The Power of Three (13 page)

“
Wait
.” He
pulled away from her. “Let’s take this inside.”

He forced himself to rebutton her pants and
lift her off him. She smoothed down her hair and opened the door,
leaving him to follow her out like a lovesick idiot, which was what
he was. He wasn’t ashamed of it. He kept his gaze on the sway of
her ass as she walked in front of him.

She kept walking right into her suite and he
followed her, stripping off his clothes as he went. When she turned
around, he was already naked, one hand wrapped around his cock. He
smiled at her.

“
Perhaps you’d like to start by kissing
this?”

* * *

Two days later, Soreya reread the note in her
hand and frowned at Chase. “Where’s Esca?”

“
He’s out tonight, Private
Lang.”

She glanced at the shopping bags on her
bed, and then back at Ash’s invitation. “He wants me to
dress up
?”

“
It’s an event at the Senate. Everyone
will be dressed up.” Chase smiled. “He asked me to get some clothes
for you to choose from. I hope I picked something you’ll
like.”

“
That was very kind of you, but what if
I don’t want to go?”

“
Then Ash will be all alone.” Chase
looked sad and cleared her throat. “He was very anxious that you
should come. He wants to introduce you to everyone. He said to tell
you that your appearance would benefit the research project at the
university—funding and that kind of stuff, you know how it
goes.”

She’d managed to avoid Ash quite successfully
since Esca had invited her to kiss his cock and she’d ended up
kissing a whole lot more of him than that. He’d told her it had
been Ash’s idea to involve Bev, although he probably hadn’t
expected her to be so creative. Ash certainly hadn’t strolled up to
her and demanded to know the result of her experimentation. Not
that he would ever be so confrontational. Even if Esca had told
him, Ash was far more reserved than his Second Male would ever
be.

Admitting to Ash that she might just have
kissed the right two males straight away was somehow more difficult
than she’d anticipated. Perhaps in the more public setting of the
Senate party, she’d be able to get the words out. Would he be
pleased? He hadn’t seemed very bothered when she’d kissed him…If he
wasn’t interested in her, at least he wouldn’t be able to freak out
if she admitted it in front of his colleagues.

“
All right.” Soreya made a face. “I’ll
go. I owe him that at least.”

“
Great, I’ll let him know, and I’ll
come and help you get ready, okay?” Chase winked. “I’m a dab hand
with the eyeliner.”

“
You’ll have to be. I don’t dress up
well.”

Soreya unpacked the dresses from the bags and
studied them carefully. They all looked expensive and shiny. Did
Ash like his females to sparkle or was this Chase’s taste? That
surprised her. But then any woman on his arm would be competing
with his beauty, so maybe she’d need the glitter after all.

Reluctantly, she picked up the dresses, took
them through to the bathroom and started trying them on. To her
surprise they all fit. She didn’t have the confidence to wear a
full-length gown, so she put those aside, leaving her with three
choices. The one she liked most, and she did like it despite all
her inner qualms, was a light-green sequined shift with a boat neck
and long sleeves. The fact that it covered up most of her was an
advantage.

“
Are you going for the green one?”
Chase came through into the bathroom bearing another huge shopping
bag. “That was my favorite.”

“
Is it too short?”

“
Not at all. My mom always said tits or
legs, but never both, so you’re good.”

Soreya pivoted slowly in front of the mirror.
“My mom would’ve loved this dress. My grandparents would hate
it.”

“
They’re in Etrusca, right? They’ll
never know.” Chase eased Soreya into a chair and started fiddling
with her hair. “It’s super-short but we can still do something with
it.”

* * *

Ash paced the foyer of the Senate building,
his attention on the doors to the street where he hoped to see
Soreya appear. Chase had called to let him know she was on her way,
but there was still no sign of her.

“
Senator Ash?”

He turned, his gaze on the beautiful woman in
front of him. He blinked and looked again. She wore a shimmering
green dress with long sleeves and a high neck. The dress barely
covered her ass and made her legs look endless.

“
Private Lang?”

She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Yeah. It’s me. Do I look that different?” Her gaze drifted toward
the door. “Should I go back and change?”

He instinctively reached for her hand. “No,
don’t, you look beautiful. It’s just that I’ve never seen you in a
dress.”

She made a face. “Neither has anyone
else.”

Retaining her hand, he turned toward the
grand staircase. “Do you need to freshen up, or shall we go through
to the main reception?”

“
I’m fine.” She squared her shoulders
as if she were going into battle. “Let’s do this.”

Despite her nervousness, she was a
pleasant companion, with an easy smile and a coherent reply to
everyone he introduced her to. Only he knew she was more stressed
than she looked. He kept his hand on her at all times, smoothing
his thumb over hers, or touching the small of her back. Was she
aware that he was showing everyone that she was his? Esca would’ve
been more open about it, but for Ash this subtle need to touch her,
to
own
her was as open a
declaration to his peers as he’d ever made.

Ever since Esca had told him about the
kissing experiment, he’d been trying to think of a way of asking
her about it. But every time he’d seen her since, she’d disappeared
on him, her mind a smooth blank. Was it possible Esca was wrong and
she’d realized that he wasn’t the right male for her, and that only
Esca was? It didn’t bear contemplating.

Damn it, he hated being such a coward,
hated the lack of control. He brought her hand to his lips and
kissed her fingers. “
You’re doing fine.
Relax.
”

“
Yeah, right.” She was blushing, but
she didn’t attempt to release her hand.

“
Would you like something to
drink?”

“
That would be good.”

