Mating Fever (Interstellar Brides Book 10) Page 10

  She would be bound to my side forever. Mine to touch and taste and drive wild. Mine to learn. Her hot, wet pussy mine to fuck and taste over and over until I’d wrung every last drop of pleasure from her sensitive body.

  The cuffs that had been retrieved from my quarters earlier swung at my side. I felt their weight against my hip, knew that they weren’t just pieces of metal but the symbol of the bond that we’d share. I wasn’t just claiming a mate, and she wasn’t simply accepting me as her lover. With a beast it was more, so much more. No one in the universe would be able to control my beast, no one but her. He would answer her call, calm to her touch, she would own me in a way no one ever had or ever would. And the ache within me to give myself to her sprang from nothing into an explosion of pain in my chest. I’d been alone for years. Since I was a boy. I was a war orphan. No parents. No family. Until now. Now there was my mate, and she would be everything. Right now.

  I didn’t lift my head from the kiss, only deftly worked at the straps of her armor, tugged and pulled it from her body. The soft feel of her lips, the lush meeting of her tongue, the taste of her made me never want to stop. But there was more of her. More places to taste and explore. I knew this from the night before. Then, I took her body, but now, I’d claim her fully and pray I was worthy of her heart.

  She laughed and fucked and fought with equal abandon. Everything about her was perfect. But now I knew the truth, knew she worked in one of the most dangerous fields in the entire Fleet, knew that as an agent of the Intelligence Core, exactly how brave—or reckless—my mate could be. Instead of filling me with rage, her warrior’s spirit made me want her more. Unfortunately, I also realized I’d never be satisfied with just her body. I wanted her to love me, really love me, with all that passionate fire and savage courage. I couldn’t even imagine life with the sweet, gentle, docile mate I’d once thought would be mine.

  I wanted fire and fury, passion and a smart mouth. I wanted Megan. I wanted her to give me everything she was and surrender herself into my keeping. I needed to take care of her. I wanted all of her.

  I was eager, no…desperate to make her mine. Pulling back, I tugged the black shirt over her head and dropped it on top of her body armor so she was bare to me from the waist up. Her breasts were full and tear shaped, her nipples a deep mocha and as I watched, the tips furled. The bathing room was far from cold, so the response was for me. All for me.

  I had to taste, to learn all her flavors, so I dropped to my knees so my mouth was in perfect alignment to lave one nipple, then the other. When her hands came to my head and her fingers tangled in my hair, I knew she liked it. The pain of her grip only urged me on and my beast liked the hint of wildness my touch brought out in her. When I glanced up at her—I didn’t stop my ministrations—I saw passion haze her vision, but she wasn’t shying away. No, she’d never shy away. It wasn’t in her nature and she was a passionate woman. She knew what she wanted, what she liked, and didn’t hold herself back. Or me. In fact, she watched as I suckled there. My body, already rock hard, pulsed at the idea of watching her with the same rapt attention as she wrapped her full lips around my cock.

  For now, I needed her bare before me, needed to see her soft curves, run my hands over them, curl my fingers around them as I fucked her.

  My beast growled, suddenly impatient. I was thinking too much. While her breasts were stunning and her nipples were as sweet as I remembered, there was more of her to explore, to taste.

  “Boots,” I growled and I sat back on my heels and watched her toe one off, then the other.

  “You, too,” she breathed. “I need to see you, too.”

  If my mate wanted me naked, I was not going to argue. Perhaps this would be the one thing we agreed on. If being naked together kept us from bickering and arguing, then so be it. Once we were back home on Atlan and at our house, I’d keep her naked for days. Weeks, perhaps. Even work on that baby.

  That thought had me ripping at my own armor, tugging every bit of fighter protection from my body so nothing remained. Nothing separated my cock from her perfect body.

  We were both breathing hard and my beast prowled to get my hands on her again, but I just watched as her breasts rose and fell, watched her cheeks darken in a perfect flush with desire as I stripped.

