“Xena,” she answered.
He stood, frowning as he began pacing the floor. She watched his naked body, not moving to stand. “You don’t trust me, do you? I suppose it’s foolish to expect there to be more between us after one afternoon. Not everyone is psychic.”
“Psychic?” Xena asked. His profile said nothing about being psychic. “You have gifts?”
“Some, inherited from my mother. It’s how I got to be Vice President, though the company would prefer keeping that fact a secret for fear I’d get better offers. I’m content enough working of Siren and they give me whatever I want, so long as I put my hand to the ground and tell them were to dig for their precious ore.”
“You like working here?” she asked, watching him closely.
“Sure, there’s always something to do and it keeps me busy. It’s better than being in some circus ship, reading palms and dressing like a Medieval Earth wizard. The company makes enough money in Federation Army sales in one year to keep the colony running for ten.”
“Do you have the sales projections? Can you prove that’s where the income comes from?”
“Of course, why?”
“And you have no reason to sell out your company, do you?” She studied him, sensing with very instinct that he was telling her the truth.
“Sell out? What are you talking about? Did corporate send you to test me?”
“I’m HIA,” Xena said. “We received transmission meant for the Medical Mafia. They had your signature on them.”
“Mafia? My signature?” Cole frowned in obvious disbelief.
Xena nodded. “It was confirming an order for ore.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” he asked.
“You can’t psychically?”
“It doesn’t work like that. I can only get a sense of things.” Cole grabbed his pants off the floor and slid them over his legs. Seeing her naked, he moved to one of the low drawers. He pulled out a red robe, but didn’t hand it to her right away. “That’s why you kept trying to look at my clipboard.”
Xena grimaced, but nodded in agreement.
“Okay, say I believe you.”
“Okay.”
“Then you have to believe me.” He handed her the robe. “I’m not involved with the mafia.”
“I do believe you.” She threaded the robe over her arms and cinched the belt. “I’m trained to tell when people are lying to me. I watched your face and body just now. There are well over a thousand identifiable ticks when someone lies, so even the best liars can be detected. And, not to mention the small, telling signs that give away all kinds of information about a person. Think of me as a humanoid lie detector. Give me three hours alone with someone and I can pretty much sum up their entire character--clinically speaking of course. Now, why don’t you tell me what it is you’re trying so hard to decide if you should do or not?”
“We’ve been onto an ore supply leak for some time.” Cole gave a small laugh. “This isn’t exactly the kind of after sex talk I had in mind.”
“You’re the one who got all serious.” She couldn’t help but return his small smile. “It’s getting late, and I guess we have to discuss it.”
“What will you do?” He crawled back onto the bed, next to her. He propped himself up on his elbow and toyed with her hair.
“Report my findings to my superiors. If you can produce the finance records that would help. They’ll be strictly confidential and after I see them I’ll sign off on them.” She sighed. “I really should go report in. I’ll tell them you were cooperative and offered to help anyway you could.”
“I have another idea,” Cole said, his gaze falling away from hers as he refused to look at her.
“What’s that?” Her heart leapt in her chest. She was in no hurry to leave him.
“I propose you contract your officials and tell them I’m willing to cooperate. But, instead of leaving, you can stay here, undercover, as my girlfriend until we find who is doing this.”
“That could take months,” she answered.
“I hope longer.” He grinned. “I won’t lie to you. I do get lonely here and the idea of having someone to share my life and the task of uncovering the culprit does have a lot of appeal. And I like you, Xena. I think you’re sexy. You seem smart and kind. I’m not asking for forever.”
The word ‘yet’ popped in her head as he said it. She swallowed nervously.
“If you’re unhappy, I won’t stop you from leaving.” He finally looked at her. “What do you think?”
“I think,” she paused. “I think I’m going to need to borrow your communicator to call my bosses and inform them of the new plan.”
There was just something about Cole. He wasn’t offering her love or marriage, but she was glad. It was too soon to think of that, but she couldn’t help but think that the possibilities were definitely there for more between them.
Cole pulled her into her arms. “So you’ll stay?”
Xena nodded. “Yes. I think I will.”
