She struggled to remain calm. “You’re telling me that I have to choose a mate right now or you will choose one for me?”
One of the two females on the panel spoke, “Yes. It is evident that the suitors are growing desperate in the selection process. If Enforcer Cohn hadn’t reached you in time, you would’ve been compromised.”
Despite her nervousness, Daliya chuckled bitterly. “Compromised? Is that what you call rape on this planet?”
Cohn laid his big hand on her shoulder. The heavy weight reassured and reminded her that she wasn’t in this alone. She had him.
“That was a very unfortunate situation but it taught us a lesson. We have to keep the humans protected. Each human will be assigned a personal guard. Even though the others are mated, we can’t be certain another desperate male won’t try to steal any of you away for their own nefarious purposes.”
“I need more time to make a selection,” she begged. “One month to make a decision was not enough to begin with for a decision I have to live with for the rest of my life.”
Another female spoke, “We understand your concerns but please remember that you boarded the transport without knowing who your mate would be. In this case, we are giving you the opportunity to at least meet your new mate first.”
“Thank you for being so gracious,” she said sarcastically. With Ahmil she’d had holovids to avoid the unknown. Now she felt like she was swinging in the wind, wondering who her new mate would be.
“We are within our rights to assign you another mate per the contract you signed. We have allowed you the opportunity to choose your own. Unfortunately, this incident proves we can’t afford to give you more time. Your safety is of utmost importance to us.”
“I have Cohn. He wasn’t with me when I was kidnapped, but I don’t plan on being on my own again until I find a mate.”
“We also have to take into consideration that Enforcer Cohn has asked to be reassigned. He has been made to stay on until you find a mate, but to be mindful of his wishes and in light of your abduction, we have decided that the decision needs to be made today.”
Her heart sank and Daliya fell back in her seat. What did they mean? “That can’t be right. Cohn wouldn’t…”
Would he? She glanced up at him. Face tight and eyes remorseful, his expression said it all.
Embarrassed, she turned to face the panel again. Daliya straightened in her chair, put back her shoulders and lifted her chin. Apparently, she’d mistook his reaction the other day. He didn’t want to be around her anymore. Awkward since he’d moved her into his parents’ house.
“I’ll make my decision by tomorrow.” When one of the officials opened their mouth, she silenced him with a handheld up. “This is a big decision and I’m already being rushed into it. Give me time to think about who I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
The female official dipped her head. “We will allow it.”
Devastated and not wanting to be in their presence any longer, Daliya stood and walked out of the meeting with her head held high. A silent Cohn trailed behind at her heels.
Bastard.
Chapter Thirteen
Daliya pulled up twenty of the mate prospects and displayed their images and stats on the holographic projecting above her comlink.
“What about him?” she asked, pointing to the third male on the top row.
Orila stood next to her and scrutinized the informational file. “He comes from a good family. His parents are very respectful. His mother is a member of the female social club I belong to. You should move him to the maybe pile.”
As Daliya swiped a hand through the air, moving the picture file to the maybe pile, Cohn grumbled.
“That’s so unbecoming of a male of your station,” Orila said to her son without bothering to glance at him from where he sat on the couch.
Daliya didn’t say anything to Cohn. She hadn’t spoken to him since finding out he didn’t want to be around her any longer. He’d tried to engage her, but she’d shut him down with silence. Once she picked a mate she would be out of Cohn’s hair. She wouldn’t completely disappear from his life because she adored his parents and planned to keep them.
Cohn could suck it if he thought she would stop seeing the nicest people she’d ever met.
“He is a politician. It wouldn’t be a good fit,” Cohn mumbled.
Finally, his mom turned to glare at him. “Cohn, you’ve done nothing but complain about each choice so far. If you aren’t going to be helpful, leave us alone. We have a very important decision to make.”
“How can I not complain? You’re choosing mates according to if his mother plays dice fare or not!”
“That was one male! One!” His mom lifted her nose in the air. “And I stand by that decision.”
“Choosing a mate should be given more thought than that,” Cohn said.
“I would’ve had more time to choose,” Daliya said through gritted teeth. “But you want to end your assignment early.”
“Daliya—”
Daliya raised a hand, stopping Cohn from saying anything further. She still couldn’t bring herself to look at him. It hurt too much knowing he didn’t want to be around her. She’d thought they had a connection, a comradery. She liked being around Cohn. Even when he was acting moody, it felt right. Like she belonged.
“Mother.” Cohn stood. “Will you please give Daliya and me some privacy?”
His mother yawned and stretched. “I have to get myself to bed, anyway. Daliya, are you alright for me to leave?”
Daliya loved the older female already. Orila was the mother-in-law she didn’t know she needed. Although an entirely different species, Orila had proven she had Daliya’s best interest at heart. She could’ve left, deferring to her son even though she knew Daliya was upset with him, but she didn’t and Daliya appreciated that.
Daliya smiled warmly at Orila. “Yes, I’m fine. Go to bed. Thank you for staying up past your bedtime to help me get this sorted out.”
Orila hugged Daliya tightly. “We’ll finish bright and early in the morning over breakfast.”
