Venturi, Complete Serial Parts 1-4: Alien SciFi Romance (Crashlander)

by Annie Nicholas

  The way he said it, while pressing my free hand to his heart, made me think it had more meaning than me giving him a hand job. He waited for a response, his gaze hot and commanding.

  He was alien, I reminded myself. I couldn’t place human meaning on gestures. For all I knew, he could be telling me to squeeze tighter. My instincts told me otherwise, though, and they were all I had to lean on. Especially as he lowered his mouth to mine.

  Soft lips caressed my lips, slow and full of discovery and oh so wicked. I guess humans didn’t hold a monopoly on kissing. He sipped on my bottom lip while guiding my hand up and down his cock faster and faster, avoiding the hard bump at the tip.

  His kiss grew deeper, his versatile tongue slid over the creases of my lips. He released his hold on my hands, letting me touch him as I liked. He cupped my face, long fingers reaching to the back of my head.

  I opened my mouth and tentatively touched his tongue with the tip of mine.

  His groan vibrated against my body and he demanded more.

  I felt powerful and delicate at the same time. This male could snap me in half but he treated me as if the suns rose and set with my attention.

  He murmured against my mouth. There it was again. All his passion and cravings entwined with my name.

  I tried to do the same with his but I didn’t do it justice. I wanted him to know how attractive I found him. How grateful I was for his rescue. I stroked him harder from base to tip and cupped my free and behind his neck, tangled my fingers in his braids and pulled him closer still.

  All was lost—my way, my ship, my crew. I’d bombed so spectacularly at their rescue. Now the radiation would destroy my cells until my organs failed. I would die for nothing.

  Having met an alien should be something though. We weren’t alone in this big, wonderful universe. This specific alien was worth the trouble. I just wished we had more time together. I would learn his language and then we could talk. He’d tell me about his people and world. I’d tell him about mine.

  Time. I had none. What little I had left, I’d spend with Venturi. He made me happy.

  His breathing became erratic, his hips pumped in time with my hand. He broke off our kiss and pressed our foreheads together as he stared at where I stroked.

  I wrapped both my hands, double fisting him—he was so long—and increased the intensity of my speed.

  His fingers dug into my arms as he held me tight. Unintelligible things fell quietly from his lips as if begging me not to stop. The sound of his deep voice turned me on so bad, I was ready to straddle that huge cock and let him ride us to completion.

  Hot jets of cum splashed against my torso. Venturi cried out, arching back with incredible flexibility. He kept thrusting into my hands, mouth open as his cry went silent and his eyes rolled into his head. Releasing his hold on my arms, he rested his hands on the bottom of the pool to support his weight. His cock slowly stopped pulsing in my hand as he finished spending himself. He pushed himself upright and lifted me in his arms, pulling my hands from his delicious thick cock, and hugged my body along his before kissing me again.

  An appreciative noise escaped my throat and I wrapped my legs around his torso. He was so strong, his body so hard. I didn’t have to touch myself to know how wet he made me. We’d spent my last days in his tree tent making sweet, sweet love.

  Venturi’s long finger traced my spine, sending a shiver over my skin.

  I pulled away from his kiss and stared into his strange eyes. The violet matched the sky, shaded with darker purples. His vertical pupil visibly dilated as he focused on my face. Stark cheek bones and strong jaw contrasted his wide, lush lips. I could kiss him all day.

  His gaze traveled over my face as if drinking me in. It traveled over my head and his expression grew puzzled. His arms tightened around me.

  I twisted to see what stole his attention.

  A thin trail of black smoke tracked a line in the sky, rising higher until it faded. I gripped Venturi’s shoulders, pushing myself to stand. Could that be the back half of the wreck? Maybe I wasn’t so lost. Pointing to the thin smoke, I turned to face my new friend.

  He was staring at my breasts, which I had conveniently placed at his eye level.

  I lifted his chin to break his eye contact and returned his interest to the smoke. “Wendy.” I jabbed my finger in that direction. “Go there.”

