by Kit Tunstall
Her cheeks flushed, but not with rage at his crudely spoken words. No, it was almost purely excitement, both at his naughty phrasing and the situation in which she found herself. Despite her admonitions to him to slow down, she had felt bereft when he pulled away, and even now, it was difficult not to bury her fingers in his hair and pull his head back to hers for another long kiss.
“I think we should get out of the house for a while.” That was the safest bet. In public, they would be less likely to jump on each other and do things that were inappropriate on such short acquaintance.
They ended up strolling around Central Park as they shared tidbits of their lives with each other. As they walked and talked, they feasted first on hotdogs that he regarded with suspicion despite the compelling taste before rounding it out with sticky ice cream cones. Every time her tongue flicked out to swipe away a hint of ice cream, Val’s cock twitched, and he was thankful for the supportive element of his suit that kept his reaction invisible to his delicious female mate.
Mate.
How he liked the sound of that.
It had been a dream, and a vague and shadowy goal, to one day have offspring, but he had never dared dream of having a mate. There were far too few females in their population, and of those who were born, most were now fertile thanks to advances from their scientists, but their duty was to ensure continuity of the race, not pick one mate and settle down for life.
He suspected that was part of the reason why the scientists kept the males and females carefully sequestered, not wanting either side to experience a mating flare and try to claim one of the breeding females. After the women’s fertility was exhausted, they were released from the breeding programs and allowed to do as they wished. At that point, the wealthy and those in the higher echelons could make offers to the women to support and care for them from retirement to old age and into death.
That was the only time period when Dazon men were allowed female mates, aside from the occasional defective female who was born barren. He had never met one, but he had heard those women were offered for bonding purposes since they couldn’t produce offspring.
Either way, even though he was a decorated war hero, he didn’t have the capital or the necessary social or political rank to be qualified to offer for a retiring or barren female. To have a mate was an unexpected turn of events.
It was also maddening to be so close to her, but denied the right to touch her. She was all he could think about, and it wasn’t in a light of partnership, or even as much concern about the offspring as it was a pure and turbulent haze of lust. If he didn’t have her soon, he would die from the need, but she seemed insistent on taking their time and getting acquainted, as though they had all the time available in the world.
Did she not realize the triplets would be born within weeks? Perhaps she didn’t appreciate just how long it had been since he’d had any hope of something different. He wanted to take her right there on the grass, but from what little he knew of human etiquette, they did not make love in public places, and he certainly couldn’t take his mate if she wasn’t ready for him.
They sat at a playground area, and he watched the human children playing, screaming, and laughing, sometimes with parents participating, and sometimes just the little ones. As he watched a group of children play together with no parent supervising them, a pang shot through him, and he vowed his children wouldn’t play alone.
When they were born, he would be the best father he could to them, though he had no role model from which to draw. He had been raised in a state breeding facility like most people in his generation, and with very little female influence. There had been one Mother in attendance at the facility where he had grown up, but she had been old and slightly on the feeble side and not able to engage in play.
Despite that, he didn’t doubt she had loved them all, and it had been her choice to retire to the facility rather than accept the comforts and luxuries of a home with a wealthy political representative or businessman. That had been the only female with which he’d had any interaction until Jessminda, and it was killing him to sit beside her on the bench, eyes focused on the children even as his senses were attuned completely to her.
He was excited about offspring, even under the less-than-ideal circumstances, but he was even more excited to have found his mate, and soon he would claim her—as soon as she allowed. He just had to figure out how to persuade her to permit that.
Chapter Four
The more she kissed him, the more she liked it, Jess thought to herself as Val’s lips danced over hers before changing the tempo to one that was deeper and slower. She no longer found his sweet taste unusual. In fact, she was starting to crave it.
Perhaps it was simply the pregnancy starting to make itself known, because she was craving all kinds of things that were terrible for her, including glazed donuts and pumpkin spice milkshakes. Given the time of year, those are almost impossible to find, so she had to make her own. Valkor had proven adept at learning exactly the amount of pumpkin filling to put into the ice cream and milk, and he often took over milkshake duties for her when the craving called.
Her reaction to him could be simply because he tasted so sweet, and she craved sweet things, but she was certain there was more to it than that. They had spent most of the last week together, and it was getting harder and harder to see him leave every night to return to the armada still orbiting Earth.
She knew he hated to tear himself away, and he would gladly take her to bed, but she wasn’t quite there yet. Having been raised by conservative, traditional parents, it had taken her a long time to get over the notion that virginity was reserved specifically for her husband. She had been lovers with Baljal, but he had been the only one until now.
The actual act was a bit daunting too. Val’s size intimidated her, as did the prospect of figuring out their future. Though time was ticking away much too rapidly, she still wanted to be sure they were forming a relationship built on something besides convenience due to the fact they were having children together.
