Jill performed a sexy pirouette, which made the skirt of the negligee flare up, revealing she wore nothing underneath and giving him an enticing glimpse of the curls at the vee of her thighs and the deliciously curved shape of her butt. He noticed her nipples were tightly furled under the lace of the bodice and the scent of her arousal flooded his nostrils. He didn’t know whether to purr or growl as he stalked her in the playful game she started and he was only too happy to continue.
“Even more beautiful than my memory,” he said, catching her in his arms and holding her tight against him. He ground his hips against her, seeking relief for the ache of desire running rampant in his body.
“Remember what you were wearing at the time?” Jill asked with a saucy laugh, raising one eyebrow. “Next to nothing. Hot as hell, all those muscles displayed in a skimpy loincloth, although I didn’t say so at the time.”
“And you noticed none of the others,” he said, as if challenging her to disagree.
“How could I, when you were there?” Jill hugged him tight and then worked his tee shirt up over his head with his co-operation, so she could run her hand over his chest, stroking and teasing the flat nipples as he made a futile attempt to resist reacting to her touch. He knew Jill never wanted to make him uncomfortable in any way, so he wasn’t surprised when she slid her hand over his abdominal muscles, past his hip and inside the waistband of his pants.
Aydarr nipped her ear playfully as she wrapped her fingers around as much of his girth as she could. “I don’t mind you touching my nipples,” he said. “Anything you want to do to me is sheer pleasure. I thought we had that issue settled.” His mate’s sensual teasing had utterly no relationship to the mistreatment and abuse he’d suffered from the Khagrish. Jill had full privileges to do whatever she wanted when they were together.
“Right now I’m finding other things more interesting but thank you.” Jill pushed him to sit on the sleeping mat he’d brought and then she knelt to remove his boots, making sure to give him tantalizing glimpses of her body in the alluring nightgown he’d gotten for her. Aydarr was turned on by visuals and the way the lace lifted and emphasized her assets was nothing short of amazing. While she was tugging on his utilities after the boots were off, he reached out to free one breast from the lacy confines and fondle, teasing the nipple.
Jill shivered in delight as he pulled her on top of him with a barely suppressed growl and took the furled bud into his mouth to suckle. He drifted his free hand over her back until he squeezed her bare butt. The nightie rode up until it wasn’t covering anything. Impatiently he paused to remove the garment, careful not to tear it, and then he rolled her under him. Reaching between them to toy with her clit and then explore the hot center of her sex, he was gratified and aroused as always by the way she creamed for him, wet and needy already. He and his mate were so well matched in sexual appetites that he blessed the goddess all over again. Taking his aching shaft in his hand, he guided himself inside Jill’s soft nether lips, taking a deep breath as the hot velvet of her channel walls put pressure on him. Moving together seamlessly, he thrust and retreated as Jill met him each time with her own sensual movement, only to allow him to plunge deeper each time. At this stage Jill preferred hard strokes so he tempered his strength only a little and poured his energy into the intimate dance.
The mate bond glowed in his mind with the pleasure they were giving each other and he realized again how blessed he was to have been claimed by this woman. Keeping any conscious thoughts in his head grew more and more difficult as she played with his body while responding to his rhythm. Aydarr looked at her flushed face and wondered if it was possible to love a person any more than he loved her. He could tell from the way she trembled and clutched at his shoulders she was close to her climax, so he moved in a way she’d said before drove her wild. Sure enough, his mate came apart in his arms and with a groan, he gave himself up to the moment as well.
Afterward, holding her close, he whispered, “I don’t ever want to be parted from you—you’re my life and my heart. The pack is my responsibility, comrades as close to me as brothers can be, but you’re the one I love.”
* * *
JILL KISSED HIM TENDERLY, astonished as always when this fierce warrior spoke from his heart to her. After a life in the hell of the Khagrish labs, it was amazing the man had the capability to love so tenderly. Holding him close, she reflected on the events of their first year…of knowing each other, of being mated, of fighting the enemy. No time to just be two people together in love. This honeymoon idea of Aydarr’s was masterful and she resolved to proactively search for ways to build more private time to simply be together into their hectic lives. She couldn’t imagine they’d be able to steal away often, nor was it wise to try, not considering how much the Khagrish wanted to capture the two of them. Not fair to the pack to take so much risk just for ourselves. Excerpt this once.
Combing her fingers through his heavy mane of hair because the attention relaxed him and pleased her to do, Jill wondered what would have happened if the bored Khagrish guards had thrown some other kidnapped human woman into the Preserve that night instead of her. Would Aydarr have claimed the other woman as a mate to save her life, the way he’d done for Jill? The mate bond surged and he stirred, sleepily gathering her closer, as if he was hearing her thoughts.
No, he’d have found a different way to try to save her, because he’s a decent person with a strict code of honor, but he was meant to be mine. The sheer possessiveness of her attitude made Jill smile in the darkness. She might not have the DNA of a fierce predator mixed with her human DNA but she was every bit as intense about Aydarr being her other half. The partner she’d never truly expected to find. A genetically engineered giant with claws and fangs and a tender heart. “Who knew?” she whispered.
