“So? Neither of you will tell me what’s going on? Okay. I see,” Eva finished when no one replied. “Ship! I need you.”
Silence.
Eva narrowed her gaze on them. “You won’t tell me what’s really going on and nosy Ship isn’t anywhere to be found. How convenient.”
“I’m sure Ship has more important things to do besides hanging around us,” Fainia said. “Besides, we have other things to discuss. Has Taio decided how he’s going to get Ranuit Pi alone? Does he know what terms he’ll set?” She shifted to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. “Maybe I should go speak with Taio myself.”
“Queen Xochis—”
“Eva, I have asked you to call me ‘Mother’.” Fainia raised her chin. “I’ll not listen to a word you have to say if you address me as ‘Queen’ again. Unlike my mate, I don’t believe my children should call me by a title.”
Eva blushed and shuffled her feet. “Umm…”
Seeing Eva’s discomfort, Fainia added, “You may call me ‘Mother’ or ‘Fainia’. But not ‘Queen’. Never that name.”
This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation, with Eva always uncomfortable about the request. Taio had explained to them that Eva had grown up without parents and was often unsure how to behave around Fainia, but despite knowing that, their mother seemed to press relentlessly, trying to break down Eva’s barriers.
Eva nodded. “Taio and Rasha are meeting with the Zarcarians today to complete the paperwork for their settlement rights on the northern border of the Singha Ocean. I’m sure that will take up most of the morning.”
“I understand,” Fainia said. She stood and stretched. “We forgot our clothes for the engagement party. We’ll need to see the tailors.”
Eva held up her hand. “Fainia, the first time I met you, you were dripping in jewels and wearing the prettiest dress I’d ever seen. Did you honestly think I’d believe you forgot your clothes?”
“Eva, please,” Saia said. “We’re handling the issue. Let it go.”
“I can’t do that. Is the problem with Olo or Ranuit Pi?” she asked.
“Olo,” Saia said.
Unfortunately, Fainia said, “Ranuit Pi,” at the same time.
Saia held her breath as Eva squinted at them both.
“So which one do I have to kill?”
“No one,” Saia said. “Let us take care of everything.”
“And will letting you ‘take care of everything’ come back to haunt me?”
Saia exchanged a glance with Fainia. “No.”
Eva shook her head. “Why do I still not believe you?”
Chapter Five
JB flattened himself against the woman he’d convinced to meet him in the closet, a petite African-American beauty with hazel eyes shaded in thick black lashes.
He scooped up a handful of dark hair in various shades of black, brown and red, and took a long, exaggerated whiff. The aroma of fresh-baked bread clung to every curly strand. He found that he enjoyed the smell immensely, especially when it came with the promise of wild sex.
“JB,” she said breathlessly, “I don’t think we should do this here.” The words coming from her mouth didn’t match her body language. Instead of pushing him away, she clung to his arms and gyrated against him.
“Hmm.” He took a few steps, making her walk backward, and pressed her curvy but slender frame against the wall. His cock throbbed in his pants, waiting to be released. “Do what?” He kissed and nipped her jaw.
She moaned and tightened her grip on his arms. “Make love,” she said in his ear.
He thrust his hips between her legs and began to grind. “We’re not going to make love.” He cupped her round, luscious ass.
“Umm,” she moaned, deep and throaty, practically melting in his embrace.
“Now be a good girl and lift up your dress,” he coaxed.
She looked past him to the closed closet door. “I don’t know…” He snaked a hand between her legs and massaged her wet clit. Her eyes fluttered closed. “I’m due back in the kitchens to help prepare dinner. We’ll have to make it quick.”
He intended to.
He pulled back to free his dick and give her room to wiggle her dress up to her waist. With his jutting cock aimed in her direction, he gave her ass a playful slap. “Let me feel those beautiful legs around me, darling.”
One long, mahogany-colored leg wrapped around his waist. He lifted her, helping her with the other. She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned against the wall. He grasped the base of his cock and pressed the head over the entrance of her dripping pussy. Hot and needy, it seemed to beckon him.
He thrust forward with a grunt. His knees immediately weakened. Margie’s pussy was so tight that it always took his breath away. She bit her lip and a whispered moan broke through. Margie, like JB, didn’t want anyone to know what was going on behind the door of the food storage room.
As he pulled out slowly, his nails dug into her firm ass. She exhaled and lowered her head to rest on his shoulder. He entered her again, slower than the first time, savoring the slickness of her walls.
She couldn’t stop moaning again. It came out guttural and filled with lust. “Oh, JB.”
He eased out again.
“You said we weren’t going to make love,” she whispered.
“Mmm,” he groaned. He thrust forward, pinning her butt to the wall. “We’re not,” he said as she cried out.
He slammed again and again into her throbbing pussy. Her delectable juice trailed down his cock. Sweat from his body and hers rolled down his legs. Margie ran her nails through his hair, tugging at the strands. She used the muscles in her legs to act as a vise around his waist and bounced up and down. Her ass wobbled and jiggled in his grasp.
“Yes! Fuck me,” she grunted.
Each stroke was deep and hard. “Is this my pussy?” he asked.
