Posts Tagged ‘Refuge’
Refuge
Refuge, a futuristic erotic romance, released tonight at Liquid Silver. This is the first installment of my Skyport Virgo series. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about Pike and Laleh as much as I loved writing about them!
Blurb:
As a political refugee on twenty-fourth century Earth, Laleh Sarafpour suddenly faces deportation to her hellish home planet because of a ridiculous clerical error. She never expects a chance meeting with Pike Grayson, a deliciously sexy Spacefleet admiral, to drastically change her life. In the span of a night, Pike saves Laleh from her sadistic half-brother sent to haul her back to the nightmare of her past life and offers her a chance to save herself: a marriage of convenience for naturalization papers.
From the moment Pike claps eyes on Laleh, he craves the breathtakingly exotic beauty. Pike’s desire ignites the second she accepts his proposal, but her innocence in the pleasures of the flesh forces him to practice a little patience. With the gentlest of seductions, Pike introduces Laleh to all the naughty delights to be found in a marriage bed.
As they journey across galaxies to Pike’s first command station, the sizzling attraction between the pair proves to be explosive. But when Laleh’s past threatens to catch up with them, Pike risks everything to protect the woman who has managed to so perfectly capture his heart.
Excerpt:
Pike burst through the entrance to the fifth floor. He rolled his eyes in irritation upon the realization he’d come out at the opposite end of the floor. He raced passed the ascending apartment numbers. As he neared the forties, Pike heard the unmistakable shriek of a woman in pain. His heart jumped into his throat. A sixth sense told him that was Laleh.
Up ahead, a door opened and a concerned man stalked across the hallway, pounding on a door that Pike could only assume belonged to Laleh. Just seconds after the man’s blue fist hit the door, it jerked open and another fist, this one tan, slammed into the neighbor’s face. The blue man reeled backwards in shock, bright orange liquid spewing from the injuries to his mouth and nose. Another scream erupted from the apartment as the same man who’d been shadowing Laleh strode out of her apartment, obviously intent on continuing his attack on the neighbor.
His full concentration on pummeling the blue man, the assailant didn’t seem to notice Pike as he bent down and grabbed the blue man’s shirt. Pike took advantage of the element of surprise. As he closed the distance between them, Pike drew back his foot and landed a nasty blow to the assailant’s head. The thudding sound of his boot contacting the attacker’s face filled the hall. Pike threw his full weight into the downward movement of his elbow as he hit the back of the assailant’s head. That was all it took to drop the bastard.
Pike paused just long enough to check out the wounded neighbor. The man raised an orange-smeared blue hand and waved him off, urging him to help Laleh. Pike pivoted and dashed into the apartment. His gaze moved around the ransacked living area and kitchen. His ears perked to the sounds of a scuffle in a back room. Glass shattered. Grunts and slaps filled the air. Something–someone–slammed into a wall with a sickening thud.
Stomach twisting, Pike raced toward the skirmish. He slid into a bedroom and found a hulking brute holding Laleh up against a wall, her feet dangling as he choked the life out of her. Laleh made weak gasping noises as her nails scratched at the man’s hands. Pike rushed the brute and punched his fist into the man’s temple over and over until he let go. Laleh slumped to the floor and made no noise. Pike fought the urge to run to her aid. Already the brute was turning his attention to him.
Pike recoiled with recognition. “Jai.”
Prince Jai of the Hezman Empire curled his lip in a snarl. “Grayson.” His dark gaze jumped from Pike’s face to Laleh’s. “I should have known she’d have whored herself out to a starman.”
Realizing he could use the mistaken assumption to his benefit, Pike puffed out his chest. “Not just any starman.” He tapped his chest. “An admiral, now.”
Jai’s jaw hardened as he seemed to waver between lashing out and maintaining some control. Finally, he uttered a noise of disgust and poked his finger in Pike’s face. “You can’t protect her forever. She will submit.”
His piece said, Jai spun on his heel and left the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him. Pike hurried to Laleh and scooped her up from the floor. Cradling her to his chest, he sat on the edge of her bed and gently turned her face. Fury raged through his body at the sight of blood trickling from her nose and the center of her split lips. Only the sensation of her steady breaths against his chin calmed him. He brushed the hair from her face and allowed his fingertips to drift down her cheek to her neck. Already purpling bruises marred her silky skin.
“Laleh?” Pike’s shaky voice surprised him. He was a man who’d faced certain death on distant battlefields only to escape at the very last nanosecond, yet seeing this girl’s battered body shook him to the very core. “Laleh?”
She stirred weakly. Thick eyelashes fluttering, she slowly came around. Her unfocused gaze searched his face, confusion clearly apparent in her glassy eyes. When her gaze settled, the slightest frown twitched her lips. “Pike?”
Relief flooded him. His chest constricted at the realization she’d just uttered his name for the first time. Pike swallowed hard. “Do you need medical attention?”
Laleh shook her head. “I just need a few moments.”
Pike wasn’t so sure but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. At the first sign of trouble, he was calling for medics. He suddenly remembered the injured neighbor in the hallway. He shifted Laleh onto the bed. “Will you be all right for a few seconds? I need to run out and check on the blue guy from across the hall.”
Concern flooded Laleh’s face. “Noozeen was hurt?”
He nodded. “Not badly but I’d like to make sure just in case.”
“Of course.”
“When I get back, we’ll call the police to report this mess.”
Laleh paled and wildly shook her head. “You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“They won’t do anything but make it worse. He has diplomatic immunity, and I’m probably already on the deportation lists.” Laleh’s pleading gaze bore into him. “Please.”
Her frightened tone struck a chord with him. He didn’t want to know, but he had to ask. “Laleh,” Pike said carefully, “how do you know Jai?”
Her delicate eyebrows arched in surprise. “You know Jai?”
“We had an altercation of sorts on Hezma-12 during our layover.” Pike didn’t elaborate, and Laleh didn’t pry.
“I see.”
“What is he to you?” Pike’s chest clenched as he feared the worst. “Laleh?”
Tears shimmered in her blue eyes. “He’s my brother.”
“Your brother?” Shock filled his voice. “Then…” He rubbed his jaw. “Your father is Dari? The emperor?” She nodded stiffly. “And your mother was?”
“His third wife,” Laleh quickly supplied.
“So that makes you–”
“A princess? Yes.”
Any other young woman would have been thrilled to have been royalty but Laleh spoke with such sadness and reluctance. It was obvious she viewed her status as a burden. But that was a matter to ponder at another time.
“What did he want?” Pike was certain he wouldn’t like the answer.
“To drag me home for my wedding.”