  He gave me a wicked smile, his hand cupping my ass until his long fingers slipped between the folds of my pussy. “When-di Venturi.” He pushed the tip into my entrance, then slid in and out as if teasing and making it very clear what he wanted to do instead.

  Oh yeah. I swallowed hard. We’d been heading to greater things in our friendship.

  He delved deeper, watching my face.

  “Yes, Wendy likes this.” I pressed my forehead to his, imagining his cock in place of his fingers. “Oh, yeah.”

  Guiltily, I thought of Angie and Tammy.

  They no longer had any enviro suits to leave the ship. How long before they risked exploring the planet for resources?

  I closed my eyes and breathed in Venturi’s scent. He smelled of green things and earth. Things I’d only recently encountered.

  He withdrew his intimate touch and sat me on the edge of the pool. With his thumb, he wiped a stray tear that spilled down my cheek. He spoke in soft voice. I could almost imagine it meaning, “What’s wrong?”

  I sniffed and wiped my nose. Seriously, I was going to do the crying-girl-during-sex thing?

  “The last couple days have been tough.”

  It was nice having his strong hand supporting my back. Even though everything else seemed fucked up, I could count on Venturi.

  Chapter Six

  Venturi

  I wiped When-di’s face dry with the corner of her outfit. The cloth was rough and uncomfortable to touch. I didn’t know how she could bear wearing the thing.

  The water from her eyes concerned me. Was that normal? Was she ill? That and her sad words made her appear so sorrowful. It tore at my hearts, even though I didn’t understand their meaning. I knew she was hurting.

  I had pushed things between us too quickly. She wasn’t ready to mate. Maybe she found me too different.

  When she’d boldly grabbed my cock, I’d taken it as a sign that she’d accepted our fate together. It seemed we were doomed to misunderstand each other. I wanted to gather her in my arms and comfort her with more kissing, but that might be misconstrued.

  I hated not knowing what to do.

  This had all begun when I spotted the smoke in the sky. The fire must be great to burn in the rainy season. Maybe she feared it?

  I stroked her cheeks and pointed to the trail of smoke in the distance. “Far away.” I pointed at my chest. “Venturi protect.”

  She followed my hands, a determined look dawning on her face. She pointed to herself, said something unintelligible then pointed to the smoke. With an expectant look, she waited for my response.

  My lips parted, but the meaning of her pointing evaded me. I remained silent and scratched my head.

  Frustrated, she pushed free of my hold and snapped a small branch from the tree. She scanned the surface of the branch and audibly ground her teeth. The large leaves surrounding us caught her attention. She pulled one flat and scratched the surface with the little branch to draw. It worked. The sap of the leaf turned a darker green, leaving a picture on the surface.

  She made a rudimentary version of herself. I knew this when she tapped it, declaring, “When-di.” Then she drew a larger one with a tail. “Venturi.” She tapped her drawing. “Human.” She tapped mine and waited.

  And waited.

  She made a growling noise, tapped the picture of herself. “When-di human.” Then pointed at my picture. “Venturi…”

  Ah, now I understood. “Tassuone. Venturi tassuone.”

  Her smile was infectious. She drew more little When-dis then circled them. “Humans.”

  She was trying to tell me something important, I
just knew it by the way she stared at me with growing concentration, but we already established she was human. I pointed at one of the little people. “When-di human.”

  Her smile faded. She pointed at each little person and repeated, “Human, human, human”—then pointed at the smoke—“Human.”

  I jumped to my feet. “Humans?” At the smoke? Their crash had caused the fire. How had she traveled so far and survived, especially in that awful silver suit I’d first seen her in?

  Wait, when I’d first seen her, she’d been traveling toward the smoke area. Not away from it.

  When-di was on all fours now, scratching furiously at a new drawing on a fresh leaf.

  I watched over her shoulder. She drew two boxes. One sat on top of triangles or arrows, the other… I had no idea. I blew out a frustrated breath.

  She patted my hand as if understanding my exasperation. With the end of her drawing branch, she pointed to the box on triangles, then moved her stick to point to the smoke.

  This was a map? I peered at it closer and touched the other box.

