Racing Toward Desire

by Lily Thomas

  “Yes, come around me.” Roeq coaxed her as he enjoyed the feel of her tugging at him.

  Then she slumped over him as her body finished.

  “Oh my god, Roeq.” She panted against his chest, her breath cooling the fine sheen of sweat on his skin.

  He felt her body give a couple of after orgasm tugs on his cock, which was still inside her. Gently, he stroked his hands over her back, the backs of his claws caressing her skin. Nayli nuzzled her face into his neck, and his heart pinched in his chest. Despite being lost in space, this moment was perfect to him.

  Raising up slightly, Roeq pressed his lips to her forehead. “Come, mate. It’s time for sleep.”

  He stood up while wrapping his arms around her as he carried her over to the blanket on the floor of his ship.

  Chapter 8

  Nayli rolled over in her sleep, slightly awake, and nuzzled her head into his bare chest. The warmth pouring off of him pulled her in, and it felt so normal to be in his arms like she was always meant to be there.

  Something roared outside, but it sounded distant, and she didn’t feel like anything could harm her while she was wrapped tightly in Roeq’s arms.

  At least she now knew why he’d been interested in her on the space station. He had to be telling her the truth about being her mate. Every caress from this night had shown her the depth of what he’d felt. There was no doubt in her mind, but that still meant the person who wanted her dead was still up there in space, living life like normal.

  A shuffling noise could be heard outside of the ship.

  “Did you hear that?” Nayli whispered as she stirred in his arms.

  “No,” Roeq said, his eyes still firmly shut as he tried to get back to sleep.

  “I swear there’s something outside.”

  “There probably is. This planet is full of animals, but we have nothing to worry about while we’re in here.” Roeq muttered.

  “You’re right.” Nayli closed her eyes. There was nothing for her to worry about while they were inside Roeq’s ship. She let a sense of peace wash over her again. If she was going to be stuck on an alien planet, she was glad she was with Roeq. He was so calm about this situation, which helped to boost her confidence.

  If she’d landed here alone, she’d probably be ripping her hair out at this point.

  His arms tightened around her briefly, and her heart surged in her chest. This could almost be classified as peacefully perfect.

  Then the ship jolted with a sudden movement, and she was thrown out of Roeq’s arms.

  “What the…” She trailed off as she stood up on shaky legs when the ship settled down.

  Roeq rose from where he’d rolled across the floor. “What was that?” His dark eyes glanced over at her. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine, and I have no idea what that was.” Her heart thundered away in her chest. Something outside the ship had been strong enough to budge Roeq’s ship and to say that scared her would be an understatement.

  “Get dressed.”

  Nayli nodded her head as she grabbed her suit and slipped it on over her body. It felt like a second skin and made her feel a bit safer. When she finished, she glanced up to see Roeq back in his suit, minus the helmet.

  “What now?”

  “Now we figure out what is outside.”

  Roeq strode over to the console and began typing away at the buttons. His viewscreen flickered to life, and slowly he switched views until they finally had eyes on the thing outside.

  “Oh, my, god.” Nayli’s eyes widened. “This is why I live in space.”

  “We’ll be safe in here,” Roeq reassured her.

  “You sure about that?” That thing had just pushed a heavy spaceship. Who knew what else it could do.

  She looked at the giant beast lurking outside their ship. The thick brown fur made the beast look like a blob of hair, but there were several black eyes atop its head. Then it opened its mouth, its enormous mouth, exposing hundreds of teeth. It roared in its displeasure.

  “Hold onto something.” Roeq barked as the creature backed up and then charged forward.

  Nayli reached out a hand, but it was too late. The creature barreled into the ship, tipping the ship over, and she flew through the air. She raised her arms and wrapped them around her head. Her suit protected her body as she was tossed around in the inside.

  She bounced off a console, and then landed on the ceiling of the ship as it settled on the ground, upside down.

  Righting herself, she saw Roeq above her, still clinging to a handrail. Then he let go and dropped down beside her.

  “Are you hurt?” His hands began frantically running over her body.

  “No.” Nayli rose, brushed his hands away, and looked around. “Do you think it’s done?”

  “No idea.”

  “What should we do?” A trickle of fear was beginning to set in.

  Roeq eyed her. “Why do you think I have any ideas?”

  She shrugged. “I was hoping you might have some ideas because I have no idea what to do.” She’d never been in a similar situation. She was a space-faring woman who had little survival experience.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’ve got nothing.”

  The creature chose that moment to let out another roar, and she was positive it would’ve been ear shattering had she been outside of the vessel.

  “It still sounds pissed.”

  “I would agree with that.” Roeq tossed her helmet at her. “Put that on.”

  She caught it and slid it over her head and locked it into place. Then his nano suit covered his head and horns. At least their bodies were now protected fully in case that animal decided to roll the ship some more.

  The ship shuddered as the beast charged it again.

  “Brace yourself.” Roeq roared.

  Nayli gripped a console with all her strength as the ship rolled again. Things inside flew around them as the ship continued to roll. And continued to roll. And rolled.

  Then a high-pitched noise of metal complaining reached her ears, and suddenly the ship split in half.

