Gray Card

by Cassandra Chandler

  Adam sat on the bed. He couldn’t keep from staring at her, wondering what was next. He was always wondering that with her. He never knew what she would say or do. It was what made their time together so magical, part of why he loved her.

  How could he have not realized that? He loved her. Absolutely. And that was why giving up everything to be with her wouldn’t be a sacrifice at all. It was a necessity.

  Chapter Five

  To say the look on Adam’s face was intense would have been an extreme understatement. Evelyn tried to read his expression. Dark eyebrows furrowed, eyes practically glowing, jaw set. He was determined to do something. Hopefully her.

  She grinned at her joke. Not every pun needed to be shared with the world, but they all amused her. And with how intense the moment was becoming, she needed a little comic relief, even if it was only internal.

  Besides, she was about to drop her dress. After seeing Adam in all his glory, she couldn’t stop the small glimmer of self-doubt that was trying to become a full-on floodlight illuminating her defects.

  Among her geeky brethren, she had her pick of guys. Guys that never seemed to be able to keep her attention or connect on any level other than sci-fi trivia. Outside of that circle, she was at best a plain Jane. Adding in the very un-sexy décor of her bedroom and she started to feel a little vulnerable.

  Before she could do anything about it, he stood and pulled her up against him. His hands roved over her back, finding the zipper of her dress and finishing the job she had started.

  He kissed her with all the determination she’d read on his face. Firm, attentive, controlled. Not nearly as much fun as when he’d pinned her to the door, but at least she could breathe this time.

  He let her dress fall to the floor and lifted her out of it, then set her on the bed. He knelt in front of her and unfastened her sandals, helping her slide from them. He kept his gaze on her feet for long enough that Evelyn wondered if he either had a foot fetish or was trying to be polite and not wince at the sight of her mostly naked body.

  Then he started to move.

  He gently clasped her ankle with one large hand and cupped her calf with the other. He took a few deep breaths, and as she watched, his cock jerked. Moisture beaded on the tip.

  Maybe he was thinking of spreading her legs and just plowing into her. She wouldn’t mind, if she thought she could manage him. Hell, maybe she could at this point. She hadn’t been this worked up… Well, ever.

  His eyes widened as his gaze traveled up the length of her body. Apparently she wasn’t as repulsive as she feared. No way he could fake that look. He seemed to stall at her breasts. If he was disappointed, he didn’t give any sign. He just kept staring, his chest barely moving.

  “If you don’t breathe, you’re going to pass out,” she said.

  Adam smiled, finally looking into her eyes again. “Tell me what to do.”

  “Oh, right. That.” Now that the moment had come, she found herself feeling a little self-conscious. What did she want him to do? Hell, what didn’t she want him to do? “Touching is always good.”

  He slid both hands up the backs of her legs, pulling her closer to the edge of the bed, then rose on his knees to press a kiss against her stomach. “You smell like honey.”

  “That’s…new. I mean, something I’ve never been told.”

  “Can I kiss you here?” he asked, nuzzling her bellybutton. “Is it permitted?”

  “You can kiss me pretty much anywhere.”

  He dipped his head and pressed a kiss on her panties, right over her clit. She jumped.

  “Is that—?”

  “That is permitted,” she said. “Encouraged, even.”

  Instead of repeating the kiss, he lifted his hands to her shoulders, tracing her clavicles before letting his fingertips drift lower. Her breath hitched as he cupped her breasts and flicked his thumbs gently over her nipples.

  “Wow.” The word felt like a sigh.

  She wanted to close her eyes and lie back, let him explore her. But he’d asked for a guide, so she tried to stay at least a little focused. He still had that look of intense concentration about him.

  “Don’t strain yourself thinking too hard,” she said.

  As usual, he treated her joke as a serious statement.

  “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  Evelyn leaned forward and put her hands on either side of Adam’s face. “You couldn’t possibly disappoint me.”

  Something changed in his expression—in his entire demeanor. She felt an openness that hadn’t been there before. She couldn’t explain it. But then he was kissing her again and she didn’t want to bother trying.

  His tongue slid into her mouth, delving, exploring. At the same time, he pressed his hand between her legs. She moaned against his lips. He pushed her back onto the bed, hovering over her.

  “Tell me what to do so you can accommodate me.”

  Chapter Six

  “If you’ve never done this kind of thing before, you have great instincts,” Evelyn said.

  Instinct hardly factored into Adam’s thought-process. Already, he was planning. How best to bring her pleasure, to make her feel connected to him so that she would never want to leave him, even if she found out the secrets he kept from her. His instinct was to strategize—years of simulators, battle data, computer-enhanced probability telling him the best options to take.

  But the more he thought about what he was doing, the more removed he felt from the experience. She seemed to notice as well, slight hesitations in her movements telegraphing her thoughts.

  When he let himself sink into the feelings saturating his body, then she seemed to join him in abandon. Perhaps that was what gave him such an edge in battle. Maybe he did have some natural instinct left.

  He slid her panties down her legs, letting his fingers delight in the warmth of her skin, the softness of her thighs. Her body was decadently feminine, not like the ultra-toned Coalition women he’d had sex with who seemed to be made up entirely of angles.

