by Liza Probz
“Oh, God,” she muttered, her eyes closing as she tried to get ahold of herself. It felt so good to have his attention, his affection.
He released her and smiled, licking at his lips. “Delicious. I want more of you, Earthling. Come to bed with me and I’ll make sure you feel more pleasure than you ever have.”
“I can’t. What’s next on the agenda?” She wiped at her fingers, pulling herself together as best she could. The light fluttering in her stomach was nothing compared to the beating of her heart. She glanced down to ensure her skin wasn’t lifting and falling in rhythm to it.
"Right. Where to next?" He stood and rolled his shoulders. The thick press of his arousal was more than obvious at the front of his sarong, but he didn’t seem to mind her noticing.
"That's what I just asked." She averted her gaze and put her plate on top of his.
"I know. I was just thinking out loud." He became silent, his gaze floating to the ceiling as if trying to discern their next steps.
Sylvie fought to keep her eyes off of him, but it was a battle she lost. He was just so fucking hot. His intriguing eyes. His prominent nose and lush lips that were soft yet firm. Lips that had sent pleasurable little shivers of electricity through her body.
Her breath caught as she let herself enjoy the vision of him in front of her. Long, solid muscles that were lean and not bulky with a thick chest and arms that she couldn’t stop staring at.
She imagined him taking her into his arms, lifting her so that her legs slid around his hips. Would she be so bold to grind herself against him? Her body flooded with desire and she reached for a small towel and pressed it to her lips before standing.
“You smell so good. Did you know that Earthling females put out a scent when they are primed and ready to be taken by their mates?” He moved toward her as she took a tentative step back.
“Um, no. Maybe animals on Earth, but females don’t do that.” She was lying, but it was far too embarrassing to admit that she was putting off that odor. She couldn’t smell it, but by the look on his face, he could.
“You are putting off that enticing smell. You enjoy what you see when you look at me. I can tell. Come to my bed for the afternoon. Let me touch you.” He took another step toward her and she steeled herself, not willing to back down, but unsure of how to move forward.
Why am I even considering it? If I won't do it for a ticket home, why would I do it otherwise?
Why indeed? Maybe because he was the most attractive male she'd ever met. He aroused her like no human male ever had, which was dangerous. Her body ached in all the right places, but sadly enough, by her calculations as a scientist, they would never fit together. He was far too large for her. Perhaps if she had been more promiscuous in her younger days, but she hadn’t. Sex seemed to cloud the water and her career was far more important than a romp in the sheets.
Besides, she was there on a scientific mission. Even though things had not turned out as planned, the mission had not changed. The best strategy now was to return home with the information she'd amassed. Earth had to be told about the Zantharians, and the Hareema.
Especially the Hareema.
X's expression grew hungry as he reached out and slid his hands down her arms. “Stop fighting yourself on this. You want it as bad as I do.”
“X, I can’t. My body is tied to my heart and to give my body to you and leave would be…” She turned and picked up their plates, walking them to the console and ignoring the desire that blasted through her as he growled in frustration. "Did you figure out our next move?"
"I did." He was right behind her, his voice low and blisteringly sexy. He pressed his fingers into her hips and tugged her back, sliding his erection along the soft curves of her rear as he leaned over and pressed his lips to the side of her neck. “I understand your concern. No sex just yet, but let me taste you. Don’t deny me that.”
A tremor went through her as she turned and looked up at him. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if…”
He pressed a finger to her lips and smiled. “Hush. You analyze everything and talk far too much.”
She started to respond as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted, setting her down on the counter in front of him. His thick fingers pressed into her thighs, pushing the material of her shorts up. Was she ready for this? No.
“X. I really think—”
He brushed his hand up the soft skin between her breasts and pushed her back. “Lay back and be quiet unless you’re moaning. You can tell me how I’m doing by the soft, sweet sounds you make. I like them. They tug at my desire to mark your tight little body with my scent.”
She swallowed hard and lay back, her heart beating so damn hard it was certainly working to get out of her chest. She pressed her hands over his and held him to her as tears burned her eyes. There was nothing more sensual than feeling the soft press of a man’s lips on a woman’s most intimate parts, but she had never let anyone take her there.
He used one hand to pull at the soft material of her shorts, tugging them off as she let out a soft sigh. He pulled his other hand from her chest and licked at his lips. “Beautiful. So damn beautiful.”
Sylvie wrapped her arms around herself and tried to think about anything but the moment. She wasn’t a sex-goddess who could turn on the moves any time she wanted. She had slept with two men, both nerdy scientists, and both experiences had been horrid and disappointing. Was she really doing this now?
“Let me know if you don’t like something.” His hot breath washed over her thighs and down the swollen flesh of her sex.
“I don’t like it,” she groaned as he pressed a long kiss to her, his hand pushing her legs open farther.
She didn’t like it. She loved it.
He chuckled and brushed his tongue over her skin, sucking and playing with all the right parts. His finger brushed by her opening and she stiffened again, wondering how they had gone from breakfast to sex so fast. Oh yeah… him. It was all him.
