Jacie and the Alien Bodyguard (Intergalactic Brides 6) by Jessica Coulter Smith Page A

He might desire Jacie, but he could control himself. Maybe.
    Noting the crowd around the front door of the tower, he remembered that another batch of potential brides was due to arrive today. If the crowd was any indication, they were already here. It meant he needed to get Jacie out of there as quickly as possible before the overly eager males caused her stress or harm. Not that any of them would mean to do either, but a male on the hunt for a mate could be over zealous.
    Barimere shoved his way through the males until he reached the door, scanned his wrist, and pushed his way inside. After making sure the males were secure on the other side, he practically ran to the elevator. He didn’t think any of them had managed to make their way inside before he’d arrived, but he couldn’t be certain. Jacie was vulnerable. He should have never gone to the council. It would have been just as easy to talk to them over the Vid-comm.
    When he reached her door, he breathed a sigh of relief that the hallway was empty. He knocked twice and when there was no answer, he let himself inside. A quick glance showed her curled up in the chair near the windows, asleep. Barimere approached quietly and his heart kicked in his chest when he saw signs of tears on her cheeks. Had he done something to make her cry? Had someone else? If they had, he’d make an example of them!
    “Jacie,” he said softly, lightly rubbing her arm.
    She murmured his name in her sleep, but didn’t move. With a resigned sigh, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Barimere eased her down onto the bed, removed her shoes, and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. He’d have to wait to find out what had upset her.
    After making sure her quarters were secure, he started to leave, but something pulled him back to her side. She whimpered softly in her sleep and her brow furrowed. Even in sleep, a tear trickled down her cheek. Whatever had happened, it had obviously devastated her, and Barimere knew he couldn’t leave her like this. Not when she needed him. He pulled off his boots and slid into bed beside her, wrapping her in his embrace.
    It felt so right, having her in his arms, and that scared the hell out of him. He’d never held a female while she slept, and he found that he rather liked it. Was this what it was like to be mated? If he gave into the council’s demands and claimed Jacie as his mate, would he get to hold her like this whenever he wanted? It was an intriguing idea, but one he knew was best put out of his mind. He’d do what he could to take care of her, without claiming her as his mate. He could care for her without tying her to him, couldn’t he?
    Jacie shifted closer to him, her face rubbing against the front of his shirt. Barimere’s pants tightened as his cock surged to life. He was an asshole to desire her at a time when she was clearly distraught, even in sleep. It just proved it had been entirely too long since he’d been with a female, and now that he was going to be assigned to watch Jacie day and night for years, there was no hope of him escaping to the brothel nearby. His balls ached at the thought of only finding release by his own hand for the foreseeable future.
    Jacie’s clean scent teased his nose and his arms tightened around her. Her hands clung to him and a sense of rightness settled over him. While she slept, her stomach rumbled and he knew she’d need to eat soon. If she didn’t wake shortly, he’d have to wake her and make her eat. The babies needed more nourishment than she was giving them, even though he knew she was doing her best. With four of them, she was going to have to start eating a lot more frequently.
    It worried Barimere a little. He wasn’t a very good cook, and depending on where their new house was located the Earth restaurant might not be nearby like it was now. How was he going to feed Jacie five or more times a day like the doctor wanted? It was something he should have brought up