14. Chapter 14
I closed my eyes. The water had been warm and soft. The oily leaves arousing when I smoothed them over my body. Far more luxurious than any soap I had ever used.
Being on Vandruk, I felt every cell of my body coming to life; every single one of my senses was on high alert to not miss a thing.
Everything I had seen so far had deeply impressed me. Vandruk wasn't just beautiful, it was alluring and fascinating. And yes, dangerous, but this danger was straightforward. Not the backstabbing of a coworker or the monster hiding under a mask of civility. Which, in all honesty, I much preferred.
This pond too was taking me under its spell with its otherworldly magnificence. It was almost completely surrounded by dark orange-colored rocks. Some of them were overgrown with deep purple, velvety moss. Plants grew in parts out of the rock, behind it, between them. Every single one so different from what I was used to that I could have spent hours simply looking at them.
When I leaned back and took in the alien sky above me, I felt like I was dreaming. Light and deep purple clouds hung in the sky, looking more like a tail of veils than the clouds on Earth. Far off in the distance, I could make out the outline of a planet, not a moon; the shape of it was far too big to be a moon.
Being on this alien planet was something new and totally unexpected. I felt like I was under a spell, one I couldn't break out of. And the strangest thing was that I felt like I had returned home. Like this was where I belonged.
If this was an illusion, I never wanted it to stop.
Here, right now I could forget about everything. Earth, my family, my job, my life. I had never felt this free of responsibilities so tempted, so light. I felt as if I had shredded my Rachel skin and become another person.
Even if it is only for a little bit , I tantalized myself, just for now .
I stared up at Ghan-Zahr, noticed the desire in his eyes. And it was like a cold shower.
He wanted me. There was no doubt in my mind. Hell, I wanted him too. But for once in my life, I wanted to be wanted for myself, not because of this damn body God had bestowed on me that felt more like a curse than a gift. I'd always felt ungrateful. Many women tried to look like me. How often had I heard, you're so lucky ?
Most of the time I didn't feel lucky. At all.
Even Trevor had only seen me as a vessel. We'll have such beautiful babies , he used to say, making me want to scream at him how much more important it would be for our imaginary kids to have a brain. Appearances, however, were all that mattered to him.
A pretty wife, two point five kids, his accomplished career that would catapult him into the world of politics. Me and our imaginary kids were nothing but steps he needed to climb to get up that ladder.
And right now it seemed like Ghan-Zahr felt the same.
He might not have wanted to fuck me to carve another notch in his belt, but had I been ugly, I doubted he would have taken me, or even wasted another glance at me.
I didn't think my expression or posture changed, but Ghan-Zahr put his fingers under my chin. His voice was deep and hoarse. "What's wrong?"
He wanted to know, proving that his sense of perception was far more advanced than that of any of the men who had ever accosted me. Even Trevor, with whom I had a two-year-long relationship had never picked up a cue. You have a headache? I have just the right medicine for that, wink, wink , or I had just barfed my stomach out and all he wanted was to fuck me. Ugh. Or the time he insinuated that his semen would cure my depression . Any depression I had ever had, had been caused by him.
"Everybody always only wants me because of my looks"." I sighed, not even sure why I said it, or to him.
"You think I want you because of the way you look?" He paused, ruffling his hair in a very sexy way with his hand as he looked for the right words. "Your beauty is easy to see… first thing a male sees. Maybe when I first saw you, I wanted you—"
"Kidnapped me," I interrupted him.
"I'm not sorry." His chin moved forward stubbornly, making me nearly smile. "I am sorry. But… I want to know you"." The tip of his finger stabbed my chest where my heart beat. "You are… I like the fire in your eyes. I like you… brave."
Nobody had ever called me brave before.
"Right, like when I froze in front of that beast yesterday."
He shook his head. "When you… hit my hand."
I would have called that stupid, but okay.
"You strong"—here he grinned—"brought me to my knees." Again he shook his head. "Not many warriors can."
His thumb caressed my cheek so incredibly tenderly, my entire body felt like it would collapse as he turned me into a melting mess.
"If I wanted beauty," he continued in that raspy voice that made my stomach flutter, "I look and walk away. But you… I cannot walk away…" He looked up at the sky as if searching for words. "You are my Koronae."
Fuck me, that was the most perfect speech ever. I stared up at him, unable to look away.
I knew I might regret my next move, but what the hell? I'd been kidnapped from my nice, safe life and brought to an alien planet, something I would have never, ever expected to happen to me. Who knew, maybe tomorrow a brick would fall out of the sky and kill me.
Besides that. I wanted him. I'd wanted him from the moment I walked into his room back at IC HQ. I rose to my tiptoes…