In A Different Light

In A Different Light Marteeka Karland All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2006 by Marteeka Karland

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ISBN (10) 1-59596-373-1

ISBN (13) 978-1-59596-373-4

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In A Different Light Inhaling sharply, Leah watched Kamar Sha’gar dive cleanly into the pool on the family’s estate. His body was lean, muscular perfection, and she itched to touch every inch of him. He emerged, a forceful eruption through the surface of the water, scattering droplets as he shook his head. His powerful body flexed as he smoothed his hair from his face. She wanted to know if the smattering of hair on his chest was as silky to touch as the shaggy dark curls on his head. Overlooking the clouds of Solum, Sha’gar estate was the definition of beauty and elegance. As extravagant as it was, it only hinted at the wealth of its owners. Leah was suitably impressed. As a child. Almost fifteen years later, she saw things in a different light. Sha’gar estate was a bitter reminder of what she’d never have. She wasn’t a good enough pilot for them, and computers and machinery completely baffled her. Combine that with the fact that she had absolutely no business sense, and she was a complete waste of effort for the shipping business run by the Sha’gar family. Her first day at the estate, she’d been five. Mikkal Sha’gar, Kamar’s father, had been her father’s best friend and business partner. Her father made the Nebula run on a regular basis, accompanied by her mother as engineer, and Leah stayed at Sha’gar estate with Mikkal’s family. On her eighth birthday, it became her permanent home. The reason supply runners made so much money was because they risked their lives every time they made the run through the nebula to Solum. Her parents risked their lives one time too many.

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From that day forward, Kamar had been a constant presence in her life. She grewn up at his side, and though his parents had been wonderful to her, Leah never felt completely comfortable around them. She always turned to Kamar, and he‘d always been there. Now, she was twenty-one. It had been made abundantly clear to her that Sha’gar estate was as much her home as it was anyone’s, and that she could live there as long as she wished, but she knew she couldn’t stay. Not anymore. Kamar was getting married. It took every ounce of strength she possessed not to burst into tears when Mikkal made the announcement one evening over dinner. She managed to sit through the rest of the meal without so much as flinching, but inside her heart was breaking. She’d always thought of Kamar as hers. She’d never considered he might marry someone else, and the fact that he was actually going to not only hurt, it irked the hell out of her. How dare he! Never mind he hadn’t actually met his bride to be -- the mere fact that he’d agreed to it made her grind her teeth in frustration. Mikkal and Xandra said the marriage between Kamar and Dalia, the daughter of their largest rival, would pave the way for a merger that would make them all very rich. Leah didn’t know why they thought they needed more money -- they already had more than they could ever spend. Still, Kamar had agreed, and the engagement had been announced to the immediate family. The next day, Leah began making arrangements to sell her share of the company she’d inherited from her parents and went looking for a place of her own. After she’d had a good cry. Now Leah made another decision. If Kamar was going to marry someone else, she was bloody well going to show him what he’d be missing.

*** Damn his father to hell and back! He didn’t want to get married! He was perfectly happy with his life as it was. And what the fuck was all that nonsense about

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them making more money? They were the richest family in Solum, by the gods! Kamar swam to the shallow end of the pool and scrubbed the water from his face with one hand. An heir to the De’main and Son shipping empire, Dalia De’main, was to meet him here. Her idea. He’d never actually met her, but she was supposed to be a beautiful woman. He’d gone to school with their son, but he hadn’t known Tamron De’main had a daughter. From all accounts, she ran her part of the company with an iron fist. That was the funny thing about this whole mess. Neither family needed the money. Neither company needed this merger. So what the fuck was going on? He was pondering this, oblivious to his surroundings, when he realized he was no longer alone. “Mind if I join you?” Leah? He’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t heard her approach. That kind of mental lapse in the nebula could get him killed! Though, if he’d been aware of her approach, he might have not appreciated the view as much as he did at this moment. At first, he thought she was naked as she walked through the pink and lavender mist coming off the pool. Her bikini was practically nonexistent, and the tiny scraps of cloth were the same color as her flesh. Kamar gulped. When had Leah grown into such a stunningly sexy woman? Her body was perfect. Lush curves and silky purple hair accented creamy skin. Her breasts were full and rounded, her waist tiny and her hips flared into a nice, rounded ass just right for gripping during a hard ride. She sank into the pool without waiting for his answer and immediately disappeared beneath its cool depths. He watched her glide through the water to the other side before surfacing, her breasts rising and falling as she took a deep breath of air. For the life of him, he couldn’t take his eyes off them. He wanted to peel that ridiculous excuse for a swimsuit from her body and feast. “It’s been a while since we’ve spent any time together, Kamar.”

