Page 28 of Primal Bond

He froze, muscles tensing as Finn settled himself there, eyes sparkling with mischief. "What are you doing?" Zanik demanded, his voice a low growl.

Finn smirked, looking far too pleased with himself. "For this to work, we have to look like master and slave," he said, his tone light but with an edge of seriousness. "It won’t work if you can’t even look at me."

Damn. He was right.

Zanik’s hands twitched, wanting to push Finn away but knowing it would ruin the illusion they needed to create. The sensation of Finn's warmth, the press of his body against Zanik's, was almost too much. Every instinct screamed at him to shove the human off, but he stayed still, jaw clenched tight. "I'm looking at you."

"No, you're not. I can see you looking at the viewport."

"You're being a brat," Zanik warned, eyes darkening.

Finn's grin widened, his defiance shining through. "I’m just being tactical," he shot back. "If I can play my part, you're sure as hell going to have to play yours."

Zanik’s breath hitched as Finn settled further into his lap, the human’s nearly-naked body pressing intimately against him. He could feel the warmth of Finn’s skin, the soft texture of flesh and muscle through the scant fabric.

It was a heady mix of sensations that he hadn’t felt in a long time — one that he didn’t want to acknowledge, but couldn’t ignore.

The proximity made it impossible to focus on anything but the body atop his. The scent of Finn’s skin, laced with that tantalizing human pheromone, filled his senses. His body responded instinctively, heat pooling low in his abdomen, blood rushing south. He clenched his jaw, fighting to maintain control, but it was a losing battle.

As the shuttle hummed around them, Finn shifted slightly, his weight pressing more firmly against Zanik. Zanik’s breath caught again, a low growl escaping his lips.

He tried to focus on anything else — the controls, the mission, the damn stars outside — but it was no use. His body betrayed him, growing harder with each innocent movement Finn made.

Finn must have noticed. He began to shift more deliberately, his movements subtle but calculated. Zanik’s frustration mounted, his muscles tensing as he fought to remain still.

“Stop wriggling,” Zanik growled, his voice a rough whisper. His hands twitched, wanting to grab Finn and still him, but he didn’t trust himself to touch the human right now.

Finn looked back over his shoulder, his expression feigning innocence. “I’m not doing anything,” he replied, his tone light and playful. But there was a glint in his eyes, a challenge that made Zanik’s blood boil.

Zanik gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the sensations coursing through him. He was no untested young pup — he had plenty of experience. But since leaving the war, he had kept himself detached.

At first, it had felt wrong to get close to anyone, haunted by memories of Airen’s death. Then, as his reputation grew, he found that people only wanted to get close to him to use his contacts, or to curry favor. He'd shut down his feelings, focusing on growing his power instead.

But now, with Finn’s nearly-naked body writhing in his lap, he couldn’t fight the fact that he was still a man. His instincts were still there, buried but not forgotten.

And Finn was digging them up, one wiggle at a time.

Finn shifted again, his weight pressing more firmly against Zanik’s growing hardnesses. Zanik’s breath hissed through his teeth, his frustration and annoyance flaring.

“Finn…” he warned, his voice dangerously low.

Finn’s eyes widened with mock innocence. “I’m just trying to get comfortable,” he said, his tone dripping with false sincerity. But his body language spoke volumes, each movement a deliberate provocation.

Zanik's grip on the armrests tightened, his muscles tensed as he fought to maintain control. Finn, settled in his lap, kept sneaking little glimpses at Zanik’s reflection in the monitor glass.

The human’s eyes sparkled with mischief, but Zanik could see the underlying flicker in his gaze: fear.

It was subtle, but it was there — Finn was toeing a line, pushing Zanik’s buttons.

Seeing what Zanik would do, now that Finn was vulnerable.

Zanik’s breath hitched, the warmth of Finn’s body pressing against his own stirring something deep within him. He understood the human’s need for control, reassurance. Afterwhat Urlek and Rivek had done to him, it made sense that Finn would use bravado and teasing as a shield.

But understanding something didn’t make it any easier to handle when it was dropped in your lap.

Zanik’s emotions warred inside him — lust for Finn, a raw, primal desire that surged through his veins, and an unexpected protectiveness that surprised him.

He hadn’t felt this sort of alpha instinct in a long, long time. It was a fierce, almost overwhelming protectiveness, a need to keep Finn safe, to shield him from any harm.

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