“I don’t know why I’m crying.” When a tender touch wiped the wetness away, Juniper opened eyes that she hadn’t realized she had closed. “I hate crying,” she mumbled even as more tears slid out. She was not a pretty crier and the last thing she wanted to do was become a boogery mess in front of him.
“Shhhh…” Tugging her close as if he had done it a million times before, K’hor settled her halfway in his lap. Cuddling her to his chest, he patted her back. “Don’t worry. I promise you’ll be cared for and protected, Tiny.”
Sniffing against his shirt, Juniper relaxed into the comfort he offered automatically. “All I wanted was to start over,” she whispered into his leather shirt. “A fresh start isn’t too much to ask for, right?”
Pity party, table for one please.
“Why would you want to start over?” K’hor asked as he rocked her back and forth soothingly.
“Because my life was shit.” Rubbing her cheeks, Juniper sniffed to help clear her nose. She hated crying and everything that came with it, and with her, that included a blotchy face and a runny nose.
“Our language bank defines shit as excrement.” K’hor leaned back and gave her a confused glance. “Explain.”
Blinking, she stared up at him through wet lashes. “Uh?” she grunted, completely entranced by how beautiful he was up close. The chiseled jaw line combined with his gorgeous color of his eyes were enough to completely distract her from her previous train of thought. Not only that but every time he moved, she caught a whiff of his cologne. It was one of the first things she’d noticed after settling in his lap as if she belonged there. Clean and manly, it teased her nose, prompting her to take deeper breaths hoping to capture a tiny bit more for her greedy senses.
Damn, he smelled delicious.
“Shit.”
Juniper jerked back at his abrupt curse before remembering what they were talking about. “Oh! Sorry, I meant my life was crap.”
When K’hor simply stared at her, she realized what she’d done yet again. Juniper couldn’t stop the nervous laugh that spilled out at her awkwardness. It seemed like when she tried to not be weird she just managed to make things worse.
“My life was not—” she paused to think for a second. “It wasn’t what I wanted it to be.”
“That sounds like a valid reason to desire a new start,” K’hor agreed as he shifted.
Until that point, Juniper had forgotten where she was sitting. Now, cuddled on his lap, she had an embarrassing worry that she was too heavy.
Juniper froze, barely breathing as if the extra air in her lungs would make her heavier.
Don’t be a weirdo, Junie.
Even as the reminder slid through her mind, Juniper knew it was a lost cause. Her obsessiveness wasn’t going to let it go. The last time she’d sat on a man’s lap things had gone badly. Very badly. With her lack of confidence in regard to intimacy, Juniper rarely took matters into her own hands. Always worried she was either going to screw it up or end up doing something that was a turn off, she stayed in her lane. It was the safe choice and one she stuck with most of the time. That day she’d gone out on a limb.
It had taken every bit of courage she’d had, but she’d climbed on her boyfriend’s lap, praying the entire time she didn’t look like an idiot.
The limb that she’d climbed out on earlier had quickly came crashing down.
Hard.
Her then boyfriend made a joke about her eating too many donuts and pushed her right off his lap. She fell to the floor, stunned, with a thunk. As she sat there—utterly fucking mortified—he’d lectured her on how fat and unhealthy she was.
Then, he’d gone out for a smoke.
She’d gone from embarrassment to straight fucking fury. Not only had he been an asshole in general, but he was also a hypocritical asshole. Knowing her worth—general weirdness included—she’d locked the door behind him and pitched his wallet and keys over the balcony of her apartment.
If only his words had been as easy to get rid of.
She loved her curves, she really did, but since that incident she couldn’t help but be more aware of her size. That rejection had messed with her head big time and filled her with self-doubt. It was a bad habit she was trying to break but still struggling on occasion. Occasions like today.
Maybe if she hovered—
Because that was physically possible, right?
