the
beginning of their mating bond it would take some getting used to. Though it
would be nice to have the advantage of knowing her emotions. It would serve him
well when he inevitably made her angry.
“Don’t worry, baby. Everyone here knows
how to keep a secret, and I don’t see any reason this one should be shared.”
“Thank you.”
He didn’t like the gratitude or relief
in her voice. She had every right to expect him to keep her secrets, even to
protect her secrets. She smiled, a mix of amusement and exasperation, and tried
to tug her hand free.
“You're not even trying to keep your
thoughts to yourself, are you?”
“No,” he agreed. “Why should I?”
“Self defense?”
He joined his brothers howling with
laughter. She waited them out calmly.
“When the most treacherous shadow
government on Earth thinks someone is dangerous enough to abduct, imprison, and
keep drugged, you might want to exercise a little caution,” she said smugly.
That definitely got his attention. He
titled his head to one side and studied her.
“Come on,” Cassius teased. “A little
thing like you. How dangerous could you be?”
She got very quiet and the mental
connection he felt with her stilled.
“That dangerous?” Kaje asked softly.
“I can destroy a mind with very little
effort.”
“How did they catch you then? Hold you
so long then?”
“They have a drug that represses psychic
abilities. It was loaded in a dart with a tranquilizer.”
Self-recrimination. Hurt. Anger. He
couldn’t stand it. He reached over, easily picked her up, and lifted her to his
lap. She sat stiffly while he kept a hand on her thigh and rubbed the other up
and down her back. One by one his brothers stood and said goodbye until only Vidar
was left.
She met his gaze calmly, evenly, though
Kaje felt her unease and her body vibrated. “Have you decided?”
He nodded, gave her a tiny smile. “Tomorrow?
I'll meet you at noon on the promenade in the chief's wing.”
“Okay.”
Then she and Kaje were alone. Finally,
she relaxed and made a sound that was almost a laugh.
“Boundaries don’t mean a damned thing to
you, do they?”
“No,” he groaned as she wiggled to get
free and rubbed her ass over his cock. He hadn’t thought it was possible to get
any harder. She froze.
“Well, that's unexpected,” she
whispered.
“No, it isn’t,” he retorted. “I've
wanted you since the moment I saw you and you know it.”
She was quiet so long he thought she'd
ignore his statement. “You know that girl that just hops into bed with anyone
she's attracted to? I'm not that girl.”
He buried his face in her neck. “Thank
the gods. I'm not a man who could ever share his woman.”
His words just seemed to make her
tenser.
“It's getting late. I should go.”
If he was a better man he'd let her
leave. He wanted more time tonight though. Needed to fuel the heat growing
between them. To stoke it into flames she couldn’t resist. He let her rise and
stood beside her, taking her hand.
“I want to show you something.”
He'd felt her affinity towards the sea
and he had his own private beach. It was one of the perks of being Steward. There
were two ways down. An elevator hidden behind the cliff face and stairs carved
on the outside. He led her to the concealed steps on one corner of the balcony.
The first step lit as he set foot on it. He turned to meet her startled, eager
gaze.
“Come on. A little moonlit swim never
hurt anyone.”
She glanced down at her clothes. “I
don’t have a suit.”
“Who says you need one?”
She sucked in a breath that thrust out
her breasts and made his mouth water.
“That,” she said, pointing her finger at
him. “That is exactly why I should say no.”
“Parker. Join me,” he cajoled. “I'm
asking for a swim. Nothing else.”
It might kill him, but he wouldn’t push
her for more than that tonight. Eagerness gleamed in her eyes, though, and hard
nipples pressed against her shirt. Her nod