Illicit Mate Read online

  She nodded. “I’m not sure if I’m dressed appropriately. When I was abd… uh… brought here, we’d been at a party.”

  As much as he tried to resist, his gaze followed the lines of her sexy dress again.

  “What you’re wearing is perfect.”

  The way this man was looking at her made her heart stutter. She wanted to touch him. To slide into his embrace and melt against his big, strong body. To feel his muscular arms around her.

  She couldn’t help perusing his body, loving how his uniform accentuated his broad shoulders and trim waist. Then her gaze locked on his crotch. Enthralled by the bulge clearly forming in his pants, her tongue glided over her lips. Just how big was he?

  She dragged her gaze back to his face. He looked like a man in a trance. She was sure he felt the same electrifying attraction as she did.

  “We should go,” he said then turned to the door.

  She followed him into the corridor, then walked along beside him. They turned a corner then he stopped at an elevator. The door slid open but when they stepped inside, it seemed to move horizontally.

  “The dining lounge is on the other side of the ship, so it’ll take a few minutes.”

  She nodded, steadying herself from the dizzying affect of being so close to him in such a small, intimate space. She had to fight hard to stop herself from moving in close to him until their arms touched just so she could connect with him in some physical way.

  “I know this is difficult for you,” he said.

  “What?” Her gaze darted to his. Had he read her thoughts?

  “You and your friends being brought here from your planet.”

  “Abducted you mean.”

  “Yes, I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

  She sighed. “I know some of the other women are upset, but I’ve always believed in soul-mates. At least, I always hoped they were true, but—”

  The door opened and a uniformed woman waited for them to exit. Darrick pressed his hand to Jenna’s lower back to guide her through the door, but at that light touch, an explosion of heat surged through her and her knees went weak. His arm slid around her waist, stopping her from stumbling as he eased her forward.

  Not even noticing, the woman entered the elevator and the door closed behind her.

  Jenna gazed up at Darrick and saw the same dazed look in his eyes as she felt. His deep, almost glowing, amber eyes with glittering flecks of silver, like diamond dust.

  She felt herself drawn to him. Tipping her face up and drifting closer. Wanting… needing… their mouths to meet.

  He seemed caught in the same spell and anticipation swelled as his mouth moved closer to hers, but when their lips were a whisper’s breath away, he jerked back.

  “This way.” His tone had turned business-like.

  He guided her down the corridor. After a few turns, they entered a room with tables and cozy booths. A host led them to a softly-lit table in an intimate corner.

  “Casey made the arrangements for dinner,” Darrick said as they sat down.

  Jenna pursed her lips. Casey had clearly gone for a romantic setting. Jenna gazed at the handsome man across from her, her heart thumping. But she’d wound up here with Darrick, not Casey.

  “Do you have many restaurants on the ship?” she asked.

  “There are a few places, all with different atmospheres. This one is where people generally go for a nice, relaxed atmosphere and more upscale food. It’s nice for special occasions.”

  “Like a date.” She smiled at him, loving the way the candlelight flickered in his amber eyes.

  He frowned. “Jenna, you and I are not on a date. You’re Casey’s tanash’ae.”

  The waiter appeared and set a plate of food in front of each of them, along with a tall, slender glass filled with a dark, violet liquid.

  “Casey pre-ordered the meal. She would have based it on things she knew you like.”

  The aroma made her mouth water. Jenna pushed her fork into one of the bite-sized chunks of food in front of her and put it in her mouth. When she bit into it, a savory flavor burst across her taste buds.

  “Mmm, this is delicious.”

  “Try this,” he said, gesturing to her glass. “It’s like wine.”

  She sipped the liquid and… oh, her whole mouth tingled in an effervescent rush of delight as the tart but fruity flavor combined with the echo of the taste of the food to create a whole new delightful experience.

  “In the elevator, you said that you hope soul-mates are real, then you were interrupted. What were you going to say after that?”

