Talson Temptations 3: Talson's Net (8 page)

She flushed, her embarrassment adorable. “Oh.”

They lay in silence until they heard the front door open and
close.

Val gathered her to him, still amazed at how much smaller
she was. “Rowe, I realize we barely know each other, that we weren’t exactly on
great terms before all this, and we just had mind-bending sex that we’re going
to do it all over again. But I want you to know it’s real. All of it.” He
opened up his mind to her.
No matter how confusing or scary or weird it
seems, it’s true. You’re mine,
iriu
. And I’m yours.

The sudden silence felt like a huge chasm, until she
tentatively responded.
Are you sure? Is this even possible for me?

He sensed her need for acceptance at odds with the
exhaustion and fear that nothing tonight really mattered. Sex, some Otra
nonsense. Just another ploy to show her how undeserving she was. He’d leave in
the morning, and then…

He needed to stop that line of thought right now and sent
her,
Sweetheart. I’m not leaving you. Ever.

“Val?”

“Shh. It’s been a long day. Sleep, Rowe. I’m right here.
I’ll be here tomorrow.” He grinned against her forehead and kissed her. “No
matter how much you might want me gone, you’re stuck with me. Now and forever.”

* * * * *

Now and forever.

When Rowe woke the next morning, she couldn’t get those
words out of her head. Val Talson ‘Or Ryi, a leader in her company’s rival
firm, and one of the most sought-after Otra bachelors on Werfal 7, thought he’d
bonded to her. He called her
iriu
, a name of value and deep emotional
meaning to Otra, both pure-blood and mixed.

In the aftermath of the incredible fantasy that had occurred
yesterday, all her doubts and worries returned. Her cousin, the piracy in her
company. Her issues with self-worth notwithstanding, she didn’t know Val. How
could she have allowed him to do those things to her? She blushed. How could
she have let Quinn?

She snuck out of his arms and used the facilities before
returning to study him.

In sleep, he seemed more relaxed but no less dangerous than
he had the first time she’d been in his power.

Iriu
, come back to bed. I need you here.
His drowsy
words shouldn’t have had the ability to melt her resolve, but they did. Without
meaning to, she slid back under the covers and into his arms. In seconds she
fell back into a dreamless sleep, comforted by the strong man by her side.

When she next woke, it was to the soft caress of a hand over
her hair. Val stroked her, and the knowledge he’d watched her sleep disturbed
her. Hell, she hoped she hadn’t been drooling.

He grinned, and she hastily closed down the connection
between them.

“Aw, honey. Don’t be like that. I like hearing you in me.”

“I’ll bet. As much as you like
being
in me.” The hard
presence of his desire brushed against her hip. She just had to go shooting her
mouth off.

“Rowe, I can honestly say that nothing in my life compares to
being inside you.” His expression sobered. “Not just my cock, but all of me.
The essence of who I am is bonded to you now. Just like yours is to me.” He
leaned down to kiss her, and the surge of desire brought her to full
wakefulness.

“Wh-what do you mean, exactly?” She panicked at thoughts of
being so exposed. Her entire life had been spent enduring life as an outsider,
never quite fitting in. But at least she’d had shields around her, an ability
to fight off the taunts and jeers from others behind a strong, mental wall.

“I know how you feel about yourself,” Val said quietly. “And
it’s stupid.”

“Excuse me?” Who the hell was he to judge? He was calling
her stupid?

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You’re
smart, a whirlwind dictator at work, from what I’ve heard, and your brain never
stops. Why should you give a fuck what any asshole with ‘pure’ Otra blood
thinks about you?”

She blinked, not having expected that. No man except her
father had ever said anything so nice to her before. Not even Quinn. Though he
clearly supported her, he wasn’t big on words.

“I’m not lying. Look and see.”

She stepped into his mind and saw how much he admired her,
how much he wanted the chance to get to know her from the inside out. To Val,
she was more than a sexy body, but a true mate befitting a powerful Otra—him.
“Not shy about yourself, are you?” she teased to cover her fight not to cry.

She’d never expected her interactions with a Talson to be so
positive, let alone loving.

Loving.

She felt it between them, that impossible, intangible
emotion she’d been seeking all her life. No. He couldn’t feel that way for her.
They’d just met. It had to be the weird energy between them.

