Chapter 12 #2
I allowed my hands to wander, tracing the lines of his torso, the definition of his abdomen.
His base layer pants were too tight to pull off easily.
I let out a grunt of frustration and he chuckled softly against my skin.
The vibrations sent goosebumps erupting across my body.
He pulled off his clothing, revealing the evidence of his need.
His cock was a thing of beauty, thick and long, with a bead of moisture already glistening at the tip.
The sight of it made my mouth water, and I wrapped my fingers around its girth, eliciting a groan from deep within his chest.
When I finally saw him fully, I had to pause to catch my breath.
He was beautiful—all lean muscle and color-shifting skin that currently showed the orange and red of desire and determination.
But it was more than physical attraction.
This was about claiming our right to choose each other, about refusing to let fear dictate our actions.
“You’re staring,” he said, but he was smiling.
“So are you.”
“Can’t be helped.” His gaze dropped, but only for a moment. “You’re worth staring at.”
With a gentle push, he urged me back onto the bed, his gaze never leaving mine as he followed me down.
His hands resumed their exploration, this time with a new urgency, as if he couldn’t get enough.
He cupped my breasts and lower his head to lave my nipples with his tongue.
They were already peaked, but they hardened more, beading up to tight, aching tips as he dragged his teeth over them.
I gasped and arched, pressing closer to him.
He kissed me again, his hands gentle as they explored the curves of my body, mapping every inch of skin with reverent attention. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured against my skin, his breath warm on my throat. “So perfect.”
I could argue that. I could point out numerous imperfections and insecurities, but the words died in my throat as he found a particularly sensitive spot just below my ear. Instead, I let myself fall into the sensation, into the exquisite pleasure of being touched by someone who saw me as precious.
My cheeks went hot as he slid a hand between my thighs.
I groaned as he began to stroke me. His fingers traced my pussy before circling my clit and applying a rhythmic pressure that had me arching beneath him.
I writhed under his touch. It was too much.
Not enough. It was so utterly right, I struggled to keep from babbling nonsense as he coaxed waves of pleasure from my body.
His fingers dipped lower, teasing at my entrance before slowly pushing inside.
The sensation of being filled, even by just his fingers, was exquisite. He moved, each thrust of his hand bringing me closer to the edge. I could feel the tension building like a hot wave of sensation that threatened to overwhelm.
He watched me with dark, hooded eyes as I came undone, my body trembling with the force of my release. My inner walls clenched around his fingers, and I cried out, my voice echoing off the walls of the room.
As the aftershocks subsided, he withdrew his hand, bringing his fingers to his lips and tasting the essence of my arousal. The sight was so erotic, so primal, that it stoked the fire within me anew. I reached for him, pulling him back to me, ready to feel him inside me.
“Not yet, Maya,” he breathed against my sensitized skin. He was moving downward. Brushing his lips over my ribs, my belly.
As his lips finally reached the apex of my thighs, I let out a gasp of anticipation. Rykar’s eyes met mine, a smoldering gaze that promised ecstasy. He kissed the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, each touch of his lips a whispered promise of the pleasure to come.
I could hardly breathe as he used his fingers to part my folds, exposing me to the cool air and his hungry gaze. The sight of his large cock, hard and straining, only fueled my desire. I ached for him, a deep, pulsing need that throbbed in time with my racing heart.
With a reverence that made my chest tighten, Rykar lowered his mouth to my pussy.
The first flick of his tongue against my swollen clit was electric, a jolt of pure pleasure that shot through me like lightning.
He lapped at me with long, languid strokes, each one drawing me further into a world of sensation where only he and I existed.
I tangled my fingers in his hair, urging him on, lost in the rhythm of his tongue and the gentle suction of his lips. My hips bucked against his mouth as he expertly brought me to the brink, my orgasm building like a wave about to crest.
“Rykar,” I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper, but he heard me, and the sound of my need seemed to spur him on. He slipped a finger inside me, then another, curling them in a come-hither motion that hit a spot so deep and sensitive, stars exploded behind my eyes.
The combination of his fingers and his mouth was too much to bear. My body tensed, every muscle coiling like a spring, and then I was falling, tumbling over the edge as my orgasm crashed over me in wave after wave of exquisite pleasure.
As the tremors subsided, Rykar moved over me, his weight both comforting and exhilarating. I could feel the blunt head of his cock nudging my sex. I still pulsed with the aftershocks of my climax, but already I yearned for more, for the feeling of him filling me completely.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice rough with want but still careful, still giving me a chance to change my mind.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” I replied, and meant it.
With a slow, deliberate thrust, he entered me, stretching me deliciously around his girth. I gazed up into his eyes, seeing the raw emotion there, a reflection of my own deep well of feeling.
Each stroke of his cock inside me stoked the fire anew, a gentle burn that threatened to consume us both. I wrapped my legs around his waist, drawing him in deeper, wanting to feel him as far within me as possible.
