One Thousand Brides (5 page)

Surprise mingled with triumph. She
wanted
to mate with him.

“Not until the Spring Running.” He leaned forward and rubbed his cheek against hers, marking her with his scent. “Beautiful Janis. Let me give you an orgasm.”

“Yes. Keep touching me…”

He knew where the female human pleasure center resided—high above the vaginal opening, in the single clitoris. Quite unlike Terilian females, who had two. Conversely, many females didn’t like being touched there directly.

He touched her vagina, stroking lightly, fondling the hot, wet opening. Watching her reaction closely, he smiled when she shifted on the bed, parting her legs farther. He continued his caresses, letting the back of his hand brush lightly against her clitoris with every stroke.

Her lovely sex was open and glistening. Inviting his organ inside. If only he were allowed, now would be the time to thrust inside her.

Would it be too much temptation to rub the head of his penis against her?

Don’t do it, Del. You’ll never be able to stop.

Instead he parted her labia, entering her with the tip of his finger.

She thrust her hips, trying to take more of his finger inside. He withdrew.

“Lie still,” he ordered. He lowered his head and licked her navel, feeling her tremble. Holding her hips firmly in his hands, he laved his tongue over her stomach. She whimpered with need.

He cupped her mound in his hand, enjoying her heat, which increased even more when he squeezed lightly.

“Delos, stop teasing me.” Her voice was edgy, ragged. “Really, I can’t take any more!”

She was his now, his female. She lay open to him, awaiting pleasure.

Exquisitely slowly, he entered her with one finger, feeling her wet folds give way before his invasion. Throwing her head back, she let out a cry. He pushed in farther, sighing with satisfaction when her inner muscles clenched around his finger.

Leaning closer, he whispered, “Is that what you want?”

She gasped, “Yes! More!”

He drew his finger in and out, wishing it were his organ that traveled back and forth in her clinging pink channel, stroking and milking him.

“Delos! Please!”

He added another finger and moved his hand faster. Her cries increased, a frantic note in her voice. She stared up at the ceiling, panting, jerking her hips every time his fingers plunged inside. He gazed down at her, fascinated with the enraptured expression on her face.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips pink and parted. She’d never seemed more beautiful. His eyes went out of focus as he imagined the day of the Spring Running. Her delighted cries at his powerful thrusts…the way she would spur him on, begging to be mounted again and again…

“Oh! So good!”

“Come for me, beautiful one. Take your pleasure.” He thrust deep with his fingers. She wriggled hard against his hand while he rubbed his thumb against her swollen clitoris. She screamed and her vagina spasmed. Groaning triumphantly, he felt her strong muscles pulse around his hand over and over.

When the day came and he mounted her at last, she would give him his full release. He was sure of it. And his organ would provide her with the greatest joy she had ever known.

He thrust more slowly now. He still felt her opening and closing around his fingers but less frequently, less strongly. He moved his hand against her wetness and took her breast in his mouth, nibbling her erect nipple. Trembling, shaking, she pulsed around his fingers again.

At last she lay still. She turned her head and looked at him. “Delos. That was wonderful.”

“That was just the beginning. At the Spring Running, I’ll take you over and over, give you orgasm after orgasm, until you barely remember your own name.”

Her eyes widened.

Withdrawing his hand, he gathered her against his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head. She was so soft, so warm. Her hand stole into his and held it. He felt his heart turn over in his chest.

Mine.

Until Taddus claims her.

No. Mine.

She stirred. “Delos? Is something wrong?”

He tightened his hold. “Nothing’s wrong. Sleep now.”

She yawned. “Will you sleep too?”

Hesitating, he said, “I’ll stay if you wish.” His wife had been very private, even for a Terilian, never wanting to share the bed after mating. He wasn’t used to sleeping beside a female.

“Stay if you
want
to stay,” she shot back.

He had no desire to leave her. And he knew as soon as he returned to his own cabin, the council would contact him, demanding a report. Had Janis Stone been receptive? In his opinion, would the human females accept their mates at the Spring Running? Most importantly, would they orgasm strongly enough to draw release from the males?