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“Indeed.” He choked out the word as best he could, but it sounded strangled to his ears. “Congratulations on your engagement.” “Thanks.” How in Solum was he supposed to make small talk when all he wanted to do was explore the girl who had become a woman overnight? How had he missed this transformation? How the hell had he missed those breasts? This was definitely not the way he’d pictured Leah all these years. He stood from his place in the pool and advanced toward her with every intention of finding out for himself just how sweet her body was. Before he reached her, however, another voice greeted him. “Kamar, greetings from my father. I trust all is in order for the wedding celebration?” The voice was deep, and before he turned around, he thought it belonged to a man. The woman he found stepping into the pool definitely did not fit the voice. She was pretty enough, with her long dark hair, but even with the dark, thighlength wrap, Kamar could tell she didn’t have the womanly curves that drove him wild. She was muscled with no wasted flesh to her body. He definitely couldn’t envision being able to hang on to her ass. Not like the vision he’d just had of Leah. “Dalia De’main?” This was the exact picture he’d had of the woman given everything he’d heard about her. After his parents announced the “merger,” he’d tried to find an image of her, but there simply weren’t any. Rumor had it she never allowed herself to be digitized. “In the flesh, love.” She whisked the wrap open and off her finely muscled arms to pool on the floor behind her. She eyed him hungrily, moving her gaze up and down his torso. “This match might be exciting after all. You look like you can handle a woman like me.” Kamar cringed inwardly. This wasn’t going to work. At all. When Kamar turned back to Leah, she was exiting the pool. NO! She couldn’t

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leave now! “Leah. Don’t leave.” “Leah?” Dalia turned slightly and focused on the voluptuous young woman. “Oh. You must be the orphan my father said was living here.” She turned back to Kamar, and he could have sworn she rolled her eyes. “It was very generous of your family to take her in after her parents lost your cargo and destroyed your ship.” Leah’s indrawn breath pierced his heart, and sparked the familiar protective instinct he’d felt toward her since she first set foot in his home. “Look, Dalia.” He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying not to lose his temper. He’d never wanted to hit a woman more in his life. “Leah is a part of my family -- has been since before her parents’ deaths. When she lost her parents, we lost two members of our family as well. If the De’mains are more worried about cargo and ships than they are about their people, then I want no part of it. Certainly not enough to marry someone I don’t even know.” She gave a throaty sounding chuckle. “Apparently you’re the only one who feels that way. Your father is eager for this union. And the wedding invitations have already been sent out.” Her gaze drank in his naked torso, and he suddenly had the urge to cover himself -- a first for him in the presence of women. He looked to see where Leah was and found her bending to retrieve her wrap. She moved quickly, her back painfully straight as she turned to walk away from them. Even though her actions suggested anger, he’d known her too long not to pick up on her moods. She was hurt. By Dalia’s inconsiderate remarks? Certainly a possibility, but he thought it went deeper than that. Oh, well. He’d talk to her later tonight. At the moment, he had to rid himself of one overbearing heiress who was just a touch more masculine than he preferred. And a pain in the ass, besides. He could be getting to know the grown up Leah right now. Not to mention finding out how finely that body of hers fit underneath him! If she’d only come to say congratulations on his engagement, she’d have come wearing a different swimsuit. Oh,

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no. Leah had definitely come to fuck, and he was just the man to help her out. Right after he settled things with Dalia. He hoped his father would understand.

