DangerouslyForever (13 page)

She sat on the bank of the lake with Kiehle close—too
close—next to her. They were both trying to let their clothes dry. Playing in
the lake had made her forget about her problems, if only for a little while,
but she’d take every carefree minute offered.

There had been giggling and laughing, splashing and kicking,
and that was just between her and Kiehle. After Max had gotten over his fear of
being submerged in water, he and Yoshi had joined the fun.

It had been nice, she thought, as she kept a watchful eye on
Yoshi and Max while they ran up and down the shoreline and in and out of the
shallow waters.
More than nice.

So nice that she could imagine herself and the kids doing
this again, often. But it wouldn’t be
here
and it wouldn’t be with
Kiehle. This was just a minor distraction. She couldn’t lose focus on the
number one goal. Get the kids to safety. And as long as she participated in
things like this, she could see how her focus might fall to the wayside.

“Do you have any idea where their parents are?” Kiehle asked
as he watched them too.

She picked at a blade of grass and rubbed it between her
fingers. “Max doesn’t remember his parents. Yoshi remembers her mother, father
and siblings. She doesn’t know what happened to her father. She was with her
mother and two sisters at another brothel. But she was separated from them when
she was sold to Alharad.”

“Does she know the name of the brothel?”

Ally shook her head. “She can’t remember. She doesn’t even
know what planet or star system they were in.”

“I can try to locate them. Ship found
you
; maybe he
can find them too?”

She flicked the grass from her fingers. “Please don’t say
that around her.” To lie to
her
was one thing, but to fill Yoshi with
false hope was something else entirely.

He thought about it for a minute. “You’re right. I wouldn’t
want to hurt her if I couldn’t locate them.”

She whipped her head around to look at him. “You are such—”
she began, but was interrupted by a high-pitched scream.

Without thinking, she was on her feet and running to the
kids. Kiehle was faster, his long legs covering more ground.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he reached them.

Yoshi and Max both stood knee-deep in the water. They had
their hands up to their mouths.

“What happened?” Ally asked as she stepped into the water to
get to them.

“No! Stop,” Yoshi yelled with a cry.

Max whimpered softly.

Ally went still. Something in the lake was terrifying them.
“What creatures are in here?” she asked Kiehle.

He frowned. “None.” He advanced toward them despite their
pleas for him to stop.

Yoshi looked down and shrieked again.

Kiehle followed her gaze…and immediately laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Ally asked.

He scooped Yoshi up and put her on his hip then did the same
for Max. He jutted his chin toward the water. “That’s an
umon
. It’s
harmless. If you want, we can come back tomorrow and catch him.”

“Why would we do that?” Yoshi asked, peering into the water.

“Because he’s tasty,” he responded.

Ally inched closer so that she could see what they were
looking at.

A fish.

Not one that she’d ever seen before, but it was a fish just
the same. It had blue scales, large black eyes, a fin, gills and a puckered
mouth. It swam back and forth between Kiehle’s legs as if it didn’t have a care
in the world.

“We’re going to eat that thing?” Max asked.

“We are, and we’re going to enjoy it.”

Yoshi pouted. “But he’s cute. I don’t want to eat him.”

Kiehle looked at her and his features melted into a smile.
“Weren’t you just screaming because he swam by you? You didn’t think he was so
cute then.”

“That’s before I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. Awww.” She
held her fingers toward the water. “Here
umon
,
umon
,
umon
,”
she called.

“Yes, here
umon
,
umon
,
umon
, come
closer so we can catch you and eat you now,” Kiehle sang.

Yoshi hit Kiehle’s chest playfully. “Stop that.”

Max giggled and called to the
umon
too.

We’re going fishing tomorrow?” Ally asked.

“Fishing? What is that?” Kiehle asked.

She shook her head, not bothering to explain it to him. He
would find out; they were doing it tomorrow.

Escaping from Kiehle could wait one more day.

I can get used to this.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed this hard.
He’d lived with the lake behind his home since he’d moved in ten cycles ago.
Never once had he been in it with another person. Everything about them being
here felt right.

He held the two children in his arms, marveling at how light
they were. The only other child he’d ever held had been Saia, his sister, when
she was a baby, and Josanis, Taio and Eva’s son. Holding Yoshi and Max felt
different, as though they were his to protect. He looked at Ally, who darted
her hand in and out of the water, trying to catch the
umon
bare handed.

She
felt right to him as well.

“You almost got him,” Max yelled.

