Alien Warrior's Challenge (Brion Brides 8)(6)

And the most gorgeous man in existence was inches from her, his armor pressing against her chest. A part of her wanted to protest, but a much more insistent voice complained about the metal plate being in the way of what she needed.

"Perhaps not a compliment," Kerven said, speaking the words, almost touching her lips. "I said I wouldn't do anything you didn't want me to do, but your body speaks for you louder than you might imagine.

“Brions have very good hearing. I can tell how fast your heart beats when I'm close, how your breath catches when I look at you.

"How wet your pussy is when I press against you like this. There isn't much you don't want me to do."

The books weren't lying. The body is a prize and a half, but to get there, you have to bypass the unbelievable arrogance.

"Clever," she told him dryly, trying very hard not to allow herself to blush at the truth of his words. "I know your kind can read things like that, but everything you said is irrelevant. It's just a reaction, that's all."

"Is it?" Kerven asked, inching closer still until Paula barely had any room to stand, surrounded at all sides by the captain, enveloped in his strong, fierce scent. "I don't think so."

He leaned in to kiss her and Paula met his lips, unthinking, her eyes fluttering closed. Judging by the soft smile on his lips, Kerven wasn't surprised in the slightest. It made her want to slap him, but the lust flaring to life in her veins was stronger than she had anticipated.

All at once, there was no part of her that wanted to resist that man, offering her everything she could have ever wanted. With only the price of admitting that it was what she wanted attached to the deal.

His mouth on hers was demanding and passionate, drinking her in like she was the sweetest drink. Kerven's lips were claiming hers, pulling at them softly, his tongue slipping into her mouth to explore her inch by inch.

She melted into the embrace, forgetting everything but him, desire crackling between them, burning hot. Opening her eyes for a second, Paula saw that the arrogant smirk was gone. Under the surface of that relatively simple exchange, she could sense some great force binding him to her as the captain pulled her up into his arms, his hands running over her body, unchecked.

Her mouth opened of its own volition, perhaps partly from pride, and partly because both of them were supposed to be somewhere else, saving lives and taking them.

"You presume way too much, Captain."

Kerven merely laughed, his hands never ceasing their wondrous movement over her body like he was marking every curve and drop of her for further examination later.

"I presume nothing," he assured her, the deep voice dropping low again.

"I don't know what you call this on Briolina, but–"

"The same as you, I imagine. If you do not want me, my gesha, all you have to do is say it. Tell me to stop."#p#分页标题#e#

His lips were back on hers before Paula could utter a single word. Kerven was quickly robbing her of all knowledge of language. Her body was reacting in all the ways he had counted, she was rubbing herself shamelessly against him, looking for more contact, more friction.

No power alive could have dragged the word "no" over her lips in that moment and Kerven must have known it.

"You are mine," the captain whispered to her before pulling away, leaving Paula aching for him and his closeness.

Yours, the word flashed through her mind, but she caught it before it could slip over her tongue.

"The council awaits," Kerven said, his eyes still burning for her. "Come, my gesha. Once we resolve this war, we are free to make our bond real. With an actual bed, if you prefer."

She followed him out of the empty dropship, her mind spinning. There was no question as to what the captain had meant, which gave her about fifteen minutes to form an argument why she couldn't run off with an alien warrior.

It was surprisingly hard, when the only thought that occurred to her was: No bed necessary.





7





Kerven





All his previous dreams and wishes about his fated had crumbled like ruins when he saw Paula. She was so far above them the captain couldn't believe he'd ever wasted his time with the images that were already fading from his mind.

She walked by his side, the color on her cheeks telling him she was still reliving their stolen meeting in her mind.

It was good. He wanted to be in her thoughts all the time, as well as near her.

Active wartime and with her mission still ongoing, it wasn't the best time to tell her the second half of that truth, but Kerven was prepared to do that when the time was right.

