Alex untied the belt at her waist and hung the robe on a convenient hook. He shrugged out of his robe and hung it next to Lily’s. At the back of his mind, he noticed how great the robes looked next to each other. A goofy grin appeared. He was definitely hung up on Lily.
Lily had already turned the water on and stood beneath the six jets of water that sprayed from concealed showerheads.
He had to touch her. The need to touch, to explore her curves was a compulsion inside. Alex soaped his hands with the lemon gel provided by the lodge. A heady scent, reminding him of the palace gardens, surrounded them, intensified by the sultry heat of the morning sun and the warm water pounding over their naked bodies. Alex stepped up behind Lily and cupped her breasts, soaping them carefully with attention to each rounded curve and underside. Her nipples puckered beneath his palms. Lily released a soft sigh and leaned back against his body.
“Feel good?” He ached to mark her with his personal brand, that of the Royal House of Dalcon, so everyone knew, without doubt, they were a couple but she wasn’t ready. He’d lied enough—he wouldn’t trick her, too.
His erection brushed against the crevice separating her butt cheeks. Insistent need strummed through his body, but Alex resisted knowing the payoff would be so much greater if he waited until they were both delirious with need. Lily’s head lay against his shoulder, her wet, brown hair tickling across his collarbone. Contentment settled around him like a plaid blanket. After searching for so long, he’d finally found a home with Lily. And nothing would come between them. Nothing. His hand wandered across her rounded belly, her hipbone, then lower to tease her clit. She was moist, ready for him and the knowledge brought him to his knees.
Lily would wear his mark soon.
Joining with Lily meant more than aimless, casual sex. His heart pounded, and he felt like a raw undergrown having sex for the first time. His fingers shook, his tom swelled to impossible hardness, and his throat tightened with emotion. Pressure built behind his eyes, despite his best efforts. Alex slid a questing finger inside her cunt. His eyelids closed, he bit his lip, but his eyes started leaking regardless.
“Ah, Lily,” he murmured, needing to be inside her so badly he trembled. “Turn around, moon heart. Put your arms around my neck.” He lifted Lily effortlessly. Her legs twined around his waist, opening her pussy to him in silent welcome. Alex slid home in one seamless thrust, and his eyes leaked salty tears of emotion at the mating with his true mate.
“Lily! Lily! Alex! Alex!” Frantic scratching at the door on the ground level announced Killer’s presence.
Alex stilled, deeply seated in Lily.
“Don’t stop,” she panted.
He felt faint tremors of her womb, clasping his cock.
“Alex! Let me in. Bad people here! Come quick!”
“Shit.” Alex bit off the word low with feeling. “Killer’s downstairs. She says the bad people are here.”
Lily gazed at him through languorous eyes. She clenched her womb and a bolt of lust blindsided him. “I can’t hear anything.”
“Lily, I want to finish this more than anything, but I don’t think Killer is joking.” Alex listened intently.
“I can’t hear anything,” she repeated.
Alex turned off the water and the sound of shrill barking became clearly audible. He separated their bodies with a soft, squelching sound.
“You’re right.” Lily sounded disappointed.
Alex grabbed a towel and threw another to Lily. He wrapped the white towel around his waist and stomped down the stairs. Killer’s barks ceased and when Alex yanked the door open, she shot inside.
“Shut door,” she gasped. “Men coming.”
“What men? What do they look like?”
“One small. Dark hair. Bit fat. Other much bigger. Skinny.”
Alex peered through the door. “I can’t see anyone.”
“They come,” Killer said. “I hear them talk to office lady. One that check your butt.”
“A woman with supreme good taste,” Lily murmured.
Killer spun around so quickly, Alex was surprised her spots didn’t remain behind. She took one look at Lily and growled. “You do thing together. Again! Bad. Very bad. Make Janaya angry at Killer. Not get collar.” She turned back to Alex and stalked toward him. “Bad male. You buy Killer collar now! You pay. Price go up.” She sniffed. “You buy shiny tag with Killer’s name on and collar.”
Blatant blackmail. “We’ll discuss it later. Where are the men?”
