Mara’s head spun with the potent drink she’d had too many of. Drustan and Aedan were swearing, pulling away from her as if lightning had split the room in two. Arousal sizzled within her, making it hard to think. All she’d wanted was to feel them inside her. What had gone wrong?
“This can’t be happening,” Drustan said, pacing before their bed.
Aedan was trying to put his boxers on, but drunkenly fell on his ass. “I’ll get him. I’ll explain everything.”
He finally managed to get dressed, but Drustan had already launched out of the room, completely naked. Aedan stared after his brother, then turned to her, an expression of complete helplessness on his face.
“I don’t—understand what’s wrong,” Mara said, feeling too hot, knowing that the alien pheromones were desperately trying to pull her under.
To her surprise, Aedan crawled onto the bed in front of her and reached out to stroke her face. “It’s strange sometimes to realize how different you are from us.”
Different?
She frowned. “How?”
“Because if you were one of our kind, if you knew Bricus at all, you’d realize how badly we all just messed up.”
She desperately wanted to listen, but her body craved this beautiful alien male. She ran her fingers through his auburn hair, fascinated as his eyes turned a strange turquoise color.
“Lay back,” he whispered.
And so, she did.
He ran a hand lightly down her belly. “You are the most extraordinary creature I’ve ever met. It’s like the gods fashioned us the perfect female, one who could finally love us all.”
She gasped as his fingers brushed her womanhood.
“Do you think that you could… would you stay with us?”
Her thoughts swam. “You want me to give up Earth and everything I know?”
He nodded, one of his fingers sliding into her slick folds. “We would worship you. Our days would be spent swimming in Iris Lake, running our estate, and exploring the solar system. We could make you happy.”
A shudder wracked her body. “But I’d have to… mate with all of you? Even Bricus?”
His touch froze, drawing a frustrated whimper from her lips. “Yes.”
Rubbing herself against him, he began to stroke her once more. She forgot about his question. Forgot about everything except the delicious feeling of his touch. When his cold lips closed over her nipple, and he sucked, a gasp caught in her throat and her head fell back. A ripple ran under her skin, and her muscles squeeze around the finger that had slid inside of her. When he used his thumb to flick her clit, she cried out, tumbling over the edge.
For several long seconds she rode him, pleasure tingling through her every muscle as she thrust her hips against the fingers that touched her so expertly. When at last her orgasm calmed, she opened her eyes.
Aedan had released her nipple, but his fingers remained buried inside her. “Could you do it, Mara? Could you give up Earth for us? Could you be our mate?”
With the alien pheromones no longer clouding her thoughts, she felt an unexpected rush of shyness, of shock. She pulled away from him, and he let her. Covering herself with the blanket, she didn’t look at him for a long time.
The truth was, she should have been scared to leave behind Earth and remain in space, but she wasn’t. She wouldn’t miss her job, or her apartment, or her lonely life. At least not half as much as she would miss Aedan and Drustan. Somehow, they’d made spaces for themselves in her heart, and the thought of leaving them made her feel sick. Breathless.
But Bricus? He was angry and seemed to dislike her deep inside. More than that, he seemed to think humans were nothing but… whores, made for sex. She couldn’t tie herself to a man like that, no matter what.
Even if she had to give up Aedan and Drustan.
“You and Drustan are amazing,” she began, unsure how to explain herself. “But Bricus…”
A flash of pain crossed his handsome features. “I understand.”
“Aedan—“
“No,” he rose, his expression thunderous. “I need to check on my brother.”
When he left the room, she collapsed back on the bed. Have I made a horrible mistake?