Unexpected Mates (Sons of Heaven) (23 page)

“We won’t be seeing much of you,” her mother noted.

Amy took Sakkra’s hand. “Actually, we were discussing a few things.”

“Like?” Her father raised an eyebrow in silent demand.

“You used to joke about wanting to land a big contract that would require travel.”

He nodded. “Few of those accounts exist, though.”

Sakkra tipped his head. “One does. Amy tells me she learned about marketing and promotions from you.”

Her father’s jaw dropped in understanding. “But you already have a contract with Patterson for that.”

Amy shook her head. “I’ve read the contract. It’s not comprehensive. It is for specific advertising services. What we have in mind is completely separate...a publicist like you more than an advertising agency.”

“What
do
you have in mind?”

Sakkra took over again. “Amy suggested several changes to the way we reach out to the people of Earth. What we show people. How we present it.

“Among other things, we need someone Sakk-descended to travel with us, someone with an eye to putting together the type of materials we require. Interviews. Documentaries. New advertising. We need someone who can choose locations and who knows how to present the information to our best advantage. Someone who can liaise with Patterson to make them more effective. Someone who knows how to phrase the requests we make. You, Steve, would be ideal. And...” He squeezed Amy’s hand. “It would give you the opportunity to travel and to be with Amy when our children are born.”

Silence fell in the wake of his offer.

Sakkra broke it. “If you are not interested, I under—”

“No,” both of her parents shouted together.

The door opened, and one of the guards poked a head in, seemingly assessing the situation. Sakkra waved him away, and he retreated and closed the door.

Her father took a moment to compose himself. “Of course I’m interested. What man wouldn’t be? But...” He glanced at his wife.

Sakkra’s wings ruffled. “We would never ask a mated man to leave his...wife. Diane is most welcome whenever you travel on Sakk business.”

In the next heartbeat, her father was on his feet, offering Sakkra his hand again. “I’d say you’d just made my career, but the truth is you’ve just made my life.”

Sakkra took her father’s hand but shot Amy a questioning look.

She laughed. “It’s a good thing.”

His shoulders relaxed, and he offered them a stunning smile.

“And I know just the way to start,” he continued.

“You do?” Sakkra seemed confused by that.

“Exclusive first pictures of the local royal couple? Maybe from their honeymoon tour of the consulates? The bidding war would be formidable, and the proceeds could be donated to a charitable cause of your choice.”

Amy pressed a hand to her scarred cheek, trying to reason herself out of being self-conscious. It was a lost cause.

Sakkra squeezed her hand again. “Only from her unmarked side?” he suggested. “Until the surgeries are done.”

She wrapped her arms around him, nodding her agreement.

“Scarves are in this year,” her mother offered. “You could wear a large pair of glasses and a scarf wrap for a while.”

“And there are cosmetics that can hide scars, once they’ve healed,” Jo added.

“I know a fabulous photo journalist who has been trying to get an interview with Sakkra for months. She’ll agree to only photograph Amy from one side...if we give her dibs on the first full-face shots after the surgery.”

Sakkra was silent for a long moment. “I believe, as humans say, you have a deal, Steve.”

Chapter Eighteen

Gabin waved Amy toward the waiting
bio bed
, and the human surgeon crossed the room to offer his hand to Sakkra. They’d been through this twice in the six months since Lucy’s attack on her, so there was no instruction necessary.

They’d done the repairs to her face first, and the first full-face shots of her had graced the cover of
People Magazine
within weeks of the second repair.

This would be the least of them, eradicating the scar on her shoulder. At least, if anything went wrong with this one, it wouldn’t show much unless she wore a strapless dress.

Nothing has gone wrong so far. Nothing will go wrong this time. Labtrayel won’t stand for it.

“Your healer has informed me about the changes to the process,” the surgeon assured Sakkra.

Amy turned to them, confused by the pronouncement. “What would be different?” Why would it be?

