Stacy

I jumped. I had to.

Maverick’s hands grabbed my ass in the most perfect way imaginable, and his lips practically crushed mine. That little bit of pain was okay, though, because I wanted him like that: strong, gruff, and taking what he wanted. I wanted him to be a little rough with me. He’d just said he wouldn’t be trying to finagle a threesome at any point along the way. He deserved a present.

God, the boys I hung around before him really were assholes.

I had no idea how we managed it, but somehow Maverick got us up to the hotel room without breaking the kiss. At one point, he even had me pressed up against the wall in the elevator, his hands sliding under my skirt in a way that made me want to cry.

I truly did love a man with callused palms.

As soon as the door to our room was open—he really was good at multitasking—he carried me through and kicked it closed behind us. And then he took that kiss to the next level. His tongue tangled with mine, his soft grunts and moans making me want more. Need more.

Shit, hate sex was hot.

“This doesn’t change anything,” I said as we finally broke apart long enough for me to pull my dress over my head. Not caring about my scars. Only wanting to feel him, to be with him.

“Fine.” He yanked his shirt off and dropped his hands to his pants. “You tell yourself that.”

He spun me around, yanking open the curtains and pressing my chest against the windows. The river was a sea of blackness, and the lights of the Canadian shore were far enough away to seem almost from a fantasy world. As if the place wasn’t real. Maverick had me on display, though I doubted anyone could possibly see me from so far away. Still, doing this, being shoved up against the glass in my simple, lacy lingerie, was so dirty and exhibitionist. I loved it.

The glass was cold beneath my skin, hard and unforgiving. The only sounds in the room were those of our breaths. I shivered from the chill in the air and the heat in my blood. Anticipation for what was next, what Maverick would do to me now that he had me pinned, kept me quivering and excited. This was going to be so much more than just sex. I knew it. Could sense something important hovering nearby.

This would be life-changing.

When Maverick slid his fingers into my panties, when he sent shivers up my spine with a mere brush of his fingers against my hips, I had to rest my head against the glass. I was too keyed up, too needy, too fucking wet to do anything other than shake for him. And talk.

“You going to fuck me against the windows?”

Maverick grunted, the sound making me moan. “No. I’m going to lick your cunt until you come on my tongue.”

Dead. I was dead. Or about to be. Not until he made good on his promise. Because seriously, I wasn’t going to say no to that.

He slid my panties off with more care than I expected. His large, rough hands running from my waist all the way down the length of my legs in a slow slide. That calmed me, allowed a bit of relaxation in. Pushed aside the anxiety and tension a little. That slowness and care faked me out as I assumed it showed me how Maverick would treat the rest of the act. Sure, I was against a window, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be slow and careful. He’d warm my body up for him before diving in. I’d have a warning of some sort about what was next.

It was almost funny how wrong I was.

That slow, careful removal of my panties was nothing more than a lie. The second I lifted my leg so he could remove the fabric from one side, he grabbed my hips, yanked me back so I was bent almost in half with my hands still against the glass, and he licked a filthy, wet trail from my clit all the way to my asshole.

The porn-star moan that dropped from my lips was unavoidable, really.

“Maverick.” I spread my feet farther, giving him enough room to do…whatever he intended to do. Because who wouldn’t? The man had his tongue on my clit, circling and licking and—fuck me running—nibbling, even as his fingers slid inside my sopping wet pussy. No one in their right mind would say no to him. Not when his mouth was too busy to make me hate him.

Maverick growled against me as he pushed his fingers in deep. Really deep. I may have even gasped at that delicious pressure. Still, he growled. There was no other way to describe it. The sound seemed all sorts of wrong and right at the same time. Animalistic and needy but totally him as well. And the vibrations it gave off against my skin. Yeah, he could growl all he wanted. That sound was better than a finger vibe for sure.

When Maverick scraped his teeth over my clit, I plastered myself against the glass and moaned again. Uninhibited and completely at his mercy. He felt so good on me. Every touch, every lick, every push of his fingers—so perfect. I couldn’t help myself—I reached back and grabbed his hair, pulling him in tighter against my flesh. Needing more. Wanting to get him to make me come.

But Maverick wasn’t having it.

“Demanding, aren’t you?” He knocked my hands away, keeping his lips close enough to my pussy to tease me as he laid down his rules. “Hands back on the window. Watch me in the reflection if you can. I want you to see what I do to you.”

Shaky and with a little whine, I did as I was told, even though I wasn’t ready to give in yet. “But you’re so close to where I want you.”

“I’ll get there.”

