A Touch of Lilly (19 page)

Her
orgasm slammed into her with all the power of a tidal wave. The
currents of rapture crashed into her over and over and she was
powerless against the storm. Her energy surged through her adding to
the intensity of her climax.

Thaegan’s
fierce cry of release followed only seconds behind her, but it was
the warm release of Dallas’ seed filling her channel that
lifted her once again to the peak and slammed her headlong into
another thunderous climax. The three of them bucked and writhed
against each other’s bodies, milking the last of the
earth-shattering bliss.

Thaegan
was the first to separate, pulling away from her and collapsing on
the mattress. Sliding from Dallas, her bones and muscles melted by
the fire of their joining, Lilly snuggled between the men. Her head
settled on Dallas’ chest, his heart beating a rapid rhythm
against her cheek. The Ka’al threw an arm around her waist,
snuggling her bottom against the heat of his lap, his face buried in
her hair.

Lilly
couldn’t remember a day when she’d powered up the energy
so many times in such a short span of hours. Between the excitement
of the hunt for the Znedu and what the men had done to her body, her
muscles no longer wanted to work. She couldn’t even lift her
hand to toy with the soft hair of Dallas’ chest.

Dallas’
pounding heart slowed, his breathing becoming deep and even.
Thaegan’s soft purr of sleep vibrated against her neck.
Swaddled in the safe cocoon of her two lovers, Lilly closed her eyes
and gave herself over to the exhaustion.

* * * * *

Gruff
voices filtered into her dream and drove away the pleasant images of
a Chicago summer. Still lost in her childhood, Lilly couldn’t
orient herself. Couldn’t decipher the words spoken in harsh
whispers. And definitely couldn’t figure out why she felt so
comfortably content.

Images
of the kidnapping flooded back first, the heat of the laser and her
body bound and hooded. But the soft cushion below her and the heavy
weight of the blanket covering her belied that memory.

“
What
the fuck’s that supposed to mean, Thaegan?”

“
I
was there too. Remember?”

In
full clarity, it came back to her. Her body was pleasantly sore and
she knew immediately where she was and what had transpired. Thaegan
and Dallas weren’t cuddling with her anymore. Whatever it was
that they were arguing about, they’d waited until she was sound
asleep and not part of their discussion.

“
Yeah,
I remember the whole damn thing,” said Dallas. “Which is
why Lilly’s not stepping one goddamn foot in that tavern
tonight.”

“
She’s
not Sarah.”

Dallas
was silent, but she heard the scrape of a chair against the floor and
curiosity got the best of her. Daring to peek, she watched Dallas
pacing, the curves and hollows of his bare torso highlighted in the
low light from over the sink. It warmed her heart that the men had
been considerate enough to turn the lights down and cover her,
allowing her time to sleep, though the volume of their voices had
made that nearly impossible.

Sitting
on the far side of the table, Thaegan’s mahogany chest was
burnished to a slick copper color. His hands fiddled nervously with
the centerpiece Dallas had swept to the floor earlier in the evening.

“
I
know she’s not Sarah, for chrissake. Sarah was a trained QAL
agent protected by her team and
she
couldn’t keep
herself out of the line of fire.” Dallas stopped pacing and
stared at his partner. “
I
couldn’t keep her safe.”

“
And
I
didn’t protect either of you.” Thaegan snapped
the dish in his hands in half, anger drawing tight lines across his
forehead. “Damn it, Dallas. I lost a teammate and a lover as
well. You seem to forget that part of the equation.”

Dallas
leaned on the table, his head dropping to his chest. “Being
with Lilly…”

“
Brought
it all back.”

“
Yeah.”
Dallas hesitated. “No. I mean it is different.”

“
Because
Lilly’s human?”

He
lifted his head. “There’s that. But it’s more.
Sarah never intended to let us in. In the months we worked together
and even after we shared a bed with her, she never let down her
guard. Never wanted to be vulnerable.”

