“You can’t just bury yourself in your work and expect to be happy without ever taking a break to really bond with anyone.”
She looked away, but he reached for her again. This time, he caught her chin in his hand and gently urged her to look at him.
Ignoring the warmth that rippled through her at his touch, the pleasure humming along her nerves, she said, “My work is important.”
“So is this.”
Chapter Twelve
Rin couldn’t believe what he was doing, but the pull toward Lily beckoned like the gravity of a neutron star. He leaned forward, brushing her lips lightly with his.
Before he could do more, she closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body against his. Those soft, warm lips caught his in a kiss that sent streams of energy coursing through his body.
Her tongue traced his mouth. He opened himself to her with a moan that echoed through his chest. She stroked him hungrily, igniting a need in him to be closer, to hold her tighter, to explore as much of her as he could.
He grabbed her ass, lifting her from the ground. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, he explored her mouth with his kiss, taking the lead in their passionate sparring.
The bed was close. He carried her to it and lowered her to the sand colored sheets.
His dick pressed against her core. They were wearing too many clothes.
He knelt between her legs, parting from her for just long enough to tear his shirt over his head and toss it on the floor. She took the opportunity to do the same.
Her breasts were bared to him, small and perfect. He leaned back down, taking one tight brown peak between his lips.
“Rin.” She gasped his name, her fingers burrowing through his hair.
How could hearing her say his name hit his system like a shock cannon?
His nerves were electrified, his skin covered in goosebumps. He undid the fasteners for her shorts, loosening them enough that he could push them down, then cast them away.
Seeing her naked before him, feeling her skin, tasting her… He couldn’t seem to find words.
He leaned forward and kissed her stomach, her hip, working his way to the soft patch of curls that invited his attention. Pushing her legs apart, he brought his lips to her clit, drawing on all of the knowledge he’d gained studying Earthlings before his assignment.
She gasped. “I’m not…usually…like this,” she managed, between deep, panting breaths.
He paused just long enough to say, “Neither am I.”
He ran one of his fingers down her slit, wetting it before plunging it deep inside her. Her back arched, and she grabbed fistfuls of the sheets.
Her pussy was tight. So tight. When he buried his dick in her, it would be heaven. He just had to make sure it was heaven for her, too.
Another finger joined the first, and he pressed his lips to her clit again. She writhed on the bed, hips gyrating against him as he matched her movements with his hand.
“Oh God,” she said.
He increased the pressure with his lips, spread his fingers to stretch her, quickened the pace of his strokes. His dick was throbbing, chafing against the constraint of his cargo shorts.
“Rin!”
He felt her pulse around him as she screamed his name, her hips thrashing. A fierce emotion flooded through him as he drew out her climax, his fingers continuing to move in her, his lips tight on her clit.
She sank back into the mattress and he finally slowed his pace.
He had never done anything like that before. Never experienced such closeness. He was a little bit in awe that he could bring another person such pleasure with nothing but himself.
And not just anyone.
He had shared a moment unlike any other in his life with the kindest, most generous, and confident human he’d encountered on Earth. He had shared that connection with Lily.
He stood and took a step back from the bed. His hands were shaking.
She looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. Is this what it had felt like for the others? Was this the reason so many of his colleagues had pair-bonded so quickly?
“I want…” His voice trailed off. Too many things ran through his mind. Scenarios that he would most likely never get to experience.
And the siren call of what was right in front of him.
He wanted to throw himself on her, to bury himself in her. He’d never wanted anything more.
Lily scooted to the end of the bed and reached out to hook her fingers in his waistband and pull him closer. “I ‘want’, too.”
She undid his shorts, holding his gaze the entire time. Her cheeks were flushed, as was the skin of her neck and chest. There were marks where he’d kissed her. Had he really left them?
Cool air hit his dick as she pulled down his cargo shorts and boxer briefs at the same time. He stepped out of them just before she wrapped her hand around his shaft.
His lungs stopped working. He couldn’t make his chest move to pull in air. All he could do was stand there as his muscles tightened, his entire focus of existence centering on her hand touching him.
She tightened her grip, stroking the length of him, then ran her thumb over the tip of his crown, collecting the bead of moisture that had gathered there.
“I can’t resist you,” she murmured.
“Mutual,” was all he could manage.
She grinned up at him, perhaps the first complete smile he’d seen from her. His heart pounded. At least he could manage quick shallow breaths. He was going to hyperventilate at this rate.
“Cyan said you’ve all been checked to be sure you’re not carrying harmful pathogens,” Lily said.
Rin nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m on birth control,” she said. “And I’ve also been recently cleared of having Earth pathogens.”
“Does that mean you want to—”
“I really, really want to.”
The breath pent up in his chest rushed out. He was about to push her back on the bed and drive himself into her, but she had other ideas. She slid to her knees in front of him. Before he could speculate about what she was doing, she wrapped her lips around his crown.
“Fuck.” A torrent of sensation crashed along his nerves, flooding his body with pleasure.
