by Tasha Black
As long as she had Orion and Opal in her corner, she could weather the storm.
26
Orion
Orion went through the rest of the afternoon in a haze of joy and relief.
When they reached home, he curled up on the sofa with Hailey and Opal, all still decked out in their wedding finery, not worrying about anything in the world but being together.
But when Kypha arrived with the wedding officiant, she approached Orion with a nervous expression.
“A couple of people really wanted to be here,” she said nervously. ‘They’re outside, in the rose garden. You don’t have to let them in.”
He went to the window and looked out to see his buddy, Titan, and Atlas Baldwyn with his mother in tow, as well as a small group of other friends and family members.
Hailey joined him, with Opal in her arms.
“What do you think?” he asked, looking out the window.
“I like the idea that we’ll have some friends here,” Hailey said. “And now you know they’re real friends.”
He chuckled. She wasn’t wrong. Anyone rushing to stand by them right now was a true friend indeed. Hanging out with a hot-tempered politician who just threw away an election would be a black eye to their social standing for sure.
There was a sting as he thought about that impending loss. So many people had worked so hard. He felt bad letting them down. But one look at his family washed those thoughts away.
Maybe it was time for a new career path.
“Should I let them in?” Kypha asked.
“Why don’t we join them out there?” Hailey asked. “It looks like a lovely spot for a wedding.”
The ceremony passed in a breeze, Orion repeating the ancient words as their friends looked on, teary-eyed.
Hailey gazed up at him, her eyes filled with love, baby Opal sleeping on her chest.
She had refused to let Kypha take the baby, assuring her friend that this was Opal’s big moment too - the moment when her family officially joined together.
When it was over, the officiant told him he could kiss the bride.
He swept her up in his arms, baby and all, and kissed her for all he was worth, while the tiny crowd cheered.
“You’re going to have to put Opal down for her nap,” he growled in her ear as he headed back to the house with her.
She giggled, and it was like a waterfall of happiness to his ears.
“Where are you going?” Kypha cried.
“Enjoy the party,” Orion growled out over his shoulder. “I need some quiet time with my wife.”
Titan let out a wolf howl as the other guests tittered.
“We’ll save you some cake,” Kypha laughed.
“Orion,” Hailey whispered in a scandalized way.
“Do you really want to go make small talk?” he asked her, stopping in his tracks.
Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head.
“What do you want?”
“I want to put Opal down for her nap,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “She’s very tired.”
“Is that all?” he demanded, needing to hear her say it.
“Then I want you to make love to me,” she said softly.
“What my wife wants, she gets,” he said gruffly. “Come on, Mrs. VynFleet, let’s put our daughter to bed.”
She nuzzled his neck, and he could feel her smiling against his skin.
By the grace of all the gods, baby Opal stayed asleep when they reached the nursery, and Hailey lowered her gently into her crib.
For a moment, they stayed there anyway, watching the little one who had brought them together.
“She’s so small,” Orion whispered. “How can such a little person change everything in such a big way?”
“She’s going to conquer worlds one day,” Hailey whispered, gazing down at her daughter in wonder.
Orion took her hand, needing to claim her, to bury himself in her and know she was his.
But as they crossed the threshold into his room, he squeezed her hand tight.
“I hope you know how sorry I am about that asshole,” he told her, leaning down to brush the curve of her neck with his lips. “And I’m so sorry about how I handled it. You deserve better. I will never forget that again.”
She leaned into his touch, but didn’t speak.
He pulled back to find tears clouding her beautiful lavender eyes.
“Hailey?” he said, feeling panic seep into his chest. “We don’t have to do this. I will work to earn your trust again before I touch you. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”
“It’s… it’s not that,” she said, her voice tight as a single tear slid down her face.
He wanted to kiss her forehead, her cheeks, pull her tight to his chest and comfort her.
But he was the one who had caused all this hurt.
“Your career,” she said softly.
It took him a minute to process the words.
“I’ve ruined everything,” she murmured. “Being ambassador was your dream.”
Relief nearly had him staggering.
“My dream was to be happy,” he told her, pulling her close to his body. “My dream was to make Opal happy, too. And you are that dream come true.”
Her lower lip wobbled, and he pressed his mouth to hers, showing her how he felt, tasting the salt of her tears and the sweetness of her lips.
He felt her resist for a spilt second, and then melt under him, her body softening as he pulled her closer.
She slid her arms around his neck, and he smiled against her lips, knowing she was beginning to understand.
“Besides, there’s so much more we can do with our lives if I’m not in public office,” he whispered to her, turning her around in his arms so he could attack the endless row of tiny buttons on the back of her dress.
“Like what?” she whispered back.
“Well, right now, you’re making me so crazy the only thing I can think about is that we never have to leave this room again,” he growled as his big hands fought with the tiny buttons.
“There’s a slide,” she whispered to him. “The buttons are just for show. Also, Opal might like to see us again one day.”
