Chapter 30

THIRTY

She couldn't believe she'd just done that.

What on Earth had possessed her?

She'd initiated it.

The fucking spark. She'd struck it, not him. Well, maybe he'd been laying the kindling all along.

This is a kiss.

It certainly was a kiss, and as far as kisses went, it was…

Pretty amazing.

Especially since she got the feeling Dragek hadn't done this before. She couldn't be entirely sure, but from his actions and his demeanor, she didn't think he'd had much to do with the opposite sex before. Although, he could be pretty damn smooth when he wasn't even trying.

Enough.

Her thoughts scattered as she lost herself in the sensation of his lips, which were shockingly warm and tender. She might have been the one to initiate the kiss, but now he'd definitely taken charge.

And if he hadn't kissed anyone before, then his instincts were really fucking good.

He knew exactly what to do. How to tease her lower lip and apply pressure with his tongue in all the right places. He even gave her a taste of his fangs, gently grazing them across her bottom lip.

That subtle reminder of his deeper nature sent a bolt of arousal through her. She eased her toes deeper into the soft sand and placed her hand on his neck, just below his jawline. She ran her fingers over his skin, marveling at how smooth it was.

His arm was curled tightly around her waist. So strong and unbreakable, a hold that would never let her fall. She reveled in his immovability, in his steadfastness. He was a pillar of strength amidst the chaos of the Universe.

What could she do but fall for him?

At last, there was something that made her feel good.

The way he held her, the way he kissed her, the way he melded his body against hers…

His raw power, sinuously perfect, drew her into his inevitable embrace.

There was no fighting it.

If this was a dream, what was the point of trying to fight it, anyway? Didn't dreams take a course of their own?

She lost herself in his firm-yet-tender caress; in searing kisses.

So, one thing had finally led to another…

Then and there, she decided to forget about her losses and regrets. She distanced herself from her painful memories, packing them into a box which she threw into the deep recess of her mind, where she hoped it would stay submerged for as long as she lived.

She'd already let go of the man she'd once called her husband, who'd turned into a complete stranger after the accident.

She turned to the male who had snatched her from the jaws of an uncertain fate and thrust her into an even more uncertain one.

This alien.

This creature: lethal yet gentle, scarred over and damaged, yet somehow perfect.

She kissed him back. She ran her fingers up the strong nape of his neck; into his silken hair.

He smelled good. Like cinnamon and pine smoke.

He felt good. As if she'd known the chiseled, scarred landscape of his body forever.

How did this feel so natural?

Not even a single protest escaped her lips as she let him run his hands over her back. Through the liquid silk of her robes, his fingertips were pure tactile bliss, sending a shiver of arousal down her spine. It pooled in her belly and spread right down into her clit, quickly turning into frantic need.

She tilted her hips forward slightly and felt his hardness against her lower belly.

Oh.

She stiffened in anticipation.

He was so big. Undeniable.

This was it. There was no going back.

At last, he released her lips and looked down, and the expression that crossed his face was startlingly raw.

He was… open to her… in a way she'd never seen before.

Pure.

Almost innocent, although a man like him could never be considered innocent.

"I can't believe you," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"You had better." In a single seamless movement, he lifted her into his arms and carried her across the sand and the smooth stones until they came to a spot where the ground was covered in lush, velvety moss.

Effortlessly, he laid her down on the soft, alien vegetation, lowering himself until he was kneeling before her.

He made it all seem so effortless. He was impossibly graceful, like the lithest of dancers.

Jade couldn't help but marvel at what she'd caught.

How?

Something extraordinary.

Some one she was certain would never harm her. He'd seen her at her worst, and he hadn't abandoned her.

Maybe they were more alike than she'd first realized.

On his knees, he paused for a moment, the dappled light dancing across his platinum-silvery features.

A warm tingle danced across her body. Like she was being enveloped in a mist-like energy, but it was only his aura, this so-called ka'qui, coming into contact with hers.

That's what she guessed, anyway.

It didn't matter.

It all felt good.

"I never expected to find one such as you," he whispered hoarsely. "And to think that you would even be so willing." His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. "I can smell your need, my sarien."

Sarien?

Jade didn't know what that meant, but as it rolled off his tongue, the word struck deep. It felt resonant and ancient—as if that word alone was the key to the Universe.

His brow furrowed. His obsidian eyes were pools of unending desire. "What can I do to cause you pleasure? I know very little about such things, so tell me what you need, Jade."

The way he said her name…

Good lord.

Lying on the soft earth, looking up at his face, which had become so shockingly gentle, the sight of it made her forget to breathe.

The Universe above became a backdrop to his elegant features, framing him with a crown of stars.

She stared at his slightly parted lips, at the twin points of his fangs.

She saw his lips, full and sensual.

The very same lips that had kissed her like that.

What would it feel like… to have them on her… like that?

She caught his hand, running her fingertips across his palm, which was hard and callused, etched with the marks of a lifetime of hard and brutal training. She knew— far more than she was supposed to.

And she didn't care.

When would she ever get a chance to experience something like this again?

Parting the folds of her robes, she guided his hand between her thighs. A smile curved her lips. The surrealness of it all gave her a heady feeling. She could do whatever she wanted. That's what he was telling her.

"Tell me," he growled, his voice deepening. "No. Show me."

She drew his hand toward her. Just like in reality, she was naked underneath her robes. Heat swept through her body, making her want to squirm in anticipation. But she held still and placed his fingers against her mound. Suddenly, he looked completely enthralled.

"This is…" His words came out as a rasp. Was he actually breathless?

