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  Wilma didn’t seem to care about that, though.

  Wilma, although lying through her teeth, was standing up to his aunt, and Les fought back a smile at the shocked look on Aunt Taransarao’s face. She wasn’t used to people talking to her like that.

  She wasn’t used to people standing up to her, to tell her what-for.

  “Is that so?” Aunt Taransarao asked, slowly taking Wilma’s hand in hers. She shook her hand, then released it, but didn’t break eye contact. Her face was unreadable.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And how’d you accomplish that?” Aunt Taransarao asked, only now, Les thought her eyes might be twinkling a little bit. Could it be?

  Wilma leaned in close and motioned for Taransarao to do the same. When his aunt was close, he heard Wilma stage-whisper.

  “I caught them by the tail,” Wilma said. “You know that old nursery rhyme? ‘Catch a tiger by the tail’? It works for dragons, too.”

  Aunt Taransarao burst out laughing, and Les thought it might be the strangest thing he’d ever heard.

  Who would have thought?

  Wilma had managed to make his aunt – his scary, terrifying aunt – laugh.

  Maybe she was even better than Les gave her credit for.

  Chapter 5

  Wilma sipped her petal juice and listened to Les and his aunt talk about life on their home planet. Although his aunt hadn’t seemed to like Wilma at first, standing up to her seemed like the right thing to do.

  Apparently, it had been exactly the right thing to do.

  Aunt Taransarao wasn’t the kind of person who took kindly to ass-kissing or pussyfooting. She liked people to be bold and honest and up-front, and that wasn’t a problem for Wilma.

  There had been a time not-so-long-ago when she was scared to stand up for herself. Until very recently, she wouldn’t have even thought about it. She wouldn’t have thought she could do that. She wouldn’t have thought that she, Wilma, could be brave.

  Before she lost Willow, she hadn’t been. She had been the perfect, polite daughter. She had never misspoken in public and she had rarely misbehaved. She knew her place and she accepted it, but all of that changed.

  And then she found Les.

  Somehow, when she was talking to his aunt, Wilma felt like Les was giving her power. Les believed in her, which was something not many people did. Oh, Willow did, to be sure. Willow had always been there for her, but Willow had gone. Willow had left. She hadn’t had much of a choice, of course. Willow hadn’t chosen to go, hadn’t chosen to be excommunicated from the family. Still, knowing her sister had left her to face Anthony Weathermore alone had stung. Willow probably didn’t know the pressure their parents had exerted on Wilma after her disappearance, even going so far as to publicly announce her engagement.

  As if that would ever happen.

  But Les, he didn’t care about any of that. They’d talked about it all in depth. They’d discussed it all for hours. They’d talked about her past and her future and her present.

  Most of all, they’d talked about how lucky they were to have found each other in the midst of chaos.

  Eventually, Aunt Taransarao left to return to her group, and Les and Wilma were left alone. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” He asked.

  “Interesting relative you have there,” she murmured.

  “Speaking of interesting,” he nodded behind her and Wilma turned. Her stomach dropped when she saw who Les was nodding toward. Of course a meeting of interplanetary diplomats was going to include people from Mars. Of course that would include the senators and governors. Of course that would include the elite. Of course that would include someone like Anthony.

  Her first thought, when the waiter said people from Mars were here, was to hide. Her first thought was that if Anthony had come, she didn’t want to see him. She didn’t want to deal with him. She didn’t want to talk to him or think about him or even know he was around. She didn’t want to do anything but leave.

  She didn’t, though.

  She stayed still.

  “Well, well, well,” Anthony’s nasally voice sneered as he neared them. “Look what the cat dragged in.” She could smell him before he even reached the table, could sense his squirrely, annoying presence.

  She could tell he was going to bother her before he even started talking.

  What did he even want?

  Anthony hadn’t really wanted her. Not really. Just as he hadn’t truly wanted Willow, he had been after Wilma only for her possible inheritance. That was something she didn’t have. He was out of luck.

