Page 36

Garnet

“B ut- But-!” Garnet stuttered, nerves twisting up in her belly. “It might not be us, right? We might not actually be mates. Your people dance and the bond only forms if it’s meant to.”

“True.”

“So, it’s possible we’re not meant to be mates!”

“I suppose.”

She sputtered. “How can you be so calm about that? You’re trying to mate me and it could fail and you’re just like, meh. That’s not a big deal to you?”

“No. Not really.”

Garnet leaned back, staring at him. As always, Tanin was so calm and self-assured. Like it really didn’t bother him at all that this could be a mistake. He was still looking at her with that determined, untouchable gaze. The one that made delighted shivers run up and down her spine.

“Why?” She asked on a whisper.

“Because I don’t care about my true mate. Never have. I want you . You’re the one I chose. You’re the one that makes me want more. If I dance for you, and you don’t dance back, or even if you do and no bond is formed, that’s fine. I don’t rightfully care. Because I’ve already made my choice, and it’s you. It’s always going to be you.”

“Tanin.” She bit her lip, belly swooping in delight. “But if I’m not your mate, then she could still show up one day. Right?”

“I’m not dancing for anyone but you.”

“But what if she really means a lot to you?!”

“I’m not dancing for anyone but you.”

“Well, what if I meet my mate and I’m the one who wants out?”

“That’s fine.” He took her head in his hands and brought her close, making sure she looked him right in the eyes as he repeated again. “But I am not dancing for anyone but you. Fate or the universe or whoever can pick someone else for me if they want, but I don’t care. I make my own fate. I fight for my own destiny. And you are the future I have chosen. You are the treasure I want to cherish. Even if nothing happens once I dance for you, it changes nothing about my decision. Tell me if you want to end it, but my answer remains the same.”

She took hold of his wrists, tears dancing in her eyes. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. She was always the mistake. The unwanted twin. The oops baby. Fate had thrown her at her parents when they actively wanted a baby, and they weren’t happy about it.

But Tanin didn’t care. And he really meant it. She saw the strength of his conviction burning in his bright, gleaming red eyes.

“Humans don’t really mate bond anyway,” she muttered, smiling timidly. “We choose who we want to spend our lives with, fate be damned. So, okay. I’m down. I want this. I want you. But you have to promise that you’ll tell me if you meet someone else, okay? If you meet the female of your dreams, just let me know before you try dating her or something.”

“You’re not listening. I’ve already met the female of my dreams.” He snaked his arm around her waist and jerked her back against his chest. “Now, I am going to give you three options. Pick whichever one you want, but once you do, that’s it. Don’t change your mind later. You can let me dance for you and choose if you want to dance with me when I do. We can see if the bond forms. But it won’t matter, because you’ll be mine anyway. Or I can not dance for you, and you just let that be a question that never gets answered. But it won’t matter, because you’ll still be mine anyway. Or you get up off my lap and you walk away from me, ending it all now. I’ve made my choice, and my choice is you. Make yours and let me know how we’re doing this.”

He released her then. Placing his hands back on the arm of the chair. Giving her the freedom to escape if that’s what she wanted.

And she considered it. Not because she wanted to get up. No part of her actually wanted to move. Her hands tightened against his shoulders just at the threat of being forced to do so.

She considered it because this moment really felt like a crossroads. A rare moment in life where she could see the paths of her life stretched out before her and knew that picking one would mean altering her future forever.

And the question really came down to whether she wanted him or not. Was she willing to risk heartbreak and being unwanted by this male in her arms? Was she willing to risk being, again, the mistake in someone else’s life when the real prize was another girl all along?

Did she put her heart on the line hoping for the kind of love and devotion that came from the determination to love someone no matter what? Tanin might not recite poems or sing love songs or anything like that, but he would get her everything she needed, everything she wanted. He would do things for her to make her happy without even needing to ask. He would make the choice, every day, to fall in love with her because that’s what he wanted.

And she wanted that too.

“Do we dance in front of the others?” She asked, running one of her hands down his chest, and resting it over his heart. To her surprise, it was beating fast.

He looked calm, but he wasn’t. He was as nervous about her answer as she was. And that knowledge made her smile as he shook his head once.

“No. The dance is private. Just for you. Just for us.”

“When do we do it?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

She bit her lips, humming thoughtfully, before saying. “Give me a bit.”

“You want to wait?”

“I want to put on a pretty dress first.” She smiled. “If this is my wedding, if this is how we get married, I want to look pretty.”

Tanin growled, his arms coming around her and holding tight as she giggled. He began pressing rapid, eager kisses all along her neck, her jaw, her lips.

“I’ll get you a hundred dresses if that’s what makes you happy.”

