by Anna Zaires
If all went well, she would not see him again.
The thought was strangely upsetting, so she pushed it out of her mind. There was no going back now. For better or for worse, she had escaped, and now she needed to make sure she found civilization quickly.
Just one foot in front of the other, Emily. One foot in front of the other.
Focusing on the familiar runner’s refrain, she leapt over a fallen log… and ran smack into an impossibly hard body.
The impact knocked the breath out of her. Reeling back, she tripped over the log and would’ve fallen if strong hands hadn’t caught her at that moment. In a flash, Emily found herself stretched on the ground on her back, her arms pinned above her head, with six-feet-plus of dripping-wet, muscular male sprawled on top of her.
Zaron. He had somehow caught up with her.
He was breathing hard, and she could see a muscle pulsing in his tightly clenched jaw. His thick dark hair was plastered against his skull, his black eyes glittering like coals.
He looked savage—and utterly furious.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” His voice was a feral growl, his fingers like a steel vise around her wrists. “You can’t run from me.”
Her lungs finally started to function, and Emily greedily sucked in air, trying to gather her wits. How had Zaron gotten here so quickly from the middle of the lake? Even the best Olympic swimmers couldn’t have covered that distance in such a short time. “What… how did you…?” She couldn’t seem to get more than a few words out through the thunderous pounding of blood in her ears. She could feel every inch of his hard, half-naked body, the moisture from his skin seeping into her dress, and her flesh reacted instantly, her nipples pebbling into taut, erect buds.
“How did I what?” He lowered his head until his face was only a few inches from her own, his gaze burning into her. Water dripped from his hair onto her forehead, the droplets startlingly cold on her overheated skin. “How did I catch you?”
Emily managed to nod.
“I can always catch you.” His voice softened to a hoarse whisper, and a hotter, darker gleam appeared in his eyes. “There’s no place on this planet or beyond where I couldn’t find you, angel… if I were so inclined.”
Her heart skipped a beat, then began to gallop madly in her chest. She could feel a growing hardness against her leg, and an answering heat flooded her body even as deepening awareness of her own vulnerability made her stomach tighten. “Let go,” she whispered, straining against his hold. It was like being pinned down by a mountain, and the sense of helplessness was both frightening and maddening. “Zaron, let me go…”
He stared at her, his jaw muscle flexing, and the blazing hunger on his face sent a surge of alarmed excitement through her. She could sense him battling for control—and she knew the exact moment when he lost the battle.
With a tortured groan, he lowered his head and captured her mouth with his.
There was nothing sweet and tender about this kiss; it was a raw, carnal claiming. Zaron’s lips and tongue were everywhere, consuming her, stealing away her breath, her will to resist. His right hand effortlessly held both of her wrists above her head, and his left slid down her body, fisting in her skirt and pulling it up. Wherever his fingers brushed against her skin, her flesh was left burning, aching for his touch. Overwhelmed, Emily arched against him, uncertain if she wanted to get closer or throw him off, and felt his knee parting her naked thighs as he grabbed her bikini bottoms and ripped them off. Only the wet material of his shorts separated them now, the heavy pressure of his erection pushing against her exposed sex.
Suddenly, her hands were free. Gasping, Emily grabbed at Zaron’s shoulders, her fingers digging into his skin as he began a rocking motion with his hips, each move rubbing the hard length of his cock on her clit and sending waves of heat throughout her body. He was still kissing her with deep, drugging kisses that clouded her mind, and somewhere low within her belly, a familiar tension began to build as he pulled off her bikini top and closed his hand around her breast, firmly massaging the soft weight under the thin fabric of her dress.
Her head swimming, Emily moaned into his mouth, unable to focus on anything but the dizzying pleasure surging through her. All her fears, all her doubts evaporated, burned away in the searing heat of his embrace. Her fingers slid into his thick hair, holding him closer, and her hips began to move in an answering rhythm.
Zaron groaned again, and she dimly registered another ripping sound. He’d torn off his shorts, she realized vaguely, feeling the smooth head of his cock brushing against her inner thigh. The tension inside her intensified, her core throbbing with molten need, and she lifted her hips toward him, unconsciously begging for more.
At her move, Zaron stiffened and raised his head to stare down at her, holding himself propped up on one elbow. His breathing was harsh and fast, his lips shiny from their kisses. “Do you want this?” he whispered, his voice hoarse with lust. He nudged his hips forward, the tip of his shaft pressing into the soft notch between her legs. “Do you want this, Emily?”
His eyes bore into her, demanding an answer, and she nodded helplessly, unable to do anything else. She’d never known such aching want, a desire so intense it bordered on agony. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if he stopped now, and her usual voice of caution remained silent as he grasped her thigh with one strong hand, opening her legs wider, and began to push in.
Despite her arousal, the initial penetration wasn’t easy. He was thick and long, much bigger than any man she’d been with, and as he advanced deeper into her yielding flesh, a cry escaped her lips at the stinging, stretching pressure. Tensing, Emily gripped his arms and felt a shudder run through his body as her inner muscles tightened around his hard length in a futile attempt to repel the invasion.
