Aydan unscrewed the top, and poured a little in each mug. “Don’t be stingy. Fill them up.” Aydan flashed Kavvan a quick smile. He knew that’d be the response his friend gave when he only poured a little the first time.
When he only poured a small amount in his own mug, Nikkul frowned. “Is that all?”
“It’s enough for now.” His words were elusive, laced with double meanings.
When they each took their first sip, they coughed and wheezed after the clear liquid slid down their throat. He heard, “Sish! Fauk’n sish!” And “What the fauk’n sish!” Aydan couldn’t stand it any longer. He threw his head back and let boisterous laughter echo from the walls.
He took a small sip of his, letting it burn its way to his stomach. Kavvan took a smaller sip, then asked, “She drinks this?”
“Yes. She laughed at me when I had the same reaction as you in front of her.”
“Nikkul has filled me in on everything that happened, so no need to report unless you have something to add.”
Aydan shook his head and took another sip.
“How will we catch the beast?” Padda asked as he took another sip.
Aydan furrowed his forehead. What beast? “You mean the kitty?”
“The animal with the uncanny eyes that glow in the dark.” Everyone laughed at Kavvan’s description. Even though the eyes were shaped like theirs, theirs did not glow.
“Whoa!” Nikkul wobbled in his chair a little. “This stuff is powerful.”
“I’m a little dizzy.” Padda agreed.
“I think we’ve had enough.” Kavvan set his half-empty mug on the table. “Tell Riley thanks for the gift. She’ll need to tell us how she made it one standard day.”
“I will let her know.” Aydan sat his mug down. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Aydan
Aydan headed down the corridor, anxious to hold Riley in his arms. The thought of her in his bed every night made his cock twitch. If luck was on his side, her sisters would be fast asleep. He loved them all, but right now, he needed time with his mate. Her sensuous body writhing underneath him, begging for his touch.
When he entered his quarters, darkness cloaked the room, no sounds heard from anywhere. He scanned the living area before heading to his room. The door slid open, and he froze.
Riley lay naked on his bed, her brown hair fanned on the pillow, with a sexy smile on her delicate face.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” Her voice dripped of pleasure as her eyes lazily roamed his body. His heart raced; his cock strained against the black jumpsuit. She smiled. “It looks like someone’s glad to see me.”
Without a word, he slowly stripped out of his jumpsuit, giving her a show to watch. Like the predator he was, he crawled up the bed, her body his playground.
“No.” She placed a hand on his chest. “My turn.” He didn’t understand, but he let her guide him onto his back.
“I don’t like submissive positions.” On his back wasn’t something he liked or allowed.
“I think you’ll like this.”
With the palm of her hand on his chest, she made sure he lay flat on his back before letting one lone fingernail trace down his chest, across his navel, and down his thigh. He’d purposefully driven her mad with want, and he had no doubt she was doing the same now.
“Why do you never kiss me?” she asked as she traced the outlines of his muscled body.
“I do.” He barely replied, concentrating more on the feel of her hand roaming his body.
“You don’t.” She leaned over and pressed her lips to his. “I want your mouth open, your tongue.”
He locked gazes with her. “My teeth will cut you. They are sharp.”
“Let me show you. Open your mouth and stick out your tongue.”
He thought the request odd but complied anyway. Riley’s mouth descended on his, sucking his tongue before twirling hers around it. Such an erotic and intimate act made his cock jerk in want. So lost in the kiss, he moaned when her hand wrapped around his cock. Panting, she broke the kiss and looked down to her hand as she slowly stroked his shaft.
Aydan’s eyes watched in amazed fascination when her mouth hovered right above the head of his cock. He wanted to thrust into her moist mouth, something he had never thought of before.
He waited.
He held his breath.
In slow motion, he watched as she opened wide and sucked the tip into her mouth. Her tongue worked up and down the shaft, stroking the slit at the end.
