Free Colonial Commander by KD Jones

flee from her mind. She moved when he moved, breathed when he breathed—they were one in motion. Slowly the fire he built inside of her began to reach that peak again. She saw bright lights behind her eyes, and her climax hit her hard.
    “Oh God!”
    AshOR moved a few more strokes within her and just barely managed to pull out and turn to the side as his seed came bursting forth. “Goddess!”
     
     

 
     
    Chapter 10
     
    They lay side by side trying to get their breathing under control. Ava was blissfully content, and at the same time a little sad. AshOR had not come inside of her.
    Ava knew when a Katieran, Kiljorn, or Colonial male claimed a woman as their mate, they would release their seed inside of her to signify their claim. Well, they were supposed to ask first to make sure the woman agreed. It was their informal claiming act.
    Some couples would follow up with an official ceremony, kind of like a wedding, performed in front of family and friends. For AshOR to not ask to claim her and to hold back his seed meant that he wasn’t serious about her, this was just another sex act like he shared with Bubbles.
    She moved to get up off the bed, feeling suddenly awkward.
    “Ava, what are you doing?”
    “I’m going to get cleaned up. I’m sure you have a lot of things to do.” She didn’t look back at him, afraid he would see the hurt in her eyes. This was the only thing she knew to do, give him a chance to leave before things got even more complicated. Wasn’t that what men usually did, try to find a way to leave without a fuss? Her biggest issue was that she didn’t want him to go. She reached to turn the shower on and stepped into the stall. Warm water came down and mixed with the tears she couldn’t hold back.
    *****
    AshOR was confused. They’d shared sex and it was amazing, better than any other experience he’d had. He could tell that Ava wasn’t very experienced, but that only made it more special. He appreciated her open and honest responses to his touch. It boosted his male ego to know he pleased her. After being with her, he absolutely knew once would never be enough. He wasn’t anywhere near done yet. He wanted to spend the entire rest of the night taking her in every position there was. She made him feel insatiable and out of control. He almost didn’t pull out in time. It would have been disastrous if he had allowed his seed to spill inside her.
    It wasn’t that he didn't want her. The truth was that he craved her more than any female he had ever met, but the timing was wrong. He had a mission to complete, and there was no room in his life for a mate. Mates required a lot of compromise and work. He wasn’t ready to handle those kind of responsibilities right now. In the meantime, he could partake in sharing amazing sex with a female he cared about, and maybe once his mission was over she would be open to seeing him again.
    Why had she pulled away? He’d made sure that she had her release before him, more than once. She was satisfied with his skills; he could see it in her eyes. So why was she acting like she couldn’t wait to wash his scent from her body? Did she not want others to know she was with him? That thought made him growl. Just because he wasn’t ready to mate yet did not mean he was willing to let someone else touch what was his.
    Furious, he stood up and stomped after her, still naked. He paused once he stepped inside the bathing room, feeling like someone had punched him in his gut. He could scent her pain; it was coming off of her in waves. What in Kitana had he done to hurt her?
    “Ava, sweetness, what’s wrong?” He opened the shower stall door and entered.
    She turned to face him, shaking her head. “I’m—it’s nothing.”
    He took her in his arms. “ Nothing? That is a lie. You are upset and crying. Tell me what is wrong? Did I hurt you? Was I too rough?”
    She cried even more. “No, you weren’t too rough.”
    He had hurt her somehow, though. “Tell me,