“Meeting Kam again?” the deep voice rasped.
Perspiration formed beneath her hair and down the center of her back. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, and she couldn’t seem to find her voice. He leaned closer, wrapping her completely within his body heat. His tongue traced the rim of her ear, achingly soft and slow. Oh, my! Her limbs trembled at the moist touch, which she felt all the way down to her toes. She tried hard to control her body, her reactions. She didn’t want him to know how much he affected her.
“Are you letting Kam fuck you now, Leila?” he whispered, pressing his pelvis purposely against her. The fingers of his free hand grazed the outside of her right breast, moving back and forth in light, lazy strokes, easing beneath the material and inching toward her nipple.
His touch and voice were soft, but she felt his anger simmering right below the surface. Her sex life was nobody’s business. And she didn’t want him touching her intimately without permission, no matter how fantastic his hands and tongue felt. Not to mention his cock, which the uniform he wore did nothing to contain. She elbowed him in the ribs.
“Ow!” His arm dropped from her waist, and he stepped back. “Damn, Leila.”
She spun around to face him—Erik Rhodes—a man too sexy for his own good and the second-highest ranking Warrior in The Lair. No woman refused Erik…except her. Maybe that’s why he persisted so doggedly. “Why are you such a bastard?”
One side of his mouth quirked up into a grin. He raked his fingers through his thick, brown hair, while rubbing his side with his other hand. “I asked a question. No need to get violent, sweetheart.”
Leila pressed her fists to her hips. “Don’t call me that. I’m not your sweetheart. I’m a Warrior worthy of the same respect as any other Warrior. You enjoy getting a rise out of me too much, Erik. Go play with someone else.”
He crowded her into a nearby corner, his green eyes glistening with mischief under the lights. “You’ve got that backwards. I’m the one who gets a rise out of you.” His hand brushed his thigh. “And I’m not playing, Leila. I want you.”
Her gaze dipped between his legs. The noticeable bulge shot her sensual cravings to painful proportions and brought back the image of his long, thick cock. Unknown to him, she’d seen him erect once on a video monitor, seen him jacking off, as the Earthlings called it, according to Alexa, the mate of the Warrior Leader, who had been born and raised on that planet.
She gave herself a mental shake, dislodging the erotic image, along with the sudden, unexpected desire to taste his cock, and know how deeply into her mouth she could suck its length. When he leaned closer and brushed her cheek with his, she trembled and tried to push him back.
He wouldn’t budge.
“I’m not interested, Erik.” Her voice shook just slightly, but enough to be noticeable—damn it.
“You’re lying. You need a good fucking. By me.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. The man was too arrogant and unfortunately intuitive for her best interests. She refused to let him rattle her, though. “I need to leave.” Duty and friendship took precedence over desire, giving her the excuse she needed. “Keep your cock sheathed and under control. I already have plans.”
His lighthearted grin faded. “To meet Kam? You two seem joined at the hip lately. What’s going on? Am I going to have to challenge one of my best friends for you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s nothing physical between us.” Why she even explained, she didn’t know. With him towering over her, the spicy scent of his body, the sounds of sex surrounding them—she didn’t know what she was doing or saying anymore. She should have simply said, “I’m not some prize to be fought over and won.” And left it at that. But this wasn’t her first encounter with Erik, by far, and tonight she didn’t feel like parrying with him.
“Then you won’t mind if I join you two.”
She sighed. “Erik, stop stalking me.”
He pressed his body along hers, crowding her even deeper into the corner. His hands roamed her hips and eased down toward her ass, gathering her skirt with his fingers at the same time. He caressed the bare skin of her thigh, then moved slowly toward her pussy.
His light touch felt good against her skin. He knew just how to touch her for the greatest sexual response. She couldn’t stop herself from leaning into him and mewling.
“Mmm. That’s right, baby.” His lips touched the edge of her mouth. “I’m not stalking you, Leila. I’m seducing you.” The vid-cell on his belt beeped, causing them both to jump at the unexpected interruption. He grumbled and stepped back, palming the communication device.
