Darcone pushed their food cart out in the hallway. She saw no one waiting there to return it to the cook’s area, but he closed and locked the door. She stood by their table unsure of how to proceed.

Should she pull off her shirt again to entice him?

Or should she try to undress him first? It wasn’t like Darcone was wearing all that many clothes. The most she’d ever seen him wear above his waist were a couple woven armbands covered with writing she assumed was from his home planet. The armbands seemed to be his idea of formal wear—that and black pants that molded to his musculature and sparked a woman’s imagination.

He came back to stand in front her. “Show me all, you must.”

“Show you what?” Bri teased.

His alarmed look was her undoing. She set her own nerves aside, laughed, and kissed his cheek. “I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s do this,” she said bravely, tugging on his hand.

Once in her bedroom, Bri walked a few feet from him and slowly began to remove her shirt. She’d once gone undercover as an exotic dancer, so she knew how to draw out her actions, exaggerating every movement. What she didn’t know was whether or not Darcone found anything she did arousing.

Sighing, her hands moved to her slacks but suddenly she found Darcone’s hands there to stop her. He ran exploring fingers over her bare midriff, his touch as light as could be.

“All beauty to me, you are,” he whispered, bending to kiss her shoulder.

“Now that’s what a woman wants to hear in the bedroom,” Bri praised, giggling at his compliment.

She shivered under the brush of his lips and turned her own lips to his cheek when he raised his face to hers. His low growl brought her nipples to attention inside the bra she still wore.

His teeth dipped and grazed the skin of her shoulder, eliciting more shivers, only these were further south. She was primed and ready. It had taken her sexy alien all of thirty seconds to make her that way.

Darcone made a sound in his throat that was part growl, part groan. “Smell wondrous, you do. Kiss you deeply, I must.”

Her attempt to reply in words was stopped by his talented tongue slipping into her mouth. She hadn’t realized he’d unfastened her slacks until the cool of the bedroom hit her legs. Her hands went to his slacks too, making short work of removing the material. He wouldn’t let go of her mouth to let her look at him, but her hands were telling her all she needed to know. His chest wasn’t the only set of muscles he possessed. His thighs were like steel… as was everything else.

His impressive erection, the entire intriguing length of it, rose upward between them. She pushed him away slightly, gripping it in her hand to conduct her own exploration. He was perfection and enough like a human male that she lost the last of her worries.

“Dangerous action, that is,” he whispered, matching their foreheads.

Bri nodded and closed her eyes in gratitude. “Guess that means I’m doing it right.”

The husky rumble of amusement rippling through his body made her smile widen. “Come to bed with me, Darcone.”

“Is invitation for sex?”

“Yes. It’s an order too because that’s the kind of woman I am. Not tame,” Bri teased.

“Well, I know. Bossy. Mean. Direct,” he teased back. “Man for Bri must be brave.”

“You got that right, but let’s stick with you telling me I’m beautiful and smell good,” Bri suggested, stepping out of her pants and dragging him out of his. “It will keep me in the proper mood to do this.”

She tugged until he climbed into the bed with her. She looked him over then, only a little worried about what was between his legs.

“Any requests for your first time?” Bri asked, stalling a little.

“Yes. Want second and third,” he said.

Bri collapsed against him in giggles. “Stop. You’re not supposed to make me laugh.”

“Not make joke.”

“Then stop being a typical guy,” she said, running her hands over his shoulders and down his arms. “Let’s see how good we can make this first time. The others will take care of themselves.”

He reached behind her and unhooked her bra as if he’d done it a thousand times. She wondered where the hell he’d practiced that particular action, then promptly decided she’d just as soon not know. He said she was his first and she was choosing to believe him.

Between the cool of the room and her arousal, her nipples were hard enough to cut glass. His thumbs grazing them had her hissing. His head bent to one breast. His agile tongue playing with her soon had her moaning. By the time he switched to tormenting the other breast, Bri was sweating and panting.

“Much fun that is,” he whispered, his tongue laving a nipple. “Bri like?”

“Yes, Darcone. Bri likes very much.”

“What else Bri like?”

“How about I show you?” Bri asked, pushing back on his chest until she could climb onto his lap. “I want to ride you. I want to hear you scream my name in pleasure. I want to shatter around you and let you finish whatever I can’t.”

The alien beneath her froze. He lifted her ass, holding her in the air while he partially sat up on the bed. He lowered her back down on his lap, running a finger under the edge of her underwear. “Pretty… but problem.”

“I know. Sure wish I’d taken them off before I got this far with you,” Bri said.

Ten strong fingers went between her legs, ripping the underwear until it hung in tatters. His fingers slid through her wetness, hesitating to delve where she was now sure Darcone wanted badly to go.

