“No wonder I always feel like I’m burning up,” Eva muttered.
He drew back slightly, puzzled by her odd response as Jarlan commented, “It appears your initial test is confirmed, Kerr.”
“Then what is the problem?” He kept his tone calm while he gently stroked Eva’s cheek, not wanting to rile her before they were done.
“Let me collect the other samples and complete the testing. I should have all the results by morning.”
She cracked open one eye and looked at Jarlan who had stood up. “What other samples?”
“Blood analysis. And I’ll need sufficient bonding fluids.”
“Bonding fluids?”
“Saliva — that’s done — along with sweat, and your orgasmic fluid.”
She jerked, coming up on her elbows, both eyes flying open. “You’re not serious!”
“Very much so. I need to see if there is some kind of barrier, an adverse reaction, or a sensitivity that is impeding synthesis.”
“Like an allergy?”
“Can we get to the how, instead of the why?” Kerr inquired, his patience waning.
“Before we called upon you, we joined. You’ll find both fluids inside Eva.”
“Kerr!”
He ignored her objection, as did Jarlan as he answered, “No, they can’t be intermingled.”
“Give me the receptacles and I will collect them myself.”
Eva groaned in humiliation, both hands covering her face.
“Let me make myself perfectly clear. They must be completely isolated, which means Eva will need to be cleansed of your fluids.” He held up a liquid-filled bottle with a nozzle attachment.
“I can do that, too.”
“And,” Jarlan added. “Each fresh specimen cannot be contaminated by saliva or the lubricating fluids of the other.”
“It will need to be manually expressed,” Kerr concluded.
“Exactly.”
“Oh, my god!” Eva groaned as she yanked the sheet up and covered her head.
“Mate, it will be fine.” His reassurance had no effect.
“Here is a cup for you, Kerr. And…” Jarlan held up two items. “Considering her usual, uh, copiousness, will a swab suffice or will she require a tube?”
“How much do you need?” Kerr replied, sizing up both.
“A good size sample will be preferable.”
“Tube, definitely.”
“Kill me now!” she said with a groan from beneath the sheet.
Jarlan flashed a grin. “Are they all so timid about natural bodily functions?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to compare notes with Trask and get back to you.”
“Don’t you dare!” came her muffled response.
The physic clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it.” Then Jarlan left the room.
Kerr waited for the latch to catch. “He’s gone, Eva. Come out.”
“No. I’m too embarrassed.”
He pulled on the sheet and a tug of war ensued, which of course, he won. When her red face emerged, he brushed the tangled hair from her face. “I have no intention of comparing notes with anyone. I was teasing.”
“This entire process is mortifying.”
“There is no reason it has to be. It’s only you and me now.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I can do it. Not here, with the doctor waiting. I’m too tense.”
Moving closer, he whispered, “Focus only on me,” as he trailed his lips over her cheek.
* * *
He made it sound easy. Think of him, and forget the most awkward and excruciating doctor’s appointment of her life. But Kerr’s kisses were like a powerful drug, his lips full and warm, applying the perfect amount of pressure as they moved to her mouth, demanding a response. She opened for him and his delving tongue sent desire rippling through her, making the room and the world around it fade away.
She moaned as he glided down her jaw, briefly kissed the pulse point at the side of her throat, then moved still lower, dragging the sheet down as he went. As they always did, so tempted by the silken strands, Eva threaded her fingers into his hair. She pulled his head closer as he captured a nipple between his lips, lashing it with his tongue.
His hand was busy too, sliding flat over her belly and between her raised legs, still bent in an open position. His fingers slid over her mound and delved between her thighs, stroking skin that had become damp with the first brush of his lips.
“Kerr,” she groaned in a broken whisper as his fingers grazed her clit.
“I want you, mate.” He left one nipple and moved to the other, licking and swirling around the peak with his hot tongue. “No matter when, or where, the silk of your skin, the taste of your lips, my scent that is now part of you, all of it rouses me.”
