Thrasher: Science Fiction Romance (Enigma Series Book 9)

by Ditter Kellen

  After doing a quick search of the cabins, he’d located her on the deck. Naked.

  Thrasher’s mouth went dry. “What the hell?”

  She turned to face him, not in the least bit concerned about her state of undress. “What means, what the hell?”

  Thrasher’s gaze lowered to her breasts against his will. And, man, what beautiful breasts they were. Perfection in its finest form.

  It took an enormous amount of will to avert his eyes. With his teeth clenched together, he managed to demand, “Cover yourself.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “You expect me to wear the robe into The Gulf?”

  Jerking his gaze up to the wheelhouse, Thrasher nearly snarled when he suddenly made eye contact with Brant.

  Brant grinned.

  Thrasher snatched up Kaspyn’s discarded robe and quickly thrust it at her, all the while moving to stand behind her to block Brant’s view of her body. “Put it on!”

  She had the audacity to shake her head. “You put it on.”

  Thrasher’s mouth opened and closed. He had a good mind to yank her up and turn her over his knees.

  A vision of her incredible ass draped across his knees floated through his mind.

  His shaft twitched in response. Son of a bitch.

  “Why are you out here naked on the deck?”

  She stared back at him as if he were daft. “I told you, I am hungry.”

  “And I told you, there is plenty to eat in the kitchen,” Thrasher shot back, growing angrier and more turned on by the second. Damn her.

  She shifted her weight onto one leg, forcing her hipbone to roll beneath her skin.

  Thrasher tried, he really did, but he could no more prevent his gaze from lowering if his life depended on it.

  Her abs were prominent, her waist small, and the swell of her hips connected with a pair of muscular thighs. Situated in the midst of it all was her soft, smooth woman’s center.

  Yeah, he was done for. His shaft grew erect with a quickness that stunned him and his stomach felt as if he’d been kicked by a size twelve boot.

  He realized he still stood there holding the robe out in front of him, staring like an idiot. But he wasn’t moving. Not as long as Brant remained in that wheelhouse behind him.

  Kaspyn finally accepted the robe and put it on. “I do not understand how you expect me to eat those strange looking containers.”

  It took Thrasher a moment to realize what she meant. He watched her tie the sash of the robe before answering. “You don’t eat the containers. You eat what’s inside them.”

  Now that her body had been covered, he waved a hand out to his side. “I should have shown you before I left. Come on.”

  He waited for Kaspyn to push away from the railing before turning and following her back down the hall. It took considerable effort to keep his gaze on the back of her head.

  Once in the kitchen, he laid the clothes he held on the island in the center of the room and opened the fridge. He pulled out the mayonnaise, mustard, ham, turkey, and bread. “Have a seat and I’ll show you how this is done.”

  She looked suspiciously at the items he placed on the countertop. “I do not see how you eat that.”

  Thrasher would have laughed if he weren’t fighting the erection he’d had since stepping onto that deck. “You’ll see.”

  He built her a sandwich and then made one for himself before setting hers in front of her on a paper plate. “Take a bite.”

  She studied it for several seconds, picked it up, and bit a small section from the top.

  “Mmmm,” she moaned, her exotic eyes lighting up.

  Thrasher bit into his as well.

  “I have never tasted anything like this before. What is this called?”

  Swallowing, Thrasher answered. “A sandwich. Wait until you try chocolate.”

  “Chocolate?” she repeated around a mouthful of her second bite.

  She looked so beautiful and innocent in that moment, Thrasher almost forgot what she was capable of. Almost. “It’s a treat. We don’t have any on the yacht, but I’ll make sure that you get some in Cuba.”

  Kaspyn finished her sandwich before Thrasher could swallow his third bite.

  She jumped to her feet and moved over to the counter. “Show me how to make a sandwich. I wish for another.”

  And just like that, she went from being a princess warrior to a kid in a candy store.

  Thrasher blew out a breath and stood. This was going to be a long trip.

