by Ashley West
“We had a fight, and now you want to have sex?” Aedian was skeptical, but that lasted only long enough for her to stride forward and grab his shirt, yanking him down while rising up onto her toes to press her mouth to his in a firm kiss.
“We were interrupted earlier,” she murmured against his lips. “And this is clearly the way to...bridge the gap between our kinds.”
Her argument was a compelling one, and Aedian definitely wasn’t going to complain about the way she was pressed against him and the way her mouth tasted against his. So he stopped talking and started doing.
His hands slid down to her waist, and he smiled when he could almost wrap his hands entirely around it without much issue. With a smirk, he lifted her up and put her over his shoulder, ready to carry her to the bedroom.
She yelped in his ear and wiggled around, so Aedian rested a hand on her bottom to keep her from falling, a strong arm around her waist. “You said we were going to bridge the gap,” he pointed out.
“I didn’t mean that you should throw me over your shoulder like a sack of flour,” she complained, but stopped thrashing about.
“I’m saving time,” he said, and deposited her on the bed when they made it to the bedroom.
The lights were low, and he left them like that, wanting to keep this mood. He could see well enough to make her out anyway, and she was beautiful as always spread out on his bed. Aedian followed her down, taking up his customary position above her, head dipped down to trail hot, open mouthed kisses from her neck to her shoulder, one hand moving to pull the collar of her shirt away so he could have access to more skin.
Roxanne gasped softly and shuddered under him, her eyes fluttering closed as she canted her head to one side to give him more room to work, and Aedian was learning quickly that her neck was one of her most sensitive spots.
So he spent time there, kissing and sucking lightly at her pulse point, dragging his teeth against it and relishing the sounds she made for him.
He could smell that she was getting aroused, and it was a heady, wonderful scent that went straight to his groin and had him straining against his pants in no time.
With the hand he wasn’t using to hold himself up, he touched her, sliding fingers down her side and over her hip and thigh until he could press his palm to the heat between her legs. Roxanne whimpered for him, and he smiled against her neck and lifted his head until his lips were right by her ear. “Do that again.”
He rubbed her through her pants, and when she whimpered this time, it was high pitched and breathy and delightful.
Now it was Aedian’s turn to shudder as he lowered his hips enough so that he could grind against her, letting her feel what she was doing to him.
Her breath caught, and she pressed up against his hand, while his lower lip caught between her teeth. “Want you,” she panted softly. “Please.”
He grinned, having no plans to deny her.
Aedian sat back on his heels then, pulling his shirt over his head and letting his hand go down to the fastening of his pants so he could shuck his way out of those, too. His cock was more than half hard and it was nearly painful to have it contained.
Roxanne watched with dark eyes as he undressed before moving to do the same herself, removing her shirt and pants and strange undergarments quickly.
When they were both naked, Aedian reached for her, but she held out a hand to stop him, and he obeyed instantly, not wanting another scene of him trying to force himself on her when she didn’t want it.
“I want to try something different tonight,” she said, and Aedian raised an eyebrow.
“Like what?”
“Lay down. On your back,” was her reply, and she gestured to the bed.
Aedian blinked for a moment, but then shrugged and moved to do as she told him, laying back on the bed so his head was against the pillows and stretching out full length. He watched her with careful eyes as she got up to make room for him and then approached the bed again, hesitating only a moment before she was throwing one leg over his thighs and straddling him.
“Is this okay?” she asked.
For a moment, rage flashed through him. It was unheard of for a Calphesian warrior to be on his back like this, with someone on top of him like they meant to break him, but he sucked in a breath through his nose and reminded himself that this wasn’t a fight. This was a completely different thing all together, and, actually, Roxanne looked very good on top of him, her hair in a wild halo around her head, her breasts right there for him to touch, and the soft heat of her pressed against him where her legs were spread.
The sight alone helped remove any unpleasant feelings he had about the position, and he inclined his head after a moment, nodding. “It’s okay,” he confirmed.
Her answering smile was brilliant, and he watched as she made herself more comfortable, nearly sitting on his hard cock where it was curved up towards his stomach.
She held his gaze as she planted her hands on his chest and used the leverage to raise herself up enough that she could grind on him properly, dragging that wet heat along the length of his erection.
Aedian groaned and swore in an undertone at the way that felt. The way her skin was so soft and silky, the way her wetness left a warm trail that cooled slightly when she slid away, offering a different sensation. It felt amazing, and he lifted his hands to grip her hips, pulling her down hard as he lifted his hips to grind with her.
“God,” she groaned, and he could feel his cock rubbing against her clit.
They moved together like that for long minutes, breathing harshly in the otherwise quiet room, Roxanne letting out those delicious whimpers ever so often as their movements got faster and more erratic.
Aedian didn’t want to come like this, though. He wanted to be buried inside of her. He wanted to thrust into her body, and bring her to her climax like that.
So he lifted her up more with his grip on her hips. “Ride me,” he murmured, eyes dark.
