Page 9 of Saved By the Alien Mercenary

I found myself cradled against his side and hip while he used the other massive paw to turn off the heat and move the pot aside. Raised higher, I was almost at shoulder height with my face, and I couldn’t help but find myself intrigued by the abundance of thick, silky fur that grew there. He was blue, yes, but I had never realized just how many shades of blue there wereina Hoxiam’s fur.

Digging my fingers into the softness, I curled them through his pelt and marveled at how soft it was. Then I found the tense muscles beneath it, and it was instinct to push back, to gently massage that heavy trapezoid. “Female!” Brace snarled so loudly that my ears rang, but when I met his shocked gaze, all I could do was smile. Ah, he was so adorable, and clearly so unused to being touched. It made me want to touch him more;it made me want to give him all the pleasure he’d been missing out on. He was even more starved for sensation than I was. I understood him;I was certain of that. We were both lonely, and we needed each other.

The word“female”he’d uttered like a reprimand,but I did not let that deter me, not when he was still holding me gently in one arm. Wriggling against him, I managed to raise my arms enough to fling them around his neck. That was difficult; not only was his neck really thick and hairy, it was still a bit of a reach,and he wasn’t quite cooperating. My fingers clutched at the fur at the back of his neck, holding it for leverage. And then we were eye to eye, my belly wedged sideways against his chest, and his arm shifting to raise me the way I wanted. Protesting, yet not protesting. He had no clue how badly he wanted me to get even closer.

“What?” I drawled at him. “You don’t want to get to know me better? You don’t want to kiss me?” I couldn’t believe I was being this bold, but that hug, his presence, his pain—all of it—had unlocked something inside of me that I refused to ignore. Too much time had already passed in silence, alone. I was determined to fill that space,starting now.

His other arm came back to me, touching my spine, gliding up it to cup the back of my neck. That palm was so big, it covered the entire width of my back; I felt so tiny in his arms. His blue eyes were glowing with light and heat, desire sparking at my boldness, which made him exhale roughly through his nose. “Kiss me? You want to put your tiny mouth on mine?” he growled, as if the idea was completely foreign to him. His mouth opened just a fraction, but it was enough to remind me that his maw was huge, like the rest of him. Ah, fuck, why did that just make me more horny for him? I knew the answer—thinking of how huge he was made me wonder about his cock. I was certain it would be massive, and that made wetness slick from my core, my inner muscles squeezing around nothing, my thighs pressing together as I ached for him.

“God,yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” I told him, fighting the laugh that wanted to break out at the surprise on his face. He did not believe me;he could not wrap his head around this, so I moved to show him, tipping myself forward in his armsandpushing against his shoulders for leverage. There, our lips collided, his warm and a little rough. His mouth was definitely much bigger than mine, with wrinkles creasing the corners beneath the soft fur on his cheeks.

I looked at the soft curve of his upper lip, and taste exploded across my senses. Salt, something savory and tasty, possibly whatever he’d been cooking when I came in. He was frozen in my arms again, his chest rumbling with a deep vibration. It was almost the purr of a cat, but not quite, so low it was beyond my range of hearing. When I scraped my teeth over his bottom lip, it was like I’d lit a fire in him. He groaned, and then he kissed me back.

His mouth became soft and pliable, shaping to mine, and when I darted out my tongue, he did the same. He didn’t let me slick mine beyond his lips, but when he realized what I’d planned, he had no compunction about invading mine. His tongue was thick—way thicker than mine—and as he pushed it deep, it reminded me strongly of a cock. This was far closer to oral sex than kissing. That tongue pushedinto my mouth, filling me, claiming my senses with his flavor the way the thick muscle claimed every inch of that wet cavern. I moaned loudly, my clit aching fiercely. I was so close to coming from that kiss that I mindlesslytried to spread my thighs to rub myself against his chest—anything to get a little friction.

