Entered in the Alien Bride Lottery by Margo Collins (best large ebook reader TXT) 📗

“Makes sense.” My voice was trembling. I couldn’t stop thinking about what came next, even though Cav was clearly trying to help me overcome my anxiety.

“Anyway,” Cav continued, “modern Khanavai warriors do not spank their mates.”

“They don’t?” I squeaked.

“Well, only for fun.” He gave me a slow wink, but that dimpled grin of his made it less seductive and more cute.

I shook my head at myself. Hard to believe I had gone from finding Cav enormous and terrifying to thinking of him as cute in such a short time.

“Okay, then,” I asked, forcing my voice to remain steady this time, “what do we do? If we’re not going to use the chair, I mean.”

Cav dropped to the floor, crossing his legs in what we had in my childhood called crisscross applesauce.

“Come sit across from me,” he said, leaning forward to pat the cold metal floor in front of him. As I followed his instructions, he turned around and removed the cushion from the seat of the chair, ripping it away when he discovered it was attached. Then he rolled it up and put it beside me. “Stretch out on your stomach. Use that to pillow your arms and head.”

I did as he said, but when he scooted closer to me, my entire body tensed up.

“I’m not going to start yet. I’m just getting us both ready.” His deep voice took on a soothing cadence.

“Okay.” My voice squeaked and I bit the inside of my lips to keep from making another noise.

Cav drew my skirt up to uncover my ass, and this time only my butt cheeks clenched up.

Setting his enormous palm against my practically bare ass, Cav murmured, “Relax. I’ll give you plenty of warning before I start the ceremony. Let’s simply talk for a while.”

His hand was warm and soothing, and he began rubbing in gentle circles.

“I don’t know what to talk about.” My voice came out sounding breathier than I intended it to.

“You said you were studying biochemistry. What does a biochemist do, exactly?” His hand continued its gentle, hypnotic motion across my ass—which was feeling a lot warmer and less painful than it had when he started.

“Well, it depends,” I said, finally beginning to truly relax. “I want to go into cancer treatment research. For all our medical advancements—including the ones brought to us by the Khanavai—cancer still takes far too many lives every year.”

“Mm,” Cav murmured. “Among my people, too. We’ve eliminated some kinds, but far from all.”

“So that’s my goal. I’m one year away from finishing my degree, and if…” My voice trailed off. If I don’t get stuck going to Khanavai, I can still follow my dream.

Cav didn’t ask me to finish the sentence. I think he knew where it was headed. “What made you want to go into that field?”

“My father died when I was eight from a fast-growing brain cancer. By the time anyone knew he had it, it was too late to do anything about it. He was gone in less than a month.”

“I’m so sorry.”

I shrugged, the motion pulling my skirt up even higher. “Thanks. It’s okay. It was a long time ago. But I’d like to help make sure that never happens to anyone again.”

“Is your mother still alive?”

Oh, God. My mother. She was watching this. I cringed in embarrassment.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Cav went back to smoothing my skin with his hand.

“Yeah. She lives in Denver with my younger sister.” God. Was Julie watching this, too? I needed to change the subject, and fast. “You’re a captain in the Khanavai space-fleet, right?”

“Right now, yes. But what I really want to do is attend our Special Ops program.”

“Special Ops. Is that like spies and stuff?”

“The Khanavai version, yes. I applied this year and was almost certain to get in. This year’s class began yesterday.”

“Then why did you agree to participate in the Bride Games?”

He shrugged, his hand still rubbing my ass cheek. “My commander encouraged it. Besides, I might not ever get another chance to find a mate.” I couldn’t help but wiggle my butt a little under his ministrations. “Anyway,” he continued, “I’m allowed a one-time enrollment deferment. I can always go next year.”

“Why can’t you defer more than once?”

“Command Central believes that demonstrates a lack of commitment.”

I rolled my eyes. “Militaries. Making stupid decisions on every world.”

Cav laughed aloud, then gently patted my butt, like I might a dog’s head. “Okay. Stay relaxed and calm. Don’t move. I think we’re ready for my version of the spanking ceremony.”

“You promise it’s not going to hurt?”

“I promise.” He uncrossed his legs and stretched out beside me on his side, propping himself up on one elbow and keeping the other hand moving in gentle circles over me. “I’m going to be very careful. I won’t get you anywhere Tiziani bruised you. You may feel a sting, but it won’t actually be painful.”

“Is this like how doctors say you’re going to feel a ‘pinch,’ and then it hurts like hell?”

The soft chuckle was deep in Cav’s chest this time. “That’s not my plan.”

“Okay,” he said, his voice turning hypnotic again. “Think of your favorite place, the place you feel most relaxed and happy.”

That was easy. Having grown up in Colorado, I loved the mountains. I imagined a glacier-formed meadow, deep in the Rockies, stretching out in front of me springtime, covered in wildflowers.

“That’s it.” Cav’s hand cupped my ass, and two of his enormous fingers slipped between my thighs to brush against the outside of my panties.

My nipples hardened at the touch, the realization of how close he was to the core of me sending a shiver through me.

He did that several times, and I writhed a little, embarrassed to realize that my panties were getting soaked—and he could definitely tell.

With Cav, the spanking ceremony was a slow, gentle seduction.

I swallowed, fighting my body’s reaction to him. And then, when I’d almost decided he wasn’t going to spank me, after all, he lifted his