  Chapter Ten

  Kaspyn avoided Thrasher as much as possible on the trip to Cuba, choosing instead to remain in her cabin watching the magical box known as television. She’d been tempted to venture out toward the wheelhouse on more than one occasion, but figured it would be safer to stay away.

  Thrasher wasn’t anything like what she’d imagined him to be. Oh, he was still a land walker, but he had a strength inside him that very few possessed; including some Bracadytes.

  He also had a softness hidden beneath his tough exterior; a softness that went beyond the occasional helping hand. It reflected from his sky-blue eyes when he thought no one was looking. Perhaps that is why he keeps them covered.

  Looking down at her attire, Kaspyn decided to go in search of her own clothing, although Thrasher’s were more comfortable. They smelled good as well, she silently admitted, breathing in the soft fragrant scent of his laundry soap.

  She opened the door to her cabin and stepped out into the hall, nearly running into Pyre.

  “I was on my way to retrieve you,” he informed her, holding what looked to be her clothes in his arms. “These belong to you.”

  Kaspyn accepted the offering. “Many thanks, Pyre.”

  He nodded. “We are nearing Cuban waters. Thrasher has informed me that a land walker named Oz will be along shortly to take us the rest of the way in.”

  Turning back toward her cabin, Kaspyn spoke over her shoulder. “I will be dressed and ready to go in a moment.”

  Pyre touched her on the arm, prompting her to face him once again.

  “What is it, Pyre?”

  He hesitated. “May I speak freely, Princess Kaspyn?”

  “Of course.”

  “I do not know what has happened between you and the land walker, Thrasher, but I overheard him speaking about you to Anthony Vaughn.”

  Kaspyn kept her expression blank. She glanced at her nails, pretending indifference. “Oh? And what did he have to say about me?”

  “Something about turning you over his knee. He also said he wanted you watched every hour of everyday that we are in Cuba.”

  Anger surfaced. “He said that?”

  “He did.”

  “I thank you for coming to me with this, Pyre. Say nothing to the others.”

  Pyre nodded, bowed slightly, and meandered off to disappear into the kitchen.

  Kaspyn hurried back inside her cabin and changed back into her own clothes. They smelled similar to Thrasher’s.

  Her stomach fluttered as she recalled his scent when he’d kissed her in his apartment. It had been Kaspyn’s first kiss…and she couldn’t imagine anything feeling as incredible.

  She pulled on her boots and laced them up before securing her long, white hair into a ponytail. She would seek out Thrasher and find out exactly what his problem was.

  Opening the door, Kaspyn stepped back out into the hall and turned toward the wheelhouse. She took the steps, entering the room to find Anthony Vaughn holding the wheel.

  “Princess Kaspyn,” he formally greeted. “What brings you up here?”

  “I am looking for Thrasher.”

  Vaughn nodded toward the exit. “I believe he went to his cabin. He should be back momentarily if you’d like to wait.”

  “Many thanks,” she remarked, spinning on her heel and descending the steps.

  Turning right, she strode down the hall to Thrasher’s cabin. His door was pulled to but not completely closed. She lifted her hand to knock just as he passed by in h
er line of vision.

  Kaspyn stilled, her knuckles hovering inches from the wooden door and watched as a very naked Thrasher grabbed what looked to be a dark blue pair of shorts from the bed and stepped into them.

  She couldn’t seem to breathe. She simply stood there, watching as he dragged the material up his muscular legs and over his thick shaft.

  Though Kaspyn had never been with a male before, she had seen her share of genitalia. Many Arkadian males entered and left the bath house without bothering to cover themselves. But there was something different about Thrasher’s nudity. Perhaps it had to do with the heat that formed between her thighs every time she got close to him.

  He abruptly reached inside the material and adjusted himself before turning to retrieve his shirt from the back of a chair.

  Kaspyn’s gaze lowered to his backside, watching the muscles flex there with every move he made.

  His body suddenly stiffened. “You might as well come in. I know you’re out there.”

  Kaspyn was far too fascinated to be embarrassed. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. “How did you know I was there?”

  “I felt a shift in the air the moment you stopped outside the door. Why do you think I left it cracked?”