With determination written on her face, she bit her lip,
watched the
umon
intently and tried again. The water splashed around
her, hitting her in the face. Max and Yoshi giggled. She wiped her face with a
small twitch of a smile on her lips, but when she looked up at him, any
resemblance of a smile vanished.

She reached her hands out. “I can carry them back to the
shore.”

He raised a brow. “At the same time?”

“I can do it.”

He readjusted the children on his hips. “I have them.” He
started back to the shore. He could hear her sigh, but she followed him.

Reaching the grass, he put the kids on their feet. The first
thing they did was take off running, their laughter sounding through the air.
Ally watched them and, as if unable to resist the temptation of running free,
took off after them. He was right on her heels. They laughed and ran, playing a
game that Ally called “tag”. By the time the sun had dried their clothes, Max
fell to the ground from exhaustion and Yoshi stretched and yawned.

“The kids are tired,” she said, out of breath herself. “It’s
been a long day. I need to feed them and put them in bed.”

Yoshi helped Max to his feet. He used his hand to cover up a
yawn. “I’m not sleepy.”

“I am,” Yoshi admitted.

Kiehle took Yoshi’s hand and started for the house. “I agree
with Ally. We need to feed you and get you two in bed.”

They entered through the back and proceeded to the kitchen.
He stopped at the sink and let everyone wash their hands. Once finished, he led
Yoshi to the table, where she slid into a chair. Ally put Max in the chair next
to Yoshi’s. Kiehle went to the food console and stared at the menu.

What do human children like to eat?

What does Ally like?

He ran a finger down the menu, trying to decide if anything
stood out. Before she’d even said anything, he knew Ally was behind him. His
body came alive when she was near. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on
end. His stomach flipped.

She leaned in and looked over the menu. “That one,” she
said, pointing to
ardil
sandwiches. “And that one.”

He pressed the button to place the order. As they became
available, Ally picked up the plates and set them in front of Yoshi and Max.

“What about you?” he asked her.

“What about me?”

“You’ve had a long day too. You need to eat something.”

She nodded her chin in his direction. “I don’t see
you
eating.”

He let his eyes roam up and down her body slowly. “I plan to
eat—later.”

She folded her hands across her chest. “I…I’ll just take a
shower and eat—
my food
—after I put the kids to bed.”

The vision of her in his shower shot across his mind,
slippery and wet in all the right places. He could pick her up and press her
back against the wall. She’d wrap her legs around his waist and hold on to his
neck as he pumped into her, making her call out his name. One side of his mouth
rose up in a smile. “I’ll help you.”

She put up a hand, stopping him. “I can take care of it
myself.”

“I don’t have an ionized shower. I have fresh water.”

“I had a water shower on Earth. I know all about the wonders
of it.”

“The controls—”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Your choice.”

She turned to walk away. “And don’t ever forget it.”

“What was that all about?” Yoshi asked between bites.

“Nothing. We were discussing the shower,” Kiehle answered.

“It really didn’t seem like it.”

“That’s because Ally doesn’t know how to use the shower and
she won’t let me help her with it. She’s stubborn.”

Yoshi nodded. “That’s what Alharad said about her.”

At the mention of his name, the children exchanged worried
glances.

“No more talk about Alharad. He won’t find you here.” He sat
in an empty chair.

“Are you sure?” Max asked. “If he catches Ally, he’ll beat
her up real bad and put her back in the prison and if I’m not there to feed
her, she’ll starve to death.”

“Has he put her in prison before?”

Max nodded. “Lots of times.”

His hand flexed into a fist at the thought of her in a dank
cell. “She’s not going back to prison. I won’t let it happen.”

“But—”

“I’m not going to let you dwell on something that will never
happen again. So eat.”

They finished their meals before Ally finished her shower.
If he didn’t have such a large water source, he would’ve been worried she’d
empty his tank. The children’s feet dragged as he led them down the hall to his
guest room. Exhausted, they both sank immediately to the floor, curling into
little balls.

“What are you doing? You have to get into bed.”

Yoshi lifted her head to look at the bed. “We get to sleep
in that?”

“Of course. You and Max will have to share. I only have one
guest room.”

“My clothes are dirty,” Max said, running his hands over his
clothes.

Right, clean clothes.

They didn’t have a change of clothes. They left with that
they had on their backs. He would have to put in a rush order with Yaradiel,
who ran a delivery service, to bring extra food, clothes and anything else
children might need.

“Don’t fall to sleep yet. I’ll get you something to wear to
bed.”

