Worlds Collide Page 8

  Jape moved his marker and scored another battle win. “Your father told you about the drones, despite being sworn to secrecy. Because you are family?”

  “No, our relationship had little to do with it, though he knew he could have faith in me.” Because I never stepped out of line. I was the good soldier.

  She shook herself, refusing to dip into those murky waters. “I believe he was desperate to share it with someone. It’s not the kind of thing you can keep to yourself, you know?”

  Jape thought for a few moments, but Velia doubted it was about the looming fight with a monster on the game board. He proved her supposition by saying, “From what I understand, your people feel great aloneness on your planet. It would be huge to learn there are others out there in the universe. That might have played a part in his decision to share such information with you.”

  “Maybe. I rarely saw my father emotional, but he was after seeing the drones.”

  “Emotional in what way?”

  “Astonished. Amazed. A bit fearful.”

  Jape cocked his head. “He must be proud of you, following in his footsteps.”

  “I hope he would have been. He died.” Velia scowled, but not because she’d been forced back several spaces in the game. “Just before his heart attack, he tried to warn me off of taking General Thomas’s offer to work at Camp Noname. He said he had something to tell me, but he couldn’t over the phone. It was the last time we spoke.”

  “I’m sorry you lost him.”

  Velia stayed quiet. When it came to her father, her feelings were mixed. Her mother had died before Velia had gone to college, worn out at an early age by her father’s exacting standards. He’d disowned her sister, Jane, after she’d come out, and Velia had not been allowed to speak to her again.

  And then she wouldn’t speak to me when I found her and told her Father had died. Still wouldn’t talk when I called just before reporting to Noname. Her girlfriend said to give her time to get over the hurt. At least Jane has her for support.

  Did Jane feel betrayed because Velia hadn’t stood up to their father when he’d cut her out of his life? But how could Velia have done such a thing? Speaking up would have been the height of disloyalty to him...something he would have never allowed.

  It had been Velia and her father in the end, he the family commander in chief and she his dutiful soldier. She’d loved him, but as a distant figure, brought close only by their mutual fascination of aliens and their engineering.

  Jape’s quiet voice broke into her thoughts. “I guess I haven’t been the most positive alien experience you might have wished for.”

  His comment made her laugh. As he gave her that disarming grin again, she laughed harder.

  Damn, he can be charming when he tries.

  “You’re a fearsome fellow, Stripes. Not what I had in mind for my first contact.”

  He dropped his gaze, as if he found it hard to look at her. They kept playing.

  Velia reckoned it to be almost an hour later when he shouted in triumph. She applauded him.

  “Fun game. Thanks for indulging me.”

  “You did well for your first attempt. I should be thanking you. Both for playing and answering my questions.”

  Heartened by his companionable mood, Velia crooked an eyebrow at him. “Care to reciprocate? I wouldn’t mind finding out more about the fascinating Risnarish species.”

  Jape sat back and regarded her, his expression friendly. “Ask.”

  “You grew tails. You made them disappear.”

  “Jealous?” Jape teased. “Do you wish you could form appendages according to need?”

  “Ah. Appendages.” Her face warmed. Did she dare pursue her curiosity?

  “Appendages.” He appeared merrier still, no doubt enjoying her discomfort. He didn’t make her question him outright, however. “Including our sexual organs so that we can reproduce.”

  “You have no interest in fatherhood? I’m assuming there is no Mrs. Jape since she’s not playing with us.”

  He waved a hand dismissively. “We Risnarish do not form such bonds between the genders. We come together for making children. And to experience release.”

  Velia stared at him in consternation. He talked about lovemaking like it was no more than a basic bodily function. “That’s it?”

  “What more is there? It feels good. It is sex.”

  “But—but—what about the warmth? The sharing? The feeling that, for even a few seconds, you’re part of another person?”

  Jape stared at her as if she’d gibbered in a language the system couldn’t translate. Did he have no idea of what she was talking about?

  She pressed. “How many times have you made love?”

  “You mean tried to produce a child?”

  “I mean had intercourse. Sex.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve visited the women every few weeks since I finished training—hundreds of times? Thousands? Who keeps count on that sort of thing?”

  Velia controlled the urge to bray laughter. It was obvious Jape wasn’t bragging, however. He stated it matter-of-factly.

  I barely need one hand to number my lovers. This guy makes it sound routine.

  Velia cleared her throat. “So, you’ve had all that sex, and you never felt real intimacy with another being? You’ve never had that?”

  “As in friendship? Or family? Such as men who live in a bonded relationship? But with a woman?” He seemed to struggle with the concept. “Nex and Anneliese have such a tie, but she is different. She is not like our women.”

  Velia’s amusement turned to sympathy. No one special to share himself with? “No Risnarish woman has offered you more than physical satisfaction?”

  He spoke slowly, as if trying to describe the ocean to someone who had only ever lived in the desert. “I was trained as a young man how to excite a female. In exchange, I was pleasured as well. I achieve satisfaction from my encounters, as do the women I’m with. Isn’t that all there is to it?”

