The Star King (15 page)

"Bajha is different from the sports you may be used to. Don't be concerned. I will show you what to do." He took her hand and led her to the playing floor. He appeared taller and more powerful in the arena, and his body radiated heat like a furnace. "Besides," he said, his

grin twisting into an inscrutable smirk, "had you not gotten rid of Gann, I would have."

They exchanged knowing glances.

She waved her hand at the somewhat intimidating array of gear taking up most of the shelf space on the wall behind Rom. "What do we do?"

"First we change. Dressing rooms are to your right." He took a folded Bajha suit off the shelf, handed it to her, and she carried it into one of the snug curtained cubicles.

Inside, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She'd crossed an imaginary start line, where the game of Bajha was but the first lap. She was in Rom's domain,
his
area of expertise—now and for the rest of the night.

Thrumming with anticipation and nerves, she lifted the one-piece white suit from its clear wrapper. It was stiff and coated with a protective, rubbery substance on the outside, but silky soft against her skin on the inside. A series of fastenings similar to Velcro ran from each ankle to the neck. By the time she closed them all she was perspiring. "Think adventure," she said under her breath, and pushed aside the curtain. Rolling her shoulders back, she strode into the arena in her stocking feet.

Rom was already dressed, and when he glimpsed her black woolen socks decorated with fluffy white sheep, he choked out a laugh.

"What?" She wriggled her toes.

"You choose to adorn yourself with... farm animals?" His eyes gleamed with mirth.

She stood proudly.
"Sheep,
we call them on Earth."

"Do all Earth women wear such"—he waved one hand at her feet—"foot coverings?"

She baited him. "When they're not wearing ones with little hearts or ducks or happy faces."

"Happy faces," he repeated flatly. Then he blinked, bringing himself back to the task at hand. "You'll need these." He stooped to reach for a pair of boots on the floor. His Bajha suit faithfully followed the outline of his thighs and the tight curve of his buttocks. «Try these on while I ready the equipment."

Her flexible white boots were as comfortable as slippers. She stood on her toes and stomped a couple of times. "If it's dark we won't see each other. But with these on, we won't be able to hear each other, either."

"Ah, but we will. Though not with our ears and eyes."

Doubtful, she asked, "With our neurons, right?"

"I'll explain." With reverence, he unpacked two blunt-tipped, roundish swords, handing her one. It was roughly the same size and weight as an aluminum baseball bat. Assaulted by images of Little League practice, she tapped it gingerly against the floor, causing the green glow emanating from within to pulse like a heartbeat.

"It's called a sens-sword." Rom reached around her from behind, curving his tall frame around her. "Hold it with two hands."

She aimed the weapon away from her body. Placing his hands over hers, he gripped the base with her, moving it slowly from side to side. It was hard to concentrate with his breath caressing her ear and her bottom nestled against his abdomen. His physical closeness aroused her immediately. She recalled his last kiss, and craved the feel of his mouth on hers.

"That's it, Jas. Good. Now we will talk about the senses you were born with, but have never fully used." He continued, unaware that his words had temporarily

tamped down her urge to turn in his arms for a kiss. "Certain neurons act as sensors for different parts of your body. Some are activated by movement. Others through touch. When an object is placed near that part of the body, the neuron responsible for that alert flicks on." He tightened his hands around hers. "Once trained, your body does not forget." His voice became softer, more intimate. "This is how we locate our lover's mouth in the dark. Did you know that?"

Speech eluded her. She shook her head. By accident or design, his whisker-roughened cheek brushed over hers. "The neurons remember. Then the sensors associated with your lips guide your mouth to the kiss."

That was all her neurons needed to hear. They went wild. They screamed and danced in circles.
Kiss him, you idiot! Kiss him now!

But she paused, and, all business again, Rom backed away. Disgusted with her cowardice, her neurons howled and fell to their imaginary little knees.

