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  LemAN frowned. It didn’t make sense for the Morins to not attack what they considered a less-advanced race, though the Balar people had their own defenses. “Send us the last known coordinates that you tracked the Morins to and we will investigate.”

  “Yes, well, I will do that—after our banquet this evening.”

  LemAN narrowed his eyes at the male. “What banquet?”

  “We never got a chance to thank your people for helping us while we were under attack. It took a few weeks to get everything cleaned up but now we are ready to celebrate our victory.”

  “A party?” Teagan asked, perking up.

  Toro—that bastard—knew exactly what he was doing. “A banquet is not necessary. Just send us the coordinates.”

  “But, LemAN…don’t you think your crew deserves to have a little time off this bucket of rust? I know I do.” Teagan pouted.

  He should refuse her. He had to; it was an unnecessary risk. What was that she was doing with her eyes? It pulled at something in his chest. Say no and end this.

  “Please, LemAN…say yes.” She touched his arm.

  “Yes.” What in Kitana had he just agreed to?

  She beamed at him and then turned to speak with Toro. “What time is the banquet?”

  Toro smiled smugly as if he knew LemAN would cave to Teagan. “At twenty hundred this evening, but if you come at eighteen thirty I will provide you with a room and clothes to wear to the event.”

  “I don’t have anything else to wear so that sounds awesome! Doesn’t that sound awesome, LemAn?”

  No, it did not! “We shall be there at eighteen thirty.”

  Toro smiled fondly at Teagan. “I am looking forward to it.”

  “The coordinates, send them to me,” LemAN snapped.

  “Right, they are being sent now. See you this evening.” Toro ended communications.

  “Oh boy, I can’t wait!” Teagan left the command bridge and he found himself following after her.

  “Miss White, I need to speak to you about your bursting in on the command bridge!”

  “Why are you yelling at me?”

  She turned to look up at him and he was reminded once more how small she was compared to him. He was six feet six inches and she couldn’t be more than five feet one inch, if that. Several warriors passed by and looked at them. He took her elbow and walked her farther down the hall until they reached a supply closet. He opened the door and pulled her inside.

  “What are you doing?” She didn’t sound scared, only curious.

  “I don’t want witnesses.”

  “To what? Are you planning to take advantage of me?” she teased.

  No one teased him. He was well respected by his warriors. He had experience and knowledge. Even the Primes deferred to his judgment at times.

  “You burst onto my command bridge and questioned me in front of my crew. No one does that.”

  “Oh…I didn’t think about it that way. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry?” Some of his anger deflated at her earnestness. She wasn’t a warrior and wasn’t familiar with protocol. He couldn’t hold his anger at her. How did she do this to him? She was definitely dangerous if only a small word from her could affect him like this.

  She stepped toward him and touched his face. “I didn’t think about how it would look in front of your crew. I sometimes act before thinking things out and I’m sorry if I embarrassed you or questioned your authority somehow.”

  It would be so much easier to keep his distance from her if he could remain angry. Goddess help him for this weakness in him. He cleared his throat. “You can’t do that again.”

  She nodded, stepping closer. “I promise I’ll call you on the comm link thingy next time.”

  “That would be best.” His body was reacting to the closeness of hers. She was short but her body seemed to align to his perfectly. Images of them naked on a bed with her beneath him raced through his head. He had to leave or he would take her here and now. She had other ideas.

  “I wanted to ask you something but…I can’t seem to think of it now.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his.

  “Perhaps you can contact me later, when you think of it…over the comm link.”

  She leaned up and nibbled on his chin. “Or…we could spend more time together, alone, and it will probably come to me eventually.”

  More time with her? He didn’t even realize he had moved his hands to her hips and was pulling her against his arousal. He wanted to feel their naked flesh against each other. He had to end this. Then his thoughts fled his mind when her lips touched his.

  She was tentative, unsure, and that made him feel protective of her. He bent down to give her more access and opened his mouth. The moment their tongues met, he could swear that the room spun and he saw stars. He leaned against the wall, grateful it helped hold him up.

  The taste of her sweet lips was temptation he couldn’t refute. He had to have her, have more of her. He lifted her up and turned them so that her back was against the wall. Pressing his lower half against her, he moved like he was fucking her—something he had been dreaming of since first meeting the stubborn female.

  “LemAN,” she moaned into his mouth.

  Hearing his name on her lips nearly undid him. He quickly took her straps from her shoulder and lowered them so he could reach inside. She had underclothing on: a little white piece of fabric that he wanted to explore more later. Right now he needed to touch her. He moved his hand past the thin fabric and sought her little nub of nerves.

  “Oh…oh my God,” she moaned, arching her hips closer to him.

  Inserting a finger inside her, he noticed how tight she was. He moved deeper inside, adding another finger. Her inner walls vibrated with need and he sought the inner bundle of nerves he had heard about. Once he found it, he massaged her with each stroke. He knew when she was getting close to her release when he felt the small crescents of her nails in his shoulders through his clothes.

