Alien Savior (Zerconian Warriors Book 5) (15 page)

“Not like this,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I was going to get dressed first.”

“That is good. I would not like other males to see you dressed such.”

“Then you better come in before someone else walks past.”

He stepped in and she closed the door behind him. “Um, have a seat.” She gestured towards the one chair in the room. He sat and it creaked under his weight. “I’ll just put some clothes on.” She grabbed a t-shirt and shorts without bothering to search out underwear. Moving hastily into the bathroom, she pulled the clothing on then returned to the room and took a seat on the bed.

“You were coming to see me?” he asked.

“Uh-huh.” Now that he was here, her courage seemed to have faded. “I, ah, I thought you were going to die.”

He nodded. “I thought the same.”

She glanced down at her clenched hands. “I realized something today.”

“What is that?”

She raised her eyes to meet his. “That I would have done whatever it took to save you. That my life would be empty without you around. It sounds silly when I haven’t known you that long. How could I possibly miss you if you weren’t here? But that’s how I feel. I realized that I would regret not knowing you better, not seeing where this passion takes us, not ever experiencing being your mate. If I would have done anything to save you when I thought you could die in that building, then how can I not do whatever I need to save you now. You will die without me, won’t you?”

“Yes,” he replied simply.

“I can’t live with that. I can’t.” She suddenly realized that tears were dripping down her cheeks.

“Shh. Shh.” He moved to the bed and sat next to her. Slowly, possibly so not to startle her, he drew her onto his lap and rocked her.

“I can’t sit by while you die, Darac.” She whacked his arm. “Don’t do that again!”

He let out a low chuckle, and she watched him with surprise. She wiped her face dry. “What’s so funny?”

“I believe that ever since I met you, I have been demanding that you not risk yourself.”

“Yeah, well, now I kind of see where you’re coming from. Darac, I want to be your mate.”

He stiffened, she couldn’t even hear him breathe. “Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

“I do not wish to pressure you.”

“You’re not. In case you haven’t noticed, I have a mind of my own. I’m also as stubborn as hell. When I make my mind up about something, it can’t be budged. I’ve made my mind up about this. I want you, Darac.”

“Stars. I am not a saint who can turn you away.” He grabbed the mattress, pulling it onto the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“These beds were not made for two people.”

She nodded, kneeling on the mattress and tugging him down beside her.

She kissed along his jawline then down his neck. “You’re overdressed.” Nerves strummed through her, making her fumble. “Maybe you should, you know, strip off.” She reached for his pants, pulling at them. A sound of frustration escaped her when they wouldn’t move.

Large hands covered hers, warm and sure.

“Willa.”

“Sorry, they seem to be stuck,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Look at me.”

She kept her gaze on their joined hands. Wow, his hands were large. That had to mean something, right? Wasn’t there some sort of correlation between hands and you know what? Or was that feet?

“What do my large hands and feet mean?” Darac asked, confused. “What is ‘you know what’?”

Shit, she’d been speaking out loud. “It, ah, doesn’t matter.”

“Willa. If you are not ready for this, then we can wait.”

“No. Why would you say that?” She laughed. Okay, that high-pitched noise coming from her mouth just sounded creepy.

“Because you appear nervous. And scared.”

She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “Guess I was hoping to bluff my way through.”

“Willa, calm down and tell me what is wrong.”

“I’ve never done this before. A bit of kissing and some playing around. But I’ve never had sex with anyone before.”

He nodded. “I had guessed as much.”

“You had?” Huh, so much for her acting skills. “My brothers tend to scare away most guys.”

“There was someone you were interested in?” His voice was low, rumbly.

He was jealous. It would be cute, except you’d never call Darac cute. Scary, crazy, sure. Cute. Nope. The wise thing would be to tell him the truth, that she’d never been attracted to anyone except him.

“You jealous, baby?” Turns out she wasn’t that sensible.

His face grew cold, sparks of red appearing in those brown eyes. “Who is he? I will tear him apart. Did he touch you?”

She patted his shoulder. “Down boy.”

“Down boy?” he half-yelled.

She rubbed at her ears. “I’m going to be as deaf as a ninety-year-old soon if you don’t start toning things down. Or maybe you could let me know before you’re about to roar.”

“Who. Was. He.”

So much for her efforts to lighten the tension.

“Nobody. Well, there was a boy, but that was years ago. We were both kids. Sixteen. It was young love, nothing more. I’m pretty sure that Rye scared him off.”

“No one else?”

“No. Although I would point out that you're a hypocrite. I bet you’ve had plenty of women, and you don’t see me getting all green-eyed.”

“But your eyes are green.”

“It’s a saying. If someone is jealous, we say they’re green-eyed. You're being unreasonable.”

“Yes. I know, but I cannot help it.” He ran his hand over his face. “For so long all I have felt is duty and anger. Now, I feel so much. I am adrift, and you are my anchor. I know that must scare you, that it is probably too much to put on your shoulders—”

“Shh.” She placed her finger on his lips.

“It is not fair to you. To hold my sanity.”

“Isn’t it? You hold mine,” she told him.

“I do?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“Yeah, not to the same extent. But I feel more settled when you are close. Safe.”

“I will always protect you.”

“And I will always protect you,” she told him.

“My fierce Willa.”

“Better believe it. No one messes with those who belong to me.” She bared her teeth in a fake-ferocious growl.

