Tau joined her on her pallet when Xiand Quan took up sentry duty. It surprised her since none of themhad offered to sleep close and share their warmth after theincident with Xi. They’d seemed too focused on and preoccupied withthe task to give her much attention at all until Tau had kissed herearlier.
Tau allowed her to know,though, that he hadn’t beenthatpreoccupied. When she rolled toward himquestioningly, he met her and conquered her senses at once bycovering her mouth in a kiss that was so demanding and forceful andfilled with hunger that it stole her breath. She sank so fastbeneath the molten desire he generated inside of her with histaste, his touch, and his essence that she had no time to considerthe why of it, to throw up any sort of defense. She was wide openand completely vulnerable to his touch.
She thought she had been from thestart. Tau simply hadn’t tested his welcome.
Because he was still struggling withthe alien body he found himself in and the alien sensations thatbody processed and the alien emotions it produced.
But Ultima hadn’t had any of that tocontend with.
Tau was Tau toher—one—already entangled to her mind with the form she had watchedslaughter the bastards intent on finishing off any who’d survivedthe battle with them. She’d seenhimin the eyes that gazed upon herwith empathy and regret.
And so welcome blossomed inside of herwith molten desire, a flurry of sensation, and a pleasurablelassitude that sucked her down—deeper under his spell as heexplored her mouth with hunger, a thoroughness that missed nosensitive patch of flesh. And when he broke the kiss and burned apath downward, along her throat, and captured one taut peak of herbreast, she felt it like the lick of flames.
Steamy heat rose between them as hesuckled her breasts—first one and then the other, and she exploredthe thick muscles along his shoulders and neck, stroked his silkysmooth hair, caressed his face with hers.
He lifted his head after a time,studied her face. “I do not want to hurt you,” he said, his voiceragged.
“You won’t,” Ultimamurmured. “I want this. I want you.”
Something flickered in hiseyes.
Doubt?
But he moved over her, rubbing hisbody along hers with deliberation in a way that was a caress in andof itself, and finally settled between her thighs and began thedelicious, arduous process of joining.
Therewaspain—despite the lie she’dtold—but there was far more to enjoy to her mind and she managed toshut out the majority of the painful twinges. And when he’d claimedher channel fully, he’d claimed her mind fully, as well, and thepain faded to a distant whine and eventually vanished beneath thewaves of exquisite pleasure the joining gave her.
She came.
She was so surprised it snatched thebreath from her for a handful of moments, and then the convulsionshad an echo as his body exploded with bliss, as well.
And when they collapsed together inthe aftermath, struggling to catch their breaths, Tau tightened hishold on her.
“Whatever else happens,that was worth it,” Tau muttered drunkenly.
Ultima didn’t know whether to laugh orcry.
She did a little of both butthankfully Tau was blissfully ignorant because he’d fallen almostinstantly into post coital coma and begun to snore.
Enchanted, Ultima stroked her handsover him, enjoying the weight of him, the smooth silk of his skinand the strength of the muscles she traced.
He roused before she tired of it,before he made a pancake of her, and shifted his weight off of herand then curled his arms around her and drifted offagain.
Ultima thought the most pleasure shegot out of the entire episode, though, was that Tau seemed socompletely relaxed and … almost happy when they woke the followingmorning—or maybe cheerful? His expression lightened each time heglanced at her until it was borderline smile.
And then his complexion would darkenfaintly in a blush when she smiled at him that made her blush andabsolutely charmed her right down to her toes.
He looked … twice as handsome as heever had since she’d known him and she’d already thought he wasexceptionally handsome.
That lasted the entire day.
Until they settled for the night andXi climbed onto the pallet with her.
The look on Tau’s face unnervedher.
It should have unnerved Xi, to hermind, but he seemed oblivious to it.
After a few long, uncomfortablemoments, Tau’s gaze flickered to her face, lingered a moment andthen he left the shelter.
