“Sure am! I work for Dragus R Us. My boss, Faith, is actually my best friend, and it was her crazy idea. But look how cute they are! We are hoping to keep breeding until they are tame enough to make good pets. This one’s a lot of trouble because he’s way too brave and smart. That’s why we named him Commander Chaos. But of course, the merchant can rename him to anything he wants when I finally deliver him. But he’s a handful.” There was a sadness to Maya’s words that made him think that perhaps she didn’t want to part with the pup at all.
“Then perhaps it is best that we stay in here for the night. There isn’t much left in the rest of the mining station anyway. And the air filter is working here.”
“Sounds good to me. Anyway, the cleansing unit is all yours. If you leave your shirt in my pile of clothes, I’ll wash it for you. Thank you again for getting us out of there.”
She started opening the cupboards until she found a stack of thin white towels. She wrapped one around her hair, quickly patted herself dry with the other, and threw on his shirt, hiding the perfection that was her body from his view. He didn’t mind. For some reason, he enjoyed seeing her in his clothes just as much, and that definitely incorrect voice in his head that screamed that she was his mate sounded again.
Ignoring it, he stripped himself of his dirty clothes and stepped into the stall.
Chapter 5
Maya
Maya squeezed the last bit of water out of her shirt and tossed it over the back of the only non-dusty chair in the infirmary. She’d managed to rinse off all of their clothes in the infirmary’s sink in the time that Ranek had been in the cleansing unit. Now they only had to dry. She hoped one night would be enough.
Her eyes drifted over to the glass stall, and she swallowed hard at the sight.
Holy crap! Ranek was hot as hell.
Maya tried not to peek, but her eyes betrayed her, sliding back to the steamy glass where his tall frame was outlined in the mist. Broad shoulders and firm, bronze muscles shifted under the spray of water. His six-pack abs were hidden by the steam on the glass, but her brain did not need any help filling in what was there. Her gaze dipped lower, catching the outline of perfect glutes and powerful thighs braced apart.
Maya wanted him. Well, at least her body did. Her brain wasn’t sure yet. Not until she found out who he was.
His fangs flashed when he tilted his head back into the water, rinsing his mouth. This must mean that the cleansing cycle was almost over. The first rounds of jets were filled with soapy cleansers. They smelled pleasant, surprisingly so for something found in a long-abandoned mining station, but tasted horrible. She had learned to keep her mouth closed during that part and only rinse with the water from the final cycle.
Sure enough, the water jets ceased and were replaced with the streams of warm air.
As the steam cleared, more of his body came on display, and she could not look away. Some Talleans were completely hairless on their bodies, but Ranek had a happy trail leading from his navel, which was in the same place as a human’s, down to his crotch. Even flaccid, he was impressive. Every inch of him radiated dominance and power, and it made her pulse race. It was impossible to deny it: She wanted him.
She wasn’t afraid to stare either. It wasn’t considered rude in Tallean culture to stare; it just meant she liked what she saw.
And damn, did she like it!
Besides, he’d already stared at her. She was just giving some back. She was shocked at first when he’d caught her coming out of the shower, but only because she hadn’t even noticed him there since she was so focused on Commander Chaos.
Back on Reka 5, she’d visited the public baths often, so she’d gotten used to being naked in front of strangers. It was why she wasn’t even going to hide the fact that she was staring at him as he stepped out of the stall, hair still slightly damp.
She’d lived at the colony long enough to understand Tallean culture, though some argued that Reka 5 had a culture of its own, being almost half human. Among Talleans, sex wasn’thidden. There was no shame in casual sex at all, and in fact, it was expected of young people. It was called “testing for compatibility,” which was their form of dating, and it was meant to find out if the other person was their mate. If the chemistry was strong, it meant they might be mates, and they continued testing. If not, then they parted ways.
At Reka 5, many Talleans tested compatibility with humans. But Maya had stopped participating since she accidentally fell for a hottie who ended up finding his mate just months later. Back on Earth with human guys, the risk had been accidentally getting knocked up or dating an asshole. But her first experience with a Tallean had ended with her bawling her eyes out, equally happy that he had found his mate and disappointed that it wasn’t her.
And it hadn’t even been his fault. He’d been plenty honest that Maya wasn’t the one. She’d just been shit at separating sex and love. And the worst part? The Tallean woman he’d ended up with was a total sweetheart, so she couldn’t even be mad.
Maybe it was time to get back into the dating, er… compatibility testing game. And if things didn’t work out, Faith and Reka 5 would be sending someone out to rescue her anyway. She and Ranek would part ways, and that would be that. Granted, as long as he wasn’t some ruthless pirate. Which he could still be, but he’d been decent to her so far.
But it was better to make sure she got the call out to Faith first before anything happened.
How would Ranek react if she suggested they test for compatibility? His body most definitely reacted to her. She hadn’t missed the way his cock had strained against his pants when she’d stepped out of the stall.
Ranek noticed her eyes on him immediately, his eyes meeting hers with a sparkle as he inhaled deeply. Talleans had remarkable senses, and she knew he could smell her and the sexy thoughts that had run through her mind as she’d admired his body.
The air between them practically sizzled as his gaze dropped briefly to her mouth before returning to her eyes. He prowled closer, slow and deliberate, the predator in him showing in every twitch of his muscles. His cock sprang to life, but this time there were no pants in the way to hide how long and thick it was, with a pronounced mushroom-shaped head.
A little voice in her head told her to run and make him chase her, but that would be a game for later, once she knew where they stood. For now, she held her ground.
Ranek’s gaze locked on her, his voice dropping to a husky growl. “You’ve been eyeing me, female. I can smell your arousal every time you look at me. You like what you see.”
Her lips curved, teasing. “Maybe. Depends on if you’re as skilled as you look.”
