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  She eagerly went into his arms, straddling him so that they were face to face as his erection slid into her in one long, slow thrust. They both groaned as the pleasure rippled through them.

  Mae kissed Nothven’s neck as he gripped her hips and controlled their pace. She clung to his shoulders and held on as their joining went from seconds to minutes to an endless round of satisfaction. She lost count of how many times her body tried to milk his, but he slowed and gritted his teeth each time until his breathing eased and he started again.

  She was coated in sweat and exhausted as he started to coax her body into one more response. Mae sensed his tension, and when he lifted her off him, flipped her to her belly, cupping her ass before spreading her thighs and plunging deep with a grunt, she knew his release was near.

  She pushed back against him, and he rocked inside her, his cock scraping her inner walls until her fingers dug into the bedding to brace herself as her body bucked against his.

  Nothven howled, and his teeth dug into her shoulder as his cock pumped within her, the hot jetting inside her eased the soreness caused by friction and kept her channel caressing his erection until he shuddered and collapsed against her.

  Mashed into the bedding, she fought to stay awake, and though she wanted desperately to keep alert, she failed.

  Mae woke tucked into pristine sheets with Nothven wrapped around her, spooning her.

  She whispered, “Something seems different.”

  He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her ear. “You were dead to the world, so I tidied up around you.”

  “Was there a particular reason that you were trying to kill me with sex, or is it just a hobby?”

  He stroked his hand down her ribs and settled it on the curve of her waist. “Later this morning, my family will be here to take charge of you until the formal ceremony. I wanted to make an impression on you and make sure that no other men in my clan get any ideas in regard to you.”

  Mae’s muscles stiffened. “I have to go to your family? I thought I would head back to the site.”

  “Not yet. For now, they will have two guards at all times, as well as the on-call historian.”

  “So, why do I have to go to your family?”

  “Because you have no family here, and it is traditional for a bride to remain with her family in the days leading up to the wedding, so my aunt and uncle will act as your family and stand up for you at the ceremony.”

  She turned and stared up at him, “So, last night was unauthorized sex?”

  He grinned. “I would say yes, but you might kick me. So, I will say it was a method used to keep me from going insane in the time it will take to get everything arranged.”

  Mae scowled. “How long will it take?”

  “Three or four days, but I will say that the moment I read your name on the archaeological manifest, my blood has pounded and my cock has ached. I would never have made it that many days without touching you.”

  She sighed and trailed her fingers up his arm to the scar that marked his bicep. “Me neither. If you think I am good at manipulating things for a purpose, you should see what I can do if I want to get laid.”

  His kiss distracted her efficiently, but when he turned her, her body shrieked in protest. “Sorry, too sore. It has been a while.”

  He sighed. “I should apologise. I won’t, but I probably should.” Nothven sat up and took her hand. “Come on, a hot shower will help.”

  She wobbled after him, and when she was under the hot spray, she had to admit he was right. When he stepped into the shower with her and started to rub her tense muscles, she gave him full access by propping herself on the slick stone and standing with her feet apart. It was an invitation to far more than just a massage, but a solid rubdown was all he delivered.

  He shut the water off and sighed, “You are a horrible tease.”

  She grinned. “I know. I am looking forward to a game of naked tag in the backyard on the night of the wedding.”

  He narrowed his eyes as he wrapped her in a linen sheet. “What do you mean?”

  “I will run, and you can chase me.” She licked her lips. “And hopefully, you can catch me.”

  His urgent and weeping erection told her exactly how much he liked that idea. She stroked her thumb over the head of his cock, collecting the drops before bringing her thumb to her mouth.

  “Definitely a tease. You had better prepare to run on our wedding night, when I catch you then, tonight will look like a dress rehearsal.” He wrapped a towel awkwardly around his waist and led the way into the bedroom once again.

  He handed her one of his shirts to wear, and seeing as how it hung almost to her knees, she felt secure enough to leave his bedroom and explore the house in daylight.

  The kitchen had windows that extended the entire length of the wall, giving an excellent view of fields and a small stand of trees. Barefoot, she walked outside and looked around. The house was outside the city limits by several kilometers, leaving plenty of privacy and room for outdoor activities.

  Nothven joined her wearing only his trousers. He had two cups in his hands, and he offered her one. “Juice.”

  She smiled and sipped carefully. “Thank you. This is a nice house. Do all the Oefric have homes outside the city?”

  He shook his head. “After I returned, it was obvious that being surrounded all day, every day was going to be too much for me. My clan commissioned this as a retreat for me, it is a place for me to rest, recover and renew.”

  She looked around her. “It’s a good place for that.”

  He grinned, “You can also run all you want and there is nowhere I can’t see you. I foresee a very festive wedding night.”

  She was going to reply, but a throat was being cleared in the door to the kitchen. “Nothven, I am here to collect your lady.”

  Dotha was smiling, and she had Mae’s bodysuit over her arm.

  “Good morning, Dotha.” Mae smiled.

  “Good morning, Maeryn. You look well-rested.”

