Reestrian Mates - Complete (18 page)

“You will live alone no longer.” He closed the space between them and cupped her face. She flinched but didn’t pull away, and he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, drawing circles on her soft, warm flesh.

“Please, Sekor. I am afraid of you.”

He dropped his hands to his sides and took three large steps back. The look of relief on her face to have him so far away perplexed him. Why did she fear him? He planned to protect her and love her.

“Does your heart belong to another, Mia?”

“N-no.”

“Then why haven’t you taken your robe off and offered yourself to me?”

She tied the robe tighter and crossed her arms, preventing him from staring at the mounds of her breasts. “Unbelievable,” she muttered. “Do you really expect me to strip naked and fall at your feet? Keep dreamin’, asshole, because that will never happen. I want to leave this ship. Now.”

Nothing fazed Sekor, ever. Not until Mia. He was normally confident, so confident he felt no fear in battle, and so confident he had never considered a female might reject him. When he imagined experiencing his mating urge, he had always assumed the female he selected would try her best to please him. The female standing before him wouldn’t even take her clothes off. This human girl affected him, her rejection wounding him and her bravery garnering his deep respect.

He decided to continue on. He needed to mate her soon, needed his fever to cool and to feel the spiritual ecstasy of the mating bond. Clearing his throat, he reached for his towel.

“Would you feel more comfortable if
I
stripped first?”

Chapter Three

Mia’s heart fluttered and her sex throbbed. She stared at a completely nude Sekor, in all his masculine perfection. Standing rigid between his thighs was the most impressive and large cock she’d ever seen. Not that she had a lot of experience, but she’d been around the block enough times to know he was well above average.

Sekor stood in the center of the bedroom, his hands on his hips as he struck a proud pose. She wanted to smack him upside the head and tell him to get over himself, but damn she couldn’t stop staring.

His gaze traveled up and down her body. He inhaled a long breath, his nostrils flaring and eyes blazing with passion, and she realized he could smell her arousal.
Fuck
. Of course he could. If Reestrian males could determine whether or not a female was unclaimed just by sniffing her, surely they could tell whether or not a female was aroused. She pressed her thighs together and gave him her meanest glare.

“Am I supposed to be impressed?”

His shoulders slumped and he looked positively stricken.
Great
. Now she felt guilty for her comment. With a sigh, she took a step forward.

“Look, Sekor, the truth is, I am very impressed. You are quite…handsome.” She uncrossed her arms and ran a hand through her hair, her frustration mounting. What was she supposed to say?
I think you’re sexy as hell but I don’t normally make a habit of mating with aliens I just met?

“Then why are you rejecting me? I will make you scream with passion. I will please you in bed, and I will cherish you with all that I am, my Mia.”

“Sekor, I’m sure you know what you’re doing in bed, and I appreciate the part about you cherishing me, but how about you put your towel back on for a bit? Hmm? Then we can talk.”
How am I supposed to think with your huge, beautiful cock standing at attention?
Her brain felt like mush, and her body came alive with erotic sensation, everything below her waist aching. She could scarcely breathe. Had all the oxygen been sucked out of the room?

Lines of confusion appeared on his brow, but Sekor reached for the towel on the floor. He turned around as he wrapped it around his waist, giving her a brief glimpse of the two firmest butt cheeks she’d ever seen.
Oh dear Lord
. If having a great ass was an Olympic sport, Sekor would take home the gold every time. Her palms tingled with the urge to caress his muscular behind. She wanted to trail her fingers down his back and then, once she reached his bottom, give him a firm squeeze while pressing her center against his.

“Are you all right, Mia?” Sekor moved to her side and put a gentle hand on her arm.

“I-I’m fine. Just a little faint. Getting kidnapped by aliens can really take a toll on a girl.” Despite her comment, she smiled at him. His concern for her wellbeing touched her, more than he could probably imagine. No man had ever expressed a desire to protect her, let alone cherish her. He spoke as if he was deeply in love with her, and she would be lying if she claimed she wasn’t flattered.

“Please, sit down and relax. I will prepare you a meal to help you gain your strength back.” He guided her to the bed and helped her sit down. “I will even put clothes on, Mia. I sense you are uncomfortable with my body.”

