Oath Of Seduction: Seducing Sharon (15 page)

Smiling, she levered herself off of Liken and moved to sit next to him on the couch. She grabbed her blouse and pulled it over her head. She was still wearing her skirt. She didn’t bother with the panties. Liken refastened his pants. She felt his arm come around her and she put her head against his shoulder. As they all recovered, her mind began to process what had just occurred.

She had just had a sexual encounter of sorts with two men at the same time. It wasn’t really a threesome in the literal sense, but she wasn’t totally sure of the definition of threesome either. Deciding to think about it some other time, her thoughts drifted. Liken had given her incredible pleasure and Tair had been sexy and strangely sweet. She was so glad that it had been Tair who had linked with her and not someone else. Even Jadik.

Liken and Tair exclaimed in unison, “Jadik?!”

She glanced from one to the other in surprise. “What?”

As the name registered, she said firmly. “Both of you get out of my head right now.”

Tair looked apologetic, but his voice was wry. “I will leave you as soon as my control is better, Sharon. My apologies.”

He stood up. Before his shirt fell over it, Sharon noticed for the first time the large wet spot on the crotch area of his pants. Her face bloomed with color. Giving her a satisfied, lazy smile, Tair sat down in the chair across from them.

Liken’s voice rumbled in her ear. “Your reference to Jadik and linking took us by surprise,
sherree
. “ There was a pause and then he smiled. “You had an interesting conversation with him at the eatery, did you not?”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “It takes a special kind of arrogance to just pluck something out of a person’s head if you want toknowwhat she’s thinking.”

Liken grinned. “I did not hear you complaining very hard earlier when we strove to please you. Did you hear any complaints, Tair?”he laughingly asked.

Tair laughed. “I think I will be going now. Sharon, your thoughts are growing louder.”

Sharon laughed. They were arrogant, but she wasn’t really getting angry. She felt too satisfied. The three of them stood up and walked toward the front door.

Pausing in front of the doorway, Liken reached out and gave Tair a quick hug. When Tair looked surprised, Liken said seriously, “My thanks to you, brother. We are fortunate to have your help.”

Tair shrugged. “You would do the same.” He turned to Sharon.

She wasn’t sure if she should hug him or not. It was awkward. He solved her problem by pulling her into his arms and leaning his face close to hers. One hand cradled the back of her head and he brought his lips down to her mouth.

When she realized he meant to kiss her, she expected a brief, casual goodbye kiss. The heat of the kiss shocked her as his mobile mouth took her by storm. She responded without thought even when his tongue thrust against hers. He pulled back and smiled. She was dazed and breathless again. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

He gave a husky laugh. “Welcome to Shimeria, Sharon. I am honored to be your link.”

She said weakly, “Thanks.” This planet was one surprise after another.

Liken and Tair both laughed. Tair walked through the doorway and headed into the silvery night. Liken pressed the button and the wall slid soundlessly shut.

Putting his arm back around her shoulders, Liken began walking Sharon toward the bedroom. His voice was still amused as he said, “Relax,
sherree
. The linking relationship is not complicated. Tair will kiss you, but only in greeting, and it will never go further than that. It is a harmless thing, a benefit for providing protection.”

A horrifying thought struck her. “Are you and Tair linked? How did you…”

He couldn’t help it. She looked so repulsed. He laughed. “Yes, Sharon, but two Shimerian males do not link in the way you just did withTair.We simply drop our shields and establish a mutual link. It requires a great deal of trust.”

So, the weird linking relationship was because she was female and notaShimerianmale.She and Tair were linked and that meant they had a kind of casually intimate relationship. Liken wasn’t jealous at all. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Liken and Tair made it seem so natural. Sexuality on Shimeria was very different. Even Jadik had kissed her and that was okay. But, Liken had seemed jealous when other males paid her too much attention, like in the eatery. Could things get any more confusing?

When they reached their bedroom, she sank down on the bed. She wasn’t going to think about the bizarre customs of Shimeria. She’d sort it all out tomorrow. She wasn’t going to worry about it tonight.

Liken sat down beside her and bent down for a kiss. His mouth paused over hers as he whispered, “There will be no worrying,
sherree
. You will experience only pleasure this eve.” And true to his word,he spent the rest of the night provingit.

T
he next morning Sharon murmured sleepy objections when Liken gently shook her shoulder. She was exhausted. She heard a low chuckle next to her ear.

Liken said, “
Sherree
, I know you are too tired for loveplay. Please open your eyes for a moment.”

Her lids felt like lead weights as she gradually came awake and opened her eyes. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling down at her. She smiled back and said, “Good morning.”

