Juliette pulled her long hair forward over her shoulders, feeling defensive for the first time, confused by Torrin’s abrupt change in mood from angry to content. She looked at him suspiciously. He was up to something. She could feel it in her bones. “I just think we shouldn’t rush into anything permanent. We’ve only known each other for a few days. Sex doesn’t have to lead to marriage, or binding, as you call it. How about dating each other first?” she offered.
Torrin nodded thoughtfully, considering her words, crafting his own response carefully. She was smart. Stubborn. Wounded on the inside. He wanted to hold her forever, fix every shattered dream. Make her laugh. His eyes began to twinkle as he rubbed the scruff on his cheek, his plan solidifying in his mind. “Allow me to address your issues one at a time. I suppose ‘dating’ makes sense. Caldorians are long-lived but not immortal. I have recently entered my third decade. Young for my kind, but not a child. As we do not have a machine on board to verify our ages, I will trust you to speak the truth. How old are you?”
Juliette blinked once, twice, before bursting into laughter again. “How old? Apparently old enough to need carbon dating.”
Torrin looked at Juliette with eyebrows raised ever so innocently, a small smile edging up the corners of his mouth. “Was this not your suggestion? That we ‘date’ each other first?”
“Uh, no. Not by a long shot. I said ‘dating,’ as in dinner and a movie,” she clarified, trying not to laugh again. “Talking. You know, so we can learn about the little things. I don’t even know your favorite color. As I was saying, we hardly know each other.”
“I fail to see how color preferences establish knowledge. And I know you much better than you realize,” he said earnestly.
“Okay, this should be good,” Juliette said, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. “Please share. What exactly do you think you know?”
“Well, princess, let’s make a wager,” he smiled confidently. “If I can tell you ten things about yourself, will you agree to light my markings? I noticed you brought some maju paste on board along with the maju water while I was unconscious.”
“Maju paste? I wasn’t sure about taking it from those goons, but the guy included it in the deal, so I brought it along. Doctor Jorvin told me only the maju water would be strong enough to heal you. No one on the base said anything about lighting any markings. What significance would that have?” Juliette asked suspiciously.
Torrin was obviously very intelligent. Was he planning a trick of some kind? Marry them without her knowledge or consent? He didn’t seem like the type, but then, an old homeless woman she’d befriended, with scraggly gray hair and missing teeth, used to tell her that one never really knew another person until they’d been married and lived in the same house together. There was just something about Torrin, though, that pulled at her. Everything in her wanted to trust him. Juliette tracked him with her eyes as he left the room.
Chapter Seven
Torrin retrieved the cylinder holding the maju paste. Cracking the lid open, he showed Juliette the opalescent mixture. “This is made by crushing maju stones into a paste when the energy is nearly depleted. Maju water, on the other hand, is made by submerging new stones in mineral water for a short period of time, which creates a healing elixir. When the stones are removed the water can be stored for future use.”
“And your markings? How does that work?” Juliette asked again, fascinated. She’d always been a very curious person, wanting to know how things worked. “Why not use the water instead of the paste?”
Settling them more comfortably on the bed for a longer discussion, he did his best to describe the Caldorian tradition. “For some reason, only the paste works for that. I am a fighter, not a scientist. If you are truly interested in this topic, we can do some research in the ancient archives. As for lighting our markings, we do so when we want others to know that we are no longer available. This also gives the couple a chance to touch one another, learn their bodies, become attuned to their desires,” he said, lightly brushing his fingers across the delicate skin of her cheek.
“Oh,” she nodded. “I get it. Kind of lets everybody know what’s up. Like wearing your boyfriend’s clothes.”
Torrin grinned wolfishly, “I am not familiar with this custom, but I’m eager to try it. I would very much like to see you wearing only my clothing to ‘let others know what’s up’. Or better yet, bind yourself to me and there will be no need for you to wear any clothing at all, ever again,” he added, waggling his eyebrows up and down.
Juliette laughed, playfully swatting his arm. “In your dreams, buddy.”