She flushed and glanced around the room, avoiding his gaze and feeling suddenly shy. “Sekor, it’s not that I’m uncomfortable with your body, it’s just that you’re moving way too fast. We only met a few minutes ago and I’ve already seen you in your birthday suit.”

“I don’t understand your human phrases. Is your implant working correctly? Did my brother implant a faulty language chip?”

“Your brother didn’t implant anything in me.”
Oh no
. What would he think when she confessed the reason she already had the language chip?

“Do you work in Rahatha? I didn’t think any unclaimed females worked there.”

“Tell you what, Sekor. I’ll tell you about myself, and then you can tell me about yourself. Normally after boy meets girl, boy gets to know girl before boy takes his towel off and shows off his goods, but I’m willing to start over if you are.” She shook her head when he tried to sit down beside her on the bed. “Go get dressed first!”

He disappeared into what looked like a walk-in closet, and he emerged seconds later wearing the same black uniform Captain Heega and the other aliens aboard the ship had been wearing. The uniform fit Sekor like a glove, molding over his large, muscular form. He gave her a smile and left the bedroom, returning a few minutes later with a tray of fruit, biscuits, and two glasses of water. He sat down and placed the tray on the bed between them, and she appreciated the space he was giving her.

“Please eat, Mia.”

“Th-thank you.” She nibbled on a biscuit and tried to refrain from groaning after discovering it was filled with cheese.
Yum
. She took another bite and chewed slowly, keeping one eye trained on Sekor.

“You promised to tell me about yourself, Mia.” He reached for a glass of water. “Please, tell me everything about you. I wish to know you. I wish to know more about the beautiful female who will soon become my mate.” He stared at her with a dark, unblinking gaze.

“Okay, here it goes.” She sat the biscuit down and took a quick sip of water before she began. “My full name is Mia Amelia Alessandrini. Yeah, I know, it’s a mouthful. But please, just call me Mia. Anyway, I grew up in Salem, a city a few hours away from Rahatha, and I still live there too. I love to read, my favorite color is yellow, and I’m a waitress. However, I hope to open my own restaurant one day. It’s a dream of mine.”

She smiled. One day she would scrap together enough money to fulfill her dream. Probably not for another ten years or so, but she would get there eventually. No more working for jerkoffs like Mr. Benton. She wanted to be her own boss, in charge of her own future. But getting kidnapped by aliens put a serious kink in her plan. Did they even have restaurants in Giamot Clan?

“Tell me more, beautiful Mia.” His deep voice was a caress over all her nerve endings, making goosebumps rise up as a shiver rippled over her skin.

“Well, I love to cook. My grandmother taught me how to make all her favorite Italian dishes. Um, I don’t have a very large family. Just a few cousins and my mother. I’m an only child and my dad passed away two years ago. I make friends easily and love to travel.” The reason her restaurant fund was so low was because she kept traveling to Europe and South America, her two favorite continents to take a holiday. “I love learning about new cultures and I think that’s why I’m so fascinated with Reestrians. I got this language chip on the black market, um, that means sort of illegally, and had hoped to get a job in Rahatha, but no one showed any interest in hiring me.”

“You have a thirst for adventure,” he said, smiling down at her, his dark eyes glittering. He was the beautiful one. Heat suffused her cheeks each time she glanced at him.

“I suppose I do like a good adventure. I wanted to see the walls surrounding Rahatha with my own eyes, and that’s why I drove here today, just to glimpse some silly walls. Anyway, I ended up witnessing the battle and while I was trying to reach my car, your brother beamed me up to this ship.” It occurred to her that during the excitement of getting kidnapped she’d almost forgotten about the second race of aliens. “So who were the aliens in the black ships? The ships you blasted apart with your green laser zappers?”

“The Ettalians. They are a new species to us, and we have yet to establish a friendship with them. Fortunately, our technology is superior to theirs, and our warriors are stronger. Do not fear, beautiful Mia, for they will never defeat us. I will keep you safe, always.”

* ~ * ~ *

Keeping his hands off Mia was an exercise in control. Sekor ached for her, ached to possess her, ached to enfold her in his embrace. He wanted to feel her soft breaths against his chest, and he wanted to stroke his fingers through her dark, silken curls. Black spots dotted his vision, but he managed to stay conscious. His fever was increasing, but he sensed Mia still wasn’t entirely comfortable around him yet.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he watched as she finished her biscuit and took another sip of water. His eyes became riveted to her delicate throat as she swallowed. The pulse point on her neck throbbed. Was her heart beating fast due to fear or arousal?

