Rexx: Alien Adoption Agency #6 Read online

  “This is so wild,” she said rolling onto her back. “I can’t believe I’m here.”

  “Why did you register with the agency?” he asked her, anxious to learn more about her.

  She didn’t respond right away.

  “Abigail, you don’t have to answer,” he told her.

  “I always wanted children,” she said softly. “But I knew I wouldn’t be able to have any of my own. That’s something you should know, if you want to be my mate. I should have told you earlier. I was just so… happy.”

  The desolate note in her voice frightened him. She seemed to him to be a living embodiment of happiness.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Abigail,” he told her carefully. “But it doesn’t change anything between us.”

  He felt the mattress move as she rolled onto her side to face him, releasing the sweet scent of her hair.

  “That’s good,” she told him. “But maybe it’s best that we can’t seal the bond yet. You should have time to think about this before deciding. It’s a big sacrifice. You might want to hold out for another mate.”

  “I do not want another mate,” he told her, reaching out to stroke her fragrant tresses without meaning to. “You are my mate. There will never be another.”

  “But you might want a child.” Her voice quavered slightly.

  “I have a child,” he said, emotion breaking through his voice. “Though I would never have called him mine, until you made me see it today. Rio is everything to me. Together, the two of you will be my world. There is no more room in my heart.”

  She was quiet again and then the sounds of soft sobs drifted to him.

  “Unless you want more children, Abigail,” he told her worriedly. “We can adopt as many as you like, pets too. Hell, a whole zoo, whatever it takes. Don’t be sad.”

  “I-I-I’m not sad,” she sobbed.

  He pulled her close, allowing the dragon’s night vision to aid him in studying her lovely face.

  “What’s wrong, Abigail?” he demanded.

  “I’m so happy, Rexx,” she murmured, nuzzling her face in his neck.

  He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so close that there was no space between them, drinking in her happiness as if he were dying of thirst.

  She pressed herself closer still, until he could feel every millimeter of her softness melting into his hard planes.

  But this could only end in one way.

  The dragon rose in his chest, roaring with an anguished need to claim his mate.

  Abigail trembled against him, her need coursing through him, twining with his own until he was frantic.

  “Easy,” he murmured, not even sure which of them he was talking to.

  But when she tilted her face up to look at him, he bent to claim her mouth.

  Her lips were soft and sweet. One taste was not enough.

  He thumbed her jaw and she moaned and opened for him, her body moving unconsciously against his as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, claiming her in the only way he could allow himself tonight.

  Abigail moaned helplessly against him, and he felt her nipples stiffen against his chest.

  “Gods,” he murmured, pulling back to look at her.

  The dragon showed him her tousled hair, swollen lips, and green eyes hazy with need.

  “Rexx,” she whispered.

  “I’m here, my love,” he crooned. “I’ll take care of you.”

  He bent to kiss her collarbone as he slowly unbuttoned her nightgown. It was an old-fashioned thing and he loved it, loved the image of an innocent bride. Though in a modern age, he was sure she had enough experience that he wouldn’t frighten her.

  When it was fully unbuttoned, he threw it open on both sides, revealing her delicious body to him.

  In the darkness, she was not self-conscious. But the dragon’s sight allowed him to see everything.

  She was soft and pale, every curve a revelation. The mate bond made her seem to shimmer as he looked at her, as if she were an illusion.

  He bent and pressed his lips to her neck, needing to know she was real.

  She whimpered and arched her back.

  He smiled and accepted her invitation, kissing his way down to her breasts.

  She seemed to hold her breath, until he flicked his tongue over one delicate nipple.

  “Ohh,” she moaned.

  Wild with need, he fed on her breasts with abandon as she moved beneath him, hips trembling.

  “Rexx, remember, we can’t…” she panted.

  “Don’t worry, my love,” he told her, pressing hot kisses against her belly and then her hip. “We won’t.”

  He would not claim her.

  But that didn’t mean he couldn’t please her.

  9

  Abigail

  Abigail tried to cling to her common sense, to remember what could be at stake if they took things too far.

  But Rexx’s mouth, his wicked, wicked mouth, was nibbling her inner thighs, nuzzling her sex.

  She clutched the sheets and tried not to scream.

  Though the baby was in his bassinet, and presumably there were people in compartments on either side of them, the world had seemed to disappear for her.

  There was only Rexx, and his big, warm hand, parting her so slowly that she wanted to buck up her hips for more contact.

  He took his first taste of her, a long, luscious lick.

  Abigail nearly swooned with the pleasure of it.

  He feasted on her slowly at first, then faster, until his pace was frantic, bringing her wildly close to the edge and then slowing his movements to prolong the exquisite torture.

  At first, she tried to quiet her cries. But when waves of his need intruded her consciousness, she lost track of her own sounds.

  On and on he pushed her toward oblivion, but never allowed her satisfaction. Her need was like an ocean, and she was drowning.

  “Please,” she begged.