“I believe it. What could I do to make you less nervous?”

She studied him. “You’re so large. While my brain knows you won’t harm me, my body isn’t so sure.”

“What if I lay here and let you explore.”

“You won’t move?”

“I will not.”

Wow. Big promise. But she trusted him. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that he wouldn’t harm her.

He grasped her face between his hands, pulling her up so she was looking into his eyes. “We can wait. You are bruised, and I do not wish to hurt you.”

“So are you. Tell you what, I’ll kiss your every boo-boo and make them all better.”

“Boo-boo?”

She slid down his body then tugged up his tight t-shirt. “I think I liked it better when you wore that tiny vest thing.”

He sat, stripped off the t-shirt then lied down as she kissed her way over his wide chest. She brushed her lips over a nasty bruise. “See, boo-boo. Doesn’t that feel better?”

“Oh yes,” he sighed.

She moved over every inch of his wide, muscular chest, his shoulders, his thick arms, searching out every cut, every graze, every bruise, giving them all equal attention.

When she was finished, she sat up, noting the way he’d closed his eyes. His face was strained.

“Didn’t it work? Don’t you feel better?” she teased.

“Oh, I do. Infinitely better.”

“Hmm, but I believe I’ve missed some.”

This time, when her hands moved to his pants, they were steady. Sure.

“Would you like some help?” he asked.

She nodded, watching as he stood and stripped off his pants. She stared at his feet, hoping her courage would reappear. It helped that his feet were kind of ugly. Not perfect like the rest of him, they were knobbly, the second toe much smaller than his third toe.

It helped settle her like nothing else could. They both had their faults. Neither of them was perfect. But it was the imperfections that made them who they were. If he were perfect, she would forever feel like she was on the back foot. But they balanced each other out. He would stop her from taking stupid risks.

She would stop his head from exploding with his inflated ego.

See? Things worked out.

Feeling calmer, she raised her gaze, taking in his tight, muscular legs, his thick thighs until she reached his cock.

Long and solid, it sat up at attention. She studied him. “Where’s your pubic hair?” Great. That was the perfect line to show how sophisticated she was.

“Zerconians do not grow body hair.”

Right. Wish she’d known that before. She stood. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

He stepped in front of her. “Why?”

“Ahh, that’s kind of personal isn’t it?”

He simply watched her.

“I don’t want to look like a woolly beast, do I? You’re already so perfect, except for your feet, and I am not.”

“I believe you are. You are perfect to me. You need not change yourself.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” He glanced down. “What is wrong with my feet?”

She grinned. “Nothing, they’re perfect. Like the rest of you.”

He moved his gaze up her body. “Perhaps I should also kiss your, ah, boo-boos.”

Her body heated. “Maybe you should.”

He slowly stripped her bare. Her breath caught in her throat, waiting him for his reaction. She’d never worried about what she looked like before. She wasn’t the sort of person who took an interest in her clothes or her hair. Now she wondered if that was something she should have taken interest in.

But Darac’s face was filled with nothing but admiration. “You are beautiful.”

She snorted. “Give over. No, I’m not.”

He cupped her face between his wide hands. “You are.”

There was such conviction in his voice that it shocked her. She straightened her shoulders, standing proud. He believed she was beautiful. He might well need some correctional surgery for his eyes, but if he chose to believe she was beautiful then that was on him.

She grabbed his hand, pulling him down beside her, accidentally elbowing him in the stomach. But he didn’t react to her clumsiness—thankfully.

Instead, he rolled to his side, kissing her slowly, gently. Her body heated, melting into the mattress beneath her. He moved down her neck, taking his time to run his tongue over her every bruise and scratch. When he had covered her body in light kisses, she found herself in a state of complete arousal. Every inch of her craved him, needed him.

Reaching up, she placed her hands around his neck, tugging him down to kiss her. She felt lighter, almost as though she were melting into him.

Becoming one.

She’d never understood that phrase. Had thought it was talking about the actual physical act of having a man inside her.

But it was much more than that.

He cupped her breast, running his thumb back and forth over her stiff nipple. She let out a low cry. She could feel his touch lower, the pleasure swamping her insides, making her clit throb.

Darac encompassed her other nipple with his mouth, stroking his tongue over the tight nub.

“Darac!”

He moved his mouth away from her nipple, gazing up at her. “Are you well?”

“No, I’m on fire! I need you.”

“Soon. Not yet.”

She groaned, but she could hear the firmness in his voice. Could feel the tension in his body, and knew he was holding himself back.

He kissed down her stomach, running his tongue over her mound.

Please. Please. Please.

Hunger ate at her, tearing at her insides. He grasped her legs, holding them below the knees, then pushed them back towards her chest.

“Darac!” she protested, embarrassed to be so completely exposed. “Put my—ohhh.”

He interrupted her protest when he took a long lick of her pussy. Using his tongue, he tapped at her clit, and she arched up, needing more. Sensation swamped her like nothing she could have imagined in her wildest of dreams.

He prodded his tongue against her opening. Why hadn’t she had that pesky bit of membrane taken care of? For a few credits, she could have had it removed.

Her pleasure rose as he stroked her clit with his thumb, his tongue playing with her entrance. Orgasm rushed over her, taking her by surprise. The intensity was overwhelming, bringing her world to a screeching stop.

“Breathe, Willa.”

She stared up into Darac’s concerned face.

“Breathe, now.”