My Man Michael (11 page)

“And let your vessel drop from the sky?”

A growl rumbled in her throat. “You mistake me on purpose and it is not appreciated. Shut down your intrusion into this room. Immediately.”

“Very well.”

In an instant, his voice left, the candles went out, the music died, and the ceiling closed.

Somehow, being sealed into the room with the reduced light and silence only made Kayli’s proximity to Michael more intimate.

With her heart pumping hard and fast, she couldn’t look at him, yet she felt his gaze, burning hot, piercing with ripened male curiosity.

Arms wrapping tight around herself, she walked to the opposite side of the room, giving Michael her back. “I apologize for Hauk,” she said, and the mortification she felt sounded in her terse, strained tone. “The emotions supplied to him have commingled to where he considers himself something of a best friend, brother, and father figure, all in one. It drives him to overstep himself on occasion.”

Silence droned on, adding to her tension until she thought she’d snap in two.

And then she heard Michael’s chair as he pushed it back. The urge to flee the situation was so great, her breath strangled in her lungs. She stood her ground only by force of will.

Right behind her, close enough for her to breathe in his compelling scent, Michael said, “Did he lie?”

He was right there, right behind her.

As a warrior, she could fell him in any number of ways—but of course she wouldn’t.

As a warrior, she had no inspiration how to deal with a man who stole into her personal space without harmful intent.

“No.” She hugged herself tighter. “Hauk is incapable of lying.”

“But he’s sure got sarcasm nailed, huh?”

Despite her thrumming tension, she managed a credible half laugh. “Oh yes. He excels at sarcasm.”

Warm hands settled on her shoulders, almost prompting her to leap away.

“Kayli?” he whispered.

She swallowed twice before saying, “Yes?”

“You’re a virgin?”

Oh, how the times had changed, for a man to ask a woman that. In his day, such a question might seem as proper as the uncertainty in his tone.

Now, here, it simply wasn’t done. Wasn’t discussed. Wasn’t mentioned.

“Michael . . .” Best to explain this as a history lesson. She’d remove all personal influences. Yes, that’s what she’d do. “You must understand that society goes in cycles. During your time period, promiscuity was accepted, for men and women alike. It was more uncommon for a person to reach adulthood as a virgin than otherwise.”

“Depends on your definition of adulthood.”

She didn’t bother clarifying that, because it hadn’t much changed. Some were adults earlier than others, legally or otherwise. “Now, after many diseases and a collapse of moral institutions, we have come full circle. It is rare and highly frowned upon, for most—male or female—to engage in intimate activity outside of a legal union sanctioned by the Council Mavens.”

His hands drew her back into him until her shoulders rested against his broad, hard chest.

It felt . . . remarkable.

And far too tempting.

“So.” He bent closer until his nose touched her hair. “You’ve never had sex?”

He did seem caught on that fact. “No.” And she never would.

“How old are you?”

He sounded both incredulous and challenged. “I am twenty-five.”

She heard him breathing in, as if smelling her, her hair and her skin, and it did funny, disturbing, but pleasant things to her stomach. Things she’d never before felt.

“Let me get this straight. If you remain a warrior, you’ll never be allowed to have sex?”

“I’ll never be permitted to form a union. Sex outside of a union would be scandalous and reason for discharge from my position as Claviger.”

The silence hung heavy around them as he considered what she’d said. “All the warriors are women in the same boat as you?”

It took her a second to decipher his meaning. She had a good grasp of his lingo, but when flustered—as she was now—she had to concentrate more. “Some are widows who out of loyalty to their deceased partner chose a life of defense. Some are, as you said, like me. I’m sure that each of the women has reasons of her own.”

His hands weren’t idle. They caressed her shoulders, warm and firm but with so much gentleness. “And your reasons are?”

Inside, she trembled, but when she spoke her voice sounded strong enough. “I can’t abide injustice, so I want to do what I can to keep our colony safe for all.” She didn’t add that her mother had made the decision for her at a very early age. She’d schooled her in her duties, encouraged her in her beliefs until now, Kayli wasn’t sure what she thought on her own and what she thought out of a sense of fostered responsibility.

She would never admit that to anyone though, certainly not to Michael Manchester.

Silence stretched out as Michael held her. His hands left her shoulders so that he could lace his arms around her, keeping her in a gentle but iron embrace.

“So no sex, but what about anything else? Any smooching? Any foreplay?”

So much heat came off him, she felt enveloped in it, and it left her faint. “I . . . I don’t understand.”

He gave her a tender squeeze, and his voice lowered. “How many times have you been kissed?”

No, no, no. She did not want to discuss this. “I don’t know.”

“Can’t keep count, huh?”

His teasing did nothing to relax her, not with him still so close, smelling so hot, and feeling so powerful.

“Okay, let’s come at this from another angle. How many men, other than me, have kissed you?”

Her brain refused to function. Nothing clever, or even believably deceptive, came to mind. “A few.”

“Do you remember names? Places? Or are they all so forgettable?”

He mocked her, but in a nice way, probably meant to help her relax. “What does this matter to you? We have important matters to discuss, and—”

“Real important, I know.” His mouth brushed her temple and it felt like the sweetest of kisses. “The thing is, Kayli love, I’m not sure you realize what all the issues are.”

Kayli
love
? She tried to turn to face him. He held her firm. “Meaning?”

“My questions first, then maybe we’ll talk about it. So quit dodging it, Kayli. How many men have had their mouths on you?”

The way he phrased things! She gave up. “Two.”

For a heartbeat he said nothing. Then: “When?”

