Moon

by Laurann Dohner

  He crawled a few inches higher and one of his chains caught. The smile died as he lifted a hand and jerked, making it scrape along the bottom rail.

  “Hold on!” She drew her legs up from between his arms and rolled to her side, escaping the bed to stand.

  Moon snarled. “Get back here.”

  “Give me a second.” She raced to the cell door. The metal dragging on the floor was the only warning she got before it slammed closed when his hand flattened against it.

  “No. You aren’t leaving.”

  She spun, staring up at him. “I’m going to go get the key for your shackles. You want out of them, don’t you?”

  Indecision played across his face.

  “I’m coming right back. I threw the key when I unlocked the door so you couldn’t take it from me. I can remove them.”

  He hunched down until their faces were close, to study her. “You could be lying.”

  She reached up and caressed his chest. “Trust me, Moon. I want you. I’m getting the key and I’m coming right back.”

  It stunned her when he slid to his knees, keeping her trapped between his hands, which gripped the door at her back. He released the bars to cage her ribs and dipped his head. The feel of his hot, wet mouth on her right breast almost made her knees collapse under her.

  Her fingers trailed upward and into his hair while he sucked on her nipple. There was nothing gentle or tender about his mouth now. Strong tugs made her quiver all over, sending jolts of pleasure directly to her clit and warming her belly until she felt as though she had ignited in flames.

  “Yes.”

  He released her breast to go for the other one, giving it the same aggressive attention. Growls tore from him and the hands that gripped her tightened. Joy clung to him to stay upright. She feared melting into a puddle of need on the floor.

  Moon suddenly released her and lifted his head to stare into her eyes. He sniffed and a deep rumble came from his parted lips. “You want me. I can almost taste your desire.”

  It was impossible to speak. She nodded instead.

  The hold on her eased until he backed away on his knees. She had to let go of him, something she didn’t want to do but had no choice. “Get the key. If you’re lying to me…” The threat hung in the air.

  She nodded mutely and reached back to open the door but realized her body blocked it when it tapped her ass as she pulled. Joy stepped to the side, opened it enough to fit through, and turned her back on him while she frantically searched for the key she’d tossed.

  Silver glinted on the basement floor under the dim overhead lights. It took control not to run to retrieve it but instead calmly take each step. Another snarl tore from Moon when she bent and picked up the key from the floor. She turned to discover he’d opened the cell door wide and blocked it with his impressive body.

  “Come to me,” he demanded harshly.

  His cock twitched, appeared incredibly hard, and she put one foot in front of the other until she stood before him. They almost touched. Moon snatched the key out of her hand, keeping eye contact while he freed both his wrists. The shackles and chains fell to the floor with a loud clank. Then he bent and unlocked both ankle shackles.

  Joy didn’t expect him to grab her but he did. One arm hooked around her waist and she was lifted as he swept her up against his body. Long strides took them to the bed. He dropped her there and stunned her again when he turned his back. She watched as he crossed the cell, slammed the door closed, and then grabbed one of the shackles that was attached to a front corner of the cell.

  “What are you doing?”

  He didn’t spare her a glance as he wrapped the chain around the bars multiple times and locked it, securing the door. He took the other front corner chain and wrapped it at least five times over that one and locked it as well. The chains would have to be cut in several places to breach the small room. He faced her then.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “No one is coming in here to stop me. At least, it will take them some time to get to me.”

  “No one will interfere.”

  “I’m not taking any chances, sweetness.”

  This was the man she knew, the one she’d come to love. He approached her with the grace of a predator and she wasn’t fool enough not to see the reminder that he wasn’t completely human.

  “Spread open for me,” he demanded gruffly. “Now. I won’t wait any longer. I can’t. I’m about to snap.”

  Part of her was tempted to see what would happen if he did. She’d fantasized countless times about him making love to her without restraint. He’d be wild, his Species instincts barely controlled, completely unlike anyone else she’d ever known intimately. It was part of his sexual appeal. Another part of her remembered that while he seemed one-hundred-percent lucid, he could relapse again. She wasn’t going to push her luck. They were together in the here and now.

  Joy spread her legs and bent her knees up, settling her heels on the edges of the mattress. Moon stalked closer, paused at the end of the bed, and his attention locked on her sex. She swallowed hard, heart racing, and once again she was at a loss as to what to do with her hands.

  Nerves were also playing hell with her. She hadn’t had sex in almost three years. At first she’d been recovering from the betrayal by a boyfriend. Then she’d met 466. Her job kept her at the desert location and once she’d left, the few dates she’d had only amplified how much other men lacked. No one could compare to the man of her dreams. Male of my dreams, she corrected, remembering he hated to be called “man”.

  He stood there watching her as she did him. His eyes appeared black instead of dark brown. His features seemed to grow harsh and she worried he might not like what he saw, despite his cock still jutting out, large and hard in her view.

  “Moon?” The uncertainty in her voice was apparent.

  One ragged breath and he eased a knee onto the end of the bed, his hands bracing his weight as he came down, and his shoulders maneuvered between her knees to push them farther apart. He didn’t give any other warning before he dropped his elbows and gripped her inner thighs. His silky hair ticked her skin before the feel of his hot breath fanned the seam of her sex.