*** Of all the rotten luck! Not only was the woman rich, but Dalia was beautiful, and slender, and everything Leah was not. The only good thing to come out of this was the knowledge she was doing the right thing by selling her shares of the business. Any company that valued property over human life wasn’t a company she wanted any part of. But it was disappointing that Mikkal was becoming a party to that way of thinking. She’d always loved the man like a father. Normally, she’d have fought to keep Kamar, but two things held her back. First, he was never really hers to begin with. At least, not as a man. Second, he and Dalia were engaged. It was wrong of her to approach him, but desperate people do desperate things sometimes. As she made the final arrangements on the dwelling she’d secured on the other side of the city, Leah stared out her window at Sha’gar estate. She’d miss this place. She’d miss the people. But most of all, she’d miss Kamar. That was why she couldn’t live here anymore. She couldn’t bear to face him every day knowing she could never have him. It was quite depressing. She’d just signed off her terminal and poured herself a glass of Salmarian Ale when she heard a thudding at her door. Before she had a chance to even acknowledge the banging, the door slid open and Kamar stalked in, straight to her. “What the hell do you mean, moving from Sha’gar estate and trying to sell your shares of the company?” He was angry, and he gripped her upper arms almost painfully. “You didn’t even consult me!” Leah blinked at him. Then slapped him, saying the first thing that came to mind. “Since when do I need your permission for anything? I’m a grown woman.” His outburst surprised her, shocked her even. He’d never raised his voice to her in all the years they’d known each other.

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“You’re a spoiled brat who needs to learn the consequences of her actions!” Leah was about to protest, but Kamar crushed her mouth in a bruising kiss. A kiss meant to punish. A kiss that quickly turned heated and impatient. She thought she could feel his heart pounding in his chest, but she couldn’t be sure it wasn’t her own. With her breasts pressed against his firm chest, it was difficult to differentiate their separate heartbeats. But his breathing was as deep and hard as her own, and she knew he was affected by the intimate gesture. It wasn’t long before his tongue snaked out to lick the seam of her lips, and she opened willingly, sucking him into her greedy mouth and circling him with her tongue. They explored and tasted, and she whimpered as she melted into his arms. She clung to him, pulled him impossibly closer. She was so preoccupied with trying to get closer to him, she missed him undoing her bikini top until he slid it from her upper body and ducked his head to latch on to a nipple. She sucked in a breath and gripped his hair tightly. Her nipple tingled when he nipped and sucked it almost painfully before soothing her with a wet lick. His animalistic growls heightened the tension, her cunt pulsed, and she felt the moisture rush from it, drenching her bikini bottom. She hooked a leg over his hip, rubbing herself against his cock. Moving his attention back to her mouth, Kamar urged her other leg up and over his other hip. She gave a little hop, clinging to him as he situated her where he wanted her. Leah locked her ankles together behind his back, trying to bring much needed friction to her already pulsing clit. She was on the verge of the most powerful climax of her entire life, if only she could get closer. Kamar roared and tossed her to the bed like a savage. Indeed, he looked like a savage at that moment. His dark hair was sticking out in every direction. Intense blue eyes darkened, and his nostrils flared with each breath. She had only moments to register this as he swiftly removed his swimwear, grabbed her with powerful hands, tearing her bikini from her body, and fastened his mouth between her spread legs.

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He knew he would become addicted to the heady taste of her, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care that he’d practically raised her, nor did he care that he was more than ten standard years her senior. All he cared about was drinking his fill from her cunt, then fucking them both into oblivion. Deep inside, he knew he could never let her belong to any other man, but he hadn’t expected it to hit him this hard. His need of her wasn’t only lust, it was to show her she was his and he knew he’d only get one shot at it. When laying claim to a woman, first impressions were everything. Was he coming on too strong? Would his rough handling scare her off? He doubted it. If there was one thing he knew about Leah, it was that she valued honesty above everything. If he held back his emotions, he risked losing her forever because she’d not give him a second chance. It was something he’d taught her. Flicking her clit with his tongue, he inserted first one, then two fingers -And froze. He met a barrier. “You’re a virgin?” He blurted out the question before he could stop himself, and knew immediately it was the absolute wrong thing to say. “It’s not a dirty word,” Leah spat as she scooted back on her bed, away from him. He grabbed her ankle to prevent her from going too far. “Let me go!” she snapped, kicking out at him, catching him in the jaw. He actually saw stars, unable to move for several seconds. “Sonofabitch!” He breathed the expletive as a single word, mainly because his jaw wouldn’t work the way it should. “Get out!” she screeched. “Get out now!” He shook his head a couple of times before standing and narrowing his gaze on her angry face. “Want to explain what that was for?” He rubbed his jaw gingerly.

