Page 5 of Kazmyr: Molten for Her (Consumed by the Alien Heat #2)

KAZMYR

Beneath my skin, fire raged hotter than any reactor core, the ember marks along my chest pulsing with need as I guided Jenna toward the moss hammock.

Her body tensed any time I neared her, those hazel-green eyes narrowed with suspicion even as her heartbeat quickened against my palm.

Every scar along my torso seemed to burn brighter in her presence, my control fraying with each breath of her smoke-and-salt scent that filled the chamber.

The living weave of the hammock puffled upward like a smug host anticipating guests, already reaching tendrils toward her ankles.

"Is your furniture always this... eager?" She stepped back, bumping into my chest, her spine stiffening when my hands instinctively steadied her hips. "The hammock was basically waggling its eyebrows at me and humming a porn soundtrack."

I didn't know what she meant, but I was too distracted a heat surged through me, making them glow bright enough to cast shadows across her skin.

I swallowed hard, struggling to maintain the formal distance protocol demanded.

"The moss responds to biological signatures.

It stabilizes ship systems during rest cycles. "

Not a lie. Just not the complete truth about how the moss's primary function was to encourage mating pairs to complete their bond, then keep them happy, warm, and comfortable. The living weave recognized compatible matches instantly, its fibers already quivering with anticipation.

"So it's supposed to cuddle us?" She raised one eyebrow, that skeptical expression I'd grown to crave like oxygen. "Or is this another one of those 'cultural differences' you conveniently forget to explain until we're halfway into something weird?"

I couldn't stop the rumble of laughter that escaped my chest. "It provides support. Comfort." My voice roughened despite my efforts to keep it even. "It can be convinced to behave, if you prefer distance."

"Bullshit." She crossed her arms, studying me with a gaze that seemed to see straight through my carefully constructed defenses.

"This ship responds to your emotions, Kazmyr.

I've seen how the lights pulse with your heartbeat, how the temperature rises when you're..." Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away. "When you want me."

My marks flared brighter, the confession of desire I couldn't hide. The scars along my chest and arms pulsed gold-blue, lighting the small chamber with my need.

"Yes," I admitted, seeing no point in denial when my own body betrayed me so thoroughly. "The Heartforge is bonded to my physiology. It... reflects certain states."

"Certain states," she repeated, her lips curving into that dangerous smile that made my control slip further. "Is that what we're calling it now?"

She stepped closer, deliberately placing her palm against the largest mark on my chest. Fire raced through my veins, setting every nerve ending alight. I hissed, my hands clenching at my sides to keep from grabbing her.

The moss hammock swelled impatiently, tendrils reaching higher as if beckoning us both. The ship's systems hummed in harmonious response, lights dimming to the amber glow of courting embers.

"You should rest," I managed, even as my body screamed for the opposite. "You've been through much. The pirates—"

"Are still out there. I know." She didn't move her hand from my chest, instead spreading her fingers wider over the glowing mark. "But they're regrouping, which means we have time. Maybe not much, but some."

Her pulse quickened against my skin, her breathing shallow. Despite her bravado, fear lingered in the corners of her eyes… not of me, but of everything else. The unknown. The hunters. The fate that had thrust her into my world without permission.

"Jenna—"

"If you tell me I'm fragile, I might actually set something on fire." She tilted her head back to meet my gaze directly, her height barely reaching my shoulders. "I'm not made of glass, Kazmyr."

"No," I agreed, finally allowing my hand to rise, to trace the curve of her cheek. "You're forged of something far stronger."

She leaned into my touch, and something in my chest tightened painfully. The moss hammock pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat, stretching wider, its surface rippling with invitation.

"Show me," she said suddenly, her voice dropping to that husky tone that made my marks burn bright. "If you want this mating bond so badly, prove to me it's not just another cage."

Before I could respond, she stepped backward onto the hammock. The moss immediately responded, curling around her body with a pleased hum. Rather than fight it, she sank down, allowing the living weave to cradle her form. Her eyes never left mine as she held out her hand.

