by Jade Waltz
She crossed her arms, covering her breasts to block his view of his golden scales.
A part of her was happy to see him, knowing he wasn’t with another woman, but seeing him struggling with his battle lust hurt her. On the other hand, she was still upset at how he had treated her and her wing in front of the crew.
“I am listening.” She stepped away from the door, welcoming him in.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said as the cabin door closed. “I wanted to make sure I talked to you before the night was over.”
“Go on.” She sat down on the couch, crossing her legs stiffly. “I know you have a long night ahead of you, so I would rather get this done as soon as possible so you can find—”
“Jaiya, stop,” he hissed, as if in pain. “What makes you believe I’m seeking out another female after I speak to you? I was serious when I said I wanted to be with you.”
“You sure have a weird way of showing it,” she snapped. “One moment you were confessing to me on the floor of the practice arena, the next you were dressing down my wing because they were teasing me.” Her leg bounced in frustration as she stared him down. “Want to know what they were saying? They were congratulating me after a few of them saw us holding hands. A few were jokingly betting on our chances of mating tonight. It was all casual banter among friends. They were happy for me, until you ruined the whole moment.”
“You were comfortable with their insubordination?” he asked in disbelief.
“Idris. Understand this,” she said pointedly. “If I wasn’t fine with it, I would have corrected them. My wing’s leaders are two female pilots who have worked harder than anyone to create a comfortable space in this male-dominated profession. Trust me when I tell you they weren’t disrespecting me. Your intervention not only embarrassed my crew and me, but it created a new divide. One that I was afraid would arise from the moment you asked me to be yours.” She sighed heavily, needing him to understand the importance of this point. “I didn’t rise to my rank because I know how to open my legs or use my mouth. I worked my way there through hard work and dedication. Now I’ve left all that behind to be here, and the prince in control of the starbase wants me to be his starmate. Can you imagine how that looks?”
He sunk to his knees in front of her. “Like favoritism.”
“If we are going to do this, you can’t treat me any differently than any of your other pilots and crew members. Beyond these chambers, you are Prince Idris, and I am Wing Captain Lian. That’s why I always make sure I use your titles around anyone else. Titles enforce professionalism. Alone and behind closed doors, we can be Idris and Jaiya, but I need this. I don’t want to ever doubt whether I deserve my rank.”
“But as my starmate, you will always outrank my crew. You can grow your hair out as long as mine.” He placed a hand on her bouncing leg, stilling it. “I am sorry for my mistake. I promise to be more cautious in the future. We will have a lot to learn about each other and our people. The next time I see your wing together as a unit, I will apologize to them all. I just hope we can move forward from here.”
“How are you sure that you want me? A human?” she asked, reaching for a lock of his hair, feeling its silky smoothness. “What if you grow old with me, only to realize you wanted a female of your own species?”
“I don’t care if you don’t have a tail and a pair of horns. Your lack of scales and short hair doesn’t concern me,” Idris said, his voice serious as his eyes drilled into hers. “It was your inner strength and beauty that called to me, even when you were disguised as your twin brother. You weren’t afraid to speak your mind in order to do what was right, and my power as a prince didn’t faze you. Your skills on and off the battlefield made you even more attractive, and made me want to have you by my side.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying your stunt today made me realize that you could be taken from me at any moment, and I might never have the chance to tell you how I feel.” Idris reached forward and traced her cheek with his thumb, lost in her gaze, unable to find the right words. “I am hoping our shared kiss is proof that you feel the same.”
“You truly want to be with me?” Jaiya leaned back, pulling her face from his grasp as she studied him. “You are a prince, and I am human. We may never be able to reproduce—”
Idris leaned forward and pulled her face to his, giving her the most tender of kisses.
“It doesn’t matter,” he growled. “Even if I was the next in line for the throne, I wouldn’t care. I am not going to bind myself to a female just to make her my breeder.” He smirked. “But we don’t have to worry about that, because I am fifth in line, and may the Stars forbid that I will ever be called upon to rule.”
“But Raizxl said that—”
He pecked her lips, silencing her. “This is why I am hiding at the Azophi Starbase. Ushyaz and I will let our three siblings create an army of heirs to fight over the throne. All I care about is your answer.”
Jaiya had never feared death, yet here she was, fearfully looking for a reason not to be with him and coming up emptyhanded.
She had no experience with serious relationships because human males saw her for her family name, not the woman she was. She had learned the hard way to keep men at arm’s length. The war became her scapegoat for her lacking love life.
But she wanted this male, wanted to explore their relationship together as his starmate. If she was going to die tomorrow, she might as well have the best time of her life tonight with a male who was falling in love with her. Somehow this sapphire male had snaked his way around her heart, and she didn’t want to let him go.
“Yes, Idris.” She nodded. “I will be your starmate.”
“I will make you the happiest female in the universe.”
“I don’t know how to do this,” Jaiya murmured, her cheeks burning as she looked away. “I haven’t been with a male in a long time, and you are the first—”
Idris palmed her cheek, guiding her worried gaze to his.
“You don’t have to aid me with my battle lust.” He flinched, eyes closing.
