Proposition (3 page)

Chapter Three

Geoff groaned and opened his eyes, squinting as the light pierced through his head like a hot poking needle. Where the hell was he? He turned his head and saw he was in a bed. Oh, it looked like a medical bay.

And then everything slammed into his head, and he sat up with a gasp. Soft hands gripped his shoulder.

“Geoffrey?”

He turned his head the other way and saw Keirah’s relieved eyes staring at back at him.

“Are you all right?” he asked, running his hands over her face and arms to make sure she wasn’t hurt.

“I’m fine, Geoff.”

Something was wrong. He could see it in her face.

“What happened? Are we prisoners—”

“No,” she interrupted. “An Alphan ship came and saved us. I … it was a trap.”

“What?”

“There wasn’t an auction house, Geoff. It was just a way of getting human women so they could be sold to whorehouses on Xyran.”

As the implication slammed into him, rage obliterated everything else. He’d had to steal for that information, and it had turned out to be bogus. Keirah could’ve been hurt. Abused. Here he’d been trying to protect her and he almost killed her.

“I’m such a fool,” he muttered angrily. “How can I possibly make this up to you?” She slipped her hand into his, and just like that, he knew there was more. “What else, Keirah? I can see there’s something else.”

“I met the Alphan Captain. Captain Krig. He gave me a proposition.”

He swallowed down the bile that suddenly rose in his throat. “What, ah, what did he say?”

“He’s career military and offered us to be his mate,” she said. “Actually, for me to be his mate. Once or twice a year I’ll be his exclusively, and the rest of the time I can be with you. I also have to give him two children before I have any with you.”

The words … were painful. They sliced through his guts with a serrated edge, ripping apart all the security he’d found in her. But he knew this had been coming. It was why they’d been on the shuttle, even if it had been a scam. He wanted her alive; he’d wanted a chance to live his life with her, and they couldn’t do that on Earth.

“You look like you don’t want to accept,” he said, trying to stall. Trying to figure out what was going through her mind.

“We can return to Earth.”

Regret tore through him, and he shook his head. “No, Keirah. We can’t.”

She bit her bottom lip and nodded, as if she knew he was going to say that. “You did something, right? For all that information about Alpha, for the medical cards, and the auction house.”

God, he wished she’d never found out, but Keirah knew him all too well. Shame burned through his heart. “I robbed the leader of my old gang, took a lot of money. I thought I was doing something good for us, but now, well, I can’t go back to Earth.”

He saw the resignation on her face, and it made his heart hurt. “All right. Then Captain Krig’s proposition came at the right time.” She picked up his hand. “At least we can still be together.”

“Is he mean? Do you think he’d hurt you?”

“No,” she said shaking her head. “He seems very … controlled.”

There was something not right with her, and Geoff narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out why she was so stiff and upset. “Keirah? What’s going on? Why don’t you want to say yes?”

“Because … because I think I’m attracted to him,” she whispered, and her voice was so achy he could hear the guilt in every word.

Jealousy was a nasty bitch, especially when his hands were tied. But how was he supposed to feel knowing she would be fucking another man? How could he handle it seeing her belly round with another man’s child? He was so afraid it would kill him but what else could he do? He had put them in this situation. Should he leave her? Walk away and let her have a guilt-free life?

He didn’t know. All he knew was that if he had to tell her good-bye he might as well put a blaster to his head and pull the trigger because life meant nothing without her. He took a deep breath and reined in his emotions. He didn’t know any of the answers, so for now he’d stay the course.

“Isn’t it a good thing to be attracted to him?”

“So it makes it easier for me to fuck him, you mean?”

He winced, at the words and her bitterness behind them. Yes, this was a shit situation, but they either gave up and died or they pushed on.

“Keirah, listen to me. No matter how we got here, we couldn’t stay on Earth between the gangs taking over, the government abandoning us, and the food becoming scarce. We saw the broadcasts.
New York City
was faring better than most places, but it was just a matter of time. This is a fucked up situation, and I don’t like it any more than you. Do you think I want to see you go off with another man? I don’t care if he’s alien or not, if he has a dick he’s a man, one that wants to impregnate you. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how I’m going to feel about that. I know I said I’d love any of your children, but reality is a far blacker soul.”

“Maybe the leader you robbed won’t look for you. We’ll go back home—”

“There is no home, Keirah! Not anymore.”

She flinched, and tears welled up in her pretty blue eyes.
God!
This wasn’t how he wanted to direct this conversation. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He pulled her into his arms and wrapped them tightly around her. He kissed her forehead.

“I’m so sorry, Keirah,” he said softly. “So fucking sorry. I love you, and that won’t ever change. You’re my light in this dark world.”

They stayed like that for a while, until she pushed away and sat up. “Captain Krig is expecting us for dinner tonight. He wants to meet you.”

“Well, this should be a delightful conversation.”

“Geoff—”

He waved off her protest. “Forgive me, Keirah. I’m just a little bitter.”

“I know. So am I.”

He nodded wearily. “Yeah, I know that, too.”

****

Dinner was a tense affair, and Keirah couldn’t help but play eyeball tennis with Captain Krig and Geoff since she was sitting in the middle. They were in Krig’s chamber eating food that was very strange, but it was edible and more food than she’d had in a while so she was busy stuffing her mouth. Geoff didn’t seem to have much of an appetite, and Krig seemed too relaxed as he methodically ate whatever dish was in front of him.

“I’m glad you have an appetite,” Krig murmured as he glanced at her. “You’re far too thin.”

“Obtaining food was getting a little difficult back home,” she said and then took another mouthful, chewing slowly.

Krig glanced at Geoff. “You don’t like the food?”

