Mercenary Abduction (Alien Abduction) (19 page)

The scare he’d suffered faded as they took on lighter jobs, in between having sex. Makl

discovered that even without the usual danger, he still had fun. Anything he did with Olivia at his side made him smile.

Lying with his human panting atop him, Makl could say he’d never felt more complete. Or clear-

headed. With a rare clarity, he finally grasped the allure of having a constant female in his life. A female who understood and accepted him as he was. A female who didn’t fear challenging him at every turn.

Who didn’t fake her pleasure in bed because he paid her. A partner he could share things with. Someone more than just a lover…someone he wanted to call mate.

Argh!

Up he sprang in a panic, a twinge of remorse almost making him wince when Olivia flew off his

body and hit the carpeted floor with a shouted, “What the fuck?”

However, one twinge wasn’t enough to stop him from diving off the other side of the sleeping

pallet. He grabbed some pants and with a muttered, “I need to check on something,” practically ran out of the room, barefoot and shirtless.

Space! He needed alone space to think about what he’d just realized.
I want to keep my human,

permanently.
The travesty of it. The horror!

Makl stalked the length of his ship, wondering how he’d let this happen. How did he come to care

for a human? How did he let himself stray from his set path far enough that he even thought of keeping her as mate?

Good thing he’d caught on to his problem. Now he could deal with it.
I just won’t care for her.

Done.

Or not.

Stray thoughts questioned how he’d accomplish this. How could he stop feeling for the barbarian?

Distance. He needed physical distance. Which meant…
no more sex.

Hmm, maybe a little too rash. He needed the sex to keep his mind clear. What could he do

instead? No more cuddling. Yeah, that was part of the problem, all that arms–around-each-other,

snuggling-and-talking stuff had to stop. He never used to do that before. So what if he enjoyed it? He also enjoyed a good rest period and dessert; it didn’t mean he couldn’t do without. After coitus, he’d have to make sure she kept to her side of the bed.

But was that enough? Judging as how all his pacing circles kept bringing him back to the room

they shared, not quite. He needed something a little more drastic. He needed to get away from Olivia and her drugging influence.

Perhaps he should forget going on any more missions? After all, how many times did they pull off

a successful heist and barely make it to the ship before tearing at each other and copulating like wild animals? Damn, he’d miss that. Besides, the missions were fun and good for his reputation. Scrap that plan. They’d keep up their crime spree; they’d just have to stop acting like a simpering couple in love.

No more hand holding, or fake – torrid – kisses that led to real ones later on. No more groping as

part of the job or for pleasure. He’d have to stop flaunting his body so she’d take advantage – a shame, because she did that so well. From here on in, he’d view her as just another male. An ally, like Ifruum.

With heavy feet, he stomped into the bridge and flopped in his chair.

Murphy’s smooth-skinned face peered at him from over the top of a large sheaf of black and white

paper. “For a man with no shoes, you’re sure making a ruckus.”

“What has she done to me?” he groused.

“Done? I assume you speak of my niece, Olivia.”

“Yes. Who else?”

“Did she injure you?”

“Not exactly.”

“Double crossed?”

“Not yet.”

“Told you she was pregnant by another man and asked you to be the baby’s daddy?”

“What? Who else has laid hands on her?” Makl practically roared as he leapt from his seat.

Murphy held his hands out in a placating gesture. “Easy, big guy. I was just trying to ascertain the

nature of your problem.”

Groaning, Makl dropped his face into his hands. “The problem is I like her.”

“I should hope so, seeing as how you’ve been doing things this uncle prefers not to think of.”

Makl’s head shot up and he scowled. “Yeah, well, it’s the things I want to do with her that I’ve

never wanted to do before that worry me.”

Up shot Murphy’s brows. “I don’t know if I’m the right person to talk to about that. If you’re

wanting something kinky, you’ll have to talk to her. Or not. On second thought, let’s switch this discussion to the weather. Have you seen that galactic dust cloud in the third quadrant?”

“I wasn’t talking about sex stuff. I meant –” Makl paused as he fought to say the words. He waved

his hands around and groaned in frustration. “I was talking about emotional stuff.”

