CHAPTER FOUR
Ashlyn drew in a deep breath, letting it out in a soft moan. Her body was on fire; a large hand glided over her skin, the contact sending erotic chills running down her spine and curling her toes. A hand came to rest on her breast, kneading its plump flesh before deft fingers pinched her nipple. She gasped at the sensation, it made her clit pulse and her body needy.
She didn’t want to open her eyes, but stay lost in these wonderful sensations. However, the more the hand toyed, the more it drew her out of her slumber.
“Awake, my soul bond.”
The voice, rich, deep and commanding made her eyes flutter open, only to stare up into K'marr's mesmerizing, blue depths.
“There you are. So beautiful, are you feeling better?”
Reality snaked its way back into her mind. She licked her lips as her body dueled for supremacy. His wandering hand on her naked skin didn’t help with matters, either.
This was her husband. His gaze darkened as it dropped to her lips. Before she could utter a single word, he bent, taking her lips as if it was his every right to do so. The soft, yet demanding kiss drew her in; her lips parted, willingly inviting him inside. He didn’t squander the opportunity, surging inside to explore and caress with his tongue, coaxing forth moans and making her body vibrate with a desperate need she had never felt before.
While he teased her mouth, his hand snaked down to her mons, gliding through her curls and parting her wet folds to find her rapidly swelling nub. She gasped into his mouth when he found it and gently rubbed. He took advantage, and deepened the kiss, stabbing his tongue in and out in time with his moving finger on her clit.
Her back arched and her hands moved up to his naked shoulders. The battle slipped further towards her body’s dominance over her mind, begging her to surrender to the wonderful sensations.
Air filled her lungs when he broke the kiss to trail wet, open-mouthed ones over her jaw and to the sensitive skin of her neck.
She struggled; she couldn’t give in to this could she? She had been drunk before, but here, her every sense was alive and crying out for more.
Don’t give in. He kidnapped me, and is now trying to sway me with seduction, but to what end?
Sensibility and common sense tore through the sensual haze he wove around her. Her hands slid to his chest, and she shoved. “No.”
He lifted off her, fingers moving from her pussy to catch both her wrists, pinning them against his chest. She smelled her arousal on his fingers.
“Your body tells me yes, my Queen. Why resist the pleasure I can bring you?”
“Because I don’t know who the hell you are. Let me go, now!”
He hesitated a brief moment, before nodding. “Yes, I owe you answers. I can only bring you so far, the rest you must decide on your own.”
Great, more cryptic talk.
He rolled away, climbing off the big, opulent bed. Her breath expelled from her lungs in a rush seeing K’marr completely naked. She couldn’t stop her gaze roaming over all his smooth, bronzed skin, loving the way his muscles flexed in all the right spots whenever he moved.
She shook her head to clear the thought of throwing things on the floor over and over, so she could watch him bend and pick them up.
This man must have been carved in marble, and then brought to life. Perfection didn’t even begin to describe the sculptured six-pack, barrel chest, wide muscular shoulders, and arms so strong, no wonder he didn’t have any trouble lifting her weight.
“You, uh, work out a lot, huh?”
“Gifted with special genetic traits, sweetheart, but it helps to do some exercise in the training? yard.” He grinned wickedly, totally unabashed, displaying his body to her. Her gaze dropped to his cock. Wowzers!
Both fear and excitement rushed through her veins, and her pussy clenched at the mere thought of it sinking deep inside her. She was no expert on male appendages and she stared in awe at his thick, heavy, long and straining cock. He leaned on the bed, and held out his hand.
“No way will that…fit.” She gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth.
His grin widened. “Trust me, sweetheart, when the time comes, it will. Come now.”
Still unsure and feeling like her red face could fry a steak, she placed her hand into his. He tugged her off the bed, and swung her up into his arms.
She didn’t protest the royal, carrying treatment, figured if he wanted to do some weight lifting, it was his prerogative, and she hooked her arms around his neck.
“I want clothes.”
His lips twitched into another grin. “I like you naked.”