Fuck, his confidence and low, rough voice were so damn hot. “Maverick—”

He smacked my ass. Just once, but harder than anyone ever had. A true hit. The sting sent fire through my body, the surprise making me gasp and groan in equal measure. That really shouldn’t have made me even wetter, but it totally did. And Maverick didn’t miss that.

“You like me being in charge, don’t you?” His dark chuckle was enough to bring out a low moan from me, but his fingers spreading me wider so he could lick a path along the inside of me was what really brought out the trembles.

“Please,” I whispered, watching his shadowy form in the glass below me. Almost ready to surrender completely.

Almost.

And Maverick knew it. “It’s my face in your cunt, princess. Let me do what I know how to do. I’ll get you off.”

“You’d better.”

He pulled me closer by my hips and kissed my clit in the sweetest, most debauched sort of way. “Trust me.”

Oof, that was a hard one. I didn’t trust many people. I mean, sure, I was staying in a hotel room with a man I barely knew, who currently had his face between my legs. There was trust there. But giving up control? Letting him lead me to wherever he chose to go? That was different.

It was also sort of…titillating.

“Fine, but you’d better be good,” I hissed as he went back to spreading me open so he could focus on my clit.

I could feel him smile against me. “I’m more than just good.”

And he was.

My first orgasm swept over me as I pressed my face and chest against the windows, my yelp loud and sharp from the pleasure. But Maverick didn’t stop. He didn’t even give me a break. He kept licking, sucking, fingering, pushing, spreading…he kept bringing me more. Over and over, he pushed me right to the edge and kept going. Rolling me through multiple orgasms until there was nothing but his mouth, his hands, and the cold glass.

Still, every girl had her breaking point.

“Please,” I huffed, my legs shaking and my breaths coming too fast to be normal. “I can’t. No more.”

Maverick pulled his mouth away but kept his fingers inside me, moving all slow and curling them until he made me moan. “I win?”

“We weren’t competing.”

He chuckled again, dragging his thumb over my clit in a way that made my knees go weak. “Everything is a competition with you.”

He growled again, this time with his mouth pressed hard against my pussy. The vibrations almost made me scream, but I was done with this. I needed him, needed to feel him inside me, was so fucking desperate for it.

Too desperate.

I slammed my hand against the glass, my own version of throwing the white flag. “Yes. You win this one with your ridiculous tongue and magic fingers. Now fuck me so I can make you come, too.”

I hadn’t expected him to pick me up and smack my ass as he tossed me over his shoulder. I also hadn’t expected him to throw me on the bed. That said, I didn’t know if you could set expectations for a man like Maverick.

“A little rough, don’t you think?” I tried to look irritated at the man, but he was shirtless, his jeans undone and hanging just enough over his hips for me to see the tip of his cock peeking out. And he was looking at me like I was something worth his time. In fact, he looked at me as if I was wanted and precious. That might have been the hottest part about him.

But then Maverick grinned a cocky, one-sided sort of smile. And he dropped his pants.

Sweet mercy.

My knees fell open of their own accord as he approached, an automatic response to the glory that was his cock. It was hard and long, positively thick. A true fatty with just the right amount of curve to hit the good spots inside of me. Maverick’s cock was dildo-model good. Perfect, really. And just so wonderfully big. I wasn’t one of those girls who said crazy shit like, “Oh my gosh, I don’t think it will fit.” They all fit. It was just a matter of how comfortable they could fit once all the way in.

Maverick’s cock was going to hurt in all the right ways.

My brain positively short-circuited when he placed a knee on the mattress and took that beautiful, glorious cock in his hand. My mouth watered and my body clenched on nothing as he stroked from base to tip. We needed to move this along because I didn’t want to wait another second to feel all that.

“Let me help you,” I said as I leaned back to grab a condom from the nightstand. That’s right—I’d made sure to stock up on the prophylactics. My sister was in med school, and she’d shown me the slide shows of nasty, STD-infected genitals. I wasn’t about to play that kind of game. Besides, I’d had time on my hands. The time I’d waited for Maverick earlier in the day had been put to good use.

Maverick watched as I tore open the package, stared at me as if he was waiting to pounce. And I was totally going to let him. His cock was hot and weighty in my hand, the skin softer than I would have expected. I couldn’t help running my fingers along the length. Just once. Okay, fine. Three times. When he groaned that soft, manly rumble that meant my touch felt good, I practically beamed at him. Yeah, this was going to be good. Unable not to, I placed a sweet, soft kiss right on the tip before rolling the latex over him.

