Rescuing Rory by N.J. Walters

pulled her legs to her chest and yanked a blanket over herself.
    Kal came out of the bathroom carrying a cloth in his hand. He obviously had no problem walking around naked. She admired him for that even as she hated him for it. He sat on the edge of the mattress and tugged at the blanket. Rory gripped it tighter. He simply pulled harder until she was forced to either release it or rip it.
    She let go.
    He made a low humming sound in the back of his throat as he wiped the tearstains from her face and then used the cloth between her thighs. She batted at his hands but he wouldn’t be deterred or denied. “I can do that,” she haughtily informed him.
    “But why would you when I can do it for you?” He continued to wield the cloth until he was satisfied. Rory felt more exposed than she ever had dancing in front of a room full of men. This was so much more intimate.
    When Kal was done, he tossed the cloth onto the small shelf by the bed and studied her intently. She fought not to squirm beneath his regard. For a space pirate, or mercenary, or trader or whatever he was, he saw too much. Rory feared he could see all the way to her soul.
    He placed his hands on either sides of her hips, effectively caging her in. The expression on his face was intent. “Now we talk.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    Kal didn’t know what he was doing. Why in the hell did he want to talk? He never wanted to talk after sex. Getting away as fast as possible was his usual procedure. It usually wasn’t a problem either as most of the women were just as happy to have him gone. But since Rory was in his room, aboard his ship, he couldn’t exactly run away. And he didn’t want to, which was even more confusing.
    Her tears gutted him. He hated to see any woman cry but seeing silent tears roll down Rory’s face had almost brought him to his knees. He wanted to see her smile, which was crazy. He barely knew her. It had to be the sex. He’d had sex plenty of times since he first became aware of girls in his mid-teens but what had happened between him and Rory was in a class all its own.
    She tried to tug the blanket over her but he wasn’t having any of it. He grabbed both her hands and held them over her head, effectively chaining her to his bed. He didn’t want her to cover up, wanted to be able to see her gorgeous body.
    She was still wearing her socks. In the heat of the moment he hadn’t thought to remove them and didn’t think she was even aware they were still in place. She looked adorable and very sexy totally naked but for feet. His dick responded to the sight and feel of her. It was still full and thick even though he’d just come. He was ready to go again but first he wanted answers.
    Resentment made her eyes darken. Her lips tightened. There was no denying she wasn’t happy with him. For that, he was truly sorry, but he needed answers to the questions plaguing him.
    “What do you want to know?”
    He loosened his grip but didn’t release her. He wanted to be able to see her face and gauge her reactions. He didn’t think she’d lie, exactly, but he wasn’t convinced she’d tell him the entire truth either.
    Why it was so important for him to know everything about her, he didn’t know. It just was. “What happened?” He ignored the way her entire body stiffened beneath him. “Our source told us that your father was a well-respected trading captain.”
    Rory turned her face away and chewed on her bottom lip. Kal caught her chin and applied a steady pressure until she was forced to look back at him. “Bully,” she muttered.
    He ignored the slight discomfort in the pit of his stomach but didn’t deny her allegation. “I’m waiting.”
    “My father died and the loyal crew wasn’t as loyal as either he or I thought they were.”
    Kal scowled. “I thought you said they helped raise you?” Or had she been lying about that.
    “Yes, my father’s crew did help raise me but almost all of them were dead or retired by the time he