  “Appearances are deceiving then. I think I will get dressed and we will be on our way to wherever I will be under house arrest.” Mae turned to Nothven and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

  Dotha frowned. “You won’t be under house arrest. You are now one of the family. We have to get you a gown for the ceremony and a trousseau. No one wedding a Harring does so without proper ceremony or so my father says. My mother just rolls her eyes.”

  Nothven sighed and took Mae by the hand. It was as if he was going to keep contact with her as long as he could.

  “Commander, I think you have a day job to get to. I will be fine. You do what you have to do, and I will spend some of my six years of accumulated pay.”

  “Now I am commander?” He raised a brow.

  “You always will be commander in part of my brain, Nothven in another part and simply mine in the majority. Get used to it.” She smiled.

  “If such is my burden to bear, I will. Now, get dressed before I lock my cousin out and find out how fast you can run.”

  The sensual threat made her blush, but the seriousness in his tone sent her scurrying to Dotha to get her bodysuit. She slipped it on in the living room and sighed at the secure feeling that being covered in armour gave her.

  Dotha was amused. “You slipped that on and I didn’t see a thing.”

  “I had to share a room growing up. It’s a learned skill.” She checked her hair in a mirror over the mantle and turned to Dotha. “Where do we start?”

  Dotha rubbed her hands together. “Back to Rehani’s. She is eager to do a ceremony gown.”

  With a wave to Nothven, Mae got in Dotha’s skimmer and allowed herself to be whisked away. It was only for a few days, and she had been in far more dangerous circumstances with far shadier characters. So why was she more edgy than a bag full of cats?

  Chapter Eleven

  Four days of fittings, measuring and digging through her family genealogy later, Maeryn Lassiter was facing Nothven Harring in front of his
community, her Tuulor guests and all visiting dignitaries.

  Their vows had been simple. They would keep and comfort each other all their days, protect and cherish one another and never let the other face danger alone. That last vow was because they were both still technically in the Enforcers. They would now be dispatched as a couple if they were dispatched at all.

  With the vows done, they stepped together and Mae held her hand up to stop him in his tracks. A laughing Dotha ran forward with a step stool, and Mae dropped the hand as she stepped onto the booster that would let Nothven kiss her without lifting her until she was even with him.

  The crowd roared with laughter, and Nothven folded her in his arms, kissing her fervently at the gesture that indicated she was willing to meet him halfway.

  She laughed against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

  He dipped her back, and she shrieked before he stole her ability to make a sound. The crowd continued to applaud, when Nothven finally set her back on her feet, her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen.

  He held her tight to him. “Nice move with the stool.”

  She grinned. “It solved my problem and started a trend. In the next six years, we will be to ten ceremonies that involve the chair.”

  He snickered. “Shall we proceed to our reception?”

  She nodded and hopped down, walking beside him to the pavilion erected in the gardens of the mayoral residence.

  “I love the gown.”

  “It was a compromise in styles.” Mae held his arm, and the wide sleeve reached the centre of her thigh.

  The end style was a crystalline kimono that was translucent, stiff silk with a heavy corset that wrapped Mae to just below her crotch. It was difficult to sit in but a lovely piece of artwork. Rehani was going to get quite a few orders for it in the coming weeks.

  Professor Thop came up to her and clutched both of her hands while he pressed his beaked nose to her knuckles. “Agent Lassiter. Thank you so much for having the historian join us. The Oefric are delighted with the new discovery.”

  “New discovery?”

  Even Nothven looked confused.

  “The details on the ancient Oefric library of T’han. It has been lost to history, but now, we may have discovered some traces that will lead us to that repository of Oefric knowledge.”

  Maeryn smiled, “I am very glad it is working out for you. You deserve success in your endeavour. Are the others here?”

  Minski and Wellor must have been waiting for the signal, because they rushed in and gave her effusive congratulations while Nothven stood by, amused. The other Tuulor representatives fluffed their feathers out with pride at the bride’s involvement with their species. Despite the fact that they were the indigenous species, they just were not aggressive enough to compete directly with the Oefric.

  After a charming meal, some dancing that was made more formal than she would have liked by the addition of laces and boning, Mae and Nothven waved farewell to their guests, and they left the reception.

  Mae sat as close to Nothven as she could manage with the restrictions of her gown. “So, that was a nice ceremony.”

  He looked at her as if she had grown another head. “If my family would have let me get away with it, I would have held you in my home until no one could have denied our union.”

  She chuckled. “Another Oefric tradition?”

  “If the female has no family, there is no one on her side to confirm the match. If the male does not take steps to secure her, their union can be challenged by his family.”

  “So, I am guessing that the steps involve pregnancy.”

  He shrugged. “It is the way things have always been.”

  “On Earth as well. In some areas, it was the way to get a wife. If she was pregnant, she was yours. Even in modern families, pregnancy is often the spur for a wedding.”

  “Interesting. I think I would enjoy studying your society.”

  “There isn’t just one or wasn’t when I left. Billions of people pulling against each other for superiority. Some cultures are ancient, some are just finding their way and all existing at the same time.”

