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“I could never hurt you, Freya. But I wouldn’t say that about anyone that might try to get between us. I like it just as we are now, with nothing between us. I want you to know that I am always going to feel this way.”

“Well, I must say. I do like the way you feel right now.” She rubbed her hand against his taunt chest again, reveling in the way he drew in a sharp breath at her soft caress.

He couldn’t believe the daring hellcat that was in his arms. Freya continued to surprise and astound him. She continued to take his breath away, just as he’d taken her breath away. He could see that she was intent on getting him just as naked as she was …

and he had to say that he really didn’t have a problem with it. He could still see, however, that she might be pissing mad once the intoxicating effects of the Gaian vodka wore off.

“Are you quite certain? In a few moments, there will be no going back.”

Doorway to the Stars by Marly Mathews 31

“I’m sure. So sure.” She finally managed to unlatch his belt. She relieved him of his trousers. He was erect with his desire, and he could see that she was very happy.

“Astounding. This is just astonishing. If I wake up soon, I will be very unhappy

… this can’t be a nightmare, it has to be the best dream ever.” He stiffened with expectation when she slowly caressed his staff.

“You are as hard as a rock but as soft as silk. I think I could get used to this.”

He swallowed. He pulled her against him and heard her gasp of surprise then she let out a giddy laugh. He touched her breasts and rubbed his finger over one nipple until it puckered and pebbled with hardness. When he dropped his hand to touch the soft crown of curls, she shivered again. She was hot and slick with her desire. He didn’t need to worry that she wasn’t ready for him. The fever was working just as it was supposed to be there. There was a faraway glint in her eyes mingled with pleasure. She looked as if she was ready … before he could react, she fulfilled her promise by taking matters into her own hands, figuratively and literally.

She stroked his cock as gently as she could. She wanted to worship him, but first, she had to get rid of some of her heat that was scorching her skin. “I’m so hot.”

“So am I, I’m hot for you.”

“That’s good.” She backed him toward a wall, and then, just when they got to the wall, she switched places with him. “I have a pulsating inferno inside of me … make it dissipate … and since there’s only one way ….” She kissed him again, and right when she kissed him, he thrust into her, filling her sheath full. She gasped again. The intensity of the sensations rocking her body made her want to scream out loud.

She had given herself to him completely. Now the fever inside of her would be extinguished. He continued to thrust inside of her, she rocked against him. She was breathing heavily and so was he. He’d discovered heaven in her arms, no other Gaian woman had made him feel the way he felt. He actually felt bonded to her. And he just hoped she wouldn’t hate him once this was over. He couldn’t live with that. He wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of her, now that he’d had one taste of the forbidden fruit.

She tightened her hold on him. Pulling him to her, she entwined her legs around his muscular back. Their lips locked. Spasms ricocheted through her as she reached her climax. On the wave of her climax, he reached his own release.

She was drowning in waves of ecstasy. She molded her lips to his as he filled her with his seed. Her heart was beating so loudly she could hear it pulsing in her eyes. Her eyes grew wet as he held her against him. She had fallen victim to his enchantment. And now she’d
never
be the woman she once was.

Doorway to the Stars by Marly Mathews 32

She was in his bed. Stretching languidly, she rubbed her legs against the silk sheets. Memories of the previous night burned through her psyche. She groaned in reaction to the pounding in her head. She felt like a piece of shit. She was naked under the silk sheets as was Aries. She could recall their trail of lovemaking from the common room of his quarters into the bathroom, back to his quarters to eat, and then to bed. She could feel her cheeks flaming. She’d never been so intimate with a man in such a short amount of time knowing him. She could only lay the blame on the fever. It had to have been the thing that caused her to act so damn wantonly.

She wasn’t this sort of woman. She didn’t take physical relationships with men lightly. Now the question was how would she break ties with him when she was already in so deep with him? He moaned in his sleep and rolled over. Before she could react, he’d pulled her against him. She gasped. She needed to get away from him. She couldn’t let him pull her back into his intoxicating web of desire. Her head burned with her hangover.