She looked up at him with a smirk. “Soon.”
Her lips wrapped around him again, tighter. She flicked her tongue along the length of his shaft as she took him deeper into her mouth.
A throbbing began in his dick. Heat and tingling energy building deep in his abdomen.
“Lily,” he warned.
She pulled away from him and stood, turning him so that his back was toward the bed, then she pushed on his shoulders. He let himself fall.
Lily crawled along with him as he shifted up closer to the pillows, her hands and knees on either side of his body. As soon as he’d settled, she returned her attention to his dick, gripping it in her hand and swirling its tip with her tongue.
He tried to think about scan readouts, star maps, anything but the steady pulse of pleasure beating through his nerves in time with his pounding heart. Finally, she released him, kissing a path up his abdomen. His breath eased a bit at the gentler sensations that brought on, until she brought her hips down against his, pressing his dick into her slit.
“You’re sure you want—” His words turned to a grunt as she slid her labia along his length.
Wet. Warmth. And then he was poised at her core.
“Yes.” Her voice became tentative, as she asked, “Are you?”
“I’ve never wanted anything more. Or anyone.”
Her eyes widened as if she was surprised.
“I mean it.” He gripped her hips, and slowly guided her down over his shaft.
She leaned back on her knees, straddling him, letting him sink in deep. If they’d gone faster, he would have climaxed immediately. Instead, he was able to s
avor the sensation, feel her parting for him, her pussy so tight around him.
She rested her hands on his stomach as her eyes rolled shut briefly. Then she smiled at him and said, “Mutual.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lily was having sex with an alien. An alien she had just met.
That should bother her, but it didn’t. It was hard for anything to bother her as she paused for a moment to let her body acclimate to him.
Rin, inside her. Filling her.
After the last orgasm, her nerves were poised for more. Every little movement sent tendrils of pleasure curling out through her limbs.
He had his hands on her hips still—those gorgeous hands. He massaged her hips, the movement both relaxing and stimulating, as it caused subtle shifts in where they were joined.
He wasn’t rushing her. He wasn’t ignoring her as he chased his own pleasure.
Being with Rin… Everything about it felt right.
Except he was an alien. She doubted he’d be staying on Earth forever. She’d thought that was a good thing when she decided to “be spontaneous”. Now, she wasn’t sure.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“What? Oh, yeah.” She let out a small laugh. “I overthink things even at the worst times.”
Like in the middle of what had started off as incredibly hot sex.
“Don’t think,” he said. He shifted his hips up, pressing into her more deeply. “Feel.”
She nodded, shoving away all the thoughts of complications and plans and worry about the future. Working together, they were going to help an entire species. And in the meantime, they could enjoy this moment, however long it lasted.
She lifted herself up onto her knees, sliding along his shaft. As she let herself sink back down, he groaned, his eyes squeezing shut. He seemed to be savoring everything as much as she was.
“Thank you,” he said.
She laughed again. She couldn’t actually remember ever laughing before during sex. The movement sent delicious tendrils of pleasure unfurling through her belly.
“For what?” she asked.
“For going slow. I want this to last.”
“We have a couple of hours,” she said, lifting herself back up, feeling every inch of him. “We can always do it again.”
His eyes snapped open. “Again?”
Lily half-shrugged as she lowered herself, taking him in deep. She licked her lips, imagining scenarios that were so much better than the plans and budgets that normally filled her mind.
“And maybe again-again,” she said.
They could shower together. She could take him in her mouth—share that experience. They could do all sorts of things.
Rin seemed to consider her words. “Then maybe we don’t need to hold back.”
Her heart was already pounding. It seemed to kick into even higher gear at his words.
“I’d rather you didn’t,” she said. Her core clenched around him. He was stretching her so much.
“Lily…”
He sat up, running his hands along her back, then claimed her mouth again. He rolled them over, his weight pressing her into the bed. Grabbing her thigh, he pulled her leg up until it wrapped around his ass, pushing his dick even deeper.
She gasped as he thrust his hips, harder and faster. He moved his mouth to her neck. His teeth grazed her skin with a tantalizing pressure that sent goosebumps streaking over her body.
His chest moved against hers, his soft hair teasing her nipples. It was as if he didn’t want any space between them. Pressure built deep in her belly, her core tightened around him, making each stroke resonate through her.
She brought her arms up along his sides, raked her nails down his spine, then squeezed his ass. He groaned, increasing his pace, rocking against her so hard the bed shook.
Fireworks started to erupt deep within her, a chain reaction that set her senses on fire. She cried out his name, just as she felt his dick start to pulse.
He kept on pounding into her, spilling himself, drawing out her orgasm just as he’d done before. Finally, he slowed, then stopped, his dick buried deep. Her pussy was still throbbing, echoing the pulse of his shaft. She had never felt so deliciously satisfied.
His breath fanned her neck as he rested for a moment. He pressed his hips against hers more firmly, kissing his way back to her mouth.
