Alex Wales Read online

  She spread her legs a little wider to invite him in that direction, but he didn’t enter her. Instead, he slid his thumb off her nipple and ran his hand down the middle of her body, leaving behind another line of magical sensations along her skin, until he reached her thighs. He sucked her nipple into his mouth and nibbled on it while pushing his fingers inside her. Two fingers moved in and out of her, leaving her wanting more. He added another one, and she clenched around him, arching her spine so he could access her properly.

  Alex was glad he’d found something to prop her up against, because she couldn’t hold herself up. Too many vibrations warred within her.

  She murmured, lost in sensation. Nothing mattered but the way he made her feel with his mouth, hands, and body. The tiny sparks his fingers delivered tore through her every time he pushed them inside. She felt so good—as if her body was floating. She was going to come again, very soon. His fingers slid in and back out of her so slowly, she thought it might take a while to reach her peak this time. Instead, the added magnetism on his fingertips seemed to draw it out, pulling everything to the surface until she was blinded with it.

  Alex licked her lips. “Oh, Damon.”

  He didn’t stop. His fingers were deep inside her. His tongue had abandoned her nipple and was now in her mouth.

  She felt as if she was going to explode into a thousand tiny particles of pleasure if he continued this very sensuous, but languid, touch.

  “I want to pleasure you over and over again,” Damon whispered along her skin. He dipped his tongue into her mouth. “I’ve wanted you since the moment we met.”

  Alex screamed when another orgasm tore through her like a violent, pleasurable attack—his fingers moving inside her, and the words and admissions driving her insane. As she came, letting the pleasure of it flow through her body like a warm rush, Damon finally entered her. The action only added to the intensity of what he’d done to her.

  He took a step forward and gripped her butt so tight, she wondered if she’d be bruised when they were done.

  I don’t care. It’ll be worth it!

  He set a rhythm, which turned out to be the complete opposite of his touch. The calmness had been abandoned, replaced by a crazed fervor which increased with his every thrust.

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist you any longer,” he whispered, those green eyes never leaving hers. “I had to have you, had to get inside you. I couldn’t take it, anymore…”

  She couldn’t speak and instead wrapped her arms around his shoulders, enjoying every time he drilled so deep into her that she felt it in her core.

  Wow. He’s amazing.

  Damon was just what she needed.

  Alex rocked her hips against his, rubbing herself against him and meeting him halfway. She couldn’t stop the gasps and whimpers escaping between her lips, and it made his smile widen. The sensation mounted to a fever pitch, and the only magic going on in this room right now was from their raw act of intense sex.

  When she surrendered to ecstasy again, they shuddered together. He moaned and she echoed it, but something she’d never felt before happened. As they shared their mutual orgasm, she felt an amazing stirring deep inside her, and it shook her to the bone—sending a multitude of sparks racing inside her.

  “Do you feel the magic flowing between us?”

  She held on tighter to his shoulders, her mouth open, because she couldn’t keep the groaning under control. It felt like an overflowing orgasm refusing to end, even though the physical friction between their bodies was spent.

  “Alex, that’s my magic touching yours,” he whispered in her ear, before shuddering all over again. “It’s spilling into you.”

  She couldn’t speak, nod, or wonder if he meant it as a euphemism.

  For the first time since they’d met, Alex couldn’t deny she felt something that couldn’t be explained away with lust and sex.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ulric stood under the shade of the trees below the room Alex was staying in. He could hear the familiar sounds of sex spilling from the window. His mind filled with the many times his hands, tongue, or cock had been the reason for her crying out that way, but she wasn’t calling out his name this time.

  As much as he wanted to charge into the room and yank the other man off her—so he could shred the prick to bits and then consume him—Ulric found he couldn’t do more than claw his fingers against the wall.

  Every bit of strength he’d possessed—and ultimately exerted—since he got here was slowly fading.

  He fell on his ass, not caring about the dirt, rocks, and bark scratching his naked flesh. Right now, all he could think about was rest. Without the light of the moon on his back, he didn’t seem to have any real sense of motivation or hunger.

  I’m so tired. I just want to sleep.

  Still, he couldn’t shake his distraught and anger toward the woman he loved. How could she have looked at him like he was an odious beast? How could she take his admission of love and spit in his face as if he didn’t matter? Was this her intention from the moment she’d left his room on Anteris, to forget about him by fucking other guys? He knew for a fact that she hadn’t been sexually involved with anyone for a while. He’d made sure his spies found out. So, what had changed?

  His heart ached. He had to do something about turning this pitiful reaction around. He was Ulric Cale, the owner of the Anteris Space Station. The man who could have as many chicks as he wanted, and all he had to do was wink to get their attention.

  The one time he let himself take someone seriously, she betrayed him.

  Ulric rested the back of his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

  Defeated, he let darkness smooth away the sunny glare of the day, but not before he heard the undeniable sounds of mutual climax filtering out of the window.

