G'baena's Pirates [Sequel to Tee-ani's Pirates] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  He’d almost busted an aneurysm when he’d found the books, certain that insensitive males on the crew had added them to the library, but a quick word to Tee-ani had calmed him down. He’d been surprised that any of the women would enjoy sex after their experiences, but as Tee-ani had explained to him, romance and love was quite different from being a sex slave. She’d also been very insistent on one point—a story is safe, the reader can dream and imagine without the fear of being hurt, and for the most part, even the highly erotic stories were about love and hope and happy endings.

  He was so deep in thought he didn’t really register the sound of his communicator until it happened a second time. He quickly grabbed the small device. “Yes, Captain?”

  “Dev, one of the cooling systems is flashing a warning light in engineering.”

  Shit. “Yes, Captain. I’ll get right on it.” So much for dinner plans.

  Chapter Three

  G’baena watched the door to the mess hall. She couldn’t decide if she felt disappointed or relieved that she and Del had reached the mess hall before Devlin. Deep in thought, she didn’t see the human woman come from the kitchen until she felt a touch on her elbow.

  “G’baena?”

  G’baena nodded, a little disconcerted to be approached by someone she didn’t know. She stamped down the urge to lower her face like a good little slave and tried to smile at the woman instead.

  “Devlin asked me to let you know that he won’t be able to make dinner.”

  Disappointment swamped her.

  She barely knew the man, and goddess knew he was human and likely ignorant of the mating customs of G’trobians, but somehow, none of that mattered when he was there. It had been a very long time since any man had drawn her attention. The fact that he was human just didn’t seem to make a difference to her libido.

  “Thank you.” She turned to Del, who seemed even more disappointed than she felt. “I suppose we may as well get some dinner.”

  At least the food was pretty good. Ben and Trey had told her that the kitchen’s meals were much more appetizing now that the human women had taken over. Apparently, when it had been an all-male ship, the food had been barely edible. G’baena smiled as she watched Del load a plate high. Considering the way the young man practically inhaled the stuff, G’baena wasn’t quite sure he’d notice the quality difference anyway.

  It was nice, though, to know that there was enough food for everybody. She hadn’t been a slave very long, but she’d had her share of missed meals, and she suspected that Del had missed many, many more. After only a few days on board, he already looked healthier, stronger, his blue complexion growing a little deeper in color each day and returning to the healthier deep blue typical of Pendarians.

  G’baena ate slowly, letting Del know that there was no hurry, but her eyes kept straying to the doorway just in case Devlin could make it after all. More than an hour later, she figured it had probably been a waste of time, and was about to suggest they leave, when the man himself rushed through the door.

  His gaze bounced around the room until his eyes met hers. She couldn’t look away, his appearance mesmerizing her as he moved closer. For a breath-stealing moment, she thought he was going to haul her into his arms and kiss her, but at the last moment, he turned to smile at Del and then sat in the chair opposite her.

  “Sorry I missed dinner. Have you eaten?”

  G’baena actually wanted to say no, anything to spend time with Devlin, but Del answered for them both.

  “We’ve eaten, but I wouldn’t mind another serving of this stuff. The lady at the counter said it’s called chocolate cheesecake.”

  Devlin laughed happily, the sound doing funny things to G’baena’s insides. She’d never known anyone who could laugh so easily or as often as the humans on this ship, and she always found herself smiling whenever someone did.

  Devlin’s laugh, however, affected her on a much deeper level. She crossed her legs, hoping to quell the tingling that had begun the moment Devlin walked through the door.

  “Can I get you anything?” he asked, with a huge smile on his face. “I’m told that Narrelle’s chocolate cheesecake is a family recipe.” He looked around and whispered conspiratorially, “And a well-guarded secret. Would you like to try some?”

  G’baena nodded enthusiastically, even though, when Del had started to eat his serving, she’d thought the strange concoction unappetizing simply by its color. Somehow, with Devlin offering, the dessert seemed more appealing.

  He stood and headed to the counter. Desire tightened her insides again. The man truly was a delicious specimen, tall, good-looking, and hard, and rippled in all the right places. She tried to unglue her eyes from his gorgeous butt without success.

  “You like him.” It wasn’t a question. Del was proving to be an interesting and intelligent young man, and he was obviously more observant than she realized. She nodded in agreement, unwilling to lie to someone who’d been lied to most of his life. “He likes you, too.” That caught her attention.

  “He does?”

  Del nodded, his expression very serious, but Devlin was heading back to the table before she had a chance to ask why Del would think that.

  “Last piece of Liz’s lasagna. Must be my lucky day,” Devlin said as he put a tray with four plates in the middle of the table. He passed the biggest piece of cheesecake to Del, a smaller piece to her, and then lowered himself to the chair opposite hers.

  G’baena shifted uncomfortably in her own seat, unsure of appropriate dinner etiquette among humans. She’d seen the others in the mess hall engaged in lively conversation, so she assumed that talking was encouraged, but for the life of her, couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Del looked from her to his dessert and back again, finally lifting the spoon and digging into the sweet confection. So much for Del’s help.

