by Zena Zion
She rolled over so that her back was facing him.
Srahn was too observant and she did not want him to be able to view her face.
“Goodnight.” She whispered.
When the light turned off, Ruby breathed a sigh of relief.
Srahn’s question tonight had unnerved her. What about him was keeping her at arm’s length?
She tried to list the things about him that she disliked, but the list was surprisingly short.
Somehow, during their time together, she had grown to like and respect him. Could it be possible that she felt more?
Ruby did not want to think about the big L word. They were a different species, for one thing. Not, she reminded herself, that had she observed any major difference between the species other than increased strength and intelligence. That, she decided, was likely due to their physical environment and culture.
Her mind reeled with the realization that she had come to care for Srahn. She pressed her hands against her face and suppressed the groan that she felt rise inside of her.
How could this have happened?
A history of tragic breakups and she falls in love with an alien from an entire different planet. Did she enjoy punishment? Is that what was wrong with her.
Ruby felt the mattress move beside her and Srahn’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close.
They had often woken in the morning in this position, her back cradled along the front of his body. But never had they knowingly, willingly, initiated the circumstance.
Ruby tensed and she could tell that Srahn was waiting for her to pull away.
It was a test, and she knew it.
This time, she turned her face into her pillow and she did groan. The gentle pulsing of Srahn’s laughter beside her made her agony even worse.
She enjoyed having his arms around her. She enjoyed it too much and she knew that Srahn was acutely aware of the battle going on within her soul. To give in, or to keep fighting.
She rolled to her stomach, pulling away. Breaking the contact of his warm embrace.
Ruby felt morose the instant that she made her move.
Srahn rolled away and lay with his back to her. She had made her choice and he would push her no further tonight.
The mere inches that lay between them felt like an ocean to Ruby’s tormented soul.
Her mind raced. She tucked her hands beneath her body to keep them from drifting toward him.
Was it too late to change her mind?
All at once, the truth revealed itself.
She wanted to be with Srahn. Not just sleep with him, but be his wife, or mate, or whatever he wanted to call it.
Would it really be so terrible to spend her life with a man who was so clearly devoted to only her?
Why was she so determined to keep him at bay? Was she merely trying to protect her own fragile heart?
Ruby knew that this was the true issue. She was afraid of what might happen if she gave herself to this man only to have him abandon her as others had before.
With a deep sigh, she reminded herself that Srahn had made it perfectly clear that his species mated for life. That he wanted her, and only her, forever.
With sudden determination, Ruby decided that he had been right all along. They were destined to be together and all of her resistance had been futile.
She must have been mentally preparing herself for a long time because when she rolled toward him, Srahn revealed the rhythmic breathing of deep sleep.
In the pale darkness, she could see his outline before her.
She raised a hand where it hovered just above his shoulder.
Did she have the courage to wake him? She knew what it would mean if she did and there would be no turning back.
She brushed her fingers down his bicep and then pulled her hand quickly back to press against her heart.
He stirred, as she had known he would.
Srahn rolled over with a deep sigh and blinked his eyes repeatedly until he could focus on the nervous face that waited.
“Hmm?” He hummed. He tucked one arm beneath his pillow and adjusted his body as if preparing for another debate.
Ruby chewed her lower lip. Now that he was awake, she was not sure where to begin. Srahn had made it very clear that, despite his obnoxious flirtations, she would be the one to initiate any actual contact between them.
“Srahn…” she began, but stopped when she realized that she did not know what to say.
She was glad that the room was dark. That he would not be able to see the deep blush of her cheeks.
Srahn’s eyes narrowed as he evaluated her behavior.
After a moment, he wordlessly lifted the covers between them. The motion gave Ruby the opportunity to scoot herself against him, which she did with a happy sigh.
He lowered the blankets and his hand came to rest on her lower back, pulling her close.
They had never lain this way before. Ruby’s breasts pressed against the hard planes of his torso and the contrast was invigorating. She burrowed her head against him, suddenly embarrassed and yet pleased that he had received her willingly.
Her hands splayed across his abdomen. Her fingers moving of their own accord to feel the ridges of his defined muscles. Her fingers wandered over his body. The touch allowing her to visualize what she could not otherwise see.
Srahn’s hand brushed back and forth along the length of her spine. The motion caused her nipples to harden between them and her breath to come in shallow gasps.
She knew the moment that Srahn felt her body’s reaction because his hand stilled on its journey.
Not wanting him to stop, she pressed her hips against his, feeling the instant response low against her stomach.
She pressed herself forward again and his hand clamped over her hip as if he needed to hold on to something solid.
His hand made the journey up the curve of her waist, along the side of her breast, and over her shoulder until it came to rest under her chin. With only the slightest pressure, he coaxed her head to tilt up toward his own.
What she saw when she looked into his eyes was complete and utter adoration.
