Worlds Apart (Warriors of Risnar)

by Tracy St. John

  “It never works out. I’ve tried, but I have better luck with men as friends than lovers. The guys I worked with on my squad were my best buddies. Only two of them made it out with me, and they live far away.”

  “What about family? You said your guardians died—I mean, your parents.”

  “They were killed in a car accident several years ago. I have loads of cousins, though. They’re good for a laugh or to stand with for a cause.” Anneliese’s gaze turned contemplative. “Seems to me, you Risnarish have plenty of cause for me to sink my teeth into.”

  Did she want to stay for reasons beyond fighting the Monsuda? Nex hardly dared hope so. “It’s been a fight for Jeannie to remain on Risnar. However, she and Kren are in love, so she’s doing her best to not return to Earth. Her presence might help sway things in your favor.” Though he didn’t want Anneliese to fight. She could get hurt with her unarmored skin. Killed.

  “If Jeannie has to go back, I’m guessing the elders wouldn’t be in favor of weekend visits? Or Kren popping over at her place from time to time?”

  “They feel strongly about contamination of your culture. The Assembly and elders councils would like to shut all of the portals down, permanently.”

  “They’re probably right. Earth isn’t under one government. We fight against each other over stupid stuff a lot. If we kill each other so easily, just imagine how we’d react to aliens.”

  Nex squeezed her hand. “I have a hard time imagining you killing another Earthling without guilt.”

  “Of course I feel guilt.” Anger flashed across her face. “Though it was a case of them or me, I’ll never get past the look on their faces when I ended their lives. I wonder about their families, those who loved them. They didn’t think of those men as the enemy.” Anneliese looked up at Cadi and shook her head. “Enough about my sorry story. Tell me about you. I was under the impression you were a cop or something when we met, but it turns out you’re a scientist?”

  Hoping to coax the hurt off her face, Nex went with the subject change willingly. “I was in law enforcement when we met in the Hahz hive, yes. But I have always loved science, particularly biological studies. I studied that and medicine before becoming an enforcer.”

  “Trouble making up your mind, huh?”

  “Not really. Science and medicine are mostly the province of the women, and it can be hard to be the only man working with such a team. They find me loud and excitable, I’m afraid. I’m emotional when I make a new discovery. I went into law enforcement thinking my personality would be a better fit there.”

  “Why didn’t it work out?”

  “I didn’t love the work. The camaraderie was terrific, but not fulfilling. When I met Jeannie and then got a look at all that tech in the hive—I knew I had to go back to my first love. Even if it meant distracting the women with my exuberance.” He laughed.

  Anneliese snorted. “Your women are too quiet. There’s serenity, and then there’s being in a walking coma. Do they ever let loose?”

  “Not that I’ve observed. Even as children, they tend to be sedate. It’s just their way.”

  “Can you imagine how boring sex must be with them?”

  “I’ve enjoyed it.”

  Anneliese jerked as if surprised and Nex felt a flash of amusement. She didn’t realize a man of his age would have had sex by now?

  Her dark eyes narrowed. “Oh, you enjoyed it, did you? Was it with Salno?”

  “No, I’ve not availed myself of any of the women of Cas. I’ve been too busy with working on the portal and retrieving Earthlings to get those trackers off your people.”

  Now that they were discussing it, Nex realized he was overdue for release. Not that he’d felt any real urges these last few weeks. Counting down the days until Anneliese’s name would come up on the retrieval roster had made a visit to the women uninteresting.

  Even back in Hahz, Nex had not been a frequent visitor to the women who offered gratification to the men of the village. Though he had been told he was an enjoyable lover—“inventive” had been a favorite response—Nex always had the suspicion the women saw sex as a distraction from more important pursuits. It was not exactly an alluring notion.

  Knowing sexual encounters were different for Anneliese’s people, he explained. “The women understand men’s urges are more primal than theirs. They do us the kindness of making themselves available on rotating schedules in order to meet our mutual physical needs. Unless a man has been born to the attraction of his own gender, sex is not part of most committed relationships.”

