Page 19 of Avery (Pleasure Crew #3)

nineteen

Phial

T he ride to the safe house is quiet and uncomfortable. Well, I'm not uncomfortable. I am decidedly the opposite of uncomfortable because Avery's all but claimed me as her mate.

Was it a lie to make sure I could be with her while she's having to be stuck on Earth for this trial? Sure, sure, but really, I care very little whether her claim on me is a lie or not because it isn't a lie as far as I'm concerned.

If her sense of smell had been altered, she'd be huffing my pheromones every single second of every day. I'd let her, too. She could make a home in my lap and nuzzle her nose up against the curve of my neck where my scent is strongest from my scent glands, and she could smell and lick and touch me all day long.

"I packed the bag Helna gave you with the extra furs in your luggage," I mention when I can't control the giddiness inside of me.

It's childish to bring up the mysterious pack and all of the goodies that could be inside of it, but I'm a curious male, and I know it has heat supplies in it. I just wish to know what those kinds of supplies might be.

Unfortunately for me my plan isn't working. Avery's cheeks go pink, sure, but she only clamps her thighs tight together and doesn't say anything else. Surely, she's not already regretting her choice to claim me as a mate.

"So…" I stretch my legs out long in front of me, eyeing the male in the front of the transport. He's not the same male who showed us to the transports. That male got into the driver's seat of the other transport. This male isn't looking back at us at all, which is fine. It's not like I have much to say to him.

I click my claws together, tapping them a few times until the silence bothers me again. "Oh, we can finally start the next season of Choosing Her Mate . I think this will be a good one. I haven't looked at spoilers, but I have a feeling."

My fingers twitch at the slight lie, and Avery's head whips around so she can narrow her eyes at me. Of course, telling me about her bag of secrets doesn't get her to react, but maybe having looked up a brief synopsis of the season has her hackles all getting raised.

"How much did you look up?" Avery asks, her voice taking on an edge I've never had directed at me. Oh, this is very much not going how I wished for it to. I should've been happy in the silence.

"Look, Avery, sometimes the mother—"

"Phial!" She squeals my name in a way that I know means she's unhappy with me, but it also sounds very much like the way she cries my name when she's falling apart on my tongue and my cocks aren't picking up that this is not the time to be getting excited.

"It was only a few sentences," I tell her.

"Do you mean a few as in three or a few as in way more, but you don't have to give an exact number by saying a few?" Avery lifts one of his brows up at me.

I press my lips together and look up at the driver, who darts his eyes away from the mirror. Of course, my humiliation is now being witnessed.

"Look, sweet mate." I grab her hand, and thankfully, as I was hoping, the word mate does two things for me. It solidifies the lie to the male driving us, and Avery melts into me. She likes the idea of me being her mate just as much as I like it. "Maybe I was just excited to watch it with you, and I needed to make sure who the douchebag was so I didn't grow too fond."

"You're not going to spoil it for me." She turns her hand over in mine, linking our fingers and squeezing.

"Have I ever?" I ask, holding my free hand to my chest in an exaggerated show of how very much unspoilery I am.

"Yes," Avery says the word without moving her face, and I wonder if she's making a joke at me right now. When confusion mars my face, she gives me a shocked face. "Phial, two seasons ago, you grumbled under your breath that Jinn and Opha would be separated before the show aired."

"That was a guess." I wave my hand in the air to try to wave away any of her concerns. When she stares at me unimpressed, I turn to her and crank up all of my charm. This just means I look at her with wide, adoring eyes and make sure the chirping in my throat is extra loud. "Look, your mate is sorry. How can he make it up to you?"

That does it. Avery's thighs clamp together so hard I have to force my lips not to lift in a smile. She shakes her head and mouths 'you're awful' at me. To this, I do smile, and then I press my lips to hers. If I'm awful now, I can surely show her how awful I can really be. I hiss when she pulls my lower lip between her teeth and bites down. Maybe she's wanting to be awful as well.

The male driving our transport clears his throat as the vehicle slows. "Sorry to interrupt." He sounds much too amused to be sorry, so I hiss at him. "We're arriving at the safe house. Your protection will meet us outside. I'll need to be with you for the handoff, but then you'll be in Skia's hands for the remainder of your time on Earth."

