Not Quite Terran Part 1 (Scifi Alien Romance Serial) (3 page)

He didn’t budge, continuing to remain in place, and she growled at him and bared her teeth. She wasn’t sure why she felt it was the right way to interact with him, but she did it anyway. “Get in the
room
.” He stared at her, giving her an unblinking gaze, and she felt panic beginning to override good sense. “Please.”

They barely had a tic left and if he didn’t move…

But he finally strode forward, leaving her and Varr alone in the hallway. “Move,” she snarled. “Now.”

Varr gave her one long searching stare, his focus intent on her features, and he remained in place until the final light above her unit flickered to life. Then he finally preceded her, leaving her alone in the dim corridor.

She glanced at the hand pad and then flicked her attention to the camera just above her doorway before finally following the two men into the space. Once inside, she waited for the door to slide shut behind her and lock. She took that brief moment to calm her heart, to find some sort of peace within her, and didn’t find a damn thing.

With a shake of her head, Rebecca padded deeper into her small home, the space just large enough to fit her comfortably. It wasn’t large enough for herself and the two men.

Both of them stood in the center of the main room, looking uncomfortable and out of place in her tiny lodgings. She strode toward Varr and snatched her meal from his grip before spinning and striding to the food prep area. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’m just gonna eat.”

And pretend neither of you exist.

More bickering snarls and rhythmic growls came from the two males before Varr sighed and his soft steps announced his approach. “Rebecca Varda—”

She snorted and shook her head. “What, no more ‘Terran’? I don’t rate your respect any longer?”

Varr remained silent, the quiet answering her question. Instead of speaking, she simply focused on getting Albe’s dinner on a plate. Glancing at the disk shaped mass of food, her stomach squirmed and alternated between nausea and a fierce hunger. It didn’t look too hot, but there was quite a bit of protein scattered across the plate. Good enough.

“Rebecca Var—” his tone almost had a hint of respect even if his words did not.

“Enough.” She lifted her plate and skirted her friend. “Enough with the feigned respect and lies. Why are you here? Why is he here? And where is he from?” She even managed to ignore them as she lowered to the only seating in her space. “I’m waiting.”

“Woman finish meal,” the stranger murmured.

“You know what, you’re right. I should probably finish off this dinner just in case it’s my last meal. That’s smart.” The man’s chest puffed up and the expression on his face could be described as pride. He obviously didn’t understand Terran sarcasm.

Varr, however, did because he began the explanation. “This is Karru C’Hali from the planet Palia.”

She stopped eating. There was nothing else she could do as she stared at him, slack-jawed. “Palia? Seriously? You are telling me this is a male from Palia?” She snorted and shook her head. “Everyone knows the planet is a myth.
Everyone
. Maybe not a myth, but it’s been lost for millennia. If you’re trying to give me a reason for an insanity defense when they come and catch me, you should come up with a better lie than I’m housing Karru C’Hali from planet Palia. Try again.”

Varr frowned. “You are accusing me of lying?”

“It’s not even an accusation. It’s a statement of fact. Not only am I violating federation directives by breathing the same air as him outside of intake, you are telling me I’m risking my life for someone from Palia?” She focused on the male from
Palia
. “Where are you from? What are you?”

Karru shrugged but remained silent.

“Great. I’m going to die because of a talker.” She shook her head. “Fine. Assuming this male is from Palia. What do you want from me?”

“He must needs sleep. One night.”

Rebecca merely stared at him open-mouthed as the dots were connected in her mind. “You want me to let an unsanctioned alien male from
Palia
stay in my lodgings overnight. Is that what you’re saying?”

No wavering or hedging. “Yes.”

She wasn’t sure what Karru saw, but his attention swung from her to Varr and a rapid spew of sounds left his mouth and Varr replied in Terran. “But no one will suspect. Much trust from stationmaster. She has hard ass. No doubts. No catch.”

She couldn’t say that Varr was lying. She
was
the only person on the station who was truly trusted by Poxu. Want to hide an unsanctioned alien on the station? Put him in Rebecca’s lodgings. No one would ever suspect such a hard ass of violating federation code.

