by C. V. Walter
"Has that been your experience?"
"My experience," he said slowly, watching her face. "Is that, with the right person, it's in no way gentle but highly pleasurable and very difficult to resist acting upon."
"Your experience," she said. "And you don't have a-a mate?"
"This experience is very recent," he said. "Before this, it was nothing more than a faint buzzing in my fingertips. More recently, though, I've felt it through my entire body in ways that are not compatible with professional behavior."
Molly flushed and felt heat pooling low in her core. "Um, is it possible to transfer it to somebody else? Someone who's never felt it before?"
"What does it feel like for you?" he asked, his gaze suddenly intense.
"It's not gentle," she said quietly. "It's also something I've never felt before. Humans don't, um, we don't do that."
"So I gathered."
"Did you do something to me?" she demanded. "Did you change me to be more like you?"
"I have no idea how I could have," he said. "Does it hurt?"
Molly nodded and frowned. "No? It's hard to describe. It feels kinda like being punched in the junk with lust, except it's my entire body."
"Junk?" he asked. "Lust I understand, I think."
"Um, it's slang for genitals. Usually refers to male genitalia but can be used for either sex."
"Ah," he said, nodding.
"It's like dumping hours’ worth of really good foreplay in the space of a breath when I wasn't expecting it, hadn't asked for it and haven't had it in a really long time."
"How long?" Mintonar asked, his voice hoarse. He leaned forward to hear her answer.
Molly gave a bitter laugh. "Eighteen years."
"You haven't-"
"I've gotten laid since then," she interrupted, defensive. "It wasn't bad but it wasn't like that. I guess that's why I haven't really pursued anything since I left my ex-husband."
"Because it's all been disappointing. None of it feels as good as it does when I accidentally brush my fingers along your skin."
"Yeah," she said.
"Do you wonder what would happen if I did it deliberately?"
She whimpered. "That's not fair."
His eyes fairly glowed with his desire. "No, I suppose it's not."
Her lip trembled and she pulled the blanket up, wrapping it around her shoulders.
"I think," she said, swallowing hard. "I think I should sleep in here until I'm able to get my own cabin or you can send me back."
He pulled back, startled. "Send you back?"
"You can't keep me," she said, as much to herself as to him. "I have to go home eventually."
Mintonar looked troubled. "I'll have to talk to the captain."
She nodded. "I figured as much. I can wait for a while but I need to go home."
"Why?"
"What? What do you mean, why? I have a job to do, a family, friends who will miss me! I can't just stay here." Moisture gathered at the corners of her eyes and she blinked hard to get rid of it.
"Why not?"
"I have a son!"
"Who you have said has recently reached adulthood."
"That doesn't mean he doesn't still need his mother! He must be out of his mind with worry right now."
"What do you think your space station has said about you since you've been here?"
"I-" she stopped. She was working in the part of the ring that had been destroyed. Unless they did it quickly, there would be very little chance they could recover her body, if there was anything left after the impact.
"They think I'm dead," she said, stricken. "Even if they haven't announced it, that will be the assumption. And Aidan will try and call me and get no response and start poking through the space station's computer and find out about the accident."
"So, you can stay," Mintonar said. "They're not expecting you back."
"But I'm not dead! Why would I let my son live with that kind of grief if it's not true? I have to go back. I have to." Molly didn't blink away the tears this time. She pulled the blanket around herself until only her face could be seen.
"Maw-lee," Mintonar started. "I do not have an answer for you right now but we will find one. I do not- I cannot stand to see you so unhappy."
"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, Mintonar. A lot. Aidan is one of the few things I've done right and I can't abandon him. I won't. I don't even know what I'd do here!"
There was nothing he could say and he could see that. Instead, he crossed to the table and wrapped his arms around her, sitting next to her so he could pull her closer. She leaned her head against his chest and cried. She gripped the edges of the blanket hard to keep from putting her arms around him and curling up in his lap.
The pain and the anxiety of the last few days came crashing down around her and she wept. All the things she hadn't thought about, hadn't wanted to consider, overwhelmed her. This was the end. It didn't matter how hard she'd worked, how much effort she'd put into building a new life and keeping a relationship with her son, it was all over.
With deep, heaving breaths, she got herself under control and reached up to wipe the tears off her face. Mintonar still held her, his arms carefully wrapped around her shoulders while he stroked her arm. She sniffed, sitting back until one of his arms fell away. He kept the other around her back, holding her close to his side.
"Well," she said with another sniff. "I don't think I cried like that after my marriage broke up. Feel a bit silly, to be honest."
"Why do you feel silly?" he asked. "That seems to be a reasonable response to all the upheaval in your life right now. I'm sure I wasn't helping, either."
She looked up at him. Guilt was written all over his face. She had to curl her fingers into the blanket to keep herself from reaching up to touch his cheek.
"Maybe not," she told him. "It is a bit gratifying to know that I'm not suffering alone, even if it's only because of a hormonal impulse."