"Very well," I say, returning my attention to Avery. She's flushing so bright right now, and I almost hate that we can't continue what we're doing. Maybe once I get her in the house and check to make sure there's no one hiding in the corners or dark places, I can get her into bed, turn on our show, and maybe work on getting her to forgive me for spoiling the show for myself.

Avery pushes my shoulders when I lean in to try to kiss her again, and I bite playfully at her fingers. "Who's Skia? What department is he from? I was working with Althin in the Senient Smuggling Department. I've never heard the name Skia before."

"He's your protection detail," the human male says from the front seat. His eyes don't lift back toward us, and his tone is clipped. "You can call Althin from your comm now if you'd like. We don't normally hire males from this species unless it's deemed necessary."

I narrow my eyes at the back of the male's head. I'm about to ask which species because there are only a few I can think of that would be strong enough to single-handedly be able to ensure the safety of someone as important as my Avery. I'd do everything in my power to keep her safe, but even I have my limitations, so whoever they chose doesn't have those same limitations. The transport slows to a stop, and the male hops out.

"Is this safe?" Avery asks, her hand squeezing mine much too tight—not that I'd ever tell her that.

"It's safe." I kiss the side of her head, loving that she looks to me for comfort and protection. "Alik checked with our contact before we even landed. All of the names line up so far. The only thing I don't know is what species this Skia's from."

The male who drove us doesn't come to our door until a second male emerges from the small house we'll be living in. I eye him through the glass of the window. He resembles a human male except for the soft blue glow from his eyes, and the dark shirt he's wearing is covered in a fine layer of smoke that flows so minuscule that most people wouldn't notice unless they're close enough or know what to look for.

The male who drove us here speaks to Skia, who remains silent for just a few minutes before he opens the backdoor and helps us out of the transport. I keep my eyes on Skia, keeping my thoughts as closed off as I can. It's not easy to do, especially when I've never been around a Sombran before. I know their ability to see into others' minds is genetic and that some are better than others, but that doesn't make this feel any better. He'll be strong if he's here, working as a protection detail for the Intergalactic Alliance.

Skia's eyes drop down to me. His arms are crossed over his chest, his gaze pinning me where I stand. My feathers ruffle at his intensity, and I cycle through what I could've done to him in the last few seconds for him to give me a look that normally takes others a few days to get exasperated enough to give me.

"We'll talk about it in a minute." Skia's voice is deep and low, and from the way the other male jumps, it's as though he doesn't speak often.

I smile at thinking I'm the one this male is willing to speak to. I really must've done something. He huffs through his nose before turning to our luggage and grabbing some of the baggage. I move around to the back of the transport to help him, not wanting him to touch Avery's nesting materials. He goes to reach for them, but just as I'm about to snap at him, he pulls his hands back and grabs a different pack.

"Do you need anything from me?" the other male asks, heading around the vehicle and getting into the driver's seat.

Skia grunts at him, which is a weird way to dismiss someone, but then again, I'm not Sombran, so who am I to judge? Skia takes the bags up to the small house, and Avery follows right behind, with me taking up the tail end of our trio. Skia sets the bags down in a small living space before turning to us. The smoke that was around his torso blending in with his shirt drops to the ground and pools by his feet.

He flops into one of the chairs next to the coffee table and waits for us to both take seats on the couch. He clears his throat as Avery takes my hand and shifts as close as she can to me. She's scared of Skia—not because he's done something, but because she doesn't know him and has never heard of him.

"Have either of you worked with a Sombran?" Skia asks.

His voice is harsh and dry, almost like he rarely uses it. He frowns at me as the thought enters my mind, and I shrug. I can't help my thoughts anymore than he can help hearing them. At least I'm not thinking about something inappropriate.

"No, your female's been taking care of that part of it," Skia says.

It takes me a moment for his words to register. Then my feathers are standing on end, and I'm hissing low in my throat. I wish I could be upset with Skia, but again, it's not like he can tune out our thoughts. At least, I don't think it works that way.

"What?" Avery asks, her face turning bright red. "What am I doing?"

I frown at Skia, who leans back in his chair and crosses his ankle over his knee. He holds up a hand as if to tell me I should explain it to her. He probably doesn't want to speak to her. It doesn't sound like he enjoys talking at all.

"He's a Sombran. Their kind has the ability to read minds. Most of them only hear the thoughts of their mates after their shadows have bonded, but some are born more powerful. Skia can hear all of our thoughts."

