With a snarl, Theo’s hand shot out and locked around her throat, the healing device forgotten on the floor. His muscles were taut, and his immense chest rose and fell rapidly.
She’d pushed him too far. His dark stare bore into her. But then…his eyes changed. The soft green flashed to black and then back again. Had she imagined it?
He turned them both, guiding her with the massive hand at her throat and forcing her to back up until her shoulders hit a bedpost.
When her brain caught up to her present circumstances, she began clawing at his hands and struggling to break free. He bared his teeth and squeezed. He didn’t apply enough pressure to hurt her or cut off her air. His hold was just firm enough to tell her she wasn’t going anywhere until he decided to let go.
She stopping scratching at him. Just let him calm down. He isn’t hurting you.
When she rested her hands on his forearm, she noticed his quick intake of breath. Keeping his hand in place, he stepped so close to her that she had to crane her neck to look at him.
He towered over her and, finally, Jade started to question her choice to seduce him, even as her treacherous core flooded with heat. He was so much stronger than her. She knew he could snap her neck like a twig in an instant if he wanted to. The logical side of her told her she should get far away from him.
Despite her fears, she couldn’t deny that she was very turned on. Her panties were soaked, and her breasts ached for his touch.
“Let me go,” she said, though her words lacked certainty. Did she really want him to?
He cocked his head down at her then moved his mouth over her neck, fanning her skin with his hot breath and grazing her throat with his lips. A soft moan escaped her at the contact.
Slowly he slid his free hand down her back and rumbled against her skin, “You need to come, little wife.”
She let out an involuntary whimper and arched her back to him in answer. He looked wild and powerful and was unmistakably aroused…by her. His hand was large enough to encompass her whole neck. She felt so small in comparison, and it thrilled her.
He squeezed her ass hard and nipped at her ear. “You must be aching now. Your scent is driving me mad.”
She shivered. “Scent?”
He moved to peer down at her with a predatory grin. “Your arousal.”
Jade eyes widened in surprise. “You…you can smell…smell when I…”
“I can,” he whispered hoarsely.
She flushed with embarrassment. Placing her hands on his chest, she tried to push him away, but she may as well have been attempting to move a brick wall. He didn’t so much as sway.
In a flash, the hand from her throat vanished, slipped under her dress and ripped her panties off her. “These mask the scent.” Tossing away the offending underwear, he inhaled deeply. “Now let’s ‘lift that dress,’” he said, using her own words from earlier.
Jade started to tremble as his hot fingers explored her wet folds. When his slick thumb brushed over her clitoris, she released a strangled cry, fisting his shirt.
His hand stilled, and she wanted to whine with frustration.
“Look at me,” he growled.
Opening her eyes, she tried to focus on his. He was studying her face carefully.
He gave another quick swipe of his thumb over her clit, which caused her to buck in his hand.
A deep, humorless chuckle emanated from his chest. “So that’s what that is for. When I reviewed the section on human female anatomy in your file, I’ll admit I was curious.”
His smile vanished then and his thumb continued to stroke her. “So responsive. So wet.”
Jade’s eyes rolled back in her head as a throaty moan escaped her. When had she spread her legs farther apart?
“It won’t take much for you to come, will it, wife?” His other hand slid up her body to palm her breast.
“Yes! Please, Theo!” Her cry must’ve shattered his control, because his movements became more aggressive. Faster. She was so close now. “Don’t stop, please!” She panted, grinding her hips in time with his touch.
“Let me see you come for me, little wife,” he rumbled.
He slipped a large finger into her sex, and her body exploded with her orgasm. Waves of pleasure cascaded over her as she screamed, “Yes! Theo, yes! I’m coming!”
“I can feel you. So tight,” he bit out. His deft hands continued to work her flesh until her screams had diminished into soft, panted cries.
As the haze from the best goddamned orgasm she’d ever had lifted, she gazed up at him and a slow, sated smile spread over her lips.
He began to purr again. “Beautiful,” he said as he stared down at her, brows drawn.
She felt a rush of affection come over her at his whispered compliment. “Tit for tat, big boy.”
At his confused expression, she let her hand roam down his body until she palmed his rock-hard erection.
His shaft jerked in response, and he hissed in a breath.
Just then, a loud pinging sounded somewhere within the house. He groaned and cursed.
