A Christmas Most Alien Read online

  “Not this time, princess,” he told her.

  Her eyes narrowed, and she pushed against his hold, but he quickly dropped his mouth down to her nipple. He circled the tight nub then took it into his mouth as he let her wrists go. He knew he couldn’t hold her if she didn’t want him to. He cupped her other breast, running his thumb over the hard nub.

  With his free hand, he cupped her mound. The soft hairs covering her pussy brushed against his palm. He knew her clit wasn’t in the same place as that of a human woman. He had a suspicion that her pleasure nub was deep inside her. He slid a finger deep, watching as her eyes widened in surprise. But she didn’t protest or try to move away. He smiled against her nipple as he pushed another finger deep. He searched around, wondering for a moment if he’d been wrong when he came across a raised piece of skin deep inside her. When he rubbed against it with the pads of his fingers, she groaned and tightened around him.

  Uh-huh. Got you.

  He continued to rub while he played with her nipples. She writhed, her whole body moving in a sensuous dance that spoke of her pleasure, her need. Satisfaction filled him that finally, he could bring her to orgasm.

  “Rich! Rich!” she cried out as she came. He eased his fingers out of her passage, caught by surprise as she raised her legs, circling his waist and taking him deep inside her.

  He moaned at the feeling of that warmth around him, caressing him. Her gaze was fierce as she pulled herself up and down his shaft. He cupped her buttocks with his hands, meeting her thrusts with his own until his satisfaction rolled through him. His shout of pleasure mixed with her own as she pulsed around him.

  Then she took his mouth in a kiss that was rough, possessive. But he didn’t care. He was just as rough as he kissed her back, savaging her mouth.

  ***

  Laylla felt pensive and uncertain as she led the way back to their shelter. Not only had she found her release before Rich, but he had brought her to pleasure without being inside her. Males did not do that. But this one had. He had obviously been trained differently from the men of her species. She wasn’t certain she liked it.

  No, she had not liked it. She had really liked it. And that made her even more worried. How would he fit in with the other males? What would the females think? She would have to keep this a secret. It might make him the target of ridicule, and she wouldn’t allow that. He was to be her male and she would take care of him. She paused when they reached the campsite. She should return to the village. Her chest was mostly healed, there was no reason to stay.

  Except tonight was the night of the ceremony, and she had no wish to return for that. The elders might insist she still go through with it even though she intended to claim Rich. She bit her lip, feeling indecisive. It was not something she normally felt. She was used to making quick decisions. She was always confident.

  But she knew she couldn’t take another male to her furs. She might not have known Rich long, but he was hers.

  So, in the end, the decision was easy. They would stay another night.

  ***

  Damn it!

  He’d done it again. Or she had. She’d fucked him until the point of exhaustion. The woman was insatiable. She couldn’t get enough of old Rich and really, who could blame her? But he’d been so tired after that, he’d slept all night again and missed his chance to sneak off. He couldn’t believe it. He never slept more than a few hours at a time and these past two nights he’d slept like the dead only to be woken with her mouth around his cock.

  A fucking awesome orgasm was certainly a good way to start the day but not if you were a prisoner trying to escape. He needed to start thinking with his big head, not the little one. And right now, the little one was calling all the shots.

  He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly as he watched Laylla climb onto the two-headed purple beast. It pranced slightly, but she easily brought it under control with a squeeze of her thighs and a sharply spoken word. His cock stirred. Jesus, hadn’t it had enough? But no, images of him being squeezed between those powerful thighs stirred him up once more.

  Get a grip, man. It’s just sex.

  And Santa Claus was real and going to grant his Christmas wish.

  Which was to go home, of course. Not to stay here. With Laylla. Nope, that was not his Christmas wish at all.

  Soon after she’d sucked him into oblivion this morning, she’d grown serious and retreated into herself. Then she’d started packing up their shelter and loading everything onto that beast. So, they were leaving. Or at least she was.

  He wasn’t going with her, and it was time she realized that. Even if he did feel some regret about leaving her, he couldn’t stay here and he couldn’t take her with him. He had a goal. He had things to do. He wouldn’t have time for a female.

  No, best he leave now, make his way back to his ship and wait for pick-up.

  When she held her hand out to him, he shook his head. Her eyes widened; clearly, she was surprised. “Rich.”

  He took a step back and shook his head. “No,” he told her in her language. So far, he had learnt about half a dozen of her words.

  Then he pointed away from them towards the direction where he thought his ship had crash-landed.

  She just stared at him for a moment then she whipped her hair out and circled his wrists.

  “Damn it, Laylla. I am not putting up with this shit any longer,” he yelled at her. “Let me go.”

  She started to slowly walk the beast forward, and he had no choice but to follow along behind. Like a slave. Or a pet.

  His fury grew at each step. “One day, princess, you will be at my mercy. And then you will regret treating me like this.”

  After an hour or so, she came to a stop. Then she turned to look at him. Her face was cold, shut off, her back straight. She looked like a warrior, a queen. She held out a hand to him.

  “Rich.”

