by Presley Hall
Her fingertips pause, and I brace myself for her to pull away like she always has before, breaking the spell that winds itself around us every time we touch.
But instead of stepping back, she drops to her knees in front of me, dragging her hands down my thighs. The muscles tense, my entire body nearly vibrating with the effort of remaining still. My hips ache to thrust forward, and my hands itch to bury themselves in her dark hair.
I don’t know what’s changed between us, although I can tell that something has. Still, I refuse to push her for more than she’s ready to give, so I keep my hands fisted at my sides, gazing down at her as my chest heaves.
She licks her lips, her pink tongue darting out before she traps her lower lip between her teeth. Then she runs one hand up my thigh and shifts my loincloth to one side.
“Holy fuck,” she breathes.
The raw desire and awe in her voice make me throb with need, my already swollen shaft pulsing as more blood rushes to fill it. I would feel smug if I weren’t so lost in the sight of her, and in the feel of her hands on me.
I don’t know what men are shaped like where she comes from, but I know that my cock is bigger than the average Voxeran’s. It occurs to me for a moment that she might be afraid of it, that it might be too much—but before the thought can fully take root in my mind, my daring, fearless mate wraps her fingers around me, dropping her head to run her tongue over my tip.
A groan falls from my lips despite my clenched jaw, and my hips jerk upward before I master myself again.
Raina grins slightly, as if she likes my response. With her hand still wrapped around me, she drags her tongue over me again and again, exploring my length. She seems particularly curious about the ridge that runs along the length of my cock and the node at the base. Her fingers trace the contours of both before she opens her mouth and wraps her lips around me.
I’m large enough that she has to work to fit me in her mouth, but as with everything I’ve ever seen her do, my mate doesn’t shy away from the challenge. Saliva drips down my shaft, and she uses that to slick the way as her hand begins to move in tandem with her lips, sucking and stroking me.
“Akhi,” I grit out, my stomach contracting as pleasure shoots through me. “Raina…”
The sound of me groaning her name seems to do something to her, and she makes that addictive little noise in the back of her throat again as her grip on my cock tightens. Her mouth is warm and wet, and I can feel my crown hitting the back of her throat every time she drops her head. It’s almost more than I can take. The unexpectedness of this moment pushes my arousal even higher, the pain of my injuries completely forgotten.
I’ve forgotten everything except Raina—everything but the sight and sound and feel of her on her knees before me.
When she slides down my length again and swallows, I can’t hold myself back any longer. The feel of her throat contracting around me makes my balls draw up tight, and I grip the thin blanket on the bed as my hips tilt upward.
“Raina!”
The choked cry spills from my lips as my cock erupts, spurting down her throat in throbbing pulses.
She swallows again, and I hunch over her, shuddering as the last droplets of my seed land on her tongue. I’m breathing harder than I did at any point during the fight in the pit, my heart racing as if I’m about to face a horde of enemies in battle.
Raina slowly draws back, sliding her tongue up the length of my barely softened cock before releasing me from her mouth. I miss the feeling of being inside her already, and my stomach tightens at the thought of what it would be like to sink into her warm, tight core.
She looks up at me, a smirk curving her full lips, which glisten in the dim light of the room. Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and she’s breathing harder too.
For a long moment, we just gaze at each other. Beneath the outward signs of her arousal, I can see a hint of uncertainty flickering in her eyes, as if she’s not quite sure how to account for what just happened between us.
But I don’t need an explanation, and I don’t want her to get lost in her own head. So I finally allow myself to reach for her, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. As she comes to stand before me, I draw her closer, burying my face against her stomach as I inhale her scent. I can smell a mixture of her arousal and my own, and the combination makes a fresh rush of desire surge through me.
In one smooth motion, I lift her in my arms and stand, turning to deposit her on the bed. She makes a soft noise of surprise as her back hits the cot, and I crawl up with her, hovering over her as I nuzzle her neck. She moans, arching beneath me, and I follow the line of her throat and jaw until I reach her lips.
She still tastes like me.
It inflames my blood, and I delve my tongue into her mouth as her fingers bury themselves in my hair, our bodies grinding together on the small bed as I settle between her legs.
“I want to do what you did,” I murmur when I finally draw back. “I want to put my mouth on you. To give you the same pleasure you gave me. Akhi, Raina, I want to taste you.”
Her mouth drops open a little, her forest-colored eyes darkening with desire. “Fuck, Kaide…”
I grin. No wonder the sound of me rasping out her name seemed to spur her on so much when she had her mouth on my cock. The way she says my name now makes raw heat flood my veins. I don’t think there’s a more perfect sound in the universe than my mate begging for me.
I kiss her again, then drag my tongue and teeth over the fluttering pulse in her neck before moving lower. The leather top that she made for herself wraps around her torso, leaving a small strip of skin at her midsection bare. Although I ache to unwrap it and feast on every bit of her, I settle for sliding my hands beneath the small garment and teasing her nipples with my fingers as I drop kisses to the flat plane of her stomach.
