by Mikayla Lane
“Fine,” she said as she went behind the old fashioned changing screen in the room and started to undress.
“You know, we probably should never tell Christopher the story of how you got that,” Chris said from the other side of screen.
“You said you went back and paid them for it!” Quinn shrieked the accusation, feeling even guiltier about the garment.
“I did!” Chris rushed to assure her with a laugh. “It was still initially stolen though.”
“From a clothesline!” Quinn countered. “And it was your damn fault it was necessary to steal to begin with!”
“You were not required to jump into the water with me,” Chris teased back.
“You dared me from the bottom! Besides, I didn’t know the jump would make me lose my bikini, but you did!” Quinn accused, figuring he had to have known.
“Busted!” Chris said with a laugh. “But I honestly didn’t expect you to lose the bottoms, I expected us to find them sooner or later . . .”
Quinn threw her T-shirt at him over the screen.
“See! You admit it’s your fault,” she said as she moved from behind the screen and walked towards the bed.
Chris was stunned speechless when he saw her. The once baggy, shapeless nightshirt now displayed her fuller breasts and the burgeoning stomach where his son peacefully slept. She looked more beautiful to him than anything he’d ever seen.
“You’re incredible,” he croaked out, scooting over in the bed so she could get in beside him.
Quinn blushed and quickly crawled into the bed so he wouldn’t see her face. She put her back to him, took the hand he slid over her stomach, and held it close to her heart as he cuddled up behind her.
Chris pulled the covers over them and made sure Quinn was comfortable as he spooned himself against her.
“I did go back and leave them a hundred dollar bill for stealing the nightshirt,” he admitted before he gently kissed her temple.
“Geez! It wasn’t worth that much!” Quinn said, stunned at his generosity.
“It was worth so much more than that to see you sitting on the edge of the water completely naked and trying to cover yourself as you screamed at me to find your bikini,” he admitted.
Chris was really beginning to regret the direction of the conversation when he had to scoot his lower body back from Quinn so she wouldn’t notice how much she affected him.
“Stop moving back; I’m freezing,” Quinn argued as she tried to move back to his body heat.
“Whoa, let’s, uh, put a pillow back here for your back,” Chris muttered as he moved quickly to put a pillow between them.
“That feels awful. It was perfect with just you. You always do this to me just when I get comfortable,” Quinn groaned.
Chris sighed, then grinned.
Maybe it’s time she knows just how much this has killed me over the years, he thought.
Chris grabbed the pillow, threw it across the room, and Quinn immediately moved back towards his body. The moment her bottom touched him, she gasped and whipped her head to the side to look at him in surprise.
Chris just grinned, slid his arm back around her waist, and gently pulled her close until she was pressed tight against his body. He leaned down and nuzzled her neck.
“I have hid my arousal from you for 10 years, hoping I wouldn’t scare you off or make you want something I didn’t think I could give to you,” he whispered.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Quinn asked, trying to understand.
Chris chuckled and gave her a gentle squeeze.
“Tell you what? I’m a half alien killer, cursed by the gods to hunt my own? You’re the first human anyone has ever successfully mated with in the 1000 years the Valendrans have been here,” Chris replied, drawing her eyes to his. “But I should have known if it was possible, it would be with you. I can’t take back the mistakes I made the last 10 years, but I can spend the next thousand making it up to you.”
“Oh, Chris,” Quinn squeaked before the tears came.
Chris turned her around to face him, and he held her as she cried softly against his chest. He rubbed her back until she calmed down and became quiet. When she finally looked up at him, Chris wiped the remaining tears from her face.
“I have loved you for 10 years in the only way I thought I was allowed to. Let me show you how I can love you for the rest of your life. Give me a chance,” he pleaded as his hand sunk in the soft curls on the side of her head.
Everything inside of Quinn that she thought was strong broke under his gaze and the love she could feel in his energy. It was so strange how different things were with him; she felt so much closer to him.
