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  “Just because we are bonded does not mean you are obliged to— “

  “Obliged?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Trust me. Fucking you won’t be any sort of hardship.”

  The golden skin on his neck flushed darker. “I thought you did not want to have offspring.”

  She let out a breath but kept unbuttoning. “You sure know how to sweet-talk a girl. Why are we talking about kids? I told you that isn’t my thing, but it’s also something we don’t need to worry about. I’ve got an implant that takes care of all that.” She pulled back. “You don’t have a weird alien STD, do you?”

  “STD?”

  “Sexually transmitted diseases. They’ve been pretty much wiped out everywhere, but from what I’ve seen, you don’t have much contact with other planets. Do Cresteks have STDs?”

  He shook his head, his expression horrified.

  She opened his tunic to reveal the top of his tattoo. “Good. One more thing not to worry about. See? We have no reason not to have a little fun while we’re stuck in here.”

  There was nothing quite as exciting as sex with a new guy, Holly thought. You never knew what you were going to get, and the uncertainty sent a thrill through her each time. Sure, sometimes she was disappointed, but the anticipation was enough to make up for the occasional dud.

  “About your implant—” T’Kar said.

  She let out a huff of breath. “You’ll never know it’s there. I promise. It’s tiny.” She dragged her hand down his chest, her gaze dropping even lower. “Unlike some things.”

  “That is not what I meant.” He bit his lower lip.

  He was really worked up about her implant, although she couldn’t get why. Most guys were thrilled to know there was no chance of an accident, although maybe his father wasn’t the only one who was hoping she’d get pregnant. “Wait. You aren’t one of those guys who thinks he’s not a real man until he gets someone knocked up, are you?”

  He looked truly offended. Okay, so that wasn’t it. She stifled a yawn as she studied him.

  “I just think we should wait until you— “

  “Until what?” She grabbed the bottle and refilled her glass, then tossed it back in a single gulp hoping to power through her urge to take a nap. “Until I rethink my impulsive decision? Don’t think that just because of some ceremony you know what’s good for me. You’re not really my husband, and you’re certainly not my father. I’m old enough to decide what I want and when I want it.”

  “According to Crestek law, you are my mate,” he said, his eyes snapping.

  She swung around so that she was straddling his lap. His eyes widened, but the hard bar of his cock pressed into her leg. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”

  Eight

  His breath was shallow, and his pulse raced, as her small body pressed against his. When she ground herself on his cock, his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head. He’d never wanted a female as much in his life, but he also knew he couldn’t claim her. Not like this. Not when she didn’t know what had been done to her.

  He wanted to tell her, but he also knew how violated she’d feel once she knew. He couldn’t bear the look in her eyes if she discovered what his father had done, what his people had done. The thought made him sick. It would make her murderous. He needed her to be calm enough to sneak out of the city with him, not determined to get revenge on his father. Not that he would blame her.

  Her fingers worked deftly on the remaining buttons of his tunic until she pushed back both sides and smoothed her hands across his chest. Her touch was scorching, and he bit back a moan.

  “You like that?” she whispered, leaning her head down to kiss his bare flesh.

  Rolling his head back, he bit his lip until he tasted blood. Her kisses moved down his body, the heat of her mouth making his cock throb painfully.

  If she kept this up, he would not be able to control himself. Even now, he felt his resolve crumbling. Without thinking about it, his hands had moved to her back, and he’d slipped the silver straps of her gown off her shoulders.

  She made a purring noise, and the vibrations of her lips against his skin sent a hard shiver down his spine.

  T’Kar stood quickly, his hands cupping her ass so she would not fall and took the steps two at a time. He strode past the dining table and the trays of food, the savory scents wafting up, and pushed aside the wall of sheer fabric.

  She glanced over her shoulder and spotted the bed, her grip on his shoulders tightening. She clenched his waist with her legs and wiggled down so that her ass cheeks rubbed against his cock.

