Page 44 of Alien Prince Fake Fiancé

With a heavy, aching heart, he resumed his story. “The only way to earn their trust is to stand between one and an attackingKuvubear, their most lethal enemy, and become a willing sacrifice to give the shenga time to escape, saving its life. The shenga will return, hours later, long after the Kuvu bear has left. If you’re still alive, it will come to you, lick your wounds and forge an unbreakable bond. I saw how you were with your sister. With her child. You are fiercely loyal. Brave. Like the shenga.”

Ashlyn backed away. Why did his words hurt so much? “So, you gave me a nickname. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Zade raked his fingers through his hair and across the scruff of his cheek. Ashlyn was human. She did not understand. In giving her the creature’s name, he had revealed his heart’s desire. He wanted a similar bond with her. Unbreakable. Eternal. He would protect her with his life, always, even if she refused him.

“I deserve your anger. Forgive me,shenga,” he beseeched. “My actions were that of a desperate man. I should have listened, taken better care of you, told you the truth. For that, I will never forgive myself. There are methods aboard ship we can still use to prevent pregnancy, if that is truly what you desire. I do not like the idea, but I will bow to your wishes. I cannot lose you.”

There was a tenderness in his tone she’d never heard before. His gaze, molten gold, held a pain she feared was reflected in her own. She blinked away tears, refusing to let them fall. Unlike the sacrificial hero in Zade’s story, he’d destroyed her trust rather than earned it. Any chance they had at a real relationship was over.

He stepped close, his large hands skimming over her bare shoulders and down her back, holding her in a loose embrace. “Let me prove to you how sorry I am. Let me in.” His mouth captured hers, tempting, seducing, enticing her to give in.

He took his time, savoring every small victory, the slow tilt of her head, the gradual relaxing of tense muscles, the hitch in her breath. He meant what he said–he couldn’t bear to lose her, couldn’t let her walk away. She owned him, heart and soul. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness, didn’t deserve a second chance, yet that was what he was asking for. What he needed. Craved.

Ashlyn pulled back. His kisses were lethal against her will power. She couldn’t let him kiss his way out of this. He’d known what she wanted and gone against her, anyway. Lied to her. Undermined her. The whole situation was a disaster. Now they had no choice.

He had quickly become the center of her world. He was all she thought about, all she wanted. How could something fake feel so real? Why would he betray her trust? Was the Council seat so important to him? Did he not trust her with the truth? How could his deceit hurt so much?Because I wanted it to be real so badly, I convinced myself it was. Because even though we just met, I was falling in love and his manipulation broke my heart.

“I don’t trust you, Zade. I want you, but I don’t trust you.”

“I understand. Trust must be earned and takes time. I regret not informing you of my intentions. I hope you have enough trust remaining in your heart to at least believe that much right now. I will never keep such a thing from you again,” he vowed.

“What about the Council seat?”

“I don’t give twofulacksabout the Council. Forget about them. We will forfeit if that is your wish. Your happiness means more to me than the Council seat,shenga.If you wish to surrender the seat, you will do so. Once you do, there will no longer be any reason for the Council to interfere in your life. Tell me what you want, and I will give it to you.”

Ashlyn swallowed the lump in her throat. He was being honest. Could she do the same? Could she trust him with thedepth of her feelings? Her fear? Being honest, being vulnerable to criticism, was hard. “I don’t want to lose to C’Nar. I don’t want the Council seat, never have.”

“What do you want,shenga?”

“I want this to be over. I’m tired of being poked and prodded and lied to. I’m tired of being scared.”

His soft growl made her core pulse with anticipation. “You are on board a Caldorian battleship. You are with me. You are safe here. I give you my word.”

She stared into his eyes and let her heart break. He would live on Cappra. She would be on Earth. There was no future for them, there was only now. “My body is on fire. The medical exam, the drugs they gave me, affected me.” The remnants ofOrgastimhad her nerves tingling, her core wet and throbbing. She needed him inside her, hot and hard and out of control.

“Tell me,shenga,tell me what you need. I am yours.”

“Most men I’ve been with assumed they knew what I wanted and needed. They assumed because I am small, I want a soft and gentle man. Need one. They were wrong. I won’t break and I don’t want gentle. I like dominant men who, once permission is granted, take what they want when we’re in bed. A man who isn't afraid to get a little rough. It excites me.”

Zade didn’t think he could get any harder, but that’s exactly what her words did to him. She’d just given him permission to unleash his inner beast. To be himself. Dominant and dictatorial, at least in the bedchamber. She was absolutely perfect for him.

His eyes locked onto hers, filled with hunger, his voice a dark promise that sent shivers down her spine. “Keep going. What do you desire? What are your fantasies?”

Ashlyn didn’t know why she wanted to goad Zade, to make him angry, but she was still hurt and couldn’t stop herself. “What if I want Antonelius?”

Jealous rage, unlike anything he’d ever known, exploded inside Zade. He grabbed the back of her hair and pulled her head back, exposing her throat. “We both know you don’t want him, and if he ever tries to touch you, there will be nothing left of him when I’m done,” he snarled.

His eyes locked onto hers as he moved her backwards, into his bedchamber. “Your sister was right–– Caldorian males are more primitive and possessive than humans. You are angry right now and want to provoke me, but deep down I think you know you’re mine. I have no problem reminding you of that fact.”

Their eyes clashed in a battle of wills. “Sex won’t solve anything. I’ll still be angry.”

“Angry or not, you’re going to scream my name and beg me to fill you,” he countered, “and in so doing, you will know without a shadow of a doubt who you belong to.”

Without giving her time to protest, his mouth crashed down onto hers, one moment demanding, the next teasing, until she moaned and grabbed his shoulders for balance.

Panting, fingers digging into his shoulders, she gasped out the words, “Never...gonna...happen...can’t...make...me.”

His eyes lit with challenge as his chest filled with hope. “I can,” he vowed, “and I will.”

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