  She didn’t have time to think about that, though, because Les was already on his feet. Les, who was always so brave and kind, was standing over Anthony Weathermore and was growling – yes, growling – in his face.

  “Uh, can I help you?” Anthony managed to ask, though Wilma thought it looked like he was suddenly a bit nervous. Was he shaking?

  No, he couldn’t be.

  It had to be her imagination.

  That cocky son-of-a-bitch wasn’t scared of anything, but then, Les wasn’t just someone you could ignore. He was big: nearly seven feet tall. He was wide, too. His muscular chest showed even through his loose-fitting shirt. There was no doubt to anyone who looked at him that he was a monster, a giant. He was big.

  And he was fucking growling.

  “I believe you owe the lady an apology,” Les said.

  “For what?”

  “For the way you insulted her during her dinner, not forty seconds ago.”

  “I was just saying-” Anthony started to protest, but it was too late. Les picked Anthony up by his shirt collar and raised him up. Suddenly, every eye in the restaurant was on their little group, but Wilma didn’t care. She wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed. This was awesome!

  No one had ever stood up for her this way before. Not like this. Les didn’t give a shit that every eye was on them. The only thing he cared about was defending her honor, and wasn’t that just a little beautiful?

  She wouldn’t tear up.

  Not now, not over this.

  “I-I-”

  Les raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently. Almost too patiently. He didn’t move, just continued to hold Anthony in place as everyone in the restaurant, including the other foreign dignitaries, watched but did nothing.

  “Apologies, Wilma, if I offended you.”

  Les turned to Wilma, silently asking if she found the apology acceptable, and she gave a curt nod. Then Les dropped Anthony to the ground. He collapsed in a pile, but quickly jumped up and brushed himself off, looking around to see if anyone had witnessed his humiliation.

  Somehow, the rest of the restaurant had managed to quickly return to their meals and drinks and conversations, effectively ignoring the little trio in the center of the room.

  “Did you want something?” Wilma said.

  “Yeah,” Anthony dared a worried glance at Les, but decided to keep speaking. “I want my money. You were supposed to marry me.”

  “I was never going to marry you.”

  “You made a commitment.”

  “My mother made the commitment, not me. I told you I didn’t want to be your wife, Anthony. You’re a coward and a liar.”

  “You have no idea what you’ve put my family through,” he continued, and though Les was obviously beyond irritated with the man, he allowed Anthony to talk. Wilma realized Les was there to defend her, but he was going to let her handle this one herself if she wanted to.

  And to be honest, she kind of wanted to.

  With her newfound contentment, bravery, and grace, she rose to her feet. She pulled her hand back and brought it forward over Anthony’s left cheek. The sound of the slap echoed throughout the restaurant, which was once again, completely silent.

  “My family doesn’t have any money, you dimwitted asshole, and I’m not going to fucking marry you. Even if we did have money, that doesn’t mean you’re entitled to it. Being one of the elite on Mars doesn
’t mean anything, you stupid fuck. Have you looked around? Nobody gives a shit that you consider yourself to be special. In every other city on every other planet, you’re just the same as everyone else: a stupid tourist who doesn’t know when he’s getting ripped off.”

  Anthony’s mouth dropped open, but Wilma ignored him and sat back down.

  “Leave,” she said, picking up her fork. Her food had appeared on the table at some point, though she hadn’t noticed when, and it looked delicious. She wasn’t going to waste anymore time talking to the loser who had almost stolen her sister away. She wasn’t going to waste anymore time talking to the creep who had tried to steal her future.

  When he didn’t move right away, she glared at Anthony.

  “Do I need to sic my lover on you?”

  “Your…?” Anthony’s eyes widened as his gaze went from Les’ face to his broad chest and finally rested on his crotch. Yeah, even when he was soft, his dick was impressive, and she knew Anthony was getting quite an eyeful.

