With a nod, Kanei swept Lana up in his arms and carried her down the hall. In her weakened state, her head bobbed lifelessly on his shoulder with every step. Face frozen except for a muscle ticking in his tightly clenched jaw, Trask watched them go.
Roth moved up next to the general.
“I don’t understand. At first the attraction was strong; I was so sure… Now, since we’ve been apart, it’s the opposite. I repulse her.”
“We’ll confer with Jarlan tomorrow, my friend. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation.”
“There is, according to Lana. The bond didn’t take.”
“I’ve never heard of a mated pair un-bonding in such a way. That doesn’t make sense.”
Trask looked at him, his features tormented. “What about the past few months has?”
The clearing of a throat caught their attention. “They’re ready for you, ma’am, and sirs.”
Roth rested his hand low on Maggie’s back before they followed the young page into the chamber. “It seems you’re a one-woman show, mate. Are you ready?”
“Are you coming with me?
“You couldn’t keep me away,” he replied, with a light sweep of his hand along her spine.
Leaning into him, while resting her hand on his chest, she answered softly, “I wouldn’t want to, Commander.”
Trask, who was still standing next to them staring at the spot where Kanei had last been seen with Lana in his arms, made a grunting noise of disgust before he moved forward and entered the Security Council Chamber ahead of them.
“Maybe, we shouldn’t be so obvious around them,” Maggie suggested. “It’s rather unkind to rub our feelings for one another in their faces.”
“Celebrating our joy is not rubbing it in, mate.”
“Yes, well, perhaps cutting out the PDA would be a nice thing to do.”
“PDA?”
“Public displays of affection. They’re often frowned upon in our world.”
“Primarians are open with their affection, Maggie, so Trask should be used to it. If not, he’s a big boy, and will live if he sees me kissing you, which I don’t intend to stop doing anytime soon.” As if to prove his point, he bent his head and lightly touched his lips to hers right there in the main hall. When he lifted his head, he moved them toward the same door that Trask and the others had used.
“Has Lana given you any idea what’s happening with them?”
“Other than it’s over, that she’s staying home when we return, and every time I see her, she looks as if someone ran over her cat? No.”
“And he is equally as miserable,” Roth stated.
“So, what is this? Separation sickness in reverse? Is it like anything you’ve heard of before?”
“No, but as Trask mentioned, little about mating with you Earth females is anything we’ve heard of before.”
“I feel so bad for them.” She sighed. “I guess we should go in and pretend like we know what we’re talking about, even though we don’t.”
“We’ll hold ourselves up as a shining example, mate.”
Maggie saw her heart reflected in his tender gaze and despite the significance of the upcoming proceedings, a smile touched her lips. “I like the sound of that, Roth.”
Six days later, after thirty-six hours of hearings, twenty-two witnesses, including two physicians, one from each planet, dozens of lab reports, and hastily made diagrams and charts, twelve countries stood in agreement and had signed the alliance treaty. Fifteen others were undecided, although leaning toward agreement, with plans to present the details to their own state governments with strong recommendations to take part.
The United States, in a rare move toward expediency, had full committee approval, which meant a vote would be eminent in Congress. The president wasn’t leaving anything to chance, however, and under executive order allocated emergency funding to set up testing facilities and transition programs across the country.
As she lay with her head pillowed upon Roth’s shoulder while snuggled together in her queen-size bed at her apartment. Maggie’s mind was racing with all that needed to be accomplished before the Dauntless, filled with nervous, soon-to-be Primarian mates, could make the trip home.
She rolled toward him, folded her hands on his chest, and propped her chin on top as she began thinking aloud. “We’re going to need a lot more help. And we haven’t met with the New Earth transition team yet, that alone will double the workload.”
“New Earth?”
She shrugged. “That’s what they’re calling it until they decide on something better.”
His arms tightened around her as he pulled her more fully on top of him, his hands sliding up and down her back. This was a familiar position in their small bed, especially since the width of his shoulders made it a tight fit. Even lying diagonally, with his shoulders propped against the headboard, his feet hung over. Yet he hadn’t complained, usually pulling her over him or rolling them onto their sides and holding her close from behind, his face either buried in her neck, or in her hair while sharing her pillow. She never complained either, enjoying the closeness.
“I was so proud of you this week, Maggie.”
“Thank you, though all I did was present a viable option for our future. With your help, we could have the new colony up and running in months, a year at the most, and that includes travel time. And in the same time frame, two to three thousand voluntary brides could be transported to their eager Primarian mates.”
“Brides?”
“If you haven’t noticed, we’re big on names and titles.” She shrugged again, watching as a grin overtook his features, one which she returned easily before going on. “A focus group found calling them brides more amenable than mates. Do you think your males would be agreeable to a small civil service?”
