by Averi Hope
“Open your mouth,” she ordered.
He didn’t open his eyes. “Hmm?”
She placed the pill on his bottom lip.
His eyes popped open. “What’s that?”
“For your pain.” She slid it into his mouth with one finger, then pressed the water to his lips.
He drank slowly, but eventually, he drained the glass.
“Lie with me?” he asked, the vulnerability so raw in his voice that all she could do was comply.
She set the glass down on the nightstand and cautiously curled into one side of his body. “Just sleep.”
His stubbled chin brushed the top of her hair. “I can…but I don’t want to.”
He’ll sleep when the medicine kicks in. “Okay. You told me you were hurt worse once…”
He sighed, his breath ruffling the top of her hair. “A long time ago.” He paused, and she thought he might not finish. “When my father left me to train with the Keltairs, we were all given weapons and released into the desert to fight one another. Our mentors monitored us with flying drones, so they could intervene if necessary.” His grip around her shoulders tightened. “But instead of us all tracking each other down, they all came for me. They shredded me to pieces, leaving me for dead.” He was silent for long moments. “No one intervened.”
She had to remind herself to breathe. To keep her voice level. “How did you survive?”
“My father came to visit two weeks later. They told him I was dead, but he refused to believe it. He said when he found me, I was closer to death than anyone he’d seen before.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, tears choking her words. “I’ve heard Keltairs can be vicious for no reason.”
“They had their reason,” he said, slowly. “I was too human.”
She sat up slowly. There was a hint of moisture in his eyes, but he closed them. When he opened them again, it was gone. She touched his face, turning him gently to her.
“You were attacked there for being too human. And here for being too Keltair.” She leaned in, her face inches from his own. “I promise you. I will make them all pay for this. For every wound they caused you, I will cause them a thousand more.”
He looked taken aback. As if he was surprised someone was defending him. Then, to her surprise, he gave a short, pained laugh. “My own little warrior.”
“No,” she said, brushing her lips against his. A jolt of something sizzled between them. “You have no idea who I am. Or what I am capable of. Those bastards should be afraid right now. And if they’re not, they will be.”
He raised one shaking hand and dug his fingers into her loose strands. In a moment, he’d pulled her down, his lips taking hers in a fiercely passionate kiss. Warmth blossomed inside her, and when he drew back she was shaking, too.
“I’ve never met a female like you before.”
She traced his chin with her fingertips. “I’ve never met a male like you before.”
A shudder ran through his large body.
“You need to rest,” she told him, even though that was the last thing she wanted.
He closed his eyes. “Will you talk to me? Tell me stories? I want to think of you. Not…”
“Of course.”
She couldn’t tell him the truth. She didn’t want to tell him the truth. But she also wouldn’t lie to him. So, she didn’t tell him that she was the only child of one of the most powerful men in their galaxy. Instead, she described a life of growing up mostly on large ships and sometimes in her mansion.
But to her surprise, the picture she painted was that of a wealthy girl who was lonely and kept herself busy to hide from her loneliness.
She spoke of her mother, a sad woman who took pills because of her pain, who took pills when she was stressed, and who faded away in the darkness of her father’s shadow. Her worries came out then, whispered into the stillness of his room. Of the truth. That she believed dreams were like food and water, a person couldn’t survive when they lost them. Her mother had traded the love of a man for her dream to become the captain of a ship, and without her dream her mother had become nothing.
It was then that she realized how steady the rise and fall of his chest was.
She smiled. It felt good to tell this man her every thought and fear, but the tough woman inside her felt a massive wave of relief knowing he hadn’t heard a word of it.
Snuggling into him, she drifted toward sleep.
You promised Caleb revenge, a tiny voice reminded her. And you need to keep your promise. But what of your duty to your father? And Gabrielle?
She stiffened, suddenly wide awake. Tonight she needed to visit the dreams of the horrible leader of a sex-trafficking group and discover where he had taken the president’s daughter, Gabrielle. But she wasn’t even close to prepared.
Reluctantly, she climbed out of bed and went to Caleb’s computer, where she opened the encrypted file from her father. The less she knew about Ahmed Zhou, the more dangerous her Dream Jumping would become. And already she had a terrible feeling that going into the man’s dream was a dangerous idea.
Still, she opened the man’s file and stared into the face of one of the most frightening aliens she’d ever laid eyes on. His eyes were hollow, his expression manic with his own importance. Her hand trembled as she scrolled through the most intimate details of his life.
I’ll see you soon, Ahmed, she thought, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.
Chapter Nineteen
Caleb awoke in a panic, sitting up straight, and then crying out as he gripped his stomach. Memories of the night flooded his mind and his pulse beat a frightened pace in his ears.
“It’s okay.”
Erin was at his side in an instant. He looked into her face and the world seemed to shift. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Her skin was pale and flawlessly smooth. Her cheekbones were high and the arches of her dark brows framed her almost-impossibly green eyes. Her full lips were an intoxicating pale pink.
