by Shea Malloy
“No need to apologize,” he said, forcing himself to stare at her face and not at the creamy tops of her breasts and the exposed portion of her thighs. “I … overreacted. I am not fond of those memories.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes drifting down to his chest. When she licked her lips, his cock twitched at the action. Thank the gods he’d decided to keep his pants on tonight. She couldn’t see how hard he’d become.
“What do your tattoos mean?” she asked, meeting his gaze, desire evident amid the curiosity in her deep blue eyes.
He moved closer even though a voice in his head told him that was unwise.
“They have many meanings. But this,” he spread a hand over his chest where the tattoo of the phoenix bird resided, “is the most significant. It was designed on my coronation day. It signifies dominance, perseverance, and loyalty.”
“Can I … can I touch it?”
Her voice was soft in the quiet, her words like a gentle finger sliding down his spine, nearly making him shiver. He knew the instant he felt her hands on his flesh, he wouldn’t be able to maintain control, but he also knew he’d long lost the fight to resist her tonight.
“Yes.”
She slid off the bed, her gaze holding his as she approached him slowly. When she stood before him, her gaze dropped to his chest as her hands tentatively reached out to caress him. His breathing deepened when her hands grazed his flesh. She ran a single fingertip over his skin, tracing the tattoos. Then she followed it with a more courageous touch, her hands gliding over his chest, then his abdomen, and his arms. Her touch ignited a fiery trail wherever her hands went, and the quick rise and fall of her chest suggested she was just affected by her actions as he. Mikaal couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t deny himself any longer. He’d resisted taking her for too long and the well of his willpower had been scraped dry.
“This is enough,” he said, his voice gravelly as he reached for her. He pulled her against his body, bending to claim her mouth in a hard, passionate kiss. With a soft whimper, she opened to him readily. He held her head still by fisting his hand in her curly hair and he devoured her mouth, all of his pent up frustration and lust pushed into his kiss. Her hands trapped between their bodies, her fingers curled against his skin, he kissed her hard and her soft moans only encouraged him.
“I want you,” he groaned against her lips.
“I want you too, Mikaal,” she whispered, as if she was afraid of the honesty in her words.
Mikaal made a low sound of approval as his hands brushed away the thin straps of her nightgown from her shoulders. The material slid from her body with ease, and Mikaal pushed her backward onto the bed.
“You are the most exquisite creature I’ve ever seen,” he said, admiring her flushed face and puffy lips. Pride filled him at the unabashed desire in her eyes. His gaze moved down, traveling the length of her body, lingering on her breasts. They were fuller than when he’d first seen them in the lacy contraption she wore that day. Topped with dusky-pink nipples, the firm peaks begged for his attention.
He didn’t hesitate. His hands fell on her breasts, cupping the soft flesh, his thumbs caressing the firm peaks. Then he smoothed his hands lower still, over the gentle slope of her stomach. His child. A powerful sense of pride and contentment overcame him.
He continued to touch her. Every gasp from her lips made his hard cock pulse. Something inside him still sought for control, still demanded he end this before it got too far but he ignored it. He wanted the human woman squirming beneath him more than he wanted to take his next breath and nothing was going to stop him.
Her hands came around his neck when he bent to capture one of her breasts in his warm mouth. She gripped him to her, groaning with every lap of his tongue over her flesh. He relished her startled cry when he nipped her, soothing the bite with a gentle sucking on her hardened nipple.
“Oh … Mikaal,” she sighed. She would be shouting his name ever more yet, he decided as he kissed his way down her body. He spread her legs, baring her to him. Sliding a finger down her wet slit, he smiled at her in satisfaction.
“I am flattered how easily your body responds to me,” he said, idly grazing her and enjoying the way she squirmed and raised her hips, seeking more of his touch.
“Oh my god, Mikaal … please … just do it …” she gasped.
He smirked. “Do what?”
“Touch me!”
“Ah, so impatient.”
