"That's an interesting way of putting it, but I have to agree with you."
"You eat these monsters often?"
"Not that often. They’re considered delicacies.”
His way of putting things was charming and endearing. It made her laugh to see that kind of innocence in his hard eyes. He asked her more about her brokerage and how hard she’d worked to establish it. He listened intently to every word, seeming to take in her hopes and fears. He praised her accomplishments, responded to her, and asked questions about her life like he was really hearing her. It was refreshing.
Even professional men like Deacon could often be dismissive of a woman’s stories about her life. It was a fact that even a successful woman like Krista had to contend with. Ragnar never gave her the sense that she was boring him or that he was only listening because he had to. He truly seemed interested in everything she had to say.
When the waitress came to take their plates, she asked if they wanted dessert and suggested a crème brûlée. As they spooned the creamy, sweet desserts into their mouths, Krista felt a true connection to Ragnar, something beyond the original physical attraction. Any woman would feel that way about him. He was devastatingly attractive—big and strong and masculine. It was almost impossible not to be attracted to him. But now that she had learned about his service, observed his sense of duty, and witnessed his almost boyish innocence, she felt that she was beginning to understand him at a deeper level. She wanted to learn more about him and see what else he hid behind the shield of the hardened warrior.
When they were finished with dessert, they strolled into the ballroom. A jazz band played covers of grunge rock songs, creating a very interesting dichotomy that Krista enjoyed. Ragnar took her in his arms, and they made their way out onto the dance floor.
"I don't know a lot about dancing," he said, but he held her close, and they swayed back and forth to the music as she rested inside his powerful arms. It didn't matter that he didn't know any fancy moves. Being held by him and moving together with their bodies pressed against each other to the rhythm of the music was more than satisfying. She felt that deep rush of need she'd been experiencing so much lately and reached around his neck, looking up into his eyes.
"I can't get enough of you," he said. “Your eyes are so beautiful in this light.”
Crystal chandeliers twinkled above them, and sparkling strobe lights flashed from the stage. She smiled, and he leaned in to kiss her, cupping her face with his huge hand. Their kiss deepened, and he pulled away. "I need to take you somewhere private."
They held hands on their way out of the ballroom. Krista didn’t feel any sense of hesitation. She'd been alone for too long, with sexual release only coming from her toys or her dreams of Ragnar and his cousins. She was tired of holding all her physical needs at bay. She'd been rational and logical all her life. Now it was time to live a little, to give in to the deep need she felt whenever he looked at her.
Inside the room, Ragnar grabbed her and pulled her to him, cupping her cheek and the small of her back. The force of his kiss nearly bowled her over. His huge cock grew hard against her stomach, and she nearly melted into the floor. She loosened his tie, and he yanked it off of his neck and threw it away.
"I hate that thing," he said.
She laughed and began to unbutton his shirt. He tugged down the zipper on the back of her dress and then slid the garment off her shoulders and down her body.
A moment later, they were down to their underthings. Krista sat on the bed, looking up at Ragnar towering above her. His massive, hard cock strained against his underwear. She reached up and stroked him. He sighed and gritted his teeth as he watched her.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing?" she teased. His innocence was so sexy in that moment, but also disarming.
He sank to his knees and kissed her, unfastening her bra. He pulled it away and sucked her nipples into his mouth one after the other as he fondled her breasts. Krista leaned back, her hair cascading down her back. Kissing down her body, he slid his fingers into her panties and pulled them down so aggressively he tore them off. She shrieked at the sound of ripping fabric, and Ragnar yanked her legs open, taking a deep inhalation of her scent. His eyes rolled back in his head as he smelled her. Krista groaned, collapsing back on the bed.
Ragnar dove into her pussy, licking up her juices so hungrily she thought for a moment that he was some kind of animal. She heard him growling deep and low with the back of his throat. The sound was nearly inhuman, and it excited her to the core. She gushed moisture he greedily licked up, dipping his tongue into her channel as he circled his finger over her clit.
"Oh, my God!" Krista bellowed. This was exactly what she wanted, what she'd been waiting for. He darted his tongue in and out of her pussy, using his fingers on her pleasure bud. Then he changed focus, thrusting his long, thick fingers into her core as he sucked on her clit.
The pleasure erupted deep and hard from within, gripping her entire body in spasmodic tremors. She screamed as the release washed over her, first going rigid then collapsing completely breathless. Ragnar climbed above her, resting beside her on the bed. When she came back to her senses, she leaned up on her elbow and began to stroke his cock.
“Wait." He grasped her hand. "We shouldn't.”
"Why not?
"I promised the others I wouldn't...penetrate you.”
"There is more than one way to skin a cat." She winked.
"Skin a cat?"
"There is more than one way to pleasure a big, hard warrior. I’m guessing your agreement didn't include penetrating my mouth." She pulled down his boxer briefs. His massive dick popped out, and she gripped it with both hands, her pussy still so wet with need. She wanted him inside her more than she could comprehend. But he'd made the agreement not to fuck her, so she wouldn't press the subject.
