Jazen woke slowly, warm and comfortable and at ease. Relaxed as she hadn’t been for cycles. Beefy arms surrounded her, and birdsong filtered into her consciousness. Birdsong? Her eyes flicked open. Where the frak was she? A silky pale cream canopy surrounded her while whitelight glowed through the towering treetops overhead.

Beneath her, a comfortable gel-pad protected her body from rocks and hard tree roots while the transparent gauze kept flying beetles and midges at bay. She heard the insects’ drone and the insistent flap of tiny wings against the shelter.

Her brow crinkled as she tried to recall how she’d arrived in the middle of a forest. Nothing clicked. Her mind remained blank.

She slanted her head to study the male sharing her bed. Nanu. Her pulse bumped up a gear as she studied his strong features, his broad nose. In sleep, his features relaxed, displaying none of the teasing or determination that characteristically etched into his expression.

Something about the man called to her, had attracted her from their first meeting, and this closeness—she admitted it to herself—fulfilled her cravings for sex. This was weird on so many levels because in her profession, she didn’t have time for tender reflections. Never would she bend her will to a man. Her mother’s actions had shown her the futility of that path.

Her profession. Frak it! How had she forgotten?

Nanu had a bounty on his head. He was a murderer and wanted on the planet of Indra.

The memories slammed into her brain, yet she couldn’t summon the energy to move from his embrace. His naked embrace. Without embarrassment, she scanned his face, his broad, muscular chest and let her gaze wander down to his belly. Like her, he came from a humanoid race and as with most humanoid races, there were subtle differences.

His hair was a little weird. The locks didn’t appear as black as she remembered. Perhaps because she was observing his hair so closely. She reached out to touch the tip of her finger to one of the fat, round strands. It was warm, radiating heat. She jerked from the contact, and to her astonishment, the strand lifted, as if seeking her stroke. Frowning, she ran her finger along the length and a faint hum sounded.

“Ah, Jazen. That is fantastic,” Nanu mumbled. “Do it again.”

She tore her hand away as if burned and struggled from his embrace. “Your hair is sentient.”

“Does that scare you?”

“No.” She’d seen weird shit during her travels. “How did I get here?” She tested her memories again and still came up with…nothing. “I remember arriving at the castle and getting locked in a room. But after that, everything is blank. Wait! Did Ry let my transfer to Chobe go through? It’s important.”

“Yes. Ry told me to tell you that the currency transfer to your brother was successful.”

“Thank the stars.” Rafi would be safe now. The money-lenders were brutal, but they held to their own code of honor.

“Never mind that,” Nanu said. “We can discuss more about arrival and your family later. I want to kiss you. I’ve craved your kiss ever since I first saw you.”

His words diverted her, and her gaze darted from his hair to his face. A firm mouth. One that was often curved and smiling, the upper lip thinner than the bottom. She focused on his bottom lip and drew closer.

“Let me kiss you,” he murmured his hands smoothing across her shoulders and down her biceps.

A handful of cycles ago, she would’ve protested, but why fight when she yearned for the physical contact? Her mouth dried. Her lifeforce muscle pumped faster, and she swallowed twice. Something about this situation seemed weird, yet her desire to kiss Nanu never lessened. He didn’t hurry to make contact. Instead, he let her close the distance between them.

His lips were as warm as his hair tendrils. Once they fit together, he drew her against him and moved his mouth lazily against hers. Her pulse thumped at the sense of rightness, at the dash of pleasure winding through her body. Emboldened, her tongue darted out to lick his lower lip, and he groaned, giving her fuller access. She took advantage, sliding their tongues together in the commencement of the mating dance.

A decadent honey flavor burst over her taste buds. This time it was she who groaned. She explored the flatness of his teeth and gloried in his tight embrace. Breathless, she thrilled to his touch, pleasure soaring through her mind. She’d never experienced, never imagined a kiss to rival this one. The dance of their tongues lit signal fires over her body while the stunted spikes along her backbone—a useless inheritance from her anonymous sire—prickled with growing enjoyment each time Nanu ran his fingers over them.

While she’d wanted other men and indulged her sexual curiosity in the past, she’d never craved a man with the intensity in which she desired Nanu in this moment.