  Anneliese digested that. “Sex with no emotional ties. I know a lot of guys who would like that.”

  “Our women appreciate it too. We men strain their calm because we’re so emotional.”

  “When you visit them and have sex, do they wake up long enough to say thank you?”

  Nex laughed at that. The women of his planet were sedate enough that he could imagine Anneliese thinking they might fall asleep during physical relations. Fortunately, that had never happened to him. He had been well trained by the women of his village.

  Her line of questioning and talking about intimacy had alerted his senses. Wondering how different sex might be with someone as electric as Anneliese made Nex’s body alive with interest. His groin had pulsed the entire time they discussed it, threatening to blatantly show its interest.

  She was such an exciting woman. She had kissed him. Would she be willing to carry out further explorations?

  He abruptly pulled her off the path, stepping into a large plot of shimmering flowers that chimed tunefully as the two of them brushed by. The blooms were tall enough to recline behind and not be seen. “Let’s sit for a short while.”

  She went willingly, and he entertained the idea that her expression was hopeful. “Sure.”

  Nex sat in the middle of the parcel, far from the paths where others might tread. He tugged Anneliese down with him, delighted when she curled against him. His groin swelled a little in response.

  Keeping his tone level, worried he’d read all the signs wrong and not wanting to seem rude, Nex asked, “I am curious about many things to do with Earthlings, but some of my questions were not appropriate to ask Jeannie because she bonded with Kren.”

  She leaned into him. “Ah, inappropriate questions. I’m intrigued. Feel free to share your curiosity with me.”

  He drew a breath and took the plunge. “What are some of the rituals you enjoy that lead up to sex?”

  “From a purely scientific point of view?”

  Nex grinned at the teasing note, at the pert way she rubbed up against him. They were indeed on the same page. He played along, enjoying the game. “Of course I ask from a purely scientific point of view. I am a biologist, remember?” He rubbed her thigh lightly.

  “Oh yes, naturally that’s the entirety of your interest. Well, Earthling pre-sex rituals tend to include going out to dinner and drinks and talking to establish mutual interest. Then you gulp down a few more drinks when you realize you’d rather be at home alone in your jammies watching television. When the alcohol kicks in, and if he’s not too awful, you take him home and give him a whirl because you remember you haven’t gotten laid in a couple of months. Finally, you kick him out before he can fall asleep in your bed. That’s so you don’t have to deal with him first thing in the morning before coffee.” Anneliese looked at him brightly before bursting into laughter at his bemused expression. “Did any of what I said make sense to you?”

  “No.”

  “Count yourself lucky, then.”

  Nex grinned at the look on her face. Maybe everything she’d said sounded like gibberish, but he understood that Anneliese didn’t esteem the sexual encounters she’d had. They had not fulfilled her, and that was a shame.

  It was at that instant that Nex decided she’d receive the most he could offer her, if she gave him the chance.
The long exploration was the rite used when a man proved he was worth breeding with. Using that route meant Nex would go without for what was potentially their one and only night together, but Anneliese deserved nothing less.

  Besides, if Anneliese agreed, maybe Nex could come up with excuses to visit her on Earth after she went home. Surely Salno, with her professed interest in Anneliese’s people, could be cajoled into letting him do onsite research? And if some aspects of his studies with Anneliese got personal, Salno wouldn’t have to know about that.

  As if she’d read his mind, Anneliese put her hand on his chest. Her touch exploring his torso, she said, “I want to play biologist too. Will the subject share his rituals with Dr. Thompson?”

  Her palm and fingertips lit fiery trails on Nex’s flesh. His crotch gave an insistent surge, forming a bump as he lost control over his physical reactions.

