by Sadie Carter
“I don’t want to interfere with your work. I know how much it means to you.”
He brushed his lips across her forehead. “Not as important as you.”
She sighed happily. “You know all the good words to use.”
“You will move into my home once you are able to leave here.”
She sucked in a breath. Nerves filled her. He was moving fast. But then, did she expect anything else? Did she want anything else? Could she really go back to her house, knowing that he was living somewhere else? The answer was no. As nervous as she was, she knew she would regret it if she didn’t give this a go. She would just have to make sure that she protected herself in case it all went to shit.
However, she couldn’t let him away with just making demands like that.
“Was that a request?” she asked.
“No. Why would it be a request when it will happen?”
“You are so arrogant.” She shook her head. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“Cute? I have heard people call Giz cute. I am not certain I like being referred to as cute. I am strong. Smart. Loyal. Not cute.”
“Racar, you can’t just dictate to me. You’re supposed to ask me.”
“But if I made it a question, then you could say no.”
“I could.”
“I do not want you to say no.”
She sighed. “Racar, ask me.”
He gave her a disgruntled look.
“Ask me,” she insisted.
“Will you move into my house with me?” he said with clear reluctance.
“Yes. I would love to.”
His face relaxed. “Then why did I have to ask?”
She just shook her head with a laugh. He was impossible. She stared up into his face. He was too gorgeous for words. Her body was on hot, her clit throbbing, her nipples hard little nubs.
“Racar?”
“Yes, my mate?”
“Will you kiss me?” she asked breathlessly, moving her lips towards him. Certain of his reply.
“No.”
10
“No?” She gaped at him. For a moment it didn’t even register what he’d said. Then when it did, anger filled her. “No?”
He tried to move from the masic, but she grabbed hold of him. She had no intention of letting him go. Oh, he could easily overpower her. Even when she wasn’t weak from her illness, he was still much stronger than she was.
But to his credit, he stilled. He stared down at her, looking wary.
“Did you just tell me no?”
He frowned. “I did.”
“Why? You don’t want to kiss me?” Hurt started to mingle with the anger. Then he suddenly moved, rolling her onto her back and coming down on top of her. He rested his forearms on the masic on either side of her, but his lower half was pressed into her.
And it was more than obvious that he wanted her.
It was also more than obvious that he was big all over.
She swallowed nervously. She may have bitten off more than she could chew.
“Racar?” she whispered, looking up into his eyes which were amber. Zerconians eyes changed colors with their moods.
And amber meant he was aroused. Not that she didn’t already know that.
“Not want to kiss you? Sunshine, there is nothing I want more. I want to take your lips with mine. Press my tongue into your mouth. I wish to kiss and lick and taste every inch of you.”
“Okay. That sounds nice.” Her voice sounded breathless.
“Nice? It will not be nice,” he growled at her, looking insulted. “It will be hot. It will be demanding. It will make everything else fade into darkness. There will only be me. Touching you. Bringing you to release. It will be so good you will scream with pleasure.”
“Modest, aren’t you?” she tried to joke.
“I only speak the truth. I am very, very good. I have studied how to bring pleasure to a female. I devoted many weeks to this.”
Wow. Oh, wow.
“Then, why won’t you kiss me? Oh God, does my breath stink?” She hadn’t even thought of that. She brought her hand up to her mouth and breathed out then sniffed.
He leaned his weight on one hand and pulled her hand away from her mouth. “It is not the stink of your breath.
“So it does stink,” she wailed.
He shook his head. “Mate. Your breath does not stink. That is not the reason I will not kiss you.”
“Then what is it?”
“Touch is the beginning of the mating bond. A joining cements the bond. But between the first touch and joining, our bodies can react, try to push us into completing the mating. A male can become more aggressive. A female, well, she can become overly aroused.”
She knew all this. But she still found herself blushing.
“What’s kissing got to do with anything?”
“A kiss can also affect things. It can make the effects of a half-bond worse on both male and female. I do not wish to kiss you until I can join with you.”
“Damn. That really sucks.”
His lips twitched. “Sucks. I know this word. And yes, it does. But you are not up to joining with me yet. So, we will wait.”
“But not for long, right?”
“Let us hope not.”
She was going insane.
If she didn’t get that man to ease up and fuck her…well, she didn’t know what she was going to do. Something drastic. Something that would totally get his attention. Something that would make him realize she wasn’t an invalid.
She didn’t know whether her need for him was normal or was due to the incomplete mating bond. Her skin wasn’t overly sensitive. And Racar didn’t seem aggressive.
Worry niggled inside her.
Matings work differently for everyone.
But that niggle of worry was enough to make her want to complete the mating. Now. She wanted to know for sure that he was hers. Because she was getting more attached to the big guy every day.
He’d been amazing. He’d done everything for her. He’d moved her into his place. He’d started working from home so he could be there if she needed him. And when he had to go to the lab, he made sure she always had someone with her. She wouldn’t say he’d warmed to her friends exactly, but at least he wasn’t standing in the way of them visiting her.
