Rykhan (Book 1 of Mate Search Series) by J.A. Hornbuckle Read Free Book Online Page B

the Picari Protectorates. Not so
much in the lower levels, but as he had discovered as he had been
repeatedly promoted, the battle for position was a constant within
the upper echelons.
    Rykhan counted himself lucky that part of his
career was over.
    Grabbing his tresl , he dropped to the edge of the
bed. Sliding his finger over the screen to access Earth’s internet,
he wondered why the group he currently found himself in did not
experience the same jockeying for position as it had in the corps.
Perhaps it was because theirs was not a win-lose type of mission.
In that respect, they would all win when they secured their mates,
joined with them and returned with younglings.
    Rykhan’s finger stilled, hovering over the
touch-screen.
    What would that feel like? To have a female, to
build a home with her, make a family and then rear their younglings
together?
    He had been almost four yons -old when both his
mother and two older sisters had succumbed to the Xion gas but his
recollections of the time before their deaths were hazy. He had a
vague memory of watching his father and mother embrace but that was
the only one he could call to mind as an example of them as a
couple. Although he did remember, his parents had shared a bed.
Would his mate allow him to sleep with her as well? It seemed like
such a small thing but the thought of being so close and trusting
someone, especially an alien stranger of the opposite gender, while
he slept was unnerving!
    But what about the other things you
could do with her in a bed, even one too small for even his body?
The thought crept in again and brought the same reaction he always
had as he thought of joining with his human bride. As his tailpor thickened and
lengthened, he felt his hearts take on a heavier, alternating beat.
Just the idea of skin-on-skin contact with a female, feeling her
warm, soft body pressed against him was enough to generate a deep
craving. A desire so strong that Rykhan knew he would find his
release within just a few strokes.
    All over nothing more than envisioning cupping
her breasts in his palms.
    His hand idly moved to his hard length but his
mind brimmed with the different pictures of a human female’s bared
chest, of the creamy mounds tipped with nipples that were so
similar yet so much different from his own. Earth’s internet had
many, many websites dedicated to glory of the feminine chest and
Rykhan found himself returning to more than a few of them eagerly
and regularly. Perhaps if the electronic system within the Picari
system had something similar, he would not have remained so
confused about his sexual orientation for so many years.
    Male pairings had become the
societal norm after the loss of their females and had gone from an
accepted practice to something expected. Even his older brother,
Tryk, had joined with Dafyd after they had lived together for
five yons .
However, a joining with another man did not hold any sexual
interest for Rykhan outside of a singular youthful experimentation.
That one session had clearly shown he was not even remotely
attracted to other males.
    Ah, but with a female? He felt
his tai pull up
close to his body as he stroked himself using only his mental
pictures, his imagination to fuel his fantasies. The vids he had
watched, devoured if he was being truthful, had only become more
exciting when he realized that the females actually enjoyed having
their beautiful chests caressed and fondled as well!
    Using one hand to hold his tailpor in place, Rykhan
fingered the hard but extra sensitive ridges tucked just underneath
the mushroom shaped tip. That movement combined with the memory of
the most exciting vid he’d ever watched−of a male actually using
his mouth to pleasure the tips of a well-endowed female−was enough
to send Rykhan over the edge.
    Making his way back to his bunk
after cleaning up in the tiny cleansing unit tucked into the far
corner of his cabin, he scooped up his tresl again before settling himself
and