He was frowning, worrying too much, thinking too long. “You’re sure? I—”

“I’m sure. I want to.”

To forget. That was what she wanted. For a brief second, she wanted to not be his servant and to ignore the fact that she’d come to this planet as a prisoner. Because it tangled through her mind and made her hate herself when her thoughts turned to Rayner. She yearned to be with him. To know what he’d feel like, skin against skin, his mouth tasting hers, the erection she’d detected more than once filling her.

Forget the rest. Keep only him. For one night. That wasn’t so wrong, was it?

Standing to their feet, she led him to his front door, his looming height a hot presence against her back. They slipped inside, and he closed the door, locking it with his free hand. She waited until he turned back to face her. The lights in the room cast them in shadow. The scent of cooling bread mingled with his salty male scent. He waited, seemingly frozen, his eyes guarded. He was thinking of that line. The line he’d drawn between them and been so careful not to toe.

For tonight, she’d dash it.

She stood on her tiptoes to wind her arms around his neck and pull his head toward her. His muscles tensed, hands hovering at her waist as she ran her tongue along his unyielding lips. She brushed her lips back and forth over his, suddenly uncertain. Would he refuse her? He’d said he didn’t want this from her, but his body spoke differently every time they touched.

She paused, those thoughts returning. It was wrong. She shouldn’t—

As if a dam had broken, his broad hands molded against her waist and crushed her against him, his mouth opening to devour hers. Her nervous worry flared to passion, and she met his tongue thrust for thrust as he rolled his hips against her.

“We should go.” She breathed the words against his lips.

“Go where?” The low rumble of his voice sent a shiver of delight deep into her belly.

“To the bedroom.”

He didn’t need any encouragement. Using both hands, he reached under her bottom and lifted her, striding surely through the front room toward the bedroom. She wrapped both legs around his waist, kissing him hard.

He kicked the door shut behind him and lowered her onto the bed, pushing her back and draping himself over her. Her pussy reacted with a wash of heat and moisture, the demands of her body taking over any residual hesitation she may have felt.

He lowered his weight, pressing her into the soft blankets, one knee sliding between her legs to press hard against her clit. The pressure made her arch against him, grinding herself with abandon. She moaned, and her hands found their way under his shirt. His skin felt smooth and hard over his muscles flexing beneath her fingertips as he deepened their kiss.

His hands came up to cup her jaw, controlling her mouth, controlling the kiss. He nipped her lips and then moved along her jaw line, teeth drawing delightful shivers with every bite. Behind her ear, he licked the sensitive skin and trailed his lips down the side of her neck. She gasped, every nerve on fire. Every inch of her craving more.

He ran his hand down her side and pushed her new shirt up. His broad palm skimmed her flesh, spanned her ribs, and came to rest beneath her breast, just under her heart. Even now, he was asking permission.

“Yes…” she moaned, wriggling until he cupped her breast. The heat of his fingers seemed to burn her skin, and he stroked and kneaded the sensitive flesh before drawing his fingertips over her nipple and rolling it gently. Electricity jolted from her nipple to her core, setting her ablaze.

He drew away from her mouth. “You’re perfect,” he breathed against her lips. “So soft.” He groaned, burying his face against her neck. “That scent.” He cursed, the words muffled as he dragged his mouth along her neck, kissing and nipping down to her collarbone, where he hovered at the edge of the bandage she still wore over the bite.

Her hands slipped to his waistband, seeking the clasp, anxious to free the hard shaft she could feel pressing into her hip. He moved out of reach, lowering his head to capture her nipple between his lips. Licking the bud into an aching point, he shifted to her other breast and provided equal treatment. Vera writhed against the bed, the heat of her pussy crying out for him.

His hands moved to her leggings, a finger running beneath the fabric, making her belly tighten. His mouth moved from her nipple down to her belly. Just below her navel, he paused, his breath hot against her skin. “Are you sure you want this?” he asked in a coarse rasp of desire.

She dug her fingers into his hair, tugging at the locks to urge him downward. “More than anything, Rayner.”

His growl set her blood on fire, and in one swift move, he whipped her pants down her legs and threw them across the room. The air on her thighs raised goose bumps, but she barely noticed them as his lip curled and a noise from deep within his chest sent electric shocks straight to her core. Grabbing her ankles, he pulled her to him until his nose touched the inside of her upper thigh. He inhaled and moaned, licking her flesh with a wide, flat tongue.

The fire he’d ignited could only be quenched by his touch. She lifted her hips, begging for him to place that tongue where she most needed to feel it, but instead, he took his time, languidly licking up her thigh to nip at her hip bone.

“Rayner …” she groaned, throwing her arms over her eyes. She was completely at the mercy of his touch and every noise, every point of contact, sent her heart rate flying so fast she was sure it would burst out of pure need.

“What do you want, Vera?” he asked against her leg, his breath tickling her.

He trailed kisses across her lower belly, caressing his fingers up and down her inner thighs. Touched her everywhere except where she most needed to be touched.

“Lick me,” she choked out, her hips jerking.

He reached up and splayed a hand across her belly, holding her down. Holding her against his mouth. His breath danced across her wet folds, her aching core. She gasped.