Quinn knew a lot of it had to do with Atarma and her new abilities to feel the energy of others and understand the emotions associated with it. There was no mistaking the intensity of the love she felt from him and the sincerity of his words.
“Love me,” Quinn whispered.
She closed her eyes just as Chris crushed his lips to hers and entwined their legs. Suddenly, the heat between them became smothering, and her body felt on fire as she threaded her hands through his hair and kissed him back with all the love she felt for him.
It was like a dam broke between them, and their hands were everywhere, exploring one another freely for the first time. Quinn was captivated by how hard Chris’s muscles and body felt, yet his skin was baby soft.
Except his hands, she thought with a groan as his fingers found her slick folds and teased her nearly to orgasm before she found her senses, determined to tease him as well. Her hand found its way between them and inside his pants.
The moment she wrapped her warm fingers around him, he gasped and groaned, and Quinn sighed at the pleasure she could feel emanating from him. It only heightened her own and drove her to be bolder.
Quinn pushed at his pants and yanked at his shirt, trying to get his clothes off when he pulled away and looked down at her, his eyes searching hers for something.
“Quinn . . . I have never wanted anything more than you. But if you aren’t ready for this,” Chris said as he gently rubbed her belly and sleeping son, “then I will wait until you are, but we would have to stop now.”
Quinn ran her hands over his shoulders and to his head, gently pulling his face to hers until he was inches away.
“I’ve waited 10 years for this, and I’m not waiting another second,” Quinn whispered.
“That’s not exactly true . . .” Chris said as he leaned down to kiss her belly.
His eyes twinkled with mirth, and Quinn dropped her head to the pillow and shook her head.
“It doesn’t count if neither of us remember it!” she groaned. “I want to remember it this time.”
Chris crawled up her body, taking the nightshirt with him until he finally pulled it over her head. He sat up, threw it to the floor, and marveled at how incredible she looked laying naked on the bed, carrying his child.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” he asked, unwilling to harm his child or Quinn.
Quinn nodded her head as she leaned up on her elbows.
“Angel and Dree made sure I was well aware that this was possible,” she said.
Chris sighed in relief and ripped his shirt in his eagerness to get it off. Afraid to scare her, he slowed down to get his pants off then sunk back down behind Quinn.
“Are you sure?” Chris whispered against her mouth.
“Oh yes,” Quinn agreed, turning her head to press her lips to his and take his mouth in a searing kiss.
Chris could feel himself getting over excited, and he knew he needed to remain in control so Quinn and his son didn’t get injured. He groaned when he pulled away from her.
“Which side are you more comfortable on?” he whispered, unable to stop himself from grinding his hips against her soft backside.
“This is perfect,” Quinn said on a sigh, loving the way they were pressed so close together.
“You’re perfect,” Chris countered as he pulled her leg
back over his and aligned their bodies perfectly.
It was the perfect position for him to use his hands and lips to touch and tease her everywhere, leaving her panting and digging her nails into his thigh.
“Are you sure?” he asked her hoarsely.
Chris closed his eyes when he asked, keeping himself under perfect control for once until Quinn pushed gently down on him, taking him slowly into her heat. He grabbed her shoulder in one hand to keep her from moving away from him and the bed with the other as he tried to sift through the incredible feelings rushing over him as they joined.
“Now it’s perfect,” Quinn said on a gasp as she finally took his entire length.
“Gods yes,” Chris groaned as he slid out a little bit, before pressing back in, trying his best to be gentle.
Quinn was lost in their combined senses and could no longer determine which was her pleasure and which was Chris’s while their emotions were so intertwined and intense. All she knew was that they needed one another and not just for that moment.
She ran her hand along his leg, squeezing his thigh to urge him on, and it was all the encouragement Chris needed to increase his tempo and the depth of his thrusts.