His smile broadened. “Indeed it is.” He placed a soft kiss on her mouth. Drawing back, he looked regretful. “I am sorry to wake you, Sharon, but I must leave for a time. A few matters at my workplace require immediate attention. It was unexpected. I am sorry but it is something I must handle.”

“An emergency?”she asked, still half asleep.

“No emergency. Just a few details that cannot wait until after our knowing period.” His voice was filled with regret.

She nodded her understanding. Her sleepy brain was beginning to function. “It’s no problem. I’ll just drop by the library or something.” A thought struck her. “Liken, can I ask you to do something for me today?”

He nodded before she even finished her question. “What is it,
sherree
?”

Memories of yesterday were beginning to swirl in her head. The lovemaking and the fighting. She needed some time alone to process them. She needed some space. She needed him out of her head, but she didn’t want to disturb their fragile peace. She raised unconsciously pleading eyes to his face.

His eyes turned tender and he gave a half laugh. “When you look at me with those eyes,
sherree
, you can have whatever you want.”

Sharon said carefully, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’ve got a lot to think about today. A lot has happened in the last ten days. I really need some time to myself, okay? I mean, I don’t want to be self-conscious worrying about you randomly tuning into my thoughts.”

He sighed. “I understand, but I do not scan your thoughts for entertainment, Sharon. It is the way of my people. It is a special closeness that lovers share. I wish you could become more comfortable with it.”

She said softly, “Maybe I will if I have some time to sort it through. I don’t know.”

He nodded. “I will withdraw and block you if that is your wish. At least for today. You have my oath.”

Sharon knew that if he gave his word, he would abide by it. His emotions told her that he wanted to keep contact, but would do as she asked – for today, anyway. She gave him a smile of gratitude and said softly, “Thanks…It means a lot to me.”

He leaned down and kissed her slowly. It was a sweetly searching kiss, strangely different from any other they had shared. They lingered, mouths seeming to convey things they couldn’t put into words. When they slowly pulled apart, they stared at each other silently for a moment.

Finally, Liken cleared his throat. “I will return before evemeal,
sherree
, perhaps sooner. Enjoy this day.” His hand caressed her face and then he turned and left the room. She could hear the front door sliding closed a moment later.

She sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. Standing, she walked to the far side of the room. Pressing a button on the wall, she stared at a hologram of herself. Like the one at the shop, it served as a mirror. It was nice to have one at home, although she was still growing used to it. More than once, she had been startled by the three-dimensional depiction of herself. It was like having an identical twin mirroring her every move.

Today, the image greeting her didn’t look like her twin. She was staring at a stranger. The woman facing her looked nothing like the Sharon Glaston she knew. Her dark hair was tumbled around a face with glowing eyes and swollen lips. Her nude body had small red marks from a night of passion. She looked rumpled and strangely sexy. The passionate creature staring back at her looked powerfully female and mysterious.

Sharon backed away and sat down hard on the bed. Her image stayed in her mind. She was that woman. Maybe she had always been that woman, and it had taken Liken to make her see it. He had ripped her out of her safe little world and stripped away that protective outer shell that she presented to everyone around her.

She had always thought of herself as a cautious woman who was content to lead a rather routine life. She was everyone’s dependable friend, the person who could be counted on to be reasonable. Other people led lives of messy emotion, she was the one that could be relied upon to help them clean up the mess.

She was stable and structured and even a little boring in some ways. No surprises, no real passion, and no real pain. But, underneath all that lived a woman who could rage and fight and hurt like anyone else. A woman who could be passionate and difficult and not at all reasonable. A woman who could love deeply.

Sharon’s head dropped to her hands. There, that was the crux of it. People who loved deeply risked being deeply hurt. And in the last ten days, she had fallen passionately, deeply, foolishly in love with Liken. There was nothing cautious or reasonable about it. It was utterly ridiculous. It made absolutely no sense, but it was undeniable.

He made her feel out of control. He challenged her and seduced her and pushed her at every turn. It was frightening, but she had never felt so alive in her life. He was arrogant and domineering at times. He could be sweetly tender and giving. Physically, he was a fantasy male come to life. Sometimes, he understood her better than she understood herself. At other times, she wondered if he knew her at all. All she knew was that the last ten days had been the most incredible, happiest, most confusing days of her life. And she didn’t want it to end. She wanted to spend the rest of her life loving and fighting with Liken.

She thought of the library on Earth, her job, her friends. She knew she could get a job on Shimeria, probably even at the local Earth library with Gar. Her heart twisted in her chest at the thought of being separated from Kate. More than anything right now she wished Kate were here so that she could talk to her and tell her how she felt. Of course, if Tair had his way, Kate might be living here, too. She cheered at that thought.

The bottom line, though, wasn’t whether she should give up her old life or not. The bottom line was whether she had the guts to step out on a very high limb. She would have to start a new life on an alien planet with a man she loved-a man who might or might not love her back.

