Raashh Decisions (Xxan War Book 3) (15 page)

Her cheeks went an enticing shade of red. She worked the button and zipper on her skirt open.

That made no sense to Arren. She said she wasn’t wearing panties, so it couldn’t be that. What else could lay beneath her skirt?

He wondered if she’d gotten a tattoo, but he dismissed it immediately. Why would she think such a thing would be for him? No Xxanian male would ask his female to endure such useless pain for his enjoyment.

She dropped the skirt and stepped out of it daintily.

It took a moment for what he was seeing to make sense. Arren trailed his fingertips over her bare mound, at a loss for words.

“I shaved for you.”

But why had she? “You do not have to make yourself like a Xxanian female to be enticing to me,” he breathed. Still, the sight of her hairless mound was strangely appealing to him. His mouth watered to taste her.

“Obviously. But…” She shifted closer to his hand, her scent intensifying in her arousal. Her nipples came to hard points that begged for his attention.

“But?”

“I’ve heard it makes a woman more sensitive. I wanted to test that rumor.”

“Then we shall.”

Arren lifted Sandy by the waist and laid her in the middle of the bed, centered beneath the mirror on the ceiling. He kicked off his shoes, climbed between her ankles, and forced her legs wide with his.

She looked up at him, her breathing already ragged. “Arren?”

He sank over her, tasting every millimeter of her outside before he thrust his tongue inside her. Sandy’s moans deepened, and she closed a hand in his hair, drawing him closer to her body.

“Oh, yes. Stars burn, yes. This is perfect.”

He didn’t doubt that she meant both the mirror image of them and what he was doing to her.

The clenching of her sheath stole his breath, and her full climax followed close on its heels. Arren grinned, pleased with her sounds and her heightened taste.

“The rumors were true?” he asked.

“They certainly are with you.”

Arren took pride in her praise. “We should continue to test that.”

“What —?”

She gasped in surprise as he started eating her again.

Enjoy, Sandy. We have as much time as you grant me to enjoy the mirror in every possible way it can be used.

Chapter Twelve

Three weeks later

The restaurant was dimly lit, and plants grew in planters and hanging pots everywhere. It took a moment for the significance to hit her.

A Xxanian restaurant.
She nibbled at her lower lip, uncertain what was required in such an establishment.

Two men rounded her, went to the side of the carpeted foyer, and removed their shoes.

Lesson one. Remove your shoes before passing through this room.
Sandy hurried to comply, trying to keep the two men in her sights to use for more cues.

They approached the desk, spoke to the human maître d’ in what she was sure was the Xxanian language, and shook hands with him before following the server to their table.

Sandy took a calming breath and approached. She couldn’t speak Xxan, but she could offer her hand and tell the man why she was here.

The maître d’ looked up, his smile of welcome fading at the sight of her. His gaze panned down her body and froze at her feet. “May I help you, miss?” he offered in a voice that said he was welcoming her, when his expression countered it.

Something told her not to offer her hand. “I am here to meet Arren Raashh.”

His next glance at her feet said she’d done something wrong. His cheeks darkened, and he cleared his throat.

“I saw the men before me removing theirs and—”

“It is a female’s choice to remove her shoes or not, miss. If you would rather not, I will wait to show you in, of course.”

“No. It’s comfortable. If it’s not a problem, I believe I’ll leave them off.”

He tipped his head. “Yes, miss. Of course.” With that, he waved for a server and spoke to the man in Xxan.

The Xxanian server slanted a glance at her feet, and the maître d’ snapped a command that had him stiffening and looking to the far side of the room. With a quick tip of his head, he hurried away.

Sandy squirmed in place. “If it’s a problem—”

“Not at all, miss,” the maître d’ replied gracefully. “We have two empty private dining chambers this evening. It is not an imposition at all.”

Private dining chamber? What the blazes is he talking about?
She glanced at the two men in the main dining room, wondering what was causing the stir developing.

