Dating Outside Your DNA (11 page)

"I'm not sore. Go away," she called out . Even her jaw hurt. She

closed her eyes again and tried to reach that point of utter relaxation.

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The knob jiggled. She tensed. The door opened and Roan

walked in.

"I locked the door!"

He grinned and her toes curled. Just cramps, she told herself.

Her toes were not curling because he looked devastatingly handsome in a deep blue turtleneck and a pair of jeans. A painter at the colony once told her that only a Texan could look good in a pair of jeans.

The painter had never seen Roan because he was looking  pretty fine right now.

"I'm good at picking locks," he said.

"Next time I'll put a chair in front of it. Now go away."

"Don't you want the tea? It's chai."

She sniffed. The wonderful smell of spices drifted over to her.  "Okay, you can leave the cup of  tea." She glanced down at the water to make sure the bubbles still covered her nakedness. They did, although they were starting to dissipate.

He walked closer and handed her the cup.

The tea invoked memories of winter months when Aasera would brew a pot  of tea, and they would sit on the plush sofa in front of a roaring fire. She took a drink, savoring the taste. This was nice.

Except Roan was still standing there as if he didn't plan on leaving. "Thanks. You can go now," she told him again.

Instead, he  began rolling up his sleeves.

"What are you doing?"

"If you don't get the stiffness out, you'll end up in the emergency room with muscle cramps." He knelt behind her.

The first touch of his hands on her shoulders made her jump.

"Easy now. Just drink the tea. I won't ever do anything you don't want me to."

Yeah, that was what she was afraid of, but the gentle massage of his fingers on her taut shoulders was too much of a temptation to let pass. She began to relax as he massaged away the tightness.

It wouldn't be hard to get used to a personal masseur. She took another drink of the tea, then closed her eyes, sighing deeply. Maybe it was the long day, or the tea, or even the bubble bath, but after a

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few minutes, his gentle touch began to stir more inside  her. Her  nipples hardened and began to ache.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Instructors were not supposed  to make out with their students. God, she hoped he didn't stop.

She held her breath when his hands massaged down a little  farther, but not far enough to give satisfaction. No, he was only  stoking the fire that was steadily growing hotter deep inside her.

She took another drink of tea, noting the slight tremble in her  hand. Had he noticed? Probably, he seemed to notice a lot of things.

He suddenly stopped, and kissed her on top of her head. "I

hope that helped," he said as he stood and started to leave the room.

She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. What could she  say? Or do? She wasn't ready to ask him to stay.

"Uh...thanks." How lame was  that?

He looked over his shoulder, hand on the doorknob. "By the way, you might want to add more bubbles to your bath." He opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him.

She looked at the water. He was right. The bubbles were gone.

There was zilch left to the imagination and her nipples were hard as pebbles. He knew exactly what he'd made her feel.

Ass.

At least she didn't need to add more hot water. No, her body temperature had pretty well taken care of that. She set the cup of tea on the tub edge and poured in more bubble bath and stirred it around until she had frothy bubbles. She reached for the cup again. The tea was good. The massage had been better. She slipped lower into the tub as hot water covered her like an electric blanket.

Nice.

How long would she be able to tamp down the Nerakian need

for sex that warred within her? It wasn't as if she even liked Roan.

He'd pushed her to the limits all week, especially today.

On top of all that, he'd made sexual advances toward her. For a moment, she closed her eyes and could almost taste his lips on hers.  He was a fantastic kisser. But that still didn't mean she liked him.

She frowned. She was pretty sure liking someone wasn't a

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requisite for having sex. If he did burn to a crisp, she wouldn't feel  quite as guilty--especially after the day he'd put her through.

She finished off the last drop of tea and set her cup to the side.  Six o'clock would be here before she knew it. If she was smart, she  would get out of the tub and crawl into bed.

Roan had picked this lock, would he pick the one to her  bedroom as well? Her thighs trembled at the thought. Muscle  spasms. Yeah, right. More like
 
coming-in-heat
 
spasms.

She climbed out of the tub and dried off, slipping her arms into  a terrycloth robe. She glanced toward his room as she walked down  the hall. There was no light beneath the door that she could tell.  Maybe he waited in her room.

She cautiously opened the door and flipped on the light switch.  Disappointment filled her. Okay, so she wouldn't mind  having sex  with him. He was making her horny. She was pretty sure that wasn't  part of her training.

She shut her door and tossed the robe across a chair, then  pulled out a silky red gown from the dresser drawer. As the whispersoft material cascaded over  her naked skin, rippling across her  sensitive breasts, she closed her eyes and arched her back.

The man was making her utterly crazy!

She grabbed the chair, sending the robe to the floor, then  crammed the back under the doorknob to secure it.
 
See if you  can

get past that!
 
She turned off the light, then went to the bed, and flung

the covers back.

There was no way he'd get into her room tonight. He wouldn't sneak into her bed, and caress her breasts and slide his hand between her legs, and rub her until s he felt as if she would explode if he didn't bury himself deep inside her and put her out of her misery.  No way was he getting past the chair.

She lay in bed listening to the quiet, hearing her own breathing.

Life really sucked.

She flung the cover to the side, went to the door, and quietly moved the chair back where it had been before she'd propped it beneath the knob. She was so pathetic. She crawled beneath the

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covers once again and let the fantasy envelop her.

