Ignite by Tana Stone

Chapter Ten

Zoey

I was so startled by Kalex kissing me that I didn’t even attempt to push him off me. Not when his lips were so soft, yet firm, as they moved hungrily against mine. It had been so long since I’d been kissed that I’d forgotten the heady rush as he backed me up against my closed door, his body pressing urgently into mine.

Heat arrowed through me, and I lifted my hands to brace them against his chest. I didn’t want to push him away, I wanted to feel more of him. My fingers bumped across the sash of medals that crossed his chest, the curve of his hard muscles beneath making me moan, my body surrendering to the sensations as my mind overloaded.

Then, just as suddenly as he’d started, Kalex pulled away from me. His eyes were wild as he looked down at me, his gaze roaming from my eyes to my lips and then down to the floor.

“I…I’m sorry.” And with those barely husked out words, he staggered away from me and down the corridor.

I stood completely still after he left, breathing heavily and staring down the deserted hallway. Touching my fingertips to my lips, I blew out a breath. “What the fuck was that?”

I didn’t know if I was more shocked that the captain of the station—the gruff Inferno Force warrior who’d rather argue with me than breathe—had kissed me or that I hadn’t minded. Hadn’t minded was an understatement. I’d liked being kissed by him. Really liked it.

I shook my head in a vain attempt to rid myself of the buzzy high from his kiss and glanced down the hallway again before swiping my hand over the door panel. At least no one had witnessed my serious lapse in judgment. That was good. And from the way Kalex had looked at me as he’d backed away, I wasn’t the only one who thought it was a serious slip-up.

“Not that I was the one who started it,” I muttered to myself as I stepped back inside my quarters. No, that had been all Kalex. My stomach did a somersault as I thought about how insistently he’d claimed my mouth and how his body had pressed dominantly into mine. As an independent woman, I should not have liked how confidently he’d kissed me, not even asking before laying claim to me. But as much as that shouldn’t make my pulse quicken, it did.

As soon as I was inside, my gaze went to the photo of Theo, and my stomach lurched. How had I not thought about him once while Kalex was kissing me? Guilt washed over me along with hot shame that burned its way up my neck to my cheeks.

I’d been engaged to Theo, for fuck’s sake. I’d loved him and had planned to spend the rest of my life with him, but one kiss from Kalex had forced all thoughts of him from my brain. I sank onto my bed, flopping back and draping an arm over my eyes.

Maybe Nina was right. Maybe I was using the memory of Theo to protect myself, and it was making me starved for affection. If a kiss from Kalex—who was the absolute last person I could ever imagine falling for—got me so worked up, I was in bad shape.

The beeping at the door made me sit up. Crap. Had he come back? I stood and flicked my fingers through my short hair before remembering there was nothing to do to it. My heart pounded as I crossed to the door, mentally bracing myself for Kalex to storm into my suite and sweep me into his arms. Part of me wanted it so much I could hardly breathe.

I opened the door, expecting the Drexian to stride forcefully inside. Instead, Serge swept by me in a flurry of fluttering hands.

“I’m so glad I found you, sweetie.”

I managed to recover from the second shock of the past few minutes, spinning around as he clomped across the room in what appeared to be a purple robe edged with fur. “What are you doing here?”

He paused in front of my long, white dresser and turned to face me. “I couldn’t sleep, and when I can’t sleep, I always work.”

“Are you wearing a bathrobe?” I asked.

He granted me a withering look. “It’s a dressing gown, darling, and I didn’t want to change for a quick jaunt down the hall.”

I reminded myself that Serge had suffered a significant shock when I’d tackled him, and the beam had crashed down only a few feet away. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to have trouble sleeping after a near-death experience. It also made some strange sense that he’d want to reach out to me since I’d shared the experience with him.

“Why don’t I get both of us a drink?” I headed for the kitchenette tucked into the corner of the room that I used mainly for cocktail prep. On the way, I flipped Theo’s photo face down. I wasn’t in any mood to spill my guts to Serge about my deceased fiancé.

“I’m not much of a drinker,” he said, as he followed me and took one of the chairs in the sunken sitting area. “Gatazoids don’t hold our liquor very well. If you think my hair turns pink when I’m upset, you should see it if I drink too much.”

“I’ll make yours light on the booze.” I pulled two rocks glasses from an inset cabinet and splashed a small amount of Cressidian gin in one and a much larger amount in the other. I topped the green liquid with a splash of tonic water and then reached into the small, cooling unit below the counter and retrieved an ice bucket, plopping a couple of perfectly square cubes into the glasses.

I handed Serge his drink and took the chair next to him. He eyed it before taking a tentative sip. After swallowing, he smiled at me. “I’ve never been in your quarters before. It’s nice.” He pursed his lips slightly. “Spartan, but nice.”

I’d hardly call my suite spartan, but it did feature mostly neutrals and few personal touches. I could only imagine how colorful and ornate Serge’s quarters were.

“So, you said you couldn’t sleep,” I prodded after taking a swig of my own drink.

“That’s right. And if I can’t sleep, I work.”

“Not a bad solution. I take it the work didn’t go well either, if you’re here with me.”

“This is my work,” he said, leaning forward. “I realized that I can’t just start matching you up willy-nilly.”

I let out a breath. “Good, because I wanted to tell you—”

“I need to know much more about you before I can find your ideal mate.” He took another teensy sip of his drink. “I’m here to get a full picture of Zoey and what kind of man she wants.” He hesitated. “If it’s men you like, that is.”

“I do like men,” I said.

Serge sat back and beamed at me. “Good. That does make my job easier, since my pool of mates to choose from happens to be all Drexian males.” He stroked his purple fur collar with one hand. “Now you should know that Drexians are more traditional than some human males. That being said, I’ve seen even the most dominant Drexian turn to putty with their human mate.”

“Serge,” I said, before he cut me off with another wave of his hand.

“Of course, I can’t imagine you’d put up with an overly bossy man. You’ve got such spunk.” He twitched both his shoulders. “No, I need to find you a Drexian who likes a more assertive female. Perhaps one of the science officers. What’s your opinion on brainy boys?”

I hid behind my glass as Serge continued talking without waiting for me to answer. I had no interest in being matched with a Drexian warrior, but Kalex’s kiss had shown me that I did want something. It was just that the something didn’t include dates or commitment or emotional attachment. I was in no way ready for the type of matching that Serge was suggesting—the kind that ended in a wedding and a fantasy suite and lots of Drexian-human babies.

I couldn’t handle the thought of dating, but if Kalex’s kiss has told me one thing it was that I desperately needed to get laid. I knew without asking that Serge would be scandalized by the notion. His world involved matches that were made to last, not trysts that were fun and fleeting.

No, if I wanted no-strings-attached, hot-and heavy sex with no chance of emotional attachment, there was only one person I could think about who’d fit the bill. From everything he’d ever said, I knew Kalex was counting the days until he left the station and returned to his Inferno Force posting, so there was no chance he’d want something more serious. Besides, there was zero chance I’d fall for a guy I usually wanted to strangle.

“This is so exciting,” Serge said, when he finally stopped for breath.

I thought about Kalex and his possessive kiss that had curled my toes. “Isn’t it?”