Page 52 of Chieftain
"You are not going." The force of his voice turned me to face him. He'd stopped in the center of the room and stood there, hands on his hips, golden eyes blazing—looking every single bit a warrior Chieftain.
Big freaking whoop!
“Let me give you a little hint about Earth women, Khaion.” I held my finger up, foregoing the painful poking of his muscles, simply pointing this time. “We don’t like to be told what to do. You might be the commander of this ship, but not of me. You can’t tell me what to do.”
Khaion stalked over, pressing the center of his chest against my finger, his eyes like molten gold. “You are mine. That gives me the right to protect you.”
You are mine.
I took several steps back, my heart skipping beats. As much as the declaration swelled my heart and sent the throbof desire through my bloodstream, I was too pissed to enjoy it."What does that even mean?" I shouted, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. “I’m your what exactly? Hell, we haven’t even fucked. We just fool around like horny teenagers. What exactly do you want from me, Khaion?”
My chest heaved as I sucked in deep gulping breaths, trying to regain control of my swirling emotions. Tears filled my eyes, and a knot formed in my throat. I turned away, desperate to get away from the overwhelming feelings.
The next thing I knew, Khaion's arms were around me, spinning me to face him. One arm pulled me close, the other buried in my hair, locking my head still so his lips could claim mine hungrily.
“I want everything,” He growled against my lips.
I drowned in the sensation. He teased at my lips, caressing me with a gentle hunger that took my breath away. I moaned and pressed against him, wanting more. The solid wall of his chest was reassuringly warm. I'd never been happier with the Vaktaire habit of forgoing shirts while on the ship. I pressed closer, feeling a growing hardness jutting against my stomach, and desire ricocheted through me like lightning. His hands stroked down my back to cup my ass and lift me. I wrapped my legs around his waist as we kissed. His tongue darted into my mouth and touched mine, tentatively probing until I responded, then plunging in again and again. I felt drunk on tasting him and dreamed dizzily of what would come next. I knew what I wanted… what I always wanted.
"I want everything, too," I whispered against his lips. "I want you, Khaion."
Khaion gave a pained groan as he sat me on my feet. Turning away, his hands trembled as he clawed at his hair, making it stand like a lion's mane in wild tufts. His breath came out in hard gasps, and his broad shoulders heaved with each movement.
“Khaion,” I choked out, my voice carrying just a hint of hurt. The anger that suffused me earlier was gone. My eyes stung with tears that I tried to blink away, and my legs felt wobbly as if the floor had suddenly turned into clouds. He turned slowly. The anguish in his golden eyes was overwhelming. His voice came out heavy with emotion.
“I want you so much I can't breathe. But I can't have you.”
“Why not?” It certainly wasn’t because I wasn’t willing.
“You are the most precious thing to me in all the galaxy, but I can never claim you as mine.” Khaion drew a deep, shuddering breath. “To do so would be to condemn you to death.”
“Huh?”
My eyes flickered to the bulge in his leather pants. I'd had more than enough exposure to his cock to know he was large, much larger than Rick, or any other Earth man, for that matter. But not so large that I wouldn't enjoy the hell out of it.
“How? Your cock isn’t poison to me. We’ve already done enough that I know that.” I couldn’t help the smile that curved my lips before another possibility popped into my head. "Is it forbidden for you to mate with a human?" Except for Charick, for whom disapproval was a resting emotion, the crew didn't seem to mind… some seemed happy for us. God knows they'dheard enough of me screaming in pleasure to know what was happening between us.
“Not forbidden.” Khaion’s smile was rueful.
"I don't understand." I stepped closer, and the relief flickering over his features caused my heart to twist. “Why then?”
Khaion's sign was so deep and sad I felt it like a fiery blade through my heart. He was always holding me when I was upset. Now it was my turn. Without hesitation, I slid my arms around his waist and laid my head over this heavy heartbeat. I realized how much he wanted this as the beat quickened under my ear. His cock was hard, and I was careful not to resist the urge to rub against him. Khaion held himself stiffly for a moment longer before his chest lifted with a huge breath, and his arms came around my shoulders. His cheek lay against my head as we stood there, wrapped together and finally at peace.
"When my kind claims a mate, it marks us," he began, his voice thick.
“Marked? Like a tattoo?” My fingertip slid along the outline of a swoosh.
I felt Khaion's smile, but it was fleeting, and the long huff of breath he issued held sadness. "No, something happens to us physically. Mating alters our hearts to beat in the exact rhythm with our mates. It is very painful and can take many stops and starts in the couple’s hearts before the mating rhythm beats in unison. Some Vaktaire males have tried to mate with other species, but it always ends tragically. Only Vaktaire women can survive the mating of hearts.” He sighed again, heavier this time. “As much as I want you to be mine, I can never claim you asmy mate." Khaion's hands caressed my shoulders and down my spine the entire time he talked as he pressed soft kisses to my forehead and temples. Even if he wasn't the most honorable sweetest man I'd ever met, even if we hadn't spent every spare moment of the last five days giving each other pleasure, this moment alone sealed the deal for me. And I'm not about to give him up without a fight.
“You’ve had sex before without claiming a mate... right?” The expert way he brought me to climax time and time again suggested—no, yelled—he was not inexperienced.
Khaion chuckled abashedly, and the fingers trailing up my spine spread wide, pressing me against him as if he thought his words might upset me. "Yes, there was a female on my planet that I once thought would be mine, but she mated with another. Plus," he stopped, clearing his throat nervously. "I have visited hedonism ships with my crew. The Ntiavian triplets…
I tapped his chest firmly. “Okay, I don’t need details.” Especially when the thought of him with other women made me want to find these triplets and rip their boobs off, no matter how many they had. I shifted in his arms, pulling back to meet his golden gaze. “The point I’m trying to make is that you can have sex without claiming someone as a mate.”
Khaion's lips turned downward. "With others, I do not care for yes. With you," he sighed heavily, leaning his forehead against mine, his warm wine and chocolate breath fanning my cheeks. "The way I feel about you, it would seem a dishonor. We deem the females on my planet who stay with a male without mating him…."
“Sluts?” I teased, relieved to see his lips quirk into a grin.
