A Touch of Lilly Read online

  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.

  When he’d first seen the woman with the long-snouted Ickbata, his radar had honed in on the thing’s appendages giving her a thorough pat down. He wasn’t jealous exactly, but it certainly was a kick in the gut to see the only human female within a hundred-click radius being mauled by an alien.

  He lied when he’d told her he thought she was trying to get away from the thing. On the contrary, she’d looked like she could take care of herself and then some. Though Dallas wasn’t sure what the woman had planned for the male, he’d stepped in just to remind her she was human. Then she’d turned on the working woman thing and his pride had gotten the better of him and he’d backed off. He didn’t want her to want him as a client—he wanted her panting and hot because he—a red-blooded human man—had turned her on.

  Then she’d seemed downright insulted at his feigned lack of interest. She was a definite enigma, and if he had the time, Dallas wouldn’t mind discovering the mystery surrounding this beautiful creature.

  But he didn’t really have the time.

  Tonight was supposed to be about business, not sexual conquests. At the moment though, with all blood in his brain migrating south, it seemed his dick had other priorities.

  He maneuvered them through the growing throng of the tavern figuring he could enjoy a quick romp and get the human as far from this place as he could before all hell rained down.

  “I don’t even know your name,” she said.

  “My friends call me Sawyer. You can call me Dallas.”

  “Like the planet? Dallas Eight?”

  “No the city.” He pulled open the door and motioned her onto the street.

  The woman scrunched her face in that cute habit she had. Maybe she’d never been to Earth. It wasn’t so farfetched. Since the first wave of humans left Earth nearly sixty years ago, hoping to find uninhabited planets to ease Earth’s overcrowding, they’d managed to reproduce on all dozen planets in the Nebulae Galaxy. Dallas knew there were at least two generations of humans on Reigis Alpha who had never set foot on their planet of origin.

  “As in Texas?” she asked.

  He stopped short just outside the tavern. “You know Earth?”

  Even in the blue wash of the unnatural lights lining the bustling street he could see the color flooding her cheeks. “I’m human, aren’t I?” She planted her hands on her hips.

  Yep, he’d screwed that up. The color
was indignation, not embarrassment. “So you say, but even a Braugtot without training and a little makeup can impersonate a human.” He put his hand on her back, guiding her down the brick walk. “And a history-rom can download Earth memories faster than an Ickbata can wrap you in four appendages and—”

  Whipping around in front of him, she curled her hand around the back of his neck. Before he could protest, she pulled him down against her hungry mouth. She bit his bottom lip then sipped it into her mouth, laving the tender spot with her tongue. Her leg slid up his thigh and she ground her pubic bone against his hardening dick. Dallas had been wrapped up in the mission plans for over eighteen Earth months. Thoughts of recreation had been left behind nearly a year ago with the flowers at President Orch’s grave on Canus Delta.

  But as this very hot woman took possession of both his mouth and common sense, guiding his hand along the silken skin of her thigh and urging it under the hem of her skirt to her bare ass cheek, all thoughts of the QAL objective were lost. What was left of any logic got carried away with the blood rushing to his groin. There was only lust and heat and a human woman dry humping him in public. It had been so damn long since Dallas had allowed himself even one moment of pleasure. Cold, hard guilt had been the only thing keeping him company at night.

  Here, in the lull before the storm of duty hit, he could lose himself in all her sweet softness. Of its own accord, his free hand smoothed up her torso and molded around her ample breast, the nipple beading beneath his palm. He barely registered the honking horns of luna crystal cabs or the appreciative whistles of the life forms forced to move around them.

  She pulled from the kiss and dropped her thigh, but kept her body pressed to his. “That ought to prove I’m not some Braugtot in drag. And since you’re obviously interested,” she pressed her stomach against his erection, “why don’t we find that private party spot?”

  Training had his gaze sweeping the street. Nothing seemed out of place. Not that he expected there to be. They were still a day away from the Hij’Rozhod’s arrival. The QAL may not know what he looked like or even what species he was, but there was no doubt their intel was right. The assassin, who’s title translated to “Mist of Death”, got his name not only from his uncanny ability to take out presidents and prime ministers beneath the watchful eyes of their security detail, but to escape without leaving any trace of his existence. Save for the trail of fourteen bodies left in his or her wake over the last four years, no one knew anything about the murderer. With the human ambassador’s inauguration in less than a week, QAL had no doubt the traitor was planning a move. If Hij’Rozhod didn’t change his MO, Dallas and his team were banking on it happening at the actual ceremony, in front of billions of inhabitants. If everything came together they’d have someone on the inside by then.

  “Hey, Earth to Dallas.” She laid her palm on his chest. “Where are you?”

  He smiled down at her. Damn she was beautiful. All that blonde hair falling in kinky little waves over the fur coat and flimsy top. A top that barely contained her breasts with their tight little nipples. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was as horny as him. But of course he was only projecting. She was faking her desire as obviously as the working woman persona. Whatever. He’d play this out as far as she’d let him.

  “I was just looking for the perfect secluded spot,” Dallas lied. “I think I know somewhere three doors down.” This time, with his hand curved possessively around her hip, he guided her through the crowded sidewalk. He hadn’t needed to search for a quiet place to take her. Dallas had committed to memory every business, every side street and every back alley within a five-block radius of the tavern. If Hij’Rozhod tried to find a hiding place, they’d hunt him down like a pack of hungry jackals. Because at the moment that’s how Dallas felt—jumpy and ready to kill.

