Chapter Seven
The thick, fluffy towel felt good against her damp skin as he gently rubbed her dry.
“The burning has subsided?”
“Yes. It wasn’t as bad as earlier, and yet, every time we, uh, join and you, well, you know…”
“Spend myself inside you?” he suggested.
Her lips curved slightly. “Your word is politer than most Earth words we have for it, but yes, that. This morning, it was like a fever burning inside and out. The heat this time is more like the sting of a sunburn, but I still don’t think it’s normal.”
“Your reaction is more extreme, Eva, but it happens to all our females. The reaction is systemic. It affects your body fluids, including your blood, the oils on your skin, and the juices of your sex. It’s spurred on by our joining, the friction as we move together, the rising of our body heat, and our kisses, but the strongest catalyst is my seed which is the true transformer. The elevated temperature and burning sensation aren’t uncommon and should diminish each time as your body chemistry attunes to mine. This morning, the first time after the breaching should have been the worst of it.”
“Let’s hope.” She glanced back at him blushing as she wrapped the towel around her, overlapping the ends and tucking them between her breasts. Her modesty wouldn’t allow her to walk around naked. Kerr, like every other man she’d been with, which she could count on the fingers of one hand, excluding her thumb and including him, was nonchalant about his nudity, and had no trouble talking frankly about sex. “I can’t imagine what it would be like if we weren’t matched.”
“If we weren’t destined to be mates,” he replied patiently, “nothing would happen, and your body wouldn’t change.”
“Oh.” Silently, she processed all he’d told her. “Do the males transform in any way, or is it all on the women?”
“We do, although not in the noticeable ways our females do.”
“You mean your hair won’t turn blonde and your eyes green?”
“This has never happened to my knowledge, no.”
“What, then?”
“We call it the hunger because it’s how our men describe it. It begins as desire, often on first sight. With touch, time in proximity, and, ultimately, physical joining, we develop an unquenchable appetite for our mate.”
“What?”
“After the breaching, there is a frenzy, which is an all-consuming need lasting about two weeks. When it abates, the strong desire remains. It doesn’t fade over time, only growing stronger. It is nature’s way of propagating the species.”
“It sounds disturbingly obsessive.”
“To have your mate long for your body and desire to be with you is disturbing?”
“We don’t have such a thing on our planet; there is desire, infatuation, lust, although the intensity ebbs over time. It’s why divorce is so common.”
He frowned.
“This word doesn’t translate, either?” she asked.
“No. But it sounds violent.”
“It can be, I suppose. Ugly is often the term used to describe it. I guess it would be like getting unmated in your world.”
He snorted. “Impossible. As I said, my people mate for life.” He brought a length of her hair to his nose and inhaled, before holding the same lock against her own.
The scent, his scent, on her was as stirring as it was startling.
“Physical proof makes it more plausible than all of my words and explanations combined. Isn’t this true, doubting Eva?”
She met his gaze, the liquid gold twinkling with humor. And was that…desire? Again? Three times in less than a day and he still wanted more. He isn’t human!
“It is the hunger, sweet mate, and I am Primarian. Our stamina is unrivaled.”
“Does the transformation allow you to read my mind, as well?”
“No, but you have a very expressive face.”
The trace of laughter in his voice and his casual affection warmed her inside. But the knack he had for reading her body language and discerning her thoughts and emotions, after knowing her only two days, made her face flood with heat.
He noticed this, too, but let her off easy with the slow stroke of a finger down her cheek and a knowing smile, before he changed the subject. “I ordered some clothing brought in. It should be in the entryway by now.”
She blanched, recalling how she called out his name at the height of her orgasm in the echo chamber of a bathroom. He had expressed his pleasure loudly at the end, as well. Anyone coming into the suite would have known what was going on.
“Everyone on the ship knows of your presence and we are in our bonding transformation period, Eva.”
“Why isn’t that a comforting thought?”
His slid an arm around her waist, brought her flush against him from chest to knees, and gently cradled her cheek in one hand. “Do not be embarrassed by the passion we share. It is something to rejoice in, not hide. Those who haven’t bonded will be envious, though all will be happy we have found each other.”
“I supposed it’s like a honeymoon, back at home. Everyone knows the bride and groom are humping like rabbits; they smile indulgently or tease them about how touchy-feely they are.”