Rykar’s pace increased, his thrusts growing more insistent as he chased his own release. I could feel the tension in his muscles, the effort it took to hold back, to make this moment last. But I wanted all of him, every raw, untamed part.
“Let go,” I whispered, and with a guttural groan, he did.
He thrust with abandon, ruthlessly. His arms shook as they braced on either side of my head.
I closed my eyes and let it all come. My body felt liquid and charged up as he pounded me with abandon.
I came with sudden ferocity. My pussy clenched around his cock, hard, and throbbed as wave after wave of pleasure raked through me.
The cry that came out of my mouth didn’t sound human.
Rykar wasn’t far behind me. I felt his cock twitch and his body go tense, and then he came. The hot pulse of his climax triggered another surge of pleasure within me. We clung to each other, lost in the maelstrom, two souls entwined in the most intimate of embraces.
As our breathing slowed and the world came back into focus, Rykar rolled onto his side, taking me with him. I nestled into the crook of his arm, my head resting against his chest, the steady beat of his heart a lullaby that sang of love and fulfillment.
“Maya,” he said, my name a prayer on his lips.
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “I know it’s crazy, I know we’ve only known each other for days, but…there it is.”
His smile was radiant, transforming his entire face. “I think I’ve been falling in love with you since the moment I found you lying there on the surface.”
I laughed, remembering that first chaotic encounter in the crystal formations. “Not exactly romantic circumstances.”
“Maybe not,” he agreed, lowering his head to kiss me softly.
“But they were our circumstances. And I wouldn’t change any of it if it meant not finding you.
” The tip of his finger brushed the corner of my mouth.
“And I love this little mole, right here. It drives me out of my mind.” He lowered his mouth and kissed it, then moved over to kiss my lips.
“Really?” I chuckled. “I always hated that mole. I thought about having it removed.”
He looked aghast. “Never. It’s gorgeous.”
I slid my fingers up his chest. “I guess I’ll have to leave it, then.”
“I guess you will,” he said, but I saw him wince and shift his weight, as if something hurt.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “There’s this burning sensation on my…” He shifted uncomfortably. “On my right ass cheek. It’s like someone’s pressing a hot brand against my skin.”
Concern shot through me. “Let me see.”
Rykar sat up and turned, twisting to try to look at his own backside. I moved behind him, my eyes immediately drawn to intricate, blue-silver markings on his skin.
“Did you always have this tattoo?” I asked, tracing one of the elaborate runelike symbols with my fingertip. The design was beautiful, flowing across the curve of his right buttock in patterns that seemed almost alive in the soft bioluminescence of our chamber.
Rykar craned his neck, trying to see what I was looking at. When he caught sight of the markings, his entire body went still.
“That’s not a tattoo,” he said quietly in a tone I’d not heard from him before.
“Then what is it?”
He turned to face me, and the expression in his silver-blue eyes was so complex—joy, wonder, and something that looked almost like sorrow all mixed together.
“Those are the mating marks, Maya,” he said softly. “We’re bonded. For life.”
The words hit me hard. Mating marks. I’d read about them in my research on Destran culture, but seeing them in person, on the male I’d just made love with, made everything suddenly real in a way that stole my breath.
“We’re…” I started, then had to stop and swallow hard. “We’re mates?”
“Yes.” His hand came up to cup my cheek, his thumb stroking across my skin with infinite gentleness.
“The marks usually appear earlier on, before sex, but, well, everything works in its own way, I suppose.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“I should be used to that by now. It means our bond is true and permanent. We’re connected now in ways that go beyond the Sola, beyond this crisis. We’re part of each other.”
For a moment, pure elation flooded through me. This beautiful, brave, complicated man was mine. Not just for now, not just until the crisis passed, but forever. The thought was intoxicating, perfect, everything I hadn’t dared to hope for.
But then reality crashed back down, and the elation curdled into something cold and bitter in my chest.
“Oh god,” I whispered, pulling away from his touch. “Rykar, no. This is a disaster.”
“What? Why?” He looked genuinely confused by my reaction. “Maya, this is good. This is right. Can’t you feel it?”
“Of course I can feel it,” I said as tears sprang to my eyes.
“That’s what makes it so awful. You can’t walk away now.
Even if you wanted to escape the mess I’ve created with LunarLink Surveys, even if it would be safer for you to return to the other Solas, you can’t.
You’re bound to me, which means you’re bound to my problems.”
He shook his head and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Maya, listen to me—”
“No, you listen,” I interrupted, my voice breaking. “LunarLink is claiming ownership of me. And now, because of these marks, because we’re bonded, they might be able to claim you too. I’ve trapped you. I’ve doomed us both.”
“Maya,” he whispered in my ear. “I was never going to leave you. The mating marks change nothing for me.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my face to the crook of his neck. There was no undoing this, no way to protect him from the consequences of loving me.
I had never felt so happy and so devastated at the same time.