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Devile tapped his three fingers on his knee. “Lornians. Always so abrupt. The bloodroot fungus is secured and”—he paused, then threw his arms open—“I will deliver it, in person, early new week.”
No blanting way. A flurry of words rushed from my mouth unbidden, “I’m sure you’re much too—”
Mayor Yurst applauded beside me. “I’ll have my assistant prepare my very best guest room for you. A celebration is in order for this momentous occasion.”
What assistant? He didn’t have a blanting assistant.
“I will wish your brother well from you, Bonic,” I bit out, tipping my head at his image before departing Yurst’s dwelling. It was either leave now or kill him.
A fierce itch burned under my skin. I shed my shirt and rode my hovee to the rocky outcrop at top speed. I needed my ancestors’ guidance, and their presence was strong in the ebony hot pools.
16
My skin buzzed likea live wire. The needle in my tight grip punched through the garment I was mending at record speed. How dare he announce to the entire command center, in his stupid loud voice, that he would attend to me when he got back.
Next time we had sex would be different. No pesky feelings allowed.
Yes, I needed him to get home, but I didn’t need him to brush me aside in the process, as if I held no more value than a wad of gum on the bottom of his shoe. He had a lot of nerve, and ifdesperation weren’t driving me to get the hell off this planet, I wouldn’t get closer to him than a ten-foot pole.
The door knocker to my private volcanic sex den rattled. JayJay’s here. I turned to face him, prepared for battle.
The knocker bumped the door again. Why would he knock? “It’s open.”
The wheels of the slider rolled, and Efred’s purple-scaled head popped up. “JayJay’s on his way, Ginger, and he’s not smiling.”
I pulled a thread tight and knotted the stitch as I made eye contact. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
“Good luck,” he snorted. A plume of smoke trailed behind him as the door shuttled closed.
So JayJay had returned angry and was on his way to “attend to me.” Good! Heat flared under my cheeks, and my lips pursed. In my current mood, JayJay needed the luck, not me.
The door shot open, sliders straining under the force. He box-jumped into his room, crouched deep on his haunches, his thigh muscles tested the seams of his pants, and growled.
Beast-like. Predatory.
The rumble in his chest deafened me, and his gaze demolished my arguments, turning them into a lust-filled haze. A bolt of heat ignited in my stomach, radiating until every nerve fired. Blood rushed between my thighs in preparation. My anger eroded, replaced by a desire so thick I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped my mouth.
His coiled muscles released, and eight feet of Rock Dweller sprang at me like a cheetah latching on to a gazelle. I didn’t have a chance.
“Breathe.” His deep voice broke, turning his words to static.
I teetered on my feet, lightheaded. How long had I been holding my breath? Gulping air, I stepped away from the earth and musk smell clouding my mind. I had things to say.
“Stop right there, JayJay. We need to talk. First of all…” I held an index finger in the air. “Don’t bark orders at me like I’m one of your soldiers. If you don’t want to be my friend, that’s fine, but I deserve respect.” I held up another finger. “Second…I would appreciate it if you could keep the whole treatment thing on the down-low. My medical needs are private. Third…” My gaze snapped to JayJay’s, his silence called out to me, screaming for my attention.
A hairsbreadth away, he loomed over me, panting. His eyes bored into me. Their savage need echoed through my body, amplifying his yearning. Shirtless, the thick slabs of his abdomen rippled above his torn pants. My finger moved with a mind of its own, traveling down the deep trail separating them.
“Are you okay?”
He twitched when my finger grazed him and grabbed my wrist. “Ginger…” he breathed. “I am an unworthy male. But something is happening to me that I don’t understand.” JayJay’s arm jerked where he restrained me, and despite our frozen state, my breath shortened to match his. “I must take you right now. It’s the only way.”
His hot grip sent tingles vibrating up my arm. I could give him what he needed. My damaged ego seemed minor in the presence of this steadfast giant’s wavering control.
“May I?” he growled.
“Yes,” I whispered.
With permission granted, his huge hands flew to my hips and, with no effort at all, he lifted me. On autopilot, I locked my legs around his sides, stretched wide to span his ribs. A second later he dropped us to the edge of the blankets, already unzipping my pants. Time seemed to freeze, each tooth clicking loudly in the muted air. A heady sensation floated over me at his possessive touch and sent me sailing when he hooked one of his threefingers in the elastic of my satin panties, trailing the sensuous fabric down my legs with my jeans.