“One: I’m not used to being naked; two: you don’t have an ounce of fat on you while I’m—”
“One: you will get used to being naked around me, sweetheart; two: you are soft and perfect in every place; three: I usually get what I want.”
She stared at him. Is he for real?
“Smarty pants,” she grumped, miffed he outdid her with a number three.
“Do you really believe if I didn’t want you, desire you with my every breath, you would be here naked with me as my wife?”
He stared into her eyes, and felt the power of his words and emotions wash through her.
Was this why she wasn’t totally freaking out, waking up like this with him? Trying to make sense of her emotions only made her feel dizzy. She did feel safe and protected in his arms. Never did she felt so drawn to a man, sexually and emotionally.
She sighed. “I should be really mad at you. You took advantage of me and kidnapped me. Where are we, anyway?”
“My quarters on board my ship. Hmm, I think it’s best you do dress for what I’m about to show you. Only I will ever have the privilege of viewing my Queen disrobed.”
“Uh, okay. You're serious about this King stuff, aren’t you?”
He shook his head, but smiled. “Best, I show you.”
He set her on her feet, forcing her to break his gaze and glance around.
Her mouth dropped open. “Wowzers!”
They were in the biggest walk-in closet she ever saw. Fabrics and material hung from strange looking hooks. Silk and sparkly shoes lined shelves, and many other things she couldn’t identify. “I apologize for the limited selection. Your aides will provide you with everything when we reach the palace on Spiri.”
“Limited selection!? You frikken cleaned out a whole department store!”
He pulled a soft, silk dress from one of the hooks, holding it up against her front with a nod. “I made sure everything was in your size. I like this color. Wear it for me?”
K’marr’s expressive face changed so easily, from lustful to playful, and now she stared at his hopeful, puppy dog expression. She was losing every battle she fought to stay aloof and in control. She swallowed and nodded, and he grinned like a happy child. Taking the dress, he helped slip it over her head. She gasped and held back her moan when his fingers glided over her skin as he slid it down, dropping to his knees. He glanced up, his eyes now dark, his face one of lustful need.
Ash doubted anyone could fake such a heated look of desire. She swallowed and took a step back, turning away from him for her own peace of mind. The urge to tackle him and demand he make love to her grew stronger with each passing second.
Focusing on the dress, she noticed it molded to her every curve. She panicked, not used to wearing such revealing clothes, always choosing baggy to hide her extra pounds. “I can’t wear this. I look—”
“Mirror!” K’marr rumbled from behind her. A shimmering light suddenly appeared before her like a holographic camera, projecting her image with him standing behind her. His arms wrapped around her, his hands sliding from her lower belly up to her waist and cupping her full breasts.
“You look as you should, my beautiful Queen,” he rumbled in her ear, sweeping away her hair to kiss the nape of her neck. Her panic melted and she softened against him. It was hard to miss his erection poking into her lower back.
Her breathing grew rapid, and she struggled with the pull of desire. “Please, K’marr, answers,” she barely managed to whisper.
“Of course. You tempt me beyond my control, sweetheart.”
His hands left, and he moved away. Instantly her body mourned the loss of his warmth and strong arms.
“Wait here while I dress.”
She nodded, her focus still on the shimming thing he called a mirror, poking at the image to see where it projected from. She never saw anything like it. Glancing about, she noticed other things about the room. The sleek, white lines of the walls, the little, glowing lights near the doors, even the drawers and hangers looked like some modern version of the Jetsons. She shook her head and bent to pick up a pair of sparkly, blue shoes. Slipping them on her feet, she mused at their perfect fit.
“Ready?”
Startled from her thoughts, she glanced up. How regal he looked in a one piece, cream uniform, royal blue sashes across the expanse of his chest, and next to them pinned a gold star. There was a smile on his face as he held his hand out to her.
Trust him.
She put her hand in his and his smile, so bone meltingly warm, tugged at the corners of her heart.
He led her back into the bedroom, through into a sitting room, and then into a bigger office space, moving them to a long wall.
“I know your curious, human mind wants to know everything, but let’s start with the basics.”
