Pale gray marble surrounded her, the floor and tub, the stone embedded with swirls of black and silver. The bathing tub was large enough to fit both of us easily, which was one of my requests.
Her eyes tracked my every movement as I dropped my pants and human shirt and stepped out of my boots. Completely naked now, I stood before her wearing nothing but the mating cuffs, nothing but the symbol of her claim over me, and allowed her to look her fill. My cock was erect, curving up toward my belly, and her gaze finally focused there. I was always hard for her. Always ready. I would always desire her. Give her the satisfaction she needed from my body.
I took a deep breath, picked up the scent of her arousal.
She stared far too long. When her gaze finally reached my eyes, I saw what I needed to see. Lust. Love. Trust.
Need.
“You are perfect, Bahre.”
I was not. I was scarred and broken and ugly, but I was not going to talk her out of her delusion. Instead I would fuck her into oblivion, make sure she was sated, pleasured, replete. Touch every inch of her and make sure she knew exactly how devoted I was to her care and protection. I was going to fucking love her so thoroughly the skewed view she had of me would never fade.
And if it began to? I would make sure to fuck and care for her and make her pussy pulse on my cock until she thought I was perfect once again.
Walking toward her, I removed the small bits of lace from her body with quick tugs until the scraps drifted to the floor. I lifted her into the water. Smiling, she dropped down into the quickly filling tub and moved to the back edge, farthest from me, and placed her arms out to her sides, her breasts floating at the top of the water. Her cuffs shone brightly in the light, wet from the bath, and I could not stop the surge of satisfaction at seeing them on her body. Her nipples peeked at me in enchanting invitation, a shade darker in the warm bath.
“Get in, mate,” she ordered. “Don’t make me beg.”
My smile, I knew, was feral. I wanted her to beg. I took my cock in hand and squeezed the base to stave off the need to lift her out of the water and take her right against the wall. “Mine.”
“Come and get me, beast.” She beckoned me forward with one twitch of her finger.
My beast growled. Perhaps we weren’t quite so different in our thinking as I’d believed. “You want to ride my cock, mate?”
“Yes.”
That one word snapped my control, and I stepped into the water. She didn’t move away, instead she rose to greet me, her wet breasts pressed to my chest, her lips on mine.
Starving for the taste of her. I lifted her in my arms and carried her so her bottom rested on the edge of the large tub, her back leaned against the wall just a few inches behind her. Holding her gaze, I lifted one of her feet, placed it on the side of the tub. I reached for the opposite, opened her legs as I settled her other foot on the edge, and groaned as her wet pussy beckoned me, her glistening arousal a sight I had no desire to resist.
She was spread wide, completely open to me. Yet not vulnerable. She knew she held the power here. I might be bigger, but she always brought me to my knees.
I held her in place and moved between her legs, my shoulders pressing against her wet thighs, pressing them to her sides. Wide.
Mine.
Before I lowered my mouth to her pussy, I glanced up at her.
Her fingers tangled in my hair, and she gave me a soft smile.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Yes, my lady.” I thrust my tongue deep, claiming her in the most elemental way I could. Her gasps of pleasure, the wetness coating my tongue were all the encouragement I needed as I feasted on her feminine core. I used fingers and tongue, lips and teeth, tugging and sucking until I learned what made her gasp, hold her breath, shiver.
I slid two fingers into her pussy, fucking her as I sucked her clit, eager to push her to orgasm. I needed her to lose control. To cry. To scream. To surrender. I would save the taunting and teasing for another time.
“Mine,” I whispered when she whimpered.
“Bahre!” Her fingers twisted in my hair, not to push me away but to pull me closer. I feasted, doubled my assault on her clit, fucking her harder and faster with my fingers as I increased the pressure and rhythm of my tongue. Massaging the inner walls of her pussy, found the sensitive place inside her, and stroked her over and over until she screamed, the walls of her pussy fluttering in helpless spasms around my fingers.
I growled at the sight of her, the sound of her satisfaction.
