Taken by Storm V3 Read online

  In one sustained motion, a tall, broad-shouldered body arose from the mound. Or more accurately, the mound became the body.

  Charlotte gasped and yanked the curtains aside. She tried to move the latch, but her hands shook so badly she couldn’t work the lock.

  She could see his reflection in the glass. Long black hair cascaded all around him as he stalked toward her. Moonlight offered a glimpse of his features before he stepped into her shadow.

  Warm fingers curved around her upper arms. She cried out. The contact produced a subtle shock like static only hot. She clung to the wooden frame as he dragged her away from the window. He turned her to face him but she immediately backed away.

  She bumped against the wall. “Take whatever you want. Just don’t hurt me.”

  His hands still circled her arms and she raised her gaze. Moonlight from the window allowed her to study his face for the first time. Silky black hair framed features so perfect she could hardly breathe. A strong, straight nose divided the lean, angular plane of his face. Hard, hollow cheekbones and ink-black brows drew attention to his strangely beautiful eyes.

  A startling combination of gray, blue and black, the entire surface of his eyes swirled behind his lashes like smoke. There were no pupils, no rings of color, only an ever-changing blending of hues.

  She had seen eyes like his before. Staring back at her from the mirror!

  He said several words in a slow, even tone. Charlotte tried to calm herself, to control her breathing, to accept that this was real.

  Something soft and warm brushed against her arms and sneaked under the edge of her bathrobe to touch the bare skin of her upper chest. She glanced down and screamed. Like long, silky tentacles—he could control the movement of his hair!

  His hands framed her face and he spoke again. She pushed against his chest, desperate to free herself. Terror burned away the fragile remnants of her rationality.

  “Don’t touch me. What are you? Let me go!”

  Feeling a gentle penetration into her mind, she yelled for help. She thrashed and kicked, pounding her fists against his chest. The subtle tingling intensified. She arched away from him, throwing her head back and squeezing her eyes shut against the invasion. He was in her mind. He was inside her! He was…

  Tal Aune barely caught the woman before she hit the floor. Lifting her into his arms, he groaned. His entire body protested the exertion. Curse the ghosts of the night moon, he was weak as a babe. What had interrupted the spatial transmission? He must have a complete energy transference or what little ground he’d gained with their liplink would be lost.

  He moved to the sleeping station and laid the female down. He hadn’t really looked at her before. She wasn’t as distasteful as some Earth females he’d seen. Her skin appeared healthy and smooth. The arrangement of her features was acceptable but her hair… He lifted a lock and shook his head. The color was a nice warm brown with a touch of gold, but the strands would barely reach her shoulders. Was she being punished for some offense? Surely this abomination was not intentional.

  The most efficient way of replenishing his energy was to join his body to hers, but if she happened to rouse while he was inside her, he knew she wouldn’t be pleased. He chuckled at the galactic understatement. Judging from the struggle she launched when he caressed her with his hair, he could imagine the resistance he’d encounter should he join with her. Besides, he had never joined with one native to Earth. Human. They were called humans. It was possible that energy transference couldn’t be accomplished in such a manner.

  She would have to be naked. There was no avoiding that. He couldn’t absorb energy with any sort of barrier between his skin and hers—and he was in desperate need of energy.

  He hadn’t meant to overload her senses but humans were so fragile. And her irrational resistance had only complicated the matter. She’d reacted as if he meant to erase her mind, not perform a simple scan.

  He leaned forward and his hand brushed across her foot. Her toes were ice-cold. Again he chuckled, amazed by the helplessness of humans. They couldn’t even control their body temperature.

  Unknotting the belt at her waist, he parted her garment and paused, surprised by her appeal. She had beautiful breasts, high and round. They would easily fill his palms. Without her clothing, the female was downright interesting.

  Tal felt his hair flutter and swirl around his torso. This was ridiculous. He must garner energy from this woman and then figure out what had gone wrong.