“Relax and let me in. I’m taking you to my bed later tonight. I need to know if your body can handle mine.” He pressed another kiss to her center, lapping at her a few more times as he slid a thick digit into her heat.
“By my calculations, you’re far too big…” Her words turned into a groan as he began pumping his finger in farther and farther.
“Then we’ll stretch you a little now. Watch me and enjoy the sensation of what I’m doing.” He glanced up as she allowed herself a peek down the length of her body.
The expression on her face threw him over the cliff with expedience. “Oh, fuck. I’m going to come, X. Harder?”
“Anything you want.” He leaned over and flicked his thick tongue over her clit as he opened her farther, another digit joining the first.
Her hips came off the table, and for a moment she didn’t care who was watching or what act of depravity she was lost in. She wasn’t a scientist in the midst of an experiment, but a woman in desperate need of the man between her thighs.
“That’s it, Dr. Cohen. Fuck me and let me taste you.” He lapped at her as she rode the wave, her mind splintering by the extreme pleasure.
She collapsed on the counter below her, loud pants leaving her as he licked one more time and stood up. He pressed his fingers back inside of her and forced them apart as she groaned loudly.
“You’re tight, but I have a few things that will loosen you up. Tonight, you’re mine.” He pulled his fingers from her and licked at them.
“I might not survive.” She sat up and tugged her shorts over her hips as the regent helped her from the counter and pulled her close, leaning down and pressing a firm kiss to her lips. The salty flavor of her orgasm rushed across her tongue and she whimpered as he growled.
There would be no tonight. She shouldn’t have let him have at her, but stopping him just seemed like a waste of energy. She could fight against the lust. She would.
“I have our next move if you can walk, Earthling.” A hint of humor sat in his voice as he b
rushed her hair back. The dark purple color of his skin was incredible. She reached out and brushed her hand down his arm.
“Where are we going? Do you need to turn back to green?”
"We're going to the Ministry of Science, and it will shortly."
"We are? Why are we going back there?" The last time she'd been in the Ministry of Science, they had strapped her to a table and intended to cut her open. Then remove her organs.
"To interrogate Jark'Khal."
"Jark'Khal?" Why did that name sound familiar?
"The lead sci--former lead scientist."
Sylvie shook her head in chagrin. Of course. Jark'Khal. The one who'd turned purple at the thought of dissecting her.
X glanced down at her as his skin began to shift. “I’ve never tasted anything so good. I will have you beneath me soon. I’m not sure if it’s going to be possible to let you go, though. You might want to consider that before we seal our arrangement. Leaving isn’t the only possibility.”
Yes. It was.
Chapter 21
The hallway outside his quarters was mayhem. The main structure of the capital colony was organic. Scientists assumed it was the remains of vast creatures who had lived below the waves when Zanthar had been completely covered by ocean. The halls and chambers had been carved over the centuries, the inhabitants discovering that they were strong, lasted for eons, and were relatively soundproof.
They walked out to be greeted by an angry mob that had gathered outside his quarters.
"Exile the Earthling!"
"Give the Human the Heave-Ho!"
"Zanthar for Zantharians!"
His "loyal subjects”, as Dr. Cohen had once called them, were shouting, their fists shaking in the air. Men and women, and a few younglings even, were pressed together in the hallway, protesting his policy.
Protesting his guest. Protesting the woman he wanted as his lover.
Although Zanthar was a large planet, similar in size to Earth, the planet's population was limited. His race had crawled out of the ocean onto dry land a millennia ago, and there had been little enough of that land to go around. Even once his people had moved into their current colonies under water, their reproduction was slow.
Zantharians tended to live to 150 cycles, but each female could usually only have one child. His people were driven to mate at the prime of their lives, the males going into what was quaintly called a "mating frenzy" until they placed their seed inside a female.
Each female had only one egg, which they carefully guarded inside a special organ until the right mate came along. Zantharian females could choose which male would inseminate their sole egg. A single child would be born, and cherished. Only once had a woman had two. Xivthar couldn’t help but think of his brother Drake.
Because his planet had such a small population comparatively, each Zantharian was able to be hands-on in the political process. Meaning that if a Zantharian disagreed with an elected official's policies, he or she could tell that official to his face with very little effort.
"You're making a mistake," a woman said, her color a bright yellow. "You're being blinded by the Earthling while our planet is defenseless!"
"Yeah, Supreme High and Mighty One!" a young male behind her shouted.
Xivthar held his face expressionless. He made sure his color remained light green to show that he was unaffected by the ruckus.
"You two," he said, pointing to the guards flanking his chamber door. "You're with us. Make a hole."
The older guard, the one who likely agreed with every angry shout of the crowd, started shoving his way through the mob, clearing a space for them to walk.
"Traitor!" someone shouted.
Xivthar wasn't sure if they were talking about him or Dr. Cohen. Neither made sense. But then, shouting, "Go mate a squid!" didn't make much sense either.
"The Earthling whore is a plant!" a male behind him yelled. It took everything inside him not to flash yellow on the bastard.
The high-pitched scream of terror tore him from his internal bantering, and he lost the ability to control his emotions.
