Free Initiation (Xylon Warriors 1) by Ruth D. Kerce Page B

distracted look crossed her face, as if she was remembering something, and her skin flushed. Interesting. Maybe it really wasn’t him that caused her hesitation; maybe it was the sex as Leila had said.
    He wondered how many men Alexa had been with. And what kind of idiots they were to have turned this beautiful woman off the idea of sex. He didn’t know what to do anymore. He just knew that this was not going well. He raised his hand, needing to caress Alexa’s cheek, only wanting one soft touch. To calm himself. And show her that he did care.
    He sensed, rather than heard, the breath she sucked in when she realized his intent. Her eyes dilated, and he saw something new. Interest? Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.
    A knock interrupted him, before he made contact. Braden lowered his hand, and frustration surged through him. He stalked over to jerk open the door. “What?”
    “Sorry.” Kam wedged a picnic basket into the crack in the door. “Leila already had this started. You and Alexa need to eat.”
    Braden opened the door wider and took the basket. “Thanks,” he said, but his voice still held an edge. He lowered his tone. “Any advice? She’s not responding well.”
    “Show her your feelings. She just needs to know that she can trust you, Braden.” He grinned. “She is sexually and emotionally attracted to you. She told me that when I spoke to her about you.”
    Braden’s heart leapt in his chest. Now that was information he could use. Maybe he had seen interest in her eyes, after all. “Thanks, Kam.” Braden closed the door and turned, basket in hand. Be charming, Leila had said. Okay. A smile tugged at his lips. “Food.”
    “I’m not hungry.” Alexa’s stomach growled in response, loud enough for him to hear. She crossed her arms over her middle, and a blush crept up her neck.
    “You’re such a bad liar.” He set the basket on the bed and almost laughed at the wary look on her face. “Why don’t you sit down on the other side, get comfortable, and we’ll have a picnic.”
    She stared at the basket as if expecting a poisonous asp to emerge. “You want to have a picnic? Now?” Her gaze snapped up to his. “Have you gone completely mad?”
    * * * * *
    Kam snatched up the bag of potato chips sitting next to the prepared food and made himself comfortable in one of the plush living room chairs. The bag crackled as he ripped it open and reached in for a chip.
    He hoped Braden didn’t blow his chance with Alexa. If he did, someone else would need to step up and try to initiate her. He couldn’t do it. And he doubted she’d accept Erik. They’d have to contact Laszlo. He really didn’t want to go that route. With the limited amount of time they had, the situation could escalate into something ugly and get out of control.
    “What are the chances of Alexa getting screwed anytime soon?”
    Kam glared at Erik. “Just eat. Braden will handle it.”
    Erik grabbed a ham sandwich from the plastic tray on the coffee table, then flopped on the couch. He licked some mayonnaise off his thumb. “Well, if Braden wants us here until after the Initiation, we’ve got a lot of time to burn for just sitting around.” His gaze shifted to Leila, who was relaxed in a cushioned chair across from him, her legs tucked up under her. A sly smile crossed his face. “How about some strip poker? I saw it on an Earth satellite feed, and it looked fun.”
    “Geez,” she replied with a scowl, then crunched down on a sour pickle. “Is sex all you ever think about?”
    Kam studied his friend. Something was eating away at Erik. Each year he became more and more uncivilized and moved closer to the edge of self-destruction. He might just tumble over if someone didn’t pull him back.
    “Who said anything about sex? Naked and sex are not the same.” Erik bit into the sandwich. “Of course, if that’s what you want, I’m sure that Kam and I can—”
    “Me! You live for sex. I don’t think anything