“The goddess did,” Aydarr answered.
She wasn’t sure he was really awake but she snuggled close to him to soak up the Badari warmth and let herself drift off to sleep.
* * *
THE TENT WAS empty in the morning when she awoke but there was a tempting aroma of cooking food from outside, mixed with the scent of the fire, so she scooped up the nightie and threw it over her head, wiggling impatiently to slide the fabric over her hips, covered herself with a jacket to stay warm and ventured outside barefoot.
Wearing his pants only, Aydarr tended the fire and cooked a panful of eggs, with another pan of meat frying on the side. Two steaming mugs of Badari tea waited on the stones beside the blaze, keeping warm. He whistled appreciatively as she opened her jacket to give him a flash of her bare body clad only in his gift—well, under the warm jacket anyway. Mornings were brisk on Ushandirr at this season. Jill went to his side, kissing his cheek and assessing the breakfast he was making.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“For more than one thing,” she replied saucily, running her hand down from his shoulder and over the amazing ab muscles her mate displayed by going shirtless.
“Oh well then—” He pulled the pan from the fire, set it aside and embraced her. “Breakfast can wait.”
“Oh, no it can’t.” Skillfully she evaded him, picking up a mug of the tea and sipping. “Food first is my rule.”
“So unromantic. But practical.” He hoisted his mug. “Here’s to our honeymoon.”
She clinked cups with him, laughing. “You’ll find I have better endurance with a full stomach.”
“Is that the secret? Now you tell me.” He dished up a generous portion of the scrambled eggs, added a scoop of reheated, fried matannas from the night before, and laid a side of the sizzling meat on the camp plate. “There’s bread too, if you want to grab us each a slice.”
“We’re camping in style here.” She crossed to the stasis container and retrieved the bread.
They sat companionably side by side on a convenient tree stump and for a few minutes there was no conversation. “Delicious,” she said at length, as her plate was clean and she went for small seconds of the eggs
and the matanna. “You could have had a career as a mess cook if the whole Alpha thing hadn’t worked out.”
“Thanks for the compliment but I only cook for you.”
“I’m honored.” Spreading a bit of jam on the remnants of her bread, she asked, “What’s on our agenda for today? Or do we have an agenda?”
He adjusted her jacket to keep her warmer as he said, “Not an agenda exactly but maybe a walk to the lake to work off breakfast and then I’d be in the mood to repeat last night’s activities.”
“I’m agreeable. The water flowers were pretty and I observed a number of new species of birds yesterday, before my unfortunate encounter with the damn quicksand creature.” She took the last bite of breakfast. “I will say the matannas were worth the risk though. Mmmm.”
“Nothing is worth unnecessary risk to you,” he said with a frown. “But we didn’t know the creature existed before.”
She waved the fork. “Right. So it all turned out fine and we had a good breakfast. Are you sure you want to hike to the lake before we spend a little more time actively honeymooning?” She pushed the jacket off her shoulders and took a deep breath to show off the way the nightgown fit her, enjoying the rapt look on his face.
“Now you bring the idea up again,” he said, rising to sweep her into the air in his strong arms, “I think I would like to rearrange those plans.”
Jill saw the way his cock pushed at his utility pants and grinned. “It may be quite a while before we go for a walk, if at all.”
“I don’t care, the day is all ours.” He captured her lips in a passionate kiss as he crossed the threshold into the tent and the portal closed behind him.
* * *
MUCH LATER, they emerged from the tent, dressed and ready for a leisurely walk. Aydarr stopped at the edge of the campsite, raising his face to the sky. Surprised at the strong breeze playing with her hair, Jill joined him. The clouds were massing.
“Storm coming,” Aydarr said. “I think we have to change our plans today. It won’t be safe to be here in a tent under these trees with the wind and the lightning the storms bring.”
She took his hand, disappointment a lump in her gut. She’d been anticipating another day or two of this rare vacation from duty but he was right about the storm. Foolish to risk their lives on the planet’s violent weather. “So we’d better pack up and head for the flyer then.”
He glanced at her. “I might have a different idea to suggest. How would you feel about sheltering in a cave in the old Preserve area? We could ride the storm out and then tomorrow finish our honeymoon trip. I did have one specific place I wanted to go before we flew home. But I’d also love another night out here with you.”
Jill thought it over. “I don’t have any negative associations with the shelters the Khagrish built for the packs in the old days. The only time I was ever in one, I was too out of it from the vermore venom to pay much attention. But it’s not worth it to me to risk you having a flashback or anything.”
“The Preserve was part of the zoo aspect of the lab,” he said. “The caves were shelter and nothing more. The Khagrish never conducted experiments on us there. Actually, when we were allowed to roam the Preserve obviously we couldn’t forget we were prisoners under sentence of torture and death but it was the best part of our lives.” With a frown, he added, “Sad as the truth is to admit. Until we escaped, thanks to you. I’m a practical man, spending one night in a faux cave to shelter from a storm won’t be traumatic or stressful. Hell, the advance team we sent to Daegan’s part of the world actually slept in cells in the building they commandeered.”