“Oh, you mean the fact you fell in love.”

“I did not.” Makl pointed his gun at Murphy’s head without even thinking twice. “Take that back.”

“You do realize your petty weapon can’t harm me? I am a god.”

“You might be a god and, yet, you’re inching back, which means even if you survive, it will still

hurt, sure as hell.”

“And they call you the dumb one.”

“Who does?”

“No one. Now, what were we talking about? Ah, yes, your –”

The insistent buzz on his console wouldn’t be ignored. With a sigh, Makl leaned back in his seat

and accepted the call.

“Why are you dawdling?”

Just great. A bad day made worse. He banged his head off the headrest of his seat. “Hello to you

too, Aunt Muna.”

“Don’t
hello
me. We’re waiting for you to arrive with the nanny.”

“I told you I wasn’t anywhere near Earth. These things take time,” he deftly lied.

She didn’t buy it for a second. “Oh really, and yet, it was just yesterday we watched another video

of the newest daring exploit of the Galactic Lovebirds, and what an odd twist of circumstance, but they happen to look like you and a human. A female human.”

Frukx. In his quest for fame, he’d forgotten one obvious aspect. “You saw that, did you? How did

I look? Did they get my good side? Did Tren see it? Jaro?”

“We’ve all seen it. And you’ll be lucky if Tren doesn’t skin you alive when you get here, which I

might add, better be quick because he’s in a bad mood. I think it’s all that pent up anger. This whole keep-quiet-lest-you-wake-the-baby thing has made him a bomb waiting to explode.”

“I’m less than a day away.” Or would be, once he stopped dallying and taking on the side jobs

Ifruum kept sending his way. He needed to face facts. He’d delayed delivering Olivia to his cousin so he could spend more time with her. Another damning clue that should have woken him to the fact she’d gotten too close.

No more meandering. He’d head directly to Tren’s and solve his epiphany. Drop off the human

and leave. Out of sight, he’d stop craving things he didn’t want or need, such as a mate and constant companion. He’d also have to return to his five-fingered daily release too, but maybe that was a good thing given the copulation he’d enjoyed lately didn’t leave him clear-headed. On the contrary, he’d never felt more frukxed up. “Prepare the family for my arrival.”

“I’ll do my best to hold your cousin off, but you might want to make it a short visit. He’s a little

testier than usual.” The communicator clicked off, leaving Makl pondering.

Maybe he wouldn’t get off his ship at all once he got to the planet. There wasn’t really any point in staying. By departing rapidly, he’d avoid a messy goodbye with the barbarian – who would obviously

miss him immensely given his innate greatness, which in turn would make her cry and beg him to stay –

and he’d avoid his cousin and his cousin’s mighty fist. A perfect plan. Foolproof.

Murphy rustled his paper as he folded it. “So, you still intend to have Olivia play the part of

nanny?”

Ah, frukxing hell. Had Murphy heard his last thought? Hopefully not. He needed to get away, to

continue on his path to greatness – by himself. “Alas, the Galactic Lovebirds have had their final act. My family needs her so it’s time to drop her off.”

“Just ditch her like yesterday’s news, eh?” Murphy cocked a brow and Makl tamped down the

heat threatening his cheeks.

“It’s not like we promised anything to each other. We both knew it wasn’t permanent. I’m a

mercenary. She hates the fact I’m a killer. And Tren needs her. It was fun while it lasted.”

“Yes, it was, and I am sure she’ll see it that way when you cast her off without even so much as a

wave goodbye. And what will you do next? You’ve lost half of your gimmick. What lies in the Galactic

Loner’s future?”

Loner?

The word struck a discordant note. Left a sour taste in Makl’s mouth, even though he didn’t reply.

He couldn’t have said why. The word loner described him perfectly. It was the life he ascribed to. The life laid out in his mercenary handbook. A life that stretched bleakly without the laughter and adrenaline he’d gotten used to.

“It’s not a weakness to admit you need her,” Murphy said quietly.

Need her?
Makl opened his mouth to say he didn’t need her. He didn’t need anybody. However,

the words stuck to his tongue. The lie wouldn’t allow itself to be spoken.