He reached for her, smoothing back the tangled mane of black hair from her face, and tucking it behind one of her ears. Her eyes widened, and the conflicting emotions were all there, laid bare before him. Fear, sympathy, and desire.
She shifted out of his reach, and his hand dropped limply onto the bed. He tried to rise, but pain, sharp and brutal, ripped through him. He fell back on his pillows, panting.
“Here,” she said.
She pushed something into his mouth, and then cool water slid past his lips. He drank greedily until the glass was empty.
For awhile, her fingers combed through his hair. So gentle. Had anyone else ever touched him like this before? As if he was something fragile.
Never.
Yes, he’d lain with many, many women. It was always exactly what the women expected from a Keltair, rough and thorough. He’d brought them, and himself, to ecstasy. But when he was finished, he wanted them gone. He wanted to be alone.
Never before had the touch of a woman felt so different. He snuggled into her caresses. He sighed, feeling that each stroke of her fingers brought immeasurable peace.
What was it about Erin that did this to him?
He noticed the moment the pain pill kicked in. The aching in his body eased. But, he was also far too aware of the way he smelled and of the layer of dried sweat on his body.
“Shower,” he mumbled, slowly sitting up.
Her hands were there, pushing him back. “No, that’s too much for you now.”
He shook his head and rose.
The world tilted for a moment, then righted. Her arms were around him, green eyes filled with concern.
“What were you going to do if I fell?” He gave a short laugh and hissed as the wounds on his chest and stomach twitched.
“Lie back down! Now!”
He didn’t bother to shake his head, already he felt unsteady on his feet. He just lumbered toward the bathroom.
Inside, he blinked at the large shower stall. His mind was
still moving too slowly.
“You’re really set on this, aren’t you?” she mumbled, then went to the stall and hit the blue pad next to it. “Computer, set the bathroom to Erin Clark’s setting number five.”
This was his room… it wouldn’t even know…
The lights dimmed. Golden ones bloomed on the walls in a stunning pattern, reflecting a sky filled with stars. The water turned on from a dozen jets and the room suddenly filled with steam. A second later, an unfamiliar melody came, soft and sweet. Like Erin herself.
“I’ve only ever turned the damn thing on.” He fingered the hem of his underclothes and then pulled them down, dropping them to the ground.
Erin gave a soft gasp.
He grasped the glass side of the enclosure and used it to help walk beneath the spraying jets. So warm. His legs trembled, and he used the wall to ease onto the small porcelain bench. The jets washed every inch of him. His gaze focused on the bottom of the shower, watching the red water as it drained. He knew he should wash his hair, but he couldn’t raise his arms.
And then she was there, in front of him. Naked. His gaze rose from her long, shapely legs to her womanhood, shaved bare. He reached out and touched her hips, bringing her close. His fingers drank in her smooth belly, and then her breasts. They were full and firm, small, pink nipples standing hard and erect.
At last, his gaze took in her face. Water had soaked her dark hair, and the expression on her face was one of pride. He loved that she didn’t look embarrassed.
“I want you,” he said. And he meant it. Need had risen above his pain, and he longed to embrace it. To finally have this woman. To forget what he had endured.
“What you wanted was a shower. And that’s what you’ll get.”
She hit a button on the wall and blue shampoo squirted into her hand. A minute later, she was rubbing it into his hair. He sighed and leaned his head back. How was her touch always so… amazing? Unexpected and wonderful all at once.
She got more and more soap, rubbing the muscles of his shoulders, chest, and arms. Always moving downward. His erection rose. His need grew with each second.
At last, she knelt, rubbing soap gently over his stomach.
He hissed as she came too close to one of his wounds.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and suddenly her mouth was there, pressing hot kisses to his stomach.
He’d never wanted a woman more in his life.
Sliding a hand to the back of her neck, he met her gaze. “Erin…”
Her need-filled eyes shifted to his cock and, a second later, her lips were around him.
He groaned, throwing his head back.
She moved in slow strokes, taking him in and out. Taking him so fully that his head spun. Every muscle in his body tensed as he held onto the back of her neck.
At last, he couldn’t take anymore. “Enough! Gods, enough!”
She drew back, and the desire in her gaze had him spiraling.
“Come here,” he ordered.
Instead, she moved away from him. “You’re hurt. That’s enough.”
“Wanting you is worse than the pain.”
She shook her head, but indecision filled her expression.
“Fine,” he said, “help me up?”
She was immediately at his side.
But instead of rising, he reached between her legs and stroked her fire. She gasped, her breasts brushing his face as she leaned in. He took one hard nipple in his mouth and sucked.
“Caleb…”
His fingers moved, matched the slow rhythm she’d so expertly tortured him with. He moved from one breast to the other, feeling her shudder around his damp fingers.
At last, she pushed away from his shoulder. “I can’t… I can’t… I’m going to...”
“To the bed.” He held her gaze. “Let me show you how a Keltair male pleases his female.”
Her entire body stiffened. “No.” Her voice was firm. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
He clenched his teeth. “Please.”
She closed her eyes. “Remember, you have only five times.”
