His tail flicked from side to side. This was his mate. Surely she felt something of that, too. She wouldn’t harm him, not now. Not ever.
“Strange way to show thanks after I took you out of that place,” he said.
“For your own sick-minded fetishes. I’m not trading one owner for another.”
“That’s not?—”
She lowered the barrel of the blaster and fired a single plasma bolt almost faster than Drakkal could register, producing a high, echoing sound that ran along the tunnel in both directions. The bolt struck the floor between Drakkal’s feet; the metal flooring hissed in the aftermath.
Though Drakkal didn’t move, heat and pressure built in his chest. He was angry, both at her and at himself, but he was also oddly thrilled by her actions—by her boldness, by her confidence, by her spirit.
“Take off your belt,” the terran said. “I’m not going to sayit again.”
Drakkal’s mouth twitched; he wasn’t sure whether he was about to snarl or smirk, so he pressed his lips together instead. He lowered his hands and unbuckled his belt, removing it from around his waist. He tossed it to the floor between himself and the terran.
“Now your clothes,” she said, gaze holding his.
“I guess that’s fair,” he replied, grasping the hem of his shirt.
“Why’s that?”
“I’ve seen you already.”
Her dark brows slanted farther. “Do youwantme to shoot you?”
He pulled the shirt off over his head, wadded it up, and tossed it atop his belt. “Hasn’t felt good the other times it’s happened, so I’m going to pass on that.”
For a moment, her eyes dipped to his chest and down his abdomen. She swallowed, then flicked the blaster’s barrel toward his groin. “Let’s go. Get ’em off.”
Drakkal released a sharp breath through his nostrils and unclasped his pants. “You have a name?”
“Not that I’ll be telling you. Pants off.Now.”
He grasped the waistband of his pants and shoved them down; his half-sheathed, semi-hard cock sprang free. If nothing else, the relief was welcome.
“You serious right now?” she asked, aghast. “You’re fucking hard over this?”
“Yeah. Nothing turns me on like getting robbed,” he replied flatly.
She shifted her stance and tilted her head. “Well, it’s impressive. I’ll give you that much. And if you don’t want me to shoot it off, you’ll hurry up.”
Drakkal couldn’t prevent his lips from turning up in a smirk now as he lifted his legs one at a time to tug off his pants. Hestared at the terran as he moved. Her gaze remained fixed on his cock, and a new, intrigued light had entered her eyes.
His heart thundered in his ears, and his shaft twitched, swelling further and sliding out of its sheath that much more. “You’re pretty impressive yourself, terran.”
He threw the pants into the pile and stood up straight, drawing in a deep breath to expand his chest. His ears perked, his fur bristled, and his tail lashed behind him. It took him a moment to realize that he was presenting himself for his mate—instinctually displaying his prowess.
Her breath hitched and her eyes flared as she took him in. Though she tried to hide it, Drakkal could see the interest, the heat, the confusion, thehesitationin those bright blue eyes.
“It’s not too late,” he said.
She seemed to shake herself and dragged her eyes away from his now fully erect, throbbing cock to meet his. “Not too late for what?”
“I was going to say it’s not too late to let me put my clothes back on and bring you somewhere safe, but with that look in your eyes”—he trailed his gaze down her body, his imagination filling in what he knew was hidden beneath the jacket—“I’ll go with it’s not too late to take that jacket off and help me relieve some of this…tension between us.”
A faint blush tinged her cheeks, but all traces of her desire vanished. Her eyes hardened again, becoming even colder than before. She raised the blaster until it was level with his chest. “Back up.”
Drakkal walked backward until his back hit the wall. “You know I’m going to come for my belongings.”