Sex Me Tender Read online

  She knew by his speech and the way he held himself he was old. Yes. He would have that old world charm that she and Ariella so admired. I only ask because you know my age. It seemed only fair.

  His mouth quirked up at the corners at her reasoning and he bowed his head again. I am four hundred and sixty. I am not nearly as decrepit as my older brothers. He chuckled into her mind. But I am still experienced enough that you will not be disappointed. He turned to see his nephew head for the exit and raised his hand in a silent salute. Until we meet again, my lovely Arabella. I look forward to spending more time with you.

  She sighed when he left, almost feeling abandoned. She cast a glance at her younger sister who stood watching her with a frown.

  “Were you just carrying on a complete conversation with that man? In your head?”

  Arabella felt her face flush as the blood raced up to the roots of her hair. “Yes, I was. He is rather old, but not nearly so old as his brother, Dare.”

  Ariella’s eyes widened. “He’s Dare Raden’s brother?”

  Nodding, Arabella smiled at her sister. Yes. His brothers are well over six hundred. He is only four hundred and sixty.”

  “Only? Only four hundred and sixty?” Ariella rolled her eyes. “He’s ancient Arabella. You can’t possibly be attracted to someone so old.”

  “How old do you think our fathers are, sister?” Arabella arched her brow. “Have you never asked?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I never thought about it. Dad age, I guess.” Ariella looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Why? How old are they?”

  “They are both well over two thousand years old and mother was our age when they met. Does she seem unhappy?”

  “No.” Ariella shook her head. “She doesn’t seem unhappy at all. So tell me…” She smiled. “What is his name?” Her sister burst out laughing at her stricken expression. “So, you asked his age, but not his name?”

  Dear Goddess! What must the man think of me?

  The time had come. The five days had passed quickly. It seemed barely enough time to get her things together. She, Ariella and their two younger brothers stood at the shuttle terminal waiting for a Lioni transport vessel. Their guards surrounded them. Charged with keeping the heirs safe, they would probably have little privacy from the persistent guards’ constant harassment. Still, she couldn’t fault her parents. They knew nothing about the people they would find. Just because Ryo wasn’t evil, it didn’t mean that his counterparts on distant worlds hadn’t turned out just like their biological fathers.

  It was a daunting task they’d set for themselves to bring all of the Hienial-Halflings together. Yet, she was sure that it was the right thing to do. They must find a common ground—one where they could all live together in peace.

  Arabella stood trembling with both fear and desire when she noticed the transport vessel that approached the platform wasn’t Lioni at all. It was Savari. She closed her eyes and prayed she wouldn’t have to spend three days in the close confines of a shuttle with the man who claimed her as mate. Just looking at him made her want to strip him bare and do things to him she could barely imagine. She knew the mechanics of it. She’d just never seen it done.

  She stood waiting for the shuttle to land, barely able to keep herself from pacing and showing her nervousness to everyone present. How would they all fit aboard the small shuttle? With her siblings and their guards there were fourteen standing on the pad with luggage. The transport looked barely big enough to hold that many people. Where would their luggage go?

  The shuttle landed and the Savari male who had staked his claim on her alighted. He strode to her, gathered her things and put them aboard the shuttle. When he would have taken her arm to lead her aboard, two of the guards stepped forward to stop him.

  “This is the Princess Arabella, daughter of Damir emperor, of this world. You will not touch her person.”

  “Release my mate.”

  The sound of running footsteps behind her startled Arabella and she moved to put herself between the guards and her mate. She didn’t want him shot, even if he was an overbearing jerk.

  “I apologize for not arriving sooner, Merrick. There were some things needing my attention at the palace.”

  Arabella stiffened at the sound of her father’s voice. He made his way through the contingent of guards and took her by the upper arms. “This man claims he has a mind link with you. Is this true—if so, did he take your blood?”

