“Jarmuk!” she gasped, looking up at him with wide eyes. “I can’t hold back any longer.”
He smiled. “So don’t.” And then he thrust harder and deeper than ever before. With that thrust, Maisie gave in completely. The pressure and heat that had been building in her core exploded through her body like fireworks. She whimpered and clung to Jarmuk for dear life as her inner muscles spasmed and clenched ever tighter, wrapping themselves around his dick that was so deep inside her body. She never took her eyes off of his. She’d never looked directly into someone’s eyes before while making love, but she had already been looking at Jarmuk when her orgasm started, and now she could not look away. There was something incredibly sexy about looking into a person’s eyes while you found your release. Maisie trembled as she let the waves of pleasure wash over her, and saw the pleasure in Jarmuk’s eyes. He loved that he had made her feel this way, and knowing her pleasure was making him so happy only turned her on even more.
He himself was quite turned on as well. She could feel the heat coming off of his body, and little trickles of sweat were trailing through the mask of dirt on his face. But nothing compared to the fire in his eyes, and that fire consumed Maisie as Jarmuk joined her in finding his release. His whole body stiffened as he thrust into her, hard, one last time. She could feel him pulsing within her, even as her body continued to clench around his shaft. They never broke eye contact as the tremors of pleasure rocked over them.
In that moment, bodies and eyes locked, they were truly one. Nothing else in the world mattered.
Chapter Fourteen
Maisie sat in the small kitchen area of the Starburst, laughing as Jarmuk scrunched his face up and looked at her with confusion.
“This is considered a delicacy on earth? It tastes like stale sugar.”
Maisie laughed. “Well, maybe not a delicacy. But it’s kind of like, I don’t know, one of those things that’s so typical of Earth that just biting into it reminds me of home.”
Jarmuk looked skeptical. He took another tentative bite of the small, cream-filled pastry in his hand. “So, you’re saying home tastes like stale sugar. What did you say this thing was called again?”
“A Twinkie.”
“What a weird name.”
Maisie shrugged. “They’re kind of a legend. Apparently the company that makes them almost quit completely back in the twenty-first century. But then some other company bought the recipe or something and continued production? I’m not sure on the exact details. All I know is that the Twinkie has survived, much to the delight of humankind.”
Jarmuk made a face and set the Twinkie down on the small table. “Well, alright, then.”
“They grow on you, I promise.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Maisie laughed, then leaned over the table to grab the leftover Twinkie that Jarmuk hadn’t eaten. She definitely wasn’t going to let that go to waste. “Besides,” she said around a mouthful of Twinkie, “These things have a shelf life of about five bazillion years, making them the perfect thing to bring along for space travel.”
“Five bazillion years? That doesn’t sound…healthy.”
Maisie winked at him. “You only live once.”
Jarmuk rolled his eyes, then went to rummage in the kitchen’s tiny cupboards. “You humans have some weird food. I think I’ll wait until I get home to eat.”
“We can go now, if you want,” Maisie said as she shoved the last bite of Twinkie into her mouth and started to stand up. “I was just really hungry and I thought you might be, too. I guess I didn’t think about the fact that you might not be into the food we have on board the Starburst.”
But Jarmuk sat down at the table again and motioned for her to stay seated. “We’ll go in a few minutes. It’s not like I’m starving to death. And before we do anything else, I think you and I need to talk.”
Maisie felt her heart starting to pound in her chest again. “Okay.” She sank back into her seat and looked up at Jarmuk, terrified of what he might say. Sure, he had just told her he loved her, but that had been in the middle of quite an intense moment of passion. Had he really meant it, or had he just been carried away by the moment? Was he about to break her heart and make a joke out of all of this again? She didn’t think she’d be able to stand it if he did, but she vowed right then and there not to cry in front of him. If she did have to cry, she’d force herself to hold back the tears until she made it back to the safety of her apartment. She felt her hands starting to tremble, and she promptly sat on them so he wouldn’t be able to see. “Look, Jarmuk,” she said, trying to keep her tone light. “We don’t have to make a big deal out of this. We’re obviously both attracted to each other, but—”
“Maisie!”
“But we don’t have to rush things or try to set any boundaries if you’re not comfortable with—”
“Maisie!” his interruption was louder this time, and more firm.
Maisie blinked at him and quieted down. “Yes?”
Jarmuk ran one of his big blue hands through his hair and sighed. “Look, I probably should have had this talk with you even before I slept with you again, but you’re so damn hot that as soon as I saw you I reacted to this deep, primal need I had to claim you.”
Maisie said nothing, but she felt a fresh rush of pleasure when he talked about claiming her. There was something super sexy about being wanted so badly by a man that he talked about claiming you.
“The thing is,” Jarmuk continued, reaching across the small table to take her hands and looking straight into her eyes. “I haven’t done right by you. After I slept with you the first time, back in the mines, I should have sat you down and talked with you, and told you what you meant to me. But instead I made a joke out of the situation and acted like I didn’t take it seriously. When you were at my house after the night at the bar, I should have gotten down on my knees and begged you to give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me, and how badly I want to be your man. How the only option I really have in life anymore is to be your man. I can’t imagine life with anyone else.”
