A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance

by T. J. Brandow

  “Where is he?” she asked her friend in a staged whisper.

  “Right behind you,” Meko teased as he dropped a hand on her shoulder and a kiss on the top of her head.

  Diana blushed as she turned around. She hugged him so that she could whisper in his ear, “Don’t you think you should have actually claimed me first before showboating me around as your newest acquisition?”

  “I’d be happy to oblige, if that’s your wish,” he told her with a sinister chuckle.

  “You know what I meant,” she grumbled.

  “Perhaps we should save this discussion for later?” Meko suggested. “My men are waiting.”

  “Duty calls,” Diana jeered teasingly.

  “It does, indeed.”

  When she turned around and faced the crowd again, she realized that all the men were smirking as they checked out her ass, and now they were staring at her cleavage. Her face went red as she scooted slightly behind Meko, trying to hide herself from their prying eyes.

  “What is with these guys?” she wanted to know.

  “It’s part of the ritual,” Alara explained. “They’ll stop once he tells them to.”

  Tugging her to his hip, Meko glared at them all. “This is Diana King, and she is my plaything. I don’t share my toys, so anyone who tries something will have to answer to me.”

  “God, are you serious?” Diana asked softly. Sure enough, the men all stopped looking at her, just like that. She scoffed at the irony and wondered if any of them had even meant it at all. Most likely not.

  “So, what are you hanging around here for?” one of the men jeered. “Don’t you have better things to do?”

  If she thought her face was flaming before, that insinuation only made it ten times worse. Diana buried her face in her hands and shook her head, making the others laugh. She couldn’t believe this, and all she wanted to do was get out of there and go hide for a week. Of course, if she did that these men would assume Meko had taken their advice.

  Meko tugged her with him out into the hallway, and as soon as they were alone she pulled her arm away from his and started to walk ahead of him. “That was—that was crazy, Meko!” she told him angrily.

  “Don’t be mad, kitar,” he called after her. “It’s just a custom. Sort of like an engagement party on your planet, I think?”

  “News flash, Meko,” she spat, turning back to glare at him. “Part of our ritual involves the man actually asking the woman if she wants to marry him or not first.”

  Scoffing and rolling his eyes, Meko caught Diana by the arm and pushed her up against the nearest wall, using his body to pin her there. His lips came down, claiming hers with a fiery insistence. When the kiss finally broke, both of them were panting.

  “Do you want me now, kitar?” he asked her in a husky tone.

  Sucking in a breath, Diana growled, “Dammit, Meko, you’re the one who told me that sex and love are not the same thing, but for me that’s just not true. If I told you right now I wanted you, it would only be one, and not the other, and a marriage is not just sex. It has to be about both.”

  “Fine,” he sighed, tugging her to his side as he moved away from the wall and started walking them toward his rooms again. “Then, do you want to have sex with me?”

  Diana couldn’t hold back her laughter, hearing that. “I—I’d be lying if I said no,” she admitted.

  “That sounds like music to my ears,” Meko said as the double doors slid open and he walked the two of them inside. As the doors closed again, he did not hesitate to pull Diana more fully into his arms.

  This time when he kissed her, his tongue swept over her bottom lip, and she tentatively let him in, tasting him. He tasted almost as good as he smelled, which was really saying something. She was pretty sure she’d like to devour him in every conceivable manner, starting with that delectable tongue.

  Meko kept kissing her as he lifted her feet off the floor and carried her bodily into the bedroom, tossing her onto the bed before pouncing on top of her there. She gasped as he fitted his lower torso to hers, moving against her suggestively while his hands began to roam.

  Her hands shaking slightly, Diana reached up and ran them down the bulges of his biceps. She nervously jerked them back again when she discovered the softness of his skin when all she’d been expecting was hard muscle, but she quickly shook it off and tried again. It helped that he chose that exact moment to start running his thumbs gently over her erect nipples, both distracting her and somehow calming her at the same time.

  “Diana, don’t overthink this, okay?” Meko whispered against her lips. “You don’t think this sort of thing, you feel it.”

  “Sorry,” she said softly. “Sometimes it’s difficult for me to shut down my mind.”

  “Come here,” he said, flipping them around so that she was on top, straddling him. She gasped as he settled her more firmly in place, grasping her hips as he thrust upwards. “Now that you’re up there, you’ve got a much better view and a bit more control of the situation. Does that help?”

  “Maybe a little bit,” she shrugged. “I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

  “And we’re only kissing, kitar. This isn’t even the part you’re nervous about.”

  Diana giggled. He had a point, she supposed. “But I know it will be, though. And this whole sex thing is built up in my mind over a lot of years, you know?”

  Meko chuckled. “Again with the ‘sex thing’. It’s not a ‘thing’, it’s just sex. But if you’re doing it right, it can be quite nice.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Oh, yes,” he teased, flipping her underneath him again. “Quite satisfactory, really. But it usually requires a few less articles of clothing.”

  Having said this, Meko tugged his shirt off and tossed it aside. Diana curiously ran her fingers over his chest and his abs, comparing the sensation to her impression of his arms. He chuckled again at the look on her face, making her blush.