  The growl was sexy and deep, a tiny bit scary due to how inhuman it sounded, but then she had other things to concentrate on. He pinned her hips down tight and his thumbs spread her wider open to his mouth as his tongue made one long lick across her clit.

  Joy finally knew what to do with her hands as they grabbed for something to claw as pleasure shot through her body. She dug her fingernails into the bedding, tightly fisting it. Moon’s mouth nuzzled in and that talented, strong tongue of his lapped at her with a determination that left her panting and unable to form coherent thoughts.

  The taste of Joy nearly snapped his control. His dick hurt and raw pain pulsed through his entire system from the need to be inside her, but he fought to resist. He wanted her to come first. It would help him enter her if she was really wet and prepared. Her hips bucked against his hold. She twisted her body in a frantic, desperate way that assured him she was close enough to coming that she couldn’t hold still.

  She was so responsive that it almost made him lose his hold on his human side and allow his animal instincts to take the helm. He pinned her down tighter and rubbed his tongue rapidly against the swelling bud until she cried out his name. The feel of her soft thighs enticed him to explore every inch of her but he would have to do that later. The need to be inside her overruled everything else. Her body seized, jerking, and he kept going until the scent of her release was the final push that snapped his determination.

  He tore his mouth away from heaven and rose, crawling higher over Joy. Her eyes were closed, head thrown back, mouth open. Her face was flushed and rosy—the most beautiful, sensual thing he’d ever seen. Finally, she was his.

  He wanted to savagely enter her, take her, own her. He even searched for the perfect place to bite where it wouldn’t do much damage so it would
be displayed to all other males when she wore her clothing. The swell of her breast halted his search. She liked to wear shirts that revealed a little cleavage. One bite near the top would be perfect to stake his claim.

  One of her hands released the bedding and blindly reached up, opening on his chest. He glanced down and it was a reminder that she was delicate. Her fingers were slim, her palm small, and her skin much paler than his. The urgency of his desire to fuck Joy abated slightly. Easy, damn it, he ordered the instincts pushing to get out.

  He braced one arm near her face and reached between them to grip her knee, shoving it up higher to lock against his hip. He didn’t need to guide his dick to her. It had a mind of its own at that moment, all focused on the slick wetness it located. He adjusted slightly and bit back a snarl when he pressed against her.

  Slow. Don’t hurt her, he chanted silently.

  Beautiful blue eyes opened and he forgot how to breathe for a second, frozen above Joy, while she peered up at him in half-lidded contentment. My female. Memories rapidly flashed through his mind of all the times they’d shared, all the ways he’d wanted the female, and now the wait was over. He pushed gently, her body receptive but snug and sleek as he sank into her.

  The snarl wouldn’t be denied as he entered deeper, her pussy fisting him so tightly he feared it would hurt them both. Her eyes widened but no pain creased her features. The hand on his chest didn’t claw at him but instead dug into muscle, clinging to him. Her other hand gripped his biceps, holding on as if her life depended on it. Her lips parted as she moaned.

  Her hips moved, shifted under him, and muscles clenched around his shaft. It felt so good he wanted to howl but instead he focused on his female. In. Out. Slow. Let her adjust. He repeated those words to keep from taking her too fast and hard. Pure rapture threatened to drown his good intentions. He had always known it would be good with Joy but this was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. She was heaven, hell, and everything intoxicating—a drug for his senses and all he’d ever dreamed about, wrapped up in one small female.

  “You’re mine,” he rasped, knowing he couldn’t last long. His seed threatened to spill, his excitement too great as his balls tightened.

  He released her knee, wiggled his hand between them and pressed his thumb down on her clit to rub furiously. He knew she’d be sensitive from his mouth and she reacted instantly, nails digging into his skin, marking him. He lowered his mouth to her neck. Joy turned her face away to give him access and he gently bit down. She jerked under him and screamed out his name. Her muscles gripping his dick squeezed tighter and milked him as they began to quiver.

  He tore his mouth away from her delicate throat as a white-hot fog of ecstasy ripped through his body. The base of his dick swelled as he filled Joy with his semen, strong jets of it surging out so hard it hurt. It hurt so good.

  She’d been worth the wait. He’d known it would be incredible but had never believed anything would feel so right until he’d finally gotten Joy. One thing was clear above all else as his body rode though the sheer ecstasy of finally knowing the taste and feel of his female. He would never allow her to push him away again.

  She’s mine to keep! It was his last conscious thought before everything turned black.

  Joy tried to catch her breath but it was nearly impossible with Moon’s heavy body pinning her to the bed where he’d collapsed.

  “Moon?”

  He didn’t respond. Her hands ran along his arms and upper shoulders, struggling to shift him enough to see his face. His eyes were closed, his expression lax.

  “466?”

  He didn’t budge or wake. Worry hit hard and fast. He was in prime physical condition so it wasn’t logical that he’d pass out from exhaustion caused by sex. Of course, it could be the effects of the drug. He probably had worn himself out with all that pacing and snarling. He’d fought his chains too.