"Let her go!" he yelled at the two Zantharian males who had taken hold of Dr. Cohen. They were dragging her backwards, one pulling on her arm, the other having taken hold of her hair.
"We're taking care of the problem," the larger one said, yanking her back until she let out an angry yelp.
Xivthar went a yellow so bright, he was surprised his target wasn't blinded. "If you don't release her, you'll have a problem that I'll take care of."
The big one laughed, elbowing his friend. "He's going to take care of us. You and what army, Supreme Shithead?"
"Just me," Xivthar said, sweeping out a leg to catch the bastard behind his knees. He fell, and his friend lost his grip on Dr. Cohen's arm. The regent threw a fist at the second man, too fast for the man to dodge. He went down, too.
The big one had taken the opportunity to put his arm around the Earthling's neck. He was squeezing, and the female’s face shaded red.
"Let her go. This is your last warning."
The bastard was no longer laughing, but he still managed a smile. "Make me."
"Please," the female said, her face moving from red to purple. "I can't breathe."
Rage broke through his anger, the power of it all-consuming. Time was running out. There was only one thing to do, something this asshole had probably intended from the beginning.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to the little professor, but her eyes had closed.
The energy charged up quickly and he aimed it at the Zantharian and released. The bolt flew into the man, causing his entire body to shake, his head hitting the hallway floor. With the asshole’s hold on Sylvie, she got a large dose of lightning as well.
She screamed, and something contracted painfully in the regent's chest.
Xivthar watched for the man's arm muscles to relax, then grabbed the Earthling from his grip. Without a pause he kicked the Zantharian in the face before he could stand.
The crowd around them had fallen silent. Without hesitation, Xivthar lifted the female into his arms and carried her down the hallway, away from the mob before it could regain its vigor.
She hadn’t opened her eyes yet and her breathing was labored at best.
"Dr. Cohen," he said, wincing at the anxiety that coated his voice. The need to protect her rolled over him in large waves. He was frantic to keep her safe and worry rose up inside of him that she might hate him for having shocked her again.
She didn't open her eyes, but her tiny voice said, "Sylvie."
"What?"
"Call me Sylvie," she said, a strange smile curving her lips.
She's out of it, he thought, then pulled her tighter to his chest. The sound of her voice left him calming fast. She was alive and still talking to him. A warmth flooded his being, something he'd never felt before. Something constricted in his gut, a curious sensation. It only made him want to hold her tighter.
"Are you hurt?" When she still didn't respond, he shook her gently.
She stirred, a grimace painting her beautiful face.
"I'm sorry," he said when she opened her eyes. "I had to get you out of there."
"So you shocked me again?"
Xivthar felt like a seahorse's ass. "It was the only thing I could think of."
Her gaze was full of fire. "Put me down."
"You could be injured," he said, knowing she wasn't but not wanting to put her down yet. She felt too good in his arms.
She fixed him with a disbelieving glare. "I'm not. So put. Me. Down."
He set her down, letting out a soft sigh. He enjoyed it better when she was dizzy and full of friendly smiles. The sensation in his gut wound even tighter as he moved back from her. He'd never felt anything like that before. It was like nervousness, but a thousand times worse. A deep anxiety coupled with something else... something that didn't want to let Sylvie out of his arms.
The regent took a deep breath, attempting to banish the feeling
.
"In fact, I think I'm starting to like the shocks." She shrugged and reached up, attempting to settle down her blond curls. They had become severely disarranged after being yanked on by the Zantharian. Not to mention the bolt of electricity, which had caused her hair to stand on end. "You could say they are electrifying."
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" He lifted a brow at her. Her tone of voice was out of the ordinary.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "I've been in a crash, on a dissection table, and mauled by shape-changing aliens. Not to mention everyone on your planet hates me. Oh, and the whole being nearly electrocuted. Twice. The only good thing that’s happened was… well… you."
"Not everyone hates you." He reached out and touched her cheek, the pretty pink coloring it due to her mentioning their sex perhaps. He licked his lips, unable to help himself. She was delicious and he would be lying if having more of her wasn’t on his mind, right behind the need to protect her.
She stopped, staring at him. "Are you blind? Did you fail to see the 'Earthlings are the Enemy' signs being waved around by the crowd?"
"I don't hate you."
Far from it. I want to work toward inter-species mating and keep you forever...
The pretty woman let out a long, frustrated breath, which caused the locks on her forehead to fly into the air and stay there. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her shoulders slumped as she trudged down the hallway again toward the Ministry of Science.
Xivthar turned to follow her, wishing like hell that she was back in his arms. He longed to provide some kind of comfort for her. Having an entire planet of aliens you hadn't known existed crying out for your blood could be a bit overwhelming, but she was strong.
It didn't take long for her confidence to return, even as they approached the place where she'd been held prisoner and tormented.
"You know," she said, not bothering to turn to face him as she walked, "I don't understand why you want to talk to this scientist again. What can he know that he didn't already blurt out when you were threatening to feed him to the... what did you call them again... gwarsharks?"