Page 38 of Guardian’s Destiny (Space Guardian’s Mate #3)

SLOANE

I was still mad at Zapharos and myself. I should have known that the Arkhevari would be too astute to fall into a Moggadesh trap; then again, hindsight and so on.

I snuggled into Vraax, relishing the feeling of being so close to him, of not being mad at him any longer. His apology might not have been the greatest in the world, but I knew it had been heartfelt and that he regretted his actions. Really, wasn't that all that mattered?

Sometime between me baring my soul to him and telling him all my little secrets, the lazy strokes and circles his fingers were doing on my shoulder and arm had become more arousing, and by the time I finished my story, all I wanted was to have sex with him.

Our one and only time together seemed like an eternity ago. I was starving for his touch, his kisses and yes, for his magnificent cock with its ridges that I knew would take me to new heights.

"So now you know the entire sordid story of me." I tried to chuckle but failed. Baring one's soul will do that to you. Talking about my past brought back many confusing emotions, most of all surrounding my dad. All my life, I had wanted to live up to him, wanted him to be proud of me, and when I finally got the chance, he died. His saluting me had been the highlight of my life, but also a deep disappointment, because even though he had gone through the motions, deep down I knew he would never accept or respect me. For him, there was only one place for a woman—well, maybe two.

I never understood my parents' relationship, never figured out why my mom didn't leave him until I fell in love with Vraax. No, I would never allow him to treat me like dad had my mom, but my mom and I were two entirely different people. She had been dependent on him. They had been high school sweethearts, and he had taken care of her financially since. But if Vraax's and my fight had taught me anything, it was that you could still love a person even when you are mad at them. Even when they're not entirely who you thought they were. Him not accepting that I had made my choices because of my job and not because I was a woman had been a hard punch to the gut. Would I have stayed with him like mom did? Hell no. Would it have hurt like hell? Absolutely.

That's where I differed from her.

It didn't make me a better person or her worse. It was just what it was. We all made our choices and lived with them. In a way, I had to respect Mom. Her life hadn't been easy, but she had stuck with her decisions. She had loved my dad and me, and I knew in their own way they had been happy even if it hadn't appeared like it to me. But there had been laughter and joy. And they had loved each other. For a second, I wondered if being mad at my dad, needing to prove myself to him, had distorted some of my memories of him. Just because he never saw in me a worthy soldier didn't mean he hadn't loved me. For him, though, the world had been very easy to divide. Black and white. Women belonged in the kitchen, and men fought wars. Other people were enemies or friends. It was as simple as that for him. Anything that didn't fit into that narrative was something he simply couldn't comprehend and didn't know how to deal with, like me wanting to be a soldier.

It was weird, but suddenly, lying there in Vraax's arms, I made peace with all the demons that had haunted me for years—most of all with my parents. Letting go of the anger I had still held on to was like shedding weight all at once—and I knew how that felt because I had often carried fifty pounds or more of equipment on my body. Dropping it at the end of the day was like going to heaven.

A deep, content sigh escaped me.

"Tired?" Vraax asked.

"Nuh-ah," I mumbled while my hand moved up his thigh. We hadn't reached that level of familiarity yet where one person simply touched the other wherever and whenever they felt like it. But I wasn't a shy person. I usually took what I wanted, and right now, I wanted him to know that I wanted him.

"Sloane," he moaned when I found his hard length by his thigh, covered by his pants.

"Hmm," I hummed, stroking him.

"Does that mean you forgive me?" He wanted to know.

I turned my head to look up at him. "You're still alive and here, aren't you?"

A rumble moved through his chest. His hands cupped my face and lifted me higher up while he contorted himself to lower his. "This is why I love you so much."

"This?" I teased.

"You," he clarified. "You being you. I would never want you any other way."

He had no idea, but those were the perfect words to say to me. I stretched to kill the last few inches between us and pressed my lips to his.

"You know," I stretched the moment out a little bit longer, "you're not too bad yourself."

"Oh yeah?" His eyebrow shot up and his full of shit grin was on full display.

"Oh yeah," I confirmed. "I think I might even be in danger of falling in love with you."

Impossibly, his grin deepened. "I'll keep working on it; I'll wear you down."

"You already have," I confessed.

He startled, looking serious suddenly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I love you too."

"Sloane." Before he could finish, I leaned forward and opened my mouth. That was all the invitation he needed.

With a groan, he easily turned us around so my back was laying on the couch while he hovered over me, his lips never leaving mine. I buried my hands in his short black hair and gripped his shoulders while he roamed my body, explored, and began tugging on my clothes. Our movements turned more frenzied with every passing second, with every inch of skin bared free. So did the need to feel, explore, and relish in the other's touch.