Avery's following along well enough, and I see when it clicks because horror washes over her features. "Oh, I'm sorry." She turns to Skia, who looks at us like this is a boring conversation. He quirks a brow at me that almost seems to be an affirmation.

"No apologies necessary," he says. "Your heat's coming, right?"

Avery drops her face into her hands as though that can somehow trap all of her thoughts in her mind. I wrap an arm over her shoulder, hoping to make her feel better. What I'm trying really hard not to focus on is the fact that I'm not actually Avery's mate and that— Shit.

I dart my eyes up to Skia's, and he shrugs. Okay, so he gives no care to the fact that I'm not supposed to be here.

"Are you going to hurt her?" he asks. My body recoils like I've been slapped, and he says. "That's what I thought. Now, heat? When?"

"Two days, maybe. It could start tomorrow," Avery says, peeking through her fingers to look at Skia, which only has her cringing again and curling into my arm even more.

Okay, so maybe I don't mind the Sombran being here. Sure, Avery's trying to hide against me even though her thoughts are blaring out to the Sombran across from us, but still, she thinks I can protect her from that, and I'm not about to tell her I can't.

"I'll let the prosecution know they can expect us available for testimony in nine," Skia says, standing from his chair and grabbing his comm. He flicks his eyes up to us and then back down. "Your room is there." He tilts his head to the side to a door just off the living room. "I'll be here."

"Wait, like right here?" Avery asks.

Skia's response is another grunt, and she's flushing again. She buries herself so close to me that I can't help but laugh. Whatever she was thinking couldn't have been that bad. Even if it was, it's not like she was purposefully thinking about it to traumatize the Sombran.

I'm sure he's seen worse if he's been doing this for any length of time. He grunts an affirmation, and I feel my lips kick up again.

"Come on," I say, helping Avery to her feet, not letting her bask in her embarrassment for very long. "We have a show to watch."

Skia's head snaps up, his eyes narrowing for a moment. I hold up the comm Alik gave me before we left the ship. "It's gutted except for two seasons of a reality show we've been watching. No internet access, no location services, and for all intents and purposes, it's broken beyond repair except the screen."

Skia stares at me a moment longer, and I feel him prying into my mind. It has my stomach tightening into a lead ball of bile as tendrils of something warm and probing skate over my mind, touching, touching, touching, and then it's gone just as fast as it happened. I suck in a deep breath as the feeling subsides, and Skia gives me a soft nod.

"What happened?" Avery asks as I nudge her toward the bedroom. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I kiss the side of her head, casting Skia a warning look as I guide her into the room. My thoughts are focused on one thing, and it's that he better not ever do that to Avery. If he does, I will kill him. I don't know when or how, but I will get it done.

He grunts the same sound as before as I close the door and I take it as him accepting my request.

When I shut the door, Avery's hands are tangled. Her eyes are wide saucers as she looks over my shoulder at the closed door. She scampers over to me, whispering in a rushed tone, "I'm so sorry I didn't know."

I laugh quietly, and then it deepens into a long, hard laugh. "He can still hear our thoughts even if the door's closed. He knew you were going into heat when he took the job. I'm sure he mentally prepared himself to see some things he might not want to during this job."

"Phial!" Avery hits my shoulder and I grab her hand, pulling her close to me so I can press my lips to hers.

"No point in putting it off, Avery," I whisper as I nip at her soft earlobe. "You're going to need my come soon anyway. Just go ahead and let yourself not care. So long as you aren't trying to force it on him, I doubt he'll mind."

"I'm just nervous," she says, breathy and flushed. I kiss her again to get her mind to stop thinking so much. "What if?"

I kiss her again, this time not stopping until we're back against the bed. Avery makes a soft whine in the back of her throat, and I reach into my back pocket and pull out her necklace. I hold it up to her as I start to drop kisses down her neck, over her collarbones, wanting to unbutton her top until the swells of her breasts are available for my licks and kisses and soft nips.

She clicks the necklace to green, and I smile up at her, my fingers playing with the buttons on her top. She slips the necklace over her neck, and then her hands are on mine. My smile drops the tiniest amount for a moment before I straighten and go for her mouth again. She stops me, though. Stops me as she starts to undo the buttons herself.