Chris held her close, setting a moderate pace that seemed to set the both of them on fire as his hand caressed and teased her everywhere. It wasn’t only to increase her pleasure—although it did—he needed to learn her body and things she enjoyed because he loved the sounds of her pleasure.
The little gasps and “Ohs” when he touched her just right drove him wild, and he was quickly becoming addicted to the sensual sounds. He nipped gently at her shoulder and increased the pace a little, needing and wanting to feel her climax around him.
Chris suddenly feel the shift in Quinn’s energy and knew she was close. He let go of her hip and slid his fingers into her wet folds until he found the sensitive nub.
Moments later he released himself into her as she shouted out his name, clawing the sheets with one hand and his thigh with the other.
Chris held her closely as their breath returned to normal. He kissed the back of her neck and grinned when he heard her soft snore. He pulled the covers over them and cuddled behind his exhausted mate before falling into the most contented sleep he could ever remember.
Hours later, Quinn rubbed sleepily at the stinging sensation in her neck but fell back into a deep sleep. She and Chris were completely unaware of the arcing blue energy emanating from Quinn’s stomach, combining with a strand of Chris’s and striking Quinn in the head.
Chapter Twenty Four
Quinn was awakened by the sound of whispering and shuffling in the room. Thinking it was just Chris getting dressed, she snuggled deeper into the blankets, unwilling to give up the warmth of the bed after sleeping so soundly the night before. A part of her also hoped that Chris would just come back and cuddle with her a while before they got up.
She felt Chris pull at the blanket and felt another tug before she heard a slapping sound. The whispering increased, and she screamed and scooted backwards toward the headboard when she opened her eyes.
“What the fuck this time?” Quinn shrieked, uncaring that she’d used the same word she’d yelled at Chris for the day before.
Angel, Lauren, Dree, Amun, and Chris all looked suitably embarrassed, and Chris rushed over to the bed and sat down on the side.
“I’m sorry we scared you, baby. How do you feel? You feeling OK?” he asked.
Something about the way everyone was staring at her made Quinn nervous, and she pulled the blankets up higher as she glared at Chris.
“What the hell is going on?” she asked between gritted teeth.
“Baby, are you sure you feel all right?” Chris asked, his eyes straying to her neck.
“I was great until I woke to the freakish sight of being stared at in my bed. What the hell is going on?” Quinn ground out, wondering if anyone would take the hint to leave.
Quinn huffed when everyone continued to stare at her like she hadn’t spoken. When she turned back to Chris and saw him still staring at her neck, she slapped a hand over it until he looked at her.
“Answer my question. What is wrong with you people?” she demanded.
The silence stretched, and Quinn was trying to figure out how to get away from them while naked beneath the sheets when Dree went to the dresser and got a hand mirror.
“Good idea,” Chris said as he breathed out a sigh of relief.
He took the mirror from Dree and handed it to Quinn.
“Do you remember getting that?” he asked.
Quinn was frustrated as hell and couldn’t figure out why he was making such a big deal about how she looked in the morning. She knew it wasn’t that great, but damn. To be stared at like a freak because she drooled in her sleep was a bit much.
She grabbed the mirror from Chris and looked at her face with a mask of boredom. She licked her finger and began rubbing at the white crusted line of drool, trying not to let it bother her that they were all still staring.
Angel grinned and pointed her finger at Quinn, flicking her finger downward.
“Look down,” Angel advised.
Quinn narrowed her eyes, wondering if they were playing a prank on her. If they were, she wasn’t in the mood at all. Giving up on the almost-removed drool, she lowered the mirror.
“What did you do to me?” Quinn shrieked as she saw the mark on her neck and threw the mirror at Chris.
Chris caught the mirror before it could hit him, and he watched as Quinn began rubbing harshly at her neck.
“Quinn, I didn’t do that. I swear on my life, I didn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t,” he argued, looking helplessly at the others.
“Seriously, girl, we had no part in this. Chris came and got us the second he saw it. We have no idea what it is,” Angel told her, her hands up in front of her.