Ruby’s heart skipped. Never had a man looked at her that way. Never had she been certain that the expression was mirrored in her own.
He paused long enough to give her one final chance to pull away, but she did not.
His mouth dipped low to cover her own and Ruby felt at once as if her heart might explode.
She had dreamt of this moment, fantasized about it, obsessed over what it might be like to kiss the man beside her. Her fantasies paled in comparison to reality.
Srahn’s mouth was both soft and commanding.
He plied her with supple kisses and demanded an equal return of passion.
Ruby had no difficulty meeting his request. She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him as if she could meld their two bodies into one.
Srahn groaned against her mouth and his arms wrapped themselves around her.
As his hand began its reverse journey across her body, Ruby twisted her ribcage so that instead of grazing along the side of her breast, Srahn’s hand was diverted to cover the generous mound of aching flesh.
She felt him chuckle against her mouth and his large hand pressed against her.
Ruby moaned against him. His fingers kneaded the sensitive peak until she was all but crying for salvation.
Chills raced through her body and she knew that they had waited too long.
She wanted him now. This moment had been building inside of them for ages and Ruby felt the sudden need for urgency.
Srahn was already shirtless. It seemed unfair. She wanted to feel her skin against his. She wanted all barriers removed and, for once, to allow him to see her nude.
She groaned against him in sensual agony and her fingers curled into the dark hairs at the base of his scalp.
He must have understood her need because his hand slipped beneath the hem of her shirt and his coo
l palm came to rest against her heated flesh.
Ruby threw her head back as she gasped in pleasure. The sensation was too much, and not enough.
Srahn’s mouth moved to the sensitive pulse on her neck. His teeth nibbled her skin sending even more chills throughout her body.
“I…” she gasped. She had no idea what she was asking for. The words in her mind slipping away before she could put them to use.
“I know.” He grumbled, his voice husky with passion.
In one swoop, he pulled the shirt over her head and launched it into the blackness of the room.
Ruby did not give him the opportunity to look at her. Not because she was shy but because the need to feel her skin against his was too much.
As their bodies collided, she sighed. It was like magic. Hot and cold. Hard and soft. Male and female. The perfect combination of opposites.
After a few more moments where their mouths found each other, Srahn pressed a hand against her shoulder, rolling Ruby to her back.
His eyes stared at the outline of her frame, his hands traced the peaks and valleys, and his mouth worshiped every inch of flesh it could find.
When his mouth hovered over her breast, the heat of his breath made Ruby shiver. Once it descended to claim its prize, it was all she could do not to arch against him.
“Srahn, stop!” she cried out.
He froze and rose above her with concern. “What is it?”
“I…” she gasped, “can’t… I have you…” she could not convey her urgency, “now.”
With a wicked half smile, he made quick work of their remaining clothing.
She spread her legs and waited for him to settle between them, which he did, with purposeful leisureliness.
Ruby attempted to grab his shoulders and pull him against her, but he was determined to take his time.
Her determination seemed to please him as she allowed the length of his impressive erection to press against her, though he denied entry.
She veritably growled his name which only seemed to amuse him more.
Ruby lifted her hips against him, forcing the beginning of their connection, but it was not enough. She needed more.
The action appeared to have the same effect on Srahn because he stilled. His resolve to move slowly seemed to break upon feeling her begin to surround his flesh.
He muttered a curse and then thrust himself inside of her.
Ruby cried out in ecstasy, Srahn spoke some words that she had never heard before, and together they began to move in the instinctive rhythm of lovemaking.
She felt the force of his length pressing inside of her and Ruby knew that she could not hold on much longer.
She gasped against his mouth as she dig her hips into his.
Srahn slipped an arm beneath her hips and lifted her more fully against him, supporting her weight and angling her body for an orgasm unlike any she had ever experienced.
When her hips bucked against him, of their own accord, she knew that there was no stopping it.
Ruby rolled through the hills of pleasure with complete abandon.
She knew Srahn had joined her when she felt the deep pulse inside of her, his low groan and ragged breathing matching her own.
Afterward they lay together, connected, neither able to move away. Neither wanting to.
Srahn was the first to move, after a long while.
He rolled beside her and pressed a tender kiss to her shoulder. Then, wordlessly, he pulled her close and cradled her against his body. The length of her back pressed against him while hand arm reached possessively over to cup her naked breast.
Ruby smiled to herself. Somehow, she knew that this is what she had been waiting for. As she drifted off to sleep, she was certain that her dreams would no longer be filled with fantasy. Not when the real thing was better than she had imagined.
CHAPTER 5 – Mind Reader
The following morning, Ruby woke with a satisfied smile. She was awake, but exhausted. One thing she had not anticipated was the sheer quantity of times the pair would be driven to wake each other in a haze of passion.
Listening to the slow, rhythmic breathing of the man beside her, she lay perfectly still, allowing him to rest.
The door to the apartment clicked open and the twins entered the room.
