Lynn turned her head to stare at the redheaded alien. He spun around and she noticed the backpack he wore as he stalked to the center of the small clearing. He removed it and threw it down. They began to set up camp. Coto gently lifted her off his lap but placed her next to him on the fallen tree. She didn’t move, too afraid one of the other men might decide to ignore what Coto had ordered. He was the only one who seemed to want to keep her alive.
They had all kinds of stuff she’d never seen before as one of them dropped another backpack-like bag onto the ground and bent, pressing his finger into a hole on the side of it. In seconds, a hiss sounded and the entire thing started to inflate. She watched in astonished fascination while it continued to increase in size, taking the shape of a large dome. By the time it stopped it was at least twelve feet high in the center and a good twenty feet in diameter. It looked more like a dark igloo created from a strange fabric than it did any tent she’d ever seen.
Gar opened his pack and handed out dark-brown packets. He gave two of them to Coto, who hesitated before placing one on his thigh and gripping the other with both hands.
“Are you hungry, Lynn?”
“You remembered my name.”
He nodded. “I was able to fully understand you. I already have an implant that translates your language.”
“It didn’t hurt you?”
“No. I am used to pain.”
She let that one go, deciding to return to his original question. “I’m starving. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch.” She glanced at what he held in his hands. “Is that food?”
“Yes.” He tore the side seam of the bag and placed his hands under it.
Lynn nearly fell off the log when the bag practically exploded, going from near flat to being balloon-like in size. Coto’s quick reflexes stopped her fall. His hand shot out to grip her thigh, pushing down to pin her where she sat.
Amusement had his eyes sparkling when he smiled at her. “I’m sorry for finding that humorous but you are afraid of food? You bite it, it will not bite you.”
“The thing just blew up like a puffer fish. I didn’t expect that.”
He chuckled again, released her thigh, and turned the bag to show her the open side. “Oxygen activated.”
“That’s…” The smell of something wonderful teased her nose. She sniffed and reached for it. “That smells really good.”
“You eat meat?” He stared into her eyes.
“Yes.”
He passed it over to her and she was flabbergasted at the warmth coming from the bag. He arched his eyebrows at her gasp.
“It heats the food and expands it when oxygen is introduced after the seal is broken. We do not have to cook our meals and they are easier to carry compressed…while we vacation.”
She accepted the warm bag, peeking inside it to see what looked like meat strips, and then looked back at him. “That’s amazing.”
He shrugged and turned a little away from her, looking down to open his own food. This time she expected it as the bag rapidly expanded. He reached inside with his finger and thumb, pulled out a strip of dark meat, and lifted it to his mouth. Lynn watched his generous lips part, those sharp fangs of his flashing in the blue light for a second before the meat disappeared into his mouth when he closed his lips around his fingers, sucking on them. His eyes closed and an expression of sheer pleasure gripped his features as a soft groan came from him.
There was just something extremely sexy about the guy as he chewed his food, his eyes closed as he enjoyed every second of the taste until he swallowed. Amazingly blue eyes slowly opened and their gazes locked. He stared back at her until Lynn realized what she was doing. She jerked her attention to the food bag she held on her palm.
She reached inside, her fingertip testing the texture of the meat that was warm but not hot. It did smell appetizing and it looked similar to steak. She pulled out a strip and stared at it before slowly lifting it to her mouth. She sniffed it again, deciding it even smelled like her favorite food, and then hesitantly opened her mouth. She barely touched it to her tongue first, taking a tiny taste, and then a small bite. Flavor exploded in her mouth, a rich, wonderful taste of perhaps filet mignon. She groaned and took a bigger bite. She finished the strip and reached for another.
“You enjoy it?”
Coto’s voice was husky and as she turned her head to look at him, she nearly gasped as he reached for her face. That tone in his voice did something to her. It was sexy as hell, kind of gruff and deep but soft at the same time. His thumb brushed just under her lip, the slightly rough pad of it tracing from the bottom of her chin to her lower lip, giving her good chills. His gaze followed his thumb until it paused at her lips before he pulled it away.
