His Rebellious Mate (Primarian Mates Book 3) Read online

  Appearing to know his thoughts, he added, “It’s been too long. You need to settle it with her or move on.”

  “Are we done here, Captain?” Ram sent a hard, reproachful glance his way, not willing to entertain the subject in the slightest.

  Far from stupid, Allon didn’t push further. “Yes, sir. Until the next crisis crops up.”

  “I’ll leave you to it.” He walked out, feeling Allon’s concerned gaze drilling into his back. His steps didn’t slow as he crossed the bridge and stepped into the lift. “Level four,” he grumbled, setting the unit in motion.

  Leaning against the wall, the image of her green eyes haunting him, he tried not to think about Eryn on the turbulent world below. Where, he purposefully had not asked, but he couldn’t keep from wondering, with each weather briefing of one disaster after another, about her safety. He tried to push aside the idea of seeking her out just to be sure. Tracking her down would be pointless; they were done. But Primarians mated for life, which made shutting down his protective instinct difficult since he once thought she’d always be his.

  It must be the reason he hadn’t moved on.

  To keep from dwelling on memories of her, especially the blow she’d dealt his pride and his heart, and the desire he couldn’t erase from his mind or quell in his body, he threw himself into work—of which there was no shortage.

  The new treaty required they proceed cautiously, ever watchful of their new allies, many of whom hadn’t come to trust them yet, and perhaps never would. They needed to guard their own interests first, including the hundreds of Primarians living and working on the planet’s surface, mingling daily with the still-wary residents.

  Behind in both technology and medicine, the Earthlings accepted the knowledge and advancements the Primarians shared; however, the promise of a new home brought them to the table. And Kerr went a step further, sweetening the deal by offering to help them build their new world and powering it with uladite, a clean source of energy unique to Primaria and soon Ventorcopia, once their scientists introduced stores of it there. In time, this would make the humans self-sufficient.

  Their generosity couldn’t be construed as entirely altruistic, of course. They had a need almost as dire as a crumbling planet—they required mates. With their female population devastated by a meteor storm and the subsequent radiation sickness two decades ago, their species dwindled. Compounded by widespread sterility among the female survivors, if left unchecked, in a few generations, they would die out. Their scientists spent years searching for a cure for their infertility. Unsuccessful, they began looking off-planet for a compatible race to mate with and save them from extinction.

  They’d almost given up hope when a lucky group of warriors in search of game on their hunting planet found something much more valuable when eight desirable females more or less fell in their laps. Learning they were a near-perfect genetic match had been a blessing from the Maker himself. One too great to ignore.

  But the decision to take captives didn’t come easy, particularly for their leader.

  Not a people of war, Primarians engaged only when required to protect their own. And, they had never conquered another species, always willing to work together, believing it better to live and let live. Yet desperate men did desperate things sometimes, and having already made the decision to do anything necessary to save their people from extinction, they claimed the females.

  Three hundred mates seemed promising, but it was merely a small step in the right direction. To solve their problem long-term, they needed one thousand times as many, and the solution couldn’t be based on capture and conquer. No one wanted that. This led to negotiations with a distant, unknown world. What had started as an adversarial situation, evolved into an alliance between their two planets, mutually beneficial to both, although their goals differed greatly.

  As they moved forward with the integration, while intent on saving the humans from devastation and ultimate extinction if they did not intercede, they remained mindful of their ultimate goal—mates and repopulation of their own species.

  Like good strategists, they hadn’t shown their hand entirely, reserving the knowledge they had the power to blast the already-unstable Earth into dust. Although they had no intention of employing such a measure, as it would defeat the purpose of their mission, it always remained an option to protect them in a worst-case scenario.

  Arriving on the fourth level, Ram exited and made his way down the long interior corridor to his stateroom, marveling at the oddities of fate and how much Primarian life had been impacted by what happened on the hunting planet months ago. His life, without a doubt, had drastically changed.

