by Mel Teshco
“Please tell me you planted a suggestion into her mind, or my faith in the female species will be taking a big fat nosedive.”
“No suggestion, it wasn’t needed.”
“Of course it wasn’t,” she said drily. “By the way, quit it with the wife thing.” No matter that it sent a wanton thrill through her. “I don’t even wear a ring.”
“On my planet, we exchange braided hair bracelets as our mated sign.”
Piper couldn’t help but be charmed at the idea. No twenty carat engagement and wedding ring combo for the Riddichian people. Somehow the simple hair bracelet exchange seemed far more meaningful and romantic to her.
Baron dropped into a crouch and dipped the cloth into the bucket. Wringing the cloth almost dry, his nose wrinkled at the strong pine odor. He looked up at her and warned, “I’m guessing this will sting.”
She refused to fall into the trap of thinking he cared, and instead lifted the hem of her skirt and bared her grazed knees. The press of the moist cloth on her scrapes burned for a few seconds and then felt blessedly cool. He dabbed each of her knees before he straightened and lifted her hands, carefully cleaning the cuts.
She tried to harden her heart, but instead it melted at his tenderness, his touch that heated her skin even as the cloth cooled it.
When he stood and then lifted her chin to carefully wipe the blood off her brow, she couldn’t help but notice his usually compressed lips were now plump and soft, the dark bristles of his face highlighting the gleam of his golden-brown stare.
“Better?” he asked throatily.
She nodded. “Much.”
He smiled. “Good. Now turn around and bend over.”
Her benevolence died a quick death. “What? No! Are you deranged?”
He stared right back at her. “Your buttocks hit the gravel too. I need to clean all your scrapes.”
She glowered. “I’d rather an infected ass than to have you inspect every scrape, scratch and bruise down there!”
“A wounded partner will slow me down. You wouldn’t want that on your conscience, would you?”
What was one more thing to add to her guilt?
Her chin lifted a notch higher. “You could just leave me here.”
“Except you agreed to a full day,” he reminded.
She gaped. “Oh my god, you’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
He crouched again before he looked up at her. “I rarely joke.”
She shook her head, even as she muttered, “Bloody hell, I can’t believe I’m doing this.” That his sore bum analogy had actually come true wasn’t something she wanted to acknowledge. Instead she turned around, pulled up her skirt and tugged her underwear—her granny style ones—to one side. “A quick look and dab—one cheek at a time. And I won’t be doing any bending.”
“Not yet,” he drawled with his lilting accent that made her insides quiver even before the pads of his fingers touched her bottom. “Hm. Very red.” He stroked across her tender flesh, his fingers leaving a trail that both burned and gratified. When he pressed a kiss to one particularly sensitive spot, she yelped in shock.
But it wasn’t because it hurt, quite the opposite. The delicious sensation of his hot lips against her chafed skin made her wish he’d lean forward a little further and touch her swollen clit.
“Oh, my...”
The waitress’ shocked voice made Piper’s head swivel. The other woman’s wide gaze turned into speculative interest, and Piper dropped the hem of her skirt, half-covering Baron and his lips that were still pressed to her butt.
Piper stepped forward, her skirt pulling free from his head. She lifted her chin, refusing to give into mortification as she clipped out, “It isn’t how it looks.
Chapter Five
The brunette sniggered. “Yeah, of course it isn’t. You’re newlyweds I assume?”
Piper clasped her hands together, hiding the absence of a wedding ring.
Not that the waitress seemed to notice the obvious. She shook her head. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. You two really need to find yourselves another room. Preferably a bedroom.”
Baron pushed to his feet, and Piper felt heat rise to her face even as moisture rushed south at seeing the thick wedge of his arousal, which his tight uniform only seemed to enhance. She swallowed hard. Holy shit, Earth men’s cocks were surely puny in comparison.
The waitress blew a big pink bubble, and it popped loudly into the silence as she unashamedly feasted her eyes on Baron’s appendage.