Juniper tried not to snort out loud at the ridiculous ideas in her head even as she shifted her weight to see if hovering was something she could make happen. It wasn’t until she moved slightly that she became aware of what exactly his shifting had been trying to hide. There, directly underneath her ass, was the hard length of what could only be an erection.
A very long, hard, thick erection. An erection that was growing in proportion the more she wiggled on top of him. An erection that she settled more heavily on when she felt it directly under her own lady bits.
Juniper sucked in a breath at the firm contact, the lump she was wiggling on getting stiffer by the second.
“Shit! I’m sorry.” Before she could scramble off and apologize for using him as her own personal Sybian machine—not that she’d ever say that out loud— K’hor gripped her hips to hold her in place.
As still as a deer in headlights, Juniper held her breath at the uncomfortable contact of his hands on her waist. She didn’t mind his touch. She just preferred for it to not be on or around her muffin top.
“Stay,” he ordered gruffly, oblivious to her embarrassment. “I like holding you.”
“Why?” Juniper blurted out on a gust of air strong enough to ruffle the bangs that she regretted ever cutting.
K’hor reached forward and brushed her hair to the side, his fingers trailing down her cheek before he dropped his hand. Juniper couldn’t help but catch her breath at the contact. It was as if she could feel energy flowing from his fingertips through her skin, electrifying it with pins and needles before slipping away. The sensation did nothing but make her wonder where else she’d like his touch.
Scratch that. K’hor could do whatever he wanted to with her muffin.
Meeting her gaze head on, K’hor’s eyes glittered with various shades of lavender. There was no mistaking the look he was giving her.
Even if she wasn’t currently trying to hover over an exceptionally large erection—which she totally was— she’d be able to feel the lust coming off him in waves. It was so thick she felt it in the air.
Juniper was going in for another sniff of his deliciousness when K’hor leaned forward to nuzzle her cheek.
Holy. Fraking. Hell.
“I’ve never held anything so soft,” K’hor revealed, his voice a whisper against her skin. With a possessive hand he gripped the curve of her hip and gave it a squeeze. “Your skin, your body—there’s not anything in the entire galaxy that compares.” K’hor ended with a pointed look at her mouth, making her whimper. “I want to cover you—in every way possible.”
His focus was so intent Juniper could practically feel it as she licked her lips. Her mind looked for explanations to the reaction she was having to him. This was a completely new experience for her. She’d been in lust before—she’d seen Thor, just like every other woman in the world—but it had never felt this consuming.
The chemistry she felt with K’hor blew all others out of the water, even the insensitive mothercunter she’d had to kick out of her house.
Something was pulling her to him, and it was coming at her from all directions.
Juniper bit the lip he was staring so intently at. She didn’t understand why but she had an overwhelming urge to lean forward and offer herself to him. Just as she was a hairsbreadth from giving in, K’hor leaned close as if he were going to kiss her.
Then nothing happened.
Juniper cracked open her eyes—because she’d closed them like an idiot—completely embarrassed at the assumption she’d made. Before she could try to play the whole thing off, she realized how close he was.
Only a few inches separated them as he sat there. Watching her.
She blinked a few times, unsure what the hell was happening right now but unable to break the moment in any way.
Like a deer in headlights, she watched him right back.
This close, she could see a tiny scar above his left eyebrow. The slight imperfection only added to how hot he was. Even the damn scruff on his jawline was calling to her. She hadn’t seen the appeal of facial hair before but she sure as hell was seeing it now. She wanted to feel the scruff under the palms of her hands. He wasn’t sporting a full beard but more along the lines of a heavy five o’clock shadow—one she’d love to tickle with her nails. This close she could also see his hair was actually dark brown and not the black she’d earlier thought it to be. Curious if it was as soft as it looked, Juniper pushed the hair away from his brow.
A whiff of his shampoo came back to her on a breeze, reminding her how good he smelled.
Her body tingled at their closeness, his proximity making her incredibly aware of everything.
If she held her breath, she could feel his own breath puff against her lips.
“Can I keep you?” he asked before ghosting his lips over her own.
