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God, what a fabulous dream…

Thea moaned and undulated her hips against the pressure of Sven’s mouth on her clit. This dream was so good; she was going to have to make herself come. With a sigh, she let her hand drift down between her legs and encounter thick, silky hair. Either she’d changed into a werewolf during the night or this wasn’t a dream.

With a shriek, Thea sat up, dislodging the bare-chested man between her legs. He smiled at her.

“Good morning, my lady.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She grabbed the silk sheet and held it to her breasts.

The man looked puzzled. “Waking you up?”

“I have an alarm clock for that! Not…” Thea waved at his mouth and he licked his lips.

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“The queen sent me to serve you. It is a great honor to be chosen. My name is Woden, after the god of war, but some people called me Den.”

His eyes were pale blue and his hair was dark brown and almost to his shoulders.

Like all the Valhallan men he was tall and broad with muscles to die for. He wore nothing but a thin white strip of silk at his groin which did little to conceal or contain the extent of his erection.

“Don’t tell me. All the women on Valhalla get woken up like this.”

“If they are not with their mate, then yes. Is it not the same on your planet?” Woden stroked her ankle. “Would you like me to finish? You didn’t climax.”

“I would like you to leave so that I can get up and have a shower.”

He moved off the bed and held out his hand. “There is no need for me to leave. I am here to help you.”

“Woden, I am quite capable of getting up by myself.”

He stepped back, his hand falling to his side. “I have offended you.”

Thea got off the bed, still holding the sheet to her breasts. “No, you haven’t. It’s just that this isn’t the way I’m used to starting my day.”

“The males on your planet do not pleasure you in the morning?”

“Not every day.”

Woden frowned. “Why not?”

Thea edged toward the bathroom she had discovered the previous night. “Because they have to get to work.”

“But surely they make time to attend to your needs?”

“Um, no. If anything, it’s usually the other way round.”

“They expect you to service them?” Woden paused to pick up the trailing end of Thea’s sheet and handed it to her. He glanced down at his cock. “A male wouldn’t last long on this planet if he was that selfish.”

While he talked, Thea busied herself in the bathroom, located the shower and let the sheet fall to the floor. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and stepped under the water.

Woden’s erect cock brushed her hip as he followed her right in.

“I thought I told you I could take care of this myself?”

“But you don’t have to.” He smoothed his well-soaped hands down her flanks and then up over her breasts. Her nipples peaked in response and he murmured his approval.

“Your breasts are beautiful, my lady, your nipples hardened in my mouth when I suckled you this morning.”

God, why hadn’t she woken up when he did that? She moved restlessly against him as he continued to soap her body. This wasn’t right but it was so difficult to stop him without hurting his feelings.

“Relax, my lady. I just wish to help you.”

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She sighed, leaned back against his chest and felt the thick press of his cock. Her government had stressed the need to respond appropriately to the local customs on Valhalla. Was this an appropriate reaction or not? Woden’s fingers slipped between her thighs, bringing the ache back he’d created earlier. He penetrated her with two fingers, used the rest to soap her folds and rub her clit. She came fast and hard, her hips jerking forward as he bit down on the nape of her neck. God, she wished it had been Sven.

“You are beautiful when you come. I am honored to have served you.”

He continued to wash her, falling to his knees and licking at her already swollen clit. She touched the top of his sleek wet head. Her voice sounded off-key.

“Don’t we need to go?”

He smiled up at her. “If you permit, I’ll bring you to your pleasure once more and then prepare your clothing.”

Thea smiled weakly as he sucked her clit into his mouth.

“Well, okay, then, but don’t take too long about it.”

Woden insisted on escorting Thea to the queen’s suite where breakfast was being held. He’d added soft white pants to his attire which did little to hide his nakedness or his half-erect cock. Thea concentrated on walking in front of him, hoping no one would notice his arousal or wonder if she had anything to do with it.

When she entered the hall, all the Valhallan men stood up. The king pulled out a chair for her to his left.