Leila breathed a sigh of relief. Probably for the best. She really didn’t want to deal with him right now, not in these surroundings. He stimulated her senses too much, made her crave things that would only complicate her life. She took advantage of his distraction and activated her transport-connector.
Erik frowned when she dematerialized out. “Talk,” he said into the cell. He barely paid attention to the voice on the other end, even though it belonged to Braden Koll, the Warrior Leader. His mind remained elsewhere.
Whenever he pressed his body closely against Leila’s, he smelled her arousal. She desired more from him than friendship. He knew she did. She just hadn’t admitted her need yet.
For himself, he wanted to rip off her clothes, drop to his knees, bury his mouth between her legs, and suck her essence inside him. On missions, they worked well together. He knew they’d burn hot as lovers, if she’d give him a chance to prove he wasn’t really the bastard she often labeled him.
“What?” he asked, missing Braden’s words.
The Marid Mission is a go, he was informed.
At the thought of a new mission, his heartbeat accelerated, and the blood raced through his veins in anticipation. Leila was essential to this particular mission’s team. At least one Class 1 Warrior needed to accompany her to Marid, one of the five moons orbiting their planet. He’d already petitioned Braden to allow that Warrior to be him.
Although the Joining Party seemed crowded tonight, many of Xylon’s Warriors had fled or abdicated to the side of the Slave Masters after the last uprising. Most believed The Lair would fall and decided to get out, align themselves with the stronger side, while they could.
The Lair hadn’t fallen. But now, few remained in comparison to their previous numbers. With fewer Warriors available, Leila would have to comply with Braden’s decision, whether she liked his team assignments or not.
“I’ll be there,” he answered, when instructed to materialize outside the Council Chamber for a special meeting. He disconnected the transmission and re-clipped the cell to his belt.
He stared back into the corner where he’d had Leila trapped. While touching her body and looking into her eyes, the need to fuck her had grown stronger than ever, making more than his dick hurt. Something deep inside him had turned over, making him feel raw and exposed.
He needed to know the details of the relationship between her and Kam. It bothered him that all of a sudden they were spending so much time together, and in secret.
Kam kept too many secrets, even from his close friends. Erik had never liked secrets.
He’d believed Leila when she’d said nothing physical was going on. He supposed. But she hadn’t explained further. Why? He grabbed his transport-connector.
No matter what the mystery between Kam and Leila, he knew one indisputable truth. “That woman is mine.”
* * * * *
Leila prepared the stimulant. “Drop your pants.” If the Warrior Council—Xylon’s governing body—found out about this, they’d both end up banished to one of the outer moons.
Kam’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
“I’m going to inject the medicine into your hip this time.” She tapped the three-pronged needle. “It’ll be more effective. Lean over the back of the seating, there.” She pointed to the red and blue stuffed lounger behind him. Usually, she tended to him in The Lair’s Med L
ab, but her quarters provided better privacy, especially since he needed the stimulant more often. From now on, she’d inject him here. That way, she could ensure no one discovered their secret.
“Are you all right?” He tugged at his belt.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re flushed. I know it’s not from the prospect of seeing my naked butt.” He chuckled and waggled his eyebrows.
“Don’t sell yourself short. I’m all aflutter.” She batted her eyelashes, then laughed at the ridiculous action she’d witnessed once on an off-planet satellite feed. Even so, she recognized Kam as a strong, sexy man. A woman would have to be blind not to acknowledge that, even if uninterested in a relationship. His blond hair and pale, blue eyes often turned heads—both female and male. “After you dematerialized out, Erik showed up. It’s nothing.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.” Kam pushed down his pants and leaned over. “Go easy on me. I’m not him. Remember that when you’re sticking me.”