  Shifting out of his clothing, he crawled onto the sleeping station and pulled the little human into his arms.

  Charlotte snuggled into the warmth enveloping her. She splayed her fingers to better absorb the heat and curled her toes. Her skin tingled and her mind swam within a sensual haze. She was aware of the sensations, yet coherent thought was just beyond her grasp. Her face was buried against something warm and solid. Long arms encircled her back, molding her body against another body—a hard, heated body. Her legs tangled with other legs—muscular, masculine legs. Pressing her breasts more firmly against the solid wall of muscle in front of her, she arched into the heat. It felt strange. It felt wonderful. But it felt wrong.

  There was no man in her life. No lover to keep her warm.

  She had just begun to sort through the confusion when his mouth touched hers. Gently, he pressed his lips over hers, caressing and coaxing her. She parted her lips, responding instinctively to the velvety slide of his mouth. The tip of his tongue touched hers and she groaned. It had been so long since she reveled in the intimacy of a deep, passionate kiss. She offered her mouth and accepted his tongue.

  Her hands clutched his broad back and her legs moved against his until her sex made contact with one thick thigh. Aching heat flared within her, making her wild. She arched and undulated, her hands tangling in his long hair—impossibly long hair.

  Charlotte dragged her mouth away from his and forced her eyes to open. His hot, seeking mouth moved to her throat. She didn’t need to see his face to know who held her. His embrace was strong, demanding, and his silky hair was stroking her entire body all at once. It was the most erotic thing she’d ever felt. Like silk fringe or the fur of a Persian cat, the strands moved over her skin, circling her limbs and caressing her flesh.

  She couldn’t think, couldn’t struggle. Heat and liquid desire rolled through her body. She tried to disentangle herself from the silken web, but he only rolled with her, dragging her beneath him.

  His weight pressed her into the bed and his face hovered above hers. She stared up into his otherworldly eyes, panting and rigid. He was a stranger to her. She didn’t even know his name.

  He wasn’t human!

  He spoke in a hushed, tender tone, but his words were as alien as his eyes. She could still feel his hair wrapped around her, clinging to her, caressing her. “What do you want from me?” Her voice broke and tears gathered behind her lashes.

  He spoke again and she closed her eyes. He was trying to soothe her but his eyes, combined with their sexual position, terrified her. His warm palms skimmed up and down along the sides of her body and his hair continued to slide against her skin. Charlotte fought against the stimulation. She couldn’t let herself be seduced. But, boy, did it feel good!

  This couldn’t be happening. Why was this happening?

  “I will not hurt you.”

  She gasped and opened her eyes. His words were oddly accented, but clearly English. “Who are you?” she asked. “Why were you kissing me?”

  “I must have more of what I took from you on the mountain.” He spoke slowly, as if searching for each word. “This will not harm you but it will restore me to health. Do you understand? My levels are low—no, not just low. I am dangerously weak. If I do not have more energy, my essence will disperse.”

  “What you were doing a minute ago is different than what you did on the mountain. On the mountain you only…” She gasped and squirmed as she realized just how much of his warm skin was rubbing against hers. “
Why the hell am I naked?”

  “Do you have a mate?”

  “If this exchange involves something I would ordinarily do with my mate, forget about it.”

  He shifted his weight, touching her face with his fingertips. “A full-body joining would afford me the highest concentration of energy but it is not necessary.”

  “Glad to hear it because I’m not doing that with you.”

  He chuckled and nuzzled the side of her neck. Charlotte tried to push him away. He moved again, rolling them onto their sides, facing each other.

  “May I touch you?” he whispered near her ear.

  Charlotte’s head began to spin. “Touch me how? What exactly is necessary for this exchange?”

  “I must give you pleasure.”

  Did he mean…surely, he didn’t mean she had to have an… “If I refuse to allow this? Will you simply take what you need?”

