Dominated By Desire (18 page)

“Not so far.” His comment might have been seen as a quip but she knew he was being honest and she felt his sincerity deep inside.

Heather watched Storm. He looked at her and gave her one of his smiles.

The dinner was cleared and they were allowed to mingle with the other guests. Storm was at her side in seconds.

“I see you wore it.” He slipped a finger under the collar of her dress to expose a red strap.

“Yes.” She slipped it back into place. “Now you will know and still have to wait.”

“Not really.” He looked around to see who was paying attention to them. “No one would think twice if I were to take you right here, right now.”

“And you’d have an audience to see what your sexual prowess is like.” She ran a finger around the edge of his shirt, smiling when she saw a row of goosebumps pop up with her touch. “You sure you want to know what your friends think of your technique?”

“You’d go along with whatever I decide?” His finger dipped a little deeper into her neck line, playing with the lace as well as her skin.

“I trust you.” The words were so simple but the effect they had on him was immense. He bent his head toward hers just as someone stepped between them.

“Mom said for you two to break it up.” Storm’s sister looked up at him and grinned. She enjoyed being the bearer of bad news. “She wants you to mingle, not steam up one corner. So I have come to steal your mate for a little while. Introduce her to some of the people here.” Heather waved bye as she was ushered off. She felt she needed to defend herself. “We had only been talking for a few moments.”

“Please, you two were all over each other. No one would dare interrupt and whatever you just said to him thrilled him to the bone. I sensed it. If I hadn’t stopped you I do believe everyone would have gotten quite a little show.” She brought her over to a small group of women. “Besides, my brother needs to learn to wait.”

“You trying to teach him patience?” Heather nodded to the ladies. Let the awkwardness begin. No one spoke for a few moments.

“Mother is.”

The women around them just stared at Heather. As usual she was some strange oddity no one knew how to deal with.

Storm’s sister rolled her eyes. “Heather do you bite?”

“Well, I guess it depends on the circumstances.” What was she getting at? “Like now. Would you bite any of these women? Growl at them? Take their heads off?” She pointed to the silent mob staring at her.

“That is more your brother’s job. He’s the one who growls and bites heads off.” She looked up and found him watching. He stood amongst several young men who vied for his attention. As they spoke to him he would look away from her to answer a question but only for a moment. He only had eyes for her. Heather had to ask her sister-in-law. “Is he going to do that all night?”

“What?” Storm’s sister looked over before looking back at Heather and grinning. “I’m afraid so. He’s been like that since he met you. Be flattered.

A lot of the men here don’t pay any attention to their mates.”

“Aren’t you warm in that?”

Who said that? The comment came out of nowhere. Heather glanced to her left and there stood the woman she had met before. The woman Storm had dated for a short while. She ran her fingers through the soft material of her dress as she thought of an answer.

“You look like you’ve been dressed by the elders.” She looked at Storm’s sister. “You should have dressed her so she could at least fit in.” So many thoughts ran through Heather’s mind. The first was, look who she’s been living with, of course it would like she was dressed by elders.

Another was why did it bother her, it wasn’t her body that it covered, but instead Heather elected to be nice. “The median temperature of your planet is about nine degrees lower than mine so I find it to be a little cool and cover for comfort. I’m sure as I adjust it will change.” And then the woman moved on.

Heather didn’t know what to say.

“Forgive her. She talks that way to everyone.”

“And she dated your brother?” Heather’s gaze followed her until she got lost in the crowd.

“Yeah. He tried. She’s a beautiful woman and the daughter of one of the elders but the moment she opens her mouth. Well.” She grinned at Heather.

“You can see why it didn’t work out.”

“So why did you rush me away from her the last time?” Heather shook her head. “I wondered if there was anything between them because of that.”

“You have to be kidding.” Toki gave her an odd look. “Who is my brother still watching?”

Heather looked up and found his gaze hadn’t wavered. “Okay. Point taken.”