Her stomach fluttered in anticipation of a more intimate contact. Her breasts peaked against her tunic. Her sex throbbed. Longing filled her mind, and her lifeforce muscle beat double-time.

She pressed closer and barely flinched when a tendril of his hair stroked her cheek. The sentient strand merely upped her pleasure and a naughty thought drifted into her mind. Could his hair caress her breasts or strum her sex button?

Delight bubbled between them, and Nanu lifted his head, crinkles radiating from the corners of his sparkling eyes. “What?”

“Your hair is amazing.”

“It doesn’t scare you?”

“Should it?”

“My hair is a useful weapon in close combat fighting.”

She blinked. “You won’t hurt me though?”

“No.” He rolled their bodies until she lay flat on the gel-pad.

His familiar visage peered down at her, although she hadn’t seen his hair act this independently before—it hadn’t when he’d been her patient on Narenda. But now, the strands lifted and writhed around his head, pale pink showing through the black.

“Where are we?”

“We’re in my gattoc.”

There was no mistaking his satisfaction. While she sought details of their location and inquisitiveness burned within her, he didn’t scare her. He didn’t appease her curiosity either and that didn’t irritate her in the slightest. Strange, when he’d practically abducted her. She shook her head and, thankfully, jogged back into a work mind frame.

“Why?” she asked.

“I wanted to be alone with you.” His finger smoothed down her cheek and traced around her lips.

“You should’ve asked instead of abducting me.”

“I saw the way you checked me out when we first met. I experienced the same bolt of lust, so I figured I’d act rather than tiptoe around the subject.” Male approval throbbed in his voice for an instant before his face blanked. “Then you decided you’d collect the bounty on my head.”

“Are you sure you weren’t mistaken and received mixed messages?”

“No, I’m sure about the bounty. But we won’t discuss that now. Back to the kiss. That’s more important. You kissed me. You started our kiss, and I intend to finish it,” he purred.

He was right. She had given in to her urge to touch him. The kiss had been the next step in becoming intimate with his gorgeous body. Yes, he spoke the truth. She did want this even though her mind warred, one side for and the other screeching at her stupidity.

He was a wanted man.

Trouble came in this sexy package called Nanu.

She centered herself and speared him with her determination. “I’ll want explanations later. I want to know how I got here. Why I’m here.”

“You’ll get them,” he promised.

The momentary tension slid from her muscles as she weighed his agreement. “Good. Kiss me again. Your flavor tempts me. It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before.”

“Excellent.” He beamed at her seconds before he claimed her mouth.

This time he didn’t bother with preliminaries. His lips collided with hers and seconds later, their tongues twined, the decadent honey tang filling her mouth. She moaned against his lips, her fingers biting into his shoulders as she tried to melt against his chest.

Her mind kept nagging her. This was a bad idea. Wrong, wrong, wrong, yet pulling away from him—impossible.

He held her to him, and she realized he wore not a stich of clothing while she remained dressed. His cock pushed against her lower belly as the kiss continued. Tongues and mouths mated, and the more they kissed, the stronger and more tempting the honey flavor became. Leaving his arms appealed less and less.

Finally, she pulled away, panting with the sheer need that flooded her body. And it appeared the same urgency afflicted Nanu. His eyes glittered with lust and arousal.

“Can I remove your clothing?”

“Yes.” Wait. No! This was a ridiculous idea, yet…there was nothing she wanted more, and she approved of him requesting rather than taking control or ordering her to comply. Her garments weighted her arms and legs, a heavy encumbrance, anyway. They clung to her torso and limbs and she wriggled, desperate to strip. She levered away from him, and immediately mourned the loss of his body heat. Her hands grasped the hem of her tunic.

“No, please. Let me.” His amber eyes glowed and his hair tendrils lifted and swayed around his head as he waited for her response.

“Yes,” she whispered, something about this confident man appealing to her in a big way, despite the conflict with her job and his bounty. His expression made her want to understand him, and the lust surging through her veins ordered her to leap at him.

Later, she’d jump back into warrant-taker shoes. Could she deceive him and claim his bounty after this intimacy?

