by Jada Cox
“You are something,” I said and meant it. I didn’t know anybody who could learn to speak a language that quickly. Now that I thought about it, his English was also getting better and better, sounding more natural now than it did even yesterday.
“Why did you choose to move to the desert?” he asked, obviously wanting to turn the focus back to me.
“I thought if there were someone working on projects like these who cared about the environment, I could maybe keep them honest and make them be more responsible,” I said, realizing that it had been a long time since I told anyone that.
He nodded thoughtfully. “Have you been successful?”
My shoulders sagged. I hadn’t been successful at all. The “old boy’s club” that ran the oil business in the south west didn’t believe a woman could be useful in any way when it came to business. I’d been relegated to my office or field visits like the one I’d done that afternoon even though I was well-qualified to take on much tougher projects.
“Not even a little. If anything, in the six months I’ve been here, the practices of this company have been changed for the worse when it comes to environmental practices.” I hadn’t been able to admit to myself what a failure my move here was, but now that I said it out loud, I was finally able to see the truth in the face.
“That must be very frustrating,” Emiliano said.
“Extremely,” I agreed, once again surprised at his sincerity and genuine interest in my life.
“Do you think you’ll go back to your home?”
I shrugged. I’d been thinking about it, but then Emiliano had changed everything. If he were staying, I would definitely be staying as well. If he were to leave and be agreeable to it, I would go with him. I didn’t want to say these things to him, because frankly, they were very ridiculous considering that we weren’t even in a relationship yet and I had known him for no more than two days. I was extremely thankful when the server brought the first course of our meal.
Emiliano stood and created a plate for me from the various plates and bowls the server brought to us. He seemed to truly enjoy serving our food. He grinned at me and passed me the plate.
“Enjoy,” he said and took his seat across the table from me. He served himself as I took the first bite. The food was amazing. I wanted to taste everything all at once. Emiliano ate with gusto, watching which foods I enjoyed most.
“I like that you’re enjoying your food, Ella. So many women are afraid to enjoy their food in public,” he said with a broad grin on his face.
“Food is part of life. Why not enjoy it?
“I agree. We should enjoy all parts of our lives.”
Something in his smile made things low in my belly warm and tighten. I squirmed in my seat, overwhelmed by visions of his naked body in the desert when I found him. The desire to take him home and take him to bed washed over me. I met his gaze and had difficulty hiding my feelings, even though I thought I saw them reflect in his eyes. His gaze seemed to be burning with unspoken things and desires just as much as mine.
He cleared his throat. “You stopped eating. Is everything okay?”
“Everything is great. The food is amazing. The company is fabulous.” I smiled at him, at this mystery of a man.
He dipped his head.
“Thank you,” he said.
“We can take the remaining courses to go, if you like,” I said.
“You wish to leave?” Emiliano’s face had fallen from the joy of just a moment before.
“With you, yes. We can go to my house if you like,” I said, feeling a little shy but determined all the same.
It took a moment for understanding to dawn in his eyes. When it did, the grin that stretched across his lips tightened my core even further. I reached for his hand and sighed as the warm flesh filled my own hand.
“I want you to take me home and make love to me, Emiliano,” I said. “I want to feel your body against mine.”
Emiliano stood and reached for my hand as he pulled me around the table and took me into his arms. I lifted my face and found his lips, not knowing or caring what the other guests might think. They were firm and warm against mine as I explored his lips with my lips and tongue. He made a sound close to a moan when I pushed my tongue into his mouth. My knees began to shake as his tongue played with mine. His arm around my back supported me when they began to sag.
“Take me to your home, my little love,” he whispered, stroking my hair back from my face.
Chapter 12
Ella pulled the car to a stop in the driveway of her home. She turned the engine off and sat, gripping the wheel.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
She turned toward me, almost in slow motion. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated. This woman took my breath away everytime I looked at her. I didn’t know how much longer I could wait to claim her, to make her mine. My pants were definitely too tight now.
“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Are you ready for this?”
“If you are ready, then I am.”
She nodded once, as though making a decision, and then got out of the car. I mimicked her movements and met her at the front door of her home. Ella fumbled with the keys and then pushed the door inward. She pulled me into the house and laid her lips against mine.
I pressed her hard against the wall beside the kitchen, leaning against her with my entire body and loving the feeling of her under me. Her breasts swelled against my chest, her hips twitching when I pressed mine in on hers. I went for her throat, nibbling along the long line of flesh beginning under her ear and moving down to where her neck joined her shoulder.
Ella sighed and melted against me, allowing me to wrap my arms around her and hold her upright. I loved the taste of her flesh. It tasted of rose petals and peppermint, flavors that reminded me of my youth and home and made her feel even more like home than she had before.
“You smell like home,” she whispered against my ear.
“You taste like home,” I answered.
“How is that possible?”
