Page 53 of Resisting the Alien Rider

Every nerve in my body briefly turned to gold. Glittering euphoria, to be held like this by him.

I succumbed to the way that happiness flowed through me like syrup. Within moments, I was asleep.

Later, somewhere in the space between sleep and wakefulness, dusk and dawn, I became aware of him. Our positions had shifted. His tail was still wrapped around my leg, but higher, now, the end of it tantalizingly close to my sex.

And all at once, arousal poured through me like liquid silk, pooling at my core. I gasped, arching, and Garrek’s body reacted to mine. It was instant. Instinct. His hand brushed my hip, then slid back and beneath the hem of my pyjama top. He splayed his fingers on my bare lower back, tentatively at first, then rougher, a hard stamp of his skin on mine.

Delicious triumph sang in my blood when I felt the unmistakable stab of his stiff cock at my belly. A moan escaped me, and that cock gave a delirious spasm, growing so hard I wondered if it hurt.

I didn’t want him to hurt.

Heart pounding, clit throbbing, I reached down to cup him through his trousers.

He groaned, a guttural, primal sound.

Then he froze.

“Sorry,” I panted as he pulled away. “Did I do something wrong?”

What a ridiculous question. I could see it in the glow of his eyes.

I could feel it in myself.

I’d done something wrong. And so had he.

Shit.

I knew we should have waited until we found Oaken. God, I was technically still engaged to him. Somewhere out there, he could be hobbling around on his broken foot, trying to find me. And here I was, on the verge of humping his cousin into oblivion.

“Sorry,” I said again, even though I knew the one I should have been apologizing to was Oaken. And I would. As soon as we found him.

“Stop saying sorry,” Garrek croaked. He was breathing like he’d just chased Killian up another tree.

“I… I don’t know what else to say.”

Garrek raised his hand towards my face. My eyes fluttered shut, and I leaned forwards, seeking his touch.

It never came.

When I opened my eyes he was gone.

20

GARREK

Dawn was only just touching the mist of the morning air with light. Killian had not yet stirred. The bracku and shuldu were quiet. The only sound was my own ragged breathing, my boots on the rocks, and the water of the lake I now walked towards.

I didn’t know what I’d do when I reached it. Throw myself headlong into it, perhaps.

“Garrek!”

Magnolia’s voice halted me at once. Like only hers had the power to.

Empire, how I wished she did not have such power. It had taken everything in me to leave that tent. To look at her beautiful face in the dark and not touch it.

“Garrek, stop!”

“I already did stop,” I said, turning around to face her. But that was a mistake. Because she was even lovelier out here in the light. Dawn was now rapidlyburning away the mist. It worshipped her as I did, lending warm light to her hair, her skin, her lips.

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