She thought sometimes he did love her. When he looked at her with such melting tenderness, she could almost believe it. But, at other times, she felt like a possession he had claimed and wouldn’t give up. He had tried very hard to make her happy, but she wasn’t sure if it was to make her stay or if he loved her enough to want to see her happy. She had felt his affection and happiness run through her many times. She could make him happy in the long run. She was almost sure of it. They could have a good life together. Did she have the guts to try?

Sharon felt her heart pound at the thought. She had come to a strange planet. She had slept with an alien and eaten weird food. She had yelled and cussed and been completely unreasonable at times. She had two men with a doorway into her head, and a near threesome under her belt. Did she have the guts to grab her own happiness? Hell, yes she did!

Her head came up and a huge smile filled her face. The old Sharon would have stayed sitting on the bed half the day, listing all of the reasons why it was a bad idea to let emotion rule. The new Sharon stood up and headed for the bathroom. She was going to see Liken and tell him she was staying. She was going to risk everything and tell him she loved him.

Her confident steps faltered as she thought of his reaction. What if he stared at her blankly or worse, uneasily thanked her in response? Well, then, she’d just have to kill him. She strode into the bathroom like a soldier headed off to battle. Kate would have applauded.

A
n hour later, having eaten and showered, she headed out the front door dressed in a shimmering blue blouse and skirt. It was the outfit they had purchased during their shopping trip. She didn’t care if the outfit was more revealing than anything she had ever worn on Earth.Besides, she knew it was the most flattering thing she owned.Her hair was gleaming around her shoulders and she felt ready to take on the world.

She had seen Liken’s office a few days ago. On one of their trips into town, he had taken her by and given her a tour of the place. His coworkers had been curious about her, but unfailing gracious and charming. Their respect and affection for Liken had been apparent.

Sharon had considered waiting until he returned home from the office in the afternoon, but had decided against it. She had made her decision and was eager to forge ahead. Besides, being impulsive for a change wasn’t a bad thing. Liken’s work hadn’t sounded critical, merely something minor that couldn’t be put off. She would surprise him with her visit and give him a good reason to rush home.

Entering the building where he worked, she began walking toward his office in the back. A few people smiled and greeted her, but she answered them with brief, friendly responses and kept walking. She couldn’t wait to see Liken. She reached the doorway of his office and felt her entire body turn rigid with disbelief.

Liken was embracing a petite redhead. His mouth was moving over hers with gentle hunger and she was responding with enthusiasm. She could feel his tenderness for the woman run through her in one long wave. Sharon’s mind blanked. A pain so sharp it felt fatal hit her in the chest. Disillusionment and agony cut her to the bone. When she could draw a breath, the words tumbled out from her mind to her mouth without a second in between.

“You cheating bastard.” Her voice was actually soft, but his head came up with a snap. She must have screamed it in her mind because he winced in pain and brought a hand to his head. He looked shocked to see her. The redhead turned in surprise. Sharon’s face was without an ounce of color. Her voice shook as she said, “I thought I would surprise you by showing up. I guess I did.”

Liken took a step toward her, but she threw up her hand in response. He spoke her name, “Sharon…” but that was all he had time to get out before she spoke again.

“So you had to go into the office today, huh?” She looked at the redhead, who was beginning to frown in confusion. She said flatly, “I’m his pactmate.” The woman’s eyes widened.

Sharon felt a welcoming numbness spread through her, overcoming the pain. Liken said firmly, “Sharon, you must listen to me…”

She cut him off. “No, I don’t need to listen. “ Looking at the redhead, she said, “You’re welcome to the faithless asshole. Enjoy him while you can.” She looked back at Liken. “You can go to hell.” With fragile dignity, she turned and started walking away quickly.

She heard the woman say “Liken?” in a throaty, questioning voice. His voice murmured in response. She sped up. Reaching the doorway of the building, she started to run. She could hear his voice behind her yelling, “Sharon, wait!” but she didn’t stop. She kept running, taking side paths at random, one after another, wanting only to escape.

She ran until her legs ached and her eyes were too blurred to see where she was going. She finally stopped and looked around. She was in the park area. Walking to a tree with huge red leaves, she sat down under it and drew her knees to her chest. She took gasping breaths and stared blindly ahead. She couldn’t even cry. The shock and pain were so deep that her chest hurt, but her eyes remained dry. She sat in rigid silence, totally unaware of her surroundings.

Her mind raced in frantic circles as she strove to block the image of Liken and the redhead from her mind. He had feelings for that woman. That kiss was not platonic. It had been passionate. She had been on her way to tell him… The first edge of anger shot through her. And he had been… He was a bastard, plain and simple. Fuck risking, and destiny, and most especially fuck that cheating Liken.