“Juice dripped.”
“Thank you,” she got out around the lump that formed in her throat.
Lynn knew they were staring at each other again. She could hear the noises going on around them as his alien friends set up camp but she only had eyes for him. He was closer since he’d leaned toward her a little and her heart rate accelerated. There was just something appealing about him, from his beautiful eyes to his strong, masculine features. And that silvery, long hair was tempting to touch, just to see if it felt as silky as it appeared.
He lifted his thumb and licked the juice from it. He still watched her raptly. Memories of touching that raspy tongue of his were instant and she wondered what it would feel like against her own. He inched forward, bending down a little so their faces drew closer.
Was he going to kiss her? Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, drawing his attention as his focus lowered to her mouth. The attraction between them was sudden, hot, and Lynn took a shaky breath. Part of her really wanted to know what it would be like if he did touch his mouth to hers, how he would taste, and if he kissed the way she did. A soft growl came from his throat and the sound made Lynn pull back, realizing just how close she actually was to finding out if Coto would lip lock with her.
“What is it with you?”
He froze. “I don’t understand the question.”
She inched back again, putting a little more space between them. “You smell good, and I stop thinking rationally every time you stare at me or touch me.” She grew suspicious. “Is it some freaky hormone thing? You know, do you give off a certain scent to make a woman have crazy thoughts about jumping you?”
His eyebrows rose and he appeared confused. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re different.” She tried to find words that he’d comprehend. “You and I are not the same. I don’t know you, but I’m attracted to you when you get really close to me. Do you put off crazy pheromones that draw a woman to you? I’m an animal control officer and I study them in my free time so I know some can draw the opposite sex with their scent.” She paused. “You’ve got animal traits like your teeth and you growl, so I’m wondering if you have other traits that aren’t visible.”
He said nothing for long seconds. “You think my scent arouses you?”
“Whoa!” She inched farther along the log away from him. “I didn’t say anything about being turned on. I said attracted, which is not the same.”
His nostrils flared. “You scent good to me as well.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“To my knowledge, my scent holds no affect on women.”
She studied him carefully, not seeing deceit there. She couldn’t be a hundred percent sure but she was willing to believe him. Great, I’m losing my mind. I’m getting all hot and bothered over an alien. She looked away from him to focus on her food, purposely not glancing his way. The meat strips were mouthwateringly good and she was starving. She ate every piece that was inside the bag and then turned her head to glance at Coto.
He watched his friends. She took a deep breath. “I really should be going. There’s a cabin not far from here. My people will search for me in the morning if I don’t get back.” She met and held his gaze as he turned to stare down at her. “I w
on’t mention seeing you if that’s what you’re worried about. You can trust me. I don’t want any harm to come to you, and your friends saved me from those coyotes. I owe them.”
His displeased expression was instant. “It is dangerous here and you are alone without a male’s protection. I won’t allow you to leave my side or you could be harmed. You are safe with me, and the other males will not touch you. “
There was that protection thing again. “Where you come from, do men protect women? You know, guard them or something?”
He nodded. “Yes. They need protection. We take them into our homes to care for them.”
Shock rolled through her. What kind of barbaric world did he come from? Her fingers rubbed against the empty food bag in her hand as she tried to make sense of his words. They were obviously more technologically advanced than humans. They traveled in space, were able to visit other planets, and made kickass instant food in a bag that not only made it easy to carry but also heated just by opening the thing.
“Men and women aren’t equal?”
His expression was almost comical, and she was insulted at the sheer amusement he displayed. He actually had the balls to laugh. “No. Men are much stronger than women.”
Lynn was tempted to call him a male-chauvinist pig but then her gaze flickered over his broad shoulders, those huge guns he had for biceps, and took in his general massive size. The men would definitely have a vast physical advantage if the women of his kind were her size.
