Cursed: Brides of the Kindred 13 (5 page)

Keeping the gun on him, Charlie started reach for the front of his trousers…then stopped.

“Wait a minute—are you wearing underwear?” she demanded. “I want to know what to expect when we get these off of you.”

“I am wearing underbriefs,” he said shortly. “They look something like the garments your people label ‘shorts’ but then are of a thinner fabric and cling closer to the skin.”

“Oh. Okay then—good,” Charlie said, somewhat mollified. At least she wasn’t going to get an eyeful of his package when she pulled down his tight leather trousers.

She took a moment to consider the fact that she was about to de-pants an alien criminal who was also her prisoner right in her bedroom. Surely this was breaking all kinds of rules and the powers that be would not approve. Then again, just having the Kindred here in the first place was a major violation of at least a dozen different protocols so that was just too bad.

“Here goes,” she muttered. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt so she had to reach under it and grab the top of his waistband. She tugged hard…and nothing happened. She tugged again, harder with the same result. She was just getting ready to give a truly massive pull when her prisoner’s deep voice interrupted her.

“That isn’t how they work,” he rumbled. “You have to reach in and find the release catch before the magno tabs will detach from each other.”

“Reach
in?
” Charlie looked at him sharply. “Listen buddy, if you’re lying because you think I’ll uncuff your hands and arms just to avoid reaching into your britches, you’re sadly mistaken. I’m not afraid of your little trouser snake.”

“Firstly, I do not keep an Earth reptile in my leathers. And secondly, I am telling the absolute truth,” he said with a straight face. “Think about it—if the magnetic tabs were too easy to release my flight leathers would be in danger of coming off all the time.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” Charlie muttered. “Considering they appear to be painted on. All right, let’s try again.”

Taking a deep breath, she slid her fingers into the waistband of his tight leather trousers. His skin was very warm against her knuckles—almost hot as though he had a furnace inside him—and this close, Charlie couldn’t help feeling dwarfed by his huge size. He literally towered over her like a mountain of muscle but she refused to let herself be intimidated.

You’re the one with the gun,
she reminded herself sternly.
So keep it together and let’s get this finished.

She was trying to follow the front seam of his trousers but all she could feel was smooth fabric instead. Where the hell was the damn release he was talking about? She reached further and further down…and then she felt a lot more than fabric. Suddenly something hot and hard and truly massive was bumping against the back of her hand.

“Hey!” She glared up at the big Kindred, wanting to know if he’d tricked her. To her surprise, his cheeks were red and his jaw was clenched.

“I think you are feeling inside my underbriefs instead of the inside of my leathers,” he said in a harsh, somewhat strangled voice.

“Oh, uh…sorry,” Charlie muttered. Feeling like a fool, she pulled her hand mostly out and started again, this time being careful to reach between the leather trousers and his underwear.

But it seemed that the process she had started couldn’t be stopped. Though she tried to be careful not to touch “it” again, she could feel his hardness growing as she fumbled for the release catch.

“It feels like a small, smooth metal button,” he said in that same strangled voice and shifted uncomfortably. “Could you please hurry?”

“I’m trying.” Charlie was every bit as embarrassed as he was. She was just about to call it quits when she
finally
found the button he was talking about and pressed it firmly.

At last the trousers parted—although it might be more accurate to say they popped open. The garment he called his “underbriefs” was black but even so, Charlie could see the long, thick ridge of his heavy cock. It looked painfully erect, pressing as it was against the thin black fabric and framed by the open leather flaps of his trousers.

As embarrassing as the sight was, at least the job was done. Charlie gave a little sigh of relief and stepped back.

“There.”

The Kindred just looked at her, one eyebrow raised. She saw with surprise that he had bitten his lip—there was a thin trickle of blood running down one side of his strong chin. Clearly he was just as embarrassed as she was but he was bearing it stoically. Charlie wondered if he even knew he had bitten himself.

“The job is not done yet. You’ll have to help me pull them down too, you know,” he growled.

“Great. Just great.” Grabbing one of his belt loops, she began to tug while still keeping the gun trained on him. He shifted slightly and she gave a quick jerk. “No funny business now! Not while I’ve got my Glock pointed at your family jewels.”

“I was simply trying to help you,” he bit out. “And why would I carry valuable family jewelry in the crotch my trousers?”

“Never mind,” she grunted, still tugging. “It’s…an…expression.” She gave little short jerks as she talked, trying to peal the black leather off his long legs. It wasn’t easy—he had extremely muscular thighs and as she had noted earlier, his trousers looked painted on. “Why do you have to…wear them so tight…anyway?” she demanded, finally getting them down to his knees. “Just to show off your package? This is ridiculous!”

“I assume that “package” is an Earth euphemism for my shaft,” he snapped. “And I am not trying to ‘show it off.’ Having tight clothing that cannot be caught or twisted by an enemy is an asset in battle.”

“Right and it has
nothing
whatsoever to do with showcasing your ass,” Charlie muttered as she finally got the trousers down to his ankles. The ass in question was extremely firm and muscular, she couldn’t help noticing. Not that she cared.

“I’m not—” he started to protest.

“Here—step out of them,” Charlie commanded. She was still tugging at the waistband, attempting to pull the trousers off his feet. He tried to help and overbalanced. With an exclamation in strange, guttural language she didn’t understand, he fell backwards.

Luckily he landed on the bed with his feet, still tangled in the leather trousers, sticking out.

“You all right?” Charlie asked with concern. She might not like him very much but that didn’t mean she wanted to trip him or hurt him.

“Fine.” He glared at her. “Nothing was injured but my dignity.
When
are you going to loosen these bonds?”