  “Humans.” She used her stick to mimic something flying in the air, then crashed it against the leaf. Her stick broke in half. She placed the pieces on the map where the two boxes were drawn.

  “Your spaceship broke in two.” The humans in the first part close to where I’d found her. The second half had set the jungle on fire. I doubted anyone in that part had survived.

  She gestured to the burning part of the ship. I didn’t understand her words but I knew she wanted to travel where the smoke rose. Dead center of balaur territory.

  “No.” I slashed my hand across the air to emphasize my meaning. Too dangerous. Not even a band of hunters would be willing to travel into those mountains. Rainy season or not. The trees were thin higher in the mountains. The sky roads broken. Much of the travel had to be done on the ground where we were vulnerable to attack.

  When-di crossed her arms, a grim frown on her face. She pulled on her clothing.

  “Wait.” I stopped her. She seemed angry and my mate was a rash creature. How would I stop her from following this dangerous path? I could tie her wrists and ankles. Carry her home so she could hate me forever.

  I sighed. With my thumb, I caressed her smooth upper arm. She needed an implant. We didn’t have the time for a side trip. I bent to one knee and showed her the bioprocessor embedded in my flesh. “You need this to live here.” I rested my hand on her chest. “When-di village.” I pointed in the direction of my home. The opposite of where she wanted to go.

  My mission had been to investigate the crash—yes—but that all changed when I’d bonded to her. She needed an implant before she sickened. Then, maybe, I could take her to where she wanted to travel.

  Her frown grew stubborn.

  Wendy

  “Wendy smoke mountain,” I spat out.

  Venturi dressed, jerking on his straps, filled with deadly knives, and lacing his leather pants. He kept tossing me sharp glances and muttering under his breath. “When-di namena.” He jabbed his finger toward the deep jungle, away from both pieces of the ship.

  That was smart of me. Piss off the only ally I had. The only person who could guide me in this God forsaken jungle.

  I glanced at my drawings. Those had worked pretty well, but I didn’t know how to convey calling Earth for rescue in stick-figure form.

  Venturi paced the edge of the pool. He looked troubled and that made me nervous. It was like I had done something wrong. Maybe those lands were sacred to his kind? I couldn’t abandon my crew though.

  I insistently pointed to the smoke. We had to go before the fire went out. It was my only guide at this point. I clasped both his hands to my heart. “Please.”

  His shoulders slumped. He squatted so we were eye-to-eye and handed me one of his wicked sharp stone knives. Baring his shark teeth, he mimicked a lumbering beast. His hiss was unmistakable.

  Dragons.

  My eyes went wide as he pointed to our destination.

  There lay dragons, Wendy. He was trying to explain. No wonder he didn’t want to go. Now, neither did I.

  I grasped the knife handle with both hands and wrung it. Fuckity, fuck, fuck.

  He saw my fear and pointed in the direction he wanted to go. The others would never know of my betrayal if I followed Venturi home. I could only assume that was where he wanted to take me. The last thing the crew had heard were my screams during the dragon attack. For all they knew, I was dragon droppings already.

  My gaze traveled to the smoke lingering in the sky, drifting higher until it faded. Pulled toward it as if by magic, I couldn’t stop staring. Cowardice wasn’t a part of my make-up.

  One didn’t become a test pilot by being afraid of the unknown. We all died. What mattered was how we lived. I wouldn’t spend my last days safely within Venturi’s arms.

  I would go out battling dragons and try to call home for help so my crew might one day be rescued.

  I faced Venturi. Was if fair to risk his life?

  I cupped his strangely handsome face. “Venturi namena.” I hoped I said it right. I gestured toward the way he wanted to travel, then I swung my pointing finger to dragonland. “Wendy’s going to get her ass eaten.”

  Venturi pulled my pointing hand back toward him and kissed my fingertip, his huge hand engulfing mine.

  “Bye, sweet alien mine.” Oh, look at me getting all poetic and misty eyed. Who would have known that I could be so lovey-dovey?

  He tugged my hand and led me along the wide branches in the direction of the beacon.

