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  Stars, she wanted that hard cock deep inside her.

  Doing her very best to remain still, she waited until he left her side. He stared with such intensity he seemed to see inside her. Unnerved, she hurried to stand and ignored her protesting body.

  “You’re fucking hot, sweetheart. Sexy and so pretty.” His eyes blazed, a silver inferno of lust and attraction that made her weak in the knees.

  Swallowing around a dry throat, she forced a smile. “So are you. Handsome, I mean.” Truth. “Why don’t you lie back, Valis?”

  “Val. Only my mother calls me Valis, and that’s when she’s mad at me.”

  At this moment, she couldn’t think of Talson’s mother, father or family. She couldn’t take her mind off the impressive cock straining at his trousers. Her mind faltered, and he blinked and frowned.

  Hell. “Val, please. I want to make you feel good. Lie down for me.” Another truth, and one he wanted as well, if the speed at which he complied told her anything.

  He lay back and spread his arms wide. When she placed his wrists in the fastenings that had held her, he smiled. “I like this. At your mercy, hmm?”

  Her body hummed, and she echoed the sentiment through their weird mental connection. He sucked in a breath and shifted his hips, drawing her attention once again to his impressive erection. She’d never in her life imagined having a man—an Otra—like this under her control. And a Talson? Hell no. Just the thought of him tied up and hers to play with made her want to strip naked and do unimaginable things to his incredible body.

  Whatever else she could say about Val Talson, the man could never be called unattractive. He had a muscular frame broader than hers and stood a good two heads taller. His face, the combination of those killer eyes, that mouth and stubborn chin put the S in sex. She could all but feel his strength as he moaned and pulled at the bonds holding his wrists tight.

  “Wh-what? I can’t move.” Yet he seemed to shift just fine on the bed. It took her a moment to realize he meant his telekinesis. The restraints effectively suppressed his ability to move things with his mind.

  Perfect.

  Except the escape and snotty response she’d planned faded under another waft of male hormones. And before Rowe realized it, she’d straddled his waist on the bed and lowered her mouth for another kiss.

  Chapter Two

  She ripped his shirt apart and traced the muscles bunching and straining. But she had eyes only for his mouth.

  “Yeah. Let me taste you.” He sounded as drugged as she felt.

  Rowe kissed him and forgot all about leaving. She nipped and teased at his tongue, his lips. The male flavor of musk, need and sex flowed around her like cologne. She’d never in her life wanted anything as much as she wanted him.

  He pulled back, breaking the kiss, and watched her with silver eyes blazing with hunger. “I want more. Lose your pants. Sit over my mouth. Let me eat that pussy.”

  The harsh request stunned her, because the compulsion to obey felt vaguely familiar. Yet it didn’t stop her from complying. She quickly rose and lost her pants and panties, then knelt over Val’s face.

  His lips caressed and pulled at her clit with skill, and she couldn’t help shuddering above him, loving how good he felt.

  A Talson kissing her. Stars, talk about a fantasy. “So good. Yes, please.”

  He licked her folds, nuzzling as he strained to delve his tongue deeper inside her. Then he sucked on her clit again, nibbling at the taut bud and sending her nerves racing to orgasm.

  But she needed more. Much, much more. A masculine hunger invaded her mind.

  Sensing what he wanted without needing to ask, she lifted and turned around, facing his feet. His mouth settled back over her sex as she sought his trousers. She rocked over his lips while working to free his erection.

  Finally freeing him, she caught a glimpse of a thick, ruddy cock before she sucked it into her mouth.

  He bucked up but didn’t stop licking her. If anything, he sucked her harder. And she tensed, her body coiled to come.

  She bobbed over him, taking him deeper to the back of her throat, her hunger for his cum both out of place and impossible to ignore. To her relief, it didn’t take long. She wedged a hand between his spread thighs and cupped his tight balls. He groaned, drew her clit between his teeth and pressed down.

  She sucked in response and came hard. In seconds, warm, thick seed filled her mouth and she swallowed the sweet essence without a qualm.

