Nara became aware of a big hand rubbing her ass and a firm, warm body curled around her back. She opened her eyes to find she lay on Cathian’s bed. She turned her head to peer at him.
He watched her with his hand propping his head up.
She tried to remember how they’d gotten back into the main part of the cabin but couldn’t. They’d been in the bathroom, going at it against the counter numerous times, but at some point had ended up on the floor. Snatches of memory came of him on top, riding her over and over. Her entire body ached. She knew she’d have tons of bruises, and there was a definite throbbing between her legs. She was beyond tender.
She smiled.
He didn’t smile back. His eyes were intense, beautiful, but his features didn’t show his emotions. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore but happy. How did we get here from the bathroom?”
Instead of answering, he scowled. “You’re black and blue on your ass, back, and the front of your hips.” Regret filled his expression. “My handprints are bruised into your hips.”
“Ah. It’s fine.” She gently eased away from him and rolled so they were facing each other.
He sat up and scooted until he rested his back against the headboard. His gaze locked with hers. “You got me through the end of my heat. How? I sent you away.”
He didn’t remember anything. “That’s kind of a story. Probably not one to tell you right now.”
“Nara.” His voice deepened.
She sighed and sat up too. He glanced down her body, and flinched. She followed his gaze, inwardly wincing a little as she saw the black and blue marks. “I’m fine.” She looked up at him. “More than fine. I survived. Oh, and your sperm totally works on me like it would one of your women.”
He reached up and cupped her face. “Nara, I’m trying not to lose my fucking mind here. I woke up to find you battered to hell in my bed. You’re supposed to be safe. Instead, I realize…” He pulled her closer and leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. “I could have killed you.”
“You didn’t.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, and growled low.
“Here’s the highlights. Ready?”
“Tell me.”
“I choked Marrow until she blacked out in the shuttle, tied her up, and returned to your ship. I know how to fly a shuttle; I’m a pilot too. Then I shot both Dovis and a big blue guy. Oh, and that woman chained to your bed.”
His eyes widened, and he paled.
“They’re alive. It was just a stunner. I stripped off my clothes and lured you into the bathroom.” She smiled then. “I wasn’t going to risk losing you forever.”
“Nara, what were you thinking? I could have killed you!”
“I’m alive. And I was thinking I refused to lose you to some other woman. It’s not happening.”
“You’re hurt.”
“Bruises will heal. The tenderness between my legs is because you’re a big guy and, last I remember, we’d fucked like a dozen or so times.” She paused, wanting to tease him into a better mood. “It was definitely fucking, but you licked me first and got me really wet. So, there was foreplay. It was pretty amazing too. You were rough but not brutal. I wasn’t complaining. I was too busy getting off over and over. You’re a stud.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“A machine. Sex, that is.”
He closed his eyes and touched her forehead with his. He just stayed here, breathing her in, and she snuggled closer to his body. He eventually straightened up but pulled her into his arms, putting her on his lap. She liked it when he wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m fine, Cathian. Better than. Are you mad?”
“No.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Surprised. Stunned that you did all that for me.” He went quiet but then spoke again. “Relieved.”
She rested her cheek against his chest, listening to his heart. “I wasn’t going to lose you. I’d like to stay with you for as long as you’ll let me.”
“What about your shuttle? Your crew?”
“Truth?”
“Always between us.”
“They can have my shuttle, for all I care. As I was flying away, I realized none of that mattered. I just wanted to return to you.”
He hugged her tight. “I had my own regrets after you left.”
She lifted her head to peer up at him. “Really?”
“I was afraid I’d kill you, Nara. But I didn’t want anyone else. I swear I’m addicted to you.”
That made her happy. “I hope you really are. It means you won’t want me to leave or kick me off your ship again.”
He unwrapped one arm and reached down, cupping her belly. “You could be carrying my litter.” He looked worried.
“Would that upset you?”
“I’m more concerned about you, and how you feel about that.”
“I knew I could get pregnant. See me here, still with you? I do have one demand though if I’m having your babies.”
His body tensed beneath her. “What?”
“I don’t want to leave The Vorge to go live on your home world, unless you’re absolutely set on it. You didn’t exactly sell me on the idea of the place after telling me how cold your people are and what life is like there. I’ll go wherever you are, but that’s my preference. Your crew loves you too, and they wouldn’t want to lose you.”
He cocked his head, staring at her. “How do you know that?”
She shrugged, breaking eye contact. “Just a feeling.”
He released her stomach and cupped her face again, making her look up. She smiled.
His eyes narrowed—and then he surprised her by laughing. “They helped you, didn’t they?”
“I did grab that stun gun from Dovis. He didn’t give it to me, and he sure didn’t want me to shoot him. He’s probably pissed. You won’t let him snarl at me or anything, will you?”
His humor faded. “He wouldn’t dare.”
“Good, because he dropped so hard onto the deck that I’m still flinching. I’m not the only one with bruises.” She bit her lip. “I feel bad about that.”
“You said you shot York too?”
