by KD Jones
AriELa looked at her in surprise. “The two of who?”
“You and TarAK.”
AriELa looked away but not before Lindsey saw shadows enter her eyes. “Nothing.”
“Okay, I didn’t mean to pry.” Lindsey started for her bedroom but AriELa’s words stopped her.
“Please don’t say anything,” AriELa whispered.
“I won’t, but know that you can talk to me about anything. I am your friend.”
AriELa nodded her head. “When I’m ready, I’ll tell you.”
“Good enough. Good night.” Lindsey gave her a smile.
“Good night.”
*****
Lindsey went to Morning Meal alone. AriELa didn’t want anything to eat and said that she would meet up with her later for the tour, but she never did. When she showed up on the landing pad, there was no AriELa, no Lucy, and no TarAK in sight.
Lindsey felt uncomfortable being alone with the Prime Leader of Kiljor. The man was too gorgeous for his own good, and he was fully aware of it. He knew that women drooled over him, falling over their feet to just serve him. It really pissed her off. She was determined not to let him know that, though.
“My apologies, Ms. Carreli. Prima AriELa is not feeling up for the shuttle tour today. I am more than happy to take you alone, if that is what you want. Or would you prefer to cancel until she is able to come with us at a later date?” KadEN was baiting the female. She was stubborn and prideful. He knew he would get a reaction.
“Of course I am feeling up for the tour! But I will understand completely if perhaps your delicate sense of propriety demands that you postpone until a later date.” She recognized the challenge for what it was and threw it back in his face.
“Then it seems that we will have that shuttle tour after all. Go ahead onto the shuttle while I notify our pilot and security liaison.” He smiled arrogantly at her as he walked away.
Fuck me! What did I just agree to? Oh, yeah, a shuttle tour with only a pilot and a security liaison to act as chaperone. She had always been able to keep a low profile when AriELa was around by letting the other woman do most of the talking, but now Lindsey was going to have to actually hold a conversation with the irritating Prime Leader. Would he bring up their kiss? Would he talk about what a mistake it had been? The Prima had better be on her deathbed for putting her in this awkward position.
Lindsey watched as KadEN boarded the shuttle. Her heartbeat sped up the moment her eyes met his. Why did he have to be so damn attractive? His dark brown hair, those eyes with the gold pupils, and his kissable lips were hard to ignore. She tried to make herself breathe in and out, in and out. Get yourself together, Carreli. He’s just another man with a big ego. No big deal. Right?
“You look beautiful as always, Miss Carreli,” KadEN told her. She had the best pair of legs he had ever seen. Even though she wasn’t as tall as the Katieran females, only about five feet seven inches tall, her legs just seemed to go on and on.
She was showing them off to great advantage by wearing a dark navy blue skirt that swished a couple of inches above her knees. She had a silky, ivory button-up shirt with short sleeves. It seemed to shimmer against her skin. Her long, golden brown hair hung down her back in a thick braid. He had been hoping she would have her hair hanging loose. She often wore it pulled back. He longed to spread her hair out and have it drape across his naked body. That was all he could think about since their kiss. He shook his head. This kind of thinking was dangerous.
“Thank you, Prime Leader,” Lindsey replied. She was proud that her nerves didn’t show in her voice.
The man seemed to tower over her. His dark brown hair was loose around his shoulders. The closer she got to him, the better looking he was. His magnetic eyes always left her feeling a little light headed. She had thought RendEL was a beautiful man, but he was nothing compared to the one who stood before her now. She was in deep trouble.
“Come, I think you will like the tour I have planned for you,” he said in a deep, sexy voice.
It wasn’t until she got inside the shuttle and sat down that she noticed the pilot and security liaison weren’t there yet. She froze in place as she helplessly watched KadEN seat himself in the pilot’s seat and fire up the engine. She managed to get her voice to work.
“Um … KadEN? Where is everyone else?”
He gave her a devious smile. “It’s just you and me, beautiful.”
“What?”
KadEN maneuvered the shuttle up off the landing pad. He pushed his controller forward shooting the small shuttle toward their destination on the far side of Kiljor. As soon as he realized he would have Lindsey all to himself, he changed the flight plans and released the pilot and Liaison. He changed everything so that he could take Lindsey to his private secluded home on the inlet of Kiljor.
It would take them at least an hour to reach his home. He hoped they could talk during their flight. Fifteen minutes passed and neither of them had said anything to the other. While KadEN sat in the pilot’s seat, Lindsey chose to sit in one of the back passenger seats, as far from him as she could get.
“Miss Carreli, there is a seat next to me available that will give you a better view.”
Lindsey sighed as she got up and moved to the co-pilot’s seat. She glanced quickly at him and her breath caught. He hadn’t shaved and some of his hair was filling in on his face. It made him look rugged and sexy. Her stomach fluttered. Crap!
She sat down but did not say anything to him. She watched the larger viewing screen in front showing everything they were passing. They were heading over the blue waters in the direction away from the City of Kiljor. “Where are we going?”
“To my private home on the inlet. I only get to visit a few times a year. I thought you might like to see it.”
