Rescuing Mattie (2 page)

Jai rubbed his aching brow and breathed a sigh of relief. He was off duty for the next eight hours. He wanted a quiet place to relax, a stiff drink and a soft bed. He was determined to find a spot where there would be absolutely no human females. Right now, he did not see anything even remotely pleasant about them. He had been called in to cover for another warrior who had been injured while training, otherwise
he would have been happily focusing on engineering.

Unfortunately, the warrior had been assigned to the detention area where a human female was being detained. Kev Mul Kar, the
Seeker’s
Security Chief, had told him she was called a reporter. She was someone who asked questions and wrote information for her people.

“Asks questions?” Jai muttered as he stepped onto the lift. He closed his eyes and tiredly leaned his head back against the wall. “She never shuts up! If I had heard the word ‘why’ one more time I swear I would have stunned her ass.”

“Who were you going to stun?” Petre asked as he stepped into the lift behind Jai.

“The reporter,” Jai glanced at his friend and shook his head in resignation. “Lady Jo came and finally took the female to the other humans.”

“Thank the Gods,” Petre groaned. “I was stuck
with her the last shift. I thought humans needed plenty of sleep. She drove me nuts asking questions and singing some song about rum and pirates and such.”

“I just hope I don’t have to deal with any more human females if they are like that one. Lady Jo is nice but she may be a rare treasure among the species,” Jai said with a grimace.

He had been very thankful when he was finally given a reprieve. Lady Jo had come down and demanded that the female be released into her care. Jai had called Kev for approval. Once he received it, he couldn’t turn off the shield holding the annoying female fast enough. The female had just grinned at him and flipped her middle finger up as she walked away. Jai wasn’t sure what the gesture meant but he suspected it was meant as an insult. He was just thankful for the peace and quiet.

He and Petre talked about other things going on around the warship before the lift slowed. Petre walked off first. He fell back against Jai as a striped creature with a hairy limbed creature on its back trotted by with a pale, red-haired female running beside it. Petre’s eyes widened as he looked at the long bare legs of the female and her pert little grin as she waved. With a muttered oath, he turned to follow her but was distracted when Kev called out to him.

“I want that female!” Petre muttered, glancing at her retreating figure before turning with a sigh of resignation toward Kev who was waiting for him. “See if you can find out where she is going,” he asked Jai as he walked away.

Jai had been so lost in his own thoughts that he had followed Petre without thinking when he stepped off the lift. It took a moment for him to realize he was on the wrong level. With a curse, his eyes flashed in annoyance to the second set of strange creatures running through the corridor.

The set of animals that ran by him this time were smaller and came in all different sizes, shapes, and colors. His eyes swiveled to the figure following them. Heat filled him, immediately wiping away the fatigue and irritation. A small female with lush curves ran by him. His eyes locked with hers for the briefest moment before she pulled hers away. A heated blush turned her smooth, dark complexion a light shade of rose. Her skin was darker than Lady Jo, more of a creamy mocha. Her hair was a dark brown and cut short. She had it spiked with the tips touched with different colors that showed off her creamy skin. Her eyes were a soft dark brown that made him want to drown in their rich depths.

Jai watched as she raced past him, her rounded ass encased in a pair of dark blue leggings that emphasized her figure. She wore a blue top as well but it did nothing to hide her generous breasts. The thought of tasting her rosy tips jerked him out of his stunned reverie. He had never had
such an intense reaction to any female before, including those who sought to entice him into spending his credits on them.

He jerked forward in
a panic at the idea of losing sight of her. Fear washed through him at the thought of another warrior seeing the female and claiming her before he had a chance to. He rounded the corner and muttered a silent curse when he bumped into his commander.

“Excuse me, my lord,” Jai muttered, looking behind Manota in an effort to catch a glimpse of the female.

He wasted precious moments answering questions and asking Manota if he had seen which way the female had turned. He had been nervous Manota would rebuke him for asking and order him to stay away from the female. He knew deep down he would end up being seriously disciplined for disobeying a direct order because he knew he would have ignored any command to leave the female alone.

A grin spread across his face as Manota explained his female had taken a right. Relief and amusement burned through him at the slight look of resignation on his commanding officer’s face. It was obvious Manota understood the impact the human females had on a warrior. With a quick ‘thank you’, Jai raced down the corridor and turned at the intersection leading away from the direction he had originally intended to go.

*.*.*

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the unusual female kneeling by one of the creatures she cared for. He slowed his step, not wanting to startle her. She was the most beautiful, exotic
female he had ever seen.

A small smile curved his lips when he saw the shock in her eyes at the sight of him standing over her. She was even lovelier the closer he got. Blood rushed to his cock as her lips formed a small ‘O’ of surprise. His eyes moved to her lips and he wondered what she would taste like. Just the thought of them against his had him taking another step forward.

“Hello, female,” Jai said, stepping closer.

His gaze followed her as she nervously stood up and slipped her hands into the back pockets of her blue leggings. The movement pulled her baggy blue T-shirt snugly against her full breasts, showing the rounded pebbles of her nipples that swelled even as he gazed at her.

“Hi,” Mattie replied with more than a touch of nervousness at the huge man standing just a foot or two from her.

She had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye. He was tall like all the other alien males and the fact that she was barely five feet four inches wearing her shoes only emphasized that. He wore his hair in a short military style. His skin was a dark tan, slightly lighter than her own.

Mattie received her coloring from a combination of her mom who was from South Africa and her dad who was Caucasian. Her parents had met at Columbia State University but their marriage hadn’t lasted more than four years.

She took a step back when the male took another step bringing him even closer. She could actually feel the heat from his body and catch his scent… Mattie briefly closed her eyes and inhaled. His scent was causing her body to do things she didn’t even know was possible. She had read books that spoke of a woman’s body turning to liquid but this was ridiculous!