Before she had time to recover, I rose from the water and settled my cock at the entrance of her swollen pussy, then plunged deep, buried myself in the still-pulsing heat of her.
My beast took over, growling with primal satisfaction at her whimpers and clawing fingers, the heavy heat of her swollen folds squeezing me. I didn’t hold back, knowing she was already on the edge, ready for another orgasm. Needing me to fuck her hard. Fast. Deep.
“Yes!” she cried.
I fucked her like the beast I was, and she met each thrust with a surge of her hips, a soft cry on her lips. She demanded more, and I gave her everything.
Faster.
Deeper.
I fucking loved the way her skin flushed, the way her breathing sounded when she begged, loved the way her cream coated my cock, the way her body shifted with each solid lunge of my hips. I loved that her perfectly styled hair was now a mess of wet tendrils and loose strands falling down around her breasts. I loved the way I could make my calm, perfectly collected female into a screaming, writhing mess riding my cock.
She loved to be put together, to look perfect. But like this, bare, sweaty, and lost to everything but my cock driving into her, she was perfect.
When she came again, her pussy tightening on me like a fist, I finally let myself come, coating her with my scent, my seed.
We bathed each other after, laughing and playing like I had never done in my life. The water grew cold, so I lifted her from the tub, dried her off, and carried her to our new bed. I kissed her softly. Held her. Listened to her talk of plans for the house as we took in our huge new bedroom, for our life together.
Atlan had not been my home for many years. Earth. Atlan. The Colony. I did not care where I slept so long as my mate was in my arms.
Thank the gods. She was my mate. My home.
Mine. Forever.
Epilogue
Quinn, 9 News Headquarters, Miami, Florida
Ellen and Susan hovered like two proud mother hens. I was going live on the anchor desk in fifteen minutes, and they made sure I looked like a movie star for my first day back after my huge promotion.
I loved them. God, how I’d missed them. And Earth. And sanity.
The papers in my lap were still full of information, but now it was local events, politics, and crime, not just meteorological data. I had finally made it to the anchor desk, thanks to my Atlan hottie and one little viral video of Bahre on his knees, pledging himself to me.
“Ten minutes.” The voice coming through the door was familiar. I was back where I wanted to be. Bahre, though, was with me. He had transferred to guard duty at the Interstellar Brides Processing Center here in Miami and worked a few hours a day just to keep busy.
It had taken some time for either of us to be ready to be apart. Weeks before he’d made the technical adjustments to the mating cuffs that allowed me to be away from him without pain.
His beast refused the change to his cuffs. Bahre’s mating cuffs hurt him every second he was away from me, but Bahre said it was necessary for him to maintain control of his beast. I wasn’t going to argue. Life on Earth wasn’t meant for that kind of attachment. And I wanted to work. Yes, we were rich now. Really, ridiculously wealthy. I didn’t have to work. But I wanted to. I enjoyed my job and I was good at it. Bahre would go crazy if he were stuck in our mansion all day, every day. So we made some changes.
Unfortunately, Doctor Helion and Bahre both insisted that there were more enemies out the
re. More bad guys who might try to hurt Bahre through me. So security was an issue.
We’d come to a resolution where one of his other Atlan friends was always—literally always—nearby when Bahre was working. It put me at ease. Bahre as well. I had personal Atlan security, which was just fine with me. It also worked out great for the big guys because where I went, they went. It gave them access to a lot more human females. Shopping. The salon. My favorite deli. It might have been overkill, but Bahre insisted.
When my beast insisted, I was pretty much helpless to resist him. Or his hands. His mouth. His cock.
Oh no, I was blushing. Again.
Ellen giggled like a teenager as she dusted a bit of extra powder on my cheeks. “You are beautiful, dear. I’m so happy you’re back.”
I’d been nervous to return to this room, but I knew Lukabo was gone. Dead. I was safe.
“Me, too.” I smiled as Ellen kissed me on the cheek. Susan followed right behind her before they gave me some space to clear my head and get ready to go on live television. That wasn’t anything new, but the role was and… I took a deep breath. I was fine.
