Heated Mating

by Savannah Stuart, Katie Reus

  * * *

  Bleary eyed, Saroya opened the back door of her home. She’d fallen asleep in her studio again. When Linc was traveling she tended to stay out there more often but when he was home she slept here. Some part of her just felt safer when he was around.

  Their house was eerily quiet as she stepped into the kitchen. Surprised Linc hadn’t woken her, she started to head for his bedroom when the familiar beep of the transport platform sounded.

  He was just getting home now? Right before dawn?

  Before she’d taken more than a couple steps across the stone floor Linc appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

  He let out a long breath that sounded a lot like relief. “Saroya.”

  “Are you just getting home?” She knew for a fact that the Samio didn’t keep senior instructors overnight. And he looked all disheveled and rumpled. She took a step closer as the scent of perfume filled in the air. Lots of it.

  “Yes, I—”

  She snatched up the nearest thing she could get her hands on, a ceramic mug, and threw it at his head.

  “Hey!” Ducking out of the way, he hurried into the kitchen moving toward her fast.

  The mug crashed somewhere in the distance, but she didn’t care. She grabbed something else, a glass this time. Hauling her arm back, she never got the chance to throw it before Linc grabbed her wrist, pulling her flush against his body. His grip didn’t hurt, but he was immovable.

  She yanked her arm back and he immediately let her go. “Saroya, what the devil are you doing?”

  She set the glass back on the counter and tried to move away from him, but he had her caged in against the counter. “You’ve been out all night and smell like an off-world brothel.”

  “I’ve been out all night looking for you! I came home and couldn’t find you. I finally thought to call Leilani and she said something about you sleeping in your studio. I hadn’t even thought to check there.” His breathing was ragged, his pupils slightly dilated as he watched her.

  She shook her head, not sure she believed him. “I didn’t go out to my studio until late.”

  “We had an induction ceremony and it ran late.” He said it so matter-of-fact, and for a brief moment she doubted herself.

  But she knew she wasn’t overreacting. He’d been keeping himself distant from her even though they’d already crossed an invisible boundary. “Okay, say I believe you. You came home and couldn’t find me so you went looking for me. I was here all day and fully available. You couldn’t have contacted me so I wouldn’t worry anytime yesterday?”

  “I’m not used to this whole being mated thing,” he finally muttered.

  She narrowed her gaze at him. Linc wasn’t stupid and from what she knew of him, he wasn’t insensitive. “Don’t hand me that. What is going on with you? It’s like you’re purposefully keeping me at arm’s length.”

  He scrubbed a hand over his buzz cut. Finally he met her gaze with his searing dark eyes. “When I came home last I thought you’d left. I couldn’t find you anywhere. I thought you’d…left me,” he repeated in a ragged voice.

  Oh, damn. She wanted to reach out and comfort him but held back because she wasn’t sure where he was going with his line of thought. “Why did you think that?”

  He shrugged, the action jerky. “I don’t know. I keep thinking that if I let you into my life you’ll be taken from me. Or you’ll leave. I’m not like my brother and—”

  “I didn’t love Gage,” she blurted before she could stop herself.

  Linc stared at her in surprise. “What?”

  Her face heated at the admission, feeling as if she’d shamed Gage’s memory, but it was true. “When they rescued us, we didn’t understand your culture at first. I thought we’d be forced into mating with any two males so I…aligned myself with Gage because he was non-threatening. I knew he’d never hurt me. Only too late I realized we had a choice but by then I’d already agreed to mate with him…and you.” She hated admitting that out loud, especially to Linc, but she knew she needed to. “He assured me you would treat me with respect but I was still scared until I met you.”

  “What about after you met me?” His expression was almost unreadable.

  “I was excited but you never touched me.” He’d told her that he didn’t share but he’d never expanded or explained.

  In that moment, Linc’s face softened. “I was afraid if I did I’d do something I’d regret. I’ve never felt territorial until I met you and seeing you two together was difficult. It’s why I stayed away from the house, even after Gage died.”

  His words put a lump in her throat but she worked past it. “I’m not going anywhere, but you have to let me into your life and treat me like a mate, not a roommate.” Her voice was low but full of authority.

  A shudder snaked through him at her words. When he’d come home tonight and found the house empty, he’d felt his entire world shift. Being able to touch and kiss her the way he’d fantasized about the past few days felt surreal. He’d half convinced himself it was all a dream. It shouldn’t please him to learn she hadn’t loved Gage but it did on his most primal level. “I don’t want you as my roommate, Saroya. I just want you to be mine.” He swallowed hard. “And only mine.”

  Her blue eyes darkened and he knew he’d said the right thing. When she smiled softly, he knew things would be okay between them. It would take time for him to get used to the idea that she wasn’t going anywhere, but he’d work past his own bullshit if it meant keeping her in his bed and his life.

  They watched each other for a long moment until she finally broke the silence. “I think you need to shower off the scent of all those perfumes. It’s making me a little crazy.”

  He liked that she was feeling territorial of him. His throat thick with emotion, he nodded and stripped off his tunic. He didn’t mind showering as long as she came with him. For how he felt now, he didn’t want her out of his sight.

