She closed her eyes because… “Holy fuck, don’t stop.”
Rough and lightly abrasive, he coaxed the material across her slit. He tweaked her clit then rubbed as if he needed to ensure the oil coated every available surface.
She bucked and pressed up against his hand, her brain turning to mush and her lungs on fire.
As she rose toward the peak, he withdrew the cloth.
She deflated like a popped balloon, and her eyes snapped open. “Why did you stop?”
He lifted his hand and ticked items off one by one. “I have worn the garlong and fed you a suitable substitute for tetria.” One finger was folded toward his palm. “I have bathed you, and though I lacked zinters, I have utilized the duckies and oil. We have exchanged touch and fluids.” Only two fingers left. “I have delivered the first, most basic level of intimate satisfaction.”
“Wait.” She grabbed the only available finger, his thumb. “There are levels to…satisfaction?”
His eyelids hooded. “Naturally.”
“How many?”
“Ten.”
“Oh, fuck.” She couldn’t imagine how she’d scream if they ever reached that level. But hold on. “One finger left. What are we missing?”
“My family tradition insists I cannot proceed further until I have made a sacrifice in your honor.”
She frowned. “How in the world are you going to do that? We’re in the middle of space. It’s not as if there’s a cat stuck in a tree you can climb to rescue or a youth center where you can volunteer, though that would be nice. Too few people are willing to give their time to help kids.”
He pressed his closed fist against his chest. “I will do this on Crakair.”
“So we’ll wait to do anything until after we arrive?” Why did the idea make her sad? She was the one who’d been telling him not to rush things.
It was easier when emotions were not involved. She didn’t love Gaje. Not yet. But she had a feeling she could.
He lifted her from the tub and standing her on a fluffy mat, rubbed her dry, bring her heat back into full focus.
“I admire how you wish to follow your family’s courtship rules,” she said. How could she be upset with a guy who wanted to treat her with respect before dragging her off to bed? But jeez, she was horny. “Any ideas for how we can complete that last bit before I turn fifty?”
“My minar will arrive,” he said, pressing his fist against his chest again. “I will seize it and sacrifice in your honor.”
“I guess I should get dressed then since I doubt sacrifice will involve rubber ducks,” she said, trying not to sound forlorn.
After dropping a new gown over her head and tucking her arms through the sleeves, he cupped her face and kissed her, long and deep and full of promise. “This time will pass quickly.”
“I’ll find a way to deal.” She took his hand as they left the bathroom. “Can you make me one promise?”
“Of course.” His fangs gleamed in the low light.
“After you’ve completed the last, honorable step of the courtship, and we’re headed to home plate, will you make sure we hit all the levels?”
“Level ten involves very creative…fucking. I do not know if you will be able to withstand the brisk movement.”
“Just try me.”
“Then yes, I will bring you to level ten.” He was leaning over for another kiss when a shrieking sound ground through the hull of the ship, followed by a bang that made the craft shudder.
His eyes widened.
Swearing, he hurried her down the hall toward the cockpit.
Chapter 8
Impact with a critical event in twenty seclars. Commence countdown. Nineteen…eighteen…
As the mechanical voice blared through the ship and lights flashed, Gaje made sure Thea had taken her seat and secured her four-point restraint. Then he smacked down and engaged his own.
Seventeen…sixteen…
“What’s going on?” she asked, her arms wrapped snugly around her waist.
He could tell by her tight face she was trying to remain strong, but her voice shook.
Fifteen…fourteen…
“Meteor cluster.” He disengaged the autopilot and took over the controls. While many of his fellow Crakairians would allow the ship’s computer to decide how best to withstand the impact, Gaje had a light touch and a lot of luck. He’d pulled himself through too many tough situations in the past to let a computer hold the fate of his mate in its hands.
Thirteen…twelve…
His fingers blanched as he gripped the lever that would allow him to guide the ship through the field.
Critical event.
Fuck. That meant they were barreling toward a rock large enough to rip the ship apart. He had to figure out a way past it.
Eleven…ten…
“We’re gonna hit something, aren’t we?” she barked. “Holy hell.”
“Heille, not if I can help it.”
“Will getting us through this count as your sacrificial event?”
“If I can get us through this, it will count for a lifetime of sacrificial events.”
Nine…eight…
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“I am, too, but I will do my best.” He took her hand and squeezed it, wishing he could hold her and give her the reassurance of his strength. “Close your eyes if that helps.”
Her shrill laughter echoed around them. “You gonna close your eyes, too? Hell, what am I saying? Someone needs to drive this thing.”
Seven…six…
Tightening his fingers on the stick, he studied the rock coming straight for them. To evade impact, his biggest challenge would be the two other, smaller meteorites flanking the larger. If he could tweak the ship’s trajectory slightly to the… He eased the lever a fraction of a wisp to the right and the ship corrected course.
High-risk event eminent. Five…four…
No longer critical. Good. One more correction.