Gabin offered his hand to help her onto the
bio bed
. “It is nothing to worry about,” he soothed her.

Amy levered herself up, but the discussion still bothered her. “Why would the process have to be different this time?” She insisted on an answer.

Gabin looked to Sakkra, a sure sign that her mate had ordered the healer not to tell her. She shot a look demanding an answer at him, and Sakkra sighed deeply.

He came to the bedside and raised her hand for a kiss. Her rings shifted, and she smiled at her mate.

“You know the
bio tracker
monitors you constantly.”

She nodded. “Of course.” It was part of Sakk tradition. The royal family was never unguarded.

“Two days ago, the
bio tracker
picked up a subtle change in you, and test scans were ordered.”

Gabin had told her the scans were simply in preparation for the coming surgery. “What kind of change?” What had they been looking for?

He kissed her hand again. “You are bearing my daughter.”

Her heart stuttered. “If this isn’t safe, it can wait.”

Sakkra opened his mouth to speak.

“I mean
completely
safe. If there’s any chance at all—”

“Completely safe,” he assured her. “If there was any chance of harming our daughter, Gabin would not allow the surgery to happen. As it was, he simply made a small change in the medications.”

Amy took a calming breath. “Okay. If you’re sure...”

“We are,” Gabin assured her. “The medications will sedate you further than they have in previous surgeries. You will sleep longer. We will use a different type of pain relief and for a longer period of time, so we do not stress your system.”

She nodded, taking it all in.

Sakkra guided her back to the mattress and laid a kiss on her forehead. “And you will be the most beautiful woman at the President’s holiday ball.”

She smiled, then laughed. Sakkra had said that more times than she could count, and she still didn’t believe it.

It’s still good to hear it.

“And Rietin will be very unhappy about wearing that tux.”

Sakkra winked at her. “I hear he is cursing already.”

Section Four: Genetically Inferior

Jolene and Rietin

Chapter Nineteen

Rietin panned his gaze up and down the little temptress’s body, his cock pressing against his jeans. As if she felt his gaze, she turned, performed the same assessment of him, and smiled.

She sauntered toward him, her musk rising. “Friend of Sakkra and Amy’s?” she asked.

“You could say that.” Rietin wouldn’t presume to, but it explained his presence at the princess’s family holiday party without exposing his true purpose. Amy had been adamant about playing down the sheer number of guards they’d brought with them. At least half of them were wingless males who could pass for human.

Being circumspect about his relationship to Sakkra and Sakku had another benefit. His interactions with Lucy Ferguson had taught Rietin well that either confirming or denying himself as a friend of the Sakkraas could result in unintended consequences.

Two of her fingers walked up his thigh between their bodies. Rietin glanced around, assuring himself that they were unobserved.

He smiled. “My room is upstairs.”

“So is mine,” she purred.

“Even better.”

Sakkra and Amy had retired to their room more than half an hour earlier. That meant he was free to enjoy himself while the winged warriors stood guard overnight.

“When?” he invited.

“Now works for me.”

He nodded and led the way up the stairs.

A glance back at the turn revealed two more buttons open on the little temptress’s blouse. His cock took immediate interest in that, and he started unbuttoning his shirt in response. Whatever happened next was going to be a heated encounter.

Good. It’s been too long since I’ve had one.

She led him to her room—which was conveniently across the hall from his, halfway down the guest wing. Rietin closed the door behind them and turned to look at her. Her blouse was opened to her waist, and an appealing little wisp of lace covered her breasts.

He pulled his shirt off over his shoulders and pitched it across the room. Hers came off slower, and she dropped it to the floor.

Delicious anticipation scented the air. Rietin went to work on his jeans, and she did the same with her pants. She gasped as he slipped the jeans down his legs.

He cocked his head to one side. “Problem?”

She shook her head, swallowing hard. “I just like...”

“Like?” he prompted her.

“Commando.” Her cheeks darkened in a flush.