Lifting my hands, I inspected the intricate designs that covered the mating cuffs I never wanted to take off. The idea that Bahre wanted to endure pain when he was away from me was strange.
So romantic, in a really brutal, alien way. But after what I’d seen on that space station, Bahre wearing something that hurt him a little bit seemed pretty minor. Plus, they made him happy, so I wasn’t going to argue. Bahre happy was my favorite thing in the universe.
“Thank you, my lady.” Tane stood at attention near the door, so silent I’d forgotten he was there. He seemed to be my primary guardian when Bahre was away. After all we’d been through together, I considered him a friend.
“For what?” I frowned.
“For finding Bahre,” he replied. “For accepting him. For everything you did to help bring down Cerberus. You give us all hope.”
I was not used to such praise, but I knew the words were not easy to say, so I accepted them. “Thank you.” But I was confused. “Hope for what, Tane?”
He bowed low, lower than I had seen any Atlan go. “That we might find such an extraordinary female for ourselves.”
Oh my. He was so… sweet. “You know what we need?”
“What would that be?”
“To find you a mate.” I flicked the papers in my hand against my makeup table. “Bahre and I have a new house.” It was a freaking mega-mansion if I was honest. He’d had a lot of help with converting his Atlan riches to dollars, and once I’d seen the bank account statements, I’d realized billionaire was the tip of the iceberg. Bahre was one of the richest people on the planet. Some of Bahre’s wealth came from his home world, for being Atlan and surviving the war. And even more from that jerk Prillon, Dr. Helion, for being a spy. Or assassin. Or whatever he had been.
I didn’t care about Bahre’s past. I only cared about what he was now.
Mine. I didn’t even care about the money.
Tane gaped. “How would you assist with finding me a mate?”
I laughed, a full, happy laugh from my belly. They had so much life experience, and yet they were so clueless, these Atlans. “I have a mansion now. I know a lot of people. You aren’t going to be the one on the Bachelor Beast show, right?”
He shook his head. “No. At this point, none of us will.”
“The four of you who came with Bahre? Why not?”
“We have all scented the females chosen, and our beasts have not responded.”
My eyes widened. “To any of them?”
“No.”
“That stinks.”
Tane grinned at me. “Tell me about it.” He’d been picking up on Earth slang, it was kind of adorable. He was like Bahre’s little brother, that was how I thought of him.
“I’m going to talk to Bahre,” I told him.
The door to my dressing room opened, and Bahre walked in without preamble.
“Mate. I love you. You are well?” Always, always his very first words.
I smiled. “I love you, too. And of course.” I stood and threw myself into his arms. He held me close and kissed me until I couldn’t breathe. “Now I’ll need Ellen to fix my lipstick.”
“Your lips are perfect.”
Tane cleared his throat. Bahre looked over his shoulder at his friend. “Thank you for watching over her.”
He tipped his head. “I am honored.”
I wiggled and Bahre put me down. “You two are so cute.” I grabbed my papers as the tech came to the door, looked inside at the two huge aliens, and stopped dead in his tracks. “Two minutes. You better hurry.”
“Coming!” I dashed down the hallway in my bright red high heels—I would never be caught without my number one self-defense weapon ever again—chocolate-brown sweater dress, and bright red belt. Tane and Bahre followed directly behind me, and I talked over my shoulder as I walked, my heels clicking on the floor. “We’re going to have a party, Bahre. With all your friends. I’m going to invite everyone I know. It’ll be like Cinderella’s ball.”
“Who is Cinderella?” Tane asked.
“Why would we need another ball?” Bahre asked. “There are plenty at our new home, mate. I made sure to include every possible type. One for baskets and a football and one for soccer. Tennis. I forget all the Earthen games, but we are well equipped for any occasion.”
I slipped behind the anchor desk and smiled at my man, who stood beside the nearest camera. My mate. My alien. He really was adorable. Like huge teddy bear, squeeze-him-to-death adorable.