He trotted to his room and retrieved three shirts. When he
got back to the room, the children were almost asleep. He gave them the shirts
and waited in the hall with them in turn while each changed in private. After they
were done, he helped them into bed, where sleep claimed them almost instantly.

After he picked up their clothes from the floor, he dimmed
the lights and cracked their door. Passing the clothes washer, he dropped the
clothes inside and headed for the shower room. Just as he reached the door,
Ally opened it and popped her head out.

“Oh,” she exclaimed, startled. “I was just about to call
you. I was wondering if you had—”

He cut her off by handing her the extra shirt.

She took it. “Thanks,” she said, closing the door in his
face.

He leaned against the wall and waited. She wouldn’t get rid
of him that easily.

He didn’t have to wait long before she opened the door
again. She was a special kind of sexy. Her wet hair was plastered to her body.
His shirt hung loosely on her, down to the middle of her thighs. He could see
her nipples through the material. The way they jutted out made his cock stir.
She held her clothes in her hands, staring back at him.

“I washed them in the shower. Where can I hang them?”

He motioned for her to hand them over. “I have a clothes
washer,” he said as he took them. “I’ll add them with the children’s clothes.”

“Thanks. Where are they?”

He walked to the washer and put her clothes inside. After he
pushed the start button, he pointed to the guest room. “Sleeping.”

She went to the door and opened it slowly. “I took longer
than I thought.”

“You needed it,” he said, coming up behind her. “Are you
hungry now?” He inhaled her scent. She smelled so nice. So clean. “I am.” He
brushed against her back.

She stepped into the room and turned around. “I’m going to
bed now.”

“I’ll show you the way.”

“Good night.” And then she closed yet another door in his
face.

The door hit painfully against his hardened cock.

Damn.

The nerve of him.

She balled her fist and punched the padded post with all her
might. It made a thumping sound but didn’t waver. Sweat dripped from her scalp
and down her face. Her clean clothes were damp and beginning to cling to her
body. While the morning sun wasn’t yet high in the sky, without proper shade
there was no relief from it.

She made a quick turn and smacked the post with the back of
her hand with a grunt. She could hit the thing as hard as she could and didn’t
have to worry about it bending or breaking, especially since Kiehle used this
very post for training. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead to her eyelid.
Using her shoulder, she wiped the sweat away and peered up at the sky. She
couldn’t even guess what time it was. She had no clue how time was tracked on
this planet. All she knew was that it was early. Everyone was still sleep—even
Kiehle.

At the thought of him, she leaned to the side, brought her
leg up and thrust her foot out to kick the post. She’d been hitting and kicking
since she’d gotten up. Well, since the sun had come up. She hadn’t slept a wink
last night.

All because of him.

While Yoshi and Max had slept soundly, she’d tossed and
turned. Unable to keep her eyes closed, she’d spent most of the night staring
at the ceiling.

She grunted and punched the post again. Her fist made a dull
sound as it hit the padding that covered the wood.

She’d done the right thing, shutting the door on him. She
smiled to herself, thinking about how his face must’ve looked.

She spun and landed an elbow, pretending it was his face.

That’s what he gets. Assuming I’ll want to fuck him.

She bobbed and weaved, pretending she was avoiding his
outstretched hands.

Grabby hands.

Then, with a left uppercut, she hit the post where she
assumed his chin would be.

Knockout.

The only reason she’d had sex with him in the first place
was to plot her way to freedom. Well, maybe not the
first
time. The
first time she had wanted to. But the second time was definitely to plan her
escape.

She brought her hands up to shield her face and bent her
knee, bringing it back. Then with a fierce cry, she kicked out, landing the
bottom of her foot where she pretended his kneecap was.

I’ll cripple him if he bothers me again.

When she’d finally gotten up this morning, the house had
been quiet. She’d peeled Yoshi’s leg from across her stomach and Max’s arm from
around her neck. Although the bed could easily sleep six, they’d both stuck to
her side as though still in her small bed from the brothel. She’d retrieved her
clothes from the washer and tiptoed to his closed door to listen. She thought
she’d heard him stir inside but when she listened more, she didn’t hear
anything else.

She’d rested her hand on the door, trying to decide if she
should push it open and go to him. All that stood between her and the
possibility of riding him like a cowgirl was a door.

One that she would not open.

Instead, she’d dressed and left the house, hoping a few laps
around the structure would tire her out. That’s when she’d come across what
looked like a workout area. Exactly what she needed to get rid of all the
pent-up energy that overwhelmed her.

