Chapter 3
“What the hell just happened?” She stormed inside her quarters and closed and locked the door behind her. What was wrong with her that she kept making LemAN push her away?
There were times when he looked at her with heat and desire that made her melt on the spot. Then he would suddenly turn away and the heat was gone, replaced with disgust. Today he kissed her. Granted, she kissed him first but he definitely kissed her back. She’d felt his hard dick pressing against her. If they had been naked he would have been inside her.
She shivered at the excitement that filled her at the thought of him fucking her right there in the closet. It was sexy and naughty. Never had any man made her forget where she was, not like LemAN. Her mind would shut down, letting her body rule her actions. One kiss and she was his for the taking. Unfortunately, he wasn’t taking what she was offering.
Teagan picked up her pillow and threw it across the small room. She felt foolish for caving in to his touches and kisses. LemAN touched her and she lit up like fireworks. It wasn’t the first time he’d touched her. There were times in the past few weeks when they’d bumped into each other and his hands always lingered on her like he hated to let her go. This was the first time they had kissed, though, and it did not disappoint her.
Her first thought when he pulled away from her was that he had someone else, a mate waiting on him. Jealousy was not something she usually experienced but the thought of LemAN belonging to another woman had her reeling. She’d asked one of his lieutenants who, despite being uncomfortable with talking about his commander, said that LemAN wasn’t mated any longer.
Now she thought on those words and how strange it was for him to sayany longer. That implied that LemAN had been mated before. What happened? Did the woman find her true bond mate and leave him? How did that work, because from everything she’d learned about Katierans, they did not have anything like divorce?
True bond mates for Katierans were what humans would call soul mates. While traveling from Earth to the Katieran Galaxy, she’d taken culture classes to learn about her new home world, their customs, and beliefs.
They believed in a mated pair of gods and that the Goddess promised them a true bond mate. Teagan still wasn’t clear on how someone would recognize a bond mate from someone that they fell in love with. Bond mates were once widespread but that hadn’t been the case in many decades. Other differences between humans and Katierans were that they didn’t use birth control. The male would not release his seed inside a female unless he wanted to claim her as a mate. Usually they asked first before doing the claiming. Katierans could mate someone who wasn’t their true bond mate, which many had done so that they could reproduce.
Mates were like husband and wife. Again she wasn’t completely clear on all their social aspects. What she did know from the culture classes and from observing some bond-mated pairs she had seen recently was that the males never cheated on their mates. Which still left her confused. If LemAN had a mate, he never would have touched her like he had and never should have allowed her to touch him.
She wished there was someone she could ask for more information about LemAN, but she should get those answers from him. She was determined to find out. Either he had a mate and that’s why he pushed her away, in which case she would immediately back off. Or he just didn’t want her—period.Fuck!What if it was the latter? It would crush her, but she had to know for sure. She deserved to know where they stood.
*****
LemAN went to his quarters and took a cold shower. The water wasn’t cooling him off fast enough. He gripped his cock and pumped quick and hard. Closing his eyes, he imagined Teagan, her sweet face filled with passion, a passion he instilled in her.
Goddess, she had been so responsive. Faster and faster he squeezed and pumped. He imagined being inside her. Remembering her hot, sweet, tight passage was all he needed and his seed shot out.
“No!” he groaned with a mixture of relief and disgust. He should not be losing his seed to this female, a female that wasn’t his. He hit his fist against the wall of the shower.Kitana!
This was unacceptable. He had a mate and lost her, and wasn’t looking for another. He turned off the water and grabbed a towel.
LoraLI had been his mate of fifteen years. They had both been only eighteen when they mated. She was beautiful with dark hair and dark brown eyes. They fell in love with one another while in their teens and, though she wasn’t a true bond mate, she was the mate he chose. Their relationship wasn’t perfect; there were times when she would be clingy and times he volunteered for missions to get space from her. No matter their problems, they did love each other and wanted nothing more than to have a family of their own.
They had tried for years to have a young. It was all LoraLI ever wanted and he would have done anything to give that to her. LemAN wanted young as well but he was happy with LoraLI. When they found out she was carrying, it was the second happiest day of his life. The first had been when they had their mating ceremony.
Carrying their young should have been a true blessing from the Goddess, but shortly after finding out, she began to experience problems. Five months along, the medics pulled him aside and told him that he needed to be prepared that she would lose the young.
LoraLI was on bed rest in the medic wing and he had left her temporarily to check on a training incident that he was supposed to oversee. He didn’t want to leave her but she insisted. LemAN had only planned to be gone one hour.
He was called back to the medic wing, but by the time he got there it had been too late. LoraLI had gone into early childbirth and died due to complications. His son, LormAN, lived only two hours. LemAN had held his son as he took his last breath. Standing alone at their burial ceremony, he swore he never wanted to experience that kind of pain again. He would never take another mate or attempt to have a family.
Five years had passed since he lost his mate and son. Time had not made him forget, but it had eased some of his pain. Now he lived each day to honor their memories by serving his people and protecting them from their enemies. That should be enough for him.
He grabbed a clean uniform and quickly pulled it on. LemAN was confused over why he felt so shook up by his interactions with the Earth female. He had shared sex with a few females over the last few years when he felt the need, and it never bothered him. They knew his past, that he was seeking comfort but nothing else. Teagan was different somehow and he felt guilty at how much pleasure he found with her.
He punched the wall a little too hard in an attempt to get his mind off Teagan. She had consumed his thoughts, waking and while asleep. Today wasn’t the first time he had relieved himself using her image. This was unacceptable. It went against the promise he’d made himself. He worried that he had betrayed LoraLI’s memory somehow.
With a throbbing fist he headed back to the command bridge. He would use the pain from his hand to keep his mind off the vexing female. She was enticing, but she was not meant for him. He would never let anyone get close to him again. Some part of him roared back in protest at the thought of never getting to claim the feisty female.
Determined to not let his emotions rule him, he pushed his feelings aside and put his mind on what he needed to do before tonight’s banquet.
*****
Thirty-five minutes past six
LemAN had hoped that the female was not coming. She was five minutes late and he figured he would wait one more minute before heading out. His back was turned when he heard her call out. He sighed with acceptance.
“Sorry I’m late!”