“Ms. Cooper. I hope you slept well and that Woden satisfied your needs this morning.”

Thea felt her cheeks heat as all the men smiled at her. Was it that obvious she’d been sexually serviced or was Woden telling the truth and that was simply what they expected?

“He was very helpful, Sire.”

The king nodded at everyone to resume their seats. Beneath the clatter of chairs, the queen leaned across and touched Thea’s arm.

“Woden looks very pleased with himself. I hope he didn’t offend you.”

“No, he was…fine. A bit of a surprise but not offensive at all, no.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll tell him he may continue to serve you during the duration of your stay.”

The queen went to sit back, but Thea grabbed her wrist. “He’s going to do that to me every morning?”

The king chuckled as he sat down between them. “Of course. It is considered a woman’s right to be pleasured every day.” He winked at the queen. “Or several times a day if the woman feels she needs it.”

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Thea straightened and looked across the table straight into Sven’s brown eyes. She thought she’d been briefed on the differences in culture, but nothing had quite prepared her for the reality. In fact, she reckoned the Valhallans had kept quite a lot back. Sven nodded an abrupt greeting and returned his gaze to his plate, chewing stolidly. Did he know what had happened to her that morning? From his lack of expression and desire to talk to her, she guessed he did.

Woden touched her shoulder.

“I will get you some breakfast, my lady.”

Thea half-rose from her chair. “It’s okay, I can get it myself.”

Woden shook his head. “No, my lady. Let me. It is my pleasure.”

Thea watched him walk away toward the kitchen. Across the table from her, Sven growled something obscene into his goblet. Thea pasted on a coy smile.

“Are you jealous, Sven?”

Sven looked up at her. “Of what, my lady?”

“Of Woden.”

“Why would I be jealous of a man I could beat in a fight with one hand tied behind my back?”

“I don’t know about that.” She actually managed to simper. “He seemed pretty strong to me.”

Sven finished his ale and thumped the goblet down onto the table. “If you no longer care about me, why are you trying to make me angry?”

Thea raised her eyebrows. “I am?”

“Aye, you are, and it’s not going to work.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You’re the one swearing into his beer.”

“Perhaps you overrate my attraction to you. Perhaps allowing another man to sexually stimulate you makes you a hypocrite.”

Thea drew in a breath. “Now, hang on a minute.”

Woden placed a huge platter of food in front of her.

“Here you go, my lady. Would you like me to feed you?”

Thea held Sven’s gaze as she ripped into the first thing she picked up off the tray.

“No thanks, Woden, I’m good.”

The king stood up and everyone fell quiet. He held up his goblet.

“First, I would like to welcome our delegation from Earth and thank them and the rest of the Planetary Health Organization for making our planet safe to live on again.”

A chorus of hear-hears and ayes rocked the room.

“This morning, I intend to take you all on a tour of the palace and some of the surrounding countryside. We have made great strides toward making our planet safe, there are still areas where it is better for us to travel in groups, especially if we have 85

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females with us.” The king glanced down at the queen who frowned back at him.

“Despite my wife’s reluctance to be restricted in anyway, she understands that sometimes we have to take special measures to ensure the safety of any women in our midst.”

The king’s hard gaze settled on Thea and he bowed.

“Ms. Cooper, I know you will wish to join the rest of your team exploring the planet surface. We value your input and knowledge on the best way to protect our women. All I ask is that you listen to your guides and take any threat seriously.”

“Yes, Sire, I will.”

Thea wasn’t stupid. She’d read the notes Matt had given her about the major imbalance of Valhallan males to females. Some of the wilder, less educated tribes had refused to move off the planet during the cleanup. They were also the tribes that posed the biggest threat. Damn, she missed Matt. There was no way she would wander off by herself just to prove some feminist point.

The king smiled. “That is good. Sven is an excellent bodyguard.”

Silently Thea groaned and glanced at Sven who was watching her, a small smile on his lips. The king’s efforts to throw them together were either going to kill or cure her. It would be interesting to see which choice ended up being the most desirable.