Moaning softly, he landed down to kiss her before stopping and pulling back. “Do you need to tell your bodyguard that you’re staying? Won’t he be uncomfortable down in the transport?”
Xena thought of Vulcan and his endless come-on lines and how he inappropriately kept touching her ass. Pulling Cole down to her lips, she shook her head, “Ah, let’s have him wait a few more hours before we tell him.”
The End
Galaxy Playmates Series
Sapphire
Quartz
Diamond
Xena
About the Author, Michelle M. Pillow
Michelle M. Pillow, Author of All Things Romance™, is a multi-published, award winning author writing in many romance fiction genres including futuristic, paranormal, historical, contemporary, fantasy and dark paranormal. Ever since she can remember, she has had a strange fascination with anything supernatural—ghosts, magical powers, and oh… vampires. What could be more alluring than being immortal, all-powerful, and eternally beautiful? After discovering historical romance novels, it was only natural that the supernatural and love/romance elements should someday meet in her wonderland of a brain. She’s glad they did for their children have been pouring onto the computer screen ever since.
She has been on the Amazon bestseller list multiple times, nominated for the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award 2011, the winner of the 2006 RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, nominated for the 2007 RT Award, a Brava Novella Contest Finalist and a PAN member of RWA.
Michelle is a journalist for Paranormal Underground Magazine. She has a BGS in History/Business with an English Minor, and a Photography degree. In 2009 she and fellow author Mandy M. Roth started their own highly successful self-publishing endeavor named The Raven Books.
Michelle has titles published with The Raven Books, Pocket Books, Random House, Virgin Books, Adam’s Media, Samhain Publishing, Running Press, and more.
She loves to hear from readers. They can contact her through her website www.michellepillow.com.
Join her email newsletter at www.michellepillow.com/newsletter/?p=subscribe
For a complete, up-to-date booklist, visit www.MichellePillow.com
The Raven Books’ Complimentary Material
The following material is free of charge. It will never affect the price of your book.
Denial of Service (Cyber Sex II) by Reagan Hawk
Futuristic Erotic Romance
Admiral Jonas Myers was only looking for a brief break from Star Union Command. He never expected to find a pleasure droid that made his pulse race. He also never expected to fall in love with her.
Nora has two options—marry an abusive used parts dealer of her controlling brothers’ choosing, or flee, risking punishment by death. Wanting one night of freedom even at the cost of her life, she decides to make a run for it. Little did she know she’d be rushing into the arms of an admiral—the one man capable of saving her life, at the risk of losing her heart..
WARNING: This b
ook contains hot, sex with machines, or so the hero thinks, strong language and lots of other stuff the author refuses to apologize for.
For a complete, up-to-date booklist, visit www.ReaganHawk.com
Let the Wild Out by Madelyn Porter
Paranormal Shapeshifter Erotic Ménage Romance
Rachel Dunne thinks she's safe from the politics of her people by keeping a low profile in America. When she comes face to face with one of the clan chiefs in search of a mate, she’s stunned yet incredibly turned on. There is a catch—one queen to two opposing clan chiefs. It’s hard enough fighting off the advances of one sizzling hot piece of alpha man-flesh, can she possibly resist two?
Let the Wild Out Excerpt
Everyone should have at least two lovers.
That’s what Rachel Dunne’s crazy aunt used to tell her anyway. Her mother would have rolled over in her grave if she’d known her father’s sister had been given custody. After her parents died, Aunt Elvie was the only family member who could take her in. Rachel spent her teenage years under the care of a free lovin’, spirit séance havin’, illegal herb growin’, occasionally under arrest, Auntie Elvie. Luckily the sheriff was one of Elvie’s pot customer slash on-and-off-again lovers, and Elvie never stayed behind bars for too long.
It wasn’t an ideal childhood. But what Elvie lacked in modern morals and conventions she more than made up with love and patience. As for an Uncle Elvie, there wasn’t one—there were several. Elvie rotated her lovers like most people changed toothbrushes, and she always kept at least two of them around at a time. Though, for their kind, such things were not unusual.
