by Kate Pearce
Couldn’t hurt to ask, right? He’d been pretty easy going so far. But apparently that ended now. He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked an eyebrow.
“Something to hide, darlin’?”
“No,” she snapped. “Some things are private, though.”
He shook his head. “Not between us.”
He reached around her and opened the drawer, smiling when he lifted the first garment a pair of sexy red, satin and lace, panties. She snatched them from his fingers, put them in the bag, and hurried to do the same with the rest. Next came her night clothes, shorts and tanks mostly, and socks. When she was done she zipped the duffle and straightened to face him.
“I’m ready.”
“Not quite yet, baby. I went through a great deal of effort to get you. I won’t claim you in this place, but I want a taste at least before we leave.”
He swept her up in his arms before it even occurred to her to try to get away. “Relax,” he whispered. “It’s just a kiss.”
But she panicked. She didn’t even know how to do that properly. Her heart raced, her lungs worked overtime to get in oxygen. He held her close with one arm and used his other hand to brush the hair off of her face then cupped her cheek. She was mortified by the understanding she saw in his gaze. She squeezed her eyes shut. Held her breath when he kissed each lightly before murmuring against her lips.
“Shh, baby. You just need a little practice. We’ll start slow.”
Part of her wanted to go fast. Just get all these firsts over with. He didn’t let her. His mouth brushed hers. Once. Twice. Then she felt his tongue stroking the seam between her lips. She gasped but he didn’t push inside. He leaned back just enough to trace her lips with his thumb. So soft. So gentle. Her breath hitched when he gripped her chin and stared at her mouth. This time when he leaned close, he didn’t hold back. His tongue moved between her lips, in and out, in a slow maddening imitation of how his cock would invade her body later. He was in total control. Demanding. His tender grip on her chin was commanding and possessive. She’d never imagined she’d have a submissive streak if given the choice, but damned if she wasn’t melting into him now. She moaned when he broke away, reached up to his shoulders to pull him back down, but he shook his head.
“Anymore of that and we won’t be going anywhere for awhile, baby. I want you some place I know is safe.”
He slung her duffle bag over his shoulder, took her hand, and escorted her out.
2
Their departure was uneventful, thank the gods. He’d half expected her miserable excuse of father to try to prevent Stone from taking her. It was not until they stepped off the shuttle onboard his ship that he released a sigh of relief, however. He gave the order to set underway to Archer, his second in command, and took Jolie to his quarters. He probably should introduce her to his people, her grandmother and his sister at least. He should explain everything to her, but he couldn’t do it until he made sure she was his in every way. That there was no way anyone could try to take her from him. The idea of such a thing was ludicrous but he couldn’t help the impulse and didn’t try to fight it.
Like their cousins on Delroi, the Varangians mated only once, for life. A warrior always knew his mate when he saw her. The connection was undeniable. The emotions were fierce and nearly overwhelming, requiring only the ritual prayer to forge an unbreakable mental bond. Words he intended to speak the moment the door to his private quarters secured them inside. Well, he’d try to explain first maybe. She was frightened enough. He didn’t want to make it worse. He paused outside the door only long enough to program the access plate to her palm print, then ushered her inside. She’d been quiet on the journey from the surface and her eyes widened as she entered her new home.
“Not what you were expecting?”
“I feel like I just walked on the set of a historical movie.”
He arched an eyebrow, a silent invitation for her to explain. She gestured to him.
“You dress like a Viking. I just expected the interior of a spaceship to be more modern, I guess.”
He looked around and wondered if she was disappointed. Since he lived on the ship this was his home, furnished and decorated as it would be if he lived in one of the colonies. The chairs and sofa were big to accommodate his height and covered with plush, heavy blankets for comfort. The carpet was a thick pile. His weapons hung on one wall and an entertainment and communication unit was on another.
“You don’t like it?”
She smiled, the first she’d given him, and his cock swelled as he imagined taking her into the bedroom.
