Jaxar

Jaxar:

"You do not have an office," Jaxar said.

"Figure of speech." She pushed him against the building's exterior and kissed him roughly. It was all teeth and too much tongue, but the feral part of his mind responded to her urgency. If his mate needed this to chase away the last half-hour, he would give it to her.

"I will not let him take you," he said, his voice coarse and husky. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer, stretching her up to her tiptoes to meet his demands. They flipped places and he pushed her against the wall, planting one hand next to her hand to cage her in.

"So not happening." Her words came out breathy and thin. He paused, concerned. She grabbed his hand and placed it in the center of her chest. "Here. Feel my heart. I'm fine."

The steady rhythm was accelerated, but that could be explained by her blown pupils and the musky scent of arousal.

He felt confident he knew what his female wanted, or at least what her body desired, but he had to be certain. He needed to hear the words. "Vanessa-"

"Fuck, I love the way you say my name. It feels like rolling around in bed all day and stinking of sex, just dripping with it. We should be doing that." Her hands fumbled with the front of his pants.

He covered her hands with his own, pausing her frantic action. "Is this what you want? With me? If you have remaining feelings for your former mate, I will..." The words tasted bitter in his mouth. He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. "I intended to say I would respect your decision because you do not like it when another imposes their will on yours, but I vowed to not mislead you. I refuse to let you go so easily. I will fight for you, Vanessa, and I'll never stop fighting until you tell me to."

"Thank you," she said. Her fingers dug into his hair and squeezed at the base of his horns, temporarily ceasing all higher-order thinking. "I wanted to see some ancient alien plants today. I want to learn how to cook something from scratch that actually tastes good. I want to start my damn thesis and get my degree. I want you, just you, and maybe a dog."

"Me?"

"I just want to leave my mark on you, so everyone knows you're mine." She gave another squeeze, this time pulling him downwards and pleasure shot through him, right down to his toes. "Get my scent all over you." His cock twitched at her possessive words. "If you must."

She laughed; her voice thick with desire. "Right now. I can't wait.'

They fumbled with her pants and undergarments, kicking them off in a rush. Jaxar sank to his knees, ignoring the questionable filth on the floor, and focusing on his mate's smooth, bare thighs. He hiked one leg over his shoulder and pressed her against the wall.

Her taste exploded on his tongue, sweet and savory, and he needed more of her, every drop, and everything she had to offer. Her grip tightened on his horn, directing him. She reached her climax hard and fast and he drank it up, not stopping until she sighed and released her hold on his horns.

"I choose you, Jaxar. I want you," she said.

He rose to his feet in one fluid motion, lifting her as he cupped her ass. Her legs wrapped around him and he pressed her against the wall. She was delicious, especially dazed on pleasure. Nipping at her neck, he tasted first the unblemished side, then moved to the side with the fading bite. He had promised to mark the other shoulder, but the feral part of him wanted-needed to replace the bite with his own, to erase any prior claim to his mate.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

His mate.

"Do it. Bite me. Make me yours." Vanessa arched her back and exposed her throat, her heart beating fast but not frantic.

She offered him everything he wanted.

It was not right.

"Vanessa," he said, pulling away.

Hurt flashed in her eyes and he cursed himself for putting that hurt there.

"Don't you want me?" She fumbled with the opening of his trousers and had his cock in her hand. Already dripping with precum, her nimble fingers spread his slickness around the head and down his shaft. "Fill me up with your cum? Claim me? Let everyone know that I belong to you."

She stroked him, his eyes fluttered shut and his mind unraveled. He could do it, fuck his mate in a filthy alley-or was it a corridor? —and sink his fangs into her. He'd savage her shoulder so that no male would ever speak to her again or have the cojones-such a good Terran word-to openly flirt with his mate.

"Yes. More than anything," he said. Her taste lingered on his lips and her fragrant musk overwhelmed him. Every instinct urged him to take her to claim his mate at long last.

He opened his eyes. Her undergarments lay in a discarded heap on the filthy floor.

"But not like this," he said.

She whimpered and grabbed the waistband of his trousers, tugging him closer. "I want you. Only you. Don't let me down."

He grabbed her hips and lifted her as her legs wrapped around him. He ground against her, finding her wet, ready and tempting, but he remained in control. "Is this what you want? For me to fuck you in a filthy alley?"

"I think it's more of a corridor," she said.

He growled, not sure if it was a warning against interrupting him or frustration at his self-imposed restraint.

"Not important. Right. But, yes, Jaxar. I know what I want, and I want you. Now." She bucked up against him to make her point.

He pressed his forehead to hers and waited for her body to still. "I will claim you. Properly. But this is not the location."

"Why not?” Her voice sounded small, lacking her normal confidence. It pained him to hear such uncertainty.

"Do not doubt yourself. I live and breathe for you. Before I knew you, I lived and breathed for you. I waited a lifetime for you. I sat through long nights, convinced you were a dream sent to torment me, but I waited. And I will wait for the correct moment to claim you. I will not rush this. I will do it properly."

