To Love a King [The Reformation 1] (Siren Publishing PolyAmour) Read online

  He pressed his eye against a gash in the door about the length of his hand, left by some sharp implement. As he viewed the sun-drenched room, large leafy vines growing on the balcony drew his attention first.

  She must have pushed open the doors all the way to let in the air and scents from the garden below.

  He glanced right, but saw only broken furniture and a large bathtub filled with water that had been left standing for some time, judging by the grayish tint. He looked then to the left. There was a bed, sitting crooked as if it had lost one of its legs. On top of the bed was the female.

  Naked.

  The air caught in Nikolai’s lungs. A moment later he lurched away from the door, caught in the grips of guilt and a hard punch of lust.

  A naked female was one of life’s greatest gifts, and though he had never seen a human female naked before, he found her appearance extremely pleasing as was evidenced by the fact that he’d grown as hard as granite with just the flash of her creamy skin and a dense thatch of golden hair peeking out from between her legs.

  He should most definitely give her the privacy she clearly expected. However, he found himself stepping closer to the door rather than farther away.

  He soon had his eye pressed against the door again. The female lay stretched across the bed, her body bathed in sunlight. Her hair glittered like spun gold as it spilled over the edge in a cascade. Her breasts were much larger than those of a Vaturian female, but Nikolai found that erotic and began to imagine the feel of them beneath his own hands. She had one hand upon the breast closest to where he stood, her fingers brushing back and forth over the nipple. Her other hand disappeared from his view, slipping between her thighs.

  She was touching herself and clearly enjoying the sensations it brought. As a Vaturian male, he was taught from a young age that sexual activity was personal and sharing intimacies was inappropriate. Though he experienced many pleasures at the hands of females during his travels, he had never experienced anything like this voyeurism. From a purely primal perspective, her play aroused him powerfully. His cock had become engorged and nearly painful now, and when she let out another long, deep sigh, Nikolai released the ties on the front of his pants. Not being able to withstand the tension another moment, he reached inside and began to stroke himself.

  He watched, entranced, as she licked her fingers and put them back to play on her breast, making her nipple hard and erect. She arched her back and pulled her knees up, moaning and sighing like nothing he’d ever heard. Her soft cries were vibrating straight to his erection. She was an erotic fantasy come to life before him. Nikolai squeezed hard on his cock, holding back his own moan of pleasure lest anyone should hear him. Standing in the alcove entrance to her room, he hoped he was invisible to anyone casually passing in the hall, but honestly, in the moment as he continued to watch and continued to arouse himself further, he didn’t give a fuck.

  He wondered what it would be like to touch her, to kiss her ankles, to suck on her breasts, and to lick her inner thighs. He wondered if the human would like things he did, things the Vaturian females weren’t interested in. This was an incredibly sensual creature. He’d heard the same about the Cassarian females. The men who had taken them into their beds always walked around with secret smiles on their faces, as if they knew something the rest of the men didn’t, and they weren’t about to share.

  Her breath caught, as her hand moved deeper between her legs.

  Nikolai freed his cock completely, sliding his hand up the entire length, then back down. The inner coil began to wind tighter and higher. He gathered the moisture beginning to drip from the tip and smoothed it down the shaft. The female’s head rolled back and forth on the bed. Her moans deepened. Her breath shortened. With his other hand, he reached down and cupped his balls, lightly stroking them as well, while his thumb brushed back and forth over the tip.

  Her moans became little gasps and high-pitched whines. Nikolai squeezed and pulled down, then pushed up again and again on his cock, the soft skin beneath his hand moving with the rhythmic flow. He inhaled deeply, wishing he could catch a hint of the female’s scent. He wondered what it would be like to be buried between her thighs, his tongue replacing her fingers, wondered what secrets he would find there.

  Thinking of the taste of her cunt was his breaking point. He couldn’t hold back the vocal release as his cock discharged semen from the tip, exploding against the door and running to the base. It was the most electrifying sexual experience he’d had in years, yet he had not touched her skin, nor breathed her scent or heard more than a few soft moans. The thought of how it would be to fuck her until they were both senseless began to consume him. He slowed his pace, releasing the last of his seed, then collapsed with his back against the wall and slid to the floor.

  Decay had eaten away a large chunk of the edge of the door. He maneuvered his position so he could see inside the room again. The female now lay on the bed as if dead. Her arms at her side, her feet hanging off the edge, a contented smile on her face.

  Nikolai wiped the semen from his cock and placed it back inside his britches, quickly retying them with what little strength he had left. Entirely sated, he wondered exactly how long he could just sit there before being discovered.

  That was a wholly lascivious, luxurious, scintillating experience. His curiosity completely awakened now, there was only one choice he could possibly bear. He had to seduce the human female himself. He had to experience being with her. He would worship her body while exploring every single inch of it. No one could do to her what he could. No one could bring her the pleasure he knew he would—certainly no other Vaturian. The only downside he could see was the need to somehow keep it a complete and utter secret from everyone, especially Antares.