****

“If you would, sir?”

Arren looked up at the waiter, confused by the request for him to leave the table. “I beg your pardon.”

The Subdominant switched to Xxan for his reply. “
Your female guest has indicated her wish for a private dining chamber, sir. Please accompany me, so you can escort her in properly.
”

His shock was so profound that Arren hesitated a moment before complying. His cock was hard beneath the layers of human clothing, and he fastened his suit jacket for the sake of propriety.

The Subdominant motioned for another to clear their table and ready the private chamber, then he led Arren toward the maître d’s desk.

One look at Sandy confirmed that she had no idea what was going on. She shifted from nylon-covered foot to foot, her color high. At the sight of him, she managed a weak smile.

Arren slanted a nod her direction and addressed the maître d’.
“I presume you did not tell her what bare feet meant?”

“Certainly not, sir.”
He was understandably affronted by the suggestion.
“Do you believe it wise to—”

“No. Set up the private dining chamber, and she will make that decision for herself, once she understands it.”

“Is there a problem, Arren?” Sandy asked.

“No. Just a slight change in plans.”

“If you’d rather have me wear my shoes—”

“No. I don’t prefer that.”
At all.
Seir-God
, you have no concept what walking through here with you shoeless means to me.

Her smile was more heartfelt, and the muscles in her shoulders relaxed.

Arren offered his arm, and she took it. It was a simple courtesy. Considering what removing her shoes would typically signify, it was the least a male could do to escort her properly.

Discussions at neighboring tables quieted at their approach. Males sneaked hurried assessments of Sandy, then turned away before Arren could voice his offense.

Sandy was thankfully oblivious to all of it. Her attention was on the Xxanian artwork hung on the walls, the many plants, and the filtered lighting.

One selfish corner of his mind reveled in the fact that the other men were jealous of him, the Subdominant. Another argued that not telling Sandy what a female being shoeless meant was dishonorable.

She may be angry. She has a right to be, but I will make amends, if she is.

The waiter drew a heavy curtain back. “Here, sir.”

Arren grumbled out his thanks and guided Sandy into the chamber beyond. The walls, floor, and ceiling were padded, and freshly laundered cushions were stacked in a raised box that took up half the room. Aside from the lights and the cushioned box, the only thing in the room was the long, low table the food would be deposited on.

Sandy looked around, seemingly uncertain as to where to sit or how to. Though she clearly had questions, she didn’t ask them.

She’s probably afraid of looking foolish in front of the staff. Or making me look bad in front of other Xxanians.

The waiter closed the drapes carefully. “Would you like to order now, sir?”

“A few moments, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, sir.”

At the sound of a throat clearing on the other side of the drape, the waiter reached through and brought the wine and glasses from their original table back. He arranged them on the low table, then took his leave.

The moment he disappeared, Sandy looked up at Arren. “I did something wrong. Didn’t I?”

He sighed. “I don’t see it that way, but you may. I apologize, but there was no way to explain it without causing you unease, so I let it continue until I could do it properly and privately.”

Her glance toward the curtain spoke volumes of the fact that she didn’t find this arrangement private.

“The staff is very discrete.”

Sandy nodded. “What did I do wrong?” She seemed fixated on that concept, and Arren wished he could convince her it was unwarranted.

“All men remove their shoes. I can only assume you saw a man do so and thought everyone did.”

Her cheeks flamed. “Two men. So…what does it mean when a woman removes her shoes?”

Arren motioned to the room. “You are requesting a private dining chamber.”

“Just that?”

“Not precisely. It means you are…receptive. You are inviting your dinner partner to seduce you.”

Her eyes went wide and wild. “So they think…?”

“That we mean to have sex in here? At the moment, yes. If you decide you want that, the servers will close the doors after they deliver the food, and no one will disturb us until we let ourselves out.”

“And if I decide I don’t want that?”