Lily hadn’t thought her senses could take more, but when he slid his tongue into her mouth—languidly thrusting, tasting, teasing—she felt more electric tingles spread from where they were joined. Finally, he lifted himself on his elbows and stared down at her.
“So…” he said. “Again?”
She burst out laughing.
Hours later, after the most amazing shower ever, Lily drove them back toward Nana’s house, her truck filled with bags of gluten. Julian had worked with Nana long enough to know when to not ask questions. He just smiled and shook his head after helping them load everything.
Rin glanced at his watch, then said, “The Antareans’ ship is a little ways past Nana’s house. That’s where they’re waiting for us.”
“Okay.”
Their ship. As in spaceship.
Lily’s stomach did flips at the thought. She was about to see a real-life alien spaceship. Heck, she was making a delivery to it.
If she had her way, this would be the first of many similar occasions.
She wasn’t sure how she could get in touch with aliens that she could help, though. From what Rin had told her about the Coalition, there had to be more people out there in dire need.
Maybe I could ask him to help me. Maybe somehow he could stay.
The thought was tempting. Rin didn’t try to hide how unhappy he was with the Coalition. And he seemed to be happy with her. He made her happy.
But how could they be together when he was a soldier in an alien space fleet?
“This is the turn,” Rin said.
He pointed to a small road that veered off from the packed sand street they’d been driving down. She managed to navigate the turn, praying that her wheels wouldn’t get stuck in the softer sand of the side road. Branches scraped along her truck as they bounced over the uneven terrain. They weren’t very far from Nana’s house.
“Well, this is fun.” Rin was grinning when she glanced at him.
“You and I have very different ideas of fun.”
He leaned over and kissed the side of her neck. “I don’t know about that.”
She could feel her cheeks heating even in the humid summer air. Thoughts of their time in her apartment pushed into her mind, distracting her.
“Um, Lily?” Rin said. “That’s the ship.”
She slammed on the brakes, throwing sand up into the wheel wells. Not the best idea if she didn’t want to get stuck.
“Wait…” Looking around, all she saw was a termite mound. A giant termite mound, like she’d seen in documentaries about Africa. Sis and Sister would barely fit inside it, let alone all the gluten in the bed of her truck. “That’s the ship?”
“Part of it.” Rin opened his door and jumped out. “Most of it is underground.”
A crack appeared in the center of the structure. It widened, revealing an opening big enough for Lily to walk through.
Two Antareans stepped out of it, one after another. And then another Antarean. And then another. And another—until the clearing was filled with at least two dozen of the ant people. There must be a heck of a lot of ship buried under the ground.
Lily knew she should be afraid, but she wasn’t. Especially when Nana and Cyan stepped out of the ship. The Antareans parted to let them through, then stepped close again so that they were surrounding Lily and her small group, forming two perfect circles.
A pair of Antareans approached, one slightly shorter than the other. Sis and Sister? If Lily was going to work with aliens, she was going to have to learn how to tell them all apart.
The shorter one bowed low. “Was your expedition successful?”
“Yes
.” Lily pointed to her truck. “The gluten’s there in the truck. It’s all yours.”
The Antareans started making a loud clicking/hissing sound, their antennae moving in quick, intricate patterns on their heads. Their eyes strobed blue and white as they…talked to each other?
“They seem pretty excited,” Lily murmured, shifting closer to Rin.
“Wouldn’t you be?” He smiled down at her, finding her hand and clasping it in his.
The Antarean Lily was pretty sure was Sis made a high-pitched whistling noise and all the others calmed, staring at her intently. She made a series of clicks and pops, then gestured to Lily.
They turned to her and bowed. All of them. Their antennae nearly touching the ground.
“We have nothing with which to trade,” Sis said, “So we offer ourselves in service.”
“What?” Lily shook her head, dropping Rin’s hand as she stepped forward. “No. No way.”
She reached toward Sis and rested her hands on her…carapace, urging her to stand.
“There are no strings attached to this,” Lily said.
Sis tilted her head to the side, her eyes flickering pale green. “Strings?”
Dang, Lily needed to stop using idioms.
“I don’t want anything in return,” Lily said. “This is a gift.”
The green of Sis’s eyes turned a bit olive and the flickering slowed. She bowed her head, and said, “There are always strings. Always ‘wants’.”
Lily’s cheeks heated as she thought back to her conversation with Rin about what they wanted. Sis was right. Everyone had an agenda.
Lily wanted more from Rin. More time, more…connection. She wanted a chance to see if there was something between them beyond this incredible chemistry. And she wanted something from the Antareans as well.
“You’re right,” Lily said. “I do want something. I’m only just realizing it now.”
Sis stood a bit straighter, her eyes locked in that murky green color, as if she was bracing herself for whatever Lily was about to say.
“I want us to be friends,” Lily said. “And…allies. I need someone to help me reach others who are in need, like your people. That doesn’t mean you have to be the ones to do it. You can just…point me in the right direction or something. Hook me up with somebody like this Barbara person you mentioned, but who isn’t concerned with the stupid High Council.”
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