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“Wow, it is so beautiful.”

Sven smiled as Thea stared out over the purple desert. To his relief, she’d been pleasant and amenable to everyone, including him, during the group outing that day around the palace and the local countryside.

“I’m glad you approve, my lady.”

He held the door open for her, as with a last glance over her shoulder, she followed the rest of the party inside. Like the other delegates, she’d asked questions, taken copious notes and obeyed every instruction the king or his bodyguards had given her.

Sven watched her mingle with the others. Despite the fact that she wore the regulation yellow uniform, she was easy to spot, her brown hair tied back from her face, her gray eyes sparkling. He enjoyed her sharp intelligence, the way she picked up on a Valhallan security issue and was able to articulate both her problem with it and a potential solution.

He sighed and leaned back against the wall. She had the enviable ability to appear perfectly happy with everyone else and yet freeze him out with a simple look. He wished he was as capable of hiding his feelings. After watching her with Woden that morning, knowing she’d been pleasured in the most intimate way, he’d failed to hide his irritation and she’d used it to rile him.

“Ms. Cooper is very beautiful, Sven.”

As if he’d conjured him, Woden appeared at Sven’s shoulder. His gaze was riveted on Thea as she laughed at something Harlan said, her hand placed casually on his arm.

Sven bit back a growl. She’d taken great care not to touch him all day, asking help from everyone but him.

“Sven, do you not agree?”

“Aye, Ms. Cooper is a beautiful woman. But you will do well to remember that she is a visitor here and will be returning to her home planet in a few weeks.”

“I know that.” Woden sighed. “But perhaps if I please her she will take me home with her?”

Sven glowered down at him. “It is different on Earth. Your services to her would not be appreciated by their males. I believe we make them feel inadequate.”

“I’m not surprised. From what Ms. Cooper told me this morning, they are a selfish breed, not worthy of a woman’s attention.”

Thea turned and saw them together. Her smile died as she reluctantly came toward them.

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“Good evening, my lady.” Woden bowed.

“Hi, Woden. What’s up?”

“Nothing is up, my lady. Unless you mean my cock, which tends to fill out whenever I see you.”

Sven groaned. “Woden, she means how are you faring?”

Thea briefly met his gaze, a hint of laughter in her eyes. “Sven’s right, but thanks for the information, I’ll bear it in mind.” She motioned to Sven. “Is this a good time to talk? We have an hour or so before dinner.”

Sven bowed. “Of course, my lady.” He slapped Woden’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go and ready Ms. Cooper’s bath and I’ll bring her along to her suite as soon as we’re done?”

He led Thea down to one of the more secluded terraced water gardens which overlooked the desert-facing side of the immense building. The palace contained many such places, designed as it was to provide everything the king and queen might need without them having to leave the security of their own walls.

“This is really pretty.” Thea came to a stop in the center of the pink paved floor and stared up at the intricate marble fountain. “Is the water drinkable?”

“I believe it is, my lady. The palace has its own water supply from springs beneath the surface.”

“It’s like a fortress, isn’t it? A beautiful fortress but still…Valhalla’s recent history has not been peaceful.” She looked back at him. “Because of the shortage of women and the falling birthrate, right?”

“And tribal conflicts. The present king’s father did a great deal to unite the country and King Marcus is even more determined to make this land peaceful.”

Sven moved from the archway to stand beside her. The delicate spray from the fountain gilded her skin, making him want to lean forward and lick it off.

“Sven, what did you mean about me being a hypocrite this morning?”

He sighed. Sometimes he wished she wasn’t quite so smart or ready to take him on.

“I regret my words, my lady. Can we pretend I didn’t say them?”

“No, we can’t.”

He sat on the edge of the fountain and looked up at her. By Thor’s bones, she was indeed beautiful and he had nothing to lose. Either she would accept his culture and understand him, or she wouldn’t. He drew in an unsteady breath.

“I was jealous.”

“Jealous of Woden?”