  Instantly, Rexx found her most sensitive spot and applied his tongue firmly, while sliding one finger into her pulsing opening, massaging her so gently.

  Abigail saw shooting stars as the pleasure annihilated her, one wave giving way to the next, until she thought she would never come down.

  “Yes,” Rexx purred against her. “Yes, my love.”

  At last, the ecstasy released her, and she fell back, panting.

  He crawled up beside her and pulled her into his arms.

  His delicious, masculine scent was now mixed with her own. And though she would have thought the idea would embarrass her, instead she nearly growled with satisfaction.

  He nuzzled her hair.

  She slid her hand down his chiseled abs, eager to take him in her hands and mouth.

  But his hand encircled her wrist, holding her back before she reached paradise.

  “Don’t you want—” she began.

  “I’m afraid I would lose control,” he whispered.

  “But—”

  “Just let me hold you,” he murmured.

  She wanted to protest, but his chest was so warm, and his hands stroked her hair so gently.

  She drifted off to sleep, wondering what their life would look like in the home she had never seen.

  None of it mattered. She had Rio. And they both had Rexx.

  What if the Invicta don’t want me to have him?

  But she pushed the thought away, concentrating on the lazy thrum of his heartbeat under her ear.

  10

  Abigail

  Abigail woke suddenly, slipping from a dream of warmth and happiness into the cold of an empty bed and the sound of banging.

  She could feel Rexx’s footsteps as he crossed the compartment to the door.

  She realized he must have leapt out of bed and awoken her with his sudden absence.

  The banging seemed to be coming from the corridor outside the compartment.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered to him.

  “I have no idea,” he whispered back. “Stay there.”
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  But Rio began to whimper in his bassinet, so Abigail slipped out of bed to pick him up. He cuddled into her chest, wrapping her hair in his little fists and gently head butting her.

  “I know you’re hungry,” she murmured. “Just hold on.”

  Suddenly, the banging stopped.

  “Hyndryx Gee, are you in there?” Lanny shouted from the hallway.

  The banging began all over again.

  Rexx sighed and opened the door to the compartment.

  Abigail trailed after him with Rio.

  “Is everything okay?” Rexx asked.

  “Here, let me,” the conductor said to Lanny, appearing out of the shadows.

  Abigail half expected him to start banging on the door, too. But instead, he pulled a ring of old-fashioned keys out of his pocket and started searching through them.

  “This one, your honor,” Lanny said brightly, tapping the proper key.

  “Please return to your compartment,” the conductor said mildly to Rexx.

  “What’s going on here?” Rexx asked.

  “We have a missing passenger,” Lanny told him excitedly. “No one else noticed, but I keep a log of each guest.”

  “He’s probably just sleeping off that reception,” the conductor said. “Can you please return to your compartment?”

  “Sure, of course,” Rexx said.

  Abigail headed back in, and Rexx followed.

  “Listen,” Rexx said.

  They were quiet a moment, but there were no shouts of indignation from next door.

  If the conductor and porter had awoken a sleeping passenger, he had certainly taken it well.

  “What do you think happened?” Abigail asked.

  “Who knows?” Rexx replied. “Maybe he’s in someone else’s compartment.”

  “Juicy gossip,” Abigail laughed, waggling her eyebrows.

  “You’re a fine one to talk,” he retorted.

  She felt herself blush all the way to her hairline.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I’m very glad you let me into your bed. Rumors be damned.”

  “We really should feed Rio,” Abigail said, hoping to change the subject before she blushed herself silly or dragged him back to bed, or both. “Do you think they’ll let us pass into the dining car to warm his milk cell?”

  “Hm,” Rexx frowned. “They’re going to have to. I’d like to see someone try to get between that boy and his breakfast.”

  Abigail laughed.

  “Let me hold him while you get dressed,” he offered.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Come on, Rio, let’s go see Daddy.”

  11

  Rexx

  The little one smiled and wiggled his fingers, and Rexx felt his heart melt all over again as he took the whelp in his arms.

  Abigail had been holding and caring for Rio since yesterday morning. And while Rexx knew they needed time to bond, he hadn’t realized how much he would miss the warm weight on his chest.

  He closed his eyes and nuzzled the fragrant, fuzzy head as Rio smacked his shoulder in his baby version of a pat.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw Abigail had paused to watch them.

  “He smells good,” he said, feeling a little embarrassed.

  She smiled with shining eyes, and he realized this time that the threatening tears meant she was happy.

  “Get dressed,” he reminded her. “I give him three minutes before he shows you how loud he can be when he’s hungry.”

  “We will never let him get that hungry,” she said, looking alarmed.

  He chuckled as she darted into the bathroom with her clothing.

  He was very intimate with her body after last night. But if she preferred to be modest, that was her right.

  “We didn’t have our reading time last night,” he told Rio. “Do you want to hear a story?”

  The whelp grabbed his whole face between those two tiny hands and observed him with an expression of surprise.

  “Yes, it’s me,” Rexx chuckled.

