Kash: Star-Crossed Alien Mail Order Brides (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

by Susan Hayes

  Her small fists hammered on his back, fueled by frustration but not real anger. “You had to be ordered to stay with me, and you left anyway?”

  “Vadir’s ship is missing. I was coordinating the search.”

  Her hands stilled. “Lisa?”

  “Is with Vadir. We’ll find them. I—“ He was about to make another promise, but he stopped. She had no reason to trust his word. Not after what he’d done.

  “You should have told me.” She placed a trembling hand on his arm and moved so that she could peek up at him, her golden eyes wide with worry.

  Torel gasped. “Her eyes!”

  Kash barely managed to control his urge to hurt the other male for daring looking at Gwen. “Are gold. And she summoned the flames on her own. Her Pyrosian genetics have become dominant, which is something that will have to be discussed -- later.”

  “Of course. You’re going to need new quarters. I’ll arrange matters.”

  “Do that.”

  “And make sure they’re fireproof. I don’t know how to control whatever the hell is happening to me.”

  Torel grinned. “Avoid strong emotions, and you should be fine, Gwen. The Gods would not have granted you these powers if you could not handle them.”

  “Avoid strong emotions? Have you met the man I’m mated to?”

  “I have. And I wish you good luck.” The door closed, but not before he heard Torel’s guffaws of laughter. The officer was going to pay for that at some point. For now, though…

  He turned and wrapped his arms around Gwen again, hauling her in close. “What do you need from me, kaheya?”

  “I need you to listen to me. Listen, and try to understand.”

  He hadn’t expected that response. He wanted to do something for her. Make her promises, fix her hurts. Take some action that would make things right.

  “What do I need to hear? Are you going to tell me what I can do to fix this?”

  She uttered a soft sigh. “I don’t need you to fix me. I need you to hear me.”

  He caught the frustration in her voice and worked to calm his mind. She had asked for his attention. He’d give it to her, even if it didn’t feel like that was enough.

  “I am listening.”

  “My father died before I was born. He was a soldier, and he died fighting in a war far from home. My mother died of cancer when I was still a little girl. Then, a few years later, my grandmother died. The people I care about keep leaving me. I’m afraid that I’m going to spend my life alone because no one will stay with me. Even Lisa and Maggie are leaving. I knew it would happen someday. They’d fall in love and move on, but I wasn’t expecting them to go so far, or at the same time!”

  “I’m not leaving you, Gwen. I can’t. It would be like cutting out part of myself.”

  She tensed. “You did leave, though. You left me alone in a strange place without so much as a note. The door was locked, the computer wouldn’t answer me, and you were gone. Well, mostly gone. I could still sense you a little, but it wasn’t enough.”

  “I was an akinu. A fool. It won’t happen again.”

  “But why? You could have told me you had to go. I would have understood.”

  She was looking up at him with such pain in her eyes that his heart cracked open and the truth poured out. “All my life, I have fought to be recognized for my own merits. Duty and honour were everything to me because I had earned those for myself. Then, I met you, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I had to choose. Duty, or you. I didn’t know how to do that.”

  You really are an, what did you say, an akinu? You didn’t have to choose. You could have told me what was happening and left. That’s my friend you’re looking for. Did you think I’d stop you?”

  He didn’t have an answer to that, and it must have been obvious by his expression because his little mate shook her head and sighed.

  “Men. Some things are the same no matter what their species. You’re making this more complicated than it has to be. You’re my mate, right? That means you need to talk to me and tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “Yes. You are my mate. You are my everything, Gwen Hudson. I can feel you, here.” He tapped his chest. “And I heard you, here.” He raised his hand to touch his temple. “I was on my way back to you before the fire alarm sounded. I felt your unhappiness. I’m sorry I was the cause.”

  “Apology accepted.” She looked around at the scorch marked walls and charred furniture. “I’m really sorry about your stuff.”

  “Things can be replaced. You can’t. When I realized the fire was in my quarters when I thought you might be hurt, or worse…Flames, I’ve never run so fast in my life.”

  “Flames. Yeah. There were lots of those.” She swiped at a trickle of foam that dripped down her cheek. “And then there was foam everywhere. For the record, this stuff tastes awful.”

  He chuckled and bent his head to kiss her. When she rose up on her toes to meet him halfway, the ache in his heart finally started to fade. She’d forgiven him.

  The second his lips touched hers, the Scorching came back with such fury that he groaned aloud, the sound muffled against the soft lines of her mouth. Lust poured through him, burning away any thought but the need to lay claim to her, body and soul. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, savouring the pleasure of having her back in his arms. Why had he stayed away from her so long? He couldn’t remember the reason, but he knew he wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

  Their kiss deepened. The heat between them blooming into a firestorm of primal needs and wants. Not even the bitter taste of the foam that coated her face could distract him from the sweet taste of her lips, though it did make her naked body slick and hard to hold.

  “Hang onto me. It’s time I got you cleaned up.”

  “Took you long enough,” she whispered, her arms twining around his neck.

