by Kali Argent
Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out on a quiet sigh. I love you, and I have no idea how to tell you. She couldn’t say that, though. “Liquor and bad music makes everything a bit more tolerable,” she finished instead.
“Oh, mishka—”
“And why do you keep calling me that?” Confusion made her tone sharper than she’d intended, and nervousness fanned the flames of her temper. “You know what? Forget it. Just go home, Raxcor.”
“As you wish, but you’re coming with me.” He swiped his ID badge over the console on the wall to open the lift doors and nudged her toward the small elevator. “Don’t make this hard.” He pushed her again, more insistently this time. “One way or another, you’re getting in this lift.”
“Fine.” Huffing, she stepped into the tube-like lift and folded her arms over her breasts. “I’m not sleeping with you, though.”
She hadn’t meant it the way it came out, but by the time she realized what she’d said, it was too late to take it back. Unfolding her arms, she covered her face with both hands and prayed lightning would strike her where she stood. Anything had to be better than the embarrassment coursing through her.
Raxcor just laughed. “Understood.”
“I didn’t mean that.” Dropping her hands, she stared up at him and sighed. “Of course I’d sleep with you.” Sweet hell, she was only making it worse, but she couldn’t seem to get a handle on her brain-mouth filter. “No, no.” Mesa waved both hands in front of her and shook her head. “I mean, yes, you’re attractive. Have you seen yourself?”
Fuck, no, this was going all wrong. It didn’t help that Raxcor kept laughing at her. Damn, he had a great laugh. Deep, rich, masculine…
“Never mind.” Sighing in defeat, she leaned back against the elevator wall and watched the digital numbers change as the lift carried them up through the underground city to the executive living quarters on Level 4.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Oh, holy smokes,” Mesa gasped when Raxcor led her into his living quarters. “My pod would fit inside this place three times over.”
It pleased him that she appeared impressed by his suite, and he wanted to let her enjoy it a bit longer, maybe even explore a little. He’d waited too long to have her alone, though, and with his cock throbbing painfully behind the zipper of his uniform pants, he could think of little else besides getting her naked and beneath him.
Taking her elbow as gently as he could, he turned Mesa abruptly, pushing her against the door and wedged his thigh between her legs, anchoring her in place.
“You talk too much,” he growled before attacking her mouth in a hungry, desperate kiss.
If he had any doubts about their encounter, or worried that he was moving too fast, Mesa quickly quelled them by fisting her fingers in his hair and arching against him, deepening their fiery kiss. A quiet, pretty moan escaped her parted lips, and she bowed away from the wall, trembling as she grinded against the top of his thigh.
He made quick work of her thin blouse, shredding it down the center before pushing it off her slender shoulders. Her pert breasts bounced lightly with each panted breath, her pink nipples erect, practically begging for his mouth. Stars above, she was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined—and he’d imagined her just this way more times than he’d care to admit.
Mesa had spent almost a year fantasizing about having Raxcor’s hard body pressed against hers, his hands and mouth on her sensitive skin, touching and teasing her…consuming her. She didn’t know what had changed, and nor would she question it. Even if she could only have him for the night, she’d take what he offered, and make the most of it.
The cool metal of the wall behind her sent a shiver down her spine, but she didn’t protest when he held her in place, slanting their mouths together in another mind-bending kiss. Her pussy clenched and throbbed, greedy and aching, desperate to be filled. A slow burn started in her belly and spread outward, engulfing her in flames of desire.
Desperate to feel him, she reached for his waistband, whimpering when he pushed her hands away and caught her bottom lip between his teeth to tug at it sharply. The deep, masculine rumble that followed sent another zip of pleasure racing down her spine, and she trembled with need.
“Raxcor, please.”
“Patience, mishka,” he rasped. “I’ll give you what you need.”
Sliding down her body, he trailed his lips over the sensitive skin on her stomach, until he knelt in front of her. Methodically, he popped the button open and slid down the zipper of her white pants. Then, he gripped the fabric at her thighs and jerked the material off her hips so that her pants pooled on the floor around her ankles.