“We are fated to be mates.” I hesitated but decided she needed to know the truth. “Once we mate, we will be tied to one another forever. Please, if this is not agreeable to you, speak now. I would bind you to me for my lifetime, but only if you are willing.”
She chuckled, giving me the uncomfortable feeling that maybe the concept of fated mates wasn’t known to her. “Take me and make me yours, Emiliano. I don’t ever want to be without you in my life.”
I took her at her word, scooped her up, and held her against my chest.
“Where?” I asked.
Her eyes were clouded with desire when she pointed down the hallway to the tiny bedroom where she slept. The bed was covered in a large quilt whose colors were the only ones found in the otherwise bare room.
“Where do you live, my love?” I asked her.
“I don’t know anymore. With you, I believe,” she whispered.
“When did you last live fully? And why have you denied yourself the beauty and pleasure of life?”
She looked at me, and I was lost in her eyes. She was so beautiful, inside and out, that I felt an insane desire to devour her, to take into myself that beauty.
“Show me how to bring that back into my life, Emiliano. Show me how you live.”
I laid her on the colorful quilt and then lay beside her. I gave myself the freedom to explore her body, running my hands over her from neck to knee. She writhed and stretched beneath my hands, moaning softly before reaching for me.
“Let me touch you, please,” she said.
Her hands came to my shoulders and swept down my back. She pushed impatiently at the shirt I wore, actively digging for my flesh until she groaned with frustration and pulled on the shirt.
“Off, now.”
I chuckled and pulled the shirt over my head dropping it to the floor beside the bed. Ella knelt in front of me and laid her lips on my chest. She alternated
between nibbling with her small teeth and making broad strokes with her tongue, leaving me gasping and ready to take charge again.
I pushed her back on the bed and lay over her, my knees between hers. I pushed the blouse she wore up from her waist, following my hands with my tongue as I pushed the clothing farther up to reveal her body to me.
Her breasts were small but full, and she arched her back to bring the nipples to my lips when I leaned over them. Her skin was silk, satin, so smooth that I wanted to bathe in it, to wrap myself in her feel and her scent.
Her hands roamed restlessly up and down my back. Her teeth set into my neck, drawing a deep moan from my throat.
“I want to see you,” I said.
She nodded and sat up to pull the blouse off over her head. She pushed the skirt she wore over her hips and let it fall to the floor.
“Show yourself to me,” I instructed her, and as she stood up to do so, I stood with her while she reached for my pants, unbuttoning them and pushing them down my legs where I stepped out of them.
Ella stepped into me, pressing her body along the length of mine. Desire raced through me, and I grabbed Ella’s waist to hold her even more tightly against me.
As I settled myself between her legs, she gasped.
“Yes, please,” she whispered. “Please don’t make me wait any more.”
I pushed her back onto the bed before settling my lower body against hers. My cock, fully engorged now, lay heavy against her. She sighed contentedly and moved her body against me, further inflaming my own desire.
I wanted to push myself into her body, follow my own cock and bury myself in her, to become part of her. But I also wanted her to join me in the pleasure.
I took one of her nipples between my lips and pulled, enjoying the texture in my mouth and the way her body moved under me. Her hips thrust against me as she arched to give me more access to her breasts.
She shifted her body so that my cock pressed against her opening. She sighed and lifted her hips again, giving me the invitation I’d been waiting for. I pressed forward, and her silken body accepted me, surrounded me. My head spun. It felt as though I were drowning in her body and her energy.
“I want to rush, to bring you the pleasure I know is there for us, but I also want this to last forever,” I told her, briefly stopping my licking of her nipples.
“We can chase the pleasure now and go slow later,” she said, making me grin.
She threaded her fingers into my hair and pulled me down to kiss me. While our tongues dueled, she set her heels against the bed and thrust her hips to fully engulf me. I groaned, and I was lost, all of my control going right out the window.
I grasped her hips and thrust with increasing strength and depth. She moaned which encouraged me to continue at a nearly frenetic pace. We were both lost in the sensation, chasing the pleasure that built and built before crashing and washing over us.
Ella tensed, her feet beating against the bed and then fell back, limp. Her muscles pulsed around me, pulling the last drops of pleasure from me. I relaxed above her before slightly sliding to the side to keep from crushing her.
Chapter 13
I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to move ever again if I could stay in his arms like this.
Emiliano lay on his side. His lashes lay dark against his cheeks. A soft smile sat comfortably on his lips.
“Are you in there?” I asked, and the smile grew.
“I am in you,” he said and I realized he was. The length of his flesh within my body was still firm and hot. I squirmed a little and was rewarded with a throb deep inside.
He groaned and put his hand on my hip.
“Please, if you have a care for me, give me a moment to recover.”
I giggled. I couldn’t help it. I felt so good, so relaxed. I wanted to stretch and luxuriate in every feeling and sensation. I’d never felt as complete as I did at that moment.
