Chapter 2
Corey Nash could go to hell for all Nix cared. Who did he think he was, demanding to talk to her? He wasn’t anything special. Who cared if he had the most appealing red hair, sweet brown eyes, and a dimple that was just plain adorable. He wasn’t as tall as Drastan males, but his body was just as muscular and tight. Unfortunately, she knew way too much about that body. If only she could forget it.
She hated him, didn’t she? She was angry with him all the time, after all. But it hadn’t always been that way. When she first met him, she thought he was adorable and funny. He never gave up, no matter how many times he got knocked down by much larger Drastan warriors. Corey had a will of steel that she admired. She would have liked to have been his friend, and maybe that would have happened, but then she’d screwed up.
Almost a year ago, she had gone out for a few drinks with friends after a long week of training. Somehow, what started out as just an easy night with friends led to her sleeping with Corey Nash. Thinking back on it still made her hurt inside.
*****
Nix had just received a message from an old friend back on Drasta. Her friend Diendela had given birth to her second child. Nix had always been so focused on becoming a warrior that any thoughts of having a family had been the last thing on her agenda. Tonight, though, she found herself feeling lonely and a little envious of her friend’s happiness. Hoping to drown those feelings, she drank a little more than she normally would have.
She’d already had one too many by the time Corey strolled into the lounge area, and she hadn’t been prepared to fight off her attraction to him. He laughed with some of the other warriors drinking. She watched as the other warriors flirted with females that passed them by and the females responded, even flirting with Corey. She was jealous for some reason. She sipped her drink, watching the males talk. When the other males left, she somehow found herself strolling over to his table.
“Can I sit here?”
His answer mostly consisted of staring dazedly at her legs, exposed by the short, skin-tight dress she wore. His eyes slowly rose and then halted at her breasts. “There’s always room for a beautiful woman.”
Her nipples tightened at his perusal. “Thanks.” When she sat down, he finally recognized her and the surprise was evident on his face. She didn’t know whether to laugh or be offended.
“Lieutenant…”
“I’m off duty, call me Nix.”
“Nix, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out of uniform.”
She laughed. “I know, I work too much.” She waved at the waitress to bring another drink. Corey ordered a bottle of what he was currently drinking. She looked at the label and frowned. It was Moonspirit, one of the most concentrated alcoholic drinks known on Drasta. Many a warrior has been knocked out by just a few glasses of this stuff. “How much of this have you had?”
“Just a couple of glasses, it’s really good.”
Maybe it was different for humans; he might be able to handle the alcohol better. Still...it was dangerous to take in too much. “It’s really strong. You should probably switch to something less concentrated.”
“Come on, let go a little, Nix. Have a glass.” He poured one for her and pushed it her way.
Hesitating before picking it up, she said, “Well, maybe just one.”
One glass turned into two, then three. She found herself relaxing, even laughing at some of the stories Corey told about living on Earth. She got so caught up in the conversation she forgot about everyone else around them. It had been a long time since she had let herself enjoy the company of another like that. She didn’t want the night to end.
“Did you really run out naked in front of the whole tribe because of a few mice in your shower?” she asked with a smile on her lips.
He held up his hand. “God’s honest truth and it was not just a few, there had to be at least a hundred of those bastards.”
“What happened?”
“The tribe leader reprimanded me and I had to give a formal apology. The most unexpected result was that I got a few more offers of, uh, a sexual nature from some of the older women in the tribe. One was as old as seventy. I politely told her I wasn’t interested.”
She laughed hard, hard enough to lose her breath. It had been a long time since she had laughed that much. When he smiled or laughed, his dimple grew deeper and she couldn’t seem to look away from him. The lights seemed to dim a little and she became more aware of the slow music playing in the background.
Corey’s eyes darkened as he looked at her. His voice was husky when he said, “Let’s dance.” Standing up, he offered his hand and she took it without thinking twice. She let him lead her out to the dance floor and he took her in his arms.
She should have said no, walked away, never sat down to drink with him to begin with. That was her first mistake. Her second was drinking too much of the Moonspirit. The final mistake had been allowing him to hold her, touch her. Their bodies pressed against each other and their attraction skyrocketed.
Corey was a smartass, funny, protective of his friends, a great warrior in training, and sexy as hell. She had done her best to fight her desire for him, but now, the drinks were making her mind just fuzzy enough for all her inhibitions to fade. When he leaned down and kissed her lips, she couldn’t resist him.
A fire of need spread through her whole body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He kissed her until she was dizzy, though that could have been partly because of the alcohol. He released her lips and moved to whisper in her ear, “Let’s go somewhere more private.”
“Yes,” was all she could get out. Then they’d gone back to her quarters and the things he’d done with his hands and mouth continued to haunt her.
*****