She sterilized a spot on his hip, and slowly injected the stimulant. Kam’s biology of half-Xylon, half-Tamarian caused his body to rebel on a regular basis. She pulled out the prongs, and waited for the three puncture wounds to self-heal, an ability most Warriors and breeders possessed. After only a matter of moments, the punctures closed and disappeared. Too bad he couldn’t self-heal the rest of his body. The internal damage was too intricate and severe. The best he could do was hold his own, and not even that anymore without the stimulant. Unable to resist his submissive position, she caressed his butt cheek. Nice. Strong. Worthy of a woman’s touch. She wondered how Erik’s would compare.
He stiffened slightly, then chuckled. “You might not want to do that, unless you’re prepared for the consequences.”
Her pulse jumped, and she jerked her hand away. Touching a patient sexually during treatment went against Xylon’s medical code of ethics. “Sorry.” She stepped back. She obviously still needed a sexual release of some sort. Damn the party, and Erik’s presence hadn’t helped. “You’re all done.” She turned to dispose of the needle.
He slid his pants up. “Thanks. Have you told anyone about this?”
“About the injections? No.”
“Braden would pull me from missions if he knew. He’s already thinking about it, because of my headaches. I couldn’t stand reassignment to research and training. You will keep our secret, won’t you?”
“I don’t have a choice. The Council wouldn’t approve of the use of an experimental drug on a Warrior. They’d remove my ranking, if they found out.”
Kam frowned. “I’m sorry. I put you in this situation. I know what you’re doing could cost your authorization status. Let’s arrange this situation where you’re not involved anymore. Give me some prongs and formula. If caught, I’ll say I stole the medicine and have been injecting myself.”
“No one’s going to believe you, given XT-66 isn’t a drug we supply for general Warrior use. It’s specific for your biology. I made the decision to create, administer, and test these injections, not you. I knew what I was involving myself in. It’s getting harder to keep private though. Erik has already noticed we’re spending a lot of time together.”
“I didn’t realize. What’s he think we’re doing?”
“Fucking.”
At her response, Kam nearly choked. He coughed to clear his throat. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to say that.” When she said nothing further, a concerned look entered his eyes. “I’ll fix it.”
“No need. It works in my favor, actually.”
He cocked his head, then leaned back against the lounger and crossed his arms. “He wants you, Leila, and for more than just a fast fuck, unlike some others I’ve seen hovering around you lately.”
“He wants any woman who will spread her legs. Sex is all he ever thinks about.” As many Warriors did these days. Even though their society revolved around physical joinings, Xylon seemed overly obsessed with the activity, in her opinion.
“That’s not true, and you know it. At least, he’s not like that anymore. You can trust him. Erik sometimes speaks before he thinks.” When she arched an eyebrow, he amended, “Well, more than just sometimes, but he’s a good man. With a good heart.”
She shook her head. “He’s too aggressive.” Even though that was exactly what she craved, deep down. “I couldn’t relax with him. I need a different sort of man. Someone more like…you, maybe.” Kam was such a gentle soul, most of the time. He never demanded more of her than she wanted to give. As such, she knew she could control him. She’d never be able to control Erik.
“Is that an invitation?” A smile tugged at his lips. “Is that why I got the extra special treatment here in your quarters?”
“Maybe. What do you think?” Mixing sex with friendship often drove a relationship right over the edge to destruction. She’d hate to lose Kam as a friend. But I need sex. She shifted uncomfortably.
He uncrossed his arms and glanced at the remote sensor strapped to his wrist. The small device displayed readings from the mood sensor clipped to his belt. “I think you just want Erik to think you’re fucking someone on a regular basis, hoping he’ll leave you alone.” His eyes met hers. “Or maybe you’re overstimulated from the party, and from Erik. And you’re looking for someone to ease your sexual tension. A substitute.” When she pulled her gaze from his, a slow smile crossed his face. “Or am I completely wrong on all points here, and you’re finally seeking a breeder-mate?”
She turned her back. “I’m not interested in mating with anyone. Not to breed. Not yet.” The thought of being bound to someone, especially someone who might expect submission made her shudder. However, she could never respect a man who allowed her to dominate. Bound forever to someone she didn’t love or respect… An intolerable thought indeed.