“What are you thinking?” he asked and opened his eyes.
“That this is right. I feel so good, and I don’t ever want to lose this feeling.”
“You don’t have to.”
Emiliano leaned up, kissing me before pushing his hips forward and pinning me under him again.
“Oh, yes!” I cried, wrapping my legs around his waist.
He thrust into me, building a pace that would be sustainable for hours. I wanted to spend the rest of my life, just like this and I told him so.
“As do I,” he responded, his hips pressing me harder into the mattress.
We lay spent on the bed yet again twenty minutes later. Emiliano grinned at me and got out of bed.
“I’m starving. Where did you put the take out containers?”
“I left them in the car.”
He grinned, pulled his pants on and slipped his feet into his shoes.
“I’ll go get the food and bring it in.”
“I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
He left, and I sat up on the bed. I reached for my robe and pulled it around my shoulders. The silk against my skin made me shiver with memories of his hands on my body.
“You’re so lovely,” he said.
I looked over my shoulder to find him leaning against the doorway, bags of food in his hands. He lifted the bags.
“Hungry?”
“Starved,” I said, a loud rumbling in my stomach making my point.
He chuckled. “Shall we eat at the table or in bed?”
“I think the table would be best. Less chance of spills. I don’t want to get salsa in my sheets.”
He nodded and then disappeared into the hallway. I followed him to the small table in my dining area. He spread the food out on the table while I brought plates and cutlery from the kitchen. We sat at the table and gorged ourselves on the Mexican food.
“You keep looking at me with an intense look in your eyes,” he said to me after he pushed his plate away.
“I keep thinking life-changing things I shouldn’t be thinking. We just met. I don’t know anything about you. I don’t know where you’re from, I don’t know anything about your family. And somehow, I don’t really care. I don’t usually even think about sex with someone until I’ve known them for months, sometimes even years, and yet here I am having jumped your bones after only days. What is wrong with me?”
“Nothing is wrong with you,” he said. “We are free adults, unbound to others. What is wrong with what we have done?”
“Nothing is inherently wrong. It just feels strange to me because my behavior since I met you has been so far from my norm. Normally I wouldn’t have said the things I said to Michael, but you give me courage. I trust that if I were to need you, you would support me, protect me.”
“I would. I will until I can no longer draw breath.”
“See, that’s part of it. You say these things, things that I’ve only ever encountered in movies and books.”
“Your people do not love for lifetimes?”
“Some they do, but it’s rare.”
“My people mate for life.”
“Always?”
“Always.”
A brief cloud passed over his eyes, and my heart stuttered in my chest.
“Are you doubting your decision, now?” I asked.
“Not at all. Are you?”
“If you will love me every day as you love me today, I will never change my mind.”
Emiliano grasped my hand and lifted it to his lips. His eyes were warm and intense when they met mine.
“I love you, Ella,” he said.
My heart tightened in my chest.
“You’re the first man in my life to ever speak those words to me,” I admitted.
“How do they feel?”
“A little frightening, but so good, I don’t want it to stop.”
“It will not stop. That is my promise to you.”
I got up and wrapped my arms around his neck from behind his chair and leaned down to ki
ss his neck. I put my lips against his ear, speaking at barely above a breath.
“I love you, too.”
I felt his face light up as he smiled.
“You are the first woman in my life to ever speak those words to me.”
“I’ll be the last, I hope,” I said smiling.
“Yes. You will.”
Just when I was about to kiss him again, a loud crash came from outside, and I let out a startled squeak.
“What was that?”
Emiliano stood up and went to the window that looked out to the back yard.
“Well, if that isn’t terrible timing,” he muttered. He looked to me, held up his hand and said, “Wait for me here.”
He was out the door into the back yard before I could move. Something told me I wasn’t going to like whatever was coming next.
Chapter 14
“It took long enough for you to find me. What has happened at home?”
“We were victorious, my lord,” one of my guards, said. “It was not easy, and many have died, but the war is over.”
“My family?”
“Your mother lives. As do your brothers. Your father…” Another of my guards turned sad eyes to the ground beneath his feet. “I am sorry, my lord. He died bravely.”
Pain clenched in my chest. My father, the behemoth of the skies on our home planet. I couldn’t imagine our sky without his massive form.
“If he died well, he would be content,” I said trying to keep my voice steady and my eyes dry.
“We can take you home, now, my lord. The space ship is just beyond the trees back there. Your people miss you and need you as we rebuild,” one of my guards said.
“I have a small complication in going home,” I said. I heard the door open behind me and knew Ella had joined us in the night.
“Is this the complication?”
“Yes,” I answered. I saw Ella tense and immediately regretted my choice of words.
“I’m a complication?” she said, confusion and anger warring in her eyes. “A moment ago, I was your mate for life, but now I’m a complication?”
