Proposition (8 page)

“Did you steal?”

“Yes.”

“Did you kill?”

And that’s where he froze inside. He couldn’t answer. If he answered, he’d have to say why, and he wasn’t ready to reveal that particular secret.

“All right,” Krig suddenly said, relenting, and for whatever reason he did it, Geoff was thankful. “How old were you and Keirah when you married?”

Geoff took a deep breath and shook off the memories. “Eighteen. As soon as she came of age I went back to that orphanage and took her out of there.”

“And you took her off Earth to save her.”

“Yes,” he answered, although Krig hadn’t asked a question. “She wouldn’t leave without me.”

Krig nodded thoughtfully. “That’s another reason why I’m attracted to her. She’s loyal.”

“Yes, she is.”

“It’s getting late,” Krig murmured. “Perhaps we should get some rest. Tomorrow I want to try to find someplace else to camp.”

“Still think that Xryan is after her?”

“I do.”

“If that fucker shows up I won’t hesitate to kill him.”

Satisfaction sharpened the lines on Krig’s face. “Then we’re in agreement. But we torture him first so I find out who the traitor was on my ship.”

“I’m cool with that. That fucker is the reason why Keirah’s hurt. Did I ever tell you I saw a movie once about torture? It was a classic called
Saw
.”

Chapter Eight

When she’d been really little, her parents had taken her to visit her Great Aunt Mimi who lived deep in the
Appalachian Mountains
. She’d been shocked at how primitive she’d lived with only electricity and indoor plumbing. There’d been no internet, cable, or hover mail. What she did think was neat was how the rain sounded on the tin roof, much like Keirah heard now as she drifted from sleep back to awareness. It comforted her somehow, and for a moment, she imagined she was back in the mountains, back on Earth, and the world wasn’t dying.

But keeping her head buried in the sand could only last so long, and her bladder was protesting heavily. So she opened her eyes and saw Krig sitting at the console. His back was to her so she couldn’t see his handsome face, but that was okay. It was fine to admire his muscular physique from behind, which was almost too big for the average size chair.

She shifted, ready to sit up, and a dull ache shot through her hand and arm. She gasped, causing Krig to turn. Keirah saw relief fill his eyes as he rose and moved to her side, helping her to sit up.

“How’re you feeling? You’ve been asleep for a long time.”

“How long?” she asked. “I feel fine except for a little pain in my hand.”

“You got stung the day before yesterday, so you’ve been sleeping for almost forty-eight Earth hours.”

“Jesus,” she muttered. “No wonder I’ve got to pee. Hold that thought.”

She held up one finger as she made her way to the latrine. She felt like she peed for about an hour, but her bladder thanked her, and she washed her hands before making her way back to Krig. He watched her approach with those magnetic golden eyes of his, the same color as his skin, and couldn’t seem to look away.

“I seem to remember you saying pus before blacking out. Was that right?”

“Yes,” he replied. “It seems like the plant injected you with some type of toxin. I got it all out.”

“Great. Nothing like a big plant zit.”

He cocked his head. “A what?”

“Nothing,” she said, smiling. She looked around. “Where’s Geoff?”

“He went out to check the perimeter. Just a precaution. He’ll be back soon.” He held out his hand. “Come here, Keirah. I’ve been worried about you. I need to know you’re all right.”

She swallowed and took a deep breath before taking his hand. He brought her in close to his body and simply smelled her, closing his eyes as if to savor her scent, which probably wasn’t that great. She’d not bathed properly in a week. Then again, neither had he, and she didn’t care.

He nuzzled at her temple and then traced down to the skin behind her ear. Her blood heated as electrifying jolts raced over her skin, and her heart pounded so loudly it drowned out every other sound. He kissed over her cheek until he finally found her mouth, and then he kissed her, with so much passion and possession it caused an instant ache between her thighs and her panties to become drenched. It probably wasn’t right to want him this badly, but her guilt couldn’t outweigh the desire coursing through her body, so she gave herself up to the kiss.

She parted her mouth, and his tongue swept in, sliding with hers, causing the sweet ache to intensify. Flashes of having him naked on top of her, thrusting into her, sinking his fangs into her had her squirming against him. He grabbed her hips and pulled her into his body until she felt his hard cock prodding her stomach. Oh God, she wanted him. She needed him. She was ready to tear his clothes off until the click of the hatch door had him thrusting her away and stark reality hit her between the eyes.

What had she done? Or more importantly, what had she been planning to do?

