“Gods, I can hear your heart,” he murmured at last.
Tess stiffed in his arms, her hands frozen in his hair.
“I…uh…”
“It’s truly amazing, this Kindred technology,” he continued, nuzzling against her. “If we had such things on Rai’ku, perhaps…” He trailed off with a sigh.
Perhaps what? Tess was relieved that he’d put her very real heartbeat down to amazing artificial technology but this one-sided conversation was becoming extremely frustrating. Where was Rai’ku? Was he not really Kindred? He certainly looked Kindred although she hadn’t seen any other warrior with such extraordinary eyes before. Also, what was his name? She found herself wanting to ask but she was afraid a real Pairing Puppet wouldn’t do that. From what she’d seen, they acted very mechanically—wanting to know their client’s name probably wasn’t in their programming.
“If only you were real,” he murmured, breaking her train of thought.
If you only knew… Tess wondered if she ought to say something. Maybe if she explained her situation he would understand. Maybe…
“But I suppose it’s better you’re not,” he continued.
Okay…guess I’ll keep my mouth shut.
“After all,” he continued. “It’s only because you’re a puppet that I can really talk to you. I can tell you things…things no one else may know.”
He looked at her, searching her face with those gorgeous eyes. Tess looked back, fighting to keep her expression impassive though her heart was pounding again. She wasn’t sure if she should answer him or not but he seemed to be waiting for some acknowledgment of his words.
“Yes,” she murmured at last, deciding that less was probably more.
“I can do things with you.” The fire was suddenly back in his eyes, making them blaze with the same hunger she’d seen when he first chose her back at the Pairing House.
“I…um…yes, I guess…” she whispered, starting to feel nervous.
“Forbidden things,” he rumbled.
“Um…what? What kinds of…of forbidden things?” Tess couldn’t help it. She knew her reaction wasn’t what it should be or would be if she was a real Pairing Puppet but the words just slipped out.
His eyes blazed.
“I want to hold you…to touch you everywhere. And I want to taste you.”
“I…I…” Tess had no idea how to react. What exactly did he mean when he said he wanted to “taste” her? It wasn’t what she was thinking, was it?
“Take off your clothing.” He was already tugging at the black lace negligee-dress she was wearing and before she knew it, Tess found herself down to her bra and underwear.
At least you have on a nice, matching set, the little voice in her head pointed out helpfully. Both bra and panties were black satin, shiny and smooth with little bows in the front.
“I…but I…” she started to protest, but the big warrior was already rubbing his cheek against her skin. The gesture was both animalistic and strangely sensual. For a moment he reminded her of a cat—a really freaking big one. It was almost as though he wanted to scent mark her all over—to claim her as his own.
Tess felt tongue tied—unable to stop him as he rubbed his face between her breasts and then down to her trembling abdomen. She was still frozen, even when he laid her gently on the bed and continued down, sliding past her belly button to rub his cheek directly against the black satin crotch of her panties.
“Gods,” he murmured, inhaling deeply, as though he wanted to breathe in her scent. “You smell so fucking good.” He looked up at her again. “I want to taste you, little one. Want to rip away this tiny little garment and spread your sweet pussy with my tongue.”
“Y-you do?” Tess stuttered. His hot words made her feel like her entire body was blushing.
Slowly, he nodded. “I’m going to spend hours between your legs, mapping every secret fold, making you come over and over again. Gods…” He inhaled, his eyes burning. “I can smell how hot and wet you’re getting. Can’t wait to taste your honey right from the source.”
Oh my God…oh my God! Tess felt utterly exposed even with her underwear still on. She could feel the big warrior’s hot breath through the thin material of her panties and though she didn’t want it to, her body was reacting to him, her nipples getting hard and her pussy hot and wet in a way that scared her.