  Velia blinked hard. While she could appreciate that many people might not want a strong connection when it came to sex, emotional bonds were important to her. Jape was miles away from her thinking on the subject. “Wow. I’ve had exactly two relationships, and they both went south within a few weeks. It still sounds as if I had a lot more fun than you did with your thousands of encounters.”

  “How is it for you? How is sex different?”

  “You didn’t notice anything special between this Nex and Anneliese? Besides them choosing to live together?”

  He considered it, his brow wrinkling. “They looked at each other meaningfully. It was the same with how they talked to each other. How they stood close.”

  “Like they were the only people who mattered to each other?”

  He started. His gaze turned intense. “This is the kind of sex you are talking about?”

  She swallowed under his stare. A thrill ran up her spine. “Interesting when the other person matters, huh? I’m sure it’s far more than what you’ve experienced.”

  “I think you are not so sure about that. I think you must be curious, since you asked.”

  Velia couldn’t help but eye the muscled body before her. The gleam in his eyes. “You’re not?”

  Jape seemed as eager as he had when she’d asked to play the game. “Since I abducted you, I’ve wondered—but this is more. I want to know how it feels. You should show me. Let’s have sex your Earthling way.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jape was enthusiastic, but his request to have sex was stated so matter-of-factly that at first Velia didn’t register his suggestion. When it dawned on her a second later, she gaped at him. “You want to have sex? With me?”

  “Why not?” A hint of anxiety.

  “Oh. Well.” Flustered, Velia struggled to think straight.

  “What’s th
e matter? You don’t find me attractive?” He frowned, gazing down at himself as if to discover what was amiss. “I’m bigger and stronger than many Risnarish men.”

  “Yes, you’re, uh, nice to look at.” Enthralling, actually. When Jape wasn’t pissing her off, when he flashed that unguarded smile, he was amazing.

  “It’s the attitude.” He added in a lower voice, as if he didn’t want her to hear, “It’s always the attitude.”

  “We haven’t started off as the best of friends,” Velia reminded him, not surprised that his bull-in-the-china-shop personality might have been off-putting to others. “The kind of sex I’m talking about requires trust, at the very least. It’s plain we don’t have that.”

  Too bad. Now that he’d made his outrageous proposition, Velia’s head was filled with interesting visuals. He could grow tails, after all.

  “Trust.” Jape deflated. “No, we do not have that. Earthlings don’t have sex just because it feels good? It has to be meaningful each time?”

  “There are those who have sex as you do...for pure pleasure’s sake,” Velia said. “I’m not in the habit of that. I tend to need more emotion.”

  “Curiosity isn’t enough?”

  Jape seemed disappointed. Velia tried not to let that stroke her ego. “When you don’t even like me? No, not nearly enough.”

  “Maybe I could learn to like you. I’ve had fun with you this evening.” Jape’s tone suggested he was thinking out loud rather than trying to convince her. “I’m not happy with your species as a group. But I’ve met an Earthling who was honorable.”

  “Anneliese. She must be quite a woman to have won your respect.”

  “She proved me wrong about my initial assumptions. I’m willing to consider the possibility that I was mistaken about you too.” His gaze sharpened. Heated. “You’re interesting. Intriguing.”

  Most of the oxygen in the room seemed to have escaped. She had to work to draw breath under his frank stare. “You, uh, you don’t mind how I’m different from you?”

  “You’re soft. Lots of round parts. You are pretty, especially when you laugh. Physically, I see a lot of appeal.” A grin, naughtier than any she’d seen from him before, added a daring air to his demeanor.

  She couldn’t be considering it. Yet the vision of the unabashedly masculine man doing things to her with all his attributes...heaven help her.

  Slow down, wild child. Get a grip on yourself.

  “What about beyond the physical attraction? You have to appreciate me beyond my face and body.”

  “You’re smart. I enjoy that. I’m also drawn to how your spirit shows itself when you’re happy or when you’re angry.”

  “When I’m angry?”

  “Your eyes flash. You look like a warrior ready for battle.” Jape grinned. “Is that ample liking for us to have sex?”

  Good night. From zero to sixty in two seconds with this guy.

  “It’s a decent start. Our first step is to build some sense of confidence in each other,” Velia said, her voice too breathy to be as objective as she wanted. “Playing your favorite game and sharing some of our backgrounds was an excellent beginning.”

  “Ah, so there is a ritual involved,” Jape said, understanding filling his silver eyes. “Your rite leading to sex is based in speech?”

  “Well, it’s often centered on getting to know each other.” Velia’s curiosity piqued. “What customs do you follow for sex?”

  “As young men, we are taught how to awaken a woman’s arousal. Our women insist on long, drawn-out rituals for the men to win the privilege to procreate with them, so elaborate pleasuring takes place.”

  Elaborate pleasuring? Velia wasn’t sure what to make of that. “And for the less formal interactions? The sex for sex’s sake you mentioned?”

  “A shortened form, to stimulate the woman. I make her wet and awaken her libido so she finds pleasure too. Do you get wet for sex?” He gazed at her crotch with consternation. “There are lubricants I can access if you do not.”

  “Um, let’s stick to this part of the Earthling, ah, ceremony.” Velia’s head reeled. “If we reach that point in our relationship, I’ll tell you what I need.”