His thumb found her sensitive bud and his tongue parted her wet folds in a leisurely swipe. She arched her back, a long moan escaping her lips as she twisted her fingers in his hair. He moved his mouth higher, covering the fleshy bundle of nerves as he pushed a digit inside her slowly. She cried his name and it only spurred him on to seek her pleasure. He spread her legs wider, desperate to have all of her, greedy to taste and enjoy her sweet wetness on his tongue.
He feasted on her while he pushed a second finger into her tight, warm passage. He couldn’t wait for the moment when his cock would replace his fingers. Each lap and curl of his tongue over her nub turned her whimpers louder, made her grip in his hair tighter. How could he have restrained himself from this? From her delicious taste and her exquisite breathy gasps as his mouth and fingers pushed her closer to completion?
“Oh god … Mikaal … oh … my … goood …” Her body tightened, her hips lifted. She trembled as she wailed his name. Mikaal desperately wanted to bury himself inside her wet heat right in that instant and feel her clamp around his cock instead of his fingers.
He lapped her until her body sagged, then he slid off the bed and shed his pants. His cock sprang free, rock hard and at the ready. Her widened eyes stroked his ego as he moved atop her again.
“I think you might break me with this or maybe scare the baby,” Megan said, her eyes alight with amusement as she reached for him. He jerked and groaned when her warm hands wrapped around his length and gave him an exploratory stroke.
“I think you’ll enjoy it completely,” he said, his voice gravelly. He wedged himself between her legs, his cock grazing against her wet folds. He bent to kiss her and she returned it greedily, her fingers sifting through his hair. He loved the feel of her beneath him, her soft, warm body against his. He knew what they shared in this moment would inevitably come to an end, and this prospect filled him with deep regret.
“I want you inside me, Mikaal,” she whispered against his lips and Mikaal complied. She whimpered as he breached her wet entrance. Then her fingernails dug into his skin and she cried out when he pushed into her fully with a grunt.
Gods, she was tighter than he’d realized. He nuzzled her neck with a groan, heady with the sensation of her wet heat squeezing his length. He withdrew and pushed into her again, and she whimpered, her fingernails grooving into his flesh.
He wanted to be gentle because of her pregnancy but her insistent hands on his backside, pressing him forward encouraged otherwise. No, he hadn’t broken her. Her lifted hips and gasps of his name as he thrust into her with earnest was proof she enjoyed him stretching her. But as he bent to kiss her, he made a deep, quiet promise to himself to ruin her for any other man that came after him. Not that he’d let that happen.
Because she is mine.
“Mikaal …” she moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist to take him deeper. Her soft cries as she took every inch of his length would never cease to make him crazy with arousal. He drove into her harder, barely sliding out before he was slamming back into her slick passage to the hilt. Her breasts bounced and jiggled with each thrust, tantalizing him. Bending his head, he sucked her soft flesh into his mouth as his hand fondled and squeezed the other. She moaned, squirming and raising her hips with each flick of his tongue over her firm nipples.
“You taste delicious,” he growled, moving his lips against the underside of her breasts. “I would have you on my tongue every waking minute.”
Raising himself up, he continued to pound into her. His thrusts increased, becoming less
precise and more fervent. She began to tremble beneath him, clinging to him. Then she was squeezing him, her back arched as her climax pushed a long moan from her mouth.
“Oh my god … Mikaal … yes … yes …”
“Gods, you are beautiful,” he said softly, filled with a deep sense of triumph as he watched her come undone beneath him. But he couldn’t hold back any longer either. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as her inner walls pulsed around his length. Grunting, his release shot from him, spilling inside her warm depths. His cock twitched and his body shook with every spurt until her spasming walls emptied him.
Lightheaded from the force of his climax, he slumped onto his back. He pulled her close, holding him against her possessively. Her cheek pressed against his chest, he stroked her smooth skin.
“Mmm. That was amazing,” she murmured, pressing closer.
He’d wanted simple, but there was nothing simple about this human woman in his arms. He’d only known of her existence through happenstance, yet she was a powerful force that had changed the life he once knew.
