Shadowed(77)

God, the way he’d touched her… Nina’s body still throbbed with the memory of his big, hot hands cupping her breasts and rolling her nipples…the feel of his mouth on hers and then moving lower, kissing her throat and licking between her breasts. Just thinking about it made her nipples tight as the tender vee between her thighs got swollen and wet…

No, stop it! she ordered herself. Closing her eyes, she clenched her fists and took a deep breath, trying to calm her frazzled nerves and dispel the enticing memory. But the deep breath didn’t help. All she could smell was the lingering scent of Reddix’s skin—his dark, spicy, somehow completely masculine musk that filled her senses and made her dizzy with wanting him. In fact, the more she inhaled, the more clearly she smelled him and the more she wanted him…

“What are you doing?”

The deep voice just beside her startled Nina so much that she gave a little scream and nearly fell over. She was about to land right in the fireplace when Reddix saved her by yanking her up and into his arms.

“I…I…” She looked up at him, unable to collect her thoughts. She was tight against him, her breasts pressed to the hard, flat planes of his bare chest, and all she could think about was how badly she wanted him to kiss her again.

“You all right?” he demanded roughly.

“Yes, I…I was just t-trying not to…to think bad thoughts,” Nina stuttered, feeling stupid. Trying not to think bad thoughts? God, she sounded like a five year old. But Reddix didn’t seem to notice.

“Bad thoughts? About what I almost did to you?” he raised an eyebrow and gave her a bitter smile.

Nina felt her cheeks grow hot, but she shook her head. “Not, uh, not exactly. I was afraid you’d run into one of the Feeling People and have a problem. I, uh, also thought about the possibility of you just getting in the ship and leaving…without me, I mean.”

He scowled. “You think I’d do that? Strand you on an alien planet for the rest of your life? You really think I have so little honor?”

“I…you were angry. And I thought—”

“Never mind.” He let her go and stepped away from her. “I’m nothing but a fucking animal to you now. An animal has no honor.”

“Reddix, please…”

“No. I’m going to bed.” He grabbed one of the spare furry blankets off the bed and stalked to the door. “I’ll find somewhere else to sleep.”

Nina began to get angry. “Oh, no you won’t!” she exclaimed. Marching over, she yanked the blanket out of his hand and spread it back on the bed. “You’re going to sleep right here with me,” she said, frowning. “It’s not safe for you to be too far away if a Feeling Person comes along.”

“Stop trying to protect me,” he growled. “I’m not your lover or your mate—I’m nobody to you.”

“Yes, you are,” Nina insisted, her heart pounding. “Or you could be. If you’d let yourself be.”

“You know who you are to me—do you really want to know?” he demanded, his face twisted with rage. “You’re a sacrifice, Nina—nothing but a sacrifice.”

Her mouth went numb. “A…a what?”

“You heard me,” he said bitterly. “I promised your blood to Xandra—the swamp witch on my home planet of Tarsia. She said she could use it to make a cure for my RTS.”

“And you believed her?” Nina asked softly. “You really think she could cure you?”

“I thought so, yes. She’s very powerful—and very fucking dangerous.”

“Reddix—”

“And even though I’d been dream sharing with you for months, I pushed it out of my mind, blocked how much I wanted you, how much I felt for you. Because blocking feelings is what I fucking do best. But I can’t anymore, Nina. He ran both hands through his hair in obvious frustration. “And I can’t stand to be in here with you either. Not now. So give me the damn blanket. I’ll find somewhere else to sleep.”

Nina picked up the blanket with trembling hands and held it to her chest.

“Reddix, please,” she said softly. “Please stay.”

“I can’t.” He took it from her, but gently. His silver eyes were filled with self-loathing and pain. “I’ll try to stay close—maybe right outside the door. But I need to put some distance between us. I want you too damn much, and Goddess knows, I don’t in any way deserve you.”

“Please,” she whispered.

“Try to sleep and don’t worry. The beacon is lit. They’ll be coming for us soon.”