followed him toward the door.
Eva leapt to her feet and stepped in front of them. “Don’t go with them. If we stay together, we have a better chance.”
“A better chance to what, Eva?” Crystal asked. She leaned close to Eva’s ear and murmured, “Look, I don’t believe in soul-mates, but I’m damned curious about sex with an alien. Especially one that looks like this hunk.” She glanced toward Terrien, then back to Eva and winked, then followed him toward the door.
“It’s time to go,” Casey insisted.
Eva grasped Jenna’s sleeve.
“Don’t go,” Eva implored.
Eva’s gaze locked on Jenna’s.
“I’m sorry, Eva.” Jenna’s large, blue eyes pleaded for understanding.
Chapter 4
Crystal felt a little guilty abandoning Eva, but she could not ignore the need driving her forward. Eva would be fine with the handsome Commander Raa-ling, Crystal was sure. Clearly, Eva felt an attraction to him similar to what Crystal felt with Terrien, but Eva was fighting it. If it was anywhere near as strong as what Crystal felt for Terrien, Eva would get past her resistance soon enough.
Jenna and her guard followed Crystal and Terrien out of the room and the door slid closed behind them.
Crystal followed Terrien down the corridor and around some turns, watching his fine, tight butt as he walked. Finally, he stopped in front of a door and it slid open, then she followed him into what appeared to be a private quarters.
The décor was simple but comfortable, with dark wood furniture, probably simulated but looking quite authentic, and upholstered chairs and couch with clean but inviting lines.
Terrien took off his uniform jacket and hung it on a hook as Crystal glanced around. He kept his distance, just watching her.
“Mmm. Nice place.”
“I’ll show you your room.”
She followed him through another door into a room with a large bed, then to another door and yet another bedroom. It was roomy and looked very comfortable.
“This is where I’ll be sleeping?” she asked.
“That’s right.”
She gazed at him and his smoldering forest green eyes bored into her, ratcheting up the heat simmering through her body. God, she wanted this man in bed right now, but sleeping was not what she had in mind. She turned and, with a seductive sway to her hips, sauntered into the bigger bedroom. She stood beside the bed and stroked the velvety navy bedcovers.
“I like it in here. Whose room is this?”
“Mine.”
The moment Terrien had seen Crystal in the ballroom, his heart had accelerated, his blood heating, his need for her surging to a new level of desperation. This woman was his tanash’ea. The woman he would spend his life with. He was deeply in love with her.
He longed to touch her honey-blonde hair. To coil his fingers through it. To breath in the scent of it. He wanted to capture her soft, ruby lips, to feel her heart beating against his.
The glittering red dress she wore hugged her body like a second skin, showing every delightful curve. He had to fight the urge to grab her and drag her into his arms. To tear off her clothes and drive into her until they both screamed in ecstasy. His cock was in a constant state of readiness. It had been sheer torture meeting with the Earth women and bringing them aboard while trying to ignore his need to sweep Crystal into his arms and possess her.
Now he stood alone in his bedroom with her. Private. Intimate. His hormones spiking through him. He could just reach for her and…
He sucked in a breath, knowing he had to keep a careful check on his rising desire. He had to be sensitive to her needs. Wait until she was ready.