I stroked my hands over his back, tracing the lines of his muscles, the ridges of his spine. His skin was cooling, the shifting colors settling into a soft golden hue. He pressed a kiss to my neck, pulled himself out of me, then rolled more fully onto his side, taking me with him so that we faced each other.
His eyes were no longer dark with desire, but soft with tenderness. “I never want to lose you, Zara,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I couldn’t bear it.”
I reached up, cupping his cheek in my hand. “You won’t,” I promised. “We’re bonded, remember? We’re in this together, no matter what.”
He turned his head, pressing a kiss into my palm. “Together,” he agreed.
Our lovemaking had been an intense claiming of desperation and need. But now, in the quiet aftermath, there was a gentleness between us, a soft intimacy that was just as powerful. I explored his body with slow, lazy touches, learning the curves and planes of his muscles, the textures of his skin. He did the same, his calloused hands tracing patterns over my flesh, his touch tender and reverent.
His cock stirred against my thigh, hardening once more. I smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Again?” I murmured.
He grinned, a slow, sexy curve of his lips that sent heatpooling in my belly. “The mating bond,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “It increases…stamina.”
I laughed, a soft, husky sound. “I think I’m going to like this mating bond.”
He rolled me onto my back, his body covering mine. “You have no idea,” he growled, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss.
This time, our lovemaking was a slow, leisurely exploration of each other’s bodies. We touched and tasted, our mouths and hands roaming freely, discovering the secret places that made each other gasp and moan. I reveled in his responses, in the hitch of his breath when I stroked my fingers down his spine, in the low groan that vibrated in his chest when I scraped my nails over his nipples.
He was no less attentive, his touch igniting fires beneath my skin, his mouth driving me to the brink of madness. He kissed his way down my body, his tongue swirling around my navel, his teeth nipping at the curve of my hip. When he settled between my thighs, his breath hot against my pussy, I cried out, my fingers tangling in his hair.
His tongue was merciless, licking and stroking, delving deep into my folds. He found my clit, circling it with a slow, steady pressure that had me writhing beneath him. Pleasure built, a slow burn that spread from my core, consuming every inch of me. I could feel his enjoyment, his satisfaction at my responses, echoing through the mating bond, amplifying my own arousal.
“Torven,” I gasped, my body tense and trembling. “Please. I need you inside me.”
He growled, the vibration sending shockwaves ofpleasure through me. He surged up, capturing my mouth in a fierce kiss. I could taste myself on his lips, a heady, intimate flavor that sent my desire spiking higher.
He positioned himself at my entrance, his cock poised to claim me once again. This time, there was no desperation, no frantic rush. He slid into me with a slow, deliberate thrust, filling me completely, our bodies joining as seamlessly as our souls.
I wrapped my legs around him, my heels pressing into the small of his back, urging him deeper. He began to move at a steady rhythm. Each thrust was a declaration, each withdrawal a promise.
His hands were everywhere, stroking my cheeks, cupping my breasts, gripping my hips. I met each of his thrusts with my own, our bodies moving in perfect sync. Our pace quickened, our breaths mingling, our hearts beating as one. His cock slid in and out, slick with my arousal, the friction sending sparks of pleasure shooting through me. I could feel his pleasure too, building and intensifying with each thrust.
“Zara,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. “My love.”
I clung to him, my nails digging into his back, my body tense and quivering. “Torven,” I gasped. “I’m close. So close.”
He changed the angle of his hips, his cock hitting a spot deep inside me that sent stars exploding behind my eyelids. His hand slipped between us, his fingers finding my clit, circling it with a firm, insistent pressure.
My orgasm hit me like a supernova, a blinding, all-consuming force that obliterated all thought. I cried out, my body convulsing, my pussy clamping down on his cock.Waves of ecstasy crashed over me, each one more intense than the last, sweeping me away in a tide of pure bliss.
Torven threw his head back and a low bellow ripped from his throat as he found his own release. His cock swelled inside me, his release spilling deep, marking me, claiming me, binding us together in the most primal way.
We lay there for a long time, bodies still joined. Limbs entwined. Torven’s face was buried in my neck, his breath hot and damp against my skin. I could feel his heart thundering in his chest, echoing the wild beat of my own.
When we finally collapsed together, breathing hard and thoroughly satisfied, I felt a sense of completeness I’d never experienced before. This was what I’d been missing without even knowing it—this deep, unshakeable connection to another person who understood me completely.
We lay tangled together in the afterglow, and I could feel some of the tension finally leaving Torven’s body. His breathing had slowed, his skin had shifted to the peaceful blues and greens I associated with relaxation and curiosity, and his arms around me had relaxed from desperate clinging to gentle holding.
But I could still sense his mind working, processing and analyzing our situation with the same methodical approach he brought to flight planning.
“You’re thinking again,” I said, tracing lazy patterns on his chest with my fingertip.
“Yes,” he admitted. “It’s hard to turn off.”
“What are you thinkingabout?”
“This. Us. The fact that we’re lying naked in a fortress belonging to people we met six hours ago, planning to helpthem hunt for potentially antagonistic aliens who may or may not be able to solve a planetary crisis.”
