by Lori Foster
“No one else has a computer like me, thank you very much.”
Kayli considered shutting Hauk down, but knew she wouldn’t. “True. My mother has a powerful unit, but not as powerful as Hauk. A few of the more established families have comparable units. But again, nowhere as powerful as Hauk. As head of our warriors, I have use of him.” She smiled because really, despite his quirks, she was quite fond of Hauk and considered him one of her closest friends. “He and I have been together for a long time.”
“Since she was seventeen,” Hauk said, and he didn’t sound as pleased with that memory as she was. “The point is that Kayli makes more use of my far-reaching ability when she’s on board. Away from me, she conforms to what the average colonist can and cannot do, so that she can better fit in with them.”
“Got it. No reason for them to see her as superior, right?”
“Exactly.”
“Admirable. But no more transporting me unless I request it. Understood?”
Kayli didn’t like it, but she nodded.
Hauk, filled with deference, said, “Of course, Mallet. It will be as you wish.”
Still scowling, Mallet ignored the seats to study the room Hauk had prepared. Great panels were open to reveal the glass dome ceiling. It made him feel like he was surrounded by the blue sky and fluffy clouds. Soft music played from a hidden console, and at the center of the oval stone table, several thick candles flickered.
It hit Kayli that the room was set for romance.
“Hauk,” she warned.
But the cantankerous computer didn’t reply. Later, she’d have to remind him of her duty as a warrior. She had serious responsibilities that prohibited any attempts at pairing her with their guest.
He was not meant for her.
No man was meant for her. She would spend her life alone, first defending her colony, and later, teaching others to defend it.
Michael looked at her. “This is some room.”
Did he realize Hauk’s intent? Hopefully not. “It’s been determined that proper digestion is necessary to a healthy body, so mealtimes are of utmost importance. A soothing ambiance is as crucial as the food consumed.”
“Yeah?” Michael took a step closer. “Seems more seductive than soothing to me.”
“Hauk’s idea,” she blurted, and moved to the head of the table. “I’ll speak to him about it.”
“Don’t bother.” His smile came slow and sexy. “I don’t mind.”
Kayli could have sworn she heard Hauk snicker.
But truly, what did it matter? Tomorrow, Michael would be presented with the available women, all of them very pretty, more than appropriate, and anxious to be chosen by him. Why bother explaining things to him again now, when he’d soon make a choice all on his own that would end his playful flirting?
“Please.” She pulled out a chair. “Sit down and enjoy your meal.”
“Good idea. I don’t want it to get cold.”
“It wouldn’t. The plate is fashioned to keep it at the proper temperature.”
“Great. Now that’s an invention that makes sense.” He gestured for her to be seated. “Ladies first.”
“All right.” As Kayli sat, the chair cuddled her, again giving Michael a start. “Each chair has a microchip to inform it of your size, muscle mass, and body temperature. When you sit down, it will conform to your highest level of comfort—or as closely as it can, given your unusual size.”
With caution, Michael sank into the seat, remaining stiff while it moved around him. Gradually, he relaxed. “Wow. Heavenly.” He patted the arms, shifted a little, and picked up his fork to continue eating. “I could really get used to all this added comfort.”
Kayli’s heart stuttered. “I hope you do.” Now that he was here, she didn’t want him to leave. Ever. She wanted him to be content in her colony, to stay with her … or rather, her people.
Other colonies offered great allures, each more unique and appealing than the other, so she’d have to see what she could do about keeping him gratified.
“I can’t wait to try out the beds.” He consumed several more bites, all the while watching her. “Are they the same?”
“Fashioned for your comfort? Yes.” The intensity in his direct blue gaze kept her edgy, and she cleared her throat. “Your pillow will remain cool, and your coverings will determine the proper body temperature to best suit you.”
“Huh.” He finished off his last bite of steak and sat back. “I’ve got a question.”
