His eyes narrowed. “And if you ever, ever put your life in danger like that –”
Mia didn’t let him finish. Instead, she reached up and buried her hands in his hair, bringing his head down toward her. And then she kissed him, expressing the full depth of her emotions in the way in which they had always communicated best.
At first, he froze, as if wary of hurting her, but then he groaned low in his throat and kissed her back, his hands tightening around her again and his mouth hungry and desperate on hers.
Mia clung to him with equal desperation, her earlier fear and adrenaline morphing into a frenzy of arousal. He was alive – they were both alive – and her body wanted, needed to reaffirm that fact in the most primitive, instinctual way possible.
She ended up on her back on the bed, pinned underneath his hard, muscled weight, her hands frantically tearing at his T-shirt. She felt like she was starving, like she would die without his touch, her body crying out to be filled by him. His kiss consumed her, his tongue stabbing deep into her mouth, and Mia sucked on it, craving his taste, wanting all of him. She felt unbearably hot, her skin too tight, too sensitive to contain the desire burning within her, and she arched toward him, frantically trying to get even closer.
He groaned again, her frenzied response provoking an equally passionate reaction from him. His left hand twisted in her hair, holding her head still for his mouth’s ravishment, while his right hand bunched up the skirt of her dress, exposing her lower body. Now only her tiny thong and his jeans stood between them, and he made short work of that too, tearing off her underwear and unzipping his pants. And then he was inside her with one powerful thrust, his cock penetrating her in one smooth slide.
Gasping at the shock of his sudden entry, Mia dug her nails into his shoulders, both stunned and immeasurably relieved to have him inside her. He was unbelievably hot and thick, and the blunt, heavy force of him was exactly what she needed right now. Her vaginal muscles quivered, stretching around his large shaft, even as her inner core melted, liquefied at the feel of him filling her so perfectly, quenching the emptiness inside.
He began to move, each stroke of his penis pressing her deeper into the mattress, and she was screaming, the tension inside
her peaking until her entire body seemed to explode with the force of her orgasm, her sheath uncontrollably pulsing and clenching around his cock.
Panting, he rose up on his elbows, staring down at her with eyes that were almost pure gold. Droplets of sweat were visible on his forehead, and his face was flushed underneath the bronzed hue of his skin. He looked magnificent and savage, and Mia couldn’t look away from the blazing intensity in his gaze. He hadn’t climaxed yet, and his cock was still hard inside her.
“You’re mine,” he told her hoarsely, and Mia couldn’t dispute the truth of that, not with him lodged so deeply inside her body, inside her heart. She felt incredibly vulnerable like this, but she now knew that he was vulnerable too – that she also held power over him.
“And you’re mine,” she whispered back, her hands tightening on his shoulders, and felt his penis jerk inside her as his body reacted physically to her words.
He began thrusting heavily into her again, his hips hammering and recoiling, imprinting himself on her flesh with a ferocity that she almost matched. She felt each thrust deep within her belly, the head of his cock pushing against her cervix, the pleasure so sharp it was verging on pain . . . and then she could feel him swelling up further inside her and her body tightened as another violent orgasm ripped through her. At the same time, he bucked in her arms, achieving his own climax with a hoarse cry, his semen releasing inside her in a few short, warm bursts.
For about a minute, they stayed like that, their bodies joined together as their breathing returned to normal and their heartbeats slowed. Mia had never felt so connected to another person in her life. It was as though they had ceased to be separate individuals, as though the sexual act had linked them together in some way that went beyond the physical. She could feel his heart beating in tune with her own, the heat and scent of his body surrounding her, cocooning her as he held her in his embrace, his weight pleasantly heavy on top of her.
After a while, he rolled off her and gathered her toward him, letting her lie on top of his chest. She knew that she should get up and clean herself, that they had to leave soon for the lunch with her parents, that there was still a lot they needed to discuss – but in this particular moment, she just wanted to lie there with him, shutting out the rest of the world.
She loved him, and he loved her, and that was all that mattered right now.
* * *
The guardians arrived a few minutes later, their ship landing soundlessly on the beach near the house. Zipping his still-intact jeans and dropping a kiss on her forehead, Korum went to greet them, leaving Mia to freshen up before their lunch.
Getting up, Mia noted wryly that her legs were still trembling a bit and her genitals throbbing subtly in the aftermath of their passionate encounter. She had no idea what sex would be like with another man, with a human man, but she strongly suspected that what she experienced every night – and frequently during the day – was far from typical. Maybe in the future, when they’d been together longer, their insatiable desire for each other would ease a little, but for now, no amount of sex seemed enough. Was this what Korum had meant by their unusual chemistry? Had he known it would be like this from the very beginning?
Going to the bathroom, she splashed some water on her face and tried to smooth her curls into a more presentable state. Underneath the paleness of her skin, her face glowed with subtle color, and her lips were fuller, swollen a little from his kisses. She looked happy and satisfied, a far cry from the traumatized mess she’d been earlier in the day. She also looked and smelled like she’d just had sex. Another quick shower was clearly in order.
Ten minutes later, she was clean and dressed in a different outfit. It was almost time for them to drive to St. Augustine, so she went to look for Korum.
She found him in the pool area, talking to three Krinar males who were dressed in what looked like light grey uniforms. She remembered seeing similar uniforms on the Ks who had apprehended the Keiths two weeks ago.
These had to be the guardians Korum had mentioned.
One of the guardians held Leslie, who was now conscious and looked like she had a bad headache, or maybe a concussion. Mia felt hugely relieved. She hadn’t killed her after all, nor did it seem like she’d caused any permanent damage. However, Leslie did look terrified to have been captured by the creatures she regarded as real-life monsters, and Mia almost felt bad for her, remembering how scared she’d been of Korum in the beginning. Almost – because she couldn’t forget the fact that the girl had held her at the gun point and conspired to kill Korum.
Now that she could think again, Mia wondered why Saur wanted Leslie to keep her – Mia – alive and out of the way. Did he think she would somehow be of use to the Resistance? Or did he want something else from her? And why was Korum his target? None of it made any sense.
Suddenly, something occurred to her. The memory loss of the Keiths! If Saur had access to some of the lab’s technology and enough knowledge, he might’ve been the one to erase their memories. In fact, Adam once mentioned that Saur had worked on mind manipulation.
Excited, Mia approached Korum and the guardians. Giving him a huge smile, she said, “I just realized something . . . If Saur worked in Saret’s lab –”
Korum nodded approvingly. He had obviously figured it out already. “Exactly. This would explain quite a bit – though I still don’t really understand his motivations.”
Leslie observed their exchange with a bitter expression on her pain-twisted face. “Xeno bitch,” she muttered, shooting Mia a hate-filled look.
“Keep your mouth shut,” Korum said coldly, staring at the girl with a contemptuous look on his face. “You should thank whatever pathetic deity you pray to that Mia didn’t get hurt today – and that the gun was not loaded. If anything had happened to her, you and all your Resistance buddies would have learned the true meaning of suffering. Do you understand me?”