  The smile disappeared from her face as she bent down and lifted her shift over her head. She wore nothing underneath. The sight of her pink nipples and soft thatch of dark hair between her legs had his entire body tensing. Before he could completely enjoy the soft lines and curves of her body she turned on her heel and headed toward his room.

  Watching the way her bare ass swayed made his cock swell to the point of pain. Trailing after her, he followed as she continued toward his bathroom.

  The large room was all stone and tile and mirrors. It was cold but with her there, the room was on fire. He felt as if he’d combust any second just staring at her.

  She turned the water on with voice command then stepped into the stone enclave. Unlike in her washroom there was no door to pull back. Just a wall of stone and glass blocking off the tiled shower area.

  Saroya stepped under the streaming jets and let the water cascade over her lithe body. With her bright gaze on him, she lathered shower gel in her hands and began rubbing it over her arms then chest. He was frozen to the spot as he watched her slow, seductive movements.

  Watching her hands moving over her soft breasts and taut, pink nipples made his entire body tense. He wanted to jump her so bad he ached, but held back. Days before when he’d walked in on her touching herself it had been the most erotic thing he’d experienced. Seeing her now felt somehow forbidden even though she was completely aware of his presence.

  As she cupped one of her breasts and began slowly teasing her nipple with her thumb his hard length jutted forward. Like a guided missile, it wanted inside her tight sheath.

  Quickly he shucked his trousers and let them fall soundlessly to the floor. With even, purposeful movements he stalked toward her.

  It was almost imperceptible but Saroya shuddered as he came at her. He loved that he drew that reaction from her. The heat and need he saw in her eyes was so raw and real it floored him. She’d always been so quiet around him before. Not now. Now she let him know exactly what was on her mind. The knowledge relieved him because on her most primal level, she trusted him.r />
  When he neared her, splashes of the hot water ricocheted off her, spraying him, but he was barely aware of the sensation. All he could focus on was Saroya.

  She reached for him but he grabbed her wrists and held them above her head as he backed her up against the wall. As her back made contact with the tile she instantly arched it. The motion pushed her breasts out and he couldn’t resist bending and taking one in his mouth.

  As he ran his tongue over her slick, wet skin she groaned. The sound reverberated around the small enclosure, driving him crazy. Moving against her, his hardness rubbed over her lower abdomen. He wanted to thrust into her but first he wanted to tease her. Enjoy their time together.

  She lifted one of her legs and wrapped it around him. The action opened her thighs wider. When her folds rubbed against his hard length he moaned against her nipple.

  He let her arms go and Saroya dug her fingers into his shoulders, gripping him hard. “Fuck me, Linc.”

  Coming from her, the abrupt words made his head snap back. The fire in her eyes was enough to set him off. Without responding he plunged deep into her.

  When he did, her mouth parted and almost instantaneously she pushed up and wrapped her other leg around his waist. The action let him sink deeper inside her.

  Her inner walls molded around him with a frightening familiarity. Getting used to her, to this, could kill him. But he didn’t care. He had to take the chance on them. Hell, she was already under his skin in a way no one else ever would be. The woman had gotten past all his defenses with her quiet grace.

  Water sprayed both of them but his body blocked most of it. Not that it mattered. Drops of water dotted her entire lean body and her long, dark hair was slicked back. A few wet locks fell over her chest, framing each breast. The sound of the water rushing around them added to the privacy of this moment. For how he felt, they were the only two people on the planet right now.

  She stared at him but her fingers tightened on his shoulders. She’d been wet but still tight. Probably not completely ready for him. Her chest moved up and down as she breathed erratically. Somehow he kept himself still inside her when all he wanted to do was slam into her again and again.

  Holding her hips, he kept her firmly against the wall as he bent to take her other nipple between his teeth.

  As he flicked his tongue over it, her head fell forward and she pulled his earlobe between her teeth. “You don’t have to be so gentle, Linc.”

  Taking him by surprise, she nipped his neck and scraped her teeth over him. His hips jerked in reaction and in response her inner walls tightened around him. If she kept this up he wouldn’t last long.

  Saroya didn’t want gentle right now. She wanted Linc to lose control. Around her, the man always seemed to have a tight control on himself until they got naked. And she loved that she could make him let go.

  He was holding her up with his strength and weight and she wanted to take advantage and explore his body. He’d been abrupt when he thrust inside her but it was exactly what she needed. Having him stretch and fill her got her wetter instantly.

  When she ran the pads of her thumbs over his flat brown nipples, he shuddered. The action was slight but she didn’t miss it. Using her nails this time, she flicked the tiny buds. They were already hard under her attention and this time his entire body jolted at the contact.

  Meeting his gaze, she trembled as his eyes darkened. He was going to give her what she asked for. With his big hands he held her hips tightly. She kept her legs wrapped around him and without warning, he pulled out and slammed back into her.

  The motion was abrupt and shaky, as if he were trying to control himself but failing. He didn’t make an attempt to kiss her. Just kept his gaze on her while he repeated the action.