  “Are you looking forward to seeing your home again? I hear G’trobia is a beautiful planet.”

  Home?

  She didn’t know if she could ever call G’trobia home again. Her family’s betrayal was still too fresh in her mind, still too raw. She shook her head, the meal she’d just consumed threatening revolt in her stomach. No, she no longer belonged on G’trobia. Maybe she never had.

  “I won’t be visiting the planet,” she said stiffly, trying to hide the unwelcome ache in her chest. It didn’t work. Devlin’s head snapped up, his gaze filled with questions. He reached across the narrow table and placed his hand over hers.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice very low and soothing. “Is there anything I can do? Would you like to talk about it?”

  She shook her head, uncertain how much to tell him, worried that the truth may change the way he saw her.

  * * * *

  Devlin could practically feel her panic. He might not be an empath, but he sure knew terror when he saw it. Going home was not something G’baena wanted. But why? He had about a zillion questions he wanted to ask, but judging by the way G’baena’s face had paled and her gaze darted around the room, anything he asked was liable to cause more problems.

  “I’m going to head back to my room,” Del said as he stretched his arms above his head. It was obvious by his movements that today’s training session had not been easy for the young man, but the whole time they’d been working out, Devlin hadn’t heard a single word of protest from the younger man’s lips. He’d have to make sure to moderate Del’s training schedule for a few days so that he didn’t do any real damage.

  G’baena started to rise from her seat, and for a moment, Devlin had to fight the urge to hold her back. Del saw her move and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You stay,” he said quietly. “I can find my way to my quarters.”

  He turned his gaze on Devlin for a moment, his clear blue eyes assessing, asking a silent question. He must’ve found what he sought because he nodded and then left the room quickly. G’baena watched the young man walk away, a small smile on her face.

  “He’s an interesting young m
an,” he said carefully. “Very protective of you.” G’baena smiled sweetly.

  “Considering what he’s been through, it’s amazing that he can be so comfortable around people. I still find myself wanting to cringe and lower my eyes whenever I pass someone in the hall.” She blushed then, confirming in Devlin’s mind that G’trobians were very close to humans, at least in their reactions. Tee-ani had even suggested that humans and G’trobians shared a common ancestor. She hadn’t yet figured out the genetic quirk that made all G’trobian male births identical twins, but he knew Tee-ani well enough to know she’d keep researching until she knew the answer.

  Devlin leaned over the table and with a gentle hand lifted G’baena’s gaze off her cheesecake and onto him. “Don’t ever feel the need to act like a slave. You are free and safe and protected here and considered an equal. As the captain, Jordan may run this ship, but he’s worked hard to make sure that everyone has a function, a place to belong. We work as a team, as a family on this ship now, and no family member is more or less important than the others.”

  She nodded her understanding, but he could read a million questions in her eyes. He couldn’t help himself. Grasping her hand in his own seemed so natural, so necessary, that he held her warm fingers tighter than he first intended.

  “It’s okay to ask me anything. Anything you want or need to know, you just have to ask.” He could see her struggling, see her grimace as she tried to find the words to say whatever she wanted to say, but at the last moment, she seemed to change her mind and ask something completely different. He’d been expecting a question about the ship or maybe about humans or human culture in general, but the question she did ask had the blood pooling in his groin.

  “Will you have sex with me?”

  The piece of lasagna he’d been chewing lodged in his throat, and he tried desperately to remedy the situation without making a fuss. He could just see his epitaph now—he choked on lasagna in the mess hall with a hard-on. He finally managed to swallow the mouthful and grabbed for his glass of water.

  “Did I say it wrong?” G’baena asked quietly, concern and embarrassment written all over her pretty face. He reached across the table to cup her cheek in his hand.

  “No, honey, you didn’t say anything wrong. You just took me by surprise.”

  “Oh,” she said in a non-committal tone.

  Devlin shifted in his chair, trying to ease the ache in his groin without cutting off the blood supply to his legs, almost groaning aloud with the discomfort. G’baena fidgeted in her seat and looked like she was going to make a run for it, so he grabbed her hand again and held on tight.

  “G’baena, I’m sorry, I just don’t know how to react here. You were held captive as a sex slave. I thought sex would be the last thing on your mind.”

  She shook her head, her face coloring again as she awkwardly tried to explain.

  “I…uhm…wasn’t, they didn’t, I mean…” She blew out her breath in irritation and then pinned him with her gaze. “I was sold as a virgin, so no one touched me in a sexual way.”

  Devlin was starting to feel like he’d fallen into a non-orientable wormhole and popped out in some alternate universe. “You’re a virgin?” he whispered anxiously.

  “No.” She shook her head fretfully. “I’m a trained concubine.”

  He shook his head again, the information seeming to make no sense.

  “How did you get away with that? Surely Keytark’s men would’ve checked.”

  “They did, but G’trobian women are a little different from other species.”