  Alex, you’re going to pay for this.

  Chapter Twenty

  “So, tell me about this,” Damon said, dangling the leather cord of the choker above her face.

  Alex stretched her arms over her head, unable to shake the memory or the sensations their sexual connection roused along her body. Even now, every time she moved, she could feel a twinge of pleasure tease between her legs and echo in her lower abdomen. The sheet slid down her front to reveal her breasts.

  “Well?”

  Her attempt at distraction didn’t work, but she didn’t cover herself. “Do you still feel the…uh…? I’m not sure how to ask the question.” How could she put it, without sounding like an idiot? Do you still feel an echo of your orgasm? That definitely sounded stupid.

  He pulled the choker into his palm and engulfed it. “Yes, I still feel the residuals teasing me, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve never felt this before, so I don’t know how long it’ll last.”

  “Do you know what it is?” She bit her bottom lip, curious to hear how he’d attempt to explain it. She might not believe in magical powers, but when they’d climaxed at the same time, something strange had definitely flowed between them. It reminded her of when she temporarily felt his heartbeat and rage in the gardens.

  “It’s because our magic is finally joined.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  The ghost of a grin teased the edges of his mouth. “Okay, the energy building up between us when we…ah…” His voice trailed off, and he licked his lips. “Before, we were just attracted to each other, but now, the inner vitality drawing us together has connected. We’ll probably be able to feel an echo of each other’s moods.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He smiled. “More explosive orgasms for both of us, I suppose.”

  “Oh, I can definitely live with that type of magic.”

  Damon nodded. He’d made his way over to the other side of the bed and was now sitting beside her. He was still naked as well, so she tried to keep her gaze off his groin area, which was difficult when she still felt the buzz of what they’d done to each other at daybreak.

  “Now, tell me about t
his key of yours.”

  She took a quick breath and released it. Avoiding his eyes, she turned to look out the window. The sun was setting already, and she couldn’t help but feel a chill sweep through her. Even though the room was warm and Damon sat so close, a sense of foreboding washed through her.

  As much as sex with Damon had numbed her body to everything else, her mind was still filled with things that didn’t make sense—some of which she wanted to stay in denial about.

  If Ulric had managed to get into this room once already, what would stop him from doing it, again? Did he know she was with another man right now? She couldn’t help but wonder how he would react if he did. No, I know exactly how he’d react. He wouldn’t like it at all. Ulric had seemed so focused on his admission of love, to the point of obsession.

  There’s nothing I can do about it. At least she’d slept for most of the day without having to deal with any of this.

  “Look, Alex. I know this was found near the dead bodies for a reason. I don’t want to push you, but I need to find out what’s going on.”

  She glared at Damon. He misunderstood her silence, but his sudden pushiness still irked her. “Is it because you’re starting to doubt me as well?” She toyed with the new bandage around her hand. The skin was starting to itch underneath.

  “No, that’s not it. But—”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, because I have no idea how it got there.” Okay, so that was a blatant lie, but it wouldn’t make it any better if she said: Oh, yeah, Damon. I think one of my former lovers stowed away on my ship to surprise me, because I left my lucky necklace behind. While he was at it, he somehow managed to turn himself into a beast thing. Why don’t we meet with your Priestess and discuss it? That would not go over well.

  “Okay, fine. You don’t know how it got there, so why don’t you start by telling me what it is?” His green eyes were shiny, curious but not angry.

  “It’s a key.”

  Damon shook his head, setting his dreadlocks on a frantic dance around his face. “Yes, it is, but what is it for?”

  “It opens something, of course—”

  He moved before she registered what he was doing. With his face inches from hers and his eyes glowing like matching jewels, he stood over her. She hadn’t seen this hard edge to him before. He sighed—in obvious frustration—and dumped the choker on her chest. It slid between her breasts and stopped at her stomach.

  “If you want to keep playing games, that’s fine. Unless I know some truths, I won’t be able to help you when Elroy moves on the attack,” he finally said.

  His sudden anger burned beneath her skin. How did he go from calm to this so quickly? She’d obviously underestimated him. “He can’t prove anything. He didn’t even see…”

  “He didn’t see what?”

  Alex shook her head. She grabbed the bronze key and held it in her hand. It now fit inside her palm, not like the night Louis first gave it to her. Her life had changed so much since then.

  Five years after taking over the ownership of Promise, she’d spent a lot of credits to have a new security system installed on the ship. While she was there, the technician had suggested she also change the locks to get in and out of the ship. She’d agreed but left the original warded lock this key fit into on the outer hatch. It would always remind her of where she came from and provided a way to get inside if the electronics malfunctioned. Even though she’d also, eventually, upgraded the ignition, this key could still be used as a backup if the automatic controls on the dash failed.

  A lot of good it did when I was passing this stupid planet. Of course, that’s because she’d forgotten it.

