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Zaandr returned her smile, but it was wary. “I know how you know.”
“What?”
“You know that I wouldn’t hurt you because you can sense it. You’re picking up my emotions and thoughts just like I’m sensing yours.”
Her pupils flared wide. “Is that how I heard you tell me to trust you in the alley?”
He nodded, his lips pressed together.
“But how is that possible? I’m not Dothvek.”
“Neither are the females on our ship, but they can sense the emotions of their Dothvek mates.”
Tegan furrowed her brow. “But that’s because they’re mated. It’s not like they can read everyone’s thoughts, can they?”
The corners of his lips twitched as he wondered what thoughts the female might have that she didn’t want her crew mates to know. “Not that I am aware of, no.”
“Then how is this—” she gestured between them “—possible?”
Zaandr wanted to tell her he had no idea, and that it must be a strange glitch, but that would be a lie. He knew why he could feel her. He’d felt a connection to her since he’d first bumped into her on the ship. He couldn’t explain it, but it had only been growing stronger the more time he’d been around her.
Tegan’s sharp gaze shuttered. “It’s not all you, and I know it’s not your fault. I’ve felt a connection to you since we met.”
“You have?” This stunned him. She’d been so clear that she had no interest in him or any male, that he’d assumed all the attraction was on his side.
She moved her head up and down reluctantly. “I’ve spent my entire life trying to make sure this never happens. I grew up surrounded by women. I work with women. I see the reminders of bad men in my life every day.” She sighed. “It was all working fine—until you.”
Should he apologize for that? He still didn’t know what he’d done to provoke this reaction. From what he’d heard from the other Dothveks who’d taken human mates, it wasn’t something they did. It had happened naturally, as if the goddesses ordained it.
“I don’t have any plans to force myself on you,” he said. “Feeling a connection doesn’t mean we have to act on it.” He swallowed hard as he said this, because he knew that rejecting one’s fated mate would be torturous, and he was getting a gut feeling that Tegan was his—like it or not.
She raised her gaze to meet his, her eyes pleading. “That’s the problem. I don’t want to deny this. I like feeling connected to someone.” She choked out a watery laugh. “Even if it’s a virtual stranger. I’ve protected myself from getting attached to anything and anyone for so long, I’d forgotten how nice it is to feel connected. I don’t want to lose this.”
His throat tightened. He didn’t know how to respond. Rixx was the one with the charming words, not him. So, instead of speaking, he slowly stepped toward her and wrapped her in his arms.
He expected her to stiffen or even push him away, but she didn’t. She melted into his embrace, curling her own arms around his waist, and pressing her cheek against his chest, her soft breath feathering across his bare skin. Her contentment pulsed into him, and he almost swayed on the spot from the headiness of it. His eyes closed as he let himself become awash in her swirl of pleasure.
Then his eyes flew open as her sunny thoughts unfurled the first tendrils of red-hot desire, and she started to kiss her way up his chest.
Chapter
Twelve
Tegan wasn’t thinking. If she’d been thinking clearly, she’d have reminded herself that men brought nothing but trouble—and babies. Lots of babies. Usually, the thought of babies and memories of the hundreds of childbirths she’d experienced were like being doused with freezing water, but not this time. With the Dothvek, everything was different.
Standing with his arms wrapped tightly around her and the warm, spicy scent of him enveloping her, Tegan’s resolve shattered. She’d never felt as safe and protected in her life. She knew he would defend her with his life, but she also knew in the depths of her soul that he would safeguard her heart as if it were his own.
It wasn’t only wishful thinking on her part—the kind that had gotten more women than she could count in trouble. She could feel his intentions as if he was announcing them with a bullhorn. He would never hurt her, and he would never leave her. Not unless he was dragged away kicking and screaming, and, even then, he would claw his way back to her.
The strength of his devotion almost made her knees wobble. She’d never imagined that a man could feel such a thing—and to feel it for her? She had done nothing but push him away, and he would still walk through fire for her. She wouldn’t have believed it if she wasn’t feeling it humming through her like an unspoken vow that sank into her bones and permeated the deepest, most secret parts of her.
Tegan’s fingers buzzed as she splayed her hands over the hard muscles of his chest and allowed herself to drink it all in. Her defenses crumbled like a house made of sand as she savored the devotion, and her eyes burned when she realized that she wanted more. She needed more.
She slid her hands over his gold skin, surprised by how firm it was but also so soft. The desire to be fully connected to him slammed into her, and she kissed his bare chest.
She’d never kissed any man’s bare skin before. She’d never kissed anything but her mother’s papery cheek or the downy head of a baby. But somehow she knew just how to kiss him. Somehow, kissing this Dothvek she barely knew felt as natural as breathing.
His flesh was warm under her lips and not at all like she’d imagine a male would taste. There was nothing foul or rank about Zaandr, and he tasted as good as enticing and spicy as he smelled. The taste of his skin sent more hunger pounding through her, as she kissed her way toward his mouth.