He opened his trousers and guided her hand to his stiff shaft. Instantly, her fingers curled around him, squeezing firmly as she stroked up and down the length. At the same time, his fingers and thumb moved in concert in her channel and over her clit, spurring her rising need.
Lifting his head from her breast, he gazed down into her eyes, the gleaming, liquid green mesmerizing in its intensity and filled with a wealth of emotion.
“Let go,” he urged, whispering against her lips, his chest against hers, the unending rhythm of his thumb on her clit and his fingers gliding inside her more than enough to send her soaring. As her back arched and a shudder shook her body, he withdrew his fingers and slid the tube inside her, carefully staying focused on her clit as she came, huskily calling his name.
He smothered the sound with hungry kisses, knowing Jarlan was nearby and with her shyness, she wouldn’t want him to hear her cries. With his mouth moving gently over hers, he waited a moment and let her savor her release. Then he pulled away, with a murmured kiss, “I need to see to this. Be right back.”
He felt her eyes upon him as he quickly capped the tube and picked up the cup. When he turned back, the wariness in her eyes told him that reality had flooded back. He hopped up with her on the table, straddling her hips. Intending for her to be a part of this, as he’d been for her, he found her hand once again, and curled it around his rigid shaft. With his large hand covering hers, he guided her into the rhythm he preferred. Then, he leaned over her, reclaiming her mouth, as the two of them worked his shaft in a rapid motion tempo until he tensed over her. He groaned loudly as he rose up, his hair falling in a wild swirl around his shoulders, his face taut in concentration as his orgasm hit and he emptied himself for the first time since the breaching in something other than her body.
When he was spent, he stared down at her, sighing as his body relaxed. His eyes met hers and he smiled. “Not the most romantic of encounters between us, eh, mate?”
She looked around. “I don’t know. Add a few candles, soft music, some of your vilo, and I might not mind being manually expressed again.” Then she giggled, laughing out right when he blinked at her in surprise. Then he reached over, setting his specimen on the tray. He slipped his hands beneath her, raising her up, and catching her smiling lips in breathless kiss.
A knock sounded at the door. “If you’re done,” Jarlan said. “Those samples need immediate processing while they’re viable.”
“Oh my god, he heard you!”
“Just me?”
“Yes, you, uh, culminate very loudly.”
Not the least bit self-conscious, he chuckled at her choice of words. “It is a sign of my great satisfaction with my mate.”
With one more deep kiss, he dismounted and pulled up his pants, then assisted her with her dress. Once covered, and after they’d each quickly finger combed the others’ hair, Kerr opened the door.
“Are we done?” he demanded of Jarlan who waited patiently, lounging against the wall across the way.
“All but the bloodletting.”
“Great,” Kerr grumbled, stepping aside for the man to enter.
The healer laughed, glancing at Eva who sat red-faced and vi
sibly discomfited. “Be prepared to hold Kerr’s hand during this last part, Prima.”
“Why… is that?”
Jarlan shook his head slowly. “Our big, bad Princep has a fear of needles. Believe me, I know.”
“You’re teasing.”
“Am I?” The physic’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Is that true?” she asked Kerr.
He shrugged as he joined her on the table, wrapping a long arm around her neck and hauling her close. Her face tipped up in surprise. “Perhaps kisses will ease my fears and make me a much better patient.”
“Something I’m not about to provide,” Jarlan deadpanned as he cleaned off a spot on Kerr’s inner arm then pressed a wicked looking device that looked a lot like a gun against his skin. “If this works you’ll need to accompany him for his annual checkup and assist.”
Nudging her chin up and pressing his lips to hers, a whooshing sound echoed through the room. Barely three seconds had passed before Jarlan announced, “Done.”
“That’s it?” she asked.
“Didn’t feel a thing,” Kerr said with a grin, winking at her. “Your kisses are a miracle cure. Let me return the favor.”
