She made it to the front of the building where an escort leaned against a Jeep. Flame smiled when he saw her.
“That was fast. Are you ready to leave, Dr. Allison?”
“Yes.” She desperately tried to keep it together until she could fall apart in private. “Please.”
He noticed her distressed state. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she lied.
He nodded sharply. “Is there anywhere else you’d like to visit while you’re at Homeland?”
“No. Just take me to the main gate.”
She inwardly winced at the way her voice cracked. The Species officer studied her face suspiciously. His next words confirmed it.
“Did a male inside frighten you? You are not fine.” His hand snatched hers, long fingers curling around the back of it, and clung. “I’m here. Talk to me and tell me what happened.”
“Don’t touch her,” a deep, masculine voice snarled.
Alli’s spine stiffened. She’d remember that harsh, angry tone anywhere. And the man.
“What’s wrong, Obsidian?” Flame let go, frowning at something behind her. “I wasn’t harming her. She’s distressed about something that happened inside.”
Turn around. Look at him.
Her mind ordered her to do it but her feet may as well have been stuck in concrete. She just couldn’t do it. Why had he even followed her to the street?
“I’ve waited three months to talk to you yet you couldn’t wait two minutes to talk to me? I was excusing myself from the game.” His voice was still deep but the rough edges had gone out of it.
She swallowed hard and moved, facing him slowly. He was just feet away, bigger than life. The changes in his face were more evident up close as she studied every inch of it. His cheeks were fuller, the scars either faded or just hidden by the slightly longer hair along his temples. The sun had darkened his skin slightly from the hours he must have spent outside.
The memory of his powerful stare paled in comparison to the real thing. His eyes seemed a softer brown than she remembered, more beautiful, and his black eyelashes longer. He blinked but didn’t move otherwise while they watched each other.
“Is everything okay?” the New Species officer asked but she ignored him.
“Go away, Flame,” Obsidian rasped. “Now.”
“I’m assigned to Dr. Allison while she visits Homeland.” Flame didn’t take orders well. “I can’t.”
Obsidian’s gaze shifted away from her, breaking contact with hers. “Go away, Flame.” He frowned. “I’ll take responsibility for her well-being. We need to talk in private.”
“Oh. Um. Okay. I’ll take a walk. Maybe grab a sandwich inside.” He skirted around them with a wide berth, striding to the front doors of the dorm quickly.
“Hi,” she managed to whisper, cleared her throat, and spoke louder. “You have gained weight. It looks good.”
He stared at her again and his frown deepened. The uncomfortable moment was painful. All her daydreams of seeing him again were a bitter pill to swallow. He didn’t respond at all.
She decided to try again. “I saw you playing soccer. I’m glad you seem to have made so many friends.”
Silence. He blinked, the frown still firmly marring the skin shadowing the sides of his lips.
Maybe she should ask him a question, something to respond to. It was worth a try. “How have you been?”
Eyebrows lifted, widening his eyes slightly. He didn’t reply.
Slow-burning anger and sadness combined inside her. “You followed me out here to order Flame not to touch me because you wanted to have a staring contest? Is that it?”
“I waited for three months to see you and you couldn’t wait one minute for me to excuse myself from the game?”
He took one step, paused, then another. He crouched in front of her and she had no idea why he did it. She glanced at the ground between them to see if maybe she’d dropped something but he suddenly plowed into her as if he were performing a tackle. He hit her hips with enough force to knock her off her feet but she never slammed into the ground. He straightened as he continued to sweep his body forward and slung her over his shoulder as though she were a sack of potatoes. One hand gripped her ass firmly to hold her in place while his other arm hooked behind her knees to pin them against his chest.
“We’re not doing this here,” he grumbled, spinning fast enough to make her dizzy before storming in the direction of the dorm.
Alli was astonished that she was draped over Obsidian’s shoulder while he carried her inside the door. The sound of men talking ceased instantaneously as soon as the doors closed.
“Is there a problem, Obsidian?”
She twisted around, trying to identify the speaker but her hair and his blinded her.
“No. I’m going to my room. This is Alli.” He kept moving, not slowing his pace. “She’s visiting me.”
“Um, okay.”
“Have fun?” The hesitant, unsure tone of some guy’s voice was clear.
