Odd Coupling (8 page)

“
I slept while you
showered. My head feels much better, and the room has stopped
spinning. Sit here.”

He patted the edge of the bed. She
obeyed without question and sat, fully aware of how her bottom
brushed against his firm abdomen. His position on the bed didn’t
change, but she felt as if he curled around her. The sensation
soothed her frayed nerves.

“
You are worried about
these males?”

“
I’m afraid of what they
might do if they find you. I don’t think Caleb will stop searching
until he finds out who killed his dogs. He hates all aliens.”
Bethany cringed. She hoped she hadn’t insulted him by calling him
an alien. His expression didn’t reveal anything about what he might
think. “He’s in charge of the local protest group, Pure Earth. I’d
be willing to bet he’s posted guards outside my front gate. Hell,
he’s probably monitoring the entire perimeter of my
property.”

“
Will this male harm you if
he finds me here?”

Bethany shrugged and shook her head.
“I don’t know, but I’m certain he’ll want to kill you.”

“
If my presence endangers
you, I should leave before these men arrive.”

“
No! You can’t do that,”
Bethany blurted and instantly realized she sounded pathetic and
desperate. For some reason, she didn’t give a damn. “They’ll track
you, and in your condition you won’t be able to get away. Maybe I
can call someone who can help. At NASA, perhaps?”

He blinked. “Perhaps it’s best if your
government is not alerted.”

He was right. He was caught between a
rock and a hard place with nowhere to escape. His own people
couldn’t legally rescue him, and if the planetary government got
their hands on him it might mean disaster for the negotiations. If
any of the protestors found out about him, they’d have a field day
claiming the Alliance couldn’t be trusted. Even worse, if Caleb
captured him the Pure Earth crazies might parade his dead body in
front of the media cameras for the whole world to witness while
they claimed he was some crazed murderer.

She couldn’t allow that to happen.
There had to be a way to keep him safe. Out of concern, Bethany
instinctively reached out and stroked his shoulder. The burly
muscles relaxed where her palm slid over the hot smooth
skin.

“
There’s a wine cellar in
the house where you can hide. The entrance is through a hidden door
at the back of the kitchen pantry.” Her father had added it many
years ago to store hundreds of rare bottles of his favorite wines.
“No one knows it’s there. Caleb won’t find you. You’ll be safe here
until your people can come for you.”

She tried to believe she
was only concerned about his welfare. In truth, she feared he might
walk out of her life forever
. Stop trying
to keep everything
you rescue. He’s not a
pet.

His brilliant eyes seemed to darken to
a deeper shade of green. “I can sense your fear, Bethany. You are
afraid of this male.”

“
Not really…well, maybe.
Actually, I’m more worried about you,” she admitted before she
could stop herself.

For a brief moment, he tensed as if he
prepared to… Bethany didn’t know what, nor did she find out because
he relaxed. His tail even stopped twitching.

“
Rest for now, Bethany.
This is your bed, and I would be honored if you’d allow me to sleep
with you.”

He wanted to sleep with her? Just like
that? With everything that was going on, danger closing in on them,
and he wanted to bump fuzzies? She studied him to try to figure out
if he was serious or just yanking her chain. Did he really expect
her to jump into bed with him and fuck? Just like that?

Sure. Why not? You know
you want him.

“
I can stay on the couch
tonight,” she said. The room had become awfully warm all of a
sudden. A soft sound came from him, low and sexy. Was he purring?
Her desire made an untimely comeback. “You should rest. It’s a big
bed and you—”

“
I would rest better if
we’re together. I promise to make you sleep very well.” He stopped
purring to inhale. Their gazes locked. “You are
aroused.”

At his revelation, her desire soared
to new heights. She snatched her hand away from his
shoulder.

“
How the hell do you know
that?”

Bethany was stunned at herself for
being so bold to ask such a thing, but he didn’t seem upset at all.
In fact, the corners of his lips lifted in a sly smile, which
gradually spread across his face to end in a wide sharp-toothed
grin. She just knew she was blushing outrageously.

He touched the side of his nose.
“Heightened senses.”

“
You can
smell…that?”

He nodded enthusiastically. How
humiliating! Bethany was struck speechless.

“
You smell wonderful. If
you did not wish to sleep, I would be honored to couple with
you.”

Embarrassed and not anxious to hear
any more talk about coupling, Bethany sprang to her feet and
sprinted to the bedroom door. Once there, she turned and almost
screamed. Vren was directly behind her. He’d followed her to the
door without making a sound. His eyes sparkled with unmistakable
passion while his facial features spoke volumes even to her. He
looked as if he wanted to devour her.

Bethany’s knees threatened to collapse
out from under her when she took in the sight of so much lustful
eagerness. She certainly wasn’t the only one aroused. As his strong
arms circled her waist and he drew her against his hard, muscular
body, she whimpered, not in fear, but in surrender.

Chapter Five

She accepts me! Vren almost howled in
triumph as Bethany rushed away from the bed. Her action could mean
only one thing. She was in such a hurry to couple with him she ran.
Otherwise, she would’ve stayed and slept with him. Instead, his
tempting morsel lured him away from her sleeping area.

He was thankful the pain in his head
had vanished after his short nap. He’d need complete control over
his instincts in order to restrain his eagerness to pounce on her.
He didn’t want anything to distract him from his goal.

They were from two separate worlds,
and he’d never actually believed she’d agree to couple with him.
Although their species were different, they were both humanoid.
They were compatible sexually if not reproductively. She was a
brave female, and he admired her courage. Not many humanoid females
were willing to couple with D’Lyrians, especially the warrior
males. He vowed to take his time and prepare her for his larger
size while he gave her pleasure with his hands and
mouth.