Karru stared at her, his expression weighing and delving deep into her as he fought to come to a decision. Part of her wanted to yell at him for doubting her. She was trustworthy, dammit. Well, except for right now. But that was due to a good reason. Varr was calling in his debt. Otherwise…

Karru released a final grunt and then leveled her with the full weight of his stare. His swirling colorful eyes seemed to delve inside her, to crawl into places and breathe life into parts of her she didn’t know existed. Her body immediately responded, the parts of her hidden behind her uniform coming to life and flaring with need.

It was obvious he was dangerous in more ways than one.

“Stay?” He was tinged with a growl, but she understood him nonetheless.

What did she say? It wasn’t like she had much of a choice. “One night.” She looked to Varr. “One night only and the debt is cleared.”

Regret and sadness filled the alien’s features, but she didn’t give a damn. “One night.”

Rebecca jerked her head in a quick nod. “You know where the door is.”

Even if she owed him, she hated that he’d called in the marker for something like this. If she lived past this encounter, it would be a long time before she got over this betrayal even if he hadn’t betrayed her in truth.

She waited for the soft tone indicating the door opened and then the answering bell when it slipped closed and locked once again. Here she was, alone with a strange male from “Palia.” She should be scared, panicking and overcome with a fear unlike any she’d ever felt and yet… She wasn’t. If anything, she was calmer and felt more soothed and settled by his presence than she ever had in her life.

And then there was still the part of her that wanted him.

She looked him over, sizing him up, and made a quick decision. It wouldn’t be entirely comfortable for him, but it was better than where she sat. “You can take the bed.”

* * *

Dead of night and something woke Rebecca, something wrenched her from the fitful sleep she’d finally attained and right back into wakefulness. She jerked away from the soft surface that cradled her, and her eyes snapped open as she sought the source of what disturbed her.

Two things became immediately clear—she was not resting on the seat in her living area and it was Karru’s intense stare that woke her.

The chair she recently occupied in the center of her quarters had been carried into her sleeping chamber, the large piece of furniture now resting beside the bed, and he occupied the seat. He was leaned forward, elbows resting on his bent knees, and that swirling gaze intent on her face.

“What are you doing?”

Karru tilted his head to the side, continuing to stare. “Watching.”

If he were Terran, she would have added a silent “idiot” to the statement.
Watching you, idiot.

“O-kay. Why am I in bed and you’re in the chair? We agreed—”

“You said, I didn’t agree.” His response was immediate and harsh. “Males do not rest in the presence of a female. They protect.”

Rebecca swallowed hard and ignored the happy parts of her coming to life with his nearness. It was still riding her hard, continuing to push and prod her toward this male. She glanced at her bedside clock and noted the time. She had only half a zentic left before she had to go to work. “I’m sure your women appreciate that. But—”

“No women. Palia has lost many of their women. It is why I have come to negotiate with federation.”

Right
. Lies about being from Palia would go over well with the federation. Instead of being antagonistic, she pointed out the obvious. “The federation representatives aren’t here. You have to go to the—”

“What I need is here.”

What he needed was here…? Women. He needed women. And as a station on the outskirts of federation space, it took a while for kidnappers to be chased and their “cargo” recovered.

Rebecca didn’t say another word. No, instead she immediately reached for the comm on her bedside table. She stretched for it, fingers tingling and aching to slam down on the panel and gain assistance. At the same moment she also cursed Varr to Terran hell. He got her involved with slavers? He’d be lucky if she didn’t have him bounced from the station. She’d throw herself on Poxu’s mercy and get both men sent to a federation prison planet.

Her fingers brushed the panel, tips ghosting over the delicate surface, before they were wrenched away. One of Karru’s massive hands encircled her wrist and then he snatched the other, pressing them both above her head and against the soft mattress.

“No,” he growled. “What did I say wrong?”

“Wrong? What did you say right?” She yanked and struggled against his grip, legs kicking and thumping against the mattress as she fought him. “I am not going to help you kidnap females for your race.”

