“Manik, this isn’t working. I need to be free to touch you when I want, learn what you like and what pleases you and I can’t do that if I’m constantly worried about doing the wrong thing.”
The fire in his eyes didn’t dim even a little at my words. He stepped forward and pulled me flush against him. His heat was like a brand against my cooler skin. I had to tip my head way back to keep eye contact with him.
“You can’t do the wrong thing, Ellie. Do what comes naturally. Touch me, stroke me and I’ll tell you if you do something I don’t like, just as I expect you to tell me if I do something you don’t like. Be the confident woman I know you are.”
I smiled up at him, my relief almost overwhelming. I brought my hands up and stroked them down the smooth skin of his back, marvelling at finally having my hands on him.
“Then kiss me, Manik. I want your taste in my mouth and your hands on my body.”
A grin split his face as he lowered his head towards me, “There she is... my bossy little kitten,” he said just before he pressed his lips to mine.
I didn’t know what a kitten was. He’d have to tell me, but right at that moment, I didn’t care, because I was free to be me. Free to touch him the way I wanted and free to enjoy being with him.
The kiss went from a gentle press of lips to scorching in a heartbeat, the hard, demanding thrust of his tongue sending my desire skyrocketing. His arms closed around me, crushing my breasts against the hard wall of his chest. My hands travelled over the naked skin of his back, exploring him, learning the ridges of his muscles, the planes and dips and hollows.
I could feel the hard press of his desire against the softer flesh of my stomach, a heated bar of maleness that I wanted inside me. I wanted to see all of him. I wanted to see what I could feel pressing against me insistently.
Dragging my lips from his, I gasped, “I want to see all of you, Manik.”
His grey eyes blazed down at me. He didn’t reach for his pants. Instead, he reached for my tight fitting support top and pulled it over my head, freeing my breasts to the cool air of my bedroom. He stroked across my shoulder, his gaze intent on my spots.
“You have spots.”
I nodded up at him, a smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. My spots went from my shoulders and down my back before they wrapped around my hips and continued down the tops of my thighs. Some were large, some were small, but all were the same shade of brown, darker than my skin and irregular in shape. I’d had them since I was born. All my people had markings of one kind or another. Prixy had stripes.
Manik’s strong fingers stroked down one breast and circled my already pebbled nipple, a soft, gentle caress that sent shivers racing across my skin. Those strong fingers closed around my nipple and gave a little tug, dragging a surprised gasp from me. Heat coiled low in my body, my already throbbing core spasming at the gentle tease. A harder tug made a moan slip from my lips as fire shot through me and landed with a throb at my clit.
I reached for Manik’s pants, intent on freeing him so I could see, but he brushed my hands aside and picked me up to my surprised indrawn breath. A few strides of his long legs and he was depositing me on my bed. His hot hands reached for the sides of my briefs and pulled them down my legs, stripping me of my last piece of clothing, leaving me completely exposed to his hot stare. His gaze travelled over me, warming me, sending heat pulsing through me from the blatant arousal I saw in his eyes.
I wanted to look into those eyes as I flew apart for him, see the pleasure in them the joining of our bodies caused. He stepped back and raised his hands up to his stomach. Excitement slammed through me, my heart leaping in my chest. Tucking my legs underneath me, I rose onto my knees, my tail rising up behind me with my excitement.
So slowly I thought I was going to burst, Manik’s hands slid down his stomach, a slow sensual movement that made my eyes widen. My gaze flicked to his to find his focus on me, a wicked gleam in his eyes. My mouth started to water and I swallowed convulsively. His confidence was incredibly arousing—I’d never been with a man who was so sure of himself and it was pushing my desire higher.
Licking my lips, I dropped my gaze back to his hands to find them at the closure of his pants. Slow movements popped the button free. The black hair of his lower stomach descended into his pants. Another button popped free, and more black hair was exposed. Those sure hands stroked the ridge of his erection through his pants, outlining the length of it. He was going to be more than a mouthful, and I couldn’t wait to taste him on my tongue.
