Atlantean's Quest Volume 2

by Jordan Summers

  How big was that thing? She toyed with the plastic tape in her hand, debating whether to measure it and find out.

  Her gaze flicked to his lusciously cruel lips. Brigit had no doubt he could torture a woman for hours with those lethal weapons. Her tongue flicked out, wetting her suddenly dry mouth. Orion’s nostrils flared. Instead of swooping in and taking what they were both curious to experience, he slowly lowered his head, giving her time to pull away. As if! Brigit thought she’d explode by the time his lips finally pressed against hers. Soft, yet firm, he waited for her to relax. The second she did, he started kissing her, not with just his mouth, but with his whole body—and soul.

  * * * * *

  Orion hadn’t planned to touch her, but the second his body made contact with her lush curves his willpower snapped, abandoning him to his baser instincts. Her tongue darted out tentatively meeting his. She tasted pure, sweet and addictive. Her fingers untangled from the tape and slipped into his hair, threading through the length, caressing his scalp until he thought he’d burst. Having his senses overloaded was a completely foreign concept. He knew women well. Or at least he thought he had until encountering this one. How had he lived all these years without Brigit’s touch?

  Her mons gently cradled his ringed cock as if it were made for his body, and his body alone. He rocked his hips, grinding his shaft over her clit, drawing a whimper from her delicate throat. The sound caused a rise of excitement inside of him. And still he kept kissing her, feeding from her mouth, ravenous for more. He coaxed her need, then demanded a response equal to his own. Heat spread from their lips through his chest, scoring his skin like unsheathed talons, searing his flesh until he was convinced flame had somehow fused them into one.

  Goddess help him, he wanted this woman. No, want wasn’t strong enough to describe his desire. He craved her.

  Without thought, Orion moved his hand to cover her small breast. His palm dwarfed the quivering mound as he kneaded her flesh. Her kernelled nipple poked through the material of her clothing into his hand, reaching eagerly for his touch. Orion groaned, deepening the kiss, devouring her lips. Hunger fed his movements as he released her breast and sought the corners of the material covering the front of her body from his greedy eyes.

  He gathered the clothing into his fists, ready to rip it from her. The words that would bind them played at the corners of his mind.

  Brigit pulled back from the embrace and gasped, scattering his befuddled thoughts to the four winds. Her small hands rose, stilling his actions. “We can’t do this,” she said through kiss-swollen lips. “Not right now.” Her body trembled beneath him. “The contest starts in a few minutes. There’s no time. We have to hurry.”

  Quarg! Pained, Orion nodded in agreement, since he didn’t feel capable of speech. He forced himself to release her, his hand instantly feeling the loss of her womanly warmth. He’d given her his word he would assist her. And assist her, he would.

  “I don’t know if we’ll make it in time.”

  Resigned, Orion rose from the bed. His cock protested as he adjusted it to a more comfortable position in his flight suit. Nothing helped. His body quaked from pent-up desire—an emotion he had no right feeling with this particular woman. He chastised himself. That had been close, too close. If Brigit hadn’t come to her senses when she had, he would’ve taken her without a second thought.

  A wave of unease swept through him at how close he’d come to binding himself to a…to a…human. He needed to share the information the King ordered him to deliver and depart at the soonest. Remaining in Brigit’s presence only complicated the situation he found himself in. Orion turned to divulge the message only to see purple material flying toward his face. He caught it automatically. “What?” He glanced at the cloth.

  “Put that on. I’d planned to make myself a cape with a long train, but I hadn’t gotten around to finishing it. My guess is it won’t fit since I didn’t hem it, but it’ll have to do,” she said pulling more things out of the container. Her arms strained and her butt wiggled enticingly. “You’re not exactly Emperor Hun, but you’ll make a good master to my Princess Lena slave girl costume.” She waggled her eyebrows. “We’re lucky that I always bring extra costume pieces.”

  “I do not know these people,” he said through clenched teeth, trying to ignore her ass and his erection. At least the latter was beginning to diminish somewhat.

  Brigit stopped her movements for a second and turned to look at him. “You’ve never heard of Emperor Hun and Princess Lena?”

