Chapter 20

 

 

 

Sylvia, the first woman to prove that life existed on other planets, currently regretted that discovery. X’s demands had her speechless, but she didn’t get the ability to respond because his brother called, pulling the handsome thing from the bathroom.

What kind of a man tells you that he'll give you a ticket home if you sleep with him? Then he rushes you out of the bath because his brother is on his way over? His brother, the Minister of Defense, who thinks you took down the planetary defense grid because you're secretly working for seven-foot-tall blocks of Jell-O.

"Dr. Cohen, you either drag yourself out here now, or I'm coming in to get you, clothed or not."

That kind of man. A demanding, egotistical, and annoyingly sexy man who was also the Supreme Regent of the planet. A planet full of people who also thought she was working for the enemy.

Sylvie sighed. Look at the bright side. At least he stopped his scientists from dissecting you.

She shivered at the thought and got up, tugging the towel from a nearby rack and stepping onto the cold floor.

"Dr. Cohen!" His voice was right outside the doorway.

"I'm coming!" she grumbled, wiggling this way and that, trying to squeeze into the strangulation device that Zantharian women considered clothing. She'd just managed to work the pants over her hips, considering all the while if it would be better to lose her panties to gain a spare centimeter. Sylvie turned around, then slapped her arms across her naked breasts.

The Supreme Regent was leaning against the alien doorframe, a strained look on his face.

"Get out!" she yelled, looking around for something to throw at the regent.

"You're taking forever. My brother will be here any minute and I meant what I said about not letting you out of my sight."

"But you just let me out of your sight so that I could get dressed. You stood out in the hall."

His expression didn't change. She almost had expected his skin to shift to yellow, but instead a faint orange hue had appeared. What did orange mean?

"You didn't wait in the hall, did you?"

"I did," he said. The orange coloring remained.

"But I wasn't out of your sight?"

X's eyes wandered down her body and she shivered, turned away from him for a momentary pause on the rising desire to give in to his demands. Her nipples hardened painfully and she glanced down before steeling herself. She was a grown woman. Pretending that she wasn’t was not going to help her current situation. She spun on her heel and took a step toward him.

"Stop ogling me and answer the question!"

The regent's eyes returned to hers, then skittered away. "I observed you from my console. It's the only way I could be certain that you haven't been infiltrated."

"So you watched me get dressed. After I asked you not to?"

"You didn't ask me not to watch you. You asked me to leave the room, which I did. You still owe me an answer to my request."

Sylvie rolled her eyes. If she wouldn't have had to bare a breast by removing her hand, she would have slapped him in the chest.

Go ahead. Put your hand down. He's already seen it all anyway.

"Unbelievable," she hurled at him, then turned her back to him and fastened her top as quickly as possible. Modesty had been too much a part of her past to squelch it in the moment. "Watching me while I change. Making lascivious propositions instead of politely sending me home."

Sylvie embraced her anger. He'd earned it and it felt so much better than the desire to slut herself for a ride home. She hadn’t slept with a man in far too long and not really knowing what was beneath his sarong left her feeling almost dirty in wanting to find out. She was raised a prude and there was no way she was getting past being one because a sexy alien requested that she did.

She pushed past him into the hallway and headed toward the sitting room.

"If this were Earth, you'd be kicked out of the office for sexual harassment. Maybe they'd even throw you in jail." She stomped into the sitting room, giving full rein to her frustration. "In fact--"

Sylvie froze. Another alien was already in the room. A maroon alien with familiar features.

X was standing in front of her with his back to her before she could blink. He was protecting her. His actions caused her angst to die down… fast.

"How did you get in here, brother? My chambers are sealed."

The minister shrugged his wide shoulders. "I'm in charge of planetary defense. You think I don't know the code to open your door?"

"You could have signaled like everyone else."

