Salvaged Destiny

by Lynn Rae

  But her whole body was opening to him again—muscles loosening, knees relaxing apart, softer, warmer, wetter for him. His bedroom was quiet except for the sounds of their whispers. She could pretend they were as alone here as they’d been in the Outlands, no one noticing anything they did. No one being hurt, no one leaving.

  “Help me pack. Later, that is, not right now.”

  “What are we going to do right now?” Del managed to ask before he kissed her again, lips firm against hers, then sliding apart to suck and nibble at her, light and sure and far too appealing to resist. So she didn’t.

  He hummed against her cheek and the tiny vibrations echoed into her blood. Del pressed against all of his big naked body, fitting her legs around him, clutching with her arms, pressing her breasts to his firm chest, the hairs there tickling her enough to make her squeak.

  “It’s too early to go to sleep. I guess I don’t want to tinker with my bot anymore tonight. I think that new compound is hopelessly glitched—”

  “Oh that’s good,” Del shot back, fishing a fingertip along his ribs until he twitched away, laughing at her. “I’m glad I distracted you from robotics for a few minutes!”

  “You have, without a doubt. For a few minutes.” Lazlo moved back over to her, catching her hands in one of his. “No more tickling. I’m trying to think.”

  Restrained by his gentle grasp, Del curved under him, liking the feeling and not sure why. Lazlo watched her move and grew serious. His eyes darkened and he slowly traced his free hand down her waist, over her belly and lightly curved his fingers against her, not moving or exploring.

  Taking in a shuddering breath, Del pressed herself against his thumb, then moaned as he slid his fingers along her folds, pressing a fingertip in as she rocked against him. She should feel embarrassed by the way he was watching her and she was watching him, but she didn’t. She couldn’t keep from opening herself as he held her down.

  Watching her flushed and panting under the slightest touches of his hands made Lazlo burn for her. Everything about their encounter—her moans, her muscular slickness tightening around him as he’d come, how openly she’d reached for him—had seared into him like a brand on his memory. He wanted her again, but knew he couldn’t, not quite yet, even though she was ready, wet and willing and beginning to murmur “please”.

  Releasing her wrists, Lazlo scooped up her thin body and carried her into his bathroom, Del holding tight and laughing in his ear as he positioned her in his shower. He was ridiculously grateful he’d thoroughly cleaned it that morning in preparation for his flight out in twenty-three hours. Only twenty-three hours left and he wanted to spend them all with the giggling and blushing woman wobbling in his shower.

  She held on to him for support as he turned on the water and angled the spray just how he wanted it—enough to steam the air and keep them warm, but nothing hitting his face as he kissed his way down her wet torso, licking under her small but heavy breasts, nuzzling in to her soft round belly as he knelt before her.

  He pressed his lips to her upper thighs until she relaxed enough to let him drape one leg over his shoulder, her small heel settling against his back, grinding in to his muscles as he leaned forward.

  Now she was open, pink and gleaming in the water, her shaking fingers in his damp hair as he leaned in and tasted her as he’d wanted to earlier. She had been too fast for him then. Now it was his turn to take his time. And he did, savoring her taste, getting to know her as warm water rained down around them, her pants and shivers urging him on to satisfy her.

  Lazlo tried to go slowly, but Del all too quickly jerked and shuddered, crying out and slipping against the wall as he supported her whole weight while still slowly pressing his tongue to her.

  He held her up as she arched and moaned, every muscle tensing and shaking. Del quieted and allowed him to move her feet back under her as he used his hands to sluice water over her thighs and belly, working his way back up to her breasts, then her shoulders, stroking the wet skin there as she slowly refocused on him, her eyes drowsy, droplets of water on her cheeks and eyelashes. He circled an arm around her and she collapsed against him, breathing on his shoulder and making satisfied sounds deep in her throat. Good.

  “So, that’s what I thought of,” Lazlo said and she laughed weakly, dropping her head back to look at him with half disbelief, half delight.

