Adiron (Corsair Brothers 1)

"Who says you deserve a kiss anymore after that stunt?" She arches a delicate brow at me.

"Me." I grin at her and lean in. "Come on. You know you want to kiss me. How can you resist?"

She snorts.

I sidle a little closer, until my hips are pressed against the countertop and her legs are on either side of me. I take her hand and put it on my shoulder, and her lips twitch with amusement. Oh yeah, she wants to kiss me, I think. She just doesn't want to admit it. I lean in, moving ever closer, and ask, "Is your mouth off limits? Or should I kiss other things first and save the best for last?"

"I thought aliens didn't kiss," Jade points out. "It's unhygienic, remember?" But her hand slides to the base of my neck and her other arm lifts to go around me, her face tilted up toward mine. Her eyes are soft as she gazes up at me, her pretty mouth parted as if she's just waiting for me, and my cock hardens in my pants at the sight.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

"Some don't. There's all kinds of hygiene laws on Homeworld, but last I checked, we weren't on Homeworld." I grin down at her, moving close enough that I can rub the tip of my nose against hers and feel her warm breath. "And I've watched so many human vids that make it look enticing. I'm sure I can wing it."

"Lord help me," she mutters.

"Here, I'll warm up first," I offer. Instead of kissing her inviting mouth, I lean in and kiss her cheek. "How was that?"

"Very sweet." Her smile widens, and this time, she tilts her mouth toward me in a silent request.

I ignore it, though. I'm a stubborn fool like that. I kiss her cheek again, then continue to kiss that warm brown skin over to her ear. I kiss it, too, and then I can't resist taking that small earlobe between my teeth just because it looks so keffing enticing.

Jade's breath catches. Her hands clench tighter on my neck, and my cock jerks in reaction. Now we're getting somewhere. "Better?" I whisper, nipping at that delicious little ear again. "Or do you think I need more practice?"

Her only response is a soft whimper.

"You're right," I tease. "More practice." I move down to her neck, burying my face against her soft skin and breathing in her scent.

Jade moans. One hand goes to my hair and she digs her nails against my scalp. Kef me, that feels incredible. Now I'm the one that wants to moan. I love the feel of her pressed up against me, and I hold her just a little tighter, until those glorious breasts of hers are against my chest. I kiss the side of her neck, enjoying how she trembles in my arms. I graze my teeth over her soft skin and I'm rewarded with a delicious little whimper.

"Better?" I ask, my voice husky.

"Adiron." One hand goes to my horns and she grabs one, steering me away from her neck. "You big tease. Just kiss me already."

I don't need to be asked twice.

39

JADE

It occurs to me that I have a hard time letting go.

After years of being on guard, on alert, of feeling like everything in the universe is against four small humans, I can't seem to relax. I can't just close my eyes and enjoy a wild evening without being full of doubts. I itch to turn off the water that's steaming up the mirrors. I feel an obsessive compulsion to check the messages again. Or to go over how much we have left, food-wise. I twitch with the need to check on all the stasis pods and make sure they're functioning properly. I know the micromanagement issues are me desperately trying to have some sort of control over my situation.

I don't enjoy it, though.

I gaze up at Adiron as he leans in, ready to kiss my mouth. My hand is on one of his horns, ready to steer him to my lips, but he's paused, and now all the crazy thoughts come flooding back in. Control. Control. Always control. Never let my guard down. Never relax.

I'm suddenly so fucking tired of it. I deserve a night off. I deserve to have fun and be a little reckless.

So I grab Adiron by the collar instead and push my lips against his.

He makes a sound of surprise as I tug him forward. He doesn't know the war going in my head. There's no war in his. He chooses to be happy, and I need to learn how to do that. I want him to teach me. I want him to rub off on me. I want to enjoy life, even if I might only have a month left. I'm going to take this opportunity and knock his socks off.