“No way! Do you know how much effort I’d have to put into cleaning and maintaining that many dresses? I feel like two or three is just fine.”

“As many as you want,” he promised, running his hand down, then under her shirt and up again, stroking her skin with a harsh possessiveness that made her shiver. “You’re mine, you understand? You’ve given yourself to me.”

“Yes,” she breathed, smiling as the certainty of the decision fell into place. “Don’t you dare let me go, okay?”

“Never. I don’t lose what’s mine. I claim it and I keep it. Always.”

Honestly, that sounded even better than fate saying they belonged together. Garnet had never been someone’s first choice. Aside from her sister, who loved her dearly, Garnet was used to being the hanger on in other people’s lives.

But Tanin chose her. He could have let her go with the peacekeepers. He could have denied her request to stay, and she would have no right to say he was wrong for doing that.

But he didn’t. He let her stay. He let her seduce him. He chose to take her up on what she offered. He chose to make her his. And now, he was giving her this choice.

And it seemed so easy now, considering how much she’d just been stressing over it.

Being in his arms was right. Kissing him, feeling his touch as he pulled her shirt up and over her head was exactly right. Before he grabbed her again, he removed his own shirt, so that when he embraced her once more, they were skin-to-skin. Heart-to-heart. Her soft body molded perfectly against his hard one. The lines of his muscles were a firm contrast to her breasts, her belly. Her skin rubbed against his as he reached for the seal of her pants between them.

Her heart pounded as she helped him take them off, lifting first one leg, then the other, so he could pull them away and toss them aside. She stood up then, earning a displeased look, but before he could scoop her back into his lap – which he looked like he was about to do – she kneeled between his legs. She leaned over his thighs, reaching for the seal on his pants. It was past time she let herself get acquainted with the cock that brought her so much pleasure.

She wasn’t scared of his barbs now. Even after feeling the way they’d tugged at her insides when she’d pulled against them, they weren’t scary.

Actually, she liked the extra pressure they applied when they came up. She liked feeling the heat of his cum moving around them as he pumped her full over several minutes. She was coming to crave that poking feeling inside her.

And now, as she brought his cock out and gripped the shaft, she could finally get an up close look at the strange little appendages.

The bumps covering his shaft that concealed the barbs weren’t hard like bone or nail, but she wouldn’t describe it as normal skin either. It was tougher, like leather, but when she started stroking up and down, enjoying the bumpy texture against her palm, Tanin groaned like it felt good.

Leaning up further, she practically laid herself on his lap as she brought the head of his cock to her lips. She kissed the slightly pointed tip before opening her mouth and swallowing it down. It was a tight fit, but she sucked on the fleshy knob, feeling it poking in the back of her tongue, nearly triggering her gag reflex. She groaned, the vibration making him tighten under her as her hands continued to work up and down the bumpy shaft.

The first drop of his precum trickled into her mouth and she hummed in delight. The slightly spicy scent that followed him was present there too. A bit stronger, but not actually spicy. Like clove, it was a luxurious kind of spice that made her suck harder, eagerly seeking more.

Tanin’s hand came down, resting on the back of her head as she started trying to work her way down, forcing his cock to the back of her throat until she choked and gagged. It was uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to stop. The burning in her pussy, the desire to please this male, twisted together in her guts as she put her hand over his on her head, silently encouraging him to push. To make her take more of him. To fuck her face until she was crying and drooling all over his cock.

He hesitated for only a second. Like he was surprised.

But then he did it. Pushing down. Sliding his fingers through her hair and gripping it tight, using it as a handle as he bobbed her head up and down. Carefully controlling how much she took. Even when she wanted more, he didn’t let her go too far.

Which wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to choke on his cock, to feel the bumps of his barbs rubbing along her throat. He couldn’t cum down her throat, of course, but she wanted to get him as close as possible.

But she’d given him control with that gesture against his hand. And he took it. Unapologetically. She was given only as much of his cock as he allowed, and all she could do was let her hands help. One stroking the remainder of his shaft, her own spit trickled down making it easier, while the other went lower to massage his balls. They were bigger than she expected, throbbing in her hand as she played with them gently.

Tanin groaned, his hips jerking. “Garnet, you…”

It was the most flustered she’d ever heard him, and pride filled her. Even despite the ache in her throat and the unquenched fire still burning in her pussy, dampening her thighs, she felt good. Because she was the one who made the unflinching, unmoving Tanin sound like that .

This was a great male. The kind of person that not only held convictions but stuck to them even when times got hard. Especially when times got hard. He made a decision, he formed a goal, and then he stuck to it . He’d built all of this! He’d brought everyone here. There weren’t many that could do what he did. At the very least, there was an entire station full of people that couldn’t do the things that he did.

