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He could almost see her delicate hands wandering just a little to the right and reaching into his unfastened pants. Her fingers would feel cool and soothing, caressing his secondary shaft. And then she would slip her hand around him and touch his primary shaft, his bonding shaft and he would…But Xairn didn’t want to think about what he wanted to do.

I am filled with desires I don’t want, he thought in despair. Why could they not have remained dormant? What is it about Lauren that brings my body to life in this way?

He didn’t have any answers.

Just then Lauren came back. “Xairn,” she said in that soft, sweet voice he loved to listen to. “I just want to say again how sorry I am.”

He frowned. “Why are you apologizing?”

“You got hurt because of me.” She reached out, her fingertips lightly grazing his wounded side in a way that made Xairn quiver. “You were out fighting those horrible splicers to make it possible for me to get home and I didn’t even trust you enough to wait. I went outside the ship even though you told me not to, and gave you a whole new problem to deal with as soon as you got back. I’m so sorry for that.”

The pleading look in her lovely amber eyes seemed to do something to his heart. It was strange but Xairn felt almost as though he was melting inside somehow. And yet, it was not an unpleasant sensation. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, trying to make his rough voice gentle. “I’m just glad things worked out as they did. I…I would rather die that see you sold as a splice whore.” Just the thought of her being passed around from male to male, taken against her will…It gave Xairn a cold, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, as though he’d swallowed a fist-sized lump of ice. I would kill them. Kill any that touched her! She’s mine…mine!

“Hey…” She laid a hand on his arm, shaking him out of the strange, possessive thoughts. Her gentle touch was like fire against his skin but Xairn didn’t ask her to stop.

“It was good that I came when I did and that you used the cubes with the grieza worms to trade with.” he said in a low, choked voice. “You were supremely lucky.”

“Or maybe my guardian angel was looking out for me.” She smiled at him and though Xairn had no idea what a ‘guardian angel’ was, he found himself smiling back—a little, anyway.

“Come,” he murmured. “We really need to go.”

“Okay.” Her fingers slid down his arm and then she nestled her small, soft hand in his large, rough one. She looked up at him. “Is this all right?”

Xairn frowned. “I don’t know. What are you doing?”

“Holding your hand, silly.” Smiling, she interlaced their fingers and gave his palm a little squeeze. “If you don’t mind, I mean.”

It was a bad idea and Xairn knew it. Even such a light, innocent touch sent his senses into overload. But somehow he couldn’t ask her to stop. “No,” he said at last, his voice sounding hoarse. “I…I suppose it’s all right.”

“Good.” Lauren squeezed his hand again. “Because I feel safer this way.”

“You do?” He couldn’t imagine why physical contact with him would alter her feeling of safety or danger but perhaps it was an Earth thing. Or maybe just a female thing—it was hard to say since Xairn had never really known many females in his life.

Lauren nodded. “I do. Now let’s go get our DNA altered.”





Chapter Ten





“She doesn’t seem to be in any danger. Not now at least.” Kat opened her eyes as she spoke and took a deep breath, trying to recover from the intense joining. She was still intimately connected with both her men and though the sensation of being penetrated both in front and in back was still pleasurable, it was no longer so intense as to be overwhelming.

“It sounds like she was though—and Xairn rescued her just in time.” Lock sounded thoughtful.

“I’d give a great deal to know the exact details of what happened.” Deep frowned. “But I suppose the important thing is that he’s looking out for her—protecting her as a proper male should his female.”

“You really think he loves her?” Kat asked, shifting a little. The resulting sensations made all three of them moan. “Sorry…” she managed.

“That’s all right.” Deep stroked her cheek. “And of course he loves her.”

“Did you not see the way he trembled when she treated his wound?” Lock asked softly. “He loves her, my lady. But he doesn’t know how to express that love.”