Brianna (14 page)

“I’ve learned much about your body,” he whispered in her ear. “Aren’t you curious about mine?”

You can’t even begin to imagine, Alalakan don al’

Chardadon.

Smiling, Brianna rose to one elbow and traced delicate lines across his chest, marveling at the silky texture of his skin. Her fingers slid across his upper abdomen, stopped, and traced a knotted scar below his right pectoral. “How did you get this scar?”

Before he could answer, she lowered her head and nipped the masculine nipple closest to her. Lifting herself higher on her elbow, her hand moved to his erection without hesitation. The amused expression on Char’s face changed rapidly to passion when her head followed her hand. The sight and touch of her thick red curls draped over his thighs, and the things her moist mouth and tongue were doing to him were too much for his willpower. Uttering an unintelligible oath, he pulled her mouth to his, rolled her onto her back, and thrust deep.

Brianna reveled in his lack of control. She was both comforted and excited that her alien husband wasn’t as cool and collected as he’d seemed. In moments, though, she too lost all control as sexual tension built to the breaking point. Their shared orgasm was all-encompassing.

After she was able to breathe normally again, Brianna teased, “Will you always suffer from such a lack of control when we make love?”

Char’s answer was his laugher and a swift, hard kiss. Then, grinning, he clasped his arms behind his head. Propping himself back against the pillows, he indulged himself with admiring his alien wife. She seemed to have quite a temper, and the blush that seemed always ready to rise accentuated her coloring perfectly. The nipples, though, that appeared and disappeared behind long red hair interested him far more than the prospect of enticing her prickly temper.

Closing his eyes, Char settled himself more comfortably. He needed rest. The last few days had been extremely trying.

Brianna relaxed against his side. Soon the events of the day took their toll and exhaustion claimed her.

Char wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Yes, this marriage had been a good idea.

He woke Brianna twice more with his passionate kisses, kisses that she accepted eagerly and matched with her own passion. Both were completely sated when he left their bed ten hours later to shower.

Char stood by the bed and stared down Brianna. He’d have liked to spend the next twenty-four hours with her as was the custom on Drakan, but he was captain of the ship. Sacrifices had to be made. She shifted once and settled into a deeper sleep. Carefully, he thumbed a lock of her hair from her face then dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

Again Brianna awoke to silence. Stretching and yawning, she sat up when she realized she was alone. Sliding out of bed and brushing the hair out of her eyes, she readjusted the lighting and walked over to what she knew was Char’s closet.

Pushing the same two buttons Meri had the day before in her room opened the door. Entering, she searched among his things for something to wear. She was tired of being naked. His clothing would do until she found something else.

“Doesn’t he wear anything but uniforms?” she mumbled irritably as she searched. Opening drawers, she found several pairs of what looked like silk pajamas.

“If he’s ever slept anything but naked since he’s been out of diapers, I’ll grow a tail myself,” she muttered as she pulled on a pair. Luckily there was a drawstring, and she was able to tie them tightly enough to keep them from falling. Rolling both legs up about a foot enabled her to walk without tripping. In another drawer, she found some soft, white, pullover type shirts that laced up the front. She slipped one over her head and rolled up the sleeves. After she brushed the tangles out of her hair, she gathered it together at the top of her head and tied it with a lace she had taken from another shirt. Working quickly, she soon had her hair in a long braid and tied the end with another lace.

“That’s the best I can do with what I’ve got to work with.”

Slipping into boots Meri had given her, she looked around the room. Beyond making the bed, there was really nothing to do. She left the bedroom for the outer chamber. The delicious smells wafting from the covered tray on the table reminded her that she hadn’t eaten for she didn’t know how long. Her stomach rumbled as she lifted the domed lid. A plate and utensils lay next to the tray. “Well,” she said, mostly to break the silence in the room, “as long as they have knives, forks, and spoons, they must be civilized.”

Using the two-pronged fork, she selected items from various plates. There was some kind of pinkish meat in a white sauce that smelled heavenly and tasted like chicken. What looked like blue potatoes, but tasted more like cauliflower au gratin filled one dish, while what could only be some sort of fruit was piled high on another. And the bread looked like bread. A pitcher of what turned out to be plain water sat next to the tray, as did three separate bottles of wine. She chose the water.

Some time later, Brianna pushed her plate away contentedly. “A good meal and a good night’s sleep, or day’s sleep anyway,” she said into the emptiness of the room, “works wonders on one’s disposition.” She snorted and grinned to herself.
And fantastic sex has a way of relieving tensions.

She placed her dirty dishes on the tray and covered it with the lid since she had no idea what else to do with them.

Opening one of the wine bottles and sniffing its contents, she decided a glass would be just what she needed to finish her meal. She had just taken her first sip when the door opened.

“Have you eaten?” Char asked, as he walked to the table and poured a glass of wine for himself.

Brianna nodded, unsure of both herself and him after the night they had shared. She was his wife, but she had known him all of twenty-four hours and said no more than a hundred words to him.

Char leaned back against the table and grinned. “My clothing looks much better on you than it does on me.”

Her nervousness ignited her temper. “Well, if I had some of my own, I wouldn’t have to wear other people’s!”

Char grinned more broadly. He was beginning to love her prickly temper. It brought sparks to her green eyes and that lovely pink blush to her face. “I meant no offense. I promise to do all that I can to remedy your lack of clothing, but until we get to Mediria, there’s not much I can do. “

Brianna sniffed. She knew not having clothes wasn’t Char’s fault, but his nearness made her nervous. She had to do something to relieve the tension that was building.

