JADE'S CHOICE

By Maree Anderson

CHAPTER THREE:

Malach reminded her of some large predator debating whether it was worth exerting himself to chase something down for dinner.

Jade backed away from him. And the bed. The farther from the bed, the better. Because when he'd kissed her, she'd been powerless to prevent her body responding and feeling things she'd only read about in books, or giggled about with her best friend. His kiss had sent a fiery ball of pure sensation pulsing through her body, resulting in damp panties and an unfamiliar throbbing between her legs. Imagining his lips pressed to hers again made her want to flee... and then beg him to chase her down and kiss her again. And even now, recalling how he had smelled—of oiled leather and exotic spices and something irresistibly male—made her head swim.

She swallowed, mouth dry, body yearning, reason warring with baser instincts... such as a wholly unfamiliar desire that could end up being her downfall if she gave in to it. "Y-You're kidding me, right?"

Malach only yawned and thankfully shuttered his compelling "come hither, little girl" gaze. "I am not making a joke."

Ulp. "Sex? With you? Peter wants me to... to...." Her throat constricted, forcing her to relax and breathe before she could speak again. "He wants us to have sex before we get out of here?"

Saying it aloud made it real. And she knew she couldn't allow it to happen. Sex with Peter might have been manage-able—maybe, though that point was now obviously moot since Peter had made himself scarce. But sex with Malach? He was altogether another story, one rife with scary but oh-so-seductive consequences. She instinctively knew she wouldn't walk away from this man unscathed.

"Yes, that is correct. To be precise, three times. And then the bonding process will be complete."

She gaped at him. "Three times? You expect me to do you three times? I'm not inclined to do you once, Buster." A total lie, but he didn't have to know that. "And I'm damn sure not interested in being bound to you, so you can put that little BDSM fantasy right out of your head." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sheesh. I figured Peter was slightly off his rocker but this really takes the cake."

Malach yawned. "Pieter. His name is Pieter. But you can refer to him as the Crystal Guardian if you prefer."

"Well, I know him as Peter Stone."

"Peter Stone." He laughed but it wasn't a pleasant laugh. It trailed chills up and down her spine. "Ironic," he said, "considering Pieter's power over stones, and that we were once christened 'Stone Warriors' by your people. I've long suspected the old man of having a warped sense of humor."

Hang on.... Jade caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Peter Stone. She'd read somewhere that the name "Peter" was derived from a Latin word meaning "rock or stone". What parent in their right mind would call their kid "Rock Stone"? Hah. Obviously an alias. What a sucker she'd been.

Enough. Time for some answers. "What the hell is going on? Who exactly is this Crystal Guardian?"

Malach's eyelids snapped open again, and their pale blue depths sparked with heat and fury. "Who is he? He is the man who cursed my tehun—the men of my troop—to suffer an eternity in the crystals for which we are true-named. He is Pietersite, the Crystal Guardian, the man who holds our fate in his hands."

Jade stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth agape, until commonsense reasserted itself and full-blown, relieved laughter spilled from her. "Good one, Mal!"

Stony-faced, he regarded her until her laughter awkwardly trailed off into even more awkward silence. "All righty then. Guess you're not joking."

"No."

"Oookay. Whatever." Surely Malach couldn't believe Pieter was some sort of supernatural guardian who'd trapped him in some hellish crystalline prison.... Could he?

How about what she'd sensed, though? That frightening, never-ending black abyss. Malach's terror and suffering—that had been real. She full-body shuddered, banishing the horror of that vivid memory to the deepest recesses of her mind where her worst nightmares lurked. A waking nightmare. That's all it had been—all it could have been. A bad dream to add to all the others she'd endured. Nothing more. It couldn't be real if she refused to believe in it.

If only there was another way to get the funds she needed for... for....

She dug her fingertips into her temples but try as she might, couldn't recall why she needed a lot of money, and fast. The reason was important, though, crucial—that much she did know. It niggled the edges of her mind. And then faded, overwhelmed by the mouthwatering vision of Malach stretched out on the bed, his hot gaze licking her from head to toe and making her knees feel like limp spaghetti. Another mental image formed in her mind. Malach and herself. Buck naked. Malach plunging himself into her willing flesh. Her kneading the hard planes of his muscular back and thrusting her hips upward, needy and wanting, urging him toward climax even as she teetered on the edge of her own.