She needed a painkiller and she needed one fast.

“I don’t suppose you would have anything that would get rid of the man drilling a hole in the side of my head?”

He kissed the back of her neck. “That might help.”

She tried to pull away from him, but his hold was firm. “I’m serious. I have a bloody whopper of a headache, Aries. I think I need something to help … I’ve never had such a migraine before.”

“It’s the vodka.”

“Well, I know what it is, and thank you so much for reminding me. But the room is spinning, and I think if someone shot me right now, I’d feel better.”

He sat up and leaned down to stroke her forehead.

“I’ll get you something that always cures my hangovers. It’s an old natural remedy.”

“Hell, I could care less how old or how natural it is at the moment, I just want some form of relief.” His eyes twinkled at her.

“Of course you do.” She saw that familiar glint in his eyes. As he slipped out of bed, she pulled the bed sheets closer around her and slid over to the farthest side of the bed. He was rummaging in a cabinet that he’d unlocked. He procured what looked to be a real water bottle and some sort of pink powdery substance in a jar. She swallowed. He could poison her and do away with her right now and no one would be the wiser. Of course, he wouldn’t kill her until she’d given him at least one heir. A momentary sense of panic rippled over her.

They hadn’t used any form of contraception last night, and more than likely he wouldn’t care to hear her concern. She could be at this moment already carrying his child. Closing her eyes, she inwardly berated herself for being so foolish and so impetuous.

She watched him mix the pink substance into the water.

“I don’t suppose that will taste like strawberries, huh?”

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“Strawberries?” He sounded puzzled.

“A fruit that is indigenous to Earth, obviously.” The social chasm between them was enormous. How could they ever manage to bridge it long enough to have some kind of working relationship? She already had him under her radar. He trusted her. She could be successful at escaping him if she used this new trust to her advantage. Maybe she could figure out a way to get off this clunker of a spaceship and find her way to an Earth outpost.

“Here.” She must have gotten lost in her train of thought because suddenly he was shoving the glass of pinkish liquid in her face. “Drink this. All of it.” His visage looked sterner than it had only seconds before. Her eyes widened as she took the glass.

Could he hear her thoughts?

He sat down lightly on the bed in front of her. Resting his hand lightly on her hand, he gently caressed it.

“Drink that right away. If your pain doesn’t subside, I’ll call the ship doctor to give you some pain medication.” Their gazes locked. She licked her lips and started to nervously bite her lower one. “Freya, I assure you, it won’t make you sick.”

Her memory flickered back to her thoughts of poison. She swallowed. She couldn’t drink it in front of him. She already felt nauseous.

He stood up. A mixture of horror and outrage enveloped his face. She widened her eyes. “Bugger it. You
can
sense or hear my internal thoughts. Damn you straight to hell.”

“I can only pick up on a random thought here and there. I’ll admit it gladly, Talia might tell you anyway. And since we did have sexual intercourse last night you will put two and two together once Talia referred to it. You are not a foolish woman.”

“You men truly have full control over your women. Why can’t I sense your thoughts? Why don’t I know what you’re thinking?”

“Because I’m shielding my thoughts from you. We are trained at an early age since so many of my people are telepathic without even being sexually bonded. We must know how to defend ourselves from a random mind attack.”

“Mind attack? Nice. So this headache of mine, is it really from the vodka or is it from the effect you have on me? You’ve tricked me. You kidnapped me, and you tricked me. Next thing I’ll find out is that Talia put that vodka bottle in a visible place hoping that I would find it and drink it. You knew what it would do to me, that it would make me so I couldn’t hold back from wanting you, and ....”

“
Enough!
” he put his hand up. “Don’t you dare twist what happened between us last night? I never forced you to do anything. You were the instigator in everything that went on between us. I will not have you accusing me of rape. So, don’t even go there.”