“No, sweetheart. It’s you. I’ve seen inside you. And yeah, I
fell like a ton of bricks. I think I might—” He stopped himself, but she could
have sworn he’d been ready to add
love you
. Before she could say
anything, he put two fingers over her lips. “Not a word. I don’t want to hear
anything but ‘Yes, Master. Anything you say, Master.’”

She blinked. “What?”

Val laughed and rolled her over his body, using her like a
blanket. “You should see the look on your face. I thought Quinn was joking
about your control issues. But those reports I have on you don’t lie. You
really are a dictator, aren’t you?”

“Only at work,” she said in her defense. “If I wasn’t
strong, they’d run all over me. Most of the employees at Chartrell Shipping are
Otra, and they don’t like humans much.”

Val hugged her, and she couldn’t miss his erection. “It’s
getting better the more we interact with Earth. But if you’re worried about my
views on humans, don’t be. In fact, my youngest brother just married a human.
Jamie’s great. She doesn’t take his crap and is an integral part of the
business at Port Watch out West.”

She’d heard rumors that one of the Talsons planned to marry
a human. “I’ve heard it said your brother— Roarke, right?”

He nodded.

“They say he’s human. Not a relation to the Otra at all
except through marriage to one. Is that true?”

“Not at all. When my birth mother died, my father found new
life with a very special woman. Shea—my mother—is a hundred percent human,
which makes Roarke half. He’s a full-out snot, but we love him.”

Her heart raced. Could she really have found someone who
could tolerate her background?

Val eased his hands over her back, stroking to soothe, not
arouse. But her body responded just the same. “Rowe, I promise. I’ll never look
at you as less than me because of who you are inside. You’re special. You’re
mine.” He kissed her, a meeting of more than mouths and tongues, but spirit and
heart. “I mean, you have such good taste in men.”

She smiled and pulled back to look at him.

“And I love your eyes. They’re so sexy. That green and
silver that flashes at me tells me how much you like what I do to you.”

“Tease.” She wriggled against him and watched his eyes
brighten with heat. “But if I recall correctly, we both have good taste in
men,” she said, thinking of Quinn. To her astonishment, he blushed. “Oh my God.
Val Talson. You’re turning red!”

“Quiet, woman.”

“You really had sex with Quinn.” Her mind boggled at the
images she wished she could see.

“You really want to know?” he asked.

Her nipples chafed against his chest. Her breasts swelled
and her clit ached. Wet need slicked between her thighs. “Hell, yeah. I love
Quinn. He’s my friend, but I’m not blind. He’s sexy as hell. To see you two
going at it? Show me.”

Knowing Val was uncomfortable only increased her desire to
know. And then he showed her.

The images were beyond words. Val pushing his cock into
Quinn’s ass. Watching and feeling what Val felt as he fucked Quinn was such a
turn-on that she didn’t protest at all when Val pushed his cock inside her and
forced her to sit up over him. She rode him as she watched him fuck Quinn, then
sensed and saw Quinn take Val in the shower, deep-throating him until Val came
all over again.

His finger found her clit and she exploded, taking him with
her over the edge. It was then she realized he’d shoved a finger up her ass,
giving her a taste of what Quinn must have felt.

“I’m going to fill you there too. Until you’re swimming in
me.”

She tried to catch her breath. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do.” The authority in his voice should have alarmed her.
Instead it aroused her all over again, and Val smiled. “Oh, I like that. My
iriu
likes to be told what to do, hmm? Oh, sweetheart, the games we’re going to
play.” The things he showed her excited her all over again. And as he fucked
her into a stupor once more, she found herself falling from like into something
more for him. Into something that teetered suspiciously on the verge of love.

Chapter Six

“Give me the remote.”

He had to be kidding. Rowe raised a brow but clung to the
remote control. “I need to see what the market is doing.”

“Yeah, but that channel isn’t accurate. Try fourteen.”

Yet another request that sounded more like a demand. Quinn
had left them alone four days ago. In that time, they’d gotten to know one
another pretty well. Rowe liked to be in charge. So did Val. It seemed this
small skirmish for the remote control had pushed Val into showing his true
colors. He’d been so damn charming, handsome and accommodating since they’d
bonded that she worried she’d married a saint.

Good to know he was anything but.

“My house, my rules, Talson.”

