“What are you thinking about, Zig?”
Micah’s voice snapped me back to the present, and I realized he was standing again, cupping my face in his hands, tilting it downward so his lips could brush mine.
“You,” I answered truthfully, enjoying the feel of his clothed body flush with my naked one. “The first time you topped me, to be exact,” I added,almosttruthfully, while finishing the remainder of the thought in my head.
Your tendrils specifically.
Micah blushed and attempted to cover his face before I stopped him. “Gah! I was such a nervous wreck that night… I’m shocked you even let me top you again after that mediocre performance.”
“It was perfect,” I vehemently replied, wishing I could somehow convey all I meant by that through our bond alone.“Everythingabout it was perfect.”
Everything.
I knew Micah thrived on clear communication, and while I’d made strides to match his candor, I wasn't surehowto articulate what I wanted in this moment.
Because I don’t understand why I want it at all.
My stellar collision blushed deeper before grabbing my hand and leading me toward my “boss setup.” It consisted of an enormous slab of intricately carved petrified wood surrounded by two equally ornate benches topped with handspun silk cushions stuffed with Raspun’s wool.
All stolen from the palace of my first kill.
It may have seemed morbid for me to display my prizes in this way, like hunting trophies or spoils of war, but I had my reasons. My generically furnished housing was originally given to me as charity in exchange for pledging loyalty to Astrum Force Command, butthisspace was all mine. It represented the freedom my mercenary work had provided me after the limitations of my orphaned upbringing—the moment when I was finally in control of my own trajectory.
Or so I’d believed…
I hadn’t been up here since discovering the old Astrum Force had simply used me as a rebel-born social experiment. However, thanks to Micah, I knew I’d stillearnedeverything I’d accomplished, including this open-air refuge.
So why not share it with my perfect mate?
“Still deep in thought over there?” Micah laughed, kneeling between my thighs after I sat on the bench, not seeming at all offended by how distracted I was. “Still thinking about the time I rocked your world at the Muonova?”
Yes.
I cleared my throat. “Actually, I was… thinking about how important it was to bring you here. How…happyI am that you’re mine.”
Alarm bells rang in my head, trying to convince me I was showing too much weakness, but I tamped down my deeply ingrained flight instincts, determined toshowmy mate how true my words were.
Even if I’m not telling him all my desires.
Baby steps, as Dr. Micah would say.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by my confession. My stellar collision was frozen with his hands around my shaft, his mouth centimeters from my dripping crown as he gaped up at me.
“Jesus, Zig.” Micah blinked rapidly and dropped his gaze. “I was gonna gobble your dick anyway—no need to butter me up.”
Nowhewas deflecting, most likely because my sensitive mate was trying to appear tough while his system flooded with emotions. Thanks to our bond, however, and the piece of my essence still inside him, he couldn’t hide from me.
And the last thing I ever want is for Micah to shut me out.
Not like I’ve tried to do to him.
Another thing I lo…likedmost about my mate was that he didn’t push me into necessary discomfort until I was ready, so the least I could do was the same for him.
We’ll focus on other things for now.
“I’malsothinking about how expertly you swallow my cock,” I purred, using a tendril to gently guide him into doing just that. “How much you enjoy choking on it.”
“Mmph mmph…” Micah agreed, running his hands up my thighs as his eyelashes fluttered closed and bliss flavored the air.