  At the next corner, Dallas turned right down a small street. The crowd thinned considerably. The blackened windows of the abandoned store fronts along this street reflected the blurred images of the two of them as they moved quickly. The woman’s hand had snaked into the back pocket of his jeans, and even through the material the heat of it seared into his skin. Damn, he needed this.

  Another quick left and he was guiding her down a back alley where nothing moved save for the velgir rodents scurrying for scraps of food. They sidestepped a Ka’al, passed out against the back of another abandoned building. Except for the deep hue of red skin and their extreme size, the Ka’al were the closest thing to human in the Nebulae Galaxy. Formidable-looking for sure, but Dallas knew they were dangerous only when provoked.

  “Don’t worry about him,” Dallas said as he felt a shudder shimmy down her back. “They’ve got more brawn than brains, and from the smell of that one, it appears he’s gone and drowned himself in gall’s blood.” He turned her in his arms to face him and pressed her back into the alcove of a doorway, his hands resting on the cold stone of the door frame on either side of her head. “I’d like to finish what we started in the street.” His gaze searched her face for any indication she wanted out of this liaison. But even in the shadows of the alleyway he could see the desire darkening her eyes. Maybe she wasn’t faking it after all.

  “You didn’t ask,” she whispered.

  “I don’t care how much.” His mouth came down on hers, feathering across the velvet heat of her lips. As much as his cock was urging him to plunge ahead at a reckless speed, Dallas had every intention of moving slowly and savoring this woman.

  She pulled back and looked up at him. “My name. You didn’t ask my name.”

  Cradling her chin in his palm, Dallas brushed his thumb over her lips. She pressed her mouth against the pad and sucked it into her wet heat. His cock jumped. “What’s your name?”

  “Lilly.”

  “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” He pushed aside the collar of her coat and brought his mouth down on her jumping pulse point, tasting the sweetness of her skin. She inhaled deeply, arching her back, which both exposed her neck and pressed her breasts into his chest. A low groan rumbled in his throat as his hand dropped to squeeze and reshape the flesh, the fullness overflowing his palm. Damn, he loved a woman with curves and it seemed Lilly had that and more. He undid a couple of buttons of her shirt and slid his hand beneath the satin of her bra. Her skin was hot and soft, and the nipple already hard. Dallas didn’t bother to undo the bra. Instead, he lifted her breast from the confines of the material and let the bra act as a shelf to display her creamy flesh. He bent and sucked the beaded nipple into his mouth, alternately nipping and licking it until Lilly was writhing against his body.

  Lilly slid her hands under the tails of his shirt, her long nails raking up his stomach and around his back, pulling him tighter to her body. Once again her leg slid up his thigh as she rolled her hips and ground against his aching erection.

  “Dallas, I don’t want it slow.” The hot words spilled over his cheek before she pulled his earlobe through her teeth. “I want it hard and dirty, right here. Right now.” Her hand snaked between their bodies and she palmed him, squeezing with just enough pressure to shoot horny sparks of current zinging around his balls. She dropped her leg to make room for her other hand between their bodies and made quick work of undoing his belt and the button of his jeans.

  “Jesus, Lilly, you have the most beautiful body.” He lifted the other breast from her bra and pushed the satin mounds together. His tongue flicked from one pebbled point to the other. Her areolas were puckered and he sucked one completely into his mouth, her salty sweetness fueling his hunger. He rolled the other pearled nipple between his thumb and forefinger, loving the hiccupping sounds of her need filling the air.

  Dallas could have lavished her breasts far longer, but she already had his zipper down and was working her hands around his hips. The way she moved he was afraid she would have him coming in her hand before he had a chance to enjoy the rest of her body.

  Kissing his way up her neck, he captured Lilly’s full mouth. Wit
h the sweetness of slow seduction replaced by their greedy lust, he pressed his tongue between her lips and filled her mouth. Her tongue danced with his, circling and retreating, filling his mouth with her honeyed taste.

  Slowly, he dragged his palms down her sides, his thumbs grazing her hard nipples. He went all the way down to the top of her boots and slid back up. Hooking his thumbs under the hem of her leather skirt, Dallas pushed it up as he caressed the silky softness of her thighs. On the street, he thought she had been without panties, but the barest thread of a satin thong curved over her hips.

  Oh hell, yeah.

  Lilly pushed his jeans down over his ass and the heavy belt buckle dropping them to his feet where they hit the bricks with a satisfying thud. One hand traveled the length of his cock, from root to tip and back again, while the other toyed with his balls, rolling and squeezing until he nearly drown in the sensations heating his blood.

  Trying to ignore the pressure building, Dallas lifted her leg back on his hip. He focused on the cool leather of the boot against his skin rather than the heat of Lilly’s hands expertly milking his cock. He cupped her ass cheek, holding her steady while his fingers followed the band of the thong down. His knuckles brushed the velvet skin of her pubic bone and she sighed. The smell of her arousal filled the air around them and he knew she’d soaked through the material before he’d even touched her.

  Dallas cupped his hand around her pubic bone, releasing a groan of satisfaction when he found her cream coating her thighs. Pressing the tip of his finger against her clit, he swallowed her moan of pleasure but didn’t release her mouth. He slid his finger along the lacy edge of the thong and slipped it under the material, tracing a slow path down her satin flesh. The thought of burying himself in her silken heat sent a surge of lust straight to his cock and Lilly’s talented fingers rubbed the resulting pre-cum over the mushroom head.