Chapter Thirteen
Nin tried to pull away, but Rae clung to him. He sensed her pain with the images of her ex-husband’s abuse and addiction that filled her mind. He hated men like him, and they dealt with abusers who hurt their mates more permanently on Erion. If only it were that simple. Nin would love to take Ferrix as backup, hunt her ex-husband down, and behead him.
Rae deserved to be treated like a queen. Nin had come onto her far too strong when they first met. Earth women moved a lot slower in relationships and weren’t as sure about what they wanted compared to women from Erion. Even if finding a mate was part of his mission, Nin didn’t want to scare her off. Nin had been attracted to plenty of women, but never this instant awareness or connection. He’d only known her for a short time, but it was like a lifetime, even if that sounded trite. Maybe it was because they were fated.
Nin stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I don’t want to frighten you, but I want you.”
She stood on her tiptoes and breathed into his ear. “I want to be with you.”
“Then let’s pick up the pace,” Nin said, taking her hand in his and starting down the sidewalk quicker.
Rae laughed. “I feel the same way, but you must slow down, so I can keep up with you!”
Nin realized she was taking two steps to keep pace with his one stride. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure I was reading you right, and I want to be inside of you. I need you right now.”
He wanted to protect, reassure, and make her happy, but Nin wasn’t sure how to communicate that. He was also desperate to feel her skin. Nin wanted to see her naked and explore every inch of her body. He would take her right there on the street if she let him. They walked around a corner and down a few blocks until they reached Rae’s house.
Nin followed Rae up the steps to her porch, holding the railing so she could ascend them. Rae unlocked the door and ushered him inside. His brother and Kat whispered in the living room. It warmed his heart to see his brother happy for once. The way the two had been together at dinner, he knew his brother was falling for Kat. Those thoughts swept away when Rae took his hand and led him up the stairs to her bedroom. Nin wanted to make her his, to claim her, but he had to go slow with her. If Rae thought he was pressuring her, she would run, and as he told her, he didn’t want her to go anywhere. Once they reached her bedroom, she closed and locked the door behind them.
He reached out and caressed her face. “I need you, Rae.”
“Yes.”
Nin couldn’t take it anymore, and he had to have her. He grabbed her and kissed her with all his pent-up desire. His body burned for her. Rae kissed him back, and their kiss seemed to go on forever. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him. Her soft curves molded against his body, pure torture. He needed Rae, his true mate, but he couldn’t trust himself not to hurt her. Nin had never been with a human female, and they were much more breakable than Erion women.
He framed her face in his hands, his thumbs tracing the line of her cheekbones. He kissed her gently, his lips moving over hers in a slow, sensual dance. “I need you so badly, and I will give you pleasure as you’ve never had before.”
Rae blushed. “Do the men on Erion have special skills in that department?”
Nin frowned, not understanding. His hands slid down her body to cup her breasts, his thumbs teasing her nipples into hard buds. “I definitely do.”
She gasped when he found her lips again and deepened the kiss. Rae moaned as she slid her arms around his waist. He released her lips and trailed kisses down her neck, nibbling on her soft skin. Nin lifted her dress up and off, exposing her bare skin to his hungry gaze. She was so smooth, so perfect. His hands ran over her skin as he kissed her, moving down to her stomach. Nin stopped at her underwear, teasing her. With a lopsided grin, he took off his shirt and tossed it aside. He couldn’t get his slacks off fast enough. Rae was standing before him, wearing only a plain black bra and lacy underwear. Those would have to go too.
It was completely foreign, but it was so strong Nin had to follow the impulse. He reached for the clasp on her bra. His fingers grazed the cool, silky fabric before he found the clasp. For a minute, Nin fumbled with it. He’d never undressed a human woman before, but this was something he needed to do from instinct. Nin reached around her back and undid the clasp, letting her bra fall to the floor. As it fell away, he caught a glimpse of her breasts, round and creamy white. His mouth watered, and his cock stirred in his pants.
“You’re beautiful.”
A blush covered her cheeks as he stood back and took in the sight of her. He looked at her hungrily, his eyes raking over her body. Nin needed to take her to bed and kiss every inch of her until she was writhing with pleasure. He slid his hands down to her hips and slowly pulled her underwear along her legs until she stepped out of them. The garment became lost to the pile of clothing at their feet. He ran his hands up her body, caressing the silky smoothness of her skin. He thought about tasting her, sliding into her sweet heat with his tongue.
He scooped her up, carried her to the bed, and threw her down atop the covers. It had never been this way before. Nin had been with many women but never been possessive or protective of them. And he’d never been so aroused either. His dick was engorged, throbbing. She looked like a goddess lying on the bed, with her long hair splayed out around her head and her body curved in all the right places. He wanted to worship her body with his hands and mouth. He wanted to kiss her and touch her and make her moan with pleasure.
Nin read her mind. He sensed her thoughts and smelled her desire for him. Nin knew what she needed, and it was the same thing he wanted: to make her feel whole again. Nin wished to reassure her that he would never intentionally cause her pain. She didn’t need to be afraid, and he wanted to kiss away the past and make her forget.