  I didn’t have to look when I reached my arm out, pressed a button on the wall to turn on the shower sprays. The water temperature had been set to my liking and I knew Megan would not be burned. Standing, I walked my mate backward until we were both beneath the spray, letting it wash off whatever dirt and planetary dust we’d picked up since our time in the cave pool. Finding the soap, I reverently washed every inch of her. Bathing with her was different than the night before, knowing this soft skin, the damp curves were all mine. I had no idea I could feel so possessive of someone. I didn’t know what love was. I’d never loved anyone in my life. But a heavy weight settled on my heart and mind, a solemn, almost painful weight, an anchor that I knew would ground me forever. Megan. She was my anchor now, my spark of light in the darkness.

  “Nyko, please,” she whispered, almost wriggling with her need.

  I met her dark gaze.

  “What?” I asked, my voice a rough growl, my words one syllable again. I knew I’d have to fight to control that gruff tone until my cuffs were on her and she was mine. Which would be very, very soon. “Need?”

  My beast had no interest in wasting energy on forming sentences when it would use it all fucking her.

  “My turn.” Her small fingers took the soap from me and I remained still beneath the spray as she soaped my body, saving my cock for last. My muscles quivered with the need to reach out and touch her, to take control, but I restrained myself. But when she gripped my cock in a slippery fist and slid up and down—clearly no longer soaping me but playing instead—I moved out of her reach. Not yet. We would play, but not yet.

  She called my name with a whimper of distress when I stepped away. The water splashing on her would seem chilly in comparison to my body heat, especially with the fever raging through me. Tugging the cuffs from my sodden pants heaped in the pile of discarded clothing and armor on the floor, I brought them back to Megan. I separated hers from mine, gave three of them to her to hold.

  With rivulets of water sliding down our bodies, I took a deep breath, pushed back my beast so I could speak clearly. Looking at Megan, I spoke the words I’d decided upon when I was still young and optimistic, words I’d waited my entire life to share with my mate. “I take you, Megan Simmons of Earth, as my mate.”

  I slipped one cuff on my right wrist, but didn’t look away from her dark gaze, didn’t miss the way she swallowed. The cuff sealed about my wrist, tightened. “I claim you with my heart, my mind and my body. I give you my protection and I guarantee your pleasure.”

  Her eyes widened and flared with dark heat at the last. Taking my second cuff from her, I put it about my other wrist. Lifting my arms, I looked down at my cuffs, at the family markings. I was the last one. The last of a long line of warriors to wear this design. Hopefully, one day, Megan would give me children. A family. If not, I’d have her. She’d be mine, and that would be more than enough, more than I’d ever thought I could have. “I’m yours, Megan. I’m yours.”

  My beast stilled within me, pleased I’d spoken from my heart and locked the cuffs around my wrists. The weight calmed me, a promise and assurance that I had a mate, a female to worship and care for—a reason to hold on. We were halfway there. I just had to put the cuffs on Megan, have her accept me. Us.

  She was gripping the metal so her knuckles turned white, but offered no resistance when I took her cuffs from her, opened one of them.

  For the first time, I felt vulnerable. I was an Atlan. Powerful. Strong. Dangerous. Yet Megan Simmons could destroy me in the next few seconds. I might be able to live through almost anything, but I knew just the word “no” from her lips would kill me.

  “These cuffs are the Atlan proof that you are mine. I know the bride
s processing protocol gives you thirty days to decide whether or not to accept me, Megan. But you know me. You know all of me, the good and the bad. We’ve fought each other, and fought together on the battlefield. I have no secrets left.” She’d seen me at my worst. I’d collapsed at her feet in that cave, weak and injured. I’d taken her body while in beast mode, barely able to speak for wanting her. Holding onto my control by a thread. We’d argued and we’d kissed. We’d survived the blue Hive aberration on Latiri 4 and years of service in the Coalition Fleet. We’d both laid our lives on the line for the Coalition worlds. We’d fought and hurt and killed. And now, we’d have this. Heat. Desire. Respect. Peace. A home. If she’d have me.

  “Are you sure, Nyko? Because two days ago I would have sworn you didn’t even like me.” Her eyes were dark, wide and round with uncertainty. And I never wanted to see that look on her face again.