“If it makes their female happy, I don’t see why not? I’ll mention it to Kerr on or next relay call.”
“Thank you, honey.”
His grin broadened into a disarming smile.
After months of staring into his gorgeous lavender eyes, gliding her hands through his silky long hair, tasting his mouth, and being on the receiving end of his devastating grin, she still wondered what she had done to be so favored. And those were Roth’s attributes from the neck up only. An inventory of his body, and of all the things he did that made her feel loved, protected, and cherished, would take all night.
“I like when you call me that?”
“What’s that?” Trying to remember what she’d been saying before her mind took a fantasy trip of all things Roth.
“You called me honey; I like that a lot.”
“Better than commander?” she asked softly.
“I rather like that too, although my favorite is when you’re aroused and you moan my name in that breathy, husky voice.”
“Roth…”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
There wasn’t much said after that unless moans counted, and groans of more and harder, and the rhythmic slapping of their skin. Or Maggie’s squeals, when Roth got up on his knees, lifted her with easy strength and with his forearms hooked under her legs, pistoned up inside her. It wasn’t long before her whimpers became a sustained cry merging with Roth’s full-throated groans and they came spectacularly together.
When he laid her down long, pleasure-infused minutes later, and collapsed beside her, completely spent, he rolled them to their sides. In his favorite sleeping position, his big body curling protectively around her from behind, he murmured in her ear, “Sleep, little captain, I’m here.”
She gasped, her eyes flying open as she wiggled around to face him. “You were there that night!”
“Of course, I was, purrada. They told me you were calling for me. How could I stay away?”
“But that was before…”
“We were mated? Maggie, from the moment I saw you, my blood stirred and, deep down, I knew. I resisted, but I was denying the truth, that you have always been mine. And when you needed me, I ha
d to be with you.”
“Roth,” she whispered, blinking uselessly at the tears that couldn’t be stopped.
“Don’t cry,” he urged as his hands gently cupped her cheeks, swiping the droplets away with his thumbs as he tilted her face up for his kiss. “Maes eternium, my precious mate, then, now, and for eternity,” he murmured against her lips.
“Yes,” she managed between shallow, panting sobs, “as you are also mine forever, my beloved Commander.”
The End
Other titles currently available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iTunes
The Barbarian’s Captive
(Primarian Mates, Book 1 of 4)
Light years from home, plant biologist Lt. Eva La Croix and her all-female exploration team land on a planet they believe is a perfect substitute for the dying Earth. They are set upon by huge alien hunters and Eva is captured by the barbarian leader. Tossed over his shoulder, she is carried back to camp and claimed as his own.
Despite her fear, she is captivated by the gorgeous, dominant male with his long gleaming black hair, smooth bronze skin, and glimmering golden eyes. Expecting her full compliance, he strips her and prepares her for an intimate and very thorough inspection. Horrified, Eva protests, but quickly learns defiance will be met with swift consequences, including a bare bottom spanking until he proves to her who is in command.
Deemed compatible, she and her teammates are whisked away to the barbarians’ world where they are mated to these powerful men. While pampered and protected, the women are expected to submit to their male’s authority and bear their young. Will Eva learn to adapt to their unusual beliefs and old-fashioned ways? Can she sacrifice her independence and surrender to this dynamic, highly sexual alien male who has conquered her body, and perhaps her heart? Or when escape is imminent, will she flee with the others, never to see him again and feel the rampant desire that now surges through her blood for her compelling barbarian mate?
Publisher’s note: The Barbarian’s Captive is a romantic novel containing sexual scenes, spanking, elements of BDSM, medical and anal play. If this subject matter is offensive, please do not buy this book.
Marshal’s Law
(Jackson Brothers, Book 1 of 3)
When Janelle Prescott is thrown from her car as it careens off a slippery road, she expects to wake up in a hospital. Instead, to her utter disbelief, she wakes up in a jail cell which looks like something from an old western movie set. It is there, hurt and alone, with no idea what happened or how she will get back home, that Janelle first meets Aaron Jackson. As she regains her wits, however, Janelle realizes that something is terribly amiss, and her worst fears are confirmed when she learns that Aaron is the marshal of Cheyenne County, Wyoming…
and the year is 1878.
When an injured, apparently addle-headed woman falls into his lap, Aaron takes it upon himself to keep her safe and nurse her back to health. Truth be told, he is instantly attracted to her despite her sharp tongue and her bizarre story—a story which he is quickly forced by the evidence to accept as genuine. After Aaron takes her under his wing and into his family’s home, the two clash frequently, but Aaron is more than ready to lay down the law… even if that means a good, hard, bare-bottom spanking for this feisty brat from another era.
