Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

E rica's bed rocked gently beneath her, and she smiled, relaxing into the soothing rhythm. Still half asleep, it took longer than it should have for her to realize that her bed should not be rocking.

The events of the previous day flashed in her mind, and she automatically reached for Peri. His warm little body was no longer cradled in her arm. Her eyes flew open as she sat up, searching frantically for him.

It took a moment for her startled mind to process what she was seeing. She was no longer leaning against the tree on her beach. She was in the big blue alien's camp…

The same big blue alien who was watching her from the other side of the fire, one eyebrow raised sardonically as he smirked at her.

He was turning something on a spit over the fire—something that was most definitely not fish—and her heart skipped a beat.

"Peri!"

A chattering noise came from the sand beneath the hammock, and then Peri was there, trying to climb up her leg with his sharp little paws. Too relieved to care, she reached down and picked him up, hugging him against her. As she did, she remembered once again that she was naked and alone with the alien.

Her gaze flew back to him as he stood. Good Lord he was huge. Even standing on the other side of the fire, he seemed to tower over her. He gave a leisurely stretch, just as he had done the day before when she had been spying on him, and despite her best intentions, her eyes automatically dropped to his cock before she snatched them away.

Yep, that too was just as big as she remembered. And still covered with those little spikes.

She gulped nervously, even as an unexpected rush of warmth turned her nipples hard behind her shielding arm. It was ridiculous—they were obviously physically incompatible.

He studied her in turn, and those unexpectedly sensual lips bowed in a slow smile. The heat in his eyes was all too clear, and she braced herself, preparing to make a run for it.

Then he spoke. He had a deep, sexy voice, but she had no idea what he was saying. She bit her lip as she stared back at him.

He sighed and shook his head. "Foo-dh," he said slowly.

Wait. Had she heard him correctly? Was he speaking English?

"Food?" she repeated tentatively.

He nodded and pointed to her and Peri. "Stay."

By the time she realized what he had said, he had already turned his admittedly fine back and headed for the ocean.

Still dumbstruck, she watched his dark head disappear beneath the waves without a backwards look. He didn't seem to have any doubt she would obey his order.

"Screw that," she muttered to Peri as she jumped to her feet. She didn't like the fact that he had brought her to his camp—even if he had been nice enough to let her sleep in his hammock. She wasn't going to stick around long enough to find out what payment he would expect.

And she certainly didn't like the fact that he could apparently speak some English. Had he been the one responsible for bringing her here?

The primitive looking camp didn't suggest that he had any such knowledge, but maybe this was all part of the setup. Whatever game he was playing, she didn't want to find out.

With Peri still tucked in her arm, she headed back into the jungle. As she did, she spotted a crudely woven bag hanging from a low branch. Hmm. It would be a lot easier to make her way if both her hands were free.

Fighting back the pangs of her guilty conscience, she snagged it from the branch, then lifted it over her head and placed Peri inside. He didn't seem to object, turning around a few times before settling down.

More of the smoked fish were hanging on a vine beneath one of the trees, and with a resigned shrug, she snagged a couple of them. If she was going to be a thief, she would prefer not to be a hungry one.

She cast a wistful glance at the fire, but she couldn't think of any way to carry some of that with her. Her stomach fluttered with nerves, expecting to see that dark head rising from the ocean, and she decided not to stick around long enough to scavenge anything else.

Once a line of undergrowth shielded her from the beach, she paused, trying to decide the best course of action. So far, he hadn't followed her into the jungle, but could she rely on that? The beach where she had landed was a little too close to him for comfort.

She thought back to their brief, one-sided conversation. The fact that he had managed a few words of English argued that perhaps there was some technology here after all. Yesterday, she had allowed herself to live in the present, but now, her practical nature reasserted itself. Someone or something had brought her here. While she still doubted that it was her primitive blue alien, he surely wasn't the only resident of this planet. It was time to find out more.

"I can see why Big Blue stays out of the jungle," she muttered to Peri an indeterminate amount of time later. Not only was it a constant fight with the sharp-edged leaves and the tangled vines, but it was also difficult to maintain any sense of direction. She couldn't even see the sky clearly enough to use the sun for guidance.

Striking out at what she hoped was the correct angle to reach the shore again, she kept walking. By the time she emerged on another beach, the sun was high overhead and she was hot, tired, and annoyed.

She was also thirsty, and she hadn't encountered another stream. Her decision to set out and explore suddenly seemed more foolish than brave.

The breeze from the ocean sent a cool draft over her skin as she stepped cautiously out of the shade. At least she hadn't circled back—this was a brand-new location.

