The door clicked softly as it closed, while the wheels of the trolley squeaked until the man reached the bank of lifts.
“That smells wonderful,” Lily said. “What did you order?”
“The man in the restaurant recommended the lamb.” Suddenly Alex wished he’d never thought of the idea. All he’d wanted was to make things easier for Lily. But right now, from where he stood, it felt as though he was knee-deep in trouble. The setting was romantic and, dammit, that wasn’t what he’d intended at all.
“Let’s eat,” Lily said, still beaming.
Alex tried not to look directly at her as he gestured for her to sit. He pulled out a chair and seated her then strolled around to sit opposite with a calmness he didn’t feel. Every breath he dragged in overloaded his senses with Lily’s scent, torturing Alex with reminders of how much he wanted her. The bonding ties felt like a rope around his neck, slowly tightening and squeezing his willpower. The idea of giving in was a seductive song in his mind. But he refused to give in to it. No messy emotional entanglements for him. No, majesty! He intended to remain free to pursue his dreams. No way did he intend to tie himself to a woman only to find that she changed the minute she discovered he was a royal prince. He chanced a glance at Lily. Hard to say if she would be like that or not, but he didn’t intend to take the risk.
“Is there something wrong with your meal?” Lily asked. “You’re frowning at your plate as though it’s full of worms.”
Alex jerked his eyes off the roast lamb and looked at Lily. A soft glow made her eyes particularly beautiful. He stilled at the emotion he saw in them—deep and mysterious. Her expression reminded him of the palace consorts when they managed to wear him down and drag him off to bed.
Please don’t let her chase me, he thought. Heck, he had to get a grip on himself. With the spell the old crone had given him, he was as ugly as a newborn undergrown. But Lily was a problem because she seemed desperate to prove her value. And that bloody ex-male of hers. He’d mucked up her self-confidence and now she’d decided to test her wiles on someone safe. Him. Well, cometflash—she’d picked the wrong male to test her wiles on. And he sure as hell wasn’t feeling safe.
“What did you think of the sights you saw today?”
When Alex risked another glance, he saw her normal, cheery expression. An innocent set of blue eyes framed by wisps of brown hair combined with a sprinkling of brown dots on her nose and cheeks and a gentle smile.
Take her at face value, he decided. He thought of all the sights he’d seen and immediately his enthusiasm bubbled and plans filled his mind with a pleasant buzz. “I want to include Rotorua on the itinerary,” he said. “There are so many different things to see. We don’t have anything like that on Dalcon. Or on the neighboring planets.”
“Are you trying to appeal to adventurous travelers?”
“Not necessarily. I’d like to offer alternative activities in each stop-off point. And I’d like to cater for both male and female clients.”
The discussion carried Alex past his awkwardness and suspicions, letting him relax and float all his budding ideas past Lily. By the end of dinner and the bottle of wine, they’d mapped out the stops for Rotorua and worked out a list of possibles for Taupo.
Lily cleared away the plates, stacking them outside the door for room service to collect later. She stepped back inside the room and engaged the security lock with a metallic snap. Alex felt as though he’d been incarcerated with temptation.
“Do you want to use the bathroom first?” she said.
The tension inside him ratcheted sharply upward. Alex’s mouth curled into a wry grin. It seemed the minute he forgot to focus on his dream, visions of Lily and sexual relations started to crowd his head.
Okay. Lily could go first. He’d continue with his planning on paper then go take a cold shower, massage away some of the sexual tension and by the time he came back out, Lily would be asleep.
Simple solution.
He forced a smile. “You go first.” His gaze darted to her cleavage as the cotton robe she wore gaped. Round, soft curves tempted him to close the distance between them. The little brown dot on her breast beckoned. A whimper built at the back of his throat. Alex bunched his fists and concentrated on deep, easy breaths. By the Goddess, he hoped she was quick because he really needed that shower.
Lily had switched off the main lights and only a single bedside lamp burned when he exited the shower, dressed in a short robe provided by the hotel. Good. She seemed to be asleep. Alex eyed the couch. It looked a little short, but he’d make do.