  She relaxed, unable to do anything else and jostled him enough to allow her to breathe normally. No way could she move him off her without rolling him onto the floor, something she wasn’t willing to do. He could get hurt. Their bodies were still intimately joined and she realized he was probably locked inside her. The feeling of how big and snug his cock felt would account for that.

  Joy knew all about Species’ physical differences. Not only did most of them have sharp canines and the thick, calloused skin on their fingertips and palms, but canine Species locked inside a female after ejaculation. The feline Species didn’t but their semen was warmer than normal. The primate Species tended to be really touchy-feely.

  She ran her hands over Moon’s shoulders, arms, just anywhere she could touch him. There had been countless nights she’d fantasized she’d be in the exact position she found herself. Of course, in those fantasies he’d been awake and kissing her.

  They’d finally had sex and it had blown her mind. It was ten times better than anything she’d expected. A shiver, the good kind, ran down her spine. Her Species lover not only knew how to perform amazing oral sex but he didn’t even move like a normal man did while making love. He’d ground his hips against hers, every drive of his cock searching and finding the right spot to hit. Just thinking about it turned her on again, wishing they could go another round.

  I’m in love with him even more now. It was a sobering realization. 466—Moon—would be a danger to anyone’s heart. Any red-blooded woman would be drawn to his extraordinary personality and his physical dominance. She was no exception.

  What happens when he gets all his memories back? She worried about that while she continued to stroke and explore his body wherever she could reach. There was a chance he no longer felt a strong emotional tie to her. People could change a lot in two years—the video Harley had shown was proof of that. The male she’d known wouldn’t have joked around about playing sports with women.

  It still bothered her that he might have met someone else. Harley would have mentioned a girlfriend or a woman if Moon was seeing anyone but that didn’t mean he hadn’t lost his heart at some point. She knew that life-altering events could trigger people to take stock of their lives. What if he recovered and decided to pursue whoever he had lost? What if he didn’t want her? It would shred her to lose him yet again.

  Joy closed her eyes and clung to Moon. One day at a time, one step at a time. It was advice she’d given to countless clients when they faced upheaval and uncertainty in their private lives. The first priority was getting Moon well. She’d worry about the future later.

  Chapter Eight

  Something is different. It was his first impression as he became conscious. An arousing feminine scent filled his lungs as he inhaled. His other senses awakened next. Warm flesh was pinned beneath him. Soft breasts were plastered against his chest and the female’s thighs were spread apart under him, the light weight of her legs hooked over the back of his.

  He opened his eyes to the sight of chestnut curls spread across a pillow and the pale column of her throat only inches from his mouth. His gaze followed the curve of her chin to her dainty face. She seemed familiar but he couldn’t understand the protective instincts that rose so strongly inside him as he studied the female while she slept.

  His dick was hard and buried inside her. He tried to remember how the female had entered his cell but nothing surfaced. Breeding drug. It took him seconds to associate the thought with the meaning. A foggy memory of being shot with a dart and intense pain flashed inside his head. The drug had been used on him before but the details of how many times and exact circumstances were out of reach. He knew it was a weapon used against him to force him to mount females.

  Human. He lifted his head enough to stare down at the slumbering female lying on his mat. To be certain. Rage engulfed him and his heartbeat accelerated. Enemy. More images and partial memories surfaced—humiliation, abuse and sadistic behavior unleashed on him by her male counterparts.

  He lifted his hand, careful to make no sudden moves that would alert her to his intent. The lower half o
f him throbbed, more than aware of how wet she was and how tightly she gloved his shaft. Desire to take his pleasure from her almost overrode his urge to seek revenge. It would feel good to drive his body in and out of hers. Helpless. She is too small and weak to fight me. That made him pause. He was not cruel.

  He would show mercy. It enraged him that he’d been used for more tests. They obviously had wanted to breed him with a human. His gaze scanned her shoulders, throat, and down her arms, which were bent upward, resting near the pillow. No bruises or bite marks marred her pale skin. He hadn’t taken her as aggressively as he somehow knew he would have on the drug. It was also confusing that she faced him, their bodies joined that way, when she should have been facedown. He would have mounted her from behind.

  He wrapped his fingers tenderly around her fragile throat. One quick twist and it would be over. She’d die without pain. The test would be a failure. He focused on her face, studied every detail of her features. Her mouth was a temptation. Her nose was so different from his—smaller and narrower. Her cheekbones were less pronounced. Even her eyelashes were dainty.

  The memory of her gazing at him slammed into his mind. He knew her eyes would be blue, beautiful, with flecks of yellow. He couldn’t remember where he’d seen them before but it was a certainty that would be what he saw if her eyelids parted. His hand on her throat relaxed.

  The protective instincts grew stronger until his chest felt as though it actually constricted. He had to swallow the lump forming in his throat as he nearly choked on raw emotion. It was confusing why he felt such self-loathing over even considering snapping her neck. The sight of his hand against her throat was even more alarming. He withdrew it and fingered a thick lock of her hair instead.

  Soft. He inhaled, breathing her in. His dick hardened until his balls ached. He was so focused on the female that it wasn’t easy to concentrate but he forced his attention elsewhere to assess the situation.