Stolen

by Evangeline Anderson

  “Okay, you’ve got it,” V’rex said, when they’d been working on it for a while. “If you ever decide to ‘lead a life of crime,’ as you put it, you’re all set, sweetheart. Just remember, the two techniques I taught you mostly work in big, busy, crowded places. Tram stations are the best because there are always lots of tourists loaded down with luggage and not paying attention to their valuables. That’s the best kind of environment for a clean pick.”

  “A clean pick?” Penny raised her eyebrows.

  “Meaning your mark never suspects a thing and you can get away quickly into the crowd without them ever seeing your face,” V’rex clarified.

  Penny nodded thoughtfully.

  “Okay, but what if you wanted to steal something from somebody who wasn’t distracted?” she asked. “Could you do that? I mean, what if you were the only other person in the room and you had no reason to bump into them?”

  “That’s doable.” V’rex nodded. “But you have to get a little more personal. Here…” He handed Penny one of the flavor sticks. “Put it in your pocket.”

  Penny did and then stood there, staring at him, waiting…wondering what was coming next.

  Fifty-Nine

  Suddenly, a change came over the big Hybrid’s demeanor. His pale gold eyes went half-lidded and he came to stand much nearer, so their bodies were almost but not-quite touching.

  “Hey there,” he murmured, looking down and catching Penny’s eyes. “Been watchin’ you all night.”

  “You…you have?” Despite knowing they were just playing-acting, Penny felt her heart begin to speed up as his eyes captured hers.

  “Uh-huh…” V’rex leaned a little closer. “Couldn’t help myself. You’re fuckin’ gorgeous—you know that?”

  “Oh, uh…” She felt her cheeks getting hot from the way he was looking at her and found she had to look away from his intense gold gaze.

  “I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable,” V’rex continued. Lifting one big hand, he brushed her hot cheek with his knuckles, very gently. “You’re just so beautiful I can’t help myself.”

  “V’rex…” Penny began uncertainly. “I don’t…”

  “Okay, now where’s the stick?” he interrupted, grinning at her.

  Penny felt in her pocket and found the stick was gone.

  “But I only felt you touch my face,” she protested.

  “Because that was all I wanted you to feel,” he emphasized. “When you use the flirt-pick, you keep the mark’s attention where you want it. In that case, I kept it on your face, where I was touching you—not on your pocket, which I was picking.”

  He held up the half flavor stick to prove his point.

  “I wasn’t kidding though, you know,” he added. “When I said you’re gorgeous.”

  Penny bit her lip, uncertain of what to say. She was still half-frightened of the big Hybrid and more than half convinced that any attraction he felt to her must be coming from the ubiquitous Spice in the air. Yet the way he was looking at her made her pulse race. If only he didn’t smell so damn good, she couldn’t help thinking. His dark, spicy scent seemed to draw her to him like a magnet.

  “V’rex…” she began, not sure what to say.

  “Your turn,” he said. When Penny looked at him in surprise, he put the stick in his right hip pocket and made that “come on” gesture with his hand again. “Okay, sweetheart—I’m your mark. Pick me.”

  Heart thumping, Penny came to stand in his space, just as he had come to stand in hers. She didn’t actually have a whole lot of practice flirting. She’d always been a serious academic—never a party girl. Still, she’d had friends who were party girls and she’d seen how they operated at a bar when they wanted a guy to buy them a drink.

  “Hi,” she murmured, looking up at the big Hybrid. She caught his eyes and then looked quickly away, as though she was almost too shy to look at him.

  “Well, hello there,” V’rex rumbled. “Having a good time?”

  “It’s all right.” Penny glanced up at him again. “It could get better,” she added meaningfully.

  “Could it, now?” V’rex took a step closer, his eyes catching hers and holding them. “And how would that happen, do you think?”

  “You could buy me a drink,” Penny murmured. “Um…” She cleared her throat, breaking character. “I’m not quite sure where to go from here,” she admitted. “I’m, uh, not much of a flirt in real life.”