“You could ignore it?” she offered as she started to rub his length through his pants. His purring grew louder, making his whole body vibrate.
Distantly she wondered how it’d feel if he was able to vibrate like that during sex. Who needs a rabbit when your boyfriend comes equipped with a huge vibrating dick?
The pinging sounded again, more insistently this time. A snarl ripped from him, and he grabbed her wrist to stop her movements. “I need to see to this.”
Seemingly with great effort, he backed away from her but continued to gaze at her as he did so.
Then he did something so unexpected that she found herself growing wet all over again. While looking at her dead in the eyes, he raised the hand he’d used to bring her to orgasm and licked her juices from his finger and thumb.
“Stay here!” he demanded.
Her breath had caught in her throat until he’d left the room.
***
He was going to pummel whichever being decided it was a good time to come to his home. He ran a hand over his straining erection, willing it to subside. He could still feel her hot palm on him like a brand.
Taking a deep breath, he stomped to the front door and wrenched it open. Theo must appear furious at this moment, but standing before him, Xoris, a prominent member of the Tremantian council, looked unaffected.
“Good evening Theo,” he said coolly.
“Why are you here?” he said with a little more force than he should’ve.
Xoris had once been a powerful star commander but had become a trusted official of Tremanta after a gruesome battle with an insurgent group of Traxians. He’d never cared for Theo because of his ties to Traxia, and the dislike was mutual.
Xoris peered around Theo’s large frame. “Are you going to invite me in?”
Impatiently, Theo stepped aside to allow Xoris to pass.
“I have news to share concerning Jade’s kidnapping. Is she eating dinner?” Xoris said, glancing around the house.
Theo crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s indisposed. I’ll relay the news to her.”
Facing him, Xoris tsked, “I hope you’re not treating her poorly. Failing to meet your wife’s needs could result in her being removed from your home, you know.”
A muscle ticked in Theo’s jaw, but he said nothing.
“Very well.” Xoris gave a small, arrogant smile. “After reviewing the data taken from Jade’s translator, we’ve learned it was only programed with Clecanian and English, an Earth language. No others.”
Theo’s brows drew together. Any translator on the market would’ve been automatically programed to translate all known languages from any class 1, 2, or 3 planet. There would be no reason for only two to be programed unless…
“It seems whoever took her from Earth did it with the primary goal of bringing her here,” Xoris continued. “You’re an intelligent male and as I’m sure you can deduce, there would only be two reasons to take a risk like that.”
Theo nodded. “Because there’s a Clecanian traitor among us who sought to steal a female for themselves.”
“Possibly, but in order to pull that off they’d need to be able to bypass our atmospheric detection systems.” Xoris puzzled. “There was no trace of her ship coming into Clecanian orbit or landing on the surface. Thirty loyal soldiers, at least, would’ve been involved to cover it up, and I can’t imagine them doing it just so some selfish male could hide an alien female.”
Theo’s gut clenched. “She could also have been sent here as a spy. Other species have fooled our systems before. It’s possible they have again.”
“Traxians,” Xoris sneered. “Traxians fooled our systems before.”
Theo narrowed his eyes. “I take it you believe they’re behind this?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” His calm political mask back in place, Xoris continued, “I find it difficult to believe that a small, fragile human, who supposedly knew nothing of alien life before last week, was able to survive on her own for days in the wilderness. Many grown Clecanians wouldn’t be able to manage that.”
Xoris eyed Theo. “Has she given you any reason to suspect foul play?”
Of course, Theo had suspected her from the beginning, but he’d rather find the truth himself than hand her over to Xoris. If the rumors were true, Xoris wasn’t against using pain to get information and, despite his concerns about Jade, he could admit to himself that he’d never put her in harm’s way.
“She hasn’t done anything that’s a cause for concern,” he lied.
Xoris didn’t seem satisfied with his response, but he inclined his head sharply. “Keep an eye out. We don’t—” His eyes grew wide and his nostrils flared.
Jade. Theo could smell her intoxicating scent as well. Why had he believed she’d stay when she disobeyed him at every opportunity?
They both turned to see Jade rounding the corner. She was flushed, and the unmistakable scent of her previous arousal wafted through the room. “Oh, hello again,” she said sweetly to Xoris.