He covered her mouth hungrily, his hands sliding up her neck and into her hair. She didn’t react as another whoosh sounded as Jarlan repeated the process on her.
“That didn’t hurt at all,” she said when Kerr lifted his mouth.
“Ah, yet without my kisses, can you be sure?”
Suspicious, she looked at Jarlan, who stood at the counter, busy with the tubes, swabs and vials, a wide smile on his face. “You were both teasing.”
“It’s a trick of distraction to set you at ease. We use it with children. Sometimes it’s tickling kisses, a shiny toy, or a silly song that keeps them from looking at the scary gun.”
She looked back at Kerr, her tender smile bringing an immediate softness to her features. “Thank you. Most of this made me nervous.”
“I know, but thanks aren’t necessary, sprite. I’ll always take care of you.” He asked of physic once again, “Now, are we done here?”
“Yes, Princep. I should have the results in the morning.”
“Excellent, I’ll expect to hear from you then.”
Chapter 15
Dazed, and more than slightly confused after the most unusual gynecological exam of her life, Kerr took her home to rest. But as she thought of what might be revealed by the tests, the orgasm fog wore off in a flash. Once again she became worried and anxious, and as she’d told him earlier, about to come out of her skin. A nap wasn’t going to distract her from the thoughts swirling a mile a minute through her mind.
Fortunately, when they walked in to their fourth floor residence, they found Aylan’s wife, Neela, had arrived to take her on an outing. Eva looked hesitantly at Kerr, having only met the woman briefly, once.
“It’s up to you, but before you decide, it’s important to know that Neela has a reputation for being on a first name basis with the most skilled and sought after artisans on the planet. It will be fun, sprite, and might otherwise occupy your mind.”
“First on the agenda: the bakery, then the street market, where you can find anything you could possibly want.” The lively older woman winked outrageously. “Mind you, I didn’t say need, I said want. What is your fancy, prima? Jewelry, dresses, shoes? Whatever catches your eye, rest assured the vendors will fawn over you to get to Kerr’s credits.”
“Oh… I, uh…” She shook her head, never a big shopper. As an independent woman for the last decade, she wasn’t sure how she felt about spending his money.
“It’s fine, Eva,” he assured her, with a gentle smile. “You won’t break me with a single trip to the market.”
Neela laughed. “You couldn’t break him with daily trips to the market for an entire annum. His family owns a uladite mine, dear.”
A man of constant surprises, she blinked up at him before giving Neela a nod. Anything was better than relentless introspection and doubts.
As promised, they went first to a small bakery down the street. The heavenly scent of yeast breads, cinnamon, and cookies made her mouth water when they walked in. She couldn’t help but laugh when she didn’t recognize a single thing in the glass cases. She let Neela choose and they spent a whole time cycle — which would always be an hour to her — sampling a variety of blue, pink, and yellow treats.
When she popped a white and yellow swirled confection into her mouth, the taste closely resembled the petite-fours her grandmother always set out at Christmas. The familiar flavor exploded in her mouth, her eyes rolling back while she moaned. “Chocolate. I thought I’d never taste it again.” She reached for another one. The only thing missing was something lemon. A teacake, lemon bar, or her favorite lemon meringue pie would do nicely. “Do you have citrus fruits?”
“I have no inkling what that would be, prima.”
“Call me Eva, please.” She bit her lip. “How do I explain citrus? They are succulent fruits grown on trees in warm climates back on Earth. Some are sweet and others very sour, but they’re so luscious and full of flavor that we squeeze them to make juices.”
“Wait, I think we might have something similar.”
Neela popped up to the counter and returned with what looked like an orange tart. It wasn’t quite what she expected, tasting more like apricot. “It’s good,” Eva told her with a grateful smile.
