His other hand, which had been holding his towel, sank into the hair at her nape, clutching firmly. The pressure of their bodies pushed together was now the only thing holding the towel between them. If she moved away, it would fall, exposing him completely.
Gripping her hair hard enough for her to feel a pleasurable sting, he tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her ear, his lips ghosting over the skin of her lobe.
Voice gone ragged, he said, “I can scent your need, Alice. Let me help.”
Oh God, he can’t mean… How was she supposed to tell him no? Her nipples hardened, oversensitive in the now-damp fabric of her shirt. She clamped her arms to her sides more tightly, fingers curling into her palms in a tight fist.
Get to know him first. Get to know him first.
“I…I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Directing her head to point toward his, she saw a predatory smile darken his features.
Slowly he let his mouth drop until it hovered a breath away from hers. “But you smell good enough to eat. Let me relieve you. I won’t do anything more, I promise,” he crooned.
She gasped as his hand on her back dipped to roughly knead her ass. He took her momentary surprise as an opportunity, expertly kissing her parted lips.
This time when a moan tore from her, she wasn’t surprised. Luka’s intelligence and confidence were so fucking sexy. When he kissed her, he didn’t do so sweetly. He didn’t tease her with soft lips and quick passes of his tongue. He kissed her like a starving man, deep and rough and frenzied.
The thought that he might kiss her pussy like this made her hands shoot out to clutch at his strong, damp shoulders. He growled into her mouth, lifting her against his body with one arm. The towel between them dropped as his leg shot out, his foot swiping away the contents of the low table.
In a whirlwind, she was lifted and turned until she opened her eyes, surprised to find herself lying on the table. Luka stood over her, completely naked, gazing down at her. Her eyes widened at the sight of his large, thick cock. She’d glimpsed it many times while they’d been locked up, but she’d never let her gaze linger. Now she reveled in the sight. Licking her lips, she imagined touching him there.
“Don’t push me, Alice,” he growled low in his throat. “Or I’ll have to do more than I promised.”
***
Luka hadn’t thought he’d be lucky enough to feel Alice in his arms again so soon. In fact, he’d decided that certain precautions needed to be taken to make sure he didn’t become too aroused while they were together in the reserve. He didn’t want to push her away, after all. He needed to seduce her slowly.
He’d sat in his tub, letting the warm water wash over him, imagining she was smiling up at him, running her hands over his shaft. He’d almost thought he could even scent her when he’d started pumping his fist, trying to relieve some of the building pressure before seeing her. But then he’d heard a scream and had raced out to find her…here.
The heated look she’d given him had pushed him over the edge. The scent of her need was so strong, he could tell she burned with it. All he wanted to do was rip off those tight shorts that curved over her ass like a second skin and plunge into her, but he forced himself to go slow. Make her want him.
Looking down at her now, his self-control was shattering bit by bit. The way she stared at his naked body, licking her lips like she wanted to taste him, sent his thoughts spiraling until only instinct remained. He gripped his cock, roughly pumping his fist over it, and ground out, “Take off your shorts, Alice.”
Her small pink tongue darted out to wet her full bottom lip again, and he groaned.
“If you don’t want them ripped off, remove them,” he snarled, making her flinch.
He cursed under his breath, sure he’d scared her away, but then her hands slowly moved down to unbutton and remove the shorts. “Good girl. Now the shirt.”
His heart pounded wildly in his chest. Would she do what he said? Allow him to dominate in the way he needed? The mating instinct raging in him told him she would. She was perfect for him in every way.
After a moment’s hesitation, she arched her back, lifting the shirt over her head and exposing her perfect breasts.
Luka sank to his knees at the edge of the table, taking in the sight before him. Slipping his arms under her thighs and clutching the tops of her legs, he let his gaze roam over her.
“You’re so damn gorgeous,” he breathed, his chest feeling tight.
Now propped on her elbows, her breaths were coming in quick gasps. A flush spread over her cheeks and down her chest, almost reaching her pebbled nipples. She squeaked when he gave a sharp tug, dragging her across the table toward him. He released her legs, letting them rest on either side of his hips, and loomed over her.
Placing one hand on her shoulder to keep her from scooting away and one hand sprawled over her small waist, he set upon her dusky nipple. As soon as his tongue circled the peak of her breast, she arched into him, her fingers digging into his hair. Low moans escaped her as he licked and sucked at her delectable breasts.
The scent of her arousal sat heavy in the air, making his mouth water. If he reached lower and touched her there, he’d find her soaking.
My mate, wet for me. At the thought, his purring intensified again. She cried out, squirming down against him more fully and angling her hips toward his painfully throbbing erection.
A sharp yank on his hair made him grin. Releasing her breast, he allowed his little mate to guild him where she wanted.
Most females would’ve directed him toward their sex, demanding he pleasure them. Instead, Alice tugged his face up to her own, pulling him down for a kiss. He groaned into her mouth, settling his body on hers, his cock trapped tightly against her grinding sex.
Kissing had quickly become one of his favorite things. The connection he felt when their mouths were locked like this was…indescribable. Could she taste her own flesh on his tongue?