“No, Idris,” she said, cupping his hand with her own. “You are in pain, and to be honest, I’ve been thinking about how . . . well, never mind. Get up, get undressed, and go sit on the shower bench.”
“Are you sure?” His tone was worried, but she caught the lust in his eyes when he opened them.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and tried to push him back so she could get up. “Yes, I’m sure. Now get up.”
“Who’s being demanding now?” He stood, turning off his suit with a shaky hand. “Why do I need to get under the waterfall?”
“Because you need to clean off that battle grime, or I’m not going to do anything to you.” Standing, she unbuckled her robe and let it fall as she made her way to the shower. “If we are going to do this, I want to be in charge.”
“Of course,” he purred behind her.
When she reached the back wall, she sat on the sand bed’s ledge and watched his beautiful form stalk her like the predator that he was.
Those golden scales really do frame his cock.
“Like what you see?” he asked cockily, just like when she had met him in battle.
“How about you clean up and find out?”
He raised an eyebrow before smirking. “You won’t be able to keep your hands to yourself.”
“Isn’t that the point?” she challenged, aware of how she affected him. “Go on, get some soapberries, and lather up. I’m going to sit here and watch.”
She leaned back and waited.
He gathered some soapberries and worked them into a lather as he washed his chiseled deep blue chest, stomach, and arms. Then propped his leg on the bench and scrubbed his thighs and legs, as his scaled cock stood out in all its glory, begging to be touched.
Idris shot her a defiant look as he gripped his cock with one hand, daring her to react.
“No touching!”
“How am I supposed to clean it for you?”
She stood and guided him to sit on the bench. “Who said anything about you cleaning it?”
The shocked look he gave her made her giggle as she lowered herself between his legs. “How about you focus on your tail? I can make sure your cock is clean enough in the meantime.”
Reaching over, she grabbed some soapberries and lathered them in her hands. She stared at his exotic cock. Its flared head was golden—just like the protective scales on his body—and twice the diameter of the sapphire shaft. Excitement spiked across her nerves at the thought of how it would feel inside her.
She gripped him with both hands. His body jerked in response as a moan escaped him. She rubbed her hands along the tiered shaft, feeling each section’s small golden bumps tickle her hands with every pass. His cock was like an inferno in her grip, hotter than any other spot on both of their bodies.
Something about holding a man’s cock in her hands thrilled her. Here she held all the power, capable of giving a male the greatest pain—or pleasure.
Idris twitched and fidgeted as small noises escaped him, fueling her own arousal. His tail lay forgotten beside her, jerking along with his bodies.
“Idris. You had one job,” she purred.
“I washed myself!” he gasped, eyes closed.
“Then why is your tail sitting next to me instead of in your hands?”
“I . . . I . . .” He gasped, gripping the stone bench.
She smiled as she felt him grow harder in her grip. Lowering her mouth to his head, she licked the precum that trickled from its slit. He tasted hot and slightly sweet, like the cinnamon spice from Earth mixed with sugar.
She wanted more.
Jaiya lowered her mouth onto his shaft and stretched her lips as she worked to fit its strangely shaped head into her mouth. Once the bulbous crown passed her lips, she could create suction around the slightly thinner shaft.
The ridges on his cock felt strange as they rubbed against her tongue, each tiered section letting her track how much of his length she’d taken in. Once she was accustomed to the oddness of it all, she started to explore his cock’s bumps.
His body shuddered. “You need to slow down, or I won’t last much longer.”
Jaiya chuckled around his cock. She watched him closely as she used one hand to stroke and trace the bumps on his cock, continuing to bob up and down.
“Fine,” he moaned. “Two can play at this game.”
She gagged as something hot rubbed against her nether lips, its pebbly, scaled texture, making her eyes roll back in pleasure. It pressed insistently as its blunt end flicked her clit.
“It’s my tail,” Idris chuckled. “I figured you could help me clean it.”
The tip of his tail pushed between her pussy lips, swirling around her entrance as it spread her slick wetness around. Jaiya gripped his cock harder and tried to close her legs around his tail, trapping it between her legs. The textured warmth made her ache to be filled.
Jaiya locked her gaze with his. They toyed with each other, each daring for the other to call it quits. She didn’t want to lose, but at the same time, she needed him inside her.
Pulling his cock from her mouth, she continued to pump his shaft. “How do I ride you without getting sand all over my wet body? I don’t know about you, but sand anywhere near my pussy is severely uncomfortable.”
He pointed behind her with a shaky hand. “One of the two pleasure lounge chairs. That is how we mate.”
She released his cock and stood up, reluctantly allowing his tail to return to his side. “If you want to continue, go over there and lie down.”
Without hesitation, Idris shakily moved to the nearest chair and laid back, the built-in curve leaving room for his tail to snake off to the side.
Jaiya instinctively swung her leg over his body to straddle him, reaching down to guide his cock with both hands. Slowly, she started to stroke him again, to feel his reaction beneath her. Jaiya could feel the heat radiating off him, warming her body as his cock burned in her hands.