  That observation could easily sum up his entire day. He’d been slow to accept everything about her. Her existence. His need for her. What she meant to his future. He was done taking things slow.

  He carried her through the foam-soaked wreckage of the room to the hygiene alcove. It had been spared any serious damage, both from her flames and from the ship’s automated response.

  “Computer, activate cleansing compartment. Water temperature two degrees below my usual setting. And dial back the pressure by fifteen percent.”

  “It can do all that with a shower?” Gwen reached out to cut a handful of water as it began to fall from the ceiling and cascade like a curtain of rain.

  “I haven’t made time to show you the wonders of your new life. It’s one more thing I need to make up to you.”

  “That’s getting to be a long list. You really should get on with making things up to me, or we might never make it through it all.”

  He dropped his communicator on the counter and stepped into the shower without bothering to undress. “That is exactly what I intend to do.”

  7

  “You’re still dressed!”

  “Not for long. I’m going to try undressing your way. The water is to make sure I don’t set off the fire suppression system again.”

  “Don’t you da—”

  He kissed her before she could finish her sentence, and the next thing she knew, they were surrounded by fire. The water hissed as it struck the wall of flames, and the air quickly filled with steam. His uniform turned to ash and washed away, though he had to set her down to strip off the last few rags that were too wet to ignite.

  “Efficient, but destructive. We’re both going to run out of clothes at this rate.”

  He laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that fired her blood and made her clit throb. It was the sexiest noise she’d ever heard. “I’ll switch to fireproof uniforms from now on. I can’t protect the Prince with my new abilities if every time I do, I wind up naked.”

  “No one sees you naked but me. You might not be interested in other women, but any human female who sees you in all your glory is going to try he
r best to change your mind.”

  “My glory is for you alone.” He crowded in close, pressing her into the corner of the shower stall. “As yours is only for me.”

  “Only yours,” she agreed, the words filling her with joy. Her grandmother had loved her. Her friends had defended her, but no one in her life had ever made her feel the way Kash did. Protected. Cherished. Maybe someday, even loved. Despite their rocky start, she could see that happening. God knew she was more than a little in love with the big jerk already.

  The fiery need blazing through her when she’d woken up had quieted when he’d first arrived. Just having him touch her had been enough to sooth the ache for a little while. Now that they were alone, the mating fever returned in force.

  She ran her hands over his body, hunger warring with admiration as she explored him for the first time. He was built on a scale that made her feel tiny. She stroked the broad expanse of his shoulders down to the first true six-pack abs she’d ever seen in real life. Then she worked her way lower, wrapping her hand around the hard shaft of his cock as she lowered herself to her knees in front of him.

  “Kaheya, you should not be on your knees in front of me. If anything, it should be me worshipping at your feet, seeking forgiveness.”

  “We’re both going to make mistakes. This is new to both of us, right? Maybe we should start a tradition of apologizing with orgasms.” Her cheeks burned hotter than the steam as she spoke, but her embarrassment faded when he gave her a hot-eyed nod.

  “Yes. I like this idea.”

  Feeling more wanton than she’d ever been in her life, she leaned and wrapped her lips around his cock, humming softly as she reached up to cup his balls in one hand. She pumped his shaft with her other hand, and he uttered a low groan of need. He leaned back against the wall, his hips rocking lightly. Strong fingers tangled in her curls, holding her head steady as he slowly fucked her mouth.

  Warm water fell in a sensual rain that caressed her bare skin and amplified every physical sensation. She could taste the subtle musk of his skin, and every breath drew that same scent deep into her lungs. His fingers tightened in her hair as he groaned again, this one edged with need.

  She took him deeper into her mouth, teasing him with her lips, tongue, and teeth. When he bucked his hips, she hollowed her cheeks and sucked until his balls tightened beneath her fingers and his thighs tensed.

  “If you don’t stop, you’re going to bring me to my knees whether you want me there or not,” he warned her.

  She raised her head, releasing his cock to speak. “Then you better hang onto something because I’m not done with you, yet.”

  He muttered something that had to have been a Pyrosian curse of some kind and then gripped a small shelf she hadn’t noticed before. It was the same material as the walls, and it held an assortment of bottles and what looked like some kind of soap.

  She tightened her grip on the root of his shaft and began pumping as she bowed her head and took him to the back of her mouth before easing back again. She circled the crown of his cock with her tongue, learning what spots made him quiver with need. It was empowering to have such a strong man in her thrall like this, and she was enjoying every second of it.

  Only when his breath was coming in ragged groans did she finally open her mouth and take him deep, swallowing as much of him as she could. She let him rest at the back of her throat as she swallowed several times in rapid succession. It was enough to push him over the edge. He came with a shout, pouring his cum down her throat.

  There was a loud crack and a crash as something hit the floor of the shower. She opened her eyes and giggled as she spotted the remains of the shelf he’d been gripping lying a few feet away.

  She ran her tongue over him one last time, then released him. “We’ve finished the job. Every room in your quarters is now officially wrecked.”

  “Indeed.” He helped her to her feet, then hauled her into his arms for a kiss that stole her breath and sent shockwaves coursing through her.

