Oz: A SciFi Alien Romance (Enigma Series Book 5)

by Ditter Kellen

  Maria shook her head. “He tried. He got so far as to remove my clothes before he passed out on top of me.”

  A shudder passed through her. “Carlito found us like that the next morning. After a good long laugh, he helped Homero to his feet, clapped him on his back, and congratulated him for scoring with me.”

  Oz opened his mouth to speak. Hesitating for a moment, he started again. “What happened after that?”

  Tears sprang to Maria’s eyes, but she held them back. “They left me there.”

  A muscle ticked along Oz’s jaw. “For how long?”

  Maria covered her mouth for a moment before answering. “Three days. It took me three days to get loose.”

  Oz surged to his feet. He began pacing along the side of the bed. “Do you know this guy’s last name?”

  “Rivera,” Maria confessed, sickened at the feel of his name falling from her lips. “He works for Carlito.”

  Oz paused in his pacing. “So, you are still exposed to him. Why do you stay?”

  Maria ran a hand down her face. “My mother remains safe as long as I do what Carlito tells me to do.”

  “And Rivera? Any more trouble from him?”

  Maria shook her head. “He believes he took my virginity. I allow him to think that and try my best to stay as far from him as I possibly can.”

  Oz blew out a breath and gripped the back of his neck in an agitated way. “I’m not sending you back to your brother. I’ll find another way to lure him out.”

  Maria’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re letting me go?”

  “As soon as we get back to shore, and it’s safe to do so.”

  Stunned and a little more than relieved, Maria slowly got to her feet. After the last six years spent hating Oz for killing her father, it all came down to this. “You’re not who I thought you were. And I’m truly sorry about what happened to your mother. Had I known—”

  “It’s not your fault,” Oz interrupted, his gaze softening. “You loved him. He was your father.”

  Maria took a hesitant step forward. “As you loved your mother.”

  Oz nodded before lowering his gaze. “I stayed, learned the ropes, and gained your father’s trust before I took him out.”

  Maria didn’t know what to say. She continued to stare at him in silence as he spoke.

  “I ran drugs for Acosta and took care of any obstacles that got in his way. I became close with him, or so he thought. During a bout of drinking one night, I watched him open the safe that housed his diamonds. I’d almost made up my mind to take the diamonds and leave him alive, until I heard a shot coming from his bedroom. I raced up the stairs to find him holding a pistol and standing over the body of a boy that couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old.”

  Maria’s stomach lurched. Shame filled her gut. “Oh my God. He shot a boy?”

  Oz nodded. “That’s when I killed him. I emptied every round I had into his chest. I tried to tell myself that I only shot him for taking the life of that boy, but I wasn’t kidding myself. I did it out of revenge for my mother as well.”

  Maria’s heart ached for Oz. She’d been so caught up in longing for her father’s love she had never stopped to see him for who he truly was. All the signs had been there, if only she’d taken the time to notice them.

  “I must really disgust you,” Maria whispered, unable to look away from Oz’s deep, green gaze.

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Disgust me? You make me feel a lot of things, Maria Acosta. But disgust damn sure isn’t one of them.”

  Maria’s stomach fluttered. She took another small step forward. “What kind of things?”

  Oz lifted his arm and sank his hand into her hair. Cupping the back of her head, he tugged her forward. “I’ll show you.”

  The feel of his lips slanting across hers threatened to buckle Maria’s knees. His magnificent scent floated up her nose to mingle with the seductive taste of his mouth.

  She pressed her body against his, kissing him back with wild abandon.

  He broke off the kiss, but kept his hold on her head. “I want you.”

  Maria wanted him too. More than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. Including her father’s love.

  The yacht continued to rise and fall with the rolling of the waves, but Maria barely noticed. She stared up at Oz in wonder, taking in his rugged features, his mesmerizing eyes, and his seductive mouth.

  Pure, unadulterated lust slammed into her with the force of a truck. She knew she should back away before things went any further.

