Ramliel: The Teague Bride Experiment: Intergalactic Dating Agency

by A. M. Griffin

  Chapter Eleven

  While Mia spent the morning ignoring Ram, he could never ignore her. Her presence was everywhere. Her scent was in every room. It was one he’d never smelled before. He’d asked her if all human women smelled that delicious and she’d shot him a dark glare and didn’t respond.

  Items of her clothing were left around the dwelling. Ram picked up a shirt from where it’d been draped across a couch. It was soft in his hand and smelled exactly like her. He was going to put it down but kept it in his hand and took it to his room where he put it under his pillow.

  She spent the morning locked behind her closed bedroom door. He knew it was locked because he’d tried to enter to talk to her. When he’d knocked, she’d cranked up music. It had to be music she’d brought with her from Earth because he’d never heard anything so horrible sounding before.

  “Hinduru.”

  “Yes, Ram?” Hinduru’s voice came from Ram’s comlink.

  “What does my mate seem to like above everything else?”

  “She enjoys eating.”

  Food. Ram smiled to himself and did what any male would do to win over his mate. He went to the kitchen to cook.

  * * *

  “He didn’t even bother to come to the transport vessel to pick me up!” Mia whispered angrily at the hologram projecting from her comlink.

  “Maybe he’s trying to make up for it now?” Diana said. She was lying in bed, her hair messed up and she had the distinguishable look of being sated about her.

  And Mia was jealous.

  She wanted her hair messed up. She glanced toward the side to catch her reflection in the mirror. Well, it was messed up. When she’d taken off her bonnet after her argument with Ram it had been fine. The bonnet had done its job and kept her curls contained and buoyant, but hours later, with him all up in her personal space, she’d couldn’t help but run her fingers through it and pull at the strands. She blew out a heavy breath. Not the kind of messed up she hoped for.

  “Nope. Too late. He can go back to his other house and hang out with his girlfriend.”

  Even saying the word pissed Mia off as she remembered how the other woman hung all over Ram at the party.

  “A girlfriend who probably isn’t his girlfriend anymore.”

  Mia rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point. He can keep her. I’ve made a life for myself here. I have a good job. Which I like. I have a place. That I equally like.”

  Back on Earth she would slave four to five days a week, working twelve-hour shifts at a job so demanding she still had nightmares about call bells and patient alarms going off.

  Her new house was also better than the ranch she had at home. She’d been proud and happy to have it. Proud that she’d bought it herself and happy she had a place to call her own. But this house was…different.

  It’d been lived in. This was a family home and she felt it down to her bones. This house held love in it. There were pictures of Ram’s family hanging on the walls, landscape scenery of places she didn’t know but felt like good memories had been held there. There was happiness here and it felt like it belonged to her. Mia didn’t know why. Maybe it was because she’d spent the last two hundred years in stasis.

  “Give him time to make it up to you. Make him grovel though.”

  Mia wiggled her nose. There was no making it up to her. First impressions were everything and so far, Ram had made a shitty first impression. And second if she took into account being abandoned on the day of her arrival.

  “Are we still up for shopping tomorrow?” Diana asked. She used a hand to stifle a yawn.

  “I don’t know. I have tomorrow off but I think I might go in just to get away from here.”

  “Oh, no! I’m looking forward to shopping.”

  A delicious smell hit her nose. “We have everything we need. What are you trying to find?”

  “There’s a place that sells handcrafted glass figurines. I have some pictures of my mom, dad, sisters and brothers that I brought with me. I’m hoping to get something made in their image.”

  Mia sniffed at the air. The smell was absolutely mouthwatering. Sweet and spicy, bold and delectable. “That sounds delicious.”

  Diana frowned. “Delicious? Maybe I should’ve explained that glass isn’t meant for consumption. Although I don’t see why I would’ve had to mention that.”

  Mia tilted her head to the side. “Is that music?”

  “Music? Delicious? What is going on over there?”

  Mia glanced toward her bedroom door. What was he doing out there? “I’ll call you back.”

  Diana chuckled. “That sounds oddly ominous.”

  Mia switched off the hologram and stood. She went to the door and after disengaging the lock, peeked her head out. The smell was more delicious on this side of the door. The door to Ram’s room stood ajar. He wasn’t inside. Although she couldn’t see inside the entire room from her viewpoint, she knew he wasn’t there because of the noise coming from the kitchen. Was he humming or was that a song that played?

  Was he cooking? She had something that resembled a stove in her kitchen but there hadn’t been a need to use it since she had a food processor that could deliver food to her at the touch of a button. Why expend the manual labor to cook when her finger pressed buttons just fine?

  Besides, it was only her now, there was no need to cook. She could probably count on both hands how many times she’d cooked since leaving her aunt and uncle’s house.

  Five.

  That’s how many thanksgivings she’d brought the macaroni and cheese to the family dinner.

  Her nose led her down the hallway and into the kitchen. Ram stood over the stove with his back toward her. He’d changed his clothes. Well, he’d put on clothes. He had on a lounge outfit of dark blue. His shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and back. It hugged his narrow waist. His pants were loose but there was no hiding his round butt and muscular legs. The sight of him was sexy. What was even sexier was him standing over her stove.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “You’re just in time for dinner.”