  Oversensitive, she pulled up from his mouth but continued to suck and lick him, amazed at how much he released. More astonishing, she liked it. Liked him and the way he tasted. She’d never before engaged in oral sex with a boyfriend unless deeply into the relationship. She could count on one hand how many times that had been.

  Yet when Val ceased coming but remained hard, she wanted to stimulate him to another climax. But this time she’d ride him, fill up her empty pussy and let his seed coat her womb…

  She blinked and came back to herself, as if coming out of a naughty dream. Rolling off Talson, she nearly fell off the bed. She put her clothes back on and tried not to blush, though her cheeks felt hot.

  He smiled at her, still groggy. His cock twitched, and she had her first good look at the huge piece of flesh she’d had in her mouth. Good Lord, had she really taken that monster between her lips? His slit was wet, so sexy because his honest need only enhanced his sexuality.

  Talson. Sexuality. What the hell did I just do?

  Even as she berated herself for somehow falling prey to his charms, she couldn’t help noticing the strength in his corded arms, in the breadth of his chest and in the taut power of his abdomen. She had a hard time catching her breath and backed away. It’s got to be The Testing. There’s no other explanation for why I’d go down on a man who tied me up not minutes ago. Oh God. I have to get out of here.

  Val’s eyes cleared, and he blinked in confusion, looking at his wrists, then at her. “What the hell?”

  Rowe forced herself to give him a mocking smile. His confusion seemed genuine, so she’d work with what she had. No way she’d let him know she’d been less in control of the situation than he was. “Well, sweetheart, it’s been a real kick. But I have an investigation to conduct and no more time to play.” She turned to gather her things, dismissing him as she tried to remind herself that their clans had been rivals for a long time. Best to keep it that way.

  She heard him swear and knew the daze had worn off.

  “I don’t know how you did this,” he growled. “But you’re going to regret—”

  “I already regret my lack of security, thank you very much. Normally you wouldn’t have been able to get within shouting distance of me without being detained. Don’t worry. I’m going to fix that.”

  After shoving all her things back in her bag, she returned to his side. To reaffirm his helplessness, she ran her hand over his chest and this time ignored the flood of heat that pooled between her legs.

  He froze under her touch, his cock rock hard, his body tense all over.

  Pleased to finally have the upper hand, she chuckled and withdrew her fingers from his firm flesh. “I think we’re beginning to realize who’s in charge here, aren’t we?”

  The shine in his eyes flared, and she could feel his anger as a tangible rush of emotion. Unfortunately, it only made him that much more attractive.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I am so going to enjoy making you pay for this.”

  “You started it, sweetheart. So don’t blame me for playing by your rules. But thanks for filling me in about your supposed Chartrell saboteur. I’ll look into the matter. Maybe that will help me track our own problems.”

  “You mean cover up your involvement.” He snorted and tugged at the restraints again. “You Chartrells are all alike.”

  “Actually, my name is Trainer. I work for Chartrell Shipping. I’m not a Chartrell.” Though her father and Fulton had been brothers, she’d never been one of them. And never would. “There’s a differ
ence, you know.”

  “Not from where I’m standing.”

  “Don’t you mean, lying?” she provoked, pleased at his quick intake of breath. “Now don’t you worry, Val. Since I’m sure they rent this room by the hour, you’ll have help in no time.” She eyed his impressive erection and marveled that it had yet to flag. “Maybe if you’re lucky, your rescuer won’t demand quite so large a reward.”

  She ran a finger over his cock and snickered to cover up the tremor of lust building once more. Not sure she could take another second this close without mounting him in earnest, she clamped down on her wacky libido and stepped back.

  His fists clenched, and she realized she’d actually bested a Talson. A little half-breed had scored a huge hit against a revered Otra pure-blood. Serves him right, the handsome bastard. With a smug grin, she turned on her heel and made for the door. Before she left, he spoke.

  Trust a Talson to need to have the last word.

  “Rowe? I’ll be seeing you again, honey. Real soon.”

  His husky words, though tinged with anger, held enough promise to be worrisome. She knew without looking that the gleam in his inhumanly bright eyes would make her want to run, not walk, out the door.