And truth be told, he no longer wanted that old life either.
10
Megan
Blinking awake, Megan yawned and sat up in bed. The instant the sheet slid down her naked chest, she remembered what had happened the night before.
The filthy hot things she did.
With Mikaal.
She bit her lower lip, her face warm as she remembered everything he did to her. His mouth between her legs, his touch all over her skin, how she came so hard on his cock, she nearly passed out. She spread her hand over the empty spot on his side of the bed. His absence disappointed her even though she knew he liked to start his day early.
But maybe it was for the best she didn’t face him just yet. What would she say to him? How would she behave around him now? Megan closed her eyes and made a harsh sound of irritation. See, this was why she should have listened to logic and not lust. Sex complicates things. How many times had she warned herself about this? Yet the instant Mikaal threw one dark, hungry look her way, she was on her back, moaning his name—
The door slid open and Suri waltzed into the room.
“Megan,” Suri began, then she smiled broadly as her gaze fell to Megan’s chest. “What a pleasant surprise. A pity Mikaal isn’t here to appreciate it.”
Megan blushed to the roots of her hair as she hauled the sheet up to cover herself. Dammit. Why didn’t this place have locks on the doors?
Megan spluttered. “I-I fell asleep like this.”
“Of course.” Suri smiled a little too knowingly for Megan’s comfort. “Now get dressed. I am taking you to the city today now that Mikaal isn’t here to object.”
“Where is he?”
“He left early for Stoath.” She must have seen the confusion on Megan’s face because she continued. “It’s a planet that’s over three standard days away. Awful place. Terribly hot and filled with nothing but criminals.”
“Oh.” She hoped Suri couldn’t hear the weight of disappointment in her voice. “So he won’t be back for a while then?”
Suri shook her head. “I’m afraid not.” Then she clapped her hands, her eyes bright with excitement. “But hurry up. There are so many places outside the palace I want to show you. I will wait outside while you dress.”
As she dressed, Megan tried not to think about Mikaal’s absence. But it was worthless. Why did he leave so abruptly? Only one reason: he regretted what had happened and wanted time and space to forget it. Despite the hurt, she reluctantly accepted this explanation as the truth. He’d said it himself, didn’t he? No complications. Yet they’d still had sex and now … she was in the exact same place she’d warned herself not to be: having feelings for Mikaal.
God, she was hopeless. And stupid. Zero self-discipline whatsoever. A few weeks on a strange, new planet and she’d already managed to fall for some guy that was totally inappropriate. What was the matter with her? As much as it upset her, maybe it was a good thing Mikaal decided to leave for a while. The time apart would clear her head and strengthen her resolve. Besides, making love to him probably wasn’t the worst thing in the world. They’d sated their desire for each other and now they no longer had to suffer from temptation.
Smoothing her hand over her front, a flutter of surprise went through her and she marveled at the gentle slope of her stomach. She felt as though the transformation had happened miraculously, even though she’d noticed her midsection becoming wider lately. Her breasts were heavier too, her nipples sometimes tender. Though when Mikaal had touched and tasted them last night, any sense of discomfort had flown right out the window.
Megan released a huff as she pushed the images of last night out of her mind. She caressed her belly, turning to the side and tugging the sari taut across her stomach to properly see her small baby bump in the mirror.
I’m going to be a mother.
The thought thrilled her more than it should. She caressed her stomach, a sad longing twisting in her heart. This was her baby. Hers and Mikaal’s. But it’s not like she could stay and be its proper mother … could she? Megan closed her eyes and shook her head. No, it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t possible to be this baby’s mother and it certainly wasn’t possible to be anything more than an unfortunate incident in Mikaal’s life. The sooner she got that through her head, the better.
Fixing her sari, Megan turned away from the mirror and left to meet Suri for their outing.
***
“Greetings, Megan.”
