“My thighs,” she whimpered, falling onto the mattress dramatically. “Dear lord in heaven, my thiiiiighhhhs!” Rubbing her hands up and down the tops of her legs, she let out a pained sound. “It feels like I’ve done a billion squats. Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch.” Rolling on the mattress, she pulled her legs up to her chest as she hugged them close.
K’hor had no idea what to do to help her but felt he had to do something.
“Would you like me to rub—”
“No!” Juniper blurted before letting out a chuckle. “That’s what got us into this mess in the first place. Don’t you remember?”
K’hor relaxed at her teasing, grateful she was smiling now versus the frown she’d had on her face before. “Tell me what to do, Tiny. Would a hot bath help?”
Juniper sat up quickly, obviously forgetting her condition. “Oouuuch,” she drawled, giving him a pained grimace. “You have one?”
“A bath?” K’hor repeated confused. “Of course, we have baths. How else do you think we keep clean?”
She waved her hands at him, “No, sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I just remembered reading that Phaetons had shower pods or something like that and assumed—” Juniper shrugged. “Of course, you have baths.”
“I’ll fill the tub for us,” K’hor said, patting her hip. “I had one of my men bring the bag that we found with you in your crate.” He hesitated a moment before leaving their bed. A part of him still didn’t want to be more than a few steps away from his mate, which made walking across the room distasteful.
“My bag!” Juniper clapped her hands and squealed when he retrieved it from the main living area. “With everything that had happened, I didn’t even think about it,” she said excitedly as she began to rifle through it. Pulling out different piles of fabric and other items, she placed them on the bed as she searched for something. “Yes! Clean underwear!”
K’hor couldn’t help the burn of desire that settled in his groin when he saw her waving around a small scrap of pink fabric. He swallowed hard. Simply seeing it held delicately between her fingers made him wonder what the color would look like on her. From what he could see, it was a slightly lighter pink than that of her nipples.
Although they were probably darker than normal considering the attention he’d given them earlier.
K’hor cursed when his cock hardened at the reminder. He needed to get control of himself and standing here watching her sit cross-legged while still naked and covered in his marks wasn’t helping. “I’m going to prepare that bath now.”
“Wait,” she called just before he turned around to leave.
He clenched his fists tight to keep from walking back to the bed where she sat staring at him.
“Are you going to join me?” Juniper had dropped her hands to her lap, the underwear she was holding now shielding the curls on her mound from him.
Shooting his eyes back to her face, he shook his head. “I don’t think—”
“I want you to join me,” Juniper said softly, tossing the panties aside. Crawling to the end of the bed, she kneeled there like an offering. “Please.”
K’hor dropped his head back with a groan to stare up at the carved ceiling above him. “Are you trying to kill me, Tiny?”
“Not at all.” Juniper chuckled before carefully climbing off the bed.
He could tell by her slow movements she was still in pain yet refusing to show it. Watching her closely, he braced himself as she walked towards him with a mischievous smile. “What are you doing?”
“K’hor,” Juniper breathed his name out on a sigh as she walked right up to him without stopping. Wrapping her arms around his waist she squeezed as close as she could get, rubbing against his body.
More than halfway hard from just watching her on the bed, K’hor moved his hips back so his erection didn’t stab her in the midsection. Two small palms on his ass froze him in his tracks. When she gave him a little squeeze, he about shot out of his skin.
“Geez, you’re jumpy.” She laughed, giving him another squeeze.
“I think you should sit and relax while I run you a bath.” K’hor reached to remove her hands. when he felt her nails against his skin in warning. “Juniper.”
“I know what you’re doing,” Juniper said, giving him a look when he stilled. “I promise I’m fine. My muscles just aren’t used to all the activity, and it feels like I overdid it at the gym. I’m stronger than I look. You didn’t hurt me. I loved it all and I want to do it again. As soon as possible, if that helps. Any questions?”
