Invasion Earth (8 page)

He collapsed into the chair he’d moved out of
the way earlier and pulled her with him down onto his lap. She
curled up on her side, her head pillowed against his shoulder. He
closed his eyes and waited for his breathing to even out. He could
get used to this real fast, wished they had a few days to explore
and learn each other. His communicator beeped. He sighed. That
wasn’t going to happen, not even when he got her home. There was
too much to do. He’d never worried about juggling his duties with
time spent with his mate. Now the idea gave him pause. The small
device in his tunic pocket chirped again and he stretched out one
arm to grab it.

Flipping it open, he barked into the speaker.
“Torfa.”

“Nice to talk to you too, Alrik.” There was
laughter in his brother’s voice. He’d better have a damned good
reason for calling. “Hate to interrupt, but you’re going to have a
crowd in there soon.”

That was definitely good enough reason. He
didn’t know her well, but he knew Laney wouldn’t appreciate being
caught in the act. And he wanted to keep all her ... assets to
himself. The Delroi had enough sense not to ogle another man’s
woman. The humans weren’t that smart and he’d hate to have to start
things off by killing one of her comrades.

“Understood,” he answered and flipped the
communicator closed.

Laney straightened but didn’t stand.
“Problem?”

“They’ll be back soon.”

He didn’t have to say another word. She stood
and re-dressed, stepping over to a mirror to check her appearance.
Other than a lingering flush she looked just as she had during the
meeting. He caught her hand as she walked by.

“You sleep with me tonight.” He lifted a hand
to trace the side of her face and was rewarded by a flare of
awareness in her eyes. “All night, darlin’.”

She nodded but didn’t voice her agreement and
stepped away from him as the door slid open to admit his brother,
followed by the Delroi and her people. He frowned at the way she
seemed to be able to completely withdraw from him and he wondered
where she went when she cut herself off like that. Things were not
progressing the way he’d expected. Physically, she was his. The
bond assured that. But emotionally and mentally, they were a long
way apart. It finally dawned on him how hard it was going to be to
win her over. He smiled as she resumed her seat. That was fine; he
was up for the challenge and he wouldn’t settle for anything less
than complete surrender. Taking a deep breath, he returned to his
chair and began to make plans.

***

Laney spent the rest of the afternoon
negotiations trying to ignore Alrik. She wasn’t very successful and
her concentration was shot to hell. If she were asked her opinion
later, she wouldn’t be able to give one since she’d zoned out most
of the day.

She was toast. She wanted to be bitchy and
keep an emotional distance but the minute he touched her, she was
horny and desperate. Betrayed by her own damned body. She’d had
more sex in the last two days than the last five years and it
hadn’t taken the edge off one bit. She wanted more. And she wanted
it in ways she’d never dreamed of. God. She’d let him spank her,
had practically begged him to. It had turned her on so much she’d
come as soon as he thrust into her. She felt a curious lack of
embarrassment at the memory. She never would have believed she’d
get off on a little pain and dominance if she hadn’t experienced it
firsthand.

The meeting finally broke up for dinner.
Alrik and his brother were the first to leave, but he met her gaze
as he left. Hot. Primal. Possessive. It promised hours of sensual
pleasure and her stomach fluttered as she realized those hours were
not far off. The yearning she felt for that made her leery, set her
nerves on edge. She wasn’t denying its magnificence, but this kind
of chemistry was bound to crash and burn sooner or later, wasn’t
it? What happened then? Did she become an alien’s cast off far from
her home?

She was filled with doubts and anxiety about
him, his people, the treaty. Her physical reaction to him just
added to the burden. When she was in the same room with him, she
couldn’t get her brain to wrap around anything but sex. It made her
feel like a traitor.

