12 Rosalynn

The badge on his chest beeps.

“That will hold me to our pact,” he says. Zinnar doesn’t let go of me like I expect. But he leans into the hallway and calls up to our pilot. “When we can, please take us back to the race arena.

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Zinnar draws my hand closer to him. He turns it over and takes a long breath of my skin. His exhale sends tickling fingers of air dancing over the inside of my wrist.

Zinnar pulls me against him and presses me back against the wall. He is all power and far denser than I anticipated. But it is the rigid contours of his muscles that ignites need in my body, a kind I have not known before.

His teeth rake over my neck then nip at my ear. This is not what I envisioned when I hoped to be wanted.

Elix snorts. “Jeeze. Not on my ship, please. I can smell the pheromones from up here.

Zinnar presses his mouth to my ear. Hot breath falls down my neck. “Ignore him.”

“No. Don’t ignore me. I do not want to clean up your mess.” Elix takes a long drink out of a metal can then chucks it at a bin that eats the can.

“I’ll pay for a cleaning crew.” Zinnar meets my eyes.

“Fine. Spare bunk is in the back. Room Three Charlie.”

Zinnar picks me up by the hips and carries me down the hallway.

He doesn’t wait for the door to open completely before he squeezes inside.

“What are you doing?” I ask, a light laugh trying to find its way out.

“Doing what I swore I would.” Zinnar’s deep gold eyes scour my body as he lays me back. “I want you, but I’m not going to take you until I know you want me too.”

“Then what are we—”

He stops my words with a tender kiss, then takes my bottom lip in his teeth and pulls away until it slips from his grasp.

His fingers deftly unzip the front of my suit, letting his warm breath cascade over my exposed flesh.

My core tenses in anticipation when he reaches around me and unsnaps my bra in one move. And as his teeth gingerly rake over my breasts, he evokes trails of goosebumps.

Zinnar glances up at me, then gently swirls his tongue over my nipple in a slow deliberate pattern that makes me wonder what he’s tasting that he likes so much. He suckles my breast as he slides a hand lower, down my navel to the apex of my thighs.

His flesh is hot as it glides over mine. His tongue finds my other bud before he gives it a light nibble, evoking a sleek wetness between my legs.

“You are beautiful. Your skin is so smooth.”

A rumble starts in his throat and continues as he slides his fingers inside my delicate flesh. He pumps them a couple times before his body shudders and he withdraws.

“Something wrong?” I ask.

“Too much fabric in the way.”

Zinnar strips me of my race suit in a matter of seconds, startling me.

He practically throws himself to the floor beside the bed, frantically grabs me by the hips, spreads my legs, and lugs me to him.

I let out a startled yelp then slap my hands over my mouth, not wanting Elix to interrupt. But I can’t help the strangeness of being fully exposed to the gold alien who isn’t similarly naked.

Warm breath heats my pussy. Zinnar spreads my folds with his fingers, licks my clit in length with his plush tongue, then bonds his mouth to me. He swirls his tongue through my layers, evoking a glorious high so intense it makes my head spin.

I brace myself on the sheets. “Oh, shit!”

“That’s it,” he rumbles as he explores deeper inside of me. His every swirling movement has my pulse ratcheting up and my opening tensing with growing euphoria.

Zinnar’s armor falls to the floor like pieces of forgotten metal. He draws me closer, balances my hips on his bare shoulders, and reaches around me to pinch my nipples then massage my breasts with his strong hands.

The high climbs to a glittering level as the tremors of my climax grip me with full force.

“Zinnar—” I’m breathless and lost in a radiant ecstasy that I can’t think through.

His tongue penetrates me with force, pushing deeper, and I surrender to his command. I buck onto him on instinct. Zinnar grunts in lust and draws me hard against his mouth. I ride his long tongue until the grip of my pleasure fades and I melt into his arms.

Zinnar gasps and rests his head on my stomach. “Fuck me.”

I stifle giggles behind a hand. “I think I just kind of did.”

He chuckles and then kisses my belly. “I’ll uh, be right back.”

I prop myself up on my elbows. “Where are you going?”

Zinnar clears his throat. “To clean myself up.”

He peeks out into the hallway and glances bashfully back at me. I catch his wink just before he slips out.

After the door shuts, I scramble to the end of the bed and find evidence that he might just have got off with me.

He returns a few minutes later and collects a shield from a pocket of his leather kilt with the embossed crest of an animal I’ve not seen before. It hangs from a leather cord.

“Since we’re going to be together for a while, I want you to have this. You can use it to find me or to listen in to the security channel. I just want you to have it as access to protection if you need.”

Zinnar sits beside me and hangs it around my neck and then runs the back of a finger down my jaw. Zinnar kisses me lightly and I catch my light musk on his breath.

I want to believe this is real, but I know it’s not. It can’t be. It’s just a pact, right? It will end when he gets what he wants. But as I think about it, I’m not sure his ask ever really had an end. We have to convince his father that he’s found a mate. But when does that end?

After the ride he just gave me, I’m not sure I want it to.

“Entering Lunar orbit,” Elix shouts.

“Ready to return to the game?” Zinnar asks, his gaze traveling over my face.

I zip up my race suit, wishing we could stay on Elix’s ship for a lot longer. But the race was part of the pact. He’ll pay for what I want, for school, if I just pretend to be his. “I guess.”

He smiles at this. “I’m not either after that. But I bet you’re hungry.”

My entire body feels like it’s blushing.

“I am hungry.” But it’s not for food. It’s for more of him.

Zinnar motions a hand over the floor, and his armor plates rise up and take their place on his shoulder again.

“So cool,” I remark, watching as he moves them without even a glance or a single physical touch.

“I’ll tell you more about it later.” He helps me up. “Let’s get back in the games.”