K’hor’s mouth opened and closed multiple times without a word coming from him. As much as he wanted to deny Juniper, he couldn’t. With everything that had happened up until now, his tiny mate had shown her strength multiple times. He had no doubt in his mind that if she were truly hurt in some way, she’d let him know. The worry over their size difference was something he’d need to remember but not overly stress about like he had been.
Juniper wasn’t weak, and he needed to stop treating her that way.
K’hor pulled her hands from behind him. Even now, holding her wrists loosely in his hands he could feel the strength and passion flowing through her. Juniper was right. She was strong. She was also gorgeous, smart, and resourceful. Everything he’d ever wanted in a mate all wrapped up in a delicious human package.
If she thought she could take him again, he was going to give her what she wanted.
Transferring both her wrists to one of his hands, he raised her arms above her head. The stretch thrust her breasts out toward him, the bright pink nipples standing hard in the cool air. K’hor didn’t do anything other than look at her displayed for him.
“K’hor?” Juniper asked, her eyes full of questions but also trust.
“Have I told you how much I love these?” he asked, using his free hand to pinch one nipple before moving to the other.
“Not with words…” Juniper answered, licking her lips.
“I have with my mouth, right?” he asked huskily, squeezing and releasing rhythmically around the tight bud. “And my tongue?”
“Yes.” Juniper turned her wrists a couple of times in his hand, as if testing his grip.
He tightened it. Not enough to cause pain but enough to let her know he wasn’t letting go.
“Still good?” he asked, dropping his lips to her ear.
Juniper shivered. “Better than good.”
K’hor licked his lips, letting his tongue swipe the skin behind her ear. “I have something I need to ask you, Tiny.” Running his nose along the shell of her ear, he teased for a second before moving across her cheek to her lips. “And I need you to be honest.”
“O-o—kay,” she stuttered, her body vibrating where she stood with her arms still over her head in his grip.
“When I spanked you earlier…” K’hor paused, watching for even the most infinitesimal reaction she let show. “Was it the first time you’ve ever done something like that?”
Juniper nodded. Cheeks flushed, she swayed a bit on her feet in his grip.
“I feel—” she paused as she searched for the word, “I feel free when I’m with you, K’hor. All of the uncertainty or embarrassment that usually hangs over me is gone when you’re around. None of this feels shameful or wrong. I don’t feel like I need to hide anything when I’m with you.” Juniper stepped closer, the tips of her breasts brushing against the front of his shirt. “Please.”
K’hor moved her hands to his shoulders. “Hang on,” he ordered. When he felt her hold him tight, he lifted with his hands cupping her ass. Juniper’s legs naturally moved around his hips as if they had done this a thousand times before.
Striding to the door leading to the bathroom, he carried her easily across the space while trying to ignore the erection hitting her ass with every step. He found himself unable to deny her anything. Including the use of his body.
He just hoped she didn’t regret it later.
Chapter Twenty-One
Juniper lay na
ked on the bed, arms and legs akimbo as she tried to take stock of the damage.
What in the hell had she been thinking?
Every single muscle in her body ached. Every single one of them. Her thighs burned every time she moved, which made getting dressed impossible, so she’d simply collapsed naked, unsure of what to do next. To top it off, she had nobody to blame but herself, specifically her vagina. No matter how much she wanted to blame K’hor, she couldn’t. He’d been the one wanting to slow down and give her a break, but had she listened?
Not one bit.
Instead, Juniper had climbed him like a tree—pretty much literally—and worked herself into her current condition.
She let out a loud sigh. Pretty soon she was going to need to get up and address the clothing issue, but that time wasn’t now. K’hor had turned her into some sort of sex monster and she was paying the price. In all honesty, she’d been kind of amazed that she’d even managed to make it to the bed. Of course, she’d had a little bit of help from K’hor before he’d had to leave abruptly.
Juniper sent out a quick thank-you to whoever it was that knocked on the door after they’d finished their bath. The warm water in the soaker tub had been just enough of a muscle relaxer to give her a second wind regardless of the condition of her body. She’d been half a second from giving K’hor the sexy eyes when the interruption had called him away.