“Yours,” she moaned.
He rotated to sit her on top of a box of goods. She leaned back on her elbows as he held her knees, opening her legs wide.
“Play with your beautiful titties for me, baby.”
She didn’t waste any time in pulling her gown down over her full breasts, exposing herself to him. She grasped them and teased her large brown nipples. He watched them longingly, salivating at the thought of pulling them between his lips.
She watched him through heavy-lidded lashes. “Like this?”
He licked his lips. “Yeah.”
He used his thumb and massaged her engorged clit. He circled and circled as her back contorted. The pleasurable sounds of her moans filled the small space with each thrust.
She pulled a nipple into her mouth and suckled.
His thrusts went deeper, harder. She grunted and mewled. Her pussy caressed him.
“Are you going to feed me your dick?”
He’d like nothing better than to watch her full lips wrap around him.
He pulled out and fisted his slick dick. Margie sat up and scooted to the edge of the box, coming at him with an open mouth.
Just as he grabbed the back of her head, the door slid open and light penetrated the darkness. “What the—” he began.
A large and imposing figure stood in the doorway and growled. JB let Margie go and stuffed his resisting cock back into his pants.
Margie looked over his shoulder and inhaled sharply. She scrambled away and tugged her dress back into place.
JB stared at the very person he was trying to avoid.
Taio.
Taio glared down at him, which wasn’t hard considering Taio, like the other Sonis males, was well over seven feet tall. Not only was Taio taller than JB, he was considerably bigger, weighing in at somewhere around three hundred and fifty pounds.
Shit.
“T-Taio,” Margie stammered. “It’s not what—” She stopped when Taio turned his penetrating glare on her. She put her head down. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. It won’t happen again.”
Taio didn’t reply.
He moved to one side and with a hand, indicated for her to leave.
She scurried past him in haste, not even hesitating to see what would happen to JB. He didn’t really blame her. She was scared of Taio. If JB had any sense, he would be scared of him too.
After she left, Taio turned back to him.
JB shrugged. “Umm… It won’t happen again?”
“Kane likes you. Ship likes you. Rasha likes you. Ancients, even my mate likes you.” Taio tilted his head to the side. “And I can’t figure out why.”
“Because I’m nice and fun to be around?” JB offered.
Taio glared at him. “You’re a disrespectful whore.”
JB snorted. “That’s a bit harsh. I’ve been respectful to everyone on Sonis. My grandmother would roll in her grave at just the thought of anything but.”
“You have disrespected my head guard as well as my mate by not heeding their command to leave the human females alone. By disrespecting them, you have disrespected me. By disrespecting me, you have disrespected the people of Sonis.”
“Well, since you put it like that, I believe I owe you and Sonis an apology,” he drawled.
Taio growled and JB took a step away, bumping against the wall.
Shit, trapped.
“Are you mocking me?” Taio ground out.
JB shook his head. “Of course not. I may be a whore, but I’m not crazy.”
“Am I going to have to upset my mate by killing you?”
JB shifted uncomfortably. The thought of fighting Taio was making him nauseous. Not only was Taio massive, but throw in the well-defined muscles that flexed with every movement and the menacing enlightenment tattoo—a bird of prey, its talons seeming to grip one of Taio’s eyes and its body flowing down his neck and torso—and JB’s stomach curdled.
It wasn’t even a question of who would win that fight.
“No.” JB threw up his hands in defeat. “I’ll behave. I promised Jess that I would stay for her bonding ceremony. I’ll leave right after that.”
When was her bonding ceremony? Four days? He could go without pussy until then, right?
Right.
He’d gone longer before. When he was a slave on Toquel there hadn’t been pussy or the prospect of getting pussy—ever. And sometimes they hadn’t docked for months while onboard The Vengeance.
Taio rolled his head from side to side, cracking his neck.
JB could wait. His life depended on it.
“I’m not in a good mood, human. Consider this your last warning,” Taio said.
Is he ever in a good mood? “I understand. Um, are you going to let me leave now?”
Taio glared at him and hesitated before moving to the side. JB held his breath, too afraid to exhale as he slid past.
Normally he was ready and willing to fight. He’d had more than his fair share as a space pirate. But what would be the purpose of fighting Taio?
For Margie? Hell no.
She’d already made it clear she wanted to find a warrior to mate with. JB had only caught her at one of her weaker moments.
It was time to move on anyway. He’d clearly outstayed his welcome on Sonis. And Kane would be disappointed, but JB wouldn’t go back to Laconia either, which his friend called home. Not right now, anyway. Kane was trying to build a life with Sa’Mya, and although he was treated as one of the family, JB thought they should be given alone time.
He always had a job with Ryan on The Vengeance II, but he wanted something more.
He could look for his twin sister…
Reluctantly, he pushed the thought out of his mind as he left the kitchens and started down one of the numerous winding halls of the palace. He didn’t want to think about Justina now. Not while he was in public and unable to hide his tears, should they fall from his eyes.
