“And now you’re embarrassed again. Well don’t be,” he said to her. “After all—what do you have to be embarrassed about? You’re beautiful when you come—thank you for letting me watch.”
“I…um…I’ve never done that. Never let anyone watch before,” Vicky admitted.
“I’m not surprised—I’m sure that waste of space you had for an ex-mate never asked to watch, did he?” Chain raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively.
Vicky shook her head.
“No. Kevin just wanted to get to the, uh, main event.”
Chain’s mouth twisted into a disgusted sneer.
“What an idiot. How could he have such a beautiful woman and not want to pleasure her slowly and thoroughly? How could he never want to taste her honey?”
“Oh, um…” Vicky squirmed against him, aware all over again of the fingers still in her pussy.
“Speaking of honey, have you got some to share?”
Casually, he took Vicky’s right wrist and brought her fingers—which were still shiny with her juices—to his lips. Holding her eyes with his the entire time, he proceeded to clean her fingers thoroughly with long sweeps of his tongue. Finally he sucked her fingers into his mouth completely, as though to get every last trace of her juices, before slowly letting her go.
“Mmm…delicious.” His deep voice was hoarse with desire and Vicky was suddenly aware that his cock was hard and throbbing against her thigh.
“Oh!” She looked down at him, wondering if she ought to offer to do something. “Do you…do you need me to touch you?” she asked uncertainly. “To, uh, help you get off?”
But Chain shook his head.
“No—I’d rather wait until you’re more comfortable with me,” he murmured. “I don’t want you to touch me out of fear or out of obligation—when you first lay your hands on me, I want it to be because you can’t help yourself. Because you can’t keep your hands off me. Do you understand, Victoria?”
Vicky nodded, though she wondered at his belief that they would, in fact, get to that stage. After all, he was just going to give her a ride to the Mother Ship—right?
Right, she told herself. And then I’ll spend a few days up there while he does the next part of his mission—gets the other half of the T’lix-Kruthe—and then he’ll take me back home and we’ll go our separate ways.
But somehow the words didn’t quite ring true. Vicky couldn’t help wondering if something else was destined to happen between them…
Don’t be silly, she told herself sharply, before she could get lost in fantasy-land. He’s too young for you—the most you can have is a short fling and that’s it.
Or so she told herself.
The aftermath of the orgasm made her feel sleepy and Chain showed no interest in moving yet. Kevin had always rolled away the minute sex was over and Vicky had learned early in their relationship not to bother him with any kind of cuddling. But the big Kindred seemed to have the opposite philosophy. He pulled her closer when Vicky turned towards him, surrounding her with his warmth and holding her protectively in a way that felt just right.
“You look all worn out, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Why not rest a while? We can put off going for a bit until you feel refreshed.”
“Well…” Vicky stifled a yawn. It had been a crazy night and she had seen and done things she never would have imagined. “Maybe it couldn’t hurt to just take a short power nap,” she mused and yawned again. “Can you wake me up in twenty minutes?”
“If you like,” Chain murmured, his deep voice a soothing rumble in her ears.
“I…” Vicky yawned again. “I like,” she finished at last.
“Good. Then rest awhile, beautiful Victoria. I’ll wake you in a bit.”
Vicky thought drowsily that she never would have dreamed anything like this could happen to her—never would have imagined that she would be drifting off to dreamland in the muscular arms of a man more than fifteen years her junior who actually seemed interested in her for some reason.
It seemed to defy all logic—at least, it defied the logical rules of dating she’d been raised with and knew all her life. Which were that young, handsome, virile men preferred young, slender perfect girls—not middle-aged divorced women who weren’t as thin as society dictated they should be. And yet, here she was, being held in the arms of a younger man and enjoying every minute of it.
Better enjoy it while it lasts because it can’t last long, whispered a little voice in her head. This isn’t the way the world works—you’re being given a gift by the Universe.
And what a lovely gift it was.
Closing her eyes, Vicky sighed in contentment and allowed herself to enjoy being held in someone’s arms for the first time in years. It had to end eventually but for now, it was so nice not to be alone anymore.
Nine
Chain knew they ought to get going, but he couldn’t bear to wake her right away. Victoria had drifted to sleep, her head pillowed on his arm, after coming for him—coming hard, from the looks of it. And now she was sleeping peacefully, her lovely face soft in repose.
He closed his eyes, savoring the memory of her face filled with pleasure as the orgasm overtook her. Gods, she was sexy and she felt so right in his arms! He loved her mixture of maturity and innocence and thought again what a fool her ex-mate had been. First he’d apparently refused to pleasure her properly and then he’d discarded her, making her feel worthless and used. What a bastard!
“You’re not worthless, sweetheart,” Chain murmured, knowing she couldn’t hear him but wanting to say it anyway. “You’re beautiful and perfect. And I’m going to let you know it, even if we’re only together a short time.”
At the thought of the end of their short time together, his heart fisted in his chest. But he doubted a female of Victoria’s worth would want to tie her life to that of a thief and a Snatcher. No, better to just savor the time they had together and try not to think of the inevitable end. It would come all too soon and after all, they were just at the beginning now.