  “The exchange is tainted when it is forced. As weak as I am, it would do me no good. I need this desperately and it must be soon or it will be too late.”

  She trembled. Purple smudges shadowed his eyes and deep lines bracketed his mouth. His breathing grew labored and her heart lurched into her throat. He meant every word. If she didn’t allow him to touch her, he would die. Could she really be so selfish?

  “I have so many questions. Once you’re restored, will you answer my—”

  Taking her phrasing as consent, he cut off her words with a quick, urgent kiss. One arm slipped beneath her neck and his hand moved to her hip, pulling her more tightly against him.

  This isn’t sexual. It’s medicinal.

  She tried to relax, to accept the warm pressure of his mouth. Fear kept her stiff and unresponsive. He deepened the contact, coaxing her lips apart, but he refused to penetrate her mouth. He seemed to want her to come to him. Tentatively, Charlotte touched his tongue with hers.

  He groaned, the desperation returning full force. Slanting his mouth over hers, he took possession. His lips molded and moved, his tongue traced and stroked and finally delved deep. She arched into his embrace and returned his kiss with an eagerness she didn’t fully understand. She wanted to taste him and wanted him to taste her. She needed to touch him, needed to feel his hands moving across her skin.

  Tingling sensations erupted all over her body. She could feel it happening again as it had on the mountain. He was gathering something within her, only it was different this time, more acute, more powerful. She was trapped by his arms and tangled in his hair. Her breasts swelled and her nipples tightened painfully while the sensations coalesced. Scalding heat radiated out from her feminine core until even her toes felt hot. Consumed by the heat, she surrendered to the storm.

  He reared up onto his knees, dragging her with him. His hands were everywhere, sliding under the tantalizing curtain of his hair. He cupped her breast. Heat seared her sensitive nipple. Sliding along her spine, skimming her hip and belly, his touch tantalized and built the pressure. He pressed her to his chest and slipped one hand between her thighs.

  Charlotte cried out sharply, frightened by the intensity of her feelings. Demanding need pulsed through her, electrifying her senses. He parted her folds and stroked her, his touch gentle yet sure. She trembled, clinging to his arms. Circling her clit, he commanded her body’s surrender.

  Pleasure burst within her, sizzling along every nerve ending and triggering the powerful pulsation of her muscles.

  A draining, sucking sensation siphoned her strength in one violent withdrawal.

  She screamed, fighting just to remain conscious. His arms tightened and his body shook. A low, ragged groan escaped him as he collapsed onto his side.

  His arms released her but his hair was still tangled around her. She trembled, her lungs desperate for air, her muscles burning. Her body ached, her mind reeled and she collapsed across his chest.

  “You said it wouldn’t harm me,” she whispered, and slipped into the void.

  Chapter Three

  Charlotte awoke slowly, feeling muddled and abused. Why was she so weak and why… Her fingers encountered something warm and smooth and her thoughts trailed away.

  Awareness crashed over her with shocking clarity. She lay entwined with the alien, naked, tangled in his hair. Her shoulder was tucked under his arm and her leg was bent, nearly circling his waist. His hand held her knee, lightly securing her leg in its intimate position.

  “I know you’re awake,” he said softly. “I can feel the tension in your body.”

  She started to sit but thought better of it. Her bathrobe was spread beneath them. His hair caressed her naked body, leaving tingles in the wake of each silky strand. “Are you…healed?”

  He chuckled. “Nearly so and I thank you. It’s quite likely you saved my life last night.”

  He rolled, reversing their positions. She stared up at him silently as she took mental inventory of the situation. She had to get out of here. Which meant she had to get dressed and to her car. Would he let her drive away with a friendly wave goodbye? Somehow, she didn’t think so.

  “Will you please let me up?” She didn’t trust the way her body reacted to this man.

  “If you like.”

  “I’d like it best if you’d just leave. If you’re honestly grateful for what I did, that’s how you can repay me.”