“It didn’t,” he growled, staring down at her with the most shocked and expectant expression on his face. She wondered for a moment if he’d never had his cock sucked before.
Krista certainly wasn't going to leave him hanging, not after the mind-blowing orgasm he'd given her. She stroked him up and down, and the big man collapsed on the bed, surrendering to her caress. He growled, gripping her hair as she sucked the tip of his dick into her mouth. Using her hands together with her mouth, she slowly caressed up and down his shaft, sucking him as deep as she dared. He groaned, holding the base of her neck more tightly.
"What are you doing to me?"
"I'm giving you what you gave me, silly," she said, coming up for air. Sucking his big, fat cock like this made her so hot, she was tempted to climb on top of him and ride him into another mind-shattering orgasm. But she respected his decision not to and wouldn't take advantage of him. She laughed at the idea of taking advantage of a man as big and commanding as Ragnar. But in that moment, as she held his dick in her hands and sucked him down her throat, she felt completely in control.
He held her head tighter, moving her up and down as he gently thrust deeper. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she let him take her. And with a strangled growl, Ragnar erupted deep in her throat, pumping hot semen into her mouth. She groaned and swallowed it all, slowly releasing him to lick up the last drops of his seed. They both collapsed on the bed, breathless and satisfied. He gathered her into his arms, holding her close and caressing her back.
"Thank you," he breathed. "Thank you for giving me that. I'll never forget it."
“I feel the same, Ragnar. You're much sweeter than you seemed at first. And I'm so happy to have gotten to know who you really are.”
They snuggled into the bed together, and Krista fell into sweet and blissful sleep with Ragnar holding her close in his strong, protective arms.
Chapter 8
When Ragnar stepped through the door the next morning, Akash could tell that something had happened, something that had changed Ragnar to the very core. He walked through the hotel room as if still in a dream, his feet barel
y touching the ground, his eyes looking into something Akash couldn't see.
"What is it, Ragnar?" Akash sniffed the air. He could smell Krista on the warrior. His chest tightened.
"Did you make love to her?" Akash asked through the mental link, including Yuki in the conversation. He was on protective duty the moment Ragnar left her condo.
"Not in the way you're thinking," Ragnar said. “She showed me something, something amazing."
"What was it?" Yuki asked.
“That's private. All you need to know is that I did not claim her, and she still wants to date both of you, so you have nothing to worry about. One thing she did say, however—"
"Well, that's a relief.”
"—she said we should pick a house, because she's running out of options to show us," Ragnar said.
"The one we saw yesterday will work just fine,” Akash said.
"It's perfect. And I like the observatory," Yuki said. "We can do a lot with that.”
"I liked the observatory as well."
"We can turn it into a training room," Ragnar suggested.
"I enjoy tinkering with the primitive human technology," Yuki said. “The telescope is…quaint."
"It's just a bunch of junk," Ragnar objected.
"They're like antiques," Yuki said.
"Fine." Ragnar collapsed on the bed.
"I'll let Krista know we’re ready to choose a house." Akash picked up his cell phone. He dialed Krista, and she answered.
"Hello, Akash," she said.
"Good morning, Krista," he said in a low, sultry voice. "How was your date last night?"
"It was… good." She sounded uncomfortable.
Akash wanted to tell Krista the truth about the situation. It would have to come out eventually. But for now, his main concern was buying a house and getting his date with her. The next one in line was Yuki, so Akash would have to wait. For now, he was in charge of finalizing the home purchase.
"We have decided to purchase the house we saw yesterday. We’ll pay in cash, whatever the asking price is.”
"Excellent." Krista sounded overjoyed. "I'll let the seller know and draw up the paperwork."
"Very good."
They hung up the phone, and Akash contacted Hanish over the mental link.
"It's done," Akash told his captain. "We've decided on a home. I'm sending you the specifications now."
Akash sent him the information on the house from his cell phone, and Hanish looked it over for a moment before saying, "This looks good."
"I'm glad you approve," Akash said.
"I trust your judgment," Hanish said.
"Thank you, sir."
"You don't have to call me sir now that we’re on Earth. But I do expect you to follow my orders," Hanish said in a tone that made Akash realize that he was halfway joking and halfway serious.
"Agreed," Akash said.
"When can we move in? Tor has been well here at the House of Flames, but I'd like to get him settled in his own home and hire a nanny."
"It shouldn't take more than a day or two," Akash informed him.
"Well done, Akash."
Akash looked up at Ragnar and informed him and Yuki that Hanish approved of the house.
"We can start moving in soon.”
"But who will watch over Krista?" Ragnar asked.
"The two of us can remain here," Akash said. “Everyone else is moving. The process of burying the ship will be challenging. Yuki will need to be there for that.”
"But I don't want to leave her."
"Zephyr might be able to handle the calculations, but you are the engineer. Hanish wants you there," Akash said.
"As long as the two of you are watching over her while I’m gone, and I don’t miss my date tonight.”
"Where do you plan to take her?" Akash asked.
"I'm taking her for a drive. She's been driving us around to all the houses, and now that we know how to operate the human vehicles, I thought it would be fun to take her on an adventure.”
