Thorn's Bondmate (Zarronian Warriors Book 2) (32 page)

"Here?"

The tip of his erection nudged her hand and Thorn dropped his head to the mattress and closed his eyes. "Lower."

Daria curled her fingers around him. Thorn sighed and lifted his hips, urging her to stroke him. He slid his hands beneath the full skirt of her gown and gripped her slender thighs as she stroked and squeezed him. His chest rose and fell with his rapid breaths.

She slid down until she was sitting on his legs. Leaning down she kissed his thigh. Thorn froze and his fingers gripped her harder. Her hair brushed over his cock followed by her lips. Once then again.

He tunneled his fingers into her hair and held her as she licked him. His breath grew harsher and his heart thundered in his chest when she began sucking on him. He groaned her name. Wave after wave of burning ecstasy flowed through him.

Daria slid her hands to his shoulders, then kissed a path over his belly, feeling the muscles clench and ripple as her lips moved over them. Thorn's fingers combed through her hair, brushing it away from her forehead. She lifted her head. Her eyes met his and she smiled.

Thorn gripped her shoulders and pulled her up to lie next to him. Before he could ask her why she'd pleasured him in that way her mouth covered his. Her tongue darted out, demanding entrance.

He gripped the back of her neck and forced her mouth harder against his as he jerked her gown out of the way and delved between her legs. He brushed his fingers over her and she moaned as he pushed a finger into her and added another. He found the swollen nub with his thumb and pressed against it.

Daria slid her hand down his body and curled it around his cock, drawing an instant response from him.

He lifted his mouth from her, then pushed his fingers deeper as he strummed her clit. "Do you want to ride me?"

Daria pushed her hips against his hand. "Yes."

Thorn pulled his hand away and lifted her over him. He grabbed her gown with the intention of removing it. Daria pushed his hands away.

"Take it off, Daria."

She shook her head.

Thorn pushed his hands beneath it and smoothed them over her belly. "I want to see you." He slid his hands up and covered her breasts. They were larger now, swollen with milk for the baby. "All of you."

He flattened his palms over her nipples, then gently rotated them, feeling her nipples harden against his palms. "Sensitive?"

Daria nodded.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Daria shook her head. "No, don't stop." She pressed against his hands and sighed with pleasure.

Thorn met her eyes. "At night, when you're asleep, I watch you. I push the cover away and I look at the changes in your body and I want to wake you and tell you how beautiful you are and how much I love you."

"Thorn-"

"Sometimes I stroke your breasts until your nipples are hard and I know they're aching for me to kiss them and I do. I feel your fever rising and your scent surrounds me until you move into my arms, needing me, wanting me."

Tears of joy and shame filled her eyes. Joy because she finally believed that he'd intended to come after her before he knew about the baby, and shame because she'd pushed him to this confession. He said he loved her. She wanted to be able to tell him she loved him, but she'd never been in love, didn't know what it felt like. She couldn't give him the words so she gave him her trust instead.

Slowly, she lifted the gown over her head and dropped it to the floor. Blushing, she watched his hands as he smoothed them over her belly.

"Look at me, Daria."

She met his eyes.

"You're beautiful. More beautiful than I ever dreamt a female could ever be." He entwined their fingers, then raised their hands to her belly. "I want our daughter to look like you, with black hair and deep purple eyes. When I look at her, I want to see your face, your smile."

Thorn released her hands and caressed her breasts. "I've dreamt of watching you suckle our daughter." He grinned, then confessed, "I always get hard just thinking about it."

Daria smiled, then gasped as Thorn lifted her and gently lowered her onto him. Helplessly, she wiggled until he was deeply seated. She planted her hands on his shoulders and began moving.

Thorn grasped her buttocks and urged her into a satisfying rhythm.

Daria's breath caught in her throat. She gripped his shoulders, digging her nails into him. She wanted to stop, to make their lovemaking last longer. Thorn jerked her forward, forcing her to continue. She arched her back as a cry of pleasure left her lips. Thorn thrust upwards into her, extending her pleasure and groaning her name as he came.