Piper swallowed back a wave of resentment. Baron was her husband, at least as far as the waitress was concerned. She cleared her throat, along with all her silly feelings of jealousy and said, “Actually what we really want is coffee.”
Baron winked at the waitress. “My wife might be insatiable, but nothing gets between her and a morning coffee.”
Piper turned to Baron and gave him her sweetest smile, “If only you hadn’t left our credit cards behind. Then we’d be finished our coffee and making wild, passionate love in a cozy bedroom.”
Baron’s eyes glinted as he growled, “To hell with the credit cards.”
She sent the waitress a small smile. “If my husband got his mind out of the bedroom once in a while, I’m sure he’d remember important things like his wallet.”
The woman stroked a hand down her throat, and Piper knew right away the waitress wouldn’t be complaining if Baron gave her some attention in the bedroom. Sucking her bubblegum back into her mouth, she sighed loudly and said, “Look, I can’t help you with the bedroom, but the coffees are on the house—if you tell me one thing.”
Piper resisted clapping her hands. Baron had unwittingly revealed the truth. Nothing really did get between her and a morning coffee. “Of course, anything.”
The waitress looked Baron slowly up and down. “Why the wetsuit when the beaches are hours away?”
At Baron’s awkward silence, it was Piper’s turn to shrug and improvise. “My husband is a bit shy about the fact he’s a model who lives and breathes fashion.” She held back a grin at seeing his shoulders tense. “He’s testing out the latest clothing range.” She slid an arm around his waist. “One doesn’t need the ocean to look fashionable, isn’t that right, honey?”
The other woman’s eyes shone as she continued her appraisal of Baron. “Seriously? I’ve never met a real life model before.” She chewed her gum and tilted her head to the side. “I bet you’re really famous too, you have that certain wow factor.”
Baron nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face. “I’ve graced a few covers.”
Piper snorted out something unladylike, but the waitress didn’t seem to notice.
Hero worship glinted in the other woman’s eyes even as she trilled, “A fair dinkum celebrity right here in Woloonda, who’d have believed it?” Shaking her head, she got down to the coffee side of business. “So ... I’m guessing a long black for you,” she glanced at Piper, “and a cappuccino for you.”
“Actually my husband abhors anything but his daily cappuccino fix made extra frothy.”
The waitress seemed charmed by that little tidbit. It made it that much easier for Piper to ignore an uncomfortable twinge. She rarely lied and wasn’t particularly good at it, but there was something about Baron that brought out her naughty side.
Even worse was that she was beginning to enjoy that side of herself a little too much.
A minute later Piper and Baron took a seat inside the café, away from any potential prying eyes who might see them seated outside. Baron shifted uncomfortably on the too-small and hard wooden chair opposite her, before he stroked his chin and asked, “I’m guessing men rarely order these cappuccinos?”
“Correct.”
“Will I have to choke the stuff down?”
She grinned. “I suppose so.”
He arched a brow, but there was a glint of laughter in his eyes when he said, “You seem to be enjoying this a little too much.”
“Honestly, I
really am.”
The waitress appeared a few minutes later. “Here you go. Two cappuccinos.” She put Piper’s down and then turned to Baron. “An extra frothy one for you.”
Piper almost giggled when the waitress hung back, waiting to hear Baron’s verdict on the hot drink.
Baron took a tentative sip. His eyes closed for a second and he sagged back, the chair creaking ominously, before he sighed with evident relish and said, “Perfection in a cup.”
The waitress clasped her hands together. “Well we are renowned for our coffees here. Enjoy!”
“Are you serious?” Piper asked him in an undertone.
He took another sip from his cup. “Yes. This is by far the nicest thing I’ve tasted here on Earth.” He looked up, eying her suggestively as the tip of his tongue swept the froth off his lips, before he added, “So far.”