  Almost blinded with desire, he lowered her to the bed. She let out a breathy moan as she sank into the soft fabrics, her eyes half-lidded as she looked up at him.

  T’Kar unwound her arms from his neck and pinned them over her head.

  Her eyes flared for a moment, but then she blinked heavily. “You like it like that, do you? Well, that’s okay with me.”

  Holding her wrists together with one of his hands, he unwound her legs from his waist with the other until they flopped off the edge of the bed. Her dress had bunched at her waist, so he smoothed it down, trying not to focus too much on the soft skin of her bare thighs. Her breathing had deepened, and when he looked up, her eyes were closed.

  T’Kar released her wrists and leaned back, staring down at the small creature asleep on the bed. It had taken every ounce of his self-control not to claim her. Even though the female was rightfully his, he did not want her like this. He did not want to be just a bit of fun. He felt an urge to protect her, even from herself and even from him. And especially from his father.

  He stroked a hand down her cheek, marveling at the softness of her skin and the contrast of the creamy paleness against her brightly colored hair. The thought of her being his sent a thrill through him, even as he reminded himself that she didn’t consider him anything more than a temporary good time. She certainly didn’t think of herself as his.

  You don’t deserve her, he told himself. He could almost hear his father’s hard voice echoing inside his head, telling him he was weak and lacked ambition. Maybe the old man was right. He didn’t aspire to power. He’d never wanted it. It was a failing his father had sensed in him from the beginning. He was more like his mother. Wasn’t that what the old man had hissed at him every time he’d shown a flicker of kindness? His mother, who had died bringing him into the world. Showing the ultimate weakness, according to his father.

  Staggering back, T’Kar headed for the bathroom tucked away behind the bed—the only room with stone walls instead of curtains. The tub was sunken into the center of the room, much like the fireplace, with steam rising off the water within. He inhaled the scent of oils that perfumed the water, their sweetness relaxing the knots in his neck.

  Leaning against the long, stone counter, he forced himself to suck in deep breaths. Maybe his father was right, and he was weak, but he would not force himself on a female who’d been dragged to the altar. He did not care if it was weakness.

  T’Kar shed his clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor, and plunged himself into the hot water. He was grateful for the sharp sting of the heat as he walked deeper into the square tub, then dipped his knees so that his shoulders were submerged. As soothing as the heat was, it did nothing to alleviate the hardness of his cock.

  Thinking of Holly sleeping on the bed made him take his cock in his fist and stroke up and down. He leaned one hand against the edge of the tub as he pumped, the heat and friction making his body quiver. Images of Holly filled his mind—her vivid hair, her soft curves, her flashing eyes as she’d rubbed against him.

  It had been easy to keep Crestek females at arm’s length. They were all so mercenary and loose with their affections, flitting from man to man, never needing to choose one. The thought of being left again and again had made it easy to rebuff their advances, because he knew how it would end, and he knew how he would feel. No release was worth that.

  His hand slipped easily over the length of
his cock, his fingers bumping along his rings as he squeezed tighter and pumped harder. The human female was different. He might not have the empathic skills of the Dothveks, but he sensed no deception or clever schemes when he read her. But he also knew she had no intentions of staying. She wanted to get back to her crew, not another male. He knew she had no attachment to anyone special, aside from the females she worked with. That attachment was deep and real, and for a moment he envied it and envied them.

  Then he thought of her as she’d unbuttoned his tunic, her deft fingers brushing against his skin and her hot breath on his neck. It had been so long since anyone had touched him like that. He closed his eyes and straightened, his torso rising out of the water. Water sluiced off his cock, the sweet-smelling oils making it slick in his palm.

  He stroked himself as he thought about the female in the other room. The one lying on his bed. The one who’d been bonded to him. Would it be so bad to get close to her? Was it so wrong to want to claim his mate? He let his mind wander as his hand slid up and down. Holly was beneath him on the bed, but she was awake, and she was telling him how much she wanted him.