Things were escalating fast. The world spun, my mind in the same state, and my body on fire. Then I felt the cool metal of the wall against my back, and Brace as he helped me spread my legs. He was big, and pinning me to the wall forced me to stretch wide, so wide. But then I was rubbing against the heavy ridges of his abs and sucking his tongue at the same time. With a muffled shout, I shattered in his arms, but I wasn’t scared,because I knew those big, strong arms had me. Brace would never let me fall.

He slicked his tongue back as the last shudder began to ebb, raising his head as far as my tight clasp around his neck allowed. His eyes were still on fire, and I thought I saw things there that made my heart leap with excitement. Then his eyelashes lowered over those bright blue orbs, hiding what he was thinking. “That was…” I began to say, desperate to keep him with me. “Amazing.”

The baby kicked firmly in my belly, roused from his nap. He kicked so hard that I was certain Brace could feel the thump against his chest. It broke the moment as if someone had dunked ice water down my big Hoxiam’s furred back. He raised a hand to gently break my hold around his neck, and then he was setting me down on the edge of the galley’s limited counter space, swiping an overflowing cutting board aside as he did so. I only became aware of the way he’d gripped my ass to hold me up when his warm hand was abruptly replaced with cool,slightly damp metal.

I wanted to hold onto him, keep him with me, but there was no stopping a male as big as Brace. As soon as he’d safely put me down, he fled the galley, his clawed feet slapping against the floor. That was more noise than he’d made for two whole weeks. If not for the fact that his loincloth had shifted, rising and struggling to contain an absolutely massive erection, I would have thought he hated every minute we’d just spenttogether.

“Whelp,” I said to the empty air.“Way to go,Ruby.”Not only had I failed to start a real conversation with him, like I’d planned,I’d sprung a surprise hug on him, followed by humping him like a dog in heat. What was he thinking? Had I scared him off for good? I looked a little helplessly around the galley, which was probably the room aboard the ship I spent the least time in. I didn’t know how to cook, no matter how hard my madre or my abuela had tried.

Snatching up some freshly cut veggies, I munched on themas I contemplated what to do next. A shower, probably, a cold one.Then I was going to research pregnancy details on the Kertinal. I had a feeling this baby was growing a little faster than he should. That kick was way too strong, considering how recently I’djuststartedfeelingit.

I stuck my head around the corner to see if Brace was anywhere, but the door to his bunk room was closed, and only a few scattered hairs remained in the hallway. The cleaning bot was coming back around to scoop those up, leaving no trace of my big, hairy, and apparently very shy Hoxiam.

Chapter 8

Brace

Every muscle inside my body was tensed, and still my cock would not subside. I wanted to roar in frustration, pound something till it bled. Ruby, my beautiful gravid mate,had sought me out and set my careful grip on control on fire. I ached for her;my cock was so hard that even the slightest touch would set me off. I thought of how eager she’d been in my arms, even after seeing my scars, seeing the reality of a full-grown Hoxiam.

With a yank, I ripped my loincloth from my hips and fisted my cock with one big paw. Three tugs,and my seedpods rose along my shaft, hard and firm, they blazed a trail of pleasure before jettingfrom the tip with force and clatteringto the ground. Heaving from exertion, as if I’d just run a marathon, I gazed blearily around the small quarters with its four stacked bunks. Two on one wall, two on the other. I stumbled to the nearest one and fell down, my head colliding with the wall. This was a tight space, not big enough to fit a male of my size.

Size. That made me think of my Ruby again and how delicate and tiny she’d felt in my arms. Her curvy rear fit in one palm, and to kiss her, I’d had to raise her halfway up my chest. We were a terrible fit, and she was insane for not fearing me like a normal person. I wanted her. I wanted her so badly that,despite my release, my cock rose again, firm and hard, ready to expel more seed pods,all for her. Such a tiny, precious female, and she was braver than many, and somehow attracted to me.