  “Fuck yes!”

  It was the most beautiful sight to see her find her release. He felt her coating him with her juices, and he pulled his hand out, raising it to his lips and sucking his fingers. He closed his eyes at the scent and taste of her, surprised at how addicting it was.

  Goddess, how he wanted this female. He wanted to take her back to his quarters and kiss and touch every inch of her. He wanted to make her his so that no other male would dare try to take her from him. Make her his mate.

  That last thought was like a bucket of cold water being dumped on his head. He couldn’t take her as a mate. He would never have another mate again. Not after LoraLI. He held Teagan’s shoulders and moved away from her.

  “That should not have happened.”

  “What?” She looked up at him, dazed and with a satisfied look on her face. Her overalls hung low on her hips, threatening to fall completely off.

  He moved farther away and went to the door. “Come, I’ll make sure you make it back to your quarters.”

  She came out of the closet and shoved past him. “I don’t need your help, asshole!”

  “What did you call me?” He was stunned and a little turned on by her attitude.

  “Sorry—Commander Asshole! I’ll see you at the docking bay when it’s time to leave.” She stormed off and he could do nothing but stare at her ass as it swayed back and forth. Now that he’d had a taste of her, he would never forget.

  What have I done?

  Chapter 3

  “What the hell just happened?” She stormed inside her quarters and closed and locked the door behind her. What was wrong with her that she kept making LemAN push her away?

  There were times when he looked at her with heat and desire that made her melt on the spot. Then he would suddenly turn away and the heat was gone, replaced with disgust. Today he kissed her. Granted, she kissed him first but he definitely kissed her back. She’d felt his hard dick pressing against her. If they had been naked he would have been inside her.<
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  She shivered at the excitement that filled her at the thought of him fucking her right there in the closet. It was sexy and naughty. Never had any man made her forget where she was, not like LemAN. Her mind would shut down, letting her body rule her actions. One kiss and she was his for the taking. Unfortunately, he wasn’t taking what she was offering.

  Teagan picked up her pillow and threw it across the small room. She felt foolish for caving in to his touches and kisses. LemAN touched her and she lit up like fireworks. It wasn’t the first time he’d touched her. There were times in the past few weeks when they’d bumped into each other and his hands always lingered on her like he hated to let her go. This was the first time they had kissed, though, and it did not disappoint her.

  Her first thought when he pulled away from her was that he had someone else, a mate waiting on him. Jealousy was not something she usually experienced but the thought of LemAN belonging to another woman had her reeling. She’d asked one of his lieutenants who, despite being uncomfortable with talking about his commander, said that LemAN wasn’t mated any longer.

  Now she thought on those words and how strange it was for him to say any longer. That implied that LemAN had been mated before. What happened? Did the woman find her true bond mate and leave him? How did that work, because from everything she’d learned about Katierans, they did not have anything like divorce?

  True bond mates for Katierans were what humans would call soul mates. While traveling from Earth to the Katieran Galaxy, she’d taken culture classes to learn about her new home world, their customs, and beliefs.

  They believed in a mated pair of gods and that the Goddess promised them a true bond mate. Teagan still wasn’t clear on how someone would recognize a bond mate from someone that they fell in love with. Bond mates were once widespread but that hadn’t been the case in many decades. Other differences between humans and Katierans were that they didn’t use birth control. The male would not release his seed inside a female unless he wanted to claim her as a mate. Usually they asked first before doing the claiming. Katierans could mate someone who wasn’t their true bond mate, which many had done so that they could reproduce.

  Mates were like husband and wife. Again she wasn’t completely clear on all their social aspects. What she did know from the culture classes and from observing some bond-mated pairs she had seen recently was that the males never cheated on their mates. Which still left her confused. If LemAN had a mate, he never would have touched her like he had and never should have allowed her to touch him.

  She wished there was someone she could ask for more information about LemAN, but she should get those answers from him. She was determined to find out. Either he had a mate and that’s why he pushed her away, in which case she would immediately back off. Or he just didn’t want her—period. Fuck! What if it was the latter? It would crush her, but she had to know for sure. She deserved to know where they stood.

  *****

  LemAN went to his quarters and took a cold shower. The water wasn’t cooling him off fast enough. He gripped his cock and pumped quick and hard. Closing his eyes, he imagined Teagan, her sweet face filled with passion, a passion he instilled in her.

  Goddess, she had been so responsive. Faster and faster he squeezed and pumped. He imagined being inside her. Remembering her hot, sweet, tight passage was all he needed and his seed shot out.

  “No!” he groaned with a mixture of relief and disgust. He should not be losing his seed to this female, a female that wasn’t his. He hit his fist against the wall of the shower. Kitana!

  This was unacceptable. He had a mate and lost her, and wasn’t looking for another. He turned off the water and grabbed a towel.