Her pulse did a crazy little jig, even as her own tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. How did he make her want him so much even as she tried her best to despise him? “Huh. Then it looks like your coffee will be the highlight of your Earth experience.”
He took another long, appreciative sip. And suddenly she wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss the foam from his mouth, while his big hands bracketed her waist and held her in place as he kissed her in return.
He wouldn’t be a gentle kisser, she thought dazedly. Not at the height of passion, he’d take command, and he’d fuck her until she was screaming his name and half a dozen orgasms creamed her inner thighs.
Her breath caught and her eyes narrowed. Her infatuation with him was getting way out of hand. It’d be all too easy to succumb to the temptation that was Baron.
She cleared her throat and nodded toward the single phone booth outside the hotel. “I have some phone calls to make.” She’d have to reverse charge since she had no money on her. “Feel free to finish your coffee.”
He downed his cup and stood, finishing his before she’d even drained her own. She took one last swallow and stood too, grateful her leg was already less stiff. “You know you don’t need to watch my every move.”
He escorted her out of the shop anyway, and Piper felt the waitress’ eyes on Baron the whole way. She looked up at him. “You are a magnet to people. They can’t seem to look away from you.”
“Maybe by the end of today you won’t be able to look away too.”
She withheld a sigh. It was already too late for that.
*
Baron leaned against the wall of the hotel, but he was anything but relaxed. He didn’t trust the Tantonics wouldn’t come out of hiding to either kill or capture him in broad daylight. Even their aversion to the sun—any heat—wouldn’t stop the bastards.
His stare once again settled on Piper. She was curling a strand of hair around a finger as she spoke, one dainty foot encased in a flat shoe resting on her shin. Odd how such a casual pose fired up his blood and made him want to sweep her up into his arms and lay her on the ground and...
He shook his head. Bad enough that he was attracted to her when he barely knew her, if he slept with her too there mightn’t be any turning back.
Or maybe sleeping with her will get her out of your system once and for all.
Yeah, fat chance.
A grin pulled at his lips. If nothing else at least he was automatically using English phrasing. Transitioning into the human population might be smoother than he or any of the Riddich crew imagined.
Piper’s conversation drifted his way, making him glad of his exceptional Riddich hearing.
“Yes Mom, I’m fine. I should be home again tomorrow sometime.”
His breath caught. Should be?
“We’ll have to catch up again soon though, it’s been too long. Love you too, Mom.”
She disconnected the call, pressed in some more numbers and asked someone—an operator, he vaguely recalled—to put her through to her next caller.
“Rebecca, hi. Yes, your car is fine. I’m at Woolanda.” After a lengthy pause she added, “I’m sorry, but you wouldn’t believe the unimaginable things I’ve—“
Baron shifted restlessly and scanned the sky. Piper was undoubtedly gritting her teeth against Rebecca’s tirade. That Piper was rarely polite to him was something he appreciated in an odd way. He liked that he brought out a side of her that was hidden from most other people.
But they should have already left this place. It was too close to civilization and probably one of the first places the Tantonic asshats would look.
“Yes, I know. I’ll return the car in pristine order, I promise. Just please let work know that I won’t be in today and probably not tomorrow either.”
Not tomorrow either? His pulse quickened, hope expanding in his chest.
“I’m not sure, we’ll probably continue south.” Pause. “No, I’m not alone. And no, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Look, I’ll fill you in on all the details later. See you soon. Bye.”
When Piper walked back to him with a pinched expression, Baron’s glee evaporated. He hid a frown. Why the hell did she put up with someone like ‘Becs’? And why did Rebecca have to know all Piper’s business anyway? Yes, Piper had taken the car, but a blind man could see Piper was trustworthy and loyal.
His mind skittered back the visual of the one and same woman who’d leapt from the car. Yeah, she was loyal and dependable all right ... to everyone but him.
“Everything okay?” he asked harshly.
She shrugged. “Good as can be expected, I guess.”
