Aletta froze, eyes wide. He was huge. Muscled, scarred, and a bit of a grump at times. And he was sniffing her like she was the most exquisite wine.
He groaned, and the sound shot to her core. She shifted on her feet.
What the hell was he doing to her?
“Aletta, you smell like everything that’s right in the universe. Like the first ray of sunshine after a month of rain. You smell like—” he cut himself off, pulling back slightly so they were staring into each other’s eyes.
“I smell like what?” She had to know. Nobody had ever said such beautiful things to her before.
“You smell like home.”
Oh.
“Oh.”
And then he lowered his face slowly, giving her every chance to pull away. She stopped breathing, anticipating the feel of his lips on hers.
She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his breath on her face, and tilted her head up slightly.
She waited.
One second. Two seconds. Nothing.
Aletta’s eyes snapped open, and she grabbed Gark by the back of the neck, tugging him down so their lips clashed together.
Gark’s restraint snapped, and he lifted her onto the counter, tugging her legs apart and stepping between them. His lips parted hers, their tongues tangling.
She was lost. The warmth of his body next to hers. The spicy scent of whatever he wore had him smelling like the most delicious thing she’d ever smelled.
Time had no meaning. She groaned, head falling backward as he trailed his lips down the length of her throat. Then he nipped at her neck, sending shivers over her skin.
“Oh!” She gasped, and he pulled back with a jerk.
He wiped a hand over his face, eyes wide. “I shouldn’t have?—”
“Shouldn’t have what? I kissed you.” Aletta jumped down from the bench, landing with knees bent. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t do this, Gark.”
He took a step back. “You don’t understand. I can’t… You don’t know… I have to go.”
And then he turned and left, leaving Aletta more confused than ever.
CHAPTER 8
GARK
Gark rolled over on the mat he’d rolled out on the floor of Vox’s cabin, struggling to get comfortable.
He shouldn’t have kissed Aletta. The intimacy of a first kiss between mates was something he shouldn’t have taken from her. It shouldn’t have happened without her knowing the implications. With each day in her presence, and with each small act of intimacy, he was bound tighter and tighter to her. And she didn’t even know. But the memory of her soft lips underneath his, and the way she’d settled into his arms lit a hunger in him that he worried would never be satisfied.
But would she ever feel the same?
Giving up his cabin for Aletta was the right thing to do, but he wished he were in his own bed with her right now. He grunted, dismissing the thought as a nighttime fancy.
“You could sleep in A’Kar’s cabin, you know.” His second-in-command grumbled from the bed.
“I told you, I tried. It stinks in there.” He’d have to get a cleaning crew in from the station to get rid of any traces of the traitorous security officer. And replace the mattress. And the bedding. He rolled over, wincing as his hip dug into the hard floor. “I should make you take the floor. I am the captain,” Garktossed back, knowing he wouldn’t. Besides, it was only another day, and they’d be at Irith’s Moons.
A snort came from the bed. “No way am I giving up my bed.” The sound of Vox rolling over and thumping his pillow into submission followed the statement from his second. “Do you know how many years I spent sleeping on dirt? No way. There’s a good reason I left the military.”
