Torch (Galactic Cage Fighters Book 7) Read online

  “Don’t know yet," Torch said, gritting his teeth with anxiousness. He had to do something special, something different from what Nigel had done. So Isis would know just how much she meant to him.

  “Dancing and dinner is always a good start," Zen offered.

  “That is so typical. You need to do something else. Go to a movie, then you can pull her close and you don’t have to worry about talking," Hammer said, punching a bag.

  Rage snorted, “Just take her back to your bedroom and don’t let her leave for at least twelve hours. By morning she will agree to be your mate.”

  Zen chuckled. “I think he should leave off holding her as a sexual hostage for now." Rage shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a towel to wipe his sweat. Zen continued, “Just think about Isis and make the date fit her, what she likes.”

  Yeah, easier said than done. Torch had never been one to think of other people. In the facilities where he had been locked up most of his life, he learned to take what he could before it was taken from him. He only thought about his survival, and of his brother.

  Having been freed from the facilities, he learned there was a huge world that he was expected to function in. He had to learn to get along with others, which was hard. The only people he had ever trusted was himself and his brother.

  It didn’t help matters that Isis was so reserved. She let very few people get close to her. She had to be the most mysterious female he had ever met. He would have to draw on everything that he did know, which wasn’t much.

  “I’ll think of something.”

  *****

  Isis was nervous. More nervous than she had been when Nigel took her out. She went through her entire closet trying to find something to wear. At first she tried on a pale pink dress, but then she remembered Torch told her to dress casual. So she eliminated anything that was a dress or skirt. She settled on a pair of black jeans and a button up pale yellow blouse.

  She was surprised at how much she was looking forward to spending time with Torch. The times she was around him before she never felt like she had to put on an act. She could be herself around him. She liked that. Her phone rang and she picked it up smiling.

  “Hello?”

  “Isistania?" a familiar male’s voice asked.

  She felt her heart racing. Isis hung up her phone without responding. Oh God no! He couldn’t have found her. Maybe he somehow got her cell number but that didn't mean he knew where she was. Did he?

  Eight months. She had been gone almost eight months with no word or sign from anyone on her home world that her new identity had been discovered. Until now. It was only a matter of time before she found the answer to "why now".

  She had hoped by now Ishop would have moved on with someone else. Her phone started ringing again. It was the same number as before. She blocked it. That wouldn’t stop him or the Council. But it would buy her time to figure out what she should do next.

  She didn’t want to leave the GCFA. She worked too hard on her career and now she had a life and friends. She wasn’t willing to give all of that up. Not now.

  She prepared herself for when that time came but never really thought it would happen. She was an adult and had a right to live her life any way she wanted. If they wanted her back, she would fight them with everything she had. The doorbell to her suite interrupted her thoughts.

  She walked over and opened the door. Torch stood there in a pair of blue jeans and a tight black t-shirt. He gave her a sexy grin.

  “Hi, gorgeous.”

  “Hi." She forced a smile. She was still shaken up by the phone call.

  “Is everything okay?” He dropped his flirty attitude right away.

  “Yeah, just heard from someone in my past that I didn’t want to hear from again,” she told him. Why did she tell him that? She could have just said that she had bad news or something. But the idea of lying to Torch made her feel uncomfortable.

  He straightened and looked at her with a serious expression. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Just help me to forget things tonight, for a little while anyway,” Isis told him.

  “I can do that.” He gave her a warm smile.

  Isis grabbed her purse and walked out into the hallway shutting her door behind her. “So where are we going?”

  He smiled as he led her to the elevator. “It’s a surprise.”

  “A surprise? I’m not sure about surprises. They’re not always pleasant.” Her thoughts flashed to the phone call.

  “You’ll love it,” Torch told her reassuringly.

  As the elevator doors closed, Torch’s cell phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw a text from Zen.

  “Tell her that she looks extremely beautiful this evening."

  Torch growled as he texted his reply.

  “Shut the hell up!"

  He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and looked down at her. “You look beautiful.”

  She smiled big at him. “Thank you.”

  Okay, Zen was right this time. But the interfering male needed to stay out of this. He didn’t need a third wheel texting him throughout his date. Just to be sure, he pulled out his phone and turned it off completely.

  They took the elevator down to the lobby. Torch escorted her out of the main entrance and down the loading ramp of the ship. He had called ahead of time and had a shuttle waiting for them.

  “You really aren’t going to tell me where we’re going?" Isis peered through the window of the shuttle as they moved through the spaceport city.

  “Nope." He moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He couldn’t help but nuzzle her braided hair. Her scent was intoxicating.

  “Are you sniffing me?” She laughed as she pulled back to look up into his eyes.

  He chuckled. “I can’t help it. You smell so damn good.” He needed a taste, just a small one. He leaned down and kissed her softly. He was going to pull back but she reached her hand up to cup his cheek keeping him where she wanted him. She opened to him and he eased inside teasing her. She moaned and pressed closer. It was all the sign he needed.

