Buroudei’s mouth flattened as he thought about my words. I got the sense I was wearing him down. I pressed on, laying argument upon argument, feeling like I was a lawyer arguing my case before a very attractive, very grumpy tyrant of a judge.

“I’m the only one who speaks both languages. What are you going to do, storm in, kill Gahn Fallo, and take my friends by force? They’ll think you’re abducting them. They’ll think you’re worse than Gahn Fallo. They won’t want to go with you. Some of them may even get hurt. You need me there so that they can talk to me and see that it’s safe to come with us.” He didn’t respond, instead sitting down cross-legged on the hides. I knelt in front of him, placing my hands on his knees, leaning in. My nipples hardened through my tunic as they brushed against his chest. I felt him stiffen, but still he did not speak. He eyed me warily.

I moved up and forward, straddling him, pressing my butt against his straining erection. As if he couldn’t help himself, his hands ran up the outside of my thighs, gripping my hips. One of his thumbs moved inward, drawing circles over my clit. My pulse skyrocketed, and I tried not to grind against his touch. Instead I wiggled myself on his cock, watching as he swallowed hard, every muscle in his neck straining.

I moved my hands from his shoulders to the sides of his rock-hard jaw, bringing my face in closer until we were nose to nose, speaking against his mouth.

“Please, Buroudei. My mate. My Gahn. This is something I need to do.”

Apparently calling Buroudei my mate and my Gahn was equivalent to breaking out the big guns. He groaned, his hands clenching at my hips, before he forced my mouth open with his tongues, his thumb working faster against my clit. I was already so close.

“Let me come,” I whimpered, pulling back from the kiss. I almost laughed when I realized the double meaning in my words.

“You have no honour in your negotiations,” he muttered darkly, voice gruff. His hips rocked, his cock pressing against me as his thumb circled. Pulses of pleasure were building, now. Just as I was reaching the edge of orgasm, Buroudei stopped, looking my in the eye. I held my breath in anticipation.

“I will bring you with us. But you will remain with Galok on his irkdu, far from the battle. That way you can speak to your friends immediately after our victory. And if we are not successful, he can bring you safely back.”

I could have cried. I threw my arms around his neck, and kissed him, over and over, mumbling, “Thank you, thank you,” against his lips. He groaned, and moved to lay me down, but I stopped him, pressing gently against his chest, indicating that he should lie down instead. I was already so wet as he laid back, watching me. I stripped my tunic away quickly, then undid his loin cloth, his hardness straining straight upward like some incredible alien stone formation. He hissed as I ran my fingers up and down. I wanted to be the one giving him pleasure right now. He had done so much for me, and was going to put his life on the line for me and my friends tomorrow. He was so good, and all I wanted in this moment was to be good to him. To show him how much I wanted him, and how much he meant to me.

I moved forward, placing myself above his hips, rubbing my wet folds along his tip as I worked my clit with my fingers. Buroudei looked luridly fascinated, his breath becoming ragged, his nostrils flaring. His hips bucked up against my wetness, and with a small cry, I pressed myself down onto him.

Seeing my big, bad alien flat on his back for me like this was fucking intoxicating. I waited a moment, allowing myself to adjust to his girth, then started moving up and down, up and down, over that hardness. I alternated touching myself with caressing the two spears of flesh beside his cock, urging them against my folds to crest at my clit. Fuck me. I was going to come already.

Buroudei didn’t look like he would last much longer, either. His hands ran up my sides, brushing over my breasts then squeezing, the muscles in his thighs and glutes clenching as he rocked up into me. Unable to take it anymore, I leaned forward, placing my hands flat on his chest and lifting my hips a little so that he could drive into me harder and faster. His hands moved down to grip my ass, hard, massaging the flesh there as he hammered upwards, his movements becoming erratic and primal. One of his hands slid up my back to my neck, pulling me down until my torso was flat against his as he thrusted. His fingers buried themselves in my hair, and his breath was hot against the side of my face as he groaned.

“Zeezee, my mate, I... I am undone by you.”

For a species our military had described as primitive, that was a hell of a lot more poetic than anything I could manage at the moment. All I was capable of saying as I came was, “Oh, fuck, fuck!” My voice became strangled, words fading into a keening whine as Buroudei gave a few more powerful thrusts before exploding inside me.

I collapsed into him, all my muscles giving out at once. I pressed my face into his broad chest, reveling in the solid strength of him. A knot of nerves took root deep in my guts as I thought about tomorrow. About the fact that something could happen to him. But there was no other way to get my friends back, and I wasn’t willing to leave them in the hands of a Gahn like the one Buroudei had described.

With a slick pop, Buroudei shifted, pulling out, leaving a clenching emptiness inside. He ran a large hand up and down my back as I laid on top of him.

“I would mate you again and again tonight, Zeezee, if I had my way. But we must sleep. Dawn comes on swift legs.”

I nodded into his chest, sliding down until I was nestled into his side. He pulled the hides over us, and chewing my lip, thinking of tomorrow, I fell into a restless sleep.

BUROUDEI KISSED ME awake before dawn. In my sleepiness, all I wanted to do was melt into that kiss. I snaked my arms around his neck, pressing myself closer. I felt him harden against me, and his kiss grew deeper, before he pulled back with a growl of complaint.

“We must prepare ourselves, my mate.”

Right. Today was the day. Adrenaline jolted me awake, and I got up, quickly yanking on my tunic and my new riding pants. I scrunched my sun protection jacket up and shoved it into the backpack, along with a couple of water bottles, before slinging the bag over my shoulder and putting on my socks and boots. Then I combed my hair with my fingers, tangled from sleep, sweat, and sex, and tied it into a messy braid.

As I got ready, Buroudei dressed in his usual loincloth, adjusting his erection to get it on. Then he layered strap after leather strap across his chest and back and hips, tucking many ablik blades of varying sizes against his skin. I couldn’t help but stop and stare. There was something distinctly masculine and erotic about the way his muscles rippled and bulged as he carefully strapped his weapons into place. He hefted his axe, tucking it into the usual place at his belt, and grabbed the spear he’d retrieved from outside the space ship, turning to face me.

I pressed my lips together, my heart pounding. Standing at his full height with his spear at his side, he looked awesome, and not awesome in the wow-that’s-so-cool way, but in the holy-fucking-shit way. He inspired awe. And a lot more than that. He inspired love.

I rushed towards him, enveloping him in a hug.

He dropped his spear, arms circling me. I felt his hand brush at my braid, fingering the loose hair at the end.

“I am very glad you have fallen in love with me, Zeezee,” he said against my hair. I let out a small, tearful laugh, pulling away and swiping at my eyes.

“Yeah, you and me both.” It was strange. But it was true.