  Pushing aside his thoughts, he let himself simply react to her—Evelyn, lying naked before him, propped up on her elbows with her legs dangling over the side of the bed. One eyebrow was arched over her glasses as if she was wondering what he might do next.

  He knelt in front of her, then grabbed her knees and pulled her closer to the edge of the bed. Without waiting for her to say anything, he spread her thighs, hooking her knees on his shoulders, and pressed a kiss to her pussy.

  Another sharp intake of breath encouraged him. Parting the soft folds of her flesh gently, he ran his fingertips over her glistening skin. Her hair was neatly trimmed, giving him a beautiful view of where he longed to be.

  Back on his ship—or any Coalition world—they would each inhale a dose of Coupling a few minutes before commencing intercourse. He would only need to fall atop her and they would both climax within moments—whether penetration was achieved or not. The chemicals did all the work for them. But now he knew Coupling also dulled the senses, robbing them of the ability to truly feel each other.

  The vast majority of Coalition citizens wouldn’t care, preferring to use Coupling alone. For those like Adam who sought out a partner, the mix of chemicals not only did the work of preparing their bodies for joining, it had the added benefit of suspending their fertility.

  Fertility… His body stiffened in an entirely different sense at the thought.

  The Coalition geneticists were arrogant, but they weren’t fools. They didn’t sterilize the people they designed. And Adam didn’t know what sort of contraceptive measures were available on Earth.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Are you suspending your fertility?”

  “If by that you mean, ‘Are you on the pill?’ then yes. I guess that brings up another important point—I’m not that active and have been tested recently
for…unpleasantness. I’m all good. You?”

  “I was rigorously tested before coming here to be sure I wasn’t carrying anything harmful.”

  “Awesome. Well, now that we have that out of the way…”

  Reassured, he said, “Lay back.”

  She smiled and did as he asked, letting him resume his attentions. Her body needed to be prepared for him naturally. Perhaps it would be best to start smaller.

  He pressed a kiss to her clitoris as he slowly slid his finger into her pussy, amazed at the different textures, the sensation of her body inviting him in. He had never touched a woman this intimately before with his hands. He flicked his tongue over her clitoris, as she had his cock, delighted when she arched her back and cried out.

  Instincts, indeed. He continued with his mouth as he moved his finger within her, gentle thrusts mimicking what they would soon be doing.

  “More. Adam, more.”

  She couldn’t be ready for him yet. He slid another finger into her, never pausing in his movements.

  “Oh God, yes!”

  His cock was so hard. It throbbed with need, longing to fill her. But he wanted her to enjoy their coupling as much as he was certain to. A third finger joined the others, her body clenching them tight.

  “Wait, wait! Stop!”

  Adam quickly pulled back, wondering if he’d hurt her or offended her somehow. She was panting, one hand on her forehead.

  “That’s enough. I’m ready.”

  Those were the most beautiful words he’d ever heard. He didn’t trust himself to speak, to think, to do anything except let himself fall atop her, his cock finding its perfect place immediately.

  Soft. Hot. Wet.

  He wanted to go slowly, but once he touched himself to her, it was over. He buried himself deep, crying out from the intense sensations scattering through him. His body was a live conduit, sparking from the overload to his senses.

  After being so close to her while pleasuring her, subtleties that had been lost on him before became evident. The pull of her flesh against his, the tightening of her pussy keeping pace with his thrusts. The heat, Moons, the heat.

  He wanted to be deeper, he wanted to feel more, to give her more. Gripping her thighs, he pulled her legs up to rest on the bed, holding them in place against his arms. The angle gave him more—just a little more—but he would take whatever he could get, whatever she would give him.

  She gripped his neck, holding on as he rocked her against the bed. Her eyes were clenched shut, mouth open as she gasped for breath.

  “Adam… Adam!”

  Her back arched, head thrashing as her hips bucked against his. He kept going, pumping into her, barely controlling himself as he felt her body coil around his, the rhythmic contractions pulling on him, urging him to give in to his own climax.

  He held himself back—barely. He wanted this to be hers, this pleasure. He wanted to be rock hard to pull every drop of ecstasy from her orgasm.

  When she finally relaxed, falling back on the bed, he slowed his movements, but didn’t stop. She seemed to have melted against the sheets, a soft smile on her lips as her chest rose and fell with each quick breath.

  “That was amazing. I think I might have passed out a little.” She opened those rich brown eyes and smiled at him. “And…you’re still going.”

  “I wanted to be sure you enjoyed yourself.”

  “Mission accomplished. But what do we do about you?”

  Adam wasn’t sure. He was enjoying the feelings cascading through his body so much, he didn’t want them to end. Then again, the promise of ecstasy she offered was too tempting to resist.

  Evelyn ran her fingernails down his chest, leaving lines of fire along his nerve-endings. “What would you like? I’m open to pretty much anything.”

  He started to think, but stopped himself. Thinking was bad. Feeling was good. At least now, during this. He pulled himself from her, smirking at the furrow in her brow and the slight pout on her lips. Then he grabbed her hips and flipped her onto her stomach.