She hesitated. Sex complicated things, yet she ached for him with a painful intensity. Later. She’d consider the consequences as soon as she rid herself of this strange urgency to couple with Nanu.

“Yes,” she repeated, agreeing to go ahead without reservations.

His hair tendrils settled against his head as he beamed at her. The glow in his eyes intensified. His mouth curved into a pleased smile. A toothy smile.

Her own lips parted in an O of astonishment. His teeth. She’d noticed the whiteness of them earlier, but they’d resembled hers—flat-tipped and even. Now, his incisors bore wicked sharp points.

She flinched as he closed the distance between them, wary without understanding why. Something had changed in a matter of secs.

“Jazen,” he murmured, the tips of his fingers grazing her cheek. “I’d never hurt you. Never. You’re safe here in my gattoc.”

“You have a price on your head,” she blurted.

“I didn’t murder that woman. My brother didn’t murder the woman either. All we’re guilty of is helping her escape a bad mating. Her husband ordered her assassinated. We had nothing to do with her death.”

He spoke with conviction and didn’t avoid her gaze. Was he telling the truth or spouting lies? She scrutinized him closely, seeking a sign either way. It was difficult to concentrate when he was so naked, so big. So…aroused. “But—”

“Enough.”

His stern tone had her snapping her mouth shut. She saw the glow of his eyes, the longing in his expression. Her deep inhalation calmed her unease and the tension dispersed from her muscles, replaced by desire again. Since his request matched the insistent need simmering inside her, she waited for the answers to her many questions. Once Nanu relaxed enough to drop his guard, she’d make her escape, either with Nanu in cuffs or without Nanu at all.

No one captured her.

“All right,” she agreed, and this time, she pushed her ruminations aside to concentrate on him. He knelt in front of her to unlace her boots, and she gave in to the temptation to skim her fingers over his hair. Nanu lifted his head, pushing into her palm. An exuberant hum filled the air. The tendrils vibrated beneath her touch. Intrigued, she stroked the fat strands. They twisted around her wrist, caressing her, the warmth of them radiating up her arm. Wow, they were unlike anything she’d witnessed during her travels.

“Let’s get the rest of these clothes off you,” he said, standing in a fluid motion.

There was no sexy way to wriggle out of her tunic, but that didn’t seem to deter Nanu. He whipped the white garment over her head and removed her breast band before she blinked. Her gaze darted down his body and came to rest on his shaft. His cock bore distinct ridges. She stared, attempting to discern their purpose.

“Beautiful and exotic,” he whispered, drawing her attention upward. He stroked her slowly and ran his fingers over the blunt spikes on her back.

Jazen closed her eyes, hating the ugly spikes that always caused a conversation when someone saw them. They mostly remained beneath the surface of her skin, but when her emotions rose, the blunt spikes did too.

“What race gave you these?” he asked when she remained silent.

Her gaze shot to his face before shooting to her webbed toes. Tiny spikes grew beneath the nails of her toes, barely visible and of no use. “My mother worked in a brothel. My father was one of her many customers.”

“It matters not,” he whispered.

Uncertain, she lifted her head to read his expression. Her tension ebbed. He didn’t care about her background, the genes lurking in her past. Under his bright gaze, she felt desirable and worthy of a male’s attention, the sensual glitter in his eyes distracting her from ogling him back.

Secs later, he removed her trews and undergarments, leaving her naked.

Nanu straightened again, his intense mien darting disquiet through her. She took half a step back and another until she tripped over the gel-pad. She toppled, and Nanu followed her down, caging her between his body and their bed. He pressed his lips to hers and everything in her past ceased to exist. Jazen gripped his upper arms, eager to taste more of his honeyed sweetness. His talented lips caressed hers while his tongue stroked and licked and teased her to the point of madness. The sweet flavor of him fueled her lust until she writhed against him with acute urgency, every part of her aching and throbbing for his touch.

Never had she wanted to slake her lust this badly. Her worry about Nanu’s past. Poof! Her concern for her brother. Poof! Her anxiety about her imprisonment. Poof!

Instead, she grabbed Nanu’s beefy shoulders and rubbed her breasts against his muscular chest while the seductive honey scent of him filled her with dizzy pleasure.