She began riding him, grinding up and down on his shaft. Idris reached up and traced his golden mark between her breasts, a mini orgasm-like sensation coursed through her, making her body shudder on top of his.
“Imagine how much better it will feel once I am inside you.”
Jaiya could only nod in response.
He grabbed her ass, lifting her high enough so she could guide the flared head of his cock to her entrance. As soon as he found her spot, she squirmed into place, and with a gentle thrust, he pushed the head of his cock in, its bulbous head rubbing against her walls just right.
She leaned forward, pushing down on his chest with her hands, the tips of her breasts rubbing against his scaled chest.
Idris lay still on his back, holding tightly onto her ass as she adjusted to the furnace inside her. Everything about him was hot; the difference in their body temperatures intensified every sensation.
Slowly, he lowered her onto his cock, watching her intently. She couldn’t keep her gaze away from his intimate eye contact.
She could feel herself relax, allowing her own weight to pull her down further. She could feel each and every bump rub against her walls as his tiered cock thickened. Once she bottomed out, Idris peered at her with half-lidded eyes, a hiss escaping his lips.
The shaft inside her started to pulse, its tiny bumps buzzing from within.
She moaned, gripping his shoulders tightly as her head fell upon his chest.
Idris worked her up and down his cock, every inch of him inside her lighting a fire. She glanced up to see his mouth was slightly open and passion burned in his eyes. He noticed her gaze and leaned his head down, placing his lips on hers.
Jaiya licked the seam of his lips, requesting entrance and dove in when he granted it. Their tongues danced as he picked up the pace, impaling her on his throbbing erection.
She didn’t last long before ecstasy hit her.
Pulling away, she sat up, using her arms to keep her in place as she rode him hard, chasing her orgasm. She screamed, her body shaking and pussy spasming in tight bursts around his cock.
Idris growled as he jerked her body down, holding her in place. The pulsing movements of his shaft vibrated frantically inside her, before stilling.
Liquid heat filled her, escaping from their juncture, burning her already warm thighs. A low rumbling noise escaped him as he shook beneath her. He released his grip on her ass, his arms falling to his sides against her legs.
She collapsed onto his chest, eyes drooping from the aftereffects of her orgasm.
Jaiya felt his tail wrap around her, tying her down to him. “Your tail isn’t clean.”
“You didn’t help me wash it,” he mumbled.
Blackness took her before she could respond.
Memories flooded his mind. The first time he had met her in battle and how she’d insulted him with a smile on her face, shocking him with her knowledge of Dzexet. The day she had set foot on the starbase for the first time, disguised as her twin brother as she offered her hand in greeting, unfamiliar with his people’s customs. Days of peace talks as they tried to iron out the treaty, unaware that their work was doomed to fail in the end. Watching her battle in the practice arena and losing control, feeling the need to prove that he was the stronger, dominant male. She’d thrown her life on the line and protected him, nearly getting herself killed in the process. He was healing her injured body with his golden scales. The betrayal he’d felt discovering that she was really a female and the regret that plagued him for ignoring her, thus forcing her to face her doom alone.
The first touch of her hand. The look in her eyes when he bent to kiss her. The feel of her body beneath him. The way she tasted when his tongue danced with hers.
The magnificent feeling of watching her claim him in more ways than one. How she took control and directed their first time together, granting him the greatest pleasure he had ever known while seeking
her own.
Stirring from a restless sleep, Idris reached for the warmth beside him and slid his arm under a thin blanket and around a slender waist, drawing her back tight against his chest. He planted a row of kisses along the graceful curve of her bare neck and shoulder as his tail snaked between her legs, lithely rubbing against her folds.
Her body shivered, and a moan filled the room. Leaning back into his embrace, she rubbed her bare, tail-less behind against him as her body came alive under his touch.
If not for their endless bouts of passion between preparations for the ceremony, he would have taken her in that instant. But his cock lay deflated, content from all of their lovemaking over the course of the past few days.
A satisfaction he never thought he would feel in his life, and yet here he was with his starmate in his arms.
Today was the pledging ceremony. Ushyaz wanted to officially swear in Jaiya and her wing, so they could join the ranks of Daextru warriors. It wouldn’t matter that they weren’t created from the same star; they had proven themselves to be one of them.
She was planning a larger celebration than necessary to boost morale while honoring the lives they had lost. The crew needed this week to recuperate and relax before they prepared for the next battle. It may be a while before Ushyaz, and her men returned to the starbase, as their next mission would take place on the command ships.
Those thoughts could wait. He wasn’t going to allow them to cast a shadow on the day’s activities.
“Jaiya.” He kissed the back of her neck, squeezing her tightly one last time. “As much as I would love to spend the day with you wrapped up in my arms, we need to get ready. I don’t want Erlyn to embarrass himself once again by walking in on us in bed.”
Laughter rolled from her body, the vibrations traveling through his. “He needs to learn to page us before entering, or he will keep seeing things he wished he didn’t.”
“It will take time,” Idris chuckled. “He has spent the last thirty-five years worrying about taking care of me. It’s only natural for him to forget that I’ve finally settled after resisting for so long.”