Daria collapsed onto his chest, slid her arm around his shoulders, and pressed her face against him. Thorn moved her onto her side next to him. He stroked her hip as their breathing slowed. Gradually, his hand slowed, then grew heavier on her hip.

She looked at him and smiled.

His lashes made dark crescents on his cheeks as he slept. For the first time ever, she saw his face relaxed, the tension gone from it. She raised her head, then glanced at the open bed chamber door. Thank goodness, Dane and Dev were at Valan's and Lia's home.

She tried to move out of his arms. They tightened. "Stay," he mumbled.

"Thorn, you've still got your boots and pants on."

Lazily he heeled off his boots, then with her help shoved the pants down his legs and kicked free of them. Daria nagged him until he was lying with his head on the pillow. She covered them with the sheet and relaxed into his arms.

After a few moments, she quietly rose from the bed, pulled on her gown and left the room. Downstairs, she activated the communicator in the den and placed a call to Borg.

As she waited for his receptionist to bring him to the communicator she examined the room. It was a mess. Even she was getting sick of looking at it. Borg drew her attention away when he answered the summons.

"Borg, this is Daria. I want to know what's wrong with Thorn and this time don't put me off."

"I don't really know what to tell you. The morning sickness should have passed by now. I've never had another patient experience it this long."

"Is it because of the baby? Because it's a girl?"

"I don't think so. We think it may be caused by the same thing which enabled Thorn to impregnate you."

"Are you any closer to figuring out what that might be?"

"Unfortunately, no. We're still working on it. There doesn't seem to be anything different about either of you."

"Well, something is different. He can't go on this way. Everything makes him sick. He isn't even trying to eat any longer and he's not sleeping."

"Daria, the only thing I can tell you is Thorn needs some extra care right now. The bread and tea in the mornings doesn't help?"

Daria thought about it, ashamed to admit she didn't know. "I, uh, I'm not sure if he's doing that before he gets up." She heard Borg's loud sigh.

"You're the only one who can help him right now. Put yourself in his place. How would you feel if you were the one sick and your bondmate didn't care?" His voice had grown rough with anger.

Daria stifled a sob, then sniffed as she rubbed the tears from her cheeks. "What should I do?"

"For starters, you could see to it that he's given some bread and tea when he first wakes. Plain bread, none of that herb stuff. Make sure he eats several times a day. Small meals, nothing too rich or spicy. And, one more thing, if there's anything going on that you know is irritating to him, I suggest you do something about it," Borg said. "He needs some peace and quiet and no worries."

"I'm the one who's pregnant," she mumbled.

Borg choked back a laugh. "No, Daria. On Zarronia the couple gets pregnant not just the female."

"Okay. I'll take care of him."

# # #

Borg disconnected the call, then shouted with laughter. Eirik joined him.

"My grandson doesn't know it, but he's about to be smothered with love. I can't help but envy him."

Borg nodded. "It's about time she called. I was beginning to wonder if we were wrong and she really doesn't care about him."

"Wrong?" Eirik shouted. "When have we ever been wrong, old friend? We weren't wrong about Valan and Lia, and we're not wrong about Thorn and Daria." He rubbed his hands together. "Now, what's your theory about Thorn?"

Borg shook his head. "I really don't know. We're all working on it, but there doesn't seem to be a difference. His DNA is the same as ours. Daria's is the same as all the other Earth females and none of them has produced a female Zarronian child."

"Then, it must be something he's done or maybe something he's come into contact with on another planet," Eirik suggested.

"Yes," Borg agreed as he lifted the pages of the questionnaire they'd made Thorn fill out. "But, what?"

"We know it's not the females," Eirik mumbled. "It has to be Thorn or something he did."

Borg stared at him for a moment. "Or, us," he exclaimed, as he pointed to a line on the questionnaire. "When did Thorn put his bands on Daria?"

"Tor!" Eirik groaned. "Could it be that simple? Is it possible?"

