by Anna Adler
“So what’s off, then? Spit it out, Alyssa. I can tell that you’re hiding something.”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“And now you’re blushing. There’s definitely something eating you.”
Frustrated, Alyssa pulled herself straighter. “Just because she flirted with you doesn’t mean that you should flirt back. Silenians are rather straightforward with pets. But Lucia knows you’re mine and she would never do anything inappropriate. So don’t get any ideas. She wouldn’t sleep with you.”
A grin spread on his face. “Ah, I get it. You’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“You’re worried I fancy your redhead friend.”
“Well, do you? You turned awfully cooperative as soon as you realized she found you attractive. Stripping naked and everything.”
Jax chuckled. “That was just for fun. You two should have seen yourselves, both of you leaning forward and practically drooling.”
“We were not drooling.”
He patted her cheek. “I wanted to hand you a napkin. Don’t worry, I don’t care about Lucia. You’re my favorite horny Silenian dimwit.”
Alyssa bristled. “Dimwit?”
“Yeah, that’s right. You might act like you’re clever, Alyssa, but in reality, it’s your pussy that does the thinking.”
Alyssa’s annoyance switched to amusement, knowing she could easily turn this comment against him. She put her palms on Jax’s chest and shoved so that he fell backward into an armchair. He made a surprised sound, but his wide grin told her he was having fun. She straddled him.
“Of course your cock never does the thinking,” she teased as she wiggled on top of him.
“Of course not,” he said, putting his hands on her hips.
Alyssa caressed his face. “Yet you’re awfully eager to drop your pants whenever a woman tells you to.”
“Well…”
“And any dimwit will do, apparently,” she declared, full of mischief. “It doesn’t matter if she’s a stranger who obviously thinks with her pussy. One word and you’re ready to lose the clothes.”
“Hey, a guy likes to have attention.”
“You’re pretty desperate for that attention, aren’t you?”
“I’m not desperate.”
“Then how do you explain your…shockingly…lax behavior? I think putting a leash on you was unnecessary. Anyone with a pair of tits could lead you around by your cock.”
“Not true.”
“Oh really?” Alyssa kept wiggling, thrilled to detect his cock swelling under her butt. “I believe I have some rock solid evidence that—”
Jax grabbed her and kissed her. He ran his fingers through her hair and crushed his mouth on hers, hungry and vehement. Alyssa forgot what she was saying. All of a sudden nothing existed but his caresses, his demanding lips and his tongue twisting with hers. She mewled and melted into him. She never wanted it to end. But then Jax broke the kiss and held her face in his hands.
“To be honest, I was only teasing you,” he said, his chest rising and falling. “You’re one of the smartest people I’ve met.”
“Oh?” Alyssa wondered, dazed.
“Yeah. I thought you’d freak out when I got out of the cage. I thought I’d have to tie you up and stuff you in a closet, out of the way, but you made yourself useful instead. You’re no dumb screamer. You’re sharp, adaptive and brave. I like that. And you’re sweet in your creepy Silenian way.”
“What’s a creepy Silenian way of being sweet?”
“You think of me as a possession. You’re so loving and caring, and yet you think it’s okay to keep me in a cage.”
Alyssa sensed somewhere deep down that he was right and she was wrong. He was more a person than a pet, and she had violated him by keeping him collared and locked up. But she didn’t want to think about it too closely. Owning a pet provided too much pleasure. She didn’t want to consider that her entire society was doing something wrong. She managed to look a little guilty, though.
“You’re a naughty girl, Alyssa,” Jax scolded her with a grin. “But that’s why I find you irresistible. You can forget about me running after anyone with a pair of tits. I’ve never done that; I have my pride. I didn’t get hard for Lucia. The only thing making me hard right now is you.”
“Oh.” A pleasant blush warmed her skin.
His voice dropped lower. “I only strip on command if you’re watching. Because I know it makes your pussy wet.”
“So this makes you hard?” Alyssa purred, beginning to unbutton her blouse.
