She was close. She"d come as close to his room as a human was allowed. Maybe near the meeting hall, or even the observatory? Those were only one corridor over. This was the normal Briel female reaction, home in on her mate, get close enough to drive him crazy. Haylie probably wasn"t even aware of what was going on.
He paused outside his room, confusion flooding his mind. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, pushing the mix of adrenaline and hormones through his body, forcing his arousal higher and clogging his brain. What was he doing? Finding his mystery human wasn"t going to get him what he wanted, a wife and family. This was a mistake. Briel didn"t have casual relationships, and that"s all this could be. Briel only mated with Briel. A human...it shouldn"t be possible.
So why was everything about his reaction to her screaming that she was the one?
"Are you well, Amba.s.sador?" The security guard posted outside his quarters said from behind him.
"Yes, thank you. I"m going for a walk. I"ll be gone for a short while."
"Would you like an escort, sir?"
Uncontrollable rage flashed through him, his hands balled into fists. Only through a fight would he let another man near Haylie. Kamran gave his head a shake and tried to relax. No, he wasn"t thinking clearly. It was the bonding playing havoc on his mind as it pulled at him from deep within his genetic code. He had to fight it, maintain control over his senses until he knew for sure she was the one. Knew beyond a doubt she was his mate.
"Amba.s.sador?" the guard asked again.
"No, thank you," he said through clenched teeth.
He didn"t turn to see the guard"s reaction and stalked down the hall.
People were everywhere at this hour. The bazaar had thinned out and the people had shifted over to the bars and local social establishments. The humans certainly enjoyed their entertainment. With everyone about, it took Kamran longer to pick up her scent. He stopped, closed his eyes and breathed deeply. There it was. Her scent drifted on top of the chaos that a.s.saulted his senses. Definitely near the observation room.
He pivoted and went down the hall parallel to the one he"d emerged from. He pa.s.sed several meeting rooms, the materials interconnect lab and the reliability lab. All were deserted this late at night. No one would disturb them.
The observation room was the last one on the left-hand side of this hall. Normally, it would take Kamran no more than five minutes to walk the short distance. Two if he ran. Running, however, seemed out of the question. He tried to jog at first, but an increasing pressure on his chest slowed him down. He stopped after only a few seconds and slumped against the wall.
"What...?"
34.
His voice choked off, caught somewhere deep in his throat. He looked down the hall, blinking to clear his blurry vision. Where was he and what in the maker"s name was wrong with his feet?
Move!
His brain coaxed his body forward again, but he remained against the wall for support. He knew if kept moving and made it to the end of the hall, somehow everything would be all right. He smacked his fist against his head, knowing he was forgetting something.
Keep moving down the hall and to the left.
Why was that again?
His breathing became labored and Kamran had to consciously think about taking the next lungful of air. He felt like his body was being pulled back by invisible strings. It would be easier to move backward. He should turn around.
No, keep going. You"re almost there.
Ahead of him, perhaps five feet away, was an open door. Down the hall and on the left.
Kamran"s body shook violently from the strain. He collapsed at the entrance. He gave up. He felt more than heard the gasp that left his body, the last breath of air that lived in his lungs. The cold deck plating of the floor sent a jolt of pain throughout his body as he landed hard.
Kamran!
The single word didn"t register until he felt a bolt of electricity shoot through his body. The charge jump-started his heart and lungs, bringing him back from the abyss.
In the next instant, Kamran felt her lips upon his, shocked by the texture, the smoothness of her skin. His eyes refused to work, but he didn"t need them to know who this woman was.
"It"s you." His voice was hoa.r.s.e and painful to use.
"Are you okay?" She said the words against his ear.
"It happens like this...before we...I"m fine." He licked up the side of her neck, tasting her salty skin. Better than the finest food.
"Before we what?" Haylie gasped and tilted her head back.
"Before we mate. If the female rejects the male, he dies."
Her lips moved everywhere. Against his cheek. Kissing his jaw line. Making their way to his ear, she circled the ridge. He sighed, clutching her shoulders when she began to suckle the lobe.
"I need you."
Haylie"s soft words in his ear elicited a dark, almost primal response from him.
Kamran pulled her back, her face finally coming into focus. Her long brown hair 35 covered her shoulders and back like a veil. She stared up at him with the most amazing eyes. They were the color of the Briel countryside after the planting rains.
Her face was flushed, the color traveling down her neck and disappearing under a soft, smooth shirt. He had to know how far down that blush went. Kamran took the tip of his finger and hooked it on her neckline. Tugging her shirt down, he now had access to the tops of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The blush continued lower, tempting him to continue his exploration. Bending his head down, Kamran placed a single kiss in the top of her cleavage. She smelled like s.e.x, the promise of pleasure.
She pulled his head up and crushed her lips against his again, driving her tongue deep into his mouth, teasing as it went. He lapped at her, tasting her sweetness. His c.o.c.k tightened and pulsed as her lips demanded more from him. Kamran, in turn, slid his hand under her shirt, brushing his fingers against the side of her breast and across her waist before reaching the smooth hollow of her back.
Her sigh told him she enjoyed the sensation and he fleetingly wondered if all Briel males instinctively knew where their mates liked to be touched. Kamran moved his mouth along her cheek to her neck. His tongue licked as he kissed her. Her heartbeat quickened under his lips and she drove her hands into his hair.