  “I definitely want to learn more about your people, but first, I believe that you have a promise to keep.” There was darkness to his tone, an eagerness that she hadn’t heard before.

  “Oh, the chasing? You still want to do that?” She tried to play calm, but her heart was pounding in her chest. She ran her hand over her hair and he grinned.

  “Oh yes. Even Oefric women are usually afraid to play with our old traditions. This is one I am very glad you are interested in resurrecting.”

  “You will have to help me out of this corset before I start.”

  He grinned, “Done, but keep the gown on as long as you can.”

  “It is more of a robe under the corset, but yes, that is currently my plan. Did the rest of my trousseau arrive today?”

  He chuckled. “It did. I have already hung up your gowns and folded your undergarments next to mine.”

  “I haven’t noticed you wearing undergarments.”

  “I know. You get the whole drawer.”

  She was still giggling when they arrived at his home. He lifted her out of the skimmer and carried her over the threshold.

  When they were seated at the kitchen table, Mae began to loosen the laces of her corset. Nothven brought her a glass of wine, and they sat across from each other while she slowly worked the corset loose enough for her to pop the busk open. Under the corset, the transparent fabric was doubled by the wrapping effect, but the dampness from being compressed against her made it a gauzy tease to his gaze.

  In her mind, she knew the thrill of the chase and the larger thrill of the catching from her point of view. Nothven would look feral, but when he took her in his arms, he was her mate and there was nothing to be afraid of.

  She hoped that was the way it worked out, because sometimes, the wrong stimulus at the wrong time causes a little hiccup in her mental design.

  They sat in silence while she sipped at her cup. He did the same with his until he said, “The clock is ticking. You get five minutes head start. I will restrict myself to this form and come after you.”

  “When does the clock start?”

  “Fifteen seconds ago.”

  Adrenaline hit her system and she got to her feet, lifting the edge of the robe and running for the back door. She was wearing soft leather slippers, and they made it easier for her to sprint across the manicured grass and into the wild grass beyond the cultivated yard. She headed for the tree line. It wasn’t a lot of trees, but it might slow him down if he was tracking her by scent.

  Out of all the strange things to tease him with, sex hide and seek was definitely a bizarre choice. Sadly, it suited her to a tea.

  She ran through the edge of the forest before working deeper and climbing as high as she could. When she had made it into the small canopy of the forest, she watched the house. Sure enough, the lithe, tanned body was naked, and he was walking with his head in the air and a determined stride.

  He was scenting for her. She watched him come closer with her limbs trembling and her loins aching. Just seeing his aroused body was enough to spin her mind into mating mode.

  He rushed for the woods, and he followed the trail she had laid so carefully, giving her enough time to descend from the tree and make a beeline back to his home.

  She was fifty meters from the trees when she heard his howl, and she knew she had been spotted. Mae lifted the edge of the skirt higher and poured on the speed. She heard him behind her, his long limbs loping easily through the tall grasses, and the moment she stopped to check his location, she froze with all the grace of a deer in headlights.

  Snapping into motion, she turned and took three steps before he caught her and bore her to the ground.

  She fought him off, her hands struck his throat, forcing him back, and she quickly turned to get up from her knees, and he gripped her hips with determined force. She w
as afraid, she was aroused and she was in the mood for a fight. As he lifted her skirt and thrust into her, she howled with outrage but her movements only drew him in deeper.

  He set up his rhythm, thrusting and retreating, rocking into her and withdrawing in turn.

  She was so aroused by the chemical conflict that her body bucked in release and she groaned as she pushed back to take him as deep as she could. He groaned and lifted her, caressing her breasts as he thrust hard and bit down in conjunction with his climax. The shuddering groan went through her body and his release brought hers back in sharp echoes.

  They were both panting as they tried to recover their breath, and he stood, taking her into his arms after he slipped out of her.

  “I believe that as wonderful as that was, your tradition includes a bed at some point.”

  She closed her eyes and saw the claw marks she had just made on his chest in sharp relief in her mind. “I believe it does. Something tells me that this will be one of the more culturally fulfilling matings on Creyar. We will have to document it for future generations. You always have to plan on embarrassing your children. It is the perk to bringing another generation into the world.”

  He carried her into the bedroom and slipped the gown from her shoulders. “Will we have children?”

  She smiled, “One day, you will ask how much I can see and I will have to lie, but for now, yes, we will have children, so enjoy the privacy with me now. It will not last forever.”

  His kiss was sweet as he laid her back and caressed her skin. “Then, I will enjoy our privacy now and enjoy being a parent later.”

  Maeryn chuckled and caressed his face, the scars and followed them down the length of his chest. “I do love a practical man.”

  “And I love a woman who can see things that will happen. It is a good thing that we are accepting or this whole thing wouldn’t work out.” He nibbled at her navel.

  Mae smiled and stroked the soft white of his hair. She would make sure things worked out. It was her job, her talent and her destiny. No one was going to take that away from her.

  She had a future to design after all.