Page 16 of 80% Beef 20% Cake (Alien Fated Mates #2)

16

M y skin buzzed like a live wire. The needle in my tight grip punched through the garment I was mending at record speed. How dare he announce to the entire command center, in his stupid loud voice, that he would attend to me when he got back.

Next time we had sex would be different. No pesky feelings allowed.

Yes, I needed him to get home, but I didn’t need him to brush me aside in the process, as if I held no more value than a wad of gum on the bottom of his shoe. He had a lot of nerve, and if desperation weren’t driving me to get the hell off this planet, I wouldn’t get closer to him than a ten-foot pole.

The door knocker to my private volcanic sex den rattled. JayJay’s here. I turned to face him, prepared for battle.

The knocker bumped the door again. Why would he knock? “It’s open.”

The wheels of the slider rolled, and Efred’s purple-scaled head popped up. “JayJay’s on his way, Ginger, and he’s not smiling.”

I pulled a thread tight and knotted the stitch as I made eye contact. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Good luck,” he snorted. A plume of smoke trailed behind him as the door shuttled closed.

So JayJay had returned angry and was on his way to “attend to me.” Good! Heat flared under my cheeks, and my lips pursed. In my current mood, JayJay needed the luck, not me.

The door shot open, sliders straining under the force. He box-jumped into his room, crouched deep on his haunches, his thigh muscles tested the seams of his pants, and growled.

Beast-like. Predatory.

The rumble in his chest deafened me, and his gaze demolished my arguments, turning them into a lust-filled haze. A bolt of heat ignited in my stomach, radiating until every nerve fired. Blood rushed between my thighs in preparation. My anger eroded, replaced by a desire so thick I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped my mouth.

His coiled muscles released, and eight feet of Rock Dweller sprang at me like a cheetah latching on to a gazelle. I didn’t have a chance.

“Breathe.” His deep voice broke, turning his words to static.

I teetered on my feet, lightheaded. How long had I been holding my breath? Gulping air, I stepped away from the earth and musk smell clouding my mind. I had things to say.

“Stop right there, JayJay. We need to talk. First of all…” I held an index finger in the air. “Don’t bark orders at me like I’m one of your soldiers. If you don’t want to be my friend, that’s fine, but I deserve respect.” I held up another finger. “Second…I would appreciate it if you could keep the whole treatment thing on the down-low. My medical needs are private. Third…” My gaze snapped to JayJay’s, his silence called out to me, screaming for my attention.

A hairsbreadth away, he loomed over me, panting. His eyes bored into me. Their savage need echoed through my body, amplifying his yearning. Shirtless, the thick slabs of his abdomen rippled above his torn pants. My finger moved with a mind of its own, traveling down the deep trail separating them.

“Are you okay?”

He twitched when my finger grazed him and grabbed my wrist. “Ginger…” he breathed. “I am an unworthy male. But something is happening to me that I don’t understand.” JayJay’s arm jerked where he restrained me, and despite our frozen state, my breath shortened to match his. “I must take you right now. It’s the only way.”

His hot grip sent tingles vibrating up my arm. I could give him what he needed. My damaged ego seemed minor in the presence of this steadfast giant’s wavering control.

“May I?” he growled.

“Yes,” I whispered.

With permission granted, his huge hands flew to my hips and, with no effort at all, he lifted me. On autopilot, I locked my legs around his sides, stretched wide to span his ribs. A second later he dropped us to the edge of the blankets, already unzipping my pants. Time seemed to freeze, each tooth clicking loudly in the muted air. A heady sensation floated over me at his possessive touch and sent me sailing when he hooked one of his three fingers in the elastic of my satin panties, trailing the sensuous fabric down my legs with my jeans.

I steadied myself, planting a hand on each of his thick thighs. My loose shirt clung to me, and my nipples throbbed under the thin material, begging for attention. With wild eyes and tattered clothes, he fumbled at the lacing on his pants.

