Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

E tta waited patiently for Tomlin to respond to her request. Now that she understood his fears, her anger had disappeared. Her heart ached, both for his pain, but also for the pain his parents had endured. It should have been a love story. Instead it had gone horribly wrong.

He had gone completely still, even though she could feel his erection throbbing beneath her.

If only she could convince him that he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Let me try something," she whispered, then she leaned forward and kissed him, softly, almost teasingly.

He kissed her back, but she could feel the tension in his body. She could tell how tightly he was controlling himself. She wanted him to release some of that control, and she nipped lightly at his bottom lip.

He growled, and then he was kissing her with the hungry passion she had grown to crave. She grabbed his hand and slid it beneath the torn shirt to cover her breast. His hand immediately tightened, those clever fingers working her nipple.

Her breath caught as her still lingering arousal flared back to life, but as much as she wanted to give in to the delightful sensations coursing through her body, she had a different goal.

She pushed very lightly against his chest. He didn't seem to notice. So she pushed again, a little harder this time.

It took a few more seconds, but then he pressed a last kiss to the taut peak and reluctantly raised his head. She gave him a triumphant smile.

"You see, you stopped because I wanted you to. I didn't even have to say anything."

The astonishment on his face would have amused her if she hadn't been so anxious for him to acknowledge the truth.

"I did," he finally admitted.

"Then trust yourself. And trust me," she urged. "Trust me to let you know if I want you to stop. Stop making the decision for me."

He still looked shocked, but there was a tiny spark of what might have been hope in those glowing blue eyes. She wanted to repeat the experiment, but she didn't want to push him too far, too quickly. As long as he wasn't running away, she could be patient, no matter how much her aching body resisted the idea.

"Again," he demanded, surprising her, but she eagerly returned his kiss as his mouth descended over hers, hot and hungry.

The usual passion flared between them, and then she was flat on her back as he kissed his way down across her body. He hesitated over her breasts, but she buried her fingers in his hair and urged him on. He obeyed.

He found her nipple again, and the hot, wet suction sent a streak of excitement straight to her already swollen clit. She wanted to give in to the delightful sensations, but she had something to prove first. She tightened her grip on his hair, tugging him away while she also pushed at him with her other hand.

Once again, it took a moment before he responded. But he did respond, and there was that almost painful hope again.

"I stopped."

"Yes, you did."

He suddenly smiled, a slow confident smile.

"But you really didn't want me to stop, did you?"

She smiled back.

"No - which is what I've been trying to tell you for the past week."

His expression changed, those glowing blue eyes intent on her face as he feathered his thumb across her lips.

"Because you want to experiment?" he asked softly, and her breath caught as the realization swept over her.

This was no longer about experiencing sexual pleasure for the first time - she suspected it never had been - it was about the sweet, tortured, dominant male leaning over her and how much he'd become part of her life. How much she wanted him to remain part of her life, even if he deserved much more than a remote lab with a plain scientist who could forget about everything when she was working.

She was still wrestling with an answer when he tensed again.

"Because there is something else you should know." His voice had gone stiff as well and she realized he was bracing himself for her rejection. "If I claim you fully, I will never be able to let you go. Perhaps you are right that I won't hurt you, but you will be my mate, for life. That is the nature of Krythian biology and no amount of discipline or logic will overrule it."

Her heart fluttered wildly as she realized exactly what he was offering her.

"Forever?" she asked softly and saw the flash of despair on his face. He so clearly expected her to reject him. She put her arms around his neck before he could pull away. "Is that what you want?"

"You are the one I have been seeking my whole life without even realizing it. Of course it is what I want."

Even though she never cried, the raw honesty in his voice brought tears to her eyes. Of course he misinterpreted them and started to retreat but she locked her arms around him and held on. He'd gifted her with the truth - how could she do less? She smiled up at him through her tears.

"Good. Because that's what I want as well."

She barely had time to see the wild elation transform his face before he was kissing her again. The restraint that had held him in check for so long was gone and she welcomed the powerful, almost bruising kiss. He surged into her mouth, taking her lips and her tongue with the same savage demand.

She surrendered to it with every fiber of her being, welcoming his body as he covered her with his weight. She tried to pull him even closer, equally desperate. The erotic scrape of his clothing against her bare skin only heightened the desperate need clawing at her.

She gasped as he abandoned her mouth to suck the side of her throat, his hands frantically stroking her breasts and her thighs.

"Need," he growled, yanking at the remnants of her blouse as she tugged at his shirt.

"You're wearing too many -"

Her attempt to speak disappeared into a startled cry as he delved between her legs, two thick fingers spearing into her again. He stiffened for a fraction of a second at her cry, but then he continued, setting up a demanding rhythm as his thumb found her clit. He growled against her neck and the vibration shot through her like a shockwave. She cried out again, clutching at his broad shoulders.

"Tomlin, please!"

His head lifted, his eyes blazing with blue fire.

"Mine."

It was a command, and a promise.

"Yes," she whispered, and then she was coming, her vision sheeting to white with the intensity of her climax, her body shaking in long, helpless spasms as he kept stroking her, prolonging her orgasm until she could barely move.

Even then she whimpered a protest when he withdrew, standing over her long enough to strip off his clothes with ruthless efficiency. God, he was beautiful, the blue lines illuminating his skin, his face taut with desire, and his cock… Her mouth went dry as she saw it for the first time.

She'd been pressed against his erection often enough to know how large he was, and yet it still hadn't prepared her for the reality. The blue lines swirled around the massive shaft in a complicated, glowing pattern, pulsing with the strength of his desire. He looked impossibly large, and a shiver of apprehension danced down her spine. A woman's body is designed to stretch , she reminded herself, and reached for him.