Our deal. He never intended to be done after five times of laying with her. There were far too many things he wanted to do with her sweet little body.
“I remember.”
She dried them both with soft towels, then led him to the bed. Pushing him back softly, she climbed on top of him.
“But,” he stuttered, unable to think with her body so fully against his own. “I’m the male.”
She leaned in and took his earlobe between her teeth, whispering huskily into his ear. “Shh… let me show you what I can do.”
Her womanhood brushed against his tip.
His fingertips dug into her hips, shock radiating through him.
And then she slid him slowly inside her.
They cried out in unison, neither moving for a long moment.
“So big,” she murmured, rolling her hips to take him more deeply.
He tried to shift, to take her faster and more powerfully, but she withdrew from him.
“Uh-uh. Let me.”
He froze, and she slowly brought him back inside her. Slowly, oh so slowly, she moved him in and out of her. Inflaming his desire. Her perfect breasts bounced in his vision. His hands gripped her hips, taking her deeper each time she came down on him.
They were both panting and groaning. As she increased her rhythm, he met her every movement with a thrust of his own. She clenched around his manhood, growing wetter and tighter with each second.
Her fingernails dug into his back as she cried out his name, climaxing in torturous waves. A second later, he came, too, overwhelmed by the sight of her hot, naked body in front of him, her womanhood gripping him so tightly.
She fell forward, her chin resting on his shoulder. For a long time, they sat like that, her hardened nipples pressing into his chest.
He kissed the top of her dark head. “Erin…I—“
“I know,” she whispered, looking up at him.
They kissed, slow and soft. And when she pulled back, all he could see was her face. Filled with happiness and wonder.
His heart squeezed. He was glad that he’d pleased her. She’d pleased him, too, in a way no woman had before. Was this some power of hers? Had he fallen under her spell?
“Come on, now,” she said, running her hand along his cheek. “Time to rest.”
He grinned tiredly. “To rest up for next time?”
Her brows drew together. “Let’s just focus on getting you feeling better.”
But even though his body trembled with exhaustion, he hoped to find the strength to make love to her again before the night was out. There was nothing he’d ever wanted more in his life.
Chapter Twenty
Erin waited until he slept before drawing on her clothes and heading to his door. She was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to curl up with her sexy Keltair male and sleep the night away, cradled in his arms, but she needed to Dream Jump.
Returning to her room across the hall, she was greeted by the annoying sound of a message on her computer. Clicking the button, her father’s face came onto the screen. “Contact me as soon as you get this.”
So he heard about the attack? Of course he did.
Even though the night had almost faded into the early hours of day, she knew her father wouldn’t be sleeping. Not after something like this. Hitting the button to contact him, it took only a moment before he accepted.
“Erin!” His expression was stern.
“I’m fine. They held me for questioning, but I wasn’t hurt. I do want to talk to you about the way they treated—“
“Have you done it yet?”
She froze, startled by his question.
“No…I was nearly killed tonight, so I—“
Anger flashed across his face. “I’m glad you’re okay. Beyond glad. And I’ll be launching a full investigation about what happened tomorrow. But tonight, the president has contacted me a dozen times wond
ering why you haven’t reported in yet.”
Erin closed her eyes, overcome by the feelings of surprise and disappointment that washed over her. “I thought, given the circumstances, that you would be more concerned about me than my duty.”
“I do care about you. I wish I could give you more time, but I can’t. Before you left, I made your responsibilities clear.” He paused, clearing his throat. “If you ever want to be the captain of a Level 10 ship, you’ll need to learn an important lesson. It doesn’t matter what you go through personally, your job always comes first. Whether you nearly die, or whether your only child nearly dies.”
In that moment, she knew how hard this must have been for her father. Always the admiral, never the dad.
“All right, I’ll do it now and report back in when I’m finished.”
He nodded, rubbing the ever-growing wrinkles on his forehead. “Just remember. There’s no one there to help you if things go wrong. At the first sign of trouble, get out.”
“I know—“
“Erin, don’t give me that. The last time you were thrown into some sick bastard’s dream without being prepared, we almost lost you.”
I couldn’t suck in a breath. Yes, I remembered. I remember coming out of that coma, having suffered what it’s like to die. That’s the day Dream Jumping became something I feared more than I enjoyed. The day I realized that even though my body couldn’t die when I used my gift, my brain certainly could.
“You don’t have to remind me. I’ll never forget.”
Guilt shadowed his eyes as he looked from me to his desk. “Don’t let him touch you. Remember, if he touches you, he can hurt you.” He was quiet for a moment. “All you have to do is go into his dream.”
As always, it wasn’t what her father said, but what he didn’t say. You’re required to Dream Jump, but not to compromise your safety. No one said you’re required to succeed in your mission tonight.
“Will do.”
He gave a sharp nod, pressed his screen, and her own faded to black.
She let her head drop onto her desk. Exhaustion, pure and simple, flooded through her. It’d been a long day. Probably one of the longest in her life. Her combat training class seemed to have taken place a year ago, even though it’d only been that morning.