  “In the interest of science,” he agreed. Breathing slowly, he stroked her silky hair. “In the case of sex for procreation, there is more than one ritual leading up to the encounter. Those rituals can go for a while. It may be weeks from the first meeting of a genetically approved pair before they actually couple.”

  “Interesting. What happens during the first ritual?” Anneliese traced down lower, her fingers playing over his abdomen.

  “The man explores the woman, as you’re doing with me now.” Nex hoped he hadn’t made a mistake by letting her touch first. Men were always ready, needing little encouragement to perform. It was the women, with their subtler and varied erogenous zones, who required fires to be stoked.

  He didn’t stop her, but he let his fingers drift along her jaw and chin. “A Risnarish female’s pleasure helps to heighten her fertility. We males are trained to learn what specific triggers excite our mate’s response. To prove we are worth the effort. Shall I demonstrate?” His touch trailed down her throat. He felt her heartbeat...a single drumming...moving quickly as she gulped.

  “Please do.”

  “I must touch you everywhere to find the erogenous places. I have to investigate the entirety of your naked body.”

  A fine trembling had broken out, quivering Anneliese’s frame. “What do I do while you’re touching and learning all the parts that make me happy?”

  “You relax and enjoy.”

  Her dark brow lifted. “Seriously? I don’t touch too? Look for your erogenous places?”

  “You’re observing, remember? So observe, Dr. Thompson. Concentrate on receiving and responding.”

  She stared at him for a long moment, her hand on his lower abdomen going still. Was she uncertain after all? Perhaps her predilection for independence was interfering with the desire he felt shivering through her. Maybe she was afraid of him, an alien, doing something she’d never tried before.

  As her hesitation drew out, Nex worried she’d start arguing with him again. “If you’re concentrating on me, you can’t devote your attention to what I’m doing for you. We might miss something you like. And if I do something you don’t care for, I want to know it without a moment’s hesitation.”

  Anneliese relented. “All right. We can try it your way, at first.” She pulled her hand from his belly, just above the spot where he’d grown thick and heavy. “Let’s see what science can teach me.”

  Nex’s hearts leapt. “I will remove your clothes. Only move enough to allow this.”

  “You’re the boss.” Anneliese giggled. “But I sure do feel sorry for your council if they return and find us.”

  “I doubt they’ll venture in here.” He tugged experimentally at the buttons on the front of her blouse. He visualized how she’d taken it off in the medical center, where she’d left the heavy coat to be reclaimed later. His attempts were clumsy, but he was able to unfasten her top. She shrugged it down her arms rather than letting him peel it off.

  He bit his lip on the protest that formed. He’d wanted to do that, slowly, deliberately. Revealing Anneliese a little at a time, warming her with caresses that would begin her journey into arousal.

  Oh well. There was another top beneath the first, and she was making no move to toss that off so quickly. She looked up at him, a slight smile twitching the corners of her mouth.

  Nex settled for smoothing his hands over her shoulders, down her arms, delighting in the soft skin. He lifted one arm, kissing along its length. Anneliese giggled when he reached the bend of her elbow.

  “Sensitive there?” he asked.

  “Really sensitive. Look at the chill bumps you gave me.”

  Nex examined the way her flesh had changed. “This is not an indication of cold though?” he guessed.

  “It felt good. Shivery, on the inside.”

  Nex wasn’t sure what she meant, but her smile told him everything was still okay. And she didn’t resist when he kissed the inside of the other arm, though her reaction was the same.

  He turned his attention back to the matter of her body coverings. It turned out Anneliese was layered in clothing items. The smaller top beneath the first was easy enough to push over her head. Nex did so, letting his hands slip up her sides, over her ribcage, and along her arms with meticulous care. Tender woman. His senses swam at the feel of her.

  “Your hands are so warm,” Anneliese breathed. Her pupils had grown. On a Risnarish woman, the dilation would have been a clue that she was beginning to succumb to desire. Was it the same for Anneliese?

  “Do you like how me undressing you makes you feel?” he asked.