  LoraLI had been his mate of fifteen years. They had both been only eighteen when they mated. She was beautiful with dark hair and dark brown eyes. They fell in love with one another while in their teens and, though she wasn’t a true bond mate, she was the mate he chose. Their relationship wasn’t perfect; there were times when she would be clingy and times he volunteered for missions to get space from her. No matter their problems, they did love each other and wanted nothing more than to have a family of their own.

  They had tried for years to have a young. It was all LoraLI ever wanted and he would have done anything to give that to her. LemAN wanted young as well but he was happy with LoraLI. When they found out she was carrying, it was the second happiest day of his life. The first had been when they had their mating ceremony.

  Carrying their young should have been a true blessing from the Goddess, but shortly after finding out, she began to experience problems. Five months along, the medics pulled him aside and told him that he needed to be prepared that she would lose the young.

  LoraLI was on bed rest in the medic wing and he had left her temporarily to check on a training incident that he was supposed to oversee. He didn’t want to leave her but she insisted. LemAN had only planned to be gone one hour.

  He was called back to the medic wing, but by the time he got there it had been too late. LoraLI had gone into early childbirth and died due to complications. His son, LormAN, lived only two hours. LemAN had held his son as he took his last breath. Standing alone at their burial ceremony, he swore he never wanted to experience that kind of pain again. He would never take another mate or attempt to have a family.

  Five years had passed since he lost his mate and son. Time had not made him forget, but it had eased some of his pain. Now he lived each day to honor their memories by serving his people and protecting them from their enemies. That should be enough for him.

  He grabbed a clean uniform and quickly pulled it on. LemAN was confused over why he felt so shook up by his interactions with the Earth female. He had shared sex with a few females over the last few years when he felt the need, and it never bothered him. They knew his past, that he was seeking comfort but nothing else. Teagan was different somehow and he felt guilty at how much pleasure he found with her.

  He punched the wall a little too hard in an attempt to get his mind off Teagan. She had consumed his thoughts, waking and while asleep. Today wasn’t the first time he had relieved himself using her image. This was unacceptable. It went against the promise he’d made himself. He worried that he had betrayed LoraLI’s memory somehow.

  With a throbbing fist he headed back to the command bridge. He would use the pain from his hand to keep his mind off the vexing female. She was enticing, but she was not meant for him. He would never let anyone get close to him again. Some part of him roared back in protest at the thought of never getting to claim the feisty female.

  Determined to not let his emotions rule him, he pushed his feelings aside and put his mind on what he needed to do before tonight’s banquet.

  *****

  Thirty-five minutes past six

  LemAN had hoped that the female was not coming. She was five minutes late and he figured he would wait one more minute before heading out. His back was turned when he heard her call out. He sighed with acceptance.

  “Sorry I’m late!”

  He turned to face her. She was wearing her usual overalls with a pink T-shirt underneath, her hair up in a ponytail. There might be other females who were considered more attractive but he couldn’t name any of them. There was something about her natural beauty and her genuine excitement for life that appealed to him. It made him want to protect her from all the bad things that could happen to her in life, but that wasn’t realistic.

  “After you.” He waited for her to climb on board.

  “Where’s the pilot?”

  “I will pilot the shuttle myself.”

  She looked back at him in surprise. “I don’t understand.”

  He moved to the pilot’s seat and motioned for her to sit in the copilot’s spot. “I have my warriors doing perimeter checks ensuring the safety of the transport and of the planet below.”

  “Toro has his own warriors I’m sure are set up for security.”

  “Whether he does or not, these ar
e my people and I won’t trust their safety to someone else.”

  He expected her to argue or defend the Balar leader but as he glanced over at her, her attention was already on the control panel. He noticed that about Teagan; often either her attention quickly wavered from one thing to another or she became super focused on one project she worked on.

  “What’s this for?” She reached toward a blue dial.

  “Self-detonator that will blow the shuttle up.”

  She yanked her hand back. “What?”

  He chuckled. “It’s actually the release of the connectors that hold the shuttle to the docking bay.”

  She punched him lightly on the arm. “That is just cruel.”

  He laughed, barely feeling the punch at all. “You can press it.”

  “Really?” She leaned forward and pressed the button. “So the connectors hook onto the shuttles from underneath when they dock?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can I take a look at the shuttle underneath? Do you have some kind of lifter that raises it up to have work done? I would love to get my hands on the engines on this baby.”

  She was talking really fast and he had to pay attention to catch everything she said. “There are connectors that attach to the top of the shuttle that raise it up so work can be done. I do not think it is wise for you to touch one of our shuttles.”

  She pouted, which was adorable with her lips like that. It made him want to kiss her. He kept his eyes on the monitors in front of him and entered the coordinates for the Balar landing area. The shuttle slowly left the docking bay and went out into space. Her sweet scent filled the shuttle and he was grateful it wouldn’t take them long to reach the planet’s surface.

  “What does this do?”

  He looked over and saw she was tapping the little meter. “It’s an oxygen meter. It tells whether oxygen is at the appropriate levels.”

  “And this?”

  “Communicator that will automatically reach out to the nearest transport.”

  She got a gleam in her eyes and pressed the communicator.