  She nodded. “I always hoped there was one special person for me. But I always assumed it would be a man.”

  “Casey is a wonderful person. Believe me, you’re very lucky to have her as a partner.”

  “If I were into women, I’m sure that would be true. But I’m not.”

  His eyebrow arched. “Are you sure?”

  She pursed her lips. She remembered the heat pulsing through her when Casey touched her. And how intensely turned on she got watching the woman sexually pleasure herself. But she gave herself a pass on that one because, wow, the woman was a goddess and Jenna was suffering from some kind of paralyzing sexual need.

  “Please don’t misunderstand. I don’t disapprove of same sex relationships. I think a person should be free to enjoy whatever kind of relationship makes them happy. My brother is married to a man and they’re incredibly happy. The only thing I think that’s wrong with this situation is that I’m being forced into a relationship with a woman when that’s not what I want. That’s no more okay than someone forcing my brother to be with a woman.”

  “So if Casey was a man, you’d be fine with it?”

  “But Casey’s not a man.”

  Darrick took a bite of his meal as he watched her in silent contemplation. When he finished chewing, she was surprised to see his lips turn up in a smile.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I find you a very interesting woman, Jenna. Here you’re digging your heels in because Casey is a woman, but it doesn’t seem to bother you at all that she’s from another world.”

  Jenna shrugged and took a sip of the wine. “My mom always said to choose my battles.”

  Darrick let out a hearty chuckle. “You are a delight. I wish that you…”

  He stopped mid-sentence, his smile fading, then picked up his glass and took a long sip.

  “We should finish our dinner,” he said. “We’re going to the Red Room next.”

  Chapter 6

  Darrick wished he’d never agreed to take Jenna to dinner, but the reality was, he would never refuse Casey. The overwhelming attraction he felt to Jenna was highly distracting. At first he believed it was because of the thought of Casey touching this woman, the two of them caressing each other’s soft curves and intimate places. Imagining the soft feminine murmurs, then the cries of ecstasy.

  Imagining two women together was highly arousing at any time, but adding the fact that he loved one of the women sent it over the top, even overriding the jealousy he felt.

  But over the short time he’d spent with Jenna, a longing grew inside him to kiss her. To stroke her silky skin. Gattra, to strip her naked and drive into her velvety softness.

  Why did he feel this way about Casey’s tanash’ae? Did it have something to do with being left behind? So his body was fooling him into thinking he was meant to be with Jenna, too?

  He’d already had strange stirrings before they arrived at Earth, but he’d ignored them, believing they were just part of his inability to let go of Casey.

  When Casey asked him to spend this time with Jenna, he’d decided to do all he could to convince Jenna she could be happy with Casey. He had even set up a little entertainment to help that process along. Of course, he’d give Casey all the credit so Jenna would see how hard Casey was trying to make this work.

  Darrick led Jenna into the softly lit Red Room. Most of the tables were full, but Casey had reserved an in
timate booth near one of the alcoves. He led Jenna to the cozy round table.

  Jenna sat down in the curved bench seat and he walked to the bar, then returned with two drinks. He sat beside her, sinking into the soft leather upholstery. He could slide right up beside her, but he left a good foot between them.

  “Casey told me you might like this drink.”

  He watched as she sipped. His heart swelled when he saw her eyes light up in delight.

  “It sort of tastes like mango and blueberries,” she said.

  “Casey knows you enjoy fruity cocktails and that those fruits are your favorites, so she researched what we have that might have a similar flavor.”

  Jenna stared down at her drink, looking somber. “That was very nice of her.”

  “That’s the thing about tanash’aei. They’ll do whatever they can to bring their partner joy.”

  Jenna held her silence and Darrick wasn’t sure what to do to ease the tension.

  “Since Casey knew you would be apprehensive about having an intimate relationship with a woman, she thought watching this evening’s entertainment might help you.”

  Jenna’s brow furrowed. “She thought dinner and a show would relax me?”