Ten minutes after that she’d been more than thankful that he was gone as she cursed up a storm trying to pull up her underwear. That wasn’t a vision anyone wanted to see, much less one accompanied by the audio version of Juniper going through every single curse word known to man…and a few new inventions.
Raising her head just as much as she had to, Juniper looked at her right foot.
The underwear was still hanging from her toes where they’d gotten caught. The pink triangle was laying limp from her big toe, as if it was some sort of caution flag signally everyone around that there was a pussy down.
She snorted.
She really needed to get dressed but was dreading that initial first move. When she said every muscle on her body hurt, that was exactly what she meant. She felt as if she’d been a participant in a match of full body tug of war. Laying down earlier had seemed like the best way to relax and stop the ache but she hadn’t considered what followed.
She didn’t think she could sit up. Just thinking about it made her abs scream in fear.
Juniper turned her head and looked across the bed. With nothing to help pull herself up, she didn’t have a whole lot of options. She could always roll across the bed and then hope that she somehow managed to land on her feet after clearing the edge. Chances were, she was probably going to faceplant but at this point she’d already settled on plan Humpty Dumpty. It was still going to hurt, but that seemed easier than performing a sit-up with the way her entire torso burned. Taking a deep breath in, Juniper prepared herself to start rolling on the count of three.
“One. Two. Thre—”
“What are you doing?”
Juniper flopped back down at the question, letting out a groan at her half-ass attempt to turn over.
“Hey, honey.” Wiggling her fingers at him, she tried to peek behind him without moving her head. “You’re alone right?”
“Of course, Tiny.” Walking up to the bed, K’hor skimmed a hand over her breasts. “I wouldn’t let anyone else see you like this.”
Juniper’s nipples pebbled at the attention. Feeling his eyes on her, she arched her back. Before K’hor, she’d had a smidge of self-consciousness hanging around the weight of her curves. Now, she relished them. She was finally starting to feel comfortable in her own skin.
It didn’t hurt that K’hor watched her as if tempted to take a big-ass bite.
Not one damn bit.
His gaze felt hot and needy but also possessive and protective. He couldn’t hide how much he loved the way she looked and with that her confidence grew.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re still laying here?” K’hor caught a nipple between his fingers, barely tweaking the nub before moving on. “Naked?”
“Dammit, K’hor.” Juniper wiggled. “I can barely move as it is, and you’re getting me started all over again.”
His touch immediately stilled. “What do you mean you can barely move? I hurt you, didn’t I?”
Juniper wanted to kick herself when she saw his eyes fill with worry. Raising an arm, she caught his hand before he could completely pull away. “Nothing some ibuprofen and another hot bath—solo this time—won’t fix.”
K’hor sat down next to her, his weight shifting the mattress a tiny bit, making her roll closer. “Are you sure?”
“Yep.” Juniper turned on her side, using his leg as a handhold. “Did you finish whatever you needed to do?”
“I did,” K’hor answered with a frown on his face. Picking up a strand of her hair, he played with it for a moment. “A signal made it through the storm with a message I needed to hear.”
He dropped the strand of hair, seeming to hesitate in the action. Now it was Juniper’s turn to frown.
What the hell happened while he was gone.
“Hey.” Juniper caught his hand before he could completely pull away. “What’s going on.”
K’hor squeezed her hand before weaving their fingers together. His grip was almost desperate as he squeezed and kneaded her skin. The room was so quiet it was beginning to make Juniper uncomfortable. Anything he said had to be better than the disturbing silence they were sitting in right now.
“The Phaetons responded to our communication with some news I wasn’t expecting to hear.” He shifted a little on the mattress, pulling her into his lap in one smooth move.
Juniper winced. The bed had been soft and cushy. K’hor was neither of those things, and her well-loved body was making her completely aware of it. She was not very comfortable, but she didn’t care. Something in his voice told her K’hor needed this right now. The annoyance of her sore body was a small price to pay for comforting her mate.