Basketballs and soccer balls? Well equipped for any occasion? Hah. That was a good one.
When those Atlans got a look at a roomful of human women dressed to kill, that confused look on Tane’s face was going to fade into something totally different.
I glanced at Bahre again.
Yes, there it was. That was the look.
Hunger. Need. Devotion. Love.
I was going to find Tane a woman who would make him look like that.
We started the newscast, and everything was going well. Until my co-anchor read something off the teleprompter that made me freeze in shock.
“The thirty-six-year-old man who died by suicide yesterday has been identified as Jeffrey Randall of Chicago. He was an actor working in Chicago before moving to Florida less than two years ago.” My co-anchor droned on about the details, and I stared at the camera with a smile plastered on my face. Apparently Jeff had thrown himself off a bridge?
Not likely.
I looked off camera at Bahre, who stood in the shadow, the question in my eyes. I willed him to answer me.
He did, but without words. His gaze was direct and unflinching. Next to him, Tane crossed his arms and inclined his head to me as well.
Shit. The guys had killed Jeff?
I looked away and tried to keep my expression neutral as the co-anchor moved on to talk about a drug ring that had been broken up by the local police earlier in the day.
“Quinn?” My co-anchor said my name, and I realized I was supposed to be talking.
Great.
I turned my most professional smile on him, then finished the newscast. The moment we were off-air, I unclipped my mic and walked directly to Bahre.
“Did you do it?” I whispered.
He set his hand on my elbow and leaned down. “He was a threat to you. Was he not?”
I couldn’t lie. “Yes.”
“Unacceptable,” he replied. “I protect what’s mine.”
Years of conditioning faded as I realized I didn’t care that Jeff was dead. He had not been a good person. He was cruel, obsessive, and dangerous, not just to me but to whatever female he would have targeted next. Jeff was no different than Cerberus, except in space Bahre took out bad guys like him. It had been his job. Here, it wasn’t. Well, not professionally, but as my mate he’d seen it as his duty.
“Okay.”
“You are not angry
with us?” Tane asked.
I looked at him. “No. He was just another Cerberus.”
“Exactly.” Bahre lifted his hand to my cheek, and I leaned into the caress. “I want to take you home, mate.”
I glanced at my watch. “Not yet. I have another live broadcast in an hour, as you well know.”
His growl made my heart skip a beat.
Tane got the message. “I’m going to go check on the others.” He stepped back on his way to the stairs. “Let me know about Cinderella and your balls.”
I burst out laughing the moment he was gone.
“We amuse you, mate?”
“Yes.” I looked up at him and knew exactly what he was thinking. My mind was on the same thing. “There is a very heavy lock on my dressing room door. I do have one now, you know.”
“Is there?” He lifted me into his arms and carried me off the set. No one paid us any attention, as if having the news anchor carried off set by an Atlan was anything out of the norm.
“And Ellen is very, very good at fixing my hair and makeup.”
Bahre was grinning as he kicked the door of my dressing room closed behind us and pushed me against the wall, his beast’s face already making an appearance.
My entire body went hot and tight for him. My beast.
“We should make sure she has something to do.”
I unbuckled my belt. Bahre lifted the dress over my head and dropped it to the floor.
His cock was inside me seconds later, and I clung to him. So hot. So wet. So ready.
“I love you, Quinn. Mine.” He repeated the last word with every thrust, his hands gripping my wrists and holding them above my head as his beast took control, mimicking the claiming on the transport station. “Mine. Mine. Mine.”
I dug my high heels into his ass, and he growled, pumping harder.
“Mine,” I said. “My beast.”
We spent forty-five minutes locked away in my dressing room. Ellen gasped when she saw me after. Bahre looked smug and well pleased seated on the special couch I had ordered just for him and the other Atlans who watched over me in the makeup room. I laughed at Ellen’s shocked face. “Can you make me beautiful in ten minutes?” I asked her.
Beauty and the Beast: Interstellar Brides® Program: The Beasts - 3 Page 14