“Exquisite.” Raxcor rubbed his nose against the top of her slit and inhaled deeply. “Breathtaking.”
One by one, he removed her sandals, discarding them, along with her pants, in a pile beside him on the floor. Then he grasped the back of her knee and pushed her leg up, bending it and stretching it out to the side, opening her for his pleasure. A deep, satisfied growl rolled up from his chest to echo around the room, and his eyes clouded with desire as he stared up at her.
Dipping his head, he laved a scorching path between her folds with his rough tongue, pulling a strangled moan from her throat, and when he closed his lips over her swollen clit, Mesa couldn’t hold back her cry of pleasure any longer. Seemingly encouraged by her response, he lifted her leg higher, stretching her wider, as he continued to tease and torment, keeping her off balance. Once, twice, three times, he plunged his tongue deep within her core, then pulled back to lick lazy circles around her still throbbing clit.
Delirious with need, her legs shaking, she fisted her hands in his hair and swiveled her hips, trying to force his mouth where she needed it most as she chased her release.
“Yes, mishka,” Raxcor growled, his voice vibrating over her tender flesh. “Come for me. Come for me now.”
Succumbing to the demand, Mesa shuddered hard, her inner walls tightening as her body pulsed with release. Her toes curled into the plush carpet, and the leg supporting most of her weight nearly buckled as she gripped his hair hard and cried his name.
“Perfection,” he whispered into her mind before pushing two, thick fingers deep into her clenching core. “Again,” he demanded, pumping hard and fast, twisting and scissoring, curling the digits to caress every pleasurable spot inside her. “Come for me again.”
Mesa stiffened, her muscles tightening and her joints locking as another tidal wave of immense pleasure washed over her. With her hands still fisted in his hair, she gritted her teeth and slumped against the wall, panting hard as she shuddered through the aftershocks.
Raxcor feared he was moving too fast, but he couldn’t stop himself. While his instincts called out for blood at what his brother had put Mesa through, it also brought up another, urgent concern. She’d rebuked Anson’s advances, but what was to stop another male from pursuing her? What if he wasn’t there next time to intervene? As his mate, Mesa would wear his mark, be under his protection, and no one would dare hurt her again.
Then another gut-wrenching scenario played through his mind. What if next time, she said yes? He’d been patient, aloof, waiting for her to adjust to her new life without pressuring her for more. He’d kept his distance out of respect for the ways of his race, because the Council wanted it that way, but the time for patience had ended. He’d been a fool, and no longer would he allow the narrow-mindedness of others to sway him.
She was his, and tonight, he intended to claim her.
Limp and sated, Mesa didn’t have the energy to summon more than a halfhearted protest when Raxcor jerked up from the floor and lifted her into his arm, cradling her possessively against his muscular chest.
“What are you doing? Put me down.” Instead of pushing at him, however, she curled into him, burying her face against the side of his neck. “Where are we going?”
“Mine!” Raxcor barked, his voice booming around the room.
The volume
and intensity of his response startled her enough so that she lifted her head to look at him, but she wasn’t afraid. In fact, she couldn’t stop staring. From the moment they’d met, she’d been enthralled by his rough, masculine features. Never before had she met a male so breathtakingly gorgeous, and she doubted she ever would again. In that moment, however, with his face twisted into a mask of need and his blue eyes blazing with a possessive gleam, he appeared almost ethereal, too stunning for this world or any other. He could have chosen anyone, taken anyone he wanted to his bed, and he’d chosen her.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Always.”
Grunting in satisfaction, he bent his neck and rubbed their cheeks together as he climbed the remaining stairs to his loft bedroom. There, he settled her gently into the center of the massive bed atop his stark-white comforter and made quick work of divesting his own clothing. His long, thick cock stood at attention, a vein along the shaft pulsing with his heartbeat, and a clear drop of moisture beaded from the crown.
