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Completely out of character, I giggled and tried to pull the sides of my torn shirt together while I waited. Not because of embarrassment—I had great tits—but because without Thrash’s body heat, the cold from the ice beneath the cave clawed under my skin. None of the machinery worked, so there was no ambient heat there, either.

At least we’d made it here before the raiders could do anything more than remove the ignition switch to the regulator. An easy fix if Thrash and I ever got out of here.

The reality of the situation sank in and the same concerns I’d toyed with earlier rose to the surface. By now the day team would be awake. They’d know Thrash and I had left to fix the problem, but when the habitat only grew colder, they’d realize something went wrong and eventually come looking. Who knew how much of the cave came down and how long we’d be trapped.

“Fucking raiders,” I mumbled and flopped backward. “Son of an arnax hornet!“ I winced and immediately sat up. Thrash wasn’t wrong about the ground. My front might have been exposed, but he’d torn my clothes, not removed them, and my back had been protected. He’d been bare-legged, and his knees must be killing him.

I hugged my arms over my chest and tried to control my trembling limbs.This sucks. All of this fucking sucks.

Well, not all. Aside from the trapped-and-might-die part, I just had the most mind-blowing orgasms of my life, and his cock hadn’t even been inside me yet. What would that feel like?

Could that thing fit inside of me?

It had been a long time since I’d been with anyone, and I would be tight. He’d used three fingers on me, but his girth would stretch me much more. Oh, well, what good came without a little pain? Besides, a whiff of those pheromones and I’d be sopping wet.

Thrash jogged into sight, several industrial blankets piled in his arms, dick swinging and slapping his muscular thighs.

One look and I was slick and ready.

chaptereight

i’m not sorry

Thrash’shooded gaze lingered on my exposed flesh and rose to read my expression. Light spiraled up his horns and flared across his chest beneath the scales flexing with his movements. “For a human, you have remarkable stamina. I, on the other hand, need a moment to recuperate.”

“Hey, don’t flaunt it if you aren’t about to use it.” Holding the waistband of my pants together, I rose and relieved Thrash of several blankets, finding a pair of heavy-duty work pants folded on top. “Thank all the celestial bodies! I wasn’t sure how I would walk out of here holding my clothes together.”Assuming we walk out of here. “Don’t suppose you found a shirt?”

“Right there.” He jutted his chin toward a shapeless pile of rough canvas bunched on the ground as he finished fastening his pants.

I glanced at the indicated shirt and scowled. On two different occasions, contamination spills had forced me to change into the generic work clothes we kept stashed in the lockers, and they were not comfortable. “Scratchy but warm, I guess.”

Thrash’s beautiful lips curled into a smile as he came over and slipped my torn shirt from my shoulders. He used the material to gently wipe away what remained of his sticky cum on my face and chest.

“Thanks.” My stomach fluttered at the thoughtful gesture.

He deposited a kiss to my forehead and set to work piling blankets on the ground. “You don’t need to wear any clothes if you don’t want to. I told you before, I can keep you warm.” He winked. “It would be my pleasure.”

I stood, removed my boots, dressed, and put my boots back on faster than I’d ever dressed before. No longer afraid I would freeze to death on the way to the restroom, I raced for the water closet in the corner. If there was one thing to be grateful for trapped in this cave, it was the natural running water fed from above to the subterranean flora on this level and the ice deposit below.

Feeling about ten pounds lighter and moderately cleaner, I jogged to the blanket pallet Thrash had created, toed off my boots—because I wasn’t a heathen who wore shoes to bed—and climbed beneath the covers. I found the protein bar and tube of hydrating gel Thrash had placed next to my side of the blanket bed.I guess it will be a slow starvation.I chuckled at my gallows humor and quickly consumed the protein bar and gel tube before tunneling beneath the blankets.

The covers were warm, but Thrash was warmer, and I wiggled toward where he lay in the center of the makeshift bed. I drew in a deep breath, smelling him—just him. “Are your pheromones gone or am I just used to them?”

“Now that we are mated, they are under control.” He smiled and gently brushed a tangle of hair from my face. “Do you know how happy I am?”

“I can guess. You know, we didn’t technicallymate.” I returned his smile, but when I met his eyes, the intensity in his simmering orbs sent an unfamiliar feeling wiggling through me. Embarrassment? No. Living in close quarters with a large team very quickly cured everyone of any shred of self-consciousness. Worry for our situation? No. The possibility of death came with the job, and I’d made peace with that long ago. Hope? Hope for what? I was so close to retirement, to achieving all I’d wanted, but did I want more?

Question after unanswered question circled my brain. I frowned and rolled onto my side, facing away from Thrash.

“Our essences were exchanged. By my species definition, we are mated.” He curled a heavy arm around my middle and pulled me against him as if I belonged there. He’d done it so often in such a short span of time, it was easy to believe I did. His heat radiated through the scratchy clothing, warming my back.

Instead of enjoying the smooth, silky feel of his flesh and scales, I had thermal-lined burlap rubbing on my ass. Damn it, what had I been thinking? “Not the sexiest description, but I get it.” Whether we were mated or not was still debatable, but I understood his meaning.

A puff of air ruffled my hair as Thrash nuzzled my neck. “I would apologize for trapping us here with myorehapulse, but I’m not sorry.” He flexed his bicep, giving me a squeeze. “Look what I got out of it.”

Smiling, I laughed. “Always good to experience sexual pleasure before you starve to death.”

“You are more than my pleasure. You are my mate.”