  “Good idea,” Del replied and he laughed with her, hugging her tight, feeling more at peace in his skin than he could remember. Pressing a few firm kisses to random spots on her, he led her out of the shower and toweled her off, cooperating as she took her turn drying him. She spent a lot of time on his arms and shoulders, then his chest and thighs. Lazlo wondered if he was blushing as he stood there and let her move him around as she liked. Del liked to touch. He shivered as her fingertips traveled along his skin. Clearly she wasn’t put off by his bulk, as Serra had been. In fact, she wasn’t at all like Serra in any discernible way, and with that thought, Lazlo ejected his erstwhile ex-lover from his mind and concentrated on the woman in front of him.

  “So you’ll stay tonight?”

  Del gathered the towel in front of her body and watched him for a moment, obviously working through something in her mind. She sucked in a breath and gave a slight nod. Lazlo felt the tense uncertainty leave him in a rush and he smiled with the anticipation of having her by his side for the next few hours. Too few hours.

  “Good.” Pulling his robe off its hook, Lazlo bundled Del into it, wrapping a towel around his waist as he led her back to bed. He tucked her in and told her he’d be back as he headed for his kitchen, hoping he still had something in the chiller to drink.

  *

  Somehow, Del had fallen asleep with Lazlo in his big soft bed in his quiet dark apartment, his breathing acting as a soothing metronome. But now she was awake, aware of him next to her. He must have shifted in his sleep because his big body was closer to hers, his hand bumping her hip, clumsily pushing his fingers under the waistband of the pants he’d loaned her. Was he awake too? Del remembered everything they’d done earlier in a rush of heat and all sleepiness disappeared.

  Lazlo shifted in the bed as his hand fell away and his breathing quickened. Del almost said something but stayed quiet, and instead pressed herself against him, mutely assuring him that she was there and awake.

  Lazlo quickly curved against her, his erection tucking between her buttocks. Del felt hot and shaky immediately, knowing what they could do together. Knowing that he was ready. She remembered how infinitely sweet he had been before they had fallen asleep—giving her tiny kisses as she’d covered herself in his clothing, promising her a nice breakfast in the morning, rolling a pair of his socks on her feet so she wouldn’t get cold.

  Remembering all those kindnesses was making her hot again. She felt the tip of Lazlo’s nose press against her scalp as he ever so lightly curved his big arm around her. Did he not know she was awake? Del found his hand and pulled it between her legs where she felt so hot and tight. His body stiffened against hers and she felt him harden more.

  “Del, we don’t have to—” Lazlo’s deep voice rumbled in the darkness and she shivered against him. He was leaving. She wanted him again. Simple.

  “Don’t talk,” Del whispered in the dark and Lazlo’s hands were on her, lifting his soft shirt from her, pulling down the borrowed pants enough so he could stroke her as he nibbled and licked her shoulder, pressing his warm, firm body against her back as she stretched and breathed, relishing the weight of his strong arm around her. He rolled the pants down and down and finally off, fingertips gliding back up her inner thigh to return to her heat, rapid touches tender against her.

  Sharp pangs jolted from between her legs and she raised her knee, inviting him in, needing him quickly. Shifting behind her, Lazlo curved around her, drawing her raised leg over his hip as he moved to find her. The touch of him against her sensitive flesh jolted her.

  As he thrust she gasped and quaked, unable to move against
his body. Lazlo breathed into her shoulder and murmured soothing sounds as she shivered.

  Del wrapped her raised leg over him, drawing her body tighter to his as he sank in deeper. Lazlo huffed out a few sharp breaths and slid his hand down her belly to explore where they were joined, slowly tracing along her slick and strained folds.

  He was breathing harshly and she panted, waiting for him to move in the darkness. Without a word, he moved his hand and found hers, dragging it down to where his had just been, pressing her fingers to her warm and slippery flesh, then to touch his own hardness thrusting inside. Del gasped at the sensation, the shift from her own body’s texture and reactions to his and back again.