Mesa’s pulse sped, and her pussy tightened, slicking once more with desire, yearning to be stretched and filled.
“Be sure,” Raxcor insisted, prowling forward to kneel at the foot of the bed. “If I claim you, make you mine, there’s no going back.”
“Is that what you want?” It wouldn’t be easy, and not everyone would accept their relationship, but the future didn’t scare her. She just needed him to be sure.
“I want you,” he clarified, smoothing his fingers over the tops of her feet and up her legs. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you. You’re inside me, Mesa, in my head, my heart. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted but didn’t know I was missing. I hate it when you’re away from me, and I worry about you when I can’t see you. Mishka, you’re everything to me. Everything.”
Aleucians didn’t have a word for love. To them, it was an abstract concept without purpose—inefficient. What he was offering her meant so much more, a bond that went far beyond humans’ ideals of love and desire. So, as far as declarations went, it was a pretty damn good one.
Tears welled along her lower lids and gathered in the corners of her eyes. No one had ever said anything so beautiful to her, and the fact that Raxcor had chosen to speak them aloud filled her heart full to bursting.
“Yes,” she answered thickly, holding her arms out to him. “I know what I’m asking, and I’m sure. I’ve loved you for what feels like forever, and I think we’ve both waited long enough.” Pausing, she settled back on the bed and turned her head to the side, baring her neck in submission. “Make us one. Please, Raxcor.”
Lifting her from the mattress, he pulled her into his lap, surrounding her with his arms and molding their chests together. Using one knee to spread her thighs so that she straddled him, he positioned the head of his cock at her heated entrance, and thrust upward, seating himself in one, swift plunge. Fully sheathed, he paused resting their foreheads together, his arms tightening around her as he shuddered and groaned.
“Mine,” he whispered. “My beautiful mate.”
He started with long, slow strokes, growling as his length slipped in and out of her silky core, but Mesa began to move with him, grinding her hips and arching her back, all remnants of self-control dissolved. He’d wanted to take his time, to make love to her properly, but he needed her too much, needed to claim her, mark her, so that everyone would know she belonged to him.
So tight.
So soft.
So fucking hot.
His head spun, primal instincts driving him harder…faster, pushing him closer to the edge. Perspiration dampened his skin, and his cock throbbed painfully within the confines of Mesa’s heated core. His tempo increased to an unrelenting pace, and he pistoned his hips hard and fast, pounding into his female with an untamed abandon.
Teetering on the pinnacle of release, he fisted his hand in Mesa’s raven locks and pulled hard, jerking her head back and to the side, revealing the delicate skin at the apex of her shoulder. His mouth flooded with saliva, his gums ached, and his canines elongated even further. The thought of Mesa wearing his mark for all to see finally drove him over the edge, and he gripped her tight as he struck, embedding his fangs into her sweet, supple flesh.
She cried out again, her soft body tightening around him as she fell over the edge. A sweet moan followed a rush of moisture, and she palmed the back of his head, encouraging him to take what he needed. Gods, she was perfect in every way possible, and he’d do everything in his power to be the type of male who deserved such a gift.
With a deep, contented sigh, Raxcor locked his arms around his mate and pumped through his own climax, filling Mesa’s depths with his heated release.
Though sated, they remained tangled together for a long while, kissing and caressing, neither of them feeling the need to fill the silence with unnecessary words. He could feel their bond cementing, becoming increasingly stronger by the minute, and a deep sense of peace and contentment flooded him.
So, when Mesa finally did speak, it wasn’t at all what he’d expected to hear.
“Is this the part where you tell me it didn’t mean anything, and it was all a mistake?”
She’d never want for anything. If she wanted the stars, he’d pluck them from the universe, and deliver them in a golden box with a velvet bow. Mesa was his to cherish, to care for, to protect, and to treasure. He’d never desire another. Once a claim had been made, it was unending, unwavering, and Raxcor wouldn’t have it any other way.