How could the smell of someone turn you on?
She silently wondered.

“What are you called?” Jai asked in a soft, deep voice that caused goose bumps to pop up on her arms.

Mattie shook her head in an effort to get herself back under control. She tilted her head to the side and scowled up when the man took another step closer. He was practically in her face now! She refused to move back, even though that was what she wanted to do.

Who did he think he was! She had every right to be here. She glanced
up at the male again. He was intimidating in his uniform. The black leather vest, black pants, and mid-calf boots made him look even bigger and more dangerous in her opinion.

Maybe it would have been better to have just jogged around the storage bay,
she thought as she suddenly realized just how alone they were. She wondered if anyone would hear her if she screamed.

“Mattie,” she responded as she gave in to her sense of self-preservation and took a tiny step backwards. “What’s your name?” She asked, nervously biting her lower lip. She froze when he reached out and gently touched her lower lip with his thumb.

“Jai,” he replied huskily. “What are you doing out of your area?”

Jai studied the small female that barely came to his chest. He liked that. He also liked her soft rounded figure. It made him want to scoop her up and press her against his body.

Mattie shifted uncomfortably. “No one said we couldn’t explore,” she retorted. “The dogs and I needed some exercise. Why? It isn’t like it’s dangerous or anything to walk the hallways or anything, is it?”

“It can be,” Jai replied with a devilish grin.

He thought of how much he wanted her. The primitive urge to chase her, capture her, and claim her flooded him the moment she ran past him. Now, standing closer to her and seeing how delicate and feminine she was only made it worse. The thought of someone else finding her first drove him the final step closer. He had to mark her as his.

Mattie gasped and took another half step back, almost tripping over Peewee who was lying by her feet. She started to protest but the words died on her lips as Jai reached out and grabbed her arms, pulling her closer to his body. She trembled and pressed her hands against his chest as he pulled her closer.

“You are invading my personal space, you know,” she whispered nervously. “I… You… can let me go.”

“I don’t think so,” Jai said as he wrapped his arms around her. “I am claiming you as mine, female.”

“Claiming…” Mattie’s startled response was cut short as Jai bent his head, claiming her lips in a heated kiss.

Mattie’s protest was smothered as his lips brushed against hers before he deepened the kiss. She felt her feet lifting off the ground as he wrapped one arm under her butt and pulled her against him. She gasped when she felt his hard length pressing into her stomach. He took advantage of her gasp of surprise, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth to explore her taste. If anything, she was even sweeter than he expected.

A low groan escaped from him as he finally pulled back. “You taste even better than I thought you would. I want you,” he breathed as he brushed kisses along her jaw and down along her neck. “You are mine, Mattie.”

Mattie jerked as she felt his lips lock on to her neck, pulling at the tender flesh. The sharp nip caused her to arc into him. He tasted her pulse as it fluttered rapidly under the onslaught of his lips. Her responsiveness to him ignited his blood until he felt like he was about to explode. Never had he had such a reaction to a female. Never had he wanted someone so badly that he could think of nothing else but taking her, claiming her, loving her.

“What… are you doing?” Mattie moaned as her head fell back.

“Making sure everyone else knows you are taken,” he growled out as he pushed against her.

Panic built as fear overwhelmed her. She didn’t know this man. He could just be playing with her. He probably thought she was easy with the way she had been responding to him. She pushed against his shoulders as he continued to try to kiss her. Finally, she cried out a sharp command in German to Poppers, the Standard Poodle.

“Poppers, beißen seine Hose!”
Poppers, bite his pants!
Mattie cried out.

Poppers rose immediately and grabbed the back of Jai’s pants. The huge warrior let out a sharp yell as the poodle grabbed a little flesh with it. Poppers growled menacingly, refusing to let go.

Jai cursed and released Mattie, carefully sliding her down his body even as he gritted his teeth against the pain of having his ass pinched by the sharp teeth of the dog. He glared over his shoulder at the poodle that just growled deeper and jerked her head, causing another curse to escape from his clenched jaw. He turned to look at Mattie who was pressing her back against the wall even as she scooted further away from him.

“Poppers, release,” Mattie whispered out, never taking her eyes from Jai’s furious face. “I have to go. “Nach Hause gehen, guys.”
Go home, guys,
Mattie ordered as she turned back the way she came and started running.

Jai watched as Mattie and her shaggy companions disappeared around the corner, almost knocking Petre down as he came walking around it. He waited until he could no longer see her before he reached a hand out and rubbed his offended butt cheek. A small chuckle escaped him as he thought that he was going to be carrying her mark for a few days, on his ass. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the mark he was hoping for.

“What are you laughing about?” Petre said glumly. “I couldn’t find the female I was looking for and yours looked like she had a dozen Killian mercenaries on her ass.”

“Mine just had one of her creatures bite me in the ass to get away from me,” Jai said with a grin.

“And you think that is funny why?” Petre asked confused.

Jai looked over at his friend. “Because I left my mark on her neck. She is mine, Petre. Let’s go get a drink. You look like you could use one,” Jai said suddenly feeling much better.

At least the pain in his ass was making him forget the one in his head. A few stiff drinks and neither one would matter. He needed to talk with his friend anyway. He had noticed one of the warriors in engineering that he hadn’t seen before. He wanted to find out if Petre knew anything about him. He had a funny feeling about the male called Mullox. He had found him opening the coolant panel for the engines yesterday when that was not his assigned area. He knew Petre helped with the assignments and wanted to check if Mullox had been reassigned without Banner, the Chief of Engineering, knowing or letting him know as he was second in charge of that area.