Tonight, she was questioning that as she lay on the sofa in his arms, his lips repeatedly pressing against her own. Other than holding her tenderly, with one arm behind her shoulders, and the other one cupped over her abdomen, where a slight bump was forming from the triplets, whose accelerated gestation put them around nine weeks, he didn’t make any move to touch her. She appreciated his restraint, even as she found it slightly maddening.
He broke away from her to scoop up a handful of popcorn, which he shoved into his mouth with enthusiasm. He’d told her they had nothing like it on Dazonia Major, and he was quickly becoming addicted to the organic brand she bought. He had also consumed a large quantity when they’d gone to a theater a couple of nights ago to see a movie, which also enthralled him. Apparently, movies and literature had fallen to the wayside in his culture in the pursuit of survival and seeking out a compatible species.
When he kissed her again, the contrast of his own sweet flavor with the salty, buttery popcorn made her mouth water, and she plunged her tongue inside, exploring his depths as she enjoyed the mingled flavors. She could feel herself hovering on the edge of suggesting they go to her room despite her remaining faint doubts.
The TV chimed an alert, and she pulled away reluctantly, silently sharing Val’s sentiment when he groaned his protest. They were awaiting the beginning of a presidential announcement, one that had been scheduled last-minute, and though she didn’t usually bother listening to the pack of lies that came out a politician’s mouth, this time she was tuned in.
She was fairly confident the press conference had been arranged to announce the existence of the Dazon Empire. It was sure to be a historic moment, and she was also curious to see if they would tell the truth or put the usual spin on it.
It wasn’t long before the camera zoomed in on President Saunders. She looked as cool and unflappable as ever with her wavy brown hair, subtly streaked with gray, and her lips that always appeared to be purs
ed tightly in disapproval. Jess found herself leaning forward slightly as she waited for the president’s speech.
Evelyn Saunders got right to it. “It’s my monumental and historic pleasure to announce we are not alone in the universe. Aliens have made contact with us, and they’re from a unique and complex society known as the Dazon Empire.”
The screen flashed a picture of a random alien, at least one she hadn’t met, and she didn’t think they had picked the right specimen. He was handsome enough, she supposed, but he lacked the imposing aura of Val, along with his ruggedly sexy features. Then again, perhaps they had chosen a less intimidating alien to present to the humans for the first look.
The president continued speaking, briefly outlining points about the Dazon that Jess already knew, along with casually referencing the fact they required resources that were unique to Earth, and negotiations were in progress.
Jess snorted. “Resources, that’s rich.”
Val frowned at her. “Surely you didn’t expect them to tell the truth?”
She snorted again. “Hardly. They’re politicians. They’re never going to tell the truth.”
He shook his head. “I simply meant it would cause a panic if the president of your United States announced my species is here to acquire willing mates.”
She shrugged. “I suppose, but I still don’t think it’s right to hide the truth, or the Dazon agenda. I also don’t think it’s right to bury what Jorvak Ha did to myself and all the other women he captured.”
His arm tightened around her. “I admire your forthrightness and your honesty, Jess, but sometimes information must be revealed a kernel at a time to avoid mass panic. I suspect they will handle it thusly—first with the announcement that Dazon has shared technology with the humans, and then space it out a bit and announce, in a positive way of course, that we seek egg donors, along with offering a large financial reward. I’m not a politician, but I would assume that’s how things will proceed.”
She snuggled closer to him, deciding it wasn’t worth arguing over. She simply said, “I hope you’re right, and it’s as simple and straightforward as that, but it seems a bit naïve to me. I suppose they could use the ‘sell your eggs and all your dreams will come true’ angle, but things never work out that neatly.”
Shaking her head as she thought about her own babies, she added, “I still think if it goes that way, they’ll be overestimating the number of women who will sell their eggs to create a life in which they won’t be involved in any way. Perhaps I’m being naïve though by assuming most women would want to know their children.”
“We shall have to see how it plays out. Either way, it doesn’t matter to you or me.”
She arched her brow at him as she turned slightly in his arms to look more fully into his face as Saunders droned on in the background. “How can you say that? It’s affected us deeply.”
Val inclined his head. “It has, but you and I are establishing our family in a way that works best for us. Our children will be here in a matter of weeks, and at some point, I will claim you as my mate, meaning I have no further interest in other human women, and as my mate, you’ll certainly never be in a position where you would consider selling your eggs. If you want more children, I’ll give them to you in a much more pleasurable fashion.”
She shivered at the note of seduction in his tone, unable to resist the urge to lift her hand and run it through the thick tuft of hair on the top of his head before stroking the bristly sides, where only the shortest hardscrabble hair grew. “How will you claim me?”
“I don’t have practical experience, but I’ve researched the issue, and I’m confident I’ll be able to meet all of your expectations, Jess.”
She grinned at him. “I have no doubt.”