"Please, don"t stop."
Her plea pushed Kamran to the edge of his control. Reclaiming her lips with his, he slipped his tongue deep into her mouth needing to taste her. Haylie"s fingers were cool against his heated skin. His heart pounded as wildly as hers. She ran her hands over the tunic that covered his chest, sliding them down the length of his sides to tug on the hem.
"Take this off."
Kamran obediently stood. He watched her eyes widen as he reached his full height.
He knew his size wasn"t as impressive as some of his race, but she seemed pleased. He yanked the tunic off and was rewarded with a sigh from Haylie.
"Just like I pictured you."
The unexpected incapacitation he"d experienced minutes earlier was gone. In its place was blinding arousal. This was what his brother spoke of. When she rose to her knees and ran her fingers over his stomach, Kamran thought he"d died. His c.o.c.k was straining painfully against his pants as she pressed her cheek against it. He wanted her to free him, take his shaft in her mouth so he could feel her wicked tongue on him. A groan exploded from him and the sound echoed in the hall.
They both froze, realizing at the same time where they were.
"Oh my G.o.d," Haylie said with a shaken voice.
"In the room." He didn"t want anyone to come across them, see any part of her naked skin. She was all his.
36.
Kamran quickly scanned the hall before he stepped inside and triggered the doors to close and lock. When he turned around she stood there with her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised in question.
"I don"t want any interruptions." I only want you.
Haylie spoke with her body. She slowly pulled her cotton shirt over her head, her nipples hardening more as the cotton teased the sensitive skin, and threw it aside. His gaze locked on the puckered buds.
Praise the G.o.ddess, he needed her now.
With two steps, he was beside her again and easily picked her up in his arms.
Haylie wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to his chest. The smoothness of her skin against his was intoxicating.
He carried her across the room and set her down on the edge of a table. He bent his head and took one of her stiff nipples into his mouth. Her moan echoed in the silence of the observatory. He felt the wetness between her legs as she ground her c.l.i.toris against his thigh.
"Kamran, what"s happening? I feel...crazy," her whisper tickled his ear as her hot breath caressed his neck.
"I can stop-"
"Don"t you dare! Just touch me."
Kamran instinctively knew where to stroke her to give her pleasure. Her hands clenched in his hair pulling him in for another kiss as he tugged her nipples, rolling the tips in his fingers. He slid a hand from her breast to her waist and finally to her b.u.t.tocks, taking the time to knead them.
"You"re so small. So perfect. Just the right size for me to do this."
He pressed his hand between her legs, ma.s.saging her c.l.i.t with his fingers. Haylie cried out and drove her nails into his arms. A possessiveness he"d never felt before pushed him on, needing to claim her, brand her so no other man would ever mistake her for anyone other than his mate. Completely, totally his.
The thin fabric of her pants was the only barrier remaining between them. He actually growled when he couldn"t free them from her body. Haylie chuckled as she undid the clasp and bucked up long enough for Kamran to yank them over her hips and onto the floor. He pulled back and stared into her wide, intense gaze. When he combed his fingers through her pubic hair, she gasped.
"Amazing," he whispered. "What do you call this?" He leaned forward and touched her mound.
He watched her blush and turn her head to the side.
"I"ve embarra.s.sed you."
"No, but it makes me feel..."
37.
When she didn"t continue, he leaned in and kissed her hard. She tasted better than the finest food and it made his head spin. He nipped at her bottom lip and her chin while he continued to play with her c.l.i.t.
"How does it make you feel?" His lips moved against her jaw.
"Naughty," she said and spread her legs wider than before.
"It makes you feel naughty to say..."
"c.u.n.t."
Haylie"s entire body tensed as he thrust his fingers deep inside her, coaxing her juices from her. He slid his fingers up to circle her c.l.i.t, brushing it very lightly.
"I think I like you naughty."
She moaned and bucked her hips, meeting his every touch. Kamran was pleased she responded to him with such intense desire. He needed to know this was real, this pa.s.sion between them.
"Does that please you?"
"s.h.i.t, yes! Don"t stop." Haylie moved closer to him as she spoke, rubbing against his hand.
Haylie increased the contact between them, grabbing his wrists to grind hard against him, her breath a series of short gasps. She cried out when he returned his fingers to drive deep inside her. Her hips moved to a silent beat of thrust, retreat, thrust.
She arched her body back against the table.
More. He needed so much more of her. He withdrew his hand and slid away from her. Haylie moaned in protest, then in pleasure as he dropped to his knees and moved his face between her legs. He slid his arms under her legs and pulled her to the edge of the table.
"Is this what you want?" His hot breath vibrated against her p.u.s.s.y.
"Yes." Haylie panted.
He did not make her wait long. Spreading her legs wide, Kamran leaned in and ran his tongue in a long stroke over her c.l.i.t.
"f.u.c.k," she sighed, tilting his hips up to give him better access.
Pulling back slightly, he couldn"t help but smile. "More?"
"More."
Kamran continued licking and exploring as slowly as he dared. When he sucked her c.l.i.t deep into his mouth, Haylie sat bolt upright and clenched his head in her hands.
"Did I hurt you?"
"Far from it," she smiled, her eyes heavy with pa.s.sion.