by Tana Stone
“Cresteks,” Kush said, spitting out the word as if it was poison. “Arrogant, deceptive Cresteks.”
He stopped pounding in circles long enough to take a piece of bread and tear off a bite.
Even though the food helped, Max still felt a lightheaded. “Yeah, well, at least they don’t mess with my head like some people I know.”
“I do not mess with your head.” Kush spun around and narrowed his gaze at her. “Dothveks are empathic. I was warning you. You have no idea what they want.”
She put her hands on her hips and returned his glare. “I’m not clueless. I know the old guy wants to hook me up with his son.”
Kush frowned. “Hook up?”
“Date, get together, mate, whatever you call it.” She swallowed the rest of her bread and sighed. “It’s not like he was subtle about it. And next time, you don’t have to knock me over with your mind juju. My head is still pounding, by the way.”
“You felt it.” A statement, not a question.
Max touched her fingers to her temples, her eyes landing on a glass carafe next to the food. The liquid inside was a pale pink, but she hoped the drink wouldn’t be too sweet. She bent down and poured herself a glass, swigging from the blue, ceramic goblet. It wasn’t overly sweet, but it definitely had a kick. “Yeah, I felt it. That was the whole point, right?”
“Yes, but…” His words trailed off, and he shook his head.
“You can chill out.” She took another gulp and felt the hard knots in her shoulders unwind. “That T’Kar guy isn’t into me, or maybe you were too busy freaking out to notice.”
Kush tilted his head. “Impossible.”
Max laughed and drained the rest of the goblet, setting it down on the rug. “Now who’s the clueless one? I’m telling you, he’s not going to go along with daddy’s plan, whatever that is. I’ve seen that look enough times to know by now.”
Polite disinterest was an expression she’d seen on the faces of scores of men who’d been paraded in front of her over the years. She didn’t need to be an empath to know the Crestek guy wasn’t into her.
“You are upset this Crestek does not like you?” Kush’s voice rose. “You wish he wanted to claim you as a concubine?”
“What? No, of course not.” Her cheeks burned at the antiquated word, her mind feeling a bit hazy. “Who said anything about being a…concubine?”
“That is the Crestek chancellor’s intention. For his son to take you as a mate. His secondary mate.”
Max’s head began to spin, and she made her way to the bed. “Can we just put the brakes on all this mate stuff? I feel like I’ve traveled back in time instead of to another planet.”
“I do not mean to upset you, but that is the truth. I do not think it matters what this T’Kar wants. If I do not get you out of here, they will give you to one of their males, whether you want it or not. Maybe T’Kar. Maybe another. Probably more than one. They will not let you go.”
Max sank down on the bed, a cold chill making her rub her arms and wish she were wearing something warmer. She also wished she hadn’t pounded back whatever that drink was, as her lips tingled and her tongue felt numb.
Well, this was a change. She’d never thought of herself as valuable just because she was a woman. She’d spent most of her adult life being valued for her work and her ideas. The idea of being worthy simply because of her gender was so unfamiliar she shook her head. “You’re wrong. I’m not the kind of girl people fight over.”
Kush stared at her, his gaze taking her in as he shook his head. “Then you do not see yourself as I see you.”
“What about you?” she asked. “How do you see me?”
“Me?” Kush crossed the room and knelt in front of her. “I see a female who needs me to protect her, which I will do with my life.”
Her heart missed a beat as his eyes seared into her, dark and molten. She had to remind herself to breathe as he ran one finger down the side of her cheek.
“I will not let them touch you.”
He left a scorched trail along her skin, her breath shallow and fast as heat coiled in her belly. Hooboy.
She pulled away. “I think you need to take it down a notch, buddy and give me a little space.”
Max registered the hurt that flashed briefly across his face. It made sense that the barbarian would be intense, but his need to protect her was almost smothering, especially since she wasn’t used to male attention at all. She wondered if it was the Cresteks who posed the greatest danger to her, or if it was actually Kush she needed to protect herself from.
Chapter Thirteen
“I am sorry,” he said, watching her pupils flair as she leaned back. “I do not mean to scare you.”
But that was what he was doing. He could tell from her shallow breath and her wide eyes. Why did he have such an overwhelming desire to protect her, to cling to her as if it was she who was saving him? Even now, he had to force himself not to envelop her in his arms and shield her from everything.
Along with her fear, he could also sense her arousal. She was attracted to him, and that knowledge nearly made his knees go weak.
“Kush,” she whispered. “ I think…”
Kush barely heard her words, focusing only on her rapid breaths. He touched her face, letting his finger drift down from her jawline, feeling the rapid pulsing in her long neck and seeing the pink flush rushing up from her chest. His own heartbeat thrummed, and his cock throbbed. He could hardly feel where his need stopped and hers started, the emotions tangled in his head.
He knew what she wanted before she said it. He wanted it, too. More than anything.
Her eyes were half-lidded with desire, but he could see her pupils flaring dark. She was fighting it. He could sense that, too, but he didn’t know why. She tipped her head back slightly, her lips parted as if to say something.