“But?”
“Rebecca wants her car back.”
Baron nodded. “Perfect.”
Her brow furrowed. “How is that even close to perfect?”
“We have to get rid of the car anyway.”
She pushed a hand through her dark hair. “Just what exactly do you have in mind?”
“Come, I’ll show you.”
She took his proffered hand and as he led her past a trickle of shops, he tried not to think about the soft, gentle hand that was lost in his callused one. Just as he tried not to breathe in her gorgeous scent that reminded him of country air and the sweet smell of rain hitting fertile Riddich land.
He forced his thoughts away from Piper and concentrated on his surroundings. The sun was already fierce, the coming day another hot one that would put the Tantonics at a nice disadvantage. A big black dog woofed from a front yard and two young boys rattled past the cracked sidewalk on their skateboards.
He stopped when he spotted a middle-aged woman sweeping dust and leaves off her front pathway. A faded red scarf covered most of her graying hair, a green apron flowing over her tight, polka dot dress.
“Hi,” Baron said smoothly.
The woman looked up and goggled at him in his uniform. “Hello,” she said in return, though her intrigue was tempered by a whole lot of wary distrust. “You’re not here to sell me something are you?”
He put his empty hands up. “No Ma’am. I just wanted to ask if you had any plans for today?”
She frowned. “Not particularly. But how’s that any of your business?”
Wrong or right he had no choice but to make it his business. He stepped closer but stayed behind the gate. She wasn’t strong minded, but if he pushed too hard her defenses might shut down, blocking him out. “Just one more question if you don’t mind, and then I’ll leave you in peace.”
The lady blew out an aggrieved breath. “Fine, but make it quick. I’ve got work to do.”
“Do you know of anyone living in Clydecarrow?”
She straightened, a small smile dissolving a little of her wariness. “Why, yes. My sister lives there.”
Baron nodded, a small knot of tension easing in his belly even before he pushed a suggestion into the woman’s mind. For Piper’s benefit, he spoke it aloud. “I have keys to a car that will take you to Clydecarrow. You’ll immediately know which car to take, just as you’ll know who the car belongs to when you arrive.”
The woman lifted slightly glazed eyes
, took three steps before she stopped at the gate and held a hand out for the keys. “Thank you. You’re very kind.”
When the woman disappeared indoors to get what she needed for her trip, Baron was aware of Piper’s tightlipped silence. It wasn’t until they retraced their steps toward the café that she lifted narrowed eyes and asked, “Don’t you feel bad, manipulating people like that?”
He arched a brow. “You don’t recall the fibs we told the waitress?” At her guilty, averted face, he stopped and turned to her, cupping her chin to draw her stare back up to his. “In war nothing really matters except getting through the day in one piece while hurting as few innocent people as possible.”
Her face paled, her voice desolate. “It’s too late for the police officer though, isn’t it.”
He nodded, hating that it was true. “There will always be casualties. The Tantonics are ruthless killers who will eliminate any witnesses, anyone who stands between us and them.”
Her eyes flashed. “Yet earlier you threatened to kill an innocent man who’d pulled over to see if I was okay.”
Lifting his other hand, he rubbed suddenly gritty eyes. When had he last slept? It’d been a week since the crash landing and he’d probably dozed no more than a few hours each night. He was well overdue for a decent rest.
“I wouldn’t have killed him. Not without good reason.”
“Not without good reason?” she echoed in a squeaky voice.
“If he was a threat in any way, then yes, I wouldn’t have had a choice but to eliminate him.”
She blinked. “Except you knew he wasn’t a threat, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
She jerked free of his clasp. “You took advantage of my gullibility. I should have never agreed to a whole day with you!”
Liar.
Her attraction to him was as obvious as his attraction to her. He lowered his voice. “You weren’t wishing that when I had my lips on your ass and I was kissing my way toward your pussy. I could scent your passion, the bouquet was incredible—“