“Stubborn fool. Suffer then. I’m going to check on a few pies I’ve got my finger in.” Murphy

disappeared, not that Makl paid him any mind. Not anymore. The pesky god was always somewhere

underfoot these days, it seemed, in one guise or another. Besides, he discovered something more pressing to occupy his attention as it occurred to him that he had very little time left with his human. Very little time to enjoy her body and laughter. What could it hurt to let himself sink into her one last time?

Since he’d leave her shortly, he owed it to her to assuage her lust so that she didn’t start her new

job mentally incapacitated. Sometimes, his generosity surprised even him.

Returning to his room with due haste, he could understand why Olivia rebuffed his kiss in order to

give him a totally undeserved harangue.

“What the hell, Makl? You can’t just throw me off the bed, run off, and then come back and expect

sex.”

“I needed to check on something.”

“Gee, I hadn’t noticed. You know, though, if you needed to get up, you could have just said so,”

she complained. “No need to dump me on my ass.” A line creased her brow. “Is something wrong?

Anything I need to know about?”

“Nothing important. But I think we should check out the temperature level of the shower again.”

“Really?” Her lips quirked. “Has it stopped working since the last time?”

“Quiet, barbarian, and just do as you’re told.” Unable to resist, he slapped her bottom, but instead

of squeaking and rolling away, Olivia let out a little moan of pleasure and pushed up onto her hands and knees. She tossed him a coy look over her shoulder.

“I guess then you’ll have to punish me, because I’m not listening.” She waggled her buttocks at

him.

Saucy barbarian. By all the stars, he would miss her. His hand flashed out and slapped a rounded

cheek. It hit with a loud smack. Her flesh jiggled and she dropped her upper body to the mattress, in effect projecting her rear higher, spreading herself to his view.

At the sight of her pinkness, moist and inviting, Makl couldn’t tear his trousers off fast enough. He kneaded the soft flesh of her cheeks and knelt on the bed behind her, pressing his mouth against the shell like core of her sex.

The flavor of her, a nectar more delectable than anything he’d ever tasted, hit his tongue and he

closed his eyes in pleasure. Groaned, as well. Over the past little while, he’d gotten to know her body quite intimately. Enjoyed every inch of her – more than once – and yet, he never tired of anything, not her taste, reaction, or the feel of her skin.

Like a drug, he always wanted more. And more. And…

Latching onto her clit, he stroked it with his lips and tongue, hearing her approaching climax in the shortness of her pants, the way her moans emerged, low and desperate. He tore his mouth away and heard her utter a lamenting protest. Up onto the bed he crawled, between her spread thighs. His arm slid around her waist as his cock slammed into her welcoming heat. He pumped her urgently, curving her body back

so they were flush to each other, his dick driving while his fingers played. One hand on her cleft stroked her clit, the other thrummed her erect nipples. His lips sucked at the tender skin of her neck, that pale, unblemished expanse of temptation.

She came with a scream, her sex milking his shaft, pulling forth his orgasm. But he didn’t yell his

bliss. Instead, he clamped his teeth, not too hard, but enough that when they separated their sweating bodies to flop on the bed, she wore a mark on her flesh. His mark.

It looked good on her.

And she was leaving. Soon.

Into the shower he carried her to take her again, needing to brand her in every way possible.

If she sensed a desperation in his caresses, in the way he worshipped and took her body, she

didn’t say. Makl, however, found himself all too aware of the ticking clock counting down to their

separation. Forget sleep, his mind remained alert, focused on her, memorizing her every expression, every pant, curve, aspect.

Spent and entwined upon his bed, he held her, unable to sleep. He couldn’t help reliving the time

they’d spent together, their talks and adventures. He knew so much about her, the Olivia of today and now, and yet so little of her past. A past she never spoke of.

It bothered him all of a sudden. Who was this female he brought into the bosom of his family?

How had she ended up where she had in space? And adopted by Murphy, a god? It became the most

important thing in that moment – as she lay cradled in his arms, her head nestled on his chest. He had to know, had to hear her tale. “How did you end up in space as Murphy’s ward?”