“Ready,” I said as I lay back against the mattress and let my knees fall open. If I got so much time to look, he should as well.

Maverick cocked a smile, following me down until he was right on top of me. “Good. Because I’m not wasting more time.”

I dropped my legs open more as he settled between them, hooking a calf over his hip to give him better access. “You think that time spent with your face between my legs was wasted?”

Instead of answering me, Maverick held my gaze as he pushed in slow. There was no pausing, though. No nudge or back-and-forth. Just one long, slow glide as his cock practically split me in two. Owning me as no man ever had. And I loved it. I might have even moaned his name as if I was on some cheesy soap opera.

What? You try not to.

“Not wasted,” he said, grabbing my leg and pulling it so my calf rested on his shoulder. He even placed a quick kiss on my knee, something so sweet before he used his shoulder to open me up. He was so built, so thick and muscular all over. Thank God for Pilates.

“You don't think so?” I said on a breath of air, trying to stay in the conversation even as I wanted to reduce our talk to yes and please and more and fuck.

“No.” He grunted as he slid all the way home, his eyes falling almost closed in what had to be pleasure. “But I’ve wanted to know how your cunt feels with my cock inside it since the first time I saw you.”

I grabbed his shoulders as he started to really move, hanging on as my heart pounded through my ears. Such a sweet comment. Such a naughty moment. “And what’s your verdict?”

He groaned and slid almost all the way out before thrusting back in. “On what?”

“You know what.”

He grinned and licked over my top lip before whispering. “Let me hear it.”

Oh, he was going to make me say the dirty words. As if I was somehow too delicate. Silly man. “How does my cunt feel wrapped around your cock? Am I wet enough for you?”

He grunted in what sounded almost like a whine, moving faster, leaning down to kiss me hard and deep before pulling away. “Your cunt feels like home.”

Yeah, okay. He had a little charm, still.

Between his words and the phenomenal things his cock did to my pussy, there was no holding back. I came before he did, shaking and trembling as my entire body seemed to seize around him. Maverick followed, grunting and biting my shoulder as he pressed in deep. Both of us clinging to the other as we rode out the explosions.

And when he rolled me over, when he dragged me up his body to lay across his chest, I knew sex hadn’t been a mistake. The man may have driven me crazy, but I didn’t care. He wrapped me in his arms and held me as if I mattered. As if he cared about me in ways beyond the physical. He held me close and gave me comfort I’d never experienced.

“Sleep, princess. I want to wake you with my tongue in your cunt.”

Comfort and filthy fucking promises. What more did I need?

Maverick

The single sun of Earth wasn’t all the way over the horizon when I awoke. Stacy rested in my arms still, her head on my chest, her eyes closed and her breathing even. Asleep. Quiet.

Unmasked.

This was the female I’d wanted to see. The real one. She’d shown herself to me in flashes on our date, and I wanted more of that person.

I ran a finger down her cheek, unable to resist touching that soft, sweet-smelling skin. Her eyes blinked open as I reached her chin, and she smiled. That look devastated me.

I crooned for her. Again. Unable to hold back the purring sound of my people.

I had no idea what made me open my mouth, but when I did, the words that came out were not at all what I’d expected.

“I’m not who you think I am.”

She blinked but didn’t look surprised. “Neither am I.”

“I am not from Earth.”

No reaction. Just that same soft look in her eyes. “I knew something was different, but I didn’t expect that.”

“We weren’t allowed to tell.” I still wasn’t by Ampetheia’s rules. But if I was going to possibly claim this female as my mate, if I was going to ask her to stay unmasked with me, I needed to be able to do the same for her. No hiding for either of us.

Stacy stayed quiet for a long moment, eyes unfocused, hand still against my chest. But then she frowned. “Is Hudson like you as well?”

“Yes.”

“My sister still loves him.”

“And he loves her.”

She snuggled closer. “Okay, then.”

That was…too easy. “Okay, then?”

“Sure. My sister’s smart. Smarter than I’ll ever be. If she’s okay with the whole not-from-Earth thing, then I can be too.”

“That’s it?” I pushed her back so I could see her face. “No argument? No demands for information?”

“Maverick, do you know what these scars mean?” She rolled slightly, showing me what looked like wings along her back. I’d noticed them the night before, but I had been too worried about pleasing her and myself to ask. The harsh, dark pink lines stood out against her golden skin in the morning light. Undeniable marks from severe wounds. Obvious signs of a battle fought.

“No,” I said as I traced one around her ribs. “Tell me.”