  Her father had taken the life of Oz’s mother, and Oz had killed Maria’s father. Maria had spent the last six years of her life hating Oz, and her brother hated him still.

  The reality of their situation trickled in, pulling Maria out of her lust-filled haze. “I can’t.”

  Other than the tightening of his jaw, Oz showed no outward emotion. “You should get some rest.”

  “Oz,” Maria began, reaching out to him as he turned toward the door. “I’m sorry. It’s just—”

  “You don’t owe me an apology,” he rumbled, effectively cutting her off. “It is what it is.”

  Opening the door, Oz stepped into the hall and disappeared without another word.

  Maria stood there for several minutes, staring at the open doorway, half expecting him to come running back and half praying that he would.

  She stumbled over to the bed and crawled beneath the covers, replaying that kiss over and over in her mind. No matter how much attraction she had for the man, there was far too much water under the bridge to pretend they had no past.

  Chapter Eleven

  Oz stood in the hall for what seemed an eternity, hoping against hope that Maria would change her mind and come after him.

  After several minutes of standing there like an idiot, he gave up and returned to the wheelhouse.

  “Someone urinated in your cornflakes?”

  Oz stared at Gryke as if he’d grown an extra head. “I’m fine. And it’s, pee in your cornflakes. Not urinate.”

  Gryke turned back to steering the yacht. “I will never learn to use the human slang.”

  “That’s all right,” Oz muttered, taking a seat in the bolted-down chair that Maria had occupied. “It doesn’t sound right coming from you anyway. It’s like Spock or the Terminator trying to tell a joke. Ain’t happening.”

  Gryke shrugged. “So be it. I do not care for the land walkers’ lingo any more than I care for the land walkers.”

  Oz shifted his gaze to Gryke’s profile. “Why do you dislike humans so much?”

  The huge Bracadyte’s shoulders stiffened, but he kept his head facing forward. “I have my reasons.”

  “Reasons you can’t tell me?” Oz prompted.

  Gryke glanced in Oz’s direction before facing forward once more. “Why is it that you want to know?”

  “You’re different than the other Bracadytes,” Oz pointed out.

  That got Gryke’s attention. “You and I are more alike than you know.”

  Oz stretched out his legs and crossed his feet at the ankles. “Ah, so you’re well endowed.”

  “I am part human,” came Gryke’s quiet reply.

  Oz’s brows shot up. That was the last thing he’d expected Gryke to say. “Pardon?”

  Gryke took a deep breath before facing Oz. “I was born in Italy. My father and I came to Aukrabah when I was a young boy.”

  “Your father is human?” Oz questioned, sitting forward in his chair.

  Gryke shook his head. “My mother. Her name was Rose, and she lived in Camogli, a small fishing village in the peninsula of Portofino, Northern Italy. She happened upon my father one morning while gathering clams at the water’s edge.”

  “What happened after that?” Oz persisted when Gryke grew quiet.

  “They fell in love, continuing to meet along the shoreline until my mother gave birth to me. One afternoon before the sun set, my father had taken me for a swim when a group of fishermen spotted him a
nd came after my father with their human weapons. My mother was killed by one of their bullets, attempting to help us escape.”

  “I’m sorry, Gryke. I didn’t know.”

  Gryke gave a short, quick nod. “It was long ago.”

  Oz’s gaze dropped to the tattoo of a rose on Gryke’s upper arm. “That tattoo. I’m assuming it’s symbolic of your mother?”

  “It is,” Gryke confirmed. “The Bracadytes do not mark their flesh. I did it as a reminder of who and what I am.”

  “You did that?” Oz asked in surprise.

  Gryke glanced down at the inked rose on his arm. “Braum created the image from one of the books that are stored in the catacombs.”

  “Does Klause know your history?”

  “No one knows but Braum.”

  Oz was suddenly touched. “Why tell me?”

  “Because you understand what it is like to hate. To want revenge. To live your life not completely fitting in. Do you think I do not see how I am looked upon?”

