Sex, Love, and Aliens 2 (7 page)

He laughed and the rumble ricocheted through her. “That’s supposed to be my line.”

Her eyes drooped to half-mast as they came together, lips and tongues tangling while hands grasped flesh and kneaded. She shivered as he nibbled his way down the column of her neck, and she stretched, unable to contain her breathless reaction. “Oh God, that feels so good.”

At her collarbone he stilled and dipped his tongue in the tiny depression where neck met shoulder. “Your skin’s so silky soft.” Then he nuzzled and she groaned, hoping he’d continue.

The molten pool of heat in her belly sent fire licking through every inch of her body.

Gently, Marcus cupped both her breasts and held them up, before dipping down to kiss one nipple then the other. As his breath teased the distended nubs they engorged further.

“Marcus, I need you now! Please!” she whispered hoarsely into the night air, and reached for his hips. “Come to me. Fill me.”

As if waiting for her invitation, he dragged her closer, drawing every inch of her front against his. Wild sensations drove rational thought from her mind as nerves sizzled.

His cock, hard and urgent, nestled at her most intimate curls. She widened her stance, and when his tip slid against her clitoris she gasped, digging her fingers into his shoulders.

His fingers grasped her bottom and raised her, pushed her to the table behind her. As she rose, her bottom slid over the wood.

Then he plunged.
Deep. Hard.

“God help me!” The words ground out of him, but she didn’t care as the sensation of fullness ratcheted her arousal higher.

He moved, a subtle shift that rocked her all the way to the depths of her soul. Again he thrust, and the electric sensations zoomed down her veins, so every inch of her body gloried in his taking.

Slam! Slam!
Marcus ground against her, each action harder and more urgent than the last.

A cataclysmic reaction began in her belly and between her legs. Her engorged breasts moved pendulously against his hard pectoral muscles. She struggled to breathe as they moved together, seeking their mutual release.

Deep within, an invisible wire quivered then snapped, releasing her powerful orgasm until nothing existed but overwhelming pleasure.

Fingers speared into her flesh as she came back to her senses and the sensation of his body releasing deep within her. She held him, her body limp as he drooped against her.

Their panting breaths mingled with the musky scent of sex.

What have I...

“Dria, I was on you like some kind of rutting bull!”

She nearly laughed at the disgust in his voice. “That’s okay, Marcus. I wasn’t exactly ladylike either.”

They both laughed, a tired echo.

“We should...” They spoke in unison, then broke off, averting their gazes.

Now that the act was over, some of her initial inhibitions returned, and she nearly covered her breasts before the knowledge he’d done more than look at them battered her.

“I should retire.” It was the best she could do, but a trace of hurt slipped over his face before disappearing.

“Yes. That’s probably best.” He turned, and the action cut her to the quick.

“Will you...” Dria licked her lips, realizing she wanted him beside her. Not just for sex, but the companionship she’d experienced since being with him. “Will you join me?”

She held herself still, and waited.

He slowly turned back to her, and for an instant she was sure he’d refuse. Instead, he held out a hand. “I’d be honored.”

Chapter 4

Marcus turned his head as he opened his eyes.
This isn’t my bed.

Warmth invaded his body, and he instantly knew where he was.
Dria.

They’d shared more than just their bodies. Now they shared a bed and an intimacy that he wanted to shy away from.

He itched to reach out and touch her, but he held back, unsure of himself. Could he trust any of the emotions that roiled in his belly? He’d been wrong before. The sound of her breath, the quiet exhalation, soothed the passion that burned him.

With care he rolled back, flinging an arm over his eyes. Not since Christina had he wanted a woman like this. Even now, his morning erection made itself known and he wanted nothing more than to roll her over and thrust deeply within her body.

What the hell was he going to do? A sense of unreality swept over him. She was a bloody
princess
!
From another planet.
How the
hell
had he managed to forget that?

She moved and her hand snaked across his belly. “Uh... Marcus?” She sounded groggy but also happy.

He slid his hand over hers. “Right here.” His gut rattled as nerves assailed him.

