Nikhil (Kaliszian Book 1) (11 page)

While the other covers had remained around her shoulders as they'd slept, they had fallen off Nikhil's giving her an incredible view of his massive chest, a chest that was slowly rising and falling. Her fingers slowly traveled over his large, pectoral muscle grazing its hard, flat nipple. She slowly circled it several times, watching it tighten at her touch, before her fingers moved up and along his side learning the bulge of each muscle, and the depths in between them. His skin was so warm and smooth without the marks and scars the Battle beads indicated he should have. How was that possible? Her fingers continued their sensual journey, slipping under the blanket that had settled just above his hips, when Nikhil's hand stopped her from exploring further.

"Mackenzie...” he growled, and her eyes shot up to find him awake, and watching her intently. Gently gripping her hand, he slowly pulled it back up his body until it reached his lips, and he kissed her palm.

Mac felt her heart melt at the sweetness of the action. No one had ever treated her with such care before as if she were the only thing that mattered to them.

"Did you rest well, Little One?" he asked, his eyes glowing softly, his voice husky with sleep.

"I did." Moving her hand slightly, she cupped his jaw, her thumb caressing his full lower lip. "Thanks to your arms around me."

Nikhil allowed his large, calloused hand to slide along her arm, unable to believe how smooth and silky her skin felt. The bruises that had been there the day before had faded away. While he knew the deep-repair unit had been responsible for that, it wouldn't have made her skin feel like this. Not if it wasn't the way it was naturally supposed to be. He had thought it was the cleanser that had made her skin feel this way when he’d cleansed her, but now he wanted to know if her skin was like this all over, and felt his shaft hardening at the thought of finding out.

Mac saw Nikhil's eyes flare, and felt the hardness growing between them. She knew it was his cock and felt her channel clench in response. Sliding her hand along his jaw, she gripped the back of his neck and pulled his lips down to hers.

Nikhil's entire body stiffened as Mackenzie pressed her lips fully against his for the first time. Goddess, they were softer than he ever imagined they could be. He'd woken to her fingers running over him, and it had felt amazing, but this, this was something more. He needed to stop her delicate fingers from exploring further because he wasn't sure she understood what she was doing to him.

"Mackenzie...” he whispered against her lips.

Mac pulled back slightly, gazing up at Nikhil. She wasn't sure what had made her kiss him like that. She'd never been the aggressor in her previous relationships, but after everything he'd said about them being True Mates, and kissing her palm, she hadn't been able to stop herself. Now she could see that was a mistake. She had totally misread the situation.

"I'm sorry." She immediately dropped her hand, then pulled the blanket tightly between her breasts keeping it from falling further, and slid out from under the other covers to stand.

"Mackenzie...” Nikhil frowned at her. What was she apologizing for? Why had she stopped touching him? Why was she getting out of their bed?

"The cleansing room... I assume there is something in there that I can use to... relieve myself."

"Yes, I will show you...” Nikhil moved to get out of the bed.

"No!" She held out her hand stopping him, then moved quickly around the foot of the bed. "I'm sure I can figure it out." With the blanket swishing behind her, she entered the cleansing chamber then quickly turned looking for the crystal to close the door. Seeing it, she pressed it then watched Nikhil rise from the bed, the blankets falling away revealing more and more of his naked glory. The door slid closed before she got a full frontal.

Nikhil rose not understanding why his Ashe didn't want him to help her. Hadn't he just proven he was worthy by not taking advantage of her in her weakened state? Why had she run from him? Why had she shut him out? Had his body's reactions to her closeness caused her to distrust him? He needed to correct that.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Mac leaned her forehead against the door, her breath coming out in little gasps. Dear God, she'd nearly gotten a full frontal of Nikhil. If the blanket hadn't snagged on the bed she would have, and she wasn't sure if she was grateful for that or resentful.

Pushing away from the door, she took in the room that she'd spent so much time in yesterday. Well, she'd actually spent it all in the shower with Nikhil... No, she wouldn't think about that.