  “You need a reason to touch me,” V’rex advised her. “Whatever I say, laugh and touch my chest. At the same time, you’re reaching for my pocket. Go.”

  “Okay. Um…” Penny looked up at him again. “Like I said, you could buy me a drink.”

  V’rex gazed at her intently. “I’ll be happy to buy you a drink, sweetheart,” he rumbled softly, looking into Penny’s eyes. “But you’ll have to pay me with a kiss.”

  “Oh, you…” Penny laughed flirtatiously and put a hand on the big Hybrid’s broad chest. At the same time, she reached for the stick in his pocket and slipped it out with a twitch of her fingers.

  “Did you get it?” V’rex asked her, breaking character himself, though he was still looking into her eyes.

  “Sure did.” Penny held up the flavor stick triumphantly.

  “Good. You know, I’ve never seen anyone catch on so fast,” V’rex remarked. “You sure you weren’t a thief in your past life? Because you just stole my heart.”

  Penny groaned.

  “Ugh—that’s a terrible line!”

  V’rex grinned. “Yeah, what can I say. “I’m not as smooth with the ladies as I am with my fingers, I guess.”

  “I have a hard time believing that,” Penny said skeptically. “Especially the way you were acting with me earlier.”

  “That wasn’t acting.” V’rex was suddenly serious. “I was being completely honest—you’re fucking gorgeous, little girl. And you still owe me a kiss for the drink I bought you.”

  “But you didn’t actually—” Penny began, but then she was in his arms and V’rex was leaning over her and tilting her chin up so that their mouths met.

  Heart thumping, Penny gave in to the kiss. She couldn’t help herself—V’rex was so big and strong and he smelled so good. Even the fear she still felt of the big Hybrid only seemed to add to her excitement.

  Despite their earlier intimacies, this was their first kiss and she found out quickly that V’rex was an excellent kisser. He didn’t ram his tongue down her throat like an overeager boy, as Garret used to when they were dating. Instead he kissed her gently—but with passion. Closed mouth at first but, when he lapped gently at Penny’s lips, she opened them eagerly to let him in.

  His mouth was warm and slightly sweet, from the fruit juice they’d been having with dinner as he sucked teasingly on her tongue. Penny found herself thinking he tasted as good as he smelled as she pressed closer to the big Hybrid, wanting more…more…

  God, I shouldn’t be doing this! she told herself even as she deepened the kiss. I’m getting in too deep! It’s one thing to let him suck the nectar out of my breasts and pretend to breed me. But kissing is too intimate. I can’t let myself fall in love with him—he’s dangerous!

  The memory of the silver blade thunking into the bloody butcher’s block rose to her mind and she broke the kiss abruptly, pulling away from his seeking mouth.

  “What’s the matter, sweetheart?” V’rex brushed her hot cheek gently, just as he had earlier when he was showing her how to do the “flirt-pick.” “God, I wish I knew what you were thinking,” he murmured, more to himself than to her.

  “I’m thinking we shouldn’t be doing this,” Penny whispered, hoping she wouldn’t make him angry. “I mean I know there are…certain things we have to do here out of necessity,” she added, glancing up at him and then back down again. “But, well, we’re going to go our separate ways after…” She glanced up at the ceiling and was glad to see the red light was off. “After we get out of here, right?”

  V’rex frowned
. “I guess you’ll want to get back to your life on Earth, huh? And a big-ass Hybrid with a bad rep probably wouldn’t fit very well into your routine.” He grinned, one corner of his mouth quirking up. “Unless you’d rather hang around with me for a while and explore the universe.”

  Penny bit her lip.

  “V’rex, please. It’s not that I don’t find you attractive because I do. God, I really do—way more than I should,” she admitted, her heart thumping. “But, well, you’ve got your life and I’ve got mine. I’m working for the Kindred of the Mother Ship right now—”

  “The same ones that declared me an outlaw. Right.” The smile turned into a frown.

