Page 66 of Shattered Silence

Of course he was. A guy like Enki didn’t do things by halves. He was Kordolian.

“So what does it mean to be mated to a Kordolian?” Layla leaned into him as he buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. The pain in her ribs faded into the background, and she almost forgot she was in the medical bay.

“I will have to show you,” Enki said hoarsely. “But first, let me apply this cursed device to your body.” His hands slipped lower, his fingers brushing against the collar of her robe, which had been given to her by Abbey. It had to be an alien construction, because Layla had worn a lot of designer clothes in her lifetime, and she’d never come across a material quite as soft as this. Ending at her knees, the impossibly comfortable robe was a deep sage green, and it had a fabric belt that tied around her waist, much like a wrap dress.

Finally, she felt good, she smelled good, and the most impossibly handsome alien warrior was standing before her with smoldering heat in his amber gaze, and he was currently slipping his thumb beneath the edge of her robe, pulling it aside to reveal her chest. This time, her breasts were encased in a lacy cream colored bra. Layla had selected it from the wide range of clothing that had mysteriously appeared in the wardrobe of her newly-assigned quarters. Amazingly, the sizes were all correct. She suspected Abbey had a hand in that.

Apparently, anything and everything was available on the Fleet Station.

Enki ran his thumb over her pert nipple, which peeked through the delicate fabric. It stiffened instantly, and he growled in approval. The starfish patch-thing appeared in his hand. “This will adhere to your skin. Did Zharek explain how it works?”

“He kinda got interrupted.” Layla raised one eyebrow archly.

“That was for his own safety. I cannot stand the thought of another male putting his hands on you. Here.” Without hesitation, Enki pressed the black thing against her ribs, just below her breast. Warmth spread across her skin, seeping into her chest, her ribs, her stomach, her back.

And immediately, her pain disappeared.

“Wow.” It was as if a great weight had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders. The complete absence of pain was accompanied by a feeling of euphoria; it had been so long since she’d felt like this. “That’s powerful.” Unlike the pain meds she’d been given after one of her many VR stunt injuries—the last time, when she’d broken her ankle, they’d had her on some nasty stuff called Neuranol—the black starfish didn’t make her feel drowsy or out of it. No, the euphoria was simply due to the fog of pain lifting, making her feel brand new.

She was floating.

She was high on Enki; on his intoxicating presence, on sheer desire stretched so taut it became an exquisite kind of pain, replacing her physical aches with a growing need.

And for the first time in years, she felt like a million fucking bucks.

“It is a construct made of nanites and biological substances, specifically tailored for humans. The nanites will move through your body, targeting specific cells and repairing any inflammation. They are drawn to damaged cells.” He raised an eyebrow as he noticed her surprise. “I made sure Zharek explained it to me in detail first. There is no way I would allow him to treat you without knowing exactly what he planned to do.”

“Are you always so hard on the people that work with you?”

“Only when it comes to you.”

Oh. So her rescuer and soon-to-be lover was a control freak when it came to her, but he didn’t seek to control her. Another cupid’s bolt slammed into her heart, its hooked tip driving deep into her soul. “To be honest, at this point I don’t really care how it works, as long as it works. I’m…”

Going crazy, in a good way.

She met his eyes and became entranced all over again.

He slipped his hand around her waist and lifted her out of the chair, earning a yelp of surprise from Layla. “We’re going to my quarters, now.” The barely suppressed growl in his voice revealed the hidden tension in his body. Lordy, if Layla felt like this now, then how much restraint had Enki been exercising this entire time?

Ever since they’d kissed in the airlock…

Sweet stars.

That level of self control was scary, but then again, what did one expect from a warrior whose abilities were so inhuman, so freakish, that he sometimes seemed more demon than man?

For Layla, who had serious trust issues, his approach was the only thing that could ever have worked. Back there in the airlock, or in his sleeping pod on the Virdan X, or even right here, right now… he could have taken her, and she would have been helpless to resist. He could have overpowered her so easily at any time, just like the Kordolians who had captured her, but he’d gone to great lengths to prove to her that he was different to them, and somehow, he’d known exactly what she needed.

How does he do that?

A little space to breathe, a bit of good old fashioned Earth-style nourishment, a long hot shower, and she was almost back to her old self.

The attraction between them ripened, becoming full and urgent, and the heat coursing through Layla’s body exploded into full-blown lust, making the tender nub between the silken folds of her pussy throb with desire.

“I felt that just now,” he whispered in her ear, his voice dangerously low, his warm breath feathering her cheek. “I can sense your arousal, human.”

“You’re impossible. What am I supposed to do with a man who can sense everything?”

“You let go, Layla. You forget everything bad that has gone before and let me take you away.” He was moving, but it felt like he was gliding, and Layla was swaying in his powerful arms, as if floating in a dream of heady arousal and dark amber and otherworldly desire…

---