“It’s fine. It’s the situation that has my stomach in knots.”

“I see,” Krig replied and laid his utensil down. “You don’t like my proposal?”

“That’s not it,” Geoff said.

“I can certainly make sure you go back to Earth if you’d like. However, I would caution you against finding yourselves in an unpredictable arrangement again.”

“Like your proposal?”

“Like the fact that Xyran and Alpha are both male dominated societies with very few women. Also, did you ever consider you could wind up part of the relationship?”

Geoff’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that what you’re expecting?”

“I’ve never been attracted to male lovers,” Krig said. “You?”

“No.”

Krig’s eyes narrowed a bit, but Keirah couldn’t tell what was going through his head. She almost hated how controlled he was. Did the man feel nothing?

“Very well,” Krig said. “Then I suppose you have questions about my proposal.”

“Keirah outlined most of it. You will be on duty pretty much all the time, but when you have mandatory shore leave you’ll want to be with her.”

“Correct,” Krig said and folded his arms. “I have a large estate on Planet Alpha that needs a
chatelaine. I thought you might be able to fulfill that role, Geoff.”

“I have no idea what a chatelaine is,” Geoff admitted.

“Just someone who oversees the property and keeps it running smoothly.”

“Right. ‘Cause I know all about land management,” he said bitterly.

Krig simply smiled and turned to Keirah. “I’m at the end of my patrol run,” he said. “We’re actually heading back to Alpha now. I thought we could get better acquainted once we reach my home.”

Keirah looked at Geoff, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was staring down at his food, moving it around on the plate with his fork. It was clear he was letting her decide their fate.

“What if we both work as your chatelaines?” she asked. “Or I can work as a maid?”

“That’s not my proposition.”

This wasn’t fair. But then whoever said life was fair?

“We’ll stay with you,” she whispered. She saw Geoff stiffen for a moment, and then relax. She wasn’t sure what was going through his head, and it hurt her heart that she was hurting his.

“Excellent,” Krig murmured. He stood up and picked up her hand, giving the wrist a small kiss. She hated how her pulse jumped as electricity skipped across her skin. “I’m on duty for the rest of the night. You both may sleep here, undisturbed.”

And then he was gone, leaving them alone in the amber glow of the room.

“He’s like a force of nature,” Geoff said.

“Yes.”

“He’ll be able to protect you.”

“He’ll be able to protect both of us. We can have a good life.”

“I suppose.” Geoff pushed away his half eaten plate of food and stood. He held out his hand to her, and she placed hers in it. He pulled her close to his body, and although he didn’t have the hugely muscled physique of Captain Krig, his streamlined, toned body more than made her juices run. Her heart leapt with desire as she saw the answering gleam in his eyes. “I don’t know what I did to be so lucky, but when you said you’d marry me I made a vow to protect you, no matter what. Yes, Keirah, we can have a good life. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered and pulled his head down to hers. His hand buried in her hair as their lips met and fused together, stars popping behind her closed lids.

Geoff nuzzled the hair at her temple before tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue. He gently bit her earlobe, and Keirah’s breath quickened before he rained light kisses over her forehead and down her nose. A second later, he pressed his mouth against hers. She wrapped her arms about his neck and kissed him back, opening her mouth to allow Geoff’s tongue to sweep inside. Tongues began swirling together, mimicking the sexual act of thrusting in and out. Geoff’s hands skittered over her body, over her chest to lightly touch the sides of her breasts. She thrust out, wanting more, but he continued his exploration, grasping her hips and pressing himself into her. She felt his hard cock and parted her thighs, wanting him nestled right where she needed him most.
 
Her panties turned wet with need as she shamelessly pressed herself against him.

She brought her hands down to fumble with the buttons on his shirt, the past twenty-four hours lending an air of desperation to the task. She wanted Geoff naked so she could feel his slick skin pressing against her, taking her, filling her up as only he could. Captain Krig might become the man filling her bed, but Geoff would always be the man who filled her heart.

Finally, the last button was undone, and she pushed the shirt off his shoulders, breaking the kiss to lave his body with small, wet kisses. She slid her mouth across the smooth, bare chest, inhaling the delicious aroma of Geoff’s unique scent of man, soap, and outdoors. That would probably change now that they were on their way to a new planet, but she hoped not. Geoff’s nipples were beaded, and she sucked one into her mouth, biting gently. He groaned in appreciation, his hand burying in her hair to hold her closer. She knew he loved a little pain with his pleasure because she was the same. She teased and tasted each one, sucking on the pointed tips until he was moaning regularly.

“Oh, baby,” Geoff whispered passionately. “Suck on them, Keirah. God, that feels good. I want you to suck my cock just like that.”

The dirty words turned her on, and she gripped the waistband of his pants to unzip them, pushing them as far down as possible before she let go of his nipples to sink to her knees. The pants pooled around his ankles, and she helped him step out of them. He stood before her gloriously naked, and she eyed his beautiful dick as a dribble of pre-cum pearled at the top. She grabbed the base and licked it, loving his salty essence. The first time she’d made love to him he’d taught her how to pleasure him, but it didn’t take her long to take over, craving how he felt and tasted in her mouth. His cock was long and slender, his scrotum resting underneath, and she gave a quick flick of her tongue to roll the two balls around. Geoff’s hands were still in her hair, and he guided her back to his shaft. She held the base as she brought her mouth over the tip and glided her mouth down.

She began the blowjob in earnest, wanting to give him as much pleasure as possible, as if it were possible to erase Captain Krig from their minds. How could she possibly do this with another man? She sucked harder, pumped faster, hoping he would lose himself in the sensation. But all too soon he was stopping her.