by Roxie Ray
He brought out a side of me I hadn’t known existed. A side that was wanton and yearning and desperate to have his cock.
“You’re so fucking perfect,” he murmured, echoing his earlier sentiment with a hint of awe in his tone. I knew exactly what he was feeling. Like it was impossible for this to be so good. But this was most definitely real.
Niall moved toward me, pressing a kiss to my thigh, my lower belly, my chest. He brought his lips to mine once more, kissing me slowly and languidly as if we had all the time in the world, but soon our kiss became more heated, desire ramping to scorching levels yet again. I felt insatiable, desperate, and I found myself grinding my bare pussy against his hard length, begging for more.
He broke the kiss, staring down at me, his hair flowing between us, and in that moment, I could have sworn he was a god with his golden skin and otherworldly eyes. I spread my thighs wider in invitation, barely able to breathe once again, only this time it was from sheer anticipation.
Niall gripped the base of his cock and ran the tip up and down through my folds, gathering my slick juices. Tingles raced through every nerve in my body. He arched an eyebrow, and I nodded furiously. He tilted his lips in a half smile, and then he was sliding inside me.
I sucked in a sharp breath at the unfamiliar sensation. He was so large, so thick, and I felt completely stretched as he continued to push into me inch by inch. The cock piercings rubbed my inner walls in all the right places, and I felt my pussy involuntarily clenching and squeezing around him.
“Relax,” he said, pausing his movements to bend down and kiss me again. I lifted my arms to wrap around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair once more. I did as he said, trying my best to relax. The longer we kissed, the more my body responded to him, and soon he was pushing deeper inside me.
I’d thought it would be impossible for his massive length to fit inside me, but it was as if we were made for each other. My body seemed to stretch and mold around him, and he filled me completely. How that worked, I had no idea, but it felt insanely good having him so snug inside me.
Then he began to move, gently at first. The sensation of his piercings stroking the inside of my pussy was the most euphoric feeling I’d ever experienced, and soon, I was clutching him even tighter, wrapping my legs around his waist and pulling him closer, and then angling my hips so he could fuck me even deeper.
With a growl, Niall scraped his teeth down my neck and thrust inside me harder, faster, until I was completely lost in him. Everything else faded away, there was only us and our bodies, and the pure ecstasy of coming together.
I’d thought I’d known pleasure before, but when another orgasm came out of nowhere, taking me by surprise and sending me soaring, I was taken to heights I didn’t know were possible. My pussy clenched like a vise around his cock, and Niall came with an earth-shattering roar.
My ears were buzzing, my body electrified, and I floated on a cloud of bliss. I didn’t know how long we stayed there together, our bodies joined as one, but eventually Niall shifted to his side and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly to his chest.
My heart thundered, as did his, but I realized suddenly that the pain in my chest was completely gone. Erased because of what we’d just done.
I lifted my hand to his chest and looked up questioningly. “I feel…back to normal.” I laughed. “Or as normal as I can feel after what you just did to me.”
He smiled, and I bit my lip against the flood of emotion that swelled inside me at seeing the gentleness in his gaze. “I feel back to normal as well. No more pain.”
I sighed, relieved, and snuggled into his chest. I wasn’t sure if Niall was a cuddle after sex kind of guy or not, but with the way he held me so tightly, I was pretty sure he wouldn’t let me out of this bed even if I tried. But right now I had no plans on going anywhere.
My mind started to clear from the sexed-up haze, and after a few moments I couldn’t keep from asking the burning question. “What exactly does it mean to be mated?”
Niall was quiet for several moments, and I started to feel uneasy, but when I tilted my head up to look at him, he gave me another soft smile and kissed my forehead.
“It hasn’t happened in centuries, apparently, but from what I understand, it means that two people are connected on a level that defies explanation. They’re meant to be together. They commit their lives to each other. They’re the only ones for each other, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. Two halves of a whole.”
I thought about that for a moment. “It sounds kind of like marriage.”
He nodded. “Sort of. But it kind of goes beyond marriage. Where marriage is a contractual commitment, mating involves so much more.”
It was strange to think that this man I hadn’t even known for a month could be the man I was destined to spend my life with. It sounded a lot like there were supposed to be intense feelings surrounding mating. Yet I didn’t know him well enough to even know what I felt, much less think about committing my life to him.
I shifted in his arms, but he held me tightly to him. “It’s okay. There’s no rush to make any kind of commitment or have a ceremony or anything. I want us to get to know each other better. We have time to figure this out.”
He cupped my chin and tilted my head up then kissed me softly on the lips. I relaxed into his kiss, his touch, and tried to forget about any of my worries. Like he said, we had time to figure things out. And for now, I just wanted to enjoy the feeling of being in his arms.
“Rest, sweetheart,” he murmured, and I snuggled into him once more, feeling more at ease than I had in a long time as I drifted off to sleep.
The next week passed in a haze of blissful days and sex-filled nights, and I still couldn’t seem to get enough of Niall. We hadn’t talked much more about the mating gene or what would happen next. We’d simply enjoyed being together, getting to know each other better.
