Page 12 of Protected By the Alien Knight

“But your oaths—”

“I am sworn to protect and serve, yes. And that is what I have done.” His tangerine eyes practically smolder with conviction. “You bring light back into my battered soul, and I will not repent for that.”

I gape at him, searching those striking features for any hint of insincerity and finding none. “Crux, I... I don’t know... my kids...” My voice trails off, the reality of the situation crashing down around me.

I’m an ambassador with two adult children. I’m not a young woman anymore. This shouldn’t have happened, and I have to put an end to it before it goes any further.

“What about them?” Crux rumbles, his voice vibrating through my bones.

I swallow hard. “They’re going to be furious when they find out.”

Crux sighs, his breath tickling the top of my head. “Annie, you’re an adult. And if your children truly care for you, they’ll understand. But this isn’t about them, or your duty, or anyone else. This is about what you want.”

“But that’s the problem, isn’t it?” I can’t keep the bitterness from my voice. “I’ve spent the last twenty years being a single mother and a diplomat. I don’t know what I want anymore. I’m not some young girl with her whole life ahead of her.”

Crux shakes his head, his expression stern. “You’re right, you’re not. You’re a woman with decades of life experience. Someone who has fought tooth and nail to build a career and raise a family. And now you deserve to have something that’s yours. Something that brings you joy and passion and purpose. No matter what your children or the council or anyone else may say.”

His words hit me like a sucker punch. “You’re right,” I admit softly. “I deserve to have something that’s just mine.” I tilt my chin up, meeting his gaze. “I want this, Crux. I want you.”

A real, genuine smile curves those lush lips, and it utterly steals my breath. “Say you’ll allow me to continue indulging in this madness. Because I know I cannot stop myself from falling for you, no matter how many rules or protocols I shatter in the process.”

“I’ve already fallen,” I whisper, cupping his chiseled jaw in my palm. “I need no more convincing.”

Our mouths collide again in a searing, leisurely kiss that quickly kindles into an inferno of rekindled passion. I lose myself once more in the sublime feel of him covering me, branding my curves with each scorching caress and my heart with every murmur of forbidden endearments.

We make love twice more before the suns begin to set over the gleaming spires of the crystal city, utterly consumed by the rapture that blazes between us. Neither of us speaks of duty or protocol, or what any of this cataclysmic shift means for our futures. Today, we exist solely for the pleasure and comfort we can provide one another, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When I finally drift into an utterly spent and sated slumber sometime after nightfall, Crux’s powerful frame is curled around me like a forcefield. I should feel safe and secure, yet a tiny kernel of trepidation gnaws at me. How much longer can wemaintain this gilded, exquisite illusion before the outside world shatters it all over again?

The reality of that question confronts me in the gleam of first light streaming in through the window. I blink awake with a jaw-cracking yawn, deliciously sore in a hundred different places. The insistent ping of a comm unit ruins the tranquil afterglow. Crux untangles himself from our embrace with obvious reluctance and pads across the room, retrieving the device. I can’t help admiring the ripple of his toned muscles as he moves.

“Everything okay?” I prop myself up on one elbow, anticipation prickling along my skin.

Crux’s expression is pinched as he scans the encrypted message, plush lips pressed into a flat line. When he finally meets my questioning gaze, apprehension blooms in my chest.

“It’s a comm from STI leadership,” he says, voice clipped with tension. “They’re demanding you return to Orion Station immediately, in light of the Folmodian negotiation collapsing entirely last night.”

I feel the blood drain from my face as the gravity of the situation hits me. The Folmodians were our most crucial ally in the wake of the Huxarian rebel conflicts, their advanced weapons technology and strategic positioning within the Orion Quadrant indispensable. If they pull out of the STI over stalled treaty talks...

“But I haven’t even heard back from them yet about rescheduling!” My voice pitches higher with mounting panic. “They can’t expect me to just drop everything!”

Crux arches one dark brow, silently reminding me he doesn’t appreciate my flustered hysterics. With an effort, I draw in a steadying breath and run my fingers through my tangled hair.

“Sorry, you’re right. Freaking out won’t help anything.”

His expression softens minutely as he regards me, evaluating. “If I know anything about these bureaucratic windbags, it’s thatthey only see the big picture. Not the dozen smaller crises their short-sighted demands inevitably create.”

I snort wryly at that, shaking my head. Already the harsh realities of life as an ambassador encroach on our stolen oasis.

“I should draft a response, request more time to—”

“No.”

I blink, caught off guard by Crux’s curt refusal. “Come again?”

He crosses the room in three long strides, draping his powerful frame over me in a way that’s utterly disarming. When he cups my face in one broad palm, his piercing, tangerine eyes are solemn but resolute.

“You’re not going anywhere until this situation stabilizes, Annie. It’s too risky returning to the space station or any negotiations while tensions are this volatile.”

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