“Next time we do this slower. I can’t wait any longer,” she whispered.

“Agreed. Wait too long already,” he said gruffly.

“Yes. We’re done waiting,” Bri said, guiding him to her entrance and sinking down. “Help me. Be easy though.”

“Bri okay?”

“Bri’s going to be more okay when Darcone’s giant cock is all the way inside her. Then she’s going to ride him… uh…”

He pressed upwards, growling as she pressed down and moaned. Bri rose and lowered herself again, taking in more. Her breath was choppy. Sweat ran down her body and made her slick.

When he started throbbing, she thought it was over, but instead, he lifted her up and let gravity take her back down. It was all the invitation she needed to do what she really wanted to do.

She rose and pressed down hard this time, sliding him home. The satisfied sound she made was an echo of his. And inside her, he throbbed in a steady rhythm, better than any mechanical toy she owned.

She pushed herself up to look in his face. “You good?” she asked in a whisper.

“Want more,” he choked out.

“So do I,” Bri whispered, rising and lowering on him. Darcone growled and she felt the vibration everywhere. This was going to end too soon for her, but between his size and the steady throb of him inside her, there was just no stopping the inevitable.

“Bri!” he shouted her name when she picked up her pace.

She rode him and watched him, hoping against hope that he’d get there when she did. “This is the part I was hoping to give you first. Just roll me under you and keep going, okay? I want to feel your pleasure—I want it badly.”

For a split second, Darcone looked stunned by her words. She laughed softly then shattered around his throbbing dick, screaming and moaning as the pleasure he caused tore through her.

She was airborne and then under him in a flash. It was even better with him in control… and damn what a perfect fit he was inside her. Darcone suddenly froze mid-plunge, growling against her neck as the vibrations inside her reached a fevered pitch.

He shifted slightly, nipping her neck as a second and more powerful orgasm tore through her. She called his name roughly, gripped his shoulders with her nails, and wrapped her legs around his waist to hold him within her.

“Perfect, you are,” he whispered gruffly, pushing his hips against hers, his own pleasure bringing exquisite sensations to her as well.

His growling continued, slowing only when his movements did. For one wild crazy moment, Bri wondered just how submissive she’d have to learn to be in order to be his mate. She forgot about her musings when he growled into her shoulder.

“Want you again, I do,” he said roughly.

Her nod against the pillow was all the agreement he needed. His teeth grazing a turgid nipple sent her moaning before he rose above her and bent to claim her mouth.

* * *

“Unfeeling alien bastard,” Bri declared, trying to drown her frustration in the shower.

She’d woken up alone again. This time sated beyond belief and lonely as hell that the male responsible for her body’s ease had once again chosen not to be there when she woke up. It had taken her all of two minutes this morning to discover Darcone and his incredible throbbing dick were nowhere to be found in her quarters.

Finally, feeling guilty about the amount of water she was causing to be recycled, Bri dried off and inspected her marked neck in the mirror. There weren’t any puncture wounds from those sharp teeth of his, but there were plenty of dents, scratches, and pressure impressions all over. Her breasts looked even worse.

What she hated most though was how easy it was to recall his mouth suckling her and his lips tugging on her aroused nipples. Just thinking about his enjoyment had her getting wet and needy again. Damn the talented bastard.

Couldn’t he just have stayed one whole frigging night? She was tired of waking up alone without him. A knock on her door had her glaring at her entrance.

“Go the hell away. I’m still naked,” she yelled.

There was a shuffling outside, then silence again. Finally, there was a softer, but still determined knock. She wrenched open a bathroom supply cabinet, pulled out the last clean sheet there, and wrapped it like a blanket around her large female body.

Stomping to the door, she yanked it open. Toorg was smiling in the background. In front of him was her nervous-looking next-in-command.

“What is it, Lieutenant? And it better be a life or death situation,” Bri said in warning, causing the man to hastily clear his throat.

“There’s a fight in the alien area. Should we wake the Admiral?”

Bri huffed and shook her head. “No. I’m already up and would love nothing better than a good fight this morning. Let me put on some clothes first.”

Leaving the door open, Bri trotted off to the bedroom. She pulled on yesterday’s pants without any underwear and tried not to wince at the discomfort between her legs. Wanting more of what had caused her tenderness there made her feel like seven kinds of idiot.

She grabbed up her bra that had gotten flung to the floor during their strip party. Then she grabbed her dirty shirt and resentfully pulled it on too.

She knew she looked like shit in yesterday’s clothing, but her unprofessional appearance would just have to do. Needing some semblance of authority, she grabbed her jacket off the hook as she headed to the door. Checking her alien control bracelet, Bri said, “Alright. Let’s go.”