But she wanted him. She wanted to sleep with him. Feel him touch her. Feel him inside her. Taking her. He wouldn’t even sleep in the same bed as her. He had told her some bullshit about not testing his control.
Well, she was nearly at the end of hers.
She rolled over and thumped her fist down on her pillow. She’d been home a week. She felt better than she had in a long time. Finally, tired of tossing and turning, she climbed off the masic. Racar’s place was really just a one-bedroom apartment. It was pretty sparse. It was obvious he didn’t spend much time here. But it had an amazing view. And she knew she could make it feel more like a home.
She walked into the living area, moving quietly. It was so dark in here. She tiptoed over towards the couch, where Racar was sleeping. Her foot banged against something and she let out a pained cry, falling forward and landing with a thump on something hard and warm.
Racar.
Shit.
“Mate? What do you do? Lights on,” he barked out.
The lights flickered on and she sat up with a groan. “Crap. I’m so sorry.”
“What are you doing walking around in the dark?” He sat up, looking down at her in concern. “You could hurt yourself.”
“Yeah, well, I’m pretty certain I broke my toe.” She reached out to grab her big toe gingerly. Ow.
“What?” he asked, alarmed. He reached down and picked her up. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs. Sometimes she forgot how strong he was.
“Where does it hurt? Can you move it?”
“Oh, it’s fine.” Although other parts of her were really beginning to ache now that she was sitting in his lap.
“I shall get dressed and
take you to one of the regen machines.” He was gently prodding at her toe and foot as he spoke.
She grabbed his hand. “Racar, it’s fine. It’s not broken. I was exaggerating. I just banged it against the side table and went flying.”
“What were you doing walking around in the dark?” he demanded. “If you needed something, you should have called out for me. You should not get out of bed alone.”
“Racar, I’m not an invalid.”
“You are still recovering,” he said stubbornly. He stood with her in his arms, holding her cradled against his chest.
She sighed happily. “Have I ever told you that I like it when you carry me around?”
“You do?” He looked down at her in surprise.
“Oh yeah. Makes me feel special, I guess.”
“You are special.”
There went that gooey feeling.
He walked into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. “I will get a coolpac for your foot. If it is swollen or sore in the morning you are going to the regen machine. No arguments.”
“Okay.”
He looked down at her in surprise. “Did you hit your head when you fell?” He started to feel her scalp, obviously looking for bumps.
“What? No. Why?”
“Because you have never agreed without an argument.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “That’s not true. I hardly ever argue.”
He snorted. “Now I know that you have hit your head. You are delusional.”
“I don’t usually like confrontations. I don’t like to create problems. You just bring out the argumentative side in me, I guess.” She reached out and grabbed his hand as he stepped back. “Nope. You’re not getting away from me.”
He raised his eyebrows as he stared down at her. “I am getting you a coolpac.”
She pursed her lips. “Fine. But after you do that I want you to sleep in here. With me.”
He shook his head. “No, sunshine, that is not a good idea.”
“I’m fully recovered, Racar. I’m not sick anymore. I won’t break.”
“You are still too pale and weak for my liking,” he countered. “I will not take chances with your health. You nearly died.” There was a starkness to his voice that made her pause.
“Then just sleep with me. Please. Only sleep. I need your arms around me.”
“Are you feeling the effects of the mating bond not being completed?” he asked with concern. “I know my touch can alleviate the effects.”
She wanted to say yes. To lie. But damn it, she couldn’t.
“I don’t know,” she said instead. “I just know I want you in here. With me.”
His face softened. “This I can do.”
She sighed happily. Step one, getting him into bed with her, achieved. Step two, getting him to fuck her, wouldn’t be far away.
Enough was enough.
She was getting out of bed today.
She didn’t care what her overgrown nurse/jail keeper said. Two weeks had passed since he’d taken out that java worm and she felt great. She’d thought when she got him to sleep in bed with her that things would quickly progress.
They had not.
So she was taking matters into her own hands. Tonight when he came to bed it was going to be to fuck her.
Today she was getting up for more than the half an hour at a time he’d allowed her so far. She was going to shower, get dressed, and get some fresh air. Racar had allowed her out on the balcony a few times, but only if he carried her. He’d also wrapped her up in so many blankets that it had kind of made breathing hard, and within minutes, she’d been sweating so much, she’d felt ill.
She’d quickly given up asking him to take her out. But today, he had to spend the day in the lab, so both Keely and Blue were coming over to keep her company. She knew that if she told him she was getting up today, he’d freak out and insist on staying home.
So the simple solution was not to tell him anything. It wasn’t really lying, right?
She figured she could talk until she was blue in the face and about to pass out and he still wouldn’t listen. But if she could show him she was well, he would have no choice but to back off.
She heard the door chime. The girls were here. She pulled herself up in bed as she heard them greet Racar. He walked into the bedroom with a slightly bemused look on his face. She knew he was starting to like Blue and Keely. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of Tane, Jack, and Marc. In fact, if she had to hazard a guess about his feelings towards them, she would say he was jealous.