"In this way, we will sense each other's presence in Bajha. You will find, at first, that you'll have to stop often to listen to what your body is telling you. But you'll learn. Someday these instincts will come to you as easily as walking or reading. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes," she said as confidently as she could.

He circled her. She remained rooted in place, her club-like sword clutched in hands that were getting more moist by the minute. Then he disappeared behind her. Her stomach quivered.

"Are you afraid, Jas?"

She hesitated. "No."

"Good. You mustn't be," he said. "Our code instructs warriors to be cautious, not fearful." He stopped, facing her, his sens-sword held in his two large fists. "Say that. It will help you. 'I will be cautious, not fearful.' "

"I will be cautious, not fearful." Damn, but her heartbeat accelerated when he moved behind her again.

"Lights," he said, and absolute darkness swallowed them both.

Chapter Ten

Jas's hands clamped convulsively around the sens-sword, her lifeline in the most complete darkness she'd ever known. Deprived of sight, she was acutely aware of her body. Optical fireworks danced before her wide-open eyes. She heard and felt the blood coursing through her veins.

"Raise your sword," Rom said in a quiet, even tone.

She lifted the weapon into the blackness, concentrating on his footsteps. Were they getting closer or farther away? She couldn't tell. And why did the sword cast no illumination in the dark? She had no time to wonder.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

I
want to.

"Good," he whispered in answer to her silence.

"How did you—"

"Not mind reading, Jas. Intuition. Instinct."

More footsteps. She bit back her moan of alarm. It was dark. And painfully quiet. She was clothed from head to toe in a protective suit. Yet, she felt naked. Vulnerable.

"Now we will play."

Rom's voice carried from across the arena, disorienting her.

She whirled to face the direction from where his voice had come. Or from where she'd
thought
it had come. Waving the sens-sword in front of her, testing its weight, she tried to see into the wall of black, tried to hear above the thundering of her heart. Then she felt it: a breeze, the hairs prickling on the back of her neck. She gasped as the tip of Rom's sens-sword dragged across her lower back, leaving behind a mild pins-and-needles sensation. "That hurt," she blurted indignantly.

"It shouldn't have." Rom sounded defensive and somewhat worried. "My sens-sword is tuned to the lowest setting."

"It didn't hurt my back." She swung her sens-sword in the direction of his voice, heard him step out of the way. "It hurt my pride!"

He chuckled.

She bolted toward the sound. She'd get him now.

Her sens-sword jammed into something solid and slightly giving. A vibration shuddered up the weapon to her arm and into her chest an instant before she slammed into one of the padded walls. "Damn."

"Never act purely out of emotion," soothed Rom's deep voice from the far side of the arena. "Use your senses. Trust them. For they will bring you to me."

He's coming toward you,
warned her inner voice.

She arched away. Rom stumbled past, and she cried out in delight.

"Excellent! However, triumph often leads to complacency."

To prove his point he tapped her on both kneecaps with his sens-sword. She briefly saw a green glow before a shower of hot tingles suffused her knees and calves. "Hey, you turned up the level."

He laughed at her accusation. "You're catching on too quickly. I had to raise the stakes."

"Thanks a lot. What's
my
sens-sword tuned to, by the way?"

"Seventy-five percent of maximum."

"Won't that hurt you?" she asked worriedly.

"A lingering sting," he replied, this time from well behind her. "Nothing more."

"Good. Prepare to feel that seventy-five percent in places you'd rather not."

She heard his bark of laughter—from the right. Sword extended, she spun slowly, around and around, reaching deep within her, tapping into a reservoir of what she sensed had always been there.

It came in a rush: the essence of Rom's generous and wounded heart.

My soul mate.

She sought him with her weapon, reaching instinctively, symbolically, for the love she'd always longed for but had never found.

He inhaled sharply. Her blunt sword skimmed along the fabric of his suit, but did not contact hard enough to signal a hit. She felt his surprise in her very bones. "Almost got you, Rom!" She laughed with the joy of it.

