“I was waiting for you. You were the one in a ReGen pod, unconscious.”
“Before that, mate. I’ve been waiting a lot longer than that,” he replied. It wasn’t the words that made stupid leap out of my mouth, it was the look in his eyes. Possessive. Hungry. Impatient. A look that made my legs tingle and my nipples go hard. The look in his eyes was a challenge, and the Everian in me was rising to meet it. To run. Just like in my matching dream, I wanted to force him to prove himself worthy. Fast. Strong enough to catch me.
To conquer me.
Shit. Where had that thought come from?
“You had no idea I would arrive at that prison.” I said the last few words as if they were poison. That place… god, it had been awful. I didn’t want to think about what would have happened to him or the others if I hadn’t ended up there. At that exact moment. How long would he have survived if I hadn’t taken the Interstellar Brides’ Program test?
“I wasn’t referring to your timely transport and you know it,” he replied. He was so calm, so… even. I breathed in his clean scent, even underneath the medical unit’s strong soap.
Hunters resolved problems with a demeanor of ease, of confidence. They didn’t go beast like the Atlans or have a second like the Prillons. We were independent. Smooth. Deadly.
With Quinn, I was far from smooth. I felt… frazzled now that he was whole. Wary. Off kilter. Uncomfortable because I was out of my element. No, that wasn’t it.
It was six hours. We had six hours to play. To make love. To get to know one another.
And even though my body was screaming “yes-yes-yes!” my mind didn’t like giving up control. And I felt guilt creeping in, guilt that I was alive and whole and full of desire for my mate when there was an unknown number of warriors suffering on that base. Waiting. For me.
For us.
It seemed Quinn could shift his focus easier than me. My mate was looking at me as if I were his dinner. And that had my body responding. Panicking. I had no control. A mission? Yes. A mate? Hell, no. I was grasping, trying to cling to the last shreds of calm that I could find, and that completely messed with my mind.
“Mate, your need is nothing to fear, it is a need we share.” His deep voice was even, almost soothing.
“We don’t share anything.” I held up my hand so he could see my palm, the mark there. “We’re not marked mates. Just matched.”
Even as I said the words, I didn’t believe them. We shared quite a bit, I just didn’t understand it, and it was a bit scary.
He shrugged those big, brawny shoulders and it made my nipples go hard. Traitors. I crossed my arms over my chest.
The corner of his mouth tipped up. He breathed deep, nostrils flaring. “You are mine. You know it. I know it. Everyone on this ship knows it. Why are you resisting?”
Why was I? Oh yeah, I didn’t need a bossy male. My pussy was arguing with me about that, but I was in control… at least of my body.
Except my nipples ached and lower, I was wet for him. And he knew it. Could smell it. That rough tumble of a voice wasn’t helping me fight my libido at all.
“I can’t give you what you want,” I told him. I didn’t have to bare my soul, but I had my reasons. This was a mistake. It had to be. I didn’t want kids. I didn’t want to give up my life, my freedom, my career. I made a difference in this war. I trained cadets, made sure they were ready for the Hive. I tried to save lives, and my work was important to me, too important. I never should have given in to a moment of weakness, of loneliness. Elite Hunter Quinn of Everis probably wanted a submissive little wife and ten babies running around the house chasing each other and screaming up a storm.
That life wasn’t for me. I wasn’t meant to be with someone. Shit. I screwed this up. “I never should have taken the bride testing.”
His pale gaze raked over me some more, from the top of my head to the boots on my feet. Leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world. As if he had every right to do so.
“I disagree. You are perfect and I can’t wait to bury my cock in your body, make you come. Make you mine.
Oh fuck. I may have just come a little bit. “You don’t know me.”
“This is true, mate, but I will.” His words weren’t a threat, they were a vow, a promise. He was a Hunter and I was beginning to fully understand what it meant to have the full attention of an Elite male from Everis. He would never stop. Never give in.
The thoughts spun in my mind like a tornado. This couldn’t be real, could it? Was he really mine?
No. No way. He didn’t even know me yet. I had thirty days to reject the match and go back to my old, predictable, responsible life. Thirty days, too, for him to decide he wanted fifteen babies and someone ten years younger.
Whatever. This was bullshit. Mental, emotional, physical bullshit. I never should have let Kira talk me into this. I should have said no, gone home and opened a bottle of Atlan wine. A vibrator didn’t want children or demand submission. Demand secrets. Truth. Trust.
What had I been thinking?
Spinning on my heel, I strode for the door. It slid open silently and I walked out. Didn’t stop once I exited the medical unit.