Page 15 of Alien King Crashes the Wedding

She had insisted Dagan take her back to her hotel room in the city so that she could shower and get ready for the night ahead. Instead of another formal dinner, Rachel had planned a night hike in the nearby foothills. Since Sasha knew about it weeks ago, she was prepared with her favorite well-worn hiking boots, and she had donned several warm layers. All the humans had dressed similarly.

Sasha was so busy studying Dagan, she didn’t notice the rather sizeable rock in her path until she tripped over it. Dagan caught her with ease and winked as she blushed in embarrassment. “Easy, little one. We’re almost there.” He kissed her tender lips, and resumed walking. She tugged her hand to let him know that she would be okay on her own, but instead of letting her go, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and growled angrily, “Leave it there, Sasha.”

She glanced back at the trail behind them, suddenly longing to go back the way they’d come.What did I do wrong? Why is he angry?The trail Rachel had chosen was an easy hike that led to a beautiful lookout over the city, and she’d been excited at the prospect of seeing it with Dagan. Sasha whimpered as her foot slid in the mud, twisting her knee awkwardly before Dagan caught her again. “Shall I carry you, little one?” He grinned mischievously. “The ground is treacherous and you seem to be having some difficulty navigating it.”

The winter night wasn’t as cold as the previous one, and some of the snow had melted, leaving behind slippery mud. They had talked about cancelling the hike, but everyone agreed they still wanted to go. If they could reach the top, there should be hot cocoa and marshmallows waiting along with a bonfire. “No. I’m fine,” she smiled weakly, trying not to show how much it hurt.

“Very well, my stubborn little minx. Have it your way.” Dagan shook his head and resumed walking, albeit more slowly.

Sasha stared with confusion at Dagan, suddenly unsure of him. Was he angry or happy? She was glad they were almost there. Everyone else was in good cheer, laughing and having a good time, although they didn’t try very hard to conceal their curiosity and openly stared at Dagan and her. It made her uncomfortable and she tried several times to pull her hand away, but he refused to let her go. After her third attempt, he started to look really angry.

“What’s wrong, little one? Why are you still pulling away? Have I done something to displease you? Wronged you in some way?” Dagan asked with a scowl.

Sasha whispered just as angrily, “Why can’t you just let go so maybe everyone will stop staring?” Actually, it was the Caldorians. Somehow she and Dagan always seemed to be in the center of the group, not just the center of attention. “And how about letting the others walk ahead of us for a change?” She would have much preferred walking in the back, but every time she slowed down, hoping to fall to the back, they seemed to slow down, too. It was aggravating. There were more of them in the group than she remembered from the first night, too.

“There is a very real threat just beyond your moon, little one. It would be wise to stay close to the center of the group. And if you can’t remember to whom you belong, I will be happy to remind you,” Dagan rumbled from deep in his chest as he bent toward her for a soul-searing kiss.

Sasha opened her eyes slowly, too dazed to protest when Dagan tugged on her hand and they began walking again. She looked around at some of the warriors she was beginning to recognize and blushed when one of them winked knowingly at her. Ugh. Was she that obvious? She tugged on Dagan’s hand, hoping he would release her without an argument this time, but he refused to let her go. She blushed and looked away from the amusement written all over the other warrior’s face and looked toward the trees.

Is that the good-looking jerk from the hot tub?I wonder why he’s out in the trees when everyone else is staying on the path?Pee break?He saw her glaring and smiled bashfully as he gave a small bow from his waist, then disappeared into the trees.Hmph.Weird. Was that supposed to be an apology?

Sasha studied their odd group as they continued to walk, thinking about what a strange sight they made. Humans in full winter gear and Caldorians looking like they were out for a casual spring stroll. They had dipped their hands in a substance that appeared to stain their skin black. When she asked about it, Dagan told her it was a liquid that chemically reacted to the skin and provided hours of thermal protection against the cold while allowing the user full sensory input and maneuverability. She scrunched her nose in amusement.He should have said they were cool gloves and left it at that.

Dagan had invited her to try it before they started on the trailhead, but when she looked around and saw that none of the other humans had done it, she politely refused. Wearing alien robes in private was one thing, and entirely another to get greedy in public. She wouldn’t want to accidentally create an intergalactic incident because she wasn’t supposed to use alien tech that humans hadn’t traded for yet.Better stick to good old-fashioned cotton and wool blends.She looked down self-consciously. Her outfit was fashionable, at least, with form-fitting, low-rise denim, a cotton tank and a blue V-neck sweater under a powder blue and lavender down ski jacket and scarf.

Sasha peeked under her lashes at Dagan. It was dark, but she could still see him in the moonlight. He was wearing black pants and a long sleeved blue shirt that stretched tightly across his massive shoulders and muscular biceps. He had a narrow waist and the shirt tapered to fit him perfectly.Yummy.

Dagan gave her hand a small squeeze to get her attention. He stopped walking and turned toward her. She stopped, too, and raised her eyebrows in question. She looked up at him and squeezed back, afraid she was wearing her heart on her sleeve. He stared into her eyes for endless moments, and she felt herself falling into their depths. His burning gaze held her captive as he slowly pulled her in closer. She was mesmerized by his look of hunger. Possession. Determination.