Borg nodded. "The bands change the females DNA. Maybe it keeps them from carrying a female child as well. We need to test this theory. I wonder if any of our warriors have had sex with a compatible Earth female and gotten her pregnant without knowing it. We need to talk to all of the warriors who have visited Earth. If there are females they've had sex with we need to locate them."

Eirik thought for a moment. "It still doesn't explain why Thorn and Daria are pregnant. Thorn already has Dane and Dev."

Borg nodded. "I wonder if it’s a side effect of the ZL3. According to these papers Thorn hadn't used ZL3 for several annuals when he got Daria pregnant. When was the last time you used it?"

Eirik frowned.

"Come on, Eirik. You and Nessa aren't so old so when was the last time you used it?"

"About a week ago," Eirik told him then frowned when he laughed.

A lot of the warriors continued to use ZL3 even after they were bonded and not just during those times they were away from their mistresses. Also, it wasn't unheard of for a bonded couple to use it occasionally for the extra excitement it produced in the bed chamber. "Maybe that's why you don't have any little ones running around your house."

Eirik grunted.

Borg shuffled through the papers again before setting them aside. "Maybe it's because he's a level five warrior. We'll figure it out. We just have to eliminate all of the possibilities and figure out what he's done differently."

Eirik strode to the door. "Let me know when you figure it out."

Before Eirik could escape, Borg asked, "Would you like me to renew your supply of ZL3."

Eirik sent him a rude gesture and slammed the door.

Borg laughed and began reading Thorn's questionnaire again. The answer was there. He was sure of it.

Chapter Sixteen

Daria dusted her hands off then glanced around the room. The books were neatly lined up on the shelves. The surface of Thorn's desk was free of clutter and she'd cleared a space across from it for her desk to be placed when it arrived. She glanced at the timekeeper, then hurried to the front door to watch for them.

She'd had to call Valan and ask him to use his influence to get the manufacturer to deliver the desk and chair today. Daria glanced up the stairs. The last time she'd checked, Thorn had still been asleep, lying on his stomach with his arm wrapped around her pillow.

Hearing a soft humming sound, she glanced out the window. A small shuttle landed on their front lawn and two men climbed out of it. A giggle escaped her as she opened the door. So, she thought, this is how they deliver furniture in Kadia. She hadn't ever wondered about it as the furniture had already been delivered when she and Lia had come to the house before and given instructions on where each piece should be placed.

She hurried to the men. "Could you please be very quiet?" she asked them. "My hus - bondmate has been ill and I don't want to disturb him."

They grinned, then nodded. Together they lifted the desk out of the shuttle and carried it into the house. Daria showed them where to place it. One of them went back for the chair while she had the other man move the desk until it was exactly where she wanted it.

The second man returned and set the chair behind the desk. "Do I need to sign anything?" she asked as she followed them into the hallway.

"No. It's been taken care of," the younger man said as he followed his companion out the door.

Daria watched them climb into the shuttle. As soon as the doors closed it took off. She closed the door then went back to the den. It only took a few moments for her to organize her desk the way she wanted it. She plopped down into the chair and lifted her feet to the edge and pretended Thorn was sitting across from her.

He'd been asleep for three units. She debated whether she should wake him or not. Rising, she wandered into the kitchen and studied the food processor. Borg had said nothing too rich or spicy. Surely there must be something he craved, but what?

Frustrated, she settled on a bland bread, a selection of fruit, and the requisite herbal tea. She carried the tray upstairs and into their bed chamber. This room was a mess, as well. She set the tray on a table by the bed and quietly began gathering up her scattered clothes.

When the room was neat again she frowned at the glass cases. She'd deliberately rearranged all of his collections. She knew it had really bothered him but he hadn't said anything to her. He'd just looked at them, sighed, and turned away.

Daria quietly opened the doors and began replacing the objects in the cases where they belonged and in the order he'd had them arranged. She stepped back and studied them for a moment, then moved one of the crystals. There, she thought, everything back where it belongs.

She tiptoed to the bed and sat down on the edge. Gently, she laid her hand on his back. "Thorn," she whispered as she stroked his back. "You've been asleep for over three units."