To be honest, he had been a little disappointed when he first saw her. He had expected someone similar to Baralt’s fiery mate. Instead, she was a quiet little thing, muffled in drab brown clothing that matched equally drab hair. But then she had looked up and their eyes had met. The impact ran through him like an electric shock. Quiet perhaps, but definitely not drab, and he could see both intelligence and determination burning in those silver eyes. After last night, he was also aware that the baggy clothing concealed a deliciously curvy body.
It had taken all of his self-control not to explore further when she had turned to him in the night. And this morning’s kiss… He hadn’t anticipated the incredible sweetness of her mouth, or the way her shy response would flare into passion. His cock jerked again at the memory, but he ruthlessly suppressed it.
The first order of business was to get her away from this planet.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be an easy task. His ship was stowed in a larger hangar that was connected to the mining headquarters through a heavily guarded underground passageway. While he should be able to fight their way out, it would be risky, and he had decided not to mention the possibility to Joan until he had a definite plan. Ukhaan had promised to give him a tour of the facilities today, and he hoped he would find an alternative means to escape.
So far, the overseer was being extremely cooperative. The promise of a large contract and, even more appealingly, a corporate position away from Drahana had eliminated any hesitation he might have shown. And while Varga could only despise the callousness with which Ukhaan had offered Joan to him, he had enjoyed their night together…
His cock throbbed impatiently, and with a sigh, he headed for the shower. His hand would have to do for now.
Chapter Four
Joan scurried away to the kitchen, trying very hard not to think about what had just happened. And certainly not about the way her nipples were pressing against the rough cloth of her dress or the deep, needy ache between her legs. She couldn’t possibly be attracted to an alien. She had been asleep, she reminded herself. Maybe she had been dreaming about Kevin. Although Kevin had never kissed that well and he had certainly not been that enormous…
Despite her determination to forget, the memory kept playing over and over in her mind until she reached the kitchen and heard a soft chirp from the storage room.
“George,” she said happily.
The little lizard had been intended for Ukhaan’s dinner, a rare and expensive treat. But when she lifted him out of his cage, he had chirped and rubbed his head under her chin, and she just couldn’t do it. She had found some bones from a previous meal, burned them beyond recognition, then told Ukhaan that she had fallen asleep and overcooked the meal. For a trembling moment, she had been convinced that he was going to kill her. Instead, he’d made her stand against the wall and whipped her. At the time, she’d thought that death would have been preferable.
But the lizard, who she named George, had lived. She couldn’t keep him with her all the time, but he seemed quite content exploring the tunnels that threaded through the rock, and he was smart enough to keep out of sight. He came back every day and she fed him and petted him and told him stories while he looked at her with huge golden eyes as if he understood every word. If it hadn’t been for George, she sometimes suspected she would have given up by now.
“I got the vegetables.”
The gruff voice came from behind her, and Joan jumped, trying to hide George in the folds of her skirt.
“Fuck. Girlie, I told you to get rid of that damn animal. What if Ukhaan walked in?”
“He stays out of the kitchen in the morning.” After she spilled hot cafir on him, “accidentally” dropped an overripe fruit on his best uniform, and left a wet mop in his path, Ukhaan had decided to leave her alone in the morning. The bruises had been worth it to buy a little time to herself.
Rummel shook his head. “And I told you not to count on that.”
“I know,” she admitted. “I shouldn’t take a chance with George’s life.”
“Or your own,” he said dryly. She gave him a quick smile as she gave George a final scratch sent him on his way.
Rummel was the closest thing she had to a friend in this place. A small, gnome-like alien with a fringe of white hair and bulbous green eyes, he was a gruff older male who had managed to finagle a job as a delivery person, rather than a mine worker. He brought her supplies from the storage lockers and occasionally assisted her in the small hydroponic garden she was attempting to resurrect. Ukhaan had been dismissive of the idea until she served him a sarlan steak accented with a fresh herb sauce. After that, he didn’t object to her endeavors and even agreed to some occasional help from Rummel.
“I hear Ukhaan has a stranger visiting him,” Rummel said, eyeing her curiously as he sat down at the kitchen table.
She gave him two thick slices of her homemade bread, oozing with jam, and poured him a mug of tea before she answered. She found herself curiously reluctant to discuss Varga.
“Ukhaan said he was important. Something about his career.”
“That means he thinks he might get off of this planet,” Rummel said thickly, his mouth full of bread and jam. “Can’t see it myself. His kind of brutality
