Page 19 of 20% Stud 80% Muffin (Alien Fated Mates #1)

19

I circled the area in front of the sono and deepened my breathing. Stance wide, I bent my knees and spread my arms, allowing the push and pull motion to lull me away from distractions—mainly Makir pressed against me in the storage shed last night. Weeds had started to make their presence known in Yurstille, and every pivot tangled me in a new one.

Grasps bird’s tail…stork spreads wings…carry tiger up the mountain…

I’d been a mess all day, Makir a constant presence in my mind. Since my fall off the cliff’s edge, it was as if the cord tying us together strengthened each moment I spent with him. I couldn’t stay the hell away. His draw was much too strong.

…carry tiger up the mountain…carry tiger up the mountain…

Damn it. I shook out my arms, my fingers squeezing into fists. When would this restlessness stop? Nothing worked. No amount of tai chi settled me and my behavior had grown frustratingly erratic.

“Boss man?” JayJay’s booming voice startled me out of my ‘unrelaxation.’ “Quit dancing out here.” The deep vibration of his laughter moved up my arm when he passed me a bottle of wine.

“What’s this?” I tilted the bottle and nodded at the familiar red fruit on the label.

“It’s the dinner gift you meant to get for Makir.”

I bit the corner of my lip. He was right. I should’ve thought to bring something over.

“It’s swimming lessons.” Or it had been supposed to be, anyway. Then I’d gotten tricked into dinner. “Thanks, JayJay.” I gestured at the bottle. “I can’t string two thoughts together.” The bandage wrapped around my finger where I’d hammered it carelessly today was a testament to that. “Might have to visit Dr. Ten again. Pretty sure something’s wrong with me,” I mumbled.

“Bish, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve been hit with the goddess’s blessing.” He pushed me toward Makir’s, bottle in hand, his deep chuckle carrying behind me. “Enjoy your…swimming lessons.”

Goddess’s blessing… What’s he talking about?

The frosty air turned my breath into clouds while I walked to Makir’s. His linobee mittens would be in high demand soon. I waved to D’ovey as he turned the sign on the bakery to Closed for the day. The woodskies squawking song turned much longer than its summertime call. Ripe graneth seed heads dangled from long stalks where they dropped and filled cracks in the dry pink earth.

Warm light and laughter spilled from Makir’s entryway. The door stood propped open. Even though he was expecting me, Makir’s lack of personal safety burned like gasoline in my veins.

“Makir, why did we put a lock on your door if you won’t use it?” I shouted through the house.

Fuck, why did I always yell when I came here? I loved this place .

D’irk and Makir worked side by side making dinner. Soft music played in the background, and Makir wore some type of silky-looking fabric, presumably for swimming, that swayed with his every movement. A loose white shirt hung open, framing his mouthwatering torso. D’irk’s arm went behind Makir as he reached for the salt on the counter.

A hot wave of anger turned my vision red. My muscles bulged and tightened under my suddenly too-small shirt. Now isn’t this the perfect picture of domestic bliss. Makir turned his gaze toward me, then dropped it to his feet in submission.

I rubbed the back of my neck and unbuttoned the top two buttons on my shirt. Shit, he hasn’t broken eye contact with me in a long time. My muscles expanded across my back, prickling each nerve ending as they stretched. D’irk continued to prepare food, hip-to-hip with a frozen Makir, unaware of me about to lose my shit.

D’irk dusted the mantu with some type of seasoning. “Then you spread the paste on, roll it into a tight bundle and tie it off.”

Get it together. D’irk’s not a threat. I’m pretty sure he’s straight.

I prowled toward the counter, where D’irk provided instructions in the bright kitchen. Makir’s shoulders rolled inwards. Fuck. I’d done that .

I plastered myself to Makir’s side, one arm wrapping around him and pulling him in tight. I needed to touch him. To claim him. “How can I help?” I growled, slamming the bottle of hiscus wine on the concrete slab countertop so hard I was surprised it didn’t crack. Makir whimpered and softened like a limp noodle in my arms.

Damn it. Get control. I inhaled, but Makir’s ginger and juniper perfume only increased my possessiveness.

D’irk finally faced me His eyebrows rose, and a moment later, his teeth flashed in a playful grin. He finished stuffing the piece of mantu in front of him with the savory herb mix that spiced the air and nudged Makir’s shoulder. “Makir and I are getting to know each other a little better, aren’t we? ”

Makir’s gaze was pinned to the ground, his tail coiled around his waist.

Part of me understood D’irk was just playing around, but part of me—the alpha, maybe—burned like fire under my skin, so feral I was one step away from showing my teeth. I grabbed Makir’s wrist and pulled him out of D’irk’s range. D’irk didn’t miss that.

“Blant, Geo.” D’irk washed his hands impatiently and dried them on a towel hanging from a hook on the cabinet. “Take it easy. We’re only making dinner.”

Makir’s neck turned toward me in complete submission, and his gaze was still pinned to the floor. My fists clenched and released, clenched and released as I tried to regain control. Short, panting breaths heaved beneath my rib cage.

D’irk shook his head and took pity on me. “I’ll pop these in the oven. They’ll be ready in one sun.” A timer notification pinged on Makir’s wristport.