“Alex?”
Damn.
Lily sat up and patted the expanse of bed beside her. “I hope you’re not thinking about sleeping on the couch.”
“Yes, I was,” Alex stated baldly.
“That’s silly. The bed is huge.”
But not big enough.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Lily’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t bite.”
“But I’d like to,” he muttered in an undertone.
“Get in bed.”
Bloody hell. Alex sat and perched on the edge of the bed. Not a terribly masculine pose, but he was running scared. Her voice had turned masterful but sultry with it. A lethal combination.
“We have a lot to do tomorrow. You need a decent night’s sleep. “
“I’m not going to sleep if I’m in the same bed as you.” No point pulling his punches.
“Good,” Lily said, clear satisfaction in her voice. “We can use the time to explore each other.”
Fuck. He’d stepped right into that one. Trouble was how did he get out. “I don’t think—”
“No thinking required,” Lily said sweetly. Her breasts rose and fell abruptly. “Just lie back and think of Dalcon.”
Chapter Nine
A dare.
Lily’s heart thudded so loudly it was a wonder Alex didn’t pounce on her fear and issue a return challenge. She needed to act before he called her bluff and climbed off the bed. Quick! But what should she do?
Alex made a move as if he might try to escape. Lily bit her bottom lip. Did she disrobe? Did she jump him? What? Heck, this whole situation was plain embarrassing. She might be female and she’d had sex before, but she still had no idea how to successfully seduce a man. At least she didn’t need to worry about contraception since that was sorted. As long as he didn’t have any nasty diseases, the pill should suffice.
Then he turned to face her, an anguished expression on his beautiful face that tore at her heart. He was going to move.
Ditch the nightie later. Naked later. Judging by the look on his face, she needed to work on persuasion first. In the light of the bedside lamp, determination laced with something that looked suspiciously like fear replaced the anguish. No, that couldn’t be right. Why would he fear her?
She looked again. Alex still looked as though he’d make a run for it at any second. A picture of a wrestler sailed into her mind. Oh, yeah. She could imagine jumping him all right. And luckily, he was big and solid, because otherwise he was in danger of being flattened by her chunky form. From the corner of her eye she saw the muscles bunching in his calves.
Emergency! Lily launched herself across the bed before Alex moved so much as another muscle. A wall of hard muscle flattened her breasts before his hands manacled her wrists and held her away so they no longer touched. She fought back taking him unaware and threw herself at him again. Lily bumped her nose on his shoulder so hard her eyes smarted, but it was worth the pain. Alex’s arms came around her, clutching her tightly.
His robe had loosened during their struggle, and Lily smiled as she nestled closer to his naked chest but took care to hide her jubilation. The battle wasn’t won yet. His hands gripped her upper arms with an almost painful intensity before he pushed her away to search her face intently. The man looked every inch the predator as his eyes bored into her, transfixing her with his golden glare.
Panic rose to savage Lily. He was going to
push her away after all! Lily stopped fighting the strength in his arms and went boneless. As she’d gambled, he let up on his grip and she went in for the kill.
Seduction.
Lily was willing to use every weapon in her arsenal because she couldn’t take much more of the physical push and pull games. She ached for him, his full possession. Lily wanted the slow slide of his cock massaging her deep inside her womb. Whenever she glimpsed his chest, she wanted to lick and bite at the golden, hairless flesh. She wanted to tease and torment the flat discs of his nipples. The taste during their lunch break yesterday had left her hungry.
So, this was a test for him. If he really meant it when he said he found her attractive, now was the time for him to prove it.
Lily kissed him, sliding her lips over his in a slow dance of seduction. Alex stilled, his mouth was motionless beneath her questing lips. No. No! Her mind screamed her frustration and helplessness. This wouldn’t work if he didn’t cooperate. Lily put everything she had into the kiss, moving her lips and tracing the seam of mouth with her tongue. Still he remained motionless. She gulped inwardly as she rained kisses on the corner of his mouth, across his jaw and pondered failure. A block of clay had more animation. Ambrose had kept telling her she lacked sex appeal.