  Arching her back, she brought his attention to her soft, full breasts and her pink nipples. He wanted to taste them, to feel the points harden as he swirled his tongue around them.

  “I want you T’Kar. There’s only you.” Her fingers wandered down his chest until they clasped his cock and squeezed, provoking a growl from deep in his throat.

  Sons of the goddesses, her touch felt incredible. But he shouldn’t. He knew he shouldn’t. She was practically a stranger. An arrangement made for him by his father. Something else he hadn’t earned.

  She stroked his cock up and down until he thought he might explode. “I’m your mate. Aren’t you going to fuck your mate?”

  His resistance crumbled. Tangling a hand in her hair, he pulled her to him until their mouths met in a molten kiss, tongues fighting as she made soft keening sounds.

  When he spread her legs, notched his cock at her slick entrance, and drove deep inside her, her sweet sounds became primal. Holly groaned as he thrust himself hard, her tight heat like a vise he couldn’t get enough of.

  “I want it hard,” she gasped. “I want my mate to ride me hard.”

  Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, the pain mingling with his pleasure and making him grit his teeth to keep from screaming and exploding inside her. No, it was too soon. He needed to feel her pleasure first. He needed to feel her wet heat pulse around him.

  “Like this?” he managed to ask, as he thrust faster.

  She dropped her head back. “Just like that, T’Kar. Can’t you feel how wet you make me? Can’t you feel how much I want you? Only you.”

  He felt it, and he felt her body begin to tremble, gripping his cock like a vise. Only him. He lost all control, shooting inside her and hearing her scream his name.

  Nine

  T’Kar opened his eyes and heaved in deep breaths. Steam continued to rise up off the water around him, and he glanced down at his engorged cock as it still twitched. He felt spent, his breathing jagged and his legs shaky. He’d never had a release so hard or so good.

  The Crestek females who’d offered themselves to him had never been his, and he’d found the encounters hollow. Holly on the other hand… He shook his head. She was also not his. Not really. At least ,she didn’t think so. Imagining her as his and his alone was a delicious fantasy, but he knew that was all it was.

  After he’d steadied his breath, he sunk beneath the water again, letting it envelop his shoulders and melt away the last remnants of arousal coiling in his belly before standing and leaving the tub. He dried himself with a thick, flat-woven towel, wrapping it around his waist as he returned to the bedroom.

  “That will do us no good.” His father leaned against the wall with his arms folded and his eyes trained on the sleeping female. He shot a glance at his son. “Neither will what you were doing in there.”

  Although he was still warm from bathing, heat prickled the back of his neck. “What are you doing in my private chamber?”

  “Checking on you. Confirming my suspicions.”

  T’Kar strode past his father, reminding himself that he was a grown man, a man large enough to best his father in any battle. He pulled a pair of loose pants from a cabinet built into the wall, dropping his towel and pulling them on without turning away. His father’s expression flickered over the tattoo he despised, but he did not look away, either.

  T’Kar knew the Dothveks did not hide their bodies, and in the privacy of his own chambers, he’d trained himself to be comfortable with his skin. What he did not like was the way his father’s gaze slid over the prone female.

  “What do you want?” T’Kar asked.

  “After the sacrifice I made to get you a female, you do nothing,” his father said, waving a hand at the bed.

  “She is asleep.” T’Kar stepped between his father and Holly. “What did you expect me to do?”

  His father’s thin lips curled up. “What I, and any other breathing Crestek would have done. Claim her and seal your bonding.”

  T’Kar flinched but widened his stance, as if standing guard. “How do you know I have not?”

  His father gave a snort of derision. “You would have no need of spilling your seed in the bathing pool, if you had spilled it inside her.”

  T’Kar clenched his fists, sickened by the thought that his father had seen him. “When I claim my mate is no one’s business but my own.”