His hand moved over my Soulweb Glyphs and it was as if he had stroked my clit. A hiss of pleasure escaped me, but it wasn't enough. I had a feeling it never would be.

There was an ache for him inside me that seemed unreal in its intensity. Our fight and the last couple of days had only intensified it, and now I felt like an overboiling pot that needed the lid taken off.

"Say you want me as much as I do you," he rasped by my ear, trailing light kisses down my throat.

"I want you, Vraax. So much!"

He groaned. "I love it when you say my name."

We were fully naked when he scooped me up like I weighed nothing and carried me to the bed, where he gently put me down, hovering above me, taking me in from head to toe. "You're so frygging beautiful, Sloane.”

I leaned up to lock my arms across his neck to pull him down, needing to feel his skin. He gently cupped my breast, kneaded it, eliciting a jolt of longing raging through my entire body. His thumb brushed over my nipple, back and forth, and I arched back in his embrace, giving him better access to absorb each stroke that lit me on fire. Ah shit, his caresses felt so damn good. His lips closed around the other nipple, making me gasp in pleasure. How could anything feel this perfect?

I gripped his shoulders. My palms burned when they made contact with his flesh. His shoulders were incredibly wide, and they were so hard and strong that I couldn't get enough of running my fingers over them.

My pussy was already drenched before his free hand moved between my legs, but when he cupped my sex another gush followed my loud moan.

"You're so wet for me," he groaned, gently nipping at my nipple.

"Fuck Vraax, I need you," I gasped.

I spread my legs underneath him, his fingers, already wet from my juices, found my clit and he brushed them all around the hard, aching little bud, increasing my desire. His thumb joined in, applying a delicate yet firm pressure, and I felt electric waves of pleasure rushing through me.

"Please, Vraax," I pleaded, arching my back and thrusting my hips upward. "I need you inside me now."

He let go of my nipple and looked up at me through burning eyes; I saw my desire for him reflected in them, and it nearly brought me to the brink. With a deep, satisfying growl, he positioned himself at my entrance and thrust forward. I felt the head of his cock slide against my folds, teasing me cruelly before finally entering me completely.

A long sigh of utter bliss escaped my lips. This felt so right.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer. His thrusts were slow and deliberate, causing a fire to spread through me as I met each one with eager support from my hips. Our bodies slapped together rhythmically, creating a symphony of wet sounds that filled the air around us and heightened our arousal even farther.

Vraax's eyes locked onto mine, his expression a perfect blend of passion and desire. He gripped my hips tightly, his thrusts becoming more urgent, more powerful. The pure, animalistic lust burning within him was as strong as mine. His breath grew ragged; his lips parted, revealing the tip of his tongue as he focused on maintaining our pace. His gaze never wavered from mine, searching for reassurance that I, too, was caught in this fierce whirlwind of carnal need.

And I was.

Nothing in this universe compared to him, to his body inside me, around me.

I met his gaze, my own eyes mirroring the hunger I saw in his. My hips continued to rise to meet each thrust, my cries of pleasure mingling with the slapping sounds of our bodies connecting. It was primitive and raw and arousing beyond measure.

Vraax's eyelids fluttered closed momentarily as he neared his breaking point. His body tensed, his muscles flexed with the force of each thrust, as he drove himself deeper inside me. His cock, his beautifully, ridged cock, moved against my walls, pushed them apart to their limits, each stroke was a caress that brought me closer to coming.

"Sloane!" he growled, his voice hoarse with passion, his breath hot against my ear as he ground himself against me. "I'm going to come!"

The knowledge that I was driving this powerful man to this height of pleasure sent a shiver through me, causing my own climax to build rapidly. My walls tightened around him, milking him as I cried out in ecstasy, my peak drawing ever closer.

"Sloane!" he roared, his voice a deep rumble as he buried himself deep inside me one final time before freezing in place. I felt his cock jerk and twitch as he released his seed, filling me with his warmth and farther stoking the flames of my own desire.

I was so fucking close. The tension inside felt like a coiled spring waiting to be released. Vraax's eyes met mine once more, his gaze burning into my soul as he pulled back and rocked back into me. Burying himself inside me to the hilt.

A wave of pure pleasure crashed over me, causing me to gasp and claw at Vraax's back. His name spilled from my lips in a series of guttural moans as the ecstasy built and built until it threatened to consume me. My pussy clenched around his cock in a rhythm that matched my heartbeat, pulling him deeper inside me with each surge of pleasure.

I cried his name, almost panicked, because so much pleasure couldn't be possible, could it? My body felt like it liquified around him, as if I was melting into him or he into me.

His lips crashed down on mine, bringing me back from wherever the hell it was my mind had floated off to, and I grabbed on to him while my body quivered around him in an utterly pleasurable way.