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Leah knew she was overreacting, but she couldn’t help it. Her friends had all taken their pleasures since they were old enough, but Leah had always held back. The fact was it was Kamar who had always told her she didn’t have to give herself to the first randy guy that came along. Quite the opposite. He’d taught her to look for someone who loved her, respected her, and above all was honest with her. A woman’s body was sacred, and she deserved to be treated as the goddess she was. Now, he had the nerve to look at her like she’d grown two heads when he found she was a virgin. Men! She didn’t say anything. Kamar scrubbed his face with a hand, obviously trying to decide what to do. It didn’t take long. Before she realized what the man was doing, he grabbed her ankle, tugged her down the bed, and covered her with his big body. She shrieked in surprise at first, but when he forced her legs open and her groin met his, the ability to make a sound left her suddenly parched throat. He stayed like that a few moments, apparently until he was sure he had her undivided attention. Until he was sure she focused on the sensations he was creating rather than any hurt his words had caused. “I’m sorry I sounded like a cad.” His gruff voice was strained, as if he was holding back with every ounce of willpower he possessed. “I’m thrilled that I’ll be the only man to ever know how wonderful this tight little pussy feels. I just don’t understand why.”

She was supposed to be mad, wasn’t she? He was talking in permanents and she wasn’t sure he realized it. He’d always told her to be honest -- with others, but most of all with herself. So, she was. “Because you’re the only man I’ve ever met who’s ever been completely honest with me. You’re the only man with whom I know exactly where I stand.” She brushed

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the jaw she’d kicked, already regretting the hurt she’d caused. “Because I may not know where my future leads, but I know tonight you’ll give as good as you get and tomorrow I won’t have to wonder if I’ll ever see you again.” In one swift, sure movement, Kamar entered her. She cried out at the unexpected pain, but it quickly vanished, vaporized in the heat she saw in his eyes. “Oh, you’ll definitely see me again.” He shifted his position slightly, and encouraged her to find her comfort zone. “You’re going to see me every day for the rest of our lives.” Leah arched her back as a particularly pleasurable sensation rode through her body. “Careful, Kamar,” she breathed. “You sound like you’re talking forever.” He nuzzled her neck and licked around the shell of her ear. “I am talking about forever.” She tried to push him back. She needed to look him in the eye when they discussed this, but damn if what he was doing to her neck didn’t feel wonderful! “You’re engaged, Kamar,” she managed to get out as he surged forward, causing her to gasp in delight. “I really doubt Dalia will let me share you.” “Dalia,” he said between licks as he palmed a breast, “has no claim on me.” “Did I miss something here? You two are getting married. That sounds like a pretty serious claim to me.” If he didn’t explain this and get on with fucking her soon, she’d have to kill him. “My father agreed to this union. I did not.” “But --” He silenced her by darting his tongue into her mouth and increasing the tempo of his movements within her body. When she saw the vein at his temple stand out, she knew he was holding back, and something inside her snapped. “Don’t you dare hold back on me! Fuck me like you mean it!” Kamar growled, pulled out, and flipped Leah to her stomach. Entering her with another swift, sure stroke, he began a rapid thrusting. Flesh slapped against flesh. His fingers dug into her soft, rounded bottom and he watched, entranced, as his cock

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disappeared rapidly and repeatedly into her silky cunt. Their cries mingled. She screamed her completion as Kamar shouted his and pulled her hips tightly to his groin, emptying himself into her. And wondered why the fuck he’d waited so long for this. He collapsed on top of her, but rolled them to their sides and spooned her into him, his cock still snugly buried inside her. And that was the way he intended to stay as long as she’d let him, as often as she’d let him.

They lay like that for a while, catching their breath. Leah couldn’t help the grin spreading across her face. Finally. Kamar said he wanted a permanent relationship and she intended to hold him to it. “You know, you’re supposed to be having dinner with the De’main family tonight.” There was no way she was waiting or, worse, letting him get cold feet. He was taking care of this now. “Mmmm.” He snuggled in closer to her and flexed his hips. He might have come, but his cock apparently didn’t realize it was supposed to be finished for a while. “Don’t you think we should be getting ready?” “I’d rather get ready to make love to you again.” “Kamar!” She elbowed him sharply in the stomach. He merely grunted as he chuckled. “Come on, baby girl.” His pet name for her as a child made her smile again. “I think it’s time for everyone to look at things a bit differently.” “You know,” she couldn’t help pointing out, “if you’d been honest with your father from the start over this whole De’main engagement thing, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.” “Yeah, well, better late than never.”