I couldn’t believe just how wrong I’d been about him. He was completely amazing. Not just to me, either. He was kind and caring and considerate of everyone he met. When I’d made that snap judgment of him in the beginning, thinking he was just like every other rich asshole I’d ever known, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I hadn’t had a chance to tell him that yet, but tonight, I intended to. I was out at the open-air market by the river once again, this time shopping for a dress to wear on our first official date.
I felt giddy, almost like a teenager again, at the prospect of a night on the town with my man. My man… Is that what he was? I was certainly starting to think of him that way. I didn’t know what the future held, but right now I couldn’t imagine one without him in it.
I reflected on how much had changed in just a month as I browsed through a collection of colorful sheer dresses, none of which seemed to jump out at me. Looking up, some dresses at a stall across the street caught my eye, and I headed to the designating crossing area to go check them out.
As I waited for traffic to stop so I could cross, a harsh voice rasped in my ear.
“You need to disappear, human.”
Before I could even spin around to see who was speaking, someone shoved me—hard—and I stumbled out into the street where transport pods were zipping by.
I gasped as I looked up in time to see one speed right toward me. I froze, paralyzed by fear.
Then someone yanked me back by the arm. I yelped, adrenaline dumping into my veins as I realized how close that had been. My heart pounded so hard I was sure everyone in close proximity could hear it.
I spun around, gasping for breath, taking in the wide eyes of the Hollanders and humans in the market before my gaze landed on the person who’d saved me.
A massive giant of a man with dark orange skin and a long black braid stood there staring down at me, a harsh expression on his equally hard features.
“Are you okay?” he demanded, his voice not much softer.
I realized I was shaking, both from fright and adrenaline, and couldn’t
even find the words to tell him, no, I wasn’t fucking okay. I simply shook my head, trying to suck in lungfuls of air to steady myself.
“Who do you belong to?” another man demanded. He looked similar to the first, nearly as large, but his skin was a deeper reddish-orange and his braid wasn’t quite as long.
Assuming he must mean who I worked for, I managed to say, “Prince Niall.”
The first man rolled his eyes, giving me a look that seemed to imply of course you do, but he simply said, “Stick close to me.”
Then he was hauling me down the street toward a towering building, the other man trailing behind, and I didn’t have it in me to protest. I was too shaken up by what had just happened. Someone had pushed me into oncoming traffic! Who would do that?
I didn’t have time to think about it as the man steered me into the building. People were gaping at us as the strange and frightening man said to his companion, “Dordus, go tell Niall I have his human, and I need to speak with him immediately.”
The reddish-orange man, who was apparently named Dordus, did as he was told, and barely a moment had passed before Niall appeared in the lobby, his face stricken with panic. He rushed toward us.
“Brittany.” He pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me, and I immediately felt my breathing start to steady. Then he glanced up at the orange giant. “Kain, what is the meaning of this?”
I looked over in time to see Kain’s expression harden. “I was in the market after a trade meeting. There was someone in a cloak who tried to kill your human.”
Niall tightened his arms around me, nearly to the point of pain, and I could hear the rumble of rage in his chest as he spoke. “What do you mean, tried to kill her?”
Thankfully, Kain took it upon himself to explain, Dordus standing to the side with his arms crossed, looking around as if he were on guard for another attack. I was still so shaken that I didn’t think I could speak even if I tried. Kain quickly relayed the details of how I’d been pushed out into traffic. He’d caught sight of a man in a cloak running away, but by the time he’d pulled me to safety, the man had apparently disappeared.
Niall pulled me even closer, as if he were afraid to let go. “Did you see his face?”
Kain shook his head grimly, as did Dordus.
I winced as I replayed what had happened just before I’d been pushed, and finally found my voice.
“I heard him speak. We may not know what he looked like, but I know it was a man’s voice and he was really strong because that shove was really powerful.” I shuddered again at the memory.
“Do you think you would recognize the voice if you heard it again?” Niall asked, his voice gentler as he tilted my head up to look in my eyes. Fear and worry were evident on his face, and I clung to him as I nodded.
“Maybe.”
Niall heaved a deep breath. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this, sweetheart,” he vowed. “It’s going to be okay.”
I wanted to believe him, but at the same time, fear began to creep in as the adrenaline faded. Who would want to kill me? And would they try again?
I pressed my face into his chest, never more thankful that I had Niall than I was in that moment.
13
Niall
I sat in my top floor office at the Hollander division of the IEP, pulling up the holo-footage of what happened in the market yesterday. My hand shook with anger as I scrolled through the feed from the company surveillance.
I still couldn’t believe someone had attacked my mate—just the thought of it had me vibrating, ready to take out the person who threatened her.
Glancing across the office to where Brittany was curled up on one of the sofas in the sitting area, I tried to keep my anger in check. She didn’t need to deal with me flying off the handle. As it was, she looked like she might crack at any second.