  “There is that,” Penny admitted. “But also, we’re in a really difficult situation here. The Compound is basically forcing us together. And I’m just not sure…” She cleared her throat. “Not sure you’ll still, uh, feel the same way about me once we get away. Also, we haven’t known each other very long so maybe we shouldn’t…”

  “Shouldn’t kiss?” V’rex rumbled, raising his eyebrows. “So it’s okay for me to suck your sweet nipples and pretend to breed you but you don’t want us to kiss?

  Penny shrugged helplessly, feeling her cheeks get hot again.

  “It’s just…kissing is too intimate. It’s—”

  “Too much like falling in love,” V’rex finished for her, softly.

  “I…we hardly know each other,” Penny protested. “And both of us are under the influence of all kinds of hormones and chemicals. I mean, who knows what we’ll think if we ever manage to get out of this place?”

  “Oh, we’re gonna manage,” V’rex promised her. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “But hormones and chemicals or not, I’m still going to want you, little girl. Still going to feel for you when we get out of here.”

  Penny bit her lip. If only she could believe him! And if only she wasn’t still scared of him—of what he might do. Her ex, Garret, had been as bland as stale toast but he had also been predictable. With V’rex, Penny never knew what the big Hybrid might do from picking a pocket to kissing her to chopping off the finger of a man who had insulted her.

  Well, isn’t that part of his charm? whispered a little voice in her head. The uncertainty? The not knowing?

  Probably, but Penny had been a practical girl all her life and though she loved going on adventures for her work, she was a lot more conservative when it came to matters of the heart. She—

  “You’re over thinking this, sweetheart.” V’rex’s deep, rumbling voice brought her out of her reverie.

  “Huh?” Penny looked up at him. “Over thinking what?”

  “Us,” V’rex said simply. “Sometimes what’s right is right. You feel it here.” He put a fist over his heart. “And you just know.”

  “Are you saying…what are you saying?” Penny asked. Was he declaring his love for her? When they’d only known each other a few days?

  “I’m saying that I know,” V’rex replied obliquely. “That I’ve known almost from the first minute I saw you. But it’s all right if it takes you a little while to catch up. I can wait.”

  “I…” Penny shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t have to say anything, sweetheart,” he rumbled. “Just let me take care of you.”

  “Take care of me?” Penny lifted her eyebrows. “How?”

  Wordlessly, V’rex nodded down at her chest. Penny followed his eyes and saw that two wet spots had appeared on the blue fabric over her nipples.

  “You’re starting to leak,” he murmured.

  “Oh!” Penny brushed ineffectually at the spots on her toga. Damn it—she hated having this problem! It was crazy to have to worry about leaking everywhere like a water balloon with a pinhole in it.

  “Also, it’s almost time for our Mandatory Breeding Hour,” V’rex pointed out. He looked into her eyes. “You wanna be on top again, sweetheart?”

  Penny felt her whole body flush and her pulse was suddenly racing again. God, how could she keep back her heart from the big Hybrid when he affected her body so much?

  “I…I guess so,” she murmured. “Should we…you know…on the couch or…?”

  “The bed,” V’rex growled and swept her up suddenly into his arms. “Wanna have some room to stretch out,” he told Penny.

  And then he carried her into the bedroom.

  Sixty

  Penelope still wasn’t sure about him—about how much she could trust him. V didn’t have to be a mind reader to know that. She also wasn’t sure about giving him her heart—she was holding herself back. Maybe because of the fear, maybe because of his reputation—or a combination of the two. But for whatever reason or reasons, she was still reluctant.

  Be patient, he reminded himself. She’s worth waiting for.

  He carried her into the bedroom and set her down gently on the side of the bed.

  She looked up at him, nibbling her lush lower lip in a way that made his cock surge. He could still taste her sweet mouth and he wanted to taste her some more. Again, he told himself to be patient.

  As she sat there looking at him uncertainly, V had the urge to pull down her top and start sucking her sweet nipples at once. But he didn’t always want to be the one who took control. He wanted Penelope to come to him—to ask for what she needed and then take it eagerly and enjoy the pleasure that came with it.