“I had kan-sserr, which is a sickness.” My translator threw many images to define cancer, all of them ugly and hard. Whatever that particular threat was, I never wanted it near my mate again.

“I don’t like this kan-sserr.”

“Nobody does. Kan-sserr is a horrible, cruel disease that takes over your body and destroys you from the inside out. Mine spread to a few areas, one being here.” She grabbed my hand and settled it over her breast. “See the round scar? It’s not as easy to spot as the ones on my back.”

I traced the line in question, noticing another matching one on her other breast. A pale, near-perfect circle around the darkened area in the middle. “What is this from?”

“I had breast kan-sserr as a teenager. It’s super rare and hard to treat when you get it so young, but I got it. And I beat it. The doctors removed flesh from my back to rebuild my breasts once all the sickness was gone, but it was a really long process. I spent almost a year in a hospital bed fighting every single sick cell of it.”

I brushed the back of my fingers over one of her scars. “You’re a warrior.”

She shook her head. “Maybe. But I’m also uncomfortable with people seeing my scars because I’m afraid they’ll disgust them. And I’m scared of being alone because of how hard being isolated from everyone was that year. And I have a hard time letting people tell me what to do because I prefer to be in control. Of everything.”

“Bossy.”

“Whatever.”

“But that’s how you deal with your past.”

“Yeah. It is. I know not everyone likes that, but—”

I pressed my lips to hers, needing her silence. Not wanting to hear her say bad things about herself.

“Stop,” I whispered when I finally pulled away. “It’s your hunting mask. I understand.”

“You do?”

I hummed and nuzzled into her neck, hiding behind her as I admitted my hurt as well. “Back on Xouthhgros, the men wore masks on their hunts to help them feel braver. There were creatures on other planets that could take a warrior down with a single strike. The masks gave them courage and strength. Just like yours does.”

Her smile fell, and she seemed to grow almost sad. “What happened to your planet?”

“There was an explosion. On Earth, it would be something like a volcanic eruption. It happened while I was hunting. I wasn’t there to help them.”

“I’m sorry.” She ran a hand through my mane, holding me close. “That had to be so hard on you to lose everything so quickly.”

“It was. There were five of us on that trip. We moved to a colony across the solar system, but it was destroyed as well. We’d been hunting again, Cutlass, Hudson and I—the other two had stayed behind. When the colony exploded, the three of us remaining headed farther out to get away from the chaos. We ended up in this space station where we found a flier for the Intergalactic Dating Agency. Hudson, he wanted to meet his mate, so he came here. Cutlass and I came with him because we didn’t have a reason not to.”

“And you signed up to be matched, just like Hudson and Cutlass.”

“Yes.”

“But you were matched to someone you don’t like.” Her voice wobbled, and her breaths came faster. I couldn’t stand the thought of her in pain, so I pulled back. Looking her in the eye.

“To someone who pretends to be someone I don’t like.”

She stared, her eyes deep, her mind obviously spinning. And when she spoke, her words were so true they actually hurt.

“I’m afraid of being weak.”

“I’m afraid of losing everything I care about.”

“We’re quite the pair.”

“Yes, we are. And we’ve been matched.” I licked along the seam of her lips, seeking entrance. Wanting nothing more than to mouth mate with her for days. She accepted me, giving in to the kiss with a soft exhale that only made me want to hear more of them.

“I crooned for you,” I said as I moved from her lips to her chin.

“I don’t know what that means, but I have a feeling it’s important.” She grabbed my mane, pulling me back up. Demanding more kisses.

I couldn’t answer, could only press my lips to hers and roll her under me. Important wasn’t a big enough word for crooning. Vital, necessary, amazing…those held more meaning. And still, they weren’t enough.

Her legs wrapped around my hips, and her arms pulled me closer as I mated her mouth with human-type kisses. Her body called to me, inviting me inside. And I responded, as selfish as that may have been.

“Maverick,” she whispered when I slowly slid into her wet heat.

I shook my head, unable to speak. Too weighted down by the moment to use words. Instead, I crooned for her, singing my desire and needs with my people’s song.

Stacy curled closer and wrapped her body around mine, watching me as I mated her with long, drawn-out strokes of my cock. As I pressed her body into the mattress and loved all over her. This was my match, my mate, my female. This was a person I could see myself with for the rest of our days. Not the brash, bossy person she pretended to be when she was upset or scared. The Stacy who’d woken up in my arms, admitted her secrets, and accepted mine was the real one. The true one.

The one I wanted.

The one I probably didn’t deserve but would keep by my side always.