"Enjoying yourself?"

She lunged. "Very much."

His sens-sword slapped against the back of her thighs.

"Not so much." She winced at the brief pinpricks. "You'll pay for that."

"We shall see," he replied playfully.

Use your senses.

She paused ... listening.

But not with her ears.

Saw .. .

But not with her eyes.

Hunting him in the darkness, she resumed the exhilarating and oddly arousing game of cat and mouse. Once more she grazed him, barely, only to receive a punishing whack in return on her bottom. She sucked in a breath and lowered her sens-sword. Tingling heat lingered between her legs. Suddenly the game lost its appeal; she hungered for Rom's touch, not that of a dispassionate, cybernetic weapon.

Setting her sens-sword on the floor, she slowed her breathing and stood still. If neurons could remember, then maybe hers could remember Rom's kisses.
She
certainly hadn't forgotten. She'd never been kissed the way he kissed her. It was more than his consummate skill; it was his tenderness, the intense passion she sensed he fought so hard to control, and his obvious enjoyment of the act itself.

She willed her lips to remember it all, and for his to remember hers. Then, with all the yearning in her soul, she willed him to want her as much as she wanted him.

She waited. . . .

Concentrated harder.

And waited . . .

Her lips tingled. Then she caught his scent, as if she were an animal in a primeval forest. Her nostrils flared.

So close now ...

There.
His lips, warm and smooth, brushed over hers. She let out the tiniest of sighs, magnified in the pounding silence.

He lingered, teased, sipped.

Arms limp at her sides, she opened her mouth in blatant invitation. Without touching her in any other way, he covered her mouth with his, kissing her deeply, passionately, the sensation of moist, searching heat powerfully erotic in the hushed darkness. She made a needy groan into his mouth. Anchored in nothingness by the kiss, wanting more, much more, she flung her arms over his shoulders.

He splayed one hand behind her head, crushing her to him. Her hands twisted in the fabric at his collar, teasing the ends of his hair, which was damp with perspiration. Pulling away, she dragged breathless, openmouthed kisses along his jaw and neck, tasting the salt on his skin, wanting to devour him.

"Jasmine, wait," she heard him say as if from miles away.

She was beyond language, beyond reason. With the dp of her tongue, she explored the precisely cut, silky hair by his ear. "Rom—oh, Rom." She worked her way from his ear to his beard-roughened chin, then suckled his tender lower lip.

He mumbled something and squeezed her shoulders, gently moving her back. "Lights," he said.

She blinked, as much from the sudden brightness as the disorientation of her arousal. Then she lowered her forehead to his chest. "I'm sorry."

"Great Mother, don't be. I certainly am not. But our privacy is not guaranteed here." He hesitated, tilting her head back, his thumb under her chin. "Privacy is what we want, isn't it?" His eyes had darkened with desire to the color of rich sherry. In their depths she saw a question far beyond the mere issue of being alone.

"Yes," she said on a sharp breath. "Privacy."
And more.

She longed to feel like a real woman again.

His gaze was oddly perceptive, as if he could read her thoughts. If only he could, then tonight might be so much easier. Tightening her arms around his waist, she played with the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He arched into her kneading fingers ever so slightly, then seemed to catch himself. Pressing his hand to the small of her back, he steered her toward the dressing room. "I'll wait for you in my quarters."

"I'd like to shower first." Plucking at her damp Bajha suit, she felt her playfulness return. "How about it, Captain? My
second
of the day."

"Permission granted," he murmured, and settled his mouth over hers.

* * *

"It's me," Jas called to the tiny viewscreen above the entrance to Rom's quarters. The doors parted and she walked inside. Already the room was aglow and scented. Music played, barely audible, but loud enough to add to the atmosphere. Rom B'kah was a master at setting the stage for seduction. But then, unlike her, he'd had plenty of practice.