Sure, Brittany tried to put on a strong front, and she was truly a strong woman. Usually. But the incident had shaken her, and I didn’t fault her in the least for looking like she might fall apart at any moment. Someone wanted to harm her.
Well, one thing was for sure. I wouldn’t let them. She was mine to protect, and I intended to use every resource at my disposal to do so. As if she felt me watching her, Brittany glanced up and gave me a small smile.
My chest squeezed, but not painfully this time. Ever since Brittany and I had mated just over a week ago, I hadn’t felt the slightest inkling of pain. Not when she was in my bed every night. I didn’t quite know what to make of everything that had happened and the way our relationship seemed to be developing so quickly, but I did know I liked having her with me, and not just because of the mating gene.
Brittany was fiery and feisty, but she was also kind and caring and gentle when she let her guard down. I hated that we hadn’t been able to go on our date last night. I’d wanted to do something special for her.
Instead I was spending the weekend up at the office trying to piece together what happened.
“Right there,” Kain said, drawing my attention back to the holo-footage. “Slow down the feed and play it back.”
I’d put together a team of people to investigate the incident, but Kain and I, along with his right-hand man Dordus, were just as involved in figuring this out. The two of them had joined Brittany and me in my office not long ago.
“See the person in the cloak? That’s him.” Kain jabbed his finger toward the screen. I scrolled back in the feed then slowed it down and played it back once more. With a few taps on the screen, I zoomed in to try to make out the man’s features.
“I can’t get close enough to get any distinguishing details,” I muttered, slamming my fist on my desk as I watched the footage unfold in slow motion.
There on the holoscreen, Brittany stood at the edge of the crossing, waiting to cross. The cloaked figure darted forward, pushing her out into the street, right in front of a fast approaching transport pod.
Even though I knew she was fine and how it ended, my stomach still dropped when I saw just how close she’d come to getting hit. Thankfully, Kain had been there. I didn’t want to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t. I turned to him, finding his expression as grim as my own.
“Do you have any idea why Brittany might have been targeted?” he asked.
“No.” I truly didn’t. But I also didn’t want to assume it was an isolated incident. Whoever had done this might try again, for whatever reason. “But she needs around-the-clock protection, that much is clear.”
I fixed my gaze on Kain, who was already shaking his head as if he knew what I was thinking.
“Sorry, man, but I have to get home. I have my own planet and people to look after.”
He did. As the leader of planet Raider, Kain was a busy man. He was also one of the biggest and scariest men I knew. More than capable of protecting Brittany. And as a personal friend of mine, I wanted nothing but the best watching over my mate.
“Come on, Kain. I know you have obligations, but it would only be a few days. Just until I can gather enough of my resources to figure out who wanted Brittany harmed.” Or worse—dead. I didn’t voice that part aloud, but we were all thinking it.
Kain’s jaw twitched, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he exchanged a calculating glance with Dordus. I gave Kain an imploring look. Surely he could do this favor for me. I never asked him for anything, and we went way back.
After a moment of staring each other down, he heaved a sigh. “Fine. But I won’t do it for nothing.”
I grinned. “I’d expect nothing less from you. Name your price.” Nothing was too much when it came to my mate.
“How about a trade? I’ll provide my services in exchange for more of your communication devices. We might be needing them sooner than expected.” Kain looked down and picked at invisible piece of fuzz on his sleeve.
I raised my eyebrows but didn’t push the matter. Not with Brittany sitting right over on the other side of the room, watching and listening to every w
ord.
Raider was a warrior planet, populated mostly with males who were bigger and badder than any I’d ever encountered in the entire galaxy. They were even shorter on females than Hollander, and they were close to signing an updated deal with the IEP to increase the number of human women brought to their planet through the breeding program in order to keep their population flourishing.
They would definitely need more of our proprietary communicators, and they were expensive. Kain was looking for a way to sweeten the deal for himself if he was going to stick around and keep an eye on Brittany. The lost revenue meant nothing to me, though, compared to Britt’s life.
“Deal,” I said. “Just let my people know how many you want. I’ll likely only need you to act as her bodyguard for a few days—just until we’ve gotten to the bottom of this.”
Kain arched a brow but refrained from commenting. Ideally, I could keep Brittany by my side until I’d done just that, but she already wasn’t supposed to be up here in my office—she didn’t have the security clearance. Thankfully, it was the weekend, and I snuck her in the back entrance. But the week ahead would make that much more difficult. This was the best compromise I could come up with, and I was willing to give Kain whatever he asked for if it meant keeping my mate safe.
“Okay,” I said, clapping my hands together and returning to the footage. “If we can identify some others who were there, who might have witnessed what happened, that might help us get the answers we need.”
Brittany spoke up then for the first time since she’d settled down on the couch. “I just remembered something.”
I watched with concern as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “What is it, sweetheart?”
I pointedly ignored Kain rolling his eyes at me for using the endearment, and Dordus snorted out a laugh. So far, he’d been mostly silent, deferring to Kain, but apparently that silence only extended so far.
