Page 32 of Alien Mercenary’s Wife (Lathar Mercenaries: Warborne #7)

He bit back his amusement. The day Captain Reese Payne couldn't figure out a combat weapon was the day they laid her to rest, so he easily saw through the ruse.

But he played along, eagerly, moving behind her supposedly to adjust her stance.

His hands settled on her waist, steadying her as she brought the rifle to her shoulder.

His chest pressed against her back, his hips aligned with her ass, and he realised his mistake as she ground back against him.

"Breath control," he said, though his own breathing had grown uneven. "Squeeze the trigger between breaths."

She nodded, settling into the firing position with fluid grace. But instead of taking the shot, she leaned back against him again.

"Like this?" she asked, voice pitched low enough to make his blood heat.

"Exactly like that." His hands tightened on her waist as desire overrode any tactical thinking. "Perfect form."

She fired in rapid succession, each shot precise despite the rifle's increased recoil. But he barely noticed the targets. He was too focused on her, how she moved with confident precision, and the clean line of her neck exposed by the way she'd pulled her hair back.

"Better?" she asked, lowering the rifle.

"Much better, kelarris ." His voice came out as a growl, rough with want. "Though I think we need to work on... positioning."

She turned in his arms, the rifle set aside and forgotten. "What kind of positioning?"

Before he could answer, she rose onto her toes and kissed him. A fierce, demanding kiss, full of the tension that had been building between them. He responded without thinking, one hand sliding into her hair while the other pressed her closer.

She tasted like coffee and determination, her mouth moving against his with the same hunger he felt. The kiss deepened, turned possessive, tongues sliding together as restraint crumbled under their mutual need.

He backed her toward the range wall, pinning her against the reinforced bulkhead with his larger, harder body. She went willingly, hands fisting in his shirt to pull him closer.

"T'Raal," she gasped against his mouth, the sound making him groan.

"Right here," he murmured, trailing kisses down her throat. "Got you right here."

His hands found the hem of her shirt, sliding beneath the fabric to explore warm skin. She arched into his touch, head falling back against the wall as he ran his fingers along the curve of her waist.

"Someone could walk in," she said, though her voice carried breathless anticipation rather than genuine concern.

"Let them." He nipped at the junction of her neck and shoulder, satisfaction coursing through him when she shivered. "Entire crew knows you're mine."

The possessive declaration made her hands tighten in his hair, pulling his mouth back to hers for another heated, desperate kiss. He pressed closer, pinning her completely against the wall, letting her feel exactly what she did to him.

The range door hissed open.

"T'Raal, I need to— Oh." Eric's voice cut off in surprise and what might have been amusement. "Sorry. Didn't realize you were... conducting advanced weapons training."

T'Raal didn't move, keeping Reese shielded against the wall. A growl rumbled in his chest, low and unmistakably threatening. "Get the draanth out, Eric."

"Right. Of course." The scientist's voice backed up. "I'll just... come back later. Much later. Maybe tomorrow. Yeah, definitely tomorrow."

The door hissed shut again, leaving them alone. Reese looked up at him, eyes bright with amusement and residual desire.

"Subtle," she said.

"Wasn't trying to be subtle." He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing hard. "Trying to keep you exactly where you are."

"I'm not going anywhere." Her hands moved to frame his face, thumbs stroking across his cheekbones. "At least, not right now."

The reminder of her planned return to Earth hit like cold water. Soon, she'd be walking back into danger while he waited helplessly for news. He tightened his arms around her, protective instincts firing up.

"We have more weapons to test," he said, though his voice carried reluctance.

"Later." Her smile was soft, understanding. "Right now, I think I prefer the equipment I'm already familiar with."

Heat flashed through him at the implication. "The range isn't exactly private."

"Your quarters are." She rose onto her toes to brush another kiss across his lips. "And I believe you promised to teach me about... handling alien technology."

The reminder of his earlier words sent desire racing through his system. He stepped back, offering his hand with a smile that probably looked predatory.

"Come on then," he said. "Class is in session."

The door to his quarters had barely sealed before she was in his arms again. This time she kissed him desperately, with fierce need that spoke of time running out. Her hands worked at his shirt, her control from the range gone, replaced by something raw.