His heart sank, but Arren forced a smile to his face. “I tell the servers it was an error, because it is your first time at a Xxanian restaurant, and the doors will stay open. Everyone in the restaurant will believe we simply wanted comfort and privacy and not an intimate encounter.”

Sandy stared at the cushion box. “And people do this often?”

“The cushions are laundered after each meal served in here,” he assured her, though Arren feared that wasn’t her concern. “Yes. These rooms are often used by mated couples, often bearing couples. Ones that are traveling and far from their nests find this an indulgence. Sometimes, unmated couples come here for pampering and a bit of privacy.”

“And have you…? Before me?”

If the Xxan could blush, Arren thought he might be capable of it for the first time in his life. “Once. The female saw it as something of an adventure.”

“Oh.”

“You are not an adventure to me,” he reminded her. Arren had made it clear enough that he wanted her as his mate, hadn’t he?

She was silent and still, and her scent was an uncertain mix.

“Sandy? Would you rather leave?” Perhaps she was too shamed by this mistake to eat here.

“No.” She looked up at him with those stunning light blue eyes. “Tell them to shut the doors.”

“This will be a night you never forget,” he vowed.

Arren unbuttoned his jacket and slid it off, letting it fall to the padded floor. He scooped Sandy into his arms and settled her onto the cushions. Once he’d provided her with a glass of wine, he called the waiter in, hoping to make the most striking announcement of her decision he could.

****

The server entered the room, his gaze averted, though Sandy was certain he knew precisely how she was arranged on the cushions.

“Your choices, sir?”

“The best for my lady,” he announced. “And preparations.”

“Yes, sir.
S’shuuaih?
”

Arren shot a heated look at Sandy. “Yes. Thank you. Informal.”

He withdrew, and Sandy peeked at Arren over the rim of her glass. “What did he ask?”

Before he could answer, the server was back with an armload of deep blue silk. He handed it off to Arren with a slight bow and hurried away again.

Arren set the silk on the low table and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“We are going to dress more comfortably for dinner,” he informed her.

“We?” Her heart pounded in anticipation. This was turning out to be something altogether different than what she’d anticipated.

He smiled wickedly. “We.”

Sandy set the glass on the edge of the table and went to work on her suit coat. When she was down to her bra and panties, she looked up to ask him what she should remove. The question stuck in her throat at the sight of him standing nude, his cock at attention.

I guess that answers my question.

She watched, spellbound, as he wrapped a length of blue cloth around his waist and tucked it into itself. His cock tented the front, and a slight wet stain announced he was more than ready for whatever was about to happen.

“Take off the rest, and I will help you wrap the
S’suuhhea
.” His voice was rough and low.

Her body wet in response. Sandy made a show of removing her bra and underwear, and Arren brought a second length of cloth onto the cushions and knelt beside her.

“Raise your arms.”

She complied, and he wrapped the silk around her back, drawing her slightly closer with it. He passed one side and then the other around her hungry breasts and tied two knots to make a loose loop around her throat.

His fingertips tickled at her inner thigh, and Arren worked the thigh-high stockings down her body and off. The scene was so sensual, she was gasping for breath before he collected her clothing and piled it with his own.

Then he was back, kneeling between her spread thighs. “You want me already. Don’t you? You want my tongue thrusting inside you. Or do you want my cock?”

She swallowed down a moan, shivering pleasantly. “Yes. Please.”

“Which?”

“Both.”

His eye slits widened in arousal. “We have a few minutes before the servers return to close us in.”

She moaned out a protest. He couldn’t make her wait. It would be cruel to—

Arren spread the sides of the silk, exposing her body. His rough tongue rasped over one nipple and then the other. “You are going to spend a good deal of the meal like this, being seduced by taste and touch and smell and sight.”

He sucked the nipple into his mouth, and she gasped in response. Sandy had never wanted to have public sex, but right now, the servers could walk in and watch, and she probably wouldn’t care.