Xoris’ glare became heated as he looked at Jade, who seemed to be unaware of the effect she was having.
Theo wanted to rip out the male’s throat with his teeth. “Leave now, Jade!” he boomed.
A hurt look crossed her face for a moment but then became furious. “You have no right to talk to me like that!”
Xoris moved to step toward Jade, but Theo leapt in front of him. “She’s mine, Xoris.”
For a brief moment, Xoris seemed like he was going to challenge Theo. Then he shook himself. “Make her understand her error. Other males may not be as in control of themselves as I am.”
After Xoris had swiftly exited the house, Theo rounded on Jade.
“What the hell was that about?” she exclaimed.
“I told you to stay in the room!”
Jade rolled her eyes and lifted up three fingers. “One,” she counted off, “I don’t take orders from you. Two, you also told me you didn’t want to leave me in your room because you were worried I’d sneak around. I didn’t want you to think I did, so I chose not to stay in there by myself. And three, the last time we had a visitor it was Asivva and I wanted to say hi to her. I didn’t know it’d be the asshole from the meeting.”
“You know nothing, Jade!” Theo said, storming away to the kitchen. “Use your head!”
Raising her eyebrows, she very slowly said, “What in the Game of Thrones did you just say to me?”
Game of Thrones? Taking a breath, he glared at her. “I told you I can smell your arousal. That’s true of most Clecanians. It’s a heady aphrodisiac, one most males can’t resist.”
Jade’s face paled at that.
Through gritted teeth, he continued, “Not only did you leave my room still covered in the scent of your orgasm, but you also aren’t wearing any underwear to mask that scent. I almost had to beat Xoris to make him leave.”
She sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was that intense or that anyone would care.”
Theo tried to will himself to calm. Other male’s reactions to her weren’t her fault. It was the responsibility of the male to control his urges even if confronted with a female who seemed willing and ready.
Theo’s rage burned in him not only because she vexed him so but because Xoris had looked at her with lust in his eyes. He was angrier about his reaction to Xoris than he was with her.
Theo had called her “mine”…again. If the big male hadn’t backed down, he knew in his heart he would’ve beaten him senseless. Why did he feel so possessive of this female? Was it really just his Traxian blood? He’d never had a wife before, so there was no way to be sure whether this possessiveness was instinctual or unique to her.
“It won’t happen again,” he said without feeling.
“Okay,” she agreed easily. Her stomach gave a rumble then, and he stifled a curse.
I can’t even take care of her properly! She can’t be mine.
“I’ll make you some dinner.” He inhaled closing his eyes briefly. “Go clean yourself up.”
Before she could argue, he’d walked to the kitchen to start preparing dinner, and after a moment she left.
***
Jade grumbled all the way to her bedroom, through the adjoining bathroom, and into her cleansing area. It’d been dumb to follow Theo out, she realized that now, but at the time she’d just wanted to be near him again.
She’d missed his firm touch and the warmth his big body radiated. As soon as he’d left, she’d felt cold and lonely. So, like an overzealous puppy, she’d gone chasing after him.
Dammit, they had made progress! Who knew where it could’ve gone if they hadn’t been interrupted by that snarky ass. Now they were back to square one. He was furious and he couldn’t get far enough away from her.
Why is that? What did Xoris say to him? Now intensely curious, she finished washing, found a jumpsuit made of soft, stretchy material similar to a fluffy cashmere and headed down to ask Theo why Xoris had been there.
She found him chopping a purple vegetable that she recalled liking. He handled the knife like an expert, chopping with fast even strokes. A vein ticked in his large bicep as he worked. She wanted to fan herself. What a man.
His shoulders tensed as she approached.
“Can I help?” she asked cautiously.
“Yes,” he said without looking up at her. “You can help by going away until I finish.”
Clearly, he was still upset.
“Fine,” she grumbled. “Where is Cebo?”
He used the knife to point through the glass leading to the beach.
Her spirits lifted slightly when she saw Cebo had his face scrunched against the glass, licking fervently.
Cebo whined with excitement and circled her legs when she neared the glass and allowed him entry. “Are you cold? Let’s go sit by the fire while your dad sulks.” She said the last quietly, but the sound of a scraping knife told her Theo heard her just fine.