  The chancellor stepped closer, his robes rustling around his legs. “That is where you are wrong. It was I who got you the female, and know that I can also take her away.” His gaze slid to Holly, his pupils widening. “Perhaps I can do the job you seem unwilling to do.”

  T’Kar squared his shoulders. “You will not touch my mate.”

  His father narrowed his eyes at him for a moment, then smiled. “I am glad you think of her as your mate, but be sure she is not yours, yet. What can be given, can also be taken away.” His gaze drifted down to his son’s bare chest. “Only the worthiest deserve such a prize, wouldn’t you agree?”

  The Crestek spun on his heel, leaving T’Kar heaving in his breath, his heart knocking against his ribs. Although he was twice the old man’s size, he still felt like a child in his father’s presence—a child who was never found worthy. He kept his eyes trained on the fabric wall his father had left through, bracing himself for the man’s return, even after he heard the heavy door click shut.

  When he was certain his father was gone, he walked over to the bed and sank down next to Holly. She’d slept peacefully through all of it, the wine dulling her senses and making her slumber deep. T’Kar brushed a strand of hair off her forehead, feeling her gentle exhalation of breath on his hand.

  There was no doubt she was beautiful and different from any female he’d ever known, and that her touch ignited something deep within him. It was harder to shield his heart from her, as much as he wanted to.

  He had taken her for a mate. Even if she considered the ceremony a sham, he could not deny that it held power over him. He had promised to take her as his, and he could not cast aside that promise. Even if she considered it nothing but a game.

  T’Kar’s father never played a game he couldn’t win. His stomach tightened as he watched Holly sleep. His only move to keep her safe was to get her out of the city, even if it meant losing her.

  Ten

  The heady scent of bread woke her before even the light streaming in through the tall, floor-to-ceiling window. Holly inhaled and moaned. She hadn’t had fresh bread in so long she could hardly remember what it tasted like. All the bread on the ship was unleavened and pre-packaged in sealed pouches to stay fresh.

  Stretching her arms over her head, she opened her eyes and instantly regretted it. The bread might smell heavenly, but the bright, morning light was torture. She draped an arm over her eyes and moaned, this time out of distress from the pounding in her head.

&n
bsp; “Fuck me,” she muttered, peeking out from under her bare arm and noticing the sheer fabric surrounding her. Where was she, and what had happened to make her feel so horrible?

  She swallowed, her mouth dry and her tongue thick. And when had she put tiny socks on her teeth? Pressing her fingers to her throbbing temples, she rolled away from the sunlight—how did people on this planet survive hangovers with two suns? —and pushed herself upright to sitting.

  “Never again,” she said to herself, knowing it was a lie before the words were cold on her lips. Okay, at least not for a while, she thought, amending her previous promise.

  She glanced down at the gauzy, low-cut dress from the day before. At least she was still dressed. That was something.

  No thanks to you, she scolded herself, as faint memories of her failed seduction attempt floated to the surface of her brain. She’d come on pretty hard, and T’Kar hadn’t gone for it. Either he was some sort of super alien, or he just wasn’t into her. Despite the fact that she hadn’t been thrilled to be forced into a marriage with the guy, she couldn’t help feeling a little hurt that he wouldn’t sleep with her. What kind of guy doesn’t bang his wife on their wedding night? Not that she was his actual wife, or mate, or whatever, but still, if you asked her, it was rude.

  Standing up slowly, she padded to the curtain and pulled it back, revealing T’Kar sitting on one side of the long, stone-topped table eating breakfast. He wore nothing but what appeared to be drawstring pants, giving her a full view of his sharply ridged back and the hard curves of his muscles. She inhaled quickly, her pulse fluttering.

  He turned to her and smiled. “You are awake.” He waved at the seat beside him on the bench. “Come. Join me. You must be hungry.”

  Holly was hungry, but what she needed more than anything was a pain reliever. She tried to return his smile, but she knew it came out strained.