by Laurie Roma
Over the years, Alexis and Serra had become Skylar’s family. They made an interesting group. Skylar was the courageous one and Serra was obviously the brains, while Alexis balanced them out. They’d been through a lot together over the years. No one knew how to fuck with someone’s mind better than family, and that is exactly what they had done.
Serra and Alexis had practically dared her to go after what she wanted, and was that so bad? No, she admitted, it wasn’t. It wasn’t that they had said anything that Skylar hadn’t already known. She had a tendency to drag her feet when it came to change, and could see that was exactly what she’d been doing now that she’d been forced to re-evaluate the situation. But shit was going to change regardless of whether she wanted it to or not, and she damn well wasn’t going back down from a challenge.
Not when it was something she really wanted.
The Regents may have given her an ultimatum, but Skylar was going to be the one to make the choice for her own future. It had been a shock when Xavier had offered to grant her sanctuary, but it had also been freeing. Having an option helped put things in perspective for her. She had already admitted to herself that she wanted Dom and Arik, and thinking about leaving them had twisted her up inside. No matter how exciting it would be to travel the universe with the Dragon Warriors, she now knew without a doubt she couldn’t leave Dom or Arik.
Damn it, she just couldn’t do it, because...
Skylar stopped pacing the living room of her quarters so abruptly it was as if she slammed into a brick wall.
Well...hell.
She loved them.
Now, she just had to figure out what to do about it.
Skylar had always prided herself on being independent, someone who didn’t need anyone. It was jarring to realize that she had come to depend on Arik’s calming presence in her life. And even though Dom drove her crazy half the time, she knew that having him watch her back had allowed her to be who she really was.
There were still things she was worried about, but if they were willing to put aside their differences to be with her, how could she not meet them halfway? She didn’t know how to be in a relationship, not really. Being in love wasn’t something she’d ever experienced before. Sure, she loved her friends, but that was different. What she felt for Dom and Arik was something more...but if she sucked at it, they would just have to deal.
She looked at her data unit and muttered a curse. She’d spent too much time brooding and now she’d have to hurry to get ready if she didn’t want to be late for her dinner with Dom. Stomping into her bedroom, she tore open the door to her closet to look at her clothes. She frowned at the uniforms hanging from the poll. This was a date. She shouldn’t wear her uniform to dinner, right? Maybe she should wear a dress...not that she’d brought a dress or anything that could be classified as date-wear with her on this mission.
Disgusted with herself, she yanked a plain black shirt off a hanger and a pair of black pants. She took a quick shower, then stalled again when she realized she hadn’t brought any makeup or face enhancements with her either. Fuck it, she thought to herself. Being a girl seriously sucked sometimes. Dom was just going to have to take her as she was.
And if he complained, she would just have to kill him.
Fifteen minutes later, she stood outside of Dom’s door and was disgusted when she realized that her hand was shaking slightly as she raised it.
Man up, Sky...
Forcing herself to knock, she impatiently waited for him to answer the door. It was ridiculous to feel so nervous about seeing him again. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him every day for the last few months, but now things were different.
Very different.
When the door finally slid open, Dom stood framed in the doorway. He looked like a dark god, so handsome he didn’t seem real. His midnight black hair was tussled as if he had been running his hands through it repeatedly, and his dark eyes had an intensity in them that made her breath catch in her throat.
Dressed in similar black lounge pants and a casual black shirt, his casual apparel did nothing to mask the masculine beauty of his body. It didn’t matter what he was wearing, Skylar always noticed it. But now that she had owned up to her feeling for him, it just made it worse.
Stars, she wanted him.
Skylar’s heart pounded in her chest as their eyes met and locked, and she wondered what he would do if she just jumped him right there in the doorway and ripped off his clothes. Just thinking about it had her growing wet, her body preparing for him. Electricity seemed to sizzle in the air between them, making her clench her hands into fists to stop the surge of energy she could feel building inside of her.
“Come in.”
The commanding tone of his voice usually irritated her, but at the moment she couldn’t think of a snarky remark like she would have normally made in response to his demand. Instead, she stepped inside his quarters, letting her body brush his as she did. She was rewarded when he sucked in a harsh breath at the contact, and felt some of her nerves settle.
Skylar ignored the sound of the door sliding shut behind her as she looked around the room, giving herself a few moments to compose herself. His quarters were identical to hers, with a comfortable living room area, small kitchen area and one bedroom attached through an open doorway.
“Can I get you something to drink? I have a whiskey...the good stuff. Or I have wine. Maybe we should have wine since we’re eating.”
Skylar turned at the baffled irritation in his voice and took a good look at him, realizing with no small amount of shock that he was just as nervous as she was. Seeing it made the rest of her nerves fade away, and she smiled at him. “We aren’t really wine people. If you say you have the good stuff, let’s stick with the whiskey.”
Dom let out a relieved sigh. Damn it, this dating shit was harder than it looked.