"Your move, Guardian."

My restraint shattered. I followed her onto the hammock, the moss eagerly making space for me beside her, then closing around us both.

Tendrils wrapped around our legs, pulling us together until her thighs pressed against mine.

The hammock swayed gently, adjusting to our combined weight, then stabilized.

"The moss encourages physical contact," I explained belatedly as our bodies aligned perfectly, her smaller form fitting against mine as if designed for it. "It's part of the bonding process."

"I figured that out all on my own, thanks." Her eyes crinkled with amusement, but beneath it lurked determination. Her hands found my collar, fingers tangling in the cooling beads around my neck. "Now stop talking about the moss and kiss me."

The demand in her voice sparked something primal inside me. I'd been so careful, so restrained, terrified of frightening her with the intensity of my need. But her hands pulled me down with surprising strength, and I went willingly.

"If this is too much—" I started, but she cut me off with a growl of impatience.

"If you wanted a timid mate, you should've let the pirates take me." She seized the back of my neck and yanked me closer. "If you want me, Kazmyr, then prove it. Show me this bond you keep talking about isn't just another set of chains."

Her mouth found mine, hot and demanding, stealing whatever protest I might have made. The taste of her overwhelmed my senses. My control slipped further as her tongue pushed past my lips, claiming me with a fierceness that matched the fire in my blood.

The moss responded instantly to our rising heat, tendrils tightening around us, pulling her even closer until she straddled my thighs.

Her legs cinched around my waist, the position driving her core against the hardness that had been straining against my garments since she'd first stepped onto my ship.

I groaned into her mouth, my hands finally allowing themselves to explore, to trace the curves I'd dreamed of. She gasped when my fingers found the hem of her shirt, slipping beneath to touch bare skin.

"You're burning," she whispered against my lips, but made no move to pull away from the heat.

"For you," I admitted, unable to hide the ragged edge in my voice. "Always for you."

She rocked her hips deliberately against mine, drawing another groan from deep in my chest. The moss hummed with approval, weaving tighter around us, supporting her back as I lowered her carefully onto the living surface.

"Wait," I forced myself to say, even as my body screamed in protest. "There are things you should know about my... anatomy. You can only take part of me tonight. Your human body is—"

"If you say 'fragile' I swear I'll walk out that airlock." She dug her nails into my shoulders, the sharp sting sending fresh waves of heat through my scars. "I don't break easy, Guardian."

I nearly lost myself right then, the challenge in her eyes more arousing than any submission could ever be. My marks flared bright enough to illuminate her face in gold-blue light, casting shadows across her determined expression.

"Then let me worship you first," I growled, sliding down her body, the moss parting willingly to allow my movement. My hands made quick work of her garments, peeling them away to reveal more of her perfect skin. Each inch exposed sent fresh fire through my veins.

She tensed when I settled between her thighs, but only for a moment. Then her fingers tangled in my hair, tugging with enough force to make my scalp tingle.

"Don't tease," she warned, but her voice had lost its edge, turning breathy with anticipation.

I had no intention of teasing. My tongue found her center with deliberate precision, tasting the sweet heat of her desire.

Her back arched off the moss, a strangled cry escaping her throat.

The hammock adjusted beneath us, supporting her movements, encouraging the arch of her spine as I worshipped her with my mouth.

Each flick of my tongue drew new sounds from her, each moan sending tremors through my own body. I held her hips firmly as she began to rock against my mouth, her movements growing more frantic as pleasure built.

"Kazmyr," she gasped, her nails raking fire down my scalp. "I need—I want—"

I knew what she needed. I could taste her readiness, feel the trembling in her thighs that signaled how close she was. But I wanted to hear her surrender, to know she chose this, chose me, with full awareness.

I lifted my head just enough to meet her gaze. "Tell me what you want, Jenna."