As bile rose into his throat and his pulse thundered, he squinted and bit down on his lower lip. His muscles strained as he focused every bit of his concentration on guiding the ship.
A slight tilt and the larger meteor passed overhead. A harsh grinding noise filled the cabin, and the ship was pitched to the left.
Moderate risk event eminent. Three…two…
Moderate. Okay.
“Hold on,” he groaned, tendons standing out in his neck. “And…”
One.
He shoved the stick forward.
The bottom of the craft screamed as it was dragged across the multi-klek long meteor. If his luck held, the ship would reach the end and coast off the other side and into clear space.
“What’s happening?” Thea shouted, her voice rising above the crunching, screeching of metal on stone.
“Almost through,” he said. Spasms racked up his arm as he held the ship steady.
The craft bucked and jolted and when it should’ve sailed off the end, they hit something hard and were thrust forward against their restraints.
Lights flashed and new alarms pierced his eardrums.
He scrambled with his buckle while Thea swiped her hair off her face and turned his way with fear a living thing on her face.
“What’s happening?” she cried.
“We are stuck.”
“What do you mean, stuck?”
“We have snagged on a cryst or in a pocket on one of the smaller meteors.”
She cringed. “Are either of those things alive?”
He shook his head, and his naanans lifted. The sekair flaps on his shoulders bristled, eager to shoot poison to protect her but the enemy was not inside. Standing, he rushed to the hall and opened up the closet containing the gear he’d need to see this through.
“What are you doing?” she asked, tiptoeing up behind him.
“Going out there to free the ship.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” She gnawed on a fingernail but then shoved the
hand down by her side. “I’m going with you.”
“I have no suit your size.”
“Crakairian women are giants but you must have something.”
“They are the same height as males, though most are slighter in build. And no, I do not.” He moved around her and dropped his suit on the floor. For the life support systems to engage, he would have to wear it with no fabric between the suit and his skin. A few quick twists of his wrist and he’d undone the fastenings securing his garlong. He shucked it down over his hips and stepped out of it, kicking it to the side.
“Now you’re stripping,” she said, pushing out a rueful laugh with her gaze focused on his cock. “Don’t mind me. Sarcasm is my go-to when I’m stressed, but holy green…”
He dropped the spacesuit and tugged her into his arms. “I will do all I can to protect you.”
“I know that.” She sniffed and her eyes seeped—wept. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“I will return to you as soon as possible.” Assuming none of the other meteors impacted with the ship or himself while he worked to break the craft away from this rock.
Pulling her closer, he kissed her for what he hoped wouldn’t be his final time. He couldn’t help himself. He plundered her mouth like his ancestors had when they’d captured mates instead of courting them.
She pressed herself against him and desperation came through in her touch. She’d guessed what he refused to say.
That he might not make it back.
Chapter 9
Thea watched as Gaje attached clips to his spacesuit and strode back to the hatch.
He stood still, his back facing her, and his spine stiffened with resolve. “I will exit the craft from the outer hall,” he said. “Do not open the hatch or follow or…”
“I could be sucked into outer space.” She swiped the useless tears from her eyes; they wouldn’t bring him back any faster. “I’ll wait here. I won’t touch a damn thing. And…”
“And…?”
She scrubbed her face with her palms then strode up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Her forehead dropped onto his back. “Be safe out there.”
“I will.”
“Come back to me.”
“I will.”
“Because…” She sniffed. “I know this is fast and all, and it hasn’t been long since we met but, okay, I’ll say it because…” She gulped back the tears welling in her eyes all over again. Despite her will to drive them away, they persisted. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
His chest deflated, and he turned.
She couldn’t touch him through the silver spacesuit, but she could see his face through the glass panel in the helmet. Reaching up, she traced her fingertip across the material closest to his features.
Could she memorize this moment just in case…?
No. Do not think that.
She pressed for a smile and came from her heart. “I’ll be waiting.”
He lifted a gloved hand and trailed the back of his knuckles across her cheek. With a curt nod, he turned and opened the hatch. It banged closed behind him and the circular metal knob spun.
Without a window, she couldn’t watch through the hatch. She scurried to the front of the ship, hoping she’d see him working outside. As long as she kept him in sight, he’d be safe, right? He’d come back to her. Because the thought of going on without him ripped her apart.
Slumping down into her chair, she tucked her legs up beneath her butt and waited.
Time ticked by, the long seconds broken only by creaks and groans from outside. The sounds had to be the ship settling into its new home or loosening from whatever held them pinned in place. She wouldn’t let herself believe the cries came from Gaje.
To think she’d only met him a short time ago. The heart recognizes the missing piece of itself. This was something her dad told her once before he died in a car crash. He’d taken that piece of his heart with him when he passed on, and her mom had been a shadow of herself ever since.
Would Thea become another shadow?
Steady bangs were followed by the ship tipping to the right. The frame shuddered and screamed.
Then silence.
