The X-Club (The Krinar Chronicles 0.50)

For the first time in her adult life, Amy blushed. She couldn’t help it. It felt like the K was stripping her with his gaze, leaving her standing there naked and vulnerable. Her body felt uncomfortably warm, and her breathing quickened, her pulse speeding up.

The K wasn’t just looking at her. He was devouring her with his eyes—and Amy’s body was reacting to his stare as if to a physical touch. Her nipples hardened, and liquid heat began to gather between her thighs. The air was so thick with sexual tension, Amy could practically taste it. As the K’s eyes came up to rest on her face, all she could do was stare at him, hopelessly caught by that dark, all-consuming gaze.

“And who is this, Vair?” A woman’s voice broke the spell, intruding into the sensual bubble that seemed to have formed between Amy and the K.

Grateful for the interruption, Amy drew in a shuddering breath and tore her eyes away from the Krinar, turning toward the newcomer.

It was another K, she saw immediately. The woman was smiling seductively, her attention focused on Jay—who was gaping at her with the sam

e helpless fascination Amy had just experienced.

Fuck. This was not good. This was not good at all. Jay wasn’t exactly known for his self-control around temptation—and the female Krinar standing next to him was nothing if not tempting.

Dressed in a short white dress, she was nearly six feet tall, with bronzed, toned legs that seemed to stretch into infinity. Her body was perfectly proportioned, slim and feminine at the same time, with a waist that was almost too small for her frame. “Alien Barbie” was the thought that popped into Amy’s head as she studied the woman.

A very sexy alien Barbie.

“These are a couple of strays I found in the hallway,” the K—Vair—responded to the woman’s question. His lush lips curved in a sardonic smile as he said, “Shira, meet curious girl and curious boy. Delicious, aren’t they?”

Before Amy could figure out how to react to that insulting—and rather alarming—statement, Jay stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’m Jay,” he said in a husky tone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you . . . Shira, is it?”

The woman laughed, her voice low and throaty. “Yes, indeed, sweet thing. It’s Shira. Why don’t I show you around?” And clasping Jay’s proffered hand with her long fingers, she led Amy’s friend toward one of the bars, her body moving as sinuously as a cat’s.

Jay went with her without a word of protest, apparently too mesmerized to remember his earlier concerns—or the fact that he was there to help Amy with the story, not to be some K Barbie’s sex toy for the night.

“Don’t worry,” Vair said, as though reading Amy’s mind. His voice was filled with dark amusement. “Shira will take care of him.”

Reluctantly, Amy turned toward him, her heartbeat accelerating as their eyes met once again. “I’m not worried,” she managed to respond. “We’re here to have fun, after all.”

“Of course you are, darling.” Vair’s teeth flashed white. “And fun you shall have. Would you like something to drink, or would you prefer to dance?”

Amy blinked at him. “Dance?” The music had a good tempo, but it wasn’t exactly dance-floor loud. And no one around them was dancing.

Not to mention, she wasn’t going within touching distance of Vair if she could help it. The club may have been a place to hook up with the Ks, but that’s not what Amy was there for.

“Yes, dance.” His smile widened at her incredulous look. “Like this.” He made a small gesture with his hand, and all of a sudden, the room darkened, the soft light taking on a reddish-purple hue. The music picked up pace and grew in volume, the throbbing beat permeating Amy’s body. All around them, she could feel the energy of the room changing as conversations trailed off and groups coalesced into pairs, beginning to sway in unmistakably dance-like movements.

Startled, Amy stepped back. “What . . . how—?”

“I own this place,” Vair murmured, moving closer to her. “Did I neglect to mention that?”

Amy swallowed. “Um, yes. I think you did.” Holy fuck. This was the club owner—and he seemed to want her for some reason. This was either a big problem or a big opportunity.

“How long have you owned it?” she asked, her inner reporter deciding that it was the latter. This was an excellent chance to get some information—even if it meant she’d have to put up with an alien’s sexual advances.

Which weren’t nearly as unwelcome as she would’ve liked.

“A while.” Vair stepped even closer, stopping less than a foot away from her.

Amy sucked in her breath, tilting her head back to gaze up at him. It was like looking up at a mountain. She’d known he was tall, of course, but she hadn’t realized how freaking large he was. The K was well over six feet in height, with muscles that would’ve done a bodybuilder proud. He towered over her five-foot-five frame, making her feel as tiny as a child. Even as a human man, he would’ve been incredibly strong, and the Krinar were known to be much, much stronger than humans.

Her belly clenched with fear and arousal as she reflected on the fact that he could do anything he wanted to her. Anything at all. Like Jay said, the Ks were, for all intents and purposes, above the law.

“How long is a while?” she persisted, doing her best to ignore her skyrocketing pulse. “Ever since you guys arrived?”

He laughed. “No. Only since things settled down.”

Ah. Finally they were getting somewhere. Amy guessed that “things settling down” was a euphemism for the end of the Great Panic—the dark months that followed the Ks’ arrival on Earth. By that timeline, the club had been around less than eighteen months.