She turned her head to glance at the other aliens, all muscular, big guys in the over-six-feet-tall range. She looked back at Coto, saw that his amusement had died down. He studied her closely, his expression now serious, and it was clear that the wheels of his mind were turning.
“Have I insulted you in some way?” His voice softened. “That was not my intention. I am aware that women such as you think you are equal here. Your men are weaker than I am. Where I come from, our men are very aggressive and a woman without protection would be in danger.”
“Am I in danger?”
He shook his head. “I would fight them if one tried to touch you, and even though I am injured, I would win.”
“Fight? As in seriously punch each other out?”
She was stunned and partially horrified. They fought over women? For real? Damn, that is kind of hot but disturbing at the same time. No guy had ever gotten into a fight over her.
He flashed a grin. “Do your men not fight over women they wish to claim?”
An image of Coto pinning her down and caging her inside his arms flashed in her mind and her nipples tightened as her stomach quivered. Was it even possible for them to have sex? She wondered what he hid under those kinky leather Speedos he wore. The idea of finding out became a little tempting. He was the only guy she’d ever seen who looked sexy wearing those things.
A twig snapped, making her jump as she jerked her head in the direction of the sound.
Holion stood feet from them, watching them with an angry expression. “Coto,” he nearly growled the name, “Yavil will clean and bandage your injuries better now that we have set up camp. I have assigned Kollen the duty of protecting us while we rest until morning light. Then we will hunt for Vhon and the Collis.”
Coto slowly stood, his body tense. “I give the orders.”
The other man lowered his furious gaze as his head dipped. “You were busy speaking to the Earther, so I took charge.”
Earther. Ah-ha. Holion had slipped up on that one. Neither man seemed to notice the word he’d dropped by accident as they locked gazes when Holion lifted his head. Coto growled, a deep, rumbling sound that startled her just a little. It was a mean, harsh noise that the translator didn’t give words for. She watched in rapt curiosity as Holion backed up, his head dropped again and his hands clasped behind his back. It was a submissive gesture that Lynn couldn’t fail to notice. Her gaze jerked to Coto and his angry expression as he glared at the other man.
Whoa boy. Coto is the big dog in this pack. With her job, she knew her alphas, and it was crystal clear who it was with these men. Coto took a deep breath and then slowly expelled it. He took another, his harsh expression softening a bit.
“Do not take authority again but your orders may stand. Make certain that Kollen keeps to the high ground. I doubt they are expecting us to have survived but they could be hunting us. I do not want the woman put in jeopardy if they attack.”
Rage was an easy emotion to read on Holion’s face as he lifted his head and flashed a nasty look at Lynn before he met Coto’s gaze. “Our mission is to retrieve Argis Vhon, not to protect a woman. Are you sure you did not injure your head when you were attacked? I question your priorities and your ability to think clearly.”
In the blink of an eye, Coto moved, nailing Holion square in the chest. The other man grunted loudly from the impact of Coto’s fisted hands as he was thrown back from the sheer force of the hit. He flew a good five feet and landed on his back. Coto snarled, taking two steps before he halted, his blue eyes flashing with emotion. His lips parted and his sharp teeth showed clearly as he glared at the downed man.
Lynn was shocked to the core at the sudden violence. She couldn’t move and wasn’t even sure she breathed as she watched Holion struggle to sit up. He pushed away from the ground, getting to his feet quickly. He opened his mouth, growling viciously. His hands clenched into fists.
“You think you can take me?” Coto moved to the right, putting his body in the way so Lynn couldn’t see Holion anymore. “Try. The last thing we need is you injured, since we may face an enemy when we find Vhon, but if you want to do this, we will fight.”
Lynn leaned sideways enough to get a view of Holion. As much as she appreciated Coto putting his body between her and the angry alien, she wanted to see what was going on. It was fascinating and horrifying at the same time. It astounded her that they were such an advanced race if they used violence to work out differences. She wondered briefly if Coto had moved to protect her or if he just didn’t want her to see most of what was going on between him and the other guy.
