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But there was more than simply anger in her gaze. There was hurt, envy and something else. Something he recognized instantly…
awareness.
His eyes widened at the realization. Despite her anger this woman wanted him, almost as much as he wanted her. That thought sent a surge of urgency through Orion’s body, one he hadn’t felt in a very long time—if ever.

He flashed her a look that normally brought women flocking to his quarters on Zaron. Her gaze flared a fraction, then narrowed dangerously. Orion watched her tiny hands curl into fists. Did she think to harm him? The thought was ridiculous, but he admired the courage it took coming from one so small and it intrigued him. Perhaps all the small creatures on this planet were fierce.

Crimson color swept her neck and over her face. He debated whether to probe her mind, but decided against it. Her species was far too primitive to accept such a prolonged invasion without a true-mate energy bond in place. But he was tempted, especially after accidentally catching a few of her racier thoughts.

He stroked her with his gaze and heard her bite back a growl. Orion’s lips twitched as he fought the urge to laugh. He loved a good fight, on and off the battlefield. This woman would not come easily to his bed, but she would
come
many times once she got there. The thought provoked, aroused and surprised him. He wasn’t at all certain when he’d made the decision to have her. He only knew it to be so, as if the Goddess herself had leaned forward and whispered
take her
,
she’s yours
in his ear. Never one to “look a prized zebra in its teeth”
he accepted the Goddess’ gift without question.

“The first prize goes to Orion, dragon slayer from Zaron,” the man announced to the masses, motioning to the cup in Orion’s hand.

Dragon slayer?
Why did the man keep calling him that? He wanted to check his wristband to see what kind of creature that was but he didn’t want to draw any more attention than necessary.

The crowd exploded. Loud whoops filled the air as he followed the announcer’s lead and tentatively raised the cup above his head. Orion was deep into his fantasies about the woman when the announcer’s next words dowsed his ardor as effectively as if he’d ripped the Katronian rings from his cock.

“Second prize goes to crowd favorite, Brigit Taylor for her celestial dragon.” The man held out a document to the spirited woman. She hesitated a second before snatching the paper out of his fingers. Her gaze swept past the announcer going straight to the cup in Orion’s hand, before she turned to the crowd and waved. Brigit smiled sweetly at the people, until she glanced back at him. Her happiness faded, replaced by a massive ball of rage. Without touching him, she slayed him repeatedly with her eyes.

This was the woman he sought? This was Brigit? Impossible! The man had made a mistake. Yet, even as Orion considered the probability, he knew there’d been no error. He could almost hear the tinkling sounds of the Goddess’ laughter over the crowd’s din. She hadn’t blessed him with this woman, she’d cursed him.

Orion’s gaze swept Brigit once more, taking in the hidden curves, imagining the feel of her skin beneath his fingertips, the taste of her nipples in his mouth. He swallowed hard. What would she look like without the hideous covering? His palms itched and his body tightened. So this was Brigit Taylor, friend to Queen Rachel and Jac.

This changed noth—everything.

There had to be a compromise somewhere. He knew his orders, but conveying his message and then leaving no longer seemed like a viable option. Besides, his orders mentioned nothing about refraining from touching, although perhaps they’d implied as much. King Eros and Ares should’ve been more specific. They’d left seduction floating in the realm of possibility. Orion’s smile deepened as he considered the prospects. There was
“more than one way to skin a weasel”.

He sheathed his sword and laughed under his breath at the fates that brought him to this tiny blue-green planet. The Goddess certainly worked in mysterious ways. Suddenly the thought of babysitting didn’t sound quite so unappealing.

* * * * *

Brigit seethed in anger as she rounded on him. “Who are you? Did Rick hire you? Damn, that’s desperate even for him.”

“No, I—”

“Then where in the hell did you come from?” she asked as she steamrolled past Orion, not waiting for an answer. “And don’t you dare tell me Zaron,” Brigit shot back over her shoulder as she unhooked her six-foot plastic tail and shoved it under her arm. What kind of name was Orion anyway? He might as well call himself Spock. Talk about unoriginal.