Paula had accused him of being arrogant, of presuming he already had her. That was merely a hope he harbored. The Brion bonds worked in mysterious ways, often to the annoyance of the couple, but they had a way of bringing them together in the end more often than not.

He didn't doubt that Paula would submit herself to him, but it wasn't the one-way path she seemed to think it was. The bonds were, as Brions had noticed a long time ago, a weakness as much as they were a strength.

Heading towards the meeting, Kerven had never felt more alive. His every sense was heightened even above the usual level of Brions. His will to prove himself was unmatched and he ached to return to battle, to channel the awesome power that was flowing through his veins after finding his fated.

Yet there was no denying that he'd also gained a weakness. From the second he'd laid his eyes upon her, Paula was everything. No Brion could ever truly understand the full meaning of that without having experienced it themselves.

She was his life, his heart and his very soul. The captain would have died for her. His gesha's rule was absolute, even if he wasn't about to let her have her way in everything.

Her safety and happiness were his first priority, even more than the command of his general. She was a part of him that couldn't be severed and Kerven knew that any pain that ever befell her would also hurt him because his desire to keep her safe was that strong.

He didn't want her for his bed alone, or to make her a trophy. A gesha was a lost second half of his very being, with everything that entailed and more. Kerven would have gladly put himself in harm's way to spare her a thousand times over, but he would never let her come to danger.

Any real danger, that is, the captain thought, looking around on the battlefield.

He could see why the Elders had doubted for so long. The planet was completely beneath his skills as a warrior, but as long as Paula was there and his orders stood, so did he.

His gesha's words still echoed in his head. Perhaps the Elders were convinced by the importance of her mission on Jumel, which was why they chose to let him interfere to save the precious goods of the Hoolas.

The newly assembled war council was in place and it seemed like they were all waiting for him. With his lieutenants and the Terran commander Major Burton with his aides, they were all there now. The major was giving him a look of obvious dislike, but Kerven didn't have time for his petty jealousy.

No man wanted to yield control of the battlefield, he understood that. Kerven merely doubted there was anyone more qualified than he was to lead their next operation.

He walked right up to the map of the area, projected by a hastily organized holographic table, taking control of the meeting.

"This is the grove in question," he pointed, mostly to his own warriors who hadn't been fighting their way towards it inch by inch for weeks now. "Dr. Allen tells me the seeds are invaluable.#p#分页标题#e#

“Our duty is to give her and her crew time to collect them, keeping the enemy away from them as well to stop them from destroying the seeds. I've been given to understand it's what they will attempt to do if we get closer, yes?"

"Yes," Paula answered before the major could. "Unfortunately, the Hoolas believe the seeds are sacred. They don't have the virus here, but the seeds still play a large part in their lives and healing practices. They do not understand that if we do not stop the virus, it will soon reach Jumel as well and then it might be too late.

“The union   offered to trade for them. Believe me, the incentives were great, but the Hoolas don't want to allow the seeds to be taken from Jumel. They will burn the grove if we so much as get a chance to collect any. My hope is that it's a bluff, but I can't guarantee it."

"If they burn it, this has all been for nothing," the major growled. "All my men dead for nothing."

"War is risk," Kerven answered flatly. "You know that. Which is why it's our goal to minimize that. You have digging equipment here, do you not?"

"Of course," Burton replied, his eyes narrowing. "If you plan to do what I think you are, it's insane. The tunnel would have to be enormous to let a sufficient amount of men through to secure the area. An excavation of that sort will not go unnoticed."

Paula was looking at him, a curious, soft smile on her lips. She wasn't taking part in the military dialogue, but she was daring him to come up with a solution and Kerven wasn't going to disappoint her.

"Men, maybe," he allowed. "For Brions, not much is needed. We will launch an assault, drawing their attention away from the grove, thinking we're going to push through their lines. At that point, my men and I will appear from the tunnel and protect Dr. Allen's team as she collects what we need. We will retreat the same way, if possible. If not, I will break through."