Hunter's Claim: The Alliance Book 1 (16 page)

“I thought you might like to sit outside as
it is a beautiful day,” Charma smiled. “I will have Gola and Jacel
attend you
while
I see to the
unpacking.”

“Oh, but we can…” Jesse’s voice faded as
Hunter squeezed her fingers.

“Thank you, Charma,” Hunter nodded. “As
usual, you and Bronze have done a marvelous job of caring for my
home while I have been away.”

“It is always a pleasure, Hunter,” Charma
responded before turning to re-enter the house.

“Why couldn’t she stay?” Taylor complained.
“I wanted to ask her some questions.”

“She will return later,” Hunter replied.
“She knew I wanted this time alone with all of you.”

“What for?” Taylor responded as she sank
down into the chair with a small pout. “You get to see us all the
time.”

“There is much I need to explain before I
turn you loose on my world, Taylor,” Hunter explained patiently.
“First, you are now a member of my house and what that means.”

“What are you talking about?” Jesse asked,
sitting
back
as one of the women place a
bowl of warm soup in front of her. “I thought you were just a
warrior. This house seems a bit much for just a warrior.”

“I am part of the founding family of
Julumont. As the youngest male in my family, I am expected to serve
ten years with our military. I will be completing that within the
next few months. When my tour is finished, I will join the
governing board and oversee the safety of our region,” Hunter
explained as he passed a dish of fruit to Jesse. “As part of my
family, you will all be expected to participate in many social
functions.”

Jordan paled. “I’m not so good around other
people,” she whispered. “I do better with books and learning than I
do with people.”

Hunter chuckled. “It won’t happen overnight.
I would never do that to any of you. Just understand that there
will be times when you will all have duties outside our home,” he
explained.

“So,” Taylor said, sitting back. “How many
brothers and sisters do you have?”

Hunter gave Taylor a sharp tooth grin.
“Three older brothers and two older sisters.”

Jesse sat stunned. She never thought of
Hunter having a family. He had never mentioned any of them to her
and so she had assumed, incorrectly it would seem, that he was an
only child.

“Are your parents still alive?” Jesse asked
nervously.

“Yes,” Hunter said with a nod. “You will be
meeting them but not for at least another month. They have traveled
to see my sister who has recently delivered her first babe. Her
Amate
is a scientist on a planet the Alliance is trying to
cultivate.”

“Oh,” Jesse said looking at her sisters with
dread.

“Jesse,” Hunter said.

Jesse looked over at Hunter. She placed her
hand in his when he reached over to her. A shy, uncertain smile
curled her lips as she waited for him to say what was on his
mind.

“They will accept you as my
Amate
,”
he assured her. “They will accept all of you as my family.”

“I hope so,” she murmured under her breath.
“I really hope so.”

*.*.*

Several days later, she was busy fixing
lunch for Hunter who was working on the deck he was building
outside of their bedroom. Jordan and Taylor were off with Charma
who was helping them catch up on the language and culture lessons.
Jesse worked with Charma and her sisters in the morning but
preferred to have the afternoons free to do things around their new
home.

“You smell delicious,” Hunter whispered,
wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him
so he could press a kiss to the mark he had left on her neck. “Good
enough to eat.”

Jesse giggled as he rubbed his nose up and
down her neck. “It is the stew I’m making,” she pointed out. “You
are probably starving. You’ve been working like crazy building the
deck. I finally convinced Charma to take Jordan and Taylor out for
a bit and gave the other two girls that help out around here the
day off. I wanted some us time.”

“I want to make love to you until you cannot
move,” he said, turning her around. “When are your sisters due
back?”

Jesse blushed. She still couldn’t get over
how quickly he could fire her body up. She reached up and sealed
her lips to his in a hungry kiss.

“Not for a couple more hours,” she whispered
against his lips. “Charma was going to take them to her daughter’s
house to meet some of her grandkids that were close to Jordan and
Taylor’s age.”

“The stew?” Hunter asked.