If he was that good of a kisser, how wo uld he be at making

love? Would he be a tender lover? Or demanding? Maybe forcing her

to do things she might never have thought to try on her own? A

delicious tingle ran down her spine. She rather liked the idea that he

would be the dominant partner.

She  rolled to her back, snaking her hand beneath the covers,

touching her breasts, biting her bottom lip as her fingers grazed

across her tender, aching nipples. She squeezed them between her

thumb and forefinger, gasping when pleasure shot through her.

Would  his touch feel like this? If he were lying beside her, she would

throw her leg over his hip and press herself closer to him.

A door closed.

The front door? She stopped and listened. Her super-sensitive hearing detected footsteps walking away from the building. She got out of bed and went to the window, pulling back the curtain. Roan walked up the road, and then disappeared into the dark of night.

Where was he going? What was he doing?

She was thoughtful as she went back to bed, turning on her side and scrunching the extra pillow against her chest much like a lover would hold her close. It didn't matter where he was going. Only where he wasn't, and that was not in her bed.

Ass.

Roan had to get out of the building. Damn it, he knew he'd gone way past the boundaries of where an instructor should go. Lyraka knew how to push his buttons, and she'd pushed.

He took off at a jog up the hill. Even though it was dark, he knew the path well, and there was enough light from the full moon that he could see a few  feet in front of him.

Hell, he should know every bump in the road. He'd been running it for the last few weeks, coming up here when he knew no one would be around. He knew he was pushing himself to get back into shape. Sometimes a person had to do what th ey had to do. He was stifled here at the training center. It hadn't taken him long to get

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his fill of training rookies, especially Nerakians.

The familiar ache in his left leg began to throb. He gritted his  teeth and pushed past the pain. Instead, he focused on the beat of  his heart, on his lungs as he inhaled and exhaled.

Besides, it would get his mind off Lyraka. He stumbled. Damn,  why did she intrude on his thoughts? Probably because he knew  what she looked like naked. Man, it had been better than anything he  could've imagined--high pointed breasts with dark rosy nipples, small  waist, and hips that gently curved. He shouldn't have stayed, but the  bubbles had begun to disappear and he couldn't make himself leave.

He drew in a deep breath as sweat broke  out on his forehead.

Ah, hell, he had to quit thinking about her. He hurt so bad right  now that he could barely stand it. He picked up the pace. When his  leg throbbed to the point that he finally cried out, he knew he had to  stop. He began the journey back to the building, limping. It served  him right for coming on to her like he had today. But man, what he  wouldn't give for just one night curled up next to her.

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Chapter 9

"W
e have to strike soon!" Chief advisor Kragen warned as he  paced across the royal bed chamber.

Prince Banyon, only child of the ruler of the Rovert nation,  narrowed his eyes on the other man. "You forget your place." Did no  one respect their leaders anymore? Technically, he wasn't a leader  yet, but any moment his father wou ld die, and he, Banyon, would be  the supreme ruler.

Kragen visibly swallowed before lowering his gaze to the floor.  "Of course, Prince. I only worry for your safety and the safety of our  planet."

"And no doubt, your own neck." Banyon let his gaze trail over  Kragen. He was getting fat and lazy as he wallowed in his wealth.  Perfection was beauty, and right now, Kragen was ugly. The prince  hated ugly people.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the full- length mirror and  knew he looked perfect. He preened as he studied his reflection-- hair  as dark as his planet, creamy pale skin, lazy brown eyes. He was  more than handsome. Women fell at his feet, begging him to mate  with them. Rovert men were known for their good looks, and the  royals more so. Even his father,  as he lay dying in his bed, was still a  handsome man.

His gaze went to the small scar above his right eye. His only imperfection. Anger filled him. He regretted not being able to get revenge even after all these years.

A bug crawled across the floor. A b ig, fat, juicy croacher.

Banyon's tongue shot out of his mouth like a lizard, wrapped around the insect, and snapped back into his mouth. He closed his eyes and

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savored the sweet juices.

When he opened his eyes, he caught Kragen's reflection in the  mirror. He knew Kragen well. The man would have taken the bug for  himself if Banyon hadn't been paying attention. The man ate too  much as it was.

Banyon's gaze swept over Kragen. His chief advisor had no cares for his own appearance. It was disgusting, but he was still useful, even though he sometimes overstepped his boundaries. Of course, if the day ever came when Kragen proved to be too much of a bother, Banyon would have him disposed of.

"What I meant to say was that Nerak is allowing earthlings to land, male earthlings. You remember what's been passed down from ancient times. What if they breed? The Nerakian men were fierce warriors. They invaded our planet, killed our people."

"Because we invaded them first and killed their people," Banyon said. "They retaliated. No one can blame them for that. It's the way of the universe."

He brushed a white speck off his dark coat, doubting there were more than ten people on the whole Nerakian planet who could even fight. They'd grown lazy since there weren't any more wars.

"What if they start breeding and someday invade us again?

What if they bring more men and train them to fight? Will there be threats against us again?"

"That won't happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"We are at peace with Nerak," he spat. "My fathe r signed the peace treaty ages ago." And ruined all their lives.