Here, the beach curved away in a long gentle arc to a rocky spit of land with waves crashing around its base. Out in the water, she could see another line of waves breaking on what must be an underground reef. Further along the beach, she saw what looked like the sparkle of water running out of the jungle.

Peri scrabbled around in the bag, trying to see over the side, and she laughed and lifted him free. "You want to know what's going on, little one?"

He looked around eagerly, big purple eyes sparkling. A little tentatively, she lifted him to her shoulder, but he balanced there easily, one paw wrapped in her hair, as she set off for that promising gleam of water.

As she had hoped, a small stream emerged from the jungle at that point. She knelt to get a drink, and Peri leapt forward before she could stop him.

He burbled happily as he rolled in the water until his fur was slick and dark once more. She moved a little further upstream and took a grateful drink. At least water did not seem to be in short supply. If she only had a way to carry it…

Once her thirst was quenched, she settled back down on the sand and shared her stolen fish with Peri.

"I hope Big Blue isn't angry about the fish."

Peri didn't share her concerns, eagerly wolfing down his share.

"And he did say something about food. Don't you think that meant he was going to get us some?" A horrible thought intruded. "You don't think he thought we were food, do you?"

No. From the way he looked at her, she didn't think he intended to eat her.

At least not that way. The naughty thought popped up before she could stop it, along with the vision of those broad shoulders spreading her thighs as his dark head descended.

What was wrong with her?

Maybe it's because I'm naked , she thought. Her body exposed to the warm tropical breeze, the heavy scent of flowers filling her head.

"I need some clothes," she announced to Peri, but he wasn't listening. His stomach full, he had ducked his head in the small stream, and was now curled sleepily in the warm sand. He looked so content she didn't have the heart to disturb him, and really, what was the rush?

By now, Big Blue must be a long way behind us, she thought, suppressing a small pang of regret.

Settling down next to Peri, she tried to figure out how she was going to go about making some clothes, but after the long walk and their meal, the warmth of the sun settled over her like a blanket and she drifted off to sleep.

Somehow, A'rien wasn't surprised when he emerged from the water and found his little female had disappeared. Again.

He had hoped that the promise of food would entice her to stay, but obviously, she was not so easily swayed.

"I should have tied her to the hammock," he muttered. Even though the thought of her tied down so that he could pleasure her made his shaft stiffen, he wasn't really disappointed that she had fled. A good chase simply worked up an appetite.

He grinned when he realized that she had stolen his bag and more of his fish. But she had only taken two fish. That wouldn't be enough to feed her for long, especially if she insisted on giving most of it to Peri as he suspected she would.

Then again, he had no intention of letting her fend for herself. Grabbing his harpoon, he slipped into the jungle and followed her.

He sighed when he finally stepped out of the jungle and found his female asleep on the beach. She had set no warnings, no traps, and her pale, delectable body was easily visible against the sand. What kind of life had she led that she didn't feel the need to guard herself?

His first impulse was to repeat his actions of the previous night and scoop her up and carry her back to his camp. But unlike the previous night, she was sleeping peacefully, and he knew if he carried her back, she would simply run away again.

No, perhaps it would be best to let her find out for herself that she would be better off with him. He would remain with her to make sure she did not run into danger, but he would stay out of sight.

Indulging himself, he ran a lingering glance over her soft body, then frowned. She had acquired more abrasions since this morning, in addition to the ones that already marked her skin.

He had intended to offer to heal them for her, and even now, his mouth watered at the thought of tasting her soft skin as he used the healing power of his saliva. But somehow, he did not think she would react well to waking up and finding him licking her wounds.

She had been saying something when he approached, and he ran the words through his translation implant. Ah, clothing.

While it would be a shame to cover that glorious body, it would help to protect her delicate skin. He had not bothered making clothing for himself, but there were resources aplenty.

Perhaps he could make something for her, and request a small favor in exchange—possibly the taste of those soft pink lips…

No.

Even though life had taught him nothing was ever given for free, he found the thought of asking her for payment unexpectedly distasteful. He did not want her to feel indebted to him.

But she had proven resourceful so far. Perhaps if he planted the idea in her head…

Keeping an eye on her, he started investigating the many vines that climbed through the trees. One in particular, a smooth pale blue vine that clung to the shady side of the larger trees, would be ideal for clothing.

Once he had gathered a sufficient supply, he carried them to the edge of the beach, a short distance away from where she slept. Peri's head rose, studying him from those big purple eyes, and he decided she might not be as unprotected as he had assumed.

To his relief, the infant only watched as A'rien arranged the vines in a seemingly casual pile. He wove a few of them together in a loose cluster and hoped that would be enough for her to grasp his meaning.

He nodded at the still-watching animal, then stepped back into the jungle and waited for her to wake.