Stud (18 page)

Lucy watched, fascinated, as his cock folded up against his belly just ahead of his zipper. “That is so cool.”

Tarq grinned. “Yet another difference between humans and Zetithians.”

“Human men can’t do that?”

He shook his head. “Not the way we can.”

Not having any way to make a comparison, she shrugged. “Guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“I usually tell the truth.” His mischievous grin led her to believe otherwise, but if he’d ever lied to her, she hadn’t realized it. He nodded toward her sack of belongings. “Go ahead and get dressed. Breakfast won’t take long.”

After he left the tent, Lucy found another
scrail
cloth and cleaned herself again. She didn’t want him to be as miserable—or crabby—as he’d been the day before, and obviously once was not enough if he could get an erection like that just from sniffing her clothes.

Lucy took her time getting dressed and then spent several minutes combing out her hair and twisting it up into a knot on the back of her head. Finally she couldn’t take the suspense any longer and went out.

He really was cooking an omelet over an open fire. The broken shells and bowl he’d mixed the eggs in were sitting beside the fire as proof that it hadn’t come out of a box. Smiling up at her, he flipped it over in the skillet with a flick of his wrist, then sprinkled in the mushrooms and added the cheese. Another quick toss and it folded neatly in half.

“I’m impressed.”

He cut the omelet into two equal portions and slid them each onto a plate, along with a slice of buttered bread that had been grilling in another pan. “You haven’t tasted it yet.”

“I was referring to your technique. That’s not easy to do.”

He seemed pleased but handed her a plate and a fork without comment. There were two cushions lying on the ground behind him, and he motioned for her to sit down. Water was already boiling in a pan set on a trivet over the fire. “Tea or coffee?”

“Tea, please.”

Tarq dropped tea bags into two mugs, filled them with water, and set one down beside her. She waited for him to get situated on the other cushion before taking a bite of the omelet.

On another day, she would have described the flavor as orgasmic, but having had a Zetithian-induced orgasm so recently, she knew better and just said, “Mmm…”

“I used to order these all the time in a restaurant on Rhylos. I’ve been making my own ever since I started traveling.”

“Did they give you the recipe?”

“No. But I could taste what was in them.”

As a rule, omelets were simple to prepare, but this one had a flavor Lucy couldn’t quite place. “I can taste the pesto in with the eggs, but there’s something else there.”

“It’s a Friotian spice called
hyrud
.”

Lucy snorted. “Which is something that
everyone
has in their spice rack.”

“It’s pretty rare, actually,” he said, smiling at her sarcasm. “I forget where I first noticed it. Someone told me the name.”

“And that’s all it takes for you to be able to pick it out? One taste and someone telling you the name of it?”

“Pretty much.”

“So you’re saying you can taste anything and know what went into it?”

“As long as I’m familiar with the ingredients—and I know what most things are. On Rhylos they had food from all over the galaxy.”

“And that’s how you knew about Jublansk’s secret salad dressing ingredient?”

“Oh, yeah. There were lots of Twilanans on Rhylos. Nobody can make bread as well as they can either.”

“And do you know
that
secret?”

Tarq nodded. “It’s the yeast they use. I’m guessing it’s a strain that only grows on their homeworld.”

“No one ever told you about it?”

“No. I can identify everything else, but the yeast flavor is different.”

“So you can duplicate any recipe just by tasting it?”

“I can tell you what’s in it but not necessarily how it’s prepared.” He took a bite of his toast and chewed it thoughtfully. “Although, come to think of it, I’ve never messed up anything I’ve tried—but I only make the stuff I like. I don’t like everything.”

“Amazing.” This was almost as cool as having a dick that could—no. It wasn’t
that
cool. Nothing was. “Ever eat any original recipe chicken from KFC?”

“Yes, but I promised Colonel Sanders I’d never divulge his secret.”

Lucy giggled. “Colonel Sanders has been dead for at least a thousand years.”

“Must’ve been his ghost then, which would explain why he said he’d come back and haunt me forever if I didn’t keep my mouth shut.” If his expression was any indication, Tarq was perfectly serious.

“Really? You
actually
spoke to Colonel Sanders?”

Tarq nodded and took a sip of his tea. “White hair, white suit, white mustache, black tie and glasses… Yeah. Colonel Sanders.”

Lucy was stunned. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Tarq took another sip of his tea and gazed off into the distance. Lucy was still staring at him as his eyes slid toward her. “Gotcha.”

Chapter 12

Her burst of laughter warmed Tarq all the way to his toes. His only regret was that she might choke on her breakfast. Of course, if she did, he’d have an excellent excuse to save her. Then she’d be eternally grateful and swear her undying love for him.

Yeah, right…

At least she was laughing. Not every woman could take having their leg pulled without getting mad.

Still chuckling, she wiped tears from her eyes. “You really had me going there for a minute.”

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

“Yes, but you know, you really could make a killing in the restaurant business with that little talent of yours.”

Tarq snorted. “If someone didn’t kill me first. You know, most chefs don’t like it when you steal their best recipes. Besides, I already made a killing in the sex business. If I had a restaurant of my own, I’d only be doing it for fun.”

“True,” she conceded. “You could write a cookbook and call it
Recipes
and
Reminiscences
of
a
Zetithian
Stud.
It would sell millions!”