  Not seeing that he had much choice—he refused to spend the entire day walking behind her—he let her pull him up in front of her. She clicked her tongue, and the beast took off, moving at a much faster clip than before.

  “You won’t always get your way,” he told her. “And I am seriously pissed at you.”

  She didn’t answer him, and the rest of the journey continued in stony silence. They only made a few brief stops to drink, eat and stretch before continuing their journey. When the sun was starting to drift down towards the mountains in the distance, Laylla pulled the beast up. They were up high, looking down at a valley below. Smoke drifted up, and he could make out some pale-colored buildings. A stream of water ribboned its way along the outskirts of what looked to be a small village.

  “I guess this is your home?” he asked.

  She clicked her feet against the beast and made her way down the hillside to the buildings. Well, at least she didn’t live in a tent or cave. These buildings were made of a pale stone, and the roofs looked to be woven from some sort of flax-like plant. As she rode closer, someone sent up a shout. People called out to her, and she called back. Seemed like everyone knew her but then that wouldn’t be hard. The entire village was made up of less than fifty buildings, most were small hut-like dwellings. A couple of the buildings were larger, and she came to a stop in front of one of those.

  Three older women stood in front of the building as though waiting for them. Their long hair was gray, their faces wrinkled and deeply bronzed. One of them stepped forward and said something sharp.

  Laylla answered back, her voice softer, as though deferring to the wrinkled woman in front of her. Who was this woman? And why did she seem to be so angry with Laylla? She continued to speak, her voice sharp and harsh. Behind her, the other two women, who looked nearly as old and angry, nodded every so often.

  They might be hunched and ancient-looking, but it seemed like they were in charge. The leader held a large stick in her hand, which she leaned against as she moved forward. Laylla climbed down from her mount then reached for him, pulling him down. He stepped away fr
om her angrily.

  “I could have gotten down myself,” he snapped, straightening his clothes and trying to convince his legs that they didn’t want to collapse beneath him like limp noodles. He’d ridden horses as a child, but never for so long at one time and always with a saddle. His butt felt bruised, his legs were shaking, and he all he wanted was a long, hot bath and a steak. A big, juicy steak.

  His stomach rumbled, and the old woman with the stick turned to him, studying him. She asked Laylla something, and Laylla nodded, but he sensed she was reluctant. The old woman, her gaze sharp and critical, walked around him as though inspecting him.

  Shit. He’d kind of figured they didn’t actually intend to eat him after all. But the way she was staring at him, now he wasn’t so sure.

  He turned as he saw a familiar figure limp towards them. Laylla’s friend. She watched on worriedly.

  Something slapped his ass, and he turned with a growl to the old bat. He pointed at Laylla. “She can do it because it’s foreplay. You don’t get to touch.”

  The old bitch snapped something at Laylla, her voice rising. Laylla spoke back, shaking her head. Then she yelled out something that made a few people gasp. They stared at him then back at Laylla who stood there like a warrior princess, her face fierce, her gaze cold.

  The old bat snapped something, and an argument commenced, then Laylla nodded and stepped away. Two other women reached for him, each clasping hold of his arms and pulling him along. Away from Laylla.

  “Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Laylla! Laylla!” he screamed her name as they dragged him along. He attempted to fight them, but they soon overpowered him, using their hair to bind him before picking him up and carrying him into the largest of the buildings he’d seen. “Laylla!”

  She had to work hard not to react to Rich’s pleas. But she knew hearing him scream her name would haunt her. At least until she had him back in her furs.

  Where he belonged.

  The elders were angry with her for missing the ceremony. She knew they needed to save face by punishing her. Many people looked to her as their leader, despite her youth, and she knew that annoyed the elders. Not arriving in time for the ceremony, it could be seen as an act of defiance. The fact that she’d brought a male and claimed him in front of an audience without consulting the elders first had only made them more furious.

  So, her punishment did not surprise her. But their insistence that Rich be kept in with the unclaimed males while she was being punished did come as a shock and not a welcome one. She knew that it was part of her punishment even though they insisted it was for both their safety. Rich would need care while she was being punished by being sent to work on the wall they were building around their village. One that she had argued should be installed.

  She did not mind the physical labor, but she knew she would spend the whole time worrying about Rich. He did not understand what was happening. He might think she was abandoning him. But she could not show her concern in front of the elders. They might see it as an insult that she didn’t believe Rich would be cared for properly.

  “We are not happy, Laylla,” Elder Torin told her, stamping her stick down. “You were to join with Eion, not a foreign male who does not know our ways.”

  “I know. I apologize for displeasing the elders. If you will excuse me, I will go start work on the wall.” The physical work might keep her mind off her worries about Rich. He didn’t understand the rules. What if he broke them and was punished? The idea did not sit well with her.

  “Wait,” Elder Maren called out. “Sirya said you were injured?”

  She stiffened. “I am fine now.”

  Elder Torin nodded. “Then you are excused. We will take this opportunity to watch your male and ensure he is the right fit for you.”

  Laylla turned. “I have claimed him already.”

  Elder Torin narrowed her gaze. “You are to take over leadership one day, Laylla. You must have the right male to ensure that your offspring are strong and capable.”

