Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Lucille’s creamy complexion had gone pale. “I’m uh, not great with heights,” she admitted. “Why can’t we just land outside the stronghold itself? It looks like there’s plenty of room,” she added, nodding at the map again.
T’zaren shook his head.
“From what I understand, Lady Twa’linda doesn’t allow anyone to land near the stronghold—not even her closest friends. She trusts no one.”
“She seemed like a nice enough person. She was pretty quick to invite us to dinner,” Lucille pointed out.
“Yes, but she—fuck!” T’zaren swore suddenly, for the rear thruster indicator had suddenly blinked red on his instrument panel.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Lucille was immediately concerned.
“Nothing to worry about,” T’zaren growled. “Just the rear thruster has locked up.”
“That does sound like something to worry about, though!” she protested. “Will it keep us from landing?”
T’zaren shook his head.
“No, but it’ll keep us from taking off again if I don’t fix it.”
“Can you fix it?” she demanded.
T’zaren shot her an irritated glare.
“Yes, Dr. Lucille, I can fix it. I wouldn’t fly a ship I couldn’t repair in an emergency. I’ll just need an hour or so once we land to work on it.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry, I just…I don’t know anything about repairing a spaceship and the idea of being stranded on a distant planet makes me nervous,” she said, running a hand through her honey-blond hair.
“You don’t have to know anything about repairing the ship,” T’zaren growled, unable to hide his irritation. “That’s what I’m here for—to serve and protect you. That includes keeping our ship in good, working order.”
“All right—you don’t have to be so grumpy about it,” she snapped. “I’ve never been to another planet before—I think I have a right to be a little nervous.”
T’zaren sighed. She was right, he thought—the humans had no means of interstellar travel themselves, and so all of them were just stuck on their little blue-green planet. He himself had visited multiple alien planets in both this universe and his own universe which was now closed to him.
“All right,” he said gruffly. “I know you’re not an experienced interstellar traveler. I just want you to know you can trust me to take care of you—and the ship—and get us home safely.”
“Okay—I trust you,” Lucille said, but her eyes slid away from his when she said the words.
T’zaren felt his gut tightening. She didn’t trust him—not really. And she’d probably been extremely shocked and possibly disgusted when he’d admitted that he wanted to worship her and serve her with his tongue. Why couldn’t he have kept that to himself instead of blurting it out?
Because her touch makes me crazy…because my body thinks she’s my S’rentha even though she’s not.
Well, he wasn’t going to touch her anymore—or let her touch him, if possible, T’zaren swore to himself yet again. He had to be careful—every time he felt her soft fingers on his skin, his Sen Stripe flared and he got closer and closer to the edge of losing all reason…
Vowing to himself that the rest of their mission together would be strictly non-physical, he began the landing sequence.
EIGHTEEN
LUCY
Lucy waited until the big Monstrum was deep in the guts of the ship, working on the repairs, before she swiped the little holo map and casually strolled down the short gangplank that led down to the ground below.
T’zaren had a golden panel on the underside of the ship open and a quick glance over her shoulder showed that he was half buried inside it. He had taken off his crimson uniform shirt and his muscular torso, gleaming a deep, peacock blue in the dim, purplish light, was clearly visible. But his arms and head were up inside the underbelly of the ship, ensuring that he couldn’t see what she was doing.
If she’d wanted to, Lucy could have stood there admiring his amazing abs all day. He even had those little ridges of muscle that ran down the insides of his hip bones into the waistband of his low-slung trousers. The “V” she and her friends had called it back in college. But as tempting as that was, she knew she had business to attend to.
Her plan was to get to Twa’linda’s stronghold, make the deal for the dimriel, and get back just as T’zaren was finishing the repairs. Then they could go straight back to the Monstrum Mother Ship and never see each other again, which was apparently what the big Monstrum wanted.
It’s really too bad he’s so grumpy, she thought to herself as she walked quickly and quietly away from the little golden ship. He would make an amazing rebound date. She was sure she could forget all about Mike and their disappointing sex life if she could just have a no-strings-attached boink-fest with the big Monstrum.
Unfortunately, that clearly wasn’t what a Stri’vor Monstrum like T’zaren was looking for. They didn’t just want a one-night stand—they wanted a lifetime commitment and Lucy had just gotten out of one of those. She wasn’t ready to jump back into another one—not that it mattered since T’zaren was so adamant about them not being right for each other…