He turned slightly so he faced me on the couch. Our knees bumped, and he lifted my legs up over his tree-trunk thighs so we fit. I was half sitting on his lap. I was surprised the heat from him didn’t have steam coming off his pants.
“Of course. Who has hurt you?”
I picked at the blanket, not meeting his dark eyes. “You just met me and you wish to talk about this?”
“I wish to know everything about you, but you must be happy and I can tell you are not. Tell me this human’s name.”
I sighed, seeing that he was a very determined alien.
“Jeff Randall. But you can’t kill him.”
His jaw clenched. “Yes, I am aware. I do not wish for the relations between Earth and the Coalition to become an issue like last time.”
“Last time?”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Things became complicated when Warlord Braun found his mate. Things are settled now, but killing a human will most likely dissolve any gains the ambassador made in the past month.”
“Um… okay.” He spoke perfect English, but he made no sense.
He raised a hand and stroked my cheek. The barest of touches with his fingertips.
I tilted my head, leaning into the gesture.
“Tell me about this Jeff Randall.”
As I told him of Jeff stalking me, Bahre’s hand continued to stroke over my skin. My hair. My shoulder.
His head whipped around, suddenly on full alert, like a guard dog hearing an unfamiliar sound. “You believe he may be outside your house now?” As he pushed up to stand, I set my hand on his biceps to stop him.
“I don’t know. It’s possible. I’ve seen him here in town, but he hasn’t done anything.”
“Your mind is troubled. You are afraid.”
“Well, yes. But do not think of him. As you said, you don’t want any issues between Earth and the Coalition. You are here with me, and you said you will keep me safe.”
I tossed his own words back at him. I was using them to prove to him now that no one would get to me with him nearby.
He gave a funny grunt. More like a growl. Was that his beast? And why did that sound make me wet? No… wetter.
“Mate,” he said, his voice deep. His dark gaze was on my lips now. He set his hands upon my shoulders. Gently. Reverently. “You are so beautiful.”
He was so big, and I felt small and feminine. Protected. His scars proved that he was powerful. A survivor.
I didn’t have to be strong for him. All he wanted was me. I could not resist any longer. When he was so close, when I felt like I was in a cocoon of safety that seemed only he could provide me, I let go. Pulled down all my defenses. All my walls. At least for the moment.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
His hands slid up to cup my cheeks. He lowered his head and did just that.
How could such a big Atlan be so gentle? So… sweet? I wouldn’t tell him that. Never.
I just enjoyed the gentle sweep of his lips over mine. I sighed into the caress, relaxed, and fell back onto the couch, letting him come over me, one of his knees beside my hip, a hand on the arm of the couch to keep his weight off me. I let his tongue sweep in and take.
“Mate,” he growled against my lips.
I wasn’t going to argue when the hard press of him made me moan. God, he was virile. Manly, or whatever the alien word was for that. Dominant.
I felt the hard press of his cock against my leg, and while he was so much bigger than me, I felt powerful. I was the one he was drawn to. I was the one he’d stood out in the rain and watched over. I was the one who had made him hard.
Me.
I tangled my fingers in his silky hair and kissed the ever-loving daylights out of him.
His hand slid up and down my side, parting my robe. I felt the cool air against my skin and knew he’d pushed my top up.
We were both still clothed—minus his shirt—and making out like teenagers. When his huge hand cupped my breast, I broke the kiss and cried out.
These weren’t gentle man hands. I felt callouses, rough skin that scraped across mine. This was a palm that had held a weapon. Fingers that had pulled a trigger. A grip that had killed.
And yet he was plucking at my nipple with a gentle skill that made my clit pulse, my pussy soaked for him.
“Bahre,” I said, whispering his name against his ear.
“Fuck, you’re so soft. I could hurt you so easily.”
I could barely catch my breath, could barely think with what his hand was doing. No below-the-waist action, nothing beyond second base. And I was close to coming.
“You won’t hurt me.” I flicked my tongue out, licked his neck. Kissed the small scar there.
“Never,” he vowed, then growled. Lifting his head, he stared down at me, taking his time to look over every feature of my face. “I must stop.”
I tightened my grip on his hair. “Stop?” I might have been wary of him to start, but now that I was close to coming, I’d completely changed my mind. I was ready to rip off my clothes so he could get that big cock inside me. To fill me up. I wasn’t even sure he would fit, and that had me whimpering.
His jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck cording. “Yes, stop. As you said, we just met and I will be patient.”
“Patient.”
He nodded, but his gaze was on my lips. His hand still cupped my breast.
“We must become familiar with each other.”
I frowned. “You want to… you want to take it slow?”
Was he insane? His hand was… on… my… breast. My nipple was so hard it was probably cutting a hole in his palm.
“Yes.”
What guy spoke like this? Was he insane? “And what… date?”
“Become better acquainted before
