Chapter 5 #3
He sat back in the water, the lines on his face relaxing.
“I’m not sleeping with you, Kavon.”
Now he looked at her with steady amber eyes. “Yes, you will. But I never ordered you to do more than sleep.” His gaze dropped, tracing down her body. “If you’d like to do more, I’m open to it.”
Heat curled through her, slow and stealthy. “You could open the door and summon any one of those women downstairs who were devouring you with their eyes.”
His direct gaze held hers. “Yes, I could. When I have the time, I often do. I like a woman’s body.
” He shifted, water lapping at the edge of the tub, and spread his arms along the edge.
“I like that a woman is soft where I am hard. I like the sweet smells and tastes of her skin. I like to hear a woman whimper under my hands.”
God. Aurina locked her legs to keep them from turning to jelly. “You’re a warrior. You’re not supposed to be so good with words. You’re supposed to grunt and growl.”
He raised a brow. “I sometimes grunt and occasionally growl, but I’m perfectly capable of using words to describe what I want.
You are the one using the word barbarian to try and keep me at bay.
” His voice lowered, something raw and hot appearing in his eyes.
“I want to touch your fascinating body, and I want to hear you whimper for me.”
Something in her quivered. She’d always had a good sex life.
It was hard to find a partner in deep space, so she only got to play on station visits.
Otherwise, she had her trusty vibrator for company on the Ariel.
Or, rather, she’d had it. It was now either in pieces, in Kavon’s collection, or sitting in Drog’s estate.
But sex had always been on her timeline. She picked young, pliable men who were happy to do as she asked, or lie back and let her do as she pleased.
She was pretty sure the hard warlord in front of her was not going to be anything like that.
“So you want me here in your bed so I’ll eventually whimper for you?” The thought left her…disappointed for some reason.
“No.” Kavon slid his arms back into the water. “I want you here so I can protect you.”
“From what?”
“From Drog. He has his spies. He will hear about you and come after you. He wants everything that I have.” Kavon stood, water streaming off his naked, glistening body.
Aurina felt the heat inside her turn molten.
She looked her fill. Why not? He was standing right in front of her in all his glory.
His broad chest narrowed down to lean hips, and his stomach consisted of tantalizing ridges of muscle.
She drew a breath and, helpless to stop herself—hell, she didn’t want to stop—she looked at the rest of him.
Thick legs with powerful thighs and a large, semi-erect cock that fit with the rest of him.
“If you are worried about creating a child, know that our nanami control our fertility. Warriors are not fertile with bedmates.”
She shook her head. She had her own Namah implant that protected her from disease and pregnancy. “I…I mentioned my mother. My father was a man who wanted her in his bed. Just for a few nights. She thought she was in love and he left her alone and pregnant.”
“That is not honorable behavior.”
“No, it isn’t. But she…she pined for him for years. She still held onto the hope he’d come back.” Aurina shook her head and wondered why she was even talking about this. “She never accepted that we didn’t matter to him at all.”
Kavon’s gaze burned into her. “I would never do anything to dishonor you, Aurina. Whatever happens, I will protect you from other warriors who will be enamored of your skin and hair and body. Warriors who will look at you much the way you are looking at me right now.”
She jerked her gaze up. “I’m going to sleep now.” She spun and forced herself to walk out of the room. Part of her wanted to stay and get in that big tub with that sexy barbarian.
The other part of her was afraid, and she wasn’t exactly sure why.
She quickly undressed and pulled on the large, loose-fitting shirt she found in the closet. It was made from a thin, linen-like fabric.
She crawled into the massive bed, piled a mound of pillows in the center as a divider, then dropped down and closed her eyes.
Tomorrow, she had to focus on getting herself off this planet.
She needed to find Kavon’s sword, and in turn, find her e-beacon.
If she couldn’t find it… Her chest constricted.
She’d think of something. She could scrounge parts and build her own.
She scoffed to herself and thumped the pillow.
She was good with rocks, but electronics were not her forte.
She could do a few basic repairs on her ship and systems—every scout could—but she usually needed a working comp to help her.
She tossed and turned for a while, before flipping onto her other side, and burying her face in the soft pillow.
She needed to get home, and keep away from a certain tempting warrior who scared her in ways she didn’t understand.