“Yeah. He lay down before I stunned him, so he’s fine. I needed access into your room. It wouldn’t open for me.”
“Of course.” He chuckled again. “And Marrow? Did she let you choke her?”
Nara shook her head. “That would be a ‘hell no.’ I really choked her out and tied her up. Then we negotiated when she woke…but don’t be mad.”
“Tell me everything. I’m not angry. My crew always looks out for me. They had to know what my people did in the cargo hold, or quickly figured it out. They’re under contract with the Tryleskian government, and interfering would have been grounds to terminate their employment and even face criminal charges.”
“What exactly happened in the cargo hold?”
“You tell me everything first, and then I’ll tell you what happened after you left.”
She started from the moment she’d bucked into the shuttle and stopped when she shared her last memory of them on the bathroom floor. He took it all well.
She couldn’t say the same for herself when she heard what Rex had done at the request of Cathian’s father.
“Those assholes!” She wanted to beat some cat-men asses. “How could your own father do that to you? He was basically—”
“Calm down.” He stroked her back. “Slow your breathing. You’re panting.”
“I’m pissed! I’m glad I shot that bitch in the ass. They were going to trap you in a loveless marriage by leaving you with no choice after knocking her up.”
“You forgot to mention that part.” He chuckled again. “You stunned her in the ass?”
“Well, I said I shot her. Sorry I left out the ‘where.’ I wasn’t going to let her have you. You’re mine.”
His hand stilled on her back and his eyebrows rose.
“I went to a hell of a lot of trouble to defy you and get back on The Vorge. I was willing to battle your crew to be the one to get your seed, instead of some random woman. That sounds bad when I say it out loud, but there it is. If anyone was going to risk getting pregnant by you, it was going to be me. I took you on when you were all growly and snarly at me. That’s love, Cathian. You couldn’t even talk, and you were crawling instead of walking. You’re seriously hot and definitely sexy, but kind of terrifying in the late stages of heat, baby. Do you think I’d have done all of that if I wasn’t willing to do whatever it took to be with you?”
“You love me?”
She didn’t look away from him. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. I do not. I am addicted to you.” His hand lowered to gently caress her stomach. “My last thought before I blacked, out after being drugged, was wishing you were the one I could put my litter inside.”
She could already be pregnant. Her heart raced. “I bet they would be adorable. How long before we know?”
“We could go have you scanned now.”
“Let’s do that in a little bit. Right now, I just want to stay in bed. Hey—I just noticed something. We’re clean. Did we shower and forget? That’s some drug you make.”
“It’s normal for the caregivers to bathe us while we’re unconscious.”
“Caregivers?”
“They came with Rex and the females. They would have bathed us both, cleaned up anything they needed to, put me in bed, and taken the female away.” He frowned. “Shit. Rex will have been informed of what took place here.”
“I’m not really caring if that dickhead is upset I knocked out that woman to be with you instead. I’m more concerned that people I don’t know were touching me. That’s creepy.”
“I don’t care about Rex’s reaction either, but I’m curious why he allowed them to put you in bed with me.” He stroked her once more. “The caregivers consist of older women. No males.”
“I’m still creeped out. So little old ladies were washing you?” She didn’t like that idea at all.
The door buzzed. Cathian lifted her off him and got out of bed. “Cover up,” he ordered, rushing to put on some pants. She yanked up the covers but stayed seated upright. He went to the door and opened it.
“I had the Pods monitoring you both for when you awoke. Hungry? I figured you both would be. You’ve been sleeping for over twenty hours. Almost twenty-one. I was starting to worry.”
“Come in.” Cathian moved to the side.
The big blue alien walked in carrying a huge tray. He glanced at Nara and winked, before turning his attention to Cathian. “Where do you want it, Cap?”
“My desk. Is the Tryleskian shuttle still docked with us?”
“That would be a no.” York placed the tray on the desk and faced his captain. “It’s also why I’m the one delivering your food. Dovis is on the bridge, in case we’re attacked.”
Cathian was stunned. “What?”
“Shit got ugly,” York admitted. He gave a slight nod of his head toward Nara and widened his eyes. “A certain assistant wanted to make an arrest. We figured you wouldn’t like that.”
His temper exploded. “Rex wanted to arrest Nara? For what?”
He heard her gasp but kept his full attention on York.
“Rex was informed by the wrinkled nags that they came in and found one furious unfucked female, who had been stunned in the butt by the woman you were curled around on the bathroom floor. Even in your sleep, you put up a fight when they tried to take her away from you.” York’s coloring darkened. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
“Yes. Tell me all of it.”
“Fuck. I was afraid you’d say that.” York sighed. “The wrinkled nags couldn’t get Nara away from you. You knocked some of them on their asses.”
“Why are you calling them that? The caregivers consist of elders.”
“‘Elders’ implies worthy of respect. Those women were yelling and bitching more than Marrow does when she’s in the foulest mood. They were not happy, and you should see their faces when they are upset.” He made a face, scrunching it up to mimic their expression. “Tons of wrinkles. I had to come in and separate you from her, Captain, to get you on the bed.” He flashed a grin at Nara. “I didn’t look. Not one bit.”