“Let me see, let me see!” Quinn demanded as she reached for the mirror she’d just thrown at Chris.
He quirked a brow at her before he turned the mirror around and angled it up so Quinn could see in it without having to hold it. Chris wasn’t about to give her the weapon back—he’d been lucky to catch it the last time.
Quinn poked and prodded at the scorched looking design on her neck just under her right ear. It looked exactly like the triangular shaped mark on Chris’s left side, except that hers had a perfect circle around it.
“Does it hurt?” Dree asked.
“No . . .” Quinn said in wonder. “But last night I felt a sting there. It was gone so quick . . . I just went back to sleep. What is it?”
The more Quinn looked at it, the more she actually liked the mark. Other than the circle, it looked exactly like Chris’s and the other Dranovians’, and in a way it made her feel like a part of them.
“The Valendrans have an ator-ma . . . maybe the Dranovians have something similar?” Dree wondered aloud.
“You may be on to something . . .” Amun said with excitement.
“But you and Liam? You don’t have a mark,” Angel pointed out to Dree.
“I’m Tezarian though and beast. She’s a human and newly beast,” Dree suggested with a shrug, just as confused as everyone else.
“It’s on the wrong side though,” Chris added.
“It doesn’t hurt?” Lauren asked as she moved closer to the bed to get a better look.
“No, it doesn’t hurt at all,” Quinn said as she looked left and right in mirror at what looked like a burn mark.
“Why wouldn’t she have gotten it the first time we had . . . um,” Chris wasn’t quite sure how to finish that question and looked to Amun to help him out.
“She wasn’t beast then,” Amun replied as he pulled out his scanner. “When the Valendrans first came, we weren’t bonded either, and we didn’t get the ator-ma until we were. It could have been latent because she recently received her beast.”
“That does make more sense,” Lauren added with a nod as her eyes were glued to her comm. “Like I told her earli
er, there is nothing to indicate that there is anything wrong with her or the baby. They’re perfect.”
Chris visibly sighed in relief and smiled at Quinn as he squeezed her foot through the blankets.
“So this could be a human thing?” Angel asked.
“It could very well be a human thing. We won’t know if a Valendran can give a human an ator-ma until we have a couple that mate. Or another Dranovian and human,” Amun admitted, still running scans on Quinn and the baby.
“I wish we had answers for you,” Lauren said. “But we’re learning more every time we scan you and study the results of all the tests we’re running. Hopefully, we’ll have answers for the next human because of you.”
Quinn was grateful everything was OK, but she was getting tired of being the local guinea pig and had considered putting a stop to the tests, so when Lauren put it like that, she felt like an ass for not letting them run their scans.
“OK, everyone out!” Chris suddenly called out.
He stood and began shooing people out of the room and didn’t stop until he shut the door behind them all.
“They’re just going in the living room,” Quinn said with a sigh.
“Yes, but it’s not this room,” Chris replied, then looked sad. “I’m sorry. I saw it and freaked out. I had to know you were all right. I was scared to death.”
Quinn was surprised when Chris came back to the bed and took her in his arms. He held her tightly and Quinn could swear she felt him tremble. She pulled away and smiled at him.
“We’re doing great. I don’t know what everyone was talking about, but I think if it’s not hurting anything, it’s kind of cool. Makes me feel a little less like the human freak in your midst,” she teased, hoping to ease the fear she still felt in his energy.
“You’ll tell me if you feel even a twinge?” Chris asked.
Quinn laughed then scooted off the bed, dragging the sheet with her as she shuffled over to the dresser and clothes. She pulled open one of the drawers and gasped.
“What the hell is this?” she asked as she looked at all the beautiful new clothes in the drawer.
She quickly opened the rest of the drawers to see the same thing. All of her old clothes were gone, and in their place was all brand new clothes. She pulled out the first shirt she saw and dropped the sheet as she held it up to her.
