Page 17 of The Arabis Triad

He picked up her wet, smooth hair and let it slip through his fingers. “The color of your hair is beautiful. Like moonlight. Let me condition it so that it stays this soft.”

She groaned out loud as he worked in some gel-like solution, the tips of his fingers massaging it into her scalp. Her legs were going to give out if he kept up this sort of treatment. The florally scent was more prominent, and she latched onto that and not what it was doing to her body.

“I like the way it smells.”

“The Zelse flower,” he said. “It grows everywhere on our planet and has a very prominent perfume. Our gardens are filled with them.”

She always liked gardens full of flowers. If she had a few hours to spare, she would sit outside in the sun, close her eyes, and give herself up to the sounds and aromas of the botanical garden in her home city. Her head dropped forward before she snapped awake again, eyes blinking furiously.

“Give me the washcloth,” he said, and his open palm appeared at her shoulder.

“What..?”

“You are falling asleep on your feet. I wish to finish bathing you and then you will rest the way your body is telling you to.” His tone brooked no debate.

She clutched the cloth to her breasts. As flimsy as it was, it was her only form of protection. “I…”

“I will only wash you. I will not take my mate while she is half asleep and recovering from injuries. I am not that type of despicable male. Cloth. Now.” His palm remained at her shoulder.

He hadn’t touched her inappropriately and he’d had a lot of chances to do that. He could have overpowered her at any moment if he’d wished, but he hadn’t. He had been truthful so far and there was nothing in his demeanor to make her think it wouldn’t continue.

That shivery little undercurrent in her mind wished that he wasn’t quite so proper, that he would try and steal a touch—it wouldn’t be unwelcome—but to want anything like that now would mean that she would never get away and return to Earth, because these weren’t men to lead on. These weren’t men that would be told no. However she wanted to end up with them was how she needed to start.

“Evelyn. You can barely move. It will take but a moment and then you can rest,” Paxt said.

With trembling hands, she gave him the cloth, feeling more vulnerable than she ever had. There was something wholly intimate about standing naked in a shower without even the flimsiest of protection, like a wash cloth.

The cloth returned to her body with perfumed soap. He massaged it onto her skin, starting with the back of her neck and shoulders. There was nothing more to his touch than to clean her. He rubbed the cloth over her back, taking care with the various bruises and scratches all over her body. He brushed over her buttocks and down her legs. When he cleaned her upper shoulders and breasts, he didn’t pause, only worked the cloth over her, cleaning away the filth.

Her head fell forward again and she rested her head against the cool wall. It was so hard to stay awake. Now that she was clean, it seemed her body was taking control over her mind. Her legs trembled with the effort to keep herself upright.

Paxt tossed the cloth to the floor and turned off the water. She was surprised he’d finished washing her already. She’d blanked out for a few moments there when he’d picked up each foot and cleaned between her toes.

She didn’t have time to cool, before warm air breezed about her body, drying her skin and hair in moments, which was a good thing because she didn’t think she was up to drying herself with a towel.

Before she could think, Paxt scooped her up. She pressed her legs together and covered her breasts with her arm, but when she glanced up at him, he wasn’t even looking at her.

Another pang hit. Disconcerting. Confusing.

She hadn’t noticed where Paxt had taken her until he placed her onto the softest bed she’d even lain in. The mattress molded to her body and then she was covered in a warm blanket.

Paxt crawled up beside her and spooned her from behind, his body on top of the blanket, scooping her back against his chest and curling around her. It wasn’t claustrophobic, or intrusive. Instead, she felt protected. Safe.

“Sleep, Evelyn. Let your body rest. We are here to protect you.” His warm breath tickled her ear.

Before conscious thought could stop it, sleep rose up and cocooned her in its warm embrace where she dreamed of caring, sexy aliens with sharp horns and sculpted muscles, and her startling yet undeniable surge of lust.

She didn’t want them to protect her. She didn’t want to feel safe in their arms. She certainly didn’t want to feel the lust for not one, but all three of them. That was dangerous ground. Land she didn’t want to traverse. She wanted to get back home, back to her life, her friends, her job. Her planet.

She had to resist them any way she could. If she succumbed to them, there would be nowhere for her to get back to. If she couldn’t deny temptation, her life would never be the same ever again. She would belong to them mind, body and soul and they would keep demanding those things from her until she gave it to them.

These were not men to trifle with. They were all or nothing. If she had any strength left in her, she needed to escape. There was no way they were going to just let her walk out of here. If she didn’t go soon, she didn’t think she’d ever get another chance. Whatever it took to get away, she would have to do it. There was no choice.

Chapter Eight

Paxt

Their mate was exhausted, and despite being so terrified, fell asleep immediately. She wasn’t scared all the time though. Her body had betrayed her arousal, the scent while he washed her wholly distracting. It had come and gone, suggesting she waged a mental war with herself.

---