Chain told himself to be happy with the time the Goddess had granted him with Victoria and not to get greedy. He would make the most of the opportunity that had been given him and try not to think how fleeting and short it was sure to be.
This time was a gift and he was determined not to waste it.
Ten
The trip up to the Mother Ship was exciting. Vicky had never even been to Europe—though Kevin had, rather grudgingly, taken her to Canada once when he had to go there on a business trip. They had stayed in a run-down Best Western and eaten poutine four times in three days. Good times.
But now she was going off planet—leaving the Earth completely—and going to the exotic, alien Mother Ship. Vicky’s heart was pounding as she looked out the viewscreen and saw the vast blue side of the Earth receding, growing smaller and smaller as the smooth, creamy white side of the Mother Ship came into view.
As soon as they had broken free of the Earth’s atmosphere, Chain pushed some buttons and spoke into a kind of intercom.
“Need to speak to my buyer,” he explained when Vicky looked at him enquiringly. “Let him know that I have the first half of the T’lix-Kruthe and I’ll be going for the second half soon.”
As he finished speaking, the viewscreen flickered and showed a picture of a big Kindred with light blond hair and pale blue eyes. He seemed to be a Blood Kindred, because Vicky could see his double set of fangs on either side of his upper jaw when he spoke.
“Ahh, Chainor. It’s good to see you—how did the first half of your mission go?”
“Greetings, Commander Sylvan. The mission was successful.” Chain held up the small golden half of the T’lix-Kruthe to show the other Kindred. “Though I’m afraid the Varians weren’t interested in selling. I had to, ah, let’s say liberate it, which caused some difficulty.”
The other Kindred frowned.
“Well, we knew that was a possibility. But since the T’lix-Kruthe is originally an ancient Kindre
d artifact which they stole from our ancestors on First World eons ago, I consider the theft justified.”
Chain grinned.
“That’s pretty much how I think of all thefts, Commander. Especially when I’m attempting to steal a lovely female’s heart.” He threw a glance at Vicky who shook her head at him, though she couldn’t help smiling.
Commander Sylvan frowned but didn’t look surprised at the statement, Vicky thought. His pale blue eyes left Chain and lighted on her and he nodded approvingly.
“I see you’re already getting prepared for stage two of the mission on Priima Belle. You must have done your homework and found out you won’t be welcome without a female there—good job.”
Chain threw the other Kindred a slightly surprised look, then smoothed his features almost at once.
“Ah…of course,” he said. “Nobody prepares for a job more thoroughly than I do.”
“It’s one of the reasons I hired you,” Commander Sylvan said gravely. “I’ll meet you at the Docking Bay along with our Alien Culture Coordinator. She can help outfit your female assistant for the trip.”
Vicky had been so surprised by this exchange, she didn’t quite know what to say. Now she opened her mouth to tell the other Kindred he was mistaken—that she was only here to spend a little time on the Mother Ship—but he was already signing off.
When the viewscreen went blank and then showed the white bulk of the Mother Ship again, she turned to Chain.
“What was that all about? Why didn’t you tell him I’m only here for a few days until we can be sure those awful lizard men won’t come back for me?”
He shrugged, his shoulders rolling.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to appear ignorant. I should have spent the last few hours, after getting the first half of the T’lix-Kruthe, studying the local Priima Belle culture and getting ready to procure the next half. Instead…” He cleared his throat. “I was…shall we say, somewhat distracted.”
Vicky felt her cheeks heat with a blush.
“All right, I won’t blow your cover, but I never promised to go to a whole other alien planet with you.”
“I know,” Chain said quickly. “And you don’t have to. I’m sure I can find some other willing female to go with me and pretend to be my mate.”
For some reason, Vicky didn’t like the sound of that—didn’t like it one damn bit. She had a sudden flash of some other woman—a much younger and thinner woman—hanging on Chain’s arm and batting her lashes at him coquettishly.
The image sent a flash of jealousy through her and she realized that though they hadn’t even known each other twenty-four hours yet, she felt possessive of the big Kindred. Which was ridiculous, of course. He was too young for her and he had his life and she had hers. After this was over, they would go their separate ways.
Still, she couldn’t help the way she felt.
“Well…” She cleared her throat. “Maybe I might consider it. If you wanted me to go, I mean.”
Chain turned to her, giving her his whole attention.
“I would like that very much,” he said quietly. “Though we have known each other such a short time, I find myself strangely reluctant to part with you, Victoria.”
“I, um…” She was blushing again—she could feel her cheeks getting hot and she was glad the cabin of the spaceship was too dim for him to see it. “I kind of feel the same way about you,” she admitted at last. “I know it doesn’t make any sense…”
“That’s where you’re making a mistake,” Chain told her. “Feelings don’t have to make sense—that’s why they’re feelings. And right now, what I’m feeling for you is that I don’t want to let you go.”
Vicky felt very strongly that she didn’t want to let him go, either. But she didn’t want to rush into anything dangerous.
“I don’t want to make any promises, but let’s find out some more about the mission,” she told Chain. “If it’s safe, I might be open to going. But I have to be sure I get back home to my two daughters. My girls might be all grown up and out on their own, but they still need their mom from time to time.”