Chapter Two
What did he just say?
K’hor wanted to hit himself for blurting out the thought that had driven him mad since he first saw her. From the moment Juniper’s biocrate had been opened, he’d been unable to focus on anything or anyone else.
It only made sense.
The natural claiming instinct inside K’hor wouldn’t let it be any other way. If she were a female of his race, she’d be just as eager as he was. They’d craved each other strongly, almost obsessively, only calming once the bond was sealed. It was the natural cycle they experienced if lucky enough to meet their soul’s other half during their lifetime. Unfortunately, since the females of Djaromir had become sparse, fewer and fewer soul’s mates were matched. They weren’t yet a completely male society like the Phaetons, but that day was not far.
The moment his gaze fell upon Juniper laying curled in her biocrate, he’d become drawn to her as if they’d know each other forever. Been together forever.
She was his.
The instinct was in full effect within seconds. They were linked together through a bond that was deeper than simple attraction. They were bonded at the most basic level by threads that would only strengthen the longer they were together. Djaromir mates weren’t quite telepathically linked but rather shared an empathic connection. Once their union was sealed, they would be able to sense the other’s feelings and whether they were in danger. Even as new as their bond was, K’hor had been able to feel that she’d been awake earlier.
With a tingling at the base of his neck, K’hor had known that Juniper was awake.
Her fear and uncertainty had called to the primal Djaromir inside of him with an overwhelming need to protect his mate. Layered with the possessiveness, he also felt a sexual awareness that set him on edge. Juniper was breathtaking. His hands itched to touch the caramel-colored hair that fell in soft waves just beyond her shoulders. His fingers ached to trace the soft skin that displayed by the small dress she was wearing. Colorful tattoos of Earth flora in vibrant shades of pinks and reds decorated some of the bared skin. Tattooing wasn’t a practice in Djaromir culture and was taboo, which made hers all the more arousing to him.
In fact, he planned to pin her down and lick each petal adorning her thighs and shoulders once she gave him permission.
K’hor had been in the middle of imagining the flavor of her skin when he heard the panic in her voice as she spoke with Charlotte. He couldn’t stop himself from interrupting. Deep inside, he was abhorred by the idea of her ever fearing him.
Which was why he wanted to kick his own ass for asking to “keep her.”
She probably thought he was going to keep her prisoner on Djaromir, filled with his babies, for the rest of her life. It wasn’t too far off from what he desired, but he never meant to hint at it out loud.
At least, not yet.
As Juniper leaned back, startled at his question, his moment to apologize came and went far too quickly.
Swaying a bit too far, she slipped right off her perch on his lap. Hitting the dirt floor hard, she yelped at the harsh landing.
“Fuuuuu—dgenuggets!”
“Are you hurt?” K’hor asked even as he tried to understand the word she’d yelled. Running his hands over her legs, he squeezed and stroked as he scanned for injuries. “I’m sorry, Tiny. I didn’t expect you to move so quickly.”
Waving a hand at him, Juniper used the other to rub the base of her spine. “I just landed hard is all.” She shifted and winced.
Unable to help himself, K’hor scooped her up into his arms. There was no point in leaving her on the hard floor when he could help make her comfortable. “I’ll be careful. I promise,” he whispered against the top of Juniper’s head as he stood up with her in his arms.
“Ohmygodwhatryoudoin?!” she yelped, holding herself stiffly. “Put me down!”
Concerned that he had accidently hurt her, K’hor immediately froze in place with her still cradled against his chest. “Am I causing you pain?” he asked softly, not wishing to startle her into moving again.
“No.” Juniper tucked her face into his neck after giving him the one-word answer. “Plesspumedn.”
K’hor frowned when he felt her speak against the skin her nose pressed against. He struggled to understand her words, but between the muffle and the translator he couldn’t understand what she was saying. “I didn’t hear that, Tiny.”
“I’m too heavy for you,” Juniper whispered, looking anywhere but at him as she mumbled the words quickly.