“You kidnapped me, and you knew that those damnable sexual pheromones of yours would infect me and make be into a raging sex machine. You knew it.”

He looked at the glass of water she held. “Drink that. Drink it now.”

She looked down into the murky pink water. She had to take a stand against him.

Maybe the headache she had would kill her. She could only be so lucky. She watched his eyes flare in reaction to that one thought. She pushed the glass back into his hands.

“I’m not going to drink that. I’m not going to have anything else that’s Gaian.

Look what the vodka did to me. I’m not going to drink that concoction of yours. It might just make the pain in my head worse. Just leave me alone and bugger off.”

Doorway to the Stars by Marly Mathews 34

“You are acting like a spoiled brat.”

“No. I’m reacting in the only way I know how. I won’t be your wife. I won’t be your captive. I feel as cool as a package of ice cream. I want to go home. And if this is the only way to convince you how much I want to be free of you, then so be it.” She lay down on her back, pulled the covers up to cover her entire body, took a ragged breath as another spasm of pain washed over her, and tried her best to ignore his presence.

She tried to ignore the sound of him shuffling about. He’d placed the pink water on the nightstand.

A chiming sound met her ears. She heard him click something. “Yes?” His voice sounded strained. Obviously, their argument had hit a raw nerve. “Don’t do anything until I get to the bridge.”

“The bridge?” She sat up. The tone of his voice plainly said that there was something afoot that she needed to know about.

“Yes. You heard me correctly. My attention is needed on the bridge. It would seem we have been followed. We are nearing Gaian Space. If it’s an Earth ship that has followed us, this could be an act of war.”

“An act of war? Good show for my side, then.”

“Your side?” He stopped midway. He’d pulled on a white silk shirt and he wore burgundy colored leather pants that were skintight. Unconsciously, she licked her lips.

“I’d be careful voicing your allegiance in that manner, Freya. As far as my crew is concerned, you are now on my side.” His eyes flashed bright purple. Before she could move away from him, he’d swooped in on her. His lips touched hers with an almost unbearable tenderness. His formidable size completely belied his gentle giant attitude he had with her. As he drew away, she literally had to hold herself back from pulling him toward her again. He had an intoxicating effect on her, so much so that she wondered if she’d fallen into his web of enchantment only to become addicted to him. Could she really leave him like she wanted to?

He turned his back to her. “I’d stop thinking with such conviction, Freya. I’d be hard pressed not be able to hear your thoughts. And to answer your last question, you’ll never be able to escape my spell. We have a hold over each other. It’s mutually exclusive, I can tell you that.”

She finally swallowed the lump that had lodged in her throat after he’d kissed her.

His kiss was torture … his kiss was one of fate. She couldn’t deny that now. But she’d outwitted fate before, and she could do it again. He let out an irritated sigh. She didn’t care if he could hear her thoughts, once he’d gone to the bridge .... She cut her thought off before she could complete it. She was however, too late. He’d picked up on it, and, despite her caution, he’d also just filled in the blank.

“Maybe I should tie you to me.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll be fine here while you go and wage war with a significantly more powerful enemy.”

“More powerful?” His harsh laughter made her spine tingle. “You still haven’t fully comprehended the sort of situation you’re in have you? My side is the more formidable one. The weight of power is in our hands. And, in due time, your ‘
side
’ will find that out the hard way.”

She gasped. “How many people do you intend to kill on your way to dominance?

You can’t do this. You’ll never earn my respect or love by going down this dark path of Doorway to the Stars by Marly Mathews 35

yours.”

“Dark path? Dark path is what your civilization is currently on … your planet is now the scourge of the galaxy. Slave trading is legal, if not encouraged … do you realize how many lives your government has already ruined? If someone doesn’t stop Earth, the galaxy will be completely at its mercy. I can’t let that happen.”

“So you think you’re some sort of blasted freedom fighter, is that it?”