Not Quite Terran Part 2 (Scifi Alien Romance Serial) (3 page)

And he gave it. The sound continuing despite the heart-wrenching sob that filled her chest and fought for release. She wouldn’t break down further in front of him. He’d cared for her, saved her, and provided for her, and the last thing he needed was a woman getting weepy all over his chest.

She took a moment and rubbed her cheek over the smooth fabric covering his chest, absorbing the scent of his skin and the warmth of his body, before pushing against his hold. He resisted, keeping his arms tightly around her for one moment more and then he leaned back. Once again he brushed a soft kiss across her forehead and then each cheek, releasing a soft growl before he finally slipped his arms away.

Her face was hot and no doubt her normally pale skin was flushed red and pink. Embarrassment snuck into her blood and she fought to shove it away. She went from sexy to slobbery in under five minutes.

But Karru didn’t seem to care. He reached for her clothing once again, intent on peeling it away and she had to dig deep to find the strength to object to his actions. “Wait a minute. What are you doing?”

He fisted the edges and met her gaze. “You were frightened and are injured. It is a Palia male’s duty to care for the female.”

“I’m fine.”

“Your skin is red here,” he brushed a gentle finger down her neck, “and you hurt here.” He stepped back and dropped into a crouch. He reached for her damaged ankle and gently cupped her foot. “You limped as you ran to your lodgings.”

Rebecca gasped. “How do you know?”

Karru furrowed his brow. “I followed. I watched you at the stationmaster’s office and followed you here.” His lips tightened and she saw the first evidence of anger fill his expression. “I would have killed the kitchen male had he tried to touch you.”

She didn’t doubt his word. “But how did you get ahead of me on the stairs?”

“Palia folds space.”

“Right.” She nodded. “Okay, well I can get cleaned up myself. Really.”

But she wanted him to care for her. Wanted so, so badly.

He shook his head. “No, it is a male’s honor to care for female. I shall care for you. I must.”

Tremors overtook her body, nervousness tinged with a hint of fear vibrating her nerves and she couldn’t force her mouth open to agree or deny him. She parted her lips and then closed them again only to repeat the action like a long extinct Terran fish.

“I…”

“It is a source of pride to assist a female.” He glanced away for a moment before meeting her gaze once again, something more than benign friendliness in his expression. “You know I desire you, but I am not like those males. I would not take from you. You do not have to be afraid.”

“But I don’t know you.” She shook her head. “You could—”

“I did not touch you and I spent a full turning at your side as you slept.”

She snorted. “You weren’t stripping me either.”

“I could have and you could not have stopped me.”

There it was, the truth thrown on the ground between them. He had a chance to hurt her, violate her, but instead he watched over her. It didn’t mean she trusted him without reservation, and yet she didn’t truly distrust him either. “You have a point.”

His gaze remained steady as he waited for her to make a decision. As if it was something so easy to determine. There were pros and cons, truths and worries, and what it boiled down to was the emotions crowding her. The instinctual need to put herself in his hands, knowing he would care for her.

Rebecca skirted his intense stare. “I have to stand to get this off me.”

His regard remained in place, the tics stretching and multiplying before he finally moved away from her and gave her space. “Do you need my assistance?”

“No, I can hold onto the counter.”

“Then I shall prepare the bathing pool.”

Bathing pool?

She opened her mouth to put voice to the question, but he was gone. He gave her his back as he strode deeper into the room and turned the corner out of sight.

With his disappearance, she carefully inched to the edge of the counter and then eased her feet to the floor. Her ankle threatened to give out and she caught herself on the countertop. It took some doing, some wiggling, and occasional hopping, but she finally dropped the soiled suit to the ground with a soft splat. She stood naked in this alien—in more ways than one—space, waiting for him. She hobbled toward the wall and snared a sheet of fabric that was soft and thick and sweetly scented. She brought it to her nose, breathing deeply, and she purred when she realized it smelled vaguely like Karru.

“It is a drying cloth.”

