by Lili Zander
“We went swimming,” I reply. Naked.
“Nice,” she says. She nods in Dennox’s direction. “Doesn’t say much, does he?”
“Dennox?” I frown at her, puzzled. Dennox wasn’t super-chatty today, but he was also the one who agreed to take me to the lake. “Why do you say that?”
“Because he really doesn’t,” she replies with a roll of her eyes. “Of course,” she adds thoughtfully, “When he does speak, people listen.” She grins cheekily. “I hope you like the strong, silent type, Harper.”
Everyone’s acting like the three of us are together. Like it’s a done deal, like my consent doesn’t matter. Even Ryanna. My good mood evaporates. “Can we talk about something else?” I beg her. “You’ve been here for more than ten days. How’s it been? Are you really okay with living here forever?”
She shrugs, her attention half on me, and half on Thrax. Hmm. Viola might be right about the two of them. “I can’t think of forever, Harper,” she says. “So I don’t. I’m taking it one day at a time. There are lots of things about home that I miss, like coffee, but there are also things I don’t.”
“Like what?”
“Like the constant struggle. I work in retail back home, at a grocery chain in the closest town to us. I’ve been there since I was fifteen, but I’m still on part-time hours because they don’t want to pay benefits. I live on my grandparents’ farm, but I’ve had to sell off pieces of it every year just to keep my head above water.” She grimaces. “Whatever I seem to do, it’s never enough. The farm is being foreclosed. I volunteered to go to space in desperation; I needed the money to save my family home.”
I can relate. My apartment building was in a very dodgy part of Los Angeles. Three times a week, cop cars were outside my door, sirens blaring, guns drawn, looking for low-level drug dealers. Once, there was even a bomb scare in the apartment next to mine. I’d have loved to move to a nicer neighborhood, but I was a teacher, and that was all I could afford with my salary.
Ryanna gives me a steady look. “What was I fighting for? A roof over my head? Arax moved out without complaint and gave us his home. Food and drink? Here it is, offered with generosity. Medical? Vulrux has spent hours by your bedside in the last ten days.” Her lips twitch. “Although he might have had ulterior motives.”
I ignore that last comment. “You’re not sad or angry?”
“I’m keeping busy,” she replies. “I can either sit around and feel sorry for myself, or I can make myself useful.”
“What is there to do?” In the space of a day, the rainfall has become part of the background noise. “Aren’t you terribly cooped up?”
“A little,” she admits. “But there’s lots to keep me occupied. There’s wood to chop. The roofs are made of a kind of tree bark, but they need to be woven, and they’re replaced every year. There are knives to carve.” Her eyes shine with excitement. “That’s the bit I like the best. Thrax is teaching me how to throw them. In the dry season, I want to go hunting.”
She leans forward and lowers her voice. “Every single person here was exiled from their home, Harper. The instant they tested positive for the Draekon mutation, they were thrown into quarantine. None of them got a chance to say goodbye to their families or their loved ones. Can you imagine how awful that would have been?” She bites her lower lip. “Given what they went through, I can’t complain too much about missing my caffeine fix.”
Maybe it’s because everyone is on their sixteenth day on this planet, and I’m just experiencing my first, but Viola, Sofia, and Ryanna don't seem resigned to being here, and they aren’t miserable and pouting. In fact, they’re rising to the challenge.
Time to stop acting like a spoiled princess.
I finish talking to Ryanna, and then I get up and join Vulrux in his corner. He seems distracted. “Are you okay?” I ask him. “Is something bothering you?”
He looks up with a wry twist of his lips. “Am I that easy to read?”
I put my arm around his waist without even thinking about it, and he stiffens. I flush and try to draw away, but he stops me. “Stay,” he requests. “Normally, I like the calm of the rains. This season, however, I cannot wait for the downpour to end.”
I get the sense that there’s more to his statement than restlessness, but I don’t probe. Dennox watches us from across the room, his expression unreadable. When I catch his eye, I beckon him over, but he shakes his head and stays where he is.
