My voice dropped to a growl as I considered what I might do to my second-in-command—the lying bastard!
“You’re starting to sound growly and look damn scary again,” Natalie said cautiously. “Please don’t kill anyone else because of me. Or if you do, please don’t make me watch it!”
The haunted look in her eyes was enough to cool my rage for a moment.
“Okay, baby—I won’t,” I told her. “Sorry, it’s just my protective instinct coming out again.” I took a deep breath and blew it out again. “Hey, you want something to eat? This ship has a full kitchen in it with a food synthesizer. I can make you anything you want.”
“That would be nice, actually.” She put a hand to her stomach. “It’s been a long time since we had breakfast together and I lost my little packet of snacks along with my old clothes when Ass-boy’s car dumped me out in the middle of that tunnel.”
“Ass-boy?” I couldn’t help grinning.
“Well, actually, his name sounds like ‘Ass-licks’ so that’s what I’ve been calling him in my head,” she explained. “It kind of fits his personality, you know?”
“You’re not wrong,” I said grimly, thinking of all the times Azz’lx had sucked up to me, acting like he had such great respect even though I was a half-blood. When all the time he was a treacherous, lying, son-of-a—
“Your eyes are getting glowy and your fangs are getting long again,” Natalie pointed out.
“Uh, sorry.” I took another deep, calming breath. “I’ll deal with him on my own—you don’t have to have anything to do with it,” I told her.
But to my surprise, she shook her head.
“No, you know what? I want to be there when you confront him. Only promise me you won’t kill him,” she added quickly. “I don’t want to have to see that again—okay?”
“That’s not an easy promise to make, little girl,” I growled. “That bastard tried to have you murdered!”
“I know and he deserves everything that’s coming to him,” Natalie said evenly. “But I’ve seen enough people getting killed to last me a lifetime. I’m still kind of shaken up—you know?”
“All right.” I squeezed my hands into fists. “I won’t kill him.”
“Thank you.” Natalie leaned forward and cupped my cheek in one small, soft hand. “Thank you, Vik’tor,” she repeated. “For everything.”
“You’re welcome, baby,” I murmured, looking into her big, brown eyes.
And then I couldn’t help myself—I kissed her.
TWENTY-SIX
NATALIE
Iknow I shouldn’t have kissed him back, but I just couldn’t seem to help myself. You know how it is when you put two magnets together and they stick to each other so it’s hard to pry them apart again? That’s how I felt with Vik’tor—like I was so drawn to him I couldn’t listen to my own common sense.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him for all I was worth. He was kneeling in front of me, having just finished washing my face and cleaning and bandaging my wounds as I sat on the wide, plush couch in the living room of his spaceship. Because of our height difference, this put us face to face and it was way too easy for me to just slide off the couch into his arms.
Before I knew it, I was straddling him and kissing him hungrily, my hands running all through his hair and over his short, curving horns.
Vik’tor kissed me like he knew me—like he knewexactlywhat I liked. He wasn’t rough but hewasurgent, wanting to taste me and then sucking gently on my tongue, encouraging me to taste him as well. I was quick to take him up on the invitation.
His mouth was spicy and warm as I slipped my tongue between his lips. He tasted like my favorite chai back home and I absolutelycouldn’tget enough of him.
“Gods, baby,” he groaned and rolled me over so I was lying on my back on the thick, fur rug that carpeted the living room area. Did I mention he had a really nice ship? Because he did—it was luxurious and expensively decorated—which was pretty much what you’d expect from the richest man on the planet.
But I wasn’t concerned with the décor at the moment. I was more interested in Vik’tor’s big hands on my body.
Because he kept his ship nice and warm, I had shed my outer layers of fur once I got inside. Which meant the only thing I had on now was the innermost layer—the skintight jumpsuit made of short, dense, ultra-soft fur.
It already felt like the fur was teasing my nipples and the outer mound of my pussy every time I moved even a little. When Vik’tor started caressing me all over, it only added to the incredibly sensuous sensations running through me.
I moaned and writhed under him as he cupped my breasts, teasing my nipples through the jumpsuit and sending electrical tingles through all my nerve endings straight down to my pussy, which felt swollen and wet by this time. I felt drunk on sensation—on physical pleasure. The kind of pleasure I’d never had once in my entire life until Vik’tor touched me.