Like Brigit expected, the man followed her as she exited the stage. Rick and Dorothy laughed and pointed at her as she passed, but quickly stifled their mirth when the dragon slayer shot them an admonishing look. She fumed. She didn’t need this…this…man sticking up for her. She could take care of herself. Brigit still couldn’t believe she’d lost to a guy wearing what appeared to be spray-on clothes. It didn’t matter that he looked like some kind of fabled god in them.

She glanced at him. He stalked behind her. There could be no other way to describe his movements or his grim expression. Brigit took a moment to examine his costume. It reminded her of something you’d get if Fred E. Rick’s of Hollywood designed a spacesuit for men. Sexy even without a splash of color beyond a couple of jade accents. Were the judges blind? The crowd had decided the winner. The judges score sheets were simply a formality. She huffed. There was no accounting for taste.

Brigit turned forward in time to avoid colliding into a structural beam. He would’ve loved that, having her so distracted that she walked into something. Bastard! Grr…why did he have to look so good in that outfit anyway? The contest should have been based on talent, yet it had turned into a beauty contest. And there was no way in hell she could beat him in that arena. Heck, the chick who played Lara in Tomb Ryder would have a hard time and she was beyond gorgeous.

It wasn’t fair. Brigit slapped the second place certificate against her padded thigh and glared over her shoulder once more. She groaned aloud. Just what she needed, a male version of an actress who embodied perfection following her around. As if things didn’t suck enough at the moment.

Sweat from the crowd permeated the air. Brigit pinched her nose and fought to keep from gagging. Would it kill some of these people to use deodorant?

When they reached the relative quiet of the hallway, Brigit spun, dropping her plastic tail at her feet. The man almost slammed into her. She hadn’t realized he’d closed the distance between them. She craned her neck and tried to ignore the heat coming off his body. Brigit straightened her spine before she did something stupid like sway into him. The fact that she found him attractive only angered her more. “I don’t know who you think you are, coming in here and snatching victory from my hands, but I want you to know that I think it stinks. If I were bigger, you’d be sorry.”

He frowned, his expression going to one of utter confusion. “I’m not sure what I have done to offend you, but…” He hit a button on his wrist. Something crackled, then buzzed. “I apologize.”

Brigit glanced at his wrist and back to his face. “Don’t you think you’re taking this sci-fi convention a little too seriously? The spotlight isn’t on you now. By the way, what’s your real name? Bob? Fred? Tom? Percy?”

“I know not what you speak of. My name is as I told the people. I am Orion.”

Brigit planted her hands on her costume-covered hips and gave him her best withering stare. He didn’t crack a smile or even blink. Maybe he was telling the truth. She relaxed a fraction. “Hippie parents, eh? I understand. I came this close,” she raised her hand and pinched her fingers together, “to being named Moonbeam.”

Orion shook his head as if to clear it. “What do we do now?”

“What do you mean what do
we
do? I’m going back to my room to change into my next costume and you…you…” She poked him in the chest to punctuate each word. Touching him was a mistake. Her fingers quivered, hovering an inch away from his flesh, before balling into a fist. “I don’t care what you do. It’s your business, but I better not see your perfect ass on stage in twenty minutes.”

He grinned. “You think my ass is perfect.”

Brigit snorted. “Oh, please. You know you’re gorgeous. If your head swelled any bigger, you wouldn’t fit down this hallway.” She waved her hands around to encompass the area.

A look of horror crossed Orion’s face as he reached for his head. He examined it carefully with his fingertips for a few seconds, then dropped his hands away. A moment later, he seemed to relax. “My head is fine.”

She rolled her eyes. Was this guy for real?

“I should come with you. We need to speak.”

“What do you think we’re doing right now?” She taunted. “Besides, we’re finished talking. You’ve done all the damage you could possibly do to me in one night.”
Unless you decided to fuck me blind.

“I have not injured you.”

She blinked, terrified that he’d read her wayward thoughts. His expression remained impassive.

“Oh, forget it.” She swatted the air in front of her face in frustration. “I’ll see you around.”