“She can see us in the morning,” he told her sternly as his fingers found the hidden touch-slide and the gown slipped from her shoulder. “Tonight, I want you all to myself.”
He helped her step out of the dress and knelt at her feet, gathering up the swathes of snowy silk.
“What about the Tyvarrs?” she asked as he draped the gown over a chair beside his bed.
“What about them?” he asked.
“You saw the video feed, right?” she said. “He threatened us. He threatened Opal. He expects a favor from us.”
“My security team will have confiscated Offalt’s bracelet by now to get that feed,” he told her. “The police will be involved, maybe even the military, given Synn Tyvarr’s track record. There will be a perimeter patrol of our estate night and day until he’s in custody.”
“Oh,” she said, looking surprised.
“Besides,” he continued. “After what I just did, I won’t be in any position to grant favors to anyone.”
“Oh,” she said again, more crestfallen.
“You don’t need to worry. You’re safe, Hailey,” he whispered to her, holding out her hands. “You’re home.”
She smiled through her tears and his heart threatened to pound out of his chest as his eyes raked her body.
She wore the tiniest underthings of the finest lace. He wanted nothing more than to tear them from her with his teeth.
“Orion?” she breathed uncertainly, as if she were ashamed of her strong body.
“Get. In. Bed,” he bit out.
27
Hailey
Hailey crawled into bed, lying back on the pillows to watch Orion tear his beautiful suit to shreds in his eagerness to get to her.
His muscles rippled as he stalked toward her wearing nothing but a pair of silk boxe
rs.
He was enormous, so big it was almost frightening.
But this was her husband, the man who had sworn to have her back. He would not hurt her.
“Are you ready, Hailey?” he asked.
She nodded, shivering with need.
“I need to hear you say it,” he growled.
“I need you,” she breathed. “Please, I want you.”
He slid the boxers down over his hips and let them fall to the floor.
Hailey gasped at the sight of his cock. It was thick and so hard it curved back toward his belly button, a smooth ridge of exposed bone along the underside of the shaft.
She ached for him and wondered at the same time how she could possibly take him.
“I’m Arkadian,” he said in a low whisper, acknowledging her unspoken fears. “But we are compatible, Hailey, I promise.”
She held out her arms to him, ready, even if it meant pain.
But he crawled between her legs instead, nudging her thighs apart and burying his face in her sex.
Sudden sensations swept over her, swirling pleasure as his hot mouth latched onto her core, her nipples pebbling in the cool air of the room. She moaned against the onslaught, hips trembling.
Orion hummed his approval against her, the vibrations sending her so close to the edge she closed her eyes and clutched the sheets.
But he slowed his movements instantly, nuzzling her and taking long, slow licks.
She eased her eyes open to find his fixed on hers, glowing an almost electric green with lust.
“Ohh,” she moaned, feeling herself winding up tighter and tighter, the tension mounting.
But he abandoned her sex to kiss his way up her belly and lavish her breasts with attention.
She cried out at the acute sensation and felt his cock twitch against her belly.
Orion licked the place where her neck met her shoulder and bit down gently.
Her back arched in response to the pleasure tinged with a touch of pain.
Then he was caging her head in his arms, dark eyes boring down into hers.
“I need you, Hailey,” he told her. “I need to be inside you.”
“Yes,” she whimpered. “Please.”
His jaw clenched.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he bit out. “So I need you to hold very still. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded, twining her arms around his neck.
He took himself in his hand and she felt the heat of him nudge against her opening.
He met her eyes again as he pushed in slightly, stretching her wide.
“Are you okay,” he whispered.
She nodded, feeling breathless.
He gritted his teeth and pushed in further.
The pain overcame pleasure for a moment, and Hailey closed her eyes against it, willing herself to relax and open herself to him
Orion went perfectly still until the pain receded, and she opened her eyes.
“More?” he asked.
She nodded, biting her lip.
“This will hurt,” he warned her.
She nodded again.
“Kiss me,” he urged her.
She closed her eyes, and he plundered her mouth as he thrust into her with a repressed shove.
The pain was blinding.
And then it wasn’t.
Orion made a sound of satisfaction deep in his throat and she felt her body shiver in response, melting around him until she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.
“Hailey,” he murmured.
She jogged her hips up, desperate for him to move.
He groaned, and slid slowly out of her, then thrust in again.
There was no pain this time, only the incredible sensation of being filled with decadent pleasure.
Hailey moaned and he slammed into her again and again.
The pleasure was building in her, lifting her higher and higher.
Orion slid his hand between them and toyed gently with her stiff little pearl.
It was too much.
Hailey felt the pleasure splinter her apart, fireworks going off behind her eyelids as she convulsed around his massive organ again and again.
Orion shouted out his own release, clutching her hips, his bony ridge vibrating and sending her into a second climax.