  Tension filled her and Del reached out to grasp a handful of bedding before she shook apart. Lazlo moved his thumb to her and began to stroke as she strained and gasped, hands clenching and grasping among the sheets, needing something to hold on to as her body shuddered.

  The fire erupted through her body in a rush, shocking her into a scream as she came, Lazlo a rigid and controlled bulwark for her body and mind. He moved as her body clenched around him. Sharp groans wrenched from him with each thrust until he cried out inarticulately and shivered against her, breathing as raggedly as she.

  Slowly he released her and shifted himself to curve around her, moving legs and arms to pull her close, his breath hot on her hair.

  “I never knew,” Lazlo gasped.

  “I never knew either,” Del replied, rocked by the sharp intensity of her needs and reactions, by how powerful her desire for him was now. Being with him had become the worst decision of her life.

  *

  Lazlo was lying in his bed, miserable. He’d had the best night of his life with the most unexpected person on the entire planet and now she was hiding in his bathroom, crying. He felt like the most awful man on Sayre.

  They’d woken up in a warm jumble and as he’d just begun to consider what they might have for breakfast, relishing her warm nearness and her scent all over his sheets, he glanced over at her to find her staring at the ceiling, jaw clenched and her eyes averted when he’d tried to kiss her.

  Del had disentangled herself from him and Lazlo went cold. When he’d reached for her and asked what was wrong, the fight started. Del’s thick voice warned him off as she declared she was leaving because he was leaving. She refused to listen to his assurances that he was coming back and Lazlo’s temper kicked up because of her lack of faith in him.

  Del had retreated to the bathroom to dress. And cry. When she came out, she was buttoned up tight in her clothes from the night before, red-eyed and with a forbidding expression on her face.

  Lazlo lay in the bed and watched her as she searched for her socks on the floor. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. He couldn’t even admit he’d hoped for more intimacy with her—the memory of what they had done was like a fever in him. It was ending now with her standing at the foot of his bed with her hands clasped together while he stayed propped against the headboard and watched her with disbelief.

  “Del, I’m coming back in about thirty days. After my initial classes,” Lazlo tried to make the point yet again but Del just shook her head. “I’m looking forward to coming back. Aren’t you?”

  “Stop saying that, Lazlo, please,” she nearly shouted at him, her voice strained.

  “It’s the truth, Del. Stars, you’re stubborn!”

  Del glared at him. “Stop telling me wishful thoughts. As soon as you’re away from here, around nice things again, you’ll forget everything about Sayre. All of our manure and dust and fungus and plainness and lack of fun.”

  Lazlo rose from the bed but stayed far enough away not to loom over her. “I will not forget everything about Sayre. I have a job here, responsibilities here, and I thought I had you here.”

  Shaking her head, Del denied him again. “No, this was just for one time. We both agreed, nothing else.”

  She turned and left the bedroom. Lazlo went too, not caring if he was naked and rumpled. Del stomped down the hallway and through his living room as he followed close behind, trying to come up with something to say that would calm her down and reassure her.

  Del reached his door and activated it and Lazlo reached out his arm to close it immediately. She turned and scowled at him. “I thought you understood what happened between us.”

  “I did. I do. You don’t.”

  “I certainly do. We had fun. You’re a wonderful lover. I live here. You’re going. One night together—it’s what we agreed. That’s it.”

  Lazlo almost laughed at her. She thought they’d had fun? It hadn’t been fun—it had been intense and satisfying and almost scary. Certainly not an experience so easily forgotten as a little fun. And he wanted more than one night.

  “But I’m coming ba—”

  “Stop!” Del shouted, hands warding him back, tears now streaming down her cheeks. Lazlo had seen that emotional edge in other people and he didn’t want to do anything to push her further away. All he wanted to do was pull her close and hold her until she melted against him again. Like last night, when she’d been laughing and soft and his. But what could he say that he hadn’t already?

  “Please stop saying that, please, Lazlo.” Del drew in a shaky breath and he did reach for her then. For a moment she swayed his way, but she pulled back, wiping at her cheeks and taking a deep breath.