  “Is your curiosity appeased now?” he teased. “Or is there another patch of my anatomy you’re still waiting to examine too?”

  “Oh!” she gasped, going redder still. He hadn’t asked her that question idly, because he knew precisely what part of him she was still wondering about. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Meko. But you’re so cruel to tease me at a time like this.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” he agreed. “I should be undressing you instead.”

  Diana bit at her bottom lip as his hands slid to the hem of her t-shirt, and he yanked. He had the shirt and the bra off of her so fast she didn’t even blink, and it made her gasp as she gazed up into his handsome face.

  Playful, purple orbs danced as he looked her over, making her bared flesh tingle everywhere. Her breath came in short little gasps as he bent down again, reclaiming her lips for his own.

  TWELVE

  “Kitar, I have got to be the luckiest Andarian alive,” he murmured against her lips as his hands came up to massage her breasts. Grinning slyly, he scooted down and took one pert nipple into his mouth, making Diana gasp. Her hands flew up into the short crop of whitish gold hair on his head, fingers dancing through it as he continued what he was doing. A smile lit up her face as she threw her head backwards into the pillows, arching her body so he had better access to his meal.

  While he was tasting, Meko’s hands did not rest idly either. They slid down to her waist, then to her hips, then around to the button on her waistband, tugging it open. Diana’s hands flew down to tug at the strings tying his pants closed too, growling softly in frustration when one of them tried to make a knot. Meko chuckled as he yanked it free.

  “Dammit, even your clothing has a complex locking mechanism,” she complained, making him laugh outright.

  “Maybe we should just take our clothes off, then, if that’s going to be a problem,” he said suggestively. Then he put action to his words, pulling her pants free, and then removing his own. When he returned to the bed, he settled between her thighs once more, this t
ime rubbing against her flesh to flesh.

  “Oh, God, Meko! That’s—oh, wow!”

  “Did you get your answer?” he teased.

  “Not quite,” she said wickedly. “I think I’ll need to get a closer look.”

  Surprise lit up Meko’s face when Diana took the initiative to flip them so that he was on his back, and a pleased groan soon followed when she backed up, placing her face right at eye level with his cock as she ran her fingers over it, carefully examining the thing.

  “Hmm, I wonder if that thing is tasty?” he teased.

  “Well, since I’m on an exploratory mission anyway, maybe I should find out,” she commented dryly.

  “It would sure go a long way towards helping you become more familiar with me,” he added for good measure.

  Giggling, Diana said, “If you keep making me laugh, how am I supposed to try?”

  Meko laughed again. “Okay, agreed. We should stop laughing.”

  Diana sucked in a breath and tried to keep a straight face, but that only made them both laugh again. Rolling her eyes, she attacked anyway. The laughter died down fairly quickly once Meko started to moan. Pleased with his response from just a bit of licking, Diana decided to go for broke and try sticking the thing right down her throat. Not an easy task since the man was huge.

  When he came a minute later, she coughed and sputtered and glared at him. But then she realized it wasn’t his fault, since she hadn’t asked him to warn her. Maybe aliens didn’t have that rule either. She decided not to ask and just go with the flow. Because now that she’d done that, she was pretty sure he’d want to come inside another hole of hers next.

  Surprisingly, she was wrong. Meko caught her by the hips and tossed her back into the pillows, which was not surprising, but then he moved lower rather than covering her body with his own. Diana’s eyes widened as she watched his face going down. His look of anticipation had her hotter than ever, and when she felt the wetness of his tongue as he began to explore, she threw her hands over her mouth to hold back the loudest moan she’d ever made in her life.

  Meko chuckled, and reached up to capture her hands in one of his so she couldn’t hold back if she did it again. And then, of course, he made certain that she did. His tongued danced over her sensitive flesh in ways she had never imagined in her life. With no point of reference, she couldn’t even be sure which of the things he did to her were universal, and which were alien. But after about half a minute, she realized it didn’t even matter as long as he didn’t stop.

  She’d made herself come before, but it was like nothing compared to what he was doing to her now. He’d been teasing her about overthinking things, but he couldn’t possibly do so now because her thoughts shattered and scattered like they’d just floated down a rushing river straight over a waterfall and landed somewhere in the depths below. All she could see was her desire as Meko brought her to full flower.

  While she thrashed and gripped at the blanket underneath of them, Meko let go of her and tugged her body downward, drawing her head away from the headboard. She couldn’t figure out why until she realized the motion might push her upward and make her head hit it once he’d started. She blushed at the visual, but she had little more time to think about it before his lips were claiming hers again. She could taste herself on them.

  While he kissed her this time, one of his hands stayed between her thighs, working at her core. He slid two fingers inside of her, moving them up and down the way he would want to move his cock once he managed to get it in. She had no delusions that he’d do so smoothly and without pain, but she steeled herself to be ready for it.

  What he was doing felt really good. She almost wondered if he intended to make her come again. But his kisses deepened, keeping her distracted. He was still kissing her when he removed his hand and settled his pelvis against hers again. Every ounce of her being became focused on his cock as it rubbed, drawing the wetness out of her.

