Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(20)

Desire hit him hard when he slid his other arm along her waist. Her shirt had lifted when she slid her right hand upward to his shoulder. His left hand was now caressing soft, silky skin. A throaty moan escaped him and he bent forward, capturing her lips.

Her lips parted in a silent gasp and Destin took advantage. He swept his tongue inside her mouth, stroking the tip across hers, and pulled her closer to him. He tilted his head, sealing their lips together. Their breath mixed, growing hotter and faster when Destin deepened the kiss. Sula’s response was tentative at first, as if she was unsure of how to respond, but within seconds she was matching him touch for touch, exploration for exploration.

Destin caressed the skin at her waist, wanting more. He’d been with enough women back on Earth to know that he was a good lover, but this felt different. He sucked in a breath when he felt Sula’s hands move up under his shirt and the cool breeze coming off the ocean touched his heated skin.

“Damn,” he muttered, briefly closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath.

“I do know that you like this,” Sula stated with confidence. Her hand slid downward to press against the front of him. “The evidence of your desire shows that you do, unless you are built different from the Trivator and Usoleum males.”

A hoarse chuckle escaped Destin and he pressed his hips forward so his cock, the ‘evidence’ that she was talking about, was pressed firmly against her hand. His eyebrow rose when he heard her startled breath and saw her eyes widen. Unable to resist, he captured her lips again, drinking deeply and challenging her to meet his desire with her own.

He pressed her back against the transport. His hips moved back and forth in response to their growing passion. Her legs parted and he stepped between them. Sula broke their kiss with a gasp and leaned her head back against the clear glass. He ran his lips along her jaw to her neck. His hands slowly moved down to her hips and he pressed up against her.

“Destin,” Sula moaned, gasping for breath. “I have never felt this way toward a male before. What are you doing to me?”

It wasn’t so much her words, but the confusion in her voice that broke through the haze of desire and need engulfing his mind and body. Closing his eyes, he continued to press hot kisses along her neck, peppering them with the tip of his tongue and a scrape of his teeth even while he forced himself to start thinking again.

This was neither the time, nor the planet for this. Unfortunately, his body wasn’t willing to listen to rational thought about the time and place. It was ready and willing to do it now and up against the side of the transport. He pressed one last, lingering kiss against her throat before he drew back and gazed down at her with eyes he knew showed his internal struggle.

“You aren’t going to make this easy for me, are you?” he muttered, drawing in a long, hissing breath.

“What… I do not understand. What is this easy?” Sula asked in a barely audible voice, blinking several times as if to clear her vision.

Destin raised his hand and cupped her cheek. His gaze moved to where his thumb caressed her skin. He’d never thought about the color of skin before, but the contrast between his dark tan and her light blue coloring was arousing to him.

“How many relationships have you had, Sula?” Destin asked, voicing a question he had never asked any of his previous lovers.

“I…,” she frowned up at him and shook her head. Her nose wrinkled slightly with an expression of distaste. “None. The males I have met are… not the type I have found to be attractive. They are generally crude, rude, and arrogant – what is the word I learned on your world? Oh, yes! Ignoramus! I truly liked that word when I learned its meaning.” She pursed her lips together and glared up at him. “Of course, that word also perfectly describes my father and brothers most of the time. How my mother ever tolerated the lot of them without suffocating them is beyond me.”

Destin swallowed the chuckle that replaced the expletive he had been going to say at first. Sula was able to coldcock him once again without even being aware of it. Why was he surprised? Hadn’t he already decided that this woman was different from any other woman he had ever met? She was an alien princess, an innocent, and a fierce fighter – a lethal combination for his peace of mind. He had never met the first, and had actively avoided the second; he only knew the last.

“You are dangerous without even knowing it,” he whispered, leaning forward to brush a tender kiss against her lips. “It has been a pleasure meeting you, Sula.”

“You say that as if we will not see each other again,” Sula said, tilting her head and searching his face.

Destin shook his head. “We won’t. Perhaps if things had been different.... Goodnight, Princess,” he said, stepping back and thrusting his hands into his pockets. “Make sure you check wherever you are staying to make sure it is safe before you go inside.”

“I will,” Sula replied, turning to open the door of the transport before she remembered she was wearing his jacket. “Oh, here.”

“Thanks,” Destin replied, reluctantly pulling his hand out of his pocket to reach for the leather jacket. His fingers brushed her hand in the exchange and he jerked the jacket toward him. “Be safe, Sula.”

Sula nodded before she turned and climbed into the transport. Destin stepped back several feet, giving the alien vehicle room to take off. He saw her glance down at him. He could see the confusion in her expression. Unable to stop himself, he raised his hand to wave farewell. She responded, her slender hand rising in response before she returned her attention to the controls.