Page 9 of Kazmyr: Molten for Her
Beneath my skin, fire raged hotter than any reactor core, the ember marks along my chest pulsing with need as I guided Jenna toward the moss hammock. Her body tensed any time I neared her, those hazel-green eyes narrowed with suspicion even as her heartbeat quickened against my palm. Every scar along my torso seemed to burn brighter in her presence, my control fraying with each breath of her smoke-and-salt scent that filled the chamber. The living weave of the hammock puffled upward like a smug host anticipating guests, already reaching tendrils toward her ankles.
"Is your furniture always this... eager?" She stepped back, bumping into my chest, her spine stiffening when my hands instinctively steadied her hips. "The hammock was basically waggling its eyebrows at me and humming a porn soundtrack."
I didn't know what she meant, but I was too distracted a heat surged through me, making them glow bright enough to cast shadows across her skin. I swallowed hard, struggling to maintain the formal distance protocol demanded. "The moss responds to biological signatures. It stabilizes ship systems during rest cycles."
Not a lie. Just not the complete truth about how the moss's primary function was to encourage mating pairs to complete their bond, then keep them happy, warm, and comfortable. The living weave recognized compatible matches instantly, its fibers already quivering with anticipation.
"So it's supposed to cuddle us?" She raised one eyebrow, that skeptical expression I'd grown to crave like oxygen. "Or is this another one of those 'cultural differences' you conveniently forget to explain until we're halfway into something weird?"
I couldn't stop the rumble of laughter that escaped my chest. "It provides support. Comfort." My voice roughened despite my efforts to keep it even. "It can be convinced to behave, if you prefer distance."
"Bullshit." She crossed her arms, studying me with a gaze that seemed to see straight through my carefully constructed defenses. "This ship responds to your emotions, Kazmyr. I've seen how the lights pulse with your heartbeat, how the temperature rises when you're..." Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away. "When you want me."
My marks flared brighter, the confession of desire I couldn't hide. The scars along my chest and arms pulsed gold-blue, lighting the small chamber with my need.
"Yes," I admitted, seeing no point in denial when my own body betrayed me so thoroughly. "The Heartforge is bonded to my physiology. It... reflects certain states."
"Certain states," she repeated, her lips curving into that dangerous smile that made my control slip further. "Is that what we're calling it now?"
She stepped closer, deliberately placing her palm against the largest mark on my chest. Fire raced through my veins, setting every nerve ending alight. I hissed, my hands clenching at my sides to keep from grabbing her.
The moss hammock swelled impatiently, tendrils reaching higher as if beckoning us both. The ship's systems hummed in harmonious response, lights dimming to the amber glow of courting embers.
"You should rest," I managed, even as my body screamed for the opposite. "You've been through much. The pirates?—"
"Are still out there. I know." She didn't move her hand from my chest, instead spreading her fingers wider over the glowing mark. "But they're regrouping, which means we have time. Maybe not much, but some."
Her pulse quickened against my skin, her breathing shallow. Despite her bravado, fear lingered in the corners of her eyes… not of me, but of everything else. The unknown. The hunters. The fate that had thrust her into my world without permission.
"Jenna—"
"If you tell me I'm fragile, I might actually set something on fire." She tilted her head back to meet my gaze directly, her height barely reaching my shoulders. "I'm not made of glass, Kazmyr."
"No," I agreed, finally allowing my hand to rise, to trace the curve of her cheek. "You're forged of something far stronger."
She leaned into my touch, and something in my chest tightened painfully. The moss hammock pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat, stretching wider, its surface rippling with invitation.
"Show me," she said suddenly, her voice dropping to that husky tone that made my marks burn bright. "If you want this mating bond so badly, prove to me it's not just another cage."
Before I could respond, she stepped backward onto the hammock. The moss immediately responded, curling around her body with a pleased hum. Rather than fight it, she sank down, allowing the living weave to cradle her form. Her eyes never left mine as she held out her hand.
"Your move, Guardian."
My restraint shattered. I followed her onto the hammock, the moss eagerly making space for me beside her, then closing around us both. Tendrils wrapped around our legs, pulling us together until her thighs pressed against mine. The hammock swayed gently, adjusting to our combined weight, then stabilized.
"The moss encourages physical contact," I explained belatedly as our bodies aligned perfectly, her smaller form fitting against mine as if designed for it. "It's part of the bonding process."
"I figured that out all on my own, thanks." Her eyes crinkled with amusement, but beneath it lurked determination. Her hands found my collar, fingers tangling in the cooling beads around my neck. "Now stop talking about the moss and kiss me."
The demand in her voice sparked something primal inside me. I'd been so careful, so restrained, terrified of frightening her with the intensity of my need. But her hands pulled me down with surprising strength, and I went willingly.
"If this is too much—" I started, but she cut me off with a growl of impatience.
"If you wanted a timid mate, you should've let the pirates take me." She seized the back of my neck and yanked me closer. "If you want me, Kazmyr, then prove it. Show me this bond you keep talking about isn't just another set of chains."
Her mouth found mine, hot and demanding, stealing whatever protest I might have made. The taste of her overwhelmed my senses. My control slipped further as her tongue pushed past my lips, claiming me with a fierceness that matched the fire in my blood.
The moss responded instantly to our rising heat, tendrils tightening around us, pulling her even closer until she straddled my thighs. Her legs cinched around my waist, the position driving her core against the hardness that had been straining against my garments since she'd first stepped onto my ship.