  “But first, trust.”

  “Trust.” Her tone sounded as doubtful as his.

  * * *

  Jape woke at dawn and snarled at the cramp in his leg. He stretched carefully, easing the hurt from sleeping on his too-small couch.

  He sat up and looked toward his bedroom. The Earthling slept in his bed, nestled in his mattress.

  “Velia.” He whispered her name, tasting it. Then he wondered why he’d done so.

  Jape got to his feet and padded across the golden-brown floor to the sleeping partition. He peeked inside at his guest.

  Her face was relaxed as she slept, a lock of her tousled brown hair laying against her cheek. He couldn’t deny that even without the stripes, Earthling females were lovely. Especially Velia.

  He noted the fabric slung over the railing at the foot of his bed. Velia’s clothing, now clean.

  She was naked beneath his sheets. All those curves and tender skin, warm beneath the covers. His mouth went dry. His groin pulsed and a bulge formed.

  Stop it. You cannot have sex with her until she is ready.

  Jape held no illusions that sex with Velia would be different in most respects than with his own species. She spoke of a deep sharing, in a way that would make sex akin to celebrating the All-Spirit. At least that was his take on her description.

  He doubted any of that was possible for someone as grounded in the real world as he was. Yet he could anticipate the novel experience of the Earthling’s yielding flesh.

  Better still, once she’d grown comfortable enough with him to allow such an encounter, his unwanted interest would wane.

  I will stop acting foolish then. I can deal with what I should be concentrating on. Having sex with Velia would cure his growing fascination.

  Jape found too much to like about her, and it worried him. Her intelligence and vibrancy. He’d had fun with her the night before, playing the game and talking. He’d found her moments of shyness adorable when talk drifted to intimate matters. How red she’d turned when he’d suggested they have sex! The way her gaze had darted about, unable to meet his as she pretended to not be bothered by the conversation. Her thighs rubbing against each other as she’d tried to surreptitiously look him over.

  Jape caught himself smiling at the memory. Irritation replaced the momentary pleasure. He couldn’t think of her in such terms. Maybe she wasn’t part of the immediate problem of the Earthling military, but she was fiercely loyal to them. To those who had thrown their lot in with the Monsuda.

  He could not see her as anything more than that. He would not.

  * * *

  After Velia woke, she remained in Jape’s bed for a few minutes. She heard him moving about in the kitchen. From the sounds and smells, he was preparing breakfast.

  A girl could get used to this business of a man cooking for her, she thought with amusement.

  Velia was encouraged by the situation with Jape, cooking skills notwithstanding. Last night had been the breakthrough she’d hoped for. Jape had indicated a readiness to be more open with her. Friendlier. Hell, a lot friendlier, considering he’d asked her to make love.

  Why didn’t I?

  Velia frowned. Dumb question. Sure, the vision of rolling all over those delicious, striped muscles was titillating, but she’d regret it later. Wouldn’t she?

  He doesn’t want just another female to bang, or for one to jump him. His eagerness to try it as she’d described indicated he searched for meaning in his intimate encounters. He desired more than mere physical completion. She was certain she’d seen a hunger for it.

  Or maybe I’m fooling myself. Maybe he’s playing along to score the chance to say he bonked an
Earthling.

  She should stop thinking about this nonsense and focus her head where it belonged, on the immediate situation.

  Right. She had problems to deal with.

  With resolve, Velia reviewed what she’d learned since coming to Risnar. Of all the sources she’d talked to, she felt the most faith in friendly Arga. He’d backed up much of what Jape had told her, though he wasn’t inclined to blame her for all the ills of her species.

  Taking Jape at his worst out of the equation, Velia believed the Risnarish were no enemy to Earth. Even with her kidnapper added in, his behavior the night before had cemented that belief. Overall, Velia had a good feeling about the alien race.

  If Arga was correct and the Monsuda were planning to colonize Earth, she needed facts to present to General Thomas. Velia had to lay her hands on hardcore evidence. It would have been an easy matter if she could have asked Arga to show it to her.

  Not cool to ask him to go over his superior’s head. Not in any galaxy, not when I’m trying to build an atmosphere of trust.

  Jape was the go-to guy. It would have given Velia pause to ask him for proof before their game and conversation, but the situation between them had changed. With Jape’s new openness and their growing connection, he’d be glad to help her.

  She dressed and primped as best she could, considering her lack of cosmetics and a hairbrush. She stepped out, ready to take on the day, just as Jape brought their breakfast to the area he referred to as the visiting room.

  “Good morning,” she offered brightly as she perched on the couch.

  Jape grunted after flicking a glance at her. Definitely not a morning person.

  After inhaling the fascinating scents coming from the items on her plate, Velia dug in. The fluffy white concoction that covered most her dish was delicious. The texture reminded her of scrambled eggs, but the flavor hinted of vanilla and toasted nuts. There was also a delicious slice of meat, though she couldn’t have assigned a familiar flavor to it.

  She wished with all her heart for coffee instead of the pink tea-type drink Jape had brewed, but it was okay. She smiled at Jape, hoping her appreciation would boost his quiet mood. He could have used some coffee too, she supposed.