It was a hike to that area of the ship from where her quarters were. She’d been there before, many times when she was a child, but not since becoming the airship’s Commander. When they got there, she motioned to Toorg to open the door. He looked worried but did as she asked.

Inside, there were two groups of aliens doing their best to restrain the two fighting ones.

“What the ever-loving hell is going on here?” Bri yelled, cutting through the crowd as it parted in shock, probably because females rarely ventured into the area. She stopped short when she heard growling and saw green blood everywhere. Only one of their aliens bled green. “Darcone?”

The other alien, nearly beaten to a pulp now, glared at Darcone, mumbling words she couldn’t understand. She looked at her bleeding alien lover. “What the fuck is going on?”

Darcone shook off his six restrainers and faced her. “Insulted clone, he did.”

Bri rolled her eyes. “Un-fucking-believable. He insulted the clone. And you think that’s reason enough to nearly kill him?”

Darcone shrugged. “Eat him, I would not. Just kill.”

“Oh, that makes me feel so much better,” Bri spat angrily. Did he really think that him eating the other male was her problem? She looked at the other guy who couldn’t stand up without help. Darcone had done a real number on him. “Toorg, get him to Medical.”

“I am Toorg,” he said agreeably, nodding his head.

Bri turned to Darcone. “Are you finished throwing your stupid alien tantrum?”

They glared at each for a full minute.

“Yes. Done.” Darcone said flatly and finally shrugged. He looked at her. “I bleed.”

“I can see that. Are you hurt enough to need medical attention?” Bri demanded, too mad to truly care.

“No. Just make mess,” he admitted.

Bri felt like screaming and almost did. Instead, a strangled sound escaped her throat.

“Then go take a fucking shower and check for real injuries. If you have them, get to Medical for help. And no more fighting for any reason or I’ll throw your dumb growling ass in a holding cell. I don’t give a fuck if it takes all the rest of the aliens to help me get you there. You will not start stupid fights over your precious Maslin who smells like home. Why were you in here fighting instead of waking up with me?”

An alien nearby put a hand on her arm. She turned a glare his way, but it was the growl from Darcone that had him snatching back his hand, probably afraid Darcone would bite it off. Bri was no longer sure he wouldn’t. Darcone wasn’t nearly as civilized as he appeared nor as stoic. She’d already figured out that his every day calmness was really just a cover for being too arrogant to be bothered with those he considered his inferiors. How could she even like someone like that?

She stared hard at Darcone. “When you can bring yourself to spend the whole damn night and wake up next to me in the cold light of morning, THEN you can do that growling shit. Until that happens, I don’t want to hear so much as a contrary moan from you.”

She turned to the alien who’d touched her. “What do you want?” she asked, as calmly as she could, which was barely.

“My people would approve of me mating a warrior. I would choose you over all other females I’ve seen.”

Bri snorted. Oh good, her first alien proposal—just not from the right fucking alien. “I’m the new Commander of the AAS airship. You’ll just have to wait your turn for a real bride.”

“But your fire burns hot…” The alien lifted his hand, reaching out again.

“Touch not. Mine, Bri is,” Darcone said roughly, growling deep in his throat.

Bri swung her glare back to him. “Oh, hell no, I am not yours. You have no claim on me, especially not when you sneak out of my bed like nothing happened between us.”

“Sneak, I did not. Leave quietly, I did. Not wake you was point.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t fuck a woman senseless all night and then leave her wondering if it meant anything to you.”

“You say, we not fuck…”

Growling, Bri held up her bracelet. “One more argument… one more… and we’re all going to be taking a nap this morning. I am not in the mood for this shit.”

“Because always bad morning you have.”

Forty plus aliens held up their hands and glared at Darcone for continuing to talk. When he stayed silent for a full thirty seconds, Bri turned to her Lieutenant, who looked ready to faint. “Now that the real fight is over, I’m going back to my quarters to have breakfast and get properly dressed for the day.”

“Yes, Commander,” he said calmly, then turned to walk out with her.

“Mad, you are. Sorry, I am,” Darcone yelled at her back.

Snorting, she didn’t turn around. “Yeah, I’m sorry too. This is what I think of you and your no-fucks-to-give attitude about us.”

Bri paused at the door and lifted her middle finger, glaring at him for good measure.

“Invitation, this is?” Darcone asked, sounding hopeful.

“No! Stop being an idiot!” Bri yelled, slamming the metal door. She knew she sent every alien in the room cringing as she did so, but she didn’t care.

Darcone turned to them. “Understand her, I do not,” he said.

The room erupted into forty different kinds of laughter. No one bothered to answer his question. Maybe he shouldn’t have threatened to eat the one who’d insulted his clone child. He needed someone willing to answer his questions until Angus got back in a few days.