  He watched her steadily, suddenly wondering if Tee-ani was mistaken in her idea that humans and G’trobians were all that similar. She lowered her voice to the barest of whispers, and he had to lean across the table to hear her. That put her mouth next to his ear, and her warm breath bathed the sensitive skin as she whispered her secret. He willed his cock to behave as he listened to her words.

  * * * *

  He pulled back so suddenly she almost fell off her own chair in reaction.

  “Is this common knowledge?”

  She shook her head. No, it wasn’t common knowledge at all. She'd never heard or read anything about it herself and didn’t think anyone else, besides her fathers, knew of the medical quirk. How they knew was still a mystery to her.

  “G’baena, honey, we need to tell Tee-ani. If the slavers figure this out, the women on G’trobia could be in a lot more danger than we first thought.” Goddess, she hadn’t even thought of that. She nodded frantically as she pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. Devlin wrapped his arm around her waist and held her shaking body tightly against him as they headed for the medical bay.

  Chapter Four

  Tee-ani looked amused when she first saw them together, but then must’ve seen the fear in G’baena’s stance, because she crossed the room quickly, a million questions glittering in her eyes. Devlin pulled G’baena closer as he tried to explain.

  “Doc, there’s a G’trobian medical quirk we think you need to be aware of,” he began, not really sure whether to blurt out the information or let G’baena handle the situation herself. His instincts were screaming at him to take charge, to protect this woman—his woman—but another part reminded him that she had a right to choose when and where she accepted his protection. She had a mind and a will of her own, and there was no way he would treat her with anything less than respect.

  Tee-ani’s concerned gaze bounced from one to the other until G’baena tried to explain.

  “When I came of age, I was sent to a very exclusive school to be trained to please my intended mates.”

  Tee-ani nodded, looking confused, as she waited for G’baena to explain the rest. When G’baena hesitated again, it finally struck Devlin that G’baena was talking to the woman who was mated to the very men G’baena had been trained to please. Talk about awkward. He gave G’baena a reassuring squeeze and then spoke quietly.

  “Doc, she was sold as a virgin, but she’s not one. The hymen grows back if a G’trobian woman doesn’t have intercourse in a long time.”

  Tee-ani shook her head as if the information seemed unbelievable, but then realization at the implications must’ve hit her. She stared at them in horror. “Shit, if the slavers knew that, they’d be willing to take a whole lot more risk to get their hands on G’trobian women for slavery.”

  Devlin nodded as he again felt G’baena shiver in his arms. He pulled her closer, his heart swelling with tenderness when she turned her face into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “I need to speak to Ben and Trey and the captain. This situation could be far more problematic than we first thought.”

  “It’s not common knowledge, I don’t think,” G’baena said, turning her head slightly so that she faced Tee-ani. “G’trobians value experience over virginity and all wives have two husbands, so I doubt many women have ever lived the phenomenon. Or if they have, it’s likely that they didn’t really understand it.”

  “So how did your abductors know?” Devlin asked.

  G’baena shook her head, the memories of her treatment at her abductors’ hands obviously still raw and painful.

  “Don’t worry about this now,” Tee-ani said soothingly. “Devlin, why don’t you take G’baena back to her quarters, and I’ll let you know what happens after I talk to the captain.”

  Devlin nodded, concern for G’baena’s state of mind urging him into action. He held her close, feeling very reluctant to let her go once they reached her cabin. As they approached the door, she whispered quietly, “Stay with me, please.”

  He nodded, ruthlessly stamping down the desire that was rising in him again. The woman was shocked and frightened. Even though she never intended to return to her home planet, there was no doubt that she worried for the women who could be targets. He ground his teeth together, determined to be her support, her rock, without following through on her earlier invitation.

  He went to settle her on the sofa, but she pul
led him towards the bed. He shook his head, and a small smile flitted across her face. “Well, maybe you can just hold me.” He smiled back and then helped her onto the bed and lay down beside her. She cuddled into him, her soft curves molding sweetly against his side. They lay quietly together for several minutes.

  “I’m sorry about before,” she said softly. Puzzled, he lifted his head in an attempt to make eye contact, but she kept her face averted.

  “Sorry about what?”

  “I didn’t mean to insult you by asking you to have sex with me. I’m still trying to understand proper protocols when it comes to dealing with humans.”

  He couldn’t help it—he laughed. How did this situation end up so upside down? Wasn’t it usually the male apologizing for being too eager to get into bed?

  “I’m not insulted,” he finally said. “I was just surprised. There is nothing I’d rather do than drive my cock deep into your body and make love to you all night, but I suspect that we are going to have a couple of visitors before too long.”

  “Visitors?” she asked at the same time the door chimed. She sat up and looked at him with such fear in her eyes that he pulled her close and took a moment to reassure her.

  “It’s probably just Ben and Trey,” he said as he moved away from the bed and towards the door.

  * * * *

  G’baena’s heart was pounding hard despite Devlin’s reassurance and the knowledge that he’d protect her if she needed it. She had no idea why she would need it, but she could feel the agitation of the two G’trobian males on the other side of the door, and having Devlin close made her feel less threatened.