by Marly Chance
Getting up on shaky legs, she faced him. “I’m going to sleep now. You’ve made your point. I want you. I’m not really afraid of you.” She felt vulnerable, exposed. “We’ll sleep together tomorrow. But you might think about this: sex isn’t enough to tie me to you permanently. I may go to my grave wanting you, but I’ll be buried on Earth. I’m not going to get lost in you and your world. I’m entitled to my own dreams.”
He looked genuinely shocked. “I don’t want to take everything from you, Sharon. I want to build a life together with you. If a life on Earth was possible, I would be there with you.”
She looked skeptical. “Easily said, when you’ll never have to do it. It’s so easy for you. You get everything you want.” She gave him a level look and then left the room.
He watched as she left, his body screaming for release, his emotions in turmoil. Liken felt like howling. He dropped his head into his hands. The only thing he truly wanted washer.
In the quiet of the room he was temporarily using as a sleep chamber, as the night progressed the activity of the previous hours kept playing through his mind to torment him. He remembered her softness, her response to his caresses, and the way her body would get wet at his touch.
That night Liken got very little sleep. Besides the aching frustration of his body, his thoughts restlessly turned the situation with Sharon over and over. She was resentful of leaving her homeworld and her own plans. She felt fearful of her vulnerability to him. Perhaps the best way to lessen that fear was to demonstrate to her that she had power over him as well. That wouldn’t be any problem.
He sighed. Only someone with her level of inexperience could have missed the effect she had on him. His cock felt painful with the need to go to her and show her immediately.
Another problem was her need for control, for not letting go. She didn’t like to lose control, didn’t like to be open and vulnerable. Well, she was fighting a losing battle. She was wrong in not realizing sex could form a level of intimacy more powerful than a hundred of her Earth “dates.” She was so powerful in her vulnerability and so totally unaware of it.
She was so beautiful and honest in her responses. It reached him on emotional level that he had never experienced with any previous partners. Because she was so reluctant to share herself, it merely made the sharing more poignant, more special.
He felt powerful when he drew a response from her, it was true. But at the same time, he felt helplessly drawn to her. He wanted her more than he had wanted any other woman physically. Mentally, he wanted to know her thoughts, to see the world from her viewpoint. Emotionally, he wanted to bring joy to her life and watched those eyes light from within with happiness. He was well and truly mired in her. There could be no going back at this point.
He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He had to find a way to make her want to stay. With a grimace he faced his next thought. He had been very careful with her thus far. Once they began having sex, the urge to merge telepathically would grow stronger. He would eventually lose control.
If she worried about being lost in him now, he could imagine her reaction to that. She would be horrified and panic. If she rejected him during the merge, he could hurt her terribly. He had to initiate her carefully.
When they did merge, she could leave him at a later time. The loss of immediate mental intimacy would be incredibly painful for him. He was risking a lot more than she seemed to think. He had to find a way to bind her to him heart, mind, and soul. He sighed. Easy for him, she had said. Right.
Sharon spent a restless night tossing and turning in her bed. She could hear Liken’s movements in the other bedroom. The house was so quiet that she could hear the rustle of the sheets as he turned one way and then another. A couple of times, she tensed as she heard him get up from the bed and pace the room.
She knew he could by rights come into her room and begin touching her again. Her body, exhausted and swollen, still ached with the knowledge of what he would do to her. Yet, each time, he returned to bed without entering her room. She was relieved. Mostly.
She thought about why he hadn’t just finished things between them tonight. He wanted her to get used to him sexually. She couldn’t help but wonder why he was being so careful. He could have pushed her into more. She was helpless in her attraction to him. There was more to his caution than he was telling her. She felt sure of it.
He was an alien. Granted, he appeared to have the same equipment as any Earth male. Why the caution? Wasn’t sex the same? She thought about the two times she’d felt his mind brush against hers. She didn’t like the thought that he might enter her mind the way he would enter her body. She had avoided asking him about the mind thing because it was too scary.
There had been too many things happening in too short a time. She felt overwhelmed. She hadn’t wanted to deal with even one more surprise – especially the thought of him inside her head. Would he be able to read all her thoughts? Her secrets? Would he be able to do it anytime or just during sex? What could he do? She felt like running away from him as far and as fast as she could. Her heartbeat in her ears, she struggled to calm down and reason things out.
Liken’s sudden appearance in the doorway at the moment nearly scared her to death. She gave a muffled shriek and stared at him in alarm.
“Sharon, what is frightening you?” he asked gently as he came into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. He was dressed only in a pair of loose black pants, tied at the top with a small white cord. His chest, large and muscular, gleamed in the dim light as the lights suddenly became a little brighter.
“Did you do that?” she asked in surprise.
“What?” he seemed confused by her question.
“The lights. How did you make them brighter? Where are they?” She kept looking around the room for some kind of light source.
He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “Yes. I did make it brighter in here. I will show you how another time. You are very anxious. What is wrong?” His voice was soothing.