Killer bounded to the open door and planted all four feet in the middle of the doorway as if daring Alex to get past her. “We talk deal now.”
A Border collie appeared behind Killer and ran his muzzle across her flanks. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“He talks,” Lily muttered. “Why does nothing surprise me any more?”
Alex propped his butt against the nearby table and folded his arms across his broad chest. “Well that’s fine and dandy! You have the gall to judge me. I’d like to know exactly what you’ve been up to.” His gaze slid over the black and white dog that cuddled up to Killer. That didn’t look like a casual relationship to him.
“None of your business,” Killer yapped, her nose shooting upward with pure attitude.
“Honey, two men are heading this way. Maybe talk terms later? I’ll help.” The Border collie eyed Alex. “Will bite for you.”
“Alex, you can’t go outside like that. You’ll cause a riot.” Lily’s gaze wandered his chest then settled lower to concentrate on his swollen member. “Or a heart attack. Better put some clothes on.”
Alex headed for the master bedroom but halted halfway up the stairs. “Your bag’s ringing. Have you still got your brother’s phone?” That was all he bloody wanted. Add Janaya and Luke to the Earth recipe and things could become a mite tricky.
“It is in my bag. But I’d thought the battery would have run out long ago.”
Alex groaned. He felt his world closing in. Doom pressed down on his shoulders. No doubt, Hinekiri and Janaya had something to do with the phone’s amazing battery life.
Lily hurried up the stairs after him. Alex’s heart pumped in double-quick time. The scent of her arousal drifted to him along with the lemon-grove perfume from the shower gel they’d used. He turned to watch her sashay toward him. The subtle sway of her hips ratcheted up his interest. He wanted to make sweet love to her for the rest of the day.
But it wasn’t going to happen. Not yet. He grabbed his jeans and stepped into them. “I’ll go with Killer to check out the men while you talk to your brother.” Alex thrust his arms into a crumpled denim shirt then strode across the room to plant a swift kiss on her lips before hurrying down the stairs.
Seconds later, Lily heard the clatter of Killer’s nails on the floor then the slam of the door when they left. By the time she located her bag the ringing had stopped. Sudden nausea darted up her throat. Lily sank onto the rumpled bed and took a cautious breath. She’d obviously eaten something that didn’t agree with her. Her stomach danced uneasily, informing her of the fact. Or it could merely be nerves, she acknowledged.
Alex or Alexandre. His real name sounded exotic. He made all the right noises, made love to her sweetly, telling her over and over how much he cared for her. But caring wasn’t the same as love.
Lily balked at jumping blindly. This time she intended to enter a relationship with her eyes open. Especially when the man looked like Alex and attracted attention like Killer craved food. Gut instinct told her there was more to Alex’s story. And while he hadn’t exactly lied, he hadn’t told the truth. Secrets. Lily hated them with a passion.
The ringing of the phone interrupted her unhappy thoughts. She answered, holding the phone to her ear. “Hello? Janaya. How are you? Where are you?”
“We’ve finished with the fishing and thought we’d come to pick up Killer. Where are you at the moment?”
“We’re in Nelson, but we are heading to Kaikoura to go whale watching. You could m
eet us there.”
“Sounds good. Can we go watching the creatures with you?”
The perfect opportunity to ask a few questions. “I’d like that.” Perhaps she’d ask a few now. If Janaya didn’t know the answers she could find out for Lily and let her know when they met in Kaikoura. “Janaya, have you heard of Alexandre Bellangere?” Lily picked a piece of lint off her robe while she waited for the important answer.
“Prince Alexandre. Sure. He’s second in line to the throne.”
“A prince?” Lily whispered. “I’ve been sleeping with a prince?” Alex had lied to her. A prince. She’d had wild, uninhibited sex with a prince.
“You’ve slept with him? Oh, man. That’s gonna cause problems in the royal court!”
Lily’s belly roiled. “What sort of problems?” The sensation intensified. She swallowed rapidly trying to dispel the nausea that churned for release.