  When he thrust inside her again she couldn’t hold back the cry that escaped. In this position he filled her completely. If he kept slamming into her she knew it wouldn’t be long until she came.

  Each time he filled her, he hit that perfect spot deep inside her, pushing her closer to climax.

  “You’re so fucking perfect, Saroya.” His voice sounded gravelly and rough. He didn’t stop his thrusts as he spoke.

  The muscles in his arms flexed as he held her up while still pushing into her.

  “So tight,” he continued.

  “Ah,” she cried out as her inner walls began tightening around him. It wouldn’t be long now.

  “I used to think about you while I used my fist,” he muttered, the words barely audible.

  As she rolled her hips against his, she cried out again. “Oh God!”

  “You’re on my mind all the damn time, woman.” How he could talk while he was wildly thrusting was beyond her. She could barely remember her own name.

  Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back against the tile as an orgasm ripped through her. The pleasure pulsed from between her legs to all her nerve endings with abandon.

  When he reached between them and tweaked her clit, she totally lost it. The intensity of her climax rose inside her until she felt as if she’d fall apart. The sensations surging through her made her body tingle until she was only aware of him.

  He was thick and hard and all hers. As she came down from her high she opened her eyes to find him staring at her. His expression was heated but still hard to read.

  As he moved them away from the wall he didn’t say a word. Instead, he sat on the built-in bench while still buried deep inside her. In that moment she understood what he wanted because she craved it too.

  Her knees pressed on the stone bench as her legs settled around his thighs but it didn’t hurt. Just the feel of his thick length took away any discomfort. Rising up on her knees, she savored the way he dragged against her inner walls.

  When she sat back on him, he hissed out a breath. In this position he was giving her all the control and power. Something that surprised her. She loved that he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her. Would give her this control.

  The warm water splashed over her now, creating a waterfall over their bodies. The added sensation was wildly erotic.

  She continued slowly moving up and down and savoring the way his body tensed with each stroke. The man was rock-hard and pulsing inside her but she enjoyed dragging this out. Teasing him.

  When she slowed her movements even more, Linc lost his patience and took over. His neck muscles corded and his arms tensed. He grabbed her hips and slammed up into her. The hard action sent delicious shivers coursing through her.

  She tried to brace her hands on the wall behind him but it was useless. The tile was too slick. As he continued thrusting in jerky, uncontrolled strokes, she could only hold on to him for support. She should have known he wouldn’t let her stay in charge for long.

  “Saroya,” he growled her name, his voice low and intense.

  That sound alone made her go weak. Everything about this warrior did. After tonight she knew there would never be anyone else for her. Even the thought was insane.

  Almost immediately he began climaxing. His grip on her tightened and his thrusts increased. With a loud shout he emptied himself inside her. After what felt like an eternity, they both stilled and Linc pressed his forehead against the middle of her chest.

  His breath was hot and when he pressed his lips against her skin softly, reverently, she shuddered. He could go from rough and hard to sweet and gentle in seconds. His hands moved from her hips and slid up her back. Gently, he shifted her and pulled her so that she was sitting across his lap.

  The way he cradled her against his hard body was dominant and protective at the same time. When he buried his head against her neck, she melted and wrapped her arms around him.

  “I started to contact you at least a dozen times earlier yesterday. Then when I got home and you weren’t here I really did call. A lot.” Linc said quietly.

  She stroked her fingers through the damp strands of his hair. “Why didn’t you call during the day?”

  “I didn’t want to seem ne
edy.”

  She smiled at the blunt, honest answer. “That’s not needy. I need to know you care.”

  He snorted softly. “I care all right. I was half in love with you that first week we met. After that, it was all downhill for me,” he murmured.

  Surprised, she stiffened slightly and his grip increased as he looked up at her. “I don’t expect you to say anything right now, but I need you to know how I feel. I fucked up trying to keep my distance from you and that’s something that’s going to change. I’ll be home so often you’ll get sick of me.”

  Saroya smiled at the last statement. “That’s not possible.” She felt as if she’d been living in a cold tomb for the past six moon cycles. Now that she and Linc had finally connected everything had changed overnight. If she was honest, she didn’t even mind the thought of arguing with him. At least then they were communicating. “You know I—”

  He covered her mouth with his hand. “Don’t feel you have to say it.”

  She licked him and when he still didn’t move, she used her teeth. When he withdrew his hand she didn’t waste time. “I’ve wanted you from the moment we met. When I found out you had my studio built for me—”

  “You knew that was me?”

  She nodded. “Yes. And quit interrupting. When I found out what you’d done, you stole a little piece of my heart. After these last few days… I love you too, Linc. We still have a lot to learn about each other but I know what I feel.”

  He grinned and the action completely transformed his face. No longer was he the hard warrior but a man who could make her melt with one smile. When she lightly shivered, Linc used voice command to turn the water off, then scooped her up as he stood. “You need food because tonight is not over. Not by a long shot.”

  Wordlessly she smiled as he began toweling her off and got distracted. When his hands moved over her breasts, his breath hitched and he paused to cup them. Teasingly, he rubbed his thumb over one of her nipples and let out a small groan. Her smile widened. Looked like food would have to wait.