Part 6 (1/2)

No. But they wont know that and might kill you in order to make me cooperate.

Gee, dont I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

If it is of consolation, I would avenge your death.

Not feeling any better.

I know of something that would bring you great pleasure. And yes, he grinned widely to make his innuendo clear.

A reddish hue invaded her cheeks. A sign of her l.u.s.t or something else?

I think Ill pa.s.s.

A pity.

So, um, have you thought of a way to pay me for this?

She plucked the artifact from a pocket and held it so it spun in the air. It glinted in the feeble light of a lamp, its low hum enticing, and yet, while he found the XiiX fascinating, it paled beside the woman who held it aloft. It confused him because for some reason he found himself questioning as to which was the greater prize”her or the XiiX?

Madness or the pollutants from her truck clouding his judgment?

The answer was clear. Or should be.

The XiiX was priceless. One of a kind, hence the race to acquire it. Well, not so much a race anymore, as it was technically in his possession, but until he managed to lock it away with his other treasures, someone could still come along and steal it.

And, yeah, he didnt see the irony in calling other collectors thieves. In his world, anyone who touched what was his was a thief.

And if they touch Jilly?

Then they would die. Because, more and more, he was beginning to think of her as his. Or at least worth keeping for a while to judge her worth.

If he bored of her, he could always kill or auction her off.

As if Id let another own her. The very thought filled him with a cold rage.

Mine.

His.

He couldnt have said when he made the decision to kiss her again, or why. All he knew was one moment he was doubting his mental capacity, filled with a possessive need, and determined to touch her again.

He slanted his mouth over hers, and she tasted just as delicious as before. Perhaps even better. His arms wrapped around her, an embrace that tucked her against him, her shape, which hed initially found so odd, fitting perfectly against his.

Given hed set a perimeter defense”his wristband possessing a detection option that would inform him if it noticed weapons, certain distinct lifeforms or other out-of-place actions within a certain range”he felt rather safe in indulging. Then again, he would have indulged even without it.

Nothing like the threat of danger to make an encounter more exciting.

We shouldnt be doing this, she managed to utter between panting breaths.

Why not?

Because I barely know you.

Knowledge is a prerequisite for s.e.x on your world?

She paused in her nibbles of his lower lip to peruse him. Its things like that comment that remind me youre an alien. That and the purple skin.

And its the fact you only have a pair of these, he said, squeezing each of her wondrous b.r.e.a.s.t.s, that remind me youre human.

I dont even want to know how many b.o.o.bs your women usually have.

It depends on their fecundity.

She blinked, and he could almost see her mind whirring, preparing a new round of queries.

Given the erotic moment appeared to be slipping away, he forestalled any further questions by placing his lips back upon hers while his hands did their best to ma.s.sage her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The nipples, which crowned them, hardened when he ran his thumb over the tips, peaking into hard buds that he could not resist.

Much as he delighted in the taste of her lips, he wanted to feel those peaks in his mouth. He wanted to suck on her and hear her moan in delight.

And she did.

Even though he initially grasped her erect tips through the fabric of her s.h.i.+rt, she not only moaned, she arched, and her fingers clasped his head, hugging him to her chest.

With a growl, he broke free. Take off your s.h.i.+rt.

Only if you take yourwhatever youre wearing off as well.

Even in the midst of pleasure, she thought to negotiate. Lucky for her, her demand coincided with his own thoughts.

As she stripped off her s.h.i.+rt, baring her glorious b.r.e.a.s.t.s, he ran his fingers down the enclosure to his surface suit. It split apart, and he stepped from it, clad only in form-fitting shorts.

Aliens wear underwear? she asked, not without a lilt of surprise.

I do. The suits can chafe a males lower regions otherwise.

She laughed. And its comments like that that make you sound almost human.

He glared. That wasnt nice.

Oh, get over it, she scoffed as she kicked off her boots then tugged off her pants, baring her legs and the most delicious cocoa-colored thighs. Her own undergarments were made of just the tiniest sc.r.a.p of fabric, and through their laciness, he could see the thatch that covered her mound.

He knelt between her spread limbs, determined to examine her more closely. Yet once again she showed her difference from other females he knew.

She wasnt content to lie back and let him explore. On the contrary, she seemed fascinated by him.

He sucked in a breath as she reached out to touch him. I dont know whats more fascinating, the fact you have no nipples or that you have the most lickable set of abs Ive ever seen.

What are abs?

These are. She raked nails down his flat stomach to the waistband of his shorts.