  With a growl, I lowered my head to her throat, licking my way up to her ear. “You drive me crazy, female. From the very first day I saw you on this ship, my beast prowled to the surface any time you were near. You made each moment a constant battle for control. I’ve watched you, admired you, lusted after you for a long time. You’re mine. Somehow, I always knew you were mine.”

  Her hands came up and she buried them in my hair, tugging hard, pulling my head up away from her neck to look her in the eye. “You want me? You’re sure? I’m bossy and arrogant. I hate bullshit and I don’t take orders well. I don’t cook or clean or know any lullabies. I’m pretty sure I’ll teach my daughters to fight, not dance or paint or play piano. I’m not like other women, Nyko. I’m not. And I can’t change for you. I won’t change. You can try to take me to Atlan and put me in a fancy dress and I can play pretend. I might be able to pull it off for a day, or a party, but that won’t be me.”

  “I know, mate. I’m counting on it.” I kissed her on the mouth, taking my time, making sure she knew exactly how much I wanted her. “I don’t want quiet or meek, woman. I want you. Will you do me the honor of accepting my claim? Will you be mine?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Nyko

  Will you be mine?

  I felt as if the air had left my lungs as I waited for her response. Seconds dragged like hours as she licked those lips, glanced at the cuffs, then at me, searched my eyes for something. Truth? Honesty? Desire? Whatever she wanted, it was there. I knew it was there, because something raw and powerful pulsed through my entire being. I was sure any fool could see it, and Megan was no fool.

  “Yes, Nyko.”

  Her voice was clear, no hesitation. Thank the gods, because my cock was about to explode.

  I smiled, then opened one cuff and put it about her slender wrist. My fingers shook from the impact of the moment, my beast preening as I watched the cuff seal. The other went on easily and sealed as soon as the two edges touched. The pale silver base a striking contrast to her lovely dark skin.

  “Mine.” It wasn’t the beast this time, but me, the Atlan warrior, the male, who said the one word.

  Slowly, she shook her head, took my wrists and placed her hands over my cuffs. “No, mine.”

  “Gods, yes, female. I’m yours.”

  “What about your beast?” she asked, glancing down at my cock that curved up and touched my navel. Slick pre-cum slid over the flared head.

  “He’s yours. And he’s ready to claim you.”

  Megan grinned at me, wickedly. “What’s he waiting for?”

  I almost came then and there, spurting my seed over her curved belly instead of deep inside her. I remembered the tight feel of her pussy as it clenched my cock when she came the night before. I remembered the way her body rippled and clenched, pulling me deeper and deeper. I remembered her breathy screams and wanted to coax them from her again.

  But I hungered to taste her skin, her kiss, and her hot, wet pussy. My mouth watered to do so. Walking her backwards until her back was against the shower wall, I dropped to my knees again. This time, I hooked my hands behind her knees and lifted them so she sat atop my shoulders. Taking her by the waist, I held her aloft as her pussy hovered over my mouth.

  “Mine,” my beast growled, just before I kissed the tiny patch of dark hair, a triangle that seemed to point the way to her swollen clit. I wanted to latch onto it, to suck and flick it, but first I had to taste her. Flattening my tongue, I slid over every inch of her wet flesh, exploring the extent of her arousal. My beast howled in pleasure, recognizing her flavor, loving it. Her scent was on me now, all over my mouth, my chin, even the tip of my nose. And as I shifted her body, sucking her sensitive nub with my lips and tongue, I slipped my fingers deep into her core. Curled them and made her cry out.

  Yes, I loved that sound. I moved them again and her fingers tangled in my hair.

  That was it. I needed her to come. Needed her soft and pliant, wet and eager for my cock. I was an Atlan warrior, a mate now, and she came first. In everything, including orgasms.

  I wasn’t gentle with her. I wouldn’t sweetly coax my pleasure from her. No, my beast wouldn’t allow it. Not this time. I brought her to a ruthless climax, feeling her juices slide down my fingers, coat my palm. She screamed, her thigh quivering against the side of my head.

  “Nyko, Nyko.”

  When her orgasm faded, I didn’t wait. I stood, repositioning her so her back was pressed to the wall. She wrapped her legs about my waist as best she could and my cock aligned perfectly. The soft swells of her breasts pressed into my chest.