And that kind of male wanted her. Knowing that, it only made her more determined to service him like this. To show him just what a good woman she was in return. To prove that she was worthy of him by taking him as far down her throat as she possibly could.

Tanin grunted again, then yanked her off. She whined immediately, drool trailing from her lips to his shiny cock. She tried to get back, desperate to feel him explode in her mouth. To taste that rich, yummy cum in her belly.

But the grip he had on her hair was strong. She was helpless as he pulled her up, forcing her head back, making her strain her body as she balanced on her toes, knees off the ground, hands on his thighs to help keep herself stable.

She was a mess. Hot and flushed and slobbery from sucking his cock. But he smirked at her with such burning approval, it made her feel so beautiful.

“Get on my lap. Ride me,” he ordered, sitting back, pulling her up by the hair.

And she went. Crawling up his legs, sitting back on his lap. Her hands were shaking but eager as she reached between them. His cock was so slick, and she could feel, now that she wasn’t lost in the fog of sucking him off, that his barbs were throbbing. Lifting. Not much. They were just barely threatening to come up, but she could see the spaces between them getting bigger.

He’d pulled her off because he couldn’t come down her throat. She’d been so eager to take him deeper, she’d somehow forgotten that.

But he didn’t. Because he took such good care of her. Because he was a good male who would never let her hurt herself, even if it felt good to him.

And it would have hurt her. His barbs might not have ripped her throat up on the way out, any more than they would her pussy. But that didn’t mean it would feel good. If he came in her mouth, she’d have no choice but to face that pain to get him off before she choked. However, he wasn’t going to put her in that kind of situation to begin with.

Honestly, knowing that he was that careful, that conscious of her, just made her want to do it more. If it meant her throat got a bit roughed up when he pulled out, what did that matter? She’d get to see how his body looked wracked with the ecstasy of coming down her throat.

Later, she promised herself, notching his head against her entrance. They had a long time, the rest of their lives, for her to get as freaky with him as she wanted. Maybe when her sister finally had full control of the mediring and they could take risks…

For now, she let out a moan of relief as she shivered while sinking down. The heat, the girth of him filling her was even better from this angle. It was a slow descent, but easier than she expected. He had been stretching her pussy to fit him, and they came together now with ease.

She dropped the last few inches, slamming herself onto his lap as he grunted, grabbing her hips. She stared at him through slitted eyes, her gaze caught on his, as she began to lift herself up. Rising, feeling him slide out again, only to drop back down.

She rode him like that. Slowly picking up speed as she found her rhythm. He helped her. Using his grip on her hips to lift her up and down as she whimpered and cried. From this angle, her clit was rubbing against him perfectly, sending lightning shooting up through her belly.

She was on top. She was the one setting the pace and the force. Yet, somehow, it still felt like he was in complete control. She was falling apart over him, the pleasure making it hard to keep her speed as she clung to him desperately.

But he was staring at her, so calm. Helping her without his arms even shaking from the effort. She was the one riding him, but she was the one being driven wild.

“That’s it,” he encouraged, his voice low and rough. The first sign she could even tell that he was getting close to the edge. “Breathe. Don’t you pass out on me. I want you to feel all of it. You’re doing so good.”

She moaned his name, feeling her orgasm already building. She wasn’t even bouncing anymore, just grinding her clit against him. Feeling him growing inside her. And he was encouraging it. Having taken control of her hips, so most of the power of her thrusts came from him.

“Come,” he ordered. “Do it now. Come so I can come. Give it to me.”

Garnet was helpless against him. She had to obey. Throwing her head back, she let out a cry as she shuddered, her entire body shaking and trembling as her nails dug into his shoulders.

Tanin tightened his arms, yanking her back against his chest as his barbs expanded out, pressing against her inner walls. Stretching her further. Locking them together as he grunted, using a hand on her ass to grind her into him.

It took a few seconds for him to actually come. The barbs poked out first, making sure that he wouldn’t be able to pull out as he pumped her full. That familiar warmth, slick and hot, began to fill her with slow, steady pumps as she slowly floated down from the high.

All the tension bled out of her, and she lay weakly across his chest as he pet her back, their breathing gradually coming back to normal.

“It’s always so good with you,” he said, a soft wonder in his voice.

Garnet smiled, pleased, as she buried her face in his neck. “You’re not so bad yourself, boss man.”

He chuckled, squeezing her ass, embedding his fingers into the meat of it, until she whimpered, unable to move to escape him. He released her then, stroking gently once more.

“If you still have the strength to sass me, then maybe I’m not finished with you yet.”

