Brianna (16 page)

As with his, the fiery tail trailed over her shoulder to wrap itself around her upper arm. However, Brianna’s dragon was in no other way like the regal, self-controlled beast that adorned Char’s shoulder.

Her dragon was ready for war.

Fully extended claws reached out as if to attack, crimson flames gushing from its open jaws. She could not have been more clear about her challenge if she had thrown down a gauntlet.

His laughter brought her closer to consciousness.

Brianna stretched and blinked. “Char?”

Covering her mouth with his, he brought her to full awareness with a passionate kiss.

Her hands caressed their way lightly down his back to cup his buttocks, pulling his erection against the softness of her thighs.

He needed no more encouragement to bury himself into her welcoming body.

Brianna woke to the sound of running water coming through the open door of the bathroom. Slightly stiff and sore, she grimaced with discomfort as she rose from the bed. Char’s lovemaking was fabulous, but her body needed a rest. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she rested her arms on her legs, took several deep breaths, and then closed her eyes.

Char found her still there when he exited the bathroom ten minutes later. “Do you find the floor more comfortable?”

Brianna opened her eyes but didn’t rise, surprised he hadn’t picked her up, tossed her onto the bed, and begun to make love to her again. “It’s called yoga. On my planet it’s used as an aid for meditation.”

Char came back out of the closet carrying not one of his customary uniforms, but a pair of loose white pants and shirt like Brianna had borrowed from him the morning after their wedding.

This unexpected action broke her concentration, and she rose to her feet.

Smiling at the questioning look she sent his way as he pulled on the comfortable clothing, he said, “I’ve informed my crew that I’ll be unavailable for the next twenty hours. I have paperwork to do, and I’d like to talk to you, and we both know little talking gets done in bed.”

Brianna smiled. She would enjoy spending a day with Char.

“You never told me what you thought of my dragon. You just laughed and made love to me until I fell asleep.”

Char’s ready grin appeared again. “You are going to be the cause of more talk on Drakan than any other woman has ever been.”

She frowned. “Is there something wrong with it? Lorilana didn’t say anything, so I assumed it was acceptable.”

“You have the right to any design you want,” he said as he leaned over and traced Brianna’s dragon. “Yours is rather intimidating, though, with fire as your personal emblem.”

Brianna leaned back in her husband’s arms, looked him in the eye. “Good! I have to warn you, I am not going to be a meek and quiet wife who putters around the house cooking and cleaning. If there’s something I want, I’ll have it, one way or another.”

Grinning widely, Char hugged her again. “I’ve never cared for meek women who acceded to my wishes. My grandmother spoiled me, I suppose.”

“Your grandmother’s still alive?”

“Both of them, actually. But, I’m referring to my paternal grandmother. She’ll adore your spirit.”

“As if there was ever an O’Shea who wasn’t spirited,”

Brianna retorted in a lilting Irish brogue.

He stared at her. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Talk like that?”

“That’s how my grandmother sounded when she talked. She came from Ireland.”

“Is that one of the other planets in your solar system?” Char asked in a puzzled tone. “We monitored all of them and thought them uninhabitable.”

Chuckling, Brianna shook her head. “Ireland is a different country on my planet. Don’t the planets in your Federation have different countries on them?”

“I do not understand your word
country
,” he said as Brianna pushed out of his arms.

She shook her head. “Boy, are you people going to be in for a rude awakening. My planet doesn’t have one central government, Char.

There

are

hundreds of

different governments.”

His eyes widened. “How can you survive such chaos?”

Brianna grinned. “Sometimes, I think it’s the chaos that helps us survive.”

Char shook his head. “It’s something we’ll have to discuss eventually, I suppose.” Then he grinned. “Now you’ll have something to occupy yourself for the next four and a half months. We’ll need a detailed report about the major governments of your world.”

“It will take four and a half months? Can’t the ship go faster?”

Char grinned. “Space is vast, Brianna. Planets, except for those in the same solar system, are light years apart. Even with the most advanced technology, it takes months to journey from one planet to another. And your Earth is very far from Drakan.”

