COWBOY ROMANCE: Justin (Western Contemporary Alpha Male Bride Romance) (The Steele Brothers Book 1) (86 page)

Chapter 6

At dinner that night, Jane watched the interaction between Fenrir and Tyr closely. Neither spoke much, and when one did, the other glared at him. The tension at the table was incredibly strong, so Lynne tried to liven up the conversation.

It apparently had no effect on the men because no matter what she did, the men remained either stoic or ambivalent.

After the meal, Jane asked Tyr if he would take her for a walk so she could see the area where she lived. He agreed without hesitation and escorted her from the castle by way of the kitchen. At first, Jane was curious as to why, but when they were out the door, she had no doubt about his reasoning.

They exited onto a lush, crimson lawn that spread out to a large lake nearby. What lovely site. She had been surprised when Tyr had told her that no one wore shoes on Cartonia, and now she thought she knew why. Walking on the red yard was like walking on velvet.

“I wish to show you a place I find very calming,” Tyr said. “Would you like to see it?”

“I’d
love
to,” she replied.

He escorted her around the lake to a small grotto with mint green, lemon chiffon yellow, and burnt orange fern-like plants dripping from the ceiling. Jane found the array stunning. The darker orange enhanced the lighter green and yellow. How she remembered the different colors was beyond her imagination, but she sensed this was one of the things that Lynne wouldn’t tell Fenrir that she knew. Her memories were beginning to seep back into her mind, and she wanted to keep it to herself for now.

“Is it safe to swim in the lake, Tyr?” she asked.

“What is swim?” he replied in bewilderment.

“I guess the easiest way to explain it is to move in the water without a boat.”

“I do not know. I have never known anyone who has tried.”

“Then we
have
to try. You will like it. I promise.”

Stripping out of her jumpsuit, Jane stared down at her perfectly proportioned, fuchsia body. Even
she
liked to look at it. Although Tyr had told her that she would remember nothing, she did recall a few things. Her old body was one of those things., and she would never tired of knowing she now looked like the woman she’d always dreamed to be?

Without a word, she stepped into the tepid water. The bottom was
so
soft and rock-free, despite their being on a mountain. She walked into a deeper area, where the water caressed her ankles. Then she went farther until water lapped at her knees.

Jane stopped and turned toward shore. Holding her hand out to him, she said, “Join me. You’ll like it.”

Tyr looked skeptical, but he took off his jumpsuit and followed her. By the time he reached her, his twisted maleness was erect with desire. It looked very much like an Earth man’s organ, except it had a bit of twirled soft ice cream appearance.

The thought startled her. Another memory! Would she miss ice cream here?

Then her mind re-centered itself back onto his body, which had precisely the level of musculature that she loved. Taking a deep breath to raise her courage, she reached out and caressed his penis then drew her hand upward, over his rippled stomach to his hard pectorals. As she slid her hands over his shoulders and down his muscular arms, she inhaled again. His body felt
so
good.

“Let’s go out a little farther,” she suggested with a throaty voice.

She took his hands in hers and backed up until the water sloshed around their waists.

“Kiss me,” she demanded, barely able to release the words.

Tyr’s mouth captured hers without hesitation. Her tongue taunted his lips until he opened them slightly. Unable to resist, she smashed her breasts against his chest as her tongue dove into his hot mouth and reunited with his.

She was hot with desire and wanted him—
now!
When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he grabbed her buttocks to hold her. Perfect! That was exactly what she had hoped he would do.

Gently grasping his excitement, she slid it tauntingly back and forth across her opening. His tongue pushed hers away. A moment later their tongues dueled in her warm mouth.

Finally, she impaled herself on his organ and squeezed with her vaginal muscles. He moaned into her mouth and pushed farther into her body. Actually, her new body was a bit different than she recalled. She didn’t need to maneuver into strange positions. His manhood fit perfectly no matter what way she moved.

Her excitement grew as he pumped into her with little effort. Over and over he hit a spot in her body brought her came closer to the ultimate joy. Finally, he thrust into her so deeply that she could hold back no longer and exploded in an orgasm that she felt would never end.

Once she stopped throbbing around him, he released her, and her feet dropped to the bottom of the lake.

“You are to have my child,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter, Tyr. What matters is that we enjoy it.”

Lifting her under her knees, he carried her back to land and set her down on the velvety lawn. It wasn’t really grass, but it wasn’t really velvet, either.

