His Rebellious Mate (Primarian Mates Book 3)

by Maddie Taylor

  “Is the man similarly affected?”

  “Yes. If a male joins with another’s mate, it can be worse. Like a chemical burn, I’m told, with redness and painful blisters.” His mouth twisted into a wry grin. “I’d wager your meaningless mistake wasn’t operational again for weeks.”

  “It really meant nothing to me, Ram. But I suppose now that you’ve dragged it out of me, you’ll hold this against me, too.”

  The humorless smile faded from his lips. “I can’t hold it against you, Eryn. How could I when I tried to eradicate you in the same way?”

  A knot formed in the pit of her stomach as images of him with other women flashed in her head. The hurt visceral, yet she couldn’t fault him, any more than herself.

  “Did you dream of me?” she blurted.

  “Every night. I should have known they were mate dreams, although they usually haunt the female. And since we are being honest, the other women paled in comparison to the real thing, and left me cold and filled with regrets.”

  “Women? As in plural?”

  “I am not proud of the fact. Like you, I thought we had parted ways—forever. But no more.” His fingers curled around her nape and drew her closer, pulling her up onto her toes as he dipped his head, not stopping until they were nose to nose. “We are mated, Eryn. No other male will touch what is mine.”

  “Will you give the same vow?”

  “Without hesitation. I crave the luscious, delectable, tempting body of my redheaded Earth mate; no one else.”

  What she’d planned to say next went unsaid, quickly forgotten as his mouth came down on hers and his tongue swooped inside. Only when she clung to his shoulders, fighting for breath, did he raise his head.

  “You’re mine, Eryn, forever.”

  “Maes eternium,” came her whispered response.

  “You remembered.” His voice gruff with emotion, he was clearly moved she had.

  “How could I forget?”

  “Juna determined you were free to resume all activity?”

  “Yes, she made a specific point of telling me that.”

  “Thank the Maker,” he growled, and buried his face in her neck, opening his mouth on her skin. One hand slipped lower and claimed the lower curves of her ass, dragging her up against his body until her soft thighs cushioned his rigid length. “I have taken enough cold showers to do me a lifetime. I was destined to create a water crisis on the ship if this day didn’t come soon.”

  “Not to be critical, however, it’s been almost nine months. What are you waiting for? Are you all talk, Master Warrior? Or are you ever going to fuck me?”

  A husky laugh rolled up from his chest, while, at the same time, he ground the hard ridge of his cock against her pussy. “Such a taunt deserves a trip over my knee, but today it’s like music to my ears.”

  His kiss smothered her delighted laughter as his hands parted her robe and slid under her short nightshirt. With a quick tug, he eliminated her panties, ripping them apart, his patience gone. Then he lifted her, and, while he palmed both her ass cheeks in his big hands, she wrapped her long legs around his middle.

  Her back hit the wall the next instant, and she gasped when his fingers found the wetness of her sex.

  “Mate, you are testing my control when I know I must go gently.”

  The head of his cock slid through her heat, passing through her drenched folds until the head was slick and easily entered her. Then, with the utmost control, he filled her for the first time in months.

  In contrast, his lips and hands moved hungrily over her skin. She arched her neck as his hot mouth slid up the side. He caught her earlobe between his teeth and tugged, soothing away the sting with his tongue the next instant.

  Trembling with need, she didn’t think she could take much more without flying apart. “Faster, Ram.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Harder, please.”

  “When I say, mate.”

  “Your teasing is driving me mad,” she cried.

  He began to move, drawing out slightly then easing back in. With each stroke, he took more, bit by bit, with a deliberate unhurried glide that ignited every nerve ending. She shuddered, her heels digging into his firm ass cheeks, trying to get him to hurry.

  “I’m not going to be able to wait.”

  “Don’t. I plan to take my time. Come as you will, little rebel. I shall enjoy feeling you convulse and quiver around me.”

  Continuing at this measured pace, he slipped a hand between them, his fingers sliding through her folds until he located the point where his cock entered her. He moaned against her ear. “I’ve dreamed of touching you while we joined. I was robbed of that last time. Never again.”

  The reminder of their first time came as her climax rolled through her. She cried out from both ecstasy and the pain of regret. Had he really forgiven her? Was it a random comment, or did he dwell on it still?

  Eryn buried her face in his throat and hung on as he moved faster but still with care. Ram’s fingers, flexing and curling into the flesh of her bottom, announced his impending climax. His cock swelled further inside her, and he stiffened above her. His head flew back as he thrust once and held then did it again. A groan rumbled up from his chest, the tremors of his release rocking his body.

  Moments later, when the tension began to ease, he settled into a slow and easy glide again. It felt wonderful, the friction creating a delicious warmth inside her.

  Maybe a bit too warm, she decided. As the seconds passed, it got worse, getting uncomfortable. Shifting, did no good.

  “Ram?”

  “A moment more inside you, Eryn,” he murmured against her throat. “It’s a feeling close to heaven.”

  “But I’m hot. Burning actually.”

  His face came away from her neck, and he met her anxious gaze. “Did you burn the last time? With me, I mean?”

