Chapter 4

The look the alien female was giving him was causing an uncomfortable tightness in Jeffrey's flight suit. She'd gone from Ice Queen to something else, something that made his mouth dry up and his muscles tense, and not with unease.

Her gorgeous almond eyes blinked up at him, her smile so cute he felt an unaccustomed tension in his chest. Her elegant finger drew patterns of air on the table as she gave him a small smile that made his pulse speed up. But it was what she said that set his blood on fire.

"So, lieutenant, tell me. Do humans mate for life?"

His brain put out an alert, warning his body not to take the bait. This had to be yet another attempt at getting information out of him. Still, his body refused to obey his brain's warning.

Jeffrey started to answer her and realized his throat was too dry. He gave a cough, then spoke again, not liking the rough quality of his voice. "It depends on what you mean. As a species, no, the desire for variety often overwhelms our cultural penchant for lifelong pairings. However, there are some rare humans who do choose a mate and stay with them for life."

"Fascinating," the female replied, resting her chin on her hands and staring deeply into his eyes. "And do you have a mate?"

"No. Not at the moment." But the way you're looking at me right now is seriously making me consider taking one.

"A pity," she stated with a grin that said it was anything but.

Jeffrey could feel the effect that grin had on his insides and was worried. He'd easily fended off her earlier clumsy attempts at interrogation, but this was less cross-examination and more innocent seduction. And with a creature as gorgeous as this, he wasn't sure he could stand up under the onslaught.

"You said in your cell that no woman can resist your charisma," Kat'Chinna said, standing up and walking around the table to lean a hip on the corner closest to him. "I'm beginning to think that might be true."

Jeffrey knew in his mind that she was playing him. Her tactic was as blatant as could be. But his body, stupid idiot that it was, didn't seem to care. When she leaned in close, his cock grew stiff in half a second.

"You're very attractive, human," she whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder and angling in so that her face was close to his. Close enough to feel her sweet breath on his skin.

Her touch sent arcs of electricity through him, but this time it wasn’t her bioenergy. This was pure attraction, plain and simple.

Jeffrey had never had such instant lust for a female before. Sure, he’d had his share of women back on Earth. His easygoing demeanor and fancy job title brought the girls running like sugar attracts ants. He’d always enjoyed the company of women, had had plenty of girlfriends, but he’d always kept them at arm’s length.

His job didn’t make having a relationship easy. He was off the planet for months at a time, his crew his only family. So he always kept his relationships light, his flirtations playful. And his dalliances always ended when his ship blasted off for a new region of space.

Her finger began tracing those same patterns of air on his shoulder, bringing his thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"Do you find me attractive as well?" Her voice was soft, her eyes gentle.

"Yes," he said, without a moment's hesitation. "You're beyond beautiful."

"Good," she said, her voice sounding like a purr. "Cheerful, if I may be so bold as to call you that, I think we've got a lot in common. I'd like to get to know you better."

"You can call me Cheerful if you like, but my given name is Jeffrey. And sure, I'd love to get to know you better. What exactly have you got in mind?"
"Nothing much," she said, lowering her eyes, a demure expression on her pretty face. "Can we just talk for now? Find out more about one another?"

Jeffrey took a deep breath. There it was. Her tactic revealed. She would turn his lust for her into a tool in his undoing.

"Of course. Let's talk." And he would talk, but no matter how much he wanted her, he wouldn't reveal anything that might endanger his crew or his planet.

With a little hop, his seductive interrogator seated herself on the table, her long legs swinging out before her. "Although I've never been to Earth myself, I've always been intrigued by your species. I've heard that you humans are particularly creative in the, shall we say, amorous arts."

Jesus, she goes right for the balls. The alien female had to know the effect her words were having on him. Her mention of amorous arts had immediately caused him to think about the two of them intertwined.

You want to know about the amorous arts? I’d be happy to show you how humans bring each other pleasure. The things he would do to her… with her.