“Needs to simmer for at least an hour,”
Jesse said, reaching behind her to release the tie of the apron she
was wearing.

“Almost enough time,” Hunter said, bending
over and pulling Jesse over his shoulder.

“Hunter!” Jesse laughed as she got a
wonderful view of his firm ass. “What are you doing?”

“Abducting my
Amate
! I am going to
take her upstairs and ravish her until she can think of no other
but me!” He declared with a flourish. “I will kiss her until she is
breathless. I will love every inch of her body until she begs me
to…”

“Put her down as the blood is rushing to her
head?” Jesse giggled before letting out a squeal when he slapped
her ass. “Ouch! That… oh lord!” She breathed out as he rubbed her
offended butt.

“I am courting you,” Hunter growled. “You
are supposed to say things like I am your true love and call me
sweet names.”

Jesse’s breath left her as he lowered
her
onto their bed. She gripped his
shoulders as he followed her down. She saw that while he was
teasing, he was also serious.

“What brought this on?” She asked. “Have you
been watching those movies from Earth again that Saber downloaded
and sent to you?”

“I want you to be happy, my Jesse,” Hunter
admitted. “I never want you to doubt my commitment to you or to
your sisters.”

Jesse shook her head and smiled tenderly up
at him. “I have no doubt about your commitment, Hunter. I just
wish…” her voice trailed off as she looked down.

Hunter tilted her chin back up so she was
forced to look at him. He had been right to sense there was still
something holding his Jesse back. He had loved her and tried
everything he could think of to make her happy but he sensed a
sadness still inside her sometimes.

“What do you wish? If it is possible, I will
get it for you,” Hunter replied.

“I wish you loved me,” Jesse said quietly.
“I know you care about me but…”

Hunter couldn’t stand to hear the doubt in
her voice. He kissed her with a desperate hunger. He thought back
feverishly over the past almost two months. He had shown her every
way he could that he loved her but the only time he had said the
words had been when she was unconscious.

“Oh, my Jesse,” Hunter breathed out as he
pulled back to look down at her. “Don’t you know that I love you
with everything inside me? You are my
Amate
.” He tenderly
cupped her face between his huge palms. “I am Hunter. I belong to
Jesse as she belongs to me. Forever will I tie my life to hers. I
will care for, protect and give my seed only to her. She is my
Amate
. She is my life.
You
are my life, Jesse. I
thought you knew that.”

Jesse shook her head. “I need the words too,
I guess. Oh Hunter, I love you so much.”

“Forever, my Jesse. Forever, my
Amate
,” Hunter said, kissing her deeply.

“What were you saying you were wanting to do
before the girls got home?” Jesse whispered in a husky voice as she
wound her hands around his neck.

“I believe it started with ravishing,” he
chuckled as his hands began sliding up under her tunic. “Followed
by loving every inch of
your
body.”

“I think I like this courting,” Jesse
replied before she groaned as he began ravishing her. “Oh yes, I
definitely love this part of it.”

*.*.*

Jesse grinned at Hunter who was watching
every move she made later that night as she set the table for
dinner. Jordan and Taylor were talking about their day. She set the
fresh bread that the girls had picked up from the market bakery
down and sat down.

“Thank God!” Taylor muttered. “I was
wondering if you were ever going to sit down.”

“Why?” Jesse laughed as she scooped some
stew into her bowl.

Taylor rolled her eyes as she broke some of
the bread up into
her bowl
. “If I had to
watch Hunter look at your ass and growl one more time I swear I’d
see if Jordan wanted to give you guys some more privacy!”

“Taylor!” Jesse said shocked, glancing back
and forth between her sisters and Hunter. “He was not… we… I…”

“It’s okay, Jesse,” Jordan said quietly. “We
know you guys are like newlyweds. We’ve been trying to stay out of
your hair and give you guys some time alone.”

Jesse set her spoon down and reached over to
touch Jordan’s hand. She glanced at Hunter in concern. She didn’t
want her sisters to ever think they were in the way.

“Jordan, neither you nor Taylor will ever be
in our hair. This is your home. If I offend you because of the way
I… stare at your sister, I apologize,” Hunter said quietly.