Her heart hammered, then slowed. When she spoke, her voice remained level. "Those are the nicest words anyone has ever said to me, and I hate you a little for it because you're right. I'm reacting again." Her legs slid down until she could stand using her own strength. "I'm serious, though. I meant every word. I've already made up my mind about claiming and all that, but I think seeing Havik put me into a tailspin."

She had already made her decision...

His heart sang. "Yes? When did you decide? Was it my astounding culinary skills? I have other skills that start with cu—"

Vanessa:

Van put a finger over Jaxar's lips. "Enough of that now." He licked her finger and she rolled her eyes. "How about I stop having my ass hanging out?"

"Yes. Your ass is for my eyes alone." He retrieved her discarded trousers and panties. "These have been on the filthy ground. They are not fit to touch your skin."

She grabbed the panties then paused. "Maybe you're right. Seems gross to put them back on."

While she wiggled into her pants, Jaxar took the pink cotton panties and stuffed them into a pocket without saying a word. He adjusted her, resting her head against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. "What is it with you and hugs?"

"Shh, my hugs are awesome. Let me hold you." His arms tightened, refusing to let her go.

"I can hear your heart like this," she said, her voice muffled.

"Then you hear that it beats for you alone."

The service corridor connected to a side street. The main thoroughfare glowed in the distance. Drinking establishments and greasy spoons clustered at the junction. Of course, Havik found them immediately. "My friends, I have found you," the big red man said. He wrinkled his nose, as if he instantly detected what they had been up to but had the good manners to not comment. His glower, however, cranked up a notch. "I am not your friend," Jaxar growled. Van laid a placating hand on his arm. She wasn't sure that Havik was her friend, either, but he might be, which is a thought she never imagined having.

"Keep him busy while I go into that shop." She pointed to a clothing store edged between a shoe store and a shop that appeared to specialize in piercings. The last thing she needed was her ex-husband hovering over her shoulder while she picked out new underwear.

Thankfully, Sangrins were humanoid in size and shape without added extras, like tails. She picked out a few pairs of plain, sensible undies, then tossed them back in favor of stretchy lace threaded with a pink ribbon at the waist. Sensible panties waited for her back at home but nothing like these. She picked up a pair of stretchy black pants and wore both purchases out.

Jaxar and Havik were deep in conversation when she returned.

"How far away is the botanical garden? We're burning daylight," she said, knowing perfectly well the distance and direction of the garden.

"A brief journey. I will summon a transport," Jaxar said.

"A garden? You always enjoyed gardens," Havik said.

She knew that tone. "Yeah, no. You're not invited."

"I have time before my meeting. I would enjoy a public garden. All this green is quite new to me."

Right. Perhaps it was the euphoria of an orgasm still singing through her veins or the lacy black undies or the subtle way Jaxar kept touching her old panties in his pocket, but Van was done with this bullshit. "This is a romantic date. You are not invited."

The transport vehicle arrived. Much to her dismay, Havik climbed in right behind them. "It is a public vehicle," he said, willfully ignoring his uninvited status. Then he said the dumbest thing she ever heard: "You need me to vet your suitors." She had worked so hard to keep her shit together in the dumpling shop because she was an adult. Letting Havik speak his piece was part of the forgiveness process and being a better person, blah blah blah. Too bad some jerks mistook courtesy for permission to boss her around.

"No. Absolutely not," Jaxar said, totally on the same page as her. They needed a signal, so he'd know when to throw Havik out of the moving vehicle. A cutting motion over her throat was unmistakable. Universal, even.

"I barely like you and I certainly don't trust you," she said.

He blinked, his black eyes blank and disturbing. "I explained-"

"You explained sweet fuck all. Did it take you two years to get to Earth? Because that's how long I was in school before I left. Two years. And how did you wind up on that station? Did you track me to Sangrin? I was in the system for a year, a whole fucking year, but now that I'm serious about another man, you pop out of the woodwork. You're too late, Havik. I'm meeting his family and I've already accepted his proposal. We're mates. So forgive me if I'm not going to let you invite yourself into my date with my boyfriend."

She gave Jaxar the signal. The love of her life blinked at her, uncomprehending.

Havik's glowering intensified, ratcheting right past disapproval and straight to scorn. "What do you know of this male?"

"Enough. I'm not arguing with you about this." She gestured broadly over her throat.

"Are you well? Are you having an allergic reaction? Is your throat swelling? Breathe, Vanessa," Jaxar commanded.

She batted away his hands. "No. I'm giving you the sign."

"The sign?"

"To throw Havik out of the car! It's obvious."

"It is," Havik said, nodding.

"Oh, shut up," she snapped. "You're not funny and you're not cute. Jaxar, throw him out of the car already."

"I will depart here," Havik grumbled. The transport pulled up to the curb. "To answer your questions, I was at the station because I have a meeting with your warlord. It seems we have intersecting missions." He paused, attention snagged by someone on the street. Moving quicker than anyone with his bulk should be able to move, he pulled Van from the vehicle. "Come with me."