  Once hopeful of mating and starting a family of his own. The failed mating and Eryn’s betrayal had left him bitter. Thoughts of his would-be mate plagued him day and night, and the idea of trying for another match left him cold. What if he didn’t bond a second time? Then he would have to consider that perhaps the fault lay with him.

  He couldn’t go through it again, not now, maybe never. It was too damn painful.

  Passing through the dining hall, the smell of food didn’t tempt him. He wanted only to sleep and forget for a while.

  After a brief soak to ease his knotted, aching muscles, he climbed into his welcoming bed—one large enough to fit three if he chose—doing so alone, and closing his eyes for what respite he could find.

  * * *

  Reclining languidly surrounded by softness, his body stirred at the brush of warm lips against the side of his neck. The gentle caress sent shivers coursing down his spine, branching off deliciously at his chest and lower abdominals then shooting with a jolt of sensation to his already-hard prick.

  Practically dormant since the day of Eryn’s betrayal, his libido had surged back to life these last few weeks. The female moving restlessly above him, her smooth legs rubbing against his heavier, coarse-haired ones, her nipples dragging across his chest, partly responsible. When his cock twitched in response, nudging against her thigh, her mouth curved into a seductive smile, and she gave a low, throaty laugh, the heated exhale washing over his skin.

  “I want to please you, Master Warrior,” she entreated in her sultry, sexy voice.

  “By all means, little one.” He grinned. What fool wouldn’t agree to such a request?

  Fingers slid along his belly, gliding over the hard plane that rippled in reaction. She inched downward, past his tense, jumping lower abdominal muscles, and beyond jutting hip bones to where he longed for her touch the most. Not making him wait long, she encircled his erect shaft, squeezing in a tight fist before parting her plump, dew-kissed lips. Her tongue slipped out and licked the tip like an ice cream cone, a treat he had noticed Earth females were very fond of. Her husky moan of delight while lapping at the end of his shaft proved she had an inordinate fondness of this treat as well.

  Her lashes fluttered open, and she gazed up at him, eyes dark and gleaming with desire as a grin tilted up the corners of her luscious pink mouth. His body urged him to act, to end the unnecessary torture and demand she cease teasing him, taking him deep, and making him come.

  The rational part of his brain wondered how far her daring would take her. Unaccustomed to a passive role during sex, Ram typically took command in the bedroom, like he did in all things. Today, however, since she wanted to play, begging to explore every inch with her soft hands and lips, he allowed it. It gave him a taste of how enjoyable it could be on occasion to receive, without having to direct each minute and movement.

  When she enveloped the head, her incredible heat, and the slow circling of the tip with her tongue became pure torment. Unable to control the urge to order her to open wider and suck harder proved he wasn’t cut out for submission, something he knew all along.

  Gruffly, he demanded, “End this, woman. Take me into your mouth.”

  Not hesitant in the least, she eagerly swallowed at least half his length on the next glide while he closed his eyes, reveling in the exquisite suction and
the warm wet haven she created.

  “Deeper, little one,” he encouraged with a husky growl.

  A sigh of pleasure escaped when she slid him along her tongue, almost to the back of her throat. To take all of him without gagging required practice, something he would happily offer to assist her with in the future.

  Still needing more, he sank his fingers into her thick auburn hair and set the pace. Not so quick to bring him to completion, but with enough speed and friction to keep him on the edge. He watched through eyes half-lidded from his rising passion as she bobbed up and down steadily, with little guidance. He’d signal when ready for more. For the moment, he wanted to savor and revel in her skills at giving oral pleasure.

  Her diligent work accelerated his heart rate, gradually building his need into what was shaping up to be a satisfying and explosive climax. Adding to his pleasure, a soft hand swept up his flank moving inward, seeking his nipple with her fingertips. The play upped his response until he noted the familiar stirring in his balls. She circled the bud, making it stiffen then flicked it with the edge of her nail. At the same time, she cupped his aching balls and massaged. Both hands moved in tandem while she continued to suck, her tongue licking and circling the sensitive tip, until his back arched reflexively.