The next stop was an outdoor street market, much like they had at home, with row upon row of vendors hawking their wares. They spent hours browsing, Eva reluctant to buy, despite Kerr’s encouragement and Neela’s prompting. Leaving her companion haggling with a weaver over the cost of a bolt of sapphire blue silk, she wandered among the booths.
As she was admiring a string of luminous purple hued stones, the merchant came up and began reciting his sales spiel. She glanced up with a smile, prepared to indulge him, but her heart stutter stepped as she caught sight of Kerr exiting a building behind the colorful row of tents. He was laughing, his brilliant smile lighting his face. She raised her hand to wave, stopping short of calling to him when a woman followed him out.
The trader noticed her distraction and turned to see what had drawn her attention.
“The Princep appears very happy these days, prima. We thank you for that.”
She gave him a dubious glance, before shifting back to where Kerr spoke animatedly with the beautiful Primarian woman. In the two weeks she’d known him, he’d never laughed like that, nor smiled so wide, making Eva highly doubtful that having herself as a mate was the source of his newfound happiness. His head angled down as he said something near her ear, prompting the woman to smile up at him and lay her hand on his chest.
They looked good together with midnight hair, deep golden skin, and both of them gorgeous. The woman was the ideal height for Kerr’s tall frame, unlike Eva who was at least six inches shorter than the average Primarian female. He didn’t have to strain his neck to look down at her, or to whisper in her ear — or meet her lips with a kiss.
The image caused a pang of hurt in her chest.
“Who is that female with the Princep?” Eva tried to mask the sharpness in her tone caused by her jealousy.
“That is Zalina. Her mother was the childhood friend of Max Kerr’s late mother. The two of them were practically raised together. They are of an age and rumors say they were once hopeful of being mated. They didn’t match well though, which for our Princep is essential. So, it never came to be. The family line must continue.”
He turned back to the pretty brunette, beaming.
As she suspected all along, their idea of mating was a mercenary business, the males having to settle for a mate based on biology, and duty to their people rather than following their heart. Envious of the connection he apparently shared with the woman from his past, she still saw the unfairness of it all and wondered what it had been like before the asteroid had changed life on Primaria. If not for that, would Kerr and Zalina be mates,
matching percentages aside? Sad for them — and the twist of fate that had separated them — she felt sorry for herself too, wondering if he ever longed for what might have been.
“What happens if an incompatible pair fall in love? Are no exceptions made when the heart is involved?”
“In days gone by, concessions were often made. But we cannot risk our survival on whims of the heart, prima Eva.”
Dispirited, she watched as Kerr and Zalina strolled down the street, leisurely, as if in no hurry to be anywhere or to separate. She stiffened when Zalina grasped his arm, tossed her long gleaming hair over one shoulder, and tipped her head to the side, laughing up at him as though what he’d said was the most amusing thing she’d ever heard.
Eva wrinkled her nose as her stomach clenched. Travel the universe far and wide, and some things didn’t change; the woman was blatantly flirting. Kerr didn’t seem to mind although. He didn’t appear to encourage her, nor return her touch, but then he flashed that winning smile, and she realized he didn’t have to. That alone was enough to melt any female’s heart, just as it did hers.
“Everyone is full of excitement that you have been found, prima, despite our shock that an off-worlder would be a near perfect match with one of our own.”
“Near perfect,” Eva repeated, her throat aching. Her misery palpable, she watched the pair move down the sidewalk together, conversing, their smiles interspersed with laughter.
“Yes, word has spread that you matched more than 99.5%, which is incredibly rare.”
Everything revolved around those damned tests, flawed as they were. Then suddenly, like someone had flipped a switch in her brain, the pieces fell into place. The number Jarlan had reported during her exam that had made Kerr smile, wasn’t her temperature as she’d presumed, but a match rating — and evidently she was off the charts.
“We are hopeful of an heir by this time next year.” The merchant continued, lifting his chin toward the purple pearls she still held. “Those will look beautiful against your fair complexion, prima. May I wrap them for you?”
“No, thank you,” she said absently.
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