After the mission brief that morning he had rushed through several conference calls and updates so he would have enough time to plan the perfect evening to spend with Skylar. After fucking up the invitation that morning when he had pretty much ordered her to have dinner with him, he wanted to plan the perfect meal for them.
The trouble was, he had no clue how the hell to do that.
He gestured to the small square table that was set up for dinner, and pulled out one of the chairs. “You must be hungry. Have a seat and I’ll go get the drinks.”
The back of Skylar’s knees hit the chair as he shoved the chair forward, giving her no choice but to sit. He cursed himself for his stupidity as he walked back toward the kitchen area where he’d left the bottle of scotch. Pouring the amber liquid into two tumblers, he told himself to calm the fuck down and stop acting like he’d never entertained a woman before.
Only, he hadn’t. Not like this.
Arik had spoken to him last night after he had left Skylar in the kitchen, but he hadn’t done it to brag. No, the D’Aire male had made it clear that they had fucked up waiting for her. Dom wasn’t a man who knew anything about romance. He’d always made sure that the women he slept with in the past knew there wouldn’t be anything more than physical release between them, but Skylar was different.
He hadn’t been with anyone since he had met her, knowing that no other woman would be able to sate the hunger he had for Skylar alone. It had been a struggle to try to be patient, to let her realize what they could have together and come to him, but he had been arrogant in assuming she would. It made sense after Arik had pointed it out, and Dom could have kicked himself for not putting more effort in winning her heart. All this time he should have been showing her how much she meant to him...and starting now he would.
Dom carried the drinks back to the table and handed one to Skylar. He set his own glass down then took his seat adjacent to her.
“Shit, the food!”
He stood up and hurried back to the kitchen food console unit to grab the special meal he had asked the ship’s chef to prepare, then carried two plates covered with metal domes ba
ck to the table before sitting back down.
Skylar forced down a laugh as she watched Dom awkwardly serve her their meal. Somehow, it calmed her to see that he was as nervous about dinner as she was. It also told her that he wasn’t used to making this type of gesture, which made it mean more to her. Raising her glass, she smiled at him. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner. What should we toast to?”
“Us.”
Dom’s dark eyes were serious as he stared back at her, and all she could do was nod as they tapped their glasses. She hummed in appreciation as she took a sip of the scotch, then set the glass back down on the table. Dom lifted the covers off the plates, and her eyes went wide with surprise. “Oh, wow!”
He smiled for the first time since she arrived. “Since you have the appetite of a teenager, I thought burgers and fries would please you.”
“It does.” Skylar took a bite of one of the fries and groaned. “Truffle fries. My favorite.”
“I know. The chef wasn’t too happy with me since he claims burgers were beneath his culinary talents.”
She shot him a sly look. “But you convinced him anyways.”
His dark eyes gleamed with amusement. “Did you have any doubt?”
“Of course not,” she said with a laugh. Relieved that the atmosphere was less uncomfortable, Skylar took a bite of her burger, watching as Dom did the same. They began to eat and Skylar searched for a way to start the conversation she wanted to have with him, but couldn’t seem to figure out a way to bring it up. Her nerves returned with a vengeance as they continued eating. The silence between them wasn’t natural, and it made her tense up again. Finally, she’d had enough. “This is stupid.”
“What?”
“This. Us. We’re acting weird.” Frowning, she waved a fry in the air. “Things are just...and then the thing happened and now everything is weird.”
After a moment, Dom said, “I have absolutely no clue what you are trying to say.”
She dropped the fry and picked up her glass, draining the contents with one gulp. “I’m saying we have things to talk about. We kissed and then things happened with me and Arik—”
“We don’t have to talk about that,” Dom said with a scowl. “I already know what happened between you and Arik.”
“But we do have to talk about it. That’s the point, isn’t it? We have to talk about all this stuff if we’re going to move forward.”
“Are we?” Dom asked quietly. “Are we going to move forward, Sky?”
“We are,” she confirmed with a firm nod. “The last few days have been...”
“Weird?” Dom offered with a slight smirk.
She glared back at him. “Yes. Damn it, it has been weird. And I don’t want it to be.”
He leaned back in his chair. “It doesn’t have to. We’ve known each other for months, Sky. You’ve never been uncomfortable with me before.”
“But things have changed now, and it’s not the same. Everything is different. You know me. I’m not indecisive, but hell, I’m starting to annoy myself with all this convoluted bullshit.”
“Well, that makes two of us.”
“You are not funny,” she growled.
“I wasn’t trying to be.” Dom picked up his glass and drained it before slamming it back on the table. “You obviously have something you want to say, so just say it. You’ve never held back before, even when I’ve wanted you to, so why start now?”
“Fine.” Skylar took a deep breath. “I want to be with you, but I don’t want you to claim me...yet.”
There was a long pause as Dom stared at her. When he finally spoke, his voice was harsh with fury. “That’s pretty fucked up, Sky.”