  “Rich is a strong male. You saw that. Stronger than Eion.” Eion was a handsome male with fine features, but he was far softer than Rich.

  “We shall see,” Elder Torin said ominously.

  Laylla forced herself to nod and turn away. But she knew that she could allow no one to take Rich from her. He was hers, and if they tried, they would have a fight on their hands.

  Chapter Six

  What the fuck had just happened? Where the hell was he now? Rich looked around in astonishment as the two women carried him into a large building. Once inside, the women let him go. He fell to the ground, but quickly jumped up, backing away from them, even as his gaze darted around the room. It was large and had plenty of light filtering in from the windows set high up on the walls.

  The ground was covered in more of that flax-like plant they’d used for the roof. Plenty of furs were strewn around.

  “Seems like I’ve found the men.”

  Several men lay about on the furs, some sitting and talking, others napping or eating. The room soon went quiet as everyone stopped and stared at him. At least it looked like he wasn’t being sentenced to hard labor. Not if these men were anything to go by. They looked soft. Content. Most of them were older with graying hair and soft, rounded bodies.

  They were naked except for a small skirt that covered their crotch and ass. Barely. Rich swallowed heavily. What the hell had he gotten himself into? And where the fuck was Laylla? How could she let him get separated from her?

  Okay, calm down, Rich.

  Maybe there’s a way to escape from here. At least he wouldn’t have Laylla exhausting him each night by sucking his brains right out of his cock. That’s what it felt like anyway. Each time she wrapped her mouth around his dick, his ability to think of anything beyond his own pleasure disappeared.

  The two women prodded him forward and when he wouldn’t move, they each wrapped a hand around his arm and dragged him.

  “What the fuck! Let me go!”

  “Don’t fight it, man! They always get what they want,” a deep voice called out, using Standard, a language used by many races to facilitate trade. He’d tried using it with Laylla in the hopes that she knew it, but she’d just stared at him blankly. But it seemed that someone here knew it! Thank God! Now he’d actually be able to communicate with these people. He looked over at where the voice had come from, and one of the older men waved at him cheerfully.

  “You speak Standard? How?” he called out.

  “I’ll tell you later, once they’ve cleaned you up. Don’t fight it!” he yelled back as the two women pulled him through an open doorway and into a smaller room. In the middle of the room rested a large bath, but it was like nothing he’d seen before. It looked like it had been carved from a piece of stone and could hold about four people. The water inside it had steam rising from it, so it had to be warm. The women stopped and let him go. But they didn’t leave. Instead they stood there, waiting.

  “What are you waiting for?” he snapped. “You can go.”

  One of them gestured at him then pointed at the bath.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna get in as soon as you leave. Haven’t you ever heard of privacy?”

  They appeared confused and spoke quickly to each other. Then one moved forward and pulled at his clothes. He slapped at her hands and attempted to push her away. But she wrapped her hair around his wrists, pulling them behind his back.

  “Let me go!” he yelled. Damn, it might be sexy when Laylla bound him, but right now, he was furious. He’d never felt this helpless in his life.

  Suddenly, the woman ripped at his clothing, tearing the now useless pieces of cloth from his body until he stood there, naked.

  “This is not okay,” he told the bitch who just stared at him calmly. What the hell was wrong with these people? “What am I supposed to wear now?”

  The female stepped back and pointed at the bath. He glared at her but stomped over to the bath. At least it would provide some protection from thei
r gazes. He felt like a piece of meat on display.

  “Don’t think Laylla won’t be hearing about this,” he muttered. Not that he had any way of telling her, and for all he knew she’d ordered this. Although he didn’t think she had. He was pretty certain those old bats had something to do with this.

  Another female turned up and tried to wash him, but he flung her hands away. “Do not touch me.”

  Surprisingly they let him bathe on his own, although the two women who had dragged him in stood at the entrance to the room and chatted. When the water had cooled, and he thought he could no longer procrastinate, he stood and looked for a towel. One of the women called out something, and the female who had attempted to bathe him appeared with a large, thin fur.

  When he stepped out of the bath, she tried to pat him dry. He growled at her and snapped the fur out of her hands. “I’ll dry myself, thanks very much. And what do you expect me to wear now?” he snapped at the other women. “You ruined my clothes.”

  They watched him suspiciously. He was wrapping the fur around himself, figuring that would have to do when another female came in, holding up one of those skirt-like garments the other males had worn.

  Oh, fuck no.

  ***

  Laylla wiped the sweat from her face as she made her way down to bathe in the stream. She’d worked until near nightfall on the wall, trying to use the physical exertion as a distraction to stop herself from worrying too much about Rich. Now she had just enough time to bathe before it grew dark.

  “Laylla, wait up!”

  She gritted her teeth, forcing back her irritation as she turned and waited for Amira to catch up. She liked Amira, she was her friend, but right now she wished to be alone with her thoughts.

  “I should warn you, I am not good company right now.”

  “You are worried about your male.” Amira bumped into her as they walked along, her limp more pronounced tonight. Laylla knew better than to ask her if she was okay, though. It was a sensitive subject, and none of them liked to admit to weakness, Amira included.