Her sigh was loud enough to activate the fans in the room. It was fortunate, because a stirring of the air helped to cool her burning flesh. “When I was fifteen, one of my fellow students kissed me. I didn’t like it and I reported him.”

Michael’s laugh sounded with humor and pleasure. “Did he get in trouble?”

“He was reprimanded, yes. Not for kissing, so much, but for kissing a girl already declared for the service of her colony.”

“Huh. So even at that young age, you knew you wanted to be a warrior?”

From the time she could talk, she’d been told she was perfect for service to her colony—and imperfect for anything else, especially a union. “Yes.”

He thought about that before asking, “And who else kissed you?”

To get the interrogation over with, Kayli rushed through the rest of the telling. “When I was seventeen I started my training and a man my age tried to . . . discourage me.”

“With a kiss?”

“Yes.” And more. And truthfully, she
had
been discouraged. She’d been led to think about things she’d never before considered. Possibilities she’d thought forever out of reach.

Then her mother discovered them and . . . heart aching, Kayli shook her head. “He moved away after I refused him. I haven’t seen him since.”

“Did you care about him?”

The words stuck in her throat. The truth hurt, but the reason for the truth hurt the most. “No.”

She hadn’t loved him. But she had loved the idea of having a family of her own, a person dedicated to her, to their children.

“He was a nice young man, and I hated seeing him disappointed.”

Michael’s hand opened over her waist, stroking the tiniest bit, just enough to make her tingle, to make her every nerve ending spark with awareness of him. “When I kissed you, you didn’t like it.”

Untrue—but should she tell him that? He already understood that much of her reaction was from inexperience. Leaving it at that would be best for all concerned.

“I’m not used to . . . the
way
that you kissed me was . . . the dampness and heat and . . .” She swallowed down the rest of her stammers and just spoke her thoughts aloud. “Never before had I felt a man’s tongue.”

Against her temple, she felt his smile. “The kisses you’d had were just pecks.”

“Extended pecks, but yes, nothing more than that.” With Michael, it had been more. More emotion, more effect, more reaction, and more
need
. “You should not kiss me again.”

“Right,” he said, and he made it sound like anything but an agreement. “At least not until we have a few things cleared up.” After a brief hug, he released her and walked back to the table. With one gulp, he finished off his juice. “What is this stuff? I like it.”

Freed so abruptly from his touch and unnerving conversation, Kayli wallowed in confusion. “It’s a mixture of our fruits.” She braced one hand on the wall to steady herself. “I’m glad it pleases you.”

“It was all great. Do you have some kind of special cattle here, to produce a steak like that?”

Kayli stiffened. “The barbaric ritual of slaughtering animals ended after most nearly became extinct, or toxic to humans. Many diseases resulted before nature was righted. Now animals,
all
animals, are treated as kind pets.”

He looked from her to his empty plate and back again. “So the steak I ate was . . . ?”

“We have only ersatz meats, manufactured based on your preferences.”

“
Ersatz
, huh? I’ll look that up later. What about fruits, vegetables, breads, all that?”

“Grown in our fields, but also scientifically reproduced as needed.” She tried to encourage him without sounding impatient. “You can acquaint yourself with all our advancements by spending some time in the media room.”

“Unbelievable.” Michael looked again at his empty plate and shrugged. “Well, however you got the steak, it was perfect. I can’t wait to try a burger or fried chicken.”

“I’m sure there are many things you will be curious about, and of course you should try them all.”

“Yeah?” He looked at her, and that same heavy sensuality was back, hot enough to knock her over. “I think I’ll hold you to that.”

 

 

WHILE Mallet watched Kayli flounder with her feelings, he thought of all he wanted to do to her, how novel it’d be to have a virgin.

And how sweet.

A deep voice harrumphed. “I know I was ordered to disappear, but Mallet’s clothing is available.”

She welcomed Hauk as a grand distraction. “Thank you, Hauk. You may present them.”

“How gracious of you, Kayli.” They appeared, folded, on the tabletop.

“Hauk,” she warned. “I am in no mood for your dictatorial attitude—”

“Now, children.” Mallet laughed as he scooped up the clothing to examine it. He found a dark T-shirt, jeans—minus some of the rivets—odd underclothing, and brand-new low boots. They’d do. “Let’s try to get along, why don’t we?”

Hauk ignored that to ask, “Shall I put them on you, or would you prefer to bathe first?”

“No one is dressing me but me. And yeah, I’d like to shower first, thanks. With my wreck, it’s been a while since I got to stand under hot water and scrub up real good.”

No one replied to that, so he looked at Kayli. “I assume I have a room for that sort of thing?”

“Your own suite has been prepared, but—”

“With my preferences, right? Great. I’ll go there now, and give you a break from my company.”

“But how can you leave now? We have a lot more to discuss, most especially that cryptic comment about issues not yet revealed to me.”

“We’ll get to all that tomorrow morning.” Deliberately dismissing her, he said, “Now Hauk, if you’ll just guide me, I’ll walk. No poofing me around, okay?”

“Suit yourself, but it’s a long jaunt.”

“Perfect. It’ll give me time to think.” With the clothing tucked under his arm, he headed for the door.

Appearing dumbfounded, Kayli rushed after him. “Think about what?”

Looking over his shoulder, Mallet winked at her. “Kisses, virgins, and sacrifices. What else?”

CHAPTER 6

B
EYOND agitated, Raemay rushed through her chambers. Her hair, long and dark, fell loose from the feminine clips that had kept it atop her head.

So like her other daughters.

So different from Kayli.
His
daughter.