Then I move lower still, finding the fastening of her pants and fumbling with it for just a moment before undoing it. I tug the patched pants downward, and she lifts her hips to help me, biting her lip as she looks down at me.
The scent of her arousal is even stronger now that her core is bared for me, and a feral hunger sweeps through me. From the first moment the mate bond struck, when I held her in my arms by the bonfire back in the village, I have wanted to do this.
I’ve desired her.
I’ve craved her.
And now that I know her better, now that I’ve seen how brave and stubborn and strong she is, my need for her has grown into something far beyond simple lust.
Dropping my head, I drag my tongue over her pink folds, lapping at her as my hands grip her thighs. Her core is wet and shiny, just like her lips were earlier, and I want to devour every bit of her arousal.
I groan as her taste fills my senses, driving my tongue deeper inside her with every stroke. Raina makes a choked noise, and when the tip of my tongue slides over a small node just above her core, she jerks off the bed, half sitting up as she reaches down and grabs my hair.
Oh, slanch.
The feel of her fingers clutching the strands makes my cock throb, leaking droplets of seed as it grows fully hard again. She’s gripping my hair the same way I gripped the blankets before—as if she’s barely holding on, as if she needs something to ground herself.
She reacted most strongly when I ran my tongue over her little node, so I repeat that action, lapping at it with the flat of my tongue before exploring it with the tip. Every time I apply pressure to it or circle the little bud, Raina’s gasps and whimpers grow louder, and her core becomes wetter. I can feel her arousal coating my chin as I keep sucking and licking her, and I growl against her soft heat, using my grip on her thighs to spread her open wider for me.
The muscles of her legs quiver under my grasp, and her head thrashes back and forth as her hips arch beneath me, shoving her core closer to my mouth. I accept the unspoken invitation happily, burying my face against her and lashing her nub with my tongue over and over.
“Fuck! Right there. Oh god, K
aide, oh holy shit, fuck, I’m going to—”
She doesn’t finish speaking, which is too bad, because I was enjoying the string of nonsensical curses pouring from her lips. But what she does instead is better. Her thighs strain against my hold as her entire body shakes, and as she hits the peak of her release, she grinds against my face as her little bud throbs under my tongue.
“Fuck,” she whimpers again, her voice soft and breathless.
With my tongue still buried between her legs, I glance up at her face, watching her chest rise and fall heavily as she sucks in air. She looks nearly as sated and exhausted as I felt after she brought me to climax with her mouth, but the insistent throb of my cock tells me she’s capable of more pleasure yet. I was hard again almost immediately after I came down her throat, still desperately hungry for more.
So I feed the hunger that I hope exists inside her too, slowing the strokes of my tongue but never stopping. At first, she tugs lightly at my hair, as if it’s too much. But after a few moments, she’s pressing downward on the back of my head again, urging me on as she writhes beneath me.
When she comes again, it’s not on a whimper, but on a muffled scream, and the sound shoots straight to my cock. I feed all of my desire back into her, stiffening my tongue and driving it inside her before finding her swollen little node and nipping it lightly with my teeth.
“Oh—god!”
She bucks in my hold, her voice strained and rough, and I seal my lips around this most sensitive part of her and suck gently.
When her legs press against my grip this time, I give in, allowing her to clench her thighs tightly around my head as I drive her to the peak once more. I can barely breathe, can barely hear or see or feel anything but her, but I don’t care.
This is all I want.
My mate.
My Raina.
As a few final tremors run through her, Raina’s legs fall to the sides, her body going completely lax on the small bed.
“Goddamn you,” she murmurs, chuckling weakly as she gazes up at the ceiling. “How the fuck are you so good at that?”
I lean back, licking my lips and wiping my chin with one hand as I grin down at her with heated satisfaction. My cock is straining toward my belly, harder than ever, but I ignore it for the moment and crawl up to lie beside my mate.
She rolls onto her side to face me, and when I palm the back of her head and draw her in for a kiss, she comes willingly. When we break apart, I press another soft kiss to the tip of her nose.
“What did you mean when you said you’re not good at taking care of people?” I ask. “Why do you think that?”
Raina’s relaxed features stiffen a little, and I curse myself inwardly. Ever since she told me she wanted to fall in love like Terrans do, I’ve been careful not to push too hard or too fast. From what I’ve gathered of the mating rituals of Terrans, they’re much slower to determine their feelings, and their mate bonds are not nearly as strong as the Voxeran bonds.
Things have already shifted between us, and in the heady afterglow of tasting my mate and bringing her to climax for the first time, I’m hungry for more of her—not just her body, but her mind and soul.
But maybe I’ve asked for too much.
After a momentary hesitation, Raina surprises me by letting out a soft sigh. She rolls onto her back, breaking our eye contact and staring up at the ceiling again.
“I was raised in foster care,” she says slowly. “By people who weren’t my parents, since the state decided that my own parents weren’t fit to raise me. I had a few foster siblings, kids living in the same house I was, but I was never close to them. Or to my foster parents either, for that matter. I learned a long time ago that the only person I could rely on to look out for me was me. So I did. I have. I’ve gotten very good at taking care of myself, but I don’t really know how to do it for other people.”
