Alexandre Read online

  A heartbeat later, that wasn’t close enough. Too many clothes separated their straining bodies. Alex slid his lips over Lily’s in an openmouthed kiss that exploded on his senses, sucking him into the magical spell she cast. Time seemed to slow. His hearing intensified. Each tiny gasp from Lily tugged at his groin, tightening his tom until all he could think of was plunging into her warm, tight pussy. Alex traced around her lips with his tongue and then giving in to temptation, sucked her bottom lip into his mouth.

  Lily gasped at the streak of pleasure that shot to her clit. The golden man was kissing her.

  Her! Lily Morgan.

  And it sure as hell didn’t feel like a pity kiss. Laughter bubbled up inside her until Alex nipped her lip. She winced then moaned at the soothing yet erotic swathe of his tongue over her stinging mouth. Her eyelids lowered until a world of pure sensation enveloped her.

  His hard body warmed her, seduced her, and she gave in to the temptation, exploring, gliding her hands over smooth muscles. She’d missed the closeness of a man holding her, loving her. Lord, she hoped she wasn’t acting too desperate. Perhaps she should ease back a little, take things at a more decorous pace. It wouldn’t do to look needy.

  A wet tongue swiped across her cheek.

  Lily’s hands stilled. Okaaay. That was a bit weird. Maybe it was an alien thing. Her hands journeyed across broad shoulders.

  “Cut that out,” Alex snapped.

  Shock sliced deep at his tone, along with hurt. Lily’s eyes shot open to see a face full of fur and a pink tongue getting ready to lick her again.

  “Good game,” Killer yapped. “Play more.”

  Lily pushed Killer away and attempted to scramble up before the dog barked in her ear again. Her knee connected with Alex’s belly, ricocheted and skimmed close to his groin. He grunted and grabbed her forearms, holding her off and away from vulnerable parts.

  They stared at each other. Lily wanted another kiss so badly she shook. She extended her hand and reached for him, but he leaned away. Before she had time to react, Killer darted between them to fill the gap he’d left. Lily groaned when she realized Alex intended to halt the kissing. All right. If she were honest, it was a bit difficult with Killer pushed between their lips. But try telling her body that. Her nipples were budded tight and pressing against her lacy bra while dampness had pooled at the juncture of her thighs. She felt empty. Her body wanted action and her mind wasn’t that far behind with the concept.

  “Killer, will you get off.” Exasperation along with a frown marched across Alex’s face as he pushed at the furry body.

  Killer barked.

  Alex growled.

  Lily started giggling. It was as if they were carrying out a conversation and that was plain stupid. Lily sobered at the thought. Ambrose had always lectured about her flights of fancy. He’d said they contributed to her clumsiness since her head never concentrated on her feet. He’d always harped on about her weight and the need for a diet.

  Lily shook the painful memories away and let her gaze sweep across Alex’s face. An alien. Such a pretty one. He was nothing like the science fiction characters on the telly with tentacles popping out in weird places. At least she hoped not. She cast a speculative look at Alex’s groin and then hurriedly glanced away. Things certainly appeared normal down there. They could… But wait! Here she was all excited, and they were on a dirt track in the middle of nowhere. If she ever got the chance to rip off Alex’s clothes, she’d prefer good lighting so she could see every inch of golden skin and hard muscles uncovered. That was assuming his body parts were compatible with hers.

  Alex and Killer started growling at each other again.

  Lily huffed out an impatient breath and rubbed her bare arms briskly. It was getting cold. “If the two of you are finished, I’d like to go home.”

  The growling stopped mid-chorus. Alex clambered to his feet and held out a hand for her. Instinctively, she took it. He tugged. Lily flew off the ground and smacked into his chest. He grunted while Lily’s cheeks heated in embarrassment. She was such a klutz. Ambrose would have said it was all the extra flesh making her topple off balance.

  “Are you all right?” Lily ran her hands across the cotton fabric of his shirt. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  Alex winced, and she froze, her hand curving into his pectoral muscle. Then Lily realized she was stroking him like a pet cat. Domesticated, he wasn’t. She jerked her hand away as if she’d grasped a fist full of flames. Mortified at her behavior, Lily couldn’t look him in the eye. What was wrong with her? Well, okay. She had a fairly good idea. It was the wine. She shouldn’t have drank the third glass that Luke had foisted on her, but alcohol had never had this effect on her before.