  “Not exactly.” Getting her excited was more the goal.

  Jenna shifted in her chair. She glanced around and her gaze settled on the alcove in the wall near them, which started about two and a half feet above the floor and extended about seven feet wide and several feet into the wall, with a plush surface and filled with soft cushions.

  What kind of entertainment did Casey have in mind?

  Before she could get up the nerve to ask, two women approached the table. One was tall with pastel pink hair cascading over her shoulders to her waist, the other shorter by about six inches with glossy blue hair that was so dark it was almost black. Both had the well-toned bodies she’d noticed on all the aliens she’d seen so far. She didn’t know if the whole race was exceptionally fit or if this crew kept fit because of their military training.

  “Hello, Darrick.” The pink-haired woman smiled at him. She turned toward Jenna. “I’m Selea and this is Linet. It’s nice to meet you, Jenna.”

  She offered her hand and Jenna shook it. Selea squeezed her hand, but Jenna could tell it wasn’t a gesture she was used to. Had the whole crew been given a crash course in cultural niceties so they could interact with the Earthlings?

  “I’m Linet.” The other woman held out her hand and shook Jenna’s with a little more vigor than Selea had.

  Her broad smile and the twinkle in her eyes, which were the most gorgeous plum color with turquoise speckles, charmed Jenna.

  “You are very beautiful,” Linet said slowly. Her gaze travelled over Jenna and Jenna felt heat rise along her cheeks.

  “Thank you.”

  The turquoise in Linet’s eyes sparked to life with her appreciative gaze and Jenna found it hard to breath.

  Shock surged through her as she realized she liked the attention of the other woman.

  “We were waiting for you to arrive,” Selea said. “Now that you’re settled, we’re going to get started.” She smiled at Darrick. “Remember, you’re welcome to come up and join us whenever you want.”

  Selea took Linet’s hand and they walked to the alcove.

  Jenna sipped her drink, then her eyes widened as the two women unfastened their uniform jackets. Linet wore a shirt underneath, but Selea dropped her jacket off her shoulders to reveal a lacy pink bra, the same color as her hair, lifting her large, round breasts up and forward in a scintillating display of crevasse.

  Linet stripped off her shirt, revealing her bare breasts. Not as big as Selea’s, but firm and pert, the nipples pointing straight forward like little arrows.

  Selea, now in just pink bra and panties, stepped behind Linet and stroked her lovely breasts. Linet dropped her uniform pants to the floor. She turned in Selea’s arms and their mouths met. Jenna watched mesmerized as the two kissed passionately.

  Within moments, the two women were lying in the alcove, stripping off the rest of their clothing. Linet explored Selea’s statuesque body. Jenna couldn’t drag her gaze from Linet’s fingers gliding over Jenna’s large breasts. She stroked them lovingly, then leaned down and licked the hard, burgeoning nipples.

  Jenna’s own breasts swelled, aching for attention.

  As Linet stroked her hands down Selea’s torso, her focus shifting to the woman’s exposed pussy, Jenna dragged her gaze away and glanced at Darrick.

  Gattra, this was a really bad idea.

  Watching the two women had Darrick’s cock swelling painfully in his pants.

  He tried to tug his gaze from Linet kissing down Selea’s stomach, but he couldn’t. Selea widened her thighs and Linet dipped down to lick Selea’s glistening pussy.

  Selea had invited him to join them anytime and his cock insisted now was the time, but he wouldn’t leave Jenna sitting here alone while he satisfied his need, especially knowing how difficult it must be for her dealing with her own hormones. Besides, the whole point was for her to see two women together. From her apt focus on Linet, he thought it might be working, too.

  He glanced at Jenna to see her staring at him. Or more precisely, at the large bulge in his pants.

  “I’d like to go back to my quarters now,” she said.

  The sound of her low throaty voice, clearly colored by arousal, sent heat surging through him.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to finish watching—”

  “No. Now.” Her tone was very definite.