Vulrux’s house, like all the others, isn’t huge. There are two square rooms, a wide wrap-around porch, and a larger-than-expected bathroom, with a Draekon-sized tub in it. “You have a bathtub?” I say, dumbstruck. “With hot water?”
He raises his eyebrow. “You weren’t expecting one?”
“No,” I confess. “Your camp is a weird mix of modern and primitive.” Too late, I wonder if I’ve offended the two men, but neither look annoyed by my tactless comment. “How can the water be warm?”
“A contained fire, insulation from our space pod and kunnr reeds for pipes,” Dennox replies readily. Back in the dining area, his mood seemed quite dark, but he seems to be in better spirits now. “We’re lucky. Odix is a student of ancient civilizations, and Strax and Dazix are builders. The three of them are responsible for our creature comforts.”
Vulrux hands me a towel. “Would you like to use the tub?”
Heck yes. A hot bath and clean underwear from my luggage? Things are definitely looking up. “I’d love to,” I reply, taking the towel from him. “Thank you.”
“You have nothing to thank me for, Harper.” Vulrux seems to be on the verge of saying something else, but he changes his mind. He looks at my bulging suitcase. “I’ll clear some room on the shelves for your possessions,” he says instead.
I wish I knew what was going on. Both men are acting like there’s something on their minds. Perhaps, after spending some time in my company, they’re rethinking things. I was in a committed relationship with Tom, but once he’d met Megan, he stopped paying attention to me. Maybe Vulrux and Dennox want to upgrade mates as well, the way Tom had done.
So what, Harper? You don’t even know these two guys. You survived Tom breaking up with you; this is nothing compared to that.
But the sinking feeling in my heart is real. “That’d be nice,” I tell Vulrux, fighting the sudden swell of emotion. “Thank you again.” Then I run into the bathroom before I burst into tears in front of them and embarrass myself forever.
I soak in the herbal-scented water for what seems like hours. On a small shelf next to the tub, there’s a bowl of an oily liquid that I correctly assume is soap and a stack of coarse woven washcloths.
Dipping it in the liquid, I run it over my body. The slight roughness of the cloth causes my skin to tingle. My nipples pebble at the friction, sending a sparkle of pleasure through me.
Mmm. I’m alone, and while the bath is doing a great job at draining away my stress, I know one other thing that works even better. I can’t even remember when I last touched myself. I’m definitely overdue.
Closing my eyes, I allow my fingers to drift lower.
Two men at once. I wonder what that feels like, especially considering how large the two Draekons are. Will they take it slow, or will they thrust into me in unison?
Stop it, Harper.
But my imagination is on fire, and I can’t stop the images that flood through my head. Vulrux’s stubble scratching against the soft skin of my inner thighs. Dennox’s broad hands squeezing my breasts.
Gah! There must be aphrodisiacs in the alien food because my girly bits have been purring for a while now. Come to think of it, I’ve been constantly horny since I first woke up and saw my Draekon saviors. Collecting more of the oily soap, I slip a finger between my folds. Instantly, my hips jerk forward, asking for more.
Holy crap, I’m already so close. It was never like this with Tom. He always complained…
No, stop, I tell myself firmly. Don’t think of your ex right now. Don’t think of a
nyone. Just get in, get your orgasm, get off. Don’t think of a guy. Especially not Vulrux and Dennox’s sexy bronze bodies, water streaming from their tattooed muscles as they beckon me into the underground lake.
Oops. Too late.
My fingers circle the sweet spot alongside my clit. I don’t waste any time teasing my arousal; there’s no need. My naked swimming session with the two hottest guys in the galaxy has more than stoked the fire.
They’ve been sweet and attentive, helping me down the stairs. Protective, sitting on either side of me, making sure I had plenty to eat. And the way they’d reacted when I’d pressed up against them in the lake, trying to get away from the water snake? There had been heat in their eyes. I’d felt wanted, sexy.
A little cry escapes me, and I clamp my mouth shut. Gotta rub this out on stealth mode, Harper. Don’t want the guys to hear and rush in to help me. Judging from the half-mast hard-ons they were sporting in the water, they’d be only too happy to give me a hand. A shiver runs through me at the thought of the two men leaning over me, their gazes filled with lust. It would be so easy to call out and—
No, Harper. Don’t think of them.