She felt him stiffen and then fill her with his hot seed, the knowledge of his ecstasy drawing hers out impossibly.
At last, he collapsed on her chest, panting.
His weight was almost crushing, but it felt good, satisfying. He rolled to the side and held her, and before long, she felt herself drifting off to sleep with Orion’s words bouncing pleasantly around her head.
I love this woman to the stars and back…
Sometime later, the cries of a small voice from the hologram beside the bed roused her.
“Opal,” Hailey whispered fondly.
“I’m sorry, I’ll get her,” Orion said, crawling out of bed. “I guess we need another night nanny.”
“No way,” Hailey told him. “Let’s go see our daughter.”
“Yeah?” he asked, an oddly boyish, hopeful look in his eyes.
“Yeah,” she told him. “We’re all in this together.”
He smiled and took her hand, and they hurried down the hall to get their girl.
While there might be drama and danger in the outside world, inside these walls, Hailey was sure everything was going to be okay.
28
Hailey
In the morning, Hailey slipped into some clothing and headed downstairs. Warm light filled the house. She wasn’t sure if she had ever slept this late before.
But thinking back to last night, she wasn’t surprised. A little shiver went down her spine thinking about what they’d done and what it had felt like to have him inside her.
Stop that, she told herself. You have a day with the family to get through before you can take him to bed again.
But she was pretty sure it was going to be hard to think about anything else all day.
When she reached the landing, she was met with a heartwarming sight. Orion was standing in the kitchen, Opal on his hip and a spatula in his other hand as he flipped old-fashioned pancakes.
“Good morning, my love,” he said, his dark eyes flashing blue at the sight of her.
“Good morning,” she replied. “You’re cooking from scratch?”
“We can’t let the hot box do everything around here,” he said smiling up at her. “Besides, I like taking care of my wife’s needs myself.”
She felt her cheeks grow warm.
He winked.
“Well, it smells delicious,” she told him.
It really did - better than the nicest bakery in her prefecture back home.
“Come get some while they’re hot,” he said. “You woke up at exactly the right moment.”
She barely resisted the urge to take the steps two at a time.
“Why don’t Opal and I set the table?” she offered.
“Sounds great,” he replied.
They worked in happy silence for a little while.
“Let’s have some music,” Orion said. “Something classical.”
The sounds of strings and winds seemed to emanate through the walls of the house.
Opal made a small happy sound and blinked up at Hailey, waggling her fingers.
“How did you do that?” Hailey asked.
“It’s just a subtle-speaker system,” he told her. “It was installed during construction.”
“Incredible,” she said. “The music is beautiful. Right, Opal?”
When the table was set and the pancakes were plated, Orion gestured for Hailey to give hers a try.
Opal watched, rapt, as the bite of pancake went from the plate to Hailey’s mouth.
“You already had your breakfast, little piglet,” Orion scolded fondly. “You’re not allowed to eat pancakes until you’re older.”
Hailey closed her mouth around the fluffy bite. Delicate flav
ors burst on her tongue - vanilla, cream, and something more exotic.
“Do you like it?” Orion asked.
“It’s delicious,” she told him. “I never knew you were such a good cook.”
“It’s so much easier without a comm device in my hand,” he said wryly.
A comm device.
The election.
Somehow, the joy of the past hours had pushed it all right out of her mind.
“Oh wow,” she said. “Shouldn’t you check in?”
“Nah,” he said. “I just want a few more hours with you and Opal before we worry about all that.”
Just then, the back door flew open and Kypha exploded in.
“Kypha—” Orion began with a frown.
“Where have you been?” she demanded.
“We’ve been here, enjoying our honeymoon,” he told her.
“Well, there’s been a lot going on,” she scolded him, marching into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.
“What’s been going on?” Hailey asked, starting to feel concerned.
“Oh, now they want to know what’s going on,” Kypha muttered to herself. “I’ve been pinging their comms non-stop all morning.”
“Kypha,” Orion repeated.
“All right, all right,” she grumbled. “Keep your shirt on.”
She downed a whole cup of coffee in one go, then refilled it and came to stand in front of them, leaning on the counter.
Hailey realized Kypha was wearing the same suit she’d worn yesterday. It really must have been quite a night if the put-together publicity head hadn’t made time for a wardrobe change.
“First of all, Synn Tyvarr is already in custody,” Kypha said, turning to Hailey. “I’m sure you were worried for your family, but we got to him before he was able to track them down. You can send word that it’s safe for them to return now.”
Hailey felt relief wash over her. “Thank you,” she managed.
“Secondly, they confiscated Lars Offalt’s private investigator’s footage,” she went on. “They plan to use that to convict Tyvarr. He’ll be going away for a long time.”
Hailey nodded. She hadn’t thought of that footage being anything but a tool to be used against her. It hadn’t occurred to her that it could also be used against Tyvarr.