Torrin sighed dramatically to make her laugh again, his tone deep and full of heat as he agreed. “Indeed. But I digress. For the moment, let’s stick to the maju paste. The lighting effect is not permanent. It even has mild healing properties. I noticed your cheek was already healed when I woke. I assumed Doctor Jorvin directed you to use the paste on yourself?”
“Uh, no, not exactly,” she blushed. “The other man with the doctor told me to give you the maju water, but to get rid of the paste. He said it could be contaminated and that I shouldn’t touch it. I was busy trying to save you and actually forgot all about it until you mentioned it.”
“The other man?” asked Torrin warily. “His name is Falden.” He hesitated over his next choice of words, not wanting to mislead her, yet unable to tell her about the Lumerian Knights. He would tell her what he could. “Falden is the commander of our battalion. He decided to lead my unit when I joined up. Said I was young and reckless and, therefore, needed a babysitter. I’d already proven I was faster than everyone else, and I worked harder than the others to get even better; long hours every night after the rest of my unit had gone to sleep, but he still insisted on watching over me for years. He can be a bit of an ass when he thinks I’m not listening, and he may look young but he’s older than dirt.”
Torrin cracked his neck from side to side, his mouth quirking with amusement as he thought about Falden’s very stern admonishments when he’d first found the Lumerian Knights, determined to join their elite fighting force. Become part of the team. Falden had turned him away. Tested his resolve for months. If he were totally honest, the man had slowly taken the place of the father he’d never known. Torrin’s trust and faith in him was absolute. “I’m sure he only told you not to touch the paste because you’re from Earth. I don’t think maju paste has ever been used on a human. He was just being overly careful, as usual.”
Torrin frowned, rubbing his jaw. “If you didn’t use the maju paste, how did you heal the bruises on your cheek so quickly?”
“Oh. Well,” she hedged, “you see, when I was trying to get the maju water into the IV bag that I found in the emergency medical supplies, I accidentally splashed some on my face.” Juliette squeezed her eyes shut before adding, “And into my mouth. But only a few drops. No harm, no foul, right? I’ve been monitoring all my vitals. I haven’t noticed any adverse effects, at least none in the short term.”
“A welcome and fortuitous accident, then. Maju water is much stronger than the paste. If you felt nothing from the water, then the paste should be no problem. Do you agree to the wager, then? If I can tell you ten things about yourself, will you participate in this tradition?” Torrin’s tone turned formal. All playfulness vanished as he formally asked, “Will you light my markings, Juliette Rosen?”
Juliette met his gaze, trying to see through the outer façade that all people have to some degree, looking for a deeper truth. He was an honorable man. She wanted him, there was no doubt about that. Taking part in his traditions would create an intimacy she wasn’t sure she could handle. Or want. Did she? Her heart gave a pang. Could she trust him? Did she want what he was offering? She rubbed at the sudden pain in her temples.
Torrin covered her hands with his, massaging the pain away. “You are overthinking this. Trust your instincts.”
She gave a short laugh. “No. My instincts are telling me to jump in and worry about
tomorrow later. That kind of thinking usually gets me into trouble.”
“Forget the wager then. I only want you to know how I see you. Decide for yourself about the maju paste. You risked your life on Mora Five, a very dangerous planet, to save me. I know that you could have left me for dead and gone home. If I haven’t said it before, thank you.”
“You saved me first, remember?” she protested, absurdly pleased by his recognition and thanks. “I couldn’t let you die. What kind of person would that make me?”
“Exactly. What kind of person? Many would have left without a backward glance, let alone risk their own lives. But you’re right. You couldn’t let me die because you are an amazing, beautiful woman on the inside and out. Because you cared about a stranger, willing to put my needs before your own.”
“Well, I’m a nurse,” she argued. “That’s what we do.”