  He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her deeper. He ground his hips up pressing his hardened member against her bottom. She reciprocated by moving her ass slowly against him. They both were so caught up in the quickly building passion from their kiss that they didn’t notice the shuttle had stopped. The driver tapped the divide between the front and the back startling them. They reluctantly pulled away from each other.

  He leaned his head against her shoulder. “Give me a minute, I’m a little stiff here.” She wiggled once more making him groan. “Damn it, female, you’re killing me.”

  She lifted off him blushing and giggling. “Come on, I want to see where you chose to take me on our first date.”

  They exited the shuttle and Torch pointed to the large arena across from them. Isis looked at him curiously. “Trust me,” he assured her, taking her hand and leading her to the building.

  The moment they stepped inside the building, Isis was wrapped in cool air. She blinked taking in the large rink. “Ice skating?” Her enthusiasm bubbled over.

  “I thought it would make you feel more comfortable to be in a cooler place than most other places you visit every day.” He led her to the counter to get their ice skates.

  “I didn’t know you could ice skate with you being part Voltan,” Isis said with surprise. She kept picturing the ice melting beneath his feet and had to fight not to laugh.

  “I am not good at it, I didn’t grow up anywhere near snow or ice. This could be embarrassing.” He laughed at his own weakness. Isis liked that about him. He didn’t take himself too seriously.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you everything you need to know,” she told him softly.

  Torch quirked an eyebrow up at her. “Really? Everything?”

  She elbowed his chest. “You know what I mean. Come on, let’s go!” She leapt up on her skates completely at ease. She had perfect balance.

  To
rch held onto the bench as he wobbled his way to a standing position. He waved for her to go ahead onto the ice. He paused every few feet and just admired Isis. She was in her element.

  Isis got on the ice and she was off. She hadn’t been skating since before her parents died. She was pleased that she so easily remembered how. She felt the icy wind as she went faster and faster. It was freeing to let herself go and do something fun. It was as close to flying as she could get.

  She did a figure eight then she moved on to more complicated moves. She pulled her leg up behind her with her knee bent at an angle. She held that position going in a straight line then turned it into a spin. It was exhilarating. She looked over and found Torch clutching the wall and getting instructions from a five year old. She laughed at the sight.

  Isis skated over to him and looked at the little girl. “I’ll take over, honey.” She winked at the little girl who skated off expertly. “Ready for your first lesson?”

  Torch tried to shrug nonchalantly, lost his balance, and had to reach out for her to help catch him. “I might be a danger to everyone here,” he grumbled.

  Isis laughed as she pulled him up next to her. “We’ll survive it. I promise. There are really only four steps in learning to ice skate.”

  “So what’s the first step to ice skating?” Torch asked.

  “First, just let yourself relax. You need to stay calm and steady.”

  “Right, relax while standing on thin sharp blades?”

  “I’m here to help you. You’ll be fine,” she reassured him.

  He took some deep breaths. “Okay, relaxed here. Now what?”

  “Second step, start walking slowly around the rink holding onto the wall. Just one-step then the next. One at a time. Don’t rush yourself. Take your time.”

  “I got that second step part down pretty good already. Been walking since I was a toddler.” Torch laughed.

  She smiled as she helped him walk without falling. “Third step, is to make sure to maintain your balance as you let go of the wall. Move slowly, hold your arms out shoulder level, bend your knees slightly and lean forward...not backward. If you lean backwards, your chances of falling backwards will increase.”

  Torch did as she instructed, holding his arms out and bending his knees, moving step by step on the ice. “I feel like I am ready for takeoff.”

  Isis giggled. He did look pretty silly. But she moved in front of him and skated backwards so she could keep her eyes on him. “You’re doing great for your first time.”

  “What’s the last step?” Sweat was forming on his forehead as he concentrated on not falling down. He watched her and how easy she made it look. Damn, she was cute.

  “The last step, is to simply...have fun. You worry so much about falling that you miss half the fun. If you fall, brush it off and get back up. Every time you fall you learn from it and you use that to get better,” Isis said, doing a twirl before turning back to him.

  Torch tried to lower his arms and ended up losing his balance. His arms waved like a propeller. Isis reached out, trying to catch him but they both ended up falling to the ice. They looked at each other and laughed.

  When they sat up Isis looked around the arena at the families, kids, young couples all skating and having a good time. “Why did you bring me to a public skate time?” She knew he could afford to rent the whole place out. Nigel would have done something like that.

  Torch shrugged. “As a halfsie, we’re not always accepted by the species that makes up our DNA. We struggle our whole lives to fit in somewhere, to be just like everyone else, just for a little while. I thought we would be able to do that with a crowd like this.”

  She looked at him with awe. He really got who she was. No one ever had before. She felt her heart opening toward him even more. He winked at her and her pulse quickened. He was hard not to like.

  “Ready to leave? I thought I would take us to get something to eat.” Torch managed to get back up without falling again.

  “I definitely worked up an appetite.” She helped him, letting their hands touch. He was so warm.