  Now she was embarrassed. He’d known she had been standing out there watching him the entire time.

  She lifted her chin and met his hooded gaze. “A trick you will have to introduce me to sometime.”

  “Come here.”

  Her heart kicked up a notch, but she didn’t back down.

  Trailing forward, she didn’t stop until she stood directly in front of him.

  He lifted his hands to her shoulders and tugged her closer. “Now, I want you to close your eyes and open your senses. I am going to leave the door cracked an inch and then take a stroll down the hall. I won’t announce my return. I want you to feel it. Can you do that?”

  His sweet breath fanning across her face brought her senses alive far more than his door trick could do.

  “Kaspyn?”

  “Yes. I can do that.”

  She felt the moment his heat left her, heard the creak of the door as he departed the room.

  Kaspyn attempted to open her senses, to feel what he wanted her to feel. But all she could see behind her closed lids was Thrasher’s naked form. She wondered what it would feel like to run her fingertips down his stomach, to encircle his thick, engorged sex in her hand.

  Something shifted in the air, pulling her out of her lustful musings. It wasn’t that she actually heard anything. No, it was more of a move-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face type feeling. You couldn’t actually hear or see the movement, you simply felt it. “I know you’re there.”

  And then he was behind her, his face close to her ear. “Just as I knew you were. Did you see me, Kaspyn?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, unable to stop the words from slipping past her lips.

  His voice deepened. “Did you like watching me?”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that, yes, she’d liked it more than she wanted to admit, but a ringing sound shattered the spell she seemed to be caught up in.

  Thrasher swore a word Kaspyn had never heard and spun toward the door.

  Kaspyn’s eyes fluttered open. She turned in time to watch him bring a small, black rectangular shaped device to his ear and bark, “Yeah?”

  He jerked the door open and disappeared into the hall leaving Kaspyn confused and more than a little irritated.

  Chapter Eleven

  Thrasher had never been so glad to see a place in all his life as he was when he stepped into Oz’s home.

  Though Oz hadn’t personally sailed out to pick them up, he’d sent some of his most capable men in his place.

  “Melvin,” Oz murmured as Thrasher entered his home. “It is good to see you. I apologize for not personally bringing you in, but Maria had her appendix removed a couple days ago and wasn’t up to traveling. I was not about to leave her behind. Not with that bastard, Howell, running amok in Cuba.”

  Thrasher clasped Oz’s palm. “It’s good to be here. I’m surprised you got her into a hospital. With the Incola virus still running strong over here, I imagine the hospitals are overcrowded as hell.”

  “It wasn’t easy,” Oz admitted. “Nor cheap.”

  Thrasher could only fathom how much money Oz paid to have Maria’s surgery taken care of.

  “Brant,” Oz acknowledged, clapping Fiona’s brother on the back before shifting his gaze to Tony. “Congratulations on the birth of your son. How is Naura?”

  Tony nodded. “Thank you. She’s doing good. Not happy that I’m here, but other than that, she’s gaining strength by the day. And Melvin now goes by Thrasher.”

  “So Rykaur tells me. You both are blood brother to the Bracadyte now. That’s good news.”

  Oz leaned to the side slightly, his gaze sweeping over the two Arkadians hanging back on the porch. “Those two look similar to the Targaryen body double that arrived earlier with Gryke and Rykaur.”

  “Very funny,” Thrasher remarked, hoping Kaspyn didn’t hear Oz’s offhanded comment. But of course, no such luck.

  “I do not know this Targaryen body double you speak of, but the Arkadian who accompanied Gryke and Rykaur is known as Zyen.”

  Oz blinked at Thrasher. “You really do need to get them out more.”

  Thrasher ignored his jab. “Speaking of, where did you place said body double?”

  Flicking his gaze back to Kaspyn, Oz grinned before returning his attention to Thrasher. “I put him in the bungalow next to yours.”

  Tony quickly intervened. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ozzie my boy. How about giving me that bungalow and moving Thrasher down one?”

  “Whatever you want, Vaughn Gogh. You know me, I’m easy.”