She spun and hit the post with her elbow.

Asshole.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Startled, she turned to see Kiehle sauntering in her
direction. Or prowling in her direction. Whenever he walked toward her, she got
the feeling he was stalking his prey.

She took deep breaths. Her chest heaved. “Can I say no?”

“No.”

She flicked her hand in the air. “Then I guess I don’t have
a choice.”

He pulled his shirt over his head. His perfectly chiseled
chest and arms glistened under the sun. He began to stretch out the muscles in
his upper body, over-exaggerating his movements. “Mmm, I need a good stretch.”

Is he moaning?

Her body immediately went soft at the sounds.

He closed his eyes and straightened his arms up to the sky,
making his muscles ripple, and moaned again. Her mouth watered as her eyes
roamed his chest, his nipples, his stomach and the happy trail of hair that ran
from his chest to his waistband.

“That’s it,” he groaned. “My muscles are so tight.”

She tilted her head to the side.
His body… I can touch
it.

A bead of sweat formed below her nose and rolled over her
lips. She licked it away.
I would love to lick him.

Wait? What am I doing? Ogling him again. Holy hell.

Flustered at being mesmerized by him, yet again, she turned
and focused her attention back on the post and practiced fighting combinations.
Not giving in to the temptation to turn and watch him more.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him crouch low to stretch
his thighs. The material of his pants stuck to every fine muscular line.

Even outlining his…

She gave her head a light shake.
There’s no need to focus
on that…that…monstrous thing.

She eyed the post and focused hard.
Left, right, cross
and duck. Left, right, cross and duck.
As he finally walked over to her,
she mentally repeated the words, trying to drown out the other voices in her
head. The voices that whispered how delicious he looked…that begged her to let
him crush her under his weight.

By the time he stood a foot away, the chant sounded more
like,
Left! Right! Cross! And duck! Left! Right! Cross! And duck!

He moved to her side and assumed a fighting stance,
crouching low with his arms out, his smoldering lavender eyes trained on her.
His face was framed by thick dark hair that hung a little past his shoulders.
Good gracious, he was gorgeous.

She gave him a look of indifference. “We’re sparring?”

“Unless you think I might be too much for you to handle.”

He didn’t know what he was walking into. She’d spent the
morning thinking of ways to knock him on his back—and not the way he was
probably thinking of now.

She twisted her hair into a knot on the back of her head. He
didn’t make a move to do anything with his. Hanging loose, it made him look
primal…dangerous…sexy.

Shit.

She narrowed her gaze. He must think that every female
around him should swoon like a schoolgirl. He really didn’t need to take off
his shirt to advertise his perfect body and that stretching performance had
been way over the top. Now his hair was blowing around his face as if he were
some kind of alien Fabio.

She looked around.
Where the hell is all this wind coming
from?
“Are you planning to tie back your hair?” she asked, trying her best
to sound annoyed—not aroused.

“I had not planned to.” Smiling, he added, “Unless you find
it too distracting.”

Whatever.

She dropped and swiped a foot at his legs, catching him off
guard. He tried to jump out of the way at the last minute but stumbled back.

“I didn’t know we were starting,” he chuckled.

“I didn’t know you needed an invitation,” she said, scowling
at him.

“Point taken.”

They spent a while sparring with each other. He definitely
wasn’t putting his all into it, probably afraid that she would get hurt—which
pissed her off even more.
He
may not be trying, but with each strike,
Ally was determined not only to connect but to do damage.

It didn’t take long for sweat to begin pouring off them. Her
wet shirt clung to her body. His hair became drenched.

“Where did you learn to fight?” he asked, using a hand to
swipe his hair off his face, pushing it behind his ear.

“Eva taught me.” She slowly circled him, waiting for an
opening to attack. “Or did you already know that?”
Since you stole my
memories. Bastard.

She really should’ve gone for him while he was playing with
his hair. It would’ve served him right. But she’d been so mesmerized by the
sexy locks that she lost her chance.

“She taught you well.” He watched her closely. His eyes
tracked her every move. His arms were now up in a guard position, anticipating
her next strike.

“I was a fast learner.” She noticed a large drop of sweat
roll from his neck, down the front of his chest to his nipple.

She licked her lips, suddenly quite thirsty.

“Maybe she will continue her training when you reunite.”

“Uh-huh.”
Why is my throat so dry?

