Brides of the Kindred(12)

Kat frowned. “It’s…as far as I can understand, it’s one step past traditional intercourse. I wish I could tell you more, Liv, but I think it varies with the different branches of Kindred and the girl my firm represented was being called by a Tranq. It’s, uh, pretty obvious yours is a Rager—a Beast Kindred.”

“The best thing to do is just to avoid sex altogether,” Sophia said in a trembling voice. “Tell him to keep it in his pants, Liv.”

Liv shivered. “I think I can manage that. I’ll go up to their ship with him but after that…” After that she planned to avoid him as much as possible. He was a huge alien male that had been invading her dreams for months and now he wanted to have some kind of kinky tantric bonding sex with her. She was damn well going to be sure she stayed on the opposite side of the Kindred ship from him at all times.

“You can’t avoid him,” Kat said as though reading her mind. She was scanning the contract again. “There are some hard and fast rules here, Liv.”

“Rules?” she asked warily. “What rules?”

“You have to eat every meal at his table and sleep every night in his bed,” Kat said, reading rapidly. “The good news is, you don’t have to bathe with him until the second week.”

“That’s the good news?” Sophia sounded aghast. “She has to take a bath with him by the second week?”

“They’re looking for a lasting union   here, girls,” Kat said matter-of-factly. “This isn’t just a getting to know you scenario—it’s a period of deliberate seduction.” She looked at Liv. “He tries to get in your panties, you try to keep him out. The good thing is, he can’t force you against your will. In fact, for the entire first week, he can’t touch you at all unless you invite it. If he does, it’s a breach of contract and you’re allowed to end the claiming period right then and there.”

“He better keep his distance then,” Liv muttered. Just the thought of having those large, masculine hands all over her body was making her feel warm and nervous. She told herself it was just the shocking suddenness of the whole situation affecting her. Who wouldn’t get a little hot under the collar if they were dragged from their homes and forced to go play sex games in the stars?

“I don’t know, Liv—he’s pretty damn hot. And the way he’s looking at you…” Kat was obviously losing a little of her professionalism.

“It’s like he wants to eat you up,” Sophia finished for her and shuddered.

“Look, hot or not, I have no intention of giving it up,” Liv protested. “I mean, I don’t even know him and he’s talking like he owns me. Plus, did you see his pants? Either he’s smuggling a python in there or he’s got equipment that would put a porn star to shame. I have no interest in doing the horizontal mambo with a guy that’s big enough to split me in two.”

“I don’t know…” Kat was getting a dreamy, horny look in her eyes that made Liv want to slap her. “Maybe if he was really gentle and slow…”

“Hello? I’m the one he’s looking to impale,” Liv reminded her. “And does he look like the kind of guy who’ll be ‘gentle and slow?’” He didn’t—not a bit. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder and saw that he was staring at her, that intense hunger back in his amber eyes. He looked like he wanted to throw her down right here on the scruffy grey carpet of the HKR building and defile her six ways from Sunday. Just the thought of being caged in by that big, male body made her heart race and her mouth go dry. How the hell was she going to get through this?

“Plus, even if he was nice about it, gentle and slow doesn’t negate being hung like a literal horse,” Sophia put in. “You always told us Mitch wasn’t much in the size department and it’s been six months since you two split.”

“Don’t remind me!” Liv groaned. If she’d married her ex-fiancé, her name would have automatically been pulled from the draft and she wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. Plus, she could have divorced Mitch. A Kindred union   didn’t end unless somebody died. Just the thought made her break out into a cold sweat. Tied forever to an alien male, forced to give up her life on Earth to be by his side doing…what? Nothing but getting screwed and probably having sixteen pound alien babies as Sophia had joked earlier. Well, it was no joke now.

Her years of nursing school, down the drain. Her close relationship with her friends and family, especially her twin, likewise. Her entire existence changed and all because some big alien jerk had decided she should belong to him. It really made Liv mad. More than mad. Furious.