Kuarto didn’t say anything as he looked at the three of them who were waiting for an answer. He looked at Toki. “You have been awful quiet.”
“This whole conversation has been pretty much one sided.” She shrugged her shoulders. “My input isn’t important.”
“Don’t mind her. That’s her training speaking,” said Heather. She tilted her head as she looked at him. “Did I hear Ialog call her your bride?”
Storm had wondered the same thing. That was something he had wanted to ask about, but he hadn’t had a chance.
“Um, yes.” He suddenly looked nervous. “There aren’t too many people who come to this planet so a stranger stands out. It was the only thing I could come up with. It was to keep her safe.”
Storm wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth. He looked at his sister to see if she would give anything away but she remained quiet. He knew he would be able to break her later and put it on his list of things to do.
“I see.” Heather turned her head to look at Toki. “And what do you have to say?”
“The same.” She remained still. Storm could tell she was hiding something. “I didn’t remember anything until you two showed up and the doctor freed my mind.”
Storm noticed she kept her answer simple. Had something happened between them? Heather seemed to think so. He wondered what his mate was going to do next.
“So then if you don’t want to come with us we’ll be on our way.” Heather stood but her feet still didn’t want to work properly.
Storm stood as well so he could wrap an arm around her waist to help her move. She hadn’t been able to stand on her own since their run in with Ialog. He didn’t like it.
“We need to get out of here before he realizes I’m here.”
“You need to rest,” Storm said.
“I know and I will, once we’re underway.” She leaned her head against his chest again.
“No arguing.” He eased her back into the chair. “We’ll be home in about twelve hours and the doctor will be the first person you see when we land.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine long before we land.” She rested her hand on his chest. “It’s only because he’s close.”
“Are you arguing with me?”
“Does that mean you’ll have to punish me?” Her voice held a hopeful note.
“You two are incorrigible.” Kuarto rubbed his head.
Storm knew if he had tried to persuade him into coming to Vespia, Kuarto wouldn’t have believed him, but there was something about Heather that had the opposite effect on people.
“I don’t feel I need to go to Vespia to do what needs to be done, but I do understand your worry about what Ialog can do so I’ll go, but I need to get a few things before we leave. And if it’s not too much I’d like to have your sister help me pack my equipment.”
Storm looked at his sister to see what she wanted. She nodded slightly.
“Of course.” He wasn’t sure if it was the smartest thing to allow, but she was a grown woman and could make her own decisions.
Kuarto nodded and headed off the ship.
“Are you sure about him?” Storm wasn’t sure if he could trust the man the way Heather could.
“He’s my brother, Storm. Of course I’m sure about him.”
****
“You sure didn’t say a whole lot.” Kuarto found her silence through that whole thing strange. It didn’t fit what he had learned about her.
“As you can see when my brother is involved you don’t always get a chance to say a lot.”
“Is he always like that?” He glanced at her profile. “I wanted to give him several injections that might have shut him up forever.”
She laughed. “He comes across kind of strong if you’re not used to him, but he is a good man. Your sister sees through all of his blustering.”
“If you say so.” Kuarto wasn’t so sure.
They got back to his place pretty quickly. He gathered everything he would need and knew he had to destroy any records he had of Heather and what he had learned about her. He also needed to delete information he had on the egg. Once he cleaned the system, he went out into his garage.
“I wish I could take my truck with me.” He rubbed a hand against the banged up fender. He hadn’t had a chance to fix it yet.
“I could speak to Storm.” Toki placed a hand on the same fender. “Ask him to have one of the other ships get it for you.”
“Other ships?”
“He never travels alone. Vespian protocol.”
“I’ll move it into my ship. It will keep it safe and make everyone think I have left for good. Then I can come back for it at another time.” Once that was done he was ready to go. They started walking toward the ship.
“You’ve been very quiet.” He wasn’t sure what was going on with her.
“Happens when I get around family. They have a tendency to stick their noses where I don’t want them to.”
“So you think your brother is going to question you about us.” He watched his step as they worked their way through the woods.
“I’m sure of it.”
“Just tell him the truth.” He lifted a branch that blocked their way. Once she passed him, he walked around it and let it go.
“And what is the truth?” She looked up at him with a touch of concern on her face. “My brother will ask me and if he’s not happy with my answer he’ll come after you and I know I want to avoid that as much as possible. You two don’t play well together.”
“What would he want to know?” He didn’t get what she was hinting at.
“I’m sure the word bride will come up in the conversation.”
“What happened between us is private.” Storm better not try to interfere in his life.
“In case you haven’t noticed, he’s extremely protective of the people he cares about.”
“That I have noticed.” He was quiet for a moment. “What will you tell him?”
“I don’t know. What can I tell him?”
He wasn’t sure about his feelings for her. One of the reasons he was going to their planet was because of her, but did he want to admit that? At the same time, should he keep her in the dark when he wanted to spend more time with her? He must have been quiet a little too long.