His frown shouldn’t have aroused her, but for some reason
she found his anger fascinating. “In case it’s escaped your notice,
sweetheart
,
you’re a Talson too.” As soon as he said it, a sly grin appeared. “I can see
we’re going to have to deal with this tendency you have to disobey me.”

She dropped the remote, no longer interested in the channel.
“Excuse me?” She knew she sounded frosty, but she didn’t care. “Obey, my ass.”

“Oh,
veyu
, I intend to get to that
real
soon.”

Momentarily distracted by the Otra term of endearment, she
didn’t understand what he meant until he took off his shirt. “Val?”

“I’ve been patient, but I think it’s time we had another
chat. And this one’s going to end with my cock up that sweet ass. Then you’ll
know you belong to me.” He scooped her into his arms before she could protest.

All the kicking and punching she tried did little to
dissuade him. The man was built like a brick wall. He dumped her on the bed and
forced her down by sheer will.

“How come your telekinesis still works on me, but my ability
to manipulate you doesn’t work?” So unfair.

“Not sure, but I’m not questioning a good thing.” He smiled,
and the joy seemed to light him from the inside out. “While I have you down,
let’s talk about your cousin again.”

She groaned. Val pestered her for information about Keilor
too often for her peace of mind. “I told you everything.”

“Not everything.” He stripped down to nothing, and she had a
hard time looking away from his body.
So beautiful.
And all mine
,
the selfish part of herself stated in no uncertain terms.

The satisfaction on his face unnerved her. “Yes, sweetheart.
I’m all yours.” His annoyance faded, though his tenacity remained. “Now about
Keilor. Did he ever abuse you? I need to know.”

She squirmed, wishing she could have this conversation on
equal footing. Bad enough the man towered over her when they both were
standing. But lying under him made her feel…well, submissive.

His eyes darkened. “Rowe?”

“No. Not the way I think you mean. He always watched me.
Growing up we spent time together. Our fathers were brothers in the same
business. Until the day my parents died, I’d spend Saturday dinners with Uncle
Fulton, Keilor and Aunt Twaye. I hated it. My mother did too, and we’d play
silly little games to amuse ourselves while Dad and Uncle Fulton talked business.
I don’t really think Dad liked him much either, come to think of it. But he had
a duty to the ‘Or Ryi, so he liked to say.”

Thinking about her parents made her heart ache. Then Val was
there, kissing her, taking away the pain until only a lingering nostalgia
remained.

“I’m sorry. I can feel how much they meant to you. I wish I
could have known them.”

She blinked up at him, nonplussed at his sincerity. “Um,
yeah. It’s funny, but I think they would have liked you a lot.” Her father
certainly would have. Arman ‘Or Ryi prized intelligence and fortitude, both of
which Val had. But her mother would have liked the way he looked at Rowe. As
much as she hadn’t asked for a mate, she couldn’t have hoped for someone better
than Val Talson—at least, the Val he’d shown her so far. On the surface, he was
full of charm. But she wondered about the real him.

He shook his head. “So many trust issues.” The naughty grin
on his face worried her.

“Val?”

“We need to work on that,
veyu
.”

“Why do you call me that?”

“Beloved?” He smiled and kissed her, his lips lingering long
enough to stir her into a new, burning desire. As if made just for him, anytime
he drew too close, her body softened, became pliant. Arousal, need and
affection embraced her in an all-out flame. She would have dragged him down to
her if she’d had control of her body. But thanks to his telekinesis, she could
barely move.

“Yeah, beloved,” she growled. “Why that?”

“Because that’s what you are to me.” His eyes narrowed.
“You’re wearing too many clothes.” After he had her naked, he returned to their
previous conversation. “So what are your plans to take down your cousin?”

How could the man think when she wanted nothing more than
him inside her? She cleared her throat and tried to focus on something other
than sex. “My cousin, right. For some reason, he wants me, so I’m going to use
that to trap him. He’s not stupid. He routinely checks for listening devices,
and he has an associate who shields for him.” Telepathically. As strong as Otra
were with telepathy, Keilor used a shielder to keep him out of jail. She had a
feeling he was guilty of more than the crimes she suspected. “I’ll meet Keilor
in his office while wearing a recorder. But I’ll convince him I’m not wearing a
listening device and get the information we need. If I meet him at work, it
won’t look as suspicious. Besides, there, if something happens to me, others
will know.”