Shouldn’t be feeling this way. It’s dangerous…wrong…
Pierce never wanted to see such signs of arousal in her—never wanted her to show pleasure or suggest anything new. Anything like this. In fact, he had never done what the big warrior was describing except for that one time when he…
Is this what you want, Princess? a mean little voice—the voice of her ex—whispered in her ear. Something new? Something kinky? Something only a little whore would want?
No, don’t think of it. Don’t remember! Tess told herself fiercely. She clenched her fists at her sides and stared up at the ceiling, willing the memory away.
“What’s this?” The big warrior sounded as if he was frowning.
Tess looked down and saw that he was staring at the small, white scar on her inner thigh. Seeing the mark brought back the memory she’d been trying so hard to suppress. The heat she’d been feeling turned to ice down her spine and her stomach clenched in a sick knot of tension.
“I thought you said you were new. That you were a prototype,” the warrior said, frowning. “But this looks like a scar—an old one. Who did this to you, little one? Who hurt you?”
Suddenly Tess couldn’t take it anymore.
She wriggled away from him and scrambled off the bed. Snagging her dress from the floor, she started pulling it on with trembling fingers.
“What…?” The warrior was still on his knees in front of the bed. He looked up at her, frowning in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“Okay, all right, you got me,” Tess babbled. “I didn’t want to blow my cover but I can’t…can’t do this. I’m not a Pairing Puppet. I’m sorry—I’m really sorry.”
His face grew dark and he stood suddenly, towering over her.
“You’re not a puppet? What are you—some kind of a spy?”
“What? No!” Tess backed away from him, her heart pounding. God, why did he have to be so big? She had an idea that her dress was on inside out and backwards but she didn’t care.
“What were you doing at the Pairing House, posing as a puppet?” he demanded.
“I was hiding, all right?” She was backing away from him now, fumbling for the door. The anger on the big warrior’s face was frightening. She had seen that look before often enough in Pierce’s eyes to know what it meant. Trouble coming… It was written all over his face, brewing like a storm. And she wanted to be out of the way before it hit.
“I told you things,” he said, his deep voice throbbing with anger. “I did things…forbidden things.”
“No, you didn’t—not really!” Tess protested, still feeling for the door. “I mean we really didn’t even…”
“We did enough. On my planet the things we did…the things I told you…” He shook his head. “You let me break the ancient taboos. Let me believe you weren’t real—that you would keep my secrets.” He was still advancing on her, his face like a thundercloud.
“I’m sorry!” Tess had found the door at last but it wouldn’t open. “Look, I’ll go, okay?” she gasped. “I’ll leave the Mother Ship. I’ll give myself up to the authorities and I’ll never come back, I swear. You’ll never have to see me again.”
“You can’t—” he began.
But just then, to her vast relief, the metal door panel at last slid open. Tess practically fell out of it, into the narrow street.
“Wait a minute.” Moving much more quickly than such a big man should have been able to, he was suddenly out the door and had her by the arm.
“Let me go!” Tess yanked against his big hand but she might as well have been pulling against an iron handcuff. He wasn’t hurting her but it w
as clear he wasn’t going to release her either. “Let me go!” she insisted again.
“No.” He glared at her. “You’re coming with me.”
“What? No!” She was still pulling against his hand but he was already marching her down the narrow street. There didn’t seem to be any hope of escape. Tess felt despair wash over her. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.
He shot her an angry glance.
“You mentioned wanting to go to the authorities. I’m taking you to one of them now.”
Chapter Eight
Commander Sylvan looked confused when the door to his suite slid open.
“Yes, Garron? How can I help you?” His eyes flickered down to the girl with long reddish-brown hair and dark eyes Garron had by the arm. “And…who is this?”
“I don’t know who she is but she’s been hiding in the…in the Pairing House.” Garron had to force the words out. It shamed him deeply to admit he had been visiting such a place, even though among the Kindred there was no stigma attached to it.
But even more humiliating were the things he had said and done with the girl when he thought she was a Pairing Puppet. I held her—took her in my arms and held her close to my heart, body-to-body, he thought. Such contact was forbidden on Pax, where he had been raised. The Rai’ku, did not believe in any kind of physical contact between people unless it was a male and a female during breeding time. They kept to themselves and did not touch one another, except to clasp arms occasionally when sealing a bargain.