“It’s fine,” she said, unaware of his thoughts no doubt. “Comfortable.”
“Good. The bedroom is through here.”
She followed him through the door reluctantly, but her steps quickened when she saw the large porthole. He dropped her bag on one of the dressers and joined her.
“More what you expected?”
“There are so many,” she whispered, looking out at the Delroi ships in orbit around her planet.
The Delroi had invaded a couple of years ago searching for mates as their female birthrate had begun to drop. The Varangians were beginning to experience the same problem. Stone had been fortunate to find Jolie, though Clark Hall had tried damned hard to keep her from him. Now nothing would be able to separate them. She turned to look at him and her eyes widened. He took her hand, tugged her to the bed.
“Come sit down. Let me explain a couple things.”
She snorted. “Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I don’t know the particulars.”
He laughed. “We’ll get to that, baby, but I need to explain something else first. I don’t want you to be frightened when it happens.”
She frowned, clearly uncertain, but she sat down and tilted her head to one side as she watched him. “Okay. What is it?”
Suddenly, he was the nervous one. She couldn’t reject the bond, but he’d heard some Earthling women had had problems adjusting to their new reality. Only one way to find out.
“Do you know why the Delroi invaded Earth?”
“Resources, I assume.”
“Yes. One in particular. Earth’s women make compatible mates.”
“Compatible how? And what does that have to do with you?” she asked with a hint of suspicion.
He wanted to kiss that look off her face. Wanted to skip this conversation entirely and kiss several other places too.
“The Varangians are from Delroi. We’re the same genetically. Cousins you could say. And like them we have the ability to create a mental bond with a woman. The woman meant to be our mate.”
For a moment she looked stunned, then she laughed.
“You’re kidding right?”
He shook his head. “I’m dead serious, darlin’.”
“So you’re saying I’m your mate.”
“Yes you are.”
“Wow. I… just don’t even know what to say.”
She watched him with stunned eyes. He had no idea what she was thinking but he knew how to change that. Once they were bonded he’d always know what she was feeling. She wouldn’t be able to hide anything from him. When he opened his mouth, the words of the prayer ready to spill out, she jumped up and paced away from him, one hand held out in front of her.
“Wait. Please.”
Her frantic, fearful tone stopped him cold. Stabbed at his heart and his honor. He would never hurt her, but he needed to claim her irrevocably and he had no idea how to explain that driving need to her. The absolute craving to claim her heart and soul.
“This is our way, Jolie. Mates are connected to each other in a way that defies explanation,” he said gently. “Everything will be fine.”
She shook her head. “You already took me from my home. You plan to take my virginity. I accept that.” She flashed him a quick grin. “I’m even looking forward to it. But this is something different. Can’t you at least give me a few days to adjust to it before adding something else? It’s
not like I can escape.”
It went against every instinct he had but he found himself unable to deny her request. He wanted him to come to him willing. To need him as much as he needed her. Since he wasn’t planning on leaving his quarters any time soon, he could indulge her. Maybe that would be better. He’d seduce her body so thoroughly she wouldn’t be able to imagine life without him. Claim her pleasure and her heart and soul would follow. He nodded.
“I’ll give you a couple of days.”
She exhaled gustily, the relief on her face plain to see. “Thank you.”
He could imagine better things for her to thank him for. “Come here, Jolie.”
*
His tone made her shiver. Low and seductive, there was no missing the command in it. An order her body was all too ready to follow. Why was she so eager to jump into bed with a complete stranger? Maybe there was something to that mate business after all. She had to admit she’d been draw to him from glance. Once the incredulity of her situation had worn off it had felt right.
“Jolie.”
An edge of warning this time, but if he meant to scare her he failed. There was too much heat in his eyes and she could feel his desire now. It ratcheted up her arousal. She caught her breath as images filled her mind. Her tied to the bed, Stone moving over her. Thrusting into her. They were gone as quickly as they’d come.