He’d spent so many years pushing thoughts of his sister down deep inside, it was second nature. He wasn’t trying to forget about her. No, just the opposite. He allowed himself to think about her when he was alone. Only then did he remember all the good times they’d shared and let the tears flow. He tried, night after night, to imagine her somewhere free. His heart ached, but somehow he didn’t believe she was dead. Justina—or Tina, as she preferred to be called—was too strong-willed to let aliens break her.
He turned down a familiar hall, one that led to the offices of the advisors. Taio had an office toward the end of this hallway, and so did Rasha. But he was here to see Jess.
He approached her open door and breezed in. Projected on a screen in front of Jess was an alien face from a species JB didn’t recognize.
She flicked her gaze up to look at him and, since she didn’t shoo him away, he took a seat across from where she sat at her desk.
“It was our understanding that King Taio would meet with us before our hibernation.”
“Lord Halil, he has every intention of doing so,” Jess replied. “He asks only that you be more flexible with your time. He has the upcoming bonding ceremony of his most loyal friend, Rasha. And he’s hosting an engagement party for his sister, Princess Saia, and Lord Ranuit Pi of the Zumagala.”
Lord Halil tilted his head. Three black eyes blinked in succession. The hair on his head seemed to move on its own, in different directions. “We may have received the wrong information. We were under the impression he was desperate to secure contracts for settlement on Sonis.”
Jess smiled and retained her composure. “Yes, I believe the information you were given was incorrect. King Taio has never been desperate.”
The alien watched her in silence. A red tongue darted out of his mouth and ran over black, leathery lips. He leaned off screen as if talking to someone else.
Jess winked at JB and mouthed, “Hold on a minute.”
JB had never been more impressed with Jess than he was now. A year ago, she would have run screaming and crying with one look from the alien before her. He would have been cradling her in his arms and trying to ease her fear and anxiety. Even a month ago she would have had panic attacks at just the thought of having to do business with an alien. But now, with the support of her new love Rasha, she was handling this alien with ease and not a hint of anxiety.
He suspected she was making the alien sweat just for the hell of it. She was slowly coming into her own and he couldn’t be prouder.
Lord Halil came back into view. His face appeared…softer, if it could be described that way at all. “Please contact us with a suitable meeting time.”
Jess smiled and nodded. “I’ll send a number of dates for you to choose from. All before your hibernation schedule, of course.”
The alien nodded and the picture disappeared.
JB placed a hand over his heart. “You make me prouder every day.”
She shook her head and leaned back in her chair. “Whew. I’m glad I didn’t fuck it up. How did I look? Did I look nervous?”
“You? Hell no. You looked like you were about to tell him to fuck off and hang up the call.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Good, that’s what I was going for. Mazel said if I showed any weakness with him, he’d chew me up and spit me out.” She curled her lip. “And he looks like he would have enjoyed it.”
“Where is Mazel anyway? Shouldn’t she be taking calls for Taio?”
“Yeah, but Eva needed her for some kind of emergency.” She threw her arms out to her sides. “I’m holding down the fort by myself today.” She let out a nervous giggle. “I can’t believe it.”
“What? It should be like riding a bike. Isn’t this what you did for your father?”
Jess snorted. “I never negotiated with aliens for my dad. I helped run his company, not a small world.”
“You’ll do fine. I’m serious though, I am proud of you.”
Jess looked away, embarrassed. “Thanks.”
“So where’s the old ball and chain?”
“The training field, where else? He seems content being out there all day. He thinks I’m trying to punish him if I request he come to his of
fice. Taio’s around somewhere.”
“Um, yeah. I already ran into him.”
Jess narrowed her eyes. “Please tell me you were behaving.”
“I would, but it’d be a lie.”
Jess groaned and put a hand over her face. “You have got to be kidding me.” She peeked at him from behind her fingers. “Since you’re in one piece, I can assume he didn’t jump you. Did he kick you off Sonis?”
He shrugged. “Naw, I told him I would leave.”
Jess leaned forward. “What? Leave? When? No!”
“Don’t freak out. I wasn’t going to stay here forever. I told him I would wait until after your bonding ceremony.”
Jess pouted and her eyes misted over. “But I was hoping you’d get along with everyone here and want to stay. Are you going back to running hauls with Ryan again? Come on, think about it. You can build a home here, have some stability.”
“The mundane has never been my cup of tea.”
“Mundane? This is an alien planet. There’s nothing mundane about living here.”
“What would I even do here? There’s no way I could bulk up and become one of those warriors. What kind of protein shake would I have to be on to gain two hundred pounds anyway?”
She snorted.” You? A warrior?”
“Exactly.” He waved his hand dismissively. “It wouldn’t work out.”
“You could be my administrative assistant or gopher or something.”
He grabbed a pencil and tossed it at her. She swatted it away and chuckled. “I’m not giving you a reason to boss me around.”
“But we could think of a job for you to do. Think of this as an up-and-coming company. There are plenty of open positions.”
JB shook his head. “Taio doesn’t like me. I’m pretty sure he wants me gone.”
“Just give him a chance. I’m sure you’ll grow on him. But you’ll have to stop fucking everything that moves.”
“And what would be the fun in that?”
“Keeping your life.”
Chapter Six
Dangerously His: 4 (Loving Dangerously) Page 5