Page 9 of Max
Yet, there was tenderness tempering heat in his gaze, and she liked it. He didn’t try to hide this from her. That must be what it meant to be genetic mates.
She didn’t know much about genetics because her education hadn’t included much about science that didn’t pertain to homesteading. With the power grid and mass communications shut down decades before she was born, her family had only a collection of actual books to teach her to read and write.
The most important books were about homesteading, gardening, and animal care. Falyn’s ancestors had lived mostly off the grid before the Mesaarkan attack on the cities. Now the isolated homestead belonged to her.
She liked the prospect of having a big handsome male to share her life… And the ongoing work of keeping up the homestead.
Did she dare to jump into this relationship wholeheartedly? She’d taken a leap of faith before and was wrong. She’d run that male off at gunpoint. There hadn’t been a male in her life since.
Falyn saddled Angus while Max helped the Protectors get the four gangers secured in the transport. It only took a few minutes, and then they were gone.
“How do you want to do this?” Max asked.
“I put Angus’s saddle on him, then I’m going to ride the lead horse and tether Angus at the back.”
“We could hook Angus to my hovercycle, and I’ll ride alongside you. I can go as fast or as slow as you need.”
“That will be possible once we get to the old road. The trail through the woods is too narrow for that.”
Max came to stand in front of her. “If that’s what we have to do.” Then he fell silent, just staring at her. It might have seemed creepy with anyone else, but Falyn found herself staring at his handsome face.
He stared at her lips longingly but didn’t make a move. It seemed as though he wanted to kiss her. She wanted his kiss, but he seemed rooted to the spot.
Falyn waited only a couple seconds more, then she stepped forward, leaning into him and putting her arms around his neck. Raising up on her toes, she pulled his head down and brushed his mouth with her lips. She did it a few times, soft butterfly kisses. He took her into his arms, lifting her off her feet, and kissed her with a passion simmering just under the surface.
She opened readily when he slipped the tip of his tongue between her lips. Although she made the first move, Max quickly took control, deepening the kiss while urging her to wrap her legs around his hips.
Their first kiss was nice, but this was so sensual and arousing that her whole body clamored for more. His tongue swirled around hers in an erotic dance, alternately caressing and dominating.
Falyn clung to his shoulders, pressing her taut, aching nipples tighter against his hard chest. She vaguely wondered if this had been a wise move, but it felt right. Heat pooled at the juncture of her thighs and dampened her panties.
She wanted to keep going… get naked and have him fill her with his cock and pound into her until they were both fully sated. It seemed crazy even as she thought it. But it also felt right.
They were both panting when Max lifted his lips from hers.
“How did you know?” he murmured.
“Because I wanted it, too. Is that what it means to be genetic mates?”
“It’s why we are attracted to each other,” he admitted.
Falyn brought her hand up and caressed his cheek with the backs of her fingers. Kissing his lips lightly, she hugged him, then unwrapped her legs from around him and pressed herself away from him.
“We need to take care of these horses,” she said with a wistful sigh.
They tied two horses to Max’s sky cycle, and Falyn mounted the horse she had chosen and led the other horses tethered to the utility rope she carried. Max followed her on the narrow trail, at a safe distance behind. The sky cycle didn’t make enough noise at that slow speed to bother the horses.
It was slow going up the narrow trail, but they made a little better time traveling on the crumbling old road. Following the same game trail that Falyn took to escape the gangers was a shortcut, they made it to her homestead in about three and a half hours.
Maynard was not lying about their horses being good animals. They were gentle and well-trained. When they reached her homestead, she and Max took them to the small barn to unsaddle them.
“We’ll leave their bridles on while we lead them into the pasture and show them where the water is. Then we’ll turn them loose.”
Falyn only had three saddle stands, so they doubled up the extra saddles on two of them. Nor did she have halters for them, but she didn’t anticipate having to catch them in a hurry. All she had for Angus was fashioned from a twisted synthetic rope.
Max checked Angus’s leg one more time before Falyn turned him loose. “My scan barely showed where the break was. He should be fine.”
“I’m so glad you could help him. It was breaking my heart to put him down.” She released the horse, smiling at Max.