He steered her toward the refreshment room
and stepped aside to allow a crowd of people to exit the room.
Soreya moved back, too, and his hand accidentally slid from her
waist and cupped her ass. He registered her sharp intake of breath
as his thumb slid beneath the hem of her dress and stroked the
curve of her buttock. His cock hardened in an aching rush.

“
Are you wearing
panties
?”

Still surrounded by the crush of people,
neither of them moved forward.

“
Of course I am. They’re
little tiny things. Chase said I had to wear them or I’d spoil the
line of the dress—whatever that means.
”

Ash sent a prayer of thanks to his
housekeeper. He couldn’t resist moving his thumb over her creamy
flesh once more. If he stroked higher, would she be wet for him?
Would his fingers slide inside her with ease? Gods, he wanted to
find out, to bend her over the nearest table and finger fuck her
until she was begging for his cock…

“
Ash
?”

Her mind brushed his, and he started to move
forward, aware of her heightened breathing, of the pulse that
throbbed in her throat and the thump of his own heart. Was he
seriously contemplating fucking a female in full view of his
peers?

“
Sorry, let’s get you something to
eat.”

* * *

Soreya allowed Ash to find her a glass of
wine and load up plates of food for them both. They found a
secluded table and she took the seat in the furthest corner. She
was too shocked and turned-on by the all-too-intimate glimpse into
Ash’s mind. Her, bent over while he played with her sex and finally
fucked her until she was screaming his name…

“
Are you all right?”

She looked at him saw the sexual need he
couldn’t quite hide in his gaze, and slowly shook her head.

He frowned and took her hand. “What’s
wrong?”

“
Nothing, I’ve just lost my
appetite.”

“
We can’t have that.” He picked up a
delicate piece of fish and held it to her lips. “Try
this.”

She opened her mouth and took the morsel in,
her lips brushing the tips of his fingers. He jumped as though
she’d sucked his cock and Gods it felt almost as intimate, which
was crazy. She licked his fingers clean and watched his blue eyes
narrow. How invigorating was this? She had the most powerful man in
the Senate wanting her.

His other hand left hers and slid along her
thigh beneath her skirt. Now she was the one shivering while he
plucked at the thin string of her lace panties as if gauging how
easily he could tear it. Her nipples hardened, but at least he
couldn’t see that.

He removed his hand and drew in a deep
unsteady breath. “Soreya…”

She rose to her feet and he instantly joined
her. Her gaze dropped to the huge bulge of his cock.

“
Do you think we should go?”

“
If that’s what you want.”

He was calm again, but she knew it was a
front, knew that he wanted her just as much as Esca did in his own
quiet way.

“
I’ll call for the limo.” He hesitated
for a second. “I need to go back to my office. Do you want to come
with me, or wait in the hall?”

“
I’d love to see your
office.”

She knew what she was doing, but for once she
didn’t care. The need to have his hands on her was becoming
all-consuming. She followed him up another flight of stairs and
into his large corner office, which had a commanding view of the
business section of the city. While he gathered up his work, she
perched on the front of his desk and studied the city she’d just
started to become familiar with. Unlike her home planet, there was
a constant buzz of telepathic thought holding the citizens
together. It made her feel part of something for the first time in
her life.

Ash stacked his paperwork in a neat pile and
put it on the corner of the desk.

“
The limo should be ready
soon.”

She smiled at him, aware that by sitting on
the desk, her skirt had practically disappeared up her ass and that
he might even be able to see her panties.

“
Thanks for a lovely evening. It was
far less stressful than I thought it would be.”

He moved closer, his gaze fixed on hers, and
planted his palms on the desk on either side of her. “I’m glad you
enjoyed it. May I kiss you?”

“
Like the guys at the bar?”

He inhaled sharply. “No, like one of your
chosen males.”

“
Is that what you are?”

“
Kiss me and find out.”

He didn’t wait for an answer but brushed his
mouth against hers. Again, her body roared to life and she kissed
him back, only their mouths touching in an intimate duel that made
all the hairs on her body stand upright. He leaned in closer, his
body now between her legs and deepened the kiss.

She whimpered as he sank down to his
knees and pushed her thighs wide, his fingers trailing over the
soaking wet triangle of her panties easily finding her
already-needy clit. He licked the silk, his tongue gentle until she
was angling her hips toward him, wanting more,
needing
more.

He slid one finger beneath the fabric and
pushed it inside, his tongue swirling around her clit in a slow,
sultry rhythm that made her want to pull his hair and demand more.
She climaxed so quickly she had to grab a fistful of his hair and
hang on through the waves of pleasure. He added another finger, the
push and pull of each thrust dragging against her sensitive flesh
and making her come again.

“
Senator Ash?”

She almost jumped off the desk as the eerie
voice resonated throughout the room. Her companion stayed right
where he was, his fingers still inside her, his harsh breath on her
thigh.

“
Yes?”

“
Your vehicle is ready,
sir.”

“
Thank you.” He sighed, licking his
fingers into his mouth. Then he pushed her panties back into place
and stood up. “We should go. We’ll be blocking the
exit.”

Soreya stared at him. Wow, his shields
had crashed back into place so fast she felt like she had slammed
into a steel plate. Gods, it actually
hurt
to have her mind ripped away from his like
that. Dammit. Had he even let her in at
all?
She remembered how it had felt when Esca had
taken her body and her mind, the sense of being one…

Esca.

She slid off the desk and yanked down
her skirt. “You’re right, we should go.” Hopefully she didn’t look
like she’d just come around Senator Ice-in-his-veins Ash’s long
fingers. What was
wrong
with
her? Give her a pretty dress and she behaved as though she believed
in Happy Ever After like her mother? It obviously hadn’t meant much
to Ash if he could detach so quickly.

Dammit she didn’t want to be part
of
his
little
experiment.