I stand with my feathers all out of place as she kicks her shoes off, works the buttons of her top, and shimmies back until she's sitting on the bed. She watches me as I admire her beauty, waiting in anticipation for her to finally show me all of her.

It's not that I wouldn't be okay with continuing what we've been doing, but I very much would also love to see her breasts. She keeps them hidden most of the time, but I know they are more than can fit in my hands, and I just know I'll love having my hands and mouth and cocks on them.

She keeps the two halves of her shirt close together as she works all the buttons and then holds it closed in front of her for a few breaths.

"I'm proud of my body," she says, eyeing me warily. I don't know why she's telling me this, but I'm also very proud of her body. I'm proud I can point at her and tell others that she's the female who has chosen to be in my bed and in my life. Am I not the most blessed male? "I jiggle in places, but I'm soft and sexy. Okay?"

Oh, I see what's happening. She's proud of her body and loves herself, but she would very much like me to think she is the most delectable female to have ever graced my presence. She easily is, but she needs words right now. And I can sometimes be good with those.

I kneel on the bed, causing her to wiggle back further and further until she's stumbling, falling back on her forearms, her hands releasing the shirt and revealing a strip of her softness from the waistband of her skirt all the way up to her shoulder. I hiss as I look down at her, my palm finding that strip and exposing more of her as I grip her waist between my hands.

"I've seen you jiggle, Avery," I lean down and press a kiss against her collarbone. "I've held this full ass in my hands as you writhed against my mouth, and I've seen your thighs quiver with need for me. Do you want to know what I thought about? Well, besides how amazing you taste and how sexy your sounds are?"

She bites her lip, looking down at me as I move my lips to her cleavage. She's still wearing her bra, but I'll make quick work of that soon. I wait for her to answer my question with a shake of her head before continuing. I press a kiss to each of her breasts, smiling when she whimpers.

"I thought about how you'd look laid out for me just like this. How your body would feel underneath me, how soft you'd be, how you'd move as I thrust into you. These tits are going to bounce for me, aren't they?" I reach behind her, unclasping her bra when she doesn't object. Her breath catches in her throat as the cool air hits her, and I chirp in appreciation of how beautiful she is.

"Yeah, these are going to bounce for me." I drift my fingers over her full breasts and lift them into my palms. I ignore her nipples for now. I still need her attention, and if I touch all of her sensitive places, she won't be listening to my words.

"I love your body, Avery. All of it. Your fucking amazing ass that I want to sit on my face right this second, and it will be as soon as I finish talking because now it's all I'm going to be able to think about until it happens." Avery giggles underneath me, reminding me about what I need to focus on. "I love your thighs and how I'm pretty sure you've decided you're going to kill me with them one day. I love your stomach and how soft you are. And it's going to jiggle when I fuck you because if it's not, then I'm not doing my job right, am I?"

She whines and lifts her hips off the bed. I help her out and pull her skirt and panties off her body, leaving her naked and ready to be devoured.

"I love your breasts because I knew they were going to be so big, so full, and fuck if you don't have the most perfect nipples I've ever seen." At my final admission, I lean my face down, unable to stop myself, and suck her nipple into my mouth.

Just like I expected, she's unbelievably sensitive there, and it'll only get worse the closer she gets to her heat. I try not to be excited about that because it's a rough time for Avery, but it's amazing to know how much kissing her nipples has her mewling and needing release.

"Do you need to come, Avery?" I ask as I pop her nipple out of my mouth and move to the other one. She starts to say yes, but her words are cut off in a needy whine as I suck her nipple into my mouth. I groan, too, because this is amazing. I appreciate her breasts just a bit longer, and then I'm rolling off her and smiling up at the ceiling.

"Phial, please," Avery whimpers from where I've left her needy and unfulfilled on the bed.

"You want to come, then you sit on my face." I tilt my head down so I can meet her eyes.

She whimpers again, a needy sound that has my cocks jumping in my pants. Avery's much faster about crawling onto my face now. She's worked up and horny, so she barely hesitates before I'm wrapping my arms around her thighs and pulling her down on top of me. I hiss against her when I open my eyes with her sitting on top of me, and I get the most amazing view of her breasts.

I keep my eyes wide open as I bring her pleasure, needing to watch every movement of her body, needing to admire her, soak her in, and capture this moment in my memory forever. This beautiful human is mine, and I can hardly believe it.