Revealed Read online

  Rast frowned. “Sealing the bond—your friend Lydiah said that several times, didn’t she? What was she talking about?”

  “Um…” Nadiah felt her cheeks flushing. It was funny how easily she used to talk about sex with her girlfriends back on Tranq Prime. But now that she was alone in a ship with the man she actually wanted to give herself to, she found herself completely tongue-tied.

  “Wow, whatever it is, it must be hot stuff. Come on, sweetheart, spit it out,” Rast said, grinning a little. Nadiah realized she’d been stalling for long enough.

  “In order to seal the bond between us, you’ll have to change the color of my eyes,” she murmured, looking down at her hands. “I think you know what that means.”

  “I know exactly what it means but I’m not going to do it. Not yet,” Rast said.

  “What?” She looked up at him in dismay. “Then you don’t really love me? I thought you said—”

  “Hey, whoa, slow down there.” Rast put a finger across her lips to stop the flow of worried questions. “First of all, know this—I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before.” He tilted her chin to look into her eyes and murmured, “To tell the truth, I’m fucking crazy about you.”

  Nadiah gave him a trembling smile. “I’m insanely in love with you too. I think I have been for awhile, I was just afraid to admit it.”

  “Me too,” Rast admitted, smiling.

  “So then why—”

  “Because I haven’t had a chance to talk to Sylvan yet.”

  “But I thought you didn’t care what he said,” Nadiah protested.

  “I don’t,” Rast said seriously. “I’m going to marry you whether he likes it or not. But I’m not going to make love to you and change the color of your eyes until after we tie the knot. I promised your cousin you’d be a virgin on your wedding day and that’s one promise I intend to keep.”

  Nadiah sighed mournfully. “All right. I knew you were an honorable male from the start. I just wish…”

  “What?” he said, laughing. “That I wasn’t quite so honorable.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, as it turns out, I’m not.” He leaned closer and his eyes were suddenly half-lidded with lust. “Not quite.”

  “What…what does that mean?” The hungry way he was looking at her made Nadiah feel breathless.

  “It means there are a lot of things we can do without taking that final step. Without changing the color of your eyes.” Rast tilted her chin again and placed a hot, gentle kiss on her lips. “Do you know what I mean?”

  “I…I think so.” Suddenly Nadiah’s heart was beating so hard she could feel it in every part of her body. It seemed to shake her with its excited rhythm.

  “Good.” Rast gave her a slow smile. “Then be ready for me when I come out of the shower. All right?”

  “All right,” she murmured nodding.

  “See you in a few minutes, then.” With a last, meaningful look, he headed into the bathroom.

  Nadiah scrambled back to her tiny bedroom to get ready…then realized she really didn’t have much to do. She was already clean and naked under her tharp, her still damp hair falling in blonde waves past her shoulders. She never wore make-up and she didn’t have any perfume to put on. Still, shouldn’t she do something?

  Oh yes, of course! She whispered a command to her tharp and suddenly it went from being slightly a furry, opaque blue to a sheer, white silky material that draped seductively over her curves. Nadiah looked down in mingled embarrassment and satisfaction and saw that the pink points of her nipples and the plump V of her pussy were both clearly visible beneath the new gown. There, definitely sexier than blue fur, she told herself. But was it too much? After all, she didn’t want Rast to think she was trying to make him break his vow. Although it would be extremely interesting to see how far she could push him…

  Deciding to leave the tharp as the see through white gown, she tried to arrange herself in a seductive pose on the bed. Should she be lying on her back? No, too blatant. Sitting with her legs crossed? No, too demure. Well, what about on her side? Her breasts weren’t as full as some females’ she knew, but when she lay on her side, it formed some nice cleavage.

  Just as she was deciding that the side was definitely the way to go, Rast suddenly appeared wearing only a towel slung low on his hips. His massive shoulders filled the doorway and droplets of water clung to his broad, bare chest. His eyes were burning as he took her in, naked beneath the silky, sheer tharp.

  He didn’t say a word, just stood there and looked at her but the hungry expression his face made Nadiah forgot to worry about what position she was in. She only knew she wanted him and she could tell that Rast wanted her too. She whispered his name and held out her arms.

  That was all it took. Rast was suddenly on the bed with her, kissing her with an urgency that seemed to set her on fire. She could feel her nipples turning into hard little points beneath her tharp and her pussy was getting hot and wet and slippery too–ready for him. Ready to let him in, to let him take her.

  That’s not going to happen right now, she reminded herself. Not until we have an official joining ceremony. Silently she vowed to haul her handsome human to the sacred grove to say vows the minute they landed on the Mother Ship. And after that…

  “What are you thinking?” Rast murmured, surprising her. “You have the naughtiest look on your face.”

  Nadiah blushed, then smiled, one corner of her mouth going up. “I was just thinking that I wish…wish we didn’t have to wait. And the minute we get back to the Mother Ship—”

  “We’ll find the first handy priest. Or priestess or whatever to tie the knot,” Rast finished her thought with a grin. “I’m with you on that. But for right now, I think we need to take it easy.”

  “You’re not leaving, are you?” Nadiah asked. “Please, Rast, I promise I’ll be good. You can trust me not to…not to do anything I shouldn’t.”

  “The question is, can I trust myself?” He stroked her cheek. “But no, what I meant was let’s go slow so you can enjoy it. I mean, this is your first time being with anyone—is that right?”

  Blushing, Nadiah nodded. “I’ve been promised to Y’dex all my life so I never even got to hold hands with another male.”

  “Well, we’re going to do a lot more than hold hands tonight, I promise you that,” Rast murmured. “But slowly…I don’t want to rush things. Don’t want to scare you.”

  “What are you going to do?” Nadiah asked, feeling her heart begin to race again.

  “To start with? Touch you. Just touch you.” Rast smiled. “And I want you to lay there like a good little girl and let me do it. Can you do that for me, Nadiah?”

  “I…I guess so.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “Should I take off my tharp?”

  “Not right away. You’re naked under it, right?”

  She nodded and he made a low noise of approval deep in his throat. “Good. Just lie quietly on your back and let me touch you, then.”

  Nadiah arranged herself as he directed, her heart thumping loudly in her ears. She expected him to touch her breasts or reach between her legs but Rast surprised her.

  Starting at one of her burning cheeks, he stroked slowly downward, letting his fingertips trail over the sensitive side of her neck and down her bare shoulder. He did the same thing on the other side and then, starting at the point of her chin, he caressed down the pulse in her throat and the warm, bare skin between her breasts. His large hand came dangerously close to her curves but never quite touched them, making Nadiah feel like all her nerve endings were on fire with need.

  “Rast, please,” she whispered, attempting to catch his hand and press it over her breast.

  “Ah-ah-ah.” He shook his head. “Just lie still, all right?”

  “But you’re driving me insane,” Nadiah protested.

  He gave her a lazy smile. “That’s the idea of taking it slow. Don’t you like it?”

  “I…I don’t know if I like it or not,” Nadi