She gave a tiny smile that tugged at his heartstrings before answering. “I think you will find that we’re friendly enough. We’ll see to it that you’re taken care of during your time here today. Come suns set we will not tolerate any excuse causing you to stay on our planet. I take it from the lack of my need for a translator that you speak Earth-English, as do we. That’s always comforting. It’s rare that any passersby speak our language. Our atmosphere is rich in oxygen so respirators will not be necessary. Our digestive systems are identical to yours so you will find our food adequate to sustain you. All of this leads me to believe that your visit will be most enjoyable.” A sad look passed over her beautiful features and Sevan wanted to kiss it away. “Be sure to remain armed though. We are willing to allow you to do so in good trust. We shall not harm you and we expect the same in return.”
She cut transmission before he had a chance to ask why he and his men should remain armed. That was an odd request. Most planets they stopped at required them to check their weapons and deactivate any of the Brig’s defenses.
“That’s interesting,” Jordan said, reading Sevan’s mind.
“You heard the lady.” Sevan pushed the button for the intercom that ran throughout the ship and looked at Jordan. “This is the Captain. We’re docking now. Be sure to leave your weapons on and maintain a state of readiness. Travel in groups of two and do not engage without my permission. Anyone who disobeys this command will not have to worry about a court-martial. They won’t be alive to stand before the committee.”
Chapter Three
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Christian bellowed.
Lorelei let out a small laugh. “Like I had a choice. You saw the diagnostics screen. They’ve cracked their fuel tank and are running at eighty percent life-support. The ship’s climate control is damaged as well. They would never have made it to the next repair station without assistance regardless how many ships I sent up to escort them.”
“My, my.” Christian touched her shoulder. She tensed. “Aren’t we quick to defend our actions?”
Lorelei didn’t care for what he was implying, but didn’t bother to go into it with him. Christian was known for his jealous streak and that was just one of the reasons why she’d refused to marry him even though law ruled the marriage to take place. It wasn’t as though he was a bad man, just not the man for her. There was a time he acknowledged that as well, but those days were fading fast, being replaced by endless sexual banter and tiring tries at bedding her. The Christian she’d known and loved made rare appearances. Today, he seemed to be in hiding.
“Are you coming down to meet our guests or are you planning on standing there sulking all day?” Lorelei asked, annoyed with having to deal with another one of Christian’s temper tantrums.
Giving her a nasty look, he put his weapon on. “Oh, I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to meet the man you practically drooled over, my dear.”
“I did not drool over anyone. And even if I did, what business is it of yours?” She had little desire to go into the fact that when she’d looked into the outsider’s eyes she’d been unable to breathe. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought the man she craved nightly was real. The only thing that worried her was that Sevan didn’t do much of anything when she looked at him. In her dreams he’d declared his love for her, claimed her as his own, given her pleasure like no other man had and made her feel as though the two of them were all that existed in the universe. Perhaps the outsider just looked like Sevan.
Her chest tightened. Every bit of her body ached to be touched by Sevan, to know the pleasures his body could bring her in the waking hours and to see what she could offer him in return.
Christian held the door ajar for her and let out a wicked laugh. “Perm … permission granted. Please, Lorelei. Your nipples were so rock hard that you could have impaled me with them. Do me a favor and try not to fuck the outsider before they leave today. I would not want to have to raise another man’s baby. That does seem to run in your family. Your grandfather was a better man than I. He raised your father knowing he was not his and knowing that he held the blood of the others in him.”
She spun in the hallway to strike him and he caught her wrist. His olive eyes lit with a fury she’d only seen reserved for battle. Christian was beyond jealous and that made him deadly.
“Let go of me.”
Leaning down, he put his lips next to hers. “Give me what I want and I will.” A low growl trickled from his throat and he didn’t sound like himself. “I was chosen to be your mate after Samson gave into the others’ pull. Honor what our elders have deemed to be law. Give in and all will be well.”
“I am not going to marry you and how dare you bring him into this, Christian. Your brother didn’t give in. No more than you did.” The urge to strike him was great, Lorelei held back.
“Marriage is not a word our people use. Stop trying to be more like your very unhuman ancestors. You want me. I can smell it. You might as well rub your cream all over my face. You reek of desire.”
“Who said it was you I’m wet for?”
He tightened his grip on her wrist and she cried out. Christian’s eyes widened as he came back to his senses. More and more Christian was falling prey to the darkness they’d put in him. Losing him wasn’t an option. Though marriage wasn’t on her mind, it didn’t mean she had no love for him. On the contrary, she loved Christian and always would. “Lorelei. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for….”
Lorelei backed away from him and he made another move to reach for her. She shook her head no. Visions of the nightmare they’d suffered through only seven months before came flooding back to her. They’d lost so much and in the end had overcome it all. None of the memories were pleasant and the thought of reliving that terrified her.
Christian grabbed hold of her and brought her body close to his. “Let’s get you to the infirmary. I can harness the power I need to heal you there. The idea of leaving the slightest mar on you sickens me, Lorelei.”