Maisie’s hands were definitely trembling inside of Jarmuk’s and she was sure he could feel it. But she couldn’t pull away now. His grip was too firm. So she tried to steady her breath as best she could, and looked up to meet his eyes. “Why didn’t you say all of that then? It would have saved us both so much heartache. Did you know I was planning to go back to Earth after Mognerth?”
Jarmuk closed his eyes, the pain evident on his face. “No, I didn’t. I would have been heartbroken. But I swear I would have come for you. I would’ve hunted you down to the very furthest corner of Earth. To the very furthest corner of the Seven Galaxies, even. If being away from you for a week taught me anything, it’s that I can’t live without you. I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t think someone like you would ever truly want someone like me. I let that fear stop me, and I shouldn’t have. I was weak, but I’ve pushed past that, and I’m here to tell you that I’ll fight for you, whatever it takes.”
Maisie’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean, you thought someone like me would never want someone like you? Are you crazy? You’re the one who is way out of my league!”
“But you’re so freaking smart, Maisie. You’re a whiz at what you do. Me? I’m just a miner? I go to work, get dirty, and come home exhausted. What could I ever hope to offer someone like you? And yet, I’ve realized that what I can offer you is loyalty. I’ll always be true to you, and I’ll always protect you.”
Maisie was floored. “All you do is work the mines? Jarmuk, you’re the best miner Zocrone has. That’s common knowledge. And mining is so important to this planet. If not for the miners, the whole economy here would collapse. You’re not ‘just’ a miner. You’re a hardworking man who helps keep his planet running smoothly. And the reason you come home dirty and exhausted is because you’ve put in an honest day’s work. That’s not something to be ashamed of.”
Jarmuk shrugged. “I g
uess I never really thought about it like that.”
“Well, start thinking like that, because it’s true. I know you feel like you’ve spent your life standing in Daxar’s shadow. But trust me, you’re the only one who feels that way. Sure there are a few people who complain about your position in government. But it’s only because they’re jealous. When you decide you want something and go for it, you get it done. You came after me, didn’t you? And remember when Daxar and Nova were lost out by the asteroid belt after the basestos explosion? You singlehandedly organized the rescue party that saved them. I’d say you’re pretty kickass, when you really set your mind to something. What you need to do is stop hiding behind a wall of goofiness and jokes, and own who you really are.”
Maisie half-expected Jarmuk to get angry at her for that last sentence, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked up at her and smiled. “You’re right. I’ve been hiding behind jokes for too long. I still love a good laugh, but there are some things it’s better not to joke about. Like you and me. I love you, Maisie, and that’s no joke. I know you don’t see yourself as amazing, but trust me, you are. Your skills as a flight mechanic are unparalleled, and Zocrone is so lucky to have you here. More than that, I am lucky to have you here.”
Maisie blushed and looked down at her hands. “It’s hard to see myself that way.”
Jarmuk reached a hand up and lifted her chin so she was looking at him again. “Well, let’s make a deal. I’ll stop making a joke out of myself all the time, if you start accepting that you’re awesome.”
Maisie couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay. I guess that’s fair.”
“Good. And now, what about us? I’d like to spend the rest of my life with you, but I understand if you need more time to come to that same conclusion about me. Still, I hope you’re at least willing to give a serious relationship with me a try.”
Maisie cut him off before he could say more. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, too. I’m just as serious about all of this as you are. If I wasn’t, I would have hightailed it back to Earth by now. But I’m here, with you, because I wanted to come back and see if we could make things work together. If we could be a family. I love you, Jarmuk. I know this is crazy, but I don’t care. I love you. And I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than here on Zocrone with you. We can both come home dirty and greasy every night and then use the last of our energy to make love to each other.
Jarmuk grinned. “Sounds like a plan to me. I love you Maisie Scotts, more than anyone or anything,”
He leaned across the table to kiss her, his lips warm on hers. Maisie had never felt so dizzily happy in her life. There had been no hint of teasing in his tone. No trying to play everything off as some sort of joke. He was all in, and so was she. Together, they would be a family. Perhaps one day, they would be able to add children of their own to the mix. But even if that was never a possibility, at least they had each other. That was the most important thing.
Jarmuk leaned back and grinned at her, and then, his stomach growled loudly. Maisie laughed. “Ready to head home and get something to eat now?”
He gave her a sheepish look. “Yes. As tasty as this Earth food is, I have to admit I’m craving some good ol’ Zocronian fare.”
Maisie laughed “It’s okay. You don’t have to like Twinkies. More for me that way.”
Jarmuk grimaced. “You can eat them all. I’m not even sure I want to try bananas now, if I ever make it to Earth. Apparently your taste in food is not to be trusted.”
“Oh!” Maisie exclaimed, clapping a hand over her mouth. “I almost forgot. I got a gift for you while I was in Mognerth.”
“A banana?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Bananas don’t really keep well for a week or more, although I guess it would have been possible if I found one that was really unripe to start with. But I got you something better. Come on.”
She grabbed his hand and started dragging him out of the Starburst’s kitchen. She led him down to the cargo hold, where she had secured the small banana tree she’d bought for him in Mognerth.