The pure ecstasy, the sensual pleasure that consumed her vision-self's face, shocked Jade to the core. She clenched her jaw until it ached, willing the vision to fade. It was so not going to happen. Despite the heat pooling in her pelvis, the arousal dampening her panties, the throbbing ache of wanting more—of yearning to be filled and used by Malach's hard warrior's body—it was not going to happen.

She locked her traitorously weak knees and sought refuge in tight-lipped, clipped denial. "I'm not going to have sex with you. Not if you were the last man on earth, and our lives depended upon it. So if sex is what it takes to get us out of here, then we're both shit out of luck."

Malach's nostrils flared as though her arousal had perfumed the air. And then he narrowed his eyes and observed her minutely.

Jade fidgeted beneath that penetrating gaze. His eyes reminded her of an Arctic wolf's, pale but still so intensely blue that they shouldn't belong to any creature of this world. Alien and fey enough to pierce skin and bone and see right through to her soul. Please God, her lie wasn't glaringly obvious. She caught herself twisting the skirt of her dress between her fingers and shoved both hands behind her back.

"What were you planning on doing with Pieter in this room?" he asked. "Why did he bring you here?"

"Um, we... we had stuff to discuss. A-and we were going to order in some food. All very innocent." She felt the warmth of another blush painting her cheeks and silently cursed her inability to lie convincingly.

"Nothing Pieter has a hand in is ever innocent," Malach said. "How did he find you?"

"Cripes, you sound like a father reaming his teenage daughter about a potential date." Jade flopped into an armchair. It'd been one helluva day and she hurt all over. Well, except for her ache-free head, which had ceased pounding the moment Peter had touched it. A coincidence? Or was he really that good a spell-caster?

Good God. Spells. Curses. Supernatural woo-woo of the worst kind. What had she gotten herself in to this time?

Exhaustion descended in a heavy, smothering wave. Right now, more than anything—well, except getting the heck out of this room and as far away from Malach as possible—she craved a warm bath, a glass of wine, and a good book. Oh, and some privacy. At a pinch, a nap would do. But no way was she going near that bed when Malach was draped all over it. That would be asking for trouble.

She shifted sideways in the chair and dangled her legs over its amply padded arm.

"How did he find you?" Malach demanded again.

"Peter—Pieter—rang me." After she'd placed a tasteful ad in the local newspaper, describing herself and subtly alluding to what she was offering. At least, she'd presumed it was a subtle allusion. Wasn't like she had experience in this sort of thing.

"We talked for a bit and he asked me to meet him," she continued. Hah. There'd been no "asking" on Pieter's part. He had insisted. Refused to take "no" for an answer. "Satisfied? Can we please drop the subject now?"

"Why did he ring you?"

Apparently not. She sniffed and folded her arms, laying on the snotty bitch routine as thick as she dared. "My relationship with Pieter is none of your concern."

Malach pushed himself up on his elbows until he could comfortably rest his shoulders against the bed's padded headboard. His gaze bored into hers, stripping her bare. Her stomach squirmed with unease and, dammit, something that felt suspiciously like anticipation.

"Anything Pieter does, and any female he chooses to spend time with, is of great concern to me."

"So he was lonely and thought spending the day with me might make him feel better. So what? Is that so wrong?" Please don't blush. Please!

"Interesting that he chose you to slake his desires."

Jade didn't appreciate the sneer that accompanied that statement. Nothing had been slaked. Not yet, anyway. And probably never would be, since it seemed unlikely that Peter—or Pieter, or whatever the heck his name was—would be returning to this room any time soon. "We had a business relationship, Mal. Nothing more. I needed money and Pieter needed—"

Actually, what the heck had the old guy needed? Obviously something more than merely an expensive whore. Jade pondered that for a moment. And didn't much like the conclusions she drew. She had a sneaking suspicion that she'd been used all right, just not at all in the way she'd expected.

"And Pieter needed?" Malach prompted.

"I don't know." She caught her lower lip between her teeth. How to put this delicately? "Companionship, perhaps?"

"Companionship."