“I knew the first time I saw you,” he murmured against her neck. “I knew our bodies would fit together.” His teeth scraped over a pulse point at her throat. “I knew it would be magical between us.”

Their lips met again, and eagerly, she made darting forays with her tongue, desperate to enjoy more of his addictive flavor. Her tongue raked over one of his sharp teeth, and a flash of pain had her pulling away.

Nanu shuddered and groaned, refusing to release her. Instead, he sucked on her wound and the throb of pain receded in a flash of pleasure. The blissful sensations sank down her body, frisking her breasts and settling between her thighs.

Nanu lifted his head, his amber eyes glowing with a fierce heat. In a tender moment, he pressed their foreheads together and nuzzled his cheek against hers.

“I’ve been waiting for you my entire life,” he murmured before kissing her again.

Wait. What? His entire life. What did that even mean?

Before she quizzed him, his passionate kiss claimed her attention, and she promised herself she’d ask more questions later, once her brain was functioning at full capacity.

This place…what had he called it? A gattoc? The tent structure was strange yet romantic with the plants and flowers entwined in the frame. It reminded her of the promo holos for the Middlemarch Resort on the planet Tiraq. They catered for women and provided sexy holidays. She’d heard a woman might locate almost anything at the resort, but she hadn’t had the finances together or carved out the time to fritter away on a luxury resort holiday.

Nanu ran his hand across her chest, caressing the globes of her breasts. He followed with his lips, nibbling and kissing, tickling her flesh. She giggled secs before Nanu closed his mouth around one nipple. He drew hard and the tug sizzled downward to collect at her weeping sex.

Too much thinking.

She could plan later, and meantime, she’d enjoy the frak out of this sensual treat.

Nanu skimmed his hands over her sides, her rib cage, her hips. His touch, his kisses, his contrasting gentleness and roughness pushed her body higher until she let go of her thoughts and drifted on a sea of pleasure.

He moved down the gel-pad and silently indicated she should part her legs. He ran his fingers over her hips and blew a stream of warm air down the seam of her sex. Her quim bloomed under his attention, and she had difficulty keeping her lower body still. She ached and throbbed for completion, the rush toward arousal fast and almost brutal in its intensity.

“Please, Nanu. Don’t tease me.”

“Never,” he said, his tone solemn. “I wish to please you, so you’ll want to repeat this again.”

She grasped his head, jumping when his hair tendrils wound around her hips. They caressed and held her fast. Her lifeforce muscle jumped into a choppy beat until she understood he didn’t intend to injure her. Gradually, she calmed.

He licked her firmly and circled the tip of his tongue around her sex nub. Jazen relaxed since the man was skilled in physical matters. Best she savor this treat now since most men only cared for their own satisfaction.

The pleasure grew, building layer on layer until she trembled beneath his touch. She gasped as he ratcheted up his attentions and she shattered with such force she blanked out for a sec or two.

Nanu moved up the gel-pad and coaxed another kiss from her. She kept her eyes closed and clung to him. For an instant, she tasted lifeforce then decided it was her imagination. Her tongue no longer bled. Yes, it was an over active imagination because the sweet honey of his breath soon filled her senses.

She wriggled and issued a happy sigh as he notched his cock to her entrance. He pushed inside a fraction, pulled back out and slid deeper with the next stroke. A moan of pleasure escaped her. She’d been right. Those intriguing ridges hit some interesting spots inside her. Her flesh rippled around his girth. He pulled back and thrust inside her again. She groaned at the renewed pleasure, the swell of bliss. Those ridges…

She whimpered, desperate for more as his cock invaded and retreated. It was the strangest thing, His cock seemed to reduce then swell, but since it filled her with exquisite perfection, she didn’t protest or ask questions to appease her curiosity.

His hair tendrils stroked her face and her neck, her lips and one darted inside her ear. Wow. Weird, but it darted delight through her. Another tendril streaked around her throat, effectively holding her head still. One traced around her lips and slipped inside when she opened her mouth in surprise.

Other longer tendrils played with her breasts and soon she coasted on a different plane. Pleasure. Could a person expire from such pleasure?