Jax’s gaze zeroed in on her hands. His throat worked as he swallowed. “Oh yeah.”
Alyssa didn’t hurry, enjoying the effect she had on him. She shrugged the blouse off her shoulders, and he pressed his face into her breasts with a groan. She caressed his head, heat spreading in her belly. Satisfying knowledge that she was special now accompanied her desire. No need for jealousy; Jax placed her above other women. She was happy.
Losing her pants required some acrobatics, but Alyssa managed it with ease. Slowly, she removed her clothes, with the exception of her bra and panties. Jax’s hands roamed over her skin. When he tried to help her shed her clothes faster, she pushed his hands away.
When he realized her intent, he grinned, and leaned back, his eyes dark with lust. Alyssa knew she had his full attention. She grabbed his shirt and yanked it off him, ran her hands over his muscular torso, delighting in the hardness of his body. He was so strong, and hers to play with. She rocked her hips, teasing his cock, loving the way his breathing increased. She ran her fingers up and down his arms in a caress then applied her sharp nails to his scaly skin. He let out a groan.
All this hard muscle. All for me.
Alyssa leaned down and put her tongue on his belly, drawing it up across his chest and to his neck. His skin was smooth and had a light salty taste. She nipped at his shoulder with her teeth. Then she moved up and kissed him, tilting his head back to bury her fingers in his hair. He growled in his throat and grabbed her ass.
Alyssa loved his passion. She kissed him hard and deep, and he clutched her tighter to him. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and his tongue met hers, twining together. His hands squeezed her buttocks then began easing her out of her panties. Alyssa broke the kiss and took his hands off her. Standing, she made sure he watched as she dropped her panties and unhooked her bra with slow, seductive movements.
His gaze turned so hungry it made a shiver run over her skin. “Come here,” he growled.
Alyssa knew that if she didn’t go to him, he’d jump up and come to her. Pleased with her handiwork, she straddled him properly now. He tried to grab her, but she planted one hand on his shoulder, pushing him back. With her other hand, she opened his pants and reached into them, wrapping her fingers around his hard cock. He sucked in a breath.
“Fuck yeah.”
She gave him a wicked smile as she eased his cock out of his pants.
God, he’s so big and hard.
Her pussy turned wet at the mere thought of being spread by this thing. He slipped a condom into her hand.
“Oh. Where did this come from?” she wondered.
“My pocket. With a vixen like you, I better keep protection at hand.”
Alyssa grinned.
I’ll show him vixen.
She unwrapped it and put it on him. Then she guided him to her entrance and sank down on him, moaning as his thick shaft impaled her.
Jax groaned, his jaw clenched. “Fuck, that’s good.”
Alyssa didn’t move for a minute, her head thrown back. She was lost in the bliss of Jax inside her, hot and solid, so big she needed to adjust before she could move, panting with the effort. Then she began to rock her hips, the pleasure from the movement making her moan. She clutched Jax’s shoulders and locked gazes with him. His eyes were narrow, his jaw still tight, and he sucked in deep breaths through his nose.
“Ride me, girl.” He pressed his thumb on her clit, h
is other hand cupping her ass. “Ride me hard.”
Chapter 17
Afterward, Alyssa wanted to take a nap in Jax’s arms. She tried to lure him to the bedroom, but Jax wanted to go back to his escape plans. He pulled her to sit in his lap while he went over the blueprints. He kept a possessive arm around her waist and didn’t let go. Alyssa gave in and helped him in his task, enjoying being close to him.
“Hitching a ride in the ore shuttle has a lot of ifs and maybes,” he said. “You’re sure there’s no way you can escort me off the planet?”
Alyssa shook her head. “No. Pets aren’t allowed farther than the spaceport. No excursions to the orbit or to the other colonies.”
“Not even if it’s an emergency?”
“The only emergency I could imagine is a planetwide evacuation. It’s not gonna happen, Jax.”
“Figures. I think your government knows that what you’re doing here is pretty fucked up. They want to keep the pets grounded so other races don’t see how you treat them.”