  Oh wait, he was still coming with me?

  No! No! It was okay for me to go on a fool’s mission. I was a dead woman walking. I tugged my arm free. “Venturi namena. Venturi go home.”

  He slipped his hand under the opening of my torn and dirty jumpsuit, and pressed it to my chest. “Venturi home.” He repeated my words in a garbled accent but I understood his meaning.

  He would go with me, his home.

  The silliest grin spread across my face, making my cheeks and jaw ache at how big it grew.

  He threw back his head and laughed before scooping me in his arms.

  I squealed at the sudden velocity but he silenced me with a toe curling kiss. Hard and passionate, he left no spot untasted.

  Just as quickly, he set me back on my feet, head spinning. Pussy aching.

  Before I could steady my bearings, he took my hand and we were off. Party of two, going up the mountain to climb trees, fight dragons, and scavenge a burning wreckage.

  Sounded romantic.

  At first, I kept pace with Venturi’s long limbed steps on the paths the branches created. Nothing was exactly level or smooth. I was used to corridors and clean lines. This seemed to set my equilibrium off because I was tripping over things that didn’t even exist.

  The suns remained a constant between the leaves, reminding me of the vast space above the tree canopy. As the day progressed, so did the heat, and in turn the humidity rose to the point that the air felt so heavy I had to pretty much drink my air.

  Where was yesterday’s cool breeze? Was it normal for the temperature to fluctuate so much? I hated not having any control over my environment. My limbs felt made of lead and sweat soaked my jumpsuit. This sucked monkey balls.

  Venturi gestured for me to stop.

  I plopped down where I stood and rested my back against a knob rising off the main branch. At this rate, we might reach the wreck in a few weeks. It had all seemed so simple a task when I’d had planned this inside the nice safe, climate controlled bridge with my crew. How much longer before the limited power faded on the bridge and the heat made the ship unbearable? Shit.

  My alien boyfriend sprang off the branch.

  Heart in throat, I gaped as he flew through the air and landed on fruit-laden limb adjacent to where I sat.

  He waved, big sharp teethed smile on his face as he plucked a couple of the yellow globes free. He returned the same way with another graceful jump, landing
on soft feet next to me. The fruit was more melon sized in my hands than in his. When Venturi sliced it open, he compared the pink flesh to my skin, then licked the dripping juices from his fingers.

  My breath hitched. Either he was comparing my skin to it and he wanted to lick me all over or he thought I tasted like the juice and he wanted to eat me out again. Or the heat was making me delusional. I watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed. His gaze intent on my face.

  He cut a piece off and held it to my lips.

  I reached for the fruit but he pulled away. I let my hand fall and he offered me the bite again. Before he could retreat, I bite the slice clean through with a snap of my teeth.

  Venturi jumped, eyes widening, then he gave me a deadly grin. He sliced me another piece and held it out again.

  I wasn’t sure about being fed, but what if this was how his people did things? Once again, I found myself wishing we could talk. Instead, I took a nicer bite, not wanting to insult my guide and only friend. My lips touched his fingertips and his gaze darted to the contact. I rested my teeth on his flesh for a second, enjoying the silent tension growing between us. If I was going to play the pet, then I was going to enjoy it my way. I sucked in his finger with the fruit and licked it clean.

  His lids grew heavy as all his attention focused on my mouth. I could only guess what he was imagining as I sucked on his appendage, but I’m sure it wasn’t his finger. Once I was finished, he quickly cut me another piece. He held it eagerly to my lips. I loved the effect I had on him.

  I also loved the flavor of this fruit. Fresh food in space was a rarity. Shipping took time and growing it was too expensive. Most food was freeze dried or canned. I did remember once my mother obtained an orange as a present for us on Christmas. Angie and I had shared it while watching the Wizard of Oz. Again. We had made a pact to one day visit an orchard.

  My chest felt hollow. What was my little sister doing? I’d left her alone and afraid in a ship full of strangers just after she’d watched her lover die.

  Venturi wiped the sweat from my brow. He muttered something under his breath and insisted I stand.