"Greetings, Jasmine." He crossed the room to meet her. His hair was still damp from his shower, and he'd combed it away from his face. His white shirt, glowing with a pearl-like iridescence, was tucked into a pair of snug buff-colored trousers, half-hidden by soft knee-high boots. His overt confidence and precisely groomed ap-

pearance made her stomach clench all over again.
Girl,

you're out of your league.

His appreciative gaze skimmed over her conservative floral skirt and lavender sweater, halting at the two bottles of Red Rocket Ale she clutched in her hands. "Since you introduced me to star-berry liqueur, tonight I thought I'd introduce you to my favorite drink."

He took the bottles and squinted at the label. "An Earth beverage?"

"Yes. Beer. My friend Dan Brady's Red Rocket Ale."

He peered at the lids. "Interesting. How are they opened?"

She dangled a bottle opener from one finger. "First get them as cold as you can without freezing them."

Rom opened the door to a small rectangular compartment in the wall, then punched a code into the adjacent control panel. The chiller hummed on. Seconds later he removed the frosty bottles and carried them to the triangular dinner table, where he had arranged a simple meal of cold meat, flat bread, salt, and two different kinds of preserved fruit. She tucked her legs under her and arranged some pillows behind her back. Crouched by her side, he watched her pry the lids off the bottles, staring at the five-dollar opener in her hand as if it were a wondrous and exotic marvel of technology. She chuckled at his boyish curiosity and placed a bottle in his hand. Vapor floated upward along with the tangy scent of ale. "Go on, try it."

His tone was pointedly suggestive. "Take your pleasure first," he said. "I'll watch you."

Her heart did a little flip. She sipped, trying hard not to look at his mouth. The single swallow of cold, crisp beer did nothing to cool her desire. He must have heard her overheated neurons rattling their cages, because he leaned closer and pressed his lips to the side of her throat. Shutting her eyes, she breathed in his exotic and distinctly male scent, while her hands rode the flexing of the muscles in his iron-hard thighs. When she lifted her chin and offered him the arch of her neck, he caressed her with his hot breath, nuzzling his way lower. She hunched her shoulders and shivered.

"Perhaps we should sample our beverages," he said softly. "For in another moment I doubt either of us will be interested."

"Interested in what?" she whispered dazedly.

Grinning, he lifted the bottle to his lips. His golden eyes flashed, and he tipped the bottle for a longer swig. "Ah! This is delicious. Tell me again what you called this."

"Beer."

"Beer," he said with reverence. "Salt, bah!
This
is reason enough to trade with Earth. Does the document you brought me contain a provision to obtain beer?"

"It sure does. Dan's beer."

"Good man, this Dan Brady." Rom closed his eyes and swallowed. Fascinated by the sensual pleasure he took in a simple bottle of ale, she propped her elbow on the table, her head on her hand, and watched him until he'd finished. "I want to taste you," she confessed, to her own utter amazement.

His Adam's apple wobbled. "Yes, I want you to," he said quietly and set aside his empty bottle. "Tell me, Jas: in what ways can I please you tonight? What are your desires?"

Her face heated. She was not used to verbalizing her intimate needs—no one had ever asked her. Long ago

she'd grown used to burying them. But in the spotlight of Rom's patient gaze, the words came out easier than she expected. "Just make love to me. That's all."

"Know this," he said quietly. "I do not take your gift lightly. You offer me your woman's body, your mother's body. In this I am blessed." He dragged his thumb across her mouth, tenderly tracing the shape of her lips, immersing her in a kind of intimacy beyond her experience.

Spellbound, she saw all her tomorrows in his eyes. But she shoved aside the dangerous thought even as goose bumps covered her arms. This was exactly what had gotten her into trouble before.
Don't hope for a future with him,
'she warned herself.
Just enjoy the moment, and you won't get hurt.
But a little voice, silenced for years, tugged on her mental sleeve.
This is different,
it insisted.
This time it's real.