At her pained cry, Zaron stopped, his large body shaking with the effort of holding himself still, and Emily saw that his black eyes were glazed with hunger. Yet when he lowered his head, brushing his lips against her cheek, the gesture held startling tenderness. “Are you all right?” he murmured, his warm breath washing over her left ear and sending shivers of pleasure down her body.
Closing her eyes, Emily wound her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his hips. The discomfort was already passing, and the earlier fever was returning. “Yes,” she whispered, arching up to take him even deeper, and shuddered in helpless delight as the movement intensified the sensations emanating from her core.
Zaron shuddered too, the last bit of his control disappearing, and began thrusting heavily, driving into her with punishing force. Gasping, Emily clung to him, feeling like a sliver tossed about in a storm. Her world narrowed, all her senses focused on him. His skin was slick with water and sweat, his muscles bunching and flexing underneath her fingertips. She could feel his thick shaft moving deep inside her, smell his warm, musky scent, and the tension within her spiraled higher, centering on the bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex. Her skin prickled with gooseflesh, her heartbeat skyrocketing… and then she was suddenly there, a gasping cry escaping her throat as her body exploded in the most powerful orgasm of her life.
He rode her through it, his thrusts hard and relentless, giving her no time to recover, and to her shock, she felt another climax approaching, her sensitized flesh requiring minimal stimulation this time. Sensing it, he picked up the pace, grinding his groin against her clit with every thrust, and Emily screamed as another violent orgasm ripped through her, leaving her shattered and breathless in its wake.
The convulsive clenching of her sex seemed to trigger Zaron’s own release, and she felt him tense, a rough sound rumbling in his chest as he stilled, grinding his pelvis harder against her. Emily could feel his cock pulsing deep inside her, his seed spurting out in warm jets, and she clutched at his sides, stunned by the intensity of the experience.
For a few moments, they lay unmoving, their bodies glued together by sweat as their breathing slowly returned to normal. Zaron
was heavy on top of her, and for the first time, Emily became aware that she was lying on the hard ground, with small rocks and twigs digging into the bare skin of her back. Shifting slightly, she tried to get more comfortable, and Zaron lifted himself on his elbows again, relieving her of the bulk of his weight. His softening sex was still lodged inside her, and the intimacy of their position made Emily’s cheeks flame as she met his gaze.
“You’re not going anywhere, angel,” he said quietly. There was something different in the way he looked at her now, something dark and possessive that hadn’t been there before. “Not until I let you go. Do you understand me?”
Emily’s mouth tightened, but she gave a short nod. Now was not the time to argue—not with him still buried deep within her flesh, not while she was reeling from the devastating pleasure. Later she would try to regroup, to figure out a way to escape, but for now she had to pacify him, to play the part of a meek captive. She couldn’t bear it if he decided to keep her locked up after today’s incident.
“Good.” Lowering his head, Zaron kissed her briefly, his lips brushing against hers, and carefully withdrew from her swollen channel. Rising to his feet, he pulled her up.
Emily had lost her bikini, but her dress had somehow managed to survive, and it now fell into place, covering her naked bottom. Zaron’s shorts, however, lay torn on the ground. He didn’t seem concerned about that, appearing as comfortable naked as he’d been clothed. She could see his balls swinging heavily between his legs, his sex glistening with their combined moisture, and her mouth went dry at the knowledge that she’d had him inside her—that she’d actually had sex with this man.
With this alien, a small inner voice corrected her, and Emily swallowed, not wanting to examine that fact too closely. Her legs felt like jello, but she took a shaky step back, wanting to put some distance between them. Zaron didn’t let her, however, his hand tightening around her arm. Before she could object, she found herself lifted up off the ground and ensconced comfortably in his arms.
“We’re going home,” he said, glancing down at her as he headed toward the woods, carrying her as effortlessly as if she weighed nothing. “I think that was enough fresh air for today.”
* * *
The return trip took less time, as Zaron maintained a brisk pace, navigating the familiar woods with ease. Emily protested being carried, saying that she could walk just fine on her own, but he refused to put her down, needing to feel her clasped securely against his chest. She hadn’t succeeded in escaping and she never would, but he was still reluctant to let go of her, a strange feeling gripping him every time he thought of her attempted run.
Despite his initial anger, Zaron understood why she’d done it. The human girl was used to her independence, to being in charge of her own life. It undoubtedly rankled her to be forced to remain his guest. He understood and even sympathized with her dilemma to some extent. However, that didn’t change his irrational, primitive conviction that Emily belonged to him, that somehow she was his.
Having sex with her had only strengthened the feeling. His body was temporarily sated, but he was already craving more of the addicting pleasure, hungering to fuck her over and over again. The fact that he had restrained himself from taking her blood didn’t help. He hadn’t wanted to get carried away out in the open, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about the liquid aphrodisiac that ran through her veins—and about what it would be like to be deep inside her when he sliced his teeth across her throat and tasted her blood for the first time.
“You’re stronger than a human, aren’t you?” Emily’s question brought him out of his thoughts, causing him to glance down at her. She had her arms around his neck, hanging on as if afraid he would drop her. “You’ve been carrying me for half a mile, and you’re not even winded,” she explained, gazing up at him.