This was normal. Usually Ruby waited for the men to discuss their business whilst pretending to be deep asleep. She still had no greater understanding of the tasks that they were attempting to complete.
This day, however, was the first in which Srahn wanted nothing to do with the men. Too alert for their fatigued commander, the men waited at the foot of the bed for their daily orders.
Srahn did not wake until Ruby’s laughter shook his body.
She caught the knowing glances of the twins and buried her face in her pillow with embarrassment.
Srahn groaned and flung his arm over their heads, bringing with it the blanket that now covered them entirely.
From under the safety of their canopy, Ruby heard two pairs of footsteps retreat and the door click shut once more.
“I think we’ve been caught.” Ruby giggled as her lover buried his face in the curve of her neck.
“Good.” Srahn grunted. “Maybe they’ll leave us alone for a day or two.”
“I highly doubt that.” She rolled toward him and pressed a kiss to his lips.
When his kisses turned from tender to needy, Ruby pulled away.
“I’ve been thinking…” she pressed her hand against his chest to prevent him from drawing her back in, “that if you meant what you said about you being the only one to view my memories…” she shrugged, “I think that I would be able to agree to that.”
Srahn sat up, instantly alert. “Are you serious?”
She nodded.
He pressed his lips together in what appeared to be mock frustration, “Then I suppose that I really do need to go to work today.”
Ruby shrugged. She knew that Srahn was the commander of the army, but she had no idea what he actually did each day.
“Well, come on.” He stood from the bed and headed over to the bathing pool. He grabbed the handle at the base of the pool and pulled. The wall slid into the ceiling and once again a single pool stood in the corner of the room. “No funny business.” He commanded when he saw the smirk on her face as she sauntered over.
“Who? Me?” She feigned innocence.
“Yes, you.” He kicked a stream of water at her, causing her to shriek and jump away. “We have to get to the laboratory straight away to extract those memories.”
Ruby stepped into the pool and allowed Srahn to pull her close.
“When are you going to tell me why it is that you need my memories?” She asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“To be fair, I think it’s better this way… you not knowing.” He rested his chin on her forehead and she got the distinct feeling that he meant every word. “I know that you are curious, but I don’t see how any good can come from that knowledge. Humans are naturally curious creatures, even when their discoveries harm them. Easing the curiosity is not a fair trade, I promise.”
“Alright.” She leaned into his embrace.
Twenty minutes later, they were clean, dressed, and after eating a substantial breakfast, were on their way through the city to the laboratory.
After much coaxing, Srahn convinced Ruby to ride in one of the teardrop shaped vehicles that she often saw floating outside the windows. To Ruby, it seemed like a death trap, despite being assure that they virtually never crashed.
The capsule appeared to have nothing to support it as it floated in mid-air. It had no obvious means of propulsion, no method for steering, and no form of belt or harness.
Sitting inside on an upholstered bench, Srahn simply told the vehicle where to go and off they went.
Ruby survived the entire journey by keeping her eyes firmly clenched shut. She did not want to risk the off chance that her gaze might focus on some far-below object through
the crystal clear floor. Even the thought of witnessing their altitude made her stomach leap with fear.
When they arrived at their destination, Ruby was overwhelmed with curiosity about all of the unknown instruments and machinery.
After pulling her away from the sixth work station that had distracted her, she distinctly heard Srahn mutter under his breath a single word.
“Humans.”
She laughed with a self-depreciating smile and from then on followed him without question to a small room at far end of the building.
The room appeared, for all intents and purposes, like an interrogation room for the police departments on Earth. The primary difference was that multiple sets of helmets sat on the table with a series of chords attached to the wall.
As they entered the room, they were greeted by an elderly man who introduced himself as Sci. Javo. Which Ruby decided was the equivalent of being called Dr. Javo on Earth.
The scientist instructed the pair to choose a chair, while he went about rigging a complex series of devices and monitors to their heads and bodies.
Ruby felt ridiculous with the bulky helmet weighing her head down.
“Now, if you’ll close your eyes, Miss.” Sci. Javo instructed. “Commander, please put on the screenplay goggles.”
Ruby and Srahn did as they were instructed.
“Now, take a deep breath, and relax. Remember, Commander, the Earthlings do not retain as much information as we do. Try to direct the stream to the details that are stored outside of her controlled memory. The information is there, they just don’t have the means to access it.”
Ruby felt her thoughts flicker without her control. Her mind jumped through images faster than she could identify them. Face after face flashed in her mind.
Every person that she had encountered in the past year. Every individual from the cashier at the supermarket, to the doorman at the Space Research Laboratory.
Ruby had deliberately chosen not to inform Srahn about the questionable disappearance of her previous place of employment. He had never directly referenced the facility, and Ruby had not wanted to raise questions about her sanity.
She wondered now, as the memories of her work environment played for his observation, whether or not it might change his opinion of her.