  “Dinner?”

  His answer was to grab a plate and fill it with a little bit of something from every pot. Then he crossed the kitchen and set it on the table. He made another plate for himself and did the same, taking a seat for himself.

  Oh, he expected them to sit and eat together, did he? Mia walked over to her plate, picked it up and took it back to her room.

  * * *

  Last night had been a bust. Ram was the first to admit failure. He’d thought cooking her his favorite meal, using his mom’s favorite recipe would do the trick. It was enough to make her leave her room. That was a win.

  Then she’d gone back into her room and he’d had to eat alone. He took the time to work on business related matters. Just because he was trying to win over his mate didn’t mean business stopped. Then there was the matter of gaining Zephon’s agreement on the contract. He was successful in finally setting up a meeting with him next week.

  Then he’d gone to bed by himself. He could’ve gone back to his apartment and spent time with Varona, but he wasn’t interested in her anymore. He’d told her that. After listening to her ranting and raving about how she could get any male she wanted, she’d hung up on him. Her temper was ferocious. Ram expected his apartment to be trashed when he returned for the rest of his belongings.

  That was fine. There was nothing valuable there. Everything of value was under this roof. His father and mother’s items, his childhood memorabilia and his mate.

  This morning he made another favorite. It was breakfast food. Like last night, Mia came out of her room, took her plate and retreated again.

  Now, after hours had passed, he was taking a break from work to make her lunch. He heard her door open and his heart sped up. He smelled her before he saw her. It was the scent that clung to the furniture and walls of his house. He would have to find out what perfume it was and have it replicated.

  She wore a un
iform. A work uniform. Ram growled low. His mate shouldn’t have to work. His mother never worked. His father had provided well for their family and his mother was content to stay home to take care of them.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  She raised her chin in the air and flicked those luscious dark curls over her shoulder. “Work.”

  “You aren’t working today. Hinduru provided me with your schedule.”

  She went over to the stove, leaned over and sniffed the contents. She closed her eyes and let out a small moan. The sound sent a shockwave through him. He wanted to hear that moan in his ear as he buried deep between her thighs.

  “Hinduru doesn’t know everything about me.”

  Ram growled. “It’s his job to know everything about you.”

  She grabbed a plate and added food to it. “Sorry I didn’t check in with him before rearranging my schedule.” She held the plate up and glanced around the kitchen. “Do you guys have any plastic so I can cover this with?”

  “Why would you need to cover your plate?”

  “To take it with me for lunch.”

  Yet another meal she refused to eat with him. Enough of this. Ram crossed his arms. “That food doesn’t leave this house.”

  She did that thing with her eyes that seemed to cut him down two sizes. Then deliberately dropped her plate hard enough on the counter where it rattled. “Fine. Please don’t be here when I return.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you, mate but I’ll still be here.”

  “Ugh.” She rolled her eyes and left.

  He watched her leave and stared at the front door. He knew what he had to do.

  Chapter Twelve

  “He did what?!”

  Mia vibrated with rage. It had been a normal day at work, everything was going fine until she’d gotten a call into Ivo’s office.

  “He bought out all the other facility stakeholders,” Ivo stated. “He owns it outright now.”

  “Why would he do that?” she asked through clenched teeth.

  “His reasons are his own, but if I had to guess…” Ivo waved a hand toward her.

  She slapped a hand over her face and dragged the palm down. “Is this because I don’t want anything to do with him?”

  “I don’t have a mate, but if I did and my mate wasn’t speaking to me, I would possibly go through extreme measures for her approval as well.”

  “He doesn’t need or want my approval.” She huffed.

  Ivo sighed and leaned back in his office chair. “Yatur are very intense when it comes to mate bonds.”

  Mia crossed her arms. “Well, that ship has sailed. I was ready to jump into being his mate feet first but…but he didn’t want me. I’ve moved on.”

  “He hasn’t.”

  Her nails bit into her skin. Her agitation was already on ten, but it was still growing. “Too bad for him.”

  Ivo cleared his throat then shook his head. “Maybe this is a conversation you should be having with Ramliel?”

  Mia dropped her arms and straightened her spine. “You know what? You’re right.”

  It was time to stop hiding and avoiding him.

  Mia arrived home to music playing and the house smelling of the most delicious food she’d ever smelled. Everything he’d made her had been mouthwatering with each dish better than the last.

  He was sitting on her couch—hers because she’d picked it out and ordered it from one of the catalogues. His shirt was gone and he wore the bottoms he’d worn from the first morning of him showing up unexpectedly in her bedroom. Fur was splattered across well-defined chest and abdominal muscles. His nipples were erect and just right for licking.

  She shook her head, trying to shake the image of him from her brain. Unfortunately, there was no getting rid of this visual, especially since he was sitting right there and she was convinced his image was burned in her brain forever. What a sight to behold!

  “Why did you do that?” she asked, trying to steady her voice. She should be angry. Not turned on.

  He took a sip of whatever was in his mug and watched her with eyes that seemed to burn straight through her. “Do what?”