There was another long pause where no one said anything. Thirty minutes had been long enough to go without talking. KadEN realized he was going to have to be the first to break the silence. “How was your family on Katiera? You have your father and a sister there?”
“Yes. They are both doing really well. My dad’s doing a little too well,” she grumbled the last bit under her breath.
“What was that about your father?”
She thought about it and decided that she needed someone to talk to about her father’s situation. KadEN was as neutral as it came. Maybe talking about it will help her come to terms with it.
“My father has started up a romance with a woman on Katiera.”
“That’s wonderful news.”
Lindsey sighed heavily. “The woman is Prima SandELa, RendEL’s mother.”
“Oh, Kitana.”
“Exactly.”
“Is it serious?”
It was so good to finally be able to air her concerns instead of keeping them inside. “I don’t know. I think it’s getting serious. The two of them can’t keep their hands off each other. That’s how I found out about them. I walked in on them.”
“Walked in on them?” he asked glancing at her sideways.
Lindsey blushed all the way down to her toes. “I walked in on them while they were … having … you know.” When KadEN still looked confused Lindsey added, “While they were being intimate with one another … in the bedroom.”
“Oh.” Then he burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny!” Lindsey hit his hard shoulder with her hand.
He cleared his throat. “Of course not.” He couldn’t keep a straight face and laughed again.
Lindsey stared at him, then she smiled and finally she released the laugh she had been holding in. “I think it traumatized me for life. For days afterwards, I would close my eyes and be bombarded with images of my dad’s bare ass. No child should suffer that humiliation.”
They laughed together and the tension between them eased. “We’re here.” KadEN landed the shuttle on a landing spot made with lovely white stones overlooking the blue ocean.
KadEN helped her off the shuttle. He directed her toward the lef
t of the landing spot. As soon as they cleared a large boulder, she got her first look at his vacationing home.
It was beautiful. Two stories made out of white clay similar to what they used in the City of Katiera. Archways lined the path leading to the door. There was a balcony that overlooked the ocean on the second level. It was a fantasy vacation spot.
Two large doors opened to the entrance. Two men came out to greet them. Lindsey let KadEN walk ahead while she observed her surroundings. KadEN gave the men orders which they nodded their agreement. Then they gave appreciative looks at Lindsey, which caused KadEN to growl. The men quickly began to go toward the shuttle.
“Where are they going?” Lindsey watched the men leave.
“They will return in the morning for us. Come, I want to show you my home away from the city,” he held out his hand to her.
Lindsey slowly placed her hand in his. As soon as their skin met, fire raced up her arm. She glanced up into his dark eyes and saw a spark of recognition. He felt it too. This was a mistake. She shouldn’t have come alone with him.
He walked her inside and closed the doors behind them. The sound of the doors shutting out the rest of the world vibrated through the house and her body. They were completely alone. She gulped feeling suddenly nervous.
“We have a dinner waiting for us upstairs on the balcony. The suns will be setting and the view against the water is breathtaking.” KadEN began walking up the stairway. Lindsey didn’t have a choice except to follow him.
To get to the balcony, they had to walk through a bedroom. Lindsey looked at the large bed with the sheets pulled down. This was KadEN’s bedroom. She quickly walked faster to get to the French doors opened to the balcony.
She sat down and KadEN lifted the cover over her plate of food. He then poured her a glass of Katieran Juice before he sat down across from her. Alarm bells went off in Lindsey’s head.
Private setting? Check. Romantic view? Check. Good food and strong alcoholic beverage? Check. Strong sexual tension and fading willpower? Check and check.
She was in a world of trouble. She glanced toward the bed that she could see from her position.
“Everything okay?” he asked her.
Lindsey shook her head. “Why did you bring me here?”
He had hoped to finish the meal before they got to this part. But he knew she was not going to allow that. “When AriELa cancelled on the tour and I knew that it would just be you, I thought that this would be the perfect time to figure out what is happening between the two of us.”
She took a huge sip of her Katieran Juice. “How do we do that?”
“First, I think we should finish our meal. Perhaps have a light conversation. Enjoy the stars,” he paused as he stared at her lovely face, slim neck, and soft slope of her breasts. “Or we could go inside and share sex.”
Chapter Twelve
“Sex?” Lindsey whispered. Her body was screaming hell yes. But her mind was confused. There was no coming back from that.
He nodded. “If it is just physical, then our sharing sex may alleviate the urges. We can move on afterwards, parting on friendly terms.”
“What happens if the urges do not go away?” She took another sip of her juice. Was she really considering doing this?
“We will have to discuss it when and if that happens.”
Before they took the next step, she needed him to know everything. “I told AriELa about the kiss.”
KadEN looked surprised but he also looked relieved. “What did she say?”
“She suspected that something was going on between us. She was the one that encouraged me to return and try to figure out what’s happening between us.”
“I never meant to hurt her. I can’t help these feelings I have,” KadEN admitted.
“Me too. I think she may have feelings for … another man.” She wasn’t sure whether to mention TarAK’s name. If KadEN became jealous or possessive, he could have TarAK killed.
“TarAK. I thought as much. I have watched him closely. I believe he has feelings for her as well.”
