by Elin Wyn
The following morning, I felt better than I had in days.
From the moment I opened my eyes, all I could think about was Navat.
I shouldn’t have been so short with him yesterday. He was trying to help me, despite the fact that he didn’t have a clue as to what he was doing. I couldn’t fault him for that, especially since I had no idea what I wanted to begin with.
Now that I felt like I had a purpose, I felt more balanced.
After grabbing a quick breakfast with Leena and some of the other women that frequently used the lab, I started asking around for Navat. I asked Maki first, but she hadn’t seen him. She sent me to the training wing of the building. Most of the aliens started their days there.
I spotted Axtin right away. He was hard to miss. No one else had a giant hammer.
“Axtin!” I called out.
He looked over his shoulder and grinned.
“The lady of the hour! What can I do for you?”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“I feel like at least eighty percent of my conversations today have revolved around you,” he smirked. “Leena’s taken a shine to you.”
“I’ve taken a shine to her. I just came from breakfast with her.”
“Glad to know you’re making friends.”
“Who else has been talking about me besides Leena?” I asked.
“Who do you think?” Axtin smirked.
“Navat,” I sighed. “Has he been telling everyone how awful I am? He’d be right to.”
Axtin’s brows shot up.
“No, not at all. He wants to help you. He just doesn’t know what’s wrong,” Axtin said. “He thinks he’s the problem.”
“Crap,” I groaned. There was my temper again.. “I snapped at him. I took my issues out on him. I want to apologize. Do you know where he is?”
“He mentioned going out to a construction project today,” Axtin said. “I’m not sure which one. There are a few sites in the city ready to break ground.”
“That’s okay,” I grinned. “I can figure out which one. Thanks, Axtin!” I was already jogging out of the training wing before he could say anything else. As I walked through the compound, I called my brother.
“Hey, Alessa. I haven’t heard from you in a while. How are you?”
I wanted to cry at the sound of Garreth’s familiar voice.
“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” I sighed. “I promise, I’ll fill you in as soon as I’m allowed to.”
“Allowed? What do you mean?” Garreth demanded. “Are you in trouble?”
“I was,” I said. “But I’m out of trouble and I’m working with the people who helped me.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“I promise it’s not as scary as it sounds,” I assured him. “But that’s not why I called. I need a favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“Are you still managing that construction project in Sauma?”
“Yes. Why?”
“The company that hired you is based in Nyhiem, right?”
“Yeah, what’s this about?”
“I’m looking for a friend who’s working on a project here in the city. It’s about to break ground but there are a few out there that fit that description. If I give you a name, can you tell me the site?”
“Sure thing,” he said. “What’s the name?”
“Navat. He’s a Valorni.”
“A Valorni? Since when do you have alien friends?”
“That’s part of the long story I can’t tell you yet,” I replied. “Can you find him?”
“Give me a sec.”
I heard a few taps and several beeps as Garreth scrolled through his wrist unit.
“Navat, you said?”
“That’s right.”
“He’s assigned on the roster to be at the Oberon Hight Site. I’m sending you the coordinates now.”
My wrist unit beeped.
“Perfect. Thanks so much.”
“When are you going to stop by?” Garreth asked.
“Soon. I promise.”
“Keep in touch,” he said right before he disconnected.
I wasted no time getting to the Oberon Hight Site. It was nothing more than an empty, snow-covered lot. No one was there.
“Well, that was a waste,” I sighed.
Not knowing what else to do, I started making my way back to General Rouhr’s compound. Maybe Navat would be there. He might think it funny that I walked all this way to see him.
I decided to take the scenic route through the city. It was a crisp winter day. The piles of snow beside the streets sparkled under the white glint of the sun. I took a deep breath.
The air was so fresh, it reminded me of peppermint bark.
I approached a park. The center had been cleared out for an ice-skating rink. Friends, family, and lovers make their way around the rink in wobbly circles. Everyone was smiling and laughing.
I decided to sit on the bench and watch for a while.
“Alessa?”
I turned to see Navat walking toward me with a big smile on his face.
“Navat,” I grinned. “What are you doing here?”
“I should ask you the same thing.”
“I’m looking for you, actually,” I admitted.
The smile vanished from his face.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “Everything is fine! I just wanted to talk to you.”
Navat appeared to visibly relax.
“About what?” He asked, taking a seat beside me on the bench.
“I want to apologize for snapping at you yesterday,” I said. “It wasn’t fair of me to lash out at you when you were just trying to help.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I know you’re stressed out. I shouldn’t have pushed you. You really came all the way out to my construction site to tell me that? How did you even know about it?”
“Axtin,” I grinned. “And my brother works in construction. He told me what project you’re on. I didn’t know you did this kind of stuff on the side.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “General Rouhr and I agreed taking on side work was the best way to utilize my skills. I like the change of pace too. Being a soldier is exhausting sometimes.”
