“Jetutians,” he said, face unreadable, but his brows drew together.“An enemy of ours.We were in their territory.”
“Oh,” Beks said quietly, knowing nothing of the politics of aliens.At least she now knew that Lihvan hadn’t been planning to sell them off to the highest bidder.That had just been a product of her overactive—and paranoid—imagination.
Lihvan studied her for a brief moment and then grunted, releasing her from his grasp.“We must find shelter.Before the sun falls.It is dangerous out in the open.”
Dangerous? Beks wondered, gulping.She looked around the clearing where they’d landed.The planet had a dark landscape, full of sharp ragged rocks and dark forests made of what looked like black, shiny vines, as opposed to trees.In the distance, a yowling, warbling sound made the hairs on her arms stand on end and she unconsciously stepped closer to Lihvan.
“What was that?” she asked, her voice sharp as fear skittered up her spine.
“What we need to avoid,” Lihvan said.He bent over to crush something in the pod—perhaps a tracking device of some kind?—and even though Beks’ number one priority was getting away from this area, the sight of Lihvan’s backsidestillmanaged to draw her gaze.“Although its meat is very tender.”
“You…you’veeatenwhatever that was?” she asked, incredulous.
He jerked his head in an affirmative nod she’d come to recognize.“Tev.”
Which Beks had deduced meant ‘yes.’And since she didn’t really want to know the specifics of that story, she tugged on his bicep a little, wanting to leave and yet marveling at the smooth hard muscle she encountered.Yeah, her mind was all over the place.
“Let’s go,” she said quietly, her gaze flickering around the clearing.There was also a strange, sulfur-like smell emanating from the soil that she wanted to get away from.She was a city girl through and through and she wasn’t apologetic about it.She’d gladly take cracked, weathered concrete to grass any day.
Lihvan pulled her into pace beside him as they left the pod behind, but Beks only made it a few steps off the soil when she hissed.The path of the direction they were headed in, towards a range of mountains—or at least whatlookedlike mountains—was covered in tiny pebbles as sharp as shards of glass.Not only did they lacerate her bare feet, but they werescorchinghot.
Her big, towering alien cursed in his language and immediately swung her up into his arms, peering down to check her feet.His expression was one of anguish, as if he’d done something unimaginable horrible and for a moment, Beks forgot the pain, so taken aback by his intense reaction.
“I am sorry,luxiva,” he murmured, his voice gruff, his surprisingly gentle fingertips brushing off some of the stray pebbles, so carefully, like she was made of glass.“I am sorry.”
“You didn’t know,” she murmured, her gaze never leaving his face.That weird emotion, that same one when he’d embraced her right before those aliens had taken them, returned in full force.It clogged her throat and she forced herself to look away from him, trying to stop that emotion from progressing into anything else, something inevitable.She cleared her throat, suddenly shy.“Is there another way we can go?”
Lihvan shook his head.“I will carry you.”
“But—”
“I can move more quickly than you would be able to,” he said and even though a part of her bristled at his implication, she knew he was probably right.She would only slow them down if she had to carefully monitor every step she took and her feet would be useless by the end of their journey.
Beks nodded and Lihvan set off, towards the thick vine forest.Shifting her body to get a better grip, she heard him sharply inhale when she twined her arms around his neck.She caught his gaze on her, that intense, broody look making her shy again, but she looked away, towards the direction they were headed.
Silently, they made their way through the roughened path.The moment that Lihvan shouldered aside the veil of vines and let them fall closed behind them, it grew so quiet that it was almost eerie.It was like the vines absorbed sound.What was even better was that inside the forest, the heat receded slightly, cooled by the shadows.She could breathe again.
Thick light filtered through and Beks had noticed that the sun on the planet had already begun to set.How long would it be before it was completely pitch black?And more importantly, would they find shelter before then?
Her body vibrated with every step that Lihvan took and when she slipped down where he tightly cradled her against his abdomen, she felt the unmistakeable shape of his cock.And it was hard.Very hard.
Beks cleared her throat and she almost jumped at how loud it sounded.Barely above a whisper, she asked, “Have you been to this planet before?”
Planet.She almost shook her head in disbelief.She’d said planet so nonchalantly, like she was asking him if he’d ever been to a particular restaurant in town.It was her new normal, this strange new life she’d found herself in where planets and sexy aliens existed.
His eyes were scanning the vines all around them very carefully, as if he was watching for something.Remembering his skill, remembering how easily he’d dispatched the other aliens they’d encountered with a slash of those deadly claws that clutched her to him so gently, she wondered where he’d learned to fight.Was he a soldier of some kind on his planet?
“Tev,” he said just as quietly, answering her question.His massive feet, covered in a soft leather material, crunched on the razor pebbles, but it didn’t sound as loud as Beks thought it should.“I have been here once before.”
“Why?Is it common to travel to other planets?”
“For a hunt,” he replied.“It was for…sport,” he finally said, testing the English word in his mouth.His accent was thick but Beks liked his voice, liked how deep and guttural it was.She wondered what he sounded like waking from a deep sleep and a shiver raced through her.
His gaze drew down to her again, as if he was helpless not to, before he returned to scanning their surroundings.
“You were hunting that animal we heard earlier?”
“Animal?” he repeated, brow furrowed.“More like a beast.I hope not to encounter it while we are here.”