He still detected her feminine scent when he inhaled a deep breath. Satisfied that she craved him as much as he craved her, even if she wasn’t willing to admit it yet, he reached for her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Touching you, Mia. May I hold your hand?”

“Um, sure. Just don’t get grabby and try to hold anything else.”

He was beginning to understand her sense of humor. There were those on his planet who wore humor as a shield to mask their nervousness. Perhaps humans were not so different from Reestrians, after all. He threaded his fingers through hers and gave her hand a squeeze. She smiled and flushed, her vulnerable expression awakening his heart. He had never dared lust after a female in his clan or anywhere else on Reestria, knowing that his job protecting his home would keep him off planet often. Why risk feelings for a female that he might be leagues apart from when his mating urge struck?

Though he’d boasted to Mia he would please her in bed, he had simply assumed he would be good at sex. He wouldn’t admit to her that he hadn’t actually had intercourse before. His fellow shipmates who weren’t yet mated dallied in pleasure houses in every clan they visited, but Sekor had always abstained, citing his lack of time and his desire to watch over the
Trinia
in their absence.

How much experience did Mia have? As gorgeous as she was, he suspected she had enjoyed sex many times, with many different partners. He was lucky she didn’t have a husband already. A woman of her beauty wouldn’t last a day on Reestria without dozens of males fighting to claim her as a prize mate.

She watched him with curiosity, obviously waiting for him to tell her about himself. Where did he start? Did she really care about the glory he had found in battle? Did she care he came from a rich, powerful family? Had he known a human girl would be given to him one day, he would have studied all the literature about humans available on his planet, rather than spending all his free time honing his battle skills.

“I come from one of the most powerful families in the Giamot Clan, and my parents are both advisers to the emperor and they travel to the Galattak Clan City often. For as long as I can remember, I have been training to serve as a warrior for my people. The safety of Reestria falls upon all the males in the Giamot Clan, and we take our duty seriously.”

“What are your hobbies?”

“I enjoy sharpening my knives, hunting
oglar
bears in the forests, and vanquishing the Ettalians from our territories.”

She blinked several times, then a broad smile illuminated her face. “Um, never mind. How about games? Do you play games? Do you have sports on Reestria?”

“Games are for children. However, sometimes a male will challenge another male for a mate. The emperor will hold mating challenges on occasion, but I would not consider those a game. Males often fight to the death for the privilege of claiming the most beautiful female in a clan.”

“Okayyyyy. Forget about games. Tell me what you do for fun that doesn’t involve work or survival.” Her interest in him provoked his desire, and he drew in a steadying breath and had to remind himself not to touch more than her hand.

He pondered her question. Until now, the need to protect his people had driven his every action. In this moment though, all he could think about was the future he wanted to build with Mia. She would give him strong sons and pretty daughters with curly dark hair. Her gentle presence would calm his soul after he returned home from a battle.

“I enjoy gazing at the night sky on Reestria. Our twin moons dominate the sky and make me feel alive. One day soon I will gaze at the sky on my home planet with you at my side. We will join our bodies underneath the moon and the stars.” Unable to resist, he reached for her with his free hand and stroked her face. She shivered and her eyes fluttered shut. A tiny moan escaped her, and a second later her eyes shot open, concern filling her blue depths. He chuckled. “Do not fear your reaction to me. The Almighty One is guiding your heart to mine, and soon we will be bonded together for all time.”

“I had no idea Reestrian males could speak so sweetly.”

“I speak to you from my heart, beautiful Mia.”

Pink tinted her cheeks. Her adorable blushes were driving him mad. If he didn’t claim her soon, he would explode into a million pieces like the Ettalian ships had over Rahatha.

“Tell me something else about yourself. Tell me something no one knows about you.”

Should he confess his deepest secret? Though he never joined his shipmates during their trips to the pleasure houses, he joked around with them afterward and made it sound like he’d visited such establishments before.

He moved the tray and scooted closer to her, until their thighs touched. Clasping both her hands in his, he waited until she met his stare. He had never felt so nervous, and he hoped he wasn’t about to make a huge mistake.