Invasion Earth by Loribelle Hunt Read Free Book Online

grasped his shoulders for leverage. Her hair swung
around them like a dark red curtain, whispering over the hardened
tips of her nipples. She groaned in response to the stimulus.
Moving in earnest, she increased the pace until their bodies were
slamming together. She relished the sound of flesh slapping against
flesh. An orgasm wrenched through her body and her muscles milked
him, unwilling to let go. A dim corner of her mind registered his
roar of release with relief. She really felt worn out now.

Chapter Five
     
    Laney woke with a jerk, sitting bolt upright
on the bed, a little disoriented. She knew immediately where she
was, but it was impossible to judge time in the closed confines of
the starship. How long had she slept?
    Alrik slumbered next to her, eyes shut and
chest rising and falling in a deep even rhythm. She slipped from
the bed and crept into the other room, gathered and pulled on her
clothes with swift efficient movements. She spared a quick glance
over her shoulder to make sure the big warrior hadn’t woken before
she snuck out into the hall. The door slid softly shut behind her.
She leaned against the corridor wall, staring unseeing at the
ceiling and grinding her teeth. Anger and shame rode her hard.
    She heard footsteps in the distance and
straightened, making her face a mask of calm indifference. Only she
would realize it was a lie. Setting off in the direction she’d come
from earlier, she wandered the maze of the ship until she came back
to the shuttle bay and was able to retrace her steps to her
room.
    As she approached she saw a dim glow from the
common room and wondered who was left awake at this late hour. Her
stomach rumbled. Or if there was any food left in the room. Hunger
was as good an excuse as any to check it out. It was something she
had a semblance of power over, at least.
    Unlike her attraction to the enemy alien or
his plans for her.
    When she saw who was in the room she wished
she could backpedal out, but it was too late. She’d already been
spotted.
    “Bradford.”
    “Colonel Eldridge.”
    She nodded at the man drinking a beer at a
table and approached a tall cooler on one wall. She grabbed a
bottle of water, eyeing the beer wistfully, and a sandwich before
turning back to face him. Using the heel of his boot he shoved a
chair out in an invitation to sit. She sat while trying to force
away her unease and suspicion. She unwrapped the sandwich and took
a bite.
    “Guess I don’t need to ask where you
disappeared to.”
    She narrowed her eyes but didn’t answer. She
didn’t trust him, didn’t know what his game was, and she’d be
better off keeping her movements and thoughts to herself until she
did. They sat in silence while she finished the small meal, but she
felt him watching her. When she looked up and met his gaze, there
was a calculating look in his eyes. He was definitely up to
something.
    “The others have returned to Earth?” she
asked, keeping her voice low. The silence of the ship seemed to
demand that consideration.
    “All but the three of us.”
    Laney looked around. “Where’s the
General?”
    Eldridge shrugged. “Turned in already.”
    She nodded and started to stand. Not a bad
idea. Eldridge stopped her with a hand on her wrist. His touch made
her skin crawl and she just managed to repress a flinch.
    “Wait.”
    She pulled her hand free and slowly sank back
in the chair, curiosity and suspicion warring within her.
“Why?”
    “You have more to lose here than anyone.”
    She snorted. Not a great revelation there.
“So?”
    He leaned over the table, his voice lowering
to almost a whisper. “What if there was another way?”
    She cocked an eyebrow. A way out of the
marriage or a way out of the treaty altogether? If Alrik was right
about this bond, it wouldn’t be so simple to escape. But she
refused to believe there was no way to break it. She didn’t
respond, just sat still and quiet waiting for Eldridge to go
on.
    “We have the Doomsayer . They