Cael
Page 15
He dropped her trousers on to the floor, then slid a hand to her thigh, manoeuvring himself so he was over her, lowering his head towards hers.
“Did you know, the very first thing you said to me made me laugh?” she said.
Cael frowned. “That’s a strange thing to be thinking about right now. Or are you trying to imply my attempts at seduction are laughable?”
Asha grinned. “You don’t have to seduce me any more, you already did that.”
“Well, that’s useful to know, I’ll desist in making such an effort in future.”
“You probably should play a little harder to get. I might start to get the impression you’re hopelessly in love with me.”
Cael laughed. “If you haven’t yet started to form that impression, you must be less observant than I thought.”
Asha smiled, but she reached up, pressing a kiss to his lips, letting her hand linger on his face, tracing his cheekbone with her thumb.
“Thank you,” she said. “For being patient with me. For waiting all that time you weren’t Matched and then waiting some more.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that, Asha. Patient is the very least I should be for you.”
“Well, you don’t have to be patient any more,” she said. “I love you. I thought… I realised today when I was watching you with Mikey that I’ve been in love with you for a while. I just didn’t…I don’t know, recognise it? Trust it? I was trying to think back to when I first fell in love, and that got me thinking back through everything. Right to the very first time we met, when you made me laugh. And I think maybe that was the start of it. Even then. When despite everything that was going on in my life, you still managed to make me laugh.”
Cael kissed her, deep and urgent, his lips and tongue working together to leave her breathless, every inch of her skin alive to his touch. Craving him.
“I think I probably fell in love with you the moment you told me you weren’t suitable,” Cael said, breaking the kiss a moment to look deep into her eyes.
“That does sound like something you would do,” Asha said, shaking her head.
Cael grinned. “You made the mistake of insisting I stop trying to win you over. I’m powerless to resist a demanding woman.”
“I’m not demanding,” Asha said, feigning hurt, even as a laugh escaped her.
“Perhaps ‘headstrong’ would be a better word.”
“As long as you say it in the romantic formation,” Asha said, kissing him again.
She could feel him smiling against her lips. Then he deepened the kiss and all she could feel was the pleasure he coaxed out of her, the heat of his body against hers. She reached for his clothes, adept now at removing them, and soon they were both naked. His hand reached for the drawer beside their bed, but she caught it, bringing it back to her body.
“I don’t want you to hold back anymore,” she said. “I want you. All of you.”
She kissed him, but he drew back, looking down at her with wonder in his expression.
“Asha, there’s no cure for Imorna. No way to get rid of it once you have it. There would be no going back.”
“There’s already no going back,” Asha said. “How could I go back to how I was, now I’ve met you?”
A smile spread across his face, slow at first, but gaining momentum.
“I just have one question,” she said.
“Then ask it,” Cael said.
“Will I also get funky hair?”
He laughed, kissing her briefly. “That’s species dependant. Maybe. I don’t know. Would you mind?”
“I’ve got to admit, I’ll be a little bit disappointed if I don’t.”
His grin was brilliant, dazzling. Asha really did have to wonder what she’d done to deserve someone who was kind, loving, caring and so incredibly handsome.
“Well, there are no guarantees, I’m sorry. You will definitely get the heightened awareness, though,” he said, his voice low, rough with desire. He trailed his fingers over her skin. “Your body will be completely tuned in to mine.”
“That sounds…” She gasped as he kissed her neck. “Divine.”
She wrapped her arms and legs around him, angling her hips towards him.
“I love you,” she said. “Now show me how much you love me.”
“So much,” he breathed, aligning himself with her and pressing himself inside.
He loved her slowly, thoroughly, bringing her to the edge then letting her come back down before building her back up again, until they both reached a climax so intense it left them gasping. Spent, they snuggled beneath the covers, his arms wrapped around her, bodies nestled together.
“Someday soon, we’ll have to visit Allortasia,” Cael said. “I’d like you to meet my family properly.”
Asha had met his sister and his parents, both, but only over video calls. It wasn’t the same as meeting someone in person.
“I’d like that,” she said, then smiled. “I’d never even left the country before I met you. I never imagined I’d get a trip to France, never mind another planet.”
“I should think we could find a great deal of excuses to travel all across the universe, if you want to,” Cael said.
“I’d rather get to know your home,” Asha said. “Considering one day it will be mine.”
The thought of moving away from Earth, from everything she’d ever known, was still a little terrifying, but she was more relaxed about it now. With Nell qualified, financially stable and happy, and Crastor and his cronies in prison for the foreseeable future, she didn’t feel so bad about the thought of living apart from her sister. Cael had explained some of the logistics of space travel, and though Allortasia was a long way from Earth, wormholes and gateways could be utilised to cross huge distances without it taking thousands of years. A flight between Allortasia and Earth took two weeks - which felt long compared to intra-planetary travel, but on an interstellar cruise ship, it didn’t even have to be uncomfortable or boring.
One way or another, she’d find a way to be with both her family and the man she loved.
“You’re okay with that, then?” Cael asked. “Moving to Allortasia one day?”
“It’s funny,” she said, “but for the first time in my life, I really do feel like everything is okay. Or that we’ll figure out a way to make it okay. Together.”
Cael smiled one of his perfect, dazzling smiles.
“Together,” he said.
THE STORY CONTINUES…
ONE TEASING touch sets her body aflame...
Nell Santos would love a happily ever after, but the timing is all wrong. Her son, Mikey, is the most important thing in her life, and she can’t let anything get in the way of that. A holiday to the first Intergalactic Olympics is the perfect opportunity for them to strengthen bonds with their new Intergalactic family. And when all the happy couples have her feeling a bit down, a night with a smoking hot Intergalactic athlete might be just the thing to distract her. Garrant is dangerous and sexy and totally not her type. She can play his game without getting hurt, right?
Garrant is coming to the end of his athletic career. Age and a shoulder injury have caught up with him, forcing him out of the sport he loves. Without it, he has nothing. No Match, no path, no future. Beautiful Nell Santos could be the perfect antidote to his woes. Garrant is sure they can have a few wild nights without getting emotionally involved – they aren’t Matched, after all. So when Nell’s ex turns up at the games, why does Garrant feel like throwing a possessive arm round her and claiming her for his own?
A steamy science fiction romance featuring a single mother afraid to get her heart broken all over again and the tattooed alien athlete who might just convince her that it's worth taking a risk for love...
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About the Author
ANNABELLE REX HAS LOVED ALL THINGS space since she first watched Star Wars as a little girl. She writes steamy sci-fi romances featuring lovable alien heroes and the women they want to claim for their own.