“
Znedus
tend to do that.” Thaegan shrugged. “They hold themselves
separate. I never expected anything more.”

“
Yeah,
well humans aren’t hard-wired that way. At first it was great.
But I’m getting tired of the love ’em and leave ’em
attitude of deep space. I had myself believing Sarah wanted more. I
guess we’ll never find out.”

“
I
repeat. Lilly. Is. Not. Sarah.”

Dallas
laughed, a bitter sound that tore at Lilly’s heart. “No,
she’s a bounty hunter looking for revenge against the very
organization we work for.”

“
Whether
you like it or not, she’s the only one who can identify
Grebetz’s boss. I understand your reticence, but there’s
no way she can draw the tattoo well enough for us to identify him.”

Lilly
hadn’t shared with them that her photographic memory would have
allowed her to do just that, but she’d thought the two of them
were being hardheaded and unreasonable. Now she understood Dallas
couldn’t bring himself to lose someone else under his command
or perhaps—someone he’d come to care about.

“
I’m
resigned to the fact she’ll be there,” said Dallas. “But
I won’t survive if she gets hurt.”

“
Bastower’s
not a prick. He doesn’t blame you for—”

“
I’m
not talking about my career, Thaegan. I’m talking about my God
damn heart.”

“
She’s
not going to get hurt. I’m sure she can handle it. Hell, if we
hadn’t double teamed her tonight, I have no doubt she’d
have Grebetz in custody. That talent of hers definitely can take a
man down.”

“
Tell
me what you feel,” Dallas asked quietly.

“
You
really aren’t affected by it, are you?”

“
The
woman turns me on like no female in a very long time. But it’s
not the sexual madness that seemed to overtake you.”

“
It’s
that chemical shit flowing through your veins, isn’t it?”

Lilly
had a hard time staying still. She had wondered about the knife wound
and again the way Dallas had healed after Thaegan’s beating.
The man had brushed it off and then circumstances had tumbled on top
of each other and she’d never gotten around to asking him
again.

“
The
docs on Canus Delta told me the synthetic blood would keep me from
ever getting drunk or sick and that cuts and bruises were a thing of
the past. But no one mentioned that a Seraphelium’s touch would
have no impact on me.”

Thaegan
laughed as Lilly’s heart tripped over itself.

“
When
she’s not using it as a weapon, it’s quite a pleasant
buzz. Guess you’re just going to have to live with your own
libido guiding you on that one,” said Thaegan.

“
With
that woman, it’s certainly not hard.”

“
No,
that woman makes it
very
hard.”

Both
men laughed again and Lilly felt as if her prayers had been answered.
What she’d felt from Dallas had been real desire, not a figment
of her imagination or spurred on by her gift. She couldn’t hold
back the smile that brightened her face.

From
her vantage point on the mattress, Lilly could see out the side
window. The first and second moons had already set and the third sat
low on the horizon. Though day would never break here on Garalon
Five, she knew there were only a few hours left before the official
morning started. She stretched and yawned loudly. There was a lot of
work ahead of them.

Chapter Nine

“
Bastower
say you and Thaegan bring woman in.”

Dallas’
cochlear implant translated the Xerick’s clicks and pops. In
the comfort of the backroom at headquarters, his team spoke their
native tongues. They were trying to relax before all hell broke loose
at the tavern in a couple of hours.

“
Yeah,
well, the way the bimbo handled herself in the tavern we thought she
might know something about Grebetz,” Thaegan said.

He
and Thaegan had arrived nearly forty minutes ago. They’d taken
time to change their clothes but hadn’t wasted time with
showers. He could still smell Lilly on his skin.

“
Gone
you two a long while.” One head of the Xerick puffed on a cigar
while the other ate and shot the shit.

“
Turned
out she didn’t know anything.” Thaegan casually leaned
forward and grabbed another of the stuffed purple flowers from the
overflowing platter of food products in the center of the table.
“Bringing her in wouldn’t have done any good.”