Her grip tightened on his shoulder. "It's the little differences about other beings that are the most intriguing, don't you think?"

Jeffrey leaned back, causing her to disengage her hold on him. "I wouldn't know," he said. "You're the first alien being I've met."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and he realized that he'd parried her first feint.

With an admirable quickness, her face softened again. "Ah yes, that's right. We're the first aliens you've met."

She jumped off the table and moved closer to him. Sweeping out her arms to the side, she gave him a grin. "So what do you think of us?"

Her nearness was filling him with impure thoughts, and he flirted with the idea of telling her exactly what was on his mind. I think you're the most intriguing creature I've ever seen and I want to bury myself deep inside your lush heat.

Instead, he kept his wits about him. "Not bad," he said, hoping disinterest was evident in his tone.

"Oh," she said. "I suppose we're not that exciting to you. Are we too much like you humans to pique your interest?"

Without warning she gave a slow spin, attempting to highlight her toned body. When facing away from him, she gave him a coy look over her shoulder. "We're not striking enough for you?"

Jeffrey swallowed hard as his eyes made their way down her supple back to her behind. It was just slightly rounded but with a firmness that made his mouth water.

Kat'Chinna finished her spin and faced him. She raised her arms, running her hands along her carefully-confined hair before clasping them behind her head. "I suppose we're not as plush as most human women."

He couldn't stop his eyes from traveling down her luscious body. Her breasts were small but pert, in this position barely confined behind a band of woven fabric that resembled seaweed. Her torso was smooth but clearly concealing tight and well-toned muscles.

Tight shorts highlighted her well-developed thighs, and he almost lost it for a moment when he imagined those thighs wrapped around his waist, or better yet, resting on his shoulders while he tasted the sweetness trapped between them.

And her legs, now they were truly remarkable. Lithe and limber, he knew she would be an agile sexual partner. Those legs seemed to go on forever.

Jeffrey could imagine himself licking her from her toes upward, traveling every inch of those sinuous curves until he reached her sweet center.

The alien female dropped her arms and moved a couple of paces closer until he could smell her faint aroma. It reminded him of his trips to the Gulf Coast when he was a child. She was such an alluring creature, it was almost impossible for him to hold back his desire when she put herself on display in such a manner.

It took every ounce of his strength to say nothing. He gave a short shrug of one shoulder and looked down, pulling up one hand and pretending to examine his nails.

Apparently, his indifference drove her to increase the intensity of her interrogation. She reached out and put a finger under his chin, lifting his face up to meet her gaze. "Even if you don't find the Zantharian female form pleasing, I can't admit to the same. You're very handsome."

Jeffrey almost couldn't make out her words through the haze of longing he felt when he saw her eyes again up close. That golden ring around the deep dark of her pupils was hypnotic. He didn't know how long he'd be able to hold out against her feminine wiles. Not when he wanted her as badly as he did.

"It's hard to believe you have no mate," she said, her voice almost cooing. "Human females must throw themselves at you constantly."

"I do alright," he managed to croak at last. "I've had no complaints."

"I can believe that," she said, her tongue peeking out to lick her lips. "I wouldn't complain if I had a handsome, strapping mate like you."

She removed her hand from his chin and straightened again. "Still, I imagine it must be difficult, stuck on a ship out in the depths of space. It's not easy to maintain a relationship under those conditions."

"It's not," he admitted, not seeing the harm in agreeing.

"Always on duty, one mission following the next, never knowing when you'll be home again to kiss your sweetheart."

She clasped her hands behind her back and seemed to stare off into the distance. "It's lonely out in space. Only your crew to keep you company. Relationships between crewmembers are heavily discouraged on Zanthar. I imagine it is similar on Earth?"

Jeffrey nodded. Although some crew were known to engage in extracurricular activities while aboard their ships, it was generally frowned upon and could lead to a court martial. Duty came first in space. Relationships were a very distant second.

"It can be so hard, sleeping alone each night. Missing the feelings of another's arms around you. Trying to remember how your lover's skin felt against yours to ward off the coldness of space."