Torrin ran his fingers through his hair, trying to hide his amusement. She was very stubborn. He probably shouldn’t include that one on the list he was giving her, even if he found the trait adorable in her. She was a bit prickly. “Yes. But why are you a nurse? You have courage. Honor. Integrity. You want to help people. You’re resourceful, smart, and you already said you’re good at finding things.”
“Okay,” she nodded in agreement, her head tilting to the side. “So we’ve established I’m an amazing person,” she laughed self-consciously. “What about you, then? I still don’t know anything about you.”
“Don’t you?” he asked, his hazel eyes intensifying, as if seeing into her soul.
Juliette shifted, matching his intensity. Thinking back to their escape from the Vilitos ship, her gaze narrowed, concentrating on the memory. “You were already escaping on your own, weren’t you? You could have left me there. And the Targo. You were almost free. You were on your way out.”
His only response was a slight nod. He could see the way she was processing information, analyzing her memories. He couldn’t wait to spend his life with this woman. She fascinated him. Challenged him. She was his equal in every way. Something shifted inside him. Elemental. Primal. He needed to claim her soon. Make her his forever. Come deep inside her. He was on fire for her.
Juliette’s pulse quickened. He was looking at her like he wanted to devour her. Like a predator, she the prey. She flushed with desire, suddenly reminded that beneath the sarong she was naked. Desire shot straight to her feminine core, throbbing with renewed intensity. She wanted him. What was she waiting for? “I hope you don’t mind. I asked Doctor Jorvin about you. He told me you’d been on that ship for months. That must have been horrible. Are you really okay now?”
Torrin couldn’t help himself. He had to get closer to her. He sat on the bed and lifted her up to straddle him. He pulled her in close, snug against his hard erection. The friction was torture, he was so hard, but he didn’t care. He wanted her closer. Needed to bury himself inside her. He didn’t want to think about the Vilitos. Didn’t want to relive the torture, but if that was what she needed in order to trust him, he would share every gruesome detail. “I’d been waiting for them to make a mistake. Enduring. Planning. Resisting. All I needed was for one of them to come in alone.”
Juliette swallowed, knowing the answer to her next question, but needing to hear him tell her. “What did you do?”
“I killed him. Just like I killed those other guards who stood between us and freedom,” he added frankly. “My missions always carry risk. I’m part of a team. A very specialized team. We go where we’re needed. Sometimes together, sometimes alone. I need you to be okay with that,” he said, running his hands along the curves of her body, kneading her tight muscles. “Tell me what I need to do to convince you.”
She moaned. His hands felt so good, she never wanted him to stop. And yet, she wanted more. Needed him to know how she felt. “I understand what you do can be dangerous. I can see that you’re a warrior. A protector. You saved me. How can I not be okay with that? You’re an amazing man.” She arched her head back as his hands worked their magic. “And if this is how you’re going to convince me, then yes. Absolutely yes. Try really, really hard.”
He chuckled. “Put your hands around my neck.”
“Mmm.” His commanding presence had her practically weak at the knees. “Are you the type who likes to tell his woman what to do?”
Torrin kissed her breathless before adding, “I want control in the bedroom, yes. I’m willing to negotiate in other areas. I’m going to add quick learner to your list.” He wanted to share his growing feelings for her but knew she would run. She wasn’t ready to hear his words of love. Wouldn’t believe him. He would just have to show her, instead.
His fingers ground into her hips and pulled her hard against him. “Right now I want you to trust me with your body.” Your heart, he added silently. Torrin’s hands stroked her back, her bottom, curling around the back of her legs, wrapping them around his waist. He kissed her everywhere. Thoroughly. Passionately. Deeply.
Her clit plumped, throbbing with desire. Heat spread like wildfire through every cell in her body. “It’s-it’s not easy for me to trust people, or to give up control.”
“Then I shall make it easy for you,” his baritone rumble deepened in his chest. He clenched his jaw. Clamped down on his desire to take her right then and there. He was rock hard. He wanted nothing more than to claim her. Mark her. Plant his seed deep inside her.
“How? Honestly, I’ve tried,” she blushed.