As
hungry as he was, Dallas knew the spicy meat and vegetable concoction
in his hands wouldn’t satisfy. It would only add weight to the
tight knot of nerves sitting cold in his gut. He didn’t like
the idea of Lilly being at the tavern and in the line of fire, but it
appeared if he wanted to bring down
Hij’Rozhod
, he
didn’t have a choice. “Turned out she was nothing but a
common streetwalker. There wasn’t much she could do for us.”

The
Drikspa next to him made a crude sexual motion with his hands.
“Thaegan say you two enjoyed a little…”

Dallas
tried to tune him out. They’d been playing it loose and casual
where Lilly was concerned. She and Thaegan had convinced him seeing
her safely back to her hotel could be dangerous. Lilly wouldn’t
even agree to spend the day in his residence. She couldn’t very
well show up at the tavern tonight wearing the t-shirt and gym shorts
he’d given her. He’d had to be content dropping her back
in the center of the city, several blocks from her hotel. Dallas
didn’t like leaving her alone and vulnerable, but he’d
had no choice. Just like this fucking locker room conversation—it
was all part of the charade. “Yeah, well, it never hurts to
blow off a little steam, but she didn’t have any other
information we needed—”

The
Xerick punched Thaegan. “Boom boom for you.”

The
Ka’al growled in response. Obviously, his partner wasn’t
enjoying this farce any more than he was.

“
Sawyer,”
Bastower said as he stormed into the room. His boss was still in his
Ka’al form—and didn’t this day just get crappier?

“
Sir.”
Dallas stood, ready to present the ten-page report he’d already
filed about the takedown at the tavern and the fake details of
Lilly’s interview.

“
I
need one of your men for a couple of hours.”

That
was not where he expected Bastower to go. “Sir?”

“
I’ve
just been informed Ambassador Tervoss is making a refueling stop here
on Garalon Five on his way to Reigis Alpha. He’s decided to
meet some of his constituents at an impromptu news conference. In
light of recent events his private security asked if QAL would add
some manpower to his team. I’ve got three men, one more and we
can do a complete surveillance of our own.”

Thaegan’s
gaze met Dallas’ for one telling instant. This was too damn
convenient. Only hours before they were supposed to take down
Hij’Rozhod
and it appeared someone was pulling his team
apart. No way in hell
that
was a coincidence. If their mission
had been leaked again, it was highly likely there would be bloodshed
at the tavern. He’d think about protecting Lilly later. Right
now he wanted every man he trusted at his fingertips.

“
I’m
not sure I can spare any men, sir.”

“
What
about Lelkin?” Bastower inquired. “Seems to me, from all
the scenarios we’ve been through that his position isn’t
as critical as the others.”

It
was true, but Dallas hadn’t meant for the newest member of his
team to know that detail. He and the Drikspa simply hadn’t
developed the easy camaraderie he had with the rest of his team.
Dallas wanted to think it had to do with the way the Drikspa kept to
himself and not the fact that he’d been the one to fill the
void left by Sarah’s death. Dallas shrugged.

“
I’d hate to be
without him.” Dallas lied. “But I guess if Tervoss’
security team needs you both, then Thaegan can cover Lelkin’s
position if you don’t get back in time.”

The
Drikspa stood, his hard red eyes glaring at Dallas. “No
problem,
Sir
.” He spat the title at Dallas like a curse.
“Glad to know I wasn’t an important part of taking down
Grebetz tonight.”

Bastower
slapped the Drikspa on the back. “Don’t look so
disappointed, Lelkin. Tervoss’ speech is supposed to be short
and sweet. We’ll be back before the fireworks at the tavern
even begin.”

* * * * *

Lilly
bounced down on the edge of the bed and flipped through the channels
on the televid. Nothing held her interest. She’d been wandering
around her tiny hotel room, feeling lost and alone and more than a
little on edge. She checked the time again. The afternoon continued
to tick by at a snail’s pace. There was still more than an hour
before she needed to leave for the tavern.