“You are not acting rationally, Coto. You should be discussing strategy with us to find Argis Vhon, but instead you are feeding and coddling the woman.”
“It is dark and we can’t hunt until their sun rises,” Coto growled. “What I do is not up for your judgment. Were you raised with Vhon? He is a brother of my heart and his life is everything to me. You question this?”
Holion shook his head, his gaze dropping to the dirt between them. “My apologies, Vartas Coto. I am stressed and angry. Our ship is damaged, we are trapped here, and the enemy may have Argis Vhon. Their ship went down close to ours. All our lives will be forfeited when Hyvin Berrr finds out we allowed his son to be taken by our enemy.”
Coto relaxed his stiff shoulders and sighed loudly. “We are all under stress—and I’ve ordered you not to use my title, friend. Others will come when they realize they can’t contact us. We will find Vhon. The Collis can’t leave here either, with the damage we inflicted, and Vhon is too valuable for them to take his life if they find him first. Kollen will guard our camp, we will relax this evening, and tomorrow we will have him back with us.”
Holion nodded, regret on his features. “My apologies again, my friend. I never wish to fight with you. It has been a bad day.”
“Yes,” Coto agreed. “It has.” He turned then, his exotic gaze fixing on Lynn before he moved toward her.
She didn’t miss the trepidation she saw on his face. She’d overheard a lot that she was trying to do the math on. Whoever this Vhon dude was, he was in danger. It sounded as though two ships had fought and both crashed. Coto’s men and whatever a Collis was, were enemies. Vhon’s father had to be Coto’s boss. The guy wasn’t going to be happy—in a murderous way—if something happened to his son.
“There’s no reason to be afraid.”
Lynn shrugged. “Shit happens. I’m glad you two aren’t going to come to blows. You could open up your wounds.�
�� Her glance flicked over his bandaged wrist and she gasped at the sight of red on his hand. She rose to her feet. “You did! Let me see.”
He held out his arm to her as she took his hot hand, a jolt going through her as her fingers curved around his long, strong ones. She kept her attention on his wrist where the bandage showed fresh blood. She looked up, had to tilt her chin to meet his narrowed gaze, and frowned.
“You need your doctor to look at this.”
“Yavil isn’t a doctor but he is medically trained for emergencies. Let us go inside and he will tend to me.”
Movement at the corner of her eye had her turning her head. Speak of the devil, she thought, watching the tall blond with the dark eyes cautiously approach them with his likely first-aid bag in hand. He met her curious gaze for a second but then turned his full attention on Coto.
“I’m ready.”
Coto nodded, his fingers firmly clasping Lynn as he turned and led her toward the igloo-like tent. She followed meekly behind him as he opened the flap of the thing.
The light inside wasn’t blue; instead, regular white light came from a round disk that may have been the smallest, coolest lamp she’d ever seen. It was the size of a pot lid but the light it put out was tremendous, making the room bright as daylight but not glaringly so. Someone had set up bedrolls on the floor, spaced a few feet apart. Coto kept hold of her as he crossed the room, walking between two bedrolls to the far side. He released her and pointed to one.
“Please sit.”
Coto bent and removed his boots. They were big things, heavy-duty, like military issue. It made her wonder if they were in some kind of alien army. She hoped they weren’t there to check out Earth for a possible invasion. That concept left her feeling cold but if they were merciless killers, they sucked at it since they’d saved her. Coto had also been super nice to her. She relied on her gut instincts and believed their reason for being on Earth. Some of her tension eased.
The bedroll was a thick, comfortable pad as she got settled, sitting cross-legged, and then looked up. Her jaw dropped as Coto lay back flat on his bedroll, both hands going to the front of his pants, which he pushed down his legs and totally removed. She stared at his kinky shorts again, those long, muscular legs, and forced her lips firmly together.
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