Geoff walked in, dripping wet, a smile lighting his face when he saw her awake, until he noticed the thick sexual tension that still lingered in the air. He glanced from her to Krig and back again, and she saw the realization dawn in his eyes.

“Um, sorry,” he said and then frowned, as if he hadn’t meant to apologize. Or maybe he was apologizing for disrupting them? “But it, ah, it’s raining really hard out there. Like, torrential downpour.”

Krig frowned and turned back to the console. He pushed a button, and the view screen clicked on, showing a world that was quickly becoming flooded.

“We’re on the side of a hill,” he said. “In a gully, right?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Geoff replied.

“Flash flood.”

Geoff’s mouth dropped open. “Surely this pod is too heavy to be swept away.”

“Anything can be swept away, no matter the size or weight, if given enough volume of water,” Krig said grimly. “We should prepare ourselves.”

“I need to grab the tarp and axe,” Geoff said, and he rushed back outside.

Krig cursed under his breath and followed. Keirah, unable to help herself, followed after him, and then they were all outside getting wet.

“Geoff, get back in here!” she called out.

“You get back inside, Keirah,” Krig ground out. “It’s too dangerous. I’ll get Geoff.”

And then they heard a loud crack and looked up. A branch had split from the tree, probably from the weight of the water collecting on it, and before she could blink she saw Krig running. He pushed Geoff out of the way just as the branch plummeted down, and although Krig tried jumping out of the way, it swiped him across the head. Keirah screamed and rushed to him.

Geoff grabbed hold of one arm. “Keirah, we need to get him back inside. Help me!”

She bent and pulled on his other arm and the two of them began to drag him back to the pod, slipping and sliding through the mud. At one point her foot sank down into the thick mire almost to her knee. She had a helluva time trying to navigate through the muck while helping Geoff with Krig. Finally, they made it to the pod and fell into the dry interior. As Geoff managed to lay Krig onto a bunk, Keirah sealed the door behind her and began to take off her muddy clothes.

“Switch places with me,” she told him. “Let’s try not to make this place filthy.”

“He’s a heavy fuck,” Geoff muttered as he brushed by her, stripping down to his boxer briefs.

“Help me take off his clothes,” she said.

“Great. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear my wife say.”

“Geoff—”

“Sorry,” he said, holding up his hand. “It’s okay. Really. Surprisingly, I’m actually not that jealous, but the situation does have a certain degree of dark humor, especially with us sitting here in our underwear.”

She cocked her head. Had she misread the look in his eyes?

“Listen,” he said. “I get that you’re attracted to him. Hell, if I
was
gay I’d be all over him like fungus on old bread. And he’s not that bad of a guy.”

“Oh. Did you two talk or something while I was out?”

He shrugged. “Or something.”

Keirah probed Krig’s forehead, using a cloth to wipe up the blood. The wound wasn’t deep, thank goodness, but she was sure he’d have one heck of a headache when he woke up.

Krig moaned, and his eyes fluttered open.

“You’re awake,” she said surprised.

He sat up and grimaced as he probed the area with a fingertip. “Alphan males heal quickly, although it still hurts like a bitch.”

Suddenly the pod shifted, and he caught her as she was knocked off her feet. Geoff grabbed her arm to help steady her.

“We should strap in,” Krig said. “If this pod gets swept away we could be in for a disastrous tumble.”

“Right,” Geoff muttered as he helped Keirah to a chair. Before he strapped in, however, he grabbed hold of Krig’s arm. “Thank you. You probably saved my life.”

“I did save your life,” Krig agreed.

“Why? If you’d let me die, you could’ve had her all to yourself.”

“She would’ve mourned you, and I’m not very good at comfort.” He shrugged. “As much as I hate to admit it, there are things you can give her that I can’t.”

He and Geoff stared at one another and then Geoff nodded, and it seemed to Keirah something monumental had just transpired. She could feel the shift between them, although she wasn’t quite sure what that shift was.

“Hello,” Keirah said. “I’m right here.”

The pod shifted again, this time sliding further. Geoff sat down, and all three buckled their safety harnesses, and as soon as they were secure the pod rolled. Keirah screamed as they were turned into a giant pinball game, hitting rocks and trees as the heavy rain water washed them down the hill. And just when she thought she was going to throw up, they stopped. They were sideways, but they stopped.

“Holy shit!” Geoff muttered. “Everyone all right?”

“Yes,” Krig replied.

“Just ducky,” she muttered.

Krig reached over the console and hit a few buttons and then banged heavily on it. “Damn. We lost all power. We’ll wait this out and then have to do another perimeter sweep to see where the hell we are.”

