Sula was asleep when Aidan entered their quarters. Asleep or awake didn’t seem to matter; her delightful scent and warm presence called to him anyway. He smiled to himself as he spotted his duffel bag sitting in the corner of the tiny compartment. As logical as he’d tried to make his choice of accommodations seem, Sula had apparently arrived at the same conclusion.
Still, it didn’t do to make too many assumptions, and with that in mind, he donned a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before climbing the ladder to the unoccupied upper bunk.
As tired as he was, he figured he would fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes. Sleep, however, proved elusive. He could’ve listed any number of reasons why, but if his level of sexual arousal was any indication, Sula was having some incredibly steamy dreams.
After he’d turned over for the umpteenth time, she whispered his name.
“Sorry for waking you,” he said. “I can’t seem to get my brain to shut down.”
“I know what you mean,” she said. “I’ve been lying here for hours and haven’t slept a wink.”
“Same here.” Small wonder her scent had affected him so strongly. That she’d been thinking rather than dreaming cheered him considerably.
“Do you think…I mean, I know these bunks are small, but I was hoping we might…”
“Share?”
The breath she exhaled sounded as though she’d been holding it for days. “Oh yeah.”
Aidan rolled over and jumped down, landing lightly on the floor beside her. When she scooted toward the wall and pulled back the blanket in a silent invitation, he lay down beside her, sliding one arm beneath her head and draping the other over her waist. Even without his superb night vision, he would’ve known her by the crimson glow from her eyes.
“I see you got rid of the fangs,” he said.
“I thought it would be safer for both of us.”
“No kidding.” Her teasing tone and coy smile made him wonder, though. Was she only planning to bite him on the neck, or was she going to do something else? Something erotic and stimulating, perhaps?
The mere thought of what she might do to him sent a surge of excitement through his body. His cock was already so hard, it ached.
Then she kissed him, and every stroke of his heart seemed to be pushing even more blood straight to his groin. The kiss was better than anything he’d ever felt or tasted—even better than their previous kisses. Still, there were other parts of her he longed to enjoy. Her full breasts, her taut nipples, her warm, wet pussy.
He hated that word. It seemed so inadequate for something so wondrously luscious. There should be something else—perhaps the Zetithian word. He tried to remember…
Loresh—the source of a man’s joy.
He would tell her that at some point. For now, however, he let the word play through his thoughts, teasing him with the glorious delights yet to come. He avoided biting her neck, choosing to tug at her earlobe instead, catching it between his teeth and tugging until it slid from his lips. Her soft hum of pleasure told him how much she enjoyed it.
Without a word, she ducked her head and bit him on the neck. Even without fangs, the shocking sensation of her teeth pressing into his flesh shook him to the marrow. Her tongue on his skin sent shivers down his spine as she licked the place she’d bitten.
Only in that moment did he realize he was purring. He might’ve been doing it sooner, but his mind only surfaced long enough to register that fact before submerging once again into the splendid essence of Sula.
He spared a brief thought to the consequences. She would have triplets if she conceived. “Are you in one of your fertile periods? If so, we should wait—”
A finger pressed to his lips silenced him. “I have a slow-release birth control implant. It should be good for another five years.”
Suddenly, what Kim had said about sex not having the “desired effect” made sense. The scanner might not have detected any nanobots or disease, but it had apparently found the implant. “So you’re okay with this?”
A slow smile curved her lips. “In body, mind, and soul.”
With another kiss, he began purring again. The play of her tongue against his—soft, wet, and utterly delightful—made him purr even louder. She caressed his shoulder with a gentle hand before spearing her fingers through his hair. A tug on his shorts by her other hand reminded him that he was still dressed and so was she. She was wearing the nightgown Rashe had brought for her, which was much too lovely to rip with his fangs, even though that was precisely what he wanted to do.
However, he found that bunching her nightie up with his fingers gradually brought him into contact with her bare, silken skin. A fragrance like rain-drenched spring flowers filled his head, but even that couldn’t begin to mask the enthralling aroma of her desire. With every touch, he seemed to absorb more of her essence.
He’d never asked his father what it was like for a Zetithian to mate with a Terran—possibly because his father’s breeding was so different from his own—so he hadn’t known what to expect. His eyes widened as her aura seeped in through his pores. He was only touching her with his hands and mouth. What would happen when they were skin-to-skin?
“Something about you intoxicates me,” he whispered against her lips. “I can’t explain it any other way.”
“You do the same thing to me.”
“I need to touch more of you.” Releasing his hold on her, he tore off his shirt and tossed it aside. His shorts quickly followed.
She grasped the hem of her gown. “Help me get this off.”
Delighted to comply, he pulled it over her head.
She stretched out on her side, gazing up at him with the most beguiling eyes he’d ever seen, and for what seemed like an eternity, all he could do was stare. Her long, dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders in soft waves that curled around her breasts, the dark areolas in sharp contrast to the lighter tone of her skin. Her full lips beckoned; the arch of her brow enticed. The line of her lovely neck sloped to her shoulder in a graceful curve. The rise of her chest dipped to her waist before flaring out to the lushness of her hip.