It was the first time she’d mentioned her kids to him and she waited to see if it would put him off. But Chain didn’t bat an eyelash.
“Of course your safety and getting home to your family has to be the first consideration,” he acknowledged. “I would never want to bring you into danger. Let’s speak to this Alien Culture Coordinator Commander Sylvan talked about and see what he or she has to say. Then you can make up your mind.”
Vicky nodded.
“Sounds good to me.”
She kept her voice calm but inside she was so excited she could barely sit still. Finally—the adventure she’d been waiting for all her life had arrived! After all those years of teaching French and Spanish and then never going even once to either France or Spain, now she might have the chance to go to a whole new alien planet! She wouldn’t do anything rash, she promised herself, but she really hoped it was safe to go.
Not only would it be the adventure of a lifetime, you’d also get to spend more time with Chain, whispered a little voice in her head. And isn’t that what you really want, Vicky?
Yes, she had to admit, that was exactly what she wanted.
She had no idea she was going to get way more than she had bargained for.
Eleven
“Hi, I’m Kat and this is Liv and Sophie and Lauren,” a girl with generous curves, like Vicky’s own and long auburn hair greeted her as soon as she stepped out of Chain’s ship into the vast, echoing Docking Bay. She nodded at the other women with her—two had identical features, though one had blonde hair and gray eyes while the other had brown hair and green eyes. The third woman had creamy light brown skin and lovely amber eyes—she was also holding a tray of delicious smelling muffins.
“We’re the welcome committee,” she said, smiling at Vicky. “Want a muffin? They’re fresh—just came out of the oven.”
“Oh, uh, thanks.” Vicky selected a small blueberry studded one and smiled. “I’m trying to watch my carbs but I can’t resist—they smell so good!”
“Well, thank you.” The woman called Lauren nodded and her smile got even wider. “I’m always happy to know my baked goods are so yummy they can make someone fall off the diet train.”
“And why are you on that train in the first place, doll?” the girl called Kat demanded, putting one hand to her full hip. “You’re an Elite, like me—you ought to be flaunting your curves, not trying to lose them!”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Chain said, coming around from the other side of the ship with a grin on his face. He put an arm around Vicky as though they were a real couple and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Elites are meant to have full curves—it’s a blessing from the Goddess. But Victoria here, keeps telling me to ‘watch my back’ every time I pick her up.” He chuckled—a warm sound that Vicky couldn’t help liking. “I think she’s too used to the puny human males down on Earth,” he finished, grinning at Kat.
Kat laughed. “Well, I can understand that—we’ve all been there. Let down by a human guy and then we find a Kindred, right?” She winked at Vicky. “So are you excited for your trip to Priima Belle?”
“Oh, um…” Vicky shifted uncertainly, not quite sure what to say.
“You know,” the girl Kat had introduced as Liv said, “Priima Belle sounds way more like an upscale Italian restaurant than a planet full of wise women and scholars.”
“Wise women and scholars?” Vicky echoed doubtfully. Well, that didn’t sound too dangerous, but would she really fit in?
“Yup, so I hope you’re prepared to play the part of a teacher or a sage,” Kat said practically.
“Victoria will be perfect for such a part,” Chain said before she could answer. “She is already an instructor down on Earth—she teaches languages and dramatics.”
“Oh my God, that’s perfect!” the girl called Sophie clapped her hands. “It’s like you were born to go
there.”
“So…it’s not dangerous at all?” Vicky asked.
Kat snorted.
“Hardly. Unless you’re worried about being bored to death by the really long discussions and dinner parties they have there.”
“Well, after years of faculty meetings, I think I can handle it,” Vicky said dryly.
“Perfect.” Kat nodded decisively. “Come on—let’s get you ready for your mission.”
“Oh, um—but I think I’m supposed to be meeting with some kind of Alien Cultural Coordinator?” Vicky said hesitantly.
“Oh, that’s me.” Kat laughed. “I’ve been doing this kind of thing for years because I really enjoy the research and the fashion aspects of it. So Sylvan there finally decided to make it official and gave me a title.”
She nodded at the tall blond Kindred who had spoken to Vicky and Chain on the viewscreen. He had been standing quietly to one side during their meeting but now he smiled politely at Vicky.
“Kat is the best at what she does. You’re in good hands, Victoria, and it’s nice to meet you,” he said.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Vicky nodded back. It was a damn good thing she wasn’t an introvert or all these new people would have made her want to crawl back into Chain’s ship and hide, she thought. As it was, she felt mildly overwhelmed but also extremely welcome. All the people she’d met so far on the Kindred Mother Ship seemed genuinely happy to make her acquaintance, which was nice.
Strangely, it reminded her of that one vacation she’d had to Canada—everyone she’d met in that country had been warm and genuine in the same way. So much so that Vicky had wished she could move there—that was until one of the natives told her it got down to thirty degrees below zero in the winters. That changed her mind pretty quickly. After years of living in the hot Florida climate, she was certain she wouldn’t survive in such frigid conditions.
“Can I borrow my Lady for just a moment before you take her away from me to prepare her?” Chain asked Kat, breaking into Vicky’s train of thought.
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