Grady's Awakening

Chapter Four

The next morning, Grady Prime was waiting for her when she stepped outside the guest quarters she’d been assigned. He’d left her at the door last night with lingering kisses that had left her head spinning long after he’d gone.

She’d lain in bed, butterflies in her tummy and a dopey smile on her face for almost an hour, reliving the way he’d made her feel. Never had she experienced such a feeling outside the steamy dreams she’d had a few weeks before. She’d known after that last dream that one of the men on her path would be Alvian. She’d also thought he’d have emotions—strange as that had seemed at the time—and sure enough, here he was.

Grady Prime was prime all right. A prime example of Alvian manhood. One of the best of the best of their soldier stock. Big, brawny, sleekly muscled and masterful in the best sense of the word. He’d rocked her world with a few kisses.

And heaven help her, she wanted more.

She couldn’t hold back the eager grin that lit her face when she found him waiting for her. She walked right up to him, a bounce in her step as she leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek.

The little kiss caught him off guard, she could tell, but he was quick to respond. His strong arms came around her, drawing her close as he gave her a much deeper kiss that involved his sexy mouth, lips and tongue. When he pulled back, long minutes later, the forest beyond his shoulder tilted wildly in her vision. He was that potent.

“Good morning,” she said breathlessly as his eyes lit with amusement.

“The best possible morning, to be sure.” He let her go by small degrees until she was standing on her own wobbly legs. “Do you have time to join me for breakfast?”

She turned and took his arm as they began walking toward the mess.

“Indeed I do. But I wonder what the rest of my brethren will make of us sitting together?”

The thought had occurred to her late in the night as she lay awake replaying their moonlit kisses. Would her fellows in the Zxerah Brotherhood approve of her relationship—such as it was—with Grady Prime? Would the Patriarch approve? And if they didn’t, what should she do? She wanted this stolen time with him before she left on her mission the next morning. She wanted to feel this feeling for just a little while longer.

“I can handle it if you can. And I’ll be right by your side, Gina. Let them look all they want. Without emotion, they will never understand what draws us together. If we feel anything for them, it should be pity.” Grady squeezed her fingers reassuringly.

“Do you really pity those who can’t feel?” His response would tell her just how far he’d come from the emotionless Prime he’d been most of his life.

He sighed heavily as his steps slowed. “I pity myself for having spent so many years not feeling as I do now. I pity all beings who question but can never understand the answer, even when it’s staring them in the face.”

She gave his arm a final squeeze before letting go and opening the door to the communal mess. “You’re a good man, Grady Prime.”

He followed her inside and together they went to gather their meal.

“You make me a better man, Gina. Being around you inspires me to be better than I was yesterday. You’re a good influence.”

His words, spoken low so that only she could hear, made her feel warm inside. They spent the next few minutes gathering food from the cafeteria-style setup. Armed with full trays, they sought a place to sit at one of the long tables arranged in rows around the room. This early in the morning, only a few were occupied by early risers or those coming off night duty.

“After breakfast I must work on my investigation. I will probably be free to eat lunch around noon. Will you join me? Or can you spend some time with me later today?”

She loved the way he couldn’t quite hide his eagerness. He was so new to emotion, he had a kind of eager puppy quality to him. At the same time, she realized he was somewhat fragile. Lack of understanding could cause him to misinterpret and bruise his sensitive feelings. She had to remember that and be careful of him. Hurting this beautiful soul was the last thing in the world she wanted to do.

“I’ll meet you here for lunch,” she agreed, marveling at the grin that passed over his face. “And I can meet you for dinner as well. I should be through with my preparations by sundown. There isn’t much left to do here. I was expecting to leave, just not this soon.”

“Will you be gone long?”

She was glad to see he knew enough not to ask her where she was going. “A few weeks, if all goes well. Maybe longer. I don’t really know. As long as it takes to either accomplish my goal or fail utterly.”

He laughed at her graveyard humor, warming her with his easy camaraderie. She’d missed this kind of thing. Sure, the humans among the Zxerah were the next thing to siblings, but they’d all walked hard roads to become members of the Brotherhood. Grady Prime had been through hell too, but it seemed to affect him less. He appeared to revel in each newfound feeling and his delight in the simplest of things was contagious. It just plain felt good to be around him.