“I’ve never seen anything so incredibly beautiful in my life.”
Her smile compounded her allure, something he wouldn’t have believed possible. “Neither have I.”
In the next instant, he was beside her again, pressing the full length of his body to hers. The intimacy was shocking, as though every cell in his body was somehow awash with her essence. Her flavor when he kissed her was even more delicious and powerful than it had been before. How could that be? Something about her connected with him on a molecular level, binding them together in a way he never expected, almost as if she were the Mordrial mystic instead of him.
She had other flavors to discover. He’d avoided her neck before; now he let his lips and tongue roam freely where his fangs should not. Nevertheless, the metallic tang on his tongue warned that a fang had grazed her skin, drawing blood.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “I’ll try to be more careful.”
Her smile surprised him a little. “No worries. I’ll live.”
Her soft, warm skin grew more delectable as he progressed from her neck to her breasts, and the firm bud of her nipple yielded a taste sensation that burst on his tongue like a potent spice. Her hum of pleasure drove him further still, on down past her navel and over the soft swell of her belly until he reached the source of the most amazing scent of all. One taste, no matter how sublime, would never be enough to satisfy him.
A swipe of his tongue over her clitoris had her grasping the back of his head. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
His own desire began spiraling out of control as her thighs gripped his head. Moments passed—or was it an eternity of pleasure?—before her breath caught and her tight nub surged against his tongue.
With her climactic cry, the need to mate overwhe
lmed him to the point that he could think of nothing aside from sliding his cock into her tight, wet heat. A subtle move brought him up over her again, bringing that thought to the brink of reality. As she opened herself to him, the lure of her loresh was like magic, drawing him effortlessly inside her. A slight withdrawal followed by a strong pelvic thrust was the only reminder that he still had control of his muscles.
A moan broke from her lips as her sheath tightened around his cock, undoubtedly responding to his orgasmic coronal fluid. “Oh, Aidan…”
The steady push and pull on the fleshy ruffle at the base of his cockhead threatened to drive him mad. Each stroke forced the level of ecstasy higher still. He gazed down at her in amazement. “How are you doing that?”
“You’re the one doing it to me.” She gasped as her inner muscles gripped his cock once again. “I never dreamed…”
In the next instant, his control snapped, and his eyes squeezed shut as Aidan reached the first climax of his life. Sensations hitherto unfelt flooded his mind and body as his testicles contracted, sending forceful jets of snard flowing from his cock. An explosive purr issued from his throat, and for one rapturous moment, his mind went completely blank.
His mind might have been blank, but his body was flooded with an ecstasy so complete, it rivaled perfection. Even though his eyes remained closed, a brilliant light engulfed his visual sense, astounding him with its radiance. Then, like the tide crashing on a rocky shore, the light burst into a swirling sea of colors before slowly receding into darkness.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself looking down at Sula’s lovely face. Her eyes were open wide in a response so extraordinary, he could only gaze at her in wonder. Aidan thanked the gods—and Giklor—for the red glow from her pupils; otherwise, he might have missed the most beautiful sight he had ever seen or even imagined.
Mesmerized, he watched as her pupils dilated, growing steadily larger until her irises were reduced to thin rims, like crescent moons emerging from the shadow of their mother planet. Her lips formed a soundless O, and her skin seemed to shimmer in the light cast from his eyes.
In that moment, he was lost. At last, he’d made love with the one destined to be his mate. No prescient visions filled his mind to inform him that this was true.
His heart told him everything he needed to know.
Chapter 21
Sula blinked, hoping to retrieve her eyes from the back of her head where they’d rolled. As her vision cleared, she locked her gaze onto Aidan’s, still unsure what had just happened to her.
I’ve made love with a Zetithian.
No written account could have prepared her, because there were no words to describe what she’d felt.
Unless they were Zetithian words.
“What’s the Zetithian word for orgasm?” she whispered, not trusting her full voice.
The few moments he took to reply might have signified either a search of his memory or a voice as unsteady as hers. Or both.
“Orwanda,” he finally said. “Which would suggest that the ‘Oh’ reaction is universal.”
“Multiple orgasms?” She’d certainly had plenty of those in the past half hour or so—yet another first.
“Orwandai.”
“I think I like that better than the Stantongue version. We should make an effort to add it to the galactic lexicon. I know some linguistics professors who could help. I’m sure they’d be interested. Of course, they’d have to experience this for themselves.” She frowned. “They’re really old, though. The shock would probably kill them.”
She knew she was babbling, but at the moment, she didn’t give a damn. She felt as though her entire body were swimming in whiskey. Even her cheeks were numb.
“Might be better to—” She pressed her fingers to her lips as an entirely different sensation washed through her. “I feel sort of hot in the small of my back. No, wait. It’s moving out to my fingers and toes.” She managed a grin as her muscles and cares melted like butter on the tongue. “Way cool.”
