Stolen and Seduced - Christine Pope Page 0,361

me. I nearly come undone with his simple touch. “I believe you want me, Penny,” Aladar says in a husky voice. “I can give you what you desire.”

“And what could you possibly give me?” My breathing comes out faster as my hips begin to rotate forward and move against the steady rhythm of his hand. Then his other hand travels beneath the shirt Alistar gave me and strokes the nub before caressing my breast. I gasp, trembling against him as I come undone and nearly collapse against his chest.

Aladar chuckles in my ear and licks the side of my neck. “Choose me and find out.” Then he removes his hands and wraps his arms around me, nestling his face against my hair and letting out a deep sigh of contentment while I wait for my body to calm down.

Chapter 8

Several days pass, and I am never allowed to explore the rest of the ship. I’m confined to the room we sleep in. Although Alistar keeps his distance and is hardly ever in the same room I occupy half the time in, Aladar is insistent to remain by my side and toy with me every moment he possibly can. Aladar seems to loosen his grip on being possessive, and I find myself even smiling his way without meaning to. I’m not sure what our relationship standpoint is or how to truly define it. I just know that he doesn’t seem as bad to me now as he did before.

I do manage to learn more about the brothers, but it doesn’t make the ache in my chest go away. The brothers are twins, which I’d gathered based on their appearances when I first saw them. Aladar looks a bit younger and is well-spoken, while Alistar is quieter and more reserved.

“Have you decided yet, my lovely?” Aladar asks as he moves to hover in front of where I sit on his bed. He refuses every night for me to take Alistar’s bed, and even offers to help give me a boost up on the bed without my needing to ask.

“Decided on what?” I ask, flickering my gaze to his brightly colored eyes.

“Who you will choose,” Aladar says, blinking a few times and giving me a coy smile. He leans closer and places a hand on my thinner thigh. My pulse immediately skyrockets, and his smile grows wider, leaving him looking incredibly pleased with the affect his touch has on my body. “The sooner you choose, the sooner I can bestow a gift upon you.” He moves closer to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth, his hand remaining on my thigh.

“A gift?” I whisper against his lips, and he nods.

“Yes. A gift that would make you happy, I am sure.”

I lean back to look at him curiously. “What if the gift doesn’t make me happy?” I arch an eyebrow.

He furrows his eyebrows then gives me a subtle frown. “I had not thought of that. I was sure that you would wish to return home for a time.”

“Home?” My heart hammers in my chest. He is going to take me home if I choose him?

“Yes,” Aladar says and pats my thigh enthusiastically. “After you have chosen me, of course. Your family could always join us here on the ship.”

I stare at him wide-eyed. “Why would you do that?” I blurt out. He knows my family means a lot to me, and I had mentioned my sister briefly to him in passing. Aladar had suggested that perhaps my sister and his brother would be a match made by the heavens.

“They make you happy, and I aim to please,” Aladar says in a soft voice. “But that is only if you choose me. Alistar has a rather…different gift in mind,” he says with distaste.

I frown. “I’m sure I don’t want to know what he has in mind.”

Aladar shakes his head. “No. You do not need to know.”

If Aladar promises to bring my family to the ship or live on Earth, then I suppose it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. At least with my family nearby, everything would be better. It’s not like I have to be stuck at Aladar’s side forever, do I?

“There is also something else you must know.” Aladar says quietly. “But again, only if you chose me would I act this way.” His hand slides toward my inner thigh, and my pulse thrums under his touch as I stare at him.

“What is it?” I ask, sounding a bit breathless