Berrr's Vow (9 page)

“I want you again.” His voice lowered into a deep tone that she found incredibly sexy. “Are you sore? I don’t want to exhaust you or harm you, Shanna. You would tell me if I make you hurt, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m not sore. I have to tell you that you have super stamina. You really are ready to go another round?”

He nodded. “Zorn males are very sexual.”

“No kidding. Have you been saving up for a while?” She grinned. “It’s been a long time since I let someone touch me.”

His mouth parted, then closed and his eyes narrowed slightly as he sat up, their gazes locking together. “Saving what?”

“It’s just a saying. Has it been a long time since you had sex with someone? Are you trying to make up lost time with me?”

He didn’t smile, in fact, he frowned enough to create lines in his face. “It has not been long at all.”

That brought Shanna’s good mood to a crash and burn almost instantly. The idea of him with someone else didn’t sit well with her, just assuming that since he was bound he didn’t date or do the whole oral sex thing they’d done together, but she’d obviously been wrong. Part of her had thought maybe he was just so drawn to her that he’d broken some Zorn rule of bound etiquette to even fool around with her in the first place.

His blue gaze left hers to glance at the fire before he looked back at her. “I—”

A knock on the bedroom door interrupted what he was about to say. Shanna startled at the sound, never expecting someone to come to her door. Worse, the door opened without invitation. Shanna tensed and frantically looked down to make sure they were covered up, seeing that a sheet hid her body and Berrr’s waist where she sat.

The woman who walked in wore one of those shapeless potato-sack dresses. This one had rusty red hair flowing down her body to her waist with dark, almost black-looking eyes. She lowered her head, not looking once at Shanna or Berrr as she paused inside the door.

“We are done for the day and we retire to bed now, Hyvin.”

Sighing loudly, Berrr nodded. “Thank you, Wana.”

The woman backed out of the room but not before her dark gaze lifted, sending a hate-filled glare at Shanna. She closed the door softly behind her, leaving them alone once again. Shanna knew her face was beet red with embarrassment at being caught in bed with Berrr by a stranger, figuring that by now the woman was probably rushing through the house to tell the entire staff that Berrr and Shanna were in bed naked together.

“They are going to hate me, aren’t they?” Shanna almost flinched, realizing she’d said her thoughts out loud. She turned her head, meeting Berrr’s gaze. She sighed. “She looked seriously pissed off to find us in bed together.”

Berrr shrugged his massive shoulders. “They will adjust to the fact that you are in my life now, Shanna. They do not have to like it. They live under my roof and are under my protection but what I do in my home is not up for them to decide, like or approve of. You have your own room so they won’t harass you.”

She nodded. “I guess nobody ever taught them to not just walk into a room.”

He tilted his head. “We knock so it gives warning and then open doors.”

She nodded. “I got it. Zorn is a different planet to live on and a different set of rules to live by now.”

He stared at her for long moments. “I can restrict their duties so you have no contact with them if you wish.” His blue eyes narrowed. “I offer you this, Shanna. Do you wish to take over their duties?”

“I’m sure they’ll adjust to me and hell no. In the morning one of them will have to show me what they do around here though so I can pitch in and help out. This is a monster house so I’m sure there’s a ton of things to do.”

Berrr nodded right as someone knocked at the door again. Berrr softly growled as his body tensed. Shanna expected it this time as she turned her head, watching the bedroom door open up to allow a tall, muscular blonde woman with hair down to her thighs into the bedroom this time. Her head wasn’t bowed as she glanced at Shanna with a frown before her dark gaze shifted to Berrr.

“We are going to bed now, Hyvin.”

He looked irritated. “I was already informed by Wana.”

The woman frowned. “Are you sleeping in here tonight with her?”

Berrr growled, looking pissed instantly. “I may.”

Anger made the woman’s mouth turn downward. “The house helpers are upset and worried because she is human and they don’t approve of her being here. I don’t want the house in disarray and as house
lead,
it is my duty to let you know that they will resent it if you stay the night in her bed. I think you need to give them time to adjust to her being with you before you spend entire nights alone with her.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Ovoly. This is my house and I won’t have my house helpers tell me where I can sleep.”