There was annoyance in the regent's voice as his skin began to shift, lightening from orange, moving toward yellow. He was getting pissed and rightly so. She could have still been half dressed. He was the Supreme Ruler, right? The Minister couldn’t pull a trump card, could he?"

“You summoned me, brother," the Minister of Defense stated.

The regent took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then released it. "I did, but you took so damn long that I forgot. Forgive me, but don’t walk into my chambers without knocking again.”

The other male simply nodded, as if saying nothing was better than offering a retort of sorts.

X continued, “Dr. Cohen and I were attacked this afternoon by Hareema infiltrators masquerading as your guards."

The Minister of Defense's reaction was minimal. "Where were you attacked?"

"In a transport vessel, returning from the resting place of the regents."

A dark eyebrow lifted on the maroon alien. "You took her to meet Mother?"

X scowled at his brother. "Drake, that's irrelevant. Maybe you didn't hear me. Two guards, the same two guards who were in your chambers, tried to take me prisoner. If it wasn't for the Earthling female, they would have succeeded in replacing me."

"The female stopped them?"

Sylvie bristled at the surprise she heard in the Minister's voice. "Yes, I stopped them. I fried them to a crisp. What you should be worrying about is how they could have gotten so close to your brother. So close to you."

The Minister eyed her, almost as if seeing her for the first time. His voice was far too monotone. Either he was numbed to the situation or he was hiding something. The latter of the two seemed more possible.

"I underestimated you.” Drake’s eyes moved across Sylvie as if assessing her worth. "I won't make that mistake a second time."

"I'm not sure I believe you, brother." X stared him down. "You've been making mistakes left and right."

"If you think I'm responsible for those two guards--"

"Of course not, Drake." X crossed his arms over his muscular chest. "Even I didn't realize anything was off about them, but you haven't been able to bring up the defense grid. The Earthling ship is still inactive as well, and worst of all, throughout this whole crisis, you've been running around, showing your maroon to everyone you meet. It's bad for morale."

The Zantharians had skin that changed color with strong emotion. Maroon indicated some form of fear or anxiety. It's the only color she'd seen on the Minister of Defense since she'd met him. The threat of an enemy invasion seemed to have him thoroughly scared.

The minister frowned. "There are more important things to worry about besides my skin color. For instance, how do we know this female isn't part of the plot? They could have set up your kidnapping to gain your trust."

X rounded on his brother, grabbing the braid that ran across his chest and tugging him closer so that the Minister's face was only inches from the regent's. "Dr. Cohen is not the enemy. She's proven herself to me multiple times, and Mother agrees."

X took a step back but didn't release the braid. "And, just to make myself absolutely clear, I want you to get a hold on your emotions. No more maroon in front of the men. That's an order."

Drake scowled, pulling his braid out of his brother's grip.

"Like I said, there are more important issues than my color. You'll see for yourself the moment you try to walk out that door." The Minister of Defense moved toward the exit. "Even if you think you can trust her, she could still be your downfall."

A snarl took up residence on the regent's face, his skin bright yellow. He didn't say anything as his brother walked out languidly, the membrane-esque wall resealing itself. X’s breathing was far heavier than she had heard it before and it seemed to take a few minutes for him to gather his wits about him. His skin darkened back to green before too long and he glanced up at her.

"It's strange," he said after his color returned to neutral. "My brother has never been one to parade his fear around for everyone to see. I would have expected him to focus more on the guards than on--." His eyes lit on her and his mouth closed.

"On me?" Sylvie nodded. "I don't know the guy, but I think maybe he's finding the stress of his position a bit overwhelming at the moment." Then she remembered that she was trying to get a ticket off this planet. "Still, he's got a point."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a threat."

X laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You're wrong."

"No, you said it yourself. I'm a distraction you can't afford. Since you know I'm not working for the enemy, the safest solution would be to send me back to Earth."

The regent's eyes narrowed. "You know my terms."

Sylvie rolled her eyes and pressed her hand to her hip, giving him a look that her grandmother would be proud of. Men and their hormones.