Never had Kayli seen anyone devour a meal so efficiently. He wasn’t crude in his habits, but the food had disappeared in very short order.
“Dessert?”
His gaze warmed with humor—and something more. “Not unless you’re on the menu.”
Her heart slammed into her chest. Good heavens, the way he spoke, and how he looked at her as he said those outrageous things… . No one had ever looked at her like that. Certainly no one had ever dared to speak to her that way. It was rude and invigorating and a little bit thrilling.
She needed to get herself in check. “I am not.” She tried to relax. “You had a question?”
“I do.” One side of his mouth kicked up. “If the bed conforms to a person’s comfort, what happens when two bodies are in the bed?”
Kayli blinked. “Two bodies?”
Losing the relaxed posture, he leaned forward and folded his muscled arms on the tabletop. “You people don’t make love in a bed? Huh.” His eyes glinted. “Kinky. I’m game, but for kicks, why don’t you tell me what the norm is here now? I’m burning with curiosity.”
Her mouth opened. She felt it. But … nothing came out.
Hauk came to her rescue. “Mallet, you really must behave before you send her into vapors.” A cool breeze brushed over Kayli, aiding in her recovery.
“Yes.” She found her voice, though it sounded oddly thick and raspy. “Thank you, Hauk.”
Hauk continued without acknowledging her gratitude. “You should understand, Mallet. Kayli is a virgin and destined to remain that way.”
“Hauk!” She jerked so hard and fast, the chair went into spasms beneath her, unsure if it should firm or soften to accommodate her posture.
Michael sat back again, this time both shocked and fascinated. “Seriously? You’ve never … not even once?”
Kayli shot out of the traumatized chair. “Shut up, Hauk!”
“Now Kayli, compose yourself. When the man is presented with the horde of anxious virgins tomorrow, he’ll know something is up.”
Michael swiveled his chair around, looking for Hauk. “What the hell are you talking about? What virgins? A horde of them, you said?”
“Shut. Up. Hauk!”
Instead, Hauk tsked at her tone. “Kayli is a warrior, Mallet, and thus forbidden to take union, the reasoning being that a warrior’s life is too fraught with risks and family is far too valued to put to chance. Instead, she is in union with her duty to the colony. A lonely existence, yes, but she convinces herself that she is at peace with her decision.”
Red-faced and teeming with fury, Kayli slapped a hand down on the table. “Shut down, Hauk.”
“And let your vessel drop from the sky?”
A growl rumbled in her throat. “You mistake me on purpose and it is not appreciated. Shut down your intrusion into this room. Immediately.”
“Very well.”
In an instant, his voice left, the candles went out, the music died, and the ceiling closed.
Somehow, being sealed into the room with the reduced light and silence only made Kayli’s proximity to Michael more intimate.
With her heart pumping hard and fast, she couldn’t look at him, yet she felt his gaze, burning hot, piercing with ripened male curiosity.
Arms wrapping tight around herself, she walked to the opposite side of the room, giving Michael her back. “I apologize for Hauk,” she said, and the mortification she felt sounded in her terse, strained tone. “The emotions supplied to him have commingled to wh
ere he considers himself something of a best friend, brother, and father figure, all in one. It drives him to overstep himself on occasion.”
Silence droned on, adding to her tension until she thought she’d snap in two.
And then she heard Michael’s chair as he pushed it back. The urge to flee the situation was so great, her breath strangled in her lungs. She stood her ground only by force of will.
Right behind her, close enough for her to breathe in his compelling scent, Michael said, “Did he lie?”
He was right there, right behind her.
As a warrior, she could fell him in any number of ways—but of course she wouldn’t.
As a warrior, she had no inspiration how to deal with a man who stole into her personal space without harmful intent.
“No.” She hugged herself tighter. “Hauk is incapable of lying.”
“But he’s sure got sarcasm nailed, huh?”
Despite her thrumming tension, she managed a credible half laugh. “Oh yes. He excels at sarcasm.”
