A Touch of Lilly (2 page)

“
Several.
If that’s your wish,” the Ickbata clicked, moving closer.
One of his soft appendages snaked along her thigh-high boot. “If
your body was sexy, press me against it?” It was the contact
males craved when they were near her. She consciously dialed back her
energy. Some innocent flirting and couple of drinks would solidify
her image as a streetwalker in the eyes of the patrons, but there was
no sense leading the alien some place she didn’t intend to take
him.

Lazily,
he trailed a three-jointed appendage down her arm. The flesh of the
limb rippled and the Ickbata’s jade eyes glazed as the heat of
sexual need coursed through him. He leaned in close, the soft warmth
of his snout brushing her cheek. “Two cocks for me. Happiness
for you,” he whispered. The skin below his deep navel swelled.

Damn.
This was the first Ickbata she’d encountered on Garalon
Five and the male’s instant response to her proximity took her
by surprise. Normally, tamping down her energy was enough to keep any
male’s lascivious thoughts in check. “Thanks for the
offer, but how about we just share a couple of drinks and see where
that takes us.” She wrapped her hand around the appendages
snaking their way into her hair and firmly guided them back to the
black lacquered surface of the bar.

Undeterred,
the Ickbata’s gaze dropped to their joined hands, skittered to
her plentiful cleavage before settling on her mouth. He inhaled
deeply, absorbing her presence with all of his senses. “I think
out we should go. Very happy we make us.” A lower appendage
moved higher to caress her inner thigh while a third one snaked
around her back to roll discreetly over her breast. “Just a
faster copulation.” His rough tongue darted out to rasp along
the shell of her ear and she worked not to recoil at the intimate
contact.

“
Extra
credits for two
tsk nok
,” he purred.

She
had no idea what that meant and Lilly had no intention of finding
out. She hadn’t planned on attracting any of the locals when
she’d entered the tavern. But short of kicking the Ickbata in
the proverbial balls—which wouldn’t fit her
working
girl
cover—it looked like she was going to have to escort
the horny male out of the tavern before ditching him in the busy
streets. “Let me just finish—”

“
Hey,
Babe.”

The
brawny arms hauling her from the Ickbata’s grasp took Lilly by
surprise. But that action was nothing compared to the crush of one
set of very soft, very male and very
human
lips pressing
urgently against hers. Lilly opened her mouth to protest and her cry
was silenced by a velvet tongue sweeping in to tangle with hers and
flood her mouth with the man’s sweet taste. Fighting the urge
to melt against the hard wall of muscle jammed against her breasts
became an impossible feat. The heat of human contact overwhelmed her
senses and buckled her knees. Only his strong embrace kept Lilly on
her feet.

The
man’s mouth broke from hers and she nearly groaned at the loss.

“
She’s
waiting on me, buddy. Sorry if you thought she was available.”

Lilly
ripped her gaze from the chestnut eyes staring down at her, and
looked back at the Ickbata. Thankfully, with all contact broken, the
alien had once again regained control over his senses and no doubt
regretted his very public sexual display. “
Ghec tung dksk.
”

The
Ickbata’s words didn’t translate, but the spittle flying
with his indignation required no interpretation. Wrapping his four
appendages tightly around the swollen flesh of his abdomen, the alien
deflated in size and slinked away, melting into the crowd on the
dance floor.

The
human released her and Lilly fell clumsily back onto the stool.

“
No
thanks necessary.” The man shrugged absently and signaled the
bartender. “Shot of gall’s blood and a Regent’s
ale, heavy on the brenic.”

Even
through her haze of confusion, Lilly understood this man believed she
couldn’t take care of herself. “What?”

He
smiled at her, a rogue dimple framing the right side of those full
lips that only moments ago had wreaked havoc on her common sense.
“It’s what I do.” His assessing gaze traveled down
her neck, stuttering at her heaving chest before continuing its
journey over the tiny black skirt to the tops of her boots. “No
working woman should have to put up with unwanted advances.”
Like fingers lazily roaming over her skin, his gaze dragged hotly
back to her face, leaving a sparking trail of awareness in its wake.
“That leather alien obviously wasn’t taking no for an
answer.”

