I groaned in mock horror. “Then you’re in luck, because I’ve got plenty of them.”
“And I love all of them.”
My breath caught in my throat. He’d never said the word before, and I’d honestly never imagined that someone as fierce and battle-hardened as him would. “You do?”
“I love everything about you, Juliette.”
I stifled a sob. No one had ever told me they loved me. Not like that. I yanked him to me, needing to feel his body on mine, needing to feel him in me. As I kissed him wildly, I tugged at the sleeves of my jumpsuit, cursing the one-piece outfit. It had been so perfect for a mission in the woods, but it was not ideal for a romp in a closet.
Vassim helped me, pulling the fabric over my shoulders and my waist, moaning as my breasts spilled out of the tight confines. When we’d managed to work the jumpsuit over my hips, he spun me around as I shimmied the fabric the rest of the way to my feet.
“Juliette,” he husked, reaching around and palming my breasts in his large hands as I bent over.
“I want to feel you inside me, Raas.” My thighs were already slick with desire, and I let out a breathy sigh when he dragged his cock between them and notched it at my opening.
“Your wish is my command, mate.” Then he plunged himself into me with a single, deep thrust.
I gasped at the sudden stretch, but the pleasure that accompanied it made me moan and rock back into him. “More, Vassim. I want more.”
He quickly obliged, pounding into me again and again as he slipped his tail up between my legs while he thumbed my nipples. The delicious sensation of being filled by him was soon joined by the tip of his tail circling my swollen nub. I arched back as he worked his tail between my legs and his cock inside me, the illicit thrill making me writhe wildly. He slid one hand from my breast to my hair, fisting it and pulling it back so my neck was exposed and then biting down on my bare flesh.
“You are mine,” he growled, the noise primal and rough as it vibrated along the surface of my skin.
I bucked against him as my body quivered and then shattered, clenching his cock over and over. He slid his hand up to circle my neck and then to my mouth, where I bit down on the finger he put between my lips. Vassim reared back and buried his cock deep, letting out a roar I was sure rattled the hull and could be heard outside the ship.
“See?” I said between uneven breaths. “I knew you’d like my closet.”
“It’s not your closet I like so much.” He pulled his cock out and then the furry tip of his tail was pushing inside me. “It’s you, Juliette. I can’t get enough of your perfect body.”
I whimpered as he dragged his tail in and out of me slowly. “You have me—all of me.”
“That’s all I’ve ever truly desired.” He tilted my head back and crushed his mouth to mine in a deep claiming kiss that didn’t end until I’d come again with his tail inside me.
I sighed when I realized that being truly adored was all I’d ever wanted as well—and I’d found it in the most unexpected place and with someone I’d once believed was irredeemable.
Turning around, I tugged my jumpsuit back up. “Now I’m going to take you to bed.”
He made a hungry noise in the back of his throat, and I laughed, knowing that he was going to be surprised when I tucked him into bed for a long sleep he so badly needed.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Vassim
“I don’t understand.” I stared at the small bedroom carved into the tunnel. The dirt roof was arched above a wooden bed covered with a quilt and a pair of fluffy pillows. The air smelled slightly of the loamy earth and the tallow of burning candles lit on the bedside tables.
“I know it isn’t much,” Fenrey said, fluttering a hand and finally pressing it to his paisley ascot. “We built it during the Zagrath occupation. In case my son came home, and I needed to hide him.” His voice broke, and he waved his hands away. “But Lebben came home safely, and I’ve rarely had use for this room.” He chuckled. “At least after Tara and Kaalek left.”
“Thank you,” Juliette said. “It’s perfect. He won’t stay long.”
“He?” I swung my head to her as she prodded me toward the bed. “I thought…” I glanced at the little Carlogian. I didn’t want to say what I’d thought in front of the alien, but his cheeks colored nonetheless.
“I’ll leave you two,” he stammered, backing from the arched doorway and into the tunnel illuminated by string lights.
Juliette gave me a hard shove, and I fell backward onto the bed, bouncing slightly on the soft mattress. I reached out to grab her but she danced away.
She folded back the neckline of her jumpsuit to reveal the black swirls etched into her skin. “These marks mean we’re true mates, right?”
I brushed my fingers over my throat where the expanding marks were still hot to the touch. “They do.”
“Then that means the curse should be broken, and you should be able to sleep without being tortured by the memories of that battle.”
I looked back at the bed and loosed a breath. It was almost too much to think the curse might finally have relinquished its hold on me. “But what if…?”
She stepped closer and fell forward, pushing me the rest of the way down until we were both lying flat on the bed. “Only one way to find out, Raas.”
I growled as I felt her soft curves pressed into me, but she put her fingertips over my eyelids and closed them. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.” She then feathered kisses across my lids. “Always.”
I wanted to