  She bit her lip, almost wanting to lie. She was afraid of what might happen if she admitted to their bond and afraid if she didn’t. Would they kill him for trying to kidnap her? She lowered her gaze to the ground, inspecting the shiny perfection of her father’s boots. “Yes, sir, we do have a mind connection. He did not take my blood.”

  Her father sighed, hugged her to him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Then you must go with him. You know our women are few. We must bring our mates together whenever possible.”

  He turned to look at Merrick. At least she knew his name now. “She is yours as mate. If you harm her you and your people will suffer the burden of the Dragon’s wrath.”

  The guards moved aside as Merrick led her into the craft. A contingent of Savari warriors and the rest of the accompanying Dare family sat in the seats behind the pilot’s cabin when she entered. A door led to the left. A bathroom she hoped. Merrick led her to a seat and the shuttle took off. She looked out through the window, watching her family disappear beneath her. Her sister watched them take off, an apprehensive expression on her face. They’d never been separated before. Perhaps it was time they got used to it.

  She sat next to the man who called her mate and tried to ignore the fact that she could reach out and touch him. She could run her hands over the flat plane of his stomach and feel the rippling muscles she saw beneath his formfitting shirt. Instead, she held her hand tightly in her lap. Arabella tried to ignore how his scent made her body throb with need, how her nipples pebbled beneath her blouse and sweater and how the warmth pooled low in her middle before moving lower still to drench her panties.

  * * * *

  When Merrick led her onto the shuttle and strapped her in her seat, he hadn’t expected the sudden urge to sink himself into her welcoming flesh. Her scent filled his nostrils and set his blood to boiling again. Just the mere sight of her had done it before. Now she sat next to him her hands clenched tightly in her lap. He reached out to pat her hand in an effort to comfort her.

  She jumped at the contact. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I merely intended to offer comfort.”

  “I—I know. I’m just nervous.”

  He inhaled deeply. No. She wasn’t nervous. He could smell her arousal. She wanted him and was either too ashamed or too shy to admit it. When they finally reached the outer atmosphere and headed toward the Savari escort vessel that Dare sent along with them, perhaps he would show her the back room of the shuttle. For now, he would content himself with holding her hand until they reached orbit and were well on their way.

  When the restraint light went out, everyone relaxed and removed their safety devices, stretching. Merrick stood, held his hand out toward Arabella and waited for her to take it. He relished the sensation of her soft skin brushing against his flesh and resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and make her his, right here in front of everyone. He didn’t know what he would do if she refused him.

  Part of him hoped he could take her rejection with some degree of respect and admiration that she, as one so young would have the courage to refuse a Savari male in his prime. He knew she was a dragon and as such would have a degree of magical ability. Still, there were many things unknown about the Savari people. One of which, was their own use of magic. He could make her want him beyond reason. He could make her succumb to his own base needs with no thought to her own self preservation. But he couldn’t make himself do that. He wanted, needed, their relationship based in truth and honor, not lies and deceit.

  He pulled her to her feet a
nd led her to the back of the cabin. Everyone here knew what lay behind the door but her. Her innocence squeezed his chest as she followed him through the small bathroom, the small kitchen, the inner chamber used for storage and into the pride of the Savari people. Very sexual in nature, they had designed the shuttle with a large bedroom used by the mated couples or triads aboard. Since he was the only man here with a mate, he didn’t fear interrupting anyone as he led her into the room.

  She gasped, her face turning red at the large bed in front of her. The huge tub in the corner bubbled merrily waiting for them. He’d filled the tub earlier setting a comfortable temperature, one where he would have no difficulty seducing his mate while they bathed in the decadent, silky warmth of the Savari water.

  Goddess, she looked beautiful, her flushed face reflected her awe that they would have such a decadent chamber on one of their smaller shuttles. He wasn’t surprised that her mother hadn’t apprised her of that since he believed she and her sister were conceived aboard such a shuttle. Only then they had been a bit more private. At least they had the store room separating them from anyone who would hear them. They would be aboard this shuttle for another eight hours or so while they traveled to the Savari escort vessel that would accompany Ryo and the others on this mission. There, they would have their own suite of rooms where she could scream her pleasure to her heart’s content and no one would be the wiser.