  Orion shook his head, trying to concentrate on the coldest regions of Zaron. Perhaps if he sat on ice that would help.

  “That’s weird.” She frowned, but went back to the task of sorting clothing. “I didn’t think there was a human left on the planet who hadn’t heard of those characters. You’re at Con for cripes sake. We live for this shit. All you have to do is look around.”

  She pulled a baggy shirt over her head and began to slip out of her old clothes, while struggling into new ones. Fascinated, Orion watched each article drop to the floor, unable to tear his eyes away from her feminine shimmy. A flash of thigh here, an elbow there, his imagination filled in the rest.

  A couple of minutes later, Brigit whipped her shirt off and spread her arms wide, revealing the tiny scraps of material barely covering her womanly form. “What do you think?” she asked, smiling brightly.

  Orion gaped for a moment. He couldn’t stop himself. His barely softening cock rose to attention in less than a Zaronian second. She was a vision of desire, achingly lush and tempting as sin itself. He coughed to clear his throat.

  His gaze traveled from her feet up her legs to her thighs, which peeked out in strategic locations. Brigit’s wide hips left him salivating. He stared at the flat expanse of her bare stomach and imagined licking every inch. He continued upward on his visual journey over the soft swell of her… Orion’s mind screeched to a halt. He pointed to the swirls of material cupping her breasts and pushing them up until they spilled over the top. “Are you going to wear that?”

  * * * * *

  “What do you mean?” Brigit glanced down at her outfit. There may not be much to it, but she thought it looked pretty good. “I’m supposed to be Princess Lena, while she’s enslaved by Emperor Hun.”

  “I understand,” he said looking thoroughly confused. “But where is the covering for your flesh?”

  Brigit matched his expression. “This is it.” She waved a hand down her body.

  Orion frowned.

  “You didn’t seem to care a minute ago about my clothes, when you were trying to take them off.”

  He spread his fingers, working his hand open and closed as if trying to relieve tension or get the feeling back. “That was before we joined mouths.”

  She snorted. “Give me a break. It was just a kiss.” That was the understatement of the century, but Brigit kept her expression casual. The last thing Orion needed to know was that he kissed better than most of her ex-boyfriends fucked. “You aren’t getting all possessive on me, are you?” As she spoke the words, Brigit realized a part of her actually hoped he was. Would that be so wrong? Of course it would. One good toe-curling kiss and she was ready to beg this guy to father her children.

  “Will there be a gathering like the last time?” Orion asked, his voice dangerously low.

  “A gathering?” What in the world was he talking about now? Soon she’d need her own decoder ring to decipher his phrases. Where was he from? “If you’re talking about the crowd, then yes. I sure hope so.” She began shoving items back into her suitcase. Brigit closed the lid, then sat on top of the bag, bouncing a couple times in order to lock it. The damn thing had to have shrunk after check-in.

  Orion’s eyes widened and his sensuous face turned down in scowl. “There were males at that last gathering.”

  Brigit glanced around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and to once again check for film equipment. There had to be a camera crew somewhere. No way
was this for real. Men like Orion did not exist on this planet.

  “Will there be males at the gathering?” He tried to hide the annoyance, but didn’t quite succeed.

  His question startled her out of her packing. Why did he sound so grumpy? “Yep, there will be guys in the audience and plenty of girls.”

  “Then I forbid it.” His voice boomed and he slashed a powerful arm through the air.

  Brigit giggled. She couldn’t help it. That was the last thing she expected him to say. He forbade it. She glanced at his face once more and the giggles turned to peals of laughter. He looked so serious, but she knew he had to be kidding. No guy got serious after one kiss.

  “That’s a good one, Orion. In fact, it’s perfect.” Her shoulders shook. “I forbid it,” she said, lowering her voice to impersonate him as she wiped tears from her eyes. “Save it for the stage, the audience will eat it up, especially once you put on that cape. Oh, I almost forgot.” Brigit unsnapped the suitcase and dug to the bottom of the bag. She felt satin beneath her fingertips and pulled. The material slid through the other items like water off sex lube. “Put this on.” She handed him the mask.