Along the far wall, she saw several crystals. Moving across the room to them, she pushed the top one and what looked like an alien urinal appeared. Quickly, she pushed the crystal again, and it disappeared.

Pressing the next crystal, what appeared to be a tankless toilet popped out of the wall, and she sighed in relief. She hadn't realized how badly she needed to use it until she saw it. Turning, she was about to remove the blanket that had been covering her when the cleansing room door slid open.

"What the fuck?" Her hands tightened on the blanket as Nikhil stormed in, grateful to see he had at least pulled on his pants. "I shut that door!"

"You did not seal it."

"Well, how the hell do I do that?"

"You hold the crystal down."

"Then get out and I will."

"Mackenzie... what is wrong? Why are you so angry?"

"Why? Oh, I don't know why? I mean, what do I have to be angry about? I was taken from my home against my will. Sold as a slave, then starved and beaten when it was discovered I was female! Then I get thrown into some God damn tube, and when I come out, I'm supposedly the True Mate to someone I've never met!" Mac found she was slapping her hands against his chest with each exclamation, and that he was backing up with each one. "Now all I want is some
privacy
! Some time to figure out what the hell is what, and you come storming in here acting like
I
owe
you
an explanation!"

"Mackenzie... I am only trying to help...”

Mac felt her eyes fill because she knew he was telling her the truth. He was only attempting to help. She was the one that seemed to be wanting more.

"I know," she said trying to calm down. "I just need a few minutes alone. Please. Let me take care of what I need to and then I'll be out. Maybe you could find me some clothes?"

"Clothes? You mean coverings?"

"Ummm, yeah, sure, coverings. As long as that's something that means I don't have to walk around naked."

"You will not do that!" Nikhil growled.

"I have no plans to if you can find me something adequate."

"I will do so."

"Then I will be out in a few minutes." With that, Nikhil was outside the room, and she pressed the crystal, and, this time, she held it and heard the silent 'snick' of the lock engaging.

Nikhil stared silently at the now sealed door of the cleansing room, unsure of what just happened. There had been tears in his Mackenzie's eyes, tears of hurt and confusion. Why? He had thought he had adequately explained what had happened, was happening between them. His True Mate had seemed willing to rest in his arms, implying it was why she had rested so well. Yet she had jerked out of his arms after pressing her lips to his.

It had been Nikhil's first kiss from a female, well a female not his mother or sister. He had wanted to take it further, the way his mother and manno did. He'd seen them kiss on the lips many times, and knew it was the way to show affection between a male and his Ashe, but that was never done in relationships that a bead had not been exchanged.

He had wanted to kiss his Mackenzie on the lips, had wished to share that special intimacy with her, but he hadn't been sure what practices her species followed. So he'd forced himself to settle for kissing her palm instead, hoping she would accept it and know how much she meant to him.

He hadn't been prepared for the feelings that had rushed through him as she touched his jaw, her thumb caressing his lip. Or for the suddenness of her pressing her lips to his. His entire body had just frozen, not sure what to do, and then she was gone.

He had caught the flash of hurt in her eyes before she'd fled his bed. Had he somehow insulted her? Hurt her with his response? Or lack of it? He just hadn't wanted to do anything wrong... but still he had.

Spinning away from the door, he went to the far wall and pressed a crystal revealing his closet. Looking at his coverings, he frowned. There was nothing here she could wear; there were only his uniforms. He'd never been like some males that would purchase pretty coverings to entice a female to share her friendship with him. He would on occasion find something special on the planet where he was stationed, and send it home to his mother or sisters, but Pontus had no such things.

He growled angrily at his stupidity for not planning for every possibility, something that as Squad Leader was his duty if he wanted to keep his warriors alive. He scanned the contents one last time and saw the sleeve of a covering pressed against the wall. Pulling it out, he let his gaze run over it.

It was a covering with long sleeves that was meant to be worn by a warrior if he were suddenly caught out in a Pontus ground storm. It was made from a very thin, but nearly impenetrable material that was easily stored in a Warrior’s kit. If a storm suddenly appeared, all a warrior needed to do was pull it on over his head and he was protected.