  “I have to go and you need to get ready for your flight. I’ll miss you, blast it,” Del blurted out and slipped out of the apartment. Several curious passersby glanced in his open door as he stood there naked, so since he was already on view Lazlo decided to walk into the corridor and watch her walk away. She sped off, slim limbs moving her along in that determined Del way of hers and he decided to surrender to his base nature and shout.

  “I’ll see you in about thirty days, Del!”

  She let out an anguished squawk and ran around the corner, not looking back. Taking a deep breath and nodding politely at the elderly couple who were watching him curiously from their doorway, Lazlo returned to his home and shut the door, unsure if he wanted to laugh or start throwing things. He should probably just finish packing and think about what he should have said to her on the way to Weave tonight.

  Chapter Fourteen

  To Del

  I’m on the ship. I wish this morning had been better. I’m sorry.

  From L

  To: Lazlo

  I’m sorry I yelled and left the way I did. I feel foolish.

  From D

  To Del

  You’re forgiven, although the people who saw me standing in the corridor stark naked and yelping like a wounded puppy are likely still traumatized.

  From L

  To Lazlo

  Wounded puppy?

  From D

  To Del

  A sad and lonely puppy. I’m still sad and lonely, no one in my classes will talk with me and my barracks is very inhospitable. It’s all cold metal and no rocks or fungus of any sort.

  From L

  To Lazlo

  I would think the lack of fungus is a plus. No blue fungus creeping up on you. How are your classes? Are you doing well? What are you learning?

  From D

  To Del

  I’m learning how to set up the governance of a new settlement—territorial security, surveying and property grants, elections law, immigration regulation and infrastructure construction. It’s really interesting, but we’re in class for about ten hours a day, with breaks only for physical fitness and meals, then I study at my desk and sleep in my cot.

  From L

  To Lazlo

  It all sounds more interesting than picking up trash. Although I did salvage some discarded components from Ag Research and found a whole box of unused RGI nanoprocessors. Two years old, but still. Those will be sold for a nice profit soon. My pa was really pleased with that. Every mark helps.

  From D

  To Del

  How is your insurance claim coming along? Have they decided to rule that
the destruction of your family’s property was illegal?

  From L

  To Lazlo

  Not yet, the insurer is waiting until after the trial to make its decision. So we have nothing coming in but what we earn. It’s very frustrating since we have no idea when they’re finally going to start the prosecution. They might even move it off-world to avoid conflicts of interest. Which would delay things even more. But maybe the sheriff’s advocates are trying to delay it and wait for us dirty cyclers to give up.

  From D

  To Del

  You shouldn’t give up.

  From L

  To Lazlo

  I don’t want to, but Pa and Ma are feeling tired by the whole situation. And we nearly have everything repaired already. Dee Dee is determined to fight. I think she has a crush on our advocate and he might reciprocate, since the bills for his fees seem far too low.

  From D

  To Del

  Good for the advocate.

  From L

  To Lazlo

  Maybe good for Dee Dee too. She’s even been talking about babies and weddings lately, which is completely new territory for her. She’s been a fun-time girl since she was legal. Not that I can imagine her settled down with an advocate and making a family.

  From D

  To Del

  Making a family is a good thing.

  From L

  To Lazlo

  I know that.

  From D

  To Del

  Would you mind if I sent you a video message instead of one of these pings?

  From L

  To Lazlo

  They cost a lot.

  From D

  To Del

  Not if I send you one.

  From L

  To Lazlo

  I would have to send a ping back.

  From D

  To Del

  That’s fine. Expect a vid with the next data pod.

  From L

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Why are you so grumpy, Del? You’ve been negative about everything I’ve said for the last ten minutes,” Dee Dee was complaining as she washed a pot. They’d had supper together and all Dee Dee had been able to talk about was how Arturo Yee was the cream on top of the milk. Del was tired of it and feeling morose about the lack of cream in her life. She sipped some water, wished it was whiskey and struggled not to respond in a negative way.