Mission: Planet Biter (Veslor Mates #4)(52)

“That’s not disturbing at all,” Vera muttered.

Abby leaned over and bumped her with a shoulder. “Welcome to the world of Veslors. Different cultures and all that. The cubs are super tough, though, and always come home happy as can be. They also sleep better once they use up all that energy. You don’t want to see hyperactive cubs.” Abby jerked her head toward one of the couches. “That’s the third one we’ve gone through. The cubs attacked them when their claws started to grow out.”

“They know better, now that they are older.”

Vera peered up at Roth when he spoke. “That’s good.”

“And they would never play that game with a human not wearing an armored suit.” Roth dug into his food.

“Or a female,” Drak added. “Some of the human tactical team females have signed up to play with the cubs, but both Roshi and Rasha refuse to leap on them. They just brush up against their legs, if they catch them.”

Vera nodded, then studied Roth. “Will our cubs play this game too?”

“Not until the cub is old enough, and only if we remain on Defcon Red that long. I would never put our cubs at risk.”

“I believe you.” Vera knew she had a lot to learn, but she trusted Roth. “I’d like to go see the cubs play sometime.” It would help her feel at ease if that was a part of her child’s future.

“I will take you to watch the games once we find the human who tried to hurt you. Until then, you don’t leave our cabin.”

She nodded, giving her attention to the food in front of her. It looked like a large chunk of pot roast with some roasted potatoes and gravy. It smelled delicious. She cut off a bite of the meat and tried it. “Mmmm.”

“More prepared meals from the chefs at D Corp,” Abby informed her. “We eat really well.”

That was something Vera could easily adjust to.

*

Roth appeared nervous to Vera when he led them to one of the doors in the cabin that she hadn’t entered before. He paused before it, facing her.

“What’s in there?”

“Drak ordered a breeding bench to be created for him and Abby. It hasn’t been used, since she’s not ready to risk having a cub yet. He’s given it to us. It’s simple to order another, since they already produced one and kept the design for us. We stored the bench in this unused sleeping room.”

She remembered Roth and Drak’s seemingly intense conversation on the couch earlier while she’d shopped with Abby. “Okay. What exactly is a breeding bench and why would he give us one?”

“Follow me.” Roth accessed the wall pad with his palm print and the door slid open. He entered first, and Vera trailed behind. The lights automatically came on.

It was a bedroom without a bed. In the center of the room sat the weirdest piece of furniture she’d ever seen. It was the length of a couch, able to seat at least three adult people side by side. Where arms would normally be, each end was open. Instead, two raised arms ran along both sides of the wide cushions, down the entire length of the bench. The long arms were inches thick, made of what appeared to be sturdy wood. The cushioned center area between the arms had thick padding that cascaded over the side, going down to the floor, with an additional cushion attached and extending from the foot of the bench at one end.

“It was the best assimilation of a Veslor breeding bench that we could have created on Defcon Red by their furniture-making department. Humans have no need for one.” Roth approached her side.

“Explain what it is. I mean, you said this is for mating, right?”

“Yes.”

Roth still appeared nervous as he stared down at her.

“Breathe.” She took a deep breath and blew it out to show him what she meant. “I’m not going to freak out. Just give me a rundown on what that thing is and why we need it.”

Roth nodded and took her hand. “I will show you. We’ll remain dressed. Nothing is going to happen between us until you are comfortable.”

“Alright. Show me.”

He urged her to walk toward the open end of the piece, pointing to the thick padding on the floor attached to the end. “That is for your knees. You bend over the higher cushioned area.”

Vera gave his hand a squeeze and released him. She swallowed hard but lowered to her knees, putting them on the cushion on the floor. The thick padding was sturdy and surprisingly soft.

“Lean forward to place your upper body on the cushioned bench.”

She bent forward and lay her upper body as requested. There was enough room between the arms on each side that she didn’t feel squished in the space. The padding under her and against her hips felt comfortable.

“What now?” She turned her head, looking at Roth over her shoulder.

He slowly lowered to his knees behind her and pressed his hips against her ass.

“While we are bare, and when you become extremely aroused, I would enter you this way. I would stay in this form until I give you enough pleasure to distract you.” He leaned forward, pinning her upper body with his against the cushions she lay on. He used the thick wood on each side to brace his arms. “I’ll support my weight here while we copulate.”

She nodded. Nothing scary so far. “Any other reason for the wood arm things? Are they to keep me from falling off the sides? The wood doesn’t look comfortable for you. Won’t you hurt your arms? Why aren’t those padded, too? Everything else is.”