That infuriated Cathian. York must have seen her naked. He snarled.
York snapped his head to him and took a step back, bumping into the desk. “I didn’t look! Really. It was damn clear she’s yours. You had a death grip on her. I was too busy wrestling you flat so the wrinkled nags could pull her clear of you. Don’t get me started on the shower I had to take. I had your fluids all over me! I scrubbed for an hour and threw that damn uniform away. I still feel dirty, sir. I love you like a brother, but I never want to get that close to you again when you’re naked.”
“Fuck.”
“You did. A lot.” York had the nerve to chuckle. “The good news is, once I got you pinned and you weren’t touching her anymore, you stopped fighting and began to snore. That’s when one of the wrinkled nags called Rex. He ordered them to wash Nara and bring her to the shuttle. Said she was under arrest. I stepped out, called Dovis, but the Pods had already alerted him.”
Cathian closed his eyes, mentally shouting to the Pods. He knew they’d hear him if he directed his thoughts at them. He opened his eyes and stormed to the door. He opened it and waited.
It didn’t take long. The three of them came at him as fast as their short legs would allow. He stared at One.
“You—talk. Out loud. Nara needs to hear this.”
“Yes, sir.” One hesitated. “Rex was furious that the human ruined your father’s plans to make you impregnate a Tryleskian. He feared he’d be fired, and decided the only way to redeem his honor was to bring the human back to be imprisoned, and give your father someone on whom to take out his anger.” One paused. “He did not think about Nara possibly carrying your litter. He was too panicked about losing his job and status.”
“What happened next?”
“We contacted Dovis to let him know, and he rushed to your cabin. He allowed York to go shower, since he was freaked out about having your sperm smeared all over him, worried that anyone would think you’d tried to hump him.”
“Damn it, One,” York yelled. “Stay out of my head. Rude!”
One rolled his eyes. “You did not try to hump him, Captain. Don’t worry that you may have. You were in protective mode of your life-lock when they tried to take her from your arms. Your only thoughts were to keep her with you, to assure yourself she was safe. Part of you recognized York’s scent during the struggle, and your instincts are to trust him. That’s why you finally let her go. You understood she was safe with him. Then you went into a deeper sleep state. It’s harder for us to pick up thoughts from there. They were too murky.”
Cathian glanced at Nara. She remained on the bed with the covers around her body, but her gaze met his. It didn’t appear as if she was alarmed.
He flushed, staring back at the Pods. What next? And please don’t mention again that I consider Nara my life-lock. We haven’t talked about that yet.
“Apologies,” One whispered. “Dovis refused to allow the caregivers to take her. He escorted them back to their shuttle once you were both bathed. He personally carried her to your bed and placed her next to you. He thought you’d want her there.” One paused and smiled. “He was right.
“Rex was enraged and frightened when he realized Dovis wouldn’t give her up. He plans to return to Tryleskian and ask your father for a military transport, in order to return to us and take her by force. We warned Dovis. So he is on the bridge, ready to flee or battle with them, depending on how many transports they send, until you wake to give him orders. We informed him when you woke, and he’s expecting you to call once you’ve been updated on the situation and fed. You’re starving, and worried that Nara also needs food to recover.”
“She is achy and sore, but thinks the sex and being with you were both worth it,” Two whispered softly, making sure his voice didn’t carry to the bed. “She loves you and is terrified you’ll send her away again. She wants to stay with you and have your babies.”
Three murmured, “Lots of babies that look like you, because they would be adorable.” He paused. “Now she’s wondering how long it will take her to heal because she wants to have sex with you again.”
“That’s enough,” Cathian chuckled. He felt happy though. Nara wanted him and his litters. He was going to make that happen. “I’m going to eat with her. Inform Dovis—”
“We know.” One turned away. “Just think it, and we’ll tell him.”
He backed into his room and nodded at York. “Thanks. You can go now.”
His friend and crew member grinned. “I’m going.” He paused as he passed. “I like her. She’s a keeper.”
“I know.”
He sealed the door when he was alone with Nara. “Let’s eat.” He strode to the desk.
“Your people want to arrest me?”
He picked up the tray, carrying it to the bed. “It will be fine.” He placed it down near her. “Don’t be frightened.”
She still looked at him with fear in her eyes. “Can they do that? I did break the law.”
He shook his head. “I won’t allow it. No one is taking you from me.”
“Can you do that? Does your ambassador ranking overrule this Rex guy’s authority?”
“Do you remember how you said I’m yours?”
She nodded.
“You’re mine too, Nara. No one will take you from me. I’ll handle my father and Rex.”
She nodded but still looked concerned.
“Trust me.”
Her gaze held his. “I do.”
He pulled the lid off a place, his stomach rumbling from hunger at the scent of food. Midgel had prepared them a feast.
He grinned, silently sending a message to the Pods to give her his thanks.
He also told them to have Dovis notify him immediately if any military transports showed on the sensors.