  Seeing her here, standing in this room awaiting his instruction as the scent of her arousal grew stronger nearly undid him. It was like a dream come true. He’d searched years for a mate—a woman who would bring out the best and worst in him. He knew her power even if she didn’t. He would protect her with his life, kill anyone who threatened her and that scared him a bit. He now knew that sharing her would be difficult, but if that’s what it took, he would manage somehow. At least he had her to himself for this moment in time and for that he would be forever grateful.

  He reached out to touch the smooth skin of her cheek and she turned, walking into his embrace. “Aren’t you afraid?”

  She shook her head. “My mother taught me to never fear my mate or mates. We’ve heard little from grandmother since the wars and aren’t even sure if I would have more than one mate.” She looked away and licked her lips. “Mother says there is a possibility that I could have two mates. You should know that before…” She glanced nervously toward the bed. “It’s quite possible with still so few women in the galaxy. You should know—I won’t forsake one mate over another.”

  Smiling gently, he pushed a tendril of long hair behind her ear. “That comforts me more than anything else, mate. At least I know you will not abandon me for another, but keep me by your side as you accept him into your life.”

  In a bold move for a maid, she reached up and pulled his head to hers, pressing her lips against his. A bolt of pure lightning shot through his blood at the contact. He smelled her arousal, the aroma nearly undid him. Sweet, like cream, it held power over him, she held power over him. Mate. His Savari instincts came to the fore and he pulled her against him, molding her body against his. His hands moved over her, relishing in the soft curves of her woman’s form pressed against his rock hard frame.

  * * * *

  Arabella had been a bit taken aback by the secret room on the shuttle. Her face heated as she thought about all of the others on board who would know where they went and what Merrick intended to do. Still, she couldn’t help the answering heat that pooled in her middle at the thought. She wanted him so much she’d actually pulled him to her, instead of waiting for him to make the first move.

  Cursing her impulsive nature, she reveled in his embrace as he pulled her tighter against him. She knew this man would be enough for her if she wasn’t meant to have another mate. Still, something told her another awaited her among the stars. A seer in her own right, she rarely saw into her own future as she could see into others, but she kept having visions of a blond man with a look of pure frustration on his face. She was sure as anything else in her life that he was her mate as well.

  It didn’t stop her from pressing against the hard wall of Merrick’s chest. It didn’t stop her hands from roaming over his body, her fingers finding every ridge of muscle—every sensitive spot that made him jump or groan. She ran her fingers over his shirt, reveling in the feel of the rigid muscles beneath. Yes. She’d known her mate would be strong, well built. The pads of her fingers found his flat male nipples beneath the soft fabric of his shirt and he groaned again. Reaching up, she worked at the buttons. Each expanse of flesh she exposed to the cool air of the private cabin was kissed and laved—worshipped—as she released each button in turn.

  He cupped her face in his hands, his mouth pressed against hers as he nipped at her closed lips with his sharp teeth. She opened for him, allowing him entrance. His tongue slid against hers plundering her mouth, as he searched out every secret place.

  She felt her woman’s cream coat her panties. It slipped around the soft material and coated her thighs, making them slick. She moved restlessly against Merrick and knew he would make her his in this room, she just wasn’t sure where. In the bed, the tub?

  He pulled back and smiled down at her. “Do not worry about such things, love. When we do finally come together, it will be explosive and you will call my name to the heavens as I take your blood into my body. Will you bind with me this night or shall we wait for your other mate? If you bind with me tonight, we will have twenty-six days before we must return to Savar for our ritual.”

  How did he know she felt there was another for her out there? How could he know?