This time his laugh was genuine. "You Earthlings. Your irreverence is refreshing."

"Fine. Great. Whatever." Sylvie crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm a barrel of laughs. This isn't getting us any closer to figuring out where, or in whom, the enemy is hiding."

X's expression grew serious. "You're right. Something's been bothering me about the guards. I mean, they were able to exchange energies. Passing a jolt like that between the two of them should have forced them back into gelatinous form."

Sylvie ran a hand through her hair. "Not if they only pretended to exchange energies. They're natural mimics, right? So maybe they just imitated the flash."

"Of course!" The regent smoothed his hands over his face. His features were tight, his eyes lackluster at best. He was tired. This crisis had been hard on him and almost being kidnapped had to be a wake-up call.

No sympathy! He's trying to convince you to sleep with him for a ticket home. Besides, no one tried to dissect him.

X headed to the food console as Sylvie sunk down in a nearby chair. His strong shoulders were tight, the muscles flexed as if tight with tension. Something deep inside of her wanted to offer him relief, but she just couldn’t seem to get past herself.

He dialed up a plate of edibles and two cups of clear, sweet water before moving to set them on the table before her.

"That's why there were two guards." He sat and popped a few morsels into his mouth, talking around a mouthful of food. "They knew our protocol and made sure the two guards stayed together so that, when an energy exchange was needed, they could imitate one.”

Sylvie made a small frown. "It's impolite to talk with your mouth full."

She picked up a small, round piece of... something. It was vaguely sweet, and delicious. She glanced up at him as he frowned.

"Impolite? Maybe on Earth but not here."

X was tucking the food away, and she couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been since he'd eaten. The food was delicious no doubt, but the strong movement of his jaw as he chewed and the concentrated look in his eye almost melted her.

“X. Can I ask something personal?” She sat back, forcing herself to be brave.

“Of course.” He glanced up, lifting his finger to his mouth and licking in long strokes.

Her stomach tightened painfully. Taking a shaky breath, she forced herself to ask. “What’s Zantharian anatomy like? Can you compare it to a human’s for example?”

“I’m not quite sure what you’re asking, Dr. Cohen. Be straightforward and ask your questions. I don’t have time to figure out what you’re hinting at. Nor do I have the energy.” He sucked the last bit off his finger as his eyes lit up again.

He knew exactly what she was talking about. Ass.

“Your reproductive organs. Are they similar to a human male’s?”

Much to her horror, he stood and smiled, sliding his hand over his sarong and pulling it up as she turned her head away.

“X. Damn. I didn’t say I wanted to see it.”

“I want you to. Stop being shy and look over here. I’m not going to bite you and you’re a grown woman. Start acting like it.” He reached out and pressed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to turn to him.

His cock was thick and twice the size of any human male she had seen. The physiology of it was exactly the same, but the veins just under his skin seemed to pulse with electrical currents. Sylvie swallowed hard and glanced up at him.

“It gets hard?”

“Mostly when you’re around, but yes… it gets very hard.” He released the covering that hugged his waist and sat back down, picking something from her plate and sitting back.

The man acted as if they were talking about the weather.

Zantharians must not have a lick of modesty. How refreshing. To live free.

Taking a long breath, she picked up the final pastry on her plate and ate it, hoping like hell that her skin would cool. The room felt blistering hot all of a sudden. Why didn’t she touch him? To see how soft his skin was or if the pulsing was a current of sorts?

She licked the last drops of the sweet morsel off her fingers and glanced up, X’s eyes locked on to her. The glowing ring around his pupils seemed larger than ever and his skin began darkening, taking on a recognizable purple tint.

Fear rushed through her. She wanted him, too… bad. Time to change the subject as sleeping with men never did anything but break her heart in the long run. Why she couldn’t just be open to casual sex for the pleasure of it was beyond her, but she couldn’t.

"Where to next?" she asked.

