He raised a brow. “And I was worried I’d frighten the little human away.” He stepped in close, heat rolling off his body. His fangs flashed as his mouth curved into a wicked smile. “The fastest way to ascertain my skill is to let me show you exactly what I can do. Tell me, brave little female. What do you want? Say it. And I’m all yours.”
“Are you sure you can give me what I want?” She arched, pressing her body into his in their little dance.
“Careful, you might just get more than you can handle.” His hands slid up her neck, tangling his fingers in the hair at the base of her skull.
She gasped at the heat that surged through her at his touch. Her nipples tightened, and she clenched her thighs together, knowing that he could smell her arousal. Hell, she was human, and she swore she could smell his. His masculine musk enveloped her, driving her wild.
But this was going too far. She needed to do this before she got too distracted. She looked him in the eyes and forced herself to say the words. “I want… I need…”
He looked at her in anticipation.
“I need to use your comm unit to call my friend.”
It took about half a second for the understanding to dawn, and when it did, the disappointed look on his face almost had her giggling. The mix of frustration and disbelief was priceless, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing outright. He looked ready to devour her, and she’d just asked for his phone. But she wasn’t trying to be mean, really. She wasn’t trying to tease him, not too much anyway. She just needed to make sure she had people in her corner in case things went south.
His hand released her hair, and his shoulders slumped. It was clear that despite being disappointed, he was going to respect her request, because he reached for his comm unit, which was on a nearby counter.
“I did promise you could use it.” He was trying so hard to hide his disappointment. It was almost… cute? Ranek may look like a crazy mercenary with all those weapons strapped to his body when he’d come to her rescue, but he was a decent guy.
“You know what,” she said, pulling him back before he could reach the comm unit. “I changed my mind. The call can wait. I want you instead.”
Then, before she could overthink it, she kissed him.
Ranek
Ranek’s blood roared in his ears as Maya pressed her lips to his. He froze for a heartbeat, stunned by her actions. The bold little female had hauled him down to her and kissed him first. He’d never actually kissed this way before, mouth-to-mouth for an extended period, but instincts took over. So did lust.
Stars, this female was trouble.
His hand locked around her waist, dragging her flush against his body, and he deepened the kiss. Her lips parted and he took advantage, sliding his tongue deep to taste her. He plundered her mouth with his tongue like he longed to do to her slick, honeyed depths. She clung to him, her dull, flat nails biting into his shoulders.
She tasted of sweet berries and wine, intoxicating and addictive, and he slid one hand up to her hair, tilting her head back with a firm grip. Her moan vibrated against his mouth, and the sound shot straight to his cock, making it throb painfully. He wanted her spread beneath him, begging, and he wanted every male in the galaxy to know she belonged to him.
Every instinct screamed to take her, to claim her, to bury himself inside until she was his in every way.
Lifting her easily, he carried her to the counter, set her down, and spread her thighs with his hips. The height of the counter was perfect, letting him shove the shirt she was wearing up and out of the way and rub his length along the seam of her pussy even as he devoured her mouth.
“Yes!” she hissed.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging, demanding more. His hands explored her soft, pliant form, squeezing her breasts, thumbing her nipples through the thin fabric, then sliding lower to grip her ass and pull her tighter against him, sliding his cock against her heat.
“Stars! You’re perfect.” His words came out rough and guttural, filled with need.
His mouth left hers to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down her throat. He lingered at her neck, slowly dragging his fangs down the column before moving lower to nibble at the delicate curve of her collarbone. Her breath hitched, her body arching into him.
She was so reactive. So beautiful. Everything he could possibly ask the Stars for. He growled against her skin, savoring the way she trembled beneath his lips.
It was the sudden bite of sharp teeth at his ankle that completely ruined the moment. Then there were the loud snarling and yipping sounds coming from a rather distressed-looking dragus pup.
“Fuck.”
He had a momentary mental image of tossing the pup back into the cleansing unit and locking the door, but somehow he doubted Maya would appreciate it.
Commander Chaos bit down again, and this time it actually hurt.
He flinched, trying his damnedest not to fling the pup across the room. Maya wouldn’t like that either, and he didn’t want to hurt it when it was just trying to protect her. The poor thing probably thought he was attacking his beloved human.
Her eyes fluttered open, dazed and hungry, her lips swollen from his kisses. She blinked, momentarily confused, then groaned. “No! Back!”