She lurched forward, aiming to hit his nipple. If it was
bruised and ugly, she wouldn’t feel the need to look at it anymore. He grabbed
her wrist and instead of pushing her away, he pulled her closer.

She hit his hard, wet body with a smack.

“Got you,” he whispered into her ear.

She shuddered before she could stop the unanticipated
response.

“I like the effect I have on you.”

She twisted out of his grasp and stumbled backward. “I don’t
know what you’re talking about.”

He chuckled, the dimples in his cheeks displayed
prominently.

Where the hell had they come from?

“Truce. Let me show you something. You’re probably not used
to fighting an opponent of my size.”

She stiffened as he walked around to her back and stood
behind her. Frozen in place, she felt him come close. She wanted to shudder
again, but this time was able to put a clamp on it.

“Instead of swinging at me like this,” he took her arm to
mimic a high, arching punch, “try it like this.” He held her arm tighter to her
body and thrust it upward. His hot breath tickled her ear. “How does that feel?
Better?” He let her go and took a step away.

She rubbed her arm where he’d held it, trying to wipe away
his touch. And the feeling of fire it left behind. “It doesn’t feel natural,”
she said.
Liar.

He sauntered to his shirt. “Um-hm.”

She put her hand on her hip and scowled. “Why are you saying
it like that?”

“Because I know it feels a lot better than what you were
doing before. But since
I
suggested it, you won’t admit it.” He grabbed
his shirt and gave it a hard shake, getting rid of any bugs that may have
crawled into it looking for a reprieve from the hot sun.

“That’s not true,” she said, walking to the water canteen
that she’d taken from his kitchen. What she needed now was cold water. Very
cold water.

He crossed his hands over his chest. “Um-hm.”

“Whatever,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Do you want me to show you how to take me down?” he asked
with a mischievous smile on his face.

“Excuse me?”

“Take me down. Do you want to learn how to get someone my
size on his knees?” he asked, trying his best to look angelic.

She wasn’t buying it. She snorted. “No, thank you.”

He shrugged. “It might come in handy one day.”

For all intents and purposes, he was right. Even if she
didn’t use the move on
him
, it might help to bring someone else down.

“Show me.”

He moved to her back and placed a hand across her abdomen.
He leaned close, pulling her against his body. His hard cock was pressed
against her back. She hitched her breath.

“If your opponent has you like this, you will have two
options,” he said. His voice was low, caressing her earlobe.

She closed her eyes.

He nuzzled his face into her neck.

“This isn’t going to work.”

“I know,” he groaned.

She could’ve stepped away, out of his reach. But she stayed
where she was and let his hands smooth up her stomach to her breasts. He cupped
one, kneading it. She let her head fall back to rest on him. His touch was so
gentle, slow. Her breaths burned in her chest. His other hand was making a slow
trail to her valley, dipping under her waistband, seeking out her heat.

“I missed you last night,” he said, using a voice so sultry
that it seemed to send a signal straight to her pussy.

She bit her lip. She would
not
tell him how much she
had missed him too.

His finger played around her clit, rubbing it. She hissed in
a breath.

I really should move away.

But the thought was lost when he dipped his finger inside
her wetness and then brought it back up to coat her clit.

“Umm,” she moaned. Her knees weakened and he cradled her
body to his.

“Can I show you how much I missed you?”

Yes.
“No.”

He chuckled, making his chest vibrate against her back.
“That only means I have to prove myself to you.”

He dropped to his knees. His hand went to her ass, pulling
her pants down, exposing her. Next came kisses and light biting. He left no
part of her butt untouched.

With a grunt, he spread her legs.

“Wait. I need a shower,” she said, looking back at him.

He didn’t pull his eyes from her ass and pussy. “I want you
like this.”

Another protest was on her tongue just as his thumbs landed
on her nether lips, spreading them apart. The words never left her mouth as his
tongue invaded, licking and probing her pussy.

“Ah,” she cried out, gripping her thighs for support.

He licked on, his nose pressing into her ass, his tongue
caressing her walls, darting in and out, exploring her. Her body quivered with
pleasure. She didn’t know how much longer she could stand. With each swipe of
his tongue, she felt her legs giving out. As his lips latched onto her clit,
she shouted again, digging her nails into her skin. She couldn’t catch her
breath, she couldn’t form a thought. His hands held her up and apart. Wetness
dripped down her inner thighs.

“Mmm, you taste so good,” he cooed between licks.

His hands tightened on her hips, bringing her body back to
rock against his face.