Born of Ice (The League #3)(11)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Damn it. He was an idiot and he should have sobered up before he touched her.

Well, I’m sober now.

He leaned his forehead against hers and shook his head. “Why did you come to me?”

“I felt guilty.”

“For what?”

“For causing your condition and then interrupting your chance … take care of it. Had you not gotten into a fight, you could have stayed until you found someone you wanted to sleep with.”

That left him all but speechless.

And insulted.

“You slept with me because you felt obligated?”

“Not entirely.” Heat exploded across her face an instant before anger darkened her gaze. “I’m not a whore!” She pushed him back, but he held her fast.

“Shh,” he said, keeping her against him to calm her down. “I’m not accusing you of being a whore.” Damn, what had her father and his crew done to her? “I just don’t want you to think that part of your duties on this ship is to take care of me when I’m horny. Ever.”

Alix calmed down as she saw the sincerity in his eyes. Why did he have to be so sweet and handsome?

Why do I have to betray the only decent man I’ve ever met? It was so unfair.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I just know that men have needs and when you can’t get what you want, you take what’s available. I won’t bother you again.”

Devyn wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from retrieving her pants from the floor. “Alix… I had the chance on Nera to sleep with the most amazing redhead I’ve ever seen. She was all over me before I got drunk and believe me, she all but had me nak*d.”

Those words made her ache. “You are such an ass**le to tell me that.” Then she frowned at his confession, not understanding it. “Why didn’t you sleep with her?”

“Because she wasn’t you.”

“I’m confused again.”

He took her hand into his and led it to his cock, which was already starting to harden again. “Like you said, you’re the one who did this to me. I didn’t want what was available, Alix. I wanted you.”

“Why?”

Devyn was aghast at the fact that she couldn’t accept the fact that he was attracted to her because she was hotter than hell. “You’re smart. Funny. Fearless, and you come without all the shit and drama most women carry. You don’t play head games. You don’t tell me you’re all right when you’re not. You’re competent, not whiny … and the gods know I’ve had it with whiny, incompetent women who can’t look after themselves.” He buried his hand in her hair. “And you have the most beautiful hair and eyes I’ve ever seen. Best of all you not only get my sarcasm, you dish it back.” He grinned at her. “I like a woman with sass.”

She moaned as he dipped his head down to kiss her again. His c**k hardened even more while he trapped her hand between their bodies.

He pulled back to growl before he jerked his shirt off over his head. Taking her hand, he urged her up and pulled her into his bathroom. She froze as she saw how nice it was. Three times the size of hers, it had gold fixtures and black marble. Everything was so beautiful…It was like a dream.

He released her so that he could turn the shower on. While he adjusted the water, she removed her top and bra.

Her breath caught as she watched the play of muscles under his skin. He was absolutely gorgeous. With the exception of several severe scars, his body was perfect.

And when he turned around to smile at her, she shivered. He held his hand out toward her. “Care to join me?”

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her inside where the hot water slid sensually against her skin.

Devyn grabbed the washcloth and soap so that he could quickly bathe himself, then turned to lather her body.

Alix sighed in pleasure as Devyn gently bathed her br**sts. He used his hands and the cloth to heighten the pleasure until she was hungry again. And when he nudged her legs apart to bathe the center of her body, she could barely stand. He pressed her back against the wall while his fingers toyed with her. She trembled as his breath caressed her skin. He circled her earlobe before tracing the entire outline of her ear with his tongue.

She came again with an orgasm so fierce it made a mockery of her earlier one. He gave a low, light laugh in her ear as he sank down before her.

His grin was infectious as he looked up at her and captured her gaze. Breathless, she was still recovering when he took her into his mouth.

She let out a delighted squeal.

“Oh… my…” Her head spun as he gave her three more orgasms.

Only then did he slide himself up her body and enter her again.

Devyn closed his eyes as he savored every inch of her body while he thrust against her. This was what he’d been craving for days. The scent and feel of her was unlike anything he’d ever known.

And when he came, he had his face and hand buried in the wet strands of her long hair.

Alix cradled Devyn against her while the water continued to pelt down on them. “Aren’t we wasting resources?”

He laughed. “You’re the only one who would think of that right now.” Pulling back, he kissed her fiercely.

She moaned at the taste of him.

He finally released her and quickly bathed himself while she watched. She felt suddenly awkward as she tried to cover herself with her hands. Should she leave?

Was she dismissed now that he was done with her?

Just as she started to go, he caught her for another stunning kiss.

He wiped a strand of hair back from her face before he gently nipped her chin. “You look really uncomfortable right now, so I’ll leave you to finish.” He placed his washcloth in her hand. “I hope you’ll stay with me tonight and not go back to your room.” He stepped away, then paused. “And that’s not an order, Alix. I don’t want you there unless you want to be there.”

Those words brought a lump to her throat. “I’ll stay.”

He nipped her lips, then left her alone.

What am I doing? I have to hand him over to the authorities. And they were going to ruin and then kill him. How would she ever live with herself?

* * *

Devyn frowned as Alix came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. She twisted one corner of it. He found the uncertainty of her gesture absolutely charming and adorable. “Um…I need my nightclothes out of my room.”

He pulled the covers back. “No, you don’t.”