  “Fuck off, little man,” Les waved his hand and turned back to his own dinner. Wilma smiled as she took her first bite. She could see Anthony leaving out of the corner of his eye. A waiter appeared and refilled her petal juice glass, and Wilma managed to mumble a thank-you as she ate.

  She looked at Les, taking him in once more as she smiled.

  Their dinner hadn’t exactly turned out as planned.

  Then again, neither had her life.

  She hadn’t expected to be exploring strange planets and distant worlds with an alien beast who was strong enough to easily lift a grown man. She hadn’t expected to be his lover or his friend. She hadn’t expected to fall for him.

  She hadn’t expected any of this.

  Yet as Wilma took bite after bite, sip after sip, she couldn’t help but think that she never, in her wildest dreams, could she have imagined things turning out quite so perfectly.

  Chapter 6

  They hurried out of the restaurant, down the road, and onto the beach. He didn’t talk, and neither did she. Neither one of them wanted to speak. Neither one of them wanted to say anything.

  There was nothing to say, after all.

  He held her hand tightly, leading her past the boat and to a small building. He wanted to be alone with her, wanted to get his hands on her, wanted to touch her. Wilma didn’t ask questions as money exchanged hands and Les was given a key. Instead, she followed him down a narrow hallway and into a small room with an ocean view.

  “It’s beautiful,” she murmured, looking out the window, but he grabbed her and kissed her and stopped her from speaking any more.

  “Stop talking,” he said. “Open your mouth and just kiss me.”

  She did. She pressed her lips to his and pulled him closer. Closer. Her hands fisted his shirt so tightly the fabric felt like it might tear. He didn’t care. She could rip his shirt. She could rip all of his shirts, all of his clothes, anything and everything.

  She could do whatever she wanted.

  Wilma already had his heart. What were a couple of garments? Clothing was nothing to him. Possessions were nothing. Lesmentarao cared about one thing and one thing only: Wilma.

  He cared about making her laugh and making her smile and making her feel like a damn queen.

  He didn’t care about his clothes.

  He didn’t care about stuff.

  He only cared about her.

  For years his life had been fine, ordinary. It had been plain and simple and completely uneventful. Aside from the recent excitement of Luke dragging him into the midst of an alien war on Dreagle, Les lived a very predictable life.

  Wilma was not so predictable.

  She was not so ordinary.

  She was fire and passion and beauty wrapped in a lovely package and he planned to spend his time unwrapping her today.

  He was starting with the kiss. He’d start with this kiss and he’d go from there. He’d start with the kiss and then he’d make her forget all of her troubles. He’d make her forget seeing the loser from Mars who hurt her soul. He’d make her forget about her parents trying to force her into a relationship. He’d make her forget about the pain of losing Willow, even for a short time.

  He’d make her forget everything that had hurt her.

  And he’d make her feel like she could fly.

  That was what really mattered. If he could make her feel amazing, if he could make her forget her pain, then Les would have succeeded as a man. He would have succeeded as her lover. He would have succeeded as her future mate.

  He kissed her hard. His hands were in her hair, then running down her back. She shivered beneath his touch, and it made him feel even taller than he was. It made him feel powerful, strong.

  Wilma made him feel like he wasn’t just some loser who happened to have a space ship. She made him feel like he was good.

  She made him feel like he was sexy.

  She made him feel like he was a god.

  He grabbed her ass, pulling her even closer to him. His cock was hard and ready, and he knew she felt it against her stomach. She groaned, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue deeper into her mouth. He wanted her to feel him, to feel all of him, and to remember him tomorrow.

  He wanted her to remember the way they made each other feel and to latch onto that.

  He wanted this to be the night she decided she would be his forever.

  He wanted this moment to count.

  Les’ hands found the hem of Wilma’s shirt, and he pulled, tugging it up and over her head. Goosebumps formed when the cool air of the room made contact with her skin, and she shivered a little.

