Claimed by the Alien Bodyguard - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,51

denying the strength in his fingers or the roughness of his palms, yet his touch remained gentle, remained soothing, as he searched her gaze.

“You don’t need to be frightened of me, Gabriela.”

“I’m not scared of you, Mason. It’s just…” She took in a deep, fortifying breath, and slowly released it. “I…I haven’t been with a man since I was pregnant with Ana.”

His nostrils flared, his body tensed, and his fingers flexed, making his fingernails—which felt oddly long and sharp—dig lightly into her skin. That heat in his eyes took on a new sheen, becoming tantalizingly possessive. He closed his eyes and leaned his head down slowly, inhaling deeply through his nose. His chest rumbled; the sound was a cross between a purr and a growl, and its vibrations went straight to Gabby’s core, making her pussy clench and her clit pulse.

Mason opened his eyes and tucked her hair behind her ear, which he traced with a finger. “Nothing will happen, Gabriela. We’re just going to sleep. I want you to feel comfortable with me. To feel safe.”

“I do feel safe with you. I just thought… After what you said earlier, about wanting me as your…mate…”

“I want you, female. Even now, smelling you, touching you, it’s hard to restrain myself. But in this, it will be when you decide.”

So much of the tension in Gabriela’s body vanished in an instant. Mason was giving her the choice. He wasn’t pushing her, forcing her, coercing her. He was letting her choose when she was ready to be with him.

How many times had James guilted her into sex? How many times had he made her feel like refusing meant she didn’t care for him, or that she somehow owed it to him, that she was being a shitty girlfriend if she denied his desires?

Gabriela could fall in love with Mason so easily. Hell, she might have been falling for him already. Every time she watched him interact with Ana, every time she saw how great a dad he could be, her panties melted. And hadn’t she waited long enough for someone like him to come into her life? Why wait longer? Why fight it, especially when he’d stated his intentions so boldly and clearly? This wasn’t the time to deny an opportunity.

Yet as much as her body craved him—as much as she craved him—she didn’t need to rush this. She could see where it would lead, and if the time came, if it felt right…she wouldn’t resist it.

And she had a feeling that the right time would come sooner than expected.

She smiled and reached up, meaning to sweep Mason’s hair back from his face, but he gently caught her hand before it could go higher.

He brought her hand to his mouth, and, without breaking eye contact, brushed his lips over her palm. Gabby’s breath hitched as a thrill rushed through her, making skin pebble and her nipples taut. Heat flooded her between her legs.

“Get in bed, Gabriela,” he said, his voice rough and husky, before releasing her hand and stepping aside.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. Her eyes lingered on him as she stepped forward, somehow keeping steady despite the overwhelming anticipation fluttering in her stomach. She walked around to the other side of the bed, drew down the covers, and climbed on.

Gabriela lifted her gaze to Mason again just as he flicked off the lights. The room was plunged into darkness—but for an instant, she swore she could see two faintly glowing violet orbs where his eyes had been. When she blinked, those orbs were gone.

Her eyes were slow to adjust to the dark, but she heard Mason make his way to the other side of the bed, and she heard a swish of cloth that sounded like clothing being removed. The bed creaked softly as he settled onto it; she felt his movement through the mattress.

After a few seconds, he seemed to settle. Able to discern little more than deeper shadows amidst the darkness, Gabriela turned to lie on her side, facing a wall she could not see. The bed seemed far larger than it had last night—and, though he was so close, far emptier. It couldn’t have been more than a couple feet separating her from Mason, but it felt like an immense rift had been torn open between them, and she longed for it to be closed.

As though reading her thoughts, Mason shifted closer to her. Something tightened low in her belly, pouring a fresh wave of heat