He put a hand to his head, scowling.

“You need to rest.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” she argued. “Just shut up and let’s get you comfortable. There’s nothing to do but wait out the rain anyway.”

It was a point he couldn’t much argue with. They broke the bunks down and rearranged them on the floor, and Krig lay down. Although he closed his eyes, Keirah knew he wasn’t asleep, but she took the time anyway to study him. She still felt guilty over kissing him, over wanting him, but she couldn’t help her attraction. She’d never felt like this over anyone else, and she certainly didn’t feel like this over any other Alphan male.

“Hey,” Geoff shook her sometime later. She blinked and realized she must have dozed off. He stood over her, dressed, although his clothes were beyond wrinkled. “The rain stopped, so I’m going to have a look around.”

“No, it’s too dangerous. We don’t know where that landslide took us.”

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I have my blaster plus … I’ll probably just stay outside the door. I think it’s time, Keirah.”

“Time? For what?”

He nodded toward Krig, who still lay on the rearranged bunk. “It’s time you mated with him.”

“Geoff! We’re in a life pod on a freaking weird moon and you want me to have
sex
with him?”

He took hold of her shoulders in a gentle, yet firm, grip and looked deep into her eyes. “Anything could happen on this moon, as we’ve learned, so we need to make sure you belong with him in every way. He and I … we’ve come to understand one another.”

“That’s wonderful,” she muttered. “Super. Go team us.”

He frowned at her before bending down and kissing her forehead. She closed her eyes and leaned into his body. God, she loved him. How could she do this? What if it tore them apart? What if he couldn’t deal and left her? She might care for Krig, but she was in love with Geoff.

But he didn’t really give her much choice because he pushed her away, pushed her toward the sleeping Alphan male, and exited through the hatch. She wanted to cry, but her body was too turned on because as much as she was afraid that mating with Krig might ruin her relationship, the reality was her body was primed and ready for the Alphan. Her pussy was swollen and wet and screaming
please
at her.

“Keirah,” Krig said in his deep, mesmerizing voice. She closed her eyes and savored her name on his lips. “Come over here, Keirah.”

She turned at looked at him and knew. Yes. It was time.

Chapter Nine

As soon as she reached him, Krig slid a hand under her curls to wrap around her nape and guide her mouth to his. Gravity helped as he gave a gentle tug and sent her sprawling upon his body. His mouth covered hers, his tongue gliding along her bottom lip for the barest moment before she opened, inviting him inside. Her taste was like the sweetest nectar he’d ever tasted, so potent his shaft grew hard and his fangs came down.

She jerked back for a second and stared at him in shock, so he slowly revealed them. She trembled in his arms, and for a moment he thought she was scared. But much to his surprise she leaned down and let her tongue scrape against the sharp point. He held very still, not wanting to hurt her. When he bit her it would be as he was coming in her hot core, pouring his essence into her just as her blood poured into his mouth. The exchange of fluids would mark her, scent her, proclaiming to all he was her mate. He took a deep breath, and slowly, the fangs retracted.

“What else turns you on?” she asked.

“Everything about you turns me on,” he replied. He took a deep breath and stared at her, his gold eyes liquid pools of lust. “Keirah DeWinter, you are my mine, and I am yours. Do you accept my pledge?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

She pushed to sit up, and he let her. She threw one leg over his body to straddle him, and he liked his position a lot. Most of the time he took a female from behind because there was always something he didn’t like about them. In the past, they were just a way for him to release his pent-up sexual frustration but now … Keirah sat upon him like she was getting ready to ride him. Her hot little
quonum
was pressed against his aching shaft, and all he wanted to do was tear their clothing off so he could bury himself deep.

But then she touched him, starting with his face to explore every hard angle. He didn’t consider himself that handsome—there were Alphan males far more rugged and appealing—but she seemed fascinated as she ran her finger tips over his skin. His golden tone looked beautiful against her paleness. Lost in his own perusal of her, he didn’t realize she was headed for his horns until she touched them, and then it was like a live wire going off inside his body. He bucked up, smashing his shaft into her, and he let out a strangulated moan at the dual sensation.

“What happened?” she asked a bit breathlessly.

“My horns are, ah, a bit sensitive during the mating bond,” he muttered.

“Oh. A pleasure spot, eh? What can I do to them?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can I touch them? Lick them?”

He almost came in his pants from the innocent questions. “Yes.”

Then he braced himself as she leaned over him and put her tongue at the base of his right horn. Krig couldn’t help the shudder that rolled through him at the first lick of her sweet little tongue. She really had no idea of the power she had over him, but then he noticed her chest right in his face and figured two could play this game.

