Free Jaz's Warriors (Bondmates Book 2) by Ann Mayburn Page B

bond-forming, all kinds of PDA were constantly going on around them, so no one paid their heated stare any attention. Tandar studied her with an intensity she found highly erotic, and she knew he brought that same concentration to the bedroom. His nostrils flared and his low rumble of pleasure let her know he’d already caught the scent of her arousal. Damn Kadothian men were pussy hounds in every sense of the word when it came to their bondmates. Something about a Matriarch’s pheromones turned them on like crazy if they didn’t fight their reaction.
    Like Tandar was fighting his. Technically, he wasn’t allowed to do anything to her that she didn’t invite him to during their courtship. If he was her first husband, the one who transformed her from an ordinary human and into a Kadothian Matriarch, the social rules would be different and he’d have a lot more leeway to seduce her. But, because she was a twice-bonded Matriarch, he couldn’t even speak to her unless she initiated it, no matter how badly he wanted to.
    A hard pulse of desire came from Tandar as her nipples hardened into aching points. He wanted her, real bad. It was hard for her to describe the psychic link between them because it wasn’t just a feeling, but a scent and a taste to her. Every Earth woman was different in how her body reacted to the conversion, but for Jaz and a handful of others, psychic signatures sometimes had a smell and taste. He tasted like cinnamon and dark chocolate with a hint of coffee.
    In other words, delicious.
    Knowing that he wouldn’t publically close the physical gap between them uninvited, she held his hand against her face and slowly nuzzled him, giving him the affection she knew he craved like a drug.
    His gaze devoured her as he said, “You are amazingly beautiful, your eyes are so dark, so rich.”
    Flushing, she ducked out of his reach and motioned to him. “Come on, we need some privacy.”
    Her pace quickened as she tried to calm herself after a Bel’Tan Matriarch gave her a wary look. As if the women of Earth didn’t have enough to deal with, trying to assimilate into an alien culture, without adding the bonus stress of their new home being prejudiced against them. She couldn’t help but sigh at the fact that she’d found a culture where the color of her skin really didn’t matter in how people treated her. Instead, they hated her because of the freaking planet she’d been born on.
    They passed through an archway into an atrium of sorts, the ceiling a holographic display that mimicked the slightly different-colored sun that Kadothia revolved around. It wasn’t a huge change, but something a little subtler, like putting on a pair of sunglasses for the first time. Initially your eyes could detect a difference, but soon they adjusted and everything looked as it should to your brain. In the richer illumination of the fake sun, her dark skin had an odd but pretty sheen to it. An almost golden pearl-like glimmer.
    They paused to let a group of laughing people pass, and she looked over at Tandar, studying him in the new light. The difference in the colors of his brown and blond hair stood out more, and his cheekbones cast stronger shadows over his square jaw. His scar gleamed softly as well and she had to bite back the urge to kiss him where he’d been hurt. She took a step closer to him and inhaled deeply, her pulse quickening as they neared the hallway that contained her suite.
    “Jaz,” Xentix called out, and she whipped around to face her second husband, lowering the shielding on her mind that she’d put up so tightly after that drama with Lisa.
    Right away, his anger and worry pounded at her, making her gasp and throw her shields back up with a pained grunt, the mental slap of their strong emotions making her body shake in discomfort. The only way she could describe it was like being mildly electrocuted from the inside out. A very disconcerting and painful feeling. A harsh sweat broke out over her body