  “Lily, please take my arm.”

  Lily peered through the darkness, trying to read his expression. “Why?”

  “We have an early start tomorrow morning.”

  What sort of answer was that? If he was hinting at clumsiness, then he should try telling her something new. Lily stalked past him, heading for the SUV. “I don’t need help.”

  Before she’d taken three steps, she heard him sigh. That pissed her off. He was as bad as her ex. Lily increased the pace, but Alex caught up with her and slid an arm around her waist.

  “Humor me,” he said. “Please. Besides, I promised Luke and Janaya I’d look after you.”

  “I’m not a parcel to be handed from person to person,” Lily said, not in the least mollified. Her family was smothering her via remote control. She might be the baby of the family but she was fully grown—and capable of making her own mistakes. The Ambrose calamity popped into her head. Oh, yeah—mistakes big time.

  “I promised to look after Killer as well. If it makes you feel any better, it’s in my interests to look after you. You’re my tour guide. I need you.”

  Humph. Lily wondered if he had visited Ireland on the way to New Zealand and stopped to kiss the blarney stone. He certainly had a silver tongue.

  They managed to negotiate the rest of the winding track without mishap, but it was a close run thing. Aware of the warmth of his arm curved around her waist and the spicy masculine smell of him, Lily shivered with the desire tingling through her body. Blood rushed to places that had no business paying attention to Alex’s proximity. He was her boss. She was his employee. The reminder struck her like a violent blow. No matter how much she was tempted, she must keep things on a business-like footing.

  Remember your empty bank account.

  Besides, look at the man. He’s gorgeous. He wouldn’t lack for feminine company. Why would he pick a heavyweight like her?

  Alex pulled away from Lily before he succumbed to the need to throw her on the ground and blanket her curvy body with his. After he’d ripped off her clothes, of course. He shoved his hands in his jean pockets with difficulty. “Do you want me to drive?” At least that would take his mind off sex. Maybe. Probably not, he conceded, but it would keep his hands busy.

  “Do you know how?”

  “Of course I can drive,” Alex said. Lots of Earth people did it. Besides, he was experienced with the latest in spaceships. Driving a car couldn’t be that difficult.

  “I know the roads. You can drive tomorrow.”

  Alex nodded, annoyed with the surge of need that wouldn’t quit. He stepped around the vehicle to the passenger side and opened the door. Killer pushed past without ceremony and jumped inside. Alex barred his teeth, but the dog just smirked and calmly sat on her haunches in the middle of the seat. It was like having a palace chaperon on an outing.

  Lily climbed behind the wheel and started the engine. She glanced past Killer to smile at him. “Did you want to walk?”

  “Not particularly.” Alex leapt into the vehicle and shut the door. The dimly lit cab seemed too private—and full of Lily’s flowery scent. The bonding ties pulled tight, jerking his tom painfully. Alex gritted his teeth and prayed for a speedy trip back to the house. Then he’d hit the shower—a cold sh
ower. He couldn’t have Lily, so manual relief would have to serve instead.

  He peered past Killer to study the way Lily pushed pedals with her feet and used her hand to operate the levers. It didn’t look difficult. Maybe if he concentrated on the way Lily operated the vehicle, he’d forget about acting like a Tigus male in heat.

  Chapter Four

  The privacy of the vehicle abraded Alex’s self-control, grinding it away and splintering it piece by stubborn piece. Hormones hopped and his pulse hummed, sending the bonding spell writhing through his bloodstream like a malevolent virus. Huh! It was exactly like a disease without a cure. He was taking pills—lots of them. Hell, he was crunching through them as if they were a pack of Earth sweets.

  For all the good it was doing.

  Even the damn dog sitting between them didn’t dampen the driving need that surged through his veins. He barely managed the short drive back to the house without attacking Lily. Then came the test—trying to act as though nothing untoward was happening while he made the safety of his room.