“Here,” she said proudly, pointing to the tree, with its giant green leaves. “This is for you.”
He gave her a curious look. “A tree? I mean, thank you. It looks like a lovely tree. But it’s an interesting choice for a random gift.”
Maisie laughed and shook her head. “Not just any tree. A banana tree. And don’t worry, I had Zocronian import officials inspect it when we landed to make sure it wasn’t bringing in any outside diseases to ruin the native plants here.”
A smile slowly spread across Jarmuk’s face. “Seriously? This is a banana tree?”
“Yup. The guy who sold it to me told me it would probably take a year or so for it to actually grow bananas, but it’s a banana tree.”
“Wow,” Jarmuk said, reaching out to touch one of the leaves. A banana tree from my banana. I’m touched.”
“This doesn’t mean you can call me banana!”
“Ha! I’ll call you banana all I want, regardless of how many trees you do or don’t buy me. And you know why? Because you’re crazy.” Jarmuk leaned over and gave Maisie a big, exaggerated kiss on the lips. Maisie squealed and pushed him away, acting indignant even though she was starting to truly love his nickname for her.
“Seriously, though,” Jarmuk had said when she had recovered her balance. “Thank you for this. It’s really special. I can hardly wait to try a banana and see if they taste better than Twinkies.”
Maisie groaned. “Trust me, they taste much better than Twinkies. And the reason I got you this is because a tree is a pretty permanent thing, and I wanted you to know that I want to be around for a while. I want you to plant this in your garden, and—”
“Our garden,” Jarmuk interrupted. “It’s our garden now.”
Maisie smiled, her body warming all over at his words. “Okay. Our garden. I wanted you to plant this tree, and for us to watch it grow together. I want to taste its first crop of bananas together. Basically, I want to stay. I’m not going to run back to Earth. It was a scary thought, thinking about coming back to Zocrone, and not knowing if my heart was going to end up disappointed and broken. But I bought this tree for you on faith. As silly as it might sound, I wanted to do something to show that I’m here permanently. A tree is a pretty permanent thing, don’t you think?”
Maisie forced herself to stop rambling, and she looked up at Jarmuk with hopeful eyes. He probably thought she was the world’s cheesiest person right now, but at least she had tried. The tree felt a little silly at the moment, but she’d been so desperate to do something to show him how she felt.
To her relief, Jarmuk smiled at her and pulled her into his arms. “I love it. It’s perfect, just like you. I’m looking forward to a lifetime of enjoying bananas from that tree with you, my little banana.”
Maisie giggled, feeling happiness flood through her. “I can’t think of anything that sounds better.”
And she couldn’t. She realized in that moment that she had always known in her heart that there was no going back to Earth for her. Once she had been loved by her big blue Zocronian, nothing else could ever have compared. Luckily for her, that big blue Zocronian had turned out to be just as crazy about her as she was about him. They had been through a lot together in the short time they’d known each other, and Maisie felt confident that whatever lay ahead of them, they could face it together.
Life with Jarmuk was going to be good. Very, very good.
Chapter Fifteen
Jarmuk opened the front door of his house to find it was surprisingly quiet. Maisie had moved in with him three months ago, and ever since then he usually arrived home from work to find her bustling about the kitchen, with several pots and pans of food going at once. An unexpected benefit to dating Maisie had been that she loved to cook. She told him it had been a long time since she’d spent so much time in the kitchen, mostly since living on a smuggling ship meant they only had a small kitchen and didn’t often have i
ngredients for fresh meals. But now, Maisie had access to the large kitchen in the house Jarmuk shared with her. She also had access to all kinds of foods. She’d been trying to become better at fixing traditional Zocronian dishes, and she admitted there had been a learning curve for her. Jarmuk thought she was doing a fantastic job, though.
But today, there were no pots and pans boiling on the stove. The food transformer and drink transformer were both quiet, and the house seemed almost deserted.
“Maisie?” Jarmuk called. Still no sounds. He pulled out his e-assistant and glanced at it, his brow furrowing slightly with worry when he saw that he had no new e-memos. If Maisie knew she wasn’t going to beat him home, she almost always sent him a message to let him know. Had something happened to her?
Calm down, he told himself. There’s probably a perfectly benign explanation. Odds are she’s just caught up at work, not bleeding out on the street somewhere.
Still, Jarmuk found it hard to remain calm. Maisie was his life. If anything had happened to her…no, he couldn’t think like that. He couldn’t let himself jump to the worst conclusions just because she wasn’t home yet. He started to dial her e-assistant, thinking that the best thing to do was call her. But then he realized he hadn’t checked the backyard yet. He should at least look there, although he doubted she’d be sitting out there instead of playing around in the kitchen at this hour. She loved testing out all the recipes she found.
When Jarmuk made it to the backyard, though, he was surprised to find that Maisie was indeed there. She was sitting in one of the reclining patio chairs, which was reclined back quite a bit, and her eyes were closed. She must have been having a good dream, because a small smile played at the corner of her lips. Jarmuk couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her smile, and he hoped she was dreaming about him.
The Alphas of the Seven Galaxies Page 31
