Page 18 of The Alien's Stolen Rebel

“Damn.”The word came out a groan as the strange taste filled my mouth. It was amazing, a delicate flavorthat worked with the crunchy texture of the shell to create a delicious explosion on my tastebuds. “What is this? It’s amazing.”

Kreel chuckled, his smile spreading. “I don’t know. It’s what I could make from the ingredients you provided—it’s something like the sibr my grandmother made, but I had to substitute half the ingredients and there aren’t enough spices.”

I gave him alook. “Captain Kreel, don’t you dare make excuses for cooking something this good.”

His laugh, deep and genuine, filled the galley. Offering me a bow, the silver alien bent over his own plate, and I tried some of the other food.

It was intimidating. Could it all live up to that first mouthful of almost-sibr? If it tasted any better, I’d be taking my life in my hands—was it possible to die from a too-delicious meal?

To my relief and disappointment, that question went unanswered. Not that the rest of the meal was bad. Everything was delicious, but nothing rivaled that first mouthful. The crispy flakes burst with flavor, the sauce enhanced the sibr, and the scattering of powdered sugar added a hint of sweetness to the meal.

I ate slowly, savoring each bite. Perhaps it was the fact that we were running for our lives, but I didn’t want to let a moment pass without appreciating it.

Perhaps it was the company. Kreel took his time too, but his attention was on me rather than the food. We didn’t speak much and didn’t need to. The silencewas comfortable, and the power of his presence was enough company without a word being said.

Above us, the lights flickered as the power algorithms fought to prioritize between minimum acceptable lighting for an occupied room and minimum power expenditure. It started out as an annoying distraction, but once I got used to it, I found I liked it.

The light scattered from Kreel’s reflective skin, giving the room an eerie, candle-lit effect. It made the galley feel smaller than it was, more intimate. AndGoddid I want to be intimate with Kreel.

From the looks he threw my way, the feeling was mutual. We finished the meal together, leaving us grinning at each other in silence for a long moment before he got up, taking our plates and glasses to the counter.

I shivered when he turned back to me, devouring me with his eyes.

“What’s for dessert?” The question came unbidden, my voice breathless and hungry. Not for food, though. My gaze slid over his shining body, tracing the muscles of his chest, his abs, down to his pants and the bulge filling them.

God, did I justlick my lips?

Kreel’s hungry growl confirmed it, and my cheeks heated. I stood, hands fluttering over the remains of my wedding dress, trying to look cool and failing entirely. Kreel loomed over me like a giant, and when he took a single step closer, he trapped me against the galley table. I gasped, my heart pounding now, and felt the warmth radiating from his body.

Trapped? Yes, but this was a trap I didn’t want to escape.

Kreel had no intention of letting me go, either. He edged closer, closer, until I was bent back over the table looking up at him. Only then did he answer my question.

“You are my dessert,” he said, smile wide and predatory. A shiver ran through me, and I nodded. If I was his prey, I enjoyed being caught.I’d enjoy being eaten too, I thought, my blush deepening.

Powerful silver hands grabbed me, pulling us into a kiss that hit my nervous system like a lightning bolt. I gasped into Kreel’s mouth, his tongue pressing between my lips and his hands squeezing my ass as he lifted me up onto the table. His fingers tingling wherever they touched my skin, he explored the remnants of my dress, tugging here, sliding his fingers under it there, taking advantage of every rip and tear it suffered during our escape.

My mind tried to object, but I couldn’t remember why. His kiss drove the past out of my thoughts, ended all speculation about my future. All that mattered was this, here, now.

The kiss moved from my lips to my neck, spreading the tingling, shocking feel of his touch and making me whimper. Pushing me down with one irresistible hand, he planted small, delirium inducing kisses down the side of my neck and across my shoulder. Dropped down further, sharp teeth nipping at my skin in delightful contrast to the sparking sensation of his lips.

At my collarbone, he ran into my dress. With a growl, he tore the fabric. It parted easily under his fingers, cloth ripping and his lips following, kissing his way down to my breasts as he bared them. Arching under him, I pressed them to his mouth, and let out a dark chuckle as his lips found my nipples, hard and sensitive. Sharp teeth dragged across one nipple, then the other, and with each, I gave out a low moan.

He continued down, trailing his tingling kisses across my stomach as he ripped aside the dress. Each kiss drove me wild. Each added more fuel to the fire of lust and need burning in my core.

My hands slipped into his long, dark hair, pulling him to me. But it was like pulling a steel statue—I had no chance of moving him anywhere. His laugh, low and dark, vibrated through me, and he slowed down.

“Bastard,” I whimpered, biting my lip. If anticipation could kill, I’d have died on that table. So close to my desperately aching pussy, he slowed to a crawl.

“What was that, little one?” He looked up the length of my body at me, a wicked smile on his lips, and I shuddered violently.

“Nothing. I didn’t say anything!”

His smile broadened. “That’s what I thought.”

And with that, he tore off my panties.

I gasped at the sudden motion, the sound of fabric ripping. My hands tightened in his hair, and this time he obliged, moving his kisses lower until his lips found my pussy and his tongue slowly and oh-so-firmly licked between my folds.

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