Tarq grinned. “That would be fun too.” Until his editor realized he couldn’t read worth shit. He’d have to dictate it. Lucy could write it, but he was reluctant to tell her all of his “reminiscences.” Some of them were wild enough to make
him
blush.

Lucy was smiling at him. All he really wanted to do was plant babies in her belly and watch them grow, teach them things, and love them and Lucy for the rest of his life. Too bad he couldn’t find the courage to tell her that.

“And just in case you weren’t paying attention to my reaction, this omelet is really good, Tarq. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” It was all Tarq could do not to start purring. But he’d already promised not to nail her until after breakfast, and she’d only eaten about half of it.

Leisurely
, he reminded himself. Take it slow. No rushing things. He’d already gotten a little carried away with the early morning sex, but after her scent had been in his head all night and he’d seen her standing there brushing her teeth, naked… Well, a man could only take so much.

Tarq finished his breakfast and brewed more tea, figuring he might as well increase his fluid intake right from the start if he intended to make frequent rest stops. If they ever got started, that is. By the time he got her clothes washed and dried, it would be time for lunch. They probably wouldn’t get very far that day. Surely not all the way to Yalka.

“So, Lucy. Have you ever done this kind of thing before?”

“What, you mean having breakfast on the bank of a creek while watching the water flow by? Don’t make me laugh,” she said with a sardonic snicker. “When would I ever have the time to do that?”

“You’ve got it right now. This is a nice, quiet spot and it’s a beautiful day. We should relax and enjoy it.”

She stared at him as though he’d just asked her to commit murder. “Relax and enjoy it?”

“Yeah—and leave those dishes alone. I’ll get them.” He poured her another cup of tea. Might as well get her well hydrated too… He handed her the cup. “Natalie isn’t expecting you, so enjoy the trip.”

“That’s Natasha,” she corrected him. “And I know she isn’t expecting me, but isn’t someone expecting
you
?”

Tarq had three clients waiting in Yalka. Three clients he was probably going to have to disappoint if that last one was any indication. Spending this much time with Lucy was probably going to make it impossible to move on to another woman—at least not anytime soon. The whole only-being-able-to-get-it-up-for-your-mate thing wore off after a while—or so he’d been told. What no one had ever said was how long it would take. “I think I need a little time off too.”

Lucy laughed. “Time off from what? Seems like you’re still working.”

“Not really. You’re already pregnant. This is just for fun.”

“And to keep you from getting crabby.”

“Yeah, that too.” It took Tarq a moment to realize he’d said the wrong thing. He wasn’t with her just for fun. There was a whole lot more to it than that. But how to say it? “And it’s… comfortable being with you.”

Lucy chuckled. “Like an old pair of shoes, huh?”

It was all he could do not to growl at her. “You are
not
like an old pair of shoes.”

“I was only kidding—but I know what you mean. It must be hard to be intimate with different women all the time. You just get to know someone and then it’s on to the next one.”

So she did understand that much.

“But it would also be easier in some ways,” she went on. “Like waiting on different customers at the café. Some you like and some you don’t, but either way, you don’t have to put up with them for long.” She paused, grimacing. “Though some of them keep coming back.”

“I thought repeat business was what a restaurant depended on.”

“Yes, but some are more trouble than they’re worth.”

Tarq’s temper flared. “Who’s been giving you trouble?”

“Oh, just some guys that come in once in a while. They didn’t seem to like you at all. It made me mad enough to put hair in their soup.”

“You didn’t!”

“No, but I sure thought about it. Those nasty, dirty creeps had the nerve to call
you
filthy! I wanted to slap the snot out of them.” With a regretful sigh, she added, “But that would have been bad for business.”

“Maybe so, but it sure would’ve kept me coming back.”

“Too bad you don’t eat as much as they do.” Lucy stabbed the last bit of her omelet with unnecessary force. “The stupid pigs. Lousy tippers, too.”

Tarq hid a smile behind his cup. His own tips would make any others seem paltry, but he was still pleased by her attitude. “Does it feel good to get away from all that?”

Nodding, she set down her plate. “I’ll probably run into more of the same in Yalka, but what can you do about it? There are stupid jerks everywhere you go.” Frowning, she added, “At least in Yalka they won’t be my family.”

Tarq wanted nothing more than to protect her from all the jerks and creeps in the galaxy. Well, maybe he wanted a little more than that, but it would do for a start. He wanted to
be
her family. The thought of losing her the way he’d lost his own relations sent a pain ripping through him so hard he winced.

Lucy must have guessed the reason for his reaction, for, after a moment’s hesitation, she said gently, “Your whole family is gone, aren’t they?”

Tarq nodded. “I was up in a tree when the advancing army killed every last one of them.”

“How awful!”

Tarq gazed off across the wilderness toward the mountains. “Yes, it was.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of that.”

“It might be easier to remember if they hadn’t loved me, but they did.” Turning his gaze on Lucy, he went on, “Which is why I can’t understand the way your family behaves toward you. If they only knew how precious…” He took her hand and squeezed it gently. “Don’t cut them off completely, Lucy. Let them know where you are and that you’re okay. Don’t make them wonder what happened to you.”

“I’ll contact them eventually. But not right away. I want to be in a position where they can’t make me come back or interfere with me or my babies.”

“You’re a free woman, Lucy. No one can
make
you do anything.”
If
I
could, I’d make you love me every bit as much as I love you.