But I can’t stop. A few more strokes and my orgasm is on the horizon. My fingers move faster as I imagine Vulrux’s head between my legs. Dennox’s big hands squeezing my breasts, his thumbs teasing my nipples. I remember the way their eight pack abs ripple with every movement, the way their huge cocks swing between their muscled legs. They’re so damn big that I wonder if I can even get my hand around them when they’re hard. What will dragon dick feel like against me? Inside me?
My orgasm hits, shockwaves pulsing through me. A loud moan rolls from my mouth. My muscles clench over and over, squeezing on air, begging for giant dragon dick. A final gasp and my head falls back against the tub with a clunk.
I have never come so fast, or so hard.
Or so loud. Shit. I wasn’t quiet at all. What if Dennox and Vulrux overheard me?
They did.
The door to the bathroom crashes open, and Vulrux rushes in, Dennox at his heels. “I heard you cry out,” he says, and then his eyes take in the entire scene. My flushed face. My right hand positioned between my legs. My erect nipples.
A slow smile breaks out over his face. “We’re your mates, Harper,” he says. “It is our duty to tend to your needs. All of them.”
10
Dennox:
I can smell her arousal, and it wakes the dragon inside, driving the beast wild with lust. Take her, it demands. Touch her. Possess her.
I take a step forward, driven by instinct. “We will make you moan with pleasure, diya,” I growl. “All you have to do is ask.”
Vulrux places a cautionary hand on my shoulder. I want to tell him not to worry. I’m a soldier of the Zorahn Empire. I’ve been tortured by rebel armies. I’ve been wounded and broken and maimed, and I have never once betrayed my word.
Harper bites her lower lip. She doesn’t speak, but I don’t think she’s afraid. Though she’s moved her hand from between her legs, she’s made no move to cover her breasts. Her nipples are hard, and I ache to capture her rosy tips between my lips.
The seconds tick by. The shimmering gold threads that connect us seem to strengthen in the silence. For long years, my dragon has lied dormant, waiting for a chance to break free. This woman from a distant and unknown planet holds the key to my salvation.
Finally, she speaks. “I can’t,” she whispers, not meeting our eyes. “It’s too soon.”
I take a deep breath, trying to push aside the disappointment that floods through me. She’s right. Harper Boyd doesn’t feel the call of the mating bond the way Vulrux and I do. She doesn’t feel the constant tug on our souls, the all-consuming need to be one with her.
“Of course,” I reply. I turn around and prepare to leave, but her voice stops me. “Dennox? Vulrux?” she calls out. “Stop for a minute, please? Both of you?”
I wait as she searches for words. Finally, she looks at us. “I’d love to go swimming again tomorrow if the two of you would take me,” she says softly. She swallows. “Not just because Arax demands that we spend time together.” Her face flushes. “But because I want to.”
“Of course,” I reply, my heart beating faster in my chest. She’s not rejecting us outright. She wants our company. She just needs time. And time is the one thing we have plenty of.
Ten days pass. Every morning, the three of us eat together and then descend the stairs to the underground lake. We swim together, Harper insisting on wearing a strange garment called a ‘swimsuit’ that clings to her body but leaves her legs and arms bare. “I don’t understand,” I tell her, puzzled. “Are you afraid that something will bite your insides?”
Her fair cheeks turn pink. “You’re so casual about nudity,” she murmurs. “On Zoraht, does everyone walk around with their bits and bobs dangling out all the time?”
“No, but we do swim naked,” Vulrux replies. “The cool touch of water against warm skin is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Why do you deny yourself?”
Her reply is barely audible. “I’m not sure.”
She’s not talking about her ‘swimsuit’ anymore, and we all know it. The attraction grows harder to resist every day. My dragon grows restless at my refusal to complete the mating bond. Vulrux feels the same tension.
And Harper? Maybe I’m imagining it, but I’m convinced Harper’s attracted to us too. She’s just afraid to take the first step.