“Why wouldn’t he pursue her if he has feelings?” Lindsey asked.
“She is a Prima. Most expect Primes and Primas to mate for political reasons. TarAK would not press his suit knowing that AriELa would most likely mate another.”
“It seems unfair. AriELa should marry someone for love, not for the sealing of a political alliance.” Lindsey turned her head so that she wouldn’t see his expression.
“She still can. At any time, she can request to be released from the mating contract. Both of us could.”
“But you won’t.” Lindsey looked down at her plate suddenly feeling like the situation was hopeless.
“I … you have to understand. Our two nations, really three nations if you include the Colony; have been split apart for too long. We need to be reunited as one. Our people have had to deal with being attacked, nearly wiped out of existence, mutated in ways that you cannot even imagine, torn apart, and pitted against one another. The joining of two Primes is symbolic of the joining of the nations. It gives our people security where we have had none.”
Lindsey looked up into his beautiful, dark eyes. He truly believed his mating AriELa would unite their people. How could she interfere with something that was so important to him? Her food was no longer appealing. “I understand. I do. I don’t think this thing between us can happen.” She stood to go.
“No!” Her walking away from him was unacceptable. He stood and reached out for her. He didn’t hesitate. He took her struggling into his strong arms. His lips came down on hers in a brutal claiming.
Lindsey tried to pull free. She even hit his hard chest with her fists to break loose. She had to get away. Them being together was impossible. Tears slid down her face but she ignored them. The moment his lips claimed hers she lit on fire with need. “KadEN,” she moaned in between kisses. How she missed this, missed him.
He bent and picked her up carrying her through the open French doors heading directly to the bed. This was a bad idea. She should tell him to let her go, but she couldn’t say the words. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anyone in her life. Even if it was for this one night, she wanted to have him in every way possible.
As soon as he placed her on the bed, she came up on her knees. She unbuttoned his shirt with shaky hands. Pushing his shirt off his smooth golden shoulders was something she would remember for a long time. It was like opening a present on Christmas day. Except this was better, much better.
KadEN fumbled with Lindsey’s buttons on her blouse. She had to help him so he didn’t rip the flimsy material into tiny pieces. It wouldn’t do to ruin her clothes. She had not brought a spare set. Next time he would make sure to have a set of clothes here for her so he wouldn’t have to worry so much. Next time? What was he thinking? He wasn’t thinking. He was feeling, for the first time in his life, he was feeling alive, and he didn’t want it to end.
Lindsey shimmied out of her skirt while KadEN shucked off his pants and shoes. He looked at Lindsey in nothing but her lacy white bra and panties and the high-heeled shoes. “Leave the shoes on,” he growled at her as he crawled his way up her body.
Lindsey blushed. She knew he could smell her arousal. It was dripping from her nether lips. He crawled back up over her body, stopping at her breasts. He unhooked her bra and revealed her tight pert breasts. “Lovely.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. Then the air was sucked out of her lungs when he latched onto one of her pink tipped nipples. “Oh.”
His hands were busy as he peeled off her underwear and was spreading her folds for his inquisitive fingers. She knew he could feel her dampness and would have been embarrassed if not for his growl of approval.
He lifted his mouth from her breasts and looked into her pretty golden brown eyes. “I need you now.”
She nodded her head. He moved between her legs, opening herself up to him. The head of his large cock nudged her entrance. She lifted her hips tryin
g to bring him into her.
It was the last bit that he could take. May the Goddess forgive him. He needed Lindsey badly. He surged into her deeply. All the way to the hilt. He paused above her being completely still. “Open your eyes, Lindsey.”
She had not realized that she had closed them. She opened her eyes and could not close them again. They were locked with his dark ones. Then he moved and sparks flared. They were going to burn the place down with their desire.
In and out he moved, over her, in her, straight to her heart. She would never be the same after this. She pushed those thoughts out. She concentrated on the here and now. She wanted to enjoy every moment she had with him. “KadEN … KadEN … KadEN.” His name on her lips was a benediction.
Then he was kissing her again. Taking her breath along with her body, her heart and a little piece of her soul. He was everything she thought he would be, and more.
Damn it! KadEN finally had the female of his dreams under him and he was about to lose himself like an untried boy. He needed to make this good for her. He reached down between them and used his thumb and forefinger to tease her nub.
“Oh oh oh …” Lindsey was about to fall. She was there, so there. “KadEN!” She came so hard, her body arched on its own.
KadEN still plunged in and out. Taking her cries and savoring them. He was about to release. He needed to ask her permission, but he wasn’t sure. Doubts invaded his mind. He pulled out at the last minute and released his seed onto her stomach.
Lindsey was floating on a cloud of pleasure. It took a while for reality to kick in. He had released outside of her body. Everything she had learned about these aliens were that when they found their mate, they asked for permission and released their seed inside of them. For KadEN to purposely not release inside of her was the answer to the question she was too afraid to ask. He did not choose to mate her. Which meant that he still planned to mate with AriELa. Lindsey turned onto her side and kept her eyes closed. Don’t cry! Don’t cry!