Amy Redwood: Alien Best Man

Earth, Year 2217

“May I suggest not using the riding crop,” I said, keeping my voice polite.

“What, this thing?” Zyn hit the flat end of the crop against his palm.

The smacking sound startled me enough that my horse reacted with a sudden jump forward, which made me increasingly aware of the way the animal’s rolling stride rocked the saddle between my thighs.

“Just ride slowly and don’t use the crop please .” I couldn’t afford to piss off aliens who came from planets rich in natural resources. Still, if he broke his neck, he couldn’t sign the trade contract, could he?

“Offi zzz er Jana,” he addressed me, his slight accent making me smile, “these animals would look splendid running across Dezra’s plains. It would also make our negotiations so much easier.”

My amusement vanished. To keep him entertained, I’d taken him and his delegation to see one of Earth’s rarest attractions. Horses were nearly extinct, worth the amount of a small spacecraft. But if I denied him his demand, the contract negotiations could be in danger. And making the contract happen was my job.

“The confederation will gladly ship half a dozen horses with the next trader toward Dezra,” I said, wondering if the day could get any worse.

His mouth curved to a satisfied yet cruel smile, revealing sharp canines. He exuded a sexuality so raw it made my stomach tighten.

As if he sensed my physical reaction, he twisted in the saddle toward me and ran a hand down his horse’s neck. He wore pants and a sleeveless shirt, both made from a black material. Not leather, not rubber, definitely organic and not synthetic. His bare skin shimmered as if someone had blown metallic dust all over him. He was like a copper-colored lion, big with lazy movements that hinted at lethal strength.

I shouldn’t be alone with him.

“May I suggest this way,” I said, pointing to my right. “There is an area where we can rest and wait for your delegation to catch up.” He snorted, flicked the riding crop lightly against his horse’s flank and dirt swirled up in a huge cloud as the animal charged forward.

He was taking the wrong path.

I pressed my thighs together, which sent another sensuous tingle between my legs, and loosened the reins. A couple of exhilarating heartbeats later I caught up, just in time to see how his horse dug its hooves into the ground and bucked.

The sudden violent movement sent him flying through the air before he hit the ground.

I screamed, sure the fall would break his neck, but he landed on his feet like a cat. I slid from my saddle as his horse took off alone. Too rattled to stop my own horse from following his, I looked him over for injuries. His wide shoulders shaking, he was laughing . He seemed to be fine. Better than fine actually. I nipped the thought in the bud, locked it away.

He was done laughing but so clearly fully aroused that it wasn’t easy to keep my gaze away from the large bulge in his pants. Need pulsed between my legs, and I couldn’t blame it on the saddle. Damn.

A breeze touched my face, hot and sudden, but not one leaf moved in the still summer air. Odd. I didn’t back away when he stepped close, too close to me. His mouth crushed down on mine as his hand slipped around my neck. He forced his tongue between my lips, kissing me as if he were staking a claim, and I finally surged awake.

He drew me tighter until every ridge and curve and muscle of his body pressed against me while his tongue stroked the insides of my mouth in a way that made me liquid deep inside. When I moaned, he swallowed it, took my breath too. Another blast of wind hit me, moved along my body until I felt hot everywhere. The sensation of heat came from him and my eyes widened—was he trying to read my mind?

In a moment of weakness, I turned into his embrace, opened myself up, gave him a chance.

Heat sliced into my mind as he unearthed my thoughts, my secrets as easily as if he were turning over stones. His kiss deepened and sharp teeth nipped into my lip. And like the ghost of a touch, like a thought , I could feel him hard and thick between my legs, inside me, moving, thrusting, fucking.

He pulled my wrists behind me and arched me back. My hips rolled against his and the pressure mounted, and it felt so good . Another thrust and I harshly exhaled into his mouth, my climax crashing over me while he turned over more stones in my mind, finding every last depraved sexual fantasy I’d ever had about him. And I’d had many.

He broke the kiss, a satisfied gleam in the depth of his eyes.

I staggered away, seeing him lick his bottom lip as if he was still savoring my taste.

Why had I allowed him this glimpse into my mind? I should know better than to give a male like him that kind of power over me.

“You allowed me to read your mind, Jana,” he said quietly, as if he knew I was shaking inside. “After I sign the trade contract, you’ll come to Dezra with me,” he said with the conviction of a male who probably had never been denied anything. “I want your thoughts, your sex, your very soul. And you will submit .” Sudden fear, bone-deep and cutting, held me captive. From underneath my shirt, I pulled the phaser from its holster and aimed at him with unsteady hands. “I will not.”

Earth, five month later

I arrived just in time at the outer rim of the space harbor. When I saw Qay standing on the platform, his delegation already onboard, I broke into a smile when our eyes locked. It was bittersweet, saying goodbye to him. Bitter, because as soon as the huge space traveler took off with him, three lonely days and nights awaited me. And sweet because I would be seeing him again after the three days—on Dezra as his bride-to-be.

I ran the last yards and into his arms, my heart dancing a jig in my chest. Drawing in his familiar scent, I buried my fingers into his thick coat and clung to him while he drew me into a tight embrace.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Qay said. “We said goodbye last night. Wasn’t that satisfying enough for you?”

“ Very satisfying.” I raised my head, sought his slate-gray gaze. His eyes were cool and stern, but he was the most warm, gentle male I’d ever met. And he loved me. I still had a hard time believing it. Grinning, I rose on tiptoe to press a kiss against his chin, not tall enough to reach his mouth. “But you knew I’d come, admit it.”

“I counted on it.” He freed himself from my tight hold and reached inside his coat.

“This is for you.” The book he held was as thick as my thumb.

“Thanks,” I said, taking it. I’d seen a book like this, leather-bound and cracked with age, in a museum once. There wasn’t a title and the back was blank as well. I flipped it open, scanned a couple of pages. “It’s written in high Dezrian. Not my strong suit, you know. What’s it about?”

“Dezra. The book shouldn’t be here on Earth. It’s against protocol, but we bent a few rules.”

“Who’s we?”

His gaze slid away from me , as if I made him uneasy. “I guess here, you would call him the best man.”

“Well, what do you call him on Dezra?”

He answered in high Dezrian, saying something I’d never heard before. “What’s it mean?”

“He has many names.”

“Well, pick one,” I said, laughing.

“King.”

“King?” I replied, stunned. “Are you kidding me? No? But there’s no such person on Dezra. You are Dezra’s elected ruler, aren’t you? Dezra is a democracy, right?”