But she tried not to push things. He was trying.
“Your friends are here.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss over her forehead. He turned to Blue and Keely, who had followed him in. “Make sure she stays in bed. And that she has at least one nap. Also, don’t feed her all that crap that you gave her last time. All that processed food isn’t good for her.”
She rolled her eyes, noting Keely and Blue were having trouble holding back their laughter.
Jerks.
As soon as he left, Blue and Keely came and sat on the bed with her. “So, do you need to nap now?” Keely asked.
“Or maybe we can make you a lettuce salad, no dressing?” Blue asked.
Ellie gagged.
“Or are we going to have some actual fun and play a game of poker and drink Sola?” Keely asked.
“Enough games of poker; you guys always beat me,” she complained. “I already owe you both two dozen cupcakes.”
“I thought we could make it an even three,” Keely said.
“You’re never going to get what I owe you if I’m not allowed out of this damn bed.”
“Oohh, had enough of Mr. Protective?” Blue asked.
She snorted. “I’d had enough four days ago. Now I’ve reached the full limit of my patience. Today, I’m getting out of bed. For good. And I’m not coming back here until he fucks me.”
Keely grinned. “I like this Ellie. This Ellie is kickass.”
She scrunched her nose. “I’m not really kickass, though.”
“Sure you are,” Blue disagreed. “You’ve just got more patience than the rest of us, so you’re slower to reach that point where you’re not really sure if you want to murder them or fuck them. Most of the time, you want to do both. Luckily, you tend to fuck them first, and by the time they’ve worked their magic on you, you forget about murdering them.”
“Damn, it must be spectacular to make you forget about murder,” Keely joked.
Blue just smiled. It started out small then grew bigger.
Keely’s eyes widened. “That good, huh?”
“Let’s just say that Safan knows what he’s doing. And that while his fingers are magic, his mouth is. Off. The. Planet.”
“Okay, you guys need to stop.” Ellie was already frustrated as hell. She didn’t need to listen to this.
“You really need to jump that man,” Keely told her. “You look like you’re going to burst.”
“You try sleeping next to the most gorgeous, sexy man you’ve ever met every night without fucking him and see how you feel!” she burst out. Immediately, she felt terrible. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“It’s okay,” Keely told her. “I get it. It’s torture. Zerconian style. You need some Racar loving.”
“And I need you guys to help me. It’s not just about the sex. He sees me as an invalid, someone to take care of. I want to show him that I’m a woman. You know?”
“I got you.” Keely nodded. “So, what’s the plan?”
“First, is getting out of bed. Second, is getting dressed. Third, I need some sexy lingerie. Fourth, is the bottle of Sola in the fridge.”
“That is an awesome plan. Totally fail-proof.” Keely nodded.
Exactly. What could go wrong?
“Just what do you think you are doing?” Racar thundered down at the three giggling females sprawled across the sofa in his living area.
He had come home expecting to find his ma
te asleep or perhaps the three of them watching a vid, something that humans seemed fond of doing.
He had not anticipated this.
“Racar!” Ellie called out, waving around the bottle of Sola she held. She appeared to be wearing some sort of pale green gown that tied around her waist. “You’re home.”
He placed his hands on his hips as he scowled down at Blue and Keely. “What is she doing out of bed?”
“She’s having fun is what she’s doing,” Keely replied.
“Fun? She was not supposed to have fun. She was supposed to rest.”
“She is right here,” Ellie told him, climbing to her feet. She wobbled a little, grinned, then righted herself.
He could not believe this. He left for one day. One. “I expected my instructions to be followed.”
“Oops, think we’re in trouble, Keely,” Blue said. Her grin told him she wasn’t much worried.
“Do you think he’s into spanking? He looks like the spanking type, doesn’t he?” Keely peered up at him.
“No, he doesn’t,” Ellie squeaked out, looking somewhat alarmed. “You’re not, are you? He wouldn’t spank you guys.”
Did she even realize what she’d just said? He looked at her incredulously.
“Wasn’t worried about us, babe,” Keely said to her. “Worried about him spanking you.”
“I am not going to spank my mate,” he informed them.
“Oh, that’s good, then.” Ellie smiled up at him. “I need some hubba-hubba not some…”
“Spanky-spanky?” Keely suggested.
Ellie burst into laughter. He found himself battling a smile. This was serious. Her eyes were a little unfocussed. How much had she had to drink? He snatched the bottle away from her as she went to take another sip. He gave it a shake. “How many of these have you had?”
“Just three,” Blue told him. She looked the most clear-headed of the lot. “Not that bad. Although Ellie is a real lightweight. Probably should have stopped at bottle one.”
“You should have stopped her from taking a drink at all. I entrusted her into your care.” And he was livid that they had allowed her to get out of bed, let alone let her get drunk. What if she had gotten dizzy and hit her head? What if she’d had a panic attack and hurt herself? Different scenarios raced around in his head.