Lorelei heard his words, but they made little sense to her. Her mind was still planted back in time, seven months ago, when they’d been sent out to try to negotiate peace with ‘the others’ only to find it was a trap. ‘The others’ had used Christian against her. They’d manipulated him and forced him to do things that no man would ever knowingly do to the woman he loved. He had no memory of it nor could he be faulted.
Her brain told her that they were safe within the compound walls and that no evil could befall them, but her body reacted with fear. She dropped to the ground and spun her leg around, sweeping Christian’s feet out from under him. Thankfully, Lorelei had the element of surprise on her side, or she would never have been able to budge Christian. His six foot five inch frame crashed to the floor. She sprang to her feet and took off running in the other direction. It was easy to feel the shift in the air around her signaling that Christian was moving at the same speed.
“Lorelei! No!” Christian tackled her to the ground and held her tight, pinning her with such a force that she could barely breathe. Her body shook and the realization that he could hurt her again hit her. From the moment ‘the others’ had touched his mind, he’d been forced to fight back the demon within. The darkness their leader had put in him wanted to cause pain and suffering. He smelled of it. The taint. The hatred. The evil. None of the smells that were normally associated with Christian. No. The Christian she’d grown up with was kind, caring and protective.
“Christian, no. Fight him. Don’t let him win again.” Her voice sounded weak, even to her.
Chapter Four
“Thought they said they were meeting us in the loading area,” Jordan said, glancing around the large, empty area.
On cue, a door opened and a woman entered. At first, Sevan thought it was Lorelei and almost ran to her but the closer she got the more differences he noticed. Her hair, although as long as Lorelei’s was several shades lighter. This woman was a brunette, not a coal black beauty like Lorelei. He
r features were strikingly similar, giving her that same heart stopping capability. But she wasn’t the one he wanted to hold and never let go. She wasn’t the one who made his heart ache to just see her one more time.
She smiled at them as she approached. Jordan made a small choked sound. When Sevan looked over at his brother he saw that he was taken aback by the woman who now stood before them.
“Welcome,” she said extending her hand to Sevan. “I’m Nina. You spoke with my sister and she granted you permission to dock. I’m sure she explained our policy on you needing to stay armed and the importance of you leaving prior to suns set.”
“She did,” Sevan said, looking past her for signs of her sister. His chest tightened in anticipation. He needed to touch her, find out if she was his Lorelei, know she was real and then pull her into his arms. No part of him cared if his advance would be welcomed or not. After being subjected to non-stop dreams of knowing her body every possible way, then declaring his love her, he needed to hold her, if only for a moment.
The very idea of Lorelei had ruined him for other women. In six months he hadn’t touched a woman carnally. His cock ached to be caressed only by Lorelei. His entire body burned to be buried deep within her as he released his seed. His fantasy woman was real or at least appeared to be. As good as fucking her upon first sight sounded, Sevan knew that he had to know how she managed to invade his thoughts to begin with.
Nina glanced at him and her smile faded away. “This way … our men will see to your ship. Let us see about filling your bellies while you wait.”
Sevan touched his wrist communicator. “Brig crew, stay alert and remain in docking bay. I’ll call you all soon for eating shifts.”
They followed Nina as she walked out the double doors and into a large corridor. Jordan seemed to be paying special attention to her backside and he couldn’t fault his brother’s taste in women. Nina was beautiful. It was apparently genetic.
“If you stare at my arse any harder, it may burst into flames,” she said, in a low hushed tone.
Sevan hid his laugh as Nina looked over her shoulder at Jordan.
“Christian. No!” someone yelled, breaking the jovial feeling that had only just begun.
Sevan turned to see the onyx-haired temptress from the visual communicator pinned under the large hulk of a man called Christian. His entire body lit with fury as he shot forward to help her. Jordan seized hold of him and thrust him against the wall. “We are offworlders and this is not our business.”
Nina gasped when she saw her sister and Sevan took that as a sign that all was not well. “Let me go!”
Jordan pressed against him hard and whispered, “I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t forget the description you gave me of the woman from your dreams. That girl isn’t her. She’s not your Lorelei.”
Sevan stared at the raven-haired goddess and lunged for her again. Jordan, of equal strength, kept him in place. The woman twisted in Christian’s arms and touched his cheek. The urge to see the man’s head on a stake grew by the second.
“Christian, we need to get up now. You have to pull yourself together,” she said, putting her forehead to his.
“What?” The man shook his head, seeming to come out of a daze.
The woman shot up and headed straight towards them. Her head was turned, her attention on the hulk of man behind her. She was too fixated on Christian to notice them. Jordan stepped back, allowing Sevan freedom. Sevan put his arms out just in time to catch her. For a little thing, she packed a hell of a punch. They tumbled backwards in a mass on the floor. He landed first, followed closely by her. She smelled of vanilla and he couldn’t help but to draw in a deep breath--savoring her scent. It was identical to his dreams.
