Alien Paladin's Redemption - Mina Carter Page 0,47

back there quickly then. Hadn’t we?”

11

The journey back to the shuttle was swift and without incident, the tension between the two of them simmering higher every time Nyek helped her over an obstacle. He made sure there were many, most of which she didn’t need help with, but it gave him an excuse to pull her close and tease her with a breath along the side of her neck or a quick nip on her earlobe. She didn’t complain, the small giggles and soft smiles telling him she was just as eager to be in his arms as he was to have her there.

By the time they reached the shuttle, Nyek was ready to explode, but he stopped her at the open doorway.

“When we get inside,” he murmured huskily, pushing the curls away from her forehead with gentle fingers. “I will not be gentle. I do not want to be gentle. I want…”

He slid his hands down her arms, pushing them behind her and capturing her wrists in one hand. Her breathing hitched, a pretty flush on her cheeks.

“I want this. Control. Over you. I want to do whatever I want to you… make you scream with pleasure.”

She looked down, refusing to meet his gaze for a moment, and his heart sank. Had he pushed too far, too fast… was this dark need something humans did not feel?

Then she looked up and the sultry heat in her eyes almost brought him to his knees. “You’re asking permission?”

“Consent.” He nodded. “Yes. I will not harm you. I would never harm you. But—”

“Not gentle is fine.”

She cut him off with a reply that branded itself on his soul. Triumph roared through him and he scooped her up into his arms, striding into the darkened interior of the shuttle.

Once inside he didn’t hesitate. He simply strode to the bed, still in place in the middle of the main compartment. He stopped long enough to slide her down the front of his body, making sure she felt every hard muscle and plane. It was delicious torment, especially when she gasped halfway, registering the state of his body.

He smiled, seeing no reason to hide the way she affected him. That was the whole point of this endeavor after all. Stepping away, he shrugged out of his jacket and dropped it. He bent to scoop up his duty sash, long-since abandoned during their mission, and turned to her, winding it in his hands.

“Undress,” he ordered, hardly recognizing his own voice. He couldn’t touch her, not just yet. He wanted to enjoy this, savor it.

She bit her lip, but the sassy reply he’d expected didn’t fall from her lips. Instead, she started to unbutton the front of her ship suit. His mouth went dry as her movements became far more sensual than he’d ever seen them. She kept her eyes on him as she played with the buttons, sliding her fingers beneath each one to tease him before she popped it free and moved onto the next.

But there were only so many buttons and before long she’d reached the bottom. A soft growl rumbled in the back of his throat as she looked down, acting coy as she slipped the fabric from her shoulders. He’d expected her to shuck the suit, sliding it over her hips, but instead she reached for the bottom of her tank top. When she pulled it up over her head, revealing that she wore nothing beneath, he all but stopped breathing.

His growl was unstoppable, growing deeper with each second as he forced himself to remain where he was, feet planted shoulder-width apart, sash so tight in his hands he was surprised the fabric didn’t tear.

A twinkle of mischief in her eyes, she slid her hands up from her waist to cup her breasts and his control broke. He was across the space between them in a heartbeat as he yanked her into his arms and claimed her lips in a hard, demanding kiss. The soft moan of her response inflamed him even further.

Walking her backward, he tumbled her onto the soft surface of the bed. He fell with her, capturing her hands and pulling them up above her head. It was the work of a moment to secure them with his sash to one of the anchor rings normally used for hauling cargo.

She watched him, her eyes dark and hooded. Her breathing was shallow, soft pants that drove the arousal in his body higher as he swept a glance down hers.

“Now… you