“Look, I don’t want you to feel obligated to me.”
“We make a pair, don’t we?” He started laughing. “Neither wants to say how we feel because whatever has happened between us is so new we don’t know what to call it.” He wished he could read her thoughts. It sure would come in handy right now. “I can’t promise anything.”
“I can’t compete.” Her voice was soft.
“Compete?” He looked at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Them, you. The mind sharing thing. You know.”
“Oh, honey. I don’t want you to even try.” He took her hand in his. “I’ve been quite happy with what we shared. I don’t want what they have. I want what we could have.”
She gave him a bright smile and he wondered if he said too much. The ship came into view and he questioned his decision to leave once more. He knew his sister needed him and even in the short time he had spent with her he knew there was a connection between them. He wanted to help her. Her mate on the other hand annoyed the life out of him and he wished he wasn’t part of the picture.
The doors to the ship opened and allowed them to enter. Kuarto found Heather and Storm cuddling on the command chair. He sat against the backrest with Heather using him as her mattress. She was curled up on her side with a happy smile on her face.
“This ship isn’t much on rooms since it’s one of our scout ships. Heather recommended we give you two the one sleeping room since I still have to pilot the ship.” Storm didn’t sound like he was happy with what he was saying.
“Thank you, Storm,” said his sister. She disappeared into the room Storm pointed at kind of fast. It made Him wonder if she was trying to avoid the questions she said her brother would ask.<
br />
Kuarto wanted to be sure Heather was okay so he walked up to the chair and crouched down beside her. “You’ve gotten some of your color back. That’s good to see.”
“The ship’s shields are helping with that,” Storm commented.
“Probably. If she bounces back after we leave orbit then it is the close proximity to Al that is causing the problem. Something else we’re going to have to address.”
“I don’t want her anywhere near that man.” Storm started the procedure for takeoff.
“But what if he were to come for her?”
Storm’s face darkened in anger. That was the wrong thing to say. “He had her before and that will never happen again. I’ll die before he touches her again.”
“Storm,” Heather patted the chest she leaned against. “It’s always good to check every angle.”
“You are supposed to be sleeping, and why would you want to argue with me in front of other people.”
“He doesn’t count. Family has never counted.” She stretched in his arms. “And it’s hard to sleep when you’re growling in my ear.”
“You seem to be doing much better.” Kuarto checked her eyes and pressed his hand against her pulse. Her eyes were clear now but her pulse was still off.
“Feeling better, too.”
So that answered one question. “Have we broken orbit?”
“About five seconds ago.”
“Thought so.” He touched her hand. She still felt a little cold. “You taking any vitamins?”
“No, why?” She shifted in her seat.
“It would be a good idea considering you’re pregnant. Your body is feeding three now and that’s going to put a drain on you as time goes on.” He stood up. “I’ll put together something for you to take that will help.”
“Thank you.” Heather snuggled against Storm. “Why don’t you go get some rest and we’ll work on this later.”
He nodded, gave Storm an ‘I don’t care look’, and headed to the room where Toki waited.
Once he was out of ear shot Storm spoke. “I don’t remember a family clause in you arguing with me.”
“You sure?” She looked up at him with innocent eyes. “Could have sworn. Guess you’ll just have to punish me later.”
“If I was a betting man I’d say you enjoy the way I punish you a little too much. You’ve mentioned it quite a bit on this mission.”
“I just know you weren’t done punishing me before we landed here.”
“I don’t think you’ve learned your lesson yet either.” He brushed a few hairs from her face. “You seem too anxious to start them again.
“Then you’ll just have to teach me over and over until I do learn my lesson.” She kissed the palm of his hand. “You are a very good teacher.”
“It’s a good thing you’re my heart or I might have to really make my point.”
“Don’t you do that about every two or three hours according to my brother?”
“Did that upset you?” He never meant for their sex life to be a topic of conversation with anyone, even if they were family. He remembered how she felt about the picture. It took a lot for her to allow him to release the image.
“No. He means no harm and I know that.”
“How can you trust him so quickly?”
“The same way I knew you were my mate. His heart is pure. Kuarto might not understand our ways yet, but he isn’t a man who would betray us. I have touched his mind and know how he thinks.”
“He could have hidden that part from you.”
“Can you hide any part of your mind from me?”
He had no answer. His mind was an open book to her.
“Now, we need to discuss my punishment. Since my brother has been slightly loud in his demands I think we need to wait until we’re home before you get to be sure I see the error of my ways.”
“You are enjoying it too much.” He hugged her to him for a moment. “I’m going to have to come up with something to prove how serious I am about you arguing with me in front of others.”
“Really? Like what?”
Her excitement made him laugh. She was his world. “I was serious before about you getting anywhere near Ialog. I won’t let it happen a second time.”