“Mm, touchy-feely sounds nice, but this humping is intriguing. Perhaps a demonstration is in order.”
Her eyes went wide at his suggestion, to which he grinned and gave her a sexy wink. Doubly surprised by the familiar Earth gesture, she gaped at him.
It shocked her how much their two species were alike—except for the whole sex chemistry experiment, of course.
Kerr laughed outright then leaned in, closed her mouth with a finger beneath her chin, and kissed her. Thorough and blisteringly hot, it lasted only a minute then he turned and walked toward the door in all his gilded nakedness.
Her gaze moved down his body, a sigh of disappointment slipping from her lips when his sculpted shoulders and back, not to mention his perfect ass disappeared. The man was simply too gorgeous for her peace of mind.
She bent to finish drying her lower half and groaned at the tenderness she felt inside. She’d had more sex with Kerr in the twenty-four hours than she’d had in the last five years—self-induced gratifications excluded. Her little-used muscles and tender girly parts weren’t used to the activity level, and on such a grand scale.
When she propped her foot on a nearby bench to dry between her toes, she felt the pull across her inner thigh. Gingerly, she dried her backside, surprised no more than a lingering warmth and a slight tenderness remained. He’d spanked her each time, after all. And wasn’t that yet another bizarre twist in her new reality?
“Here they are,” Kerr announced as he came back carrying a pair of shoes resembling ballet flats, and a long dress in a shimmery fabric, the same dark red as the tunic he’d worn earlier today.
“You must like red,” she commented as she ran her fingers over the silky material.
“The color indicates you belong to a warrior. The gold slashes on the sleeves—four in number signifying the highest rank—and display to all you are an elite mate, but more importantly you are prima, first consort to the Maxime Princep.”
“A reflection of you?”
“Exactly.”
“Will I always have to wear the red and the gold?”
“You don’t like the color?”
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, watching as he shook out the dress. Of course, these old-fashion men would garb their women in something flowing and feminine—and not pants. The last time she’d worn one had been on Christmas when she’d been seven.
The memory was bittersweet, bringing to mind her parents, who had long since passed, and her sister back on Earth. A wave of homesickness swept over her.
“When on the ship and in all official functions, you’ll wear my colors,” he explained, as though sensing her upset. “It is traditional and expected, but other times the choice will be yours. I think green the same shade as your beautiful eyes would suit you best.”
“Thank you,” she said, her voice soft and hesitant, not knowing what else to say. Everything was new and different, and coming at her so very fast.
“You seem distressed.”
She shook her head, feeling emotional and really not wanting to discuss it.
“I’ll help you put it on.” He removed her wet towel and tossed it aside. “Arms up,” he directed, as he raised the garment over her head. Feeling like a child, when her mother had helped her dress, she lifted her arms and waited as he guided first her hands, then her head through the holes. The gauzy dress fell in a soft drape. Turning her, he began to tie the gold laces in the back, molding the material to her upper frame. Once done, he turned her to face him. “It fits perfectly, and the color is becoming with your fair complexion and hair. You are beautiful, Eva.”
Embarrassed by his praise, she glanced down at the dress. “Something is missing, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I almost forgot. Come.” He led her by the hand into the bedroom and to a full-length mirror. When he left her there to retrieve what had to be panties, she caught sight of herself in the gown. It was stunning. In a chiffon-like material, and a Greek goddess design, the dress gathered at her shoulders leaving her arms bare. It nipped in at the waist beneath a band of the gold crisscrossed lacing. From there, it hung in a full skirt with deep folds to the floor. In the beautiful gown, she looked ready to dine with royalty or heads of state.
“The dress is gorgeous, Kerr, but surely your women don’t wear something like this every day.”
“Not this formal, but the style is similar.”
Her eyes shifted to his image in the mirror as he stepped in close behind her. When he raised his hands to her head, she noticed he held more gold.
“It’s an adornment for your hair; all mated females wear one in public.”
“Another rule?” she asked in a snippy tone.
“No, it’s a tradition. Our women weave it into their hair because it proclaims to everyone in a glance they are mated.”
Well, didn’t that make her feel like a real shit?
