“Please, Zade,” she moaned breathily. With a quick nip to her ear, he shifted her around so her back was to his front. He locked one arm around her and slid the other down the front of her jumpsuit. It was easy to open the seam in front and find her waiting, wanting pussy. This time, he was in a better position to pleasure her. He instinctively knew what she wanted. Following the racing of her heart and the hitching of her breath, he learned how she wanted to be touched. He could feel her pussy swell and tighten on his fingers as she neared orgasm.
Zade buried his nose in his mate’s hair and breathed deep. He ground his teeth together as her body went taut, tense, and ready to come. And then, it was upon her. Her body arched away from his. Her head tilted back, pressing against his chest. Her mouth opened in ecstasy and her eyes squeezed shut as the first shudder rolled through her. His fingers rolled in a relentless rhythm in and out of her pulsing pussy, with his palm grinding against her throbbing clit. Her juices made his hand slick.
She pulled in a deep breath and Zade leaned down, closing his mouth over hers and swallowing her moan of bliss. Her hips pumped against his palm and the only thing Zade wanted to do was bury himself inside that hot heat and fill her with his seed. He wanted it so bad he had to gnash his teeth together to keep from snarling out his fury at theeniband.
Instead, he caught her beneath the knees and knelt down, cradling her against his chest as she pulled in deep breaths. She looked up at him, a bashful flutter of lashes against a flushed cheek.
“Are you…okay?” she asked.
He nodded, offering a faint smile. It was all he could manage. He was a mess of need and frustration.
A frown puckered her brow. “Did you…” She looked down, toward his crotch, which was still maddeningly soft, thanks to the drugs pumping into his system.
“No,” he said curtly.
Her frown deepened, as did her flush. She shifted in his arms and reached a hand to his groin before he could shift her away. Her hand landed on soft flesh and her eyes flared wide.
“What—?” she started, then scrambled off his lap, facing him with both of them on their knees. Her gaze moved from his crotch to his face, suspicion and uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “Didn’t you…feel anything?”
“Of course, I did,” he rasped.
“But you…” She trailed off as embarrassed horror slid over her features. “OhGod, are you not attracted to women? I just totally came on to you, not even thinking that you may be gay.” She turned away, hands over her face. “I’m… I don’t even know how to start apologizing. Wait a minute.” She spun on him, finger pointed. “No. You could have said something. You could have stopped me,toldme, but instead you kissed and touched me, and finger-fucked me until I saw stars.” Her eyes narrowed to dangerous gold slits. “What is your deal?”
Zade’s mind was a chaotic thunder of his own pounding heart and a battle of body versus instinct. It took him a moment to process her words, but even then, he could barely scrape together a reply. “I did not want to confuse things for you,” was all he managed, and even as he uttered the words, he knew they were the wrong ones.
“The only thing I’m confused by right now is you,” she said, wiping an eye with a shaky hand. “This was a horrible mistake. I should never have…” She got to her feet and turnedabruptly, ready to run. Zade got up fast, knowing what would happen next. She had forgotten the limits of her new leg and was about to fall flat on her face.
He grabbed her before she hit the ground and jerked her back against his body. Where she belonged. “It wasnota mistake,” he growled in her ear. “Your feelings are natural and normal because—”
“Because humans are so pathetic they’re supposed to fall at the feet of any Baylan male who pays attention to them?” she cut in. Her voice was acetic, but her cheeks were flaming red. His female was humiliated, but for no reason.
“No.” He tightened his grip, locking her arms around her upper body to stifle her squirming. “BecauseIam your biological mate.”
CHAPTER TEN
Ash
Hitting the ground face-first would have felt softer than the blow Ash felt at Zade’s words. It couldn’t be true. She had to have heard that wrong. “What?”
He spun her around, not too gently. Frustration blazed from his eyes and etched grooves beside his lips. “You are my mate, Ash, and I am yours.”
“I think you are mistaken.” She blinked at him, casting a long look to his crotch. “Clearly.”
His lips thinned. “That is not an indicator of my desire for you.”
“Last I heard, Baylan males’ equipment worked basically the same as humans’.” She pushed away and he released her. “And supposedly Baylans can’t keep their hands off their mates. So there must be a mistake, Zade.”
He shook his head. “My soul markings are distinct. It isthisthat keeps me from physically reacting to you.” He pointed to the metal ring around his neck with a grimace. “I discovered our bond when I was crafting your leg. You needed a doctor, not a sex-obsessed mate. Thisenibandsuppresses my body’s reaction to you.”
A numbness crept up Ash’s ears, turning all sounds other than his voice to a dull roar. “Why?”
“To protect you,” he said in a low voice. “I could not trust myself.” He turned away and scraped tense fingers through his hair. “My needs are…intense. Extreme. I was not sure I could manage them and you were not in a state to consent or participate.”
She suddenly wished there was a place to sit down. Her knees felt like jelly. “You could have told me.”
“I tried.” His mouth curved into a reluctant smile. “You kissed me when I was about to.”
Her scattered thoughts organized, came into some coherency. “You knew before today.” She shook her head and looked away. “You have no idea the things I was feeling.”