“You’re a telepath?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, but many bonded mates develop a telepathic connection especially if one of them is. Or if one of both of them are a sensitive.” He paused. “What did you hear?”
“Saw,” she whispered, heat flooding her face.
His smile was slow and sexy. He crooked his finger at her. “Come over here and tell me what you saw, baby.”
She couldn’t resist. It only took a few steps to reach him. He set his hands on her hips, toying with the edge of her shirt.
“Well?” he prodded when she didn’t speak.
She glanced at the bed, at the big posts of the headboard. “You had me tied to the bed.”
“And what was I doing with such a gift of trust?”
His hands slid under her shirt, fingers spread as he stroked her skin. She held her breath waiting for him to move up. She wanted to feel that smooth glide over her breasts. Wanted to feel his fingers on her nipples. He leaned close and nipped her just under her ear. She moaned, liking the hint of pain.
“Baby? You haven’t told me what I was doing? Was it this?” he murmured, leaving a trail of kisses down her throat.
“No. You were fucking me.”
He lifted his head, eyes narrowed on her face. He lowered his hands and gripped the edges of her shirt. Somehow she’d made him angry. She refused to cringe but the instinct was there. He saw it too. She forced herself to hold his gaze. She wasn’t sure what kind of man he was, but she wouldn’t let him intimidate her. If he was serious about being mates he had to accept her on equal footing. No, she had to insist on having it. His expression softened and she was sure she saw approval in his eyes.
“What did I say that made you angry?”
Instead of answering he unzipped his vest and shrugged out of it. Then he pulled her shirt over her head. He let it fall to the floor and stared down at her body. Her nipples hardened into begging points under his hooded gaze. He reached out and brushed his thumb over one. Soft. Gentle. Nothing like what she needed.
As if he read her mind he asked, “How do you touch yourself, baby? What do you like?”
“Harder. I don’t want you to be gentle. I’m not fragile.”
A strange look crossed his face, almost like regret. “No,” he whispered. “You aren’t fragile.”
He turned her and nudged her towards the bed.
“But you do deserve gentle, baby, especially your first time. Let me give it to you.”
Nerves assailed her. She wanted him bad, but she was afraid one of them was going to end up disappointed by her lack of experience. He shook his head.
“Trust me, baby, no one is going to be disappointed.”
It was getting eerie, how easily he guessed what she was thinking. “You sure you’re not a telepath.”
He grinned. “You’re my mate. Prayer or not, the bond is beginning to weave together.”
She didn’t like the sound of that and he didn’t give her the chance to think about it. It only took him seconds to strip and get her out of her jeans and boots. He left her in her bra and panties when he stretched out over her on the bed. The room was dim so she didn’t get much of a chance to look at his body, but she felt every marvelous muscled inch of it. His cock was hard, long and thick, pressed against her belly. She wanted to touch him, wrap her fingers around him, but he caught her hands and held them in his when she tried to reach for him.
“Did it scare you, seeing my fantasy of restraining you?”
Hell no. It should have, probably would have if it had been anyone else. She shook her head. “No. It...excited me.”
He growled something that sounded like approval and reached up to the headboard. She twisted to watch him push a hidden button, stared as panels opened on the posts. He reached inside the first and pulled out a coiled length of leather. It had a fur padded handcuff on the end. He picked up her left wrist, lifted it to his mouth and pressed a kiss against her racing pulse.
“Trust me?”
She couldn’t find her voice so she nodded.
“Say it,” he demanded.
She took a shaky breath. Two. “I trust you,” she finally managed to say, barely more than a whisper but firm enough to convince him.
He wrapped the cuff around her wrist and fastened it, then moved to the other one. He set back on heels to look her over. This time there was no mistaking the approval in his eyes. She felt it when his heated gaze stroked over her body. He fingered the edge of her bra.
“So feminine,” he murmured. “Pretty.”