He ground his hard shaft against her mound until she moaned, her body pliant against his. He stroked her until she was writhing with need, pulling the sarong from around her. She had nothing on beneath. She was bare. Vulnerable. Wet. Ready. Only his iron control kept him from burying his shaft to the hilt in her soft, willing body.
“Your body already trusts me. Your mind will follow,” he murmured, flicking his tongue across the tip of her pebbled nipple before tugging gently at the areole with his teeth. His finger found her wet entrance and dove deep, eliciting a deeply satisfying moan from her, her hips arching. Seeking.
Juliette couldn’t catch her breath as Torrin added a second finger deep inside her, his other hand stimulating her clit. Heart pounding in her chest, she felt every throbbing beat hammering through her engorged nub. Electricity arced through her, every nerve ending firing simultaneously. Her toes curled, she was so close to orgasm. Still, she held on.
“Keep your knees spread,” he ordered, placing them high and wide. “Use your hands to keep them open.”
When Juliette complied, he leaned forward. Her swollen folds parted to reveal her throbbing, engorged nub. He used one hand to pleasure her swollen clit, pressing deep into her channel with the other. Hard. His finger found just the right spot deep inside her.
Juliette’s breath quickened. She wanted to come so bad. Still, she couldn’t.
“So stubborn you are, Juliette,” he murmured.
“Wh-What?” she gasped.
“Change of plan. Wedge your elbows behind your knees. Pull your pussy open with your fingers.”
She couldn’t fight the command. Didn’t want to fight it. His voice was velvet over steel, penetrating deep inside her, breaking down barriers she didn’t even know she had. She’d never touched herself in front of another person, or opened so far. She reached for her plump feminine lips, swollen and tingling. She hesitated, momentarily abashed.
“Stop thinking. Do it,” he growled.
Juliette took a deep, embarrassed breath and pulled herself open, exposing her clit, now plumped almost painfully, her feminine sheath opening invitingly, glistening and ready for his invasion. And somehow, doing that exposed her deep down in her soul. She trembled with fear. Desire. Uncertainty. She’d never been so vulnerable. He could see everything. Everything.
Torrin’s very masculine rumble of appreciation went a long way to relieve her fears, but still she felt uncertain.
Eyes locked onto hers, his fingers worked deep inside her. Worked her clit. Her core. He kis
sed her deeply as one finger, drenched in her feminine juices, slipped past the tight ring around her anus, deep into that dark channel. Invading. Penetrating. Demanding her surrender.
“Give yourself to me, Juliette,” he commanded.
She wanted to obey. Wanted to come more than she’d ever wanted anything. “Ahh!” Higher and higher she rose, nearing the precipice. Out of control. Reaching for that elusive something to send her over the edge.
Redoubling his efforts, his voice deepened almost to an otherworldly level, so low she would feel more than hear the command vibrating deep into her core. “Come. Come now,” he ordered, his tone brooking no argument. “Let go.”
His deep command was what she needed, her inner walls contracting, throbbing, strangling his fingers in a vise. Orgasm ripped through her. Her body pulsed. Pounded. Heat flashed from her core, raced up her spine, exploding through every cell. Stars detonated behind closed lids. She pulsed. Clenched. Throbbed. Drifted.
Long minutes passed before she could form a coherent thought. “Get the paste.”
Chapter Eight
Torrin eyed Juliette’s curvy, flushed body as he opened the cylinder containing the maju paste with great anticipation. The mixture sparkled like a liquid, opalescent prism, reflecting a rainbow of colors and glittering like diamonds. He looked deeply into Juliette’s wide eyes before carefully handing the cylinder to her as she sat up. “Painting our markings with maju paste is an ancient tradition among my people.”
Juliette took the cylinder with trembling hands. “I don’t have any markings.”
He nodded. “You have no markings, but I can still apply the paste,” he said, sitting next to her. “We are very protective where I’m from. Territorial. Possessive,” he warned. “I will not tolerate others in your bed.”
Alien Knight Steals The Bride Page 7