Let them wait.
“I’ll stay,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

Their survival depended on his answers. But at this moment, all he cared about was Janis. And all he could think about was how much he wanted to keep her for his own.

* * * * *

Jan woke with the feeling that hours had passed. Delos was still with her, turned on his side facing her. His eyelids twitched as he dreamed.

How strange that she’d been able to fall into a restful sleep beside this alien male. That she’d let him touch her pussy, fuck her with his skillful fingers. That he’d said,
Come for me
and she had.

He was everything she’d found lacking in Gary. Handsome to look at. Strong and gentle at the same time. With hands and a mouth that felt magical on her skin.

Drawing nearer, she kissed him. He sighed but didn’t wake. She kissed him again, darting her tongue between his lips.

He rolled onto his back. His eyes flew open and focused on her. “What did you do to my mouth?” he demanded.

She smiled. “I kissed you. Don’t Terilians kiss?”

“No. Mouth to skin is normal. Mouth to mouth seems very strange.”

Jan raised her brows. “This shouldn’t be a one-way street. Everything can’t be the Terilian way.”

“But ours is the advanced culture.”

“Now you sound like Taddus.”

“I apologize,” he said instantly.

She propped herself on one elbow, gazing down into his beautiful, pale blue eyes. Breathing deeply, she took in his scent. All she wanted was to feel his sensual hands on her again.

What was wrong with her? She had to stay in control here. She had a duty to the rest of the Brides.

“Listen, Delos. Many times on Earth, two different cultures have come together. Not always successfully. When it works, it’s because both cultures are willing to be…flexible. Learn from each other.”

“I don’t know what the other males will think.”

“The Brides will like it.”

He reached up, pulling her closer. “All right. Teach me how to kiss.”

A tiny flame glowed inside her. He’d listened to her.

“I’ll press my lips to yours and you press back. Then we’ll open our mouths and let our tongues stroke each other.”

The crease in his brow revealed this troubled him. But when she put her mouth over his, caressing his lips lightly, he responded, moving his mouth under hers.

Then she drew her tongue across his and he jerked, startled. She persisted, exploring the sweet cave of his mouth, running her tongue over his teeth. His curved fangs made kissing him a unique experience.

Caressing the side of his face, she slid her tongue in and out of his mouth. She was thrilled when he did the same. Their tongues dodged and encountered, glided and teased.

He flipped them so that she was lying on her back and he was above her. Kneeling between her thighs, he lowered his head and took her mouth, thrusting his tongue almost as though it were his cock.

Jan’s breathing quickened. “You learn fast.”

“I’ve absorbed much information about human ways. It only comes to mind when I need it.” He kissed her again, thoroughly exploring her mouth, then sucking on her tongue. Jan shifted her hips restlessly.

“That arouses you?” he asked.

She couldn’t deny it. Her pussy was wet and throbbing. “Yes. Do you like kissing?”

“It’s unusual, but I think I do. Almost as much as I like licking you all over.” Slowly he moved down her body, licking and sucking her skin. He spent a long time teasing her nipples, rolling and flicking them with his tongue, then soothing them with gentle sucking. An ache of wanting spread through her pussy. Every time his mouth touched her breasts, she felt flames lick her core.

He moved down, his tongue darting into her navel. Ripples of pleasure spread through her. Her nipples tingled and burned where his rough tongue had touched them. Her hot channel yearned to be filled with his big cock.

“Ready for more pleasure?” he murmured.

“Yes,” she groaned in reply. “Please, Delos.”

He spread her thighs apart, caressing the soft skin with his hands, then buried his face in her pussy. Suddenly panicked, she asked, “What are you going to do?”

“Lick you until you have an orgasm.”

She shivered, excited by his words. But she couldn’t help asking, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

He opened her labia with his thumbs. “Oh, I think so.” She smiled at the confidence in his voice. He lowered his head again and gave her a long lick all the way up her labia to her clit. She gasped and opened her legs farther as he did the same on the other side.

Yes, he knows exactly what he’s doing.

Wetness leaked from her hot, swollen channel as his tongue darted and danced over her pussy, teasing the opening, then lingering on her clit just long enough to make her crave more.