  “Of course. If that’s what you want.”

  She stood up and he followed her as she hurried from the lounge. Within moments, they were at the elevator door.

  Once they were inside, the door closed and Jenna moved close to him. Closer than he was comfortable with. She rested her hand on his chest. His heart pounded against her fingertips. Her blue eyes glittered as she stared up at him. His cock stirred as an ache burned through him at the longing in her beautiful blue eyes.

  He wanted to pull her into his arms and ravage those sweet lips.

  “Darrick…” she said, her voice a sweet caress.

  She tipped her head up, her lips parting slightly.

  His breath locked in his lungs. Searching deep for the strength he desperately needed right now, he wrapped his hand around her wrist and gently drew it away.

  “Jenna, you are Casey’s tanash’ae. This can’t happen.”

  The elevator stopped and the doors whooshed open.

  “Come on. Let’s get you back to you quarters,” he said before she could argue.

  He led her down the corridor and soon they stood outside the door. It opened and she stepped inside.

  Then she turned to him.

  “Aren’t you coming in?”

  “That’s a really bad idea.”

  She gazed at him with wide eyes.

  “Please, I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

  Fakkreh, as much as he needed to get away from her, he couldn’t just walk away.

  His lips compressed, but he took the step inside. The door closed behind him.

  Chapter 7

  Darrick frowned as Jenna sat on the couch and gazed up at him. He eyed the armchairs, knowing he should choose one of those to keep his distance, but finally settled beside her. The irresistible urge to be near her was too strong.

  “I know this is difficult for you,” he said. “You’ve been pulled away from your world and your friends.”

  “And told I have to spend the rest of my life with someone I don’t even know, let alone love.”

  “I know your ways are different than ours, but you said you believe in soul-mates. I’m sure if you listen to your heart, you’ll find you do have feelings for Casey.”

  She leaned in closer and rested her hand on his, her gentle touch sending a blaze of fire through him.

  “I don’t believe that.” She gazed up at him, her blue eyes wide. “Because as soon as I met yo
u, I knew. My heart pounded and the ache inside me grew more intense. I may have been brought here to be with Casey, but the attraction between you and me is undeniable.”

  He willed his hand to move from under hers, but without success.

  “Jenna, I told you, this can’t happen. I won’t betray Casey.”

  Jenna bit her lip. “But what about me? Something’s gone terribly wrong here and neither of you believes me. You and Casey are so convinced of this bond between her and me that I’m afraid you aren’t seeing the reality.”

  She touched his cheek with her soft fingers, gliding them over his coarse jaw. The raw hunger inside him ignited.

  “That you and I are soul-mates,” she said softly.

  The sight of her luminous eyes, filled with a loving glow, shook him to the very core.

  Deep in his heart, he knew that he wanted this woman to love him. And, somewhere in the shadows of his soul, he thought… just maybe he loved her.

  His whole body tensed. But if he loved her… and he loved Casey… that would mean that the three of them might all be bonded. His stomach clenched.

  The urge to flee rushed through him, but then her finger glided over his lips. Her delicate touch unnerved him. His gaze locked on her lovely face, glowing with an ethereal light.

  “I know you feel it, too,” she said. “I can see it in your eyes.”

  She leaned in closer, her soft body brushing against his.

  “I’m suffering this painful need that I know only you can satisfy.”

  As she gazed at him with wide eyes, looking so vulnerable, he felt his barriers crumble.

  Gattra, how could he resist her?

  He grasped her arms and pulled her against him. Their lips met in a blaze of passion. Her tongue nudged delicately at his lips and he opened, then plunged his tongue into her mouth to taste her sweetness.

  The ache inside him turned to an urgent need. To rip the dress from her and caress her luscious breasts. To dive between her legs and feast on the sweet slickness he knew he’d find there. To plunge his rigid, aching cock deep inside her until she screamed his name in ecstasy.