“What are you making? Maybe I’ll come by,” Cohn said.
Orila released Daliya and turned her nose up at Cohn.
“Really, mother?” Cohn asked, folding his massive arms over an equally massive chest.
“Good night, Cohn. If you don’t upset Daliya anymore then I’ll consider inviting you over.”
“Inviting?” Cohn exclaimed. “This is my house.”
“You haven’t lived here in ages. You only come over to eat,” she told him.
Daliya eyed Cohn up and down. “I can see that.”
Orila chuckled and gave Daliya one last hug. Daliya let herself enjoy the moment of being hugged by a large hairy alien. No matter the size, hair or strength, a mother’s love was a mother’s love.
As soon as Orila left, Daliya turned to Cohn. “What’s so important you couldn’t say in front of your mother?”
Cohn crossed the distance between them and cradled the back of Daliya’s head and brought his head down to hers. “This is why I asked to be reassigned.”
Then he kissed her, deep and hard. Not able to hold himself back.
All the passion he’d kept inside, came spilling out. Daliya returned his demands. Her hands fisted through his hair and he clutched onto hers, gathering the mass his palms and running his hands through each beautiful strand.
She moaned into his mouth and Cohn couldn’t take it any longer. He lifted her easily and held her close. Daliya’s legs wrapped around his waist as he walked her to the guest room in the back of his parent’s kitchen.
Fire ignited throughout her body. Daliya pressed onto his body, wanting to feel every inch of him. With one strong hand, Cohn palmed her ass. Without hesitation, she grinded against his bulging cock.
His fingers sifted through her hair and across her scalp. There was something delicious about feeling his claws on her scalp.
Cohn pulled her bottom lip int
o his mouth and gently sucked. Her chest burned from each breath she strained to take. She pulled her head back and Cohn’s lips explored lower where he planted kiss after kiss along her jaw line and down to her neck.
She couldn’t take it any longer. She wanted his mouth on her breasts. She held onto the back of his head, guiding him down further. He obliged by lifting up her shirt to kiss around and under her breasts and finally claiming her nipples as his own. She inhaled sharply as his tongue swirled around her hardening nipple. When the points of his teeth grazed along her nipple, she called out to him. “Cohn!”
Cohn thought he’d lost all control when he kissed her instead of leaving his parents’ house. When she cried out his name, he knew he was doomed. He lowered her long enough to pull down his pants, freeing his cock. And while she stood dazed, eyes on his girth, he undressed her. With their clothes out of the way, Cohn picked her up again and backed her against the wall, pushing the door closed as he did. With her pinned on the wall, Cohn positioned his arms under her knees and spread her legs wide.
Cohn should’ve used his fingers to get her wet and stretch her pussy enough to receive him, but all sense left him when she raked her nails up his chest and around his shoulders.
“Take me,” she whispered.
He positioned his cock against her pussy. It was slick with need. Cohn eased inside of her. Warmth surrounded him as her inner walls clutched him. Her nails dug into his shoulders and a cry escaped her lips.
His fingers bit into her legs as he strained to pull back. She was too small to accommodate his girth. With only his tip inside of her, she reacted as if she were hurt.
“I’m sorry,” he strained to talk. “I shouldn’t have penetrated you.”
Since he hadn’t been on the list to receive a mate, he hadn’t read the files on humans. He had read one thing though. While small, they could stretch to fit a Yatur male, but humans required something called lubricant and he hadn’t used any. Now he’d hurt her.
By sheer will he was able to pull back, but Daliya sunk onto him. “Don’t you dare pull out.”
Tightness gripped him. A sensation he’d never felt before washed over him. His knees weakened. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes rolled up. A primal roar erupted from his chest.
Daliya lifted only to sink down on him again, this time taking more than the first time.
“Great Ancients,” Cohn breathed out. He wanted to claim her right then and there, to sink his fangs in her shoulder. His animalistic instincts told him to do so but in the end his brain fought against it.
Daliya was his for right now. Not forever.
Daliya pumped up and down on him, not taking him completely, but more than he’d expected. Her pussy glided over him effortlessly. Her wetness coated and dripped down his cock.
He did something he’d never let a female do before. He let her take the lead. She set the pace, moving on him slow at first then faster. He wanted to slam into her, to bury himself deep into her pussy, make her cry out again, but held back, sensing this was what she needed more. Control.
His muscles strained not from weakness, but from pleasure. He’d never felt anything like it before. He opened and closed his mouth, the words of how good she felt on him were stuck in his throat but wouldn’t come out. Daliya slipped two fingers into his mouth and he bit down on them.
Instinctively, Daliya wanted to pull her hand back when pain erupted on her fingertips from his sharp teeth. When he began to gently suck on them, she left them where they were.
A tingling sensation started at the base of her neck, ran down her spine and when it reached her hips she grinded on him harder. Good lord was he big. Cohn stretched her; pain radiated through her pussy. But even with the pain, the pleasure made it just right, good. It made her feel alive.