He reached into one of the bowls of fruit, plucking out what resembled a glistening black cherry. Holding it with two fingers, he offered it to her. A droplet of juice trembled on its plump underside, and she caught the moisture with the tip of her tongue. Rom's pupils dilated. Encouraged by his response, Jas placed her hands on his thighs and slid them upward. Hard muscles bunched beneath her palms. She skimmed her lips over the heel of his palm and the inside of his wrist before curling her tongue suggestively under the little fruit, taking playful bites until it was completely inside her mouth. Sweet heat pooled low in her belly, and her pulse quickened between her legs. It was astonishing how arousing food-play could be without further physical touching. Of course, the
Vash
had figured that out eons ago.

The tart, crunchy little fruit left her palate feeling clean and fresh. Swallowing, she sorted through the bowl and chose another, lifting it to his mouth. Clearly the expert, he alternately teased his tongue over the glistening taut skin and suckled. Her nipples puckered under the sheer, tight fabric of her bra.

"I want to do this to you, Jas," he whispered, his eyes heavy-lidded. "Would that please you? If I kissed you like this? If I kissed you everywhere?" Mortified, she heard a sigh escape her.

His expression changed to one of satisfaction. Observing her from under his dark lashes, he took her finger fully into his slick mouth. His deft tongue rasped the underside of her finger. Her toes curled. It wasn't hard to imagine what his tongue could do to the rest of her.

When she withdrew her finger, he reached over and swirled his own in the dark crimson liquid pooled at the bottom of the bowl of fruit. As he had once done with the star-berry liqueur, he moistened her bottom lip with the sweet juice. "Another berry?" he inquired. She shook her head. "You've had enough to eat, then?"

"Of berries." She burrowed her fingers in his thick, silky hair. "But not of you."

A groan vibrated in his throat and he rose to his knees, pulling her toward him and into a kiss. His tongue was slow and sure, cherishing rather than demanding. She adored the way he took his time exploring her mouth. In fact, she adored the way he took his time doing everything. He so drugged her with his delicious kisses and skillful caresses that the feel of his warm and rough palm slipping under her sweater came as a shock—albeit a welcome one.

His mouth muffled her sigh. The kiss deepened with an increased mutual urgency, and he slid his hands up-

ward to cup her breasts, lifting them, skimming her taut, sensitive nipples with the pads of his thumbs. "Beautiful," he whispered. "Beautiful woman."

Drinking in his words, she arched forward until she felt the ridge of male flesh beneath his pants pressing into her. Instinctively she rubbed against him, as much as their kneeling position would allow. His breath came faster and his arousal strained even more beneath his snug trousers.

"Inajh d'anah,"
he murmured. "My sweet Jasmine." He tugged her sweater over her head, distracting her from the sudden vulnerability by kissing her throat and that wonderfully sensitive hollow just below her ear. By the time he lifted her to her feet and led her to his bed, she was putty.

Dazed and almost painfully aroused, she sat perched on the plump, silken coverlet while he crouched between her legs. He removed her pumps, then her skirt, leaving her dressed only in her lace underwear as he struggled out of his boots and pants. She glimpsed his arousal jutting against his undergarment—a flap of shimmering ivory silk wrapped low on his narrow hips—before he came to her again. More kissing, incredible kissing.

Running his hands appreciatively down the long, bare length of her legs, he spread his hands wide under her knees, stroking her, kneading her muscles, appearing to derive an inordinate amount of pleasure from the simple caresses. She leaned back on her arms, savoring the singular joy of this man's clear enjoyment of her body.

"So incredibly smooth," he said, massaging the long muscles under her calves. "Like Nandan silk. I've never known a woman to remove the hair here." Bending forward, lowering his head, he nuzzled, nipped, and tasted his way up her legs. Her eyes drifted closed with the pleasure of it, and she curled her toes behind his back.