Heroic Abduction by Eve Langlais Page A

forced upon her luscious lips.
    I almost ravished her. Never mind the fact she seemed willing. Dyre should have more control. Mercenaries took. Mercenaries ravished. He was supposed to be above that kind of base behavior. As Betty was a damsel under his care, he would give her respect and his protection, whether she asked for it or not.
    The last thing she needed was a male forcing his lust upon her. He could see she had trust issues. Given her bitter words about her past, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to avoid males. But I would not mistreat her. On the contrary, he’d worship her body and shower her with luxury. But she wasn’t interested in that. She wanted freedom, and adventure, two things she couldn’t truly have, not on her own.
    The galaxy was a rough place, especially for those considered weak, and much as Betty might protest, she couldn’t keep her fragile self safe from those who would seek to harm her. Dead males if they touch her. Such a mercenary sentiment, but, at heart, also a valiant one.
    At least she partially recognized she needed a guard, and like the idiot that she named him, he offered his services as knight. I’ll protect her. Such a noble cause and yet she accused him of having an ulterior motive.
    He denied it. Surely, he offered because it was the right thing to do? Have I taken to lying to myself now? I do have a reason for wanting to remain by her side, the closer the better. And it’s not because I want to shield her from danger.
    He wanted Betty. It sounded so mercenary to bluntly admit it like that, but anything else would skirt the truth. Despite his determination to forge a name for himself as a hero, he wanted Betty, in his bed, at his side, and anywhere else she wanted to go. He’d known her only a short time, but already she consumed his every waking thought and dream. He spied on her under the guise of ensuring her safety. Fantasies ran through his mind. He studied everything he could find on her kind.
    How could he fix this overwhelming obsession? He’d already determined she wasn’t his damsel because of their less-than-stellar meeting, which meant he needed to find her the right male. Never!
    The sudden jealously rose as it always did every time he thought of pairing her with someone else. Which left him with only one solution. Ravish her!
    No. There was a better solution than that. Something to placate his need for heroism. He would simply have to make her his damsel in distress and do something spectacular to rescue her.
    That’s it! I just need Betty to put herself in danger, then save her. She will be so grateful at my intrepid rescue that she will give me more of those extraordinary lip caresses and I shall ask her to be my mate. The only problem with this scenario was, would she say yes? Oh, and where to find some danger. But that was a minor detail.
    One he might solve quickly given they needed to stop at a way station to refuel his energy cells. Plenty of peril to be found on the floating space stations that serviced alien breeds from all over the universe.
    Setting a course for the nearest one, tethered to an asteroid less than a few galactic units away, Dyre sent out a shipboard announcement.
    “To my current passengers, we will be docking to refuel shortly. If you require supplies or simply wish for a change of scenery, please feel free to do so. But please take a transmitter with you that we might remain in contact should trouble arise.”
    It wasn’t long before both females joined him on the bridge.
    “This place we are going to has supplies?” Betty asked.
    “Some. I’m sure there will be a few traders with shops and stalls who are more than willing to barter. As for those just passing through, you’ll find most of them at the local tavern.”
    Betty perked up. “I wonder if they have beer. I haven’t had one of those since my high school days.”
    Zista clucked her tongue. “It’s not safe for you to venture off the ship. These refueling