“It seems he might not be immune to females after all,” another one laughed. “Don’t break her.”
“Thank you for the advice!” Obsidian yelled. “I appreciate it.”
He didn’t take the elevator, instead he jogged up the stairs, jarring her with every tread. Her hips bounced on his broad shoulder and she was grateful she’d been too nervous after getting the call from Homeland to eat lunch. He turned on the second-floor landing and strode quickly down a carpeted hallway, which she caught glimpses of as their hair swayed in and out of her face. He paused, opened a door and stepped inside.
They were alone in his room. The locks clicked into place, the distinctive sound loud. He spun away from the door, took four long steps and halted. She grunted when he dumped her onto the couch, not really gentle about it. It was a soft landing but hard enough to knock a hard breath from her lungs.
Obsidian stood over her looking anything but calm or reserved when she focused on his face. His lips were parted, fangs showed and his eyes were narrowed on her. “Alli.”
He said her name in a way that made her uncertain if she should be afraid or happy. The husky tenor was certainly filled with emotion. She just wasn’t sure which one. Anger or passion?
“Stand up.”
She shifted a little to sit upright and used the couch arm to push to a standing position. Her knees managed to hold her when she put weight on her legs. He was close enough to touch if she reached out a few inches but she just tilted her chin up to peer at his face.
“Strip.”
Her mind blanked, refused to work, then his demand sank in. “What?”
He dipped his head a little closer. “Take off your clothes.”
Her mouth hung open, that being the last thing she’d expected him to say.
“Do it or I’ll rip them off you.” His breathing increased as his broad chest rose and fell faster. “My control is at the limit.”
She remained motionless, trying to make sense of what was going on. He’d ignored her, carried her off to his room, and now wanted her naked. One word slipped out. “Why?”
“It would be difficult to spin you around, bend you over the back of the couch and fuck you otherwise.”
She sank back down on the couch when her knees turned to jelly. Obsidian crouched in front of her. “Do you want me taking you this way?” His gaze lowered down her body, hesitating over her breasts but focusing on the vee of her thighs. “I am hungry.”
Alli reached out and her fingertips brushed his face. He looked up. A hundred questions filled her mind. She was confused, not sure where to even start. His mouth tightened into a white line and his hands gripped the edges of the cushions on both sides of her hips.
“I understand.” His eyes closed. “Slow down. Too fast,” he growled. His eyes opened and his tone changed, sounded calmer. “Did I say I missed you?”
It seemed as if a thousand pounds lifted off her chest. That confession was one of the best things she’d ever heard. He hadn’t forgotten about her after all. She was pretty sure he’d been talking to himself more than her when he’d closed his eyes. It meant they were both nervous.
“You did?”
His eyes closed again as his nose flared, inching closer while he tilted his head.
Is he going to kiss me?
Her heart pounded and she licked her lips in anticipation. Obsidian’s face buried against her throat at the side, breathing her in as his nose nuzzled her skin. A soft groan came from him.
“You still smell of food,” he rasped. “Do you know how often I ate French toast just to be reminded of you?”
Her hand slid into his hair, stroking the silky mass as her other hand gripped one broad shoulder. He pressed tighter against her body, his chest firm and solid. She wanted to cling to him and only resisted for a second before she hugged him tightly, both arms sliding around his back.
“They sent you away,” he rasped. “It drove me insane.” His nose rubbed the column of her throat, one hand slipping behind her back to pull her flush against him. “I’ve needed you.”
“Me too,” she admitted. “So much. Every single day.”
Obsidian bumped against her knee and she spread her thighs to allow him to wedge his hips between them. He really was bigger, the weight he’d put on over the months wasn’t just visible, she could feel it. That wasn’t the only thing that seemed bigger. The rigid press of his cock nudged against her pussy.
“You smell so good. So mine.”
His warm breath gave her the good kind of chills as it fanned across her skin with every breath he took. She regretted not removing her clothes when he’d ordered her to, hating the barriers between them. All she wanted was to be skin to skin with him.
“Let me go.”
“No.” He pulled her closer. “Never.”
“I want you.”
Those three words had a powerful effect on him. Air filled his chest enough to crush it against hers when he sharply inhaled and a rumbled growl was the sexiest thing she’d heard in three months. The hand on the small of her back dug lower until he cupped her ass, jerking her more firmly against his cock.