Another button popped free and more hair, then another button, and a sliver of deeper bronze skin was uncovered. I was so primed I almost whimpered, my breath coming in little gasps. The last button popped free and Manik started to push his pants oh-so-slowly down his lean hips, revealing his thick length inch by slow inch until he sprang free. His pants dropped to the floor and he stepped out of them. My gaze travelled over him, taking in all his beauty. Strong, muscular legs supported him as he stood still for me letting me look my fill.
I looked up at him as he stepped forward, bringing his gorgeous body closer to me. I inched over on my knees, wanting to touch him, to stroke the proud length of his jutting erection, feel the soft delicate skin of his shaft and learn what made him groan.
“Touch me, Ellie.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I closed my hand around him, my fingers barely meeting, and stroked him from root to tip. A slight hissing inhale told me I’d done it right. Taking a peek up at him to find his eyes closed to bare slits, I bent quickly and took him in my mouth.
“Fuck!” His fingers delved into the hair on either side of my head, holding me still for a moment.
I only had about half his length in my mouth, and knew I wouldn’t be able to take all of him. His taste exploded across my tongue, the skin of his shaft silky and smooth on my tongue.
“Are you asking me to fuck your mouth, kitten?”
It felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Heat sizzled though me and my core clenched so tight, I whimpered around him. Nodding my head as much as I could, I waited for him to move. His hard shaft eased from my mouth only to slip back in, the delicate skin sliding across my tongue. His taste was addictive, masculine and slightly musky. I wanted to feel him find his pleasure, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take for him to recover, and I didn’t think I’d be able to stay awake long enough. So I satisfied myself with feeling him move in my mouth, feeling the slow steady thrusts of his hips as I sucked and laved his cock with my tongue.
He was being very careful not to choke me, only thrusting as much of him as I could take into my mouth. My core felt like it was throbbing in time with his thrusts, his taste and everything we were doing, pushing my desire higher. A little moan slid up from my chest as I reached a hand down and stroked between my legs, my fingers sliding through the wet I found there. A deep masculine groan came from above me, telling me Manik knew what I was doing. He thrust in a little further than the other times before pulling from my mouth. I looked up at him, shocked by his sudden withdrawal.
“Manik?”
His gaze caught mine and I watched fascinated as his tongue stroked across his lower lip. My breath caught at the molten heat in his eyes, the pale grey seeming to burn. Every time he looked into my eyes, they just seemed to get hotter.
He put his knee to the bed and pushed me back with a gentle hand to my chest. He didn’t say a word as he gently coaxed me down and settled between my spread legs. Raising up on my elbows, I watched him descend towards the delicate flesh between my legs. The first touch of his hot mouth against me drew a moan from deep in my chest. Grey eyes looked up into mine and held my gaze as he worked me with his talented tongue, stroking, licking, nibbling on the most sensitive part of me. He was pushing me closer and closer towards an exquisite orgasm, my muscles clenching tightly against the pleasure coursing through me.
Hot hands grasped my hips and held me still as he stroked the bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs. His stare was too intense as he teased me with his tongue. I dropped my head back and concentrated on what he was doing to me, the delicious feeling of his mouth on me.
“Manik,” I whimpered as the pleasure exploded through me, clenching my channel tightly.
Manik’s mouth left me the instant I started to orgasm and he came up over me. Before I knew what was happening, my orgasm still rippling through me, he was pushing inside, filling me with his heat. The sudden intense thrust of him inside me made a second orgasm slam into me unexpectedly. I cried out, almost overwhelmed by the sheer bliss. Tears gathered in my eyes at the magnitude of finally having him inside me.
I clung to him as he started to move, deep hard thrusts that stroked the sensitive nerve endings inside me to quivering delight. He was finally with me, finally making love to me, and it was everything I’d expected and more.
He
was everything I’d expected and more. My hips rose to meet his hard thrusts, and my hands stroked over the skin of his shoulders and back, caressing his smooth skin.
Every thrust pushed me towards another climax, the exquisite sensations he was causing inside me dragging little cries from me with every thrust. To bond, we had to come together. Our souls would join momentarily and a link would be formed between us—a chain that tied us together for ever more.