On more than one level. He made her feel feminine and almost…pretty. She hadn’t been supermodel material, even in her youth. She was short and sturdy. Muscled from her pursuit of Olympic gold and her need for survival ever since, she had an athlete’s body and a plain face. Neither ugly nor gorgeous, she was used to men admiring her martial arts skills, but not the kind of fascination she saw in Grady Prime’s eyes. He made her feel beautiful.

“Then your mission is like mine.” His words brought her back to the conversation as he scraped his plate with his fork. “It’ll take as long as it takes. Though I assume the Council will reel me in at some point if I don’t show results. Until then, I have some freedom.”

“What will they do with you?”

It suddenly occurred to her that he was an experimental subject. In all likelihood he’d been sprung for a mission and might have to go back to being a prisoner of the medical establishment after it was over. She didn’t want that for him. It made her realize that every moment away from the city and the doctors who wanted to study him like a lab rat was precious. He might never have this kind of freedom again.

“I’m not sure really. There was a small group of test subjects in my clinical trial. I suppose it depends on how well we do as a group. If the rest show the ability to live normally in Alvian society, perhaps we will be given some modicum of freedom.”

“What if they can’t adjust?”

“Then I suppose we will continue to be closely monitored. Perhaps for the rest of our lives.”

Gina sat back in her chair, raising her eyebrows as she pondered his words. “That’s no way to live, Grady.”

“I concur. Which is why I’m giving great consideration to the words of your Patriarch. If nothing changes, I have few options. If, however, other events prove the usefulness or necessity of expanding the experiment, the options for me and my group of test subjects could change drastically.”

“Oh, Grady, I hope you’re right. The Patriarch is the best of men, but he plays a deep game. None of us really knows for sure what his ultimate goals are. I can tell you that I believe he’s on the right path to help both your people and mine live together peacefully, once certain issues are settled. I don’t kid myself that it’ll be easy. In fact, I think this is going to be one of the hardest things either of our races has ever attempted. I believe in my heart that it’s worth it. Whatever the cost.”

Grady reached across the table and took her hand. She felt the stares of the Alvians seated closest to them as they touched. She knew they were hearing some kind of Hum, and she wished for a moment she could hear it too. She only felt the electric effect of his skin on hers, his emotions bleeding through her small empathic ability. He was worried, elated, hopeful and tense, just as she was.

“I’m grateful I met you, Gina, even though we’re both dedicated to other missions just now.”

“I could have wished for better timing, but I’m glad we met too. You’re the first Alvian I’ve ever met who can truly feel, and I hope you won’t be the last.” She kept her voice low so that only Grady Prime could hear her fervent hopes for the future.

He clutched her hand, his strong fingers applying light pressure to her knuckles and palm. “With any luck, I’m just the first of many, if not all. You give me hope for…many things, Gina. Hope for my people. Hope for yours. And hope for…us.”

“Us?”

“You and me, Gina. We could be mates. Don’t tell me that thought doesn’t intrigue you. Even now, every Alvian in here can hear us Humming when we touch.” His smile was temptation itself and meant just for her. His eyes drew her in until they were alone in the crowded room, the only air in the little bubble that surrounded them. At least that’s the way it felt to her.

A commotion at the door burst the intimate atmosphere. Mara Prime had arrived for breakfast with a contingent of his personal staff, and he was heading directly for them. Gina tugged on her hand, but Grady Prime seemed reluctant to let her go as he looked over to the door, his mouth hardening into a grim line as he saw the scientist drawing closer.

Mara Prime approached, his aides fanning out behind him like a cape. He was an old man—one of the few Alvians who actually looked old to Gina’s eyes. He regarded them with one eyebrow raised in mild inquiry.

Grady looked from the scientist to Gina, squeezing her hand once before letting go and turning his gaze back to Mara Prime. The elder’s eyes widened fractionally as the tingling that must have signified the Hum ceased.

“An interesting development.” Mara Prime nodded in greeting as he peremptorily pulled out a chair at the long table. “May we sit with you?”

