16. Astrid

16

ASTRID

Zyrus wrapped his arms around me, one hand clutching the back of my head like he was afraid I might disappear if he didn't hold me tight to him. His mouth was hot against mine, lips firm and demanding in a way that made my knees weak.

I never wanted it to end.

His fingers tangled in my hair, and he held me impossibly closer. Everywhere we touched was a spark, a fire that threatened to consume me, but I didn't want to be free of it.

His tongue stroked mine, teasing me with a promise of so much more. I'd never been kissed like this, never been wanted like this. Except by him.

He pulled back, his eyes burning red and intense, and I wanted to chase the kiss, even as my senses tried to return. This wasn't moving slow. This wasn't taking our time. What if I hurt him again?

His fingers were still tangled in my hair, and I ached with the thought of losing his touch. But I shouldn't keep going, not knowing what might happen. "We should stop," I whispered, even as I tilted my head up to kiss him again.

His kiss was hot, scorching. My body molded to his, and I wanted to lose myself in him, but I couldn't. "Trust me, denya." His words were a rumble against my lips.

I trusted him more than anyone else. Even after such a short time. Or a long time apart. It was too hard to keep track of it when he was pressed up against me.

He trailed his fingers down my back, sending shivers up my spine. "If you want me to stop, pull away."

A simple request.

An impossible task.

He kissed me again, harder this time, his teeth grazing my lip. And I moaned. I couldn't help it.

He growled, a primal sound that sent my heart racing. My core pulsed with desire, a need I'd never felt for anyone else. Not like this.

He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and carried me over to the couch. My head spun, but I didn't want him to stop, even if a small part of me thought we should.

He seemed fine. More than fine even.

He'd seemed fine the last time too.

But he set me down gently and then dropped to his knees in front of me, his eyes never leaving mine. I opened my mouth to tell him to stop, that he needed to be careful. But the look in his eyes froze my tongue.

This man, this alien, wanted to devour me.

And I was going to let him.

Whatever resistance there was, it left me then. I didn't know how to handle this thing between us, this bond I'd never known was possible. But our bodies understood one another.

"I want to see you," Zyrus growled. "All of you." His finger teased the edge of my shirt, and I followed the silent command, pulling it over my head and shimmying out of my pants until I was sitting naked on the couch in front of my mate.

My mate.

I really liked the sound of that.

His fingers danced over my skin, trailing heat in their wake. I could feel his gaze rake over me, studying me with an intensity that made me shiver. "You're beautiful," he murmured, his tone reverent.

I flushed under the praise, my skin tingling and my stomach fluttering. If he could do that to me with his words, his lips would destroy me.

And he was determined to try.

Zyrus leaned forward and kissed my thighs. It was the lightest brush of his mouth, barely there, but it was enough to send a jolt of pure pleasure through me. My legs fell open, giving him the access we both craved.

He shifted me so I was perched on the edge of the cushion, and then his head ducked down, his tongue sliding over me until he found my center. He teased and tortured me, making me writhe where I was, fingers digging into the fabric of the couch, hips arching up with every stroke of his tongue.

And then the monster pulled back, kissing my thighs and abdomen and everywhere not my sex until my body started to recover just enough to bring me down from that edge I was approaching.

That wasn't what I wanted.

I clutched his shoulders, desperate for something to hold on to, to anchor me. But he kept kissing me, driving me wild until I was clawing at him, my nails scraping his skin.

And then he licked me again, a long stroke that had me gasping out his name. He kept going, his tongue probing deep, exploring me with a focus that drove me crazy.

My body coiled tight, tension building until I felt like I was going to break.

And then I did.

A wave of pleasure rolled over me, my body arching off the couch, my sex pressing into his face, my fingers digging into his shoulders.

He stayed with me through every moment of it, holding me tight and bringing me through the orgasm until I collapsed, boneless, beneath him.

Zyrus lifted his head and grinned at me. "That's just the beginning," he said. His thick, hard cock was outlined in his pants, a temptation even as I lay there sated. "Let me have you, denya." He laid kisses along my stomach and up my neck until he finally found my lips.

The taste of myself on his mouth made me moan, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I could feel his cock grinding against me, tempting me through that little bit of fabric.

Then he freed himself from his pants, and there was no barrier between us.

Just skin against skin.

Zyrus took himself in hand and rubbed the tip of his cock against my sex. The wetness there let him slide in easily.

And then he was pushing into me.

There was a moment of pressure as my body adjusted to the intrusion, stretching to accommodate him. It was a sweet ache, one I relished.

Then he pulled back and thrust again, the movement deep and hard and everything I craved.

He kissed me, his mouth slanting over mine as he filled me, his rhythm steady and measured. But I wanted more. Needed more.

"Faster," I begged.

And then he showed me exactly what a trained warrior could do.

He fucked me with a pace I could barely follow, his cock pounding into me and hitting that spot deep inside that made my vision go hazy.

He dipped his head and sucked on my nipple, his tongue hot and wet, his teeth sharp as they grazed my skin. It was more stimulation than I could handle, and yet I needed more.

It was perfect.

"More," I whimpered. "I need more."

Zyrus gave me everything I demanded. He pushed me higher and higher, his mouth and hands on me, his cock inside me. I couldn't breathe.

And then he pulled back just a bit, his hips slowing ever so slightly.

But he didn't stop.

He didn't let up.

He found my hands and threaded our fingers together, holding me in place while he took me with a gentleness I hadn't thought him capable of.

It was that unexpected tenderness that finally tipped me over the edge again.

I came with a gasp, my body arching up off the couch and into his. He followed me over, his body stiffening, his cock twitching inside of me.

For a moment, all I could do was breathe.

My muscles relaxed, my heart slowing down. I clung to Zyrus and counted his breaths, remembered the awful moment last night when he collapsed.

He held on just as tight, and I let myself hope that this time things could be different.