  She let out a gasp, but then giggled. He smiled as well. Pleasure aside, he had never known sex could be so much…fun. But then his gaze locked on the gorgeous fullness of her ass. Wide hips, soft thighs, glistening center. He grabbed her hips and pulled her up so she was leaning on the bed, then gripped his cock and centered it at her pussy again.

  With everything they’d just done, her body welcomed him without hesitation. He held onto her hips and drove himself into her—deep, so deep. Over and over again, faster and faster. He could hear her panting breaths over the sound of their bodies slapping together from the force of his thrusts. Primal, so primal. No room left for thought.

  Adam’s climax lit like a fuse from where they were joined. The flame traveled up his body, through his chest, down his legs and arms, consuming his mind, his memory of anything before her, before this. He screamed with the pureness of it, as all that he had been before was burned away. Every muscle in his body flexed as he felt himself ejaculate in her, the knowledge of that intimacy pushing him even higher.

  And then she came again.

  Her pussy clenched around his cock, milking him, dilating time until that one perfect orgasm was his entire existence. He couldn’t stop himself, keep his body from rocking against her, burying himself deep, holding her hips to his as tightly as possible. Still thrumming, chest heaving for breath, he collapsed on top of her on the bed.

  She was his. She would always be his. His body still wanted to move within her, on top of her, but he was too relaxed—more than he had ever been.

  He didn’t know how much time passed before she said, “Um, getting a little difficult to breathe down here.”

  “My apologies.”

  She laughed as he rolled over onto his back, which reassured him that she was all right. Evelyn propped herself up on her elbows and grinned at him, her full lips pulled in a devastating smile. Her face was still flushed, eyes bright, hair a glorious halo of gold around her soft features.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said.

  “Eh, you probably say that to all the women who let you fuck them senseless.”

  He laughed again, deeper and longer than he ever had. His chest felt spacious, like shackles that he hadn’t known he wore had been cast off.

  He felt infinite.

  This couldn’t end. Ever. He stood and helped her to sit up, then knelt in front of her again.

  “Ooo, are we doing more of that? Because I liked that.”

  “Soon.” Adam took one of her hands in both of his. He couldn’t stop smiling. “I’m not going to marry you because I want to stay here. I’m not going to marry you because of what just happened, even though it was truly the most amazing experience of my life.”

  One corner of her lips pulled into a knowing smirk. “But you are going to marry me.”

  “Yes. Because I love you.”

  Chapter Seven

  Had she just heard him correctly? Love?

  Evelyn’s heart was too small to hold all the emotions she was feeling. It seemed to split in two. One half pounded frantically in her chest and the other lodged itself soundly in her throat.

  “Marry me,” he said.

  Adam’s smile was gentle, even though what they had just done really kind of wasn’t. She’d suspected he would be passionate in bed if she could convince him to let go of some of that self-control, but… Wait, what did he just say?

  “Evelyn. Marry me.”

  Her brain didn’t seem to be working, but luckily her mouth was doing fine. “Okay.”

  His smile brightened and he rose up on his knees to kiss her again, hands cradling her face. The kiss was gentle and slow, as if they had all the time in the world. Maybe now they actually did.

  “I have to go.”

  She shook her head to clear it. That didn’t seem
right. “Great. Because that’s what every woman wants to hear after a declaration of love, mind blowing sex and a proposal.”

  “I only have two and a half days left. If I don’t get everything in order, I’ll have to leave no matter what.”

  “Well then, why are you kneeling naked in my bedroom? Go!”

  She waved her hands at him to shoo him on his way, but he caught her by her wrists, then pulled her against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. She laughed as she fell into him, still exhilarated from everything that had happened.

  He kissed her again, one of those mind-numbing, earth-shattering kisses. She could feel his erection poking her thigh and wondered if she might be able to convince him to stay a little bit longer.

  “Are you sure you don’t have another fifteen minutes? I can teach you about this thing we call a quickie.”

  Adam chuckled deep in his chest. He nuzzled her neck and said, “You make it sound tempting, but I really do need to go. There’s much to do to make sure everything is in order.”

  “Far be it from me to disagree with my fiancé.” She still couldn’t believe it. Fiancé? Was she really engaged?

  “I hope you do keep disagreeing with me. And making me laugh and surprising me at every turn.”

  “I’ll do my best, but it might be hard to keep that up.” She giggled. “Get it?”

  “I’ll punish you for that later.”

  She couldn’t believe he’d made such a terrible joke. Sure, she usually earned a laugh when she made them, but the fact that he’d loosened up enough to make bad jokes of his own…

  Evelyn threw herself back on her bed, covering her face with her hands. “Oh my God, you’re perfect.”

  “The student becomes the master. You did teach me all about puns.”

  She laughed, then rolled off her bed and headed for her dresser. Adam had already managed to get dressed and was tying his boots.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting dressed.” She pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed her favorite T-shirt—a 50s style flying saucer hovering over the words, I believe. With the shirt halfway over her head, she said, “I don’t know if you picked up on this over the last couple of months, but I don’t usually sit around my apartment naked.”