Having little choice, Janelle must learn how to live as a woman in the Old West, including submitting to the firm-handed marshal who, in spite of everything, seems to have laid claim to her heart.
Publisher’s Note: Marshal’s Law is an erotic romance novel that contains sexual scenes and spankings, including domestic discipline in a historical setting. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
Captain My Captain
(Club Decadence Series, Book 1 of 7)
Special Forces Captain Tony Rossi is back from Afghanistan and ready to settle into civilian life. He has his business affairs in order and is now ready get on with the personal business of Megan Sinclair. Kept apart for 15 years by distance and circumstance, those barriers no longer exist and Tony is ready to claim his woman. Will she be willing to accept his belief in a traditional relationship where the man is the head of the household? What about his part-ownership in the local bondage club? He is determined to win her, no matter the obstacles that get in his way.
Megan, for her part, has loved him since high school but believes he just thinks of her as a cute kid sister. When she realizes that Tony is interested, it’s a double-edged sword. As an independent businesswoman, can she conform to Tony’s old fashioned beliefs and demands and be spanked? Can she bring all her secret fantasies to life and submit?
Finally, when they are both available to work on a relationship, life interferes. Megan accidentally becomes embroiled in the conspiracies of a local drug dealer with ties to a Mexican drug cartel. Tony must keep her safe at all costs, something that now she is not at all sure she wants. When fantasy meets reality, bottoms get sore, and suddenly that’s not quite so much fun. Or is it?
This extra-long romantic story contains non-consensual and consensual domestic discipline and spanking, including mild BDSM elements. And don’t miss Book Two of the Club Decadence series, “You Said Forever” (AISN: B00D1Y90AS), now available!
Published by Breathless Romance
Primarian Mates Series
The Barbarian’s Captive
His by Command
Published by Blushing Books
Everything Christmas
(Also, included in The Naughty List Boxed Set)
The Gift
Hero to Obey
(USA Today Bestselling Anthology with Sierra Cartwright, Desiree Holt, Sue Lyndon, and more)
The Juniper Bride
(Also, included in the Sons of Johnny Hastings Boxed Set)
Surrender My Love
Club Decadence Series
Faithfully (Prequel)
Captain My Captain
You Said Forever
Little Light of Mine
Unbind My Heart
Second Time Lucky
What About Love
Decadence LA Series
Master My Love
Decadence Nights Series
Hooked
French Kiss
The Red Petticoat Saloon Series
Claiming Coral
Published by Stormy Night Publications
A Very Naughty Christmas
(with Dinah Mcleod, Meredith O’Reilly, Morganna Williams, and Sara Fields)
Gideon’s Redemption
Innocence Enslaved
(with Melody Parks)
Lanie’s Lessons
The Trail Master’s Bride
The Jackson Brothers Series
Marshal’s Law
Jackson’s Justice
Wild Wisteria
Pleasure Bay Series
Dimitri’s Desire
(with Melody Parks)
Mastering Mariah
(with Morganna Williams)
Sweet Trilogy
Sweet Salvation
Sweet Surrender
Sweet Submission
Other Independent Publishers
His Naughty Christmas Angel
(Also, part of the Put Your Ho Ho’s On Anthology)
About the Author
A USA Today and #1 international bestselling author, Maddie is a lifelong reader who became a romance junkie as a teen with her first romance novel, The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen Woodiwiss. From then on, she was hooked, and gobbled up everything she could get her hands on, whether contemporary, historical, paranormal, or sci-fi. If there was romance to be found between a strong alpha male, and a sassy, adventurous and oft-times defiant yet loving woman, Maddie was all over it. As an author, she stays true to those themes writing steamy erotic romance, with a side of kink, and adding elements of intrigue, danger, and suspense to her plots.
Maddie started writing as a hobby. Her stories stayed private while she raised a family and worked full time as a registered nurse. It
wasn’t until 2012 that she decided to take the plunge and submit her first book for publication: Captain My Captain. She went on to publish eleven novels the first year.
She’s still juggling writing with her day job. You’ll find her working at her laptop into the wee hours of the morning, or scribbling plot ideas into the notebook she always keeps handy, and working out the details of a scene while floating around in her pool with a lemon drop in hand. Don’t be surprised if you see her pulling over on the side of the road searching frantically for pen and paper to capture an idea for a scene that popped into her mind, because as Maddie says, her best ideas always come when her hands are full or if there isn’t a pen in a five-mile radius.
A note from Maddie Taylor…
As always, thanks to all my fans for supporting me and embracing my books. That is the reason I’m able to continue to do what I do. Please contact me, or better yet, post a review so I know what you’re thinking.
I appreciate constructive earnest reviews and take all your recommendations to heart.
His By Command (Primarian Mates Book 2) Page 30