Brianna frowned. “How do you keep from getting bored?”

Char’s grin became wicked.

She pushed his hand away. “How did you keep from getting bored before you had me to fondle?”

“Paperwork. Trading plans. Plotting courses to potentially inhabitable or inhabited planets.”

Brianna bit her lip. “What are you planning about Earth? Are you going to conquer it?”

He broke out into very amused laughter. “Conquer? I don’t want to conquer your planet. I’m interested in making profits, not war.”

“Profits.” Brianna shook her head and began to laugh also.

“I married a man who’s interested only in his business.”

Char pulled her close again, growling low in his throat. “I’ll show you what business interests me most,” he said in a husky whisper as he cupped Brianna’s full breast.

Her breath quickened, but she pushed him away reluctantly, her ready blush rising. “I’m too sore.”

Char kissed her once more. “For which there is only one sure cure,” he said as he scooped her into his arms. Instead of dropping her onto the bed, however, he carried her into the bathroom and deposited her in a steaming tub of water. “I realized last night. You tensed with pain when I entered you. I’m sorry I didn’t anticipate your discomfort. My father will be very disappointed.”

“Don’t you dare tell your father!” Brianna sputtered as she began to rise from the tub.

Char’s hand on her shoulder held her down. “Stay and soak.

There’s special oil in the water. You’ll feel better by this evening.”

“Just in time for your benefit,” Brianna mumbled as she settle back against the tub, her knees and head the only parts of her body visible.

He kissed the top of her head. “You haven’t complained yet.”

She heard the door to the outer room slide closed.

Grumbling something inaudible, she closed her eyes. The water felt heavenly.

Char checked another row of figures. This had been a very profitable journey in more ways than one.

The door chimed. “Come.”

Miklan entered carrying an oblong-shaped computer disk in one hand and a sheaf of papers in the other. “We’ve cataloged all of Bakom’s attempts to compromise the computer, Captain,”

he said as he laid both on the table. “As you surmised, no real damage was done. Surely he can’t be stupid enough to think he’d be able to take control of the ship?”

Char shuffled through the papers. “That wasn’t his intent, Miklan. It was a feint to take our attention away from what he was really doing.”

“And what was that?”

Char tossed the papers onto the table and lifted the disk.

“Send messages without our knowledge.”

“Why?”

Shrugging, Char dropped the disk onto the papers. “Bakom has his own agenda, and I wouldn’t even try to understand how his twisted mind works. But he wanted a ruling shoved through the Council that would guarantee Brianna would be given to him as soon as we reached Drakan.”

Miklan looked troubled. “The message won’t be received, I take it.”

“I thought you had more faith in me than that, Mik. It ran into an asteroid.”

Miklan’s expression was skeptical. “An asteroid in deep space?”

Char grinned. “Who am I to explain the wonders of the universe?”

Miklan joined Char in laughter, but then he sobered. “How’s Brianna? My aunt is very close-mouthed.”

As if on cue, the door to the bedroom slid open, and Brianna walked out, naked from the waist up, struggling with something in her hands. Since all of her attention was focused on that object, she didn’t realize Char wasn’t alone until she’d crossed most of the room and looked up to meet Miklan’s appreciative gaze.

Miklan! Here! I’m half-naked!
With a gasp of horror, she clasped the shirt she was carrying to her bare breasts and fled back into the bedroom.

Miklan’s appreciation turned to surprise. “She wears a rampant dragon.”

Char frowned. No one was supposed to know about that dragon yet. “I want your promise you won’t breathe a word of what you saw to anyone. Brianna’s ultimate safety relies on your discretion. It’s too soon for Bakom to know.”

After his lieutenant nodded affirmatively, Char continued, “Lorilana married us with Ademis and Meri as witnesses.

Brianna wears the Alalakan dragon with full knowledge of the responsibilities that go with it.” Then, he grinned. “She’s not comfortable with anyone seeing her naked. If you want to avoid her wrath, you won’t mention her lovely breasts.”