“Yes, but not cells any of us had ever set foot in before. Well, I’m not arguing because I don’t want to go back to the valley any sooner than we have to either. But we’d better make a decision because the storm is coming in fast.” She didn’t bother asking if he was sure he could find the cave in time because it was well established the Badari had an unerring sense of direction.
They packed up the campsite and removed the traces of their time at the spot. Luckily all the equipment was lightweight and reduced to a compressed state, fitting into the second backpack Aydarr carried with ease.
He set a rapid pace, nothing Jill couldn’t maintain, but not the leisurely hiking they’d been doing before. She managed to savor the beauty of the forest anyway, enjoying the freedom from active duty and the cares of running the pack and the valley. Conversation was minimal, other than a few comments during rest breaks. It was early afternoon when the skies darkened more ominously, thunder rumbled unceasingly overhead and rain started to fall.
“Not much further,” Aydarr shouted above the wind. “We should sprint, if you’re up for it.”
Tightening the strings of her hood as much as she could to protect herself, she gestured in the direction they were headed and yelled, “Lead on!”
He picked up the pace and she ran right behind him, his much larger body shielding her from the worst of the gusts. The contour of a massive dark shape rising from the ground appeared ahead and a moment later her mate was pulling her inside the faux cave which the Khagrish had built centuries ago for their Badari test subjects to live in when not being experimented on or running military exercises under tight control. She breathed a sigh of relief, flipping the on switch for her hand lamp and stepping away from the open entrance.
Aydarr dropped his two packs and was already moving toward the pile of firewood in a corner. Of course he could see in the dark as well as he did in bright daylight. Nonetheless, she shone her light in his direction to be helpful. “Watch yourself, there’s a snake nesting here,” he said over his shoulder, right before he lunged forward with a snarl and snatched up a four foot reptile which glittered green and blue in the handlamp’s glow. She gasped as the snake attempted to bite him even though she knew Badari were immune to venoms and poisons, but Aydarr cut the head off with his talons, allowing it to fall to the floor. He strode to the cave’s entrance and flung the limp body far into the rainy night, the retrieved the head with caution, in case the muscles constricted to bite after the snake’s death and tossed it away outside as well.
“No more,” he reported after inspecting the woodpile thoroughly.
“I’m amazed we didn’t find any other animals making this their home,” she said, walking to join him so she could help move logs to the fireplace. A cheery, warm fire seemed highly desirable.
“This place smells of Badari,” he said. “No animal on the planet wants to venture in here. Well, other than snakes and reptiles aren’t afraid of much.”
A huge clap of thunder shook the building and the rain began sheeting down outside with so much force it reminded Jill of hail. The wind wailed as it tore at the exterior walls but the construction had been sturdy. Aydarr tended the flickering fire as she unpacked their few items and then she came to sit with him beside the fire pit. “We got here just in time. Are you hungry?”
“Not yet.” He stared into the flames. “I have to admit being here is bothering me more than I’d expected. “ Giving her a sidelong glance, he said softly, “Memories, you know? So many good men never made it to the moment we became free.”
Jill rubbed his arm and leaned into him in an attempt to be comforting. The mate bond reflected his melancholy mood. “Too late to change our minds now, Alpha. I’m happy to be here and not suffering from the vermore bite. I think your will power was the only thing keeping me alive then.”
“Timtur did his best for you and the others helped,” Aydarr said, putting his arm around her shoulder.
“But you’re the one who held me and comforted me and insisted I had to live. In case I forgot to say thank you then—”
“You did.”
“My sisters and I were the products of good upbringing.” Laughing, she fed the fire another log. “My mother insisted on us having good manners.”
“Tell me what it was like,” he said, turning to her. “To grow up in a family, with sisters and parents.”
She
considered how best to answer. “We were our own little self-contained unit, since we moved a lot. I felt loved and safe, no matter what. I had no doubt of the fact my parents could take care of us, although they expected each of us girls to do our part. When the twins were born, I took on a lot of responsibility for them.”
“Which you haven’t truly relinquished, not even now,” he said, smiling. “So your family was a miniature pack?”
The thought made her laugh. “Not exactly. My parents were in lockstep with each other on major decisions, which after I grew up I realized was because they’d argue to agreement in private. Kind of like the agreement you and I made, in those early days when we were still in the cell.” She rose and went to the packs. “I could use some tea to warm up my insides about now. Did you want a cup?”
“Good idea.” Aydarr eyed the cave’s entrance. “We won’t be going outside for any leisurely nature walks today. Only the most urgent necessity.”
“Well, let’s don’t think about trips outside for any reason right now.” Jill hesitated. “Did you bring a deck of cards?”
With a laugh, her mate rose and walked to his pack, digging under the clothing and gear to bring out a sealed pack of the Badari playing cards. “You’ll never find a gathering of Badari without cards. Don’t you know that by now?”
Walking to the fire pit, she said, “We can while away the afternoon and play a few hands.”
“We could make the stakes more interesting than pebbles and twigs,” Aydarr said, pulling her onto his lap. “Darik told us about an intriguing variation on a human game where the loser gives up an article of clothing—”
Honeymoon for the Alpha Page 4