Page 20 of Alien Knight Teddy Bear Troubles

True to his work,Taeger had changed course and his ship now orbited Mora Five. Cassie stood in the same room she’d been in just hours before, her naked body on the table as Taeger filled her with his cock and touched her. Kissed her. Made her lose her damn mind.

But the afterglow was gone now. She was showered, dressed in her old uniform—which had been cleaned since she’d boarded the ship—and being back in her old clothes reminded her of who she was and why she was here.

Somewhere on that planet Charlie, Smith and a deadly alien weapon necessary for Earth’s survival were hidden away. She hoped Charlie was still alive. Hoped they had managed to avoid the massive sweep that had taken her and Ion onto the Dark Ones’ ship.

And the Dark Ones? Earth didn’t know about them. Her commanding officer, the intelligence community, humans in general knew nothing about the real danger out here.

The Vilitos were scary enough. Giant reptilian heads. Beady eyes. Vile creatures known for their cruelty. They were known for their willingness to work for the highest bidder, and didn’t care if that meant innocent people got hurt. They weren’t the smartest species in the Intergalactic community, but their willingness to work for anyone and everyone meant they got the best tech on the market. She’d watched from her living room, shocked and disgusted, as one of the Caldorians had literally ripped the head from a Vilitos on live television.

But that had been three or four month ago. And here she was, standing in a room full of aliens, keeping secrets, just like the Caldorians.

The irony was not lost on her.

She caught Greig staring at her for the third time and held his gaze. “Do I have something on my face?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why are you staring at me?”

Greig cleared his throat as if embarrassed, then glanced at Taeger before quickly looking away. “I have not seen a female in military uniform in many years. It makes me…nostalgic and reminds me of all we have lost.”

Well that sucked. His response was also not what she expected. “I’m sorry.” And she was, not for looking like a badass space soldier, but for his loss.

Taeger clapped Greig on the shoulder and returned everyone’s attention to the holographic map detailing the surface of Mora Five.

“We will take the smallest shuttle and land here.” He pointed to a place on the map that was about halfway between her wrecked ship and a bright blue dot on the screen.

Cassandra leaned in closer. “What’s the blue dot?”

Ion tugged on her hand. He’d been so quiet the last few minutes she’d completely forgotten he was there. “That’s home.”

“Ion.” Greig’s warning was an obvious attempt to shut the boy up. Which made her angry.

“Look, I told all of you where my ship crashed. I’ve got injured crew down there. Trust is a two-way street, Greig.”

Ion seemed to take offense on her behalf. “She helped Marcano.” The little boy stepped in front of her like she was the one who needed protecting, his newly repaired bear clutched tightly to his chest. God forbid that kid ever lost his BooBoo Bear.

Taeger held out his arms and Ion walked to him, allowing his Uncle Taegie to pick him up. “Don’t worry, Ion. We are all friends, and we are going to help Cassie.”

Ion nodded and held out his bear, offering the toy to Cassie. “Take BooBoo Bear with you. He will protect you.”

She knew better than to insult the little one by refusing the offer of his sacred bear. Reaching for the bear, she gently lifted the fuzzy thing from the boy’s arms. “Okay, Ion. Thank you. I will keep him safe.”

Ion nodded gravely. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

That made the boy smile and he wiggled until Taeger set him down on his feet, then ran out of the room. She watched him go, then glanced up to find Taeger watching her with a look in his eyes that made her heart pound, and not because she was remembering the way his body felt inside her. No, this look made her chest ache and she had to fight to hold his gaze. She shrugged and hugged the bear to her own chest. “Who is going to watch over him until you get back?”

“You mean, untilwereturn?”

“Very well.We.” She wasn’t going to argue with him. She had a mission to complete. And she couldn’t do that from the comfort of Taeger’s bed, but nothing said she couldn’t come back to it once her mission was done. Unless Taeger didn’t really want her after that, of course.

He grinned as if he knew a secret she did not. “He gave you the bear for a reason. Ion is a very intelligent little boy.”

She realized the truth of his words as she looked down into the glassy eyes of the bear, a tender smile on her lips. “He gave me the bear so I wouldhaveto bring him back.”

Taeger chuckled. “Now you are catching on.”

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