  “So, I’ve heard.”

  Sobering, Oz moved to the porch and took a left, waving for them to follow.

  “Any news on Howell?” Thrasher inquired falling into step beside his host.

  Oz nodded. “My sources tell me that Kerik was spotted just east of here which means that Howell is close by. I have a feeling they’ve been expecting you. Actually, I would imagine they were expecting a lot more than you.”

  “I think Klause realized that also which is why he stayed behind. He wasn’t willing to risk his people by leading them into a trap.

  Oz turned up a shaded walkway and bounded up onto the small porch of a bungalow. He threw the door open. “I think you are right, Melvin. Or do you prefer to go by Thrasher?”

  “Thrasher is who I’ve become.”

  “Then Thrasher is what I will call you,” Oz assured him. “This is where you will stay. I will put Vaughn and Brant in the one next door between you and the giant white-haired Arkadian. Gryke and Rykaur are sharing a bungalow three doors down from you. I will put the other Arkadians in with Zyen.”

  Thrasher’s stomach tightened. For some reason, it bothered him to think of Kaspyn bunking with the two males.

  “Is something wrong with that arrangement?” Oz asked, entering Thrasher’s temporary home.

  Tony stepped up onto the porch. “I’ll stay with Thrasher and Brant can bunk with Gryke, his sister’s mate. Kaspyn can have my bungalow.”

  Oz shrugged. “I’ll let you all hash that out.” He strolled farther inside. “All the bungalows have been stocked with provisions; food, toiletries, blankets, and towels. If you need anything more, I’m only a short distance away. Rest up and we’ll meet back at my place at sundown. We have plans to make.”

  Thrasher nodded his thanks. “I see you’ve began construction on the new hotel. How long before it’s up and running again?”

  “God only knows,” Oz answered, turning back toward the door. “It’s hard to find help these days with the virus still spreading. Most folks are afraid to leave their homes…even with masks and gloves. Not that I blame them. If Maria and I weren’t immune, I would take her as far from civilization as I could get her. Not to mention to
urism is nonexistent in Playa Pilar as I’m sure it is everywhere else in the world.”

  Tony shifted his bag to his other hand. “I imagine that we won’t see tourism back in action for a few years to come. Though the United States is back up and running, there are still millions more waiting for vaccinations.”

  Oz stepped back out onto the porch. “How long before they can make a synthetic vaccine to mimic the one they have now?”

  Tony glanced at Thrasher before answering. “According to Abbie, the CDC is very close to having one up and ready to distribute. I don’t think it’ll be much longer.”

  “That’s good news.” Oz descended the steps, smiling at Kaspyn and Pyre. He approached Kaspyn. “You will be staying in that bungalow there.” He jerked his chin toward the small dwelling next door.

  “And me?” Pyre questioned, a guarded look on his face.

  Thrasher watched as Oz pointed out the bungalow that Pyre would bunk in. “Zyen is already inside.”

  Pyre cocked his head to the side. “You have Bracadyte blood in your veins. I can sense it.”

  “I do. Although I have more human DNA than Bracadyte. But that’s neither here nor there.” Oz winked and strode back down the walkway, calling over his shoulder, “See you at sundown.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Kaspyn watched as Oz departed through the shrubbery, disappearing from view a moment later, while the human Brant moved off in the opposite direction.

  She approached the porch that Thrasher and Tony stood on. “I have never met a Bracadyte with human blood in his veins. How odd.”

  “Actually, what you just met was a human with Bracadyte blood in his veins,” Thrasher corrected. “And I don’t see anything odd about it all. A person’s bloodline or skin color doesn’t define who they are, Kaspyn. We all bleed red.”

  Kaspyn couldn’t seem to look away from Thrasher’s eyes even though they were covered by those dreaded mirrored lenses. If she understood him correctly, he’d just suggested that humans and Bracadytes were the same inside. Which was utter nonsense. Wasn’t it? “Humans are everything that is wrong in the world, Thrasher. They maim, kill, and destroy everything they touch. That is not the Bracadyte way.”