Still grinning, he abruptly turned and set his glass on the table. Taking the two unopened bottles of wine, he placed them back in their cabinet.

Brianna settled down on the sofa with her legs curled under her. Continuing to sip her wine, she watched as he busied himself arranging bottles in his wine cabinet. He was obviously something of a connoisseur. The vintage of whatever she was drinking was excellent.

“What exactly is it you do?” she asked, “besides captain a spaceship? From what I’ve gathered, your family is very powerful.”

Char turned and gazed steadily at Brianna. This was not a question he had expected. Was she a woman like his sister-in-law, only interested in the power and wealth the Alalakan name could bring her?

“Would you be disappointed if captain this ship was all I did?”

Brianna shook her head. “No, but I know absolutely nothing about you or your family. I’m trying to do my best to adapt, but I’m so confused about so many things.”

Char hadn’t realized how important her answer was until he felt his body relax.

Picking up his wineglass, he crossed the room and sat on the opposite end of the sofa, stretching his long legs before him.

“The Alalakan clan has extensive business interests on all five human planets.” He set his glass on the end table and unbuttoned the top of his uniform and pulled it away from his neck. “Father has basically retired from the business since he was elected to the Council, and my brother Rodane administers matters on Drakan. I oversee our various ventures on the other planets.”

“Then you don’t spend much time with your family.” She edged away from him.

“At times, not as much as I’d like. At other times, too much,”

he answered as he toed his ankle-high boots off. “My sister Sheala turns eighteen this year at summer. That will be an enjoyable time.”

Brianna relaxed and smiled. Talking about his family was safe. “How old are you?”

“Thirty, and Rodane is thirty-three.”

“Then your sister is much younger.”

Char grinned. “She was a big surprise to everyone, especially my mother.”

Brianna grinned back. “She must be spoiled rotten.”

Char’s brow puckered. “Spoiled… rotten? Like rotten fruit?”

A sigh of frustration.
I’m going to have to explain half of
what I say.
“No, I mean overindulged.”

He clasped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

“And how do you know that?”

No longer the object of his intense gaze, Brianna relaxed even more. “Because I was spoiled rotten—overindulged— myself. My brother is nine years older than I am and both sisters older yet.”

His eyes still closed, he smiled. “And how old are you?”

Though he didn’t see it, Brianna stuck her tongue out at him.

“Twenty-five.”

“A veritable sage I’ve married then.” He opened eyes that glittered with amusement…and speculation.

Brianna eyed him uneasily. She was beginning to recognize that look. Casting about widely for a topic of conversation, she spied part of the tattoo on his shoulder revealed by his loosened uniform. “Is there some significance to that tattoo? What kind of animal is it anyway?”

He sat up, undid the last few buttons, and shrugged out of the top of his uniform, an action Brianna was not expecting but one that did not surprise her. He did seem to have a one-track mind. “A dragon, our clan totem. Almost every Alalakan has one.”

“Why does it carry a sword?”

“That’s my personal emblem. It represents fidelity to my family.”

Brianna tore her eyes from his and concentrated on the dragon on his shoulder.

It was not a modest representation, nor was it like any tattoo she’d ever seen. The artisans on his planet were extremely skilled.

The gold and green of the dragon’s skin glistened with a life of its own. The red eyes in its uplifted head seemed to follow her movements, and the half-furled wings looked as if they were ready to snap open. A sinuous tail curled up over his shoulder and dipped down to circle his upper arm. The sword clenched in the dragon’s foreclaws looked sharp enough to pierce skin.

Brianna leaned over to admire it more closely. “It’s beautiful.”

“As are you,” he said as his mouth found hers. Her glass fell to the floor as he pulled her against his torso, one arm about her waist, the other hand cupping the back of her head.

Stretched out on top of him, Brianna could feel his erection.

His tongue began to probe the inside of her mouth. Her heart racing and bosom heaving, she tore herself away from him and fled across the room to stand next to the table, her back to him.

What was wrong with her? He was her husband, right? What was she afraid of?

Char rose and walked across the room and stood behind her. Softly caressing her upper arms, he asked, “Why do you run from me, Brianna? We both enjoyed last night.”

Her sob startled him.

Gently, he turned her to face him.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she admitted, “Because I could care too much.”

Folding her in a tight hug, Char said, “My dragon carries the sword of fidelity. I would never intentionally hurt you.”
Use you
to trap Bakom—but never hurt you.

Lifting her head, Brianna searched his face. The openness and integrity in his gaze promised things he’d not yet said.

Reaching up, she cupped his cheeks and pulled his mouth to hers.

Groaning, Char lifted her up on the table, pushing the tray holding the remains of her meal crashing to the floor. He made short work of the tie at the front of her pants. Brianna jerked her shirt over her head then yanked at his one-piece uniform, desperately trying to free his erection.

After Char had divested Brianna of the last of her clothing, he made short work of his own. Pushing her back onto the table, he lifted her legs, wrapped them around his waist, and entered her with a hard thrust.

At that moment, the door slid open. It was hard to say who was more surprised, Lorilana or the lovers on the table.

“Get out!” they both ordered simultaneously.

As the door slid shut, Brianna snapped, “You’d better get these damn doors fixed!”

Some time later Brianna sighed contentedly as she lay in bed, her head on her husband’s chest. After a mutually explosive orgasm, Char had carried her back to the bed where he had made love to her again, much more slowly, until she was mindless with pleasure.

She smiled. Being married to an alien might not be such a bad thing.

Turning her head, she brought her hand up to trace the dragon on his right shoulder. Her light caresses woke him from his doze.

Char stroked her upper arm.

“Did you say all Alalakans wear a dragon?”