A low moan escaped his lips. He threw his head back and arched his hips. “Riley.” The word a broken moan, a guttural sound to his own ears. Her hands gripped his balls as she continued to suck him in and out of her mouth.
He couldn’t take it anymore.
He lost control.
“Riley,” he ground out before arching into her mouth and releasing his seed.
When he watched her lick her lips, his cock jerked in response. “That was a nice surprise.” But he didn’t listen. He couldn’t.
Lost in desire, he sat up, flipped her over and surged forth. He took her for standard hours. He took her bent over the bed, on the bed, against the wall.
He had her pressed against the wall, face first, while he held her wrists above her head with his one hand. He pumped with no mercy, making her take it all. Just as she started to scream, he cupped his hand over her mouth to keep the noise down. Just as before when she’d found release. Even with his hand over her mouth, he didn’t slow his pace. He pumped with force, sating his own needs as well as hers.
He released again, giving her not only his seed but his strength, as well. Breathing hard, he kissed the top of her sweaty head. “I don’t know if I can carry you to the bed.”
“Okay, I guess we’ll sleep against the wall because I can’t move.”
Riley
“Okay, I guess we’ll sleep against the wall because I can’t move.” His low, sexy voice chuckled in her ear. She couldn’t get enough of him. Her body responded to every touch, every kiss, every nip with his teeth. Her breasts were tender from his ministrations. No part of her body felt left out.
Everyone before him faded to a foggy dream, just a vague, distant memory. He would be her past, her future, her here and now. Everything.
Aydan scooped her up and carried her to bed. Stretching out beside her, he pulled the covers up to their shoulders before he snuggled her up. Good thing, because she couldn’t move, a rag doll in his strong hands.
“I finally understand,” Aydan said as he kissed her ear.
“Understand what?” Riley said with a groggy, half-awake voice.
“My world allows the males to seek mates and consorts.” Riley stiffened in his arms, but he just kissed the side of her head. “My dad never desired anyone other than my mother. When I asked him about it, he said, I hope one day you understand. I didn’t understand at the time, but now I do. I only want you and no one else. I love you, Riley.”
“Good.” Warm fuzzies filled her soul, warming her from the inside out, chasing away any doubt that lingered.
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”
Riley chuckled as he rolled her onto her back, placed his elbows on each side of her head so he could stare into her eyes. She couldn’t believe this strong, handsome man loved her and her sisters. “I love you, too.” She smiled as she searched his eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
He furrowed his brow. “Ready for what?”
“To be called Daddy. Haley and Kaley are a lot of work, but I can’t imagine life without them.”
“More than ready. I already love them.”
She just snuggled in close when he lay on his back, her head on his chest as they both fell asleep.
“Mama!” Riley’s eyes popped open when she heard Kaley’s voice. Haley stood behind her sister, sucking her thumb.
She glanced at Aydan and noticed fear etched on his face, especially when Kaley tr
ied to climb on the bed. “What’s wrong?”
Aydan’s eyes widened, but no words came from his mouth. Riley just shook her head, made sure the bedcovers hid everything, and smiled at Kaley. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
Kaley sat between her and Aydan while Haley sat at the foot of the bed. “Morn’n, Mama,” Kaley grinned. “Me hungry.”
“Me, too,” Haley mumbled over the thumb in her mouth.
“Why don’t you go wake the others while Aydan and I get dressed?”
“Otay.”
Just as the door closed behind them, Riley turned confused eyes on Aydan. “What’s wrong with you?”
“We are both naked!”
“It’s okay. They didn’t notice.” She laughed at his incredulous look. “Aydan, this is part of being a parent. You improvise.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Let’s get dressed before they come back. And they will come back soon.” She laughed as he hastily jumped out of bed and pulled on his black jumpsuit.
As the six of them entered the dining hall, everyone turned to stare. A trickle of unease skirted down her arms, but she shucked it off and plastered a smile on her face. Experience told her that if she were uncomfortable, her sisters would sense it and follow her lead.
