Chapter 11 #2
I didn’t need to be told twice. I explored the column of her throat, learning what made her breath hitch and what made her press closer. When she tugged at my shirt, I pulled back just long enough to yank it over my head before reaching for the fastenings of her jacket.
“I smell awful,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “But if you don’t care, I don’t care.”
“I don’t care,” I mumbled between kisses.
The practical garments we’d been wearing for days came away with surprising ease, until we were skin-to-skin in the dim light of the control room.
I took a moment just to look at her, this brilliant, beautiful woman who somehow belonged to me, and felt overwhelmed by the reality of it.
“You’re gorgeous,” I told her, meaning every word.
She blushed, but didn’t look away. “So are you.”
Then we were kissing again, hands roaming freely, learning the texture of each other’s skin. She was warm and soft in all the right places, and every touch, every gasp, every small sound she made just fueled the fire burning in my veins.
When I trailed kisses down her throat to her collarbone, she arched beneath me, her hands gripping my shoulders. I could feel her heart racing under my lips, could sense her growing arousal in the way her breathing became more ragged.
Her breasts were small, a delicate handful, with high-tipped nipples that were taut and pink, beckoning my touch.
I cupped one in my hand, feeling its weight, its warmth seeping into my palm, and I watched as her breath hitched with anticipation.
I circled my thumb around the areola, feeling the soft skin pebble under my touch, and I marveled at the perfect symmetry of her body’s response to my caress.
I leaned in, my lips brushing against the sensitive peak, and she gasped as I took her nipple into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it, teasing and tasting.
Her fingers threaded through my hair, tugging gently as I lavished attention on one breast, then the other, my hands and mouth worshipping the soft mounds that fit so perfectly in my hands.
She arched beneath me, her body undulating with each flick of my tongue, each gentle suckle.
I could feel her heart pounding against my lips, a staccato rhythm that matched the throbbing desire building within me.
Her arousal was a palpable thing, a scent that filled the air, a heat that radiated from her skin, making my own body ache with need.
“I want to make you feel good,” I murmured against her skin.
“You are,” she breathed. “You definitely are.”
I worked my way lower, taking my time, savoring every reaction. When I reached the curve of her breast, she made a sound that was halfway between a gasp and a moan, and I knew I’d found something she liked.
Time seemed to slow down as we explored each other, as I learned what touches made her sigh and what made her grip me tighter.
The rest of the universe faded away—the hostile planet, the unknown aliens, the uncertain future.
There was nothing but this moment, this connection, this incredible woman who trusted me enough to be vulnerable with me.
When I moved lower still, she tensed slightly.
“Okay?” I asked, looking up at her.
“Very okay,” she said, her voice tight with anticipation.
I traced my fingers lightly over her skin. She trembled beneath my touch. My hand slid between her legs, cupping the heat of her through the thin fabric of her underwear. She was already wet, and a part of me marveled that I had the power to bring this incredible female to such a state.
Despite the raw desire coursing through my veins, I was acutely aware of my own inexperience.
This was uncharted territory for me. I was an ex-warrior who had never indulged in the delicate art of pleasuring a female, although we’d received some education on the matter.
Since Destrans rarely felt sexual urges until they met their mates, both males and females were schooled by elders in our families on how the others’ bodies worked.
This was helpful, but never did my elders teach me anything about human females.
Yet, as I peeled away the damp cloth to reveal the soft, pink folds of Zara’s sex, glistening and ready for my attention, a deep, primal instinct took over.
My hands trembled slightly as I ran a finger down her slit.
Her hips bucked at the light touch. A moan escaped her lips, and the sound let me know I was on the right path.
I continued on, my fingers exploring her with an eagerness that belied my innocence.
I stroked her swollen clit until she was writhing beneath me.
Her breath came in short, needy gasps. The scent of her arousal was driving me up the wall.
I wanted her so badly, it felt like my cock would rip a hole clear through my pants.
It wouldn’t, of course, but logic wasn’t working so well for me with my mate’s open cunt right there in front of me.
One day soon, I would claim her fully. I could be patient. For her, I could be anything.
I dipped my head between her legs, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her arousal with an almost reverent appreciation.