Daliya rocked against him, not worrying if he could continue to hold her. Cohn was strong, he would never let her fall. She took him deeper. Even when she couldn’t take anymore, she tried. She scratched along his shoulders and chest. Her cries filled her ears.
She could feel his cock swelling more. Her eyes watered as he grew within her, pressing on her most sensitive spot. She snapped her eyes closed and arched her back as a force so great coursed from her spine and fired in all directions. Her body shook as she exploded.
With one forceful penetration, Cohn slammed into her and yelled out her name, filling her completely. While his body shook uncontrollably, she held tightly onto his neck as he fell to the floor. He wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from injury.
Entwined, they both lay in silence.
Chapter Fourteen
Daliya stared out the window, watching the landscape whiz by her, silently wishing Cohn would slow the hovercar so she could get a good view of the landscape but ultimately avoid the inevitable: Meeting with the officials and providing them the name of her new mate.
Orila and Daliya had gotten up early and gone through the list of available suitors again. She’d finally settled on a possible three but still couldn’t decide. As the hovercar drove at a breakneck speed through the city, she still didn’t know who she was going to pick.
She focused on Cohn’s reflection in the window. As per usual, he face was screwed into a scowl. Along with his sour persona, there was also a hint of sadness in his demeanor. Head down, he worked feverishly on his tablet. When she thought back on it, she realized he hadn’t said anything to her when he’d arrived at his parents’ house after lunch besides, “Are you ready? We’re leaving.”
While she and his mother went through the list of suitors, Daliya had been battling her own internal fight. There was also the issue of the best sex she’d ever had. The emotional connection she’d established with Cohn made this entire process miserable. She didn’t want another mate.
She wasn’t ready to give up Cohn. He was hers.
As if he could feel the weight of her stare, he glanced up. He still refused to look her way, instead, choosing to look through the front view window.
She held her breath waiting. She didn’t know what she wanted from him. She didn’t expect him to profess his love like in a movie and tell her she couldn’t be with anyone else. But she wanted something.
Then he let out a deep sigh and lowered his head again, concentrating on his tablet.
“Are we going to talk about last night?” she whispered.
He still refused to look at her. “No need to.”
Daliya leaned against the door frame and watched the scenery blur by as her heart slowly cracked in half.
He’d spoken too harshly. Cohn knew it the moment the words crossed his lips. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to apologize or say something to smooth it over. Anger flooded his pores.
He was angry Daliya had been rushed into choosing a mate. He was angry she’d faced one obstacle after another. He was angry his parents loved her and she wasn’t going to be in their lives after this. And more than anything, he was angry for having been given this assignment getting to know this strong and beautiful woman who held his heart in her hands.
He was in love with her. There was no denying the emotion any longer.
This would be the last time they would be in a hovercar together. Possibly the last time they spoke and Ancients forbid, because he didn’t want to think about the possibility, the last time he saw her face.
So yes, he was angry.
His mate sat next to him and he couldn’t claim her because of arbitrary rules. His body vibrated with tension and the need to mark her with his teeth. His soul called out to hers. No. It screamed. He doubted he would ever find a moment’s peace.
The hovercar, linked to a navigation system, was guided inside the Bride Program Building. The doors lifted and Daliya didn’t waste any time getting out.
He knew he should also exit the vehicle but couldn’t bring himself to move. Each step brought him closer to losing Daliya forever.
So, he sat there, staring at his tablet, desperately trying to rein in his emotions
.
Daliya stepped down the stairs and stood waiting for him. When she saw he hadn’t moved, she poked her head inside the vehicle. “Are you walking me in or do I find my own way?”
There was a hint of annoyance to her voice. Cohn grunted because there was no use avoiding the inevitable. He initiated the shutdown of his tablet. Although he wanted to grab her, throw her back in the hovercar and race away.
Daliya rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll just find where I’m supposed to go.”
Cohn stored his tablet and exited the hovercar. When he was out and standing on the walkway, Daliya was walking in the wrong direction.
“This way.” He motioned to her the way he was going.
With a huff, she turned and walked past him. “You’re obviously doing something important. Just point me in the right direction. I’ll find where I need to go myself.”
“I wasn’t doing anything important,” he said, falling into step with her.
She whipped her head around to glare at him. “Really? Because it looked like you were doing something real important since you wouldn’t talk or look at me the entire way here.”
“I was trying to clear my mind.” He turned right down a hall and she followed.
“Of me?” she asked in a softer tone.
“Yes.”
They walked in silence for a few beats.
“How do you feel about me?” she finally asked.
“Daliya. What’s the point in asking me that? You already know how I feel about you and saying it out loud and here, won’t do anything but cause more hurt. Nothing can be done about it and I can’t act on it.”
Daliya stopped in her tracks. It took Cohn a few steps to realize she wasn’t with him.
“Cohn. Tell me how you feel about me.”
Cohn didn’t want to turn around to look at her. It hurt too bad. It was taking everything in him to present her to the officials so she could pick a mate. A mate who wasn’t him. His head dropped. “Why?”
Cohn: The Teague Bride Experiment: Intergalactic Dating Agency Page 10