This is the woman who cuts Berrr’s hair,
Shanna thought, feeling slightly embarrassed that Berrr and the woman were arguing. From what she’d seen, this was a Zorn version of one since the other women she’d met had just bowed and took off out of Berrr’s sight when he got pissed. Shanna glanced at him, seeing him glaring at Ovoly, obviously really bent out of shape at the woman calling him on the mat for fooling around with Shanna. Ovoly had said she was house lead so that must mean she was in charge of the staff.

“He was leaving,” Shanna said quickly as she met Berrr’s angry eyes that widened at her statement. “You should sleep in your room. I don’t want to cause a war with your staff and she probably has a point. I just got here from another planet and they probably need time to get to know me so they don’t worry that I’ll make their lives miserable.”

Berrr wasn’t happy one bit as he frowned at Shanna. “You wish to not sleep with me?”

Acutely aware of the other woman standing in the bedroom watching and listening to everything they said, Shanna bit her lip, then released it. “It’s not that I don’t want to but I think it’s best if you go to your own room tonight. I’ll see you first thing in the morning if you’re home. Do you work tomorrow?”

He took a deep breath. “I have meetings at first light but then I will return.”

“I’ll see you then.”

The door closed. Shanna turned her head, relieved that the Zorn woman had left as she moved off Berrr to sit on her ass on the bed and looked at him again. “I don’t want them to hate me. You said I’m never going back to Earth so I’m here for the long haul. I don’t want to make enemies. I’d love to sleep with you but I don’t want your house in an uproar over it either.”

“My room is right next door to the left.” Berrr rolled off the bed and bent over to yank his pants off the floor. “If you yell out I will hear you.” He looked pissed as he jerked up his pants, turning when the front of them were closed. His bright blue eyes glowed in the dim room. “I will see you when I return after my meetings. Expect me at lunch.”

Shanna watched Berrr storm out of her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind him. She missed him immediately as her gaze drifted around the large room full of shadows. The room seemed bigger, even a little frightening, and a whole hell of a lot colder without Berrr.

Depression hit Shanna hard. Her life as she knew it was gone, a distant planet away, and she had no way to get back to it. Not that there was that much to return to, she admitted. Her job was shit, her life was downright sad, and she didn’t really have that much she’d miss besides a crappy apartment with old furniture that would be right at home in a city dump, a car that needed hundreds of dollars in repairs, and a bunch of drunk perverts who harassed her at work. There were also bill collectors who still hounded her trying to get her to pay all the debts her parents had accumulated before they died just two years apart from alcohol-related illnesses. In other words, she wasn’t missing much.

“Oh fuck this,” Shanna sighed.

If she sat there thinking about it all she’d get really bummed out. So what if Berrr’s damn staff had a problem with her being there? She’d rather deal with some dirty looks from them tomorrow than face a sleepless night in a strange place all alone. Berrr was right next door and the guy was the best thing that had happened to her probably ever.

No man ever made her laugh the way he did or had ever gotten her off repeatedly. He was funny, sweet,
sexy
and she wanted to be with him. She climbed out of bed and wrapped the sheet more firmly around her body. Eyeing the fire, she realized it was safe to leave it unattended so she didn’t worry about putting it out. Even if an ember popped out there was nothing remotely near it to set on fire since it was just tile flooring.

She opened the door carefully to stare out at a dark hallway. She stepped into the hall, leaving her door partially open to see by in the pitch darkness since no nightlight had been left on. She smiled when she saw light under the door to the left, realizing that Berrr’s door was really close to hers, thinking maybe no one would be the wiser if she slipped in and out of his room. If she got up early, she could return to her own room and his staff couldn’t have a fit over them sleeping together.

She walked to his door and hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she knocked and gripped the handle, opening it.
When on Zorn…
She smiled. They just knocked and walked in so she did it, stepping into the well-lit room that was larger than her own but very similar.