“Manik,” I said between pants, “We have to come together.”
“I know.” He grunted as he thrust again and again.
I was getting close, my core clenching tightly around his driving shaft. I wanted this so badly, to be joined to him, to know that he was mine and I was his, to know we were connected on a soul-deep level. It was what I’d wanted ever since I’d met him in the bar. I’d fantasised about what it would be like once we were connected, dreamed about our first time together.
Nobody could tell you what the experience of bonding was like. It was different for every couple, as unique as the two people being joined, but as he continued to thrust, pushing me towards climax, I started to feel something—a merging of two bodies. I felt like I’d left my body and entered his, then I was back in my own, only to be back in his at the same time. Feeling what we both felt, feeling the tight clench of wet heat around me as I felt the hard thrust of his shaft inside me. Feeling our bodies pressed together, the warmth and weight of his over mine as I felt the slight, softer form of me under him.
“Manik,” I whimpered. What I was feeling and the emotions running through me were almost too much.
“Ellie.” He groaned deep in his chest, so low it sounded like it had almost been ripped from him.
Everything clenched tight, every muscle in my body as tingles spread from my toes up my legs and I arched up against him as I exploded in a rainbow of sparkling light behind my tightly closed eyes, a shower of colour so vibrant and unbelievable, tears squeezed from the corners of my eyes. A deep groan came from Manic as the lights swirled behind my eyes and I felt him shudder over me.
Firm lips pressed against mine, pulling me into a searing kiss that made it hard to breathe. I clung to Manik, overwhelmed and on the verge of bursting into tears, such was the emotion running through me.
I looked into his eyes when he finally drew back, seeing a well of emotion that ran so deep, it humbled me. I slid my palm against his cheek and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. His warmth surrounded me and I now knew we were connected on a soul-deep level. The fact that I’d lost my project seemed a million miles away, of such little significance compared to what we’d just shared. I could go with him on his ship and not feel a hint of regret.
Chapter Eight
I awoke with Manik wrapped around me. Bare skin pressed against bare skin. His warmth was a delicious heat that seeped into me. One of his hands was cupping my breast and the other was between my thighs, teasing me with gentle strokes of his fingers. If I could wake up every cycle just like that, I would be the happiest woman in the universe.
His deft fingers teased me until I was moaning his name. He slid inside in one long, slow movement and took me with slow precision until I was quivering around him, every stroke sending shockwaves of pleasure through me. His hot hands grasped my hips with just the right amount of strength, his fingers tense as he pushed me towards an inevitable peak.
I muffled my cry in the pillow as I came around his driving shaft, his thrusts prolonging the sweet ecstasy until he joined me with a muffled curse as he buried his face into the back of my neck.
I wanted to stay in bed with him all day, exploring our new connection, learning about him and sharing pleasure with him, but unfortunately, we couldn’t. If we were going to leave that evening or even the next morning, I had to get up and start getting organised, but first I wanted a kiss.
I tried to roll over only to have his fingers dig in and hold me still. I looked over my shoulder and said, “Kiss.”
His gaze burned into mine for a long moment before he slowly eased his shaft from my body. My breath caught at the renewed sensation, and then he was rolling me over and pressing his lips to mine. Our kiss was tender and sweet, nothing like the heated kisses of the night before, and I didn’t want it to end.
But it did, and it wasn’t long before we were heading back to my lab so I could clean and organise it, ready for my replacement. The whole time we were walking there, I worried that security would come and drag Manik away. I was sure he had something to do with Vrentis’ stolen research, and the more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed that was why he said he couldn’t stay.
Manik sat on my chair as I moved about him. A frown marred his smooth brow not long after we arrived and slowly deepened as I worked. I was hesitant to ask what was wrong because I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say.
It didn’t take him long before he was grabbing me on my way back from a trip across the room to deposit more clothing on the pile I’d made beside the door. He caught my arm in his hand and pulled me around in front of him, his hands planted firmly on my hips.