Eventually, Xylon’s Council would insist she mate for the good of their society, to help repopulate their numbers. Not many breeders remained. And predestined breeder-mates, those who experienced special, erotic visions of their future prior to being bound together, were even rarer. She feared her fantasies, those she refused to accept as anything else, were actually just that—those rare visions. If so, it meant she and Erik would eventually join and mate for life, no matter her wishes. She chewed on her thumbnail.
The Council had been patient and understanding with her up to now, but their patience wouldn’t last forever. She needed to heal her damaged psyche, so she could move on with her life, minus this overwhelming, psychological weight she carried. Maybe then she could even indulge her true sexual desires without fear.
“I’m not what you need, Leila. Believe me. Erik cares about you. Give him a chance. He’d never hurt you. Not intentionally anyway. We both know what you’ve been through. Getting involved with a dominant male and having a good experience would help you get past things.”
She spun back around, not believing how simply he presented the solution. “Get past things! I can’t just get past things. And don’t tell me what I need.” The vehemence in her voice made her cringe. He’d hit too close to the truth, for her own thoughts had drifted in much the same direction lately. “Sorry.” She lowered her tone. “What’s done is done. I don’t intend to cower in the corner and whine about it the rest of my life. But I have to deal with it in a way that doesn’t make me crazy.” She would decide when and how to move on, nobody else. “That’s just the way it is, Kam.”
He strode forward and wrapped her in his arms. “If I could change what happened to you, I would. Erik would, too. Your Initiation Rite should have been an erotic, satisfying experience. Not a time of torture and degradation.”
Though a strong, caring, and probably a sexually safe man, Leila still stood stiffly against him, unable to totally accept his tender gesture. She couldn’t give in to her emotions, any more than she could give in to her darkest desires. If she did, she feared she’d crumble completely.
The ceremony to prepare her body for breeding had scarred her for life, literally and figur
atively. Nobody knew about her physical scars, except the trio who had caused them, along with Xylon’s former leader. And only a handful knew about her emotional scars. Her team had found out about her atypical experience when a video recording of the rite had surfaced during a mission.
She’d learned to live with what had happened to her as best as she could. Consequently, she avoided sex, except when her need grew so great that she couldn’t ignore the cravings. In those times, she chose a male who she could control and who would give her a mild release, just enough to quell the desire for more. Easy. Clean. And taken care of. Not overly satisfying, but better than nothing. She glanced up at Kam. He would fill that need perfectly. If only he were willing.
His eyes locked with hers. “I see your thoughts, Leila. I don’t need my sensor to tell me what you’re feeling right now. You don’t conceal your emotions well. Just because I’m a nice guy most of the time, doesn’t mean I will let a woman control me. I know that’s what you look for sexually.”
Disbelief filled her, and she gaped at his words. “How did you know what I—”
“Warriors talk. At least some of them who’ve indulged you have.”
Damn males. None of them could keep their mouths shut. A Warrior who took a submissive position during sex shouldn’t brag about it. If she could satisfy herself, something she’d never been able to manage very well, she’d turn her back on the whole lot of them. “Certainly, you could submit with the right woman.”
His hand drifted down to her ass, and he squeezed one fleshy mound through the barely there material. “Not a chance. Don’t for a moment underestimate what I might demand from a woman. My needs might surprise and even shock you.”
When Kam again squeezed her ass, and then glided his fingers down her crack while murmuring something in her ear about “a good ass fuck”, she pushed his hand away and stepped back. Better not chance getting involved in something she wasn’t yet ready to handle.
His vid-cell beeped, breaking the tension between them. Even so, he continued staring at her, his gaze raking her body, through the next three beeps, before he took the transmission. He disconnected after only a moment. “Braden wants me in the Council Chamber. You need to come, too.”
Xylon Warriors II: His Carnal Need Page 2