Nanu ceased his strokes once he was fully embedded and his cock pulsed within her, massaging those magical spots inside her. A moan slipped free, her pelvis lifting as she greedily sought more.

“You’re hot and wet and tight,” he said, his voice thick with lust. “Perfect.”

Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, drawing him closer. “Move, Nanu. Please move.”

A brilliant grin stamped his features. “It would be my pleasure.”

He pulled back and surged inside her, his strokes measured at first until she adapted to his size. The pressure and the stimulation against the walls of her sex increased. It wasn’t painful. More different, but then everything with Nanu had been unexpected.

Jazen kept her eyes closed and gave herself over to his experienced seduction. His hair tendrils cuddled and hugged her flesh. His hands stroked. His cock stimulated her until she sizzled again. The sensations grew, even better than before. She shuddered as his shaft strummed against a perfect spot deep inside her body. She wondered if she’d stay in one piece or if she’d shatter with the force of her impending climax.

Nanu stroked into her again and groaned, the vibrations in his chest so hard, she felt them against her body. He pulled back and returned, his cock plunging deep. Something pinched her internally, the sharp pain pushing her into orgasm. The sensations streamed through her veins, down her legs and up her torso until the pleasure danced across her skin. Nanu’s cock pulsed, and his moan told her the ecstasy roared through him too.

Jazen sighed, and fatigue took hold without warning. Exhausted by her climax, she drifted on the edge of slumber, well-pleased with herself for not putting up a fight. A hair tendril slid across her throat, releasing its hold. She relaxed into the gel-pad and yawned.

Best sex ever.

Maybe she’d ask for a repeat before she left, although she’d miss Nanu.

One thing was certain. She sighed because she hated the idea of executing the warrant on him for an exchange of currency. Her conscience refused to entertain the betrayal now that she’d shared this intimacy with him. Although she had no proof, he’d spoken with conviction about the murder of the woman. Something about him and his friends signaled integrity, a personality quality she rarely met during her travels. Once she escaped, she’d investigate the case further because she abhorred the possibility of committing an innocent man. If he told the truth, at the very least she could attempt to have the warrant revoked.

Yes, she’d ask for a repeat of this unbeatable sex, and if she discovered he wasn’t guilty of the crime, assure the Indy crew she didn’t intend to turn in Nanu and go on her way. She was certain they’d release her if she promised not to betray their friend. Besides, once they understood she intended to retire from warrant-taking, they’d feel safer.

She felt a caress on her cheek as she slid deeper into sleep and smiled. A woman could get used to the strange abilities of his hair tendrils. She pushed at his chest. “Are you intending to move anytime soon?”

Nanu spluttered, seemed to hesitate and slipped from her body. Jazen caught his expression as he rolled away from her, a strange…was that confusion?

“Is something wrong?” She yawned for a second time, fatigue and worry catching up with her after weeks of research and tracing dead ends during her hunt for the missing cyborg.

“No, nothing is wrong. Would you enjoy a drink?”

Was he trying to drug her again? She hesitated. “Will you let me go if I promise not to mention you to the authorities?”

“I failed to do a good job if you’re intending to leave,” Nanu said drily.

“You can’t keep me here for much longer. My brother will worry about me.” At least she hoped Chobe would attempt to locate her if he lost contact. Then again, maybe not since she’d practically told him he needed to take responsibility for his own actions.

Nanu rearranged his body so he was facing her again. “I’ve heard females enjoy cuddling.”

Jazen stared at him, nonplussed by the strange conversation. She didn’t cuddle. She didn’t linger. She didn’t do relationships full stop.

Not in her line of work.

The men she came into contact with were her competitors, and she’d needed to keep one step ahead of them. With that kind of pressure, if she succumbed to her urges, she’d never lingered. Nanu had whisked her away to who knew where against her will, so why the frak would he expect her to cuddle?

“When are you going to release me?”

“When I’m ready. You intended to capture me.”

That was accusation in his tone. She lifted her chin and met his gaze without flinching. She refused to apologize for her chosen profession. Having a job, a purpose had saved her from a life in the brothel. Because that is where she would’ve ended up if her mentor hadn’t pulled her and Chobe from that life.