There was no polite way to refuse, as Mara Prime had no doubt intended. He took a seat next to Grady, across from Gina, as his entourage ranged themselves around the table. Two young scientists flanked Gina and more sat across from her, next to Grady. She shot him a look that held both her amusement and consternation at these developments and she knew Grady understood when a ghost of a smile touched his lips, just briefly.

The rest of the meal was spent being questioned—none too subtly—by Mara Prime and his subordinates. The geneticist had been told that Ronin Prime required Breed servants to attend him wherever he went. Gina was one of Ronin Prime’s pets, as Mara Prime had been heard to call the human Zxerah adoptees, since the Patriarch allowed no interference with them whatsoever.

It wasn’t the most enjoyable half hour Gina had ever spent, but she did marvel at Grady’s ability to answer questions without saying much at all. He confounded the scientific team in such a polite and roundabout way, they couldn’t object. He had a way of drawing them off target and leading them directly where he wanted them conversationally. It was a talent she admired, a skill she had never mastered. Grady could have taught lessons on the old bait and switch. She had to give him credit.

While Grady was occupied with the scientists and their questions, Gina ate steadily. Finishing her breakfast, she was grateful to have an excuse to leave the crowded table and the probing, invasive conversation the scientists seemed to think was acceptable. In her book, it was downright rude. Then again, she wasn’t Alvian. Thank goodness.

Grady was sad to see Gina leave, but he knew it was for the best. Mara Prime was digging into areas Grady would rather not discuss in public—particularly not in front of a woman he thought might be his future mate. He’d rather she learn about his weaknesses and failures—as well as his strengths—naturally, over time.

He wanted desperately to spend time with her, learning her as she learned him. But duty called. His and hers. Both of them had jobs to do and superiors to satisfy before they would be free to pursue their personal lives, be it alone or together. Grady hoped like hell it would be together.

He’d never wanted a woman so badly. He’d never been so intrigued or inspired to such passion with her slightest touch, her weakest smile. She was like a drug to which he was fast becoming addicted, and he never wanted to stop.

Mara Prime dragged out breakfast as much as possible but eventually even the cagey old scientist had to let Grady Prime go about his duties for the day. Grady was glad to take up where he had left off with his investigation. He talked to more of the winged soldiers about their former leader and was learning things that would help his mission.

Or so he hoped. He needed to narrow down the parameters for locations he would search. Right now, the field was still wide open. Only through the observations of people who had known the former Prime would Grady be able to formulate an effective search plan for Sinclair Prime Past.

Grady admitted to himself, he was woefully distracted. How could he not, with the tantalizing prospect of a Resonance Mate in the offing? Gina was luscious and one of the few things that could make him forget his duty and have trouble concentrating on his mission. All he wanted to do was daydream about her and the tempting possibilities of what they could be together—if their stars were in alignment.

Lunch couldn’t come too soon to suit him. He arrived at the mess hall with eager steps only to find Gina there before him. She sat alone at a table in the corner. Even as he entered the room, he saw some of her Zxerah colleagues stop by the table to make conversation.

“Don’t sit down. Don’t sit down,” he chanted under his breath to no avail. A moment later with a quick, apologetic glance in his direction, Gina smiled at the two warriors as they pulled out chairs across from her. At least he could sit at her side, Grady consoled himself. He noticed she’d put a small backpack on the chair next to her, precluding anyone from sitting there when there were other chairs available around the long table. “Good girl,” Grady cheered her on under his breath.

If this went on much longer, people would start to think he habitually talked to himself. That wouldn’t reflect well on an experimental test subject. At the moment, however, he didn’t care. All that mattered was being with her, sitting next to her, hearing her voice and basking in her light.

They dined together, but had little opportunity to really talk. Not with so many attentive ears around the table. The warriors asked her about human fighting techniques and Grady listened, keenly aware that his possible mate was a fighting champion of some stature among humankind. The idea sat oddly with him at first, but as he listened to her speak knowledgably on a wide variety of topics, including strategies suitable for someone of her size against a larger opponent, he began to glow with pride.

His mate was a warrior. He never would have expected it in a million years, but he was glad of it. She was no weak city-bred female of one of the clerical lines. The only woman to date that he’d been tempted to subject to the resonance tests had been a Jaci—a lab tech with no athletic skills that he knew of. After meeting Gina, he couldn’t imagine the regret he’d felt when Jaci had mated two human males.

