“My heart is so much fuller than that, so much richer. But I’ll use that word, KJ. I love you deeper than the crevasse we’re sitting near, louder than the thunder of the falls, farther than the most distant star in this galaxy or any other. What more do you need to hear?”
“Nothing.” Can I die from the fullness of my heart near to bursting in my chest? “Nothing A’Zul, other than for me to tell you I love you, too. I wish I could speak as eloquently as you, that was poetry of the soul. I can only give you my cheap words, but they’re heartfelt. I promise you that.”
As if we’re two sides of a mirror, our hands move so we’re bracketing each other’s cheeks in our palms. Tears are filming my vision, but I can still see his beautiful face. How can I care about the color of his skin or the angular jut of his bones when the male underneath is looking at me as if I’m the very breath that provides him life?
My thumbs stroke his skin, the skin that looks so rough yet feels so smooth. “I’ll be your mate, A’Zul. I’d be honored.”
The time for talking is over. I roll onto him, straddling him, and kiss him as if my life depends on it, as if both our lives do. Pulling away for the briefest moment I look at him and wonder how I ever thought he wasn’t the most handsome male I’ve ever seen.
And I’m kissing him again. Soft little kisses morph into tender smacks and then I focus on those full lips and that sexy mouth, the one that just said unspeakably beautiful words to me. He’s right. The word ‘love’ is so easily used and misused. What he told me is so much better, so much more personal than a single word.
I pull away to order, “Someday you’re going to write a book, A’Zul. A book of love words like you just told me. You’ll be known all over the galaxy as the sexiest male who ever lived.”
“I can’t read,” he protests.
“Even better, you can dictate it and every female in the galaxy will hear your erotic rumble and be blown away by the depth of your sincerity. But you’re mine. Don’t forget.”
“Only yours, KJ.”
He kisses his way down my jawbone, then the sensitive column of my throat, and stops at the collar of my t-shirt.
After pulling it over my head and removing my bra, he kisses and licks and nibbles his way to my breasts.
I don’t quite understand how the romantic heart connection we shared a moment ago could be swept aside so quickly and replaced with sheer desperate lust. But there’s no other way to describe how I’m feeling. It reminds me of the chemical urgency of the reds. But this has nothing to do with chemistry, unless it’s the chemistry of the heart.
One hand is plucking my nipple as the other slides down my belly and under my jeans.
“Off,” he says, not wanting to wait a second to get me naked. I yank down my pants, wondering where his loincloth wound up when he shifted into Oz form.
For a second, I worry that he’ll shift, but he doesn’t. His glowing green gaze slides down my body as if he’s never seen me before. As if I’m the most beautiful sight he’s ever laid eyes on. More spectacular than 360-degree rainbows. More majestic than the mountains in the distance.
“I want to do everything to you,” he husks.
“Go for it.” My words are too bold, but I don’t break eye contact.
A small tilted smile slashes across his face as his hands grip my waist and roll me so I’m on my back. He sits at my side, then leans to suck my breast, pulling on the nipple, then releasing with a pop of suction. His hand rolls the other hardened nub with exquisite tightness, causing my hips to try to grind against him.
I reach for his cock, a pleasure he’s never denied me—until now.
“I want to do everything to you, KJ. Nod your head if you understand.”
I nod, unable to hide my expectant smile.
“Put your hands on top of your head. Don’t move them.”
Chapter Eight
A’Zul
I just told KJ all those pretty words. And I meant every one of them. But right now I want other things. Maybe the animals inside me aren’t as far away as I’d thought. I don’t feel fully like a To’mahn, I feel like an animal. An animal who’s found his mate.
I grab the holster KJ tossed on her pile of clothes, slide it along her palm, then lay it near her hands.
“Don’t hesitate to stun me if I shift, mate. I would never hurt you on purpose. You know that?”
She nods, showing me white around her eyes.
“I don’t want you to fear me. My animals seem closer than they have since I was stolen. I still have no control.” If I was a good male I’d walk away right now, but I’m not that good, I need to be inside her. Soon.
“I don’t fear you, A’Zul. You’d never hurt me.”
Her eyes tell a different story.
“Use the weapon if you need to.”
I dip my head back to her breasts, sucking and biting the hard points until she writhes, making little moaning noises as if she’s desperate for my touch.
Her desires seem to change moment by moment. Sometimes she moans the loudest when I rapidly flick the dusky peaks with the tip of my tongue, an eyeblink later, though, she prefers a firm bite with lip-covered teeth. At other times, it’s when I suction the hardened point into my