Alyssa chewed at her fingernail in annoyance.
We treat them well, you stubborn ass!
But she decided to ignore his comment and said, “Whatever the case, your only chance of escaping Silenia is taking the ore shuttle.”
Jax nuzzled her hair absentmindedly. He put away the blueprint he was holding and wrapped both arms around her waist. “What’s the worst case scenario? What happens if something goes wrong?”
Alyssa didn’t really want to consider this possibility. Anyway, she only intended to make escape plans until Jax changed his mind and decided to stay as her pet. She replied warily, “If we’re caught and the security forces realize you have rebelled, you’ll be put down. No manner of begging on my part is going to change that scenario.”
“You told me that already. What about you? You’re breaking the law by helping me. What are they going do to you?”
Alyssa thought about this. She would face some disciplinary actions, but she didn’t know what the standard sentence was for helping a pet escape. A short while in prison, maybe. Silenia had only one prison, the Cloverfield Correctional Facility, and that’s where she would end up.
Jax’s arms tightened around her. “Those fuckers wouldn’t kill you, would they?”
“No, of course not. There’s no such thing as a death penalty here.”
“Except for pets,” he pointed out.
“…Yeah.”
“Crazy fucking planet,” Jax grumbled. “So what are they gonna do to you once they find out you helped me escape?”
Alyssa opened her mouth to reply, but a realization struck her, and she froze. If she told Jax the truth, he might stay. He held her so tightly against his chest now, radiating protective anger. He was worried about her!
Her heart beat faster. She would get no better leverage than this. If she exaggerated her fate, maybe told him she would be locked up for life, Jax would stay in order to save her. He might drop his escape plans right now and go back to his cage, even if he hated it. But Alyssa recoiled from this thought. It was dishonest. She would hate herself if she pulled such a dirty trick on him. She didn’t want Jax to stay out of a sense of duty—she wanted him to stay because he loved her and couldn’t live without her. Besides, if she used his protective instinct against him, his respect for her would vanish.
Alyssa didn’t believe the worst case scenario would happen anyway: she trusted her charm. Jax would decide to stay before long. In the meantime, she wasn’t going to look like a wimp in front of him.
Her silence lasted so long that Jax tensed and gripped her tighter. “Answer me. What’s going to happen to you?”
“Oh, nothing,” Alyssa said lightly. “Sorry, I was just thinking about it. I might get a fine or something, but heck, I can afford it.”
“A fine? They would execute me, but you’re just gonna get a fine?”
Alyssa gave an uncomfortable shrug. “That’s how it is.”
Jax scoffed. He kissed the back of her neck and picked up the blueprints again. Alyssa leaned back against his chest and tried to ignore the doubt gnawing at her. No, she wouldn’t go to prison. Her plan would work. It had to.
They nibbled at the leftovers of their earlier meal, and later, Alyssa ordered more.
At nightfall, Jax suddenly lifted his head and looked out. “What time is it?”
“Ten p.m.”
“Local time or Earth Standard?”
“Local time.”
He rubbed his eyes. “What kind of day rhythm do you have here anyway? Feels close to Earth time, for some reason.”
“You’re right. Silenia rotates pretty much like Earth; we have a frequent sunrise and sunset. Our day has twenty-three hours. But we’re much farther away from our star, so our year has 612 days. Not that it makes much of a difference though…we don’t have open water or vegetation like Earth does. We don’t really have seasons here. Silenia is always cold and sunny, with an occasional sandstorm.”
“Well, I’ve been to planets that are cold and dark, with a poisonous sleet storm as the main weather phenomenon. Compared to them, Silenia is a paradise.”
His comment made her smile.
“Anyway, it’s bedtime.” Jax got up and lifted Alyssa to her feet as well. “I want to get up early tomorrow.”
They did their evening grooming, after which Jax pulled Alyssa with him to the bedroom. “I can’t possibly let you sleep alone,” he said with a grin. He peeled her clothes off her and shooed her under the covers. “You might get naughty ideas in your head. For all I know, you might try to collar me while I sleep. But you’re not gonna try anything with my arms around you. I’ll wake up if you try to sneak away.”