Megan turned to identify the source of the voice and found Varrack approaching her. She edged closer to the two four-armed beasts guarding her. It was ludicrous to imagine, but over the course of her time spent on this planet, she’d grown to appreciate their fearsome presence nearby, always at the ready to protect her. For some reason, she felt safer with these creatures who were probably capable of snapping her in half than she felt around this man.
“Hello,” she responded quietly.
“You look lovely,” he said. “Your trip to the gardens favours you.”
She frowned. “I didn’t see you there.”
He grinned. “I’ve served at this palace for many years.” He leaned closer and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial tone. “I know many of its hiding places.”
She gave him a small smile. “So you spy on people a lot?”
“Not ‘spy’. I appreciate them. Especially beautiful women.” His smile was slow and devilish, enhancing his handsomeness and dulling her nervousness around him. He was flirting with her and it made her blush. She wasn’t interested in him, but his easy charm wasn’t unpleasant either.
Megan chuckled. “Yeah, well, where I’m from there’s a name for people like you.”
“And what is it?”
“Creep.”
Varrack laughed. “I suppose it’s used as an insult? No matter. I will not apologize for finding the mother of my future leader a perfect vision of beauty.”
He reached for her hand and raised it to his lips, pressing a firm kiss to the back of her hand. OK. Flirting was fine, but anything physical definitely had to be cut off. She liked him enough to talk to, but she didn’t want to send any wrong ideas.
Trying to tug her hand away, Megan opened her mouth, ready to order him to not touch her again without her permission. But a voice, familiar in its deepness and its ability to make her body go weak with need, spoke up before she could.
“Varrack, perhaps it is best you keep your traitorous hands to yourself.”
Mikaal.
Megan turned her head, a whirlwind of emotions sweeping through her when she saw Mikaal. Two men dressed in military jumpsuits flanked him.
Mikaal was here. He’d returned to her after many days apart. She had the overwhelming urge to run to him and throw her arms around his neck, pull him close and tight to her body and never let go.
Though even if she’d tried, she couldn’t. Varrack’s grip had tightened on her hand. With one vicious tug
, he pulled her up against him, using her as a shield.
What the hell?
“Hey! Let me go!” She tried to squirm away, but the press of something cool and metallic against the side of her head made her go still instantly. She didn’t have to see it. The angry, calculating look on Mikaal’s face and the defensive stance all the guards had taken spoke volumes. She’d watched enough action movies to know this next part: Varrack had a gun pressed to her skin.
Varrack wrapped an arm around her neck. He spoke but in his Omaron language which Megan was still learning. Though she couldn’t understand the words, his voice was remarkably different now. No longer cordial or charming, it dripped with disdain and loathing.
“Release her and I will assure you receive a minimal sentencing for all you have done,” Mikaal ordered in words she could understand, his voice deadly. His eyes were dark with fury, and even though he maintained a composed stance, his body radiated a terrifying intensity. She didn’t believe him. The moment Varrack released her, he was a dead man.
“I am not foolish like you, my Klar,” he said, enunciating the title with a mocking tone. “I plan to escape this planet and your human bitch is my ticket to freedom.” His overconfidence was staggering. “Provide me a ship this instant.”
“Release her,” Mikaal repeated, ignoring Varrack’s demands. He took another step forward, slow and precise, a predator going in for its prey. “Or I will kill you.”
Varrack’s hold tightened around her neck, squeezing her windpipe as he dragged her backward. Megan whimpered and clawed at his hand. She dropped them immediately when he pressed the gun forcefully against her skin. Varrack laughed, the sound harsh and devoid of humour.
“You aren’t fit to be the klar of this planet!” He shouted, his voice laced with petulance. “You never were! I am the only one deserving!”
“Dear me, the kingdom of Omaron would fall into shambles with a ruler as unhinged as you.”
The voice behind them startled her. Easily recognizable from his usual lighthearted way of speaking, even in such a dangerous circumstance. That was Zezvar! She wanted to shout at him to run away, but it was too late. Varrack turned with her, pulling the gun away from her head to aim it at the red-spotted alien doctor.