The slow, wet kiss he gave her made her relax even more. “What you’re feeling now is called laetralance. Sort of like afterglow, only better. Or so I’m told.”
“I can vouch for that.” Sex with a human male had never been anything like this—except for the obvious similarities of inserting Tab A into Slot B and the procreative function. Beyond that, there could be no comparison. None. “No wonder some jealous dude blew up your planet. After being with one of you guys, no human female would ever be satisfied again.”
“Once you go cat, you never go back?” His chuckle sent a warm vibration through her, much as his purr had done. “That was the slogan for the Zetithian Palace brothel.”
“For once, truth in advertising.” She grimaced as a new thought struck her. “How many customers did they have at that brothel?”
“With Onca, Tarq, and Jerden working there for several years? Thousands, I suppose.”
“How did those women ever walk away?”
“They didn’t. Remember those daybeds in the lobby? That’s where they went to recover.”
“I get that part,” she said with a touch of impatience. “What I want to know is how they ever managed to get on with their lives knowing such ecstasy was even possible.”
Aidan rolled over onto his back, robbing her of his warmth. The blanket he pulled over them was a poor substitute. “At least one of them didn’t. She killed the woman who provided the scent that enabled the guys to do women of practically every species. Tarq had already left by then, and Jerden retired after that. Onca kept going for another two years before he finally gave it up. Considering the danger, most of us have been more selective since then.”
“Selective? How many have you—” Too late, she remembered what Abuti had said about Aidan never having had a girlfriend. She’d been skeptical at the time; she was even more so now. Knowing what he was capable of, she couldn’t understand why there hadn’t been long lines of women waiting outside his house on the off chance they might catch a glimpse of him.
“No one but you, Sula.” Clasping her hand, he pressed it to his lips. “Only you.”
Sula didn’t know whether to be honored or afraid. Afraid because if he hadn’t been saving himself for someone special, she might simply be his first, and honored because she might actually be that special someone. If this was indeed his first time, and she had no reason to doubt his word, he’d seemed to know exactly what to do. The basics, anyway—which, for a Zetithian, was sufficiently mind-blowing. Any more expertise and she would’ve remained in the laetralant phase for days. She was tongue-tied enough as it was.
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” He kissed her hand again before placing it on his chest and covering it with his own. “But it’s true. I’ve never felt like this about anyone else.”
Sula allowed herself a measure of cautious optimism. “Could that be because you’ve never let your guard down before?”
He didn’t answer right away. “Maybe. Although to be honest, until I met you, I’ve never even been tempted.”
His heart beat strongly beneath her hand as she snuggled closer. “I’m glad you did.”
“Me too.” He rubbed his cheek against her forehead and gave her a quick one-armed hug. “Think you can sleep now?”
“Probably. I’m a little surprised I didn’t conk out immediately. That snard of yours packs quite a punch.” Even if she hadn’t already been well on her way to loving him, sex would’ve hastened the process. As it was, she suspected it might have sealed her fate.
“So do you.”
Warmth stole its way into her heart at his words. She skimmed her palm over his chest, ruffling the blond curls that dusted his skin. Once again, she didn’t know how to respond. “You keep saying things that leave me speechless.”
“I guess that makes u
s even.” Turning his head, he kissed her somewhere in the vicinity of her temple. The location didn’t seem to matter. No matter where his lips touched her, their effect was somehow magical—sensuous, caring, and surprisingly familiar, like he’d been kissing her for years.
How could he make her forget Raj so easily? If forget was even the right word. Raj had been dead for a full year. She hadn’t forgotten him, nor had her fondness for him diminished. Was it simply time for her to move on? What was a reasonable mourning period anyway? One year? Two? She’d heard of people who never ceased to mourn the loss of a lover. Was falling for Aidan somehow inappropriate? Should she be chastising herself for being so fickle? For that matter, would she have felt the same way about Aidan if she’d met him when she and Raj were still together?
That last question was pointless; Raj was gone, so she would never know the answer. His body had crumbled to dust right before her eyes. The horror of those last hours had haunted her for months. Aidan hadn’t banished those memories completely, but he’d certainly made them easier to bear. Recalling that Aidan had seen her accident in a vision helped her to regain her perspective.
Such portents were not to be taken lightly. Perhaps she should simply trust that fate, destiny, or some higher power knew what was best for her. Whatever the source of Aidan’s insight, his intervention had been vital. Without her continued survival, she would never discover the truth about what happened on Ecos or bring the instigators to justice. She’d survived for a very good reason.
On that comforting thought, she finally fell asleep.
* * *
Hours later, Aidan awoke feeling more content than ever before. He took the time to savor the moment, knowing that Sula lay safe beside him. He only had to get up, fix breakfast, take a shower, and go back to bed if he wished. Making love with Sula for the remainder of the morning sounded absolutely fabulous.
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