Oh, he liked Jaci and wished her well, but he didn’t regret that she wasn’t his mate any longer. Not with Gina near. In fact, all others paled in comparison to the human warrior woman at his side.

Grady was able to sit back and enjoy lunch, knowing that of all the males present, only he could truly appreciate her complexities. Only a short while ago he wouldn’t have understood her at all. Since his new emotions had stabilized somewhat, he knew he had something to offer her that other Alvian males could not. Just the idea of it made him feel smug—a new emotion to add to his ever expanding catalog of new experiences.

They parted after lunch with a quick promise to meet for dinner. Grady swore to himself he’d arrange it so they could dine alone. He didn’t want to share her attention with a table full of males again. Not when they had so little time left together.

On a new mission, he went through his duties as quickly as possible, then spent the remainder of his afternoon setting things up for an intimate dinner for two. His fellow Alvian soldiers may not understand emotion, but they certainly understood seduction. Since the change to their people, warriors, as a general rule, had to try harder to entice the females of their species into sharing their bodies.

Warriors were seen as less evolved and therefore less desirable than other classes of Alvian society. Yet it was their curse that they needed physical satiation more than others because of the echoes of aggression left in their genetic makeup to make them effective at their jobs. They had to get creative when seeking to share pleasure with a female. As a result, the other warriors understood without being told why Grady Prime was silently demanding privacy to share a meal with a female.

He didn’t have to explain to the cooks why he wanted special food items packed for travel, or why he required the best they had in the way of dishes and utensils. They also didn’t ask why he wanted a bottle of the fermented fruit juice the Alvian race had come to enjoy since colonizing this planet. They simply provided the meal and accoutrements and wished him good hunting.

Everything was set when Grady Prime walked back to the mess hall. He had left early, intending to intercept Gina before she had a chance to go inside. He arrived in the nick of time, calling out to her as she was about to open the door. She spun, a smile lighting her face when she saw him. She moved toward him and he stopped dead, entranced for a moment by the feminine loveliness of her.

Her smile turned questioning as she neared, her head tilting to one side. “What?”

“You are beautiful, Gina.”

A becoming blush stained her cheeks, and he could tell she was pleased with his unguarded words. He breathed a sigh of relief. This small woman could easily send him off course. She shook him up almost as much as he wanted to upset her composure—in the best possible way. So far, so good, judging by her expression.

“I have a surprise for you. Will you come with me so we can dine alone?”

Her expression softened with pleasure. She agreed, preceding him down the path. When she hesitated where the path forked, he placed his palm on the small of her back, guiding her. He kept his hand on her until they reached their destination, liking the feeling of her supple body under his fingers.

He guided her to a small clearing he’d found under the shelter of one of the largest of the redwood trees in the grove. So massive was the tree’s girth and the spread of its leaves that the ground around its base was relatively bare except for a soft layer of compacted leafy debris. With the moon just rising overhead in a twilight sky, the setting was perfect for romance.

Grady had thought ahead and had a small lantern ready for when darkness fell completely, but since the moon was nearly full and shining through an opening in the leafy canopy, he didn’t think they’d have to use it except perhaps when they made their way back to the encampment…eventually.

He’d taken a thick blanket from his quarters and spread it in the open area, then topped it with a snowy white tablecloth. The glasses, dishes and utensils he’d borrowed from the cooks were set out on top and the meal was waiting. It had been kept warm in self-heating containers the cooking staff had packed for him, ready to serve.

Grady had even gathered a few blossoms from the surrounding forest and placed them in a glass of water at the center of the tablecloth. He knew females appreciated flowers, and he also liked the scent.

Gina turned to him as they reached the clearing, and she saw what he’d arranged. There were tears in her eyes he found hard to interpret, and his heart stilled.

“You don’t like it?”

“No, I love it.” She bit her lip to still whatever emotion she was feeling while Grady’s emotions rode a wave of high and low. He didn’t understand. Was she happy or sad?

“Something is wrong?”

“No.” She turned to him, placing a hand on his forearm, squeezing once as she looked up at him. “This is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a very long time. I could almost believe I’m back in the old world, on a picnic. You thought of everything. Flowers, dinner and is that wine?”