Miklan had been staring at the door through which Brianna had disappeared, but Char’s last comment caused him to swivel his head back to face his captain. “Is that true? Is everyone on her planet so modest?”

Char chuckled. His people were so much more open about sexual matters. “I haven’t been very interested in talking about her planet up to this point, Mik. Brianna has other, more interesting facets to explore.”

Miklan shook his head. “They must be remarkable
facets
if she wears a dragon already. I don’t think anyone has ever received a clan symbol so rapidly.”

“Suffice it to say that her other assets are just as remarkable as her lovely breasts,” Char said as he walked towards the bedroom. “Sit down. I know she wanted to talk to you. I’ll see if she can conquer her embarrassment enough to come out.”

“Embarrassment?”

“I’ll try to explain it to you sometime, Mik, but I’m not sure I understand it myself.”

“Why didn’t you tell me Miklan was out there!”

Char sighed. Teasing Brianna now might not be a good idea. She was pale rather than flushed. Sitting down next to her, he said, “I’m sorry, but I had no idea you were going to walk out on us. You’ve been adapting so well, that I forget you haven’t been among us longer. I’d have warned you if I’d known you weren’t completely dressed.”

“I know.” Holding up the shirt, she said, “I couldn’t open this, and it won’t fit over my head. How do I unfasten it?”

“It’s Deslossian. Each is a unique carving and has the clasp incorporated into the design. Here’s how you open it.”

Brianna watched as he snapped the clasp open then closed it again.

“Now,” Char said, as he dropped the shirt over her head, “Miklan is waiting to see you.”

She blushed. “I know. I want to see him too. I just wish he hadn’t seen me half-naked.”

Char felt it was safe to tease again. “But then,” he whispered in her ear as he cupped her breasts, “he wouldn’t know why he was so jealous of me.”

Brianna shoved Char off the bed. “Get out of here. I’ll be out as soon as I braid my hair.”

When he rejoined Miklan, Char was still grinning.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming out. Anything interesting happen in there?”

“You’ll get nothing out of me, Mik,” Char admonished cheerfully. “Bri isn’t like our women. She values her privacy when it comes to sexual matters.”

He shook his head. “What a shame, such vibrant coloring.”

“She’ll be joining us shortly, so mind your manners. I’d hate to have to reprimand one of my officers because he complimented my wife on the beauty of her breasts. No one would understand.”

“I sure don’t,” Miklan muttered as he followed Char back over to the table and the computer printouts.

Brianna stared at the closed door.
I guess it’s now or never.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. Both men turned to look at her as she entered the room. Both admired her beauty, Char possessively and Miklan abstractly. For all that Brianna was a beautiful woman, he was devoted to Cindar.

Meeting her halfway across the room, Miklan swung her into a tight hug and whirled around the room.

“And I thought the Irish were emotional,” she muttered, “but you people have us beat hands down.”

“Irish?” Miklan began as he lowered Brianna to the floor.

She grabbed his arm to keep her balance.

Char sent an amused look to his wife. “Don’t ask.”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Miklan watched the byplay between them with surprise.
I
wonder if Char realizes how she’s affected him.
“I want bride price,” he joked. “If it weren’t for me, you’d never have met.”

Brianna’s eyebrows rose. “Bride price?”

Since he didn’t know if she’d find the concept offensive, Char wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Miklan had no reservations. “On our planet, for those who want them, there are marriage brokers who’ll arrange meetings between prospective brides and grooms. The meetings aren’t always successful, but if they are, a fee is paid to the brokers.”

Brianna snorted inelegantly, but to Char’s relief, the idea of marriage brokers didn’t seem to bring out her quick temper. He gazed at his second officer who stood with his arm draped loosely around Brianna’s shoulders. She’d obviously overcome her embarrassment.
Maybe she will be able to fit in.
“You may be right, Miklan. You just may deserve bride price.”