X reached over and took her hand, tugging it toward his lips until her wet, sugary fingers slipped into his mouth. He sucked softly at them, his tongue rolling around each digit in the warmth of his mouth.

“Oh, God,” she muttered, her eyes closing as she tried to get ahold of herself. It felt so good to have his attention, his affection.

He released her and smiled, licking at his lips. “Delicious. I want more of you, Earthling. Come to bed with me and I’ll make sure you feel more pleasure than you ever have.”

“I can’t. What’s next on the agenda?” She wiped at her fingers, pulling herself together as best she could. The light fluttering in her stomach was nothing compared to the beating of her heart. She glanced down to ensure her skin wasn’t lifting and falling in rhythm to it.

"Right. Where to next?" He stood and rolled his shoulders. The thick press of his arousal was more than obvious at the front of his sarong, but he didn’t seem to mind her noticing.

"That's what I just asked." She averted her gaze and put her plate on top of his.

"I know. I was just thinking out loud." He became silent, his gaze floating to the ceiling as if trying to discern their next steps.

Sylvie fought to keep her eyes off of him, but it was a battle she lost. He was just so fucking hot. His intriguing eyes. His prominent nose and lush lips that were soft yet firm. Lips that had sent pleasurable little shivers of electricity through her body.

Her breath caught as she let herself enjoy the vision of him in front of her. Long, solid muscles that were lean and not bulky with a thick chest and arms that she couldn’t stop staring at.

She imagined him taking her into his arms, lifting her so that her legs slid around his hips. Would she be so bold to grind herself against him? Her body flooded with desire and she reached for a small towel and pressed it to her lips before standing.

“You smell so good. Did you know that Earthling females put out a scent when they are primed and ready to be taken by their mates?” He moved toward her as she took a tentative step back.

“Um, no. Maybe animals on Earth, but females don’t do that.” She was lying, but it was far too embarrassing to admit that she was putting off that odor. She couldn’t smell it, but by the look on his face, he could.

“You are putting off that enticing smell. You enjoy what you see when you look at me. I can tell. Come to my bed for the afternoon. Let me touch you.” He took another step toward her and she steeled herself, not willing to back down, but unsure of how to move forward.

Why am I even considering it? If I won't do it for a ticket home, why would I do it otherwise?

Why indeed? Maybe because he was the most attractive male she'd ever met. He aroused her like no human male ever had, which was dangerous. Her body ached in all the right places, but sadly enough, by her calculations as a scientist, they would never fit together. He was far too large for her. Perhaps if she had been more promiscuous in her younger days, but she hadn’t. Sex seemed to cloud the water and her career was far more important than a romp in the sheets.

Besides, she was there on a scientific mission. Even though things had not turned out as planned, the mission had not changed. The best strategy now was to return home with the information she'd amassed. Earth had to be told about the Zantharians, and the Hareema.

Especially the Hareema.

X's expression grew hungry as he reached out and slid his hands down her arms. “Stop fighting yourself on this. You want it as bad as I do.”

“X, I can’t. My body is tied to my heart and to give my body to you and leave would be…” She turned and picked up their plates, walking them to the console and ignoring the desire that blasted through her as he growled in frustration. "Did you figure out our next move?"

"I did." He was right behind her, his voice low and blisteringly sexy. He pressed his fingers into her hips and tugged her back, sliding his erection along the soft curves of her rear as he leaned over and pressed his lips to the side of her neck. “I understand your concern. No sex just yet, but let me taste you. Don’t deny me that.”

A tremor went through her as she turned and looked up at him. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if…”

He pressed a finger to her lips and smiled. “Hush. You analyze everything and talk far too much.”

She started to respond as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted, setting her down on the counter in front of him. His thick fingers pressed into her thighs, pushing the material of her shorts up. Was she ready for this? No.