  But Rowe Trainer didn’t run from confrontation. She never had. So with deliberate slowness, she unlocked the deadbolt on the door, turned the knob and walked through the doorway. She closed the door behind her and grinned when she heard him swear long and loud behind her.

  He might have had the last word, but she’d definitely won this round. She could only hope the next time they met, she’d have Quinn close to guard her. And that they’d be far away from a bed or a horizontal surface.

  What the hell had happened to her willpower? To her self-restraint? Though Otra didn’t suffer from sexual disease, or pregnancy unless specially prepared, Rowe had been way less than smart with Talson. The stubborn male wouldn’t let this incident go.

  Why that thought excited her, she had no idea. She had her hands full. She didn’t need the answers he’d wanted. Had he been playing her? But if so, why let her tie him up and get the upper hand?

  His anger salved her ego, but it also worried the hell out of her. She couldn’t let Talson find her again without protection. She couldn’t ever afford to look weak at work or at home. A half-human among full-blooded Otra had to be stronger, better and always appear confident.

  Few of her peers supported her presence among them, and none of her elders liked her anywhere near Chartrell Shipping. But thanks to her father and his ironclad will, none of them had a say in the company he’d founded over two hundred years ago.

  At the thought, she hastened toward a waiting hovercraft, paid the transport fee and sat back after programming her destination.

  Only as the craft revved in the direction of her apartment did she let out a sigh of regret. Though he was the enemy, Talson had a body that could contend with Quinn’s. Yet she’d never looked at her good friend and bodyguard in the same way she’d seen Talson.

  “Val,” she murmured, not liking that she had to think of him as Talson to distance herself. He’d made her feel so good with his mouth. That strong tongue, licking her with a sensual skill rumored to exist in Otra warriors. Her past boyfriends had been human. But she could now put the rumor to rest. Especially about the size of an aroused warrior’s…sword.

  Mentally fanning herself, she increased the speed of the conveyance and intended to bury this incident forever. Talson might fume, but as long as she kept close to Quinn, she’d be fine, and no one would be the wiser of what had really happened between them. No way Talson would ever admit he’d been bested by a female, and a half-breed at that.

  Relieved yet disappointed that she’d never go through another mess like this again, she sat back and came up with a decent story to fool Quinn into believing she’d just needed some time to herself to regroup. Bad enough Talson had captured her before she’d turned the tables on him.

  * * * * *

  Two weeks later

  The sudden hand on Rowe’s shoulder startled a small shriek out of her. As if her uncle’s basement vault wasn’t creepy enough.

  “Damn, Rowe, what’s with you lately?” Quinn Larsen ‘Or Ryi, her security advisor and a giant of a man who scared most Otra when he so much as twitched, stared at her with concern. “You’re as jumpy as my sister after an hour with my mother.”

  Having met Quinn’s daunting mother, she could truly feel for his sister. It was no wonder the pair had spent so much of their younger years with Rowe’s family—back when she’d had any.

  “It’s nothing, Quinn. I guess I’m just spooked about the increasing pirate attacks.” Another attack a few days ago had nearly decimated the crew aboard a Chartrell shuttle transporting invaluable cargo. Not only had the cargo carried artifacts from Werfal 6, but it had been transporting her Uncle Fulton to the New Hattan Antiquities Center as well. Thus her journey into his basement—searching for evidence of the guilty party among the wreckage he’d shipped into the vault for safekeeping, pending an investigation.

  Still, she had to admit the real reason for her unease had yet to show himself in the two weeks since she’d tied him to a ratty bedpost in the Barren district. Waiting for Talson to exact his revenge filled her dreams with anxiety and a sexual need so intense it bordered on pain.

  Quinn gave her another one of those strange looks he’d been shooting her recently. Studying her like a damn bug, the way the rest of the world normally did. It bothered the hell out of her. Quinn was practically family. He’d never treated her as anything less than his equal, uncaring of her parentage.

  “What’s with the looks, Quinn?” she snapped.