It was too much. Kush crushed his mouth to hers, his tongue parting her lips with a single stroke. He fisted his hand in her hair, pulling her closer into him as he delved deeper.
She tasted sweeter than he’d imagined, his tongue stroking hers as she made soft noises of surprised pleasure that nearly sent him over the edge. The feel of her small body against his made his head swim, but when she pushed hard against him, he pulled away. She was breathing as if she’d been running across the sands, and she gazed up at him, fear in her eyes again.
“This is a bad idea,” she said.
“What is bad about it?” He stroked a hand from her hair down her neck.
Her gaze darted around the room. “Hooking up with the guy who’s supposed to be getting me out of here? It won’t end well.”
“Why would it have to end?” Didn’t she know he would never abandon her?
Her laugh sounded bitter. “Because things always end? I know it’s probably convenient since we’re stuck in here together, but I’m not into a ‘wham bam, thank you, Max’ kind of thing.”
Kush did not know what most of the words meant, but he could tell she was upset with him. Had he read her wrong? “Did you not want me to kiss you?”
Her cheeks flamed. “It’s not that I didn’t…I mean, the kiss was great, it’s just…” She met his gaze with her chin jutted out. “I’ve been down this road before. It’s better if we don’t get involved. Better for me, at least.”
He backed away, confused. Why was she saying things she did not feel? He could sense her desire for him. Why was she denying herself?
“It’s nothing against you,” she continued. “It’s me. I need to stay focused on getting out. Distractions have never been good for me in the long run.”
The storm of conflicting emotions confused him. Dothveks did not feel one thing and say another. There would be no point.
He strode across the room, trying to suppress his frustration. What he wanted to do was take her in his arms and show her how he could take care of her, prove how he’d never leave her. He glanced over his shoulder at her pinched expression. But not if she was going to look at him lik
e he was a dangerous creature preparing to pounce.
Kush looked up at the clear part of the ceiling that looked out to the night sky. If she thought he was only interested in her because they were trapped together, he’d just have to get them out. His eyes scanned the walls and the height of the ceiling, then went to the cushions that served as the only loose furniture in the room. Even if he stacked all of them, they would do little to help.
Turning to Max, he waved a hand to beckon her. “Come.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Excuse me?”
He let out a huff of breath. “I would like to try something, and I need your assistance.”
“Oh, well, why didn’t you say that?” she mumbled, joining him and looking up. “What do you want to try?”
He looked her up and down. “I will lift you onto my shoulders and you will try to reach the clear ceiling.”
“The skylight? You want me to try to get all the way up there?” The skepticism on her face was clear. “And what do I do when I get up there?”
He hadn’t thought past getting her out of the room, but she was right. What would she do even if she got out and was on the roof? She did not have long Dothvek legs, so leaping from rooftop to rooftop would probably not be an option, especially since he would still remain below in the room. He felt like screaming.
“Don’t beat yourself up about this.” Max’s hand on his arm made him start. He looked down at her. “It’s not your fault we’re in this mess. It’s mine. I had the chance to run when you and your friends attacked, and I didn’t. I froze. So if you want to yell at anyone, yell at me.”
“I do not want to yell at you,” he said, although he was curious that she knew he wanted to scream. “It is my duty to protect you and get you away from the Cresteks, and I am failing.”
Max tilted her head at him. “You’re pretty tough on yourself. You’re also assuming I can’t take care of myself. I’ve survived pretty much on my own for most of my life, remember?”
“But you were taken by bounty hunters, forced to crash land on my planet, and then kidnapped by the Crestek. I am not sure how good of a job you are doing, either.”
He sensed both irritation and amusement from her. She folded her arms across her chest and pulled her pursed lips to one side. “You’re lucky you’re not a droid. I would have turned you off ages ago.”
Chapter Fourteen
Max stifled the urge to laugh out loud. As annoying and bossy as the barbarian was, he did manage to amuse her. And he had a good point. At the moment, she wasn’t doing so hot on the whole self-reliance thing, which was really annoying since she’d always prided herself on being independent.
“Why don’t we call a truce?” she said. “And take a break from beating ourselves up about being stuck in here? As far as I can see, there’s no easy way out, and it won’t do any good to keep obsessing over it.”
He released a slow breath. “Agreed. What do you suggest instead?”
Well, none of the things he was obviously thinking about, she thought, as she looked at his intense gaze and the pulse thrumming in his neck. Nope. The last thing she needed was to complicate the situation even more by doing something stupid. And sleeping with her personal bodyguard would be extremely stupid.
She backed away, turning and walking up the steps to the sunken tub. Steam rose from the surface, the perfumed oils from earlier still slick on the top. Kicking off the scrappy sandals she’d been given, Max dipped one toe in the water.
“You wish to take another bath?” Kush asked, coming up behind her.
She shook her head. “I think I’m still traumatized from the first one, but it might be nice to soak my feet.” She lowered herself to the side, hiking up the layers of her dress and dangling her bare legs in the water. “Why don’t you join me? The heat feels pretty nice.”
Before she knew what he was doing, Kush had dropped his pants, stepped out of them, and settled himself bare-assed next to her.