And he had done more than just hold her. He had rubbed his face over her skin, breathing in her sweet essence, marking her for his own. Not only that but he had told her he wanted to taste her. The stigma attached to such an act was unspeakable—the shame unfathomable. And he had not only admitted that he wanted to do this, he had actually started to do it. He would have if she hadn’t jumped up and run from him. If she hadn’t admitted—
“I’m sorry,” the girl said, breaking his train of thought. “I know I shouldn’t have been there. I was just…I had no place else to hide. I had to get away from my—” She shook her head. “I’m just…I’m really sorry.”
Commander Sylvan frowned. “Perhaps you’d better explain. Are you here because you’ve been dream sharing with a Kindred warrior? Maybe you came to look for him?”
For a moment the girl’s eyes widened and Garron felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. The girl in his dream—the one he could never quite see. Could she be…? But then she shook her head.
“No…nothing like that.”
“All right…” Sylvan cleared his throat. “And Garron says you’ve been hiding in the Pairing House?” He looked at Garron. “And you found this out when you…”
“I went there to…to…” Garron could feel his cheeks getting hot.
“Never mind,” Commander Sylvan said hastily. “There’s no need to answer that. In fact—”
“Sylvan? Sweetheart?” Sylvan’s mate, Sophia, suddenly appeared behind him. “Is everything okay?” she asked, looking anxiously at Garron and the girl.
“I’m not quite sure, talana.” Sylvan frowned. “Garron has brought this female—”
“Oh, are you a friend of Garron’s?” Sophia looked at the girl curiously.
“No, not exactly.” The girl shook her head, her dark hair flying. “I’m just…I was hiding but I didn’t mean to…to…”
Sophia’s face grew concerned. “You look kind of shaken up…?”
“Tess,” the girl said softly. “And yes, I’ve had better days.”
“You poor thing. Come in and let me get you a cup of tea. I have a few friends over—if you’re new to the Mother Ship and want to meet some nice girls to hang out with.”
“She’s not here to make friends with other females,” Garron burst out, unable to stand it anymore. “She is a liar and a criminal—hiding in a place she should not be and violating the trust of those who visit there.”
“I’m sorry.” The girl lifted her chin defiantly but her eyes were suspiciously bright. “Like I told you, I had nowhere else to go.”
“Who’s this?” A new face suddenly appeared at the doorway. Garron saw with a sinking heart it was Becca, his brother Truth’s new bride. “Hey, what’s going on?” she demanded, her eyes flicking from the shirtless Garron to the disheveled girl whose arm he still had locked in a tight grip. “Who is she and what are you doing to her, Garron?”
“Nothing.” Garron knew when he was defeated. He liked Becca and valued her good opinion. There was no way he wanted to stand here and explain that he’d been duped by the bewitchingly beautiful human female while seeking a sexual release. He dropped the girl’s arm and stepped back. “Nothing at all.”
Sylvan shook his head. “I still don’t understand. What is it you want me to do, Garron?”
“I…I…” Garron shook his head, feeling foolish and impotent. “I just don’t think she should be allowed to live…where she’s been living. She ought to be sent back down to Earth.”
“Oh? Where have you been living?” Becca looked at the girl with evident interest.
“I…” The girl shot him a glance and shook her head. “Maybe I’d better not say.”
“Maybe you should come in for a cup of tea. Or do you want some coffee?” Sophia and Becca were already reaching out to pull the girl into the suite.
Garron felt himself dying inside as he watched her enter Commander Sylvan’s suite. He knew how females talked among each other. Now everyone whose good opinion he valued would know his darkest, most secret desires.
“Garron?” Becca was looking at him now. “Do you want some coffee? It’s nothing at all like the chii you gave me on Pax but it’s still pretty darn good.”