“Makir?” D’irk called out. When Makir didn’t respond but sank deeper into my side, D’irk glared at me. “We’ll do this another time.” He waved an irritated hand in front of the oven and moved to grab his jacket off the back of the chair.

“Geo, cool down, get in the pool or something. Tomorrow, com me.” The “com me” sounded like a death sentence. “There’s a right way and a wrong way to do this.” D’irk spoke slowly, like he would to an animal before he turned and left.

What an idiot . My shoulders dropped, and I blew out a breath. But at least I could put a label on it this time, and I was already calming with D’irk out of the picture. The last time the alpha in me had risen to the surface like this, it wouldn’t settle until… It would take more than a swim and dinner. The alpha needed contact. Intimate contact. It needed to claim.

My strength surprised me as I placed my palms on Makir’s waist and lifted him onto the long concrete countertop with ease. He yelped, and his eyes flickered to mine and darted away. I growled, wanting his trust back. Makir’s tail wound around his torso in a hug.

I dipped my head to the velvety fur where his collarbone met his neck and drowned myself in the ginger and juniper heaven there. The heady aroma tightened my groin. As I licked and sucked at Makir’s neck, his hands clutched my biceps, and his high-pitched whine loosened the taut tether. Then, I dragged my nose along the edge of his smooth jawline and worked my mouth toward his full lower lip.

“I’m sorry, little lion.”

Makir’s tail unwound, and its fluffy tip brushed the back of my neck. “It’s okay. I should’ve known standing next to an unmated male would trigger you.”

I moaned as he continued the soft graze of his tail over my neck. “It’s not okay. D’irk’s not a threat.” My fingers clenched on the cool ledge. “Yeah, I really need my scent on you right now. Can I?”

His lavender eyes fixed on mine with unnerving alertness. The contrast from his delirious gaze when he was in the throes of his heat left me feeling even more unsteady.

Driven to touch him, I plunged my tongue between his lips into the warmth of his mouth. He tasted like the herb mixture he’d been preparing, exotic and fresh.

“My alpha craves your consent.”

Makir’s silky swim trunks were so thin that every dip of his muscled thigh rippled as I swept my hand up his long leg. On a long groan, he replied, “An incomplete bond leaves an alpha’s claim unsecured. It’s a constant fight, or so I’ve been told.”

The velvety fur over his knee brushed against the side of my belly where my shirt rode up. A cascade of shivers surged through me. I slid my hand up his leg until the material bunched around his groin.

“I love claiming you, but when you’re not compromised by your heat, I want you to decide. I want you to say ‘no’ if you need to. You have free will with me.” A growl rumbled low in my belly as my thumb pressed against the base of his balls sheathed inside their protective pocket.

“I can’t believe you’re for real,” Makir muttered, his long fingers clutched at my biceps, and his eyes grew glassy. “Yes, Geo. I want you. ”

The heaviness of the moment grew too much for me, coupled with the relief his ‘yes’ brought. I blurted, “Are there lots of gay Lornians?”

My free hand traced each bump of Makir’s rib cage before my mouth dipped forward to taste his nipple. They were a lighter blue, free of the velvety fur covering most of his body.

“Gay?” His whisper-soft tail fluttered up my spine. “We don’t go so far as to separate people that way, but yes, there are many same-gendered matches.” With nimble fingers, Makir unfastened the buttons he’d sewn on the other night.

Heat consumed me. The tether, even stronger with Makir’s consent, vibrated between us as my belly clenched in anticipation of his touch.

“Lift.” My voice was gruff as I coaxed his hips off the counter.

The lavender of his eyes swirled with desire. I focused on his swim trunks, which I removed in one smooth motion before tossing them to the floor. His swollen purple head peeked out of its protective pocket when I lowered him again. Saliva pooled in my mouth, and the surface of my skin grew so hot it might power a nuclear reactor.

“Have to taste you,” I groaned. My fingertips teased the inside edge of his protective pocket, a horizontal slit that extended across where his belly button might have been if he’d had one. In a flash, I tucked it under his large, hairless balls.

Makir purred so loudly it overpowered the music, and he leaned in to kiss me. “You’re going to taste me ?”

“No, I have to taste you.” I dragged my nose down his torso, over the sensitive skin under his exposed protective pouch, drowning in the stronger scent pooling there. On instinct, I dove to the wide base of his cock, lapping up traces of ginger and juniper with long sweeps of my tongue. I rubbed my bristled cheeks and chin along the underside of Makir’s firm balls.

“W-w-what are you doing?” Makir writhed on the countertop. The fluffy tip of his tail spread open, and he suctioned little darting kisses behind my ears .

I grew harder than the concrete he sat on as his purr vibrated up my spine. His scent filled my nose and his juniper taste melted in my mouth. I licked up the smooth blue skin of his shaft and twirled my tongue over the fat purple head.

Makir’s purr turned to whimpers, and he lifted my chin with a gentle hand. “Geo. Stop. Alphas don’t pleasure omegas this way.”