  When he pushed into her, it was quick and unexpected. He only got in about halfway, but on the next push he broke through her maidenhead, leaving her gasping with both pain and pleasure. She screwed shut her eyes as he paused, watching her.

  He didn’t start to move until she opened her eyes and looked at him. Then he smiled wickedly as he whispered, “Playtime at last.”

  She giggled nervously, and Meko wrapped her legs more fully around him, settling in even deeper than before. She moaned, long and low, as he pulled almost completely free before he slammed back in again. She decided the pleasure was quickly outlasting the pain as he did this several more times before setting a faster pace.

  “Meko!” Diana breathed, biting into his shoulder slightly as he hitched her legs so high they were practically resting on her chest. Her whole body was alive with sensations as he continued to move, the pace going faster and faster until suddenly, he stopped, paused, and slammed into her again. He slowly worked his way up to the fast pace, then stopped a second time.

  As he did it again, Diana was really hoping the third time would be the charm. Her body was on fire with tingles and shudders and little bouts of mini-orgasmic preludes, and then she suddenly let go, keening as she finally dove into oblivion. Meko’s movements became a bit less precise, and she felt his hot seed filling her to the brim.

  “Meko!” she breathed softly into his ear. “That sex was definitely a thing.”

  “Really?” he grinned, panting hard as he rolled off to one side.

  “Yeah, it was,” she told him. “The best thing ever.”

  “Well then, I stand corrected,” he answered softly as he pulled her into the curve of his arm. “That was good sex, to be sure. But just let me catch my breath a bit, and then I’ll show you what great sex is all about.”

  Diana stared at him is shocked surprise. She hadn’t expected him to want to do this more than once in the same night. She wondered if that was a universal thing too.

  “And since you’re so keen on experimenting, kitar, perhaps next time I’ll leave the driving up to you.”

  Remembering when he had set her on top of him earlier, Diana smiled. She’d liked the idea of being in control of the situation. Now she couldn’t wait to give it a try.

  THIRTEEN

  Michael King was really beginning to believe that Sim had tricked him. Ever since he’d been aboard the Sinkat war vessel, he had been completely confined to quarters, and it had been nearly a week since they’d left Earth already. Not to mention, the Sinkat idea of food left something to be desired. It was bland and boring, just like the single room that he’d been allocated. If he didn’t get out and about soon, he might just go space-crazy!

  “Please,” he said to the person who came with his food try for the fourth time in as many days. “Ambassador Qatrall? I must speak to him.”

  “Na karda,” the alien replied, which clearly meant something along the lines of either he didn’t know what Michael was saying, or that he wasn’t allowed to talk to him. In either case, it meant he was screwed. But if he was supposed to be a guest on the ship, there would have been no need for his food to be sent by a non-communicative person, any more than there would be a need for him to remain locked up in here. Clearly, if the way he was being treated was any indicator, Michael was not a guest, he was a prisoner.

  After what seemed like a very long time, Sim finally came to see Michael again. He tried to remain calm as the alien stepped into the room, but it was clear by the look on his face that he was not happy.

  “Greetings, Michael King,” said Sim with an affable smile. “I came to see how you are doing, and to let you know we have completed the first week of the journey. Of course, our technology is not quite as efficient as that of the Andarian vessel, so there was no possibility of overtaking them along the way.”

  Michael asked, “Why have I been kept in this room all week?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I must have failed to tell you,” he said with the same oily, annoying smile. “This is a Sinkat warship, and as such there are things a
board which a civilian might not understand and could easily misinterpret. Also, a military vessel is a highly top secret one, and anyone who knew the goings on or the internal configuration of it might be deemed a security risk. I’ve kept you isolated here to avoid any sort of discrepancies once we get to our destination. You would not wish for my people to detain you unduly, I trust?”

  “No, I suppose not,” Michael conceded. “Still, it would be nice if I could actually see outside my window at the very least.”

  “Sorry, but I cannot do that either,” he shrugged. “You must understand, it is highly irregular for me to have an unauthorized person on board at all. That is why I have kept you under such tight control. But do not fear, Michael. Once we have reached our system I will be able to bring you aboard a civilian vessel and we can continue our journey from there. Now, is there anything else I could help you with?”

  “I need—something to do,” he admitted.

  “Do?” Sim repeated, at a loss.

  “I am bored,” he explained. “Do you have a deck of cards? Or even a book—I haven’t touched one in years, but I think right about now I’d even try to read it.”

  “Oh, I see,” he smirked. “I will see what can be arranged.”

  “Thank you,” said Michael with a grateful sigh.

  *****

  By the time Diana and Meko fell asleep, most of their sleep cycle time had already elapsed, but neither one of them seemed to mind. It was waking up and starting the new work day that was more of a problem, but they even managed to deal with that with little to no complaint. After all, who could be grouchy after having enjoyed so much amazing sex? Diana thought she’d never be able to frown again.

  Alara found her wandering around the room in a happy daze, and she stopped to take her in. Grinning, she said, “Looks like Meko finally blew your mind.”