“Okay, that’s fair.

His hand stroked over her bare shoulder.

“Then we are in agreement. The market we will discuss later. For now, I wish only to reacquaint myself with the touch of my mate,” he purred, his vibrating mandibles sliding along her skin as he dipped his head to kiss her neck.

Terri melted into his touch. This was much more like how she had expected their morning to begin.

She exhaled a soft sound of pleasure, a shiver blooming into a surge of heat as he rolled her onto her back. His heavy frame crouched over her; his eyes gleaming brighter with his desire as he pulled the bedding away to fully expose her naked body. She didn’t like to sleep clothed, not only because she hated the feel of the fabric tightening around her uncomfortably, but for moments like these when there were needs demanding to be met. It didn’t hurt that Veral also slept naked. He hovered over her in all his masculine beauty, his wide chest and muscled abs marked with the tiny networks of cybernetics. There were fewer on his forearms, biceps, thighs, and calves, but each glowed beautifully, begging to be touched and traced.

She pushed herself to a seated position, and Veral groaned as she dragged her tongue against a large patch on his shoulder, his body twitching with his desire. The upraised clusters of cybernetics, while resilient against attack from where they were implanted beneath his scales, were erotically sensitive spots wherever they were the thickest. It was a fun contrast that she loved to use to her advantage. His head thrown back in pleasure, she wasted no time in allowing her lips to travel down the muscle, her teeth lightly scraping and nipping in stinging bites against them.

Veral tolerated her explorations for several minutes as she tongued and bit at various spots on his neck and chest, his breath coming out in hard pants as he trembled with restrained desire. She knew that he had enough when his hand slid up to cup her neck. The curl of his fingers did not alarm her, nor when he yanked her back so she dropped once more on the pillows.

Her chest heaving, she grinned up at him as he kneeled above her. The hard muscles of his abs quivered, directing her gaze to his long, thick sex snaking through the air, the slightly hooked tip swollen with its rigid curve. Her mouth watered at the sight. She pushed herself just enough to grab it tight within her palm. Veral jerked, a muffled snarl leaving him as she stroked it, enjoying the way the tubes along the side excreted their slippery substance. With a moan, she licked and mouthed the head and shaft. When she finally took him into her mouth, she did so at a careful angle so that the curved flesh only lightly brushed upon her tongue.

It wasn’t sharp. The tip would become more rigid only when he neared climax. She had brought him to climax orally before and knew she was in no danger even then. Veral’s civix stiffened, and as long as she kept him angled off of her tongue, he had no soft spot on which to latch.

But that wasn’t her goal. She wanted him mindless with desire.

His civix twisted, and she sucked harder until he growled and yanked on her hair, pulling her mouth free of him.

“Enough,” he rumbled.

With one quick movement, he turned her over onto her hands amd knees, her body swaying before she braced eagerly for him. His large hands slipped along her swollen belly for just a moment before anchoring against her hips. She drew in a breath and then he was there, his body arching over hers as his civix slipped between her folds and burrowed deep with a firm shove of his hips.

The movement of his civix twisting within her, burrowing relentlessly even when he yanked back to thrust forward again, lit up every sensitive spot within her channel. It churned, and tapped, thrumming within her as it sought the mouth of her womb to latch onto. Every hard thrust sent pulses of pleasure through her, until she was a panting, sweaty mess, rocking her rotating hips back against him, needing more of him.

Veral didn’t hold back. As he rutted harder, his thrusts rocking her forward with firm slaps, one of his hands planted on the bed beside her, claws digging into the bedding while the other gripped her breast, tweaking and pulling at the nipple.

A tortured gasp left her as he tormented the hard, puckered tip as she felt him thickening with her as he stiffened. The pleasure-pain of his civix latching made her jerk against him as the first of her orgasms overtook her under her mate’s approving growl. His pace then picked up. Now that he couldn’t pull back more than very slightly, he ground into her with rotating hips, his civix’s tugging just enough to send spirals of heat coursing through her blood to coil deep in her belly.

His mandibles vibrated in a low, lusty purr just as his hand dove. The touch of his fingers sliding against her clit made her snap forward against them, creating more of the erotic tug within her. The snarl that followed filled the air as Veral continued his deep, grinding rut. Terri’s muscles shook as her pleasure wound tighter. The build was exquisite, but she needed more.

“Veral,” she whimpered.

The pinch of his fingers on her clit sent a sharp burst of ecstasy through her, and then she was falling over the edge of her orgasm. She bore down on his civix as she twitched and cried out in bliss. The hot burst within her and his own roar filling her ears was the pinnacle of everything in that moment. Another electric rush of pleasure followed the first as words of love and adoration were rasped to her.

16

Terri scowled at the monitor. Veral had agreed to let her witness the merchant’s questioning but only via cam from the safety of their room while he accompanied Navesha and Azan to the market. He hadn’t been pleased to learn that the pirate was housed in the visitor’s quarters of the compound, but he hadn’t attempted to revoke his offer, nor did he hesitate to allow her to accompany him.

Of course the pirate he couldn’t stand got to go. Terri got a damned vid feed. At least he left Krono for her this time. He sat beside her, head in her lap as she glowered at the image of her mate and his companions entering the jail and stopping at the reception. Terri scratched the dorashnal’s jaw.

Dreth’s vibrissae puffed and lowered in discomfort as he gave her and apologetic look from where he sat just across from her.

“I am surprised Veral didn’t take you along as well,” she remarked sourly.

Dreth chuffed, his eyes, considerably more expressive than Veral’s, squinting with genuine humor.

“Someone was required to stay behind as your guard, and since he had not yet had the opportunity to select any others, it was logical that I be the one to remain since Navesha and the Blaithari wished to see the matter to its conclusion.”

“As I would have liked to,” she shot back. “I’m the one who nearly got killed.”

“Which is why you are not involved,” he replied, unruffled. “It is too personal. Your emotions will cloud your mind. Rather, focus on the objective of acquiring information.”

“You are saying it’s not personal for Veral?” she asked.

“It is personal, and he will likely kill the male when he is finished acquiring information,” Dreth corrected. “But he is programmed foremost to keep to his objective and has the same personal training as all of us who must keep our malfunctions secret to keep his emotions second.” He leaned back in his chair, eyes returning to the viewing screen.


Tags: S.J. Sanders Argurma Salvager Science Fiction