Free A Touch of Lilly by Nina Pierce Page A

she has nothing to do with it, we can let her go,”
the large alien said.
    “ The
hood is overkill, Thaegan. She’s unconscious, for chrissake.
I’m not making her wear it.”
    So
the Ka’al went by the name of Thaegan. Good to know.
    “ Now
that we’re here, I don’t give a shit about the hood. But
keep her hands bound.”
    Gently,
her head was lifted and the cloth maneuvered away from her face.
Though it hadn’t restricted her breathing, Lilly couldn’t
help but pull in a lungful of cool desert air. She covered it with a
soft moan as if she were just roused from a deep sleep. Neither male
moved, but when her body remained still, strong hands scooped under
her knees and around her shoulders. The clean smell of Dallas drifted
over her senses. The strong muscles of his arms and chest cradled her
body as he lifted her with ease and pulled Lilly close. Her body
reacted immediately, desire and energy humming over her synapses. It
took all her self-control to remain lax and not snuggle into the
warmth of his neck.
    Stairs
creaked. Lilly chanced a peek at her surroundings. Rough-hewn boards
were illuminated in the yellow wash of light from a single window. A
rocking chair sat idle. She wondered if they’d brought her to
the mining community in the desert. Even Garalon Five with all its
updated building materials had residents who’d gone back to the
land. She’d never been this far from the city’s center
but had talked with enough locals and studied enough maps to know her
way around the surrounding terrain. A bounty hunter had to know all
the places a fugitive could run.
    Escaping
from here would be difficult for sure, especially without the use of
a luna vehicle, but if she was where she believed, then mountains lay
just to the north. A night’s trek away.
    “ Tie
her here,” Thaegan commanded.
    “ What
the hell? I’m not tying her anywhere.” Dallas laid her on
something soft.
    But
rough hands quickly scooped her up. Thaegan let out a frustrated cry
as if touching her burned. The way her nipples ached and her body
throbbed, Lilly knew the energy still flowed. Add this to what she’d
done to him in the alley and the Ka’al must be about ready to
explode. Served him right. She hadn’t asked them to get in the
middle of her takedown.
    His
feet slapped across the floor as he dropped her firmly on a hard
chair, her bound hands sliding behind the chair back. She let her
head flop to her chest. Thaegan’s rough handling made it
difficult to play the role of the unconscious victim. At some point
she’d have to stop faking, but with her unconscious, she hoped
they might be less guarded with their conversation.
    “ I’m
not touching her again.” Thaegan’s words came out on
panting breaths. “And you will tie her to this chair.
I’m not chancing having her hands free.”
    Dallas’s
boots clicked across the floor. “You really think—”
    “ I
don’t think ,Dallas, I know . This
Seraphelium’s dangerous.”
    Whoa,
stop the presses . She hadn’t heard that term since leaving
Earth. How the hell had the Ka’al figured it out? Most aliens
in deep space had never heard of her ancestors.
    “ And
while you’re at it, tie her feet to the chair legs.”
    “ She’s
not going anywhere.”
    “ Do.
It.” She heard the hard emotion riding on Thaegan’s
words. Lilly wasn’t sure if it was anger or fear. She hoped the
latter.
    Dallas
bound first one ankle and then the other, spreading her legs wide.
The unmistakable musky odor of her lust filled the air. Good .
Even better than she hoped. Males couldn’t resist the smell of
an aroused Seraphelium. It was almost as good as her touch. Time to
put a plan in motion.
    Rolling
her head side to side, Lilly groaned as if waking from a long
slumber.
    “ Lilly?”
Dallas’ voice was soft, her name drifting off his tongue. It
had neither the hard edge of anger nor the brittle tone of a man
trying to control his lust. She wanted nothing more than to drown in
its