Warm hands settled on her shoulders, almost prompting her to leap away.
“Kayli?” he whispered.
She swallowed twice before saying, “Yes?”
“You’re a virgin?”
Oh, how the times had changed, for a man to ask a woman that. In his day, such a question might seem as proper as the uncertainty in his tone.
Now, here, it simply wasn’t done. Wasn’t discussed. Wasn’t mentioned.
“Michael …” Best to explain this as a history lesson. She’d remove all personal influences. Yes, that’s what she’d do. “You must understand that society goes in cycles. During your time period, promiscuity was accepted, for men and women alike. It was more uncommon for a person to reach adulthood as a virgin than otherwise.”
“Depends on your definition of adulthood.”
She didn’t bother clarifying that, because it hadn’t much changed. Some were adults earlier than others, legally or otherwise. “Now, after many diseases and a collapse of moral institutions, we have come full circle. It is rare and highly frowned upon, for most—male or female—to engage in intimate activity outside of a legal union sanctioned by the Council Mavens.”
His hands drew her back into him until her shoulders rested against his broad, hard chest.
It felt … remarkable.
And far too tempting.
“So.” He bent closer until his nose touched her hair. “You’ve never had sex?”
He did seem caught on that fact. “No.” And she never would.
“How old are you?”
He sounded both incredulous and challenged. “I am twenty-five.”
She heard him breathing in, as if smelling her, her hair and her skin, and it did funny, disturbing, but pleasant things to her stomach. Things she’d never before felt.
“Let me get this straight. If you remain a warrior, you’ll never be allowed to have sex?”
“I’ll never be permitted to form a union. Sex outside of a union would be scandalous and reason for discharge from my position as Claviger.”
The silence hung heavy around them as he considered what she’d said. “All the warriors are women in the same boat as you?”
It took her a second to decipher his meaning. She had a good grasp of his lingo, but when flustered—as she was now—she had to concentrate more. “Some are widows who out of loyalty to their deceased partner chose a life of defense. Some are, as you said, like me. I’m sure that each of the women has reasons of her own.”
His hands weren’t idle. They caressed her shoulders, warm and firm but with so much gentleness. “And your reasons are?”
Inside, she trembled, but when she spoke her voice sounded strong enough. “I can’t abide injustice, so I want to do what I can to keep our colony safe for all.” She didn’t add that her mother had made the decision for her at a very early age. She’d schooled her in her duties, encouraged her in her beliefs until now, Kayli wasn’t sure what she thought on her own and what she thought out of a sense of fostered responsibility.
She would never admit that to anyone though, certainly not to Michael Manchester.
Silence stretched out as Michael held her. His hands left her shoulders so that he could lace his arms around her, keeping her in a gentle but iron embrace.
“So no sex, but what about anything else? Any smooching? Any foreplay?”
So much heat came off him, she felt enveloped in it, and it left her faint. “I … I don’t understand.”
He gave her a tender squeeze, and his voice lowered. “How many times have you been kissed?”
No, no, no. She did not want to discuss this. “I don’t know.”
“Can’t keep count, huh?”
His teasing did nothing to relax her, not with him still so close, smelling so hot, and feeling so powerful.
“Okay, let’s come at this from another angle. How many men, other than me, have kissed you?”
Her brain refused to function. Nothing clever, or even believably deceptive, came to mind. “A few.”
“Do you remember names? Places? Or are they all so forgettable?”
He mocked her, but in a nice way, probably meant to help her relax. “What does this matter to you? We have important matters to discuss, and—”
“Real important, I know.” His mouth brushed her temple and it felt like the sweetest of kisses. “The thing is, Kayli love, I’m not sure you realize what all the issues are.”
Kayli love? She tried to turn to face him. He held her firm. “Meaning?”
“My questions first, then maybe we’ll talk about it. So quit dodging it, Kayli. How many men have had their mouths on you?”