  Taking her hands, I held them in one of mine, lifting them up over her head. My fingers encircled her cuffs, held her perfectly poised over me. Just the feel of them in my hold, knowing they were on her, that I was about to sink my cock into my mate, was incredible. I would remember this moment the rest of my life.

  Or perhaps not.

  The beast rushed through me, pushing me out of the way, claiming what belonged to him now.

  Megan was my mate, but it was the beast who needed her now, needed to fuck and taste and play, coat her body in his scent and his seed.

  “Mine.”

  Megan laughed at the barely coherent word, the sound filled with happiness and trust. She wasn’t afraid of me like this, monstrous and huge and hanging onto my control by a thread. Arms over her head, trapped by my beast, she simply shifted her hips and rubbed her body against me in invitation. “Mine, Nyko. You’re mine.”

  With one thrust of my hips, I filled her until I could go no deeper. She moved up the wall from the impact, her head angling back, her wet hair clinging to the wall in a web of dark strands against the lighter tiles. Gods, I’d never felt anything like it. Yes, I’d fucked her once before. It had been wild and carnal, just like this. She’d been pliant and responsive, just like this. She’d been everything I’d ever wanted, just like this.

  But it was different now. So completely and utterly different. This time, when I held myself still deep inside her, I was buried in my mate. When her breath fanned over the wet skin of my neck, it was her breath. When I felt her heartbeat against my chest, it was hers. When I dug my fingers into the soft curve of her ass, she was mine. This female, this alien from Earth, was my perfect mate. And it felt that way. Perfect. Forever. This was forever.

  My beast drove me now. I’d gotten my cuffs on her, but now it needed to claim her, fuck her, fill her, mark her. And so while I uttered mine every time I pulled out and plunged in again, it was me merging with my beast, taking her together.

  “Nyko, oh my god, I’m going to come again.” Her fingers clawed at my arms, as if she had to hold on to something to keep her from floating away. She wasn’t going anywhere. I had her pinned to the wall, settled deeply on my cock. And yet she pulled me even closer.

  I felt her walls clenching my cock first, then felt her nails break the skin of my arms with her own voracious need. I heard her moan followed by a throaty wail. My beast roared in triumph as she came all over my cock. It couldn’t take any more. Couldn’t hold back a second longer. My pleasure built at th
e base of my spine, tightened my balls and shot forth from my cock, my seed filling her.

  “Yes!” I roared as my hands pressed into the wall by her head, denting the smooth surface. “Mine.”

  My hips shifted, pumping to prolong the pleasure, to ensure she was fully marked, fully claimed.

  All at once, my beast, which had haunted and pestered me for weeks, ever since the fever began, went quiet. It stilled, settled. It was soothed and happy. Sated. Finally, its mate had been found. Claimed.

  I felt the heavy, solid weight of the cuffs on my wrists. I, too, had been found. Claimed.

  This woman, this tiny slip of a female, made me hers.

  * * *

  Megan, Four Hours Later

  I thought I’d need more sleep. Six, maybe even eight hours. After what we’d been through—and my head practically exploding—I should have slept for a week. But no. My to-do list had only included three things. Fuck Nyko. Sleep. Transport to Doctor Helion and get this thing out of my head. That had been my initial plan. But then there was Nyko and his tongue, and his mouth and his cock. Who needed sleep when all of that was available to me? He’d mated me in the shower, his beast rutting into me up against the wall and the whole thing was like a dream. No, it was more than that. It was an official Atlan claiming. Then he’d carried me to the bed and placed me on my hands and knees, his beast completely in control, and claimed me all over again. Once didn’t seem to be enough for either male or beast.

  He’d filled me fast, then slow, fucked me deep, played with my ass, spanked me. Spanked me! I was far from a virgin, but I’d never known the idea of his handprint on my ass would be hot as hell. Because of this, I’d burned for him. Spontaneous combustion. I’d lost count of my orgasms, each one hotter than that matching program’s dream. Nyko was hotter than any man I’d ever even dreamed of. And now, he lay naked, curled around me in his bed, one giant arm protectively around my waist, his leg between mine, his hot breath softly fanning over the top of my head as he rested.