“Ommpf,” she murmured, as she attempted to roll off him. He held her to him, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his. She was even better in the flesh and he hadn’t thought that possible. Her royal blue eyes narrowed on him as she tipped her head slightly, appearing to survey him.
“Lorelei, get off our guest,” Nina said, sounding like she wanted to laugh.
Lorelei?
Sevan’s gut clenched tight as he lay beneath her. She was real.
Jordan leaned over them and arched a brow. “Not to interrupt you, Sevan, but the ship needs tended to.”
Nether one of them moved from their spot.
* * * *
Lorelei stared down at Captain Vasil, unable to form any sort of witty response to him. It was him! The man she’d assumed was her subconscious’ answer to her need for comfort. Unable to stop herself, she touched his face, running her fingers over his stubble and tracing the hard edge of his jaw line. It was easy to relish being close to his chiseled perfection so she did. The gods were good judges of her idea of the perfect man. They had to be. They’d sent her a mate that was made to order.
A mate?
She dismissed the thought of mating quickly. It was just a dream. Having been close to being mated once before, Lorelei had no desire to repeat the horrific events that put an end to her engagement to Christian nor did she intend to give her heart to another. No. Her life was her own and she would never willingly hand control of it to another person. Not again.
As much as she wanted to believe herself, Lorelei knew that resistance to the fates’ choice for her was futile. Her body was on the cusp of a reproductive high and already the effects left her in cold sweats with a burning need to be filled with seed.
Staring down at the man below her, Lorelei couldn’t stop the feelings that ran through her. So many nights she’d dreamed of his kisses, his touch, his body sweetly invading her in every way possible. To have him here, in the flesh was almost too much. Before Lorelei realized it, she was grinding her hips against his rather impressive erection. The thin layers of material between them did little to prevent her clit from striking against his bulged member. Heat flashed through her cheeks as she thought about the countless nights she’d opened herself for him in her dreams, allowing him to do things to her body she hadn’t even thought possible. The feel of his long, wide cock sliding in and out of her pussy still made her wet. Now, with Sevan under her, she wanted to tear their clothes off and fuck him until she could go no more.
The emerald green eyes that stared back at her from under a shaggy veil of blond hair had consumed her thoughts for months. Having them focused on her now, seeming to soak her in, was nothing short of pure torture.
Sevan looked as stunned as she felt. Reaching up, he touched her lips softly, causing heat to flare through her body. Long strands of her hair fell forward, encasing them in a wall of black, giving them a moment away from the prying eyes of the others. A slow, lazy smile moved over Sevan’s face as their gazes locked.
Lorelei licked her lower lip out of habit and Sevan moaned softly. It was then she knew the attraction went both ways. Could it be he’d dreamt of her as well? If so, did that mean he truly was the one--her mate, her husband?
Are you the one?
Sevan’s brow creased. “What one?”
Shocked that he’d heard her thoughts, Lorelei drew in a sharp breath and searched his handsome face for any clue that might unravel the mystery that had plagued her for so many months. All she found was the face of the man she’d not only come to be addicted to dreaming about but the man she dared to say she loved. Thinking him only a figment of her imagination, Lorelei was ashamed of her growing need for him, for his tender caresses and his overwhelming feelings of protectiveness.
Now, as his straining erection pressed firmly to her swollen clit the shame she felt began to fade rapidly, leaving only carnal lust in its wake. The steely contours of Sevan’s body only served to drive that feeling on, increasing to a dangerous point. Her magic began to pound as hard and fast as her heart--thumping to the point it teetered on the edge of release along with her sex starved body.
Someone cleared their throat, breaking the moment.
* * * *
Sevan did his best to focus on anyt
hing but the need to fuck the beauty above him. His cock had already begun to slink towards her cunt knowing that it would bring him salvation like no other would. He would have acted on it, taking her and fucking her into submission, assuring himself that she would never leave his line of sight. Too long he’d spent thinking he was going mad desiring a woman that didn’t exist. Finding out she did changed all the rules of the game. He’d fallen in love with her and there was no way he’d let her go. The only question he needed answered was whether or not she dreamed of him as well.
Not wanting to assume anything, Sevan took a laid back approach to breaking the ice. The only problem was that it came out harsher than he expected or wanted. “That’s quite a welcome you have there. Do you greet all your visitors this way?”
“Hardly,” Lorelei said, rolling off him, but not before he felt her erect nipple brush past his hand.
He wanted to comment, but as she sat up, her hand ran over his now rock hard erection. Drawing in a ragged breath, he tried to steady himself to avoid coming in his pants. That not only would be messy, it would mortify him. No. The amount of semen he had built up was going to be released into Lorelei not his pants, that much he was sure of.
Sevan smiled, and cocked an eyebrow knowing he was being an ass but unable to stop himself. “I’d be more than happy to accept a greeting like that every time we cross paths.”
Stop being such an ass to her. You love this woman, idiot.
She cast an angry look down at him and he cleared his throat. “Considering that you are leaving our planet by suns set, I doubt we will cross paths again.”
Don’t be too sure of that.
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