“I’m sorry. What I said, without knowing… It was rude of me.” Eva angled her head and gazed at his reflection curiously. “Do the males also wear something to show they are mated?”
He looked startled as if the thought had never occurred to him. “No, it is enough their mate wears a symbol to proclaim the bond.”
Why didn’t that surprise her?
He picked up a brush from a nearby table and began to pull it through her long hair. “The color is remarkable. No one on Primaria will have ever seen its like. They won’t be able to keep their eyes off you.”
She watched in the mirror as he expertly brushed out the tangles without tugging on her scalp. Her eyes were drawn to his dark hair, long and straight, gleaming in the light, and falling well past his shoulders. Had his expertise come from caring for his own hair? As gorgeous as he was, and holding a position of power, she doubted it.
He aligned the twin filigree bands across the top of her head.
“Tilt your head forward,” he said and fastened them at her nape when she did. He then wound her hair through the rest. When he finished, it was gathered at her crown and fell in soft twists and waves. The ends didn’t quite reach her neck, leaving it exposed except for a few loose wavy tendrils down each side. It was lovely, and the gold brought out the similar shades in her hair.
Kerr’s skill far surpassed her own. She usually opted for a simple ponytail or, while working, the boring bun.
He picked up a glossy wave running down the side of her neck and coiled it around his finger. The light brush of his skin sent shivers racing through her causing goose bumps to ripple across her arms. At the same time, her nipples tightened almost painfully, standing out firmly against the thin fabric. She crossed her arms to hide them, surreptitiously rubbing the ache away. Her neck had become a new erogenous zone, and, naturally, Kerr gravitated toward it.
“Look how beautiful you are,” he murmured, as he gave her a head-to-toe scan in the mirror. His hands curled around her bare shoulders, and his breath on her damp nape caused another tingle to shoot along her nerve endings.
Her eyes met his in the mirror. “It is lovely,” she whispered. “But the something missing I was referring to wasn’t for my hair.”
“Shoes? I have those in the other room.”
“No, I meant—” She cleared her throat, embarrassed. “I’m naked underneath, Kerr.”
His eyes flashed hotly before sweeping down her body, lingering on her breasts then dipping to her hips. “You are very well covered, sprite.”
“Maybe, but I’m not used to going around without…” She didn’t want to use the word panties, never liking it personally. She sought a substitute. “Briefs. You know, undergarments like the loin cloth you wore in the jungle.”
“Unnecessary, unless it’s your monthly courses—which I know it is not.”
She ignored his comment, refusing to talk about that with him. “I can’t walk around exposed.”
“You are appropriately covered and look beautiful. Besides, you’d have to wait and have undergarments custom made for you at home. It is not a common item, particularly among bonded females, and something not available aboard ship. The clothing replicator was already on overload just making the necessary clothing for the eight of you.”
“Why?”
“Eight gowns and day dresses used considerable resources and took time.”
“No, I mean, why no undergarments? It’s very disconcerting. What if there is a strong wind or an accident happens? I could trip and fall, and show…everything.”
“First, there is no wind; we’re on board a ship. And you won’t fall if you take my arm. Further,” he said, grinning, “there are numerous benefits to being bare underneath. Let me demonstrate one.”
Gathering the folds of her gown in his large hands, he drew it up her legs. Meeting her gaze in the mirror, Kerr pulled her skirt above her hips, exposing her fully as he leaned into her with bent knees. Still naked, his length—rock-hard, which seemed a constant state for him—slid along her cleft, coming to rest snugly between her legs. At the same time, his hands came around her, moving between her thighs.
Her mouth fell open, and the air rushed out of her suddenly tight chest. He couldn’t possibly mean to take her again.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit barbaric to keep your women bare so you can toss up their skirts and fuck them willy-nilly?”
The playfulness left him as his face darkened. “Bend forward.”
“Why?”
“I asked you not to use that foul word again. You disobeyed me; therefore, you will be punished.”
She gasped. “You’re not serious.”
“Very much so.” He put one hand between her shoulder blades and the other at her belly, guiding her down. Eva’s hands came up against the mirror, her cheek pressing against the cold glass as he bent her double.
“But, Kerr, this isn’t fair. You said fu—” She stopped as his hand, big enough to cover one entire cheek, gripped her flesh and squeezed in warning. She quickly rephrased. “You said the f-word yourself. It’s not fair to punish me for something you did as well.”
