Page 43 of Bound to the Bounty Hunter

The possessive edge to his words sent a thrill through me. I teetered on the precipice of ecstasy, so close to falling over the edge.

“I’m yours,” I gasped. “Your mate. Oh gods, Arkon!”

My second orgasm crashed over me, even more powerful than the first. My inner walls clenched around him as waves of pleasure wracked my body.

Arkon didn’t slow his pace, fucking me through the aftershocks. My knees buckled, but he caught me, half-carrying me to the narrow bed.

He knelt on the thin mattress, pulling me back against his chest. One hand splayed across my stomach, the other cupping my breast as he entered me again.

I whimpered, oversensitive and overwhelmed. Coherent thought fled, leaving only raw sensation in its wake. Arkon’s name fell from my lips in a breathless litany as he drove me higher and higher.

Pleasure consumed me, wave after wave crashing over my senses. Arkon’s relentless pace drove me higher, each thrust sending sparks through my body. I lost track of time, lost in the sensations.

I came again and again, my cries echoing off the cell walls. Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids, my body arching and shuddering with each climax. The intensity built until I thought I might shatter from the overload of sensation.

Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision. I fought to stay conscious, but the combination of exhaustion and overwhelming pleasure pulled me under.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on the narrow cot. The remnants of my torn clothing had been pulled over me in a crude attempt at modesty. My body ached, but it was a pleasant soreness that spoke of thorough satisfaction.

I blinked, trying to focus. Where was Arkon? A movement in the corner caught my attention. He stood there, hunched in on himself, his normally commanding presence diminished.

“Arkon?” My voice came out as a hoarse whisper. I winced, remembering how I’d screamed his name over and over.

He flinched at the sound of my voice. “I’m sorry,” he said, the words barely audible. “I’ve never... I shouldn’t have...”

I struggled to sit up, ignoring the protests of my overused muscles. “Come here,” I said softly.

Arkon shook his head, pressing himself further into the corner.

“Please,” I said. “I want you near me.”

He took a hesitant step forward, then another. I kept coaxing him closer until he knelt beside the bed. Up close, I could see the wild look in his eyes, the shock etched across his features.

I reached out, cupping his face in my hand. He flinched but didn’t pull away. “Kiss me,” I whispered.

Arkon’s eyes widened. “After what I did to you?”

I shook my head. “You didn’t do anything to me that I didn’t want. That I still don't want.”

“But I lost control. I could have hurt you.”

“But you didn’t,” I insisted. “I don’t blame you for what happened. If anything...” I grinned, wincing slightly as I shifted position. “My back’s a little sore, but maybe next time we can try some of those moves again. On a better bed.”

A ghost of a smile flickered across his face, there and gone in an instant.

I sobered. “But first, we need to focus on getting out of here. Out of Zhen’la’s clutches. And for that, I need you to pull yourself together.”

Arkon nodded slowly, some of the usual determination returning to his expression.

I couldn’t resist teasing him a little. “Besides, if I’m really your mate now, I want to know more about what that means.”

To my delight, a faint blush colored Arkon’s gray cheeks.

Arkon’s expression softened as he looked at me. He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for something difficult.

“There’s something I need to tell you about Vinduthi mating customs,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow, curious. “Oh? Do tell.”

---