“You don’t have any second thoughts, do you? Because I don’t.”

He closed his burning eyes at her careful words. She’d summed up exactly the turmoil he faced. “This can’t be long term, Dria. You’ll go home to
Dirustandi
and—”

“Actually, I’m not so sure I will. While I’ve been here, I’ve done some serious soul searching. It could be that what I’m thinking will impact on my current status.”

Marcus rolled to his side and gazed deeply into her eyes. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head, clearly confused as her brow furrowed. “As the
Turana
, I’m supposed to take over from my father. I’m the first born, but the pomp and circumstance of reigning isn’t me. Never was. My brother Lora, he’s more inclined to that. Until now I blindly accepted the future mapped out for me. I’m wondering if perhaps...” She shrugged. “Before I can start sorting that out though, we need to find and neutralize the Incubi.”

“You still have to return to
Dirustandi
. It’s your home.”

Dria bit her lip. “When I was talking to the hybrids, I had to ask them where their loyalties lay. I told one of them that for me, it was the
Ba’Tua
, but that was... My thinking was simplistic. I’m both human and
Ba’Tuan
. What I’ve experienced with you...”

Her words stole the oxygen from his lungs. “But it’s your home.”

“Yes, it is, but I’ve learned that a person can mean more than a planet. I’ll always be
Ba’Tuan
, but I’ve also realized I can be human at the same time. It’s confusing but...”

He leaned in and kissed her, a gentle brush of lips. Dria wasn’t promising him forever or to stay by his side. But clearly she was rethinking her path in life, and if that let him spend more time with her, then he’d take whatever she offered.

He shook his head on a sigh. The working day awaited. “We should get up.”

“You’re already
up
!” She laughed playfully, and his eyes widened in surprise. This was a side of her he hadn’t seen before.

“I meant out of bed.” He shoved the covers aside and snorted at her.
Shame about that.
He grabbed the clothes he’d hastily collected last night and tugged them on. “I’m going to shower and change, then we can meet for breakfast.”

“Hang on, Marcus.”

He turned back to face her as she hurried toward him and rose up on her tiptoes.

“Good morning to you too.”

Her kiss wasn’t a peck—it scorched him thoroughly as she massaged his lips with hers. They were firm and possessive, and his entire body reacted. When he opened to her with a moan she sipped at his tongue, every movement an erotic statement of ownership. One he welcomed.

Finally, Dria pulled away, her skin a rosy shade of pink and her nipples strawberry buds of sensual delight. “That should keep you going until later.”

Then she turned away and favored him with a view of her dimpled buttocks. His groin tightened further, but he retreated to his own room. He had some thinking and planning to do, and while a naked Dria cavorted in front of him, all he could concentrate on was her.

* * * *

Dria let the water course over her naked and very aroused body. She wished Marcus had stayed, but of course, he was right. They both had things to do.

Her body continued to pulse but the urgency had drained away. Dria ignored it as best she could, until the rasp of the loofah over her breasts created a delightful friction. “Oooh...” Excitement welled again and she hissed.

She braced both hands on the wall of the shower, dropped her head forward, and breathed deeply as she ignored the hunger. It didn’t work.

“Drop water temperature fifteen degrees.”

The temperature drop left her shivering, but achieved the result she was seeking. Dria searched for focus as she exhaled.

“Need to track down the buyers. Follow them back to any associates. There must be something.” But so far, they hadn’t found anything. Why? What were they missing?

“Water off.” She stepped from the stall, reached for the towel hanging on the rail, and wiped the droplets from her body.

The light on the screen switched on and off, capturing her attention. Dria reached for the mini-comp.

“Matches found,” the disembodied voice of the computer echoed.

“Thank you!” She snatched it up and headed for the door, ready to show Marcus, when she realized she was still naked. “Oh, you have to be kidding me.”

Dria quickly authorized a backup as she donned clothing. A pale pair of pants and lightweight blouse were lying over the back of the chair, ready for her to wear to today’s official engagements. She’d rather climb into her exercise clothing, but this was the first to hand. She shoved her feet into pumps and headed for the door, scooping up the mini-comp as she moved.