“No, it isn’t, but then I make the rules as I deem fit. To you, they might not always seem fair, but they have a purpose. In this case, it is to teach you to obey me. Besides, I don’t recall saying such a thing. You are mistaken.”
“No. You were teasing me, and I recall you saying it under your breath.”
His hand rubbed on her backside, and he tilted his head. “Ah yes, I remember now. I said faex—which isn’t the same.”
“Faex, fuck. What’s the difference?”
“My f-word, as you call it, means… never mind what it means. It’s an expletive, but for an entirely different thing, while yours refers to mating—which we Primarians take very seriously. Still, I shall try to curb my oaths around you.”
“As shall I.”
“Good plan, but you repeated it, and, as such, your punishment will be doubled.”
Then, every bit of air rushed out of her lungs as his hand connected firmly with her bare-ass cheek. She squealed, although the blow didn’t smart as much as before.
“Kerr!”
“I also recall telling you if you obeyed me, I would bring you to unbelievable heights of pleasure, repeatedly. I’ll forego what I intended to give you for swearing since I was remiss myself.” He brought his hand down again on the other cheek. “But I insist you obey me, Eva, which means doing what I say, when I say, even if I want to take you—willy-nilly as you say—wherever I have the notion. If I want to breed you in the corridor, I will—and you shall not deny me. If I want to bend you over in front of a mirror and watch your face as I first spank you to arousal then drive into you until you come apart in my hands, so be it. You will take what I choose to give you. Are we clear?”
His hand came down twice more, lower across the center of her bottom cheek, sending a jolt of sensation straight to her clit. A surge of wetness drenched her pussy—seemingly a constant state for her, as well. It was another valid reason to wear panties around the man, so the proof of her desire didn’t drip down her legs.
“I require an answer,” Kerr prompted as he slid two long fingers inside her and pumped them slowly.
“You were clear…yes.” What else could she say when he was driving her mad with sexual excitement?
Damn him!
“Good girl. Be assured I will always protect you, sprite. If I toss up your skirt in a corridor, it will be where only my eyes can see. If I take you there or in front of a mirror, mutual pleasure will be my goal. And if I spank you, for enjoyment or in punishment, never will you come to harm. Is this also understood?”
“Yes, but, Kerr?”
His fingers slipped between her folds, finding her clit before he answered. “Yes, Eva?”
“Can you forego the lecture for right now? I’m about to explode, and your fingers are not helping. I need you to either spank me or faex me because words are only white noise at this point.”
As she’d expected, his hand came down swiftly across her ass at her tart words.
“Deliberate defiance falls into another category altogether, little one. You may have been teasing, but make it the last time I hear either vulgar f-word from your beautiful lips.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very good. Now spread your thighs wide for me. It’s one of those ‘willy-nilly’ times.” His order, said in his low, resonant tone, sent desire rippling through her. She moaned, thinking his voice had the power to make her come all by itself.
But he had more planned.
His fingers sank back into her as his thumb located her clit. He circled it, gliding over the hard point continuously as he thrust inside. At the same time, his free hand made firm contact with her taut cheeks. Spanking her for pleasure while he touched her intimately seemed naughty and extremely hot, and she couldn’t think anymore. Eva rose up on her toes, canting her hips forward, so her bottom arched high and her pussy pushed toward him, wantonly offering herself for more of his wildly arousing attention.
“Don’t climax,” he directed. “I want you to wait until your body is pulsing with need, until my touch, the sound of my voice, my will, are all you can focus on. When I’m deep inside your tight, wet, gripping channel, and give you permission, then you may succumb to your body’s desires.”
“Okay, I’ll wait, but can you hurry, Kerr? I’m about to succumb right now!”
His throaty chuckle didn’t help the situation, nor did his hand delivering a half- dozen more sensual swats in between driving her to the brink with three of his long fingers inside her. Once she was moaning and calling out to him between pleas to let her come, he surged into her fast. But he didn’t let up, not yet, holding her there, hovering on a precipice for long, breathtaking, feverish moments until, at last, he said the words she’d been waiting for.
“Come for me, Eva, my beautiful mate.”
And she did, flying apart in a stunning release as he splashed his hot seed inside her.