“No, mishka.” He stretched out on the mattress, pulling her down with him to wrap her protectively in his arms. “Not ever. You’re mine now, and I will destroy worlds to keep you.”
“Good,” she whispered, her lips curving against the side of his neck as she burrowed in closer. “I love you.”
What he felt for Mesa went much deeper than anything that could be put into words, even if the Aleucians had a phrase for such an abstract concept. However, his mate didn’t come from his world, and he never wanted her to question what she meant to him.
“I love you, mishka.” The word felt strange on his tongue, insufficient, but the smile that lit her face warmed him. “My dear, sweet, beautiful mate, I’m never letting you go.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she vowed, skimming her lips along the curve of his throat. “I’m right where I belong.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“You can’t fire me!” Rayan bellowed the next morning, drawing the attention of the entire office.
Mesa half expected the guy to scream, “I quit,” and stomp off with his nose in the air. Neither of those things happened. Instead, Rayan fisted his hands at his sides and squared his shoulders, staring back at her with all the defiance and indignation of a toddler in timeout.
“I’m not firing you,” she explained calmly. “You’re being transferred. Lana in Relocation Resources will provide you with the details.”
A small part of her felt sorry for the guy. He was smart and reliable. He worked hard, and she actually liked him—even if he was a bit of a brown-noser. Still, she didn’t like him enough to let him take her place, not now.
Nothing had happened the way she’d expected, but she wouldn’t deny she was damn happy that she wasn’t the one transferring. She couldn’t have predicted that Raxcor would choose her over his own brother, or that she’d spend the night in his quarters, wrapped up in his arms, tangled with him in the sheets. Nor had it ever crossed her mind that a trip to her favorite pub would have ended in her being mated to the most powerful and respected male in the city.
Surrounded by Raxcor, she felt safe and wanted—something she hadn’t felt in years and had never imagined she’d find miles below the surface of an alien planet. Her lips tingled as she thought about the way he’d kissed her, not just with his mouth, but with his entire being, and she barely choked back a needy moan.
At thirty-two, she’d been kissed plenty of times in her life, but never by someone like Raxcor, never in such an all-consuming way that lef
t her head spinning. Her neck was a little sore where he’d claimed her, but knowing what it meant, knowing she’d never have to leave his side, she welcomed the ache.
“Are you even listening to me?” Rayan demanded, rudely snapping his fingers in front of her face.
“No.” Mesa shrugged. “There’s nothing left to discuss.”
The night had been near magical, one of the best of her life, but the morning had brought with it all the obligations and frustrations of reality. Right then, Rayan Thibodeaux happened to be one of her biggest frustrations.
“I guess it’s easy to act superior when you’re screwing the boss.”
News travels fast. A scathing retort played on the tip of her tongue, but Mesa bit it back. “I’m just the middleman, Rayan. Good luck with your future endeavors.”
Leaving Rayan sputtering behind her, Mesa tucked her electronic planner under her arm and marched to Raxcor’s office at the end of the long corridor. She paused outside the door and inhaled deeply, released the breath slowly, and pressed her fingertips to the bio-pad. The light flickered from blue to yellow, beeped once, and the frosted glass door slid open with a quiet whir of the motor.
“You owe me,” she announced as she marched into the room. Holding her tablet up, she opened the screen and began flipping through Raxcor’s schedule for the day. “I really don’t get paid enough to deal with this amount of drama.”
“Mesa—”
“You have a meeting with Captain Valen Otar this afternoon to discuss possible replacements for the head of your security. You really do need to stop dismissing people. Zylar was a good guard.” She paused at the next item on her list and bit her bottom lip. “Captain Otar also need to discuss…a suitable punishment for Anson.” Pretending Anson wasn’t an asshole who’d gotten what he deserved wouldn’t make it so, and it wouldn’t change anything. “I understand he has a couple of recommendations for both, but of course, the choice is ultimately yours.”