Moving her kisses down his neck, Lily paused to enjoy the soft, tender skin below his ear. Was it her imagination or had Alex tensed? Lily swallowed. Maybe Ambrose was right about her sex appeal. Or the lack of it. Tears formed at the back of her eyes and she squeezed them shut, trying to save embarrassment. Lily pressed another moist kiss across the pulse point below his ear then scraped her teeth over the same tender spot.
A low heartfelt groan cracked like a whip in the quiet room. Lily froze. Her heart pounded. Her eyes popped open.
Then she repeated the move. Slower. A bit more bite. Yeah. Her breath hissed out in celebration. That was a definite groan. Lily sucked, drawing on his neck. His hands gripped her shoulders tighter, drawing her close and allowing her free rein. Lily drew on the same spot for as long as it took to mark him. The idea of the golden cat prowling about with a hickey—her mark on his neck—thrilled her. It smacked of possession but that’s exactly how she felt.
Lily wriggled closer to kiss his mouth. This time was better. Her mouth met warm, responsive lips. Masculine fingers threaded through her hair and hands cradled her head. Lily moaned softly, writhing against him in silent demand.
“We shouldn’t.” Alex nibbled at her mouth. “Do this.”
Time to pull out all stops. No way was he stopping while she had breath in her body. Lily tugged free, whipped her nightie over her head and sat proudly naked, despite her inner anxiety.
A vein throbbed at his temple. His hands clenched and unclenched.
“You’re so beautiful.” He touched one nipple with the tip of his finger. Lily trembled, closing her eyes against the zap of spine-tingling sensation that shot to her clitoris. Unbidden, her hand reached to soothe the achy, almost painful jolt. The feeling intensified as her finger cruised over her clit.
“I have to touch you. Can I touch?”
Lily’s eyes fluttered open to see him watching her hand avidly. She nodded, suddenly breathless at the hot gleam in his eyes. She felt a swooping pull in her lower belly. Her vagina contracted sharply. Feminine juices gathered beneath her finger.
“My turn,” Alex whispered, his voice low. Smoky.
Oh, my God! Hot flags of color exploded in her cheeks as she realized what she’d just done. She’d touched herself in front of Alex.
“Did it feel good when you touched yourself?”
How did he do that? Read her emotions before she knew them herself. Lily’s gaze dropped to the hand that rested on her thigh. Her juices coated her finger and it shone. Her heart thudded hard as if a fist closed around it, squeezing tight. This was the new, go-getter Lily. She didn’t lie. “Yes.” Lily’s chin lifted. “I liked it.”
Alex shifted, repositioning both of them on the bed so they reclined fully. Then he leaned over her and traced a finger across her lips. Lily opened her mouth and sucked his finger inside, closing her lips around it and soothing her tongue over the tip. Their eyes met and held.
“Lily.” Her name came out as a low groan, coated with passion and possibilities.
Teasing now, Lily gave his finger a final lick then released it with a loud smacking sound. She hoped the next thing she had in her mouth was his cock. A shiver shot through her sensitized body at the thought. “You have way too many clothes on.” The words burst from her in a low breathy voice. A sexy voice. Surely, that wasn’t her?
Alex stared at her for a long drawn-out moment. He propped himself up on his elbows then swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His hands went to the tie at his waist. “Not for long.” Lily licked suddenly dry lips as Alex stood. The huge bulge at his groin drew her attention.
“For me?”
“There’s no one else here,” he said, his tone rough as he dropped the robe on the floor.
He was naked beneath. Lily sat up, and her breath eased out with a hiss. His manhood thrust out proudly about level with her fascinated eyes. He was different from Ambrose in this department, too. Bigger, but that wasn’t a problem since she was built to take big if she wanted. The biggest surprise was the lack of hair.
Enthralled with the discovery, her hand reached without volition to touch the silky smooth skin that surrounded his cock. Oh, the equipment seemed the same—just different.
“I have hair.” Lily gestured at her groin. “Do you shave? Or wax?” Eek! Lily winced at the thought. That would take more balls than she had.