  Near the end of his tolerance, his hands curled around her head, one fisting in her hair as his hips thrust upward, sending him gliding deeper. He fucked her mouth the same way he dreamed of taking her pussy—thoroughly claiming every inch. She didn’t resist, opening wider in eager acceptance. Her own sweet moans of pleasure filled the air, joining his gruff, masculine groans.

  “Touch yourself,” he ordered, knowing without looking from the shift of the bed she had spread her legs and obeyed. Angling his chin down, he watched her splayed fingers slide over her belly and mound, and disappear between her thighs. He could imagine the intense heat of her pussy, the wetness increasing while she avidly worked her clit.

  “Hurry, lest I leave you behind,” he urged.

  Thrusting faster, while sliding his shaft over her greedy, slurping tongue, he careened headlong toward a shattering climax. “Dip two fingers inside and use your thumb on your clit. And get ready to come with me.”

  Her muffled agreement vibrated around his cock and her body writhed, matching the rhythm of his own as he pumped into her. Low and rumbling, he groaned his pleasure. Pounding heart accelerating, his balls tightened in anticipation. So close.

  Although he preferred they climax simultaneously, he was beyond waiting. Both hands held her head as he drove into her mouth, taking all she willingly gave. The next moment, while her squeals of release rang in his ears, his body tensed, ready to follow her. But instead of sending his seed pulsing down her throat, his eyes flew open.

  Fully awake, he realized his seductress, with her vivid-red hair, full pink lips, and gorgeous green eyes, didn’t merely resemble his would-be mate; she was an identical recreation of Eryn, a fantasy conjured up to torment his beleaguered brain. And rather than her mouth, parted and ready to receive him, his hand beating a steady up-and-down rhythm on his rigid cock as he shuddered with release. Too far gone, sweat beading on his face and chest, he came in a violent, shameful climax, spilling over his fingers and onto his sheets instead of on her eager tongue, where he wanted.

  While tremors rocked him from the roots of his hair to his toenails, he roared his frustration. Another dream. The same one he’d awoken to repeatedly, with a few deviations created by his active imagination. Invariably, it ended the same, and he woke alone, cock in hand, spending himself like an uncontrolled teen in need of his first woman. He covered his face with his other arm in complete exasperation.

  “Damn her,” he growled. The temptress wouldn’t set him free, ruling his dreams at night and haunting his mind during the day. Something had to give.

  At first, he’d tried hard to dispel her memory using a barrage of nameless women, to no avail. Blonde or black hair changed to red. Blue and brown eyes became green. Pallid lips turned to the rosy-red hue that always tinted Eryn’s. After a while, he stopped trying to fuck her out of his head and moved on to a celibate existence. No more effective than the first method, he still wound up seeing to himself when his dreams took over. All for his want of Eryn.

  Violently, he surged from his bed and stormed naked to the shower. There, he attempted to wash away her memory and his body’s ache, yet, like the countless nights before, his cock-stand raged on.

  Tonight, no different from the many preceding it, the cold gave him no ease. And with the water pelting against his overstimulated body, and the vision of her continuing to flash in his mind, he had to satisfy his need a second time to bring his tormented body ease enough to sleep.

  * * *

  One Earth hour later, his foul mood had his men keeping their distance as they transported down to the surface for scheduled training. Five days a week, he demanded this of his men. They spent most of their time patrolling the base, monitoring scanners—a sedentary task—or simply waiting for the human military to request their help, a rarity. Therefore, they drilled often, Ram not allowing them to be idle or to grow soft.