  Standing, walking, hell—moving was bloody painful. A pained hiss squeezed from deep in his gut. Luckily, he walked behind Lily, because he staggered like a geriatric courtier forced into retirement, each step creating friction between his tight Earth garments and his hungry, rampant tom. The palace females teased the males about one-eyed warriors having a mind of their own. Now Alex knew it for fact.

  By the time he made it indoors, sweat beaded on his forehead and ran into his eyes. A fine tremor passed through his clenched muscles.

  “Are you all right?” Lily asked as he halted beside her on the doorstep that led to the kitchen. She opened the door and reached around the corner of the doorjamb with the ease of familiarity to flick on a light switch. Concern shaded her voice, and for one heart-stopping moment, Alex thought she’d touch him.

  He jerked away, jumped into the kitchen and scrunched his eyes to slits at the burst of light. “Headache,” he gasped out, edging away from her obvious worry. “Don’t touch me.”

  Lily ignored him, stepping inside and kicking off her shoes, but one look told Alex he’d offended her. He started to explain but her colored toenails distracted him. Pink. The exact shade of a sunrise on a clear Dalcon morning. The sight was unexpected. Sexy.

  Devil’s teeth, what was he going to do? Inside the house wasn’t much better than the vehicle. In fact, it was worse. The place smelled of flowers, of woman, of her. He couldn’t avoid her presence if he tried.

  Alex watched the dog trot from the kitchen and turn up the stairs, leaving him alone with Lily. The air thickened, the mood turning sultry and hot.

  Man, he hungered for a woman.

  This woman.

  He’d thought he could control the pounding lust that streaked through his body. But every touch made it worse, and for a man who’d decided on a no-contact rule, he was doing a bloody lot of rule breaking. The urgent need to grab her made him want to howl like a caged tigoth.

  Breathing rapidly, Alex’s gaze ran from her bare feet and painted nails, up her denim-clad legs, and skipped across the juncture of her thighs to savor the curvy hips. He visualized holding tight and rocking against her, with her, soaring high to mutual pleasure exactly as he’d practiced with his favored consort back on Dalcon. With a sigh, his gaze traveled higher still to linger on lush breasts. Alex imagined tracing the shadowed cleavage with his tongue, molding the luscious curves with his hands and drawing a tight, aroused nipple into his mouth. He couldn’t contain his groan, and it burst forth echoing through the kitchen.

  Lily sent him a perplexed look. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” She reached for him. “Let me feel your forehead.”

  “No!” Alex backed up rapidly in distinct panic. “I’m fine. Tired. Just a little. Achy. The atmosphere on Earth is giving me needles and jabs.” He had to get out of here. He couldn’t fail before he’d even started. “I’ll…ah…good night! See you on the morrow.”

  Alex made the mistake of glancing in her direction before he headed for the stairs leading to the next floor. A heartbeat later, his gaze hit her lips, and as if she knew he was watching, her tongue snaked out to moisten the sensuous curves of her mouth. Alex bit back a girlish whimper. The lady knew exactly how to tempt a poor hormone-prone alien.

  A soft choked sound made his gaze jerk higher to meet her eyes. They looked dark and mysterious rather than the innocent sky blue he’d admired earlier.

  “Good night,” she whispered. “Maybe you’ll feel better in the morning.”

  Neither of them moved. Instead, they continued to stare at each other.

  Alex knew women liked to look at him even though he tried to ignore the fact. But he had the magical spell that changed his appearance, and still Lily looked as though she wanted to eat him up and then lick him all over for dessert. The hungry expression warmed him—hell, that wasn’t the truth. It made him hot. Rhinoceros—no! Horny. The Earth word was horny. It made him feel like a mighty male, and he hadn’t felt like that in a long time.

  Alex cleared his throat. “I don’t think we should follow through on this, Lily.”

  Under his fascinated gaze, her face went bright red then paled to the shade of his white shirt.

  “I’m sorry.” Her gaze skittered away, ending at her feet. “I’m acting like a desperate woman. You don’t want a fatty like me. Don’t worry, I won’t force myself on you again.”