As each touch of his tongue thrilled her, she felt herself opening to him, anticipating the next contact. There was nothing else like this. Delos was doing it exactly right, exactly the way she liked and she wanted it to last forever. Every stroke of his tongue was heavenly.

She’d never been so wet in her life, never needed an orgasm so intensely. She raised her hips, trying to get more of his wonderful mouth, his pleasure-giving tongue.

He swirled around her clit and she cried out, arching up. She would have pleaded for more but she’d forgotten how to speak. She wanted to stay like this, hovering on the brink of coming, experiencing shudders of delight every time he licked her.

His mouth fastened over her clit, sucking it gently. At the same moment, he entered her hot, swollen channel with his thumb. The two sensations at once overwhelmed her, pushing her into strong spasms of incredible pleasure. Her hips bucked against his mouth. He growled deep in his throat, then his tongue swirled over her clit again and again as he fucked her with his thumb. Waves of delight rolled through her. She thrashed against him, unable to control herself, unable to stop the high keening issuing from her throat.

She drew deep breaths as her orgasm slowly receded. Finally she lowered her knees, still feeling the pulsing, ebbing waves. He moved to lie at her side, stroking her breasts.

“I’ve never felt this way before,” Delos said. “If I were your husband, I’d do that for you every day. Sometimes I’d give you an orgasm that way and other times I’d make you wait until I mounted you.”

Typical male exaggeration.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t want to do it
every
day.”

His brows rose in surprise. “Of course I would. Nothing’s more healthy. We have a saying, ‘An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away’.”

She put her arms around his waist. “But I don’t want to keep the doctor away. I want to keep the doctor close.” This near to him, she was very aware of his erect cock against her body. “Delos? Let me do something for you now.” Tentatively, she stroked his long shaft.

He gazed at her, a crease between his brows. “I can’t achieve release like that.” He lifted her hand away from him. “Females are lucky—they can seek pleasure so many different ways. But for males, there is one method only. His mate’s orgasmic contractions trigger the male’s release.”

Jan drew in a quick breath, awestruck. No wonder Delos was so skilled in bed.

Among the Terilians, there’d never be a male who’d take his pleasure and then roll over and go to sleep, leaving his wife unsatisfied.

“You can’t even masturbate?”

“Females can. Males cannot.” His voice was rueful. “Thus our dilemma. Do you see why we need you so badly? Not only for offspring, for companionship, for your lovely softness.” Lying against him, she felt him take a deep breath. “Terilians can no more survive without sex than humans can live without food. Without the release of mating, we’ll die.”

“Don’t talk about dying,” she whispered.

He stroked her body slowly, not in a sexual way now but lovingly. As though he cared about her. The way she’d come to care for him.

Damn it, Jan! What a fool you are. Delos says the primus will claim you. Why fall for someone you can’t have?

How could she help it? Delos was so caring, so handsome, so sexually pleasing.

To distract herself, she asked questions about Terilian culture, about the planet they would colonize, about what marriage meant to the males on the ship. He answered in detail and, she thought, frankly and openly.

Finally he asked a question of his own. “Do you think the Brides will resist? Or will they agree to be our wives?”

She sighed. She’d been thinking about this and hadn’t yet reached a conclusion. “I don’t know.”

“What do you feel, in your own heart? Do you want to return to Earth?”

“Forty years later? When most of the people I knew will be gone?” She shook her head. “No, I have no desire to go back. Especially since you and the other doctors changed us. If we went back to Earth, we’d be different from all other women. That was wrong, Delos. You should have asked our permission.”

“The council made that decision. And it’s to your benefit. I truly think you’ll enjoy having claws.”

Chapter Five

Jan pulled out of his arms and sat upright on the bed. “What are you talking about? Taddus never mentioned
claws
.”

Delos sat up too. “Humans are weak and defenseless. We thought you’d better have weapons like the rest of us, especially when facing life on the new planet.” He raised his eyebrows. “From what I understand, there’s a lot of crime on Earth. Pretend I’m a criminal coming at you.” He growled and lunged at her.