He
was right of course, but it pissed her off he’d pulled the
macho-hero routine and was now gloating about it. “Maybe
because I hadn’t given it.” Her annoyance over
extricating herself from the alien switched to anger at this man’s
arrogance and Lilly let the emotion roll through her. If he thought
she was a prostitute, she could play the part. “You idiot.
You’ve completely ruined my chance of making a boatload of
credits.” She slugged back a good portion of her ale. “Why
is it that all you chivalrous types think you can come charging in to
play the white knight even when the damsel
isn’t
in
distress?”

He
tipped his head to the side and shrugged. No doubt, it was his
Neanderthal form of an apology. But the man’s sexy half smile
and dimple couldn’t quite hide his amusement. “Because,
m’ lady, ’tis the noble thing to do.” He captured
her hand and feathered his lips across her knuckles. “These are
dangerous times.”

Energy
flowed from her and for a moment, panic gripped Lilly at the
unexpected release. With her emotions jumping, she had less control
over the current snapping over her synapses. But really, this
situation was his fault. He’d touched her first. Granted, the
guy had come to her rescue and she hated to admit that his timing
couldn’t have been better. Still, it was irritating he hadn’t
allowed her the opportunity to save herself.

He
leaned into her, his stubbled cheek against hers, his lips a whisper
from her ear. “There’s no need to thank me.” Her
breasts pressed into his biceps and she felt the heat of current
surge once again. But now, it was her own libido causing the flux. “I
was
more
than happy to come to your rescue.”

He
dropped her hand and turned back to the bar.

She
stared at him, confusion binding her tongue. No male, human or
otherwise, had ever broken contact with her first. Lilly stared at
her hands. She tingled with the heat of her power, her body
temperature rising with the endorphins pulsing through her blood.
With her desire this high, there was no doubt the fool working to
blow her off had an iron will—and an ego the size of
California. She wasn’t sure what pissed her off more, the fact
he could ignore the lust pumping through his body, when every muscle
of hers was thrumming with need or that he thought she couldn’t
take care of herself. If six months alone in deep space hadn’t
given her skills, then her training back on earth would have been
sufficient to keep her safe.

“
Like
I said, I didn’t need rescuing.” She threw back the rest
of the ale and slammed the stein down on the bar. “The Ickbata
and I were just discussing terms.”

The
bartender set down the human’s drinks and walked away. The man
tipped back the shot of gall’s blood, not even wincing as the
acidic liquor slammed into his gut. “And what, besides a swift
kick to his reproductive organs, were you trying to negotiate?”

Oh,
ouch, right on target.

“
I’ll
have you know that male was ready to drop some serious credits.”

Seemingly
unfazed, he took a long pull of the ale. “From where I was
standing by the door it looked like you could use a little help.”
He shrugged again, a motion that was beginning to annoy. “Sorry
if I misinterpreted.”

“
Well
you did.” Her anger erupted and energy snapped unseen around
them. “And now I’d like to know how you’re going to
make it up to me.”

“
Perhaps
I can buy you another drink?”

“
A
drink?” Her hand came down on the bar, brushing his forearm,
releasing another flare of current. So what if a little of her energy
burned through his veins and revved his engines, leaving him panting
and hungry. At this point she didn’t care. It would serve him
right for being so self-righteous and a little full of himself. Lilly
mustered up all the indignation of the whore she was trying to
portray. “You think a drink is in the same league as what I was
negotiating with the Ickbata?”

The
bartender set down another Regent’s ale with a wink and an air
kiss at Lilly from one of the heads. “This one’s on me,”
he chirped. It seemed everyone except the human was feeling the
effects of her power surge.

The
man arched a brow at the two headed Xerick behind the bar and smiled
as the male reluctantly turned back to another customer. “Looks
like you could have your choice of clients at this point.”