  He chuckled as he kissed her neck, her shoulders. Unbuttoning her blouse, he kissed the exposed part of her breasts and inhaled. “I love the way you smell. Your scent is like flowers and cocoa and sex. I inhale your sweet scent and I am lost.”

  She gasped when his mouth moved over the sensitive tips of her breasts. It was so wonderful and erotic. Like one of her dreams of him come to life. After the meeting five days ago, her mind was filled with erotic images of them together. Images of his body over hers, thrusting into hers. She leaned forward, needing to pleasure him as he pleasured her. Her fingers found his flat brown nipples, her nails scraping over the sensitive flesh.

  “Arabella,” he groaned.

  She opened her passion-glazed eyes to look up at him. The harsh planes of his face, those that made him so intensely handsome and irresistible, pulled tight as she leaned forward and laved her tongue over his nipple, her teeth brushed against the small male bud.

  Fisting his hands in her hair, he pulled her head back and covered her mouth with his own. I’ll keep that luscious mouth of yours busy while I regain my control. Believe me, love, you don’t want me out of control. Not for your first time.

  Her clothes disappeared and she jumped. She didn’t remember wishing them away. Perhaps she had. She reached up to run her hands over Merrick’s flat stomach and frowned. If she wished her clothes away, why hadn’t she wished his gone too?

  “It wasn’t you,” Merrick whispered against her lips. “That was me. I wanted to see your perfect body. I need to feel my lips upon your silky skin.”

  She gasped when he bent before her, took a nipple full in his mouth and drew hard. Her knees gave out and she found herself sitting on the bed. Merrick gave her no time for thought. He followed her down, his fingers delving through the soft curls between her legs. Arabella mewled out her pleasure as his fingers circled the hardened nub.

  He covered her mouth with his own, his warm body pressing urgently against hers as he rubbed against her, making her want him, need him, more than ever. She felt his hands on her, his rasping breath moving over her neck, brushing the sensitive shell of her ear. She shivered. Gooseflesh rose on her skin and she reveled in the sensations of his long fingers gently probing her wet folds, rubbing her nether flesh. How she would ever survive this night she didn’t know.

  “Merrick, please,” she whimpered, her head thrashing on the pillow. She was
n’t sure what she wanted—needed—she only knew there was…something. Her feet and legs began to tingle, her body stiffened as Merrick’s fingers quickened on her flesh. Screaming, she arched up off the bed, her body strung tight as a bow as she finally reached her climax. Still shuddering from her release, she reached down to grab his hand. “Please.”

  Her body still quaked. Her hips jerked involuntarily as he moved between her spread thighs. Warm breath fanned her breasts as he suckled each one in turn before trailing his lips and tongue down over the clenched muscles of her belly, hips and thighs until she was mindless once more.

  “Now I shall taste your sweet cream, Arabella.” He dipped his head between her thighs and ran his tongue along the crease of her hip.

  She screeched when his mouth closed over her throbbing bud. Her hips bucked. He reached up and held her in a gentle, yet unbreakable grip. Nothing she’d ever felt, ever imagined, felt like the warm, wet velvet of his mouth upon her flesh. He tortured her with long strokes of his wet tongue until she came again, screaming as the world shattered and stacked itself together again in the space of a few seconds.

  Finally, he kissed his way back up her body. His lips and tongue learning every crease, every dimple her body hid. She had no more secrets from this man. Not even in her mind.

  “Now I shall show you what it is to be a woman, love.” He kissed her lips then her forehead. “Would you like that?”

  She licked her lips, surprised by the tangy taste of her own juices upon his lips. She nodded. Her breaths came in heaving gasps as she recovered from two massive orgasms in such a short time. “Yes, Merrick. I would love to know what it is like to be your woman.”

  He moved slowly, positioning himself between her legs. She spread them wider to accommodate his larger frame. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she tried not to show her fear as he moved to possess her. It would hurt, it had to, he was so big and she was inexperienced. She wondered how something so big could ever fit where she knew it should.