He lay down beside her and lazily ran his finger up and down her naked thigh from her hip to her knee and back.

“May I confide in you?” he asked. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Absolutely!” she returned. “I have never divulged a secret in my life.”

Tyr proceeded to tell Jane everything he knew about Fenrir’s coup plot. He didn’t want to be involved, he told her, but he didn’t know how to turn down his uncle since Fenrir was his commander. If there were some way out of his predicament, he would not hesitate to take it, but he was at a loss as to how to proceed.

According to Tyr, soldiers on Cartonia never went against their commanding officers. In fact, he knew of no one who had even considered it before. Now he was in a position where he needed to make a decision. Should he follow Fenrir into battle against the prince, to whom he’d pledged his allegiance? To him, that didn’t seem right.

“You need to do what feels right to you, Tyr,” Jane advised. “If you don’t, you might never be able to live with yourself.”

“You do not understand, Jane. If I join Fenrir, I will be heir to the throne of Cartonia. I am next in line since he has no children.”

“Do you want to be king? Or prince? Or whatever it is you would be?”

“I have no deep desire to rule, but I know I would be a good and fair ruler, as well.”

“Then, Tyr, if you don’t have a desire, you will not be able to rule to your full potential.”

Tyr gazed down at her and smiled. She was startled because Lynne had told her that Cartonians never smiled.

“I agree,” he declared. “Somehow I must find a way to stop my uncle from usurping Prince Odin.”

“Let me help you, Tyr,” she said, filled with a determination she couldn’t resist. “We will do this together.”

THE END

A Scifi Alien Abduction Romance

Prologue

The dining room, lavishly furnished with gold and silver tables covered in bright material, astonished Jane. The castle was beautiful, but the palace was astonishing. With polished gold walls, ceilings and floors, everything gleamed as the sun shone in the windows.

“I have never before been invited to dine here,” Tyr said. “I did not know his palace was this beautiful.”

“
Beautiful
? It’s absolutely amazing!” Jane turned to stare up at him. He was a handsome man or alien or whatever she should call him, but he seemed reluctant to express himself honestly. “If you follow Fenrir’s orders, you could live here someday.”

“If I decide to assist my uncle, I would most certainly live here. However, I also wish to serve my prince. Would you like to live here?”

She studied him without responding. In a way, his desire was honorable, but it also left her wishing that he had more courage to want more than just to serve. She wished he would show more initiative.

Although she remembered next to nothing about her life on Earth, she knew one thing for certain. She had not wanted to join him. She had only done so because he had stolen her soul, and she’d had no choice.

One other thing she knew was that something had happened with her pregnancy because her skin had turned a peach color. It was not fuchsia as it had been when Tyr had declared that she was having his child. She didn’t know what that meant for them, and she was concerned that he no longer wanted her for a mate. In fact, he hadn’t even touched her since the evening they spent at the lake and grotto. What did that mean here on Cartonia?

“Don’t you just love the palace?” Lynne asked from behind her.

Startled, Jane turned toward Lynne and Fenrir. During the few Cartonian days that she had been living in the castle with them, she and Lynne had become quite good friends.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” Jane said. “Yes, it’s a wonderful place.”

“You should see the throne room. It’s even better than this.”

“What am I supposed to do when I meet the prince and princess? Am I supposed to bow to them?”

“Don’t bother,” Lynne explained. “Princess Melanie doesn’t like the formality, so everybody here just nods their head in acknowledgement.”

“Do we stand until they arrive?”

“Absolutely. Once they are seated, you can sit.”

Glad that Lynne was there to give her direction, Jane turned her attention to the three young men who entered the room. All were the color of bronze with silver-white hair; all were dressed in jumpsuits made of copper material. Contrary to their social standing and ability to have a life of leisure, they were all built like they worked hard for a living. Jane marveled at how she could tell these things when they were clothed, but she could.

“How old are those men?” Jane asked Lynne in a whisper.

“I don’t know. Like I said, time here is different than on Earth, so I can’t tell.”

The tallest of the trio came over to them and stopped in front of Tyr.

“Hello, Tyr,” he said in a pleasant tone. “How are you today?”

“I am fine,” Tyr replied. “Hermo’our, this is my mate, Jane.”

Chapter 1

The bronze man nodded toward Jane but continued speaking to Tyr as though Jane wasn’t there. “I never thought I would see the day that you took a mate.”

