A Warrior's Heart: Marastin Dow Warriors Book 1

Chapter 2

Ben knew she was there the moment the female entered the small room that he used when he wanted to be alone. The room had a small port window, two chairs and nothing else. Hell, not much else could fit into the narrow space unless he took out the chairs.

He was used to the occasional visitor when he was playing his harmonica. It was the one thing besides Aaron that he had left to remind him of Earth. It had been the last gift their mom gave him before she patted him on the head and gave Aaron a kiss, and then she walked out of the door never to return.

He was playing Red River Valley. It was the first song he learned to play. There was something about the haunting melody that pulled at him on days when he was feeling melancholy. Over the years, he taught himself other songs that he vaguely remembered from Earth or made up new ones. It was one of the things that helped keep him sane.

He continued to finish out the chorus, drawing out the last few notes before turning his attention to his unexpected visitor. Behr was very careful about who came to the lower sections of the ship. He and the rest of the crew on the lower levels were very suspicious of any crew member who came down without being screened first. Since Ben had never seen this female before, he suspected she found her way down without their knowledge. Behr was very meticulous about introducing him and Aaron to anyone new – or warning them who they should avoid.

His gaze swept over the woman. He was surprised by his reaction to her. He had met a few other women on board over the last couple of years, but he had never had an instant attraction to any of them the way he did with this woman. Curious, he ran his gaze over her again as he tried to understand what was different about her.

"Can I help you?" Ben asked, rising to his feet and looking down at the slender woman.

"I... who are you? What are you?" She asked again in a confused, hesitant voice.

His lips curved up in an unexpected hint of a smile. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like smiling. The woman looked like she wasn't used to seeing a smile of humor either if the way she took a hesitant step back and stared at him with a wary expression was any indication.

He quietly studied her as she studied him. She was very attractive for being an alien. He never thought he would be drawn to someone with purple skin, but there was something about the female that made him want to reach out and touch her.

She had the most amazing eyes that he had ever seen. They were dark, almost black and were shimmering with a shy curiosity. She had long, black hair that looked thick and glossy and it hung down her back in a long braid. He couldn't help but wonder what it would look like hanging loose. For a brief moment, the image of her lying on his bed, her hair spread out across his pillow, flashed through his mind and he could feel his body's reaction to it. That image and his response made him even more curious about her.

When she bit her bottom lip, he fought the urge to soothe it with a kiss. He could feel his cock harden even more at the idea. A dark frown of confusion crossed his face as he tried to understand why he was reacting the way he was. Sure, it had been years since he enjoyed the body of a woman, but he was used to dealing with his desires either on his own or through hard work to take his mind off his sexual needs.

"Well," the woman suddenly demanded, flushing when she realized he recognized that she was staring at him in curiosity. "Are you going to answer me?"

Ben chuckled at her irritated tone. "Actually, I was thinking how much I'd like to kiss you," he admitted in a slightly teasing tone. "My name is Ben Cooper, by the way. I'm a human. And you are?"