Where had this version of JayJay sprung free from?

His chest pumped up and down as he took his thick cock in one hand and stroked. The ridged coil called to me. I wanted to run my tongue over the spiral ringing his length, nibble it, and massage it with my thumbs.

Even with JayJay more animal than man, his feral gaze traveling over my body, I trusted him. At some point, the giant, hairless gray Rock Dweller parts of him had dissolved, and he’d become just a guy. A handsome guy who’d come to my rescue more than once. A friend. More than a friend.

With his cock pointing straight up, he let out a deafening rumble.

“I know you won’t hurt me,” I soothed, petting his forearms and linking our fingers. “Let go. Take what you need.”

His forest-green eyes turned black and his cock quaked in his hand. Lightning fast, he clutched my ass in one colossal palm. Then he lifted me until I hovered in the air, straddling his thick coil.

I clutched the smooth planes of his chest for balance as my core tightened with need. Frozen in the grip of his gaze, I gasped when he dropped my hips until his plump head kissed my swollen lips. He pulsed there until I opened for him. His dilated pupils sparked with fire as my body allowed him entry, and he let go of his firm hold on my hips, shifting his big paws to my breasts.

I slid down, down, down. The ridged length sensitized every nerve inside me, sending delicious shivers up my spine. As I moaned, one large hand massaged my ass cheeks, working me to his jerky rhythm. My nipples tingled with delicious heat when he kneaded my satin-covered breasts.

With his wild stare still fixed on me, he rubbed my clit with his thumb until I grew red hot. My trembling hand clasped one round bicep. The humidity of the cave and the fire burning in my core turned my skin slick, and I whimpered as the tension built and built. With one last thrust, his coil undulated deep inside me and pushed me over the edge.

“JayJay.” I arched my back, pressing my hard nipples into his chest. My eyes opened to the domed ceiling as I moaned.

Seconds later, his hands tightened on my waist, and he bellowed. Warm cum filled me. The air turned quiet except for our shallow breaths. The deafening rumble faded into brittle silence.

What’s he thinking?

Calm forest-green eyes met mine before they welled with shame and darted away. His forehead ridge jutted, and he rubbed an unsteady hand over it. My thighs still shook, the muscles stretched to the limit where they spread over his. His chin dropped, his gaze fixed on the cum leaking from our joining and he shuddered. While his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, he cleared all expression from his face.

Had I turned him into this whirlwind of emotions? Was this what happened when Rock Dwellers had sex? I needed to talk to TeyTey.

I smoothed my hand over his cheek, searching deep in his eyes for the JayJay I knew. “You’re worthy.”

With the lightest touch, as if afraid, he lifted me off his long coil. It softened in his lap, and he stood me on the ground between his feet. In one fluid motion, he tucked his cock back into his pants, laced them, and rose. Brushing by my side—I stiffened, confused—he carried on toward the door without making eye contact. He slid it open, but before he leaped down, he spoke with a voice like sandpaper to the space in front of him. “You deserve better. But I’ll be back at moonrise if you still want me.”

The door slid shut once again.

Left standing at the foot of the bed, his cum running down my leg, an aching sob wrenched free from my lungs and soul. Loneliness pooled in my heart. The emotional cost of this treatment was too high for the both of us. I fell to my knees as despair washed through me. My ridiculous feelings kept getting in the way, making it impossible to keep our treatments clinical. He wasn’t using me, I was using him. But my body and brain couldn’t get that straight.

Apparently, sex without a relationship was no longer part of my MO. I knuckled frustrated tears away, soaked a cloth in the water of a trumpet flower and scrubbed every drop of him away. Then, I doubted my actions. This mess, the combined fluids of our joining, was my ticket home. No matter how fraught the delivery, this was my medicine. Maybe I should’ve let it soak inside of me for a while.

I couldn’t carry on like this. We couldn’t carry on like this. Something needed to change to make this arrangement work.