Zaron hesitated for a moment, then decided that he could reveal that much. Humans would discover that fact about the Krinar early on. “Yes,” he confirmed, stepping over a small Lippia alba shrub. “We’re stronger than your kind. And faster—which is how I was able to catch you.”
Her throat worked as she swallowed. “How much stronger and faster?”
“Enough that none of your athletes would be a challenge,” he told her, not wanting to go into specifics. He could crush every bone in the human body with hardly any effort, but Emily didn’t need to know that. The last thing he wanted was for her to fear him. He would never physically harm her, but she might not believe him—particularly if she knew about his species’ predatory origins and predilection toward violence.
She frowned at his response, but before she could pepper him with more questions, they arrived at his dwelling.
Approaching the entryway, Zaron stepped through the opening, carrying Emily inside like a prize of war. It wasn’t until the wall securely sealed itself behind him that he finally let her go, lowering her to her feet. He knew he was probably acting like a barbarian, but he didn’t care. If she didn’t want to be his guest, then she would be his captive, with all that it implied. He had no qualms about keeping her prisoner—not after she had betrayed his trust by trying to run.
As soon as he released her, she backed away from him, her chin raised defiantly. “I’d like to take a shower,” she said, giving him an even look. However, Zaron detected a small tremor in her hands. Emily was more distressed than she appeared to be. Was she regretting what happened between them? Or was she still trying to keep him at arm’s length, to pretend that nothing had changed?
Either way, Zaron wasn’t about to allow it. She had let him into her body, and she was his now. There would be no going back for her.
“Of course,” he said. “You need a shower—and so do I.”
Without waiting for her response, he stepped toward her. Grasping her skirt, he pulled the dress off over her head in one smooth motion, leaving her standing there fully naked.
Then he picked her up again and carried her into her room, heading straight for the bathroom.
Chapter Eighteen
Cradling Emily against his chest, Zaron stepped inside the tall circular stall and gave a quick command for the water to start.
“You can put me down, you know,” she said dryly as the water began pouring over their bodies. “I can stand on my own two feet—and there’s obviously nowhere to run here.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Zaron’s mouth. He was definitely acting like a barbarian. “All right. If you wish.” Placing her carefully on the slick floor, he let the intelligent shower apply cleansing liquids to her hair and skin while he received the same treatment.
He had no idea why it was so difficult for him to keep his hands off Emily, but he could hardly bear not to touch her. It wasn’t a purely physical need, either, though his body was again beginning to stir at her nearness. No, this compulsion went deeper, he realized with an inner chill. He wanted to keep her close, to feel her next to him at all times… to hold her and possess her.
Like he had wanted Larita.
This time, the slicing pain in his chest was too sharp to ignore, and Zaron turned away from Emily, not wanting her to see the agony on his face. He couldn’t possibly want a human in the same way he’d wanted his mate. Larita had been his entire life for more than forty years, and the fact that he could even think of her in the same sentence as Emily felt like a betrayal to her memory.
And yet… he couldn’t recall when he’d last felt so alive. For the first time since Larita’s death, dark thoughts didn’t consume Zaron’s every waking moment, his rage and grief easing in Emily’s presence. He’d smiled and laughed more in the past couple of days than in all of last year, and sex with Emily had been as intense and satisfying as what he’d once experienced with his mate.
It didn’t make sense, but he couldn’t deny it any longer.
For the first time in years, Zaron felt like his old self, and Emily was the reason for that.
Turning back toward her, he watched as she leaned into the water spray,
her eyes closed and her wet hair streaming down her slender back. With her profile facing him, he noticed her small, straight nose and the pure lines of her chin and jaw. Her mouth looked soft and lush, swollen from their earlier encounter, and as his gaze drifted down her body, his cock thickened and hardened, responding to the sensual sight before him.
He didn’t know why this particular human girl had this kind of effect on him, but he wasn’t going to waste time worrying about it, he decided as heat built under his skin. He had his little captive for another sixteen days, and he intended to enjoy every single one of them.
Stepping toward Emily, he pulled her against his aroused body and captured her startled gasp with his mouth.
She tasted sweet, her breath slightly minty from the cleaning. Her lips clung to him, responding to his kiss, and her fingers clutched at the muscled flesh of his arms, her fragile nails digging into his skin. He could feel her naked breasts pushing against his chest, her nipples like hard little pebbles, and his balls tightened as fresh blood surged to his groin. Groaning, Zaron backed her against the wall of the stall, his hand slipping down her body to the soft, tempting opening between her legs.
She was already wet, ready for him, and Zaron felt his hunger intensify as she bucked against his fingers, a low moan escaping her throat. Pressing his thumb against her clit, he pushed his middle finger into her small, slippery channel, searching for the sensitive spot on her inner wall. “Yes, that’s it,” he murmured, lifting his head to gaze down at her flushed face. “Come for me, angel…” He could feel the soft, spongy area with the pad of his finger, and as he pressed on it lightly, her sheath contracted around him, squeezing his finger so tightly his dick jumped in response.