Alli softly moaned when his hips rocked, rubbing against her clit with the drag of his long, hard shaft. Even clothes couldn’t deter the pleasure. He grinded against her in a slow, steady pace that drove all thoughts from her mind. Her hands fisted his shirt, clawing at it, seeking skin.
Both of them panted, low moans filling the room, and his teeth nipped at the curve where her shoulder began. The feel of his fangs set her on fire, the sharp points not breaking skin but the danger of it was there.
“Mine,” he groaned near her ear when he kissed upward, trailing his hot tongue along the path.
Oh yeah
, she agreed.
All yours.
His hips moved a little faster, the friction between them increasing as they heated up. Raw ecstasy hovered just out of her reach. She didn’t even care if she came faster than a rocket going off. It had been too long, too many lonely nights remembering the intimate memories they shared. Fantasy wasn’t as good as the real thing.
He snarled, his hips bucking in wild, rough jerks and it was enough. It was that last little element she needed to come. The climax centered where their bodies touched and she cried out his name before her breath was stolen away when her brain was hit with the first sharp blast of rapture.
They clung to each other, riding through it, and warmth seeped across her lower belly through her clothes. Obsidian had come with her. He stilled but his hold on her didn’t ease. She didn’t mind having a hard time catching her breath, being pressed between him and the back cushions of the couch.
Her eyes were closed and she kept them that way, tenderly exploring his back with her hands. She longed to feel his smooth, hot skin. The shirt was in the way and she refused to ask him to put enough space between them to remove it. At times she’d been afraid she’d never get the opportunity again.
Chapter Twenty
Obsidian kept a strong grip on the small female he held. Alli smelled the exact way he remembered and he was grateful that she hadn’t changed her scent. The swelling of his dick receded but he refused to let her go.
It was more than the way she seemed to fit against him that made him resist loosening his arms around her. She’d realize he’d just come in his pants. It wasn’t his proudest moment or how he wanted their first sexual encounter to be if they were ever reunited. He just hadn’t been able to stop when she’d moaned as he’d stroked his cock against her.
Move
, he ordered his mind. He wanted to recover the moment and make it right. Moon had told him repeatedly that females enjoyed romance and males who had patience. That advice had been lost in the need to reconnect with her.
Moon and Breeze hadn’t lied to him all the times they’d sworn they’d get Alli back to him. It had all been worth it. He’d fought his rage at first when the people who claimed to want what they believed best for him had taken away the female who belonged to him. He was smart and had adapted well to learning the game he needed to play. He’d acted polite, said the words they wanted to hear and been a model Species. His reward massaged his back through his shirt.
Alli.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded. “Hold on.”
Her legs lifted, hooked at his waist, and he adjusted his hold on her to support her ass and mid-back. It took a lot of willpower to ignore the uncomfortable dampness of his pants clinging to his dick when he hauled her up and stood. The apartment wasn’t big but it was his space. He made it to the bedroom in ten long strides.
His gaze drifted around the room with annoyance. He hadn’t known she was coming today or he would have cleaned up the clothes he’d tossed on the floor. The bed wasn’t made but he had changed the sheets the day before. He sniffed, not picking up any offensive odors except his shoes in the closet. It was faint enough that he doubted her human senses would pick it up. Their spent passion also teased his nose and tortured him with the urge to strip her bare. He’d missed everything about her but especially the sweet taste of Alli in the throes of arousal and release.
She pulled her head back enough to look him in the eye. Their blue color sucked him in and held him captive. Her little nose was adorable and so
her
. His attention lowered to her tentative smile and he groaned, going for it. He hadn’t been able to kiss her much before she’d been taken but nothing was damaged about his memory.
Soft lips opened under his, her mouth hot and welcoming as his tongue met hers. It made his dick hard with jealousy that it wasn’t one with her too. The idea of penetrating her both ways urged him to take one more step until his legs hit the side of the bed. He broke the connection, needing to get their clothing out of the way. It took reserve to gently lower her instead of tossing her on his mattress.
“Strip,” he ordered, hoping this time she’d do it.