  She licked her lips, as if the question itself was seductive. “Yeah. It’s nice the way you don’t rush it.”

  Good. He was making headway, not disappointing her so far. And she’d given him a possible clue about other things she might find erotic. “I like looking at you, touching you. Making you bare so I can enjoy your body.”

  Her breath came quicker. She was responding to his words, enjoying the verbal seduction. For that matter, Nex enjoyed it too. It made his groin heat with growing want.

  Nex felt good about how things were going until he attempted to remove the harness binding her breasts. Anneliese snickered as he struggled with it, signaling she might be losing some of the desire he’d incited. The seconds ticked by, and his frustration with discovering how the horrid thing came apart grew.

  “It doesn’t go off over your head?”

  “Nope. Hey, I thought you were an engineer, able to figure these things out. Just let me do it, okay?”

  “No. No, I will figure it out.” It had become his mission in life.

  “Never mind, Nex. I’ll take it off.” Her hands moved toward the back of the thing as she chuckled over his attempts. Definitely not finding the situation sexy any longer.

  “Let me.” He grabbed her wrists in one hand and slid the other around the back strap. Aha! He felt a sense of victory when he finally discovered the clasp in the back.

  “Yay, Nex. You found it. Now let go.” Anneliese pulled free of his grip.

  Nex’s relief over finding the clasp was short lived. He fumbled with the maddening catch for several seconds.

  This was definitely not in any of the seduction scenarios he’d contemplated. He must look like an utter fool.

  “Need some help?” Anneliese offered. Maybe she was getting impatient with him. He was not exciting her.

  Just then, the bizarre contraption came loose, freeing her breasts. Nex felt like howling in triumph.

  The victory was not won, however. He had ground to make up. Was it too late?

  He glanced at Anneliese, wondering how she felt at his inept performance. To his surprise, she was smiling at him.

  “Don’t worry about it, Nex. Earth men don’t do well with bras either.”

  Well, that was a relief. Maybe he didn’t look so stupid after all.

  His consternation over fighting with Anneliese’s clothing disappeared when she cupped her full breasts,
rubbing her hands over them. “Your women don’t have these. Do they look strange to you?”

  He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. “Risnarish women swell when they nurse our young. They look much like yours, when they fill with milk.”

  “Oh, so they aren’t all that unique, then. No big deal.” She sounded disappointed.

  “But they are.” Nex watched her touching herself, excitement revitalizing what frustration with the bra had cooled. “Our women don’t mate when they nurse. I’ve never touched engorged breasts before.”

  “Do you want to touch them now?”

  Did he want to touch those ripe mounds, so pliable that they molded to Anneliese’s touch? And the dark nipples that pointed at him, as if to invite his attentions? Nex didn’t think he’d ever wanted anything more in his entire life.

  “I very much want to touch them.” Reluctantly, he added, “However, perhaps I should deal with the rest of your wrappings first. Once I get those obstacles out of the way, I can focus on your pleasure once more.”

  Anneliese laughed. “You poor man. I hope I’m worth the effort.”

  His gaze didn’t want to leave her breasts. Funny how he’d never seen them as sexually attractive before, at least not on his own kind. “I think we can be assured you are worth any effort, Anneliese.”

  He forced himself to concentrate on the lower portion of Anneliese’s clothes. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the daunting task remaining.

  Her shoes and socks were easy enough to remove, but the pants had more of those irritating buttons. Not only that, they were tight to her body and had to be yanked off.

  Anneliese grimaced. “Winter doesn’t allow a lot of opportunities to work off a rabid love of poutine,” she said. “It’s gotten hard to work out with my leg and back messed up too. I’m overdue to shop for a bigger size.”

  Nex wasn’t sure what she was talking about, only that she acted unhappy with the fact it wasn’t easy to remove her pants. He gazed at her body’s shape, anticipating the moment he would investigate the toned muscle and curves. “The fault lies with your coverings, not you. You are beautiful.”