  So instead of going with his first inclination, he got on the bed himself and propped some pillows against the headboard. Then he leaned back against them so that he was in a half-sitting position and patted his thighs.

  “C’mere, baby,” he murmured, catching Penny’s eyes. “Let’s get a little closer.”

  She looked at him for a moment and he could feel the mixture of lust, need, and reluctance coming from her like a wave. Then she came over to him, walking on her knees on the bed, and stopped by his side.

  V could easily have picked her up, but again, he wanted her to come to him.

  “Closer, little girl,” he told her and patted his thighs again. “Can’t reach you all the way over there.”

  “Okay.” Carefully, she threw a knee over his hips and straddled him, though V noticed she didn’t come all the way down. Well, that was all right—she would get there eventually. He remembered how eagerly she’d been grinding against him the night before and how hard she had come. He wanted to feel that again—feel her orgasm shooting through her like a rogue star and lighting her up while she called his name at the top of her lungs.

  But slowly…slowly, V reminded himself.

  “Lean over here, baby,” he murmured, beckoning to her. “Is there something you need me to do for you?”

  “I…um…yes. Yes, I guess so,” Penelope said in a small voice.

  “Let me hear you say it, then,” V urged her. “Tell me what you need…what you want, baby.”

  “I…I need…” Her cheeks got rosy. “I need you to, um, suck my breasts because they’re full of nectar.”

  V loved the mixture of embarrassment and desire he felt coming from her. She had changed, he thought—at least now she could admit what she needed.

  “I would love to suck your sweet breasts, Penelope,” he murmured, running his hands up and down her sides. “Could you take your top down so I can reach them?”

  She nodded shyly and then reached up to untie the knot on her right shoulder. As she did, V focused on the initial he had put on the top of her left breast. He hadn’t wanted to mark her—hadn’t wanted to hurt her. But now that he had healed her, he couldn’t help feeling a surge of possessiveness as he saw that small, elegant, capital V on her pale, creamy skin.

  Mine, he thought as he looked at his mark on her. You’re mine, sweetheart and your heart is mine too—you just don’t know it yet.

  At last Penelope managed to fumble the knot open and peel her top down to bare her full breasts.

  V winced inwardly as he saw how full and swollen they were and felt her pain. Her nipples were dark and pouting, al
most begging him to suck them and ease her suffering.

  “Come here, baby,” he said softly. “Let me help you with that. Let me heal you and make you feel better.”

  “O…okay.” Penelope looked ashamed, as though she wanted to cover her naked breasts but knew it would do no good. Slowly, she leaned forward, thrusting her full breasts and stiff, dark pink nipples into his face.

  V cupped them gently, mindful of how tender they were, and sucked her right peak deep into his mouth. Penelope let out a long soft sound that was half sigh/half moan and he felt the surge of relief that ran through her as her sweet nectar at last began to flow across his tongue.

  He swallowed, his eyes never leaving her face where every emotion played out as she felt it. Shame that she had to ask for his help in such an intimate way…desire for him to suck her harder and deeper…and sparks of pleasure that traveled from her tender tips straight down to the tender, needy little pussy between her thighs.

  V sucked and swallowed some more, emptying her right breast. Then, before he started on the left, he pulled up the hem of his own “toga” as Penelope called them, revealing his thick shaft. Gods, how he wanted to thrust it deep in her tight little pussy and breed her for real—but of course he couldn’t. Penelope wasn’t ready to bond with him yet.

  Still, the red light was on above their bed, so they had to make things look real.

  “C’mon, baby,” V growled, looking up at her. “Come here and ride my cock. Wanna feel your soft little pussy all around me while I fill you up and breed you.”

  Normally, when he used dirty talk with her, he felt an answering surge of desire from the curvy little female. But this time, to his surprise, the desire was mixed with fear and trepidation.

  V frowned to himself. What was she afraid of? She didn’t think he’d actually try to enter her, did she? He absolutely wasn’t going there until she was ready for him to do so—ready to spread her pussy willingly and take his cock to the root inside her hot little cunt—including the mating fist. But she wasn’t there yet and V knew it.