He pulled her close, and her mouth
parted slightly as if begging for him. He bent to claim her. The
instant his lips touched hers a powerful jolt of desire shook him.
She tasted of sweet passion, and he slipped his tongue inside to
explore. She opened to his assault and hers teased his. The kiss
turned heated, as if they both sought to devour the other to quench
their craving.

He kept her locked in his embrace with
one arm and parted the top of her robe with his free hand. Slowly,
he slipped it inside to capture one breast and found more material
blocking his way. She wore a top under the robe. The thin material
allowed him to feel her nipple harden to a stiff nub against his
palm as he caressed the lush mound. It filled his hand perfectly.
Her intoxicating scent drove him wild while her little mewls of
desire spurred him onward. He slid his fingers downward, seeking
and finding the bottom of her shirt. He raised the hem until most
of the material was bunched under her breasts.

At that point, indecision tore at him.
He could spend a few moments removing her clothing or he could
explore further. Curiosity won out. He dipped his hand down and
slid over skin so smooth it made him want to pause to lick every
inch. He encountered a surprising discovery. She was completely
nude from the waist down. He didn’t stop his descent until he
parted her slit with one of his fingers. She moaned and tilted her
hips forward, inviting him inside. She didn’t have hair like some
humanoid females. He wouldn’t have cared either way. Her soft sex
was slick and drenched with need. His cock swelled as his desire
soared in anticipation of plunging deep inside her.

As he thrust a finger inside her
channel, and slowly pumped in and out, she trembled in his arms and
broke off their kiss to whisper his name. Vren thought he might
burst from his pouch. He could hardly believe she was so
responsive, so different from D’Lyrian females.

Since she didn’t seem to appreciate
some of the sounds he made, he fought back the desire to yowl in
elation after he tested the depth of her sheath and discovered she
could accept his length. He tightened his arm to hold her captive,
and she practically rode his finger as she moved in unison with his
thrusts. He slipped another inside her channel to join the first.
She gasped and held on to him as he stroked her soaked pussy and
made sure he rubbed the base of his palm on her clit. The little
nub stiffened and grew in readiness for his tongue to tease and his
lips to suck.

He needed to move her. There was a
seat in her dwelling she called a couch. She moaned in protest as
he removed his fingers, but he sealed his lips over hers in a
possessive kiss as he swept her up into his arms. She clung to him
and sank her nails into his shoulders, not deep enough to cut, but
firm enough to let him know she didn’t want him to release her. He
couldn’t imagine letting her go—ever.

*

What the hell is he
doing?

He’d caught her at the
door, and before she’d been able to utter a protest, he’d kissed
her. Bethany’s mind reeled, unable to think or act rationally. She
did the only thing her body wanted. She kissed him back.
God.
He tasted good.
Salty sweet. His strong arms enveloped her and held her firm
against his amazing body. She sensed his strength—tempered but
capable of crushing her if he wanted.

He pushed aside her robe and cupped
her breast with one large hand. The nipple hardened instantly. Each
time his palm caressed the mound, the soft material of her t-shirt
slid across the sensitive nub. The sensation sent jolts of pleasure
from the tip all the way down to her pussy, forcing little moans of
delight to escape from her throat. Unaccustomed wetness flooded her
sex and made her ache with a need so great it became almost
unbearable. She wanted to protest as he released her breast, but
his hand trailed a heated path down her stomach while his kiss
deepened.

The second his finger stroked along
the seam of her sex Bethany couldn’t hold back another moan, and
her traitorous pussy pushed against his hand, opening for him,
begging him to continue. He didn’t disappoint. His fingers caressed
her moist outer lips first before they probed into the soaked
dampness of her inner folds. Bethany thought she might die from the
sensations he roused within her.

No one had ever turned her on quite
like Vren, and she’d never responded to any man’s touch like she
did with him. She wanted to have sex with him, needed to have him
between her legs, taking her. Was it madness to want something so
badly, especially from an alien? She should stop him, or at least
try to stop him.

It’s just sex,
she rationalized, willing to believe anything she
said. Her mind was just as traitorous as her body.

His kiss and hand annihilated any
further objections as he plunged a long, thick finger into her and
thrust in and out of her slick channel. He hit places she never
knew existed. The exquisite sensations were almost
overwhelming.

She could barely breathe as she tore
her lips from his, and sighed, “Vren.”

His grip tightened around her waist as
he slipped another finger inside, stretching her vaginal opening to
accept the second. The added feeling of fullness turned to sheer
delight, and when his finger fucked her while rubbing her clit,
Bethany wanted to scream in ecstasy. Instead, she clutched his
shoulders, trying to find something to hold on to as waves of
pleasure washed over her. She was seconds from coming and
desperately aching for release as he pulled his hand away from her
pussy to leave her teetering on the edge of rapture.

Before she could scream in
frustration, his lips captured hers once more in a kiss filled with
sexual promise. In the next moment, he shifted his hold. Bethany’s
feet left the floor as his powerful arms swooped to lift her up,
crushing her to his chest. He carried her out of the bedroom. She
drew her head back to break their kiss.

She stared into a pair of green eyes
lit with raw desire. “Don’t you want to go to bed?”

He blinked and stumbled to a stop. His
passionate expression turned to confusion. She thought she also
detected a slight look of pain.

“
You wish to sleep?” He
panted. “Now?”

“
No!” Bethany shook her
head for added emphasis to make sure he understood. “I don’t want
to sleep.”

He stared at her and his eyes narrowed
as he tilted his head. He swallowed hard between pants. Since he
didn’t seem able to speak, she put her hand on his masculine cheek
and stroked the velvety striped skin with her fingers. His eyes
closed and he nuzzled into her palm. He shuddered, but his
breathing had calmed.