She released him when he straightened away from her. He backed up, tearing at his shirt. It sailed to the floor when he threw it and he quickly shucked his pants. Alli hadn’t seemed to notice that the front of his pants was wet where his semen had soaked them and he used the bunched material to swipe his skin to remove the evidence. She had lain back, lifted her legs and yanked off each shoe.
Satisfaction struck when she didn’t neatly place them on the floor but instead threw them without a care where they fell. He didn’t glance to see where they landed, not wanting to miss the sight of her baring every inch of her body for his enjoyment. Her hips rose as she wiggled out of her pants and it only made his dick harder.
Hurry
, he silently urged. He needed her. Wanted her. Had to have her. His hands gripped his thighs just to prevent himself from helping her. She didn’t have other clothing and he didn’t want her to be angry if he tore them to shreds.
The sight of her blue panties made him snarl, not happy she still wore the annoying obstacles. He’d told her to get rid of all of them but she’d disobeyed. Ways to teach her why she shouldn’t wear them instantly made his dick throb in anticipation. He’d play with her pussy until she begged him to mount her. She’d get a reminder to not wear them before he did that though.
She tossed the pants away and her thumbs hooked the delicate straps of the tiny scraps covering her sex to wiggle her hips again. The curve of her naked ass almost snapped his control while it hovered above the sheets. He wanted a view of it from another angle—bent over in front of him with his hands gripping her on both sides to hold her in place while he pounded against it with his dick buried inside her deep. She sat up to drop the panties off the edge of the bed and finally removed her shirt. The bra hid her nipples and he growled again.
“Are you okay?” She paused.
“Take it off!”
“A little impatient?”
She smiled as if amused, something he couldn’t comprehend. There was nothing funny about how much he craved getting a glimpse at those rosy nipples he longed to lick and suck.
“Alli,” he warned, “it’s been too long.”
The bra slid off her shoulders after she unhooked the back, bared her beautiful soft mounds with taut peaks. She spread her bent knees apart, revealing her glistening pussy as if he needed incentive to join her. He struggled to keep in control. He wanted it to be good for her too. She rolled to her side, pushing up on her hands and knees. Her hair flipped over one shoulder when she tossed her head, adjusted a little until her ass faced him and smiled at the sight of his astonishment.
“I know. I’m wet, so ready, and I want you.” Her tongue licked her lips. “I dreamed about you mounting me. Take me.”
Animalistic urges surged so strongly inside him that he swayed a little on his feet.
Forget polite, taking things slow, or Moon’s advice on how to treat a human mate.
His knee dipped the bed as he settled it on the edge and his gaze lowered to her ass. It was pale and rounded, lushly curved. He wanted to grip it with both hands just to squeeze.
Her back bowed, she arched her ass higher and spread her thighs enough to give him a view of the slit of her pussy. Pink, slick heaven he wanted to enter was right in front of him. She wagged her ass at him enough to make him want to howl.
“Enter me slowly,” she urged. “It’s been a while and you’re bigger all over. I think you even gained a little weight there.”
He glanced down to stare at his dick then darted a glance to her pussy. It slightly cooled his raging lust. He didn’t want to hurt her. His hands hesitated at her hips when he inched closer.
Alli lowered her chest enough that her nipples touched the sheets and she bit her lip, watching him watch her. “Don’t torture me, Obsidian. I want to feel you inside me.”
He wasn’t torturing her, that was what she was doing to him. He adjusted his bent legs on the outside of hers to make their bodies fit together more easily. His dick didn’t need guidance with his hand to target the entrance of her pussy. She rolled her hips when the crown of it nudged the seam of her sex and she froze when they were perfectly aligned.
He began to tremble enough that he wrapped his fingers around her hips and gripped her hipbones to hide how much she affected him. His mate could drop a Species to his knees and make him shake from wanting her so badly.
Sleek arousal coated the tip of his dick and he nudged her, the small opening tight but accepting. They both groaned as he sank into her. Her pussy gripped him firmly, fit him perfectly. She was made for him as he pushed in more.
“Yes,” she encouraged.
He withdrew a little, a strong current of pleasure rolling through him from just moving inside her. He thrust back in. It was impossible to decide which motion was the best. The pace increased as her pussy stretched enough to assure him he wouldn’t break her and he let go of one hip, dropped forward and caught his upper body weight before he crushed her under him.