It would have to do for now until he was able to provide his True Mate with proper coverings. The sound of the cleansing room door opening had him turning to find his Mackenzie slowly walking toward him.

"I'm sorry about coming unglued on you back there." She gestured to the cleansing room with her head.

"Unglued?" Nikhil frowned at the word.

"It’s a figure of speech. I yelled at you for no good reason."

"You felt you had a reason."

"But not a good one."

"You have been through much, Mackenzie. I did not mean for my actions to make you feel uncomfortable."

"They didn't. You have been nothing but kind and understanding, Nikhil, going way beyond what was necessary. It's my own actions that have made me uncomfortable, and you too it seems."

"I do not understand."

"I realize that, after all, we’ve just met, are two entirely different species, and literally don't speak the same language. It makes 'misunderstandings' really easy. Especially on my part." She looked at what he was holding in his hand. "Is that for me?"

"What?" He looked to where she pointed and remembered the covering in his hand. "Yes. It is just a storm covering, it's all I have for now. But I will acquire something else for you. Something better, prettier, more...”

"Nikhil, stop!" she cut him off. "I'm sure whatever it is will be fine after wearing the same coverings for... I don't know how long. Anything would be better. You don't have to acquire anything else for me."

She reached out for the shirt but stopped short of touching him. She wasn't going to force herself on him again. She knew he said she was his True Mate because of the bead in her hair. She had assumed that it was something like Soul Mates back on Earth, that they would share a deep love and affection for each other. Something she found she was already feeling for the large male. But for her that included touching and kissing, but Nikhil had stopped her from touching him and not responded to her kiss. Was it something different for a Kaliszian? Until she found out, she would proceed with caution.

Nikhil braced himself for her touch, ordering his body not to respond and frighten her again. But it was all for nothing when she just held out her hand and waited. She'd willingly done so in the cleansing stall the night before, and again as she rested. She'd even willingly caressed his jaw with her tiny hand. Had his actions caused her to fear touching him? Carefully, making sure not to touch or startle her, he placed the covering in her hand.

"I'll... I'll just step back into the cleansing room and change." Turning, she hurried away.

Nikhil watched her go with troubled eyes, not liking how quickly she moved away from him. He needed to win back her trust, to show her he was worthy of being her Dasho and True Mate. He just needed to figure out how to do that.

Mac just stared at herself in the mirror for several minutes taking in her appearance. The shirt, no covering, Nikhil had given her had been loose when she'd first put it on, the ends of its long sleeves going way past her fingertips. The neckline hung like a cowl neck, and the bottom went past her knees. But after wearing it for several moments, she felt it begin to tighten, to conform to her body.

The sleeves were still long, reaching halfway down her fingers, but she found she liked it there. The cowl neck had receded to become more of a tight turtleneck but didn't feel restrictive in any way. The rest of the covering had changed too. It now hugged her body like a second skin, and the hem was now several inches above her knees.

She'd seen other woman wear dresses like this on Earth, but they had always had those perfect, amazingly toned bodies to show off. She didn't. Turning slightly, she looked at the way the material seemed to hug her ass. She had to admit it didn't look half bad, and there wasn't a line or seam to be seen since her underwear was one of the first things to succumb to the harsh conditions they'd endured. It's what she got for indulging herself in lacy bra and panty sets instead of practical ones. Facing forward again, she realized the material lifted and cupped her breasts better than any bra could. When she moved they didn't bounce around, but that was probably because of how small they were now.

Her brown hair, that Nikhil had taken so much time cleansing, fell around her face in soft waves that reached the upper curve of her breasts. She'd never had her hair this long before. It had to be at least three inches longer than when they'd been taken from Earth. Could that in any way tell them how long ago that was? She had no clue how fast a person's hair grew. Maybe Jen or one of the guys did.

"Shit!" she exclaimed quietly. Here she was looking at her hair, worrying about the way Nikhil's shirt fit, about him not liking her kissing him, and she hadn't given one thought to her friends! Where were they? How were they? Were they being treated well? Had they discovered Jen yet? Spinning around, she went to find Nikhil and get some answers.