Her soft sigh was nearly his downfall. She sounded so sincere. Kat'Chinna was a creature of duty like him. Her loneliness was almost palpable.

"It would be nice to have a friend," she said softly. "Someone beyond the crew. Someone I could trust to keep me warm. To keep my secrets. Don't you agree?"

"Yes." He hadn't realized he'd said the word until it was already out of his mouth. "Yes, it would."

"I can be that friend," she said, leaning close again until her lips were mere inches away from his ear. "I want to be that friend. You can trust me, Jeffrey."

She blew gently on his ear and he couldn't disguise the shiver that went through him. "You can tell me anything."

Although he saw through her, although he knew that she was only trying to get him to talk, he suddenly found his defenses down. When she was so close, within kissing distance, he couldn't help himself. He wanted that closeness.

He wanted to trust her.

"I swear to you, I know nothing about any enemies of Zanthar aboard my ship. We left with a crew of eight, and all eight of them I've known for years. I would put my life in the hands of any one of them. There is no way they can be working for an enemy we didn't even know existed."

"I understand," she said, her voice soothing. Her hand gently brush some of his hair away from his neck. "I trust my crew as well. And my scanners. Please believe me that Hareema DNA is present on your ship."

"But I don't know how it could have gotten there. We've met no one on our travel to JL-398, except you. There was nothing out of the ordinary until you boarded our ship."

"The Hareema are sneaky," she whispered, her voice so seductive. "They've infiltrated so many planets we've almost lost count. They could be disguised as anything and they are virtually undetectable."

Her words cleared the fog in his brain long enough for him to think about the situation logically. "If they are so undetectable, then how did your scans pick up their DNA?"

"A Hareema shapeshifter can only hold a shape for about twelve hours. Then they are forced to change back into their true form, a solid block of jelly. Although they can almost instantly change back into their disguise, those few seconds are enough to leave a faint DNA residue. And we picked up that residue on your ship."
Jeffrey turned to face her, instantly regretting the move as he could no longer feel her breath against his ear. "You are absolutely certain you picked up this DNA on our ship?"

He stared at her hard, wanting to make sure her answer was the truth. She stared back with clear eyes and a sincere expression.

"Yes. I'm certain. There was, or is, at least one Hareema aboard your ship."

Jeffrey stood suddenly. She wasn't lying, or she was the best liar he'd ever seen. And if she wasn't lying, that meant the crew remaining on the Earhart were in grave danger.

"Let me contact my ship. I need to talk to the captain." Captain Brooklyn had to know that the Zantharians could be telling the truth. They needed to be strategizing how to detect the Hareema aboard the Earhart.

"I can't let you do that," Kat'Chinna said, her expression tightening.

"Please," he said, grabbing her hand. "If my crew really is in danger, I need to talk to them!"

She shook her beautiful head. "I'm sorry, I truly am, but I can't let you talk to them yet." Kat'Chinna gave him a persuading look. "Now, if you could tell me more about your mission, about your crew and who helped you plan the logistics of your trip, maybe I could convince Major Ontarii to let you contact your ship."

Jeffrey stared at her. She was so beautiful, so alluring. Even now, her wide dark eyes begged him to tell her all of his secrets. But it was clear now that she wouldn't take him at his word that he knew nothing about her enemy.

He could talk until he was blue in the face, but she wouldn't let him out of this room until she was satisfied. And she looked like the kind of female that took everything a man had to be satisfied.

In that moment, Jeffrey made up his mind. There was no more time to play the game the way she wanted it to be played. His crew was in danger, and he was a prisoner, helpless to protect them.

It was time to turn the tables on the alien female. Time to regain the upper hand for good. Although he'd let her toy with him, let her flirt and use her wiles, he no longer could afford the luxury of a long flirtation.

If she wanted to play at seduction, he'd show her how it was done. It was time to see if she enjoyed the benefits his friendship would bring.