That broke Rietin’s self control. He pushed his jeans off, toeing the soft leather shoes off ahead of them, then strode across the floor to her, completely naked.

She didn’t back away. In fact, her hands released the pants and cupped his face. They met in a kiss that made him ache for more.

He guided her toward the bed, taking mincing little steps in deference to the clothing ringing her lower legs. He was hungry. Beyond hungry. Ravenous for every sensation of her he could experience before daybreak.

She unfastened the bra and slipped it off between their bodies. It hit the floor with a whisper of sound.

At last, she was pinned between his body and the mattress. A moan escaped her lips, and she pulled back from the kiss.

“I’m on the Pill,” she gasped out.

“I’m disease free.” Even if she wasn’t, there was nothing the humans carried that Sakk medicine couldn’t cure, on the off chance he was able to be infected. Still, Rietin knew that might not matter to her. She could still insist on a condom.

I’ll wear one if she does.
Though Rietin rarely indulged in a female, he always carried a few condoms with him. He preferred not to wear them though, so he didn’t mention it unless the female requested it.

This one didn’t. She pushed down at her panties, circling her hips against him in the process.

Damn, I need this.
Rietin went to one knee, laying kisses on her lightly-tufted mound as he worked the panties down.

She pulled at the elastic holding his hair back and released the short ponytail behind his head. His hair feathers cascaded around his face, springing into their natural curls. She combed her fingers through them, moaning again.

He slipped off her flats, taking the pants and panties off of each foot as it was raised for him to remove the shoe.

She spread her legs minutely, and he took advantage of it to stroke her ready body with his fingertips. She widened her stance more, and Rietin started working her with his mouth, savoring her feminine taste.

Her hand fisted in his hair, urging him on. She gasped out a request for more.

Gladly.
Rietin doubled his efforts, drinking in every sound and squirming movement.

She shimmied in a way that told Rietin her balance was uncertain. He closed his hands around her waist and lowered her to the mattress where she sat, trembling and gasping for breath.

“Are you okay?” He reminded himself to keep his accent steady.

She nodded. “That was...Wow! You have skills.”

Rietin smiled at the compliment. “Well then...What
will
we do now?”

She shot him a look of disbelief. “I suggest we test the limits of our endurance.”

“I have quite a bit of it.”

A smile pulled her lips up. “Prove it.”

“Gladly.” Rietin crawled up between her thighs and lifted her at the hips.

His first thrust had her arching her back from the mattress, her nipples hard little nubs.

Oh, yeah. Just the sight of that will keep me hard half the night.
The taste and scent of her would keep him hard longer than that.

They moved in violent motions, both of them pursuing a shattering climax. Rietin couldn’t have recounted which of them came first. Sounds overlapped with sounds, her body milking his spasming cock until he felt as lightheaded as she had when he was eating her.

They held to each other in the aftermath, sweat soaked and shaking. She wiggled against his cock, setting off aftershocks.

Rietin half-withdrew from her heat in order to take one glorious nipple in. Her body reacted to the added stimuli with more tight contractions of her inner muscles.

Oh, yeah. This isn’t ending anytime soon.

“What is your name?”

Her question came without warning, bringing a sense of guilt with it. He was going to lie to her. He always lied to women he bedded.

“Josh. Josh Rietin.”

“I’m Jo. Jolene Williams, but you can call me Jo.”

“A lovely name, Jolene.” How he managed to say it without choking was beyond him.

Rietin’s heart beat out a warning. This was Sakku Amy’s favorite cousin. He’d heard the name many times, though he’d never met the lady before.

It doesn’t matter. She’s a willing human woman. There’s no reason for me not to take what she’s offering.

****

Jo stretched in bed, coming up against cold sheets on the other side of the mattress. She raised her head, squinting in the sunlight streaming around the slatted wooden blinds she’d forgotten to fully close the night before.

“Josh?”

He didn’t reply, and she dropped to her back on the mattress.