The door opened without a sound and she slipped through.

In the corridor, Simpson, one of Marcus’s many assistants waited. “Can I be of service,
Turana
?”

“Oh, yes. I’m looking for the commander. I’ve received important information that will hopefully help us conclude this mission.”

Simpson’s face changed. In an instant it morphed from young and guileless to twisted and angry.

Dria couldn’t help herself. She backed up. “
Simpson?
”

“You’re too damned clever for your own good. All we needed was another few days, and we’d have finally managed to destroy the Accord.” The guileless look returned. “You’re going for a visit,
Turana
.” He slapped a transmitter to her shirt, and while she tried to remove it, he tugged a tiny remote from his pocket and depressed the button with a smile.

“
Marcus!
” Even as she screamed, the world turned black.

* * * *

The tiny tracker app Marcus had downloaded to his chrono blared.

“Dria!” He shoved back from the table and through the door, his feet pounding on the tiled floor as he headed to her room. “Dria? Dammit, answer me.”

If the app on his chrono was right though, she was gone. He’d set it to alert him to a transmission.
Gone!
He searched her rooms while his heartrate spiked.

He tugged the mini-comp from his pocket as his mind worked through how this could have happened. He called up the location of all his people. Everyone was accounted for except...
Simpson
?

In his mind, a vision of the young, dark-haired man who’d been delivering meals and running errands rose. “Dammit.”

Sick...
That tugged at his memory and he contacted his cousin Arends, the one who’d been unavailable. “Simon? Can you talk?”

“Hey, Marcus. Sure. What’s up?”

“You were sick at the beginning of the mission. Did they ever find out what was wrong with you?”

“Oh, it was food poisoning. My morning yogurt contained some kind of bacteria. Did you miss the safety recall?” There was amusement in his cousin’s voice, but a yawing pit opened in the bottom of Marcus’s belly.

“Are you available?” He needed him as part of his crew now, if they were to find Dria. His gut roiled. They needed to work swiftly.

“Sure.”

“Good. Transport to my quarters immediately.” He broke off the call and swiftly sent out an urgent summons to the rest of his team.

One by one they checked in. It was only minutes, but felt like a lifetime. “The Incubi have the
Turana
. It appears Simpson, who replaced Simon, was a plant.”

“Simpson? He’s... He was a new transfer in about two months ago!” Simon frowned. “I don’t know where he came from.”

Marcus turned to the young blond man. “Find out everything you can about him.” Another thought struck. Dria complaining her yogurt tasted sour and was unwell. On the side in the dining room was the breakfast set up on a tray. “And get that yogurt analyzed.”

Simon nodded and started moving.

A young female ensign, a specialist in computational assessment, looked up. “I’ve found her signature, Vane.” Her face was pale and tight. “It’s in a remote area, in the hinterland.”

“Get me the details. We need to move quickly.”

The woman nodded and set to work.

“Gear up, everyone. We’re going in to get the
Turana
.”

* * * *

Dria fumed and worked feverishly at the bonds behind her back.
Damn them to the seven hells and back!

How in the world had Simpson got past Marcus’s stringent safety protocols? She knew Marcus had been concerned enough that he’d arranged for her to be placed in the barracks after the situation at the hotel.

The room where her captors had stashed her had a view of the mountains and foliage outside. She grimaced, knowing that even if she got away, she didn’t have a clue as to where she was or where to go.

Hell, she didn’t even know which continent she was on. Who knew what human transmitters were capable of? After all, they’d had access to the
Ba’Tuan
technology for nearly a quarter of a century. Did they have geographic limitations like theirs?

Each tug at her bonds tore at her skin, but she remained quiet while she worked.

The door opened, and she stilled. “Where am I, and why did you take me?” The questions were rhetorical. The first one wouldn’t be answered and the second was merely textbook.

She needed to keep them from inspecting the ties at her back, otherwise they’d know she was almost free.