“Nor did I,” Tyr replied, “however, Uncle Fenrir convinced me to go to Earth, where I found Jane. She is very kind and helpful.”

“Ah, a helpmate. I understand now. Welcome to the palace, Jane,” Hermo’our said to her.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“We must speak and become better acquainted. You would not mind, would you, Tyr?”

“Please do,” Tyr said. “My mate is one you would enjoy.”

Jane studied Tyr suspiciously. The way Tyr spoke made it sound like he hadn’t brought her to Cartonia to be his mate but, instead, chose her for Hermo’our. Was that why Tyr suddenly wanted nothing to do with her? Had his choice of a mate been more for Hermo’our than for himself?

“Shall we sit?” Hermo’our said as he gestured toward a table with his arm. “Tyr, would you choose a place?”

To Jane’s disappointment, the prince and princess did not join them. Only the sons—Hermo’our, Borr and Forseti—joined Lynne, Fenrir, Tyr and her for the meal. Lynne seemed happy, but Fenrir appeared to be suspicious. Tyr chatted amicably with Hermo’our and tried to draw Jane into the conversation many times. She suspected that she was right to think that Tyr had brought her to Cartonia for Hermo’our.

“Would you like to see more of the palace, Jane?” Hermo’our asked after they ate.

“Please,” she replied.

While they wandered through the building with its glistening walls and lavish furnishings, Hermo’our explained why she was there. Much to her relief, Tyr had not brought her to Cartonia for his friend. Tyr had just realized that, although he liked Jane, he was not interested in being her mate. Therefore, he gave her a potion that would take away the child.

“I can’t believe someone would do that,” Jane said, offended by the notion. “What if I had wanted that child?”

“Did you?” Hermo’our asked.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t sure how I should feel about it.”

“If you want a child, I would be happy to mate with you. In fact, I would consider it an honor.”

He pulled her into a nearby room and closed the door behind them. Pinning her against a wall with his body, he gazed down at her. In a throaty whisper, he said, “You must realize that I am a prince, and I am heir to the throne. Any child of mine would also be heir, and you would be my mate for life. On Cartonia, once one mates and has a child, the pair is together forever.”

Not liking the position he had her in, she pushed against the soft material covering his solid chest. “What happens if the mates are not able to procreate?”

“Mating for life, then, is not required,” he explained as he leaned against her again. “We must replenish the population on Cartonia, so we must eliminate those pairings that do not produce offspring.”

With his body pressing against hers against the wall, Jane could feel his hardness. She remembered that, on Earth, a male would rub against a female to show how much he desired her. Apparently, here on Cartonia, a male needed nothing more than to lean against the female.

“Tyr is more than my relative,” Hermo’our said. “He is also my closest friend. He found a female that he knew I could take as a mate in case he did not want her. Now I need not waste my time by going to Earth to find my own mate.”

She pushed him away from her again, this time scooting along the wall to avoid him.

Furious about what she perceived as a fraud, she said, “How dare he treat me like that! I am not a piece of art that you two can trade back and forth.”

“No, no,” Hermo’our said. “You do not understand. He brought you because he thought he could be your mate forever, but he discovered that he could not. I do not know what it is like on Earth, but on Cartonia, there are males who do not wish to mate with females. It is not a bad reflection on you. It is simply the way Tyr feels about all mating.”

“So he would rather be with another male? But he seemed to enjoy mating with me.”

“He told me that he only said he did to please you. He did not wish to offend you.”

“Well, I
am
offended. I want to go back to Earth.”

“I am sorry, but you cannot. Earth now is nothing like you would remember it. Besides, your body is gone. You would have to return as someone else by returning in a dying body.”

“I can’t go back?” she asked in shock.

“It is all right,” he replied as he grasped her shoulders tenderly. “I will mate with you and provide for you. You will live here in the palace. I know that my mother will like you.”

He drew her to him and wrapped his arms around her. Numb with this new knowledge, Jane didn’t protest when his lips caught hers.

His hands moved to her jumpsuit zipper and pulled it down. He reached inside her clothing and caressed her naked breast. To her surprise, his mere touch inflamed her senses. She wanted him—but she couldn’t do this. She had just met him.

As badly as she wanted to push away from him, she couldn’t. She was drawn to him as though he was a strong magnet, and she couldn’t break their kiss.