“Oh, you don’t offend us,” Taylor replied.
“Jordan and I are cool with it. I’m just glad we aren’t on the same
level as you at night. It was bad enough when we were on the
Star Raider
.”

“What do you mean when we were on the… You
could hear us?” Jesse asked turning a bright red.

“It wasn’t very often,” Jordan interrupted.
“I mean, it was but we just turned up the sound on the videos we
were watching.”

“Oh lord,” Jesse said, burying her face in
her hands. “This is so embarrassing.”

Jordan and Taylor laughed and shook their
heads. “It really isn’t that bad. I mean, well, we’re cool, right
Taylor?” Jordan finished awkwardly.

“Yeah, zip my lips. No more comments on the
sounds, like growls and roars or shouts and screams or anything
else,” Taylor agreed. “Boy, this stew is really good, Jesse.”

Hunter’s low laugh grew louder and louder
until everyone at the table was laughing. He watched as Jesse and
her sisters wiped tears from the corner of their eyes from laughing
so hard. They teased him about the different types of growls and
purrs he made and he teased them about their girly screams when he
caught them coming out of the bathroom in the mornings with their
hair sticking up everywhere and cream on their faces.

Warmth flooded him as he listened to the
girls talk about some of the different products they had discovered
in town and wanted to show Jesse. They talked about their day at
Charma’s daughter’s house. This is what having a family was about.
It was about the embarrassing moments and the laughter and the
sharing. It was about not being alone anymore.

They had been on Rathon for a month and life
was beginning to settle down. Saber and Dagger had gone off on
another mission. Hunter had received permission to stay behind for
an additional few weeks to make sure that Jesse and her sisters
were settled. He had three more months to complete his service
before he could stay full time with them. Jesse understood that but
it did not make it any easier to push back the unease and fear.

Jesse knew the day would come that he would
tell her he had to go again. She just wasn’t expecting it to happen
so soon. She knew that something was wrong as she came up the path
from town with Jordan and Taylor. They had gone to the market for
Charma. Hunter was standing looking out over the garden when she
came in.

“Hey, are you finished with the deck?” Jesse
asked, slipping her arms around his waist. “Jordan and Taylor are
going to try making a pizza for dinner tonight.”

Hunter stood stiffly for a moment before he
drew Jesse around so he could wrap his arms around her. He rubbed
his nose gently against her hair. A shudder went through him as she
tightened her arms around him.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I’ve been called back to duty,” he replied
quietly. “I leave within the hour.”

“The hour!” Jesse whispered in horror. She
pulled back to stare up into his face. “For how long? Where will
you be? Can I go with you?”

Hunter brushed her hair back from her face
and tenderly rubbed his thumb along her cheek. He was unable to
resist kissing her smooth nose. Soon, his mouth worked its way down
to her lips and he hungrily kissed her.

It took every ounce of his self-discipline
to pull back. He had not expected it to be this difficult. He had
never before had any issues fulfilling his duty but the idea of
leaving Jesse and her sisters was tearing him apart inside.

“I am not sure how long I will be gone. A
situation has arisen with one of the new worlds that was recently
brought into the Alliance. I am meeting up with Saber and Dagger.
You cannot go with me on this trip. It is too dangerous. No females
are being allowed,” he said gruffly. “Besides, I need to know that
you are here where it is safe and that you are watching over your
sisters.”

Jesse wanted to argue but knew from the look
in his eyes that this was tearing him apart as much as it was her.
She understood duty. She understood sacrifice. She was just tired
of making them. She wanted to be greedy and keep him all to
herself. Instead, she did what she had always done when her dad was
called out. She did what she could to help him.

“What do you need?” She asked huskily. “I
can help you get your things together.”

Hunter cupped her cheek in his hand,
enjoying the way she turned her face into it and brushed her lips
across his palm. She continued to amaze him with her strength.
Unable to stand the thought of her hurting, he pulled her into his
arms and held her as he looked out over the garden.