"That sounds nice," Akash said. He had other plans for his time with Krista, but he and Yuki were different men.
"I thought we could take a picnic down the coast. Then maybe we can spend the night somewhere romantic."
Ragnar growled as if he were jealous at the prospect of Yuki spending the night with Krista but turned away on the bed and closed his eyes. Apparently, he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Krista was up and ready to do business. He had to respect her persistence and professionalism. He couldn't wait to spend time with her. She was such an amazing woman. Akash wished he could have her to himself. She would be a perfect match for him on so many levels. And even if he had to share her with the crew’s engineer and frontline warrior, he had to accept that it would be okay and all work out.
An hour later, they were all sitting at a conference table with Krista, signing papers to purchase the house they'd chosen.
“Just sign here, here, here, here, here, here, and here." She flipped through the papers. They all put down their newly learned signatures and initials where she indicated then had the funds transferred electronically to the seller’s bank account. It had taken some maneuvering, but Yuki quickly learned how to operate the banking system with a bit of help from the technician from the House of Flames. They bought the property with barely a dent in their treasure hoard, and Krista gave them the keys.
"Congratulations," she said. “I'm so happy you found your new home."
"So are we," Ragnar said. “Our old place was getting cramped."
"A million years in a stasis pod makes your feet fall asleep," Yuki said through the mental link.
Ragnar laughed out loud, and Akash gave them both a warning look. Their behavior was strange, and he didn't want to alarm Krista.
She shook their hands then had a private word with Yuki about their date that night. As Ragnar and Akash were walking down the hall away from the conference room, he heard Krista laughing with Yuki at the other end of the hallway. He turned and looked over his shoulder at them smiling at each other. She placed her hand on his shoulder.
He looked away, hoping that everything would turn out for all of them. They had to give Krista the opportunity to choose. If she chose only one of them, the other two would be at the mercy of their mating impulse, something that had already been wreaking havoc on the entire crew since they’d awoken. Now that they’d met Krista, they were all a little bit off the rails.
Akash could only imagine what would happen if his mate was claimed by another man and he was left to watch them live happily ever after without him. There were stories of males who’d had their mating impulses activated and were never able to claim their mates. They slowly went insane and were eaten alive by their own dragons. These were tales from deep antiquity, but Akash knew there was an element of truth to them. The last thing he wanted was for Krista to feel pressured to accept all of them because they might die if she didn't. It was her choice.
That was the moment Akash knew how he really felt about her. He had met this woman only briefly, but every encounter left an indelible mark on his soul. She was smart, driven, kind, and wise. She had a nurturing heart she wasn't aware of, and every time he was near her, all he wanted was to get closer. He would do anything to ensure her happiness, even give her up. He was falling in love with her.
Yuki joined them out on the street, and Akash volunteered to go under stealth and watch over Krista while Ragnar and Yuki went back to the House of Flames to help the crew bury the spaceship under the new house. It would take some careful calculations, but he knew that Yuki and Zephyr could get it done.
Chapter 9
Krista opened the door for Yuki and found him on the other side, wearing a pair of dark-wash jeans and a rock band t-shirt. His hair was tousled, and his eyes gleamed. She assumed Yuki didn’t allow Akash to dictate his dress code the way Ragnar seemed to. He held a bouquet of summer flowers.
She had dressed in a maxi dress with sandals after Yuki had told her th
ey were going on a ride and a picnic. "These are lovely." She kissed him on the cheek, accepted the flowers, and invited him into the house. She was excited for their date, especially after closing a multimillion-dollar deal. The thrum in her chest wouldn't calm down. After the night she'd had with Ragnar, she knew she should be feeling guilty for immediately going out with another man, but the way they handled the whole thing, she didn't feel any of that. She just felt excited and ready for whatever was going to happen next. She put the flowers into a vase beside Ragnar's and grabbed her purse and hat. Yuki took her hand and carried her overnight back out to his car.
A yellow Lamborghini sat parked on the sidewalk, and Krista's mouth dropped. "You Storm boys really have some nice cars."
"I like to drive fast." Yuki opened the door for her, and she slipped inside. He placed her bag in the backseat beside a bottle of wine and a picnic basket. He climbed behind the wheel, and they were off, music pumping from the stereo as they sped onto the interstate. Krista’s smile didn't diminish the entire time. Yuki was fast and sure as a driver and seemed to have otherworldly skill with his vehicle. She laughed and smiled at him, watching him change gears as he rushed down the highway.
"You're going to get pulled over," she laughed as they hit a hundred miles an hour.
"Nope. I know where all the cops are." He changed lanes, driving faster as they sped into the late afternoon sunlight.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Some islands out on the Sound. There are supposed to be beautiful views and some fun roads.”
He exited the freeway and started west in their trek toward the water. Crossing a bridge, they emerged on the other side into the rural towns of the Olympic Peninsula. They continued north, crossing another bridge as they made their way toward the national park.
Yuki drove along the ocean, his speed and skill filling her with exhilaration. Finally, they parked at a recreation area that looked out onto the sea and found a picnic table to eat their meal.
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