She draws her lower lip between her teeth, something like sadness passing over her features. “I’ve been alone most of my life. I never had anyone to look out for, or anyone who would do the same for me.”
I press up onto one elbow, looking down at her. Her gaze flicks over to me, and her eyes narrow, her lips pursing.
“Don’t you dare feel sorry for me. I did just fine on my own. I got out of some bad situations and built a life for myself in LA, and I didn’t get sucked into drugs or crime like a lot of other people did. So I don’t need your pity.”
I grin as her green and brown eyes spark with inner fire. I recognize the stubbornness and strength in her—I’ve come to expect it by now, having learned enough about her already to guess her reactions.
“Why should I pity you?” I ask, chuckling as I reach up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “When I look at you, I don’t see someone pitiable. I see someone strong. Someone determined. Someone brave. There’s nothing to pity in that.”
She looks surprised at my response, her eyebrows rising as she blinks up at me. Then her features soften, the hard lines melting as she laughs quietly.
“I keep forgetting you’re… not like other men I’ve known,” she says, shaking her head.
“Well, I’m happy to remind you of that anytime,” I tell her with a low growl, dropping my head to press my lips to hers.
She kisses me back, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she sighs into my mouth. One of my legs slides between hers, my cock grinding against her hip as our tongues dance, and she leans toward me, pressing our bodies more tightly together.
Every part of my body and soul aches to claim her, to give her more pleasure and to feel her come on my cock. My fingers tangle in her hair, and I inhale her scent as I sweep my tongue through her mouth.
Then, reluctantly, I pull away.
Raina lets out a soft sound of surprise, her eyes flaring open as she looks up at me. Her pupils are blown out, and her chest rises and falls rapidly as she gasps for breath.
“We should get some sleep,” I tell her. “It’s been a long day, and we likely have another long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
She blinks, and I can see her throat work as she swallows. Something like disappointment passes over her features, then she nods. “Yeah. You’re right.”
“I know we’re not outside,” I say, flashing her a grin. “But I still consider it my duty to keep my mate warm. These blankets look very thin.”
That makes her laugh, and the sound washes over me like a warm wave. I’m not sure there’s anything I love to hear more than Raina’s laughter.
“You’re really dedicated to keeping my body temperature regulated,” she notes dryly. “Going above and beyond. I didn’t realize having a mate was like having a personal space heater.”
She’s teasing me. I can see the spark of amusement in her eyes, which look more brown than green in this moment. But still, hearing her call me her mate makes my heart beat a little harder. The words are said casually, but it makes the bond between us feel more real somehow.
It makes me think that perhaps I truly do have a chance of making this breathtaking Terran woman fall in love with me.
Quickly, I get up and extinguish the room’s dim light. I doubt I’ll be able to get much sleep at all with Raina in my arms, but I don’t let that stop me from crawling back onto the bed and curling my body around hers. She settles onto her side as I drape one arm over her waist and pull her a little closer to me.
After everything that’s happened today, she truly must be tired, because it doesn’t take long before her breathing evens out and she relaxes against me. Sleep tugs at me too, but I lie awake in the darkness for a long time, lost in thought.
I can’t stop thinking about the small flicker of disappointment I saw in her eyes when I pulled back from our kiss.
She wanted me in that moment. I’m sure she did.
And if I had settled between her legs and stripped off my loincloth and her clothes, if I had let the heat between us continue to grow, she would have allowed me to slide inside her.
Once, I wouldn’t
have hesitated to take things further. I would have given in to the barely controlled need raging through my body.
But that doesn’t feel like enough anymore.
I want my mate desperate and begging for me when I finally claim her.
And most of all, I want her to be sure.
16
Raina
I’m woken in the morning by washed-out rays of gray pre-dawn light peeking through the slats that cover the single tiny window in the room. I blink, dragging myself back to consciousness from a deep, dreamless sleep. I feel surprisingly refreshed, warm and cozy beneath the thin blanket.
Kaide is still wrapped around me, his body molded against mine, solid and muscled. His arm is heavy around my waist, making me think he’s still asleep.
I chew on my lip as my mind starts to race, thoughts beginning to churn like an engine picking up speed.
Waking up in Kaide’s arms like this feels different than it did in the woods. In the forest on the way here, it was pretty easy to allow myself to buy into the practical aspects of basically cuddling with the massive alien warrior every night. He said it himself—it was a good way to keep warm. And even though I knew there was more to it than that, it didn’t feel anywhere near as intimate as this.
Now we’re in an actual bed together.
Maybe more to the point, I gave him a blowjob and he went down on me last night. I know what this man’s cock looks like. So… yeah. Definitely a bit more intimate than just huddling together for warmth to fend off the elements.
Oh my god, his cock.
I have a sudden vivid memory of how it felt in my hand and in my mouth, and my core clenches involuntarily. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so turned on while giving a blowjob before. The way he looked at me, the deep groans that spilled from his lips, even the way he grabbed the blankets so hard, as if he needed to hold on to something to keep himself from fisting my hair and taking control? I’ve never experienced anything like that.