  “Look, I’m sorry. You’re right.” She might not have to go into all the nitty-gritty details about Ulric, but she did want Damon to know about the key she valued as much as her ship. “This used to be the key to my ship.”

  He cocked an eyebrow and sat down on the bed, his back pressed against the pillows. “Used to be?”

  She tried for a chuckle, but it came out a little wrong. “Yeah, the ship belonged to my father. My ship’s name is Promise, and my father gave it to me when I was just a kid. I won’t bore you with the family troubles that led to a kid running away from a planet she despised, but I will tell you it means the world to me.”

  “So, your father gave you the key?”

  She nodded, tracing her fingers over the uneven scrawl of her name. “It was his way of helping me find freedom.”

  “That’s interesting.” Damon rubbed his chin.

  “What is?”

  “You told me neither one of your parents were magic users.”

  “That’s because they weren’t.”

  “Yet, I can read some sort of magical impression on this key,” he said with a frown. “Which leads me to believe…you probably inherited your magic from your father.”

  She shook her head. After what they’d shared and experienced together, as well as the healing he’d performed, she didn’t want to get back on this topic. “I would’ve known if my father could do freaky things like healing. I lived with him most of my life.”

  “Where did you live?”

  “We mostly lived on the ship, but we travelled all over the place. Why, does it make a difference?” She stared him in the eye, daring him to answer with some ridiculous claim. If my father could do any sort of magic, he would have told me. He wouldn’t have hesitated to use it to keep her away from her mother’s clutches. I’m sure of it. “Are you telling me magic can only be used in certain places within the galaxy?”

  He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know about that. I’ve never been anywhere else but here.”

  “That’s right. No one ever leaves this planet or has any way of contacting anyone outside it. Yet, your Priestess knew when I crashed. Did you ever find out why?” With every new detail she found out, Alex’s suspicion of Aleena grew. Just what was that woman hiding?

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he focused on her chest.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He rubbed his fingers up and down her arm. “I’m just trying to understand why your presence makes me question everything.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  He sat up, leaned over toward the end of the bed, and handed her a thin book.

  She read the title and said, “Priestess & Goddess. What’s this about?” Alex looked up and found him staring at her.

  “After you asked me which deity Aleena worshipped, you got me thinking.”

  “You bought this to answer your question?” She leafed through it quickly. It was nothing more than a children’s reference story with pretty pictures and flowery text in a flowing font. She hadn’t seen an actual book outside of her ship for a while. She had about a dozen stashed away in Promise but hardly saw anyone else handle something that wasn’t electronic, anymore.

  “I borrowed it from our library,” he said with a shrug.

  “A kid’s story isn’t going to answer your questions.”

  “It’s the only book I could find mentioning the terms Goddess and Priestess.”

  She raised an eyebrow. Maybe Aleena didn’t want any of them to know the truth, but what could the truth be? It had to be something pretty important for her to do such a petty thing as control their library. “Did it help you, or did it confuse the issue?”

  “Everything’s been confusing since you arrived.” His fingertips were causing havoc inside her body. Almost as if his touch was reigniting everything still rushing around within her. How long would the aftereffects last?

  She didn’t know what to say. Instead, she tried another question, one that might piss him off even more. “I don’t want to offend you, but there’s something I’ve been wondering about since I entered your village.”

  He laughed. “You’ve called me a liar since the moment we met, because I believe in using the arcane. You’ve accused our leader of keeping things from us, and refuse to answer a direct question…now you’re worried about offending me? J
ust ask your question, Alex.”

  “Okay, then. Why don’t you look like everyone else?” As soon as she blurted it out, she felt like a total idiot and held her breath. Did she sound prejudiced?

  Damon’s eyes looked a little sad. “Your question doesn’t offend me, but I don’t know the reason. I never thought it to be important before, but I think it might have something to do with my use of magic.”

  She stopped herself from rolling her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him. Instead, she said, “Wait a second.” Alex jumped off the bed and headed for her bag. She quickly grabbed the photo tucked into the front and rummaged inside until she found a few energy bars and two bottles of water. She carried everything back to the bed and threw one of the bars at Damon before rolling one of the bottles along the bed until it hit his thigh.

  He caught the bar but ignored the water. “What’s this?”

  “It’s a VEB.”

  “Which is?” He inspected the foil wrapper suspiciously.

  “It’s a vitamin and energy bar.” She shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have arranged for food to be—”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just take a look at this. It’s a picture of my father and me. I was about ten when this was taken.” As soon as he took it, she split open the packaging and scarfed down most of the energy bar in less than a minute. Then, she washed it down with the water. That’s better.

  Damon scanned the photo with curious eyes. “You were a cute kid.”

  Now, she rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not why I’m showing you. Look at my father’s skin, at his hair, at his eyes…”

  He lifted the photo a little closer. “He has darker skin than you and green eyes, so you must take after your mother. It looks like you got his curly, dark hair, though.”