Rebecca squeaked and spun in place, fighting to use the cloth as some sort of barrier against his gaze. Though she wasn’t sure why she bothered considering he was about to assist her in getting clean. At least, that was her impression. She tugged and yanked, wrapping it around her and hiding her blood spattered body from his view. “I…”

She what?

He strode toward her, his movements sure and brisk. “Come. It is not good for you to stand.” She opened her mouth to stop him, but not a single word escaped before she was cradled in his arms and snug against his chest. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing, as if she was hardly more than a grain of sand. “I have the bathing pool ready for you.”

He didn’t give her a chance to speak, but instead strode back the way he’d come, taking them deeper until the space opened into a massive forest-like room. Trees—probably
real
trees—decorated the room with bushes and foliage peppered throughout. The pool he’d mentioned wasn’t an artificial swimming pool. It was like a crystalline pond; one that looked plucked from another planet.

He didn’t pause as he approached the edge and continued walking. The water rose higher to tickle her skin and eventually enveloped her once he’d gone deep enough. He paused when the liquid lapped at his waist, and then he very carefully lowered her legs so they could slip beneath the surface. The towel she’d attempted to use as a barrier was gathered and tossed aside to splat on the grass-covered ground at the edge of the pool.

Karru didn’t allow her to waiver or stumble, but kept one arm around her waist as she adjusted her position and stood in the water.

The thoughts of being exposed to him were banished by the reality of the room. “This is real water.” She couldn’t hide the wonder in her voice. “And trees… Grass…” She stared at him. “Is this all real? Or is it a holo?”

His cheeks darkened slightly, and he focused on gathering water and dripping it down her shoulders. “Females deserve the best.”

Embarrassment. He was embarrassed by his actions or her joy. Possibly both. Probably both.

Rebecca placed a hand on his chest, resting it over where a Terran heart resided. “Thank you. I’ve never bathed in water. I’ve never even seen a tree. This is… glorious.”

His voice was gruff when he replied. “Any male would have—”

“No, they wouldn’t have. So, thank you. Even if this disappears tomorrow, I will cherish this moment forever.”

A light flared in his multi-colored eyes and a fierce determination filled his face. “It will not disappear. You shall not be alone.”

Pretty words from a man who would probably be gone by morning, just like before. But she didn’t say that. She would simply enjoy the evening, cherish whatever time they had together, and then return to work in the morning.

Karru occupied himself with dripping water over her bare body, the warm liquid creating tiny pale rivulets down her chest. She didn’t say anything else after his assertion. There wasn’t much to say. He had his beliefs and she had hers.

Silence dominated the room, gently broken by the soft splash and tinkle of water. She allowed him to do as he desired, hands stroking and dripping the contents of the pool over her. The purple blood vanished amidst his attentions and she reveled in the feeling of his hands on her skin.

His fingers glided over her flesh, stroking her toned arms, ghosting over her collarbone, and he hesitated when he reached her breasts. Her nipples were hard mounds aching to be touched and stroked, and she didn’t stop him when he cupped her fullness. Instead of a Terran moan of pleasure, a growling whine escaped her lips.

“You enjoy this.” It wasn’t a question but she felt the need to reply anyway.

“Yes.”

He rubbed his thumb over her nipple, teasing her with the gentle stroke and she arched her back, pushing into his hand. “All Terran females are like this?”

“There is no thinking about other Terran females when you’re in my bed,” she growled.

His smile, the cocky glint in his eyes, told her that her response pleased him. “Do not fret, sweet one. My thoughts are for you. I created this place only for you.”

Slightly soothed by his reassurance, she allowed herself to be lost to each and every stroke and pet. She didn’t restrict him in his attentions, allowed him to caress her in any way he desired. Because she desired it as well. Right or wrong, she craved him. Regrets were for tomorrow. She would embrace life this wentic.

So when he ran his fingers through her hair, she didn’t object. When he returned to exploring her breasts, she actually encouraged him. And when he delved beneath the water to stroke her ass and lightly caress the flesh between her thighs, she purred.