****

“She is a beautiful woman, Storm.”

“I know.” He looked at the young man who made the comment.

“Remember that she is mine.”

“You know we would never approach her without your permission.” He took a sip of his drink. “Besides, I have heard that humans are a bit prudish.”

“They are sexual beings, too. They just feel that it is a private thing and what she does when the doors are closed makes me want to keep them closed all the time.”

“Really?” The young man sat his drink down. “Perhaps I should ask for that permission now.”

“Only if you wish a pounding.” He glared at the young man’s audacity.

“My mate is not to be approached by anyone or I will cause bodily harm.”

“You never cared before.” One of the other young men commented.

“What makes her so different?”

“I say he just hasn’t grown tired of her yet,” said another.

Storm growled, he didn’t like the comment at all. Grabbing the man by the collar, he lifted him up into the air. “Keep up your thread in this conversation and I will take you outside and teach you how to show respect to me and mine.”

The man swallowed hard. “I am sorry, sir.”

He felt the gentle pressure of her hand. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t have heard what anyone said, she knew enough to stop him before he made a mistake. Heather’s soft voice washed over him. “Everything okay?” He dropped the man and took her into his arms. “Of course. Why?”

“I don’t know.” She looked at the man holding his throat. He knew she had sensed his anger. Just like he could sense her awkwardness of being around all these people without knowing how to talk to them.

“Everything is fine now.” He bent his head to hers. No sister to stop him now. She tasted a little like the wine she had been drinking. He tightened his hold on her for a second more but released her before someone from his family ran interference. “Go on back to my sister.” She nodded and started back to Toki. Unfortunately, she didn’t watch where she was going and ran into one of the servers. Glassware and drinks went everywhere. Heather crouched down to help the young girl. She leaned forward to pick up fallen glassware, allowing her dress to gape open and give him a beautiful view of the red lace underneath.

He was hard again in seconds. The lace hugged her, moving as she reached for the fallen glass.

“What is that?” someone asked.

He wanted to enjoy the view as long as it lasted but something told him to turn around and find out what intrigued the men behind him so. He found every man nearby staring down the front of her dress as well.

Chapter 11

He moved fast. As much as he liked what he saw he didn’t want everyone else gawking at his mate. Grabbing her by her hands, he eased her to a standing position. “Don’t do that again.”

“What?” She looked confused.

As discreetly as he could he rubbed a finger against the collar of her dress, his finger slipping inside where she would feel the heat of his hand.

She looked down and then back at him, her eyes widening as she realized what she had done. “And everyone saw?”

“It was a beautiful sight.” His eyes sparkled with his desire.

She buried her face in his shirt in mortification. “Well, I just became the subject everyone will be wondering about for the next week.” She peeked up at him. “A very good look?”

He rubbed himself against her so she would know what it did to him.

“My men are speechless at the moment and that is hard to do.”

“Well, great.” She thought about it for a minute, then cocked her head to the right. “Then I guess I’m winning for the moment. I not only got you, but half the ballroom. Can you top that?”

He grinned, need still blazing in his eyes. “Let me think about it.”

****

She smiled and gave her skirt a little switch as she headed back to Storm’s sister. All the women stared at her in awe.

“They want to know what that was,” said Toki.

“It’s known as lingerie. Undergarments. Years ago women on earth wore them to keep things in place. Now it’s used for arousal.” Heather picked up the drink she had been nursing and downed it. She needed three more, fast.

“Unfortunately, I was only trying to arouse one person, not everyone here.”

“Can we see it?”

She wasn’t about to parade around for these people so they could see her little outfit. “There is more than one piece and I don’t think my husband, sorry, my mate wants me to make this public knowledge. He’s asked me not to bend over like that again.”

“He’s got it bad,” said one of the women.

Heather grinned. She did feel empowered after it was all said and done.

