Chapter 7 Scarlett Insists on a Great Quest
Ransom woke with a curvy woman wrapped around him and a foil blanket covering them both.
It was early still, with the blacklight lifting to give way to whitelight.
The air was fresh, but he was relaxed and better rested than usual.
The medicine Mistress Aelene had given him had worked.
The prince considered him a feeble specimen.
Scarlett mumbled in her sleep and wriggled closer, her backside cozying up with his groin.
Ransom tensed, his cock swelling at the feminine provocation.
His dragon perked up with interest, and Ransom puffed out a lungful of air.
Wrap your arms around her. Kiss her. Make love.
She’s our mate. You might not get another chance.
He couldn’t.
He refused to take advantage of her trust.
Determined, he focused on the coming cycles. The prince required them to locate his resting place. If they failed, he’d have to find another stooge. Start over. Low on food, Prince Kalim didn’t possess the luxury of time. Chances were he’d punish them for their incompetence.
Scarlett shifted against him again, ripping through his determined thoughts of the prince, their upcoming cycle. She sighed, and her black hair slid over his arm. Suspicion rose in him. One so fantastical, he…
“Scarlett, you’re awake.”
She released an unladylike humph and turned to face him. “And you’re terrible at taking hints.”
Ransom found himself speechless. He blinked, unable to hide his shock. Instead, he stumbled along the path his befuddled mind took him and hesitated at the conclusion he reached.
“It’s obvious you’re capable. Don’t you want me?”
Ransom blinked again.
“This quest is dangerous. What if one of us or neither of us makes it out alive? Have you thought of that? Those howling creatures, whatever their species, are between us and our goal.”
“Stop talking,” he growled.
“Make me.” She closed one eye in a wink.
Ransom grasped her shoulders to push her away, but instead, he drew her flush against his body.
They fit perfectly. Her mocking smile goaded him, dared him, so he kissed her.
At first, their teeth clashed, the fierceness of the contact a display of his dominance.
But soon he gentled to a caress where he coaxed her to reciprocate.
Her hands crept up to tangle in his hair, anchoring him, enticing him.
He tongued her lower lip, and she opened for him, inviting him to deepen the kiss.
Ransom went slow, not because he was afraid of rejection, but because he wanted to savor Scarlett.
Later, he’d haul back the memories of this moment to sweeten the pain that coursed through his body, especially after the prince fed from his energy.
Slow and deep kisses. Playful nips. Passionate caresses.
He tried them all and couldn’t decide which he preferred. They were both breathing hard when he parted their lips and pressed his forehead to hers.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Scarlett said.
“Has anyone told you you’re a mouthy brat?” He punctuated this by kissing the tip of her nose.
“Sure, all the time. My brothers are bossy, alpha types. A bit like you. Big and strong and growly but marshmallow inside with women and those who are weaker and require protection.”
“I am not a marshmallow,” he stated, maintaining a direct gaze. “Whatever that is.”
She grinned, and his pulse rate did a little blip. “That was a compliment.”
“Your hair is beautiful. It’s soft and smells of flowers.”
Scarlett beamed. “Excellent. You understand the compliment process.”
Ransom gaped, nonplussed by this woman.
“Greenlight,” she whispered. “Every quest contains danger. Every great quest has an additional element.”
“What?”
She winked. “Steamy hot sex.”
“It’s almost whitelight. We should—”
Scarlett slapped a hand over his mouth. “I want a great quest.”
Her green eyes glowed with humor and determination, yet still, Ransom hesitated.
Once she learned the full truth of why he’d abducted her, she’d hate him.
She’d rain fiery curses on his head and threaten to gut him with one of the knives she carried, concealed in a sheath beneath the right leg of her trews.
“Before my brothers catch up with us. They’ll accuse you of seducing me, anyway.
I like you. I’m willing, so we should do the deed while we have peace.
” Her smile fell away. “Those howling creatures, whatever they are, stand between us and the prince’s resting place.
At least, where we presume he lies. Once we get closer, we won’t have the luxury of letting down our guard.
Come on. I’ve done a pros and cons list, and everything stacks up. ”
A list? Ransom dithered a few seconds longer before giving in and taking everything he wanted but didn’t deserve.
He’d tell her. He’d confess soon. He would.
Grata, he was a bastard for snatching this slice of pleasure.