“I can imagine,” I nodded.
“Actually, I came out here this morning because I wanted to ask you something.”
“Oh?” I raised my brows. “What?”
“I wanted to offer you a job.”
Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting.
“A job?” I repeated.
“That’s right. I found your portfolio through your company. You’re a talented mechanical engineer. I’d like to have someone like you on the team,” he said.
That really wasn’t what I was expecting.
“I already have a job,” I blurted.
“I understand if you don’t want to,” Navat said. “But I figured I’d offer. You’re the best candidate regardless of this past week’s events.”
“I appreciate that,” I grinned.
“Want some hot cocoa?” He asked suddenly. “I heard it’s popular with the humans.”
“You’ve never tried it?” I gasped.
Navat shook his head.
“We’re getting some, immediately!” I declared.
I pulled him up off the bench and dragged him to the nearest hot cocoa stand.
“Get it with marshmallows,” I instructed. “It’s even better that way.”
“Two hot cocoas with marshmallows,” Navat told a bemused cashier.
Hot drinks in hand, we made our way back to the bench. I watched Navat carefully as he took his first sip.
Somehow, for some reason, sharing this with him was important.
“I understand why humans like this,” he nodded. “Your bodies can’t tolerate extreme changes in temperature the way mine can. This would be perfect on a cold day.”
“It is a cold day,” I laugh
ed.
“For you,” he smirked.
“I changed my mind,” I blurted.
“What?” Navat furrowed his brow.
“Tell me more,” I said. “I’d like to hear more about the construction project and the details of the position you’ve offered.”
“Really?” He smiled.
“Really.”
“At this point, I’m willing to let you make the position exactly what you want it to be. I don’t know how comparable the salary is, but you could potentially live within General Rouhr’s building or get him to pay for an apartment.”
“You think?”
I considered the idea of living here. Nyheim had grown on me, that was no lie. But I still liked working for my boss and with my crew.
It was a dilemma..
“You don’t have to make that decision right now,” Navat assured me. “We should work out the job particulars first.”
“Is the Oberon Hight your only project?”
“No, I’m going to be running several at once. I’d be happy to bring you aboard all of them. We’re working on a new community center. It’s going to be state of the art if Fen will agree to let us in on Urai tech secrets.”
“A community center,” I said thoughtfully. “I like the sound of that.”
“Nyhiem already has one but it’s pretty run down,” Navat continued. “I want the new one to be better in every way.”
“It should have a garden,” I said. “Even with all of Mayor Vidia’s relief programs, some people are still short on food.”
“That’s a great idea,” he smiled. “I want classrooms as well. General Rouhr and Vidia want to make our tech more accessible to the public, but we’ll need to teach them how to use it.”
Something about his unbridled passion for his projects stirred something within me. Before I knew what I was doing, I leaned forward and kissed him.
He kissed me back, but hesitantly.
“I promise I won’t freak out and ignore you,” I grinned.
“In that case, carry on.”
Navat brought his hand up to cup my chin. He pulled me to his lips and kissed me until our hot cocoa turned cold.
This time I didn’t back away, this time I didn’t let the doubts and fears in my head distract me.
I wanted this.
I wanted him.
“Alessa,” he groaned, breaking away for breath as I nestled into his chest. “I need to ask you...”
“Anything,” I murmured, lips against the hot skin at the base of his neck. “Anything you want.”
Too fast, too fast! all my doubts shrieked in chorus.
“Want to look at some schematics for a building with me?”
I smiled, breathing deep, letting all my fears subside.
Navat was perfect. He’d always understand me, never rush me, even when I couldn’t say the words.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Navat
I woke up with a sharp pain in my neck. I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar room. It was clean and utilitarian.
I realized I was in one of the rooms in the compound.
“Good morning,” Alessa’s voice chimed from somewhere behind me. I carefully craned my neck. I was sitting on the floor.
Had I slept here?
The last thing I remembered was sitting at the desk inside this room working on ideas for the community center with Alessa.
“What happened?” I grumbled.
“We were working but you fell asleep,” she answered. I twisted around to see her. Apparently, I’d slept on the floor with my back pressed against the side of her bed.
I don’t recommend it.
She was sitting cross-legged on her bed flipping through a datapad. She was wearing different clothing. Her hair was wet.
“How long have you been up?” I asked.
“About two hours,” she replied. “I tried to wake you but you sleep like a rock. I tried to wake you last night too but once you were out you were out.”
“I’m a heavy sleeper,” I admitted. “How hard did you try to wake me?”
“I shouted,” Alessa giggled. “And I shook you a few times. No reaction.”
“That sounds about right.” I stretched and groaned. “What have you been doing while I slept?”
“I kept working on plans,” she grinned proudly. “Want to see?”