  Orion stood there, turning the item over and over in his hands like he’d never seen one before and wasn’t sure what to do with it. She thought it was odd, but didn’t have time to delve into why. As it was, it would be a miracle if they weren’t disqualified from entering the competition.

  “It goes on your face.” Brigit grabbed the mask and then stepped behind him. His broad back filled her vision. She shook off her fascination and stood on her tiptoes, straining upward, missing the mark by five inches. It didn’t help that she was trying not to touch him. “Duck down. I can’t reach you.”

  He hesitated, but a moment, then did as she asked.

  Brigit slipped the mask in place, securing it against his head, and then spun Orion around to see. Her gaze locked onto his face. She’d been going for a bit of mystery, something to make the crowd ooh and aah, but Brigit hadn’t anticipated the impact a simple mask would make to Orion’s face. Good Goddess, he looked like an intergalactic bandit. All that was missing was for him to pull the sword from his side sheath and carve his initials into the wall.

  “Um…um…that’s good,” she choked out and patted him on the arm then stepped back. The need inside her flamed, refusing to be doused. She’d wanted him before, but now…

  “We need to talk,” he repeated, his voice gruff.

  “Later.” She couldn’t have any kind of intelligent conversation with him looking like that. Before Orion could say another word, Brigit grabbed him by the forearm and dragged him out of the room. It was either that, or do something insane like blow off the contest so she could throw him on the bed and fuck him senseless.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Three

  The crowd was even larger than at the last costume event. Wonderful! With Orion at her side, they should win easily. Brigit gathered the material of her split skirt and pushed forward. Her right arm muscles strained as she tried to pull Orion behind her. Was he purposely digging in his heels? She glanced at his boots, then back to his face. Orion’s expression remained steely as he took in the crowd.

  Wolf-whistles came from all sides as she snaked her way through the whirling masses. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Rocket Man Rick’s face. He’d left her to be with a winner or so he’d told her when they’d broken up. Well there was no way she could lose now. Brigit smiled inwardly. Her costume was a hit. Her partner was beyond perfect. She looked at him once more. He didn’t look happy. Every catcall caused Orion to stiffen and his frown to deepen. If he got any tenser, she’d be able to wax his ass and surf him to the Bahamas.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, shouting over the din of the crowd.

  He glared at the people nearby, but nodded his assent.

  Brigit pulled him down so she could lean in close to his ear. It wasn’t her fault that her lips accidentally scraped his lobe. “Relax. The crowd loves you. Are you ready to go up on stage?”

  Orion’s breath hissed out of his lungs and he straightened, putting some distance between them. He grabbed the cape she’d thrown over his head, twisting the clasp until it rested against his shoulder. “I am prepared for this event, but perhaps you are not.” He studied her.

  “What do you mean?” Brigit scowled, tugging at her outfit. “Am I crooked?”

  “No.” Orion reached up to the ear she’d touched and removed the silver hoop. His fingers singed her cheek as he slid his hand over her face to brush her hair back. He removed her simple gold post and clasped the earring, pressing it through her lobe, then caressed her again as he reluctantly released her. “Now you are ready,” he said, presenting her with a smile that caused her panties to shrink. He put her gold post through his ear, creating a mirror image. Her heart flip-flopped and warmth spread to her belly. The sheer possession she saw in his gaze excited Brigit more than it should.

  She didn’t realize she held her breath, until she started to see stars. Brigit gulped air and shook her head at her own foolishness. It was time to be honest with this man. He deserved the truth. “I should probably warn you that my ex is also in this competition.”

  His brow crinkled. “Explain.”

  She tugged Orion to the side, getting them out of the flow of traffic. “My ex-boyfriend has entered this contest with his new slut girlfriend, Dorothy.”

  Orion slipped his hand away from hers and hit the button on his wrist. The color in his cheeks rose, giving him an angry glow.

  “I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier. The only reason I didn’t is because I thought you might be working with him.”

  The muscle ticked in his jaw. “Your mate is here and you allowed me to enter your dwelling? To touch you? I came very close to entering your body.” He pulled away in disgust.