Her heart raced, as she kept her eyes focused straight ahead. Had she really just gotten a glimpse of a huge cock with rings down the length of it? “I guess Dothveks aren’t big into modesty?”
“Do you mean are we ashamed of our bodies?” His long, muscular leg almost touched hers, but she fought the urge to shift her gaze to his bare, gold skin.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
Kush laughed, the sound low and rumbling.
Even though she knew he was laughing at her, Max couldn’t help laughing herself. “Just because I don’t strip down at the drop of a hat doesn’t mean I’m a prude.”
“What is a prude?”
She sighed. Well, this wasn’t getting less uncomfortable. “Someone who, you know, doesn’t like sex or at least doesn’t like talking about sex or mating or whatever you guys call it.”
She saw Kush nod out of the corner of her eye. “And you are not one of these prudes. You like talking about mating.”
Max rubbed the hot, prickly skin on her chest. “I mean, it’s not like I talk about it all the time, but I’m not uptight about it. And I’m not a virgin.”
“A virgin?”
Max wondered if this was what it felt like when parents gave the bird and the bees talk to their kids? If so, she felt a rare moment of sympathy for her mother, who’d covered the basics in a matter of minutes before dashing away to some social function.
“Someone who’s never done it,” Max explained, scissoring her legs in the oily water and hoping his questions were coming to an end.
“And you are not one of these virgins?” he asked. “You have ‘done it’?”
How had this conversation started again, and why was she discussing her pathetic love life with a virtual stranger? “Yeah. It’s no big deal.”
“Mating is no big deal?” His shocked tone made her flinch.
“It wasn’t mating.” How could she explain casual sex and one nights stands to a barbarian who clearly took it a lot more seriously? “It was just something that happened once with one of my professors.”
“Once?”
“Well, a few times, but he was older and wasn’t looking for a relationship. Neither was I, so it was perfect. I don’t mean the sex was perfect. That actually wasn’t all that great, but the arrangement worked out for both of us. It was stress release. At least, that’s what he called it.”
Stop babbling, Maxine. For once, Max agreed completely with her mother’s voice in her head. She needed to shut the hell up.
Kush didn’t say anything, but she could feel something pretty strong coming off him. What was it? Confusion? Jealousy? Anger? Before she could tell him that it had been a long time ago, and there was no need to get worked up about it, lightning cracked overhead and illuminated the room.
She craned her neck around to look up through the skylight as another bolt split the inky sky. “I didn’t know deserts got a lot of rainstorms.”
“We do not, but we get light from the heavens. Usually as a sign.”
“A sign?” The scientist in Max bristled. “Like from the gods?”
Kush made a disapproving noise in his throat. “The goddesses control our planet.”
Even though she liked the idea of a bunch of badass barbarian guys believing in goddesses, she also found the concept of a magical deity hard to swallow. She’d been trained in science. She proved and disproved things through experiments. The concept of goddesses sending lightning made her almost laugh.
“You do not believe me,” Kush said, twisting to face her.
“I never said that.” Max kept her head turned toward the water, since Kush was completely naked beside her, and she was apparently more of a prude than she’d claimed to be. “I’m a scientist. I’ve never believed in gods or goddesses. It’s not personal to your planet. It’s just me.”
Kush was quiet. “Our planet must seem strange to you.”
She shrugged. “Not really. I’ve been to a lot of odd places. Trust me, this place is way better than the planet that was almost enti
rely volcanic, and you never knew when the next eruption would come. I never want to run from a lava river again for as long as I live.”
“You like living in different places?” Kush asked. “Never having a home?”
Max straightened her legs, and the water sluiced off her skin. “I’m used to it. My research ship is my home.”
“But it is only you and your droid on this ship?”
“Sometimes,” Max said, her stomach tightening as she though about her lab tech droid, Neo. “But he’s a really great droid.”
“I cannot imagine life without my clan,” Kush said.
“You’re lucky,” Max said. “The closest I’ve ever come to a clan is getting nabbed by the bounty hunters.”
Kush swirled his legs in the water, sending small waves across the surface to splash against the far wall of the tub. “They do seem like a clan. They are very dedicated to each other, and very determined to get you back.
Max’s throat constricted unexpectedly. “They want to collect the bounty on my head.”
“I do not think so. They think of you as one of them now.”
Max had never been a part of a group, especially not a group of women. She nudged her shoulder against his. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“Dothveks do not say things that are not true.” He nudged her back, but his nudge was naturally harder. Max slipped from the edge of the pool and splashed down into the steamy water up to her chest.
She yelped, shocked by the sudden rush of hot water and by the fact that her dress was now plastered to her body. There was another splash behind her, and Kush was next to her in the water. He scooped her into his arms and hurried her out of the pool, putting her down in front of him.
“I am sorry. I did not mean to push you so hard. I forget how small you are.”
Water poured from the soaked fabric of her dress and puddled around her feet, as she stood so close to his naked body she could feel his heavy breaths. Tipping her head back, she dared to look into his eyes, the pupils dark and flashing with desire.