“Listen—”
“No, you listen,” he snapped. “I know this hasn’t been the easiest situation for you, but this hasn’t exactly been fucking easy for me either. I want you, I think I’ve made that clear. And when I say that, I mean I want you to belong to me. I’m a pretty possessive bastard, so knowing I have to share you with Arik is like a knife to the gut. But I’ll deal with it because I have to. I know if I don’t, I’d be hurting both of you. What I don’t have to like is knowing that you’re going to have a connection with him that I won’t have with you. But telling me you won’t let me claim you is just bullshit at this point. Actually, it’s like saying fuck you to me.”
Skylar winced. She hadn’t thought of that, and she should have. Now that she had come to terms with her feelings for him, if their positions were reversed, she would have hated having to share Dom with someone else. But knowing that other person had a part of him she couldn’t have, it would kill her. “I’m sorry this is so hard for you, Dom. I’m not saying I don’t want you to claim me.”
“It sure as fuck sounds like it to me!”
“I’m not saying that. Not at all.”
“Then what the hell are you trying to say?” Dom snarled.
She hesitated, knowing it was time to lay it all on the line. If they were going to have a chance together, she was going to have to be totally honest with him. “I do want you to claim me...but, I’m asking you to wait until after I get my memories back.”
Dom’s mouth opened then shut again. Outrage filled his voice when he asked, “You’re...are you trying to protect me?”
“I’m just saying I think we should wait.”
“Why the hell...” His voice trailed off, then he shot to his feet and leaned over so his angry visage was in her face. His hands gripping the sides of the table so hard his knuckles turned white. “You think I won’t want you anymore once we find out about your past? Do you know how fucking insulting that is?”
Skylar shot to her feet so she could meet his glare with her own. “Deal with it! If I’m going to belong to you, then that means you’ll belong to me, too! I have every right to protect you—”
“Protect me from what, damn it?”
“From me!” she yelled. “If we wait for you to claim me, you won’t be tied to me if there is something in my past that you don’t like.”
“Son of a bitch! You’re lucky I don’t put you over for my knee for that.”
“Just try it and I will put you on your ass!” Skylar growled in frustration. “Dom, I’m not saying this to piss you off—”
“Well, you are anyways.”
“Will you at least try to be reasonable? I don’t want you to regret claiming me. Do you know how that would make me feel if you changed your mind? I know you, Dom. You’d stick it out even if it meant you were miserable, because you gave your word. We don’t know where I come from and it could mean—”
“Oh, I’ll tell you what it means. It means you need to shut the hell up.”
Dom released the table, reaching out to grip the back of her neck. He jerked her toward him so he could slam his mouth down on hers. Still holding on to her, he used his other arm to swipe the dishes off the table, then lifted her so she was sitting in front of him. He pushed his body between her thighs, and took her mouth in a brutal kiss, his tongue delving deep to claim hers.
Skylar moaned as she poured everything she felt for him into the kiss. Their tongues mated together in a hot, wet tangle, and her pussy wept with her need for him. She’d tried to give him an out, but it was a warning he obviously didn’t want. The last of her worry faded as she felt the hard length of his erection press against her core.
He might be pissed, but he still wanted her.
She could live with that.
Skylar began pulling up his shirt, wanting to feel his naked skin against her own. He levered back, jerking his shirt up and over his head, exposing the muscular expanse of his chest. Her gaze drifted over him as he tossed the shirt on the floor. She reached up to stroke her hands over the dark hair dusting his golden skin on his chest, then followed the trail down to his hard abs.
Dom reached down and gripped her hands, stopping her from going any further. His hands flexed as he struggled for control. “There is no going back.”
“No, there isn’t,�
� she agreed.
Dom swore softly before sealing his lips over hers again. Kissing her was a need as essential as breathing to him. Son of a bitch, he wanted to shake the hell out of her. Change his mind about being with her? Nothing in her past would ever change how he felt about her...nothing. He loved the woman she was, and they would handle whatever was haunting her, together.
His heart thundered in his chest, blood roaring straight down to his cock, making him swell with the need to fuck her. Shoving closer, he pressed his arousal against her, grinding hard so that the pressure of it tortured them both. He went mad as she pushed her body against his, rubbing her breasts erotically against his bare chest.
Stars, he wanted to devour her.
He couldn’t stand the barrier of clothing between then any longer, and gripped her shirt with his hands, pulling it off her with one quick movement. He hated loosing the connection of having his mouth on hers, but seeing the utter perfection of her naked breasts made it worth it.
“Holy nova...you’re perfect.”
He cupped her breasts with his large hands, stroking his thumbs over her hard nipples as he kissed her again, wanting, needing the taste of her. His body burned for her, his cock throbbing with the need to take her, to fill her with every inch of him. He let out a low growl as she sucked on his tongue, and he imagined what it would feel like for her to suck on his cock with her hot, little mouth.
Thrusting his hips against her, he rubbed his hard cock against the damp apex between her thighs. Even with their pants between them he could feel the heat of her pussy, and knew he wouldn’t be able to wait much longer to take her. Without breaking the kiss, he reached down to grab the waistband of her pants. Skylar helped by lifting her hips, her arms winding around his neck to keep him close as he jerked the material down her legs.