“Cassidy, take the kids over there.” Aydan pointed to the empty seats near Kavvan and the others. “We will get some food and meet you there.”
Cassidy took the twins by the hand and led them to the nearby table.
“It will be nice to eat food without having to cook. Before Mom got sick, I would eat out all the time. I tried all kinds of food. Chinese, Mexican, Japanese, even Indian. They were all different but delicious.”
Living on the farm, she normally ate food grown in the garden. Green beans, potatoes, corn. Nothing like the exotic foods from other countries. What would her mother think about the five of them on a space ship, heading to another planet? Riley snorted. She’d probably roll over in her grave. Her mom and dad liked to live as much off the grid as possible, and now she was right smack dab in the middle of it.
Riley grabbed a little of everything offered, even though nothing looked familiar. She didn’t care.
When she headed to the table, though, she stopped dead in her tracks.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Aydan
Aydan leaned over. “I think they like the commander and Padda.”
Riley tried not to laugh as they drew near. Kaley sat on Kavvan’s lap while Haley sat on Padda’s. Both were trying to see inside the Azziarins’ mouths.
Kaley grabbed the commander’s lip and pulled. Aydan had déjà vu. “You got big tees, too?”
Fearful eyes shot to Aydan and begged for help. He set the tray down before he scooped Kaley from Kavvan’s lap. “You need to eat,” he said as he plopped her down on his lap. Riley snatched up Haley and did the same.
The two little girls giggled. Aydan noticed Kavvan and Padda’s curious glances as they slowly ate their food.
When Kavvan raised his eyes from Kaley, he knew he’d been caught staring and cleared his throat. “I received a transmission from Commander Zekke.”
Aydan raised an eyebrow and waited on the rest.
“The Triumph is on its way back.”
That surprised Aydan. He knew that Zekke loved traveling space, but he never thought that he would leave behind his mate and young. He said as much. “That is surprising.”
“Ava, his mate insisted. Zekke said she felt guilty for abandoning Earth. As a soldier, it was her duty to see the mission through.”
There was no way Zekke would let Ava fight this battle. He must have some plan in mind to appease her. “He will not let her fight.”
“No. He hopes that if she sees great progress, it will alleviate her guilt over leaving her team behind to fight without her.”
“And?”
Kavvan grinned. “Zekke can’t stand to be away from the fight. He and Ava are well matched.”
“That they are.” Just as he and Riley were well mated. Aydan loved his new family, loved taking care of them, having them around.
“I have been given permission to head back to Azziar. A war ship is no place to raise a family,” Aydan teetered his head, “unless you are Zekke and Ava. It will be nice to check on my mother, too, make sure she is well.”
“And introduce her to…” Kavvan leaned his head over to see the four others besides Aydan and Kaley.
Aydan grinned just thinking about his mother’s reaction. He knew wholeheartedly she’d open her dwelling and her arms to the young. One day he could fill Riley’s belly with one of their own. He had heard that Earth females could have young often. That rumor had spread like wildfire. “And that, too.”
The standard weeks passed quickly. Kaley escaped a few times, only to be rescued by a crew member. The twins had stolen the hearts of every male on board. They feared no one, nothing. Even Whiskers made friends with several of the soldiers, showing up unexpectedly, wrapping his small, slender, lithe body around legs of those in the dining room. Of course, they fed him every time.
Riley’s sisters readjusted easily to her rules. Especially Belle, who was happy to go back to the way things used to be. Cassidy held a little sadness in her eyes that sometimes made an appearance. Of all the sisters, she was the only one who hadn’t fully recovered from Riley’s kidnapping.
Aydan walked with purpose to Kavvan’s office for his last meeting with the commander. He would miss his friends, his ship, but he had a new beginning to look forward to.
Before he knocked, the door slid open and revealed Kavvan standing there with a smile. “I was on my way to get you. I thought Riley had kidnapped you again.”