“Are you sure it’s the prince? Have you got the right name? Last I heard the King had arranged a joining for Prince Alexandre. Citizens end up in the dungeons when his majesty is annoyed.”
“I’m sure,” Lily whispered. “He told me this morning.”
Janaya’s shriek of horror nearly deafened Lily. “At least Alex is taking his anti-bonding pills,” Janaya muttered after her shriek had died away. “Maybe we can salvage the situation. We’ll come immediately. I’ll talk to the Prince, get him to see sense and escort him back to Dalcon. Maybe the King hasn’t noticed he’s not at court. He might think he’s holed up with a consort… By the Goddess, I’m sorry. I…um…didn’t mean… Shit!”
A burst of excited chatter sounded on Janaya’s end. Lily’s stomach rose and fell like a roller coaster ride at a fairground. A fully fledged ache started at her temples. “What pills are you talking about?” He’d said his supplies had been in one of the bags that were stolen. This did not sound good.
“The pills to stop him bonding with an Earth female. For some reason, our psyches are compatible, and we bond if the circumstances are correct. It’s like soul mates.”
“He asked me to join with him.”
“Holy shit!” Janaya shrieked again.
Lily held the phone away from her ear until she heard the feminine shrieks replaced by a calm voice of reason. Luke—her brother.
“Did I hear right? You’ve bonded with the Prince?”
Lily explored the uneasiness she felt inside. “If that means I hurt like hell whenever I’m not with him and I can’t wait to have sex—”
“Stop, cupcake. TMI.”
“It might be too much information, but I have to talk to someone. I guess you bonded with Janaya. You know how it feels,” Lily muttered.
A rueful laugh drifted down the line. “Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know. I take it you can talk with the dog?”
“Yeah. Talking dogs. Who’d have thought?” Then Lily remembered something else. “But I hear it’s more a case of spy dogs. You and Janaya will buy that dog a collar. The best damned collar in the shop,” she ordered.
Luke chuckled. “We’ve already packed it.”
“And don’t think the subject is finished with. I have a long memory.” Lily attempted to swallow the huge lump in her throat but it stubbornly remained. “He lied to me, Luke. Alex lied to me.” The pain she felt inside echoed in her voice. “I wouldn’t join with him if he was the last remaining male on Earth. Or Dalcon!”
Chapter Fifteen
She had no future with Prince Alexandre. None whatsoever. The man was a liar. It was difficult to get past that.
Lily tossed her clothes in a soft canvas bag and zipped it shut. Dressed and ready to go. All she needed to do was wait for the prince and Killer. Uneasiness assailed her gut. Her soul craved Alex, but she slammed the thoughts away and concentrated on what she needed to do to get through the next week. A few days in Kaikoura. A few in Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown then the drive home. She could make it. If she kept things on a business-like footing and they slept in separate rooms. No long, leisurely lunch stops. Lily shoved aside the pangs of loneliness. She’d get through this if she took things one day at a time.
“Lily! Lily!” Killer barked. “Men gone. Maxwell and I chased. Bit on bum.”
“Taste bad,” Maxwell growled.
Lily turned to the tall, handsome man that had ripped her life apart. “Did you see them, Prince Alexandre?”
“Yeah, I… You know,” he said, his voice expressionless. “Janaya must have told you.”
“Lies have a way of coming back to bite you in the bum.”
“I can explain—”
“I don’t want to hear. I’m packed. I’ll check out and wait for you in the car.”
Lily walked away, her chest tight, her heart pounding. Concentrate on breathing. One day at a time.
The drive back through Nelson was completed in silence. Alex had tried to explain for a second time but Lily had shut him down.
“I don’t want to leave Maxwell,” Killer said for the third time in as many minutes. “I sick. My heart hurt.”
Alex patted the dog on the head. “You’ll see Maxwell soon. His owners are driving down to Kaikoura the day after tomorrow.”
“Janaya and Luke are meeting us in Kaikoura,” Lily said as she concentrated fiercely on the road ahead. She would not cry. Even if her traitorous heart ached. She aimed to hide her inner turmoil. Alex—the prince—did not need to know how much he’d cut her inside, how badly her wounded self-confidence bled.