He responded in kind, his own restraint disappearing. Soon, she'd be gone. Walking back into the hunting ground where corporate killers waited for her. The thought made his hands rougher as he lifted her against him, backing her toward the bunk.

"T'Raal," she gasped against his mouth, her legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her.

"I know," he growled, understanding the urgency driving them both. "I know."

He set her down beside the bunk, his hands already working at the fastenings of her clothes. She helped, pulling her shirt over her head with movements made clumsy by haste. When her skin was bare beneath his hands, he paused for just a moment to look at her.

Beautiful. Always beautiful, but now there was something desperate in her expression that made his cock harder than he'd thought possible. Fear, maybe. Or the same raw need that was clawing at him.

"Come here," he said, voice rough with want.

She moved into his arms, pressing her naked breasts against his chest with deliberate intent. The contact was electric, skin against skin, sending fire racing through him. He claimed her mouth again, the kiss hard and possessive, marking what was his before time could steal it away.

His hands explored her body urgently—the curve of her waist, the soft weight of her breasts, the line of her spine. She arched into his touch, her own hands working at his pants with practiced efficiency, freeing his cock from the confines of fabric.

When he lay her back on the bunk, she pulled him down with her, unwilling to break contact. Her legs parted, revealing the slick evidence of her arousal, and the sight made him groan with desperate need.

"Need you," she whispered, her hand wrapping around his cock and guiding him to her entrance. "Need you inside me."

He pushed forward in one hard thrust, burying himself to the hilt in her tight heat. She cried out, back arching as her pussy stretched to accommodate his size. For a moment, they held still, adjusting to the overwhelming sensation of being joined completely.

Then need took over.

He moved with desperate intensity, each thrust driven by the knowledge that this might be one of their last times together before she returned to Earth. She met him stroke for stroke, her hips rising to take his cock deeper, her nails digging into his shoulders hard enough to leave marks.

"Harder," she gasped, her voice breaking with need. "Fuck me harder."

He obeyed, driving into her with force that made the bunk frame creak beneath them. The pace was fierce, almost violent in its urgency. They moved together like they were fighting time itself, trying to compress a lifetime of wanting into these stolen moments.

Her pussy clenched around him with each thrust, slick walls gripping his cock like she was trying to keep him inside her forever. The sensation was overwhelming, pleasure so intense it bordered on pain.

"Mine," he growled against her throat, claiming her with teeth and tongue. "Mine."

"Yes," she gasped, her body trembling beneath him. "Yours. Always yours."

When her climax hit, she screamed his name, her pussy spasming around his cock with force that made him see stars. The sensation triggered his own release, and he came with a roar that echoed off the bulkheads, filling her with his seed.

They lay tangled together afterward, breathing hard, sweat cooling on their skin. The desperate edge had burned away, leaving something softer in its wake. Something that scared him with its intensity.

T'Raal shifted to his side, pulling her against him so her head rested on his chest. His fingers traced idle patterns on her back, following the line of her spine where the neural stimulator hummed its quiet song.

"Soon," she said quietly, the words carrying weight beyond simple time measurement.

"Soon," he agreed, his voice rough with emotions he wasn't ready to examine.

"T'Raal..." She lifted her head to look at him, dark eyes serious. "When I go back to Earth..."

"You come back to me." The words came out harder than intended, carrying command authority and desperate need in equal measure. "Whatever happens, you come back."

She smiled, soft and genuine despite the uncertainty in her eyes. "I'll do my best."

"Not good enough." He cupped her face in his hands, thumbs stroking across her cheekbones. "Promise me."

"I can't promise that." Her honesty cut deeper than any lie would have. "But I can promise I'll fight like hell to make it back to you."

"Then that'll have to be enough." He leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips, softer now, tender in a way that made his chest tight. "For now."

She settled against him again, her breathing gradually evening out as exhaustion claimed her. But he stayed awake, memorizing every detail about her… the weight of her in his arms, the sound of her heartbeat against his chest, the way she fit against him perfectly.

Soon. Then she'd be gone, walking into danger while he waited helplessly for news. His arms tightened around her, protective instincts warring with respect for her choices.

But tonight, she was his. Safe and whole and exactly where she belonged. For now, that would have to be enough.