She arched a single questioning brow that charmed him even more. “You want me to sleep nak*d… with you?”

“Not like I haven’t seen you.”

“What about Sway and Vik?”

“I don’t want to sleep nak*d with them.”

Her face turned bright pink. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know. It’s okay. I promise, I just want to hold you while I sleep. I assure you I don’t have enough energy left to do anything else.”

Alix hesitated before she crossed the room. She’d never done anything like this before. And the scariest part was how much she wanted to sleep with him like that.

This is wrong.

Even so, she climbed under the covers before she removed her towel.

Devyn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his front. “Thank you for staying.”

She wanted to thank him, too, but right now she couldn’t speak. She was too overwhelmed by everything that had happened. With his kindness and consideration. How did someone learn to be so nice?

Especially to someone like her, who definitely didn’t deserve anything except his scorn and hatred.

And just as she started to doze, his link buzzed. She jumped at the same time he cursed.

Rolling over, he grabbed the earpiece. He inserted it, then tapped it to open the channel. “Yeah, Mom… No, I’m not exercising or fighting. I was trying to go to sleep.” He let out a tired sigh as he listened to her. “Yeah. I’ll call in the morning. Love you, too.” He slid a sheepish glance to Alix before he made a kissing sound for his mom.

She bit back a smile as he returned the link to his nightstand. “That’s very sweet.”

“Humiliating, you mean.”

“I find it refreshing that you show her respect. Most men wouldn’t.”

He laughed out loud. “You say that only because you’ve never met my mom. You show her respect or she kicks your ass. Trust me, she’s small but vicious.”

“I’m sure she never kicked yours.”

“You’d be surprised. She was loving, but tough at times. My mom doesn’t take lip from anyone… except maybe Vik. And she has never taken it from me. Her basic philosophy is, ‘I brought you into this world and I will take you out of it.’” He returned to holding her close.

“I don’t think your mom would ever really hurt you.”

“Let’s just say I have no intention of finding out.” He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply.

She swallowed as she looked down at his arm draped over her. His skin was so dark compared to hers. His fingers long and lean. Powerful and beautiful. A part of her warmed at the memory of how they’d felt while they pleased her.

And as she absorbed the warmth of his body snuggled next to hers, tenderness for him choked her. She should be sorry over what they’d done tonight, but she couldn’t muster that feeling. She’d wanted him, and now she knew exactly how kind Devyn Kell could be.

Even when he was drunk…

Alix lay there for hours, listening to him breathe as he slept.

And she hated herself for what she was about to do. I have no choice.

Getting up carefully so as not to wake him, she made her way to his computer. With any luck, Vik wouldn’t be monitoring it since it was Devyn’s. Surely the captain’s computer would be immune from the mecha’s snooping.

Her heart pounding, she touched the pad to bring it out of sleep mode. The monitor flashed as it came online. She glanced at Devyn to make sure he was still asleep before she searched for old manifests.

She touched the first file that came up to open it.

Instead of a spreadsheet, it was a picture of a young Devyn sitting on the shoulders of a man who looked so similar in features that she was sure it was his father. The only difference was the feral gleam in his father’s eyes. It was as if he could look through and see straight into her soul even through the photograph.

He must be truly terrifying in person. As intense and powerful as Devyn was, he had nothing on the man who’d created him. There was no mistaking the ruthless killer that lived inside his father.

She touched back and then went to the next file. It was a list of cargo…

That told her nothing. It looked like a million other legal shipping documents. So she moved on.

“What are you doing?”

She jumped at Devyn’s low, sharp tone as she quickly closed the file and her search. Luckily, he was still in bed and not making any moves to see what she was looking at. “I—I was trying to pull up the ship’s core to make sure everything was holding.”

Devyn yawned. “Come back to bed and don’t worry about it. Vik’ll let us know if something happens. He’ll know before it even reaches the sys scan.”

She clicked out so that he couldn’t find her search and returned to bed.

But as she lay there, she couldn’t stop trembling.

That had been too close. Had he gotten up, he’d have seen her search…

“Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Fine.”

“Why are you shaking?”

“Cold.”

He nuzzled her neck and wrapped his arms tight around her as he held her even closer. Every inch of that lean, hard body was pressed against hers. Protective. Sweet. Wicked. “I’ll warm you.”

I’m so going to burn in oblivion for this… But every time she felt guilty about handing him over, all she had to do was see the face of her mother and sister and her conscience was squelched.

She hoped…

And yet lying here in his arms, she’d never felt safer.

Cherished.

He doesn’t feel like that toward you. He was just a man with an itch and you were a convenient body for him. You don’t even know him.

That was hard to say convincingly since he was nak*d with her. She definitely knew him now… his touch and scent were branded in her memory. Rolling over, she stared at the handsome planes of his face. With his eyes closed, he looked almost vulnerable.

Except for his hands. They were still rugged even while the rest of him was relaxed. And as she lay there, watching him, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have a man like him in her life. One who would be there for her when she needed him.

One who could love her.

She didn’t dare dream of a husband. She was too used and too tired to even go there.

But deep inside, in a place where she was almost afraid to look, was a tiny kernel of hope that her father’s cruelty hadn’t slaughtered. That little flickering light ignited and tortured her with images of a home and someone like Devyn who could love her in spite of everything.