There was a fire roaring in his fireplace to the immediate right, obviously just lit, and her gaze darted around the large room, looking for Berrr. The bed was to her left almost behind the open door she gripped so she had to peer around it. The bed was even larger than the one in her room, if it were possible, and then her eyes took in everything on the bed.

Shock slammed Shanna so hard her legs wobbled and if she wasn’t still gripping the door, she was sure she would have ended up on her ass. Her hand tightened painfully on the knob she now gripped in a death hold. Berrr was naked where he sat against the headboard with tons of pillows behind him and six naked Zorn women sat or lay on the massive bed near him.

Berrr’s blue gaze locked with Shanna’s and he slowly frowned at her, staring, until she tore her horrified gaze from his. She met the eyes of each one of the women she’d met so far and glanced at a few new faces, knowing in her gut that these were all of his house helpers. They were all naked, in bed with Berrr, and as her gaze flew over his body, she vouched that yes, he was totally naked too.

“Shanna?” Berrr moved on the bed, a firm frown in place while he inched around a woman sprawled on her side next to him. “What is wrong?”

She had forgotten to breathe, Shanna realized, as she gasped in a large breath, having to take a few deep ones just to not pass out. Her horrified look locked again on Berrr as he literally had to lift one naked body out of his way to reach the side of the bed to get off it. He was frowning at her when he stood up and started to walk toward her.

“Are you ill? You are so pale. Do you need me to call a healer?” He walked closer, looking alarmed and totally butt-assed naked.

Her gaze lifted from his semi-erect cock, up to his buff chest, to his beautiful glowing blue eyes. Not five minutes ago he had been in her bed, telling her he wanted her, and now he appeared ready to have a one-man orgy with six women in the next room from her. Shock melted into rage when Berrr reached out to touch her and that movement finally jerked her out of her stupor of shock.

Shanna jumped back out of his reach, nearly tripping on the trailing sheet wrapped around her body. Her hand moved without her thinking about it, blocking his hand, and hit it hard enough to cause her pain where her wrist connected, knocking his hand away. She glared into his eyes, watching his expression change from alarm to confusion.

“Shanna?”

“You son of a bitch.”

He took a step back, looking confused still. “I know this term is an insult.”

Shanna spun, storming out of his room. She was so angry she bounced into the doorframe of her open door, missing the opening partly, and cursed a blue streak as she stepped inside after bumping hard into the half-open door, and then spun around with the intent to close it once she was back in the room. Berrr was behind her in the hallway, a big dim shadow. Shanna glared up at him, gripping her door.

“I want to be taken to Oval tomorrow. I’m not living with you anymore.”

She slammed the door closed in his face and spun around, storming for the shower.
No amount of water is going to make me feel clean but I’m sure as hell going to try. That perverted son of a bitch is doing all of his house helpers. Not only is he doing them, they all were doing each other probably since they were all in bed together naked.
She heard her door open behind her and she spun around to glare in shock that the bastard would dare come after her.

Berrr stormed into her room, looking at the bed first, not seeing her in the shadowed room until his gaze darted around to lock on her by the bathroom door. He growled deep in his throat with a thunderous expression on his face while both of his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“What have I done to anger you?”

Her mouth opened and then slammed closed. She spun and stormed into the bathroom. She would have tried to find a light but it automatically came on when she stepped into the room. She tore the sheet from her body in her haste and marched for the shower stall. Stepping over the rim, she closed her eyes, lowered her head and threw her arms up. Water poured down on her.

“You choose now to get clean?” Berrr was in the bathroom behind her and he was snarling when he spoke. “Do you need a healer?”

“What I need,” Shanna almost yelled, “is for you to get the hell out of my room and leave me alone until you get Oval here to take me home with him.”

“You chose me.”

Shanna scrubbed at her skin, trying to wash away the memory of Berrr’s mouth on her body, his hands and of him in general. As he growled from the doorway of the bathroom he was making it impossible for her to ignore him. She threw her head back, allowing water to pour down her face. She opened her mouth, let water fill it and then spit it out when she lowered her head. She threw her arms up to prompt the water to stop coming down.