Unbuttoning her shirt, he pulled up the tank top under it to free her breasts. They were small and round with rose tipped nipples that were begging to be suckled upon, so he did just that, bringing one ripe berry into his mouth. He became lost feeding upon her, loving how she moaned and writhed against him. She was licking his horns like crazy making him forget everything but his need to be buried inside her. He really wanted this to be a long, drawn out moment, but her hot little body was pushing him quickly past his breaking point.

With a great amount of self-control, he pulled her off him.

“Krig,” she whispered. “I want you so much. Please.”

She reached out to him, and he let her hand begin to undress him. “Keirah, if there is any part of this you don’t want, you have to tell me know.”

“Take me, Krig. Make me your mate,” she said. “Fuck my pussy with your big Alphan cock so I come all over it.”

Her dirty talking washed over him and, if possible, made him harder. He felt fluid leaking from the tip as his pants became too uncomfortable.

“Take my clothes off,” he ordered, and she did just that, stripping him bare. When she got her first glimpse of his shaft her eyes went wide, and he noticed her hand couldn’t go all the way around him.

“I don’t know if you’ll fit,” she said.

“Oh, I’ll fit. Your pretty
quonum
will stretch over me just fine. Now, take me in your mouth. Suck me.”

She leaned down and tentatively licked him, tasting his essence before sliding her mouth over him. He fisted her blonde hair in his hand and began to gently fuck her face, mindful that he was large and her mouth was tiny. The last thing he wanted to do was gag her, but she looked so beautiful with his cock in her mouth that it made him want to fuck her faster. However, it was Keirah who picked up the pace, swallowing as much of him as she could.

But he didn’t want to come in her mouth. He wanted his seed planted firmly inside her when he shot his load so he pulled her back. She let his cock fall out of her mouth with a plop and looked up at him.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured and quickly kissed her. Tasting himself on her tongue only set him off more, and he knew he had to have her. He craved everything about her. “Take off your clothes.”

In seconds she was naked, and he gave himself a moment to feast upon her beauty. Her skin was pale and creamy everywhere, and the curls at the apex of her thighs were only a shade or two darker than the hair on her head. She was his
neraezah
, his warrior angel.

“Bring your
quonum
here,” he ordered. “Over my face.”

Her pupils dilated, and he heard her breath catch at his command as she quickly obeyed him. She lowered herself down upon his tongue, and his hands each grabbed an ass cheek, holding her over him as his tongue rasped over her wet slit. Her flavor burst inside his mouth, and once again, his fangs came out. Not wanting to hurt her, he pulled back only far enough to find her clit and suck on it. She gasped and undulated upon his face, causing him to add a little more pressure. That was just what she needed as her climax tore through her body with a shudder.

“Yes!” she cried. “Oh God, yes!”

That was it. He couldn’t take any more. Perhaps if this wasn’t the mating bond, perhaps if he wasn’t so fucking hard, he might be able to play with her more. But he couldn’t. If he didn’t get inside her soon he was going spill, and that wasn’t what he wanted.

He lifted her off him and laid her down upon her back, and she looked up at him with passion-filled blue eyes. She reached for him, but he was beyond being soft and caring. He hurt something fierce, so he spread her thighs and thrust into her quick and hard. Hot tightness immediately gripped him as he buried himself to the hilt.

“Oh shit,” she moaned and arched up. For a second he thought he might have hurt her, but she wrapped herself around him like a vine, clinging to him, and it was all he could do not to spill too quickly. Rearing his hips back, he slammed home once more. She grabbed his ass cheeks as he pushed harder and faster into her. Sweat slicked their bodies as each strained and yearned for the other.

“More!” she cried out. “Give me more!”

His fangs were ready, he was ready, and the rippling of her inner walls around his shaft let him know she was coming. He pumped faster, knowing he worked her clit as she cried out again. And then he was coming, too, and just like that he sank his fangs into the curve of her neck. Her sweet blood burst across his tongue as he drank from her, at the same time his essence was filling her up, making her his. She screamed out in passion and came again, her cream mixing with his cum, bathing her with their combined scent. He poured himself into her until he was utterly drained and he collapsed upon her sweaty body.

“You’re heavy,” she said, and he immediately fell to his side, panting, as he kept her tight to him. The last thing he wanted to do was pull out of her body. His cock had found a home.

He
had found a home.

“Mine,” he whispered.

“Yours … and Geoff’s.”

Right. And Geoff.