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“You can stay if you want,” he said, his meaning crystal clear.
My eyes flicked towards his bed while a bolt of lust exploded in the pit of my stomach. I licked my lips nervously before glancing back at him. A part of me wanted to just take my robe off to signal my consent. But the other was shouting for me to get the fuck out asap.
Keran tilted his head to the side as he studied my face with a bit of confusion. “It seems you overthink or overcomplicate things, Dawn,” he said gently, echoing my thoughts from earlier. “I can smell your arousal. You want me like I want you. We’re both adults and unattached. And yet, you’re denying yourself.”
So he is indeed single!
Even if I held no delusion of a potential committed relationship with him, I would never be anyone’s side piece. Still, my tongue had turned into lead. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear while inwardly shouting at my brain to get its shit together so that I could respond one way or the other.
Keran closing the distance between us, a serious expression on his face, took that option away from me. My pulse cranked up another notch when he cupped my face with both of his massive hands. The incredibly gentle way in which he touched me had my skin tingling and my nipples hardening.
My heart skipped a beat, and my lips parted in anticipation when he leaned forward. I instinctively placed my palms on his broad chest, his skin incredibly soft over the firm muscles beneath.
“I do not want a hesitant woman,” Keran whispered, his mouth a hair’s breadth from mine. “The day you come to my bed, you will be all in, or not at all.”
It wasn’t until he straightened without ever kissing me that my brain finally registered what he’d just said. To my dismay, Keran brushed his thumb over my lips, dropped his hands, and took a couple of steps away from me.
“Good night, Dawn. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Without waiting for my response, he walked back to his laptop. Still standing in front of the desk, he browsed through the messages he had received. Feeling utterly dismissed—which I truly had been this time—I walked out of his room in a daze.
Annoyed with myself, I trudged back to my room, battling the urge to return to his and convince him to utterly wreck me. I doubted he’d believe all my hesitations had faded away. The prospect of running back to him only to be kicked out was more than my self-esteem could handle.
Dejected, I crawled into bed and spent the next eternity tossing and turning, while my girly bits called me every name under the sun for depriving us of some desperately needed attention. I’d been celibate for so long, Keran would probably need a jackhammer to break through the fossilized cobwebs I had down there.
Grunting in annoyance, I tried to find release by my own hand, Keran’s face floating before my mind’s eye as I rubbed my clit. But I failed to achieve any true gratification. I eventually gave up in frustration and chased after an ever-elusive sleep.
Chapter 8
Dawn
Distant, clanking noises tugged at my consciousness. My efforts to ignore them failed, pulling me out of the warm cocoon wrapped around me. It took me a moment to realize some external battle sounds had pierced through my slumber.
Panicked, I jerked my head towards the large glass doors to my private patio then jumped out of bed. No other sounds emanated from the shelter. The alarm system had not gone off, and the discrete control panel on the wall by the door showed no signs of intruder or other problem.
Pressing myself against the door frame, I carefully lifted the occluding shades to peer outside. My jaw dropped at the sight of Keran, Tagar, and Nowik engaged in a fierce battle in the empty paddock. I flicked the switch to fully open the shades to get a better view of the amazing spectacle. Wearing no more than the tightest black shorts I’d ever seen and barefoot, the three males appeared to be attempting to murder each other. Or rather, the two guards had joined forces against their Prince.
Under different circumstances, I would have reached for my blaster and shot the guards. But I knew at a visceral level that this was their savage version of sparring. Although he had a blaster hooked to his weapons belt, Keran was only using a long sword and protecting himself with an energy shield deployed from his armband.
Tearing myself away from the window, I grabbed my robe, slipped it on, and went to stand outside on the balcony for a better view. However, I had no sooner stepped out than the sound of an approaching shuttle reclaimed my attention. Baffled, I glanced at my alarm clock. As suspected, it was merely a few minutes after 7:30. While everyone knew me to be an early bird, I hadn’t expected any visits today. Looking back outside, I squinted, trying to guess who could be coming at such an early hour.
At first, the glare of the early-morning sun on the hull made it impossible to properly see. Once the ship began its descent, I recognized it as belonging to Jaek.
What the fuck is he doing here?
I hurried inside the hygiene room to wash the sleep off my face, brush my teeth, and quickly get dressed. I rushed outside to find Jaek having already landed. He was slowly walking towards the paddock, his good eye glued to the live action on display before him. I hastened to his side.
Where I could barely stand Vintor, I always enjoyed Jaek’s company. Unlike most hybrid males, he tended to be quiet and introspective. The terrible trauma and savage abuse he had endured at the hands of pureblood children during his youth had no doubt played a large role in shaping his demeanor, which people often mistook for a cold and distant personality.
Jaek was a teddy bear. More than once, I’d considered dating him. Over the years, he’d not hidden his affection for me. With the impending shutdown of the shelter, the thought of parting from him if I left to find work elsewhere had clawed at me. I wasn’t in love with him. And yet, I genuinely believed we could fall head over heels for each other if I allowed it.
Although tall, he wasn’t as bulky and muscular as the others, but still imposing compared to humans. He kept his hair longer than most Braxians. A part of me suspected that it was to hide some of the burn marks that marred his skin. As a child, bullies from his clans had beaten him to within an inch of his life before throwing hot coals at his face. He had turned it just in time so that only the right side had been struck. He’d lost an eye, part of his ear, and sustained extensive burns from his temple down to his nape, right above his shoulder blades. From the abuse, he’d also kept a permanent limp.
He’d been left for dead by his tormentors. One of the female servants had found him and taken pity. With the aid of other slaves—who had known and liked his mother—she kept him hidden, healing him to the best of their ability. A trader had smuggled him off planet. He was never told what it had cost the slaves and servants who had saved him.
Even though his scars didn’t bother or repulse me, I always stood on his left. Jaek didn’t act self-conscious about his disfigurement, but he was blind on the right. Standing on his good side was basic courtesy.
“Truly impressive, aren’t they?” Jaek said as sole greeting. He had an amazing voice, deep and soothing.
