“Out,” he ordered, jerking his head toward the door. “Both of you.”
Fin opened his mouth to argue but Tal put a hand in the middle of his chest. The big Navarr smirked as Tal herded him out by force. “If I’da known you were that way inclined, handsome…”
“Oh, get over yourself,” Tal’s chuckle followed the pair out of the room. “I’m spoken for. Go hit on Sparky…”
Skinny looked over at the little human as the door shut behind his two teammates, and he switched back to Terran. He’d have to get Tal to install a translation matrix for her, but for now, he just needed to get her relaxed and not scared around him.
“Come here,” he ordered in a low voice, holding out a hand.
She looked at him, those beautiful amber eyes wary. Her gaze flicked from his face to his hand and back again. He stayed still, so as not to scare her further.
“I won’t hurt you,” he promised. “No one here will hurt you.”
She stood gracefully and approached hesitantly. Everything about her reminded him of a tranaxaain doe ready to run from the big bad wolf. He hid his smirk as he realized his name literally translated as “Wolven” in Terran.
He was the big, bad alien wolf.
He held his breath as she reached out, sliding delicate fingers into his hand. A sigh of mingled relief and pleasure escaped him as he drew her carefully closer, bringing her to stand within his parted thighs. He had never truly appreciated how much smaller humans were than Lathar, but his mouse seemed to be on the petite side even for a human female.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, hooking a finger under her chin and making her look up at him.
She let him manhandle her, no resistance to his touch at all. Triumph and something darker washed through his veins as an image hit him of her spread out beneath him with her hair fisted in his hand and her amber eyes dark and sultry. A surge of fire down his spine brought his cock to full mast, and it pressed savagely against his combats.
She was his.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not hurt.”
“Good,” he rumbled in approval, putting her hand on his chest as he slid the other into her hair. It was a glorious fall of dark and golden tones, like nothing he’d ever seen before. Latharian hair was flat, usually one-toned, maybe two at most but this… like her, her mane was beautiful.
Giving into a whim, he caught a handful gently in his fist and brought it up to his nose. Taking a deep breath, he rumbled in pleasure. Delicate, feminine scents filled his lungs. Whatever she’d washed her hair in was light and floral. He liked it. He liked it a lot.
But once he’d started, he couldn’t stop. Sliding a hand around the back of her waist, he pulled her closer. Burying his face against the side of her neck, he ran his nose lightly along her skin. Scenting her.
The rumble from the center of his chest was more of a growl and she jumped, her little hands spread out over his chest.
Her next words made his blood run cold.
“Please… please don’t hurt me.”
3
His hot breath washed over her throat, and Marika stayed as still as she could, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Everything about him screamed predator, and for a moment, she expected to feel the sharpness of his teeth in her throat, like some kind of latter-day werewolf. Which was ridiculous… Edanians might be known for body modification, but she’d seen his teeth when he smiled. They were as blunt as hers.
Still, the feeling of danger persisted, and she trembled in his arms. Why hadn’t she stayed safely over on the other side of the room? Kicking herself, she would have called herself all kinds of a fool if she wasn’t so frozen in place by his nearness. She should fight, get away from him. His touch was like a drug and she stayed still. Besides, fighting him would be pointless. He was huge and she… was not. He could snap her in two without a second thought.
“Hurt you?” His deep voice was laced with confusion. He leaned back and she felt him looking down at her. “Why would I hurt you?”
She managed to suppress her snort. She couldn’t imagine Maxim asking that question. If she’d been caught in a room with him like this, she was sure she’d already be naked and screaming. “You’re a man.”
He let go of her hair, his big hands smoothing up her arms. “I am male, yes. But what does that have to do with hurting you?”
His voice was careful, his touch even more so. She fought back the shiver and opened her eyes to find him watching her with an odd look on his face. She gave a small shrug.
“My father said men can’t help it at times. That it’s a hard-wired thing and if I got hurt, it must have been something I did.”
Altav’s expression tightened.
“Your father? He’s a fucking liar. No one should ever hurt you, male or not. We’re not fucking animals. We do know the difference. If a male hurt you, it’s not anything you did. It’s him being a dick.”
The growl this time was dangerous and filled with anger. She jumped and tried to step back but his hands tightened on her upper arms. At her small squeak, his face relaxed and his hold became gentler as he studied her face.
“Has anyone…” He shook his head. “I can guess the answer to that. No one will hurt you here, Miss Ingrassia. They’d have to go through me first.”
She nodded, barely breathing. “I wouldn’t blame you. I mean, I did hit you…” She motioned toward his head, and he surprised her by smiling.
“You did.” He grinned. Was there a hint of pride there? “For which there will have to be appropriate… punishment.”
His grin turned wicked and even though his words sent a shiver of wariness down her spine, the heat in his eyes gave her butterflies in her stomach.
“Pun-n-ishment?” She couldn’t stop her voice breaking on the word as she looked up at him. No-no-no, he couldn’t be like Maxim. Could he?
The corner of his lips stayed quirked up as he brushed her hair back from her face. Relief rolled through her at the gentle touch and the open look in his eyes. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t hurt her.
“I think I’m owed some recompense for being clocked in the head. Don’t you?” he murmured.
She bit her lip. Put like that, yeah, she did owe him something.
“I really am sorry. I didn’t know who you were,” she said quickly, hands smoothing over his chest as he pulled her closer. “I wouldn’t have hit you so hard if I’d known. I was trying to find you.”
As she said it, she realized it was true. She’d hoped to find him aboard and somehow persuade him to help her.
“You were?” His voice was a deep rumble now and the butterflies in her stomach gave way to shivers that chased over her skin.
“Yes,” she said quickly, pushing a little at his chest as he pulled her ever closer. “You were so nice to me in the market. I… need your help.”
He made a small sound of amusement. “You often hit people you want to help you, little mouse?”
She winced. Yeah, her case probably hadn’t been helped by violence.
“I’m really sorry.”
“Accepted.”
A wave of relief rolled over her, making her knees weak. She felt sick knowing she’d hurt him seriously enough for treatment in the fancy bed.