  Gryke reached up and touched his closely cropped beard. “I am the only Bracadyte in Aukrabah that grows facial hair. Though no one mentions the differences in me, I can see the suspicion in their eyes.”

  “Perhaps it’s not suspicion, but curiosity?” Oz offered, knowing it to be a lie the second the words left his mouth. “Or jealousy?”

  Gryke barked out a humorless laugh. “Do not patronize me, Nicho Ozele. I am well aware of how the others feel about me.”

  “Arcanum is part human, Gryke. Do you think he will be treated with disdain?”

  “Of course not,” Gryke grabbing hold of the wheel once more. “He is the offspring of Hauke, son of Klause. No one would dare disrespect a descendent of our king.”

  He had a point, Oz thought, gaining his feet. Oz himself was related to Klause, and he’d definitely been shown partiality.

  Coming to stand next to Gryke, Oz touched him on the shoulder. “Go get some rest. I’ll take over from here.”

  Gryke took a step back, holding Oz’s gaze for several heartbeats before turning toward the door. He stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back. “I wish for our conversation to stay between the two of us.”

  Oz twisted his head in Gryke’s direction. “You have my word.”

  With a brief nod, Gryke descended the stairs and disappeared from view.

  Oz took a weary breath and guided the yacht over the next wave. Though the rain continued to fall, the winds had slowed, and the angry churning of the gulf was starting to calm.

  Alone in the wheelhouse, Oz allowed his thoughts to drift back to Maria.

  There was no longer any doubt about her attraction to him, no matter how much she insisted on fighting it. He’d felt it in her touch, in her kiss.

  He wanted her too, he silently admitted to himself. No matter who her father had been. Though her brother left a lot to be desired, Maria Acosta was a diamond in the rough. And just like the other diamonds he’d taken from the Acostas, Oz intended to possess her as well.

  Chapter Twelve

  Maria came awake to the muffled sounds of voices above her. She sat up in bed, grateful that the storm had stopped, and listened.

  Unable to make out the words, Maria threw her legs over the side of the bed and crept toward the open door.

  Oz’s voice reached her immediately. “You mean to tell me that you have no idea how they found us? I mean, they didn’t just happen upon us on the day of escape.”

  Maria slipped out into the hall and quietly made her way to the deck. She eased her head around the wall to see Oz, Gryke, and Fiona, standing with feet apart and their arms crossed over their chests.

  “For the hundredth time,” Fiona snapped, dropping her arms to rest her hands on her hips. “I have no clue how they found us. Gryke has been with me the entire time. How the hell could I have gotten a message to them if I’d wanted to?”

  Gryke mimicked her stance. “I do not know how you got word to them. I only know that you did.”

  “Go screw yourself, you overgrown idiot,” Fiona barked, obviously refusing to back down.

  Oz suddenly stiffened before flicking his gaze to Maria. He murmured something beneath his breath and sauntered over to where she stood. “Sleep well?”

  Maria nodded, backing up a step when his delicious scent reached her nose. She couldn’t stand that close to him without wanting to lean into him. “I feel much better. How much longer before we reach Cuba?”

  “We’re in Cuba now. We have about another hour before we reach Playa Pilar.”

  Clasping her hands together in front of her, Maria awkwardly cleared her throat. “How are we on fuel?”

  “Melvin met up with us before we reached Cuban waters and filled us up. We have enough to make it on in.”

  Maria lowered her gaze. “About earlier…”

  “Hey,” Oz interjected, saving her from embarrassing herself. “Don’t apologize. We’ve both been under a lot of stress lately. And adrenaline can cause one to do things that they wouldn’t normally do.”

  For some reason, his words hurt. He was explaining away their kiss as a simple stress-induced mistake. And maybe it was, but Maria didn’t like that he chalked it up to anxiety. She’d felt something for him, damn it. But apparently she was alone in her feelings. “You’re right, of course.”

  A strange look passed through his eyes. Almost as if her words had disappointed him somehow. “We’ll be arriving soon. If you’d like to shower and eat, you’re welcome to. I washed your clothes and left them on a table in the hall bathroom.”