  “Here,” he whispered, kissing her neck. He ran his hands over her stomach and back as he licked and sucked and kissed her. “You look cold. Let me help you with that.”

  She squeaked a little, but it didn’t seem to be in protest, and he continued his treatment of her soft body. Then Les ran his hands up her back to her bra and unhooked the back. The soft fabric fell to the floor and he felt her hardened nipples pressing against him.

  Quickly, unable to wait another moment, he pulled his own shirt off and pulled her close once more. Now her breasts were flush against his chest and he could feel her. He could feel every inch of her skin, could feel every breath. He could feel her heartbeat.

  That in itself was its own reward.

  Wilma’s hands found his face and she kissed his lips again.

  “Today was amazing,” she whispered. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “Anything for you.”

  “No,” she said. “It was the best day of my life. Everything about it. You brought me to this incredible place, to this amazing planet. You showed me around and made me laugh and gave me incredible food. You stood up for me and helped me get closure. You gave me the freedom to move on. Les, you’re incredible.”

  “I feel the exact same way about you, Wilma. I can’t imagine a life without you in it. I can’t imagine going back to not having you around me every day.”

  Her eyes met his and widened. She searched his gaze, looking for something, looking for answers. He stroked her cheek softly and tucked a stray strand of dark hair back behind her ear.

  “What are you saying?” She whispered.

  “Be my mate, Wilma. Be mine. Make me the happiest man in the whole fucking galaxy. Marry me. Be with me for always. I love you more than the seven suns of Graleo love the moons of Orhaelel.”

  “What?” Her voice was low and full of shock, but her eyes were brimming with tears. Sweet Wilma was caught off guard by his declaration of love, but then he realized he hadn’t actually said it.

  He hadn’t actually whispered the words to her.

  He hadn’t actually promised her the stars.

  “I love you,” Les said firmly. “I love you more than anything else in the world. I will love you forever, Wilma. I want you to be mine.”

  Chapter 7

  Wilma sank to her knees in front of Les. She reached for his jeans and bega
n to unbutton them, but his hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her.

  “What are you doing?” He didn’t sound mad. He sounded confused.

  “Answering your proposal,” she said. She reached for his pants once more and this time, Les didn’t stop her. This time, he just let her be. He just let her touch him, let her do what she needed to do, what she wanted to do.

  She’d never been good with words. Never. That just wasn’t her. Her sister was a genius and her brother-in-law, Luke, was incredible, but her? No. Words weren’t her thing. Actions were her thing.

  She could kick ass in a fight and she could take out bad guys and she could hide a body. She could dance and she could move. She could handle a sword or a gun or a knife, but telling him she loved him?

  Wilma wasn’t good at stuff like that.

  She pulled his pants down to his knees, followed by his boxers. His dick sprang free and she reached for it, wrapped her hand around it.

  “I love you,” she said, looking up at him. She told him how she felt, told him how he made her feel. The words weren’t as hard to say as she thought they were going to be. “I love you.” Then she pressed her lips to the head of his cock and whispered it once more.

  “I love you.”

  She didn’t waste any more time.

  This was her moment to feel like a sexual goddess. This was her moment to show him exactly what she thought of him and his cock and his big old monster heart of gold.

  This was her time.

  She slid his cock between her lips and savored the sound of his groaning. She swirled her tongue over the tip, then allowed him down her throat. He filled her slowly. He didn’t rush her. He didn’t push her. He let her have this moment, and she took it.

  Wilma ran her hands up his thighs and gripped his ass, pulling him deeper into her mouth. Closing her eyes, she focused on relaxing every part of her body. As she calmed, as she gave herself over to the moment, she let him even deeper into her throat.

  She had never felt like she was good at sex before meeting Les. Before Les, she was just average, just normal. She had been with people, but the experiences had never been earth-shattering. They had never been insanely intense. They had never been crazy the way they were now.