“Janaya and Luke stay till Maxwell come?”
Lily sighed. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask.”
“Is that vehicle following us?” Alex said without warning.
Lily checked the rear vision mirror. “It wasn’t there last time I looked. We’re almost at the Wairau Valley. We’ll check out a few of the vineyards so you can decide whether the tour stops here or at Martinborough.”
Lily navigated down narrow roads, passing rows and rows of grape vines, as they wound their way to the first vineyard. The leaves were still green but had a tinge of color, of yellow and orange on the edges. Winter was on the way.
* * * * *
“That was the prince.”
“About bloody time,” Mattio muttered. The prince had led them a chase, and he was tired of it. He couldn’t wait to leave this wretched outpost.
Jabot wound down the window and pulled his weapon out of hiding.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Mattio slowed and righted his mad swerve so the hired car returned to the correct side of the road. Taking one hand off the wheel, he drilled Jabot in the ribs with a pointed finger.
“Ow! Whatcha do that for?”
“Dumbass. How are you going to explain to the king that you’ve shot his son? Get the tranq gun out. But don’t shoot until I give the word. We have to pick our time and location.”
“But I wanna go home,” Jabot wailed. “I don’t like this place. No fuckable women. Food’s crap. And the devil creatures.” Jabot shuddered and paused to glance over his shoulder as though he expected one to jump from the backseat.
The dumbass. Mattio couldn’t wait to get back to Dalcon and ditch his cuz. If things worked as planned, he’d never need to worry again. He’d have people to carry out his wishes instead of doing other people’s dirty work. And it would happen. Success was so close he could taste it.
“Right,” Mattio said. “Here’s the plan. We follow them for the rest of the day until we find out where they’re staying. Then tonight, we’ll use the tranq gun, shoot the prince with the tranquilizer dart, call up the captain and get him to meet us with the spaceship. We’ll be back in Dalcon before much longer.”
“Females,” Jabot said with a beatific smile.
“Make sure you follow my instruction or else you’ll be off to the palace dungeons. You won’t see daylight, let alone a receptive female.”
* * * * *
“Did Janaya say what time they would arrive?” Alex asked to break the silence. The silent treatment was
making his head hurt. He missed the smiling, happy companion of the previous days. And nights. A shudder worked down his body and seemed to end at the tip of his aching cock. Hell, what was he going to do if she wouldn’t change her mind? He’d had no experience of this type of situation before. A female had never turned him down. Torment ate him up at the thought of Lily denying him the right to join with her. He had to make it right—he just had to.
“She said after dark so they were less likely to be seen by UFO hunters. They’ll ring when they arrive, and I’ll go and collect them.”
Lily pulled into the parking area of a small beachside motel.
“I’ll check in,” she said.
Alex winced at the slam of the door. “That went well.” He turned to Killer. “What am I going to do? She won’t talk to me unless it’s related to business.”
“You stuff-up. Should have told truth.”
“How could I?” Alex demanded.
The driver’s door opened. “How could I what?” Lily asked. Without waiting for his answer, she started the car and drove down a narrow road that petered out by a cabin. She pulled up outside the small building.
Alex climbed out to stretch his legs and rid his lungs of Lily’s spice-mint scent. It didn’t work. Looking skyward, he stretched again. Suddenly, he shot upward, about half the height of his legs into the air. His panicked grasp of the vehicle was the only thing that kept him from flying higher. Alex looked down. What the basuko? He took a deep breath and let it ease out. He’d noticed his hearing and sense of smell had improved since stopping the pills, but flying? Alex tugged himself back down until his feet were firmly planted on the ground.
Lily climbed out of the driver’s side and glared across the roof of the car.
“I’ve said I’m sorry. I’ve tried to explain, but you won’t let me.”
“All right. Explain.”
She didn’t sound happy about listening, but Alex sensed he wouldn’t have another opportunity. He cautiously let go of the vehicle and only started talking when he was sure he would remain Earthbound.
Talking Dog II: Never Send a Dog To Do a Woman's Job Page 18