Funny how the word didn't seem quite so innocuous on Malach's lips.

One eyebrow quirked upward and his lip curled. "Companions. Is that what you call prostitutes in this age?"

Jerk. He didn't have to be so mean about it. "Bloody rude, obnoxious pricks. Is that what they call men of your age?"

He opened his mouth—doubtless to spout some pithy retort that'd flay another layer from her dwindling self-esteem—so Jade rushed on before he could speak. "So what's with all the leather, Mal? You look like you've escaped from a male strip revue. Hmmm." She tapped her lip with a forefinger. "I reckon you'd do pretty well prancing 'round on stage, bumping and grinding for the ladies—even if you are getting a bit long in the tooth for that sort of thing."

There was a long pause while he processed her words. And if she'd expected outrage she was sorely disappointed.

"I am not some entertainer who removes his clothes in public for the pleasure of gawking females," he said, his tone dangerously mild.

"And I'm not a whore," she countered, swinging her dang-ling foot back and forth over the arm of the chair, her gaze fixed on her wiggling toes rather than the man before her.

Her swinging foot abruptly stilled. At least she wasn't a whore yet.

"Really," Malach muttered.

She darted a quick glance at him from beneath her lashes and found him staring at the ceiling.

Her stomach squirmed in an oh-my-God-he's-so-hot way. Despite his needling remarks, she was close to giving in and letting him have his wicked way with her. Too close. It was best to maintain at least the pretense of being in control. If he even suspected how much he affected her physically, it was all over.

She smiled sweetly at him, batting her eyelashes for good measure. "Frankly, Mal, I don't give a flying fuck about making things easy for you. Life's not easy. It's a bitch. And then you die."

He blinked, obviously shocked by her masterful command of the English language.

Excellent. Exactly the reaction she had hoped for.

Jade had learned years ago that foul language coming from someone who resembled a butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth little girl worked to her advantage—especially when some slime-ball mistakenly believed he had the right to feel her up because he fancied her, or believed a bunch of nasty rumors. Hit the douche-bag right between the eyes with some vile allusion to his parentage, and then beat a hasty retreat before he collected his jaw from the floor. Worked every time.

"It's like this, Mal. If you trade insults with me, you'll lose. Even though I'm a girl, I have a brain, and it's connected directly to my mouth—which I'm not afraid to use."

Malach's lips twitched ever-so-slightly upward before he schooled his expression to blankness. "I have noticed that about you."

"Really. Want to play some more? Or shall we turn our minds to something more productive, like getting out of here sometime this century."

"I have already told you how we will escape this place."

"Right. The screw-me-three-times-for-luck scenario. Yeah, how can I say this politely?" She paused for dramatic effect. "No."

"Not even if I assure you I am not lying in some misguided attempt to compromise your dubious virtue?"

"No. Not even."

"Not even if Pieter has the power to keep us here for twenty-eight full days, to give us every opportunity of bonding as potential soul mates?"

Bonding? Soul mates? No way. There would be no bonding. Not with Malach. Not with any man. "Surely you realize by now that 'no' is actually a complete sentence? Well, it is. So, no."

"And what of me, Jade? You were linked to me for a time before you called me from the crystal. You experienced a little of what I suffered. Are you so willing to condemn me? Are you that heartless?"

He had her there. The suffering part, at least. Jade wasn't certain about the rest of it but that had certainly been real. "Sex is not the answer," she said. "It never is. And call me heartless but I am absolutely not having sex with you. There has to be another way."

"Why?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

She tried her best to ignore the way his biceps rippled. She itched to run her hands over those steely-hard bulging muscles, to squeeze and stroke and explore them. To explore him.

Focus, Jade!

"Uh, why?" Her voice was little more than a squeak. She cleared her throat. "How about because I don't know you from a bar of soap. And I have no burning desire to get to know you in any way at all, let alone in a biblical way. Don't take this wrong, Mal, but you just don't do it for me. You're not my type. Sorry."

He smiled. A sexy, predatory smile that sent all her hormones into orbit. A smugly knowing smile that suggested he knew she was lying through her teeth. "I believe you were prepared to bed Pieter for payment," he drawled. "What if I, too, offered to compensate you? Would I perhaps then be 'your type'?"