  “Not that I recall, and if I did, it was nothing like this. Something is wrong.”

  “I think not. It sounds like the breaching fire. I thought it would have passed by now, but it’s not unusual to occur during the first few joinings. It should ease soon.”

  “It’s not. It’s getting worse,” she cried, squirming against him now.

  He eased out of her, still holding her in his arms. “Let’s get you in a tepid bath, which should help.”

  He carried her, which felt nice, but the awful burning was unbearable. In the bathroom, he set her down beside the large oval tub. An upgrade for the Odyssey, in accommodation of their allies much longer frames.

  “I can’t stand it.” The burning so bad, she tore at her clothes unable to wait while he adjusted the flow of water into the tub. At the rending sound of fabric, he brushed her hands aside and unzipped her dress. After sweeping it over her head, he set her on her feet in the filling tub.

  She sank into less than an inch of water and began splashing it in strategic spots. Soon, the cool water eased the burn.

  He knelt beside her, watching. “Better?”

  “Yes, thank you.” She turned her frown on him. “Why is this happening now? Oh, my God. Is this what it’s going to be like every time?”

  “I can’t answer—”

  “What? Ram!”

  “Slow down and let me finish. First, I can’t answer why. Our mating has been so far from normal I don’t know what to expect. Second, I’ve never heard of the breaching fire happening every time, so I’m certain it will pass.”

  “But you can’t be sure.”

  He shrugged then dipped one of those round sponge things into the water and squeezed it out over her shoulders, “In a typical breaching, each time lessens in intensity until the transformation is complete.”

  With the water deeper, and the burning gone, she leaned back, savoring the relief. When she did so, the tips of her breasts rose above the water line. Of course, he noticed. Dipping the sponge again, this time he let it drizzle over her chest and the pebbled pink tips.

  She licked her dry lips. “I have your go
lden eyes already, does the burning mean there is more transforming ahead?”

  With great patience, he continued to bathe her. “We never know what will change. Each mated pair is different, hair, eyes, skin tone, full change, half and half, stripes, and, for fated mates, there is a marking.”

  “Stripes!” she gasped. “I could wind up looking like a zebra?”

  He chuckled. “I should have specified striped hair, not all over, and it’s more like a streaked effect, similar to what some Earth women pay to achieve at your beauty shops. The one thing that is certain is the end result is always a surprise.”

  “Do you burn, too?”

  “No—”

  She threw up her arms with a splash. “Once again I get the short end of the stick. Has anyone ever mentioned your species as a whole is unfair to women?”

  “Galita, if it makes you feel better, I will experience the hunger if it goes as expected.”

  Her eyes went wide. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that. What is the hunger?”

  “An overwhelming craving for my mate. It diminishes over time, yet doesn’t ever entirely go away.” He looked down into her shocked features and smiled. “After what we just shared, I’m anticipating a lifetime of unappeased desire and attempting to satisfy it with your luscious body.”

  “Like I said, unfair to women. I burn and you get horny.”

  “It’s our species’ way of ensuring offspring.” Dropping the sponge, he leaned over, until his lips hovered over hers. “Besides, your end of the stick is me working my horniness off on you.”

  She stretched to get closer, but he pulled back a fraction of an inch, teasing. Then he relented, kissing her with a barely-there lip touch. Over in a wink, he sat back then dipped his hand in the water, retrieving the sponge to resume bathing her.

  Leaning back, she cleared her throat. “Ordinarily, I’d say bring it on, big boy, but I think you’re forgetting we have an infant for a roommate, which doesn’t bode well for your increased appetite.”

  He glanced up, sponge dripping in his hand, his brow furrowed deeply. Cierra had obliged them by sleeping this time. They couldn’t count on her doing so numerous times a day.

  “I’ll line up some volunteers to watch her.”

  She gave a little huff of disbelief. “What will you tell them? Come babysit so we can satisfy your mating hunger?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ram!”

  He angled a cheeky grin her way, while squeezing the sponge over her chest. “Primarians will understand and be accommodating.”

  “I can’t see your warriors changing diapers.”

  He leaned back as if offended. “I have. Often.”

  “You’re her father,” she countered, stating the obvious.

  “True. I’m sure they will be fine with it. We’ve been anxious for babies to come along for two very long decades.”

  “I’ll ask Lana. She’s already offered. And Juna. She has a soft spot for Cierra.”

  “That’s a start.”

  Again, she blinked. “What do you mean a start? Two isn’t enough?”

  “When the hunger peaks, it can be consuming.”

  “How consuming?”

  “I think the name for the period speaks for itself.”

  “No, I mean how many times. Two or three?”

  A grin curved his lips. “Yes, for a start.”

  “Again, with ‘a start.’ Can you be more specific? Four or five?”

  “I’ve heard nine is the record, but I think that was boastful. For me, no more than six, maybe seven at the most. But never having experienced it, I’m guessing.”

  “Which averages once a day. I’m up for it.”

  He stared at her for a single beat. “Eryn. I didn’t mean per week.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Six times a day? You’re not serious. I won’t be able to walk.”

  With a brow arched, he replied, “You’re exaggerating.”