Aydan grinned and then stepped past Kavvan into the ready room. Nikkul and Padda sat waiting. He hadn’t seen them much over the past standard weeks. He and Riley spent all day taking care of the twins and all night mating. Aydan knew he must look ten years older with his sagging, tired eyes. Riley complained about hers all the time even though he reassured her how great she looked.
Aydan lowered himself into the only vacant chair besides Kavvan’s. He leaned back and laced his fingers together.
“We thought we’d have one last drink together as crewmates.” Aydan smiled at Kavvan as he grabbed the mugs. When he pulled out the clear jar, Aydan raised one eyebrow, as much in surprise as concern. They’d reach Azziar in six standard hours and the last thing they needed was a full belly and a fuzzy head. He couldn’t imagine greeting his mother with a slurred tongue. Kavvan must have read his thoughts so he added, “Don’t worry, we’ll only have a little this time.”
Riley
She swallowed hard after she washed and dressed the twins. Everyone else had showered, dressed, and waited for the most anticipated moment of the trip. Arriving on Azziar. Meeting Aydan’s mother. What if his mother didn’t like them? What if she didn’t approve of Aydan mating a human? Riley snorted at the fact that here, she was the alien.
“Belle, watch the kids.”
“Where are you going?”
“To find Aydan. I’ll be back soon.” Riley headed out of their quarters dressed in a pair of jeans and a form-fitting white V-neck shirt. She wasn’t sure if her outfit would be acceptable, but she didn’t ask. They had only a few clothes from home, and these were her favorites.
She stopped the first Azziarin she saw. “Do you know where Aydan is?” He shook his head and kept walking. She kept asking until one of them led her to a set of doors.
She licked her lips as she contemplated going inside. Taking a deep breath, she raised a shaky hand to press the door chime. Her nervous hand shook, and she quickly yanked it down at her side.
A deep voice called out, and the door slid open. Her eyes quickly scanned the room. Aydan, Kavvan, Nikkul, and Padda sat there, drinking mugs of her moonshine. Thank god it wasn’t an important meeting.
“Riley!” Aydan jumped to his feet. “Is everything all right?”
She took quick steps to his side, gr
abbed his mug of moonshine, then chugged it. Smacking her lips together, she said, “No, but it will be.” She held out the mug to Kavvan. “Give me a little more.”
His eyes widened as he slowly lifted the jar and refilled the mug. She sipped it a little slower that time.
She turned to face Aydan but froze. Everyone stared at her wordlessly. What little bit of confidence she’d found with the alcohol disappeared. Her heart pounded, her hand shook. She closed her eyes. “Dammit,” she hissed and then downed the second mug, handed it to Aydan, and left without another word. She’d had enough liquid courage.
As Riley walked back to their quarters, she passed Azziarins with unseeing eyes. Warmth encased her body as her heart rate slowed to a normal pace. Finally, she felt as though she could breathe.
When she entered, Belle and Cassidy sat playing with the twins in the middle of the floor. Belle lifted her eyes and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Riley shot her a smile. “I’m going to lie down and rest for an hour or two.”
“Okay. Don’t worry about us, we’re fine.” Belle smiled before turning her attention back to the twins and Cassidy.
Not long after Riley slid into bed, she felt it dip low. Aydan wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. “Are you asleep?”
“No. I’m too nervous to sleep.” She turned over and faced Aydan. “Sorry if I ruined your going-away party.”
His deep, sexy chuckle made her smile. Riley loved the sound of his laugh, the way his eyes lit with happiness. “I’ve never seen anyone stun all three of them into silence at the same time.”
With confused eyes, she wondered what he was talking about. The only thing she did was visit Aydan in Kavvan’s office, ready room, whatever they call it. She didn’t even talk to them. Maybe that caught them off guard? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He rolled onto his back, threw his arm across his eyes and let out a boisterous laugh. “The fact that you don’t know why they were stunned just makes it more funny.”
Aydan (The Azziarin Series Book 6) Page 12