Jade stifled a whimper. Change of subject needed STAT. "Do you even have any money on your person, Mal? I don't think I see a pocket in those leather pants you've somehow managed to pour your butt into."

"I have no coin suitable for use in this world. But I have other things to offer."

Her insides melted. "Like what?" Crap! She hadn't meant to ask that question aloud. "Uh, I mean, I don't want anything you're offering."

Liar! The room seemed to shriek the word. So did his knowing expression. The sexual heat emanating from him smacked her, mingling with her own desire and provoking certain portions of her anatomy to clench and quiver. She fought the instinct to flee to the bathroom and lock herself in. Because to get to the bathroom, she would have to go past him. He could easily launch himself from the bed and grab her, and if he touched her again, she would be lost. If he kissed her again, she'd let him do whatever he wanted, because secretly, she wanted it too.

Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes.

Damn. If he guessed even a fraction of how she was feeling, how much she wanted him, it would make her humiliation a million times worse.

Hot tears pricked her eyes. She ducked her head, letting her hair swing across her cheek to hide her expression. How could her body betray her like this? How could she want him so badly? How could she want a guy she'd just met, a guy with an ego the size of Ayers Rock and some serious fashion issues to boot, to strip off her clothes and screw her 'til she screamed for mercy? Not to mention he was seriously deluded, what with the whole "I have no coin suitable for use in this world" stuff. Did he imagine he came from another planet or something?

And if all that wasn't bad enough, he had to be pushing forty—far too old for her. What the heck was wrong with her?

She tugged on the ends of her hair. She still couldn't recall why she needed money but it had to be for something important or she'd never have even considered trading sex for cash. And it was glaringly obvious Malach had no cash, and doubtless harbored fond delusions his sexual prowess would be payment enough. Still she wanted him, craved him.

Maybe you'll end up having the best sex you'll ever get. Maybe he'll dispel your fears once and for all. Take a risk, Jade. Take a chance. What have you got to lose?

What did she have to lose?

Only her virginity and—

A young girl's face shimmered in her mind's eye. She was so pale and wan that it tore Jade's heart to shreds. Who—?

The elusive memory vanished.

Jade pinched the bridge of her nose until her eyes watered. What the hell?

Stress. Yeah, that had to be it. God knew she had enough going on right now to warrant that excuse.

Repressed sexual tension? Perhaps. Her best friend Grace had always warned that suppressing her libido would come back and bite her in the bum. According to Grace, women were made for sex with real live men, and shouldn't rely on supercharged vibrators with buzzing wiggly protrusions designed to get them off in a couple of minutes flat. Not that Jade even owned a supercharged vibrator. Or any vibrator at all, for that matter.

She slumped, resting her cheek against the brocade fabric of the chair. She could almost hear Grace saying, "Go on. Since you're stuck here, you might as well indulge in a little harmless fun. And he sure looks like he knows how to please a girl."

She eyed Malach from beneath the curtain of her hair. Mmm. He sure gave the impression he was, uh, experienced.

"I do not think it will take much effort on my part to change your mind."

Malach's voice coated her in a warm, sensual haze. She sucked in a shaky breath, drawing his potent gaze to her breasts. Her nipples tightened and her stomach gave a funny little lurch.

He seemed keen as mustard to have his wicked way with her. All she had to do was give in and—

Jade abruptly recalled the last time a guy had been mad keen to screw her. And boy, did that memory pour ice-cold water on her steaming hot libido. Again.

Murray "The Muz" Blackwood, über-jock and most popular boy in school, had turned out to be an über-jerk who'd refused to take "No!" for an answer until Jade had followed it up with a swift punch on the nose. She'd followed that up by jumping out of his car, and high-tailing it all the way to Grace's house.

She had confessed all, and then sworn Grace to secrecy. She'd believed that would be the end of it. Hah. How naïve she'd been.

Grace reckoned Jade shouldn't judge all men by that one disastrous encounter, but every time Jade found a partner she believed she could go all the way with, she would reach a certain point and see that face again. Murray Blackwood. Blind-eyed with lust as he clamped a hand over her mouth and tried to force her thighs apart. She would close her eyes and see his sneer, hear his insults, inhale the sour smell of his arousal and relive the shame. And she would back off and run away. Again.