She was glad she’d picked the pale pink lace set when she got out of the shower that morning. She felt sexy when he looked at her, no longer so worried about her inexperience. He leaned down and licked her nipple through the lace, then closed his mouth over it and sucked. It felt so go she bowed her back, trying to get closer. He nipped her, but if it was meant to punishment it backfired.
“You like that, darlin’? Pain mixed with pleasure?”
She jerked a nod. “I told you I’m not fragile.”
“Hmm. I know you’re not. You couldn’t be and be mine, and you are definitely mine.”
“Take me then,” she dared, tired of this long drawn out tease.
His responding grin was cocky. “You’re not ready.”
She tried to glare but he unsnapped the front clasp of her bra and spread the lace to expose her. The only word she could find to describe his expression was hungry. She got another look in his mind, felt his greed, and knew he intended to pleasure her until she screamed in ecstasy. She whimpered. His head snapped up.
“Baby? You still with me?”
She nodded. “I keep getting glimpses into your mind.”
“Something scared you?”
She bit the corner of her lip. She was a little scared of his intensity but she didn’t want him to stop. Not ever.
“I’m okay.”
He leaned up to cup her face, wedging his hips between her thighs. His cock rubbed over her lace covered pussy and she knew he could feel the wetness there. The sensation was incredible. She wanted more and was pretty sure she shared the thought with him. He groaned, kissed her hard and fast.
“You have to talk to me, mate. I need to know if you’re frightened or hurting.”
She shook her head. “I’m not. It’s just you’re so intense. I worry that I can’t keep up.”
He stared at her a moment before smiling with a slight shake of his head. “Don’t worry. I’ll wait for you.”
Before she could figure out a response to that he started moving down her body with a trail of biting kisses. He paused at he
r breasts, swirled his tongue around her nipple before sucking it into his mouth. It was divine but he stopped too soon. With a final flick of his tongue he continued his path down her body. When he stopped between her thighs, palms pushing them wide, she held her breath. Oh god. Was this really happening or was it some kind of crazy dream? He turned his head and nipped her hard enough that she yelped.
“Stop think so much, baby.”
He didn’t bother removing her panties, just slipped his fingers under the sides and ripped. Lace fluttered free. And then he licked her. His tongue slid through her folds to find her entrance. Thrust inside once, twice, before slipping up to her clitoris. He stroked her until she was swollen, throbbing. Pleasure consumed her but it wasn’t enough. It would never be nearly enough. She squirmed against him, trying to get closer to his marvelous tongue. She wanted to come. Was desperate for it, but he kept her just on the edge of that bliss until she begged.
“Stone! Let me come. Please!”
Her pleas became frantic. Perhaps he took pity on her. He thrust two fingers inside her pussy and twisted his hand so the rubbed across her G-spot. She exploded. Her orgasm shot through her body in exquisite electric sparks. She trembled with the strength of it, sucked in great gulps of breath until the spinning began to stop.
3
Stone crawled up her body and braced his forearms on either side of her head, staring down into her dazed eyes. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Stunning and his. His cock throbbed with the need to finalize that claim. The words of the binding prayer circled in his mind but he somehow managed to hold them back. She needed time to adjust to her new reality and he’d give it to her even if it killed him.
“Are you ready, mate?”
The haze cleared from her eyes and she tugged on her restraints. “I want to touch you.”
He shook his head, the denial immediate. “Not this time, baby. If you touch me I’ll lose control.”
Her lips curved into the smallest smile. “That would be bad?”
He slid one hand down her torso to squeeze her breast. Couldn’t resist leaning over to kiss her. Biting down hard enough to leave a mark. She arched against him with a soft needy moan and he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to be inside her. The need hooked into him so fiercely he was afraid he might hurt her, but there was no going back now. He held her hip in a grip that would likely leave a bruise but he couldn’t force his fingers to loosen. She smiled at him again.