Roxanne was flushed and she panted, reaching up to swipe hair out of her face. “I’d love to,” she said, and reached down to grip his cock.
It was always so hot to see her hand wrapped around him like that, and even hotter to watch her sink down onto him, each inch of his cock disappearing into her willing body.
It would be harder for her at this angle, so he didn’t rush her, just watched as she took him in, delighted by the sounds she made and the way her body trembled with need.
For all their differences and differences of opinion, she wanted him, and he wanted her, and their bodies seemed to fit together in an odd sort of way that shouldn’t make sense, but somehow did. And Aedian wasn’t going to question it. Not when she was fully seated on his cock, and he was sheathed in that incredible heat, feeling her walls tighten around him.
Neither of them moved for a long moment, both adjusting to the sensations that were currently coursing through them. Aedian could feel that heat pooling in the center of his belly, growing outward to warm his limbs and sweep him up in the feeling of delicious pleasure.
And then Roxanne started to move. With her on top, she was in a position to be more in control of the movements, and Aedian groaned at the slow pace she was setting.
She raised and lowered herself on his cock with agonizing slowness, letting him feel every bit of her against him. It was affecting her as well if her moans were to be believed, and her fingers curled inwards where they were pressed against his chest, fingernails biting into the skin with little pinpricks of slight pain that only added to the whole thing.
He growled, his own clawed fingers gripping her hips and urging her into a faster rhythm before he exploded.
She giggled breathlessly and allowed it, moving her hips faster as she rode him. They moved and swayed in an undulating motion that kept the contact between them, and she moaned his name softly.
He’d never been quite so affected by the way his name sounded when it was said like that, but he had the urge to flip them over and pound into her un
til they both found their completions in each other.
But it was a mark of how much he was trying that he didn’t do that. He let her keep her control, let her keep her pace now that it wasn’t going to drive him insane, and he watched her, eyes fixed on her face, on the way her breasts moved with the rest of her body, the way she seemed in control and at ease like this.
It was breathtaking, and all at once Aedian could see how someone like her could be his equal.
Their bodies met again and again as they both lifted and pushed into the motions, gasps and groans and the occasional growl filling the air. It wasn’t the hard and fast joining that Aedian was used to, more a meeting of pleasures, and he liked it. It was soft and gentle, and he liked it. Honestly, before all of this was said and done he was going to have a crisis if things kept changing like this.
But he wasn’t worried about that at the moment. For the moment he was enjoying feeling the way his climax was building under his skin, the way the white hot molten pleasure grew and tightened and the way his fingers dug into Roxanne’s skin, claws drawing blood slightly as he held her and pulled her down onto him again and again.
She cried out, but it was all pleasure, all want, and when she shuddered and went so tight around him, eyes closed and mouth open, he knew she was coming, and he was only seconds away from following her, body arched as the pleasure was nearly ripped from him.
In the aftermath, they laid together. It was the closest they’d ever been intentionally in the bed, since it was big enough for Roxanne to have her own side and plenty of space between them. But now her head was on his chest, and his fingers were in her hair, and her fingers were tracing one of the tattoos on his arm as they caught their breath and sweat cooled and mingled between them.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked after a moment, and Roxanne shook her head.
“No, I’m fine. I’ll have some scratches from your claws, but...I think I like them.”
Aedian snorted, amused. “That is good to know.” He was unsure of himself in that moment. The peace between them felt fragile at best, and shaky overall, and he didn’t know what would be the thing to kick them back into their antagonistic behavior of just a few days before.
It couldn’t always be like this, of course. There was much more to their responsibilities than having sex, but Aedian had to admit that if fighting and sleeping together was the way things were going to go, he could probably adjust to that.
“I didn’t think your people were big on cuddling,” Roxanne said, and Aedian tensed.
“It’s not our way, no,” he allowed. “But then, you do not know very much about my people.” That wasn’t an insult, it was just a fact.
She rolled her eyes. “Like you know so much about humans.”
“I’ve learned more about them,” Aedian replied carefully.
“Mm, I guess we haven’t really been bridging those gaps very well,” Roxanne mused. “I mean, my people are more interested in your tech than you as a people, and your people are more interested in...well surviving, I guess, which makes sense, don’t get me wrong. It just seems kinda dumb that we’re relying on and trusting each other so much without even trying to really get to know each other.”
Aedian didn’t want to tell her that, at best, Calphesians saw humans as particularly useful nuisances that had come with the planet and therefore had to be dealt with, no matter what they said during ceremonies. He also didn’t want to tell her that there was danger on the horizon if the Platoks decided they wanted to come to Earth.
The moment they were sharing was nice, and they’d avoided fighting so far, and Aedian didn’t want to upset that. So he just sighed softly and continued petting her head, fingers touching her soft curls almost reverently.
Soon enough she was asleep against him, and he relaxed. She smelled like him, and she was his, and that was enough for him to be content with for the moment. Anything else could wait until later.
