Page 59 of Made For The Alien Warrior

Sim-pony worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “I don’t want my first time to be rushed. You know? I kind of want it to be special.”

Tiegan crashed to a halt. “Special?”

She crinkled her nose.

“Explain.”

“Are we going to get naked right now?”

“Neh.”

Both eyebrows shot straight up. “Then why did you pull me away from the others? Korben made it sound like checking out the landing point was urgent, but we were going in the opposite direction and you—”

“What do you mean you want our mating to be special?” Tiegan insisted.

“You know.” She ran her fingers down the form-fitting suit clinging to her curves. Si-moon must have lent it to her for he did not remember Sim-pony wearing such a thing before. The material outlined the dip of her waist and the flare of her hips. She looked soft and inviting. His heras pulsed as he became temporarily distracted by her beauty.

No wonder Korben and the others were so against the females joining them in war. He was utterly consumed by Sim-pony when she was merely breathing. How would Tiegan ever survive if she were in battle? The fear for her safety would destroy him.

“Tell me,” Tiegan said, struggling to keep his eyes on her face instead of roaming over her body.

“I always wanted my first time to benice.” She ducked her head and her twists slid down her shoulder. “Nice music, candles, a bunch of rose petals leading to the bed.”

Rose petals?Tiegan cleared his throat, shifting away from Sim-pony. He had never heard of such requirements associated with a mating. Plutonians took their mates with little ceremony. Indeed, a ceremony meant nothing if the male in the coupling was immature and unaware of his responsibilities.

Mating was a sign that a Plutonian had reached his full potential. When he took a mate, he proclaimed that he could handle the burden of taking care of someone other than himself.

Plutonians believed that the success of the union rested on the male’s shoulders. This was not because the female was seen as less than.

In fact, before the Red Death, females had been elders, war strategists and builders. Anything the male could do, the female could do—though with iterations in place for her smaller size and lesser physical strength.

However, when it came to life after mating, males carried all the burden. The female was a mirror to the male. If something went wrong and the female was unhappy, that meant the male was not giving her what she needed.

Tiegan knew of these important principles. He had been practicing self-control and could be committed to one female for the rest of his life. He was a good listener, a great hunter, and had everything in place to take Sim-pony as his mate.

But what were roses? Candles? Nice music? What was all this fuss over a process that simply required his length piercing her heat?

Tiegan felt a little out of depth when he thought of trying to meet Sim-pony’s requirements. His intentions were to invade her, roughly and deeply, whisper his acknowledgement of his responsibility in their mating, and enjoy the full benefits of grafting his life to another.

“Tiegan?” Sim-pony waved a hand over his face. “Hello?”

He shook his head to clear his whirring thoughts. “I have noted your preference for our mating environment.” He captured her hand and continued to lead her down the hallway. “Come.”

“Where are we going? Didn’t you call your zapten out with the rest of the guys?” She pointed at the hallway they’d left behind. “They’re all leaving that way.”

“We are not.”

“If we’re not sleeping together and we’re not leaving, then what are we going to do?”

He frowned down at her. “You ask many questions.”

“And you don’t answer them.”

“Not everything must be laid bare before it’s time.”

“I just want to know ifI’mbeing laid bare so I can prepare myself…”

Tiegan suddenly tugged her around and backed her up against the wall. Leaning in close, he breathed her scent. “Would you rather I flicked your heat before we leave?”

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