She threw an annoyed look over her shoulder then padded to the living room with Cebo. She took the opportunity to sit on the floor in front of the fire and finger-comb her tangled hair. When she was done, she leaned back on one arm, basking in the warmth of the fire. Small glowing orbs floated above her, helpfully providing her with light.
“How do these work?” she asked curiously, twirling a warm globe in her palm.
“They provide light and heat to anything in need,” Theo said, rummaging around the kitchen.
Jade clicked her tongue. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. I meant, how are they able to provide heat and light? On Earth, lights run on electricity that’s hardwired through the house.” She examined the delicate bubble more closely.
She turned to see him glancing between her and a floating light near his head. “The exterior of the house traps the sun’s rays and uses the energy in different parts of the house. When the orbs have used up their energy, they return to their charging stations.”
“Many people on Earth use solar power too, but we’re nowhere near this advanced yet. Is that why the outside of your house glows like that? And how do they float?” Jade had a million questions now that Theo finally seemed willing to answer her.
“Yes, that’s why the house glows, and I don’t really know how they float, just that they do.”
Cebo laid his head in her lap, and she stroked his long ears. From her position, she could see Theo in the kitchen. “How do you not know how it floats? It’s incredible!” Jade said, pushing the orb away from her.
“They’re normal here,” Theo said with a shrug. “They’ve always been present, so I never thought to question how they worked. I think it has something to do with magnets.” He concentrated on his cooking once more, adding defensively, “Do you know how every piece of technology on your planet works?”
“I suppose not,” she mumbled, trying to think of how exactly a TV worked.
Jade watched Theo in silence. He was so handsome she could sigh. His wild shoulder-length black hair was tied back at his nape with some unruly strands falling into his face. He wore it this way whenever she’d seen him working or exercising. His face with its high cheekbones, strong chiseled jaw and full lips was a mask of concentration.
Suddenly, a laugh ripped from her chest. He looked up, a question lingering in his beautiful green eyes.
No man should be this hot!
“Sorry,” she said, waving him on while still giggling. “I was just thinking about how I’m sitting in front of a fire in the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen with a dog’s head on my lap, coming off the best orgasm I’ve had in who knows how long, and watching the sexiest man I’ve ever seen making me what I assume will be some more of the greatest food I’ve ever had.” She laughed incredulously. “It’s too bad you don’t like me very much, because I could get used to this.”
Theo stared at her for long moments, an unreadable expression crossing over his face, then grunted and continued with his work.
Just when she thought he’d continue to ignore her he said, “Did you hear what Xoris told me?”
Jade laid down in front of the fireplace fully and stretched like a cat in the sun. “I walked in, and all hell broke loose. All I heard was immature male grunting and growling.”
“He expressed the same concerns I’ve been expressing.”
Jade rose to her elbows to study Theo. “He thinks I’m a spy too?”
Theo’s cold look told her what she already knew.
“I really need to meet some more Clecanian females. Apparently, the women you two are used to are way more badass than most women I know.” She flopped back down and threw her hands up in the air in front of her. “I’m done trying to convince you of anything. Believe what you want.” Under her breath, she muttered, “Way to ruin a girl’s good mood.”
Jade felt a cold stab of sadness at Theo’s news. After the events of today, she’d begun weighing the pros and cons of attempting to return to Earth. She felt more alive on this planet than she had on Earth in many years.
Yes, Earth was safe and familiar, but on Clecania there were so many new things to be excited about and to experience. Her life wouldn’t consist of work then sleep day in and day out anymore.
The last few weeks had been filled with terror, despair, anger, sadness, passion, and wonder. For the first time in a long time, Jade felt like she was living in color.
Theo was slowly but surely settling himself under her skin, but his continued suspicions made her feel like he wouldn’t want to continue to be married to her after the three-month mark, and for some inexplicable reason, that hurt.
“Dinner is ready,” Theo said setting a plate at the table.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” Jade said petulantly.
She watched him walk to the door. “Eat it when you are. I have to go out for a bit.”
Rolling to her stomach, she called, “You’re leaving again?”
“Yes. I won’t be back until late. I’m sure you can entertain yourself.” And then he was gone.
Jade sat up and stared into the fire, trying to rein in her disappointment. She gave Cebo a half grin and said, “Well, at least we know he has blue balls right now. Serves him right.”