“X. I really think—”

He brushed his hand up the soft skin between her breasts and pushed her back. “Lay back and be quiet unless you’re moaning. You can tell me how I’m doing by the soft, sweet sounds you make. I like them. They tug at my desire to mark your tight little body with my scent.”

She swallowed hard and lay back, her heart beating so damn hard it was certainly working to get out of her chest. She pressed her hands over his and held him to her as tears burned her eyes. There was nothing more sensual than feeling the soft press of a man’s lips on a woman’s most intimate parts, but she had never let anyone take her there.

He used one hand to pull at the soft material of her shorts, tugging them off as she let out a soft sigh. He pulled his other hand from her chest and licked at his lips. “Beautiful. So damn beautiful.”

Sylvie wrapped her arms around herself and tried to think about anything but the moment. She wasn’t a sex-goddess who could turn on the moves any time she wanted. She had slept with two men, both nerdy scientists, and both experiences had been horrid and disappointing. Was she really doing this now?

“Let me know if you don’t like something.” His hot breath washed over her thighs and down the swollen flesh of her sex.

“I don’t like it,” she groaned as he pressed a long kiss to her, his hand pushing her legs open farther.

She didn’t like it. She loved it.

He chuckled and brushed his tongue over her skin, sucking and playing with all the right parts. His finger brushed by her opening and she stiffened again, wondering how they had gone from breakfast to sex so fast. Oh yeah… him. It was all him.

“Relax and let me in. I’m taking you to my bed later tonight. I need to know if your body can handle mine.” He pressed another kiss to her center, lapping at her a few more times as he slid a thick digit into her heat.

“By my calculations, you’re far too big…” Her words turned into a groan as he began pumping his finger in farther and farther.

“Then we’ll stretch you a little now. Watch me and enjoy the sensation of what I’m doing.” He glanced up as she allowed herself a peek down the length of her body.

The expression on her face threw him over the cliff with expedience. “Oh, fuck. I’m going to come, X. Harder?”

“Anything you want.” He leaned over and flicked his thick tongue over her clit as he opened her farther, another digit joining the first.

Her hips came off the table, and for a moment she didn’t care who was watching or what act of depravity she was lost in. She wasn’t a scientist in the midst of an experiment, but a woman in desperate need of the man between her thighs.

“That’s it, Dr. Cohen. Fuck me and let me taste you.” He lapped at her as she rode the wave, her mind splintering by the extreme pleasure.

She collapsed on the counter below her, loud pants leaving her as he licked one more time and stood up. He pressed his fingers back inside of her and forced them apart as she groaned loudly.

“You’re tight, but I have a few things that will loosen you up. Tonight, you’re mine.” He pulled his fingers from her and licked at them.

“I might not survive.” She sat up and tugged her shorts over her hips as the regent helped her from the counter and pulled her close, leaning down and pressing a firm kiss to her lips. The salty flavor of her orgasm rushed across her tongue and she whimpered as he growled.

There would be no tonight. She shouldn’t have let him have at her, but stopping him just seemed like a waste of energy. She could fight against the lust. She would.

“I have our next move if you can walk, Earthling.” A hint of humor sat in his voice as he brushed her hair back. The dark purple color of his skin was incredible. She reached out and brushed her hand down his arm.

“Where are we going? Do you need to turn back to green?”

"We're going to the Ministry of Science, and it will shortly."

"We are? Why are we going back there?" The last time she'd been in the Ministry of Science, they had strapped her to a table and intended to cut her open. Then remove her organs.

"To interrogate Jark'Khal."

"Jark'Khal?" Why did that name sound familiar?

"The lead sci--former lead scientist."

Sylvie shook her head in chagrin. Of course. Jark'Khal. The one who'd turned purple at the thought of dissecting her.

X glanced down at her as his skin began to shift. “I’ve never tasted anything so good. I will have you beneath me soon. I’m not sure if it’s going to be possible to let you go, though. You might want to consider that before we seal our arrangement. Leaving isn’t the only possibility.”

Yes. It was.