  The embarrassed anguish in her voice jerked him upright. Lily thought he was rejecting her because of her appearance. Didn’t she know how beautiful she was? He stared nonplussed by her words.

  “I’ll understand if you want to organize another travel guide.”

  Her bottom lip wobbled, and she blinked rapidly. Hell, she was gonna start leaking. Alex shuffled from one foot to the other, trying to work out what to do. He couldn’t touch her—he just couldn’t. But then, how could he leave her thinking she repelled him when he was running for exactly the opposite reason?

  The soft sob decided it for him. With one step, he closed the distance between them, hauled her against his chest and enclosed her trembling body in his arms. Instantly, the acute pain faded. His erection softened enough that he didn’t look like the Dalcon banner flying in the seasonal wind. It was as if he’d appeased the bonding gods, and they were letting up on his poor abused body, rewarding him for good behavior.

  Lily fought his embrace, and Alex tightened his arms. “Don’t fight.” He lowered his head and inhaled the floral scent that came from her hair.

  Instead of settling, Lily continued to struggle. Alex loosened his grip and pushed her away to arm’s length to search her expression.

  “I don’t want your sympathy,” she snapped.

  Alex held back his grin with great difficulty. Lily reminded him of a tigoth cub, all eyes and spitting temper. “I don’t pity you. Why would you think that?”

  She shot razor daggers at him with her stormy blue eyes, her nostrils flared, and he noted her curled fists.

  “Look at me.”

  Alex knew following the order was a mistake, but he did it anyway. He ran his gaze up and down her curvaceous body again before coming to a halt on her pale oval face. “Yeah? What’s wrong with you? You’re not missing any of the necessary bits.” His voice emerged calm and matter of fact, as if he lacked interest and didn’t care one way or the other. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

  “What’s wrong with me?” Lily screeched loud enough to hurt his ears. She widened the distance between them, a pained expression on her face. “I’m fat. What man would want me? My husband didn’t. He went elsewhere. To another man.” Her shoulders hunched like a cowering fodo bird that didn’t want its tail feathers plucked, and she refused to meet his gaze.

  Her husband didn’t want her? He discarded her? Shock roared through Alex at the disclosure. Fat? The female scored highly on his mental writing tablet. Body fat to cushion a male. A pretty mouth that made his pulse race, especially when she smi
led. She had many good points. He took half a step toward her then stopped, at a loss when a broken sob emerged. The solution that presented itself wasn’t that lava hot. But he couldn’t think of another.

  Alex grabbed Lily before she could strike out with her bunched fists and kissed her. Hard. Unrelenting, until he had to surface for air. By that time, Lily had ceased her struggles and was allowing the kiss even though she wasn’t actively participating. Better, but not satisfactory. What now? He studied her, uncertain of how she’d react to his aggression.

  “What was that meant to prove?” Lily asked in a quiet voice.

  Frustration bubbled up in Alex, and it wasn’t all sexual. Someone, probably the stupid-assed ex-male, had done a number on her confidence. They stared at each other in stalemate. He regretted the kiss but only because he hadn’t taken the time to taste and explore, to make it memorable for both of them.

  “I find you beautiful.” Alex lashed out with truth. He stepped behind the kitchen table in the hope it would hide his burgeoning erection. His tom was starting to feel like the sail of a glider-ship hoisted then hauled in because of fickle winds. Up. And then down. Was it any wonder he felt a little crazed? “Under different circumstances, I would call it an honor to mate with you.”

  Holy moly. Lily went from depressed and defeated to hot and hungry in seconds. The serious expression…he meant his words. Awe whirled and skidded through her mind. She’d thought the lusty feelings had been solely on her side. She’d thought…heck, she hadn’t thought past her initial attraction because…because she was fat. Overweight. Fleshy. All the superlatives. Ambrose hadn’t wanted her so she figured no one else would either.

  Then her mind seized on his words. “What different circumstances?”

  “I’m from Dalcon. You’re from Earth.” Alex shrugged as if his response explained everything.

  Lily sniffed. The fibbing toad. She wasn’t that stupid. “You’re lying to make me feel better. You don’t want to make love—to have sex with me.”