Page 35 of Captured By The Alien (Starbound #2)

Wordlessly she turned in the circle of his arms until she could push her face into the crook of his neck and breathe him in.

“You found me.”

Kara’s voice was small and lost, and Vahn frowned.

“I will always find you, beloved. What is wrong?”

His concern touched something vulnerable inside her and she was mortified to find tears pricking at her eyes.

“Nothing. I just miss you.”

“I miss you too kalehsha. You do not know how hard it was for me to sit so close to you and not kiss you. You were the most beautiful thing at the ball tonight.”

She snuffled into his neck.

“Even more beautiful than Layahn?” God, she sounded like a jealous child.

“A hundred times more beautiful. A thousand.” His voice held a note of amusement. “There are no multiples large enough to describe how much more beautiful you are.”

“Rhyn said I could be grossly ugly for a human and no-one would ever know.”

“Then Rhyn will be dead by morning.”

He was joking but a shiver ran down Kara’s spine. If he ever thought someone had hurt her for real, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. She had to remember that.

She kissed his neck, then his jaw.

“I wish we could be together all the time,” she said.

He put a finger under her chin and tilted her head back so he could look at her.

“I wish the same thing, kalehsha. When you are my Zhaalini I will never leave your side again.”

“Promises,” she said, laughing. Too late she saw his face darken.

“You are injured,” he said heavily. “Your face. It’s bruised.”

Shit. She honestly hadn’t expected to see anyone and she hadn’t applied any concealer. The bruise had darkened to an angry blackish red, covering her cheekbone and part of her eye socket.

“It’s nothing,” she said quickly. “I got it in the challenge.”

“Somebody hit you.” His pupils narrowed to slits. “Tell me who did this to you.”

“Vahn…”

“Tell me.”

“Nobody.”

“Who. Did. This?”

Rage began to boil off him and she did the only thing she could think of. She slapped him. It wasn’t a hard slap, more of a tap on his cheek, but it shocked him into focusing on her rather than the bruise.

“Enough of the macho shit,” she said, thankful her voice wasn’t shaking. “Nobody hit me. I ran into a tree during the challenge. Okay?”

“A tree.”

“Yes. A tree.” She cupped his face. “I love that you worry about me but there’s no need. I had the sphere, I was trying to get to the rendezvous point. Vysh was with me with her insanely long legs and I was trying to keep up. I ran into a tree. Understand?”

She held his gaze as he examined her closely.

“I see,” he said, and she let out the tiniest of breaths. “It’s quite a bruise. I didn’t notice it at the dinner.”

“Daa’sten worked his magic,” she answered truthfully. “Did you see the birds and flowers he painted on me?”

“I did indeed. I wanted to see how far under your dress they went.”

She laughed.

“You’re worried about a bruise but you’re happy for Daa’sten to get under my dress?”

“I do not think Daa’sten has a thing for humans like I do.”

“Humans or females?”

“Both.”

“Gotcha.” She rubbed her nose against his. “I count myself lucky I found the sole Vraxian on the planet who likes human females.”

“I only like one human female,” he corrected her. “And now everyone on the planet knows how astonishing you are. You did superbly in the first round of shaa’baara , beloved. I am so proud of you.”

“Be honest. You engineered that first round to resemble our time on Minerva-6, didn’t you?”

“Arranging the challenges is my prerogative,” he said. “After all, I am the one they are all competing for. I do not want a mate who cannot set a snare or play xantha.”

“And that’s the full list of requirements is it?”

“No.” His eyes glinted wickedly. “I want someone who makes my zarnad harder than it’s ever been,”

“Ah. Now we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. What else?”

He planted kisses along her collarbone and she let her head fall back.

“Someone whose scent makes me want to ravish her instantly.”

“Mm. Keep going.”

“Someone whose glorious curves make my mouth water.”

He grazed his mouth over her breasts, teasing her nipples through the sheer material until they stood stiffly to attention.

“Someone whose feresh tastes like honey.”

He pushed her skirt up, lifting her so that the material was bunched about her waist. She wasn’t wearing anything under the dress and she gasped a little as her bare bottom came into contact with the cool stone of the balustrade. He quirked a brow when he saw she wasn’t wearing underwear.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you,” she said defensively, her cheeks pink.

“In future, you will dress this way when you do expect to see me,” he growled.

He curled a serpetrus beneath her shoulders, supporting her weight so that she could lean back a little. Then he put a hand on each of her inner thighs and spread her legs wide.

Kara lay back as his heated gaze raked over her satin folds. She loved the feeling of being exposed like this. Of being laid out like a private banquet. Naked and vulnerable before him.

It was a turn-on to know he had the power and strength to do whatever he wanted – but what he wanted was to pleasure her.

He stroked a hand over her slit, nodding in approval when he found she was already wet.

“Three, I think.”

“Three what?” asked Kara, trying to stay still under his probing fingers.

“Three orgasms. For passing the first round of shaa’baara .”

“Oh… oh God, yes. Yes please. I mean, one would be enough but…”

“Hush, human.” He bent so he could inhale her delicious scent. “Let me go to work.”