  “Bah,” Rio yelled happily.

  Rexx caught sight of them in the mirror on the wardrobe.

  “Who’s that?” he asked, walking them over.

  Rio was always delighted to see his reflection, and this time was no exception. He kicked his legs like a little frog and made excited sounds.

  Rexx found himself studying the way they looked together.

  He had never allowed himself to think of Rio as anything other than his charge.

  But Abigail had changed all that, forced him to examine his true feelings for the boy and the role he played in his life.

  And here it was, laid out in front of him. His own ever-serious expression, recast smaller, their skin the same tone of ocean blue.

  But there was more to this than temperament and skin tone, more to it than resemblance.

  What told the real story was the comfort between them. There was the subtle way Rexx’s whole body cradled the boy, not just his arm. And then there was Rio’s carefree wiggling and crowing, his utter confidence that Rexx would never let him fall.

  “I never will,” he murmured to those wonder-filled dark eyes in the mirror.

  Rio stopped kicking for a moment to gaze into his father’s eyes.

  Another image appeared in the mirror beside them.

  “My two favorite boys,” Abigail said.

  Rexx wrapped his spare arm around her and drank in the view.

  Family.

  Her bright hair and kind green eyes seemed not at all out of place in their group of three. She completed them.

  She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment, the picture of peace.

  “By my count, you have like one minute left to wash up and get changed,” she whispered, straightening. “Until Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde.”

  “Until who becomes what?” he asked.

  “It’s an old Terra fairytale,” she said dismissively. “Besides, I don’t believe for a minute, this sweet little boy would start screaming.”

  “Give him time. You’ll get to hear it,” Rexx said, handing him over. “It’s one of his best skills, so he likes to show it off from time to time.”

  He grabbed some clothing and headed to the bathroom, cleaning up and dressing in record time.

  When he stepped out, Abigail was waiting by the door.

  “Do you feel that?” she asked.

  Rexx paused for a moment.

  “I don’t feel anything,” he replied honestly.

  “That’s just it,” Abigail explained. “I think the train has stopped.”

  Now that she pointed it out, the lack of vibration under his feet seemed obvious.

  “This is an express line,” he said. “There are no stops before the highlands.”

  “Do you think it has anything to do with the missing person?” she asked.

  “I doubt it,” Rexx told her. “He’s only been missing for a few minutes. And there would be no reason to stop. It’s not like he could have gotten off the train.”

  Abigail seemed to think it over for a moment, then shrugged.

  “Do you think they’re done in the corridor yet?” she asked.

  “No idea,” he replied. “But it can’t take that long to search a cabin.”

  He activated the door sensor and it slid open.

  Lanny and the conductor were still in the corridor, conversing intently. When they saw Rexx emerge, they stopped talking to each other immediately.

  “The baby needs his milk warmed,” Abigail explained apologetically.

  “Go on into the dining car,” the conductor said wearily. “We’re going to wake everyone shortly for some announcements.”

  Abigail’s eyes went to Rexx briefly.

  “Okay,” she told the conductor. “Thank you.”

  “Did you find your man?” Rexx asked.

  “We’ll explain everything when we have the guests gathered in the dining car,” Lanny said brightly.

  Rexx didn’t like the
sound of that one bit.

  12

  Rexx

  Rexx headed down the corridor with Rio snuggling against his broad chest, one hand at the small of Abigail’s back.

  A pang of vulnerability lanced through him.

  This feeling of helplessness had begun as soon as the whelp was in his care, and it had now stretched to accommodate his mate.

  For years, the most important people in his life had been like him, fierce, capable dragon warriors.

  Now he had not one, but two innocent civilians depending on him to protect them. Any predator, any weather event, any criminal, any bad thing of any kind risked them both in ways he had almost forgotten existed.

  And his heart was out there, vulnerable along with them.

  He had spent so many years dedicated to his work, that it felt like the poor organ was tender and delicate with disuse.

  If anything happens to them…

  But he would never allow it. He would do whatever he had to do to keep them safe.

  A subtle lurch beneath his feet tore him from his thoughts and told him the train was moving again. Whatever the reason for the unscheduled stop, it had been mercifully short.

  They reached the dining car in silence and made their way to one of the tables, which were covered in cloth this morning.

  A bot sailed down the aisle to greet them.

  “Welcome to the dining car,” it said. “The conductor has asked that food service be put on hold until after the announcement.”

  “That’s fine,” Rexx said. “But no one will be able to hear the announcement if this boy doesn’t get his breakfast. Can you manage a pot of hot water so we can warm his milk cell?”

  The bot whirred for a moment in thought. “Certainly, your honor,” it said at last and headed behind the bar.

  “Mahh,” Rio said worriedly.

  “It’s coming,” Rexx assured him.

  Rio banged his head on his shoulder, in case he hadn’t understood that what he meant was milk.

  “I know you need your milk,” Rexx told him.

  “Why don’t I take him for a minute?” Abigail suggested. “I want to stretch my legs.”