After pulling on sequined leggings, I hopped to my suitcase, picked up my brush, and ran it through my hair. Looking good always changed my mood. With a deep-v wrap top cinched at my waist, I headed toward the kitchen and workspace area with my sewing kit. A plan would surface as I worked.

It took a minute for my eyes to adjust from the dim light of the cavern to the bright overhead lights of the impromptu workspace, cooking and eating area. Wrapped in splints and slings, Boolas laughed, Dracks joked and wispy-tipped Tig ears triangulated as they tossed smooth pebbles on the table in front of them. A female Nacer cradled her head in her hands at an otherwise empty table.

I sat down beside her. White wings fluttered beside me. “Would you like some protective clothing made?” I asked.

Her beak clacked, and I frowned as she limped away in a flurry of feathers, exiting the common space.

D’Rasma’s dark brown skin gleamed in the bright workspace. “Don’t mind Shaheel. She’s just mad that Sisip grounded her because of a clipped wing.”

Laughter rang out from the game players behind me.

“What happened to you?”

A large bandage wrapped the circumference of D’Rasma’s head. “Oh, ya know…a standard concussion. My hoverbike decided it didn’t like me.” His lips pressed into a thin line, but his eyes twinkled as if a joke lurked around every corner. “So, protective clothes…”

“Interested?” I wouldn’t even charge him. It could be a mock-up for my competition portfolio. I bet none of the other competitors would have customized alien designs.

D’Rasma’s mouth opened in a pointy-toothed grin. “You bet the goddess Sola I am.”

“Awesome. Let’s get started.” I pulled out my measuring tape. “I’m just going to take some measurements. Stand, please.”

I climbed onto the bench, stretched the tape from shoulder to shoulder and tapped the number into my wristport notes. Then, I determined the circumference of his waist and the length from his hip to his knee and entered those numbers.

“You can put your hands all over me anytime, little human.” His white teeth flashed, but D’Rasma’s open smile robbed the razor-sharp edges of menace.

A weight lifted from my shoulders as I laughed at his antics. I needed this distraction. He wasn’t hard to look at, and his flirting boosted my damaged ego.

“Tell me about Boola?”

“Well, Boola are skilled hunters, and the greatest hunt for a Boola is to capture the heart of a true mate.” His sharp grin flashed once again.

A sucker for flattery, I couldn’t help but smile at his direct approach.

“One more measurement, then I’ll have what I need for a helmet of sorts.” I stepped on the bench again and placed one hand on his solid shoulder for balance. Then I wrapped the tape around his ears, mindful of his bandage, pulling tight to compensate for the thick swaths of dark hair. By accident, I sealed his mouth shut.

“It’s like that, is it, little human?” he mumbled beneath the tape. “You like your males bound and gagged? Well, I can…”

“You can what?” JayJay’s deep voice invaded the space, sending a guilty shiver down my spine.

With a snap of my wrist, I unraveled the tape from D’Rasma’s head and jotted down the measurement. The injured enforcers around us leaned in, their game forgotten.

“Who doesn’t like a little fun with rope?” D’Rasma replied, his eyes playful. Was he provoking JayJay on purpose? Or oblivious to the truck he might find himself under if he didn’t shut up? He’d told me he hunted, but his lack of self-preservation suggested otherwise.

With his control back in check, JayJay’s eyes fixed on me. “Is D’Rasma bothering you?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

If he’d been a Drack, smoke would’ve furled from his nose. King Kong’s thick fingers clenched the side of his frayed pants. He spun in an about-face. Before he marched back to wherever he came from, he snarled, “Remember, you need a Rock Dweller.”

Seriously? What an asshole.

A collective sigh erased the tension in the communal space, but I still appreciated D’Rasma lifting me off the bench. My legs had turned to Jell-O. JayJay’s testosterone was a powerful substance.

“He’ll figure it out, little human, don’t worry.” D’Rasma patted my shoulder. “Let me know when my clothes are ready.” He tipped his head to me the way Boola greeted each other and said goodbye.