“What was the news?” Looping her arms around his shoulders, she tucked her head into his neck. Seeing him upset had triggered her own need for contact. It only took a second for her to realize she’d started searching for his scent instinctively.
That was so freaking weird.
K’hor squeezed her hips before turning her so she straddled his body instead of sitting crossways. The moment her sore pussy came into contact with the front of his leather-protected crotch, she became aware she was still naked.
“We’re not gonna have sex again, right?” Juniper asked quickly, her body tensing. “Cuz that would be a thumbs down from me.”
“Thumbs down?” K’hor stared at her like she was the alien in this situation.
Then he looked pissed.
At her.
“Of course we’re not going to have sex again! The last time I had my mouth on you, I could already tell we’d gone too far, which is why I made sure to pleasure you gently before easing my own body,” he sputtered. K’hor leaned back, creating as much distance between their upper bodies as possible. “What kind of mate do you think I am?”
Unable to handle the pain on his face, Juniper reached to pull him back. He resisted for only a moment before allowing himself to be pulled into a tight hug.
Juniper wanted to kick her own ass. She’d never intended for her words to be taken personally, and she had to make him know it. The look on his face had been a stab to her heart when she’d seen it.
Holding his cheeks in her hands, she stared into the dark lilac eyes she’d fallen in love with. There was no mistaking the devotion she saw there shining back at her. He wasn’t trying to hide it. Juniper dropped her forehead to his, smiling when he nuzzled their noses together.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. When K’hor began to speak, Juniper placed a finger over his lips. “I didn’t mean to imply that you were going to jump me.”
K’hor mumbled something unintelligibl
e beneath her fingertips.
“Shhh.” Juniper dropped a kiss on his nose, when her shushing earned her a stern look. “Will you let me finish?”
K’hor nodded.
Removing her hand, she replaced her fingers with a quick peck. “Whenever I’m around you, my body takes the wheel. That’s not a bad thing but, as you can see, I have absolutely no self-control.” Juniper made a face. “That’s actually true in other aspects as well, but unless you have chocolate hidden somewhere in these tunnels you may never see me at my worst. Seriously. Half of what you’re holding onto right now is due to my love of sweets. I can never seem to say no to anything with frosting, chocolate in particular. It goes straight to my ass.”
Juniper unconsciously tightened her bottom where his hands were stationed. K’hor squeezed the flesh he was gripping, his hold going from simply there to very there.
Juniper bit back a curse as her body heated. This was exactly what she was talking about.
“I will find you chocolate.” K’hor’s voice was husky, now kneading the big curve she’d invested so much delicious food into. “I will find you as much chocolates as you want.”
Sweet baby Jesus.
If she hadn’t already fallen in love with him, those words would have sealed the deal. Leaning into him, she relaxed. She couldn’t help but melt under his touch. He had the best hands ever—not that she was an expert or anything. The only time she’d ever gotten a massage had been when there’d been a glitch on Groupon, allowing her to basically get the deal of a lifetime. It had been at a fancy spa, so Juniper had assumed what she’d received had been the best of the best.
She couldn’t have been more wrong on that assumption. The small militant woman who’d dug into her muscles had absolutely nothing on the magic of K’hor’s hands. She felt boneless as he moved from her ass to her hips and upper thighs.
“You have no self-control?” K’hor’s words rumbled under her ear where she had her head on his chest.
“When I’m around you, I can’t seem to help myself. I want to literally crawl all over you all the time.” She wiggled in his lap without raising her head. “Even now I want to somehow get closer. And don’t even get me started on the way you smell. It’s like—” Unable to figure out how to explain it, she paused for a second. “It does something to me I can’t even begin to describe. I can’t get enough of it and honestly, I don’t think I ever want to. It makes me feel things.” Lifting her head, she caught his gaze.
Miners of Djaromir: K'hor Page 15