“Absolutely.” I was going to climb up onto her bed but she shimmied down and sat on the floor beside me before I could get up.
“Look!” She was practically wiggling with excitement. “I drew up plans for a tech center. It’s set up for hands on learning classes. Nothing would be too complicated to install, in theory. And look at this!”
She flipped to a schematic that looked like a roof design.
“It’s a charity kitchen,” she declared. “We could get culinary students to work it for college credit. The food could feed families that haven’t recovered from the Xathi invasion, the Puppet Master’s attacks, or the Gorgo madness.”
“That’s brilliant,” I smiled. “This is all brilliant.”
She was brilliant. My brilliant, beautiful mate.
Without thinking, I leaned over and pressed a kiss into her temple. She leaned into me with a blissful smile on her face.
“You’re in a good mood,” I teased.
“I feel good,” she replied. “Working makes me feel good. Being around you makes me feel good.”
“That’s quite the revelation. What brought this on?”
“You know how I said I needed space to think?” She said.
I nodded.
“Well, it turns out I needed space to not think,” she said. “I was overthinking everything. I was listening too intently to my thoughts and not enough to my other senses, like my feelings. My feelings tell me that I care for you. Simple as that.”
Her words shocked me. I knew how I felt, but I didn’t want to rush her.
I’d been prepared to wait, for as long as it took, for her to come to terms with her own emotions.
I wasn’t prepared for this at all.
“I care for you, too,” I said. “I care for you a great deal more than I ever expected to care for anyone.”
“I’m sorry for disrupting your expectations,” she grinned and leaned in for a proper kiss. I held her against me and I savored the sweet taste of her mouth. My tongue teased her lips. She opened her mouth, allowing full access.
White hot lust tore through my body. I’d been ignoring the physical effects she had on me since the day I met her.
I had a job to do.
Lives were at risk. I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted by her perfect body and stormy eyes.
Now, there were no more distractions.
I didn’t have to talk myself out of my attraction to her.
She moved so that she sat in my lap with one leg on either side of me.
“I can’t believe I was so deep in denial,” she sighed against my mouth.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her tight against me.
“I’m glad you’ve pulled yourself out of it,” I replied.
She wore a light jacket over her tank top. I pulled it down, revealing her golden shoulders and toned arms. I kissed down her neck and across her clavicle. She tipped her head back and let out a sigh that was pure music to my ears.
Removing her jacket wasn’t enough. I needed to see more of her, taste more of her. As if she read my mind, she lifted her arms. With great care, I removed her thin tank top. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
After discarding her tank top, I caressed her perfect breasts. I stroked my thumb over her stiffening nipples, eliciting gasps and moans of pleasure from her. Her moans only furthered my arousal. I pushed my hips up against the apex of her thighs, allowing her to feel how hard she made me.
“Oh,” she sighed as I ground against her, the scent of her pleasure flooding the room spurring me on.
She reached down, pressing her hand
against my hardened length. Without hesitation, she undid the clasps of my pants and freed me from their confines. Her stormy eyes grew wide as she took in my size.
For a moment I was worried. She was so small. What if I hurt her? What if-
“This is going to be fun,” she whispered, licking her lips.
If possible, I got harder.
She pushed herself back so that she sat on my shins and bent down. She took my entire length in her mouth. I reached underneath her and played with her breasts as she sucked me. As if they had a mind of their own, my hips rocked into her mouth.
I grasped her head gently, holding her still while I pushed myself down her throat. She looked up at me with those thunder cloud eyes.
They twinkled with delight and mischief. With one hand and some strategic wiggling, she pushed the remainder of her clothing off.
I almost reached my climax when I saw her place her hand between her thighs.
Instead, I pulled myself out of her mouth and brought her closer to me.
“I need to feel you,” I murmured to her.
“I’m ready.” Her voice was nothing more than a breathy whisper. I held her around the waist and lifted her up. Slowly, never looking away from her captivating gaze, I lowered her onto me. Her whole body shuddered as I entered her.
I started off slow, reveling in her tightness, still concerned about our mismatched sizes, but Alessa was way ahead of me.
She took control, setting the pace as she ground against me. She gripped the sheets of the bed behind me, using them for leverage to move her slender body faster and faster.
My pleasure was building quickly as she worked herself further down my straining cock.
I leaned forward, taking one of her breasts in my mouth and swirling my tongue over her nipple.
“Yes,” she sighed, egging me on. Since she didn’t need my help staying upright, I moved my other hand between her legs, stroking her clit while she rode me.
Within moments, her entire body seized up. She trembled from head to toe, gripping me tightly as she threw her head back. I grabbed her lower back, realizing she was no longer able to balance herself. Watching her reach her climax sent me over the edge.
I pressed my lips to her neck and shuddered against her warm skin as I emptied myself into her.
For a while, neither of us could move.