I wasn’t sure what human females, or Zara, specifically, liked, yet, so I was slow and deliberate when my tongue took the place of my fingers.
I tuned in to her movements and sounds, checking to see if this was welcome, but she gasped, gripped my hair and muttered something I couldn’t hear.
She tilted her hips to give me better access, and more liquid rose up from her sex.
Okay, she liked this. I liked it, too. If I couldn’t claim her with my cock, I could do so with my mouth.
I lapped at her juices, tracing the contours of her sex with my tongue, and used my teeth gently on her sensitive flesh.
The taste of her was exhilarating. I flicked her clit with the tip of my tongue, then sucked it gently as she squirmed beneath me.
I thrust two fingers deep into her slick sheath.
Instantly, tight, wet heat clenched on my fingers as I stroked them inside her, mimicking what I would do to her with my cock when she gave me permission to fuck her.
Her moans, and her body’s writhing response, were all the approval I needed.
I added a third finger, stretching her. She’d need to get used to something larger than my fingers inside of her, and she felt incredibly tight.
I filled her as I pumped in and out, fucking her with my hand.
All the while, I locked my lips around her clit, sucking hard, intent on bringing her to climax. She would come for me.
Her hands gripped my head tightly as I feasted on her.
She gasped my name as her inner muscles tightened around my fingers.
Her orgasm built with each stroke and suckle and flick.
And then she was there. Her body tensed.
Her back arched off the blankets with a cry of ecstasy tearing from her throat.
The sound of her release filled the empty control room.
Her sex pulsed around my fingers as she came apart, and I drank in every drop of her pleasure, until she lay spent and sated.
“Torven,” she gasped, her hands in my hair, and I’d never heard my name sound so beautiful. “Oh, Torven.”
I slid my fingers from her, shuddering at the scent of her on my hand, and shifted to hold her against my body.
She tucked her face against my shoulder and I held her as she came back to herself, her breathing gradually slowing, her body relaxing against mine.
She was beautiful in the aftermath, her skin flushed and her hair disheveled.
Mine. My mate. No matter what else happened, no matter what dangers we faced, this connection between us was real and permanent and unbreakable.
“That was…” she started, then trailed off, apparently at a loss for words.
“Good?” I suggested, unable to keep the smugness out of my voice.
“Better than good.” She turned in my arms so she could look at me properly. “Much better than good.”
I brushed a strand of hair away from her face, marveling at how right this felt. “I love touching you.”
“I love being touched by you.” She traced patterns on my chest with her fingertip. “But you…” Her hand skimmed over my chest, down to my abdomen and toward the aching mess of a cock that I was trying so hard not to think about. “Let me pleasure you.”
I clamped a hand over hers to still it. “Not now.”
“Why?” Her brow furrowed. “You don’t want me to?”
“There is nothing I want more,” I said tightly. “If you touch me now, the need to be inside of you will be all consuming.” More than it already was. “I have control. I’d like to keep it, for now.”
“Okay.” But she pouted a little. “You don’t have anything weird going on down there, do you?”
I let out a rusty chuckle. “I have a normal Destran male cock.”
“Ah.” She swallowed and blinked at the unseemly bulge still very visible in my pants. “This is going to make our survival situation even more complicated, isn’t it?”
“Probably.” Though right now, with her warm and satisfied in my arms, I couldn’t bring myself to care about complications.
“Good,” she said, echoing my earlier sentiment. “I like complicated.”
We lay there in the dim light, holding each other and listening to the wind outside. The storm hadn’t returned yet, but we both knew it would. We’d have to face the hostile environment again, figure out how to survive with limited resources, deal with whatever aliens were hunting us.
But for now, we had this. We had each other. And whatever else happened, that was enough to keep fighting for.
“Rivers,” I said quietly.
“Mmm?”
“When we get out of this, when we make it back to civilization…” I paused, not sure how to put my feelings into words. “I want to build a life with you. A real life.”
She lifted her head to look at me, and her smile was radiant. “I want that too.”
Outside, the wind began to pick up again, and I knew our temporary respite was ending. But wrapped in blankets, with my mate in my arms, I felt ready to face whatever came next.
Because now I had something worth fighting for. Someone worth protecting. And I’d be damned if I let anything take that away from us.