He molded his body around hers, buried his dick inside her until they were completely connected and nuzzled her with his cheek. “Tell me if I’m too rough.”
He rocked his hips in long, deep thrusts. Alli’s moans grew loud and ragged, urging him to go faster until the headboard banged insistently against the wall. His balls drew up tight, a warning that he was going to explode and fill his mate with his seed.
He slid his hand around her and found her clit. Two fingers captured the little bud between them and he massaged it. Vaginal muscles clenched tightly around his dick, squeezing him, and he fought to hold back spilling into her.
“Come,” he demanded harshly. “Now.”
She jerked under him and her pussy milked him when her climax made her cry out his name. He had no reason to cling to control anymore. Obsidian let go, growling loudly, as he reclaimed his mate.
Alli smiled, her hand roaming Obsidian’s chest, which was pillowing her head. His heartbeat was slow and steady under her ear. She enjoyed the sense of total peace she felt curled tightly against his side.
“I missed you.”
His heart rate increased. “You’re not leaving my side. They won’t take you away from me again.”
She had a job still at Fuller but she had no wish to return. “Good.”
He suddenly rolled over, pinning her under him, to stare into her eyes. “You aren’t going to argue?”
“No.”
“You’re mine.”
“Even better.”
His gaze widened. “You agree?”
She tried to put her feelings into words but he spoke before she could.
“You don’t want to tell me that it’s too soon and I need more time? You have no protests that you worry I don’t know what I really want? I have thought of many things to say to respond to those accusations.” He frowned. “I expected an argument.”
“I’ve had a lot of time to think in the past three months.”
“What does that mean?”
“I love you.”
He smiled, pure happiness hitting him at hearing those words and the way she gazed at him with sincerity. “I feel love too.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I was terrified you’d have found someone else or decided you’d made a mistake being with me.”
“I don’t want another female. You are the only one for me.”
“I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to kick my own ass for trying to be noble but I was so afraid I’d end up hurting you somehow. That’s the last thing I wanted to do. You come first with me.”
He shifted his weight enough to brace most of it on one arm to stroke her cheek with his thumb. “I worried that I was too hard on you. I have learned that females don’t enjoy being given orders.”
She smiled. “I kind of like that about you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Breeze said you’re super polite now and I can’t even imagine.” She laughed. “Of course you ordered me to strip right off the bat. It turns me on.”
A soft growl rumbled from him. “I can tell you what to do?”
“In the bedroom. I can’t promise I’ll be happy with that outside it, but in here, always. On you it’s sexy.”
“You mean that?” He arched his brows, studying her closely. “That’s the truth?”
“Yes.”
“Let go of me.”
She hadn’t expected him to say that but slid her hands away from his neck. He rolled away to the edge of the bed and sat up to open the drawer on the nightstand.
“What are you getting?”
He turned to face her, twisting his upper body. “Come here.”
“Okay.” She got on her hands and knees, crawling the few feet to him, and peered at a folder in his hand. “What is that?”
He placed it on top of the nightstand and both of his arms wrapped around her, lifting her to sit across his lap. He reached inside the drawer and pulled out a pen. His gaze held hers.
“Sign the papers.”
Shock shot through her and she glanced at the folder.
Are those what I think they are?
She really hoped so as she turned her head to stare at him.
“I thought I’d have to argue with you a lot before you’d agree.” His voice deepened. “Sign them. We’re in the bedroom and I’m giving you an order.”
“What are they?” Her voice sounded as shaky as she felt. She wanted a confirmation before she got too excited.
He frowned. “You know what they are. Moon saved the mating papers from when they were drawn up the day Justice and Fury came to your home. I demanded he give them to me months ago. They have been waiting for you.” He leaned in and his nose touched her, staring deeply into her eyes. “You’re my Alli,” he rasped. “My mate. Sign them.”
She nodded, blinking back tears. “Okay.”
He smiled and handed her the pen. She nearly dropped the thing and gripped it tightly as he lifted the folder, gently placing it over her lap. He reached around her with his other arm, using both hands, and opened it.
Tears blinded her until she blinked them back. She skimmed the document. Basically it was a contract stating she was agreeing to live under NSO laws, wanted to be a member of the New Species Organization, and was committing to being Obsidian’s mate.