  His smile caught her by surprise. The flash of white teeth and intensity of his extraordinary eyes made her stomach clench and her breath catch in her throat. He ran his fingertip down her nose, tapping it against the tip. “Is life ever that simple?”

  “Certainly not mine.”

  “I’ll turn my back as you dress. You seem uncomfortable with your nudity.”

  “I’m uncomfortable with…” She started an indignant explanation then bit back the harsh words. Caution was a wiser course until she knew more about this…person. “Thank you.”

  She scurried off the bed and yanked the top drawer of her dresser open. Tugging on the first pair of panties her fingers touched, she found the matching bra and ventured a glance in the mirror. He stood on the other side of her bed, fully dressed, watching her.

  “You said you’d turn your back,” she reminded, struggling to work the front clasp on her bra.

  “I did turn my back.”

  He smiled—no, that uneven curving of his lips could only be described as a smirk. His hair flowed over his shoulders and wound itself into a neat coil. He wore the same elongated vest that bared his arms and chest, serving no apparent purpose. His pants were loose, nearly shapeless, bound by a wide band at his waist and tucked into fawn-colored boots.

  “Are you finished dressing?” he asked.

  Glancing down, she realized she hadn’t even finished fastening her bra. “Hardly.” She returned her attention to the task, refusing to ask how he’d managed to dress completely in the time it took her to pull on her panties. “How are you able to speak my language?” Before he could answer, she turned around and asked, “What’s your name?”

  “Tal Aune.”

  “Talon? Like the claw of a bird?”

  His hair tightened in response to something in the question and he turned to the window. “I am Tal, second son of the House of Aune. How shall I address you?”

  She slid the closet open and pulled on a pair of jeans. “My name is Charlotte Layton. Where did you come from?” Finding a soft, baggy sweater, she wiggled into it as she waited for his explanation.

  “I don’t know if I can make you understand. Much of my world can’t be explained in your language.”

  Charlotte didn’t believe him. How could the answer be that complicated? His attention stayed focused out the window.

  She glanced at the door. Last night, she hadn’t been able to open it. Would it open now? Could she grab her coat, her boots, and make it to her car before he stopped her? Probably not. Still she wasn’t going to follow him around like an obedient puppy.

  “Who are you?” she asked softly as she sidestepped toward the door. He didn’t answer. She to
ok another step. “Where’s your world?” No answer. “How did you get here? Do you have a ship or something?”

  Reaching out as quietly as she could, Charlotte tried the knob. It remained immobile within her grasp. The knob itself had no locking mechanism. What had he done to it?

  “The handle is fused. I will release it in a moment.”

  Had he read her thoughts or simply realized what she was doing? “What do you want?”

  “I want your promise that you will not attempt to escape until I am able to determine what went wrong with the spatial transportation.”

  That got her attention. She turned toward him, struck again by how…interesting she found his appearance. His face held no real expression and the swirling of his eyes nearly stopped. She buried her hands in the pockets of her jeans and continued to study him.

  In the sunlight, his skin had a subtle pearlescence the moon hadn’t revealed and she could see thin blue streaks scattered through his hair. Not highlights—individual strands of his hair were cobalt blue.

  “Spatial transportation?” she echoed. “Like wormholes or something?”

  “Wormholes are a naturally occurring phenomena, unpredictable and generally unstable. The portals I mentioned are intentionally created and controlled.”

  “I see,” she muttered, though she didn’t see at all. “And you can create one of these portals?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. The muscular ripple of his torso made Charlotte itch to touch.

  “The portal is incidental. I must determine what happened to my companions. That will be impossible if I spend all my time chasing after you.”

  “So your proposal is that I trust everything you tell me and—what? Twiddle my thumbs until you—”

  A sharp gasp cut her argument short. He suddenly stood in front of her though she hadn’t seen him move. His hands pressed against the wall on either side of her shoulders. As he leaned in, his spicy scent surrounded her, filled her head and made her almost giddy.