“Right now—as long as you behave.” Briskly, Charlie finished pulling off the leathers and dropped them in a heap on the floor. She didn’t know much about cleaning leather but she thought they should rinse right off with no problem. The boots too.

She turned back to the big Kindred who had managed to sit up and was watching her from the bed. He was so tall that they were almost eye-to-eye, even with him sitting and her standing. Charlie tried not to notice the way those midnight blue eyes followed her as she came towards him.

Luckily she had some spare pairs of cuffs though they weren’t the Kindred kind so they might be a tight fit on his wrists. Still, cuffs were cuffs and once he was chained to the thick oak bedposts, she didn’t anticipate any problems.

Once she had the cuffs fixed on the posts with one metal bracelet dangling on either side, she got on the bed behind the big Kindred and finally released the metal restraints.

He gave a great sigh of relief and began massaging his arms as well as he could with hands that were obviously numb. He eyed her speculatively and she knew what he was thinking.

“Better not,” she said, keeping the Glock trained in the center of his broad chest. “I couldn’t miss even if I tried at this range. Blow a hole the size of a barn door right through you.”

He growled deep in his throat but allowed her to position him so that he was leaning against the headboard. Keeping the gun on him, Charlie fastened first one wrist and then the other to the oak bedposts.

He glared at her as she worked.

“More restraints?”

“How else am I going to keep you in one place?” Charlie demanded as she checked the fit of the cuffs. As she had suspected, they were tight but not enough to cut off circulation. “Unless you want to give me your word you’ll stay right here like a good little lamb.”

“Would you take my word even if I gave it?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Nope.” Charlie finished checking the cuffs.

“I didn’t think so. I wouldn’t give it anyway since I intend to escape at the first opportunity,” he growled.

“Huh. Well at least you’re honest about it.” Charlie was feeling increasingly weary and the cramps were starting to come back but there were a few more things she had to do.

She went to the master bathroom, rinsed off his things and took care of business, using a tampon though there wasn’t much need for one. The strange thing about her “migraine periods” was she hardly bled at all but it was good to be prepared just in case.

After washing her hands, she got a clean washrag from the small stack over the sink. As she wet it, she reflected that she never would have believed she’d be using it on an alien male handcuffed to her bed the last time she’d done laundry. Then again, she hadn’t been thinking
anything
about having a big alien in her bed. The whole situation was bizarre.

Make the best of it, Charlie,
she advised herself.
Just get through the night and if Purvis won’t hear reason tomorrow you can always go over his head and call somebody in Washington.

Who exactly she might call her tired brain wouldn’t tell her at the moment but she was sure she would figure it out if she could just get through the night.

Weariness dragged at her but she forced herself to go back in the bedroom. She reached out to dab at the big Kindred’s chin but he jerked away.

“What are you doing?”

“Cleaning you up. You bit your lip while I was, uh, trying to get your trousers undone.”

“I did?” He frowned. “I never even realized…”

“Well, you had your mind on…other things,” Charlie said tactfully. “Now hold still.”

She reached for him again and this time the big warrior submitted. He watched her warily as she dabbed the blood from his chin but didn’t say a word. That was fine with Charlie, she was so weary now she was nearly swaying on her feet and she could feel her period circling like a big, ugly bird coming in for a landing. Oh yeah, this was going to be a bad one. She had no idea how she was going to deal with the debilitating cramps while trying to guard a huge prisoner cuffed to her bed—only that she had to manage
somehow
.

More than anything she wished she could go in the spare room and lie down but she knew that wasn’t an option. Even though he looked secure, the big Kindred had admitted he was going to get away if he could. She had to make sure that didn’t happen. She had to stay and keep watch over him.

Using the last of her strength, she dragged herself into the walk-in closet and changed into a pair of comfy black yoga pants and a soft pink v-neck t-shirt. The outfit wasn’t
haute couture
but it was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the tight-ass suite she’d been wearing for over twelve hours. She wanted a shower but she didn’t feel she could leave her prisoner alone that long and besides, she was so tired and achy she might slip in the tub and bang her head. She compromised by letting her hair out of the tight bun she’d had it in all day and combing her fingers through it. There—that felt better.

She dry swallowed a couple of ibuprophen, knowing full well they wouldn’t touch the cramps once they were in full swing, and took a deep breath.

Well, here goes—this is going to be a long night.

Chapter Five

Stavros watched his captor closely as she came out of the small dressing area. She walked slowly and deliberately and positioned herself on a large, overstuffed chair that sat in the corner of the room, diagonally across from the sleeping platform he was cuffed to. Though he could feel her physical weariness, she sat up straight, still holding the projectile weapon in her hand. She pointed it at him and made a slight motion.

“Okay, it’s just you and me and Mr. Glock, big boy. So settle down for the night.”

“I am well settled,” Stavros growled. “You saw to that yourself.”

“Yeah, well…” She shrugged her slim shoulders.

“Are you well?” he asked, knowing full well she was not. He had felt the intense, stabbing and grinding pains that tore at her lower abdomen at intervals. Indeed, the pain was so bad it was difficult to block out even when he gave the effort his whole concentration. Clearly
something
was wrong with her—he just didn’t know what.

“What do you care if I’m ‘well?’” she snapped. “If you’re waiting for me to pass out so you can get away, give up now, buddy. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I was just…concerned about you,” Stavros said stiffly. Strangely, it was true. He was still furious that she had captured him—but more at himself than at her. After all, he had been distracted and allowed her to get the drop on him. He also didn’t like being restrained but he understood why she had done it—clearly he represented a threat to her. Despite the fact that she had him cuffed to her sleeping platform and was holding a loaded weapon on him, he found himself interested and worried about her.