Page 63 of Akur

Akur held her cradled against his chest, one arm supporting her while his other hand traced patterns on the map projected in front of them. Immediately, her breath stilled in her nose.

He was holding her…and before he’d been holding her…they’d had mind-blowing sex. Mind-bendingsex. Oh God, did she really do it? She remembered begging him, unable to stop once they started. Almost as if the very scent of him had been intoxicating.

And his climaxes…what the hell happened there? She was pretty sure his cum had sent her into orbit. Like some sort of aphrodisiac that forcedherbody to climax again and again. Such a thing was so wild, she didn’t think it was possible.

And yet, she was sure it had happened.

Keeping her breathing even, she took a moment to gather herself. She felt different—stronger somehow, more alive, despite that she was still exhausted.

“I know you’re awake,” the alien suddenly rumbled. The depth of his voice vibrated through her, sending tingles through her skin.

Well, guess the pretense was over. Releasing a slow breath, she opened her eyes fully, only to find his golden gaze already on her. He was looking at her strangely. A careful neutrality in his expression that made her chest tight. “How long was I out?”

“Not long…” He paused, looking as if he was about to say something else, but his throat moved as if he swallowed it back.

“Oof,” she grunted as she tried to sit up. They were still on the table, as if he’d just pulled her into him and hadn’t moved after…

As his arms disentangled from around her, the chill caught her again. She shivered, wincing slightly as she tried to stretch. She almost toppled off the table, but he was there. Those warm arms enclosed around her again in a split second.

“Constance…” He said her name in that way he usually did, all strange, the syllables unfamiliar yet somehow…right. “I am…” He paused again. His heart was thundering against her spine now. “I did not know it would affect you the way it did.”

There was something in his voice. Something that sounded like regret. A sound so distinct it made a pit open up in her stomach.

So, he regretted it. Well…she didn’t.

Digging down inside her, she tried to find an ounce of the same emotion. She’d mated with an alien and that wasn’t so strange now after living on the Restitution’s base and seeing all the happily mated humans there. Only, you know, this wasn’t atruemating. It was just sex. Like a one-night stand. Sex for survival, that’s all it was. And she was a big girl. She’d made the decision. She’d gone through with it. He may regret it, but…she didn’t.

When she turned in his arms, the motion made her aware of every place they touched, every lingering sensation from what they did just hours before.

“You mean the…” She gestured vaguely, feeling heat rise in her cheeks. “The multiple…”

“The seed pods.” His voice was rough. “They contain a mating hormone that enhances pleasure, increases chances of…” His jaw tightened. “Ajos did not mention…qrak,” he cursed under his breath. “I should have warned you.”

“Hey.” She pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart racing beneath her palm. The thumps felt massive, almost as if his heart was twice the size of hers. “I’m okay. Better than okay, actually.” And she was. Despite the lingering exhaustion, she felt…good.

God, she’d forgotten how good the aftermath could feel. It had been a while since she last—

“You were…overwhelmed. Out of control. I thought for a moment that I had…” His hands tightened on her arms, then quickly loosened as if he was afraid of hurting her.

“Akur.” She waited until he met her gaze again. “What happened between us…I’ve never experienced anything like that. But not in a bad way.”

He made a sound low in his throat, his lips pulling back ever so slightly in a snarl. “I saw your eyes release water—”

“From pleasure,” she interrupted. “Just pleasure. Nothing else.”

“Your temperature has risen.” His voice dropped lower.

“Oh.” Now that he mentioned it, the room didn’t have that same biting cold as it had before. It was still cold, yes, but she could bear it better. “Well,” she smiled. “That’s good.”

He growled again. “You do not seem to care. You could barely take my length and then my seed…Constance…you nearly died.”

She choked on a laugh that made her cough. Chest heaving, Akur’s brow descended as she directed him to knock her back, as she tried to catch her breath again. “I assure you, what you saw was not me nearly dying. It was quite the opposite.”

When she looked at him, that neutrality was gone. He was glaring at her now.

She sighed. “Would it have mattered?” He glared even more. “You needed help. I wanted to help. You have to get out of here and warn the others about that orb. Everything else…” She shrugged, trying to ignore how his proximity still affected her, how her body seemed to remember every touch, every moment of their joining. “We deal with it. Like everything else.”

He stared at her for a long moment, something unreadable in those alien eyes. Finally, he released her and hopped off the table. The loss of his warmth was like someone had just turned off the furnace she’d been sitting beside.

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