“Not happening. I want this. I need to apologize.” My jaw widened and unhinged over the fat head of his cock. I brushed off the momentary panic before accepting it as another adaptation to his omega call. His musky flavor spread over my tongue, and I lapped like a starved man. Every nerve buzzed and snapped like a live wire. The suction of his tail latched onto my nipple, and he drew on it, sucking in a way that drove me insane. He left me no choice but to release his throbbing dick, throw my head back and roar, “Hell yeah!”

Makir pulled my head back down to his groin. “Geo…please.”

Before swallowing another mouthful of cock, I mumbled, “I knew you’d love it.”

With the calloused pad of my thumb circling the small protrusion he called his tine, I watched his blue lion’s mane tumble wildly around his shoulders. I pumped his long shaft with the other hand and rubbed my lips over his ripe and leaking head.

Makir’s purr turned into a whine. “W-what are you doing to me?”

I kicked my leg behind me and snagged one of the wide stools under Makir’s table closer with my foot. Now I sat at the perfect height to grab his ass and pull him to the counter’s edge.

“If you like that, little lion, you’ll love this.” My voice was a deep baritone I didn’t recognize.

Makir placed his feet on either side of the stool for balance, hips writhing, but I forced them back to the counter and wrapped my lips around his cock, pistoning him deep into my throat. His eyes were squeezed shut, and every taut muscle pulsed, needing release. When Makir picked up the rhythm on his own, I reached up to his nipples and tugged on them .

As he fucked my face, pleasuring himself, satisfaction filled me. The beautiful length of his spine arched, pushing him deeper into my throat. The new position pressed his nipples into my palms as he whined, purred and garbled nonsense. Finally, he stilled. His release pulsed down my throat in hot spurts. Our eyes locked, his gaze so wild and hungry that I almost spilled.

I placed his hand around my throat, squeezed it right over his pulsing dick, and took deep breaths through my nose.

“Blant, Geo. You’re so sexy.” His thumb pressed gently over my Adam’s apple, right where his tine was lodged, into his softening length.

It’d never felt like this before. This need to absolutely dominate and be owned at the same time. I massaged my thumbs deeply into Makir’s thick thighs above his knees. His muscles clenched, but he still held his cock in my throat.

When Makir’s senses returned, his eyes opened, and the lavender swirls shifted from contentment to concern. He pulled out of my throat slowly and jumped down from the counter, soft cock swinging, and gently wrapped his long fingers around my throat.

“Geo…” He focused on the ceiling and prayed. “Oh! What have I done? Are you all right? Can you speak? Will you be able to eat, drink, breathe?”

Where the suction of his tail kissed along my throat, blissful zings of energy erupted. The laughter about to burst out of me at Makir’s reaction morphed into elation as the electric waves turned me into a moaning mess. His tail’s suction seemed to amplify emotion, and my release barreled through me, soaking the front of my swim shorts.

Makir glanced at the wet spot on my shorts, and my gaze dropped to where his tail and hand were still wrapped around my neck, and we burst into laughter.

“I guess you’re okay then.” Makir reluctantly unwound his tail from my neck and propped his elbow against the counter, his long, lean body on display.

I wasn’t sure why he created distance between us, but space was the last thing I wanted, so I stood from the stool and pressed the length of my body into his. I tipped his face down to meet my mouth before gently sucking his lips. My hands rubbed up and down his soft, velvety arms and stilled when our fingers threaded together. Our kiss deepened.

Makir pulled back, his voice soft. “I thought I choked you and…”

“And stopped me from eating, drinking, speaking and…breathing?” I teased before I smoothed my palm up and down his spine. I couldn’t stop touching him and pressed my lips to his again.

He pinched my waist, and I didn’t even care when my muffin top pushed against his lean hips. “Don’t tease me. What if I’d hurt you?”

“I loved it.” I fixed my eyes on his, willing him to see the truth there, while I circled my thumbs on the inside of his wrists.

Makir grinned. His voice became so eager he sounded like a child. “Does that mean we can do it again?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“Now?” he purred.

“Quit it.” I tugged his tail. “No more purring.”

When I released him to gather his swim trunks from the floor, he whimpered. I worked his feet through the legs, ran my thumb possessively down his half-hard cock and gently tucked it back in his pouch. Finally, after a quick peck on his nose, I pulled his shorts up the rest of the way and tied the drawstring in a neat bow.

I leaned away for a second, trying to gauge his expression. The tether hung slack and heavy, the alpha in me content, but I didn’t like the uncertainty in his eyes, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with this kind of attention. He worried his lip.

“Hey, I don’t care if it’s not something alphas do. Did you like it?”

His tail wrapped around my calf, and he nodded, eyes on the floor.

“Look at me.” I tipped his chin up. “Then I’m going to keep doing it for as long as you like it, ’kay?”

His eyes swirled, and the way his lips curled in a tentative smile looked a lot like hope.

“We’ve got a swimming lesson to take care of.” I smacked him on the ass. “And I can’t wait to have that mantu. It smells fucking amazing.” With a smile, I looped one arm under his legs and lifted, cradling him in my arms as I walked to the lounge chair in the courtyard and laid him on it. “But first”—I nestled in behind him and rested my arm in the crook of his waist—“we cuddle.”