Little stifled moans escaped her, smothered by his greedy mouth. The motion of her hips picked up speed, her fingers digging into his shoulders more firmly with each passing moment.
Eyes widening, he drew away. “It’s my job and my privilege to make you come. What do you think you’re doing?”
Her eyes were heavy, drugged with lust. A groan of protest and frustration burst from her before she clawed at him, trying to drag him back toward her. His chest expanded. Was there a sight more lovely than his mate, maddened by lust, reaching for him?
Grabbing one of her wrists in each hand, he forced her arms to her sides, then sat back on his haunches.
In a throaty voice, she said, “Please come back, Luka. I’m so close.”
Her sultry plea was just desperate enough to move him to do what she asked, but then he recalled the tenuous position he was in with her. He needed to show her he could rule her body. “You’ll come when I say so, love.”
He’d muttered the pet name quite by accident earlier, but the widening of her eyes, and the hint of a smile on her lips, made him think she’d liked it.
She let out a groan and raised her head to watch him. Holding her gaze, he lowered his mouth to her black underwear until he hovered just over the sensitive spot he’d researched. As though the primal part of him knew she loved the vibration from his purring, it rumbled through his chest once again.
At the sound, she let out a small whimper and held her breath. His open mouth landed, wet and hot, on top of the fabric covering her sex. She moaned, head falling back onto the table and hips jerking toward his tongue.
His cock twitched angrily; the blood pumping through it felt like boiling water. Every moment he spent not tending to his own needs was agonizing, but the way she writhed and mewled before him made it all worth it.
Releasing her restrained wrists, he quickly tore apart the area of underwear guarding her entrance and rolled the remnants up her hips and out of the way.
It seemed the time he’d spent admiring her stunning cunt had been too long, because she reached down and began quickly circling a small nub at the apex of her sex herself. A clitoris, clit for short, he recalled. She must be hurting if she’s willing to do this herself.
Knowing she wouldn’t take kindly to his teasing much longer, he threw her legs over his shoulders, snatched both her wrists, and pinned them on her stomach in one of his large palms. Her cry of protest transformed into a moan of ecstasy when he clamped his mouth over her sensitive bud.
Luka’s mind swam with pleasure, almost as if he were drunk. His female lay below him, moaning his name. The sweet taste of her arousal coated his tongue, his face rubbing against the soft skin at her thigh. A thrill ran through him, knowing he was about to hear her come for the first time. The stiffening and quivering of her body told him as much.
With a grunt, hating his own weakness, his free hand flew to his shaft, pumping in time with her rolling hips.
Her breaths hitched, and her body shuddered, making her breasts jiggle. So close now. He released her wrists, plunged a finger into her sex, and growled, “Come, female.”
Pumping his fist over himself harder, his own orgasm erupted out of him. He snarled and grinned while still licking and sucking her as he felt her tight core convulse around his finger. Her hands clutched the edge of the table, and her back bowed as she cried out, “Luka!”
Continuing to leisurely stroke her with his finger, he waited until her cries faded into soft pants. Then, unable to keep from touching her, but knowing her enticing core was too sensitive, he ran his palms up and down the soft skin of her thighs.
She looked to the ceiling, her hands reaching up to cover her face. Is she upset?
He felt her attempt to tug her legs away, so he gripped them tighter, frowning. This was supposed to make her like him more, not less. Why did she want away from him?
She sat up, supporting herself on her elbows, and studied him, brows drawn. The dark pink flush of her cheeks wasn’t just from exertion. Embarrassment?
Glancing down her body, she toyed with the elastic remnants of her underwear now circling her waist. In a shaky voice, she said, “Can I get dressed, please?”
He ground his teeth. Maybe if he stared at her hard enough, he could glimpse the inner workings of her mind. What had he done wrong?
Had he misread her attraction? Impossible. Experimentally, he leaned forward and gently kissed and bit her inner thigh. She jerked, and he scented her arousal spike again.
No, she was definitely still attracted to him.
She sat up more fully, shielding her sex from view with her hand. All of his Traxian instincts screamed to life, and a low growl erupted from his chest in time with a stab of pain.
My mate is hiding herself from me? He battled the urge to flip her, bend her over the table, and sink into her, proving she could keep nothing from him. But something in her eyes held him back.
Releasing her, he stood, then pulled her up against him. Skin to skin, she struggled weakly. “Luka…I—”
He silenced her by placing a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. After a moment, her body relaxed, sighing into his. The last thing he wanted to do was let her go. His heart clenched painfully in his chest. He knew if he wanted to distract her, he could. If he slipped his hand to her sex right now, she’d become aroused. Lose herself again. But she didn’t want him to, and that knowledge was like a knife to the heart.
When he ended the kiss, he saw the dazed expression slowly fade from her face. He gestured to the room he’d burst through. “The bathing room is through there.” Now pointing to the doors on the other end of his home, he said, “My room is there. I’m going to go get dressed as well.”
“Thank you.” Clearing her throat, she moved away from him. His body tensed at the loss.
After she’d hastily gathered her clothing, she retreated to the bathroom, leaving him naked and alone, burning with the need to chase after her.