She took his thumb and guided it over her clit, making sure he felt it.

His eyes widened.

And she certainly felt it, for as he touched her there, a white-hot flare of pleasure shot through her, stealing her breath away.

That made two of them.

"Ah," he sighed, his gaze narrowing in perfect understanding. Wide-eyed surprise turned into a knowing quirk of his lips as he took over, relinquishing her grasp, massaging her tender nub. Gently at first, then increasing the pressure bit by bit until she really started to squirm. Heat spread throughout her body, unfurling like a flower, suffusing every last inch of her with delicious, golden bliss.

He lowered himself until he was hovering over her, and his aura engulfed her. She felt it more profoundly than ever before. It was fire and ice combined: bittersweetness and euphoria and unyielding strength. She pushed against it with her own energy—she didn't even know how she did that—and found him immovable. So she leaned into him, finding comfort in his strength. No matter how hard he was pushed, he would never yield.

He was the pillar. The anchor.

She was the untethered. Drifting in the current, dancing in the wind, until she was pulled into his vortex.

Now, he gently dropped down until their bodies met, and he pulled her into his powerful embrace. There was nothing for her to do but go with it.

How was he doing this? How was he so perfectly self-assured when he'd never known any of this before? When he'd never touched a human before her?

His instincts were incredible. But what else did she expect when he moved the way he did?

She rode upon waves of pleasure as he took her higher, holding her tighter. She leaned in and buried her face in the hollow above his collarbone, where the loose folds of his robes had slipped away, revealing a portion of his bare chest.

She stole a glance, peeking down the length of him. The low drape of his robes offered her a glimpse of the sculpted, chiseled perfection of his entire torso.

What did I do to deserve this?

"Hm." He looked down, catching the direction of her gaze. The subtle curve of his lips deepened into a wicked smile, parting to reveal his sharp fangs.

And still, he caressed her down there.

The whole thing sent her into a frenzy. A soft moan escaped her lips. She pressed her hands against his shoulders and found the edges of his robes, which she pulled away, revealing his powerful shoulders.

She found his sash. She undid that, too, wondering how she was able to keep her hands steady enough while he coaxed such intense sensations from her. The knot came away easily, and his robes fell open, exposing…

Oh, my.

She saw everything.

She'd felt him before, pressing against her, but she hadn't realized he was so… impressive.

And there was something different, too.

Along the length of his cock was a prominent ridge. She could easily imagine…

Oh.

He circled her clit with his thumb again. She pushed back against him, riding another wave of pleasure.

Then he moved so fast that she didn't have an inkling of what was going on until she felt his lips on her pussy.

The waves crashed against the last of her composure, shattering it entirely. She surrendered to his intensity, running her fingers through his silken hair, wondering how he could be so perfect at this.

So this is what it feels like…

Then, she didn't have any thoughts at all because all she knew was the touch of his lips against her, the sublime tension of his tongue, and the overwhelming force of his aura.

She was engulfed.

She closed her eyes and ran her hands over his bare back. At some point, his robes had fallen away, and she could feel his muscles tensing and releasing as he moved.

The pleasure became almost too much to bear.

She cried out.

He took her higher… until she was on the precipice between wanting and release. Beneath her touch, he started to tremble. Through his ka'qui , she felt the barely restrained force of his will.

She closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight of him because he was too glorious; too much.

The last of her control slipped away. The fragile walls she'd built around her thoughts shattered.

He gently sent her over the edge, caressing her into freefall.

It was glorious.

Her consciousness exploded outwards. For a single transcendent, terrifying moment, she became aware of every last leaf, stone, and grain of sand in his world. She understood how each cell and molecule fit together. She saw the surrounding universe in microscopic detail, right down to the particles of energy drifting through the void in eternal motion.

She saw him. All of him.

She felt him.

She tried to return to herself, to ride the wave of her climax in a way that she knew and understood.

But she couldn't.

She was everywhere and nowhere.

The sensation of ecstasy was so great she feared her awareness would be torn apart.

For a moment, it was, and she was in infinite places all at once, beyond the mere limitations of space and time.

Until he caught her, and now she could easily recognize that the gentle cocoon of energy surrounding her was that mysterious force he called ka'qui.

Her energy merged with his, and it was incredible.

Right now, she could cease to exist, and she wouldn't care. This feeling was beyond anything she ever could have imagined.

And then…

The tension broke, and she was filled with a great sense of relief.

Is this what it really feels like?

He lifted his lips from her and kissed her there one last time before he moved up her body, planting slow kisses along her belly, her chest, sucking her nipples, making slow, sensual movements with his tongue around each one until it became taut with arousal.

Then, he kissed her on her lips, and she could taste herself on him, and it was magical.

She opened her eyes and found the stars reflected in his endless gaze.

He leaned in.

Her heart pounded so fiercely.

With one hand, he wrapped his fingers around the base of her neck. With the other, he caressed her jawline, tilting her head back ever so slightly, stealing yet another kiss.

Oh-so possessive.

Im-possible.

She didn't care if this was a dream. She never wanted it not to be real.

She opened her eyes again, realizing that the wispy treetops above had turned into an explosion of color, vibrant hues of purple, blue, and aqua swaying against the backdrop of the infinite Universe.

"Now," he whispered, his breath feathering against her cheek, "it's my turn."

She shuddered in delightful anticipation.

And then he entered her, and as he did so, he wrapped her in his dark, layered presence.

There was so much more to him than what she'd first thought.

Oh, stars. He has no right to feel this good.

But he was inevitable, and he did.