He tilted her head and captured her lips with his own. He quickly deepened the kiss, demanding entrance into her mouth. His kiss was full of heat. Hunger. She never thought to deny him. She closed her eyes and lost track of everything around her but his kiss, his hand in her hair, his body crowding hers. She pushed as close to him as she could through her jacket, pressed her breasts flat against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, wishing he could ease the ache building deep in her core. He was kindling a fire in her that only he could put out.

Dagan must have read her mind. He unzipped her jacket and unwound her scarf from around her neck, pulling on the ends to keep her in place.Not that I want to go anywhere, she smiled happily through the sensual haze that was quickly overtaking her, turning her into a mindless puddle.

She was; therefore, dazed, confused, and completely taken by surprise when he ended the best kiss of her life and rumbled in her ear, “Try to pull away and deny my claim again, little one, and I will turn you over my knee and give you the spanking you deserve.”

Chapter Fourteen

It took a moment for Dagan’s words to sink in, as she was still woozy from that amazing kiss.Did he just say he was going to spank me? She couldn’t have heard that right. She’d never been spanked. Ever.Deny his claim? What is he talking about?Sasha sobered quickly as she tried to make sense of his words. She wasn’t pulling away from him. Quite the opposite. Hadn’t she just poured her heart into that kiss?In front of everyone? Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. She looked up at him, clearly still confused.

Dagan nuzzled her hair and groaned. “We are in the beginning of our claiming period, and we are in public. Every time you try to pull away from me, you signal to everyone that you desire my claim to end. How do you not know this when your best friend is binding herself to a Caldorian? Unless she skipped it entirely, which I doubt considering her condition, she has already completed this process. I was told you’d been best friends for years and shared all your secrets?”

“No. That’s not what I was doing,” Sasha whispered. “People keep staring at us. It makes me nervous. I thought they would stop if we did, too.”

“If we stop? You see? Exactly as I said,” he scowled. “You were trying to end my claim. I warned you last night that I would not allow anyone to come between us. Ignore them. They are simply curious and perhaps a bit overeager. I have been with women before, but I have never attempted to claim one as my own.”

He’d never claimed a woman? Sasha glared right back at Dagan. That couldn’t be right. He was far too good at it. Sasha looked around. Everyone had stopped. Some were wandering around, looking at tracks or the local flora. Some were watching them. She looked toward the front to see Rachel staring back at her, a worried look on her face.Oh, no. That look is not good. Isn’t this exactly what she encouraged me to do? Be open to meeting someone new?

Sasha thought back to the moment she had agreed to his claim. They’d been inseparable ever since. He had been touching her in some manner almost all the time, ever since that moment, but she hadn’t realized it meant anything out of the ordinary until now. He was always holding her hand, or touching her hair, or stroking her arm, or just standing so close she rubbed up against him. Always something. In fact, the only time she’d been without him was in the bathroom. She blushed. Well, they’d had shower sex, but other than that he’d left her alone in there. She loved it. She’d thought he wanted to be near her as much as she wanted to be near him.

“I wasn’t doing that. We have to touch? All the time, not just because you like it?” Sasha asked worriedly.

Dagan rubbed his temple as he realized where the confusion came from. Sasha was not behaving as a Caldorian, but as a human, unaware of Caldorian customs. “No, I enjoy touching you. We’re in public now. It is expected that any newly claimed man and woman want to remain close. Caldorian men are very possessive of their women. Are humans so very different? You’ve made your desire to end our relationship clear to everyone here, so now there is only one way to undo the damage,” Dagan informed her as he walked her backwards, one slow step at a time.

“We’re in a relationship?” asked Sasha in equal parts confusion and delight, “And we’re damaged because I didn’t want to hold your hand? I think that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard!”

Thoughts raced through Sasha’s head a mile a minute.A relationship? And he wants us to stay physically close together? Is he for real?What happened to their casual one week hook up? It wasn’t that she wouldn’t love it to last longer. On the contrary. She just hadn’t thought it out and planned it that way. What would being with him long term mean for her? She had just barely ended her relationship with Ben. And what about her work? She loved art. She was just getting started, both as a broker and as an artist in her own right. He didn’t even live on the Caldorian base. He was Cam’s best friend so she had assumed he was a good guy and hadn’t thought to ask a lot of questions.It was only for the week after all.Guilt and shame at her carelessness had her cheeks burning red.

Besides, she rationalized,I didn’t have time to ask those kinds of questions. I didn’t think it mattered.Things had progressed so rapidly. One minute she was avoiding him and the next she was a mile down the proverbial rabbit hole. She wasn’t even on the pill. She was so naïve. What if she got pregnant? She didn’t think it was likely this week, but that didn’t excuse her irresponsible behavior. She really didn’t know anything about him. She had no idea where he was stationed or what he did. He was obviously part of their military. She didn’t even know his rank, although it must be pretty high. All the Caldorians she’d met thus far did whatever he told them to do. Did they even have rank like in the military on Earth? No one ever saluted.

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