“You enjoy this?” His fingertips slid along the seam of her lower lips, arousing her with that barely there touch. “You enjoy this.”

That wasn’t a question either and didn’t require her confirmation so she remained silent.

The more she responded, the louder her sounds became, the more he increased his attentions. His gaze remained intent on her, the glorious color of his irises fluctuating and swirling while he petted the most intimate part of her. Her anatomy was different than other Terrans, slightly altered and yet in so many ways the same. The biggest variation was the source of her pleasure. Terrans referred to it as a clit, a bundle of nerves that enabled a female to enjoy bliss. The center of her pleasure wasn’t located in the same place as a Terran’s and she’d never wanted to draw attention to that odd part of her.

Many females spoke of the joy to be found in bed…

That had never been the case for Rebecca. Until now. Because whatever he was doing, wherever he was touching and stroking, was sending her flying. He rubbed in small circles and brushed in small swipes, finding a rhythm and motion that had her begging and panting his name. Her very center, the source of her feminine heat, burned for him and she cried out when he slid a finger inside her. The slight penetration stretched her with a stinging pain, but it wasn’t enough to banish the ecstasy she found at his touch.

“You are tight, my sweet one.”

She didn’t give a damn what she was, not when she hovered at the brink of something glorious. He slid in and out of her, the stinging gradually sinking into a throbbing bliss that threatened to overtake her. She curled around him, laying her head on his shoulder and simply reveling in what he did to her body.

“Please, Karru.
Please
.”

“I have you, my sweet one. You will find joy with me.”

She already had. And yet he gave her more. Trembles—from pleasure and not fear—overtook her and she was lost to them. Her body, no longer her own, muscles shaking and twitching as they desired.

“Reach for the joy.”

She let him take more of her weight, let him take complete control of her body and its position, and that’s truly when the pleasure enveloped her. His movements were jerky and increasing in pace, shoving her toward that blinding light of pleasure and she couldn’t help but to succumb to his attention.

“Reach…” he demanded.

Rebecca reached and her desire was granted, the ecstasy consuming her from head to toe. She screamed his name as she shattered, her sheath rippling around him and massaging his penetration. She panted and moaned, the sounds interspersed with animalistic purrs as the pleasure ebbed and rose. It was delicious and seductive and… devastating.

“That’s it, my sweet one,” he murmured. “That’s it…”

Lethargy filled her, the overwhelming pleasure leaving exhaustion in its place, and she didn’t move a muscle when he slipped his hand free and cradled her close once again. He turned and faced the exit of the pool, carefully holding her tightly as they departed the mass of water. She whimpered in distress, unwilling to leave the warmth behind, but a rhythmic growl from Karru immediately soothed her.

He assured her it would remain and wouldn’t disappear.

She tried not to question the fact he was speaking in his own language and not federation common or Terran.

He carried her into the bedroom and carefully laid her atop the covers, gently drawing a blanket over her damp, nude form. He stepped back, putting space between them, and she stared at him. “Aren’t you joining me?”

He grimaced and frowned. “The bathing pool was for the care of the female.”

“Any female would do?” The first stirrings of unease came to life inside her.

“A Palia male is responsible for caring for females.”

It was as if he drenched her in freezing water. Any female
would
do. “Oh. I see. It was a pity hand job,” she sneered. “Next time, we can leave ‘care for a female’ off the menu.”

Karru’s frown deepened even further. “I do not understand. I cared for you as an honorable male would.”

She had to remind herself that he wasn’t Terran. She kept expecting him to act like a Terran male when that would never happen. She sighed. “It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head. “Thank you for helping me.”

And the orgasm.

“I will change and then assume my post.”

Yeah, you do that.

Karru padded back the way they’d come, his clothes squelching and shoes squishing with each step. Just before he entered the bathing room, he paused in the doorway and turned to face her. “I… I was raised with many expectations and until this moment, I did not understand what older males meant when they discussed their sweet ones. I never imagined… I could have never expected…” He seemed to be searching for words he could not find. “It is beyond imagining, Rebecca, and I thank you for that trust.”