Page 47 of Tempting Her Grumpy Protector
But she didn’t get to finish. Before she knew it, he was tugging her firmly away from the table, steering her toward the darkened edge of the Sacred Grove.
Sunny found herself going with him. The amount of Woo she’d consumed made her unsteady on her feet and she couldn’t seem to say no as he led her away from the reception.
Around the far side of the Grove, away from the music and laughter, he stopped.
“And now we can finally have some alone time.”
Sunny didn’t like the look on his face—it was sly and lecherous at the same time. But she still felt so dizzy from the Woo, she didn’t dare to try running away because she was afraid she’d face-plant right on the grass.
“I don’t think—”she began.
“Now that we’re alone, let’s get a little more friendly,” he said, taking right over her.
As he spoke, Summerville slid his hand right down the front of her dress and grabbed one of her breasts.
“Hey!” Sunny jerked back, but he only tightened his grip, squeezing so hard it hurt.
“Come on, sweetheart,” he muttered, pressing closer. “I heard what you were thinking. You want this.”
“No, I don’t! At least, not from you!” Sunny twisted, shoving at his chest. But her body was betraying her, warmth pooling between her thighs as the Bonding Fruit made her pulse race with need. The Woo wasn’t helping either.
Panic grabbed her by the throat and squeezed like an iron fist. What if she couldn’t hold him off? What if her drugged, desperate body gave in despite her mind screaming no?
She had never needed Greer more in her life…but he was nowhere to be found.
35
GREER
Greer folded the last of his uniforms into the travel case with rigid precision, trying to ignore the hollowness in his chest. The Seventh Quadrant—on the far edge of known space—was waiting for him. A new mission. A clean slate.
Commander Sylvan had raised one blond brow when Greer requested the assignment.
“Seventh Quadrant? That’s about as far as you can get from the Mother Ship without leaving the know universe entirely,” he’d remarked.
“I know, Commander,” Greer had answered evenly. “That’s what I want.”
Sylvan had studied him for a long moment, clearly mystified, but had finally granted the request.
“Well, we can always use agents in the field. And I do need someone to keep an eye on Loquatus Four. They’re developing new space folding technology but they’re a warlike race—they might need to be stopped.”
“I’m your male,” Greer told him. “I’ll take the assignment and make sure their tech doesn’t get out of hand.”
“All right.” Sylvan nodded. “Go to it and may the Goddess go with you.”
“Thank you.” Greer had nodded as a sense of resignation filled him.
Now, as he closed the travel case and straightened, he told himself he should be relieved. Soon he would be free of temptation, free of the soft curves and laughing eyes of the beautiful little Elite who haunted him day and night.
Sunny would be safe here, surrounded by her friends. She would never know the dark hunger he carried for her, never recoil from the thought of his fangs sinking into her soft skin.
He considered finding her one last time—saying goodbye. But the thought was unbearable. If he saw her, if he so much as touched her hand, he wasn’t strong enough to resist.
No, a clean break was better.
His throat was scratchy with Blood Thirst—he still hadn’t been to a willing donor for blood since they’d come back from Thropp’ic Sigma. He knew he ought to fuel up before going across the universe to the Seventh Quadrant, but he didn’t want to. Drinking from a woman was an intimate thing—even if she was just someone he was paying for the privilege. And right now, his mind was still too clouded with images of Sunny for him to want to get close to another woman.
I’ll wait until I get to the Seventh Quadrant, he told himself. I’m sure I can find someone once I get there. When I get far away from Sunny…