  “No!” She watched Roeq’s half fall away from hers, and as she turned her eyes down to the opening, she saw they were plummeting off a cliff.

  She was going to die!

  Nayli wasn’t ready to die though. She still had so much to prove to the universe and her mother. She’d picked the right career choice, and she was determined to prove it to everyone who thought she was crazy for thinking she could win this race series.

  Then her part of the ship spun away from his, crashing through the trees until it finally jolted to a stop as it hit the ground. Nayli bounced around like a rag doll, and all she could do was hope her space suit was up for the challenge of absorbing the impacts.

  She landed on her back and stared up at the yawning opening where the front of Roeq’s ship used to be. Now all that remained were the jagged teeth of torn metal. Tree branches, the ones that were still there, waved in the slight wind like nothing had even happened to their companions in the morning light.

  Slowly, Nayli rose and pulled up her vitals on the faceplate of her helmet. “Everything looks good.” She might have some bumps or bruises but nothing was broken, and she wasn’t dead. Now all she had to do was find Roeq’s half of the ship.

  Why couldn’t things go easier for him? Roeq had just found and bedded his mate, only to watch her soar away from him as the ship split in half. He let out a roar, but her side of the ship spun away as his flew through the trees before firmly planting itself in the ground.

  He tried to keep his grip on his hand hold, but he was flung from the inside of his part of the ship. He flew through the air until he landed on the ground and rolled with the momentum.

  Once he landed on his feet, he glanced around. Wherever her portion of the ship had gone, it was nowhere near him.

  That damn creature had pushed them off a cliff and broke their last refuge on this planet.

  Roeq strode over to his half of
the ship and almost felt like crying over the damage. He wasn’t one for tears, but he’d owned this ship for several years, and it was almost like a part of his family. He reached out a hand and ran a gloved finger over the shredded metal.

  “Damn creature.” He muttered before striding into his ship and gathering whatever supplies were left, which wasn’t much. Most of what’d been inside had flown out, scattering around the forest.

  Once he had everything he needed, he walked back into the forest. Now it was time for him to find his mate… again.

  With a single thought, he pulled up a map of the nearby terrain on his helmet’s faceplate, which his ship had mapped as he’d plummeted through the atmosphere. At least one system had been working as he’d plummeted towards the surface. It wouldn’t help him find her, but it would give him a slight idea of what was out there. Then he strode off into the forest. Native animals fled out of his path.

  Slowly, Roeq walked circles around his ship, slowly spreading out further until he noticed the damage her side of the ship had caused to the trees. From there he followed the trail of broken tree limbs until he reached the other half of his ship.

  With a simple click to his wrist, his helmet shrunk back into the body of the suit. “Nayli?” He called out.

  “I’m here!” She popped out from the inside of the ship carrying a sack of supplies.

  “Did you manage to salvage much?” Roeq asked as he strode up to her thankful to see her alive and in one piece. “I feared you might’ve died.” His throat closed up, and he did his best to rein in his emotions. He didn’t want to overwhelm his human mate.

  “Nope, I’m still alive, and there wasn’t much left to salvage. A lot of the supplies flew out of the ship when we split in half.” She eyed the pack he had over his shoulder. “And you?”

  “Not much either.”

  “Great.”

  “We need shelter, something better than our halves of a ship. They’re exposed to the elements and will attract more attention from animals and any possible inhabitants.”

  “What are you recommending?” She asked as she took off her helmet and attached it to her suit at the hip.

  “There’s a cave not far from here. If its unoccupied by an animal we can claim it as our own as we wait for someone to rescue us.”

  “Assuming the rescue comes.”

  “Exactly why we should find a place to live. Now that my ship is split in two it’ll expose us more to the elements than a cave.” He examined the roof that was torn to shreds and would leave them vulnerable to any weather or animals that came their way.

  “And what about creatures like that?” Nayli asked referring to the beast that had pushed them off the cliff.

  “We won’t be any safer here or in your ship. Each has been damaged beyond repair, and they only seem to be attracting attention from the native wildlife. The cave will give us a roof over our heads and a place to sleep.” Roeq strode past her, her scent wafting up to tease his nose. Right now was a time to keep her safe not take a romp with her in the forest, although a romp did sound nice.

  “Guide the way.” Nayli ushered him forward with a hand.

  “Come then.” He led her away from the remains of his ship. Now all he had to do was keep them both alive on an alien planet while they waited for a rescue.

  “Soooo, who’s going in first?” Nayli stared down the dark corridor of the cave. Her eyes skimmed over the rough walls as she stood awkwardly in the entrance.

  “I will.” Roeq unholstered a plasma pistol and marched straight into the darkness, clearly confident he could scare anything inside with a few shots from his plasma pistol.

  Quickly, Nayli followed after him, not wanting to get left behind. “What if there is something already living in here?”

  “Then we will give them an eviction notice,” Roeq growled as he continued to stride into the dark.

  “We?” She snorted. “I think I will leave that up to you. I prefer living.”

  She heard his helmet whoosh as it came up and covered his head. Her feet shuffled over the uneven cave floor in the dark, but Roeq appeared to be having no issue, so she followed the sound of his footsteps.