"If it were only a physical impulse, the desire to act on it would not be so great, nor would the effort to refrain from continuing to create it be so burdensome," he said. "And that is in no way intended to place any obligation on you. I wouldn't-"
Molly reached up and touched his cheek. She was ready for the jolt of lust that blazed through her, this time, and smiled faintly as his eyes widened. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let it wash through her, enjoying it for what it was. When she moved her hand away, he grabbed it with one of his own, and brought it to his lips.
She watched his face as he laid a gentle kiss on the backs of her knuckles and she shivered.
"Thank you," he said, releasing her hand. The one around her waist pulled her against his side but he was careful not to touch her skin again.
"I think not kissing you right now is one of the hardest things I will ever have to do," she told him. "But I don't want to push you into something you're not ready for, or that I'm not ready for, to be honest."
"What aren't you ready for?" he asked, his gaze focused on her lips.
"This," she said, gesturing at him. "Chemistry is fantastic but I don't do commitment, I don't do emotions. I've been burned badly by both and I don't want to hurt you when I walk away. When I go home."
Chapter 14
Mintonar wanted to argue with her but couldn't. Oh, he knew the odds of her being able to leave the ship were not great, particularly if the captain decided it was best to pursue a different planet. They wouldn't want to leave evidence of their existence with aliens who might take their existence as a threat. But what she'd said earlier about breaking off a relationship after creating offspring made him pause.
"I won't ask for something you're not willing to give," he told her. "If you're not interested in me, I understand."
Molly snorted. "That's such a girl thing to say."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is it? I thought it was rather respectful of your feelings. A clear statement of my intentions and acknowledging that you might not reciprocate my
interest with no ill intent on either part."
"Did you really mean it like that?" she asked. "Because most of the girls I know would have meant the exact opposite."
"Do you humans make a point of not speaking clearly?"
"We've made an art form of it," she told him. "Some of us are better at it than others, admittedly, and there are more than a few who have no patience for it."
"Which are you?" he asked.
"I spent half of my life learning how to make an artform of it, another few years doing so as a profession, then several more with not only no patience for it but actively working to eschew that kind of deliberately obtuse language which increases obfuscation rather than decreases it."
He gave her a sideways look. "I understood most of those words individually."
She laughed. "It was an art that was required to survive with most of your sanity intact when I was growing up. I was so good at it, I went into a profession that required it, though my heart wasn't in it. Then, when the rest of my life was in upheaval, I lost any taste for it. I became very plain spoken, my mother called me rude, and made friends who I trusted to tell me the truth, even if I didn't want to hear it."
"Sounds like a difficult kind of friend to have," he said.
"Could be," she acknowledged. "Can be, actually, but they're never unkind about it. In fact, it's one of the things I know I can count on. They'll tell me the truth but they won't ever do it just to hurt me. If it's something that's going to cause me pain, they'll be as gentle as possible. They won't let me run from it, though."
"Are you likely to run from a difficult truth?" he asked.
"I used to be," she said. "Still feel the urge from time to time, as well, but I've gained some courage with the emotional scars so I'm better than I was."
Mintonar thought about it. "Perhaps, then, I was too cautious in my conversation with you."
"Oh?" she asked. "And what would you say differently?"
"This," he said, putting his free hand to her cheek to turn her face to look at him.
She shivered and looked up at him, her eyes swimming with emotion. For all the flippancy of her conversation, she was as moved by their chemistry as he was.
Slowly, gently, he lowered his lips to hers, giving her plenty of time to pull away if she wanted to. Instead, she closed the distance, her soft lips caressing his. He curled his fingers around her jaw, holding her in place when she would have pulled away, moving his lips gently over hers.
When he pulled back, his hand still on her face, his thumb slowly caressing her chin, they were both breathing hard. She licked her lips and his gaze followed the movement. He leaned forward and followed the path her tongue had taken with his own, following it inside when she opened her lips with a gasp.
This kiss was harder, more demanding, and he pulled her into his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck, the fingers of one hand moving into his hair and against his scalp. His arm wrapped around her waist, the other digging into the hair at the base of her neck and holding her still so he could continue to plunder her mouth.
Maw-lee met him stroke for stroke, sucking, licking and nipping at his lips as he moved to do the same. The blanket around her fell away and her hands roved over his shoulder and chest, her fingers plucking gently at the fastenings on his shirt.
She tasted so good. Her lips and mouth were warm, sweet and soft, and he couldn't get enough of them. The skin under his fingers was delicate and smooth and he wanted nothing more than to follow the curve of her throat down as far as he could. The moan she let out as he left her lips to kiss her cheek and jaw shot straight through him.
Her head lolled back, giving him access to the delicate skin of her throat and he couldn't resist running his lips and tongue down it. Her hand slid up the back of his head, running through his hair, until she reached his horns. He felt her hesitate, heard it in the catch in her breath, while she ran her fingers delicately around the base of one of them.