That encounter had been five years ago. Five whole years. So why did the terror of that almost-rape, the humiliation of the aftermath, when Murray had spread the lies that had made her a pariah, still haunt her dreams?

The irony that she, a woman more often than not scared off by the mere thought of sex, was now seriously contemplating exchanging sexual favors for money, wasn't lost on her. Desperation was a powerful motivation.

A harsh realization smacked her upside the head. Murray had won. By not allowing another man to get close to her, she'd let him win. Hell, she'd let his actions color every one of her life choices up until this very moment.

Jade had never believed she was a coward, but she understood now that she was. And it was no way to live. Well, no more. She could turn the tables right here, right now. She had been prepared to let men use her body in return for cash, but she could use them, too. It was a win-win situation.

"Jade?"

The concern in his voice shocked her. As did the fact that she sensed him standing beside her chair when she hadn't heard him move.

She blotted her tears with the heels of her hands and lifted her head to confront him, refusing to hide anymore. "You were right," she told the big man staring down at her with what she could have mistaken for a worried frown if she didn't know better.

"Right about what?"

"If all it takes to get us out of here is sex, I can do that. It's just sex, after all—nothing too life changing. Of course, if you're hungry, we can always eat first and screw later. It's all the same to me."

He rocked back on his heels, lips slightly parted, the tension thrumming through him palpable. She watched him struggle to recover his equilibrium. And when he'd done so, he didn't lunge for her and sweep her off her feet to toss her on the bed, as she'd expected. A pity. Because that would have saved her from having to think too hard about what she'd just committed to.

Instead, he stood there, waiting for something. Waiting for—

Waiting for her to make the first move.

It's just sex. It's just sex. It's. Just. Sex. Nothing to worry about. Lots of people do it. Nothing to it. Right?

Right. As Jade crawled from the chair to stand on shaky legs, her stomach audibly rumbled. God, she would kill for chocolate right now. She had a feeling she would need the energy.

Mere seconds later, there was a loud rap on the door. And then a cheery feminine voice called, "Room service!"

 ~~~

Copyright 2012 Maree Anderson

www.mareeanderson.com

Thank you for reading this excerpt of JADE'S CHOICE. You can buy the published electronic edition of JADE'S CHOICE and the rest of the CRYSTAL WARRIORS SERIES now at Smashwords, Apple iBooks Stores worldwide, Amazon worldwide, B&N, Kobo, and Google Play.

Trade paperback editions of the first three Crystal Warriors books are also now available:

The Crystal Warrior: ISBN 9780992249854

Ruby's Dream: ISBN 9780992249885

Jade's Choice: ISBN 9780992249892

To find out about upcoming releases and more, please sign up for my newsletter at mareeanderson.com, follow me on Twitter, or like my MareeAndersonAuthor Facebook page. Thanks so much for your support--happy reading!

*****

You might also enjoy these other books by Maree Anderson, all available wherever electronic books are sold:

THE CRYSTAL WARRIORS SERIES

~The Crystal Warrior (Book 1) - FREE at most eBook stores; read the full story here on Wattpad!

~Ruby's Dream (Book 2)

~Jade's Choice (Book 3)

~The Crystal Warriors Series eBook Bundle (Books 1-3)

~Opal's Wish (Book 4)

THE LIMINALS SERIES

~Tangent (novella-length prequel to Liminal - FREE at most eBook stores; read the full story here on Wattpad!

~Liminal (Book 1)

~Phase (Book 2)

THE SEER TRILOGY:

~Seer's Hope (Book 1) - FREE at most eBook stores; read the full story here on Wattpad!

~Seer's Promise (Book 2)

~Seer's Choice (Book 3)

~The Seer Trilogy eBook Bundle (Books 1, 2 & 3)

THE FREAKS SERIES

~Freaks of Greenfield High (Book 1) - FREE at most eBook stores; read the full story here on Wattpad!

~Freaks in the City (Book 2)

~Freaks Under Fire (Book 3)

~The Freaks Series eBook Bundle (Books 1-3)

ELEMENTAL RIDERS SERIES

~Lightning Rider