A chill ran down her spin at his use of the word ‘human.’ She glanced up at him, puzzled.
“We’re going to stare at the wall?”
His grin told her he knew far more than she did.
“I ordered the captain to move the ship, affording you the best view.”
“Of what?”
He positioned himself behind her again, his arms around her waist, tugging her tight against his front. “Prepare your mind, Ashlyn. View port, open.”
On his command, the entire wall vanished.
She gasped at the sudden display of the vast expanse of space. In the center, she easily recognized the blue and white-covered planet below.
“Earth.”
They were in outer space. Her brain swam, trying to reject the evidence, though it stared her in the face.
“I am King K’marr of Spirimya, and of five surrounding, solar systems. The planet is, according to human calculation, a hundred billion, light years from Earth's solar system.”
Alien. The word rattled around in her brain.
“Easy, sweetheart. Slow, deep breaths.”
She didn’t realize she was panting. It took a moment for her to bring her breathing under control by following his hypnotic voice, telling her when to breathe in and breathe out.
“You’re an alien; I married an alien?”
“Sweetheart, alien is a subjective word. Our people have travelled through more than half the universe. We’ve yet to come across a race who is not humanoid. Everyone has the same basic shape—two arms, legs, eyes, a mouth, and the way they have sex and reproduce. Some breathe different atmospheres, some planets have heavier or lighter gravity, but we are all basically the same.”
“And you really are a King?”
His arms tightened around her as her whole body trembled. “Yes, sweetheart, and you are my Queen.”
“Okay,” she said with another deep breath. “You’re an alien and a King; I can accept it. What I don’t understand is, if there are so many different women out there, why me?”
He turned her in his arms, tipping back her head back, and stared into her eyes.
“A Spiri male only gets one soul bond, and you, my love, are mine. My race is unique—blessed and cursed at the same time. By the time a Spiri male reaches his thirty-fifth what you know as birthday, if he has not yet found his soul bond, he loses his mind.”
Ash struggled to believe a man, or alien could go insane from not finding their perfect match.
He tugged her away from the window and into the center of the room.
“A’tom, show the images from the help asylums of Grand River City.”
She gasped when the room darkened and images danced around them. Men screaming, tearing at their hair, some huddled in corners, while others, clearly sane, tried to help subdue and inject them with drugs.
Tears blurred her vision, falling down her cheeks. Her heart broke for all these poor souls, lost broken souls, all because they did not find their other half. She turned away, unable to stand it any longer, pressing her face into his chest.
“It’s not fair! Why?”
“Off, A’tom,” K’marr rumbled. “It has always been this way with our people. It is why we search far and wide for our soul bonds. Even though we have recently developed a new drug to help push back this slide, some choose to commit self-execution to avoid the madness for there is only one cure—to bond with the other half of our souls.”
A new panic struck her. “How far are you from turning thirty five?”
“Four days.”
“Have…have we bonded?”
He smiled, gently stroking her chin, and shook his head. The sadness in his gaze tore at her heart. “As I said, the rest is up to you. Where I have seen to your pleasure, I have not taken you. Only our complete joining will bond us. I will not consummate our marriage if you are unwilling.”
The fate of his sanity lay in her hands, or rather her body. Give up her whole life on Earth, and forever bind herself to a sexy, alien King?
Could she say no to him, and let him slip into insanity? Soul bond. Were we really fated to be together, two halves of one whole?
Take the chance, Ash, you know it feels right.
There was surrender in her smile when she gazed up at him, sliding her hands up his chest, loving the way his muscles contracted under her touch.
“Well, I don’t see any option. Make love to me, my King, I am all yours.”
The joy spreading across his face made her heart leap, and do little pitter-patters before his eyes darkened with clear arousal.
“I am going to declare a Universal holiday when we return to Grand River City, so I can spend the whole month buried inside you.”
“Well, that’ll make it difficult to eat and well….Oh…”
He nuzzled at her throat, licking her skin, and making her moan. She loved how easily he lifted her, making her feel petite and sexy.
She only experienced a taste of how he could make her body respond and, unlike her first time, she knew he would never hurt her.