  For the rest of the daylight hours, he, alongside his warriors, ran and re-ran the obstacle course made available for their use. With a few modifications to accommodate their larger, taller, heavier bodies, Ram made the arduous gauntlet of climbing, running, jumping, and crawling more grueling. He followed this up with hand-to-hand drills, pitting man against man in combat, and wound them down at the end of the day with a rejuvenating five-mile run. His warriors worked hard with him at their side every step of the way, not asking more than he was willing to give himself. Although he did so with the intent of keeping them fit and battle ready, if he benefited by exhausting his body to get his mind off Eryn and gleaned a few time cycles of sleep from it, who could fault him?

  But that night, even though his mind and body had been pushed to their limits, the enchantress plagued his dreams.

  “Faex!” he roared to the unsympathetic four walls and ceiling as three o’clock rolled around and he woke again with the image of her naked body spread out for his pleasure in his lonely, empty bed.

  3

  The next morning, while bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, Eryn tugged on her uniform. How could her pants be tighter than the day before? She’d gotten the zipper up; no way would she be able to fasten the button, and her swollen breasts, a cup size larger at barely three months ago tested the seams of her shirt. Standing in profile in front of her mirror, she sucked in her gut. But doing so made no difference. Already up a full uniform size, if she went back and requested another, they might suspect.

  She’d have to go untucked to cover her gaping waistband and hope her big boobs didn’t pop a button on her shirt. Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed. Attempts to hide her bulging baby bump were pointless. Yet what choice did she have unless she wanted to confess all and immediately get stuck behind a desk?

  Crossing to her closet, she rifled through her clothes until she found her oversized slicker. On the training field, the tent-like, shapeless garment would easily hide her wardrobe issue if the forecast for more rain held true. But what about the next day and the one after? Or today, during her class? While she stared into her closet full of clothes she couldn’t wear, she spied a summer cardigan, pulled it out, and held it up against herself. Although nothing was tolerable in this heat, the loose-woven, midnight-blue sweater would reach the tops of her thighs. If anyone questioned the nonregulation garment, she could use the air-conditioning which ran 24/7 as an excuse.

  After putting it on and gauging the fit, she realized Lana had been right in one respect; she couldn’t go on this way. To conceal her rapidly expanding belly much longer would be impossible. But gazing at herself in the mirror forced her to consider how her pregnancy would impact her security assignment. Short term, it meant a dreaded desk job, the very idea making her brain numb from boredom already. After the baby came, as a single parent, he
r options became even more limited.

  What should she do? Resign her commission? She’d been in the USIF for twelve years and didn’t know anything else.

  Perhaps EPIC, the Earth-Primarian Integration Council, would be interested in taking her on full-time. Everyone knew they required help, and when interest increased in the program, the need would grow. Just getting off the ground, the fledgling integration program would last for years. She already worked with prospective mates in the evenings and on Saturdays, holding introductory classes and answering questions about Primaria, its people, and what space travel would be like.

  She still found it hard to believe EPIC had approached her to be a counselor. At first, she’d refused, convinced she wasn’t the best representative after her less-than-positive experience. She’d reconsidered when rumors began to fly, most brought about by outrageous headlines in the tabloids which barely contained a shred of truth. So she’d stepped forward. Her people needed this alliance to work, which meant willing, eager females shouldn’t be scared off by erroneous information. It went a long way in fulfilling Odyssey’s original mission—finding a new home.

  And they didn’t have time to waste. Only last week, a 6.3 quake had hit the New York area, the third of its magnitude since she’d returned home. The damage had been minimal, limited to shattered windows and things falling off walls, and any injuries had been minor. Folks called it a harbinger of the “big one,” believing they faced a devastating major quake which would cause extensive damage and loss of life in such a large, closed-in city.

  For days, the entire Northeast had been sweltering in a heat wave. The 100 degree temperatures would be unusual in July or August, but unheard of in the middle of May. What’s more, in the aftermath of the torrential rains a few days earlier, several of the city streets had flooded, not just on the coast but downtown, too.

  Experts predicted they didn’t have much time before things got so bad no place would be safe. She hoped the alliance with the Primarians had come soon enough.