K’hor had to take a second to allow himself to process not only what she said but what she obviously believed. “You are not too heavy for me!” Tightening his hold to secure her more firmly in his arms, he moved with her easily around the room as if to prove his strength.
When Juniper calmed in his embrace and looked up at him with trust shining in her brown eyes, K’hor felt his chest swell with an indescribable feeling. “What?” he asked, feeling exposed under her gaze.
“I don’t think I’ve been picked up like this since I was a little girl.” With an adoring blush, Juniper dropped her gaze to the front of his shirt. “You’re strong.”
K’hor wasn’t quite sure what to make of his mate. She was so— different. At times she was shy and quiet, yet there were instances when she met and held his gaze without flinching. It was an odd combination but one he found irresistible.
That wasn’t even counting the adorable faces she made all the time.
“What’s this mean?” she asked, bringing him back to the moment.
Juniper ran her fingers over the symbols burned into the leather above where his heart rested. A heart that belonged solely to the women in his arms.
K’hor carefully walked the short distance, and instead of simply putting her down, he sat with her in his lap once again. “I’m more than willing to explain what that symbol means, Tiny. But first, I’m curious why you thought I would be unable to carry you. I’m one of the strongest Djaromir males on this planet—and that’s not a lie—it is how I’ve become Warlord here.”
When Juniper tensed in his arms at his words, he immediately felt the need to reassure her. “I’m strong but I’d never use my strength against you, Tiny. I swear. Never against you. I’m yours to command. I’d cut off my own hand before hurting you so please don’t push me away—” K’hor swallowed hard. It was harder than he thought to explain what he was feeling without scaring her off. “I need to be close to you. I promise. I’ll explain everything but let me comfort you as much as I can.”
K’hor dropped his chin to meet her eyes, grateful when he didn’t see fear shining back at him. “I need this,” he said softly, emphasizing his plea with a soft squeeze that pulled her closer. K’hor could feel that the primal Djaromir inside him needed
to have the connection to stay calm.
Juniper relaxed in his hold. Her body, was once stiff and unyielding, melted onto his own form as if poured into a mold where his hard edges perfectly cradled her softness.
K’hor sighed in contentment. Here, in his arms, was where Tiny belonged.
Juniper followed his sigh with her own before letting out the sweetest giggle he had ever heard.
K’hor leaned back and smiled down at her face where she was trying to hide in the edge of his tunic. Puffing his chest when he felt her nose brush the top of his pec, he was disappointed when she pulled away.
“I’m not supposed to be here, but it feels strangely right. Like, I’m supposed to be here. Is that crazy?” she asked with a wide-eyed whisper. “Or am I still sleeping in a box somewhere and this is all just a dream?”
K’hor felt a physical pain in his chest at the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. “I promise you this isn’t a dream. You’re here with me, right where you belong.”
“How can you be so sure?” Juniper asked, tilting her face up to his own. “Will you pinch me?”
“No, I won’t pinch you. Didn’t I just say I would never cause you pain?” With her mouth too tempting to resist, K’hor leaned forward and softly brushed his lips against hers. “How about I kiss you?” Leaning in again, he caught her lower lip and nibbled. Savoring the plumpness, he only moved back a fraction to say what needed to be said next.
Staring into her eyes, face-to-face he spoke the words he had been holding back. “You belong here because we belong together. That’s it. End of story. My life began the moment we entered the same space. Before you opened your eyes, before you even spoke, a part of my soul recognized yours as the piece it’s been missing.”
Juniper stared up at him with wide eyes and held his gaze. Searching for the answer he needed, he found it when she gifted him with a small smile.
K’hor closed the distance between their mouths in the blink of an eye. With a hand at the back of her neck to assist him, he deepened the kiss as he leaned her back. A shiver worked its way down his spine when he felt her tiny pink tongue come out and poke at the seam of his lips.
Miners of Djaromir: K'hor Page 3