Chapter 8: For the Common Good
That seemed to be something of a turning point for them, and Aedian was forced to admit that there was something to be gained from talking about feelings and all that. Before, his method of problem solving was hitting things until they did what he wanted, but even he could see that wasn’t a viable option here.
They still argued and bickered, but that seemed to be just a part of how things were for them. They were both headstrong individuals with a fierce sense of pride in their people, so it made sense in a way.
When he voiced this opinion to Demos, the other had nodded sagely. “You can’t treat them like they’re that different from us,” he said. “They are different, but the same way we have pride in ourselves, so do they.”
And as much as that baffled him because humans were weak and greedy things, Aedian decided to just go with it. He only needled Roxy about being human when she needled him about being a Calphesian. Gone was some of the bitterness that both of them used to have in their voices when they talked about each other, replaced by something that was more cautious and fragile, but there nonetheless.
As far as he was concerned that was all for the better especially considering the fact that they had to get married regardless of whether they wanted to or not. He wasn't going to break the treaty just because they fought sometimes. So learning to live with each other seemed to be their only option.
Honestly, it wasn't as hard as he was expecting it to be. Roxanne didn't seem to want anything from him other than his respect, and for the most part they both went about their lives, not getting in each other's way. He sparred with his friends and attended meetings and did all the things he'd done before, and she disappeared for hours in her car and came back smiling and happy. And then they had sex.
The sex, Aedian was pretty sure, was what was really keeping them afloat. Even if they were strained and bickering, all it took was a round of sex to mellow them both out, and he thanked every Creator there was that they were compatible in that respect.
Especially after a conversation with Shiia about how he still hadn't had sex with his life mate to be because he was afraid of his size.
Aedian had never seen a human penis before, but just going on proportions alone, he could tell that Calphesians were much bigger. And yes, he could see how that would be intimidating to a human, but Roxanne had never shown anything but eagerness when it came to his cock, and that gave him a smug sense of satisfaction that he identified as pride in his choice of her. Granted, she'd been the only one left when it was his turn to pick, but they sort of fit in a weird way.
He mused about this as he headed down into the central meeting room once again. Everyone was on high alert, and the thread of tension in the air let him know that something big was going on; kicking him out of his pleasant thoughts about finding Roxanne after this and having sex with her against the wall or the door (their height difference would make positioning tricky, but he was equal to the challenge).
Hushed whispers followed him into the room, and everyone on the council looked grave and a bit afraid. That was how he knew there was something wrong for certain.
It wasn't that Calphesians didn't feel fear, because they certainly did, it was just that when they felt it, they were careful not to show it. Admitting fear was a weakness and it was one that was easily exploited. For some of the top people of their kind to be looking so openly concerned, he knew there was something big going on.
Prias waited until everyone was inside and the door had been shut before he banged his hand on the table to call the meeting to order. It was clear from the rabble in the room that everyone else had noticed the same things that Aedian had. Of course, instead of responding to it with hushed words or quiet speculation, everyone wanted to be heard at once, nearly shouting over each other to have their voice heard over the din.
The agitation on their faces and in their tones was as clear as the concern on the heads' faces, and Aedian shook his head as Prias banged his fist harder, demanding order.
Finally the people star
ted to settle down.
"What is going on?" asked one of them, face drawn into a frown. "Something is not right."
"We've been told to gather weapons," another said. "As if preparing for war. My life mate is afraid, and I do not know how to console her."
Someone else snorted. "Being joined to a human has made you soft, Ciatri."
Ciatri glared back. "And being alone has kept you callous. There is nothing wrong with-"
"There's everything wrong with weakness. Why should we care if the humans are afraid? They should be afraid."
"We should be protecting them!" Shiia insisted, joining the argument.
"That has never been our role!"
"All of that changed when we invaded their planet," Shiia replied. "They will be defenseless if we leave them to it."
Ciatri frowned harder and turned his eyes to Head Prias. The usual calm atmosphere of these meetings was nowhere to be found here, and it was clear from the screens on the walls that the other heads were having similar problems with their people, clashing voices only adding to the babble and confusion.
For once, Aedian remained silent. Usually he would leap right into something like this, asserting his position and standing his ground. But at the moment he thought it better to listen and figure out what exactly was going on before he opened his mouth.
Instead, he also looked at Prias. Never had he seen their head look so worn and old. He seemed weary, watching the argument rage with little hope of reining it in. Insults were being thrown back and forth, and Shiia was half out of his seat, claws digging gouges in the table.
"You will leave her out of this!" he roared, and Aedian gathered that his human woman had been insulted.
At his side, Ciatri, one of the first champions who had been joined to a human for five years, was pressing on his shoulder, clearly trying to get him to sit back down and calm himself.
It didn't seem to be going well.
Prias usually had this sort of thing under control, silencing squabbles with his fists against the table and a sharp word, but now he wasn't doing anything to contain it, and this was getting out of hand.
