Page 10 of Mated to the Alien Warlord

His head turned to me. "I hope in a good way."

I could have let him squirm for a moment but decided that he had most likely saved my life, and I should be merciful toward him. "Yes. From what I read, warlords are very protective, fierce, loyal, and brave. You displayed all these qualities today."

"You left out good looking," he added with a laugh, and I decided I liked the sound of his voice.

"That is not a requirement, but if you are fishing for compliments… you are very good looking."

He threw his head back and laughed so loud, he startled a flock of birds from a nearby tree. Their squawks echoed through the darkening sky as they flew for safer ground.

"Like I said, you are not at all what I imagined," he said when he finally caught his breath. For a moment, I feared he would choke on his own laughter.

"Alright, I'll bite. What did you expect?" I relented.

"Definitely not a kallini who knows how to ride like the devil, handles herself well in the face of danger, knows how to make fire from scratch and sets up a camp, and most of all…" As he spoke, I turned my head to face him, unused to such a slew of compliments thrown at me. His eyes darkened in the waning light, looking like glowing black coals. "Damaris," he rasped.

My breath hitched and my head kept gravitating toward his. "Yes?"

He let go of the spit and raised his hand. "Most of all, I didn't expect you."

His head moved forward, and my heart skipped a beat when I realized he was about to kiss me. His hand moved to the back of my head and applied gentle pressure, not enough to force me forward and not enough that I couldn't have pulled back, but enough to make me take notice of how much he wanted this.

I closed my eyes and puckered my lips like I had read in the hundreds of books I liked to devour, but when I felt the first feathery brush of his lips against mine, it was like nothing in my books. There was no electrical jolt—thank God—but the fluttering that I had felt ever since he came to my rescue multiplied a thousandfold. When his lips opened against mine, I copied him and sensed, more than heard, a groan coming from deep inside his chest.

His other hand moved against the small of my back and the skin there turned hot under his touch, but in a good way.

What I noted most though, was his kiss and his tongue as it slowly entered my mouth. Tentatively at first, searching for mine. Shyly, I moved mine up to meet his; the moment his wrapped around mine, he pulled me so close against his chest that I felt the hard beat of his heart.

Adrian had hugged me often, so I was used to being pressed against a hard, muscular chest, but Adrian hadn't even been close to as wide and tall as Vandor was.

Unsure of what to do, I placed my hands on the top of his biceps and was surprised at just how hard they were, despite how soft his skin was. And warm.

Being in his arms, being kissed by him, felt incredibly good and safe. It aroused a prickling, burning sensation in me that greedily demanded more.

Our breathing increased, deepened. His hand in my hair fisted, and I leaned into it. Of its own accord, my body nuzzled deeper into his embrace.

"Damaris," he moaned, breaking the kiss, leaving me feeling dizzy and strangely bereft.

"We need to stop." He leaned in and gently kissed my lips. "You have no idea what you are doing to my body."

Breathlessly, I stared into the deep pool of his dark eyes that portrayed all the same emotions running rampant inside of me.

His hands loosened their grip on my hair and back, then he moved one through his hair, rubbing the back of his neck before he shook his head as if trying to wake himself from a daze.

My hand involuntarily moved to my lips. At my fingers' touch, they felt hot and swollen.

He stretched and stood before he stiffly walked a few steps.

"Did I… do something wrong?" I asked with a stuttering heart, insecure because he broke our intimate contact.

"Nyck," he shook his head and laughed dryly. "You did everything right. Too right."

I still didn't understand, and it must have reflected on my face.

"Damaris, what do you know of… fucking?"

My face instantly flamed. Was my inexperience that obvious? Did he dislike it?

"Uhmm… not much," I admitted.

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