It was all about control. She needed
information more than anything right now, much as her body
disagreed. Time for a little recon. She let the crowd trickle out
while delaying her departure at the coffee table. She made herself
a cup, adding a liberal dose of sugar to the bitter brew, and
exited the room. Instead of turning right and taking the corridor
that would lead back to the guest quarters they’d been put in or
the shuttle bay where everyone else was heading, she turned right,
determined to explore the ship. You never knew what you might
discover by accident after all.

She realized immediately she was being
followed. The sound of footsteps was impossible to muffle on steel
floors. Two sets. The guards who’d stood outside the door, she bet,
but she didn’t turn around to verify the guess. She wandered for an
hour, her silent escort keeping an irritating pace behind her.
Finally, she couldn’t stand it and stopped. Turning around, she set
her hands on her hips and glared.

“Is there a reason you’re following me?”

“Orders, my lady,” one answered.

It was the second time someone had used the
honorific addressing her, but she let it pass. She was certain she
already knew the answer to her next question. “Whose?”

“General Torfa’s.”

So he didn’t trust her loose on his ship?
Damn right. He should be nervous. She wasn’t going to roll over and
play dead just because the sex was great. If she went through with
this, it would be because she was positive dealing with the Delroi
was good for her people and a better alternative to an ongoing war
she couldn’t see a way to win. And he’d have to understand that she
was an independent woman with a brain. A partner or nothing. Not
too much to ask in her opinion.

“He’s concerned for your safety,” the other
piped up a disapproving note to his tone.

She arched an eyebrow. Interesting. They’d
been led to believe all the Delroi were on the same page with the
negotiations, but maybe that wasn’t the case. Was there dissent in
the ranks? Enough to endanger her? She remembered the nickname
they’d given her and wondered if the survivors of Roses would be as
forgiving as Alrik and his brother seemed to be. She cocked her
head to one side and studied the two warriors.

“And who would be a threat to me here?”

The one who’d mentioned her safety, or lack
thereof, blinked and an invisible mask descended over of his face
as if he realized he’d overstepped a line.

“You’ll have to ask the General.”

She nodded. Excellent. She’d expected that
answer. She knew she was good and lost, but she wasn’t about to
admit it. She could wander around for another hour and not find her
way back and she didn’t want them to realize it.

“Take me to him then.”

They turned and headed in the direction she’d
just come from, but only went a few steps before turning off into a
narrow hall she hadn’t noticed before. She made an exasperated
noise. The place was a maze, one long gunmetal gray hall after the
other. She was beginning to think she’d never figure it out when
the corridor widened into a big common area. Surprise held her in
place for a few seconds, before awe forced her to move.

She barely registered the tables she picked
her way through or the long bar across one wall or the people
milling around. She walked straight forward to the wide expanse of
glass. Through the window she saw ships. Dozens of them. Perhaps as
many as one hundred. An armada. They were serious about winning
this war and she was pretty sure no one else in the Earth
delegation had seen this, had any idea what the Delroi numbers
actually were. She experienced a moment of despair. There was no
way they could prevail against a force this size. She shook the
thought off and whispered to herself. Find another way.

Past the ships, as if hung up for background,
was the Earth. From space it looked blue and white and green and
perfect. None of the damage the years of pollution and war had
wrought was evident. It took her breath away. This was what she’d
fought so long for. This is what she’d continue to fight to
preserve. Even if it meant sleeping with the enemy.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

She didn’t turn to meet Alrik’s gaze, though
she was a little surprised she’d been so distracted she’d missed
his arrival. He stood close behind her. So close she felt his body
heat, knew if she leaned back she would rest against his chest. A
curious ache twisted her heart. She’d never had anyone she’d
trusted enough to lean on, but for some inexplicable reason she
knew she could trust this alien invader to catch her if she
fell.

“It is beautiful,” she answered softly.

He took her elbow and tugged. “Come sit over
here.”