He stared at the lush lashes framing her green eyes.
Determination hid in the swell of her firm lips and the stubborn tilt to her chin.
Character traits he admired in a man, yet seldom found in a woman.
Most females of his acquaintance eyed his home, listened to his family’s reputation, and craved his status.
Not Scarlett Mitchell. While he waited for objections, she hadn’t once complained during their arduous trek up and down mountains.
Yeah, he was a bastard for even considering her offer.
They’d both gone to sleep wearing their clothes. It made sense if they needed to hurry. Now, Ransom rolled away and stood. Without taking his gaze off her, he yanked his tunic over his head, then went to work on his trews. He tugged them down his legs, taking his foot linings with them.
“You need to eat more food.”
Ransom laughed. Not something he usually heard from a prospective lover. Normally the minute scales on his cock fascinated females. “Why don’t you disrobe too? Then I can decide how much food you need.”
She gave a derisive snort but rose, anyway. “No man tells me what to do with my body,” she said. “I enjoy food. I’ll eat what I please.”
As she spoke, she unfastened the black toggles that held her tunic together. The fabric whispered when it fell. Her trews were more form-fitting than his, and it was easy to come to a decision about her weight distribution before she stood before him naked.
She peeled the trews down her legs and straightened, meeting his gaze with a proud, almost arrogant tilt of her head.
He forced himself to remain still. “You appear to have mastered the correct food balance.” Her curves were distinct and stunning, but she still wore her underwear. “Are you removing more?”
Scarlett laughed, her green eyes flashing.
Beautiful green jewels. Had they changed color?
He blinked. No, they remained the pretty green that had mesmerized him during their first meeting.
She reached behind her back and released the closure of her chest binding.
Slowly, she revealed her breasts. Pink-tipped, perfect handfuls.
With a wiggle of hips, she worked her panties down long, golden legs.
She’d already removed her foot coverings, and now she stood before him, proudly naked in the whitelight.
With a faint smile, she slanted her head. “Do you require hints on what to do next?”
“I have a few ideas.” Ransom closed the distance between them.
A sigh escaped him when her firm flesh pressed against his.
This was a woman in her prime, and he found he enjoyed her bossiness and outrageous suggestions.
In the future, when she learned the truth, she could never accuse him of using force.
This slice of paradise—entirely Scarlett Mitchell.
Their mouths met again in a tender kiss, a precursor for what would come.
Scarlett grasped his shoulders and drew him closer. A tiny swivel of her hips teased his cock and propelled a rush of excitement through him. With their mouths still caressing and tasting, Ransom lifted her and sat on their foil blanket.
Immediately, she pulled away and, with a hand to his sternum, pushed him flat on his back. She straddled his hips and offered him an impish grin. “I get to explore your tattoos. Those teeny-tiny scales on your cock. You can have a turn later.”
Because he didn’t want her to think she could get her way with everything, he dragged her down for another kiss and rolled them. “I’ll go first.”
She pursed her lips. “That was sly.”
“I wouldn’t want you to believe I’m a…what is the word? Ah! A pushover.”
“Have you met people from Earth before?”
“I know one, and her quaint expressions have caught on with her mate and their friends. Sometimes, it is as if they speak a foreign language since my translator is of no help.”
“A woman? Really? Which planet does she live on now? I’d love to meet her.”
“Viros.”
“Ah, the planet is ruled by feline shapeshifters. A triad. Have you met the rulers?”
“You want to chat about royalty? I thought you had something else in mind.”
“Sex.” She grinned. “I’m capable of multitasking.”
“I prefer to concentrate on one thing at a time. Sex, it is then.” He kissed her again, addicted to her taste and the enthusiasm she imbued in the action.
This time, he allowed his hands to wander.
Her skin was soft beneath his fingertips, his caress pulling a shiver from her.
His calluses—a side effect of the jewelry design business and his hands-on approach to leadership.
He explored her shoulders and biceps before he let his fingers wander to her breasts.
“Use your mouth,” she ordered.
“My gel-bed at home is a huge, carved monstrosity, handed down through the generations. I’ve thought about donating it to someone who’d appreciate it and purchase something more to my taste.”
“An interesting topic, but why are you telling me?”
“It has lots of rings and other attachments to help when discipline is required for an unruly partner.”