  “There’s no sign of anything living in here.” He told her.

  They broke into a large empty cavern. She couldn’t see it, but she instinctually knew the space around her had just increased.

  Nayli detached her helmet from her hip and switched on the lights on the top. The cavern flooded with light, and she was able to see the rough rock walls of the cave. She placed her helmet on the ground against a wall and took in the stalagmites hanging down from the ceiling.

  “A bit creepy.” She glanced over at Roeq who’s helmet had disappeared back into his nano suit. Oh, boy was it creepy. He looked like a horned demon from the bedtime stories her nanny had told her.

  She swallowed harshly.

  Roeq sniffed the air before turning toward her. “Are you scared?”

  “Me?” Nayli’s brows drew down over her eyes.

  “Your scent went from sweet like a dessert to a slightly more floral scent.” His dark eyes studied her, the light from her helmet casting shadows all around his tall horned frame.

  “I smell like a flower when I’m scared?” She wasn’t quite sure what to think about that.

  “As long as you aren’t scared of me.” Roeq’s dark eyes roamed over her, reading her.

  “You just reminded me of some human childhood stories.”

  He placed his pack on the ground. “The villain?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Perhaps you’ll tell me them someday.” He dug around his pack and drew out the blanket they’d slept on the previous night.

  “Glad we didn’t lose the blanket.” Nayli wasn’t keen on sleeping on a hard stone floor. And even with their blanket, it would still be difficult to fall asleep on the cave floor.

  Roeq tossed her a grin. “I would trade it for some more food rations personally.”

  She nodded her head. “I suppose that would be the more logical choice.”

  Placing her pack on the ground, she stripped off her suit. It was time for her to assess any bumps or bruises she may have after all that bouncing around. She bent over and started with her toes.

  She heard Roeq suck in a harsh breath from behind her.

  “Griter.”

  Spinning around slightly, Nayli caught Roeq’s fully black eyes zeroed in on her naked ass. “What’s that mean?”

  “Let me show you.” A growl ripped up his throat right before he pushed her up against one of the rock walls.

  Roeq hadn’t expected to look up and see her naked ass high in the air for all to see. And he’d reacted to the instincts inside him that still wanted to claim her despite last night. He wasn’t sure he would ever get enough of her.

  His hands roamed up and down her soft skin, trailing the backs of his claws up over her hip, to her waist and then up to cup a handful of her breasts.

  Nayli’s mouth popped open as she groaned. “I was,” he tweaked a nipple, and she trailed off before she uttered on a whisper, “going to check myself for any injuries.”

  Roeq leaned into the crevice of her shoulder and neck, careful about his horns, as he whispered against her ear. “Let me do that for you. I can even promise to be thorough.”

  “Yes.” She moaned as he rolled her nipple between a couple of his fingers.

  He placed a hot kiss to her shoulder. His hand abandoned her nipple as it ran down her arm before he placed a kiss to the inner side of her elbow and then to her wrist. When he got to her fingers, he placed a hot kiss to each. He switched sides and did the very same thing while still searching for any bumps or bruises.

  Once he finished with her arms, he placed a kiss to her lips, coaxing her lips open, their tongues dancing with each other. Nayli slumped slightly against the wall, and he was quick to reach out and support her with a hand to her waist.

  Then he broke away and trailed kisses from the co
rner of her mouth down to the tops of her breasts. He knelt down on his knees, bringing her breasts into direct view.

  Nayli’s fingers threaded into his hair, every once in a while, brushing his sensitive horns.

  “You drive me insane, woman.”

  “Same to you.” She panted.

  He stroked his hands down from her shoulder, to her ribcage, to her hips and then he reached back behind her and cupped her delicately orbed ass. He squeezed the flesh.

  Her hands wrapped around his horns, and she pumped them fervently.

  “Uhh…” Roeq groaned.

  He slid his hands down her thighs, and then down her calves. He’d promised to be thorough, but once he was done…

  He reached her toes. “You appear to made it out of the accident without any injuries.” He reported back to her.

  “But I’m aching something awful.” Nayli moaned above him, her eyes shut.

  Roeq chuckled. “I know what aches, but it isn’t an injury.”

  He slipped his hands between her thighs and knocked them apart. “Let me alleviate your aches.”

  He stroked a finger through her pussy folds. The plump lips told him everything he needed to know. She was excited and ready to be pleasured. He’d been the luckiest man alive to land such a responsive mate.

  Leaning in, Roeq used his tongue to circle the pink bud above her folds.

  “Oooo…” Nayli groaned. Her hands tightened around his horns.

  “Does my mate like this?”

  “Like it?” She sucked in a harsh breath. “Krocosian, you are the stuff of my wickedest dreams.”

  His heart nearly stopped for a second. To hear those words from her mouth… it was the stuff of his dreams. He’d been worried a human mate would be resistant to his matehood, but she seemed just as eager as he was.

  The tip of his tongue continued to circle her tight little bud. His finger slid among her folds, and when he got to the entrance of her pussy, he found her dripping wet. Moistening his finger in her wetness, he sank the length into her.

  Nayli’s body bucked in response sending her pussy flat out against his mouth.