Grudgingly—she wasn’t quite ready to give up
that view—she turned and followed him the few feet to one of the
small round tables closest to the window. He pulled a chair out for
her and then disappeared into the small crowd. When he returned he
held two glasses filled with blue liquid. After setting them on the
table he took the seat next to her, pulling it aside so he could
stretch his long legs out into the path. His pose was languid, his
movements smooth. The casualness belied his strength. She’d never
before known a man who was so, well, male. Her pulse kicked up at
the thought, at the memory of what he could do with all that
masculine power. Looking for distraction, she picked up the glass,
raised it to her nose and sniffed.

“Trying to get me drunk on alien wine?” she
joked.

He grinned. “Would it work?”

She laughed. She was a lightweight.
“Probably.”

“It’s called
gazzi
. Very popular at
home. Try it.”

She took a small sip, then another. It was
light and sweet like a good dessert wine. But how much alcohol was
in it? Best to go slow. She didn’t want to get even a little tipsy
until she had some answers, and not even then, probably. Who knew
what would happen to her disappearing inhibitions if she got a good
buzz going? She set the glass down and met Alrik’s gaze, trying
desperately to ignore the heat she saw in them and the answering
swell of her own libido. She took another long drink. Maybe drunk
would be better.

“You should have brought the whole bottle,”
she muttered.

He laughed. “You have a one glass limit.”

What the hell? She may be forced to marry an
alien, but this would not be his traditional
man in charge
arrangement. “Excuse me?”

“You could be pregnant.” His voice was
completely calm as he delivered the statement, but the gleam in his
eyes told her that was a development he’d welcome.

As for herself? She waited for the surge of
fear but it didn’t come. She’d never considered having children.
The very idea had always engineered abject terror. But the thought
of having Alrik’s baby didn’t make her want to run for cover and
that
scared her. It took her addled brain a minute to work
out the real problem. God, she was an idiot. She could be pregnant
because it had never once occurred to her to use protection.

But pregnancy was the least of her worries.
There were some very nasty STD’s making the rounds since the
century-old HIV virus had begun to mutate. The kindest killed you
quickly. The others disfigured you and let you linger half dead for
years. She couldn’t believe she’d been so careless and was very
shook up. The oversight could cost her dearly. The noise level in
the room finally registered and she looked around at the growing
crowd. Not that she wanted to discuss it here. She changed the
subject.

“So tell me why I need guards.”

He shrugged. “Your people aren’t happy with
the current arrangements.”

She cocked an eyebrow. He was worried about
her
people? “And my reputation with your people has nothing
to do with it?”

He sighed. “No warrior would ever threaten
another’s
der’lan
. Or any woman.”

She waited expectantly for the rest of his
statement but it wasn’t forthcoming. “But?”

He scowled. “I’m not taking any chances. With
your people or mine.”

Shit. She’d known things were going too
well.

“Have you eaten?” he asked as he stood. She
noticed his drink was empty and picked hers up to finish it before
standing. When she sat the empty glass down, she stood.

“No.”

Chapter Seven

After making arrangements to have dinner
sent, Alrik led her back to their rooms. He was desperate to get
her alone and naked, but the food was waiting when they arrived and
he found he wanted to see her fed more than he wanted sex. She
hadn’t responded to his suggestion that she might be pregnant, but
he was positive of it. She carried the next generation of warrior
leaders in her belly and she needed her strength to do so.

He decided on dinner in bed. It expedited
matters. Nudging her towards the bedroom, he lifted the tray and
followed her in. It was an exercise in restraint watching her hips
sway with each step. He wanted them straining under him, arching up
to meet his thrusts. He shook off the vision before it could fully
form and set the tray on the bedside table. Then he turned to her
and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. The need to touch her, to
own and possess her was overwhelming, but somehow he kept it
brief.

She was breathing hard, her breasts rising
and falling in a fast rhythm when he released her and he knew his
restraint would be short lived. As long as he had enough to feed
her first, it would all be good. He smiled as he reached for the
buttons that held her shirt closed, a plan forming in his mind that
he was careful not to share with her.