  Chapter Four

  Naveenah’s bliss was ruthlessly cut short by a sound at the door. She grabbed the towel used earlier to dry herself and covered her naked body as she sat upright on the bed with a gasp. She’d gotten a little too comfortable in her new space, but after so long of never being alone, the privacy she’d been given felt like such a luxury. She had bathed, opened the windows wide, and sucked in fresh air heavily scented with the sweet smell of flowers deep into her lungs. It had also been pleasurable that since she was shown her room yesterday, everyone seemed to forget she was there. Outside of assorted people bringing water for her bath and food, not one person had come to see her personally, meaning, of course, that self-absorbed king and his brother who clearly thought he was God’s gift to females.

  She refused to feel upset over that. After all, she wanted to be left alone. She had no desire for either of those horrid men to come by, and she certainly didn’t wish for anyone to take an interest in her or attempt to seduce her. She was actually coming to love her new residence. It had everything she needed, really, although sometimes a person could have too much time on their hands and allow their imagination far too much free reign, but fortunately for her, that had not been the case.

  She stood off the bed and wrapped the towel tightly around herself. There was definitely someone, or something, on the other side of the door. She could hear them breathing as she came near, and it wasn’t time for lunch. There was no other reason for anyone to be there. No time for modesty, she simply held the knot of the towel snug and tugged open the door to find one of those men she never wanted to see again adjusting his black shirt into his leather pants.

  “What are you doing?”

  One side of his mouth hitched upward. “Perhaps the same thing you were doing.”

  His voice rumbled from deep in his chest, the tone spilling over her like hot rum over ice. She felt the blush burn from her toes, over her entire body as she thought about what she’d just been doing. She turned her head to look at the bed, then looked back at him. It wasn’t possible. He was just being annoying as he so clearly enjoyed being. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. There suddenly was not enough air in the room for two people to breathe, even with the balcony do
ors open wide.

  “You are a fascinating creature. To be honest, I hadn’t thought one way or the other about you humans before this, but now…”

  He smiled again. That wicked, soul-melting, make-a-girl-throw-her-panties-to-the-wind-and-say-fuck-me-now kind of smile. He reached for her, his intent probably being to run his fingers over her cheek like he’d done yesterday, but this time, Naveenah knew better. She jumped backward, avoiding his touch and the fire that came along with it.

  “I thought I was to be seduced by your brother.”

  The one to whom she felt absolutely no physical attraction. Despite the fact that both men had seemingly won the gene lottery, something about the man standing before her now made her breath stop every time he looked at her. She was confused, couldn’t possibly be thinking straight. After all, she’d been kidnapped and held captive the last four years. No one would be thinking clearly after all that. His touch only made everything worse. She could not allow him to touch her again.

  “He’s busy.”

  He stepped closer.

  She stepped away.

  “I can wait!” she screeched at him and placed a worn chair with a high back between them.

  He laughed and ran his hand along the bristly growth on his chin. “Can you now?”

  “Yes.” She rubbed her hands nervously in front of her. “Our deal was that I couldn’t resist your brother, or some such, but if I did, I would go home.”

  “Well, that wasn’t exactly the deal, but I suppose you hit the high points.” His smile bloomed again, slowly across his face until his eyes sparked with humor. “So are you saying, in a roundabout way, you would not be able to resist me if I were to pursue you?”

  “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. I could resist any of you. In fact, why don’t you line up your entire male population and I’ll reject them one at a time.” She felt she had gained a little ground back with that one.

  “We could do that.” He winked. “I’ll go first.”

  The ground she had gained seemed to slip away, leaving her really wishing she had far more clothing on than she did. She looked around for her torn and shredded jeans that after so many years of wear were little more than rags, but settled for grabbing the aged red tee she’d been wearing since the night she’d been taken, but he stopped her from putting it on by laying his hand on the shirt alongside her own.

  “You must want fresh clothing.”

  He tugged enough so that he now held her shirt. He rapidly collected the rest of her things, right down to her bra and panties, and tossed them out the door into the hallway.

  “I’ll have more appropriate clothing sent to you.”

  “What exactly do you consider more appropriate? Whore’s clothing?”

  His expression turned positively wicked, then melted into a snobbish smile.

  “You are with the King now, making it only proper for you to dress in suitable manner. However, we are a planet ground into dust, therefore our clothing is not dictated by fashion. The wild vegetation on Vaturia can be ruthless and our cities, as you’ve seen, are not much more than charred bones of what once was a vibrant society. The fabrics of our dress are thick and tend to roughness. We wear boots, jackets, layers, as much as we can to protect us from our current environment. You will be given skirts of heavy, thick fabric and undergarments. Never go barefoot anywhere. Always wear whatever boots are given you. And if you leave this building, you should cover whatever you are wearing with a long coat, despite the temperatures outside.”

  She blinked. Unfamiliar with her surroundings, though she had technically been on the planet for years, this was the first she was actually being able to interact with it. She had not considered the usefulness of clothing. On Earth, it was all kept functional and simple, and here everything was different. She covered feeling awkward with a quick hit of sarcasm.

