Page 33 of Pact with the Alien Devil

My fingers tangled in her hair as the kiss deepened. Her hands clutched at my shoulders, nails digging in slightly, awakening instincts I fought to control.

I growled low in my throat, backing her against the console. Her heart hammered against my chest as I lifted her, setting her on the edge. Data streams cast blue shadows across her skin as her legs wrapped around my waist.

“Tell me to stop,” I murmured against her throat.

“Don’t you dare,” she breathed, pulling me impossibly closer.

Her hands explored my bare chest, curious and demanding. Her palms splayed flat against my skin, feeling the heat rising from me.

“You’re burning up,” she whispered.

“Vinduthi run hot,” I replied.

Her gaze traveled over the markings that curved down the left side of my torso, a mirror to those on my face. Without breaking eye contact, she pulled off her tank, revealing pale skin and the curves I’d tried not to notice these past days.

When her fingers traced the markings on my chest, I nearly lost my tenuous control. Every nerve ending lit up under her touch.

“Does it hurt when I touch them?” she asked.

“No.” My voice came out rougher than intended. “The opposite.”

Her eyes widened at the implications. Then, with deliberate slowness, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the marking over my heart.

The sensation broke something in me. I captured her mouth again, more demanding this time, my hands exploring the smooth skin of her back, her sides. She melted against me, her body pliant yet somehow still defiant.

Her hands found the clasp of my belt, fingers deft even in her urgency. I caught her wrists, pulling back just enough to see her face.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

She met my gaze without flinching. “Do I look unsure?”

“You’ll regret this,” I warned, though I made no move to release her. “I’m not what you want, Iria.”

“I stopped getting what I wanted a long time ago.” She freed one hand from my grasp and placed it on my cheek, an unexpectedly tender gesture. “Maybe it’s time I take something for myself anyway.”

Her words cut through my defenses more effectively than any weapon. I released her other wrist, surrendering to whatever this was between us.

My hands slid up her sides, savoring the contrast of my gray skin against her fairness. When I brushed the underside of her breast, she inhaled sharply.

I kissed my way down her neck, across her collarbone, learning the map of her body with my lips. She arched into my touch, wordless sounds of pleasure escaping her lips.

The taste of her set my blood on fire, awakening desires I’d denied for too long. My arms encircled her waist, lifting her slightly as I plundered her mouth. She responded with equal fervor, her fingers digging into my shoulders.

For once, I stopped calculating, stopped planning. There was only Iria, warm and alive in my arms, kissing me as if tomorrow might never come.

And for us, it might not.

IRIA

My world contracted to the pressure of Korvan’s mouth against mine. Heat spread from my lips down through my body, pooling low in my stomach. I clutched at his shoulders, his arms, needing more contact.

He lifted me with effortless strength. I locked my legs around his waist, not wanting to break the kiss as he carried me toward my quarters. His hands gripped my thighs, fingers digging in just enough to make me gasp against his mouth.

“What happened to planning?” I asked, as he shouldered open the door to my room.

“Plans change.” He set me on my feet beside the bed, his hands already working at the fasteners of my jacket. “Especially when you look at me like that.”

I grinned. “Like what?”

---