Mintonar shivered, and sucked the delicate skin over her collarbone into his mouth. She cried out and wrapped strong fingers around his horn to anchor himself. The pleasure that shot through him was more than he could handle. In one smooth motion, he had her laying on her back on the table, one hand pushing under her pajama shirt while the other pulled her thighs apart so he could grind himself against her.
"Fuck," Maw-lee gasped, her legs wrapping around his waist. Her center was hot and wet and it burned through his clothes. One hand held on to his horn while she raked the nails from the other down his back.
"You feel so good," he growled, continuing to lick and suck at the delicate skin. His hands grasped her hips and held her against his hard length.
A shudder ran through her and she moaned. "Fuck," she said again. "Too many clothes. I want-"
He kissed her again, rubbing hard against the hottest part of her body, and swallowing the moans she couldn't hold back. She burned for him and he could feel her getting wetter even through the layers of both of their clothes.
One of his hands let go of her hips to move up her skin, under her top, then around to the back of her neck to hold her still so he could dominate her lips while he kept moving against her. It wasn't enough. With all the pleasure shooting through him, the motion was only enough to make his need higher, harder.
"Please," she whimpered against his lips. "I need more."
He pulled back and stared at her, his mind refusing to process what he saw. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips red and swollen, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Her breathing was heavy and erratic and her hands moved restlessly over his shoulders. His hand gripped her hip hard as she tried to press against him and she moaned.
"Mintonar," she pleaded. "I'm almost there. If you don't let me cum soon, I'm going to cry."
With a deep, shaky breath, he pulled away from her. "I didn't mean-"
"Dammit," she bit out, her heel striking the table. "Help me or get the fuck off."
"What do you need?"
Her hands went to the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head. She massaged her breasts, rolling the pink, pointed tips in her fingers while her hips moved. "Lick," she demanded, plucking the swollen bud. When he leaned forward and did as she demanded, her hips bucked against him, so he took it in his mouth to see what other responses she would give him.
Gasps and moans of pleasure fell from her lips with each lick, kiss and suck he gave her. A tiny bead of sweat developed on her collarbone and he couldn't help but lean up to lick it off. Pleasure exploded across his tongue and he moved to her other nipple while she writhed against him.
While his mouth was busy, she reached between them, her fingers slipping beneath the waistband of her bottoms. He was pressed hard against her and her knuckles pressed hard against his abdomen as she tried to work her hand further down. Moving just enough to let her hand past, he heard the sigh of relief when she reached between her legs.
Her motions moved her knuckles against his greatest ache and he stiffened. He grabbed her wrist and held her hand still, the urge to press himself against her strong.
"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"I need to cum," she told him. "You've got me so worked up; I can't help it. This is the fastest way to-"
"Is it the best way?" he demanded, squeezing her wrist slightly.
"I don't think there is a best way," she said. "It works in a pinch, though. And I can focus on you for a bit."
He did grind against her then and a shiver ran though him. "Will it satisfy you?"
Maw-lee shook her head. "It will relieve some of the pressure but actual satisfaction is probably not something we can do tonight."
"Can I help?" he asked.
Her breath caught and she shivered. "If you want."
"Show me."
"Give me your hand," she said, twisting her wrist slightly out of his grasp.
He moved so he could follow her movements and placed his hand lightly over hers. He felt the way her fing
ers moved, dipping into the molten wetness of her core and moving over and around the swollen bud at the top of her slit.
She felt different from all the females of his species he'd been with. Softer, warmer, more inviting somehow. When he dipped his two fingers inside her the way she had, she clenched around him and he couldn't help but think of how she'd feel around his member. He used his thumb to stimulate the swollen bud the way she had while his fingers were moving in and out and her hips lifted to press against him.
"Just like that," she moaned, pulling her hands away from his and letting him take over. His gaze moved away from his hands and followed her fingers up to her breasts. The shiny coating on her fingers made his mouth water and he took them in his mouth before he could think of anything else.
Liquid pleasure exploded over his tongue. She tasted like the sweetest most decadent dessert and he sucked all the juices off her fingers while she bucked her hips against his hand.
Suddenly, she clenched around his fingers, while more of the intoxicating liquid poured out of her, and she threw her head back and tried to hold in a scream. "Fuck," she said, digging her heels into the table and thrusting herself into his hand.
When the spasms around his fingers began subsiding, she grabbed his wrist. "That's enough," she said. "I can't- I need a moment."
He pulled his fingers away from wet, heated center and brought them to his lips. Watching her face, he sucked the juices off, determined to get every drop.
"That is so fucking sexy," she said, squirming underneath him.
"You taste divine," he told her. "I could feast on you for days and not be satisfied."
"Fuck," she said and shivered. "I might not need a moment."
Mintonar gave her a wicked grin. Then he kissed her, running his hands over every bit of flesh he could touch, pushing her bottoms down until he could run his hands down her thighs and backside without hindrance. "I love kissing you, Maw-lee," he said, pulling back to trailing wet, drugging kisses down her cheek to her chin then her neck. "Would you object to me kissing you everywhere?"