Her eyes blazed with frustrated desire. "You," she admitted, the word torn from her as if against her will. "Inside me. Now."

I moved back up her body, the moss hammock adjusting to support us both. Her legs wrapped around my waist again, heels digging into my lower back with impatient demand. I positioned myself at her entrance, the head of my erection pulsing with the same gold-blue light as my ember marks.

"Slow," I warned, easing forward with agonizing restraint. "Take me slowly."

She answered by pulling me forward with surprising strength, her body arching to meet mine.

I slid into her molten heat with a groan that seemed torn from my very core.

The sensation nearly undid me… the tight grip of her body, the heat that rivaled my own internal fire, the way she gasped and trembled beneath me.

"More," she demanded, even as her inner muscles clenched around me in a way that made my vision blur.

"Not yet," I managed, holding still despite her attempts to drive me deeper. "Not all of me. Not the first time."

She looked ready to argue, but I silenced her with a deep thrust that made her eyes widen and her mouth form a perfect 'O' of surprise. I established a rhythm then, giving her as much as I dared, watching her face for any sign of discomfort.

There was none. Only pleasure, building with each roll of my hips against hers. The moss responded to our movements, pulsing beneath us, supporting and encouraging as we found our pace together.

"I choose this," she gasped between thrusts, her nails raking down my back. "Not the registry, not fate. Me. I'm choosing you, Kazmyr."

Her words broke something open inside me. My marks flared brighter than ever, patterns of light dancing across her skin as I moved within her. The marks spread their glow, painting her body in molten patterns that matched the rhythm of our joining.

"Mine," I growled, the possessiveness I'd tried to suppress breaking free. "My mate."

"Yes," she answered, meeting my thrusts with equal force, her body taking me deeper with each movement until I thought she might take the large bulge at the base of my cock. "But you're also mine."

The declaration sent fresh fire through my veins. She was claiming me just as surely as I claimed her. Not a possession but a mutual choosing. My pace quickened, driving us both toward the edge of control.

I felt her body tightening around me, her breathing growing ragged. The moss hammock hummed beneath us, its vibrations adding to the sensation. Her eyes locked with mine, defiant even in surrender.

"Let go," I urged, one hand sliding between us to touch her where we joined. "Show me your fire, Jenna."

She shattered at my touch, her entire body arching as pleasure crashed through her.

Her cry echoed through the chamber, muffled against my shoulder as she bit down hard enough to leave marks.

The pain-pleasure pushed me over my own edge.

Light burst around us like a storm of stars as I emptied myself inside her, my skin pulsing with each wave of release.

The moss cradled us through the aftershocks, supporting our trembling limbs as we collapsed together.

I kept her close, unwilling to break our connection even as our breathing gradually slowed.

Her body still pulsed around mine, little aftershocks of pleasure that made my marks flicker with renewed heat.

"Next time," I murmured against her hair once speech returned, "you'll take all of me."

Her breath caught, a shiver running through her body at the promise. "All of you?"

I nodded, my hand tracing lazy patterns across her back. "Every part. Your body will adjust, will learn to carry my fire completely."

She propped herself up on my chest, studying me with that penetrating gaze. "Is that part of the bonding? Something biological I should know about?"

"Yes." I saw no point in hiding it. "The final stage of our mating includes... changes."

Instead of fear, curiosity sparked in her eyes. "What kind of changes?"

"My body contains more than what you've experienced tonight. When you're ready, when the bond is stronger, you'll take all of me. Every drop. Every bit of my length. Every swell of my cock." My marks pulsed at the thought. "It will bind us more completely."

She considered this, her fingers tracing one of the glowing patterns on my chest. "And I get a say in when that happens?"

"Always," I promised fiercely. "This bond is nothing if not chosen."

She relaxed against me then, her body molding to mine as the moss hammock swayed gently beneath us. For a moment, I believed we might actually have found peace, a sanctuary in each other's arms. The galaxy could burn away, and I would survive because she had given me her yes.