He came down atop her, holding her captive with his own body. Rebecca fought to ignore her responses to his touch. She battled to disregard the way his firm muscles pressed against the delicate softness of her curves and the way his body seemed to fit hers. At close to six feet tall, she’d never encountered another male who could top her in size, who could make her feel delicate and small. And yet Karru did. Karru of
Palia
who was looking for women.

Karru snarled and pulled back his lips to bare his fangs. “Palia would never steal a female.” He punctuated his statement with a squeeze of her wrists, reminding her of her captivity. Captivity without true fear. “Warriors do not force females.”

His warm breath fanned her face, gifting her with a wave of his natural scent, and she fought the shiver of need that overtook her. Never. Never ever had it been like this. Yet this male…

He frowned. “I have injured you?”

Had he injured her? Yes, by not touching her further because despite her suspicions, her body betrayed her. “No,” she whispered. “You haven’t.”

Karru breathed deeply, pressing his chest more firmly against hers, and her nipples seemed to harden further. She wanted his hand there, his mouth there, she wanted to be touched by him.

And based on the wicked grin that split his lips, he knew it. He hardened against her hip, his length firming and throbbing. “I have stoked your wanting.” He seemed to stroke her with his eyes, every part of her face he glanced, felt as if she’d been kissed by him. “I did not realize others… This is good news… Would you allow me…”

Anything. Right or wrong, with him atop her and arousing her, she would let him do anything. Stupid. More than stupid, it was deadly. But that didn’t change her thoughts.

When he lowered his head, lips easing toward hers, she didn’t try to dodge him. Instead, she licked her lips and waited to see how this alien, how this unknown male, would interact with her. His mouth grazed hers in a ghostlike touch, a barely there caress. She opened her eyes, not realizing they’d closed, and met his stare. She must have made a sound, must have moaned or whined or… something because then he was back. This kiss was firmer, harder and deeper, and much more passionate. It was a brush, press, a stroke, and then he lapped at the seam of her lips with his tongue.

She opened to him and granted him entrance. He delved into her, tasting her while she absorbed his flavors and she was overwhelmed by what she found. Heat. So much heat and smoke and something seductive and sweet that she couldn’t name but was so very familiar. The parts of her that ached for him felt as if they were lit aflame, burning and aching to be touched, stroked, and kissed.

She jerked against his hold, but his grip remained firm as he kept her immobile with hands and body, and that captivity aroused her further. As if his actions hearkened back to a time in history, a time when women enjoyed that type of domination and… Protection?

It didn’t matter. She wanted him. For the first time in her life, she wondered what it would be like to take a strong and fierce male inside her. Wondered…

An unfamiliar rhythmic beat cut through the sound of their heavy breathing and Karru went stiff above her. He snarled a rumbling curse though she wasn’t sure how she knew it was a sound of frustration and anger. He rolled from the bed and dug into his pants, yanking a comm free with difficulty. It wasn’t until she glanced at the juncture of his thighs that she understood exactly why he was having a problem. He was hard and thick beneath the fabric and had to be uncomfortable.

An offer to relieve him lingered on the tip of her tongue, but when he began speaking with those snarls, growls, and grunts of his native language, she understood how stupid that would be. She didn’t know him, didn’t know his people, and after this wentic she’d never see him again. Something in her blood screamed an objection, but there was no getting around the truth.

Non-federation. Unsanctioned. Palia. He was leaving—or would be leaving—and she’d never see him again.

As he continued his deep and mumbled conversation, she slipped from the bed and darted around him. A quick dig in her storage drawer netted her a uniform, and she dashed into the cleansing chamber. She would feel better after a quick sonic wash and dressed in a new set of clothes.

Just as the door slid closed, one word was clear.
Secavi.

She should have known. The Secavi. The twitchy Knara. They had obviously been tasked with sneaking Karru aboard

If anyone thought the Knara had been thwarted, they were obviously wrong. The evidence stood in her bedroom, and his taste still tingled on her lips.

The sonic wash was quick, dressing even quicker, but when the bathing room door slid aside and granted her entrance to the dressing room, she knew without looking she was alone.