  His gaze swept down her naked body, lingering on her breasts and then the fiery-red curls still visible as the tub filled.

  She recognized the glint in his eye. “Ram…”

  “Scoot up,” he ordered while he stood, his erection as big and hard as if he hadn’t fucked her against the wall five minutes ago.

  “Already?” His recuperative powers stunned her.

  “The hunger also ensures new mates spend a lot of time together, intimately, so the bond takes.”

  “But, it’s taken. We have a baby, and I have your gold eyes now.”

  “You’re just going to have to go with it, little rebel. As am I.”

  “Yeah, I can see you’re all broken up about it.”

  He chuckled, climbing into the tub with her. When he sat, he lifted her and brought her astride his thighs facing him.

  “How is the burning?”

  “Much better.”

  “Good,” he murmured, aligning his cock with her still-warm and tingling center. “Although the fire might spark to life again, very soon.”

  He eased her down his length.

  “Do you know what this means?” Her question came out half sigh, half moan.

  “What?” His response was all groan. Flexing his hips, he thrust up inside her.

  “I got pregnant our first time together. It’s bound to happen again after six or seven times a day.”

  His dimple made an appearance when he grinned, making her heart flutter.

  “Cierra will have a brother or sister. I’m looking forward to being with you the entire time, watching you bloom with my child inside you.”

  Warm and wet, his hands slid up her back, one not stopping until it wound in the hair at the back of her neck. He angled her head down until his gaze locked with hers, his smile soft like Ram from the early days.

  “Will you mind a large family?” His lips brushed against the underside of her chin as he began moving gently within her. “With six of us growing up, it was chaos, but I always thought to have as many one day. Although a son, so we have one of each, would make me happy.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” she answered, her desire for him making her breathless already. “Good thing you’ve got stamina, because by round three or four, you’ll have to do all the work.”

  “I have no problem with that, although I think you’ll find a second wind and perhaps a fifth and sixth.”

  Her husky groan drowned out his chuckle when he bent his head and circled one of her nipples with the tip of his tongue. After lapping up a droplet of water quivering on the end of the stiff peak, he sipped it between his lips and suckled. She arched her back, giving of herself, as she began to writhe on top of him.

  “Easy, Eryn,” he whispered against her wet skin while his mouth skated to the other peak to give it equal attention. “It’s not a race.”

  “You’ll have to remember those words when your daughter wakes and you’re not near the finish line. Besides, you got to set the pace last time. With me on top, it’s my turn. How do you like that, Master Warrior?”

  He leaned back in the tub, lying more than sitting, both breasts dangling over his mouth while he feasted. “I rather like you on top, little mate,” he growled, with his teeth latched firmly on a nipple. “It gives me free use of my hands.” A slap rang out, skin on wet skin resounding like a blaster shot in the small room.

  Letting out a little yelp, her head came up and she met his molten gaze. “What was that for?”

  “A reminder. Although you’re on top, I’m still the mate in control.” Both of his hands slid over her bottom and squeezed. Guiding her movements, his cock slid out, but Ram stopped before she lost all of him. Then, his hands began to explore, one slipping between them. Slick from the water and her natural wetness, the work-roughened tips glided easily through her folds and around where the head of his shaft stretched her. His thumb found the nub in front, making her gasp as it rubbed in circles.

  The fingers of his other hand explored the cleft of her bottom, locating the tight hole in bac
k. One dipped inside, ever so slightly. And while all of this was going on, his mouth didn’t become idle, never once stopping the sensual torment of her nipples, licking, sucking, and, every so often, his teeth nipping so his tongue could soothe.

  With all this stimulation, she felt her milk let down. But his mouth didn’t slow, instead, she felt and heard his approving groan against her skin. “Sweetness.”

  Her head fell forward until her cheek rested against his slightly damp hair. She moaned helplessly. Never in her life had she been touched so intimately or quite so thoroughly. Then, while his strong arms kept her in place, he began thrusting inside her, his cock going deep one time then withdrawing again to tease her with only the tip. As sexual torture went, she found it phenomenal.

  Still, she squirmed atop his body, trying to take more of him, but her pleasure was literally in his hands and he had her right where he wanted her, motionless except for his fingers on her clit and rear opening, his mouth wide on a nipple, lashing it with his tongue from the inside.

  “Ram, please,” she moaned, near out of her mind with need.

  “You’re on top, Eryn, but who’s in charge here?” He growled the question with a taut peak caught between his teeth.

  “You are, now please, go faster.”

  At the same time he released her nipple, he slowly filled her again. Watching her, he began another unhurried glide in reverse, pausing once more at the mouth of her rippling, clutching, needy opening. “Who decides, galita?”

  The source of her pleasure so close, but for his strength and determination, she gave the one response that she could, “You do, Ram, only you.”

  Sinking in all the way, he impaled her once again on his hard shaft. “Yes, sweet mate, I decide where and when, how fast or slow, although I’m always open for suggestions on venues and new positions.” He chuckled when she shot him a scowl.

  “You’re tormenting me on purpose.”

  “Maybe, but at eight or nine times a day, they can’t all be frenzied fucking, or we’ll wear each other out.”