  He shook his head, but his nostrils flared and his eyes began to glow. Then he turned away and took a few steps in the opposite direction. “Nothing,” he muttered. “I just remembered there’s something I need to attend to in the main office. You’ll be safe enough down here, but ring if you need me.” He nodded at the buzzer on the wall.

  He stalked down the hall to the stairs, and she listened until she could no longer hear him. Talk about strange. Sure, her anxious behavior had been suspect. But she had a valid reason for her paranoia. What bothered Quinn?

  Normally the sensible, easygoing man in her life, Quinn acted more like a brother than a close friend. Not that she couldn’t clearly see how attractive he was to most women—or in Quinn’s case, women and men. Tall, dark and handsome was one thing. Add that aura of danger that clung to him like a second skin and it was no wonder Otra and human alike threw themselves at him on a daily basis.

  Hell, had Rowe been normal and not a hybrid freak with little libido, she’d probably have thrown herself at him as well. Unfortunately, sex had never been a priority in her life. She’d tried it a few times but found it unsatisfactory. A few years ago, what little spark of sexuality within her had died. Or so she’d thought until she’d met a certain man with lips that could melt steel and a cock that never quit.

  At the memory, her heart raced and her nipples beaded under her thin blouse, making her doubly glad to be alone in the basement. This underground space housed all of Uncle Fulton’s precious commodities. Its only access came via a locked elevator and the guarded stairway Quinn had recently taken. She could rest easy down here, protected from intrusion.

  She swallowed the annoying disappointment that continued to rise anytime she thought about not seeing Valis Talson. Like I need that trouble again. I have enough on my plate with Keilor.

  She spent the next half hour looking through the evidence and came up with several surprising ideas. They only added to the unease she’d had lately. The problems she’d suspected were worse than she’d thought.

  And speaking of problems… The elevator signaled its approach, and her cousin, Fulton’s son, stepped out. Though he’d been adopted into the clan, his resemblance to her uncle was uncanny. The same narrowed, untrusting eyes, arrogant nose and thin, displeased lips. He might have been Fulton Chart
rell eighty years ago, considering most Otra weren’t considered mature until they hit sixty. Despite his youth at forty-one, her overbearing cousin could hold his own as a walking headache on two legs.

  “Keilor,” she said flatly. “What a surprise.”

  He grinned like a shark eyeing its next meal, and nodded with that touch of haughtiness that never failed to annoy her. “Ah, Rowe. I was hoping to see you today. Working hard, I see.”

  Not even bothering to look at anything but her body, he watched her with a thoroughness that made her more than uncomfortable. He lingered on her breasts and licked his lips, and she quickly moved away from him into the shadows.

  She coughed to hide her nerves. “Yes, well, I’ve managed to locate a piece of the detonation device that caused the malfunction in the shuttle. I’m sure Uncle Fulton will want to see it right away.” She wasn’t sure what to make of her find. But she couldn’t worry about it now, not with Keilor so close. She refrained from giving in to the urge to shudder in his presence.

  He waved aside her concern and took a step toward the section of damaged craft gleaming under the overhead light. “Father’s at a charity function tonight. You know, appearances.” He sneered with disgust. With Keilor, if there was no money to be made, why bother? “So, what have you learned about the bomb?”

  His quiet intensity told her more than she wanted to know. Shit. For days now, evidence had continually pointed in his direction as the man behind his uncle’s attack. But she hadn’t wanted to see it. Keilor Chartrell could be an ass, a pervert and a sneak. But guilty of attemped patricide? Yet the dark intent in his gaze convinced her otherwise.

  And if he really had attempted to kill his father, might he not also be involved in the attacks Val had accused Chartrell of having committed?

  Aware her cousin waited on her answer, she forced a sigh and shrugged. “I wish I could tell you more, but I think the design is Otra in scope.” He’d know she’d recognize the technology. No way to fake her way around that. As a technical expert in the engineering department, Rowe knew her way around ships and their engines. “I’d venture a guess that bomb belonged to the San clan. The design is a bit crude, but heck, they’re known as the barbarians of the outer rims. I could see them throwing something like this together. They’ve never made any bones about how much they hate Uncle Fulton. It fits.”