The way he phrased things! She gave up. “Two.”
For a heartbeat he said nothing. Then: “When?”
Her sigh was loud enough to activate the fans in the room. It was fortunate, because a stirring of the air helped to cool her burning flesh. “When I was fifteen, one of my fellow students kissed me. I didn’t like it and I reported him.”
Michael’s laugh sounded with humor and pleasure. “Did he get in trouble?”
“He was reprimanded, yes. Not for kissing, so much, but for kissing a girl already declared for the service of her colony.”
“Huh. So even at that young age, you knew you wanted to be a warrior?”
From the time she could talk, she’d been told she was perfect for service to her colony—and imperfect for anything else, especially a union. “Yes.”
He thought about that before asking, “And who else kissed you?”
To get the interrogation over with, Kayli rushed through the rest of the telling. “When I was seventeen I started my training and a man my age tried to … discourage me.”
“With a kiss?”
“Yes.” And more. And truthfully, she had been discouraged. She’d been led to think about things she’d never before considered. Possibilities she’d thought forever out of reach.
Then her mother discovered them and … heart aching, Kayli shook her head. “He moved away after I refused him. I haven’t seen him since.”
“Did you care about him?”
The words stuck in her throat. The truth hurt, but the reason for the truth hurt the most. “No.”
She hadn’t loved him. But she had loved the idea of having a family of her own, a person dedicated to her, to their children.
“He was a nice young man, and I hated seeing him disappointed.”
Michael’s hand opened over her waist, stroking the tiniest bit, just enough to make her tingle, to make her every nerve ending spark with awareness of him. “When I kissed you, you didn’t like it.”
Untrue—but should she tell him that? He already understood that much of her reaction was from inexperience. Leaving it at that would be best for all concerned.
“I’m not used to … the way that you kissed me was … the dampness and heat and …” She swallowed down the rest of her stammers and just spoke her thoughts aloud. “Nev
er before had I felt a man’s tongue.”
Against her temple, she felt his smile. “The kisses you’d had were just pecks.”
“Extended pecks, but yes, nothing more than that.” With Michael, it had been more. More emotion, more effect, more reaction, and more need. “You should not kiss me again.”
“Right,” he said, and he made it sound like anything but an agreement. “At least not until we have a few things cleared up.” After a brief hug, he released her and walked back to the table. With one gulp, he finished off his juice. “What is this stuff? I like it.”
Freed so abruptly from his touch and unnerving conversation, Kayli wallowed in confusion. “It’s a mixture of our fruits.” She braced one hand on the wall to steady herself. “I’m glad it pleases you.”
“It was all great. Do you have some kind of special cattle here, to produce a steak like that?”
Kayli stiffened. “The barbaric ritual of slaughtering animals ended after most nearly became extinct, or toxic to humans. Many diseases resulted before nature was righted. Now animals, all animals, are treated as kind pets.”
He looked from her to his empty plate and back again. “So the steak I ate was … ?”
“We have only ersatz meats, manufactured based on your preferences.”
“Ersatz, huh? I’ll look that up later. What about fruits, vegetables, breads, all that?”
“Grown in our fields, but also scientifically reproduced as needed.” She tried to encourage him without sounding impatient. “You can acquaint yourself with all our advancements by spending some time in the media room.”
“Unbelievable.” Michael looked again at his empty plate and shrugged. “Well, however you got the steak, it was perfect. I can’t wait to try a burger or fried chicken.”
“I’m sure there are many things you will be curious about, and of course you should try them all.”
“Yeah?” He looked at her, and that same heavy sensuality was back, hot enough to knock her over. “I think I’ll hold you to that.”
WHILE Mallet watched Kayli flounder with her feelings, he thought of all he wanted to do to her, how novel it’d be to have a virgin.
And how sweet.
A deep voice harrumphed. “I know I was ordered to disappear, but Mallet’s clothing is available.”