“Apologies but no, Becca. I…must go,” he growled. “Now.”
Without another word he turned and left, cursing the fate that had led him to pick the little Earth female and make her privy to all his most perverted fantasies. What had possessed him to act and speak as he had? And how could he ever look anyone on the Mother Ship in the eyes again?
It’s exactly what you deserve, whispered the little voice in his head—the voice of his guilt. You swore to always love and cherish Nella’s memory and look what you did—or tried to do. Have you no shame? No regard for the memory of the one you swore you loved?
The voice was right and Garron knew it.
“Forgive me, Nella,” he whispered, running a hand through his hair. “I will take this as a warning. I swear I will never forget you or betray your memory again.”
* * * * *
“Um, did you know you have your dress on backwards?” the girl with long brown hair and green eyes asked as she led Tess into a plush living area scattered with oversized, overstuffed furniture.
There were two other girls sitting on the couch. One had blond hair and silvery gray eyes and the other had red hair much brighter than Tess’s and was clearly pregnant. In fact, she looked ready to pop at any time.
“I think it’s inside out too,” the other girl, who the Kindred warrior had called Becca, said. She had creamy mocha skin and the most gorgeous face but her best feature had to be her eyes which were kind and understanding.
“Probably.” Tess gave a shaky laugh. “I was uh, kind of in a hurry to get it back on.”
“And why did you have it off in the first place?” The pregnant redhead raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a sardonic little grin. “As if we couldn’t guess. See, Becca? I told you Garron would find some lucky girl. With those eyes of his, there’s no way he could stay single for long.”
“Um, it’s not actually like that,” Tess said. “I mean, I didn’t even know his name until just now. You said it’s Garron?”
“What?” the blonde girl exclaimed. “Didn’t know his name? Then what were the two of you doing?”
“Nothing!” Tess assured them hastily. “I mean, we would have but I admitted I wasn’t a Pairing Puppet before things got too hot and heavy.” She sighed unhap
pily. “He was still really angry with me though. Not that I blame him, I guess…”
“Back up…slow down…” The pregnant redhead made a “time out” gesture. “You were pretending to be a Pairing Puppet?”
Tess felt her whole face get hot with mortification.
“Well, yes, but I wasn’t, uh, performing Pairing Puppet activities, if you know what I mean. I was just hiding out at the Pairing House and your friend, uh Garron, thought I was one of the puppets and picked me by mistake. I didn’t want to blow my cover so I went with him…” She shook her head. “I never really intended to…to do anything with him.”
“But you did anyway?” Becca asked gently. “It’s okay, honey—there’s no judgment here.”
“I appreciate that but we didn’t do anything.” Tess shook her head vehemently. “I mean, he took off my dress and unbuckled his belt but then he just…just held me.”
She closed her eyes briefly, remembering the feeling of warmth and safety she’d felt in those powerful arms. Why couldn’t he—Garron—have just been content to hold her a while longer? The warmth of his big body, the dark, spicy scent of his skin…it had been so…so nice. For a moment she almost wanted to cry but she pushed back the stupid emotion. He thought you were a Pairing Puppet, of course he wanted to do more than just hold you! she scolded herself. What did you expect?
“So he just held you?” the redhead said flatly. “Really?”
“Honestly—I know it sounds unbelievable but it’s true,” Tess said earnestly. “But the way he reacted when I admitted I wasn’t…what he thought I was, well, you would have thought we did a lot more. Not that we did—because we didn’t. I mean…”
“I think I know why he was so upset,” Becca said. “I’ll tell you if you want to know. But first we should introduce ourselves.”
“Oh yes, I’m so sorry!” the girl with brown hair exclaimed. “You must feel like you’re on trial and you don’t even know us! Everybody, this is Tess. And I’m Sophie and this is my twin sister Liv.” She pointed to the blonde girl who did have remarkably similar features. “And this feisty pregnant redheaded lady is Kat.” She nodded at the redhead who smiled at Tess.