He kissed her again, pressing his hard body against hers. His chest was firm and warm against her, and his hips pinned hers to the bed. Nin showered her with kisses as his hands roamed over her soft skin. The scent of her desire filled his nose, and he couldn’t get close enough to her. He traced a path of kisses down her stomach and slid his fingers into her wet heat. She gasped. Her back arched up as he lowered his head and licked her clitoris. Her hips bucked against him. Rae cried out when he slid two fingers inside her, and his tongue flicked her clitoris. She tasted sweet and salty and like everything he ever wanted. Her body was tight around his fingers, and he pumped them while his tongue swirled around her clitoris.
Her orgasm and tension grew. It was the most erotic, intimate sensation. Her body pulsed around his fingers as she cried out. Her climax was so intense that her whole body convulsed. She was about to explode. The euphoria of Rae’s release washed over Nin, but he didn’t stop. He wanted to do it again and again. He lowered himself between her legs, tilting his head to gain access. Nin circled his tongue, sweeping it across her clitoris. He sucked the swollen nub into his mouth. Nin slid his fingers inside her again as he stroked her with his tongue.
“You’re so hot, baby. Come for me.”
Rae arched her back, and her breathing was fast and shallow. Her body writhed in ecstasy, her hands fisted in his hair. She was moaning and crying out, and her body shook with pleasure. Nin didn’t stop until she was trembling and weak. Nin gave her a moment to recover, listening to her breathing slow.
Rae gazed up at him. “I’m yours. I want to pair bond with you.”
He searched her eyes, looking for any hint of uncertainty. Only resolve and love burned like twin flames. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“I do. I want you, Nin.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
He positioned himself between her thighs and slid into her, thrusting deep. As he drove his hips forward, his body joined with hers, and he reached out with his mind. The sensations were like nothing he’d ever felt. The sexual arousal heightened tenfold, and her pleasure pulsated around him. They were so connected, in tune with each other, every movement, every twitch, and moan.
All of a sudden, Nin could not only hear her thoughts, but their minds linked. When he looked into her eyes, he sensed she could read his thoughts and emotions too. Her emotions flooded his mind, overpowering him. Her pleasure became his pleasure, and she cried out again. She tightened around him when she was about to reach her peak. Rae screamed when she came. The tension in her muscles as she rode the waves of pleasure sent him over the edge. His release, more potent than any he had before, rocked through him with energy that cast a blue glow over their bodies. The slickness of their bodies combined with the heat of their pair bonding was intoxicating. Their bodies were glowing with energy, and at that moment, Nin understood that he would never want to be without her.
They collapsed into the bed, and Nin rolled away, but Rae curled into him, brushing his lips with hers in a feather-light kiss. “You’re incredible, Nin.”
He kissed her again, feeling her lips curve in a smile. “So are you. I didn’t know I could do that.”
“I didn’t know it would be this way, either,” Rae said, trailing her fingers down his chest.
He hadn’t expected her to suggest pair bonding. But she had, and now they bonded. He sensed her presence in his mind. It was a strange and wonderful sensation to be connected to another person so deeply. He would do anything to protect her and keep her safe. “Are you okay, Rae?”
“Yes,” she purred. “That was amazing! You’re amazing.”
She kissed him again. “I almost wish the past never happened so I could have been with you sooner.”
Nin couldn’t help but agree, though he understood all too well the weight that came with regret. He admired Rae for her strength, which only comes from overcoming great pain. Nin couldn’t help the surge of jealousy at the thought of her with anyone else. It was a new and confusing emotion, but he couldn’t deny it.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to wish for things that can never be. I think we were supposed to meet me when we did,” Nin said.
He felt a sudden, overwhelming surge of love from her, and Nin didn’t know what to do with it. He was madly in love with her too, and he never thought this way about another woman. This love was a physical ache, and Nin couldn’t fathom it. He wanted to touch and be with her and never let her go. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her on Erion.
“I need to tell you something,” Rae said softly.
“What is it, baby?” Nin asked, kissing her neck. He couldn’t help but want to touch her, to love her.
“When I was married, I was only going through the motions. It wasn’t loving, and I always thought it was wrong in my heart. I can’t deny that I love you too, and being with you is right and makes sense.”
Nin realized through the pair bond that revealed his emotions to her. He felt exposed and vulnerable as if she could see into his soul. It was frightening and exhilarating, all at the same time. “I love you, Rae. I’ll always love you.”
It was true because time, space, or even the heavens could never separate fated mates. Then a vision of the past shot through his mind. Rae, but younger, running on a playground, wearing green, and her hair was shorter than now. Nin sensed the memory of Rae and her sister Caprice playing as children. He blinked, and the vision disappeared.
“What’s wrong?” Rae asked.
“You were a child. You were happy.”
“Really?”
Nin nodded. He would do all he could to make her happy, to give her the life she deserved. He would move mountains for her if she asked. “I want to make you happy, Rae.”
“You already have,” she said, trailing her fingers over his chest.
“We’re linked,” he thought.
“We are,” she agreed, but neither of them had spoken out loud.
“I guess that means when I think something dirty, you’ll be the first to know about it,” Nin said, this time out loud.
Rae giggled. “That’s very probable if this is what pair-bonding is like.”
“I want you again,” Nin said.
“Again?” Rae asked with a smile.
“Again,” he said. “And again. You’re my true mate.”
She nuzzled into him. “I can’t think of anything I want more. I’m yours.”
Nin made love to her until they were both spent. He kissed her softly, his lips lingering on hers. She rested her head on his shoulder, and her body went limp as she fell asleep in his arms. Pair bonding with her was the most incredible experience. Their hearts had beat as one, and he never wanted to let her go. He wanted this moment to last forever