  “Buy the facility.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “If my mate chooses to work, then it’s only right that I make sure she’s safe.”

  “Of course, I’m safe. It’s a hospital. Besides, when did you start worrying about my safety?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “You didn’t even bother to come pick me up from the transport.”

  “I didn’t know then.”

  Mia frowned, glaring at him. “What the heck do you mean you didn’t know? Didn’t know what? That I was arriving? Everyone else’s mate seemed to have gotten the memo. Hell, even Hinduru knew.” She chuckled and shook her head. “So, don’t try lying to me. You knew.”

  Ram set the cup down and grasped her hand. She stared at it. His was so much bigger than hers. His hand felt so strong. Masculine. Powerful. She tried to still her runaway heart.

  “I didn’t know I could feel this way for someone.”

  Mia’s breath caught in her throat. Ram tugged on her and her legs obeyed. She should’ve told him off, told him it was too late and she had a life that she’d made here without him. She should’ve smacked him for putting her through the heartache he had. Instead, she let him position her between his legs and didn’t say a thing when he dropped her hand to place both of his on her hips.

  “You’re so little. I’m afraid of hurting you.”

  The look in his eyes told her he wasn’t talking about her heart. Her stomach tightened as heat spread across her abdomen and deep within her core.

  “I don’t mind.”

  She wanted to die. Did she really just say that? Mia groaned and Ram chuckled. He pulled her closer, wedging her between his legs. “Feisty. I like this.”

  Mia went a step further. She raised her legs to straddle his crotch. This time Ram groaned. His clawed fingers were on her butt, holding and cradling her against him.

  “Kiss me.”

  Mia leaned over and did as asked. She let her tongue explore his mouth and ran it along his sharp teeth. A shiver coursed through her as she remembered her Yatur lesson on the art of lovemaking. Those teeth would be on her body. That should have scared her. Instead, she ground her crotch against his. His cock was hard and when she angled just right…

  Heaven.

  She fisted her hands through his hair, grabbing onto fistfuls and groaned into his mouth. “Ram.”

  Ram growled. With a tug he ripped off her uniform pants.

  “Oh!” She released his mouth to look down at what she’d thought were nicely made and comfortable pants. “My pants!”

  “I’ll buy you more.” Ram smirked. Then he grasped her panties and ripped them off as well. “And more of these.”

  Mia pulled at his waistband. She didn’t have Ram’s strength to rip his pants off, but she sure as hell tried. Ram helped her by tearing the front seam. His cock sprung free. It was slick and brown. The girth alone was enough to make her mouth water, but the length? She wanted it. Her eyes glazed over just looking at it twitch.

  Ram lifted her by her hips and Mia grasped his cock to position it where she needed it. She wanted to lower herself slowly to get used to his size but that plan went out the window. She claimed Ram’s mouth again and took him. All of him. Her nails bit into Ram’s shoulders. Ram let out yell that she swallowed up.

  “Mia. My Mia.” Ram’s claws raked across her ass, urging her on.

  Mia rode him, thinking only of her wants and needs. What she wanted was Ram. What she needed was an orgasm.

  He snatched his mouth from hers and pushed her back to bury his face between her breasts. He nuzzled them before licking and teasing each nipple. Mia cradled his head in her hands. Her pussy slickened with each stroke.

  “Ram,” she moaned over and over again.

  Ram growled, pushing his head back to face the ceiling. His white teeth seemed to have elongated. Plea
sure coursed down her spine. His cock grew more within her, stretching her completely.

  “Ram! I’m coming!” Her legs shook and wobbled. She needed him to take the lead since she no longer had the capacity.

  He grasped her hips and the pain there told her his claws had pierced her skin. When he watched her again it was with animalistic fire. Lust burned behind his eyes. The thought of him biting her had scared Mia before, now she wanted it more than ever.

  Mia tilted her head to the side. Ram let out a sound that belonged in a jungle, opened his mouth wide and leaned over and bit down on her shoulder near her neck.

  Mia’s orgasm ripped through her. Darkness overtook her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She yelled out as he spasmed under her and his life force filled her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hinduru poked his head through the entrance of Ram’s office. “Varona needs to speak with you.”

  Ram didn’t bother looking up from the work he was doing. He had to go over the proposal he would present to Zephon and make sure it was in order. “Did you put her on a transport back to her home world?”

  “No.”

  Ram finally glanced up. Hinduru stood at his door, not bothering to enter, which meant he didn’t plan on staying long. “And why not?”

  Hinduru was efficient. That’s why he’s been his assistant for the past fifteen years. Ram trusted Hinduru explicitly. If Varona wasn’t on a transport, it had to be for a good reason.

  “Maybe she should tell you herself.”

  “I don’t want to speak with her—”

  Hinduru neatly stepped to the side and Varona breezed into the room wearing an outfit made for an expensive venue rather than visiting Ram at work. He knew because he’d bought it for her. A tight smile twisted her lips. “Ram, how lovely to finally see you again after you dumped my like trash.”

  Ram didn’t have time for this. He flicked his gaze away from Varona. “Hinduru?”

  “My apologies, Sir. This is a private matter. I’ll leave you to discuss it alone.”