Alyssa enjoyed being pushed around by him.
Why on earth would I try to sneak away if I can have his arms around me?
This was what she’d been dreaming of, although she’d never thought she could safely share a bed with an untamed pet. She thought it would take months of patient training and conditioning before she could trust to sleep next to Jax, but here she was, eagerly watching him as he shed his clothes and crawled next to her. He opened his arms for her, and Alyssa snuggled close to him. She enjoyed the feel of his big, warm body against hers.
“Good girl. Stay right there,” Jax rumbled, pulling her close.
Tucked under the blanket and tightly wrapped in his arms, Alyssa fell asleep.
Chapter 18
“I have an idea,” Alyssa said the next morning over breakfast. “Let’s do a trial run.”
Jax watched her with a suspicious air while he ate.
“Let’s go to the spaceport,” she explained. “We shouldn’t try to get to the industrial side, of course, but we could look around in the public area. You’d get a better feel of the environment than from the blueprints.”
Jax continued to stare at her. He put another piece of bread in his mouth and chewed. Alyssa leaned back in her chair with a smile. She guessed what was going on in his mind. Going out with her was humiliating because he would have to wear the collar and act like a pet. He hated it. Wild pets didn’t like leashes. However, he agreed with her reasoning and he wanted to see the spaceport. If he detected an opportunity, he might even try to run today. Alyssa believed he wouldn’t, though. He was smart. No industrial shuttle launched before Sunday, so the only chance would be to hijack a passenger shuttle, but those were so well guarded that he would be caught before he even got near one. This could only be a scouting tour.
“Sure, let’s go to the spaceport,” Jax said, still chewing. “But don’t get any ideas. I’m not gonna crawl at your feet or do other pet stuff just because I wear a collar. If you put me through any shit, I’ll roast your ass later.”
Alyssa grinned and wiggled in her chair. “Don’t tempt me.”
After breakfast, Alyssa picked up the collar from the corner where Jax had last thrown it. She selected a leash, a short one this time, and gave Jax the collar with the leash attached.
“I have t
o activate the collar once you have it on,” she said in a serious tone. This was no joking matter; he had to understand the rules and they had to trust one another. “The surveillance out there notices if the collar is deactivated. But I’ll adjust it to the lowest security setting: no sudden moves. You won’t get hurt unless you try to aggressively grab someone.”
Jax’s expression was dark from suppressed anger, but he took the collar from her. “What sort of shit do I have to put up with out there? Do I have to crawl on my hands and knees or something?”
“No. You’re supposed to move and behave according to your species. I’m expected to show you off, not humiliate you. People are going to admire you. You’re going to be looked at and potentially touched.”
“No thanks. If someone lays a hand on me, I’m gonna break it.”
Alyssa stiffened. “You can’t hurt a human, no matter what they do.”
“They better not do anything, then.”
“I’ll do my best to keep people away from you, but if someone touches you, you mustn’t react. If you try to hurt someone, you’re dead, and I can’t save you.”
Jax only glared. Alyssa put her hand on his arm. “Please, Jax, this is important.”
He shrugged. “All right. But you better keep all the assholes off me.”
“I-I’ll do my best.”
Jax snapped the collar around his neck without further ado. “Are we going or what?”
Alyssa licked her lips and wrapped his leash around her hand. This should be a fun trip and she should enjoy it, but she worried about him. Untrained, it wasn’t safe to take him to a popular excursion spot among lots of people. He might misbehave with tragic consequences, but if they wanted his escape tomorrow to work, it was good to give him some practice. Alyssa faced him and reached up to straighten his hair.
“Just walk right behind me. Follow my lead and obey my orders. I won’t make you do anything pointless, I swear. Whatever I tell you to do is for your own safety. Trust me on this.”
He gave her a curt nod.
They took the elevator down and headed across the square toward the magtrain station.