“Mercy, please,” she chuckled weakly. It wasn’t really this session that wore her out specifically, but the last few days in general. Their first night together, she barely got any sleep as it seemed he was constantly reaching for her. Her entire body was covered in hickies, new ones covering old ones before they ever had a chance to heal.

They’d spent the entirety of yesterday in his room. Enjoying and exploring each other. It wasn’t all sex. They talked a lot too. About their future. About her past. About the ship and the crew and the next job he was going to take. Small things. Domestic things. The required post coital cuddling – which was, honestly, her favorite part – meant they had a lot of time pressed together.

He didn't judge her for needing to be held and snuggled either. He just did it. He didn't call her clingy or needy. He called her whiny, pouty, but it was said with a warm sort of admiration that let her know he really didn't mind her acting that way.

After yesterday, she was just tired. Her body was well and thoroughly used. Her pussy was sore from the repeated exposure to his barbs. She didn't regret the sex they had, but her entire pelvis was aching again, reminding her that she hadn’t recovered enough yet for more of him.

The conversation she had with her sister came back to her as she was laying there, and she tensed up. Tanin, in turn, paused in his petting.

“Garnet? What’s wrong?”

She bit her lip, sitting up. Wincing when doing so shifted him inside her. It took forever for Tanin to go soft. His barbs would recede first before that happened. As a result, she was still stuffed to the brim and while she loved it, she wouldn’t call it super comfortable. Especially when she was sitting back on her butt, putting weight on every part of her that was sore.

But she was more focused on looking Tanin in the eye as she asked-

“What if you got me pregnant?”

She expected him to freeze, to stiffen, to be surprised. Something.

But he just kept looking at her as calm and unaffected as ever. Hands resting possessively on her hips. His eyes trained right on her tits. A man was a man no matter the species, it seemed, but this was rather important, so she took his chin and forced his head up to focus on her face.

He smirked, like the dominating gesture amused him.

“So what if you get pregnant?” He asked. “You don’t know how to do it?”

“Wha-? No. That’s not-... It’s not like it has to come with instructions! I mean, well, I guess it does. And I don’t really-... We’re getting off track! I don’t know how long it’s been since we left Earth. My birth control shot only lasts three months. We could have been in stasis for much longer! And maybe the stasis prolonged the birth control. Or maybe it didn’t, and we’ve been doing it completely unprotected.”

“Maybe your birth control doesn’t even work on me,” he suggested, continuing her list of possible ways this connection could lead to her getting knocked up. “Maybe the method was a dud from the beginning, and anyone could have made it fail. Does it really matter?”

“Yes, it matters,” she pushed his shoulder – not like he was going anywhere. “You could be getting me pregnant right now, and I can’t even stop you. Focus!”

His eyes drifted down again. Past her tits this time, to the place where their bodies connected. From this angle, she could see him disappearing inside her. The white of his cum leaking out around her stretched entrance. His eyes darkened and she felt him pulse within her again.

“Damn it…” She panted, shivering.

He put a hand on her back and brought her back to his chest. Holding her gently. She melted against him again, snuggling in close. Needing the comfort of being held.

“If you get pregnant, then you get pregnant,” Tanin said simply.

“Just like that?”

“I always assumed there was a good chance. You human females are highly fertile. Especially with alien males. It’s kind of what your species is known for.”

“And that never bothered you?”

He kissed the top of her head gently. Lingering as he rubbed his lips against her hair. Like he was luxuriating in the softness of it. “My female bearing my young? Why would that bother me? I told you: I made my choice. Now, if you never want any young, let me know now and we’ll find a way to fix that. You want a hundred young, we’ll get to work on it. I don’t care one way or another. If I only get you, that’s just fine with me. You drop a couple pups for me, and I’ll do everything in my power to take care of them. Go ahead make that choice, and I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”

“Don’t you have a preference at all?” She breathed, stunned by how serious he sounded. Like it really didn't matter one way or another. But surely he must have some opinion.

“My preference is whatever you want,” he promised. “One young, two young, eight young, no young – I’ll be happy with…”

His voice trailed off and she looked up. Did he change his mind? Did he figure out what he wanted?

But the stunned look on his face was like she just told him she was pregnant. His arms tightened around her and he lowered his gaze, focusing on her. Eyes burning with a sudden seriousness that made her heart stutter.

“What?”

“I’ll be happy.”

“What?” She blinked.

But he was squeezing her tight, burying his face in her neck.

“I’ll be happy,” he repeated, like it was the greatest wonder he could have experienced.

It took her a second to realize that, maybe, it was. He’d come from a horrible background. A place without a lot of love or light or joy. Maybe this really was the first time he was truly happy.

She smiled, embracing him back. Letting him come to peace with that idea. Right now, that was more important.