*** De’main and daughter sat across the table from Kamar and Leah. Mikkal and Xandra sat at either end. Leah stuck her chin out defiantly. Kamar had to struggle to

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keep from chuckling. She was adorable, had always been adorable. How in the world could he have missed seeing her grow into such a beautiful, sexy woman? Oh, well. It didn’t matter now. The only thing that mattered was telling everyone in the universe who was listening that Leah belonged to him. “You haven’t been listening to a word anyone’s said, have you, Kamar?” Xandra’s chastisement was softened with a mischievous grin and Kamar had the feeling his dear mother was up to something. Well, she definitely had his full attention now. “I have something on my mind, Mother. Forgive me.” “Well,” the boisterous, white-haired Tamron De’main said before belching quite loudly behind his napkin, “I’d like to know what is more important than hearing about wedding plans my, err, daughter has so laboriously laid out.” Leah looked positively miserable. Everyone else looked… expectant. Not knowing what else to do, Kamar said what he’d come to say in the first place. “I’m not marrying Dalia.” Silence. “I’m marrying Leah.” Silence. Then -“ ’Bout damned time.” “Thank God! I’m bloody well tired of dressing like a girl.” “Oh, your mother would be so proud!” All at once. Everyone spoke except Mikkal. “Wait a minute, wait a minute. What the fuck do you mean you’re tired of dressing like a girl?” Kamar knew something was up, but this went way beyond bizarre. Mikkal cleared his throat. “Well, you did need a little push.” “Push?” Kamar’s head was spinning. “You both did.” Xandra reached out and grasped Leah’s hand. “You would have sat here waiting for Kamar to notice you, and he would have continued to see you as

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the little girl he’s loved all these years. We needed you to show him the woman you’ve become.” “Well.” Kamar cleared his throat. “She certainly did that.” Leah blushed prettily, even as she punched his shoulder. “Kamar!” “But I want to know what you meant,” he pointed to Dalia, “when you said you were tired of dressing like a girl.” “I’m Dalion De’main.” He glanced at his father, rolling his eyes. “And I got drafted to play the De’main spinster.” “Dalion?” Kamar chuckled. “You’ve… changed… since we went to school. I’ve been trying to figure how I’d missed a whole extra member of your family. Now I know. When did you become a crossdresser?” “Shut up.” “We’ve been working on this for months.” Tamron chuckled. “We set you up, boy.” He laughed, a full-bellied laugh that was contagious. “And enjoyed it a damned sight too much.” Kamar grunted. “Why?” “Because,” Mikkal leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, “you weren’t being honest with yourself.” Kamar blinked, and cocked his head. “You lost me.” “Oh, come on, Kamar.” Mikkal was getting impatient. He was a wonderful father, but he always hated it when his children refused to see what was in plain sight. “You’ve loved Leah since she came here, but you’ve refused to let her be anything other than the lost little girl you stayed up with the night her parents died. You’ve watched her grow, chased more boys -- and men -- away from this estate than I care to think about and still you refused to admit she was the woman you needed in your life. I’ve always taught you to be an honest person. Tell the truth. Don’t lie to anyone. That includes yourself most of all.” Kamar looked at Leah and reached to brush her cheek with his fingertips. “It’s a lesson I’ll not be forgetting again.” “Of course you won’t,” Leah said, catching his hand with her own and kissing

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his palm. “If you do, I’ll have to kick your ass.” Laughter surrounded them, embraced them. And another adage was universally applied. Above all, to thine own self be true.

Marteeka Karland Marteeka makes her home in Kentucky with her brat husband and her darling son. (Or is that the other way around?) Family has always and always will be her passion in life. She works as an Emergency Room Technician and has for the past eight years. She has been writing for most of her life, but has only recently realized her potential when she found erotic romance. This genre opened up a whole new world of possibilities for Marteeka and she is thriving on the endless promise of what is to come. Science Fiction has been her favorite topic since she saw her first episode of Star Trek. Now she combines Sci-Fi with erotic romance and feels she has found her place in the writing world. Marteeka welcomes comments from her readers. You can contact her at [email protected].