“Dalconians don’t have much body hair. Are you gonna touch?”
Lily’s gaze shot to his face. His lips were drawn back in a pained expression, and his eyes glowed a deep golden color that was mesmerizing and beautiful enough to tempt a saint.
She was no saint—not in her new bad-girl guise. Catching and holding his gaze, Lily licked her lips. Slowly. Completely.
“Stop teasing,” he whispered hoarsely. “I’m holding back by a woolo fiber. Touch me. Feel what you do to me. I’m shaking.”
Lily’s gaze zapped to his cock. “Whoa!” She scrambled away to stare in half horror, half fascination. That was a bit…unexpected!
Alex stilled. “What’s wrong?”
“You…you’ve turned blue!” The sudden need to laugh quivered through her like a glass of tickly champagne. Alex’s…thing… She peered a little harder. Not just his thing… “My God,” she muttered. “It’s the exact color of a baboon’s bum!” As Lily watched, his cock shriveled up and the blue color faded upward before vanishing. She blinked then closed her eyes. When she reopened them, all she could see was a flesh-colored cock. “Wow!” Lily grinned up at Alex. “Do that again.”
Every muscle in his body—apart from his cock—tensed. “I am not a man-toy. I will not go up and down for your viewing pleasure.” He sounded decidedly testy.
Oops. She’d hurt his feelings. Lily stood and ran her hand across his shoulder in silent apology. But she couldn’t resist a quick downward glance to see what his cock was doing. To her acute disappointment, the answer was nothing. It was just there and looked like a normal penis.
Alex shrugged off her touch and stooped to pick up his robe.
Panic replaced Lily’s humor. “Alex, wait. I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect…” She trailed off, valiantly fighting the laughter that gurgled up inside.
“You’re laughing at me.”
“No! Please. I really want to take this further.” One look at his clenched jaw told her that all the words in the world wouldn’t soothe his injured pride. Action—that’s what she needed. Lily stood on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his tight mouth. She rubbed her breasts against his chest and groaned at the exquisite sensation of her nipples dragging across the golden skin. Suddenly, the mouth she kissed softened and kissed her back. Okay. Good. Lily caught herself before she aimed her eyes at his groin. Nope, she c
ouldn’t do that. Not yet. She needed to get him in the mood again and then, this time, she’d explore the alien aspects of his body without the passion-killing remarks about baboons.
Lily continued to kiss and pet Alex until they both shook with pent-up need. She backed in up to the bed and pushed him off balance, falling on him before he could object. They toppled to the bed together, Lily dropping on top of Alex’s muscled body.
“Alex?”
“Yes?”
Lily frowned at the cautious note in his voice. “I’m gonna look now,” she said, her heart thumping with acute anticipation. “Do you want to tell me anything else before I look?”
“Madam, I assure you I am quite normal.”
The pique had appeared again, and Lily rushed to reassure him. “I’m not implying you’re abnormal! But you are from a different planet. I just wanted a bit of warning in case there was…um…something else?” She punctuated her words with kisses because no way did she want his cock to shrink before she got a good, close look at his blue balls.
“There are a few small differences,” Alex finally admitted after a long stretch of cranky silence. “But I have studied Earth and know the correct way to proceed—”
“You’ve studied sex?” Lily blurted. “Then it sounds like you can teach me.” She paused, her mind working at top speed. Maybe, discovering the differences as they came along would be fun. As long as there was nothing dangerous… Lily thought about the color blue. A pretty color. Her eyes were blue. “As long as there’s no danger involved,” she said slowly, catching and holding his gaze, “then I’d like to discover the differences as we proceed.”
“You trust my word?”
The scowl on Alex’s face was fearsome, but it didn’t deter Lily because she did trust the alien. He’d shown her nothing but kindness so far despite her insecurities. “I trust you and would like to proceed.” My stars, that sounded formal, Lily thought. The need to laugh nipped at her tonsils but she bit her bottom lip and refused to let the gaiety pass into the open air.
Talking Dog II: Never Send a Dog To Do a Woman's Job Page 10