Oh, Aunt Elvie also happened to be a bird shifter. Rachel always thought it accounted for her flighty behavior and great appetite for life. Though, how a bird shifter could get arrested in the middle of a forest was beyond her. Rachel suspected her aunt liked being put in cuffs.
For some reason, Aunt Elvie and her childhood had been on her mind a lot lately.
“What kind are you?”
Rachel pretended not to hear the man who spoke, keeping her attention on the ebook reader she held. She had seen him following her as she left the bookstore where guest authors, Mandy M. Roth and Michelle M. Pillow, had joint book readings. She’d felt his presence as she walked the streets and smelled him as he came into the coffee shop. She didn’t need to look at him to know he had dark hair and a rock-solid body. That much she’d seen from the reflection in the bookstore window. But experience taught her to stay away from other shifters. They had a wildness about them, an animalistic quality and a freedom Rachel fought hard to control in herself.
“What kind are you?” The unmistakable brogue of his Gaelic accent seemed out of place in the small Colorado town. That might account for his forward behavior. The shifters she’d met from overseas tended to have less puritanical ways. In America, unless on a preserve, shifters tended to mind their own business.
Rachel glanced at the hand he pressed flat against the table. There was no point in denying his claim. She could smell the shifter on him, as he could on her. However, his fragrance was potent and raw. He’d changed recently and, if the prickling sense of danger curling through her was any indication, he was dangerous. No wild bird here. Without looking up, she said, “I heard you the first two times, but my parents told me to never talk to strangers. Just keep it moving, buddy. I’m not in the life and I’m not looking for friends.”
The man turned his hand over so she could see his palm. An ancient, circular design had been burned into the flesh with a branding iron. It looked old, probably given to him in childhood in an ancient ritual. She stiffened, not needing further introduction. Rachel didn’t move for a long moment. She knew that mark. Everyone with shifter blood knew that mark. She’d never expected to see it in her lifetime, had hoped not. As far as she’d known, the marked ones were all living overseas, and she preferred it that way. Slowly lifting the back of her hand to her head in a subtle gesture of respect Aunt Elvie had taught her, she said, “My chief.”
“For someone not in the life, you know who I am.” He pulled his fingers into a fist. “Now I asked you a question. What kind are you?”
“Trout,” Rachel lied, finally looking up at him. “My kind is a trout. I’m diluted blood.”
She wasn’t sure it was wise to lie to her clan chief, but if he was asking about her kind, then being a tame creature of the river wasn’t useful to anyone. It had been a long time since she shifted, so her smell wouldn’t be potent at all. The lie would be believable. Hopefully he’d leave her alone now. Rachel fought the nervousness in her stomach. If he caught her lying to him she wasn’t sure what he’d do. The stories from the old country were brutal, practically medieval.
He slid into the chair across from her. “Trout?”
“Yes, my chief. A fish. When I change I swim in streams and try not to get hooked by fishermen while avoiding other spawning creatures. You can see why I’m not interested in the life.” Rachel made a move to stand, refusing to look into his eyes in case he sensed her fear. “If you would excuse me, I have to get to—”
“Wait.” He reached for her hand. The warmth of his touch took her by surprise.
“Yes?” Was it just her imagination, or could she feel the scar on his palm? Her attention focused on it, on him. Awareness shot through her.
“Who are your family? Which clan?”
“My family is gone. My aunt, Elvie Dunne, raised me. She passed two years back. My father, her brother, belonged to yours, the Duncanis clan. I don’t talk to any others. Any other questions you have are better directed at someone else. I hear there are shifters living in Colorado Springs. Perhaps you should try there.” Rachel withdrew her hand and he let her go. “Excuse me, Chief, but I can’t lose my job.”
“No reason to be so formal. Call me Douglas.”
She nodded, not saying his name or meeting his eyes. Grabbing her ebook reader, she held it a little too tightly.
As she walked away, she detected his whisper, “I’ll be seeing you, little trout.”
Rachel really hoped not.
You can visit Madelyn Porter online at www.madelynporter.com
To find out more about these books or to read other books from The Raven Books visit www.TheRavenBooks.com
Xena (Galaxy Playmates 4) Page 4