Harper:
I’m about ready to scream with frustration. I’d give anything to go back to that moment when I told Vulrux and Dennox I needed more time. Because the two dragons have taken me at my word, and they’ve backed off. Entirely.
Which totally sucks.
Every day, we go swimming, but there’s no inappropriate flirting. There are no offers to take care of me and meet all my needs. In fact, for almost two weeks, they haven’t touched me at all. Not even casually.
Confession: I want them. I want to feel their touch. I’m like the cat that keeps pawing at the door, and the moment the door is opened, has no interest in going outside. Yes, I kept saying that I didn’t want to be stuck with Vulrux and Dennox, but you know what? Not true.
So now I have to put my big-girl panties on and tell them I want them, and I don’t know how to lead up to that conversation. I guess I could strip off my swimsuit—that’s one heck of a hint—but I have a sneaking suspicion that even that won’t work.
What will work is honesty, but I’m too chicken for that.
I decide to drop another hint. “Tell me about Zoraht,” I say. That’s a lame opening line, but I have a plan.
Vulrux’s lips twitch. “We’ve spent much of the last week talking about Zoraht,” he replies. “You must be quite bored of the homeworld by now.”
“Not really.” To be honest, I’m fascinated by their lives. Palace intrigues and confrontations in the Senate wars waged on distant worlds—Vulrux and Dennox’s lives before exile were very different from my own, and I could listen to them talk about it for days on end.
Right now though, my intentions are decidedly impure. “Tell me about sex,” I say boldly. I’m sitting on a flat rock, dipping my toes in the cool water. Dennox is lying on his back next to me, his hands behind his head.
Vulrux pulls himself out of the lake. Drops of water sluice off his body, and I can’t help but ogle the sight.
Like a lot of people who lived in Los Angeles, Tom had aspirations to be an actor. He used to spend hours in the gym, lifting weights and doing pushups so he could be in Hollywood shape, but he never looked half as good as the two Draekons in front of me. These guys look ready for the cover of a men’s workout magazine. Forget six packs. They’ve got eight packs. Maybe ten.
“What about it?” Dennox turns his head toward me, his eyes amused.
“Tell me about the first time you had sex.” My cheeks heat as soon as I ask the question. Oh God, what if they’re virgins? That’d be seriously awkwar
d.
Vulrux’s eyes darken, and his voice turns silky. “That’s a very intimate question, Harper.”
The air between us stills. This is it, Harper. Now or never.
“Is it?” I whisper. “Are you going to answer?”
Dennox sits up. “Maybe.” His gaze is on me, focused and intense. I feel my nipples harden under his attention. The fabric of my swimsuit has never felt thinner, and I’ve never felt more conscious about my nakedness underneath.
“So curious,” Vulrux says, his expression turning predatory. I shiver as his gaze rakes over my body. “Very well, Harper. I’ll go first. When I hit puberty, a pleasure coach was hired to make sure I learned how to satisfy a woman.”
Whoa. Every once in a while, I forget that Vulrux and Dennox are aliens. Their planet, their culture, their customs are completely different. I’m not sure if I’m horrified or intrigued. “A pleasure coach?” My voice sounds strangled. “Is that typical for Zorahn?”
“Only among the Highborn,” Dennox says, sounding amused. “The rest of us learn our skills the old-fashioned way. Through practice.”
Since the idea of Dennox practicing on numerous women sends an uncomfortable tendril of jealousy through me, I focus on Vulrux. “What did your pleasure coach teach you?”
His fingers caress my jaw. “I could tell you,” he says softly. “Or I could show you.”
My heartbeat accelerates. “Show me…”
With a smile that crinkles the edges of his eyes, Vulrux moves closer. My breathing quickens and I sit up straighter, and he makes a protesting noise in his throat. “Don’t move, diya.”
“Diya?” Oh God, the look of intense need on their faces sets my pulse racing. I’ve waited so long for this moment. For days, I’ve been fantasizing about them, hoping they’d make a move. Now, it’s happening. “What does that mean?”