  It wasn’t only the kiss that had her reeling. It was the emotion behind it. She could sense him, his feelings and needs. He craved her, but it was more than that. There was amazement, and happiness, and a yearning that she recognized as a twin to her own deepest desires.

  Soulmate. She’d read a thousand stories that used the word, but until this moment, she hadn’t understood what it truly meant.

  “I feel you,” she whispered, lifting her hand to touch her temple the way he had earlier.

  “And I feel you. Our bond is growing stronger. We’ll always be linked now.”

  “I’ll never be alone again?”

  “Never.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and smiled down at her with such joy it made her heart sing. “We are one.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “You’ll like what comes next even more. I promise.” He lifted her into his arms, his mouth slanting across hers as he turned and carried her to an undamaged corner of the shower.

  She wrapped her legs around his hips as he pressed her into the wall and held her there as he kissed her again and again. Every touch was a primal claiming, skin to skin, mouths mated, breath mingled. She moaned and arched against him, craving the feel of his body against hers.

  It wasn’t long before his cock began to harden again as they ground against each other. Their movements grew more frenzied as need overtook them. She pulled herself high enough that his cock slid between the lips of her pussy. Both of them moaned as he stroked his length over her swollen clit.

  “I need you,” she whispered against his lips.

  “Then take me.”

  He rocked his hips and shifted his grip so their bodies could come together. The thick head of his cock breached her entrance with a slow, steady thrust that didn’t end until he was fully sheathed inside her.

  She clung to him, her face buried in the side of his neck as he took her hard, the wet slap of skin on skin and the scent of sex filling the air. He loved her with a wild passion that set her world ablaze. Every nerve tingled, and pleasure flowed through her as he stretched her body to accommodate his.

  She muffled her cries against his throat, her nails raking across his shoulders as the pleasure grew.

  He groaned her name as he pounded into her, every stroke harder and faster than the one before. They left their marks on each other: nail scores and teeth marks, swollen lips and beard-reddened cheeks.

  “Look at me when you come.” His gruff words made her lift her head, and she stared into eyes that glowed like molten gold. There was adoration in his gaze, and she could sense his feelings through the bond they shared. It wasn’t love, not yet, but it would be.

  She came apart in his arms, soaring on a wave of bliss that carried her to the stars and back. He bellowed her name seconds later, his cock jerking as he came. When he thickened inside her, locking them together, the pressure was enough to trigger another orgasm, and she shuddered and gasped as her body milked his.

  Sated and finally sane, she let herself slump against him. Her head rested on his shoulder, her arms dangling limply around his neck. “Shower sex good.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, it is. Remind me to be sure our new quarters have a nice, big shower so we can do that often.”

  “We should probably make sure the shelves are sturdy, too.” She waved a hand in the vague direction of the wrecked shelf he’d broken early. “Wait, we’re getting new quarters? Why?”

  “Because I currently live in the barracks. My position comes with quarters at the palace, but I have never chosen to live there.”

  “No barracks.” Gwen had spent time in foster homes that operated that way. She remembered the lack of privacy, the whispers, the cruel jokes when there were no adults around to intervene. Dorm-style living was not something she ever wanted to experience again.

  “Will we really live at the palace? Will Maggie be there? Oh god, I’m going to have to meet the king and queen, aren’t I? I mean, at some point, that’s going to
happen, right?”

  “You have started asking your questions in bunches again. You must be feeling better.”

  “I am. And you didn’t answer any of my questions.”

  “First, we need to get out of here, dry off, and move to a room that wasn’t recently set on fire. Then, I will answer your questions.”

  “Throw in some food, and you have yourself a deal.”

  “Food will be arranged, and before we go, we can see if your cookies survived.”

  “Shit. The cookies! And my phone. And my purse! This fire summoning thing is going to be expensive.”

  “Whatever you need, I’ll get it for you.” His mouth quirked into a smile. “I am not a rich man, but I am not poor, either. I will see to it you have all you need.”

  Gwen’s legs could hardly hold up her weight by the time she left the shower. The all-consuming need of the Scorching had finally quieted, leaving her sated and spent. She leaned against the counter as Kash dried her with a thick, plush towel that seemed to soak in the water as soon as it came in contact with it. He tended to her with care, seeing to every inch of her body, right down to her hair. He seemed fascinated with her curls, coiling them around his fingers as they dried into their usual tight spirals.

  “My sister is going to be envious of your hair. Never have I seen curls like yours.”

  “They’re a pain in the neck most of the time. Growing up, I always wanted straight, flowing hair like the other girls I knew.”

  “And when I was a youngling I wanted to be smaller. I was always the biggest of the young males. I hated it. It made me stand out when all I wanted was to be invisible.” He touched his face. “Once I got these it got even worse. People didn’t just notice me, they went out of their way to avoid me.”

  She laid her hand over his. “Then they’re idiots. But I do understand. Some humans don’t feel comfortable around anyone different from them. Skin colour. Language. Customs. Scars. I was born with dark skin. It’s not something I chose. But it bothers them anyway.”