“I refuse to apologize for doing my job.”

“You intended to turn me in,” Nanu accused.

“You have a bounty on your head for murder,” she countered.

“I didn’t murder Rosevear.”

“Doesn’t matter.” But it should matter if an innocent man was wrongly accused of a crime.

“How many innocent beings do you deliver and collect the bounty?”

“It’s not my job to determine guilt or innocence.” Yet despite her words, it bothered her to think she might consign an innocent to death.

“So you hide behind your job. As long as you snare your target and receive your currency.”

His words stung, and unwillingly, her mind wandered back to some of her recent jobs. She’d captured a woman and her son and collected the bounty paid by the husband. The woman had pleaded to let her flee. She’d cried and sworn and pleaded some more. She’d stated the man had wanted his son to go into the family business. She’d said her husband intended to commit her to a planet that specialized in containing those with mental issues. Neither she nor her son would have normal lives once Jazen escorted her to the city base of the woman’s husband.

Most of her captives pleaded with her, promised riches and rewards if she forgot she’d ever seen them. They proclaimed their innocence as Nanu did. Most of them lied. She was the warrant-taker and the charges were nothing to do with her. She frowned and shifted uneasily, not wanting to focus on the task ahead of her.

“Why are we here?” She wrinkled her nose. “Wherever this gattoc thingy is.”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

A teasing light lit his amber eyes, and she smiled before she recalled her situation. “Am I still a prisoner?”

“My captive.”

Once again, he sounded smug and that irked her. “You won’t get away with this.”

“I believe I have.”

Yes, there was no doubt about his arrogance this time.

Was the man trying to aggravate her? No. The better question was why the man was trying to aggravate her. At least she didn’t fear for her life. The man had already had his way with her and it hadn’t been against her will.

She didn’t know what was going on or why she was here, and even worse, an explanation of why she wasn’t putting up a fight or objecting strongly failed to emerge in her confused brainbox. But she was tired. Maybe that was it. What with the pressure Chobe was putting on her and her trying to learn about the missing cyborg, she hadn’t slept well. Exhaustion lay at the root of her passive behavior. Yeah, that was it. She’d try to sleep and once she woke refreshed, she’d determine how to escape. Yes, that plan sounded perfect.

She’d lull him with cooperation and spring a surprise escape on him when he least expected an attempt.

 

Nanu stared at the smooth tan skin of her back, the faint shadow of spikes down the line of her spine and attempted to shake away his confusion. His father and uncles had told him once he found the one and his inner beast awakened, the mating would proceed on a timetable. He’d make love to his mate and he’d lock in place to ensure conception.

That hadn’t happened.

He sifted through his mind, attempting to recall the advice offered by his father so many rotations ago.

Make sure your female drinks plenty of fluids and that you take time to feed her. Eat and drink too because the mating and locking process uses much energy.

No problem there. He’d asked the chef in the castle kitchens to prepare a selection of foods for them and he had a supply of nectar juices and fresh water. At least that part of the plan was under control. The rest though…something was amiss. The sex with Jazen had left him satisfied, but the lack of locking concerned him.

A soft snore came from Jazen, and Nanu was momentarily charmed until his dire musings took over, driving him to distraction. Moving with stealth, he rose to wander the gattoc, his unease making him restless.

For a sec, he considered leaving to consult with his friends. His inner beast growled instantly, and his shoulders slumped. Pay attention to your inner beast. More words of wisdom from his father.

Nanu stomped to the entrance of his gattoc and stared out at the trees. He inhaled the fresh green scent, and his gaze followed the path of a bright blue butterfly. Leeam and Sheera had worked magic with his gattoc. Everything about it was perfect, so why wasn’t this mating taking in the correct manner?

Jazen murmured in her sleep, a pained cry, and Nanu whirled, his gaze scanning his gattoc. Nothing was out of place. She gave another muffled cry, and he strode to her side and crouched. His hair tendrils reached for her, one stroking her face and another her shoulder.

She calmed, his touch seeming to soothe her. Nanu stared at her, his tension easing. She was here in his gattoc.

That was all that mattered.