Lilly
couldn’t believe what was happening, or more accurately, what
wasn’t
happening with the human. She narrowed her eyes
and studied the man, wondering if he had some other motive for being
here. His dark complexion and sexy-as-hell day-old scruff weren’t
memorable. But the faint trace of a scar running from his brow to his
upper lip certainly were. Lilly didn’t recognize him as any of
the bounty hunters on the circuit. In the last three months she’d
become very aware of her competition.

Besides,
it had taken three weeks of intense investigation on Reigis Alpha and
another two days scoping out joints here on Garalon Five before she’d
figured out her next move. There was no way in hell this guy could be
another bounty hunter who’d managed to follow the same path
looking for the same outlaw—all while remaining hidden. His
appearance here had to be coincidental. Still, there was the issue of
his ability to ignore her sexual aura. That part completely threw
Lilly off her game.

“
Are
you seriously telling me that at this moment you’re not
interested in having sex with me?” She lowered her voice. “Or
are you worried you just can’t compete with the Ickbata’s
sexual prowess?”

He
laughed, a warm sound that shot heat through her blood. “If
you’re referring to their dicks, I’ve heard rumors they
have no idea what to do with them.” He drained his ale in one
long gulp, swiping his hand across his mouth as he turned. His eyes
locked on hers, the humor of a moment ago replaced by a hard-edged
spark of lust. “I, on the other hand, have never had any
complaints about how I use mine.”

She
swallowed hard, her tongue unable to form words. She wasn’t
sure why she’d doubted her effect on the human, but as her body
thrummed with the energy coursing through her, she wanted everything
his dangerous look promised. “I—”

He
hauled her from the stool and unceremoniously pulled her against his
chest. The hard lines of his jaw clenched with some emotion she
couldn’t identify. “Fine. You want to play this through?
Then let’s.” He brought his mouth down on hers, hard and
demanding.

She
grabbed his shirt for support, her energy flooding into his system.
Guilt and sadness clashed within her over the sudden release. It’s
not how she wanted to attract a man, but at times like this—when
her own emotions and desires took over—Lilly had no way to stop
the flux.

His
tongue swept her lips and she opened for him, a low growl of desire
vibrating in his chest, fueling her own need. She hadn’t been
with a man since the incident on Earth over six months ago. What harm
would it do if her feminine charms had coaxed him into a quick little
sexual romp that could satisfy both their elevated libidos? And in
her current role, this guy might just feed both her empty wallet and
her desperate need for human contact.

Her
fingers tangled in the caramel curls of silky hair at the nape of his
neck, pulling him tighter. He changed the angle, the soft heat of his
tongue brushing against hers. His hand dragged up her thigh, over her
belly and stopped just below her breast. He broke the kiss, his heavy
breath hot on her skin.

He
scanned the tavern as if surprised he’d let his libido take him
so far. “How about we take this party somewhere private?”

Yes.
Even with their limited contact, her body was demanding more. One
drawback of bonding someone with her energy was the backlash it had
on her own need. Lust surging, Lilly wouldn’t be able to ease
her sexual hunger until her orgasm broke the link she’d created
to the man. Desperation and caution warred within her. Being human
didn’t guarantee this man wouldn’t harm her. But she
needed this human contact as badly as she needed to collect some
credits. She nodded, allowing him to lead her by the elbow through
the growing crowd of the tavern.

Lilly
snuck a peek at her timepiece. Though she hadn’t intended on
leaving the tavern, there were still a couple of hours left to enjoy
herself before her proverbial spaceship docked.

* * * *

Dallas
Sawyer all but pushed the spunky blonde through the crowd. If she was
a prostitute he was the archangel Gabriel come to save her ass.
Yeah,
and snowball fights were a daily occurrence in hell.
Which was
exactly where Dallas was headed if he acted on the lust clouding his
judgment. He should be protecting her, not thinking about a sexual
conquest.