  “Thank you, Oz. I think I’ll do that.” She turned to go before she changed her mind and took him on the floor of the hall.

  Maria hurried to the bathroom, forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other and not look back for fear of what she might see.

  Would he still be standing there, watching her? Or had he dismissed her and returned to the deck? She didn’t want to know. No, she couldn’t bear to know.

  Once inside the bathroom, Maria leaned against the door for a moment before running a bubble bath and stripping out of her borrowed clothes.

  Easing herself into the warm tub of bubbles, Maria stretched out her legs and laid her head against the back.

  Thoughts of Oz crept in against her will, pulling her into a seductive haze of longing she seemed powerless to shake.

  How had she gone from despising him to desiring him in a little more than a week? And desire him, she did. Her body knew it as well as her heart did.

  Shifting her legs beneath the water, Maria brought her hands up to her heavy breasts. She ached to feel his mouth on her skin, his tongue stroking her ever-tightening nipples.

  She coasted her palms down her stomach, unable to prevent the moan that slipped past her lips as her fingers came in contact with her throbbing center.

  Her thighs fell open unbidden, allowing Maria to touch herself freely.

  Suddenly it was Oz’s hands on her body. His fingers manipulating her into an oversensitive frenzy of desire.

  Nerves came alive, and breathing became soft, gasping intakes of breath.

  Her body began to tremble, searching for that pinnacle of release that seemed just out of reach.

  And then it happened. Her lids slid shut, and stars erupted behind her eyes.

  Lost in the clutches of a powerful orgasm, Maria cried out Oz’s name. Repeating it over and over as her body seized in a breathtaking climax.

  Maria lay there for what seemed forever, trying to control her breathing while riding out the remaining contractions still pulsing inside her.

  She’d just touched herself while fantasizing about Oz. And damn her, but it did nothing to cool her desire for him. She wanted him still.

  Finishing her bath, Maria climbed from the tub and let the water out. She spent the next ten minutes brushing her teeth and dressing in her own clothes.

  Her shoes were filthy, but her socks were clean, and that was all that mattered in that moment.

 
She brushed out her damp hair and headed to the kitchen to avoid running into Oz. After what she’d just done in the bathroom, she wasn’t sure she could face him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Oz anchored the yacht on the west side of Playa Pilar, far from the prying eyes of onlookers, and readied the dinghy that would take them to shore.

  “Is that it?” Gryke questioned, nodding toward the house nestled among the trees several hundred feet inland.

  Oz nodded, reaching up to give Maria a hand in boarding the dinghy. “That’s The Wizard of Oz. It’s located two miles west of the hotel. Very few people know of its location. We’ll be safe there.”

  The feel of Maria palm against his sent Oz’s heart racing. And that wasn’t all, he noticed, shifting his body to make room for his rapidly growing erection.

  Maria glanced around nervously. “The Wizard of Oz? How fitting.”

  Oz found it hard to take his gaze off her ass in the snug-fitting jeans she wore. “I’m doubting that was a compliment.”

  “I’m only teasing you,” Maria claimed, a small smile on her face. “Lighten up.”

  Oz decided he liked her smile. She had small white teeth with a tiny overlapping at the bottom of the two front ones. Her lips were rosy and full, with the bottom lip slightly larger than the top.

  Kissable lips, Oz thought, glancing away before she noticed him staring.

  Gryke and Fiona climbed into the small boat, and Oz got underway.

  Rowing with the waves, they reached the shore in no time, and Oz led the small party to his private getaway.

  He strolled over to a tree, stuck his fingers in a nook in the side, and fished out the key.

  “Help yourselves to anything I have,” Oz offered, opening the door and pushing it wide. “My room is in the basement, so you can choose from one of the two available up here.”

  Gryke stepped over the threshold with Fiona in tow. Maria held back. “What about me?”

  Oz had no reason to force her to stay, other than to keep her safe. Or so he told himself. “I’d feel better if you stayed here for a few days until I can arrange for your safe passage out of here.”