  “Great. How do I get off this without breaking my neck?” he asked. Isis laughed as she helped him maneuver to the wall.

  They snuggled and made out on the shuttle ride back to the GCFA ship. Torch took her to the elevator and selected the level to his suite. She didn’t question him about it.

  When they got to his suite, Torch no sooner closed the door behind them when he reached for her. “Are you still hungry?” he asked as he nibbled her neck.

  “I can wait a little while longer on the food. But I can’t wait any longer for you,” Isis told him on a breathy moan.

  “Then...no more waiting.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The flames of passion were burning through her body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head down for a deep kiss. She loved how he kissed her. As if she was everything he had been waiting for. She returned his moves stroke for stroke. He consumed her.

  He didn’t stop kissing her as he lifted her in his arms and she hooked her legs around his waist. Torch carried her to his couch and sat her on the arm. He unbuttoned her shirt and pulled the sides apart revealing her pale blue bra. He released her lips so he could view her.

  “Damn, baby. Look at you.” His eyes were focused on her breasts. He fingered the delicate satin material that blocked what he desired to see the most. With one hard yank he ripped the bra open.

  “Torch! I could have unhooked that.” Isis reached to cover herself with one hand but he wouldn’t let her.

  “It was in my way,” he growled.

  “Well then…” Isis gripped the collar of his t-shirt and pulled hard, ripping his shirt open. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she simply smiled and said, “It was in my way.”

  He fell a little in love with her right then and there. No female had ever desired him this much. It was a major turn on. Torch was on fire for her.

  He cupped her breasts in his hands. She was so soft. Her nipples were pink and pretty. He had to taste them. He lowered his head and sucked one small tip in his mouth. Berries, she tasted like sweet berries. “Mmm…”

  Isis tilted her head back and moaned. “That feels so good, Torch.” She arched her back to give him more. She rubbed his shoulders and back loving the feel of him. He wasn’t as tall or bulky as some of the other fighters, but he was muscled in all the right places. She was small so he still towered over her.

  He pulled back and looked up into her glazed eyes. “Touch your nipples for me.”

  “What?”

  “Touch your nipples with our fingers,” he growled.

  She moved her hands over her breasts and took her nipples in her fingers. They were so sensitive after he had been sucking them. She rarely touched herself like this, and with him watching her it was a little uncomfortable.

  “Now what?” she asked nervously.

  “Cool them,” he said with desire.

  She raised her eyebrow at him. Did she hear him right? “You want me to…”

  “Use your Isian abilities and cool your nipples as cold as you can stand without it being painful,” he growled.

  She pinched herself and allowed her Isian freezing abilities to come forward. She cooled her nipples and they hardened into tight little buds. She watched his eyes darken with desire. She was turned on by how he watched her. It made her feel sexy and feminine.

  “That’s enough.” Torch moved her hands away and lowered his mouth to her nipples again. This time, he used his Voltan abilities to make his mouth and tongue hotter.

  “Torch.” She moaned as the heat of his mouth in combination of the icy coolness of her nipples shot fire throughout her body that went straight to her pussy. “Fuck!” she screamed as the orgasm tore through her just from his suckling her breasts.

  He released her with a pop. “Did you like that?”

  “Oh yes.” She watched him as he unbuttoned her jeans and started to slide them down her short sl
im legs. He knelt on the floor and helped her step out of them. He then slowly pulled her matching panties down her legs. She bit her lip. What would he think of her?

  “You’re hairless here,” he said in awe, lightly rubbing her mound with his fingertips.

  “Isian females don’t have hair there." She was nervous that he would think her too different. Did he prefer hair?

  Sensing her distress, he reassured her, "You are the most beautiful female I have ever laid eyes on. Spread your legs so I can get a better look at you. I can’t wait to be inside of you."

  "Um...about that. I have never been with a man all the way before. This is the farthest that I have ever been,” she confessed.

  Torch stopped everything he was doing and stared at her in stunned silence. He gulped. "Never?"

  She shook her head. He wasn’t saying much, which worried her. She wrapped her arms around her chest. "Look, I would understand if you don't want me..." She gasped when he suddenly stood and lifted her in his arms.

  "Oh, I want you. I have never wanted anyone more than you." He started to carry her across the living room.

  "Where are you going?" Isis looked at him feeling confused.

  "I sure as hell am not taking your innocence on a damn couch." He didn’t bother to turn on the lights as he entered his bedroom. He laid her gently on his bed kissing her, then standing up, he started to remove his clothing. She looked perfect naked on his bed. He planned to keep her that way for a long, long time.

  He slowly walked around the bed, removing his clothes little by little. He loved the way she watched his every move, licking her lips whenever he exposed more of his skin. He couldn’t wait to feel that tongue and her small hands touching him all over. It was all he had been fantasizing about for months.

  *****

  My God, the man was beautiful all over. Isis wanted nothing more than to explore him, taste him. Her nipples hardened and she felt the wetness of her arousal between her thighs. She got up on her hands and knees and crawled over to the edge of the bed.