What had D’Rasma meant by that?

Later that evening, Makir and Geo met me in the cavern for dinner. Somebody with too much time on their hands—my guess, the young Dracks—had arranged the vines overhead into a semicircle of swings. We ate our tinga salad and mantu gyros while Geo’s dogs attempted to capture our feet as we swayed back and forth over their heads.

“At this point, I might as well patch the hoverbikes together with tack tape and toothstring.” Makir sighed.

“We’ve talked about this, Makir.” Geo brushed his thumb over Makir’s heart. “It’s too dangerous to do a retrieval mission to the wastelands. The hellsna are showing up anywhere and everywhere now.”

Makir’s long blue tail whipped back and forth. “The past couple of days, they’ve only come out at night. Plus, JayJay has said on more than one occasion that they’re nocturnal. I’ll be safe.”

“Maybe JayJay could spare part of his team to act as scouts,” I suggested, not wanting Geo to worry. Back on Earth, that was all he’d done. His asshole ex and his business partner had turned him into a shell of what he was now. I didn’t want the old Geo popping up ever again.

Makir caught Geo with his hope-filled gaze.

“Fine,” Geo grunted.

“Great, I’ll talk to him about it tonight.” Who would show up when the door rolled open, the predator or the protector? Maybe that would break the ice. His earlier words kept drawing my attention.

“I’ll be back at moonrise if you still want me.”

When Geo’s and Makir’s heads turned, aiming curiosity-filled gazes my way, I hugged my arms to my chest.

“So, how’s it going with JayJay?” Geo scratched at his beard.

“I’m not talking about this with you guys, so don’t ask. I’m way less tired, though.” Which was the truth. Today was the first day I hadn’t napped in forever. “Can you take me back to your place tomorrow?”

How many mantu hides did Makir have? Keeping busy might be the only thing that kept me sane. I needed my sewing machine. Plus, I wanted to visit TeyTey.

Geo reached for Makir’s tail, slid his hand up it, then jumped off the swing. When he stood in front of me, some of the worry lines on his forehead had smoothed. “Already? Isn’t it too soon? Shouldn’t you guys have—aren’t more…treatments necessary?”

I kicked off the ground harder. My head grew heavy with the pull of gravity as the swing soared into the air. “Dr. Ten said we’d have to figure it out as we go. Right now, everything’s good. If I need another…treatment, I’ll come back.”

If three sexy times with JayJay cured me, that would be solid fucking gold. I could return on the next launch to Earth.

Geo’s lips turned down, and Makir’s tail wrapped around my calf.

“We’ll miss you when you go back. Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” they said in unison. Charz and Pika’s whimpers picked up, driven by Geo and Makir’s anxiety, and they launched themselves onto my lap, tipping me off the swing.

The moss cradled my body, and I laughed as the dogs danced on my chest. “Haven’t you noticed this planet is riddled with man-eating worms? You guys should move to Earth.”

As much as I hated the idea of only seeing Geo once every couple of years, placing well in the design challenge could restart my career. Makir was like family now, too. I would miss them both, but this was my big chance. The one thing I knew for sure was that I had no desire to spend time with JayJay if he was going to be an asshole.

“Will one of you please take me back?”

“Anything you need, Ginger.” Geo wrapped his arm around my shoulder, tugging me into his warm bulk. “Let’s get you back to Earth.”

A swarm of tiny dragonflies lit the space in front of us, flashing like a neon blue sign. Moonrise had arrived, and JayJay would be waiting for me.

“See ya in the morning, then.” I waved goodbye. Before I moved out of sight, Makir slid onto Geo’s lap and wrapped his arms around Geo’s neck. They rocked back and forth on the swing together.

A sense of longing for the kind of closeness my best friend had came over me with each trudging step to JayJay’s room. His bedside manner didn’t matter. I needed to get home.