  Brigit’s face flushed and her heart clenched. She could understand Orion’s discomfort, but she hadn’t deceived him. Not really. Maybe the misunderstanding came from their cultural differences? Not that it mattered, since she was determined to explain. She’d do anything to take that pained expression off his face.

  “He’s not my mate. Well, at least not anymore.” She protested, as panic over his imminent departure set in. What was wrong with her? It had only been a kiss, not a promise of forever. So why did Brigit feel as if she’d somehow betrayed Orion? She reached for him, desperate to convince him to stay. “I said he’s my ex-boyfriend--as in no more. There’s a difference between a mate and a boyfriend. I wouldn’t have let you in my room if Rick and I were still together, and I damn well wouldn’t have kissed you.” She coughed. “I mean, I wouldn’t have allowed you to kiss me.”

  Orion’s expression grew murderous. “Where is he?”

  Brigit swung around and scanned the crowd. No sign of Rick or Dorothy. Good! That gave her time to calm Orion. It was obvious that he still didn’t understand. “I haven’t seen him yet, but you don’t have anything to worry about. It’s over between us. Has been for a while. Rick fancies himself more a lover than a fighter.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Brigit knew they’d been a mistake.

  “Lover?” Orion’s gaze narrowed and he grit his teeth. “Has he claimed you?”

  “Claimed?” Surely, he wasn’t talking about sex. No way was she about to touch that subject. “Uh, er, I don’t think you understand,” she said. “And you’re definitely missing the point. Rick won’t give us any trouble in this contest. We should win easily. That’s all that is important.” She assured, ignoring the fact that she’d thought the same thing in the earlier contest and look what occurred. This time would be different. This time she had a secret weapon and he stood right beside her, looking like a sexy, albeit angry, galactic bandit.

  Even with open hostility rolling off him, the women were going to faint at the sight of him. Brigit smiled a moment. The expression faded into a scowl as jealousy gripped her. The thought of women fawning over him left a decidedly sour taste in
her mouth. It was one thing to flaunt Orion in front of Rick, it was quite another to do so in front of other women. In fact, the more she considered it, the more unappealing the idea became. Brigit didn’t want Orion standing in front of a crowd of screaming women. It didn’t matter that men outnumbered women at the Con five to one. There were still enough females in the audience to ogle him.

  Orion reached for Brigit, cupping her chin in order to tilt her face so she could meet his eyes. “‘Tis you who do not understand, little one. I care not about winning. Nor do I fear your ex.” He snorted as if the idea was ridiculous. “That said, I do plan to punish him for his treatment of you and challenge Rick’s claim.” He looked as shocked after saying the words as she felt.

  Challenge? Claim? Brigit gaped and pulled from his grasp. Fear grappled with excitement. Orion was defending her honor. She’d never had anyone defend her honor. It was all so thrilling…then logic took over. She put her hand on Orion’s chest and tried to ignore the luscious feel of the muscles beneath his costume. “I appreciate the whole macho bit as much as the next girl, but it’s not cool to get into a physical fight at the Con. They’d kick us out and would never allow us back in.”

  Orion frowned. “But this Rocket Man dishonored you by displaying his whore for all to see.” He shook his head, clearly confused. “I’m honor bound to challenge him.”

  Brigit wanted to laugh, but couldn’t. Looking in Orion’s eyes, she realized he meant every word. Her heart tripped in her chest. “That is so sweet, but I don’t need you to kick anyone’s ass for me. Winning this contest would be reward enough.” Brigit cupped his cheek, much like he’d done to her. She smoothed her thumb over his brand loving the feel of his skin beneath her fingers. “Rick hasn’t dishonored me. He acted like a schmuck. No doubt. And I admit, I was hurt for a while, but now I’m over it--over him.” She’d met someone far more appealing, but she wasn’t ready to tell him yet. “I should’ve known better than to fall for his smooth lines and handsome face…” Brigit stopped speaking the second she realized she could be describing her and Orion. She cringed inwardly. Way to go, genius. Why don’t you smack the guy next time? “I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m not saying you’re the same,” she tried to explain.