Chapter 9

Layla slowly put herself together and pulled her pants back up as she jumped off the desk.

She knew her cheeks were flushed, but damn! This alien knew how to please a woman. She had never experienced that type of satisfaction before. Now, more than ever, she wanted to test him out in the sack. She felt the size of his tongue, and it was nothing compared to the equipment he was working with down below. She definitely needed to give it a test drive.

She gathered her composure and looked back up at the prince, who now lounged in her chair. His demeanor had shifted again. It seemed distant compared to just a few minutes earlier, when he had seemed equally satisfied with their activities.

Layla, who was so sure she was securing him on her side, was now going back to the purgatory stage. She wasn't sure how to approach him. He had shown her so many sides to him already. She didn't want to get on the wrong one again after ending on such a great note just minutes ago.

"Is everything all right?" she asked hesitantly.

His purple eyes shot back at her. "No, not really."

She was pretty sure she already knew why. She decided to help him finish his thought. "You just aren't sure if you can trust me."

He drummed his fingers on the armrests of the chair. "Yes. I shouldn't have done that with the sole suspect in a case I need to solve. It complicates things. My duty, first and foremost, is to the client. Now, this makes me personally involved with you, in a sense. It can hinder my judgment."

There was that sense of duty that Layla both hated and admired. He took his job seriously, even if she didn't like the case. She would have felt bad for being a hindrance to him if she hadn't enjoyed his skills so thoroughly.

She stayed leaning against the table and waited for him to look at her again. She needed him to see not just her body but the honesty and truth in her eyes.

Zyair took a deep breath and returned his gaze to her. She held his eyes.

"I know you have a duty. I respect that. I really do, but I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say I didn't do this. I've done lots of things in my life, but I did not take this stone. I never entered that room. I was just thankful I had a place to lay my head. I don't treat people this way. If I had stolen this… Desolation Stone? I wouldn't even know what to do with it or who to sell it to. It's worthless to me, even now."

He held his narrowed eyes on hers. She could tell he was thinking it all through, but his silence was more nerve racking than an open accusation would be.

He let out an unsatisfied huff, pushing himself out of the chair. "I need food." He headed toward the door.

Layla wasn't sure what to do. His abruptness kept confusing her.

"Are you coming? I'm assuming you need to eat, too," he bellowed as he pushed the door open.

She hurriedly pushed herself away from the desk and quickly followed him. Apparently, the only time he wasn't a grump-ass was when he was getting action. Good to know.

Layla stayed quietly behind him as he made his way to the giant kitchen. He pulled out some strange-looking fruit that Layla recognized to be native to the planet. He diced it up, pulled out some jelly-like substance from the ice box, and threw it on two plates.

He slid one over to her and started to eat his own. Layla stared at his sour expression. Was the food or his inner conflict making him so cranky? She assumed both, given she hadn't really seen him any other way since their introduction.

After his plate was almost cleared, he decided to talk to her. "So, tell me exactly what you believe is going on." His look was one of irritation.

His sudden short fuse with her made Layla want to snap back at him with an aggressive, "same shit as I told you earlier," kind of tone, but she remembered how well that played out before. He seemed more on her side when she played the flirty, happy human he apparently was drawn to—someone full of the promise of sex. She could keep doing that role. At least until it quit working.

"I think the heiress is trying to frame me. Or maybe someone else tampered with the tapes. She has people who work for her, so maybe they were in on it. I'm just here on this planet to work. Two weeks ago, I didn't even know her. I think maybe she called you to investigate me to cover her own… tracks."

"Ass" would have been too aggressive, and Layla was watching her choice of words.

Zyair stroked his strong chin, rubbed his eyes tiredly, and then continued with his interrogation. She put on her nice face and answered his questions, which were the same as they had been since he first started investigating her.

After what seemed like forever, Layla took a deep breath to calm down.

Zyair was beyond frustrated. She didn't know how much more she could take of his questions or strident disbelief in her innocence.

"I have an idea to help with the speed of this investigation," she volunteered.

He let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, by all means."

Layla let it slide and continued, despite wanting to hit him. "I know I didn't do it. But I'm the only suspect you have. You're also trying not to let… this…" she pointed between the two of them, "… cloud your judgment. So maybe you're even being harder on me. But if I am found guilty, I know there are options for serving a sentence. And I'll serve my time as your sex slave. For life."

Zyair's eyes lit up a little at her offer, but she could tell he was trying to not look too eager. "Wouldn't that make me want to prove your guilt even more?"

She shrugged. "Probably, but it's also not the worst fate I can see for myself. But it doesn't matter because I know I didn't do this."

She watched him think it over.

"Okay, deal. But how does this help speed up the investigation?"

Layla smiled. "I promise to help with the investigation. It will give you extra hands, and I want to prove my innocence as well, so I will be beneficial to the case. I want to clear my name. That means more to me than anything else."

He grunted in response.

Layla couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Why are you always so grumpy? I'm offering a huge help here. And even before that, you went instantly back to sourpuss mode after our little rendezvous."

His mouth thinned in distaste. "I have a job to do."

"Prove it to me," she teased, resting her breasts on the table as she leaned toward him.

A devilish smile appeared on his lips. "I'll approve your request. But we have to seal the deal."

She felt herself tingle all over as he looked her over. She knew just how she wanted to do that.