I had been thinking in circles, working myself into exhaustion since the moment I’d stepped aboard theFinix. The only way I could stick to my planwas toavoid her, so she could leave, free of entanglements. Growling, I gripped my cock again and squeezed it hard. NO! It was too late now. I did not deserve her—I was dangerous—so this was beyond selfish. But I had her taste in my system now. She was going to be mine.

Thinking of claiming her was enough to send me over the edge a second time, and I growled so loudly that the bunk rattled on its bolts. She had to have heard me, and all I could think wasgood.Let her know that I was desperate for the pleasure she had to offer me, and that I was going to come for her and her alone.

Afterward, I briefly fell into a fitful daze. Then I rose and cleaned up, gazing around the bunkroom again and noting with surprise that I had not clawed any of its surfaces, nor had I broken the furniture. I’d been here two weeks, that was a record. After what had happened in the galley, it was also a complete surprise. I’d kept control—sort of—enough to channel all those intense feelings in a safe manner.

When I left the room to finish what I’d been cooking in the galley, I did not kid myself into thinking that meant I was cured. It didn’t work that way.I had not been truly tested yet, and until I was, I could not guarantee my mate’s safety.

The galley still smelled of her release, a delicious scent I deeply inhaled. It overpowered the otheraromas of the food I’d been preparing, or maybe I was simply that sensitive to it. I wanted to finish this savory pie, make sure the Haras wheat crust got the perfect crunch. Then I was going to march over to her door and deliver that food without hiding around the corner. It was time I spelled out the risks to my bold female—let her have all the facts so she could make up her mind. And once she did, I’d make sure she knew I’d never let her go.

I should have known that she found me first. Her hair was a curly brown halo around her head, her expression sleepy. She even yawned as she stepped into the tiny galley, but then followedit with a bright-eyed smile. “You’re not running away this time? No cloak?” I rolled a shoulder, my mouth openingina ferocious grin. No, she’d seen me, and she was still here. There was no point. The fact was, I had not felt as untethered and enraged as I had aboard theVarakartoom. Taking care of her needs felt good, it settled me, gave me something good to focus on.

“No,” I said gruffly.Then I floundered for words. I was going to tell her about my past—about why she shouldn’t pursue me as a mate—but I couldn’t get the words past my lips. She tried to move past me,as if she wanted to reach the cooler for a drink, but the space was too small,and we bumped together. Instantly, my cock recalled what we’d been up to a few hours ago—how it had felt to sink my tongue deep into her mouth and feel her cunt ride against my chest until she found her release.

Picking her up, I sat her on the counter with a warning look.“Stay!”ThenItwisted to open the cooler for her and pulledout her favorite morning drink. “I’ll make tea as well,” I said, moving through the by-now immensely familiar tiny galley. It was poorly outfitted, but I’d made do. She hadn’t complained once about the food, and I’d made sure to feed heronlythe very best. I’d pillaged theVarakartoom’s fresh supplies to stock theFinix, and I hadn’t told the captain about it. Wasn’t like they’d need the supplies without a chef—they were running on rations from the food replicator in my absence.

My Ruby was smiling so widely her jaw had to ache when I handed her the drink. Her pretty browns were twinkling, and her heelswerekicking against the cupboard beneath the counter, the soft tap-tap calling forth a merriment inside my own chest. Okay, this was good, so far. I could do this, even if it was a little strange to have someone else in my domain after so long. When I got back to work finishing the breakfast pie, it felt nice not to be alone. She was talking to me, babbling brightly about how she’d bought theFinixin the Alpha quadrant before flying it here. I loved listening to the cadence of her voice, her accent differentfromthat of the humans aboard theVarakartoom.

Eventually, I had her sit down at the tiny fold-out table so she could eat, and that’s when I noticed the fluffy blue slippers on her feet. They were textured and colored almost exactly like Hoxiam fur, like mine. The sight was such a surprise that I had to look twice. “Oh no,” she exclaimed. “That’s not real fur. It’s not some relative of yours, I swear! I would never…”

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