Brigit turned to leave. Orion’s hand swept out before she could take a single step and grasped her elbow. Heat zinged along her arm, going straight to her clit. Her body came to life under his touch, colors brightened and sounds intensified. One minute she’d simply existed and the next, she became an active participant. She fought an outward tremor as her gaze narrowed to him. The power he held in that simple touch frightened and intrigued her. Yet, the last thing she needed was for this guy to know how much he affected her. Brigit glanced down at his fingers, which curled possessively around her arm, and then to his face. The message she intended must have gotten through because he immediately dropped his hand.

“That’s more like it,” she said, wanting more than anything for him to touch her again, but lower.

“Please allow me to accompany you to your quarters,” he requested, yet his eyes flashed with what appeared to be…desperation. But that couldn’t be right, what would this guy have to be desperate about? Apprehension colored his features.

If he’d been arrogant she would have told him to go stuff himself. Instead, Brigit felt herself soften. “Okay, but just to my door and no further. I have to warn you that I know karate.” She whipped her hands in front of her, frantically chopping the air. “You try to pull anything funny and you’re toast, got it?”

Orion stepped back, watching her with something akin to amusement filtering across his face. His lips quirked, but he did not smile. “Rest assured I will pull nothing, unless you wish it.”

Brigit refused to read anything into his strange statement. She looked away unable to maintain contact with his jade and aqua eyes. The intensity burning in them was too fierce. At a distance, the man was gorgeous, but up close he was deadly. What she’d thought was a Celtic tattoo on his cheek looked more like a tribal brand of some sort. But that couldn’t be right. He didn’t strike her as the face branding type. What was she saying? She didn’t even know him. He could be one hotdog short of a bun and with a name like Orion, he probably was.

That realization didn’t stop her from making more covert observations. His smooth skin held a strangely clean odor, not soapy or freshly scrubbed, but clean. Almost as if he’d been sanitized. The silver hoops in his ears sparkled as they caught flashes of the muted light from the fluorescent bulbs above. Brigit found herself mesmerized by the sight, longing to swirl her tongue around the circle until she encountered his sweet fleshy lobe. No! No! No! This was definitely not good. Orion grinned like he’d read her mind. Brigit sniffed and then picked up her tail to continue on.

This man could charm a Rabbi out of his long winter gatkes.

She made a mental note to hide her underwear.

* * * * *

Orion wasn’t sure what exactly he had done to garner the fiery-haired woman’s rage, other than almost killing her, but he knew what he could do to assuage it. Mirroring the behavior of the people at the front desk, his smile widened. Brigit glowered. Her expression did little to deter the rings on his body from quivering in excitement and anticipation.

What was he thinking? No matter what he’d considered only moments ago, he couldn’t in good conscience bed Jac and Queen Rachel’s friend. His orders were to deliver a royal message and then leave. That did not require removing his body armor flight suit and exercising his cock.

He watched the sway of Brigit’s hips from beneath her padded covering, hypnotized by the gentle swish from side to side. He longed to see her without the bulky material. She was a small-boned woman, the top of her head barely reaching the piercings dangling from his nipples. Yet, it would matter not, for they would still fit together nicely.

No!
The word echoed in his head, even as the rings around his shaft vibrated, hardening him instantly beneath his clothing.

Orion shook his head, sending his hair cascading into his face. He brushed it back in annoyance. He needed to stop thinking about this woman lying beneath him, writhing, his ringed cock sunk deep within her, her nipples feathering his lips, her soft moans filling his ears, feeding his voracious sexual appetite. He blinked to disperse the unsolicited image.

He could get that need taken care of by the two women standing sentry at the portal of this facility. But even as he thought it, Orion knew his interest in them already waned. Something far more tantalizing teased his eager senses…and she had red hair, luminescent skin and a temper hot enough to make a Zaronian
slithera
cringe.

They reached Brigit’s quarters a short time later. She slipped the entry card into the lock and the door opened with a soft click. She took a step inside, tossed her tail onto the floor then turned, holding her hand out to prevent him from following.

The warmth of her palm resting against his chest burned through the thin material of his spacesuit straight into Orion’s soul. His breath caught in his lungs. The touch wasn’t meant to be sexual, yet it was as effective as stroking his cock. Her innocent caress scalded his insides, igniting a fierce primal need deep within him.