“It is.” He began to feel better about her reaction, though the tears in her eyes worried him. “Do you like wine?”

“I do. Even living with the Zxerah, I don’t get to have it often. Only on very special occasions.”

“This is a special occasion, Gina.”

“Our first and last date.” She looked so sad. He had to kiss her. Just once. Just a light brushing of lips to take her mind off whatever he’d done to make her sad.

Grady leaned forward, taking her in his arms at the same moment he claimed her mouth with his. She was as sweet as he remembered, as warm, as delicious in every way. The salt of her tears brought a pang of regret to his heart. He didn’t want to think of how little time they had together before they had to part. He pushed that thought aside in the glory of holding her, the feel of her feminine curves that were made to fit so perfectly against his body.

She gasped when he pulled her closer and he took advantage, licking inside her mouth like he wanted to lick her lower down. Soon that wasn’t enough. He ran his hands over her lithe body, wishing the fabric that separated them away. Eventually the distraction of her clothing brought him to his senses.

He lifted away from the kiss by gradual degrees, his head spinning in the most amazing way.

“Dinner first,” Grady said when he could speak. The smile she gave him tempted him to forget dinner altogether, but good sense won out. For the time being.

He led her to the edge of the blanket, charmed when she kicked off her shoes. He followed suit and assisted her to sit, though in truth she needed no help at all. He didn’t want to completely let go of her and the lovely tone they produced when they touched. It vibrated through him, making him feel alive as nothing else. Even the new emotions coursing through him and making his life so very precious these last few months was nothing compared to the sound of their Hum.

“You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.” Her quiet words brought back his wandering attention. “This is really lovely. I haven’t been on a picnic in years, and never in such a romantic setting.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He reached for the wine as he sank to his knees opposite her, across the center of the improvised table setting. Removing the already loosened cork, he poured two glasses of the light-colored vintage.

Dinner progressed from there. They ate slowly, savoring the excellent food, the exceptional company and the beautiful night. Gina enchanted him with her conversation. At first they talked of simple things, recent events and their thoughts about the Zxerah. Eventually, they strayed to more emotional topics. Gina told him about her family and her sorrow at losing them. Then she asked him about the experiment and what prompted him to take part. She went further, asking him what he thought would come next and Grady felt a sense of ease, sharing his hopes and fears with this warm, intelligent woman. Her compassion was genuine and easily seen on her beautiful face. She also had some good insights into things that had plagued him.

“It was difficult to accommodate the aggression at first. Warriors are trained to control it, of course. Even that training failed when I felt real anger for the first time,” Grady admitted. He’d never discussed this with anyone—not even the techs who had witnessed his near meltdown.

“What did you do?”

“When I started fantasizing about smearing one of the scientist’s faces against a wall, I took myself to the gym for some unscheduled training. I pummeled a training droid, all the while imagining it was that scientist.” He had to laugh at the memory now. “I actually broke the droid.” Gina gasped, then laughed along with him. “I knocked its head clean off. The gym tech said they’d never seen anything like it before.”

“We have a few of those things at our home base. They’re built solid. I can’t believe you did that!”

“Neither could I. The gym tech explained it away, saying the droid must’ve had a flaw in manufacture, but the lab techs walked wide around me for the next few days. They’d heard the story and had of course been monitoring my levels. I wore sensors at all times in the early days of the experiment. It was actually an adrenaline surge that gave me that momentary strength. The techs were dumbfounded by it at first. Apparently the level was off their charts.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about that kind of thing in humans. In moments of utter rage or dire need, an adrenaline surge can give someone a moment of super strength. It’s not common, but in the old world, it did happen.”

“Well, it hasn’t happened in Alvians—at least not at that level—in generations. They tried to get me to repeat it, but I never could. Frankly, I didn’t want to feel that kind of raging anger ever again. I was close to murdering that man. It’s not something I’m proud of or want to repeat.”

“That says a lot for you, Grady.” She raised her glass and drank, watching him over the rim of the stemmed wine glass. “And the fact that you controlled your anger and channeled it into something that wouldn’t hurt anyone. Well,” her eyes sparkled with merriment, “except for the droid.”

