Free Talson Temptations 3: Talson's Net by Marie Harte

they did. Without
meaning to, she slid back under the covers and into his arms. In seconds she
fell back into a dreamless sleep, comforted by the strong man by her side.
    When she next woke, it was to the soft caress of a hand over
her hair. Val stroked her, and the knowledge he’d watched her sleep disturbed
her. Hell, she hoped she hadn’t been drooling.
    He grinned, and she hastily closed down the connection
between them.
    “Aw, honey. Don’t be like that. I like hearing you in me.”
    “I’ll bet. As much as you like being in me.” The hard
presence of his desire brushed against her hip. She just had to go shooting her
mouth off.
    “Rowe, I can honestly say that nothing in my life compares to
being inside you.” His expression sobered. “Not just my cock, but all of me.
The essence of who I am is bonded to you now. Just like yours is to me.” He
leaned down to kiss her, and the surge of desire brought her to full
wakefulness.
    “Wh-what do you mean, exactly?” She panicked at thoughts of
being so exposed. Her entire life had been spent enduring life as an outsider,
never quite fitting in. But at least she’d had shields around her, an ability
to fight off the taunts and jeers from others behind a strong, mental wall.
    “I know how you feel about yourself,” Val said quietly. “And
it’s stupid.”
    “Excuse me?” Who the hell was he to judge? He was calling
her stupid?
    “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You’re
smart, a whirlwind dictator at work, from what I’ve heard, and your brain never
stops. Why should you give a fuck what any asshole with ‘pure’ Otra blood
thinks about you?”
    She blinked, not having expected that. No man except her
father had ever said anything so nice to her before. Not even Quinn. Though he
clearly supported her, he wasn’t big on words.
    “I’m not lying. Look and see.”
    She stepped into his mind and saw how much he admired her,
how much he wanted the chance to get to know her from the inside out. To Val,
she was more than a sexy body, but a true mate befitting a powerful Otra—him.
“Not shy about yourself, are you?” she teased to cover her fight not to cry.
    She’d never expected her interactions with a Talson to be so
positive, let alone loving.
    Loving.
    She felt it between them, that impossible, intangible
emotion she’d been seeking all her life. No. He couldn’t feel that way for her.
They’d just met. It had to be the weird energy between them.
    “No, sweetheart. It’s you. I’ve seen inside you. And yeah, I
fell like a ton of bricks. I think I might—” He stopped himself, but she could
have sworn he’d been ready to add love you . Before she could say
anything, he put two fingers over her lips. “Not a word. I don’t want to hear
anything but ‘Yes, Master. Anything you say, Master.’”
    She blinked. “What?”
    Val laughed and rolled her over his body, using her like a
blanket. “You should see the look on your face. I thought Quinn was joking
about your control issues. But those reports I have on you don’t lie. You
really are a dictator, aren’t you?”
    “Only at work,” she said in her defense. “If I wasn’t
strong, they’d run all over me. Most of the employees at Chartrell Shipping are
Otra, and they don’t like humans much.”
    Val hugged her, and she couldn’t miss his erection. “It’s
getting better the more we interact with Earth. But if you’re worried about my
views on humans, don’t be. In fact, my youngest brother just married a human.
Jamie’s great. She doesn’t take his crap and is an integral part of the
business at Port Watch out West.”
    She’d heard rumors that one of the Talsons planned to marry
a human. “I’ve heard it said your brother— Roarke, right?”
    He nodded.
    “They say he’s human. Not a relation to the Otra at all
except through marriage to one. Is that true?”
    “Not at all. When my birth mother died, my father found new
life with a very special