It was strange. Since he had entered the room, she had been feeling calmer. She didn’t know if it was his presence or the interruption from her disturbing thoughts. She needed to get a grip. Whatever the mind thing was, she couldn’t just freak out about it and have a heart attack. She needed to know more about it. Maybe it wasn’t what she thought at all.
She needed to approach this logically and get more information. Liken reached out and gently brushed her hair off her forehead. Looking at his face etched with concern, she decided now was as good a time as any.
“Liken, what is that mind thing you do?” her eyes bravely held his as she braced for the worst.
His face carefully went blank. “This is what has you so fearful?”He had hoped to avoid the explanation until after their merge.
“Well, yes. I mean, I started thinking about tomorrow. About us being together…” her voice grew a little fainter. “What’s going to happen? Will you be inside me? Inside my head?”
Liken could see even in the dim light her cheeks were flushed. She was embarrassed, but still wanting answers. He felt an unexpected wave of tenderness go through him. How to explain without scaring her to death? “Sherree, you don’t have to be fearful. When our bodies join, our minds will join as well. It is a wonderful thing, a beautiful thing.”
She sat up a little, carefully keeping the sheet around her. “Okay, but what does that mean? Is it just for a moment? I mean, am I going to have you in my head all the time after that?”
She looked very unhappy at the thought.“Not exactly. It’s a little hard to explain. I would rather show you than try to describe it.” He was aroused at the mere idea of it.He was trying to hide his growing arousal from her, but it was impossible to hide the hardness pressing outward from his pants.
Pinned by his heavy-lidded gaze, Sharon felt uneasy. He wasn’t really answering her. “What’s the big secret? Why won’t you tell me?”
Liken didn’t want to lie to her, but he c
ouldn’t tell her either. For a fleeting second he wished she had picked Challenge or Capture. He could have merged with her immediately without her consent. It would have been shocking and painful for her, but effective.
The impulse to possess her was strong and the talk of merging was making him hot. Reminding himself that Sharon would not be Sharon if she had picked one of the other options, he decided to give her a small preview without revealing everything. It might lesson her fear. Provided he could stay in control enough to withdraw in time. Time…
Suddenly he realized it was past halfeve. In fact, his time restriction was up. He could take her now. Looking into her face he realized she was growing angry at his evasion. She had no idea that they could now move to the last stage. Perhaps that could work to his advantage.
He moved his body closer to hers on the bed. Something must have shown in his face because Sharon suddenly gave a violent pull on her sheets. It sent him tumbling to the floor.
He ended up sprawled on his butt, eyes wide in shock. It was a contest as to which of them was more surprised. Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes were huge.
Jumping out of bed, she was careful to wrap the sheet around her body quickly. Backing toward the door, she let out a nervous little giggle before she could stop herself. “I really didn’t mean to do that. It’s just…you had that look you get right before you pounce on me. I was just going to grab the sheet and get out of bed…” Her voice was shaky with suppressed laughter.
“You think thrusting me to the floor is funny, do you?” His voice was fierce, but she could see a gleam of amusement in his eyes. He stood up with fluid grace and began stalking toward her slowly.
“No, not really.” She tried not to laugh, but he had looked so shocked. It was the first time she had ever had him at a disadvantage and it felt good. “I can’t help it if you’re clumsy, you know…” She continued to back down the hallway. Looking around wildly, she turned around quickly and made a sudden break for the kitchen.
Giving a mock growl, he caught her quickly and swung her into his arms. Laughing, he managed to keep a hold of her while she wiggled and squirmed. Looking into her laughing eyes and flushed face, he had never wanted her more. His expression changed to open desire.
Sharon stopped squirming as she instantly became aware of her position. Looking down, she realized the sheet had become loosened and was dangerously close to falling off. With a quick grab, she managed to keep from losing it altogether. Clutching it to her, she looked up into his face. In his eyes was a naked hunger that took her breath away. Swallowing past the sudden lump in her throat, she said, “I think you should put me down now.”
His arms tightened. Suddenly moving toward her bedroom, he agreed. “Yes, I think I should.”
When he reached the bed, he gently put her down on her back, and then followed her. Covering her body with his own, he kept most of his weight on his elbows as he gazed into her face.
Sharon began to tremble. “It’s time, isn’t it? We’re not going to stop this time.” Her eyes searched his face, although she already knew the answer.
Shifting his weight to one side, his body no longer looming over her, he moved the other arm across her until his hand gently closed on hers. Her fingers were white where they gripped the sheet. “No,sherree. We’re not going to stop this time…” His voice was husky with need.
He began prying her fingers from the death grip on the sheet. Unconsciously responding to the need in his tone, she began to relax her grip. When she let go, he took her hand and slowly brought it to his mouth. Gently kissing her fingers, his mouth moved to the palm of her hand. She felt the moist heat of his mouth on the sensitive center of her hand as he gently licked then sucked. She felt a wave of heat all the way to her toes. Her trembling increased.
Feeling her body tremble, he released her hand and began gently stroking her hair. “Sherree, I know you are afraid of the merging.” He hesitated. “We will go slowly. We will do this thing together.” Again, he searched for words. “I have not merged before either. I know what I have been told. But that is not the same as doing it. My mind will touch yours, just as my body touches yours. I will go slowly, but there will come a point when I lose control. You will feel but a brief pain, a flash, like a piercing headache. And then there will be only pleasure for both of us.” He waited for her response. The ache to possess herwas likea living thing inside him.