She made him feel better about the black moment in his recent past. He even joined in her laughter, charmed by the way she saw the good in what could have been a very dangerous—not to mention deadly—situation.

“You are good for me, Gina. I never thought I would meet a woman like you. Or that such a woman would want to spend time with me. You do, don’t you? You’ll forgive me if I’m not good at interpreting your preferences. Emotions are new and often confusing to me.”

“Don’t worry, Grady. I wouldn’t be here tonight if I didn’t want to spend time with you. If I had more time before my mission, I’d spend it all with you.” She put one soft hand on his face, cupping his cheek, and the Hum enveloped his senses in an almost drugging tingle. “I only regret we have so little of it.”

He turned his head, kissing the soft palm of her hand with slow deliberateness, holding her gaze. His pulse leapt when her eyes widened and her pupils dilated with pleasure.

“We have tonight. That is something.”

“It’s not enough.”

He moved closer, putting one arm around her shoulders and drawing her near.

“I begin to realize that eternity would never be enough with you, Gina.”

A smile tilted her lips. “You say the sweetest things.”

He closed the gap between them, kissing her sweetly this time, slow and steady, heady and drugging. He placed his other arm at her waist as her hands slid around his neck, her fingers digging into the short hair at the nape of his neck. It was both ticklish and divine. Never had a woman caressed him in such a way.

He eased her downward, onto the blanket, supporting his weight above her so as not to crush her delicate, delectable body. She made room for him between her legs, spreading them as if to invite him between. He wasted no time taking the offer, placing his hardened cock against the place it most wanted to go. Layers of cloth separated them, but the heat they generated together was undeniable.

Grady felt his temperature spike. He’d been warned about such a reaction by the techs. While it was normal for Alvian physiology to have raised body temperatures during copulation, it seemed that among those in the test group who had indulged in closely monitored sexual activity for the scientists’ benefit, the temperature spikes were more intense.

“Gina,” he panted, breaking the kiss to look deep into her eyes. “We have only tonight. For this one night, will you be mine?”

She seemed to think about it for a heart-stopping moment, during which he suffered the pangs of uncertainty and a fear of rejection he’d never felt before. She rewarded him with a smile that melted his bones and made his cock even harder, if such a thing were possible.

Gina realized Grady was giving her the choice. He wasn’t seducing her into anything. No, if she made love with him, it would be with full consent, knowing what she was doing before he swept her off her feet. She respected him for it, but in one way, she’d rather have had the need for a conscious choice taken out of her hands.

Still, this was best. She knew how new he was to emotions. She knew he needed reassurance that he was reading her correctly. And damn it all, she wanted this. She wanted him. Tomorrow she was going on a mission that could end badly. For tonight, she wanted to cling to these feelings only Grady elicited.

He was something out of her experience—a man who stirred her senses, challenged her mind and who seemed genuinely dazzled by her, though she was by no means a dazzling sort of person. He made her feel that way. Just being around him, seeing that special light in his eyes when he looked at her made her feel special in a way no man—human or Alvian—ever had before.

For this one night she wanted to bask in that wondrous feeling. And if they had to part tomorrow, she wanted to know what it felt like to be with him tonight.

“Yes,” she whispered, loving the joy that lit his eyes, the expression of wonder that graced his handsome face. She felt like she’d given him the world. She felt treasured. Cherished even. And it felt good.

She suspected he’d make her feel even better before long, and she couldn’t wait to find out. Decision made, she lifted up for his kiss, meeting him halfway with an equal aggression, an equal ardor. She wanted him, and she wasn’t going to let anything stand in their way.

Her hands pulled at his clothes and her own, meeting his fingers bent on the same task. Between the two of them, they got the most important parts of their clothing out of the way.

She nearly screamed when he bent to lick her breasts. He tongued one nipple, then the other, even using his teeth in a gentle, provocative bite that set her senses reeling. Nobody had ever handled her so masterfully, owned her so completely.

Not to be left out, she swept her hands over his hard body. He was built like a Greek god, sculpted out of flesh and bone in the most perfect way imaginable. He was big and muscled, but not overly so. He had the lithe physique of a natural fighter, honed by years of study and practice. His abdomen had that ripped texture that she loved, his biceps bulging as he used his arms to keep the majority of his weight off her.