She sat in the chair while the echo of nothing wrapped around her, chilled her, and dragged her into despair.
She counted to one hundred. Again. A thousand.
Still…nothing.
Her heart split down the middle.
Rising, she staggered into the hall. She’d find his bed. If she was lucky, the sheets still held his scent. She could wrap herself up in everything Gaje and pretend he was still alive.
He was still safe. He was still coming back to her. Everything would be okay.
Her hand reached to open the door.
A creak and the hatch wheel turned.
She dropped to her knees as the door opened and a seven-foot tall silver spaceman strode into view.
After shoving the hatch close with his hip, he wrenched the helmet off his head.
She rose on shaky feet and finding her strength, rushed over and jumped into his arms. They wrapped securely around her as he captured her mouth. Kissing her, he spun her around until she tugged away and tipped her head back. Her laughter rippled around them, followed by his own.
He bared his fangs. “I do believe I have fulfilled all the courtship rules.”
Her heart went pitter-patter. “You’ve more than sacrificed yourself for my honor and no longer need to rescue a cat from a tree.”
“I will engage the ship’s autopilot and then…”
She slid down his body until her toes touched the cool metal plating that made up the floor. “And then…?”
“I will introduce you to the next level.”
She couldn’t contain her grin. “Make it level three or four and it’s a deal.”
“How about seven?”
Her finger tapped her chin. “Now that you mention it, I’m actually holding out for level ten.”
He took both her hands and stared down at her solemnly. “Courtship. Marriage—”
“I haven’t said yes.”
His thick brows lifted. “But you shall because…”
Her lips twitched.
“I love you,” he said softly.
“Gaje.” Her eyes stung with tears.
“You haven’t answered my proposal,” he said.
“Yes, yes, yes!”
His naanans rippled around his head before relaxing back on his shoulders.
“Set that autopilot, captain,” she said, stroking her fingertip down his spacesuit-encased chest. “I’m going to wait in your bedroom. I believe it’s time for us to get to the fucking.”
Chapter 10
Thea sashayed into his room while he ripped off his suit. Thumps rang out as he ran naked toward the front of the ship.
The engines roared and with a light scraping sound, they left the meteor behind.
As she knelt on the edge of the bed, a solid, aroused alien male came up behind her and pressed himself against her. He nudged her hair to the side and trailed kisses from the nape of her neck up to her earlobe, which he nipped with his fangs.
While his naanans stroked her shoulders and moved around the front to her breasts, she leaned back in his embrace. Her eyelids half-lidded as she gave into the heady sensation of the thick strands sucking and flickering.
He eased her onto her back on the bed and straddled her hips. His mouth slaked over hers, while his naanans continued to tease her nipples.
She bucked, eager to feel the full weight of him driving inside.
He kissed down her neck and grazed his fangs across her breasts, bringing her to a feverish peak. While his naanans continued to drive her closer to the brink, his mouth moved lower, tracing across her belly and to the juncture between her thighs.
Her moan was ripped from her throat as his forked tongue glided down her slit.
He pressed her legs wide apart. “You are beautiful.”
She
writhed, too far gone to be embarrassed that he was up close and personal with her lady parts.
His tongue, that glorious tongue, stroked her clit. He bit down gently with his fangs, rolling the nub until it grew rigid. While he pushed one finger then two inside her, he continued to suck her clit.
She screamed and moaned and thrashed on the bed.
Then he pulled out his fingers and his tongue took their place. It flicked deep inside while a naanan latched onto her clit and flickered.
Grinding down on his face, she tried to drive his tongue deeper.
“Gaje. Please. I need it. Need you!”
He licked and probed and the forked tip teased.
Pressure built inside her, a fever that couldn’t be denied.
Pulling out his tongue, he tweaked and sucked her clit before sitting back on his heels and licking his lips.
“Is this what you need?” he asked, climbing over her and centering his enormous dark green, lightly scaled cock at her entrance. “Tell me, love.”
“Yes,” she moaned, reaching up and dragging him down on top of her. “Give it to me now!”
His soft chuckle shouted pure satisfaction. “Greedy human female, are you not?”
“Gaje!”
He lifted her legs and dropped them onto his shoulders.
While he braced himself with his arms on either side of her head, he nudged forward.
Fuck. Her body screamed at the stretch.
His dick vibrated, and the hum traveled through her bones like molten lava, scorching wherever it touched.
He braced his hands beneath her hips and urged her to spread wider, and pushed in a tiny bit more.
It wasn’t going to fit. She was going to be left writhing and screaming for more and he wouldn’t be able to get it inside.
His fingers tucked inside her, beside his cock, pressing and probing to ease his passage. More straining, and he inched a bit more inside.
She could feel herself dripping. His tongue had done what he’d promised. Fuck, the exquisite burning he delivered was going to make her come before he’d had a full taste.
More finger probing was followed by a sharp thrust forward that fully seated his gigantic, vibrating cock deep within her.
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