Chapter 16
Alice silently berated herself. Don’t I have any self-control at all?
She clutched the gleaming black countertop in the bathroom, and glared at her reflection in the mirror. So embarrassing!
Alice felt as though she’d temporarily lost her mind out there. She’d acted like a nymphomaniac, unable to resist a sexy man. How could she face him again now that he knew the effect he had on her?
Cursing under her breath, she gathered her clothing, laughing humorlessly at the destroyed underwear circling her waist before tugging the ruined fabric off. Shoving her shorts and top on, she crossed her arms and leaned against the counter.
It wasn’t right that he could smell whenever she was turned on. A downright dirty, unfair advantage was what it was.
She slumped. Alice didn’t want to fall into bed with Luka too fast. Sex always made her feel more deeply and more quickly than she should. In the past, she’d made the mistake of sleeping with men too early and growing too attached before she’d really known who they were.
For both of their sakes, she couldn’t let that happen with Luka. A mate wasn’t a girlfriend or boyfriend who could be broken up with. Once she consented to be with him, she knew he’d never let go. She needed to be sure about him, about them together, before signing on for forever.
Luka had been showing a thoughtful side of himself, but she didn’t know if that side of him was just an act to lure her or if that was who he truly was. Did he only want her because the mating bond told him so? Because he wanted to have sex with her? Alice didn’t think so, but her instincts had been woefully wrong many times before. It’d break her in two if she found herself in love with a man she could never leave, only to learn he was drawn to her body and nothing more.
Get to know him. Figure out if you like him!
Already replaying their sexual interlude in her mind and wishing she could do it again, she stomped her foot. Pointing at her reflection, she said, “You will lay down ground rules. You will be firm. You will be strong. You will be in charge of your future.”
Nodding, she stormed through the bathroom doors, ready to lay down the law and…he wasn’t there. Alice threw her head back and let out an exasperated huff.
“It’s fine. I’ll just talk to him when he comes back,” she whispered.
Muttering to herself and encouraging her nerve to stay in place, she once again explored the room.
The long, curving wall held hundreds of tacked-on papers and pictures. Alice squinted at the text on the papers, wishing she’d paid more attention in class today. Tremantian writing was beautiful. Unlike many western languages on Earth, this writing didn’t read left to right or right to left but rather up to down. The letters curved delicately and attached to the letter below, producing a flowing script. It reminded her of an East Asian written language she’d seen once.
As she continued to study the papers, however, she found that not all of the writing looked the same. Some contained the Tremantian symbols she was learning, but others were vastly different. She raised her brows. How many languages can Luka read?
Not wanting to feel impressed by any more of his talents at the moment, she began studying the pictures. The romantic in her gave an unwelcome swoon as soon as she realized what she was looking at. Mated couples.
Hundreds of pictures of mated couples of all kinds were scattered around the pages of text dotting the wall. She frowned and walked along the room, surveying the happy, glowing faces of past Clecanians.
One picture made her steps falter. A tall, blonde beauty stood regally in a red Grecian-style dress. A large man stood next to her, dressed in what Alice assumed was Clecanian formal wear. Blue mating marks were visible on their intertwined hands. They were a gorgeous couple, but what made Alice pause was the look on the man’s face. While the woman beamed toward the camera, the man gazed down at his mate. The love and pure joy in his eyes made Ali
ce somehow feel both full with empathetic joy and hollow.
She stiffened when she heard the soft sound of a door closing. The warmth that spread over her back told her Luka was behind her well before he spoke.
“Do you like this picture?” he rumbled, sending chills through her.
Did she like it? It made her heart ache. “Why do you have all of these pictures?” she asked instead. “Come to think of it, why do you have so many pieces of paper? Isn’t this a technologically advanced planet?” She gestured to the room at large. “Shouldn’t all these books and pictures be digital?”
“They’ve been loaded to many databases, but I’ve always found physical pages to be easier to organize in my mind. I enjoy the feel and smell, as well.” He moved to stand next to her, hands clasped behind his back, nodding toward the image of the happy couple. “They’re all pictures of Clecanian mates from the past. Whenever I find an account of a mating, I gather their story along with their picture and put it on this wall.”
She glanced at his handsome profile. “For research?”
“My field is modern reproduction, not mating,” he said after a moment.
“Then why do you have these everywhere?”
His jaw clenched and his brows drew together as though he was wondering why himself. After a long pause, he turned to her, peering down into her eyes. “I suppose,” he began slowly, “I like to have a reminder of what could be. I liked to imagine a world in which coupled Clecanians could go back to being happy together. Their stories push me to work harder.”
Crap. He is a goddamned closet romantic! She could barely handle her sexual attraction to Luka as it was, but now he revealed that he had a romantic side? She could practically feel her ovaries yelling at her to say, “We can be happy together!”
“So, what’s their story?” she grumbled, forcing her gaze away from Luka’s intense stare and pointing to the picture of the handsome couple. She could feel Luka looking down at her for a moment longer. Their stance felt like the unhappy mirror of the man and woman in the photo.
Freeing Luka: The Clecanian Series Book 2 Page 18