He took her hand from his head and brought it to his mouth, pressing his lips to her palm as his hand curled around the outside of hers to hold her against him. “I hope you will yield soon, my sweet little human, because waiting is killing me.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously? Are you at risk if you’re turned on without release?”
He shook his head, grinning. “I would like to claim that is so, but when you find out the truth, you would be angry with me. I was simply using an Earth colloquialism to verbalize my frustration. I’ve wanted you from the moment I touched you, and it has been a long week waiting for you to feel the same. I’ll wait as long as you need, but it grows increasingly difficult not to do more than kiss you.”
She nibbled on her lower lip, considering her options and the idea floating through her mind. “Is sex like that bond-mating thing you were talking about? Does it bind us forever?”
He shook his head, but his eyes were haunted. “I can’t bond more tightly to you than I already have, sex or not, but my species wasn’t built for monogamy without the mating flare.
“Before problems of recent generations due to the biological weapon, sex was more casual and recreational on our world until we experienced the mating flare. I didn’t experience that time, of course, but it’s written in our history. Men and women didn’t have to be bonded, and they weren’t always interested in procreation when they engaged in mating.”
She nodded slowly. “And if we engaged in mating, are you going to take that as a sign that I’m yours forever?”
He looked wary. “What would you like me to say?”
She bumped him lightly with her shoulder. “The truth, of course. I need to know what I’m getting into.”
He looked hesitant, and his words were slow to come for a moment. “I suspect you wish to reassure yourself that having sex with me won’t bind us tighter, and that I’ll be able to treat it casually. That isn’t the truth, Jess. You already belong to me, and I belong to you. Mating will reinforce the bond between us, and I would find it impossible to release you, I fear.”
A rush of relief filled her, which was surprising, because she had begun probing with exactly the intent he had guessed. She’d wanted to know if sleeping with him would make him even more possessive and determined to claim her. Intellectually, that sounded appalling on such short acquaintance, but emotionally and physically, the rush of relief and the tingling in her body revealed her true reaction.
She wondered why she was still fighting it, or why she had resisted for so long the past week. She still wasn’t entirely certain about spending the rest of her life with him, since they had barely gotten acquainted, but she was willing to take the chance and explore where things might lead. “Would you take me to my room, Val?”
He bounded off the couch quickly, with her in his arms a second later. He didn’t let go of her until he had strode down the hallway and pushed open the door to her room, pausing briefly for her to turn on the light before laying her on the mattress. “You require rest?”
She allowed her smile to blossom slowly, certain he could see a hint of wickedness in her eyes and hear it in her voice when she said, “No. I need you.”
His eyes did that fog thing, where they went dark and swirled with different shades of brown and gold as he touched a button on his neck, making his black jumpsuit disappear.
She hadn’t seen him completely bare before, and the package was appealing, if a little strange. Her eyes went straight to his penis, and she examined it with interest and more than a little hunger. He was perfectly cylindrical and smooth, with no visible ridges, and the only thing interrupting the flow of his contours was a narrow slit across the tip of his cock.
His anatomy was similar to human males, but different enough to firmly illustrate he was alien. Rather than being off-putting, it simply fueled her desire, and she reached out a hand to stroke down his length after pushing herself to a seated position.
His liquid coated the palm of her hand when she grasped his shaft to pump him a couple of times before bringing her palm near her face, examining his seminal fluid with interest. It was thinner than a human man’s, and when she brought it to her lips, she was surprised to find it was even sweeter than his kiss
es. It was a complex flavor, and she couldn’t precisely identify the sugary aftertaste, but it was delicious.
“Touch me, my mate.” As he uttered the words, Val twined his hand in her brown hair, pulling her lightly toward him for a long kiss as he knelt on the bed in front of her. Then his lips moved lower, exploring her neck and her chest before homing in on one of her nipples.
She moaned and gritted her teeth to keep from making a louder show of pleasure as his tongue twirled and traced around the tip of her nipple before he sucked lightly on the sensitive bud. Pregnancy had made her even more sensitive than usual, and she was shocked by the quaking in her core that heralded an orgasm, rocking her hips as he sucked slightly more firmly on her nipple and sent her over the edge into a climax.
It wasn’t an intense or earth-shattering release, but it was the first she’d had for a couple of years, since she’d lost her sex drive and any interest in finding a partner or even turning to her vibrator. It left her weak and shaking for a moment, and she slumped against him to draw support from his strong arms around her.
“That was amazing,” she whispered softly, her forehead pressed against his shoulder. “I’ve never come just from someone touching my nipples before.”
“It was pleasurable for me too, my mate. I would like to continue tasting you now, if I may?”
She nodded, taking a moment to strip off her shirt and bra before laying down on the bed. She realized he had sucked her breast through the thin satin, and she hadn’t even noticed the barrier between them until that moment. She wondered how it would feel with nothing between them, and then found out a moment later when Val flicked his tongue over her other nipple before sucking lightly, until she twitched and shifted impatiently.