Brides of the Kindred Volume One Read online

  “Um—well, do you guys have guest rooms or anything like that? I mean, it’s a big ship so you must have someplace else, right?” Liv was feeling more and more nervous and it wasn’t just the fact that he was big and dangerous and scary looking. She had a feeling that if she went into his suite, that she might not come out again as the same person. That somehow being near him twenty-four/seven for the next month would change her, make her lose control.

  “Olivia, you can’t stay in the guest quarters. You’re my bride and this is our claiming period.” The big warrior was practically growling with impatience. “What’s the problem?”

  “How can you ask me that?” she flared at him, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. “You stand there staring at me like I’m an antelope and you’re a really hungry lion and you’ve told me about twelve times how you can’t wait to get me in bed, or up against the wall, or anywhere at all for that matter. And now you want to know why I’m scared to go into a dark room and be alone with you? What do you think I am—crazy?”

  He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his thick black hair. “I can’t believe this. Haven’t I told you I would never hurt you?”

  Liv frowned up at him. “Yeah, well, I’m not sure about your definition of ‘hurt.’ I mean, forced sex isn’t always painful but just because it doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean it isn’t rape.”

  “Is that what you think of me? That I want to take you by force?” He swooped down on her suddenly, eyes blazing a molten gold. Liv backed up but before she knew it she was pinned against one cold metal wall with his thick, muscular arms on either side of her and his face inches from hers.

  “Well what am I supposed to think?” she demanded, hoping her voice didn’t tremble too much.

  “You can think whatever you want, Olivia, but you should know one thing.” He leaned even closer, his hot breath stirring her hair as he murmured in her ear. “When I take you—because I will take you—make no mistake about that,” he said, cutting off her protest. “When I do, I promise you’ll want it every bit as bad as I do. You’ll beg for it, Linlenta. Beg to have my shaft inside you, filling you up as I bond you to me forever.”

  “You arrogant bastard.” Liv narrowed her eyes at him. “You must have a pretty high opinion of yourself if you think I’ll welcome you with open arms and beg for more.”

  “It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact.” He drew back so that his lips were hovering over hers, close enough to kiss but not quite touching. Liv could almost taste the exotic cinnamon spice of his breath and his scent, the wild musk that she kept noticing when she was near him, seemed to invade all her senses at once, making her dizzy.

  “You…I…What makes you think that?” She wished she could think of a wittier comeback but somehow her brain didn’t seem to be working right. All she could think about was how close he was, all she could feel was the heat radiating from his big body and bare chest against her own mostly bare skin.

  “The reason I know how you’ll react is because I’m going to spend hours getting you ready, driving you crazy with my mouth and hands.” His eyes were blazing and half lidded with lust as he spoke.

  “Get…getting me ready?” Liv faltered.

  Slowly, he nodded. “I can’t wait to touch you. Can’t wait to taste you—to spread your sweet, creamy thighs and put my tongue in your hot little pussy until you beg for more. Beg to have me inside you, filling you all night.”

  “I—” Liv began but he cut her off with a kiss. And not a butterfly-soft kiss like the one he’d given her at the HKR building, either. This time his mouth on hers was hard and demanding—as hard and demanding as the rigid shaft that was suddenly branding her belly. Liv fought him at first, panic making her heart race. And then, somehow she was kissing him back. His mouth was hot and forceful and his lips delicious—like sucking cinnamon candy. Baird reached down and she felt big, warm hands encircling her bare thighs. Then she was being lifted and carried into the dark room that had seemed so frightening just a few minutes ago.

  Oh God, what am I doing? Where are we going? screamed the practical part of her brain. But her body overruled it as his tongue darted between her lips, licking with surprising delicacy at the roof of her mouth. Moaning, Liv licked back and before she knew it he was sucking her tongue in a way that made her faint with desire.

  Baird was moving them through the darkened space confidently—obviously he knew where he was going. A good thing in Liv’s opinion since she had no clue in hell where she was going or what she was going to do once she got there. She found out soon enough, though, when he laid her down on a soft, giving surface and began to undress her, all without breaking the kiss.

  My God, his bed. I’m on his bed! she realized but even knowing that Baird had taken her straight to the one area she had promised herself she’d avoid didn’t break the spell she was under.

  Big, warm hands cupped her breasts and he rolled the tight points of her nipples between his fingers with just enough pressure to make her writhe underneath him with pleasurable pain. God, that felt incredible! So incredible it was hard to think. Liv felt drugged with pleasure. Before she knew it she was spreading her thighs wider for him, opening herself to feel the hard length of his shaft rubbing over the wet silk of her panties, right against the sensitive bundle of nerves at her center.

  Baird broke the kiss long enough to whisper something low and urgent in her ear—something that sounded like her name. “So beautiful. So fuckin’ perfect,” he groaned into her hair as she rubbed herself wantonly against him. Then he reached between them and Liv heard the low ripping noise of fabric parting. A cool breeze caressed her heated sex and she understood that the big warrior had actually torn off her panties, baring her pussy completely. She knew that in the past she would have been angry at such a blatantly caveman-like move. But spread out under Baird’s large, muscular body with his mouth on hers and his hands exploring her willing flesh, the primal action seemed exactly right somehow.

  She moaned against his mouth as she felt the length of his cock, still encased in the smooth black fabric of his pants, rub roughly over her wet sex. Without the thin silk panties to act as a barrier, his touch was almost unbearably intense, spreading the swollen lips of her pussy and sliding against her throbbing clit with each thrust. Olivia couldn’t help herself, soon she was lifting her hips to get better contact between them, wrapping her legs around his trim waist, practically begging for more. Baird obliged by grinding against her, pressing hard against her cunt with every downward thrust, almost as if they were already making love. It was clear he wanted to be inside her as badly as Liv wanted him there.

  She felt so empty, so open and she needed to be filled. Needed him to fill her. She forgot that she hadn’t even known him a whole day yet, forgot that he was practically a complete stranger and that making love with him would mean that she’d never see her family and home planet again. Forgot anything except how badly she needed him inside her filling her up with his thick shaft. God, he smells so good, feels so good. Can’t believe I’m doing this…

  “No!” Suddenly Baird was pulling away from her, leaving her cold and empty on the bed. His eyes were still a molten gold in the dim room but they were filled with some other emotion besides desire now.

  “Wha…what?” Liv looked at him fuzzily, not understanding. “Why did we stop?”

  He sighed roughly and ran both hands through his hair. “Because you’re not ready. Not really. And I don’t want to do it like this.”

  “Like…like what?” Liv’s thought processes were still fuzzy but at least she was beginning to think again. God, what had she just been about to do?

  Baird gestured with one hand. “Like this—in the heat of passion.” Reaching out he cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. “I want it to be long and slow, Lilenta,” he growled softly. “Want to take my sweet time tasting you, making you come over and over before I take you. And I want you to want it as much as I do.”

  “But I…” It