“There is no chance you will transport without us. You would probably transport to Viken’s Trixon Resort,” Maxim grumbled.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A retreat for new mates to get to know each other.” Rachel made little air quotes with her fingers. “It’s hedonistic. Think tropical five-star resort that caters to every sexual desire.”
I got hot at the thought. Who wouldn’t want that? “Like a spa but with sex?”
Maxim was the one who nodded. “Exactly.”
Rachel went up on her tiptoes and kissed his square jaw. “I’ve talked to Whitney, you know. She told me that place is only fun if your mates are with you. Not that I don’t enjoy a little solo fun.”
Maxim’s body went rigid as his gaze met his mate’s.
“Don’t tease us, mate,” Ryston growled. “We don’t have time to watch you at this moment. We are due at the palace.”
Rachel’s cheeks flushed as red as my hair, and she finally surrendered her son to Ryston, who cuddled the sleepy toddler close to his chest.
Cuteness overload.
I could tell Rachel was equally embarrassed and aroused by Ryston calling her out. I was jealous. So jealous. Body and heart aching with longing. I wanted a guy or two who’d get hot about watching me flick the bean. Hell, I wanted a guy or two just to look at me without staring at me like I was going to save their eternal soul and grant them new life. I wanted sexy fun—without Wulf glaring at every male in sight like he might dismember them if they stepped in my direction.
I was distracted from my thoughts by the gorgeous queen of Viken, who walked by. I couldn’t help but stare. Yeah, I knew who she was by her red hair and her dress—I’d been a stylist on Earth and knew fashion, even in space—and the fact that she had three hot, almost identical guys with her. She passed with her hot kings flanking her on a side as protection, and each one with a menacing and heated look that made me squirm. I had to wonder if they’d been to that sex spa place on Viken. Trixon Resort. That was going in the mental file for later.
Shit. I was in trouble here. Sex-on-the-brain twenty-four-seven kind of trouble.
Or was that twenty-six hours, forty-two or whatever the hell kind of calendar they had on this crazy planet? I had no idea. All I knew was I hadn’t been with a guy in way too long, and my body was hungry for some attention like the shape-shifters I’d read about in some of my favorite romance novels. Touch hungry, they called it. When need and ache grew to the point where one couldn’t think straight. Maybe I had Atlan fever.
Yeah. That was me, thinking I had Atlan fever. God. Every second on Prillon Prime was making me worse. Talk about a full-on hot-alpha-male buffet, and I hadn’t even made it out of the transport room. The thought of Prillon warriors walking around in pairs all over the place? Oh fuck, yes.
I’ll take two to go, please.
Once Wulf heard I wasn’t seeking commitment in a relationship, he’d taken my wishes to heart. He’d put out a memo that I was off-limits, taking the big-brother role to the extreme. I might as well have had a poisonous vagina or something.
That was why Rachel, Kristin, Lindsey, Olivia, Caroline and Mikki all told me I had to get some action while I was on Prillon Prime. They agreed The Colony guys were off-limits, but this was a different planet. A short-term visit. A two-day fling! Party time!
I totally agreed and had spent the last few days working the S-Gen machine to make some super-hot and sexy lingerie. No male, alien or human, could resist lace, satin and barely covered nipples and pussy.
Yeah, here I was. Unmated, horny girl on vacation in space. Hopeful to get a few male-induced orgasms on Prillon Prime, especially since Wulf wasn’t going to be here to cockblock. He and Olivia were stuck on Earth doing PR interviews for the Bachelor Beast program. While they were doing the talk-show circuit light-years away, I was going to do a Prillon Prime circuit of my own.
That was the plan, anyway. First I had to find a worthy candidate, then convince him—or them—to sex me up.
With all the testosterone—did aliens have testosterone?—walking around, I doubted it’d be too difficult. I wasn’t a supermodel, but I wasn’t unfortunate looking either. When I’d been a kid, my pops had called me his little leprechaun thanks to my mop of red hair and bright green eyes. Now I had freckles galore and a nose ring to go with it, so hopefully I looked like the gold at the end of the rainbow and not an ugly duckling.
But I’d never seen a Prillon woman—female alien—whatever. I had no idea what I was competing with here. As far as I knew, I was the only human female in the group who didn’t already have a mate. So I wasn’t planning on competing with my friends, just the locals.
“Be mindful and cautious, Lucy. Our intel states Cerberus is still seeking a human female for his own,” Maxim said, and everyone once again looked at me.
Those words were like being shoved into a freezing cold shower. Cerberus wasn’t stupid enough to take an already claimed woman. He might be the Wicked Witch of the West of space, but he wasn’t dumb. He wanted an unmated human. One nobody’d go after.
That would be… me.
I raised a hand to stop Maxim from continuing on the topic, which was a total Debbie Downer. “I have no intention of doing anything crazy. I promise to stay inside the palace at all times.”
Maxim, Ryston, and Kiel stared at me skeptically while the ladies smirked, but I spoke the truth. I had no interest in being Cerberus’s side piece. The idea made me ill. I’d take the guards Maxim or any of the guys decided to assign me. I was fine with being safe. If the guards were hot and could fuck me against a wall or on any horizontal surface in the palace while watching over me, I’d be totally satisfied.
Oh yes, I would, and I was sure more than once.
Caroline, Rezzer, and little CJ and RJ arrived on the transport platform we’d just vacated, and I waved to the twins. It was still weird to have them magically appear from one second to the next. They came down off the platform, and the twins clapped with excitement, then wiggled to be free. At not yet two years old, they were eager to explore. Younger than Tanner and Emma, they weren’t quite ready to be separated from their parents. Or their parents weren’t quite ready to be separated from them. They’d spent many hours at playdates with Tanner and Emma, as had all the children. They all called me Aunt Woocy, too. It was too damn adorable. They loved me, and I loved them back.
It should be enough. So why did I feel empty?
“Why is everyone staring at Lucy?” Rezzer asked, leaning to let CJ down. She ran off like a streak and right for the transport controls. Rezzer dashed after and scooped her right back up. She fussed but he gave her a zerbert and she giggled. “Can we get to the palace before this one sets the controls and sends us all to Sector Zero?”
With Maxim in the lead, we exited the transport room. The ladies hung back with me, but the guys looked over their shoulders to make sure we followed.
“This is going to be the best time ever,” Lindsey said. “But we need to hurry. The surprise party is supposed to start in three hours. That’s not very much time to get ready.”
Caroline nodded and I saw that little RJ’s eyes were drooping, his head on her shoulder. Transport was exhausting, and his small body was probably ready for nap time. His sister—she was a pistol and would probably run until she tipped over—was climbing over Rezzer’s shoulders so she could see better. “I’m so glad you organized babysitters. A party with fancy dresses and Lucy’s gorgeous makeup work…”