where she had responded to his dare to bite him. Darcy had the pleasure of seeing him stiffen. He turned and his eyes heated with a carnal gaze she’d learned to appreciate last night.
“You’re right. You were every bit the animal you accused me of being. I’m...impressed.”
The pause spoke volumes. Darcy flushed. If she reflected too long on the things she’d done last night, her face would be in flames all day.
“Perhaps it’s better not to visit the medic today. I think I want to hold on a little longer to the memories your marks engender.”
His words were not said kindly.
***
Avoiding the medic would enable Nikol to hide his indiscretion with the Earth woman longer. Crox would report to Lothar immediately that Nikol had sex shared with her. The marks themselves weren’t much to mention. Marenian males were known to be rough with their bed partners and their females were built to handle their brute strength. Unless one crossed the line as Lothar often did by implementing sexual tools of pain in the bedroom.
It would stand to reason that the human with her smaller stature would suffer bruising to some extent after he rode her hard.
But the placement of the marks he’d left on Darcy’s body revealed the level of possessiveness he felt toward her. Each bite was a declaration, a warning for others to stay away.
He’d made a mistake. A critical one. If Lothar indeed had sent her, Nikol had fallen cock first into their trap.
No, there’d be no medic treatment for either of them. Nikol offered her a mocking bow. “Until later, astéri.”
A star whose light shone so bright he was sure she’d burn him alive if she managed to catch him. He strode into the cleansing room attached to his sleeping space and shut the door firmly. On the other side, Nikol collapsed against the wall and released a shaky breath. Hopefully, she would be gone and returned to her own alcove when he came out.
Last night he’d lowered his guard and given release to his true self. That wasn’t supposed to happen. How had he let an Earth woman dig her claws into him? Figuratively and literally. He clenched his teeth in frustration. The timing of her arrival in his life couldn’t be worse. She represented more danger to him than he needed to deal with under his current circumstances.
Early this morning, he’d received an urgent notice on his private secured comm from Lothar stating his presence was required to navigate the sale on a cargo of weapons for two groups on Antila Lothar favored. He had to leave in a week. Refusal wasn’t an option.
The urgent ding of the comm was why he’d had time to wake and then observe Darcy sleeping. She was beautiful but last night had showed him more. She was stubborn. Defiant. Her fighting spirit amusing as she tried to gain the upper hand during their sex sharing by taking the top. Each time, Nikol had flipped her back and she’d laughed. It was a lighthearted sound he wasn’t used to hearing in his bed space.
He shook his head and pushed off the wall. At least leaving under Lothar’s orders would give him the necessary cover to meet with his contacts. It was time to set the next phase in motion for the downfall of his father. It would also give him significant space away from his astéri.
Removing his pants, Nikol stepped beneath the spray of soapy water in the enclosure and washed quickly. The combined sex smell of him and the Earth woman saturated the air in seconds, the scent rising in the midst of the steaming water. His cock flexed against his thigh and the strength of his arousal caused him to drop his head forward on a ragged groan. Water soaked his hair in clumps, the thick strands clinging to his shoulders.
Nikol banged a fist on the fabricated wall and muttered a harsh curse. This had to stop. He grabbed his cock and squeezed hard enough to cause even him to wince. Nikol set his resolve and closed off every delicious memory battering at his mind until ice flowed through his veins.
Shuddering in relief, he let his cock go, pleased at its flaccid state. He would not be controlled by his sexual desires.
***
Darcy showered in her private alcove after Nikol’s rude dismissal. She dressed in a shellam of deep orange covered in large blossoms made of red thread and had to admit to herself that she was getting