She raised a trembling hand to his face. “Okay.” Her eyes were tear-bright as she put a shaky smile on her face. “We’ll try this together. I can handle a little headache.”
At the gentle touch of her hand on his face, he shuddered. He was so proud of her he could barely breathe. “Sherree, I need you to trust me in this. When the time comes, I am asking you not to turn away or fight me. It will be frightening, but please trust that it will be all right in the end. I will not let anything bad happen to you. You know that, do you not?”The promise in his voice eased her as nothing else could.
Her eyes were full of dawning wonder. “I do know that.” This big, fierce man was practically vibrating from her touch on his face. He wanted her very badly, but he was trying very hard to reassure her. He didn’t just want her. He wanted her willing. He wanted her to trust him.
This wasn’t just sex. Until this moment, she had felt completely helpless in her attraction to him. Now, she suddenly understood that he was just as helpless in his attraction to her. It was quite a revelation. Somehow, it made her feel stronger, more powerful. She had felt off balance and overwhelmed since he had suddenly appeared. Now, for the first time since that moment, she understood that maybe he had felt just as off balance.
She had been trying to cope with sudden changes, but he had been trying to figure out how to make that coping easier for her. She still felt nervous, but a lot of her fear vanished. He was doing the best that he could, just as she was. Moving her hand from his face to behind his head, she began to pull his head toward her. When she felt his breath on her mouth, she whispered, “I trust you, Liken.”
With a little moan, he took her mouth. The kiss was fierce, his mouth hard and demanding. Thrusting his tongue between her lips, he swept inside, enjoying the sweet taste of her. When her tongue began to duel with his, his control, already sketchy, slipped. He moved his hand from her hair and swept it to the edge of the sheet to pull it down. Hearing her low gasp, he suddenly paused and pulled back. “I am sorry,sherree.” His breath was coming in pants. “I want you so much…” With effort, he pulled himself back under control.
Her lips were swollen and she looked dazed. With more tenderness, he returned to her mouth and began gentle, biting little kisses. He moved his mouth across her face to her ear, and then slowly down the side of her neck. His hand, at the top of the sheet, began to inch it down. When at last it was down to her waist, he pulled back a little to see her.
Sharon opened her eyes. He had stopped the drugging kisses to the side of her neck. She froze as she realized the sheet was now down by her waist. His face was pulled tight, his eyes nearly black with wanting. His eyes moved over her breasts like a physical touch. She could feel her nipples hardening almost painfully.
With a little sound of approval, he moved his head down and began to suck. With a loud moan, she arched into his mouth. Pulling back a little, he began running his tongue around and around the hardened tip. “You are so beautiful…so responsive…”
He switched to the other breast and began licking and sucking it. “I want them hard and red from my mouth…” His hand moved back to her abandoned breast and began massaging. Sharon shuddered with the pleasure of it. “You feel so good to me,sherree…” His mouth continued to tease and torment her breast.
His fingers on the other breast began to focus on her nipple. He gently rolled and pulled. Sharon could not hold back another moan. He quickly switched breasts. Licking, sucking, even gently biting, his mouth was driving her out of her mind. She brought both hands to the back of his head and pressed him even close
r.
With a pleased chuckle, he complied, growing rougher, more demanding. “That’s it…you are feeling it now, are you not?” She was twisting underneath him, trying to get closer. “I think I will keep these nipples hard and wanting all the time. You are very sensitive. I plan to discover how sensitive…”
Her hips were rising and falling. He was still on his side, half bent over her. He caught the edge of the sheet in his hand as her hips rolled upward and pulled it quickly past her waist. Pulling back from her breast, he looked down at what he had revealed.
She was incredible. Those full breasts tapered to a small waist then rounded to generous hips. The dark triangle of hair between her long legs was glinting with moisture. He felt his mouth water.
With a little groan, he moved so that his upper body was between her legs. She raised up a little on her elbows to look down at him. Holding her gaze, he began placing light kisses on her stomach around her navel. She looked dazed, as if she were in a trance. The musky smell of her sex lured him downward. Still holding her gaze, he licked down her stomach to just above her curls. Her head went back and her entire body shuddered.
Placing light kisses into her curls, he kept his eyes on her face. Blowing gently into her hair, he said firmly, “Look at me…” She lifted her head slowly as if it was heavily weighted. Green eyes locked with blue as he said, “Watch me taste you…”
With that, he swept his tongue in one long glide from her clitoris downward. Probing her opening, he pushed his tongue into her as far as it would go, and then journeyed back to circle her clit. He began to gently lap, reveling in her taste, her smell. He moaned low in his throat and the vibration nearly sent Sharon over the edge.
Her body had been reduced to sheer sensation. The feel of his handsas theymassagedand tormentedher breasts, the feel of his mouth and tongue between her legs were all too much.She was hot, her body aching. She couldn’t seem to get enough air. He was eating her alive.