But she wanted it all. Nibbling on his shoulder, she used her teeth, her hands, her entire body to tempt him. His groan of pleasure made her grin, knowing she was getting to him.

“I can’t wait.” His voice was harsh at her ear, his body hard between her legs as he covered her, pushing her into the ground with his bulk. She loved it. He was powerful and rugged, the way a man should be, and his huge frame shuddered with anticipation…of her.

He was shaking—just slightly—for her. It was a silent, stark statement of his need and it touched her more deeply than all the words he could have said. He needed her. And she craved him in return.

“Don’t wait. Do it, Grady. Hard and fast.” The whispered words were barely out of her mouth before he pushed inside, forceful and deep, just as she wanted.

He thrust, pumping into her with strong movements, sending the fire of passion through every nerve ending she possessed. Each thrust made her gasp and he held her gaze throughout. She could see in his eyes the overwhelming fury of his desire, paired with the concern, regret and joy along with even more complex emotions.

It was the emotion in his gaze that touched her heart. She looked into his eyes as he took possession of her body and her responses. She could see his struggle for control down to the flicker of an eyelash. When his eyes narrowed as he neared his crisis point, her own body followed suit. She was perfectly attuned to his every move, his every silent command. He owned her body and her passion.

Short digs made her think he would never be apart from her again.

“I can’t hold it. It’s never been—” he panted, his gaze going in and out of focus as he tried to withhold his climax.

“Ssh. I know. Same for me.” She cupped his cheek as he pounded home once again, his massive body dwarfing hers, simultaneously pushing her up and deeper into the loamy ground beneath the blanket. “It’s never been this good. Make me fly, Grady.”

The last was said on a gasping cry as her climax overtook her, almost too fast to keep up with. She’d told the truth. She’d never come so hard or so quickly for any other men. Not that there’d been a lot to compare him with, but a few. And they all lacked in comparison to this hurried, desperate coupling under a canopy of leaves, stars and dappled moonlight. No other experience could equal this. She had a feeling nothing ever would.

They came together twice more in the night, dozing in between, naked under the stars. It was a breezy night. Grady cuddled her and eventually used the tablecloth to cover her like a blanket, while the actual blanket kept them warm and dry beneath.

Grady was a considerate lover. He made certain she was ready for him before sliding home and pumping for what seemed hours, making her come over and over before finding his own pleasure in her body. He encouraged her to be creative and she rode him during one of their more memorable climaxes, bouncing hard against his thighs, shouting her delight to the moon.

They lay together deep in the night and slept in each other’s arms. When the sunlight roused them, Grady took her again, loving her slow and long, drawing out the pleasure, to hold against the future when they would be parted.

As they dressed and packed up, Gina felt sad. She’d only just found this wonderful man and within hours, she’d be leaving, perhaps never to see him again.

“What’s wrong?” Grady Prime was observant, she’d give him that. For all that he was new to having and interpreting emotions, he was getting very good at it.

“Just thinking about things I can’t change.” She tried to put a brave face on it, but apparently failed when he drew closer, pulling her into a loose embrace. His eyes, when she met them, were filled with determination.

“I will find you again, Gina. I will come for you, no matter where you are or what you are doing. You’re mine.” His possessive words shocked her. “I’ll give you some time to get used to the idea, but remember this—I have never failed to track down a target and you just rose to the top of my list.”

“I’m not your enemy, Grady.” She made a small attempt at humor though her heart was in turmoil.

His lips brushed lightly over hers, and she struggled to focus.

“Never that, little one. But I will be your mate. Mark my words and do not forget me while you pursue your duty. As soon as I am free to do so and you have had time to come to terms with my claim, I’ll come for you, Gina. Even the Patriarch cannot stand in the way of true mates. It is our oldest and most sacred law.”

“You believe so strongly that I’m your mate? How can you know this soon?”

“My race has done it this way for centuries. A Hum, a Kiss, an Embrace. That’s all we need to recognize our perfect mate. I believe in my heart that you’re it for me, Gina.” He released her fully, though his gaze stayed locked with hers. “We will do the tests so you can see the proof, when I return. For now, think of me as you go about your mission. I’ll most certainly be thinking of you.”