leaned
down to Elisa and kissed her.
His mouth landed half on her cheek, half on the corner of
her lips. His lips were hot, strong, sensual. Braden let the kiss linger,
fingers tracing circles on her back.
He eased his mouth away. His breath touched the moisture his
kiss had left before Braden brushed the moisture away with his thumb.
“Goodbye, Elisa,” he said, voice low. “My beautiful
librarian.”
His eyes were still very blue, the look in them empty.
Elisa touched his hand. “Thank you, Braden. For everything.”
As she stepped away to enter the car, which a chauffeur very
properly opened for her, she remembered Judith’s warning. It’s going to be
rough.
It would be, Elisa thought as the car slid away. She looked
through the rear window at the solid upright that was Braden, and something
tightened inside her. The road ahead was going to be very rough indeed.
* * * * *
Braden watched the hovercar turn the corner, out of sight,
and he felt a hole burn into his chest.
Damn it. Damn it all to hell.
He wanted her. And Braden couldn’t have her. He’d likely
never see her again.
This was different from the usual might-have-been sexual
encounter, not that Braden’s life had contained many of those. Usually he got
whatever woman he wanted, because they wanted him —wanted Shareem—even
before they met him.
This was Elisa, who was fair-minded, sweet, smart and
celibate. Off limits. Fantasy was the closest he could ever come.
Not having her was going to hurt for a long, long time.
While Braden stood eating the dust of the hovercar, a human
man walked past him and into the bar. The bar was closed for the night, but the
guy walked on in like he knew he’d be welcome.
His name was Mitch, and he was an off-world pilot who
stopped by to see Judith whenever he landed on Bor Narga. Braden wasn’t sure
from which world Mitch hailed, and Mitch never enlightened them. He was tall
with light brown hair and amazing green eyes, which made him stand out, even
from the exotic Shareem.
Braden and his friends liked Mitch, though, because he
didn’t view Shareem as animals or less than human or any of that shit. Mitch
regarded them as rivals for Judith’s attention, which was true.
“Well, look what the sandstorm blew in,” Judith said, hand
on one hip. “Sorry, darling, there’s no more ale. I’ve shut down the pumps for
the night.”
“Not what I came for.” Mitch caught Judith as she walked by
and pulled her to him for a long kiss.
A nice kiss. Braden leaned on the doorframe and watched,
feeling a tug of envy. Everyone was pairing off tonight…or tripling-off, in the
case of Aiden, Ky and Brianne.
Was tripling-off even a word? His librarian would
know.
Judith came up for air and smiled at Mitch in a way she’d
never smiled at any of the Shareem. “Nice to see you, babe,” she said. “Braden,
you’re still here?”
“Waiting to offer my services as a third.”
Mitch gave Braden a smile, not an unfriendly one. “Sorry,
Braden. I fly solo. Come back tomorrow and we’ll catch up.”
“Right. You two kids have fun.” Braden patted the doorframe,
shoved himself off and walked away.
Alone.
Damn it.
No, not quite alone. Someone dogged his tracks through the
now-busy streets, and wasn’t being very subtle about it.
Patroller? It was past Shareem curfew—not that Shareem
cared, but getting caught meant spending the rest of the night in a cell. A
transparent-walled cell full of cameras, and watching patrollers meant no hope
of jerking off. Shareem had some pride.
Braden stepped silently into the shadow of the next doorway.
Whoever it was walked too heavily to be a female patroller, but sometimes they
employed males for routine duty.
A man stopped alongside the shadowed doorway, but it wasn’t
a patroller. He was seven feet tall and heavily muscled—a Shareem—but Braden
had no idea who he was.
That couldn’t be right. Braden knew every Shareem on the
planet.
“Braden, right?” a
down to Elisa and kissed her.
His mouth landed half on her cheek, half on the corner of
her lips. His lips were hot, strong, sensual. Braden let the kiss linger,
fingers tracing circles on her back.
He eased his mouth away. His breath touched the moisture his
kiss had left before Braden brushed the moisture away with his thumb.
“Goodbye, Elisa,” he said, voice low. “My beautiful
librarian.”
His eyes were still very blue, the look in them empty.
Elisa touched his hand. “Thank you, Braden. For everything.”
As she stepped away to enter the car, which a chauffeur very
properly opened for her, she remembered Judith’s warning. It’s going to be
rough.
It would be, Elisa thought as the car slid away. She looked
through the rear window at the solid upright that was Braden, and something
tightened inside her. The road ahead was going to be very rough indeed.
* * * * *
Braden watched the hovercar turn the corner, out of sight,
and he felt a hole burn into his chest.
Damn it. Damn it all to hell.
He wanted her. And Braden couldn’t have her. He’d likely
never see her again.
This was different from the usual might-have-been sexual
encounter, not that Braden’s life had contained many of those. Usually he got
whatever woman he wanted, because they wanted him —wanted Shareem—even
before they met him.
This was Elisa, who was fair-minded, sweet, smart and
celibate. Off limits. Fantasy was the closest he could ever come.
Not having her was going to hurt for a long, long time.
While Braden stood eating the dust of the hovercar, a human
man walked past him and into the bar. The bar was closed for the night, but the
guy walked on in like he knew he’d be welcome.
His name was Mitch, and he was an off-world pilot who
stopped by to see Judith whenever he landed on Bor Narga. Braden wasn’t sure
from which world Mitch hailed, and Mitch never enlightened them. He was tall
with light brown hair and amazing green eyes, which made him stand out, even
from the exotic Shareem.
Braden and his friends liked Mitch, though, because he
didn’t view Shareem as animals or less than human or any of that shit. Mitch
regarded them as rivals for Judith’s attention, which was true.
“Well, look what the sandstorm blew in,” Judith said, hand
on one hip. “Sorry, darling, there’s no more ale. I’ve shut down the pumps for
the night.”
“Not what I came for.” Mitch caught Judith as she walked by
and pulled her to him for a long kiss.
A nice kiss. Braden leaned on the doorframe and watched,
feeling a tug of envy. Everyone was pairing off tonight…or tripling-off, in the
case of Aiden, Ky and Brianne.
Was tripling-off even a word? His librarian would
know.
Judith came up for air and smiled at Mitch in a way she’d
never smiled at any of the Shareem. “Nice to see you, babe,” she said. “Braden,
you’re still here?”
“Waiting to offer my services as a third.”
Mitch gave Braden a smile, not an unfriendly one. “Sorry,
Braden. I fly solo. Come back tomorrow and we’ll catch up.”
“Right. You two kids have fun.” Braden patted the doorframe,
shoved himself off and walked away.
Alone.
Damn it.
No, not quite alone. Someone dogged his tracks through the
now-busy streets, and wasn’t being very subtle about it.
Patroller? It was past Shareem curfew—not that Shareem
cared, but getting caught meant spending the rest of the night in a cell. A
transparent-walled cell full of cameras, and watching patrollers meant no hope
of jerking off. Shareem had some pride.
Braden stepped silently into the shadow of the next doorway.
Whoever it was walked too heavily to be a female patroller, but sometimes they
employed males for routine duty.
A man stopped alongside the shadowed doorway, but it wasn’t
a patroller. He was seven feet tall and heavily muscled—a Shareem—but Braden
had no idea who he was.
That couldn’t be right. Braden knew every Shareem on the
planet.
“Braden, right?” a
Similar Books