She felt, rather than saw, him smile against her. A second later, his warm, wet tongue split her in half as he licked his way along the length of her slit. When he found her nub, he sucked gently, throwing Vera into mind-spinning pleasure.

She flung one leg over his shoulder and arched her back. Her hand twisted in his hair, trying to pull him closer. Deeper.

“You like that, do you?” he teased.

“Please!” she gasped, barely able to form a coherent thought.

He chuckled before giving her folds another languid lick. He brought his finger to her entrance and probed slowly, pushing his thick digit inside her. The filling pressure brought her to the edge, but not over. She ground down on his hand and face, desperate for release. Desperate for more.

She’d never felt this crazed. She’d known she wanted this, wanted him, but never had she dreamed of a desire so deep. So primal. But his hands on her, his lips, his tongue was like flying through space, the stars flashing by around her, the darkness a void she wanted to fling herself into and never return. She wanted to feel all of him, not just his mouth and hand.

“I need you.” She grasped at his shoulders. “I need you inside me. Now.”

Instead, he buried his finger deeper, stroking in and out with excruciating slowness. Curling his finger, he changed his angle slightly, tickling a spot no man had ever discovered before and ratcheting her desire to another level.

She bucked against him. His hand on her stomach held her tighter. He captured her clit between his lips. Sucking, stroking, teasing, he took control of her body inside and out until she writhed and screamed. She clawed the bedding and let her voice rise loud enough to alert the entire clan, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was this moment with Rayner and the way he made her feel.

Her spine achingly tight, her stomach burning hotter than molten metal, she came. She rode against him, and he milked her pleasure until the last wave had left her breathless, her vision spinning.

Rayner kissed her folds with a tenderness that brought her back to reality and eased his finger free. She opened her eyes to see him kneeling above her, his erection straining against his pants.

“You taste like you smell, Vera.” Heat spread across her cheeks to the tips of her ears at his words. Then he said, “Delicious. Dark.” His hands stroked down her thighs, fingers gripping her flesh. “There’s nothing on this planet as perfect as you.”

“You,” she said, her heart thundering in her ears. She couldn’t believe it, but she wanted more. “I want all of you.”

A grin spread across his face, and he shoved down his pants, revealing the most beautiful cock she’d ever seen. Crowning the long, thick shaft, the head glistened with need. His skin rippled, and Vera wondered just how much of his passion was from the man, and how much was from the Vilka. He lowered himself to claim her mouth again, his lips and tongue redolent of her own desire.

She dropped her hands between them, finding his velvety shaft and running a thumb over the slippery head, teasing the small slit. He groaned against her mouth, thrusting his hips into her grip.

Vera wanted to feel that cock inside her. She wanted it to stretch her, to claim her, to make her fully his. His? The thought tumbled against the pulses of desire, but she shoved it aside. “Now,” she demanded.

He positioned his hips between her legs and pressed the wide, thick head to her throbbing entrance. She wrapped her hands behind his ass and pulled, hard, lifting her hips to meet him. In one long thrust, he took her completely.

She threw back her head and let out a long, throaty moan. Buried deep inside her, his girth filled her up, stretching her to the point of pain. She’d never expected to feel this tight, this consumed. This completed. She sighed, holding him tight against her just to feel him for a second longer.

He let out a groan of pure pleasure, his back arching, his hands on either side of her head holding up his weight. “Great Avilku. What have you done to me?”

He pulled back, slick with her desire, and curled his hips to enter her again. She clutched his ass, lifting her hips to meet his, accepting each thrust. His controlled tempo increased until he pounded against her, his breath hot in her ear, and the sweat grew thick between them. The pressure inside Vera’s belly grew again, different from what his finger had given her, fuller. His cock seemed to grow inside her until every inch of her cried out for release.

A slow vibration began at the base of her spine and rocketed down her thighs, spiraled up her hips into her belly, radiating like a tsunami until even the tips of her fingers and toes were awash in pleasure. She threw her head back against the pillows and allowed her orgasm to take her in great, juddering gasps.

Rearing back, Rayner let out a roar, his entire body vibrating. Heat jettisoned inside her, deep into her womb. Still shuddering, he clutched her hips in the final throes of his own release. She clenched him tight until he’d gone still above her, his head bowed as if in prayer.

Through a lock of his hair that had fallen across his forehead, he found her gaze. He smiled crookedly, still inside her.

“Come here,” Vera said, opening her arms to him.

His weight settled on her with a comforting pleasure as they both allowed their breathing to return to normal. “Vera,” he breathed, kissing her neck.

“Hmm,” she murmured in response, her eyelids drifting closed. He rolled off her, still buried deep inside her, and brought her to rest against his chest, her legs sprawling across his. The sheets were a tangled mess at their feet.

Sleep tugged at Vera’s consciousness. She was so tired. Tired from being afraid, from being strong. In this one moment with Rayner, she finally felt completely free, even more than she had back on the station with a wrench in her hand and grease on her face.

That had been home, but in this moment, that definition was changing, even if she wasn’t ready to admit that truth to herself.

But she knew she didn’t want to leave him.