  “And in the mean time I’m just supposed to be naked? Seriously?”

  He shrugged. “Naked suits you.”

  He walked around her, clearly examining her from head to toe, making her feel far more naked than she already felt, covered solely by the towel that seemed to shrink in size with every scorching look he rolled over her. She pressed the toes of one foot on top of the others, trying to somehow shrink herself. She didn’t fear him, exactly. He seemed sincere when he said no one would force her to have sexual relations against her will. The problem, she realized, was that with him, her will didn’t want to put up much of a fight. As her end game was to get back to Earth, she had to stay detached from any of the beings on this planet. It was the only way.

  “I prefer clothing. Thanks anyway.”

  “Are you not curious at all?”

  She purposefully walked around the chair so it would again provide her some cover.

  “Curious about what?” She hated the quiver in her voice, but hated it more when he, too, stepped around the chair as if they were engaged in some form of dance. He stepped so close, she could feel his body heat radiating on her own skin.

  “About us. About me.” He picked up her hand and traced his finger over her palm. “Don’t you have questions about our race, how our bodies work, how I look naked? Wouldn’t you like to explore my body to discover what differences you can find?”

  Her body betrayed her by answering yes with every fiber, but she somehow found the wherewithal to squeak out, “Not…not really.”

  He folded his hand around hers. “I find myself curious. About so many things.”

  Nervous laughter made her sound like a fifteen-year-old being propositioned by a rock star, which in truth was almost exactly how she felt. This man was dark and exceedingly handsome. Looking into his eyes was like looking at the reflection of the palest blue sky through a frozen pond. He smelled like horses and musk, and the thought of him in her bed didn’t bother her one bit. In many ways it excited her. If not for the fact her freedom, and that of Beatrix, Violet, and Rosalind, all depended on her refusing him, she wasn’t sure she would.

  He reached out and brushed back a strand of her hair, then touched a mole on her cheekbone.

  “What is this mark?”

  His touch was exploratory in nature, but it still made butterflies swish against the inside of her stomach.

  “It’s a mole.”

  He looked at her as if she’d said it was made of chocolate.

  “It’s just a mark. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “I find it intriguing.”

  He continued to move his finger along her skin, across her forehead, down her cheek, over her chin. She should have stopped him, but she froze in place and offered no protest.

  “Now that I am this close to you, I find many differences between yourself and our females. Your skin is soft like…like…hmmm, I have no reference. A rose petal. This hair that grows above your eyes, I found it off-putting at first…”

  She felt insulted by his remark and fired back, “You have hair above your eyes.”

  “I do.”

  He stopped touching her with his fingers, but his eyes perused her body in such an intimate manner that it made her want to step into a cold shower, although she wasn’t sure they had such things here.

  “Our scientists actually pointed out…never mind.”

  “No. Tell me.”

  He infuriated her. She wanted answers, but he just walked away from her, arms crossed over his chest. She allowed her eyes to wander while he wasn’t facing her. She followed the lines of his back beneath the billowy shirt, lingered on his ass, then drifted down the backs of his thighs. Her brain, oh so helpfully, supplied images of him without clothing. Damn it, he was right. Now she was curious how he looked. Would he be different from a human male? And if so, how?

  “When our scientists were attempting to narrow down races that might blend well with our own, their considerations were on far more than whether or not a union was physically possible or the chances a pregnancy might occur. They were also focused on changing the overall look of our species as lit
tle as possible. I remember them remarking at how similar Earth females were to Vaturian males. Remarkably so. That’s why you were chosen…well, not you particularly, but you as in…”

  “Yes, I understand. Thanks.”

  She readjusted the towel at the knot between her breasts, then attempted to tug it lower on her thighs, to no avail.

  “What I don’t understand is if your females are so unlike you, how do you procreate? I mean, it just seems strange to me since human males and females are fairly similar, with the exception of genitalia.”

  “Geniwhat?”

  She giggled. He seemed so confused. So much of their language seemed the same, yet over the years she had run into a good number of words that were unfamiliar to either herself or the Vaturians.

  “That is a human term for…” Well crap, how do I best explain this? “The difference between female and male.”

  “You have only one word for it?”

  “Well, no. I mean, there are many…” She felt her cheeks begin to burn. “I mean, a man’s…or a woman…Well this is…”

  She stumbled herself right into a corner. This was not a subject she really wanted to speak about with him anyway, but when she looked back at him, he was massaging his crotch and looking at her as if she were dinner!

  “This, here on Vaturia, is called mantura if you are proper, and a cock if you are not.”

  “We have that word!”

  She immediately reeled in her enthusiasm over such a ridiculous thing. He watched her, then began to walk around the room, touching broken furniture and testing the lamps which she herself had tested and already knew didn’t work. He walked out onto the balcony and bent over, and there she was, staring at his ass again.

  “So, have you ever been with a man outside your race?”

  “I explored a union with a Hispanic once.”

  “A what?”

  He straightened and turned to look at her, a most quizzical look on his features.