She made men speechless and didn’t have to do anything more than bend over. And Storm now had that gleam in his eye. The ‘you’re about to have a wild night’ look that she had come to enjoy.

The waitress she had run into brought her another drink, which she downed just as fast. “Three more.”

The young waitress nodded and went to the bar.

“Have you drunk our alcohol before?” Her mate’s sister looked concerned.

“I’ve done a little research and the content isn’t too far off that of Earth’s. I have been able to out drink anyone who challenged me there. Just need something to help relax me.” A shadow fell across her path and she became alert. Someone was about to do something stupid. All she saw was a hand reaching for the top of her dress. Before it could come too close she had grabbed the hand, and using a simple jointlock manipulation, had the owner on his knees. “Don’t move or I will break it.”

“I only wanted to see.” He tried to turn around but she applied more pressure.

“I said don’t turn around.” She bent it a little more, pushing it to the breaking point. “I can snap your hand that fast.”

“I’m sorry, mistress.”

“I’m not really the one you need to apologize to. Do you see the angry thundercloud coming at us?” Using the hold, she turned him so he couldn’t miss Storm or the anger etched on his face. “I’m his and he doesn’t like to share. He’s the one you’re going to have to apologize to and I’d make it good because he looks like he wants to kill you.” Storm noted the hold she had on him and the fact that the man started blubbering the moment he got within earshot. It didn’t matter. No one was going to get a chance to do that again.

“She’s going to stay at my side from this point on. Warn mother I won’t tolerate her interference anymore.” He wrapped a possessive arm around Heather as he stared down his sister, daring her to argue with him.

Heather found herself being carried over to where he had been standing.

“Can I at least walk?”

“Nope.”

“You mad at me?”

“No.” He looked at her. “I’m mad at the way everyone has avoided you like you were some strange disease but the moment you spiked their curiosity they feel they can do whatever they want to you. They show you no respect.”

“It was only a little peep show.” She tried to make light of the situation.

“And I think I have stopped anyone from trying to get another look without my permission.”

“Peep show?” He put her feet on the ground when they reached the now growing crowd of men. It seemed like his translator took its time finding the proper way for him to interpret it because it was a long time before he smiled. “A tease? You saw what you did to all these men with that bit of lace as a little tease?”

“Let’s pretend it was only for you.” She sure hadn’t plan on flashing the entire group.

“You know how I get when you tease me like that.” He stepped up to her, not touching her but so close she could feel his heat.

“I do.” She looked up at him, a soft smile on her face. “It’s those moments I live for.”

The men made a small circle around them. Knowing how Storm had reacted to the view and the man who wanted a second look, they made sure they kept their distance.

“What was that?”

Heather wasn’t sure who was brave enough to interrupt the banter between her and her mate and the question made her leery. If they were still questioning her undergarments she was going to scream. She slapped on a smile and turned to look at the circle of men. “What?”

“That hand thing you did?” He wiggled his wrist trying to show the move. “It didn’t look like much but he didn’t move after you had him in it.”

“A little Earth trick.” Finally, a subject she felt comfortable talking about.

“Do all your women know how to do that?”

What an odd question. She looked up at Storm before answering them.

“You gentlemen do realize I had a life before I came here, right? That I was a security officer in my government’s military?”

“Sir, you have to let her work with us,” one of the young men said. “See if there are things we can learn from her and her training.” He didn’t respond right away and she knew he didn’t want to say yes.

He still didn’t see her security training equal to what he put his soldiers through.

“Oh, I have learned I can’t work with Storm.” His silence angered her.

If he didn’t think she could do it neither would they. She remembered when she tried to work out with him before. It was a lot of fun, but she never got to accomplish her real goal which was prove she was good at what she did.

“He doesn’t fight fair.”

“Of course not. He’s our trainer.” It was said so matter-of-factly she wanted to laugh. So they did know how he worked.

“You do to them what you did to me?” She batted her eyelashes at him.

How was he going to answer her question?