“What if it is the only way to end this?” She sat up so she could watch his face. “Would you deny us a chance to live out our lives in happiness because you fear what he might do to me?”
“I couldn’t live with myself if something were to happen to you.” He gripped her shoulders.
“You are far too overbearing for anything to happen to me anyway so let’s not even think about it.” She saw the fear in his eyes. Her thoughts followed his, but she refused to let it get to her. Her mind had always let her know when she was in danger and she believed it would always protect her. “Kuarto has made me realize that I’m not utilizing my abilities the way I should and you get to be my guinea pig.”
“What do you mean?” He didn’t sound impressed.
She brushed her mind against his, filling it with her desire to be with him.
“Oh.”
“Exactly. I want to see what I can do with my mind. We know I can let you in but can I enter yours at any time? Can I create a world just for us?”
“What about other minds?” His question was one both had thought about. “Will you try to enter someone else’s mind as well?”
“I don’t want to violate anyone’s trust.” He could sense she didn’t feel comfortable answering this one.
“You didn’t answer me.”
“I know. Whatever my answer is will upset you. If I say no you will demand I cover every angle no matter what, but if I learn to do that, there will be a part of you that will feel like I’m betraying you somehow. Even though we know I’m not.”
“I’ve never had to share you before.” She always knew what he really felt. “It’s not something I’m used to.”
“I’m sorry about that.” She smiled at him as her hand touched his heart. “You are my life and I have to share you with an entire planet. It’s not that difficult for me because I know who you come home to every night.”
“So you are saying I will get used to it?”
“No, but it’s not like you will have to share me with all these people. You will be involved in any decision I must make about this.”
He shifted her so that she was lying on the part where her legs had been seconds before. “I feel the need to dominate you at the moment.”
She smiled at him. “And if my brother comes out of there screaming in protest?”
“I will deal with that. Besides, that is the first thing you need to address. Try to put up some sort of shield so we can have our privacy.” He dipped his head down to hers and captured her lips with his. Using his tongue, he worked his way into her mouth, enjoying the taste of her as their tongues danced together. She made him feel alive at moments like this. If he had his way she would be beneath him all the time, sharing her body as often as he liked. He still got that, she never denied him, but knowing he could demand more if he wanted gave him a feeling of control he didn’t always feel with her.
How did he get involved with the one person who could make him feel so out of control at times? His hands worked at the seal of her uniform, wishing they had been alone so she could have slipped on that little black number she had created for him. He loved the outfits. Each one made him rock hard the moment he saw them. Knowing she thought of his arousal each time she created one let him know how much he meant to her.
Her soft skin reminded him of how delicate she could be. Although she would never complain, he knew he needed to be gentle with her. Her body was going through changes because of her pregnancy and he had to be mindful of that.
He felt the brush of her fingers against his chest as she worked on his uniform as well. It didn’t take either of them long before they had shed the uniforms and were flesh to flesh.
“Which would be easier for you? A shield to block him out or one
to lock us in?” He surged into her, not being able to wait until she created what she needed to.
“Not sure.” She arched against him when he did that. A soft sigh escaped her. She needed this as much as he did.
He felt her mind reach out to his, bringing him into her thoughts. The intimacy was phenomenal. She wrapped them in a blanket of sorts. Since it was her first try, she wasn’t sure if it would work.
He moved within her then, drawing a rare sound when his stroke hit just the right spot. He felt it all the way down to his toes. “My heart, that soft sound is more arousing than any outfit you create for me.”
A blush filled her cheeks but she didn’t break eye contact as her muscles pulsed against him. She might be a quiet partner most of the time but she still knew how to let him know what she wanted and how she felt about some of his comments. He had to admit he liked the way he could still say things that brought color to her cheeks. Most Vespians don’t blush.
The vise like grip she had him in sent desire racing though him. He pushed in a little deeper, getting a shudder out of her. Taking it slow, he slid in and out, each time pushing deeper. He heard her breath hitch. She was close. Knowing her body so well now, he knew how to prolong her balance on the precipice. Knew what it took to send her over the edge.
Every part of her being cried for release. He quickened his pace, giving her all of him. In seconds, he felt her quake around him, her body tightening muscles that already had a strong grip on him. His orgasm was just as powerful, pulling him along with her.
He rested his head against hers. His breathing felt a little forced. Like he had run a marathon. They remained like that for a while, the joy they found in each other’s arms all they wanted to feel.
Chapter 7
“I’ll be right back.”
Toki grabbed his arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I want to check one more thing on Heather while I’m thinking of it.” Kuarto stopped when he felt the heat of her touch.
“Make a note of it. You’re not going out there right now.” She shook her head. “Listen, I don’t need a mind link to know what is probably going on out there right now. My brother and his mate alone, with nothing to do, except explore each other. Don’t be dense or stupid. You go out there now and you’ll see my brother angry.”
Passionate Desire Page 10