Page 45 of Alien Protector's Mate

She shivered as water dripped from her hair, running down her neck and back.

“It’s okay,” she managed to croak out, her voice higher than usual in her panic. How much had he seen? The room was pretty fogged up with steam but still… She cleared her throat, forcing her voice back down to a more masculine register. “No harm done. I’ll just… I’ll go get dressed.”

She edged toward her bedroom door, keeping her eyes fixed on his back. He remained perfectly still, clearly trying to give her as much privacy as possible in the awkward situation. Just as she reached the door, he spoke again, his voice low and strained.

“Jay, I… I really am sorry. I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable. Your privacy and safety are important to me.”

The sincerity in his words made her chest ache. Here she was, lying to him about who she was, and he was worried about making her uncomfortable. The urge to confess everything bubbled up inside her, but she swallowed it down.

“It’s fine, really,” she said softly. “These things happen. No need to worry about it.”

Before he could respond, she slipped into her room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. Her legs shook as she leaned against the door, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

Once she felt steadier, she got dressed quickly, pulling on a sweater and jogging pants she’d liberated from one of the boxes in the closet. Her hands shook as she realized how close she’d come to being unmasked. But even as she tried to push the incident from her mind, Jade couldn’t shake the image of S’aad’s shocked expression. Had he seen something? Suspected something? And why did part of her wish he had?

She slumped onto the bed, burying her face in her hands with a groan. This was a mess. A complete and utter mess. She was in way over her head, playing a dangerous game she had no idea how to win.

The sound of the shower starting up again in the bathroom made her whip her head up, her eyes widening. Shit, was S’aad showering now?

She crawled back into bed, pulling the covers up as images of his muscular body flashed through her mind. She shook her head violently, trying to clear it and get rid of the dangerous thoughts…thoughts of what would have happened if she’d walked in on him, seenhimin the shower. She squeezed her eyes shut, determined to fall asleep and put this whole embarrassing incident behind her.

But then she heard it… a soft whir as the bathroom door slid open again. Her eyes flew open, and before she could stop herself, her gaze was drawn to the mirror opposite her bed. Through it, she had a clear view into the bathroom… and of S’aad in the shower.

Steam curled around his tall form, water cascading over muscles that rippled with every movement. His skin glistened, marked here and there with scars. Her mouth went dry, her pulse speeding up as her eyes traced the strong line of his back, down to…

She jerked her gaze away, burying her face in her pillow with a muffled groan of frustration. This was wrong. She shouldn’t be looking. S’aad had trusted her, had taken her in and given her a chance when no one else would have. And here she was, ogling him like some lovestruck teenager and violating his privacy when he’d been so distraught at the idea he’d done the same to her.

Even though she told herself to look away, she couldn’t. It was like the sight of him had cast a spell over her, and all shecould do was keep looking. Keep watching him. She knew he was powerful, a dangerous warrior, but the way he moved with such quiet confidence, how he handled his responsibilities, and the kindness in his eyes when he looked at her got to her on a soul-deep level.

She bit her lip. What would it be like to join him in the shower as herself? To be held in those strong arms, to feel his skin against hers, and to run her fingers through his damp hair? A rush of longing so intense it took her breath away washed through her.

But then reality crashed back over her in a cold wave. She was lying to him. About everything. He thought she was Jay, and every moment they spent together, every moment he thought he was getting to know Jay was a lie. Even if she told him the truth, and he forgave her… she was human, and he was Latharian. Worse, she was a woman. The first thing they would do would be to register her for the mate program.

All those thoughts were washed away as he turned around in the shower, the spray of water hiding her view of his body for a moment. When the steam parted, her gaze slid down the carved muscles of his chest and torso to lock on to his erection jutting proudly from a nest of sandy curls.

Her eyes widened, a small gasp falling from her lips.

It. Was. Huge.

He was huge.

Way bigger than any human male she’d ever seen in the holo-porno’s she’d managed to stumble onto in the library’s archives. Veiny and thick, his cock arched upward toward his flat stomach, the tapered head flushed a dark violet color that was almost purple. A bead of precum gathered on the tip, glittering in the bathroom lights.

She swallowed around the lump in her throat, unable to tear her eyes away. She’d known he was built, but this… no, she never could have imagined this.

In a heartbeat, her imagination went into overdrive as fantasies filled her mind. Fantasies of stepping into the shower with him…. of wrapping her hand around him and stroking his hot, heavy shaft. Fantasies of feeling him stretch her wide open as he parted her around his thick, wide cock. Fantasies of…

She had to stop. She bit her knuckles to keep from whimpering, fighting the overwhelming urge to crawl out from beneath the covers and join him in the shower like all her instincts wanted her to do.

This was wrong. She should look away. Sheneededto look away. Right now. But she couldn’t. Instead, she stayed locked in place, watching as he rubbed soap over his wide chest and shoulders, and then as his hand slid down his abs to wrap around…

Her eyes widened so much she was surprised they didn’t pop out of her head.

Holy shit, was he actually?—

Shit, he was. Her breath caught as he pumped his cock. Worked it with long, slow strokes of his fist, the flared head playing peekaboo with her fascinated gaze. He tipped his head back, his eyes screwed shut as he chased his pleasure, oblivious to her watching him.

Her breath lodged in her throat as he sped up, stroking his cock with hard, fast pumps of his hand. Water sluiced over the carved planes of his abdomen, highlighting the ridged muscle she wanted to explore with her lips and tongue. She might not have actually had sex yet, but she’d watched enough of those old movies that she knew exactly what to do.

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