by K. D. Jones
*****
She woke hours before her shift and sought out a shoulder to cry on. She walked to Talia’s room, she had nowhere else to turn. She knocked on the door, trying to ignore her rapid beating heart as she watched Zor disappear around a corner. She didn’t mean for the fight to go so bad, and she should have never have left his room.
*****
Zor went back to his room after he had finally calmed down. He wanted to apologize to her. He should have held his tongue better. He should have never have accused her of still having feelings for that human male. What the fuck was he thinking? He regretted almost every word he said. Most of all, he was worried that he scared her with his temper.
He opened his bedroom door hopeful that she was still there but she wasn’t. He laid down on his bed alone, trying to get the sleep he had been lacking. He tried his hardest to fall asleep but he couldn’t. He couldn’t shake the thought that she might not come back, and that this might be the end of them. He couldn’t let that happen, so what was he going to do about it?
Zor completely understood why she was so angry. He should have told her what he did, or at least not lied to her about it. He perpetuated the lie by having others help him keep up the pretense that Jeremy was still on board the ship. There was no way he could let this be the end of them. He couldn’t picture his life without that woman. He got up and left to walk around the spaceship unsure of where he was going.
He walked by the room that she had shared with the human male, just to see if she had gone there. He knocked on the door but she never answered. He needed to apologize to her, the burden of it was heavy on his chest. He cracked the door to see that her suitcase was just thrown on the bed but it looked to be full. Seeing that still packed gave him hope that she was planning to come back to him, or at least that she wanted to.
He closed the door and continued walking around, hoping to see her somewhere. He got down the hallway that led to where Talia lived and saw her knocking on the door. He watched her glanced up but hadn’t seen him, though he could see her clearly. It looked like she had been crying for quite some time.
It broke his heart. He turned around quickly to leave before she saw him. All he wanted was pull her into his arms and comfort her. She was seeking out her friend, not him. She probably wouldn’t want to see him right now. He wanted to apologize to her but that would have to wait until she was ready. He walked back to his quarters but knew he wouldn't get any sleep until she was back home and in his arms.
*****
Zor woke up in a cold sweat at the dream he had. Emily stood there with the human male on a ship, tormenting Zor in a holding cell. He was forced to watch Emily kiss Jeremy, she left him over the fight they had. Zor could remember the nightmare clearly and there was no way he would let that happen, he got up and ran down to the bar to see her working. He smiled from the relief and called Henry out the door.
“How is she doing?” Zor asked as soon as Henry got out of the bar.
“She’s hurt, Zor, give her time,” Henry answered.
“Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?” Zor asked.
“Don’t rush her and she might, you broke her heart, Captain,” Henry said accusingly.
“I know. I need to speak with her,” Zor stated as he tried to go back into the bar.
Henry stopped him. “Not now you don’t. I’ll get you a six-pack then you just go back to your room. You’re both still on fire, you don’t want to do or say anything you both might regret.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Zor stated.
Henry went back in and grabbed him a six-pack like he said he would. Zor went back to his room and chugged every last beer until it was all gone. Then he got on his bed and pulled Emily’s pillow close to him and fell asleep, wishing she was there next to him.
Chapter Fifteen
Emily hadn’t heard from Zor since they had the big fight. That was almost two days ago. She barely slept without him by her side. She worked hard not to burst into tears. Her friends pulled her over to the bar and made her spill the beans about what happened.
“So let me get this straight. The hottest man on the ship wants you and only you. He also doesn’t want other men touching you. He asked you to quit your job so he could take care of you, and he got rid of the abusive ex-boyfriend that made your life a living hell. Do I have all the facts right?” Talia asked sarcastically when she had come into the bar the next night to work her shift.
“Um…” When she said it like that it made her look like grade A idiot. “You forgot the part about him lying to me.”
“He did it to protect you and he did apologize, right?”
“Yeah, but it was a decision he should have included me on. I wanted to see Jeremy punished myself.”
“So you aren’t mad that he punished Jeremy, just that you didn’t have a hand in it?”
“I…guess that’s it.”
"That’s lame. I am sorry, Em, but it sounds like you totally screwed up.”
“I have to agree with Talia on this one,” Sarn said.
Em looked up and saw Henry nodding his agreement too. “Fuck.”
“Now, that’s what you can do to fix the problem,” Talia said while she took Emily’s tray out of her hand.
“I can’t leave yet. What about my shift?” Emily looked over at Henry as she was being pushed by her friends out the door.
Henry gave her a big smile, “Honey, you’re fired. Go find the captain and put him in a real good mood for us. No one on this ship can stand to be around him while he’s in this sorry state.”
Emily giggled with relief. She hated to quit on Henry because he had become a good friend to her, but that decision was taken out of her hands, she was fired. She giggled again as she walked down the ship’s corridor. She hoped Zor would accept her apology. She would get on her hands and knees and beg him. That thought had her feeling aroused as well. She picked up her speed almost running back to their room.
No one was there. She checked almost everywhere on the ship except the engine room and the command bridge. She headed to the command bridge first. She passed a couple of crewmembers who barely spoke to her. She walked onto the bridge and found Zor yelling at one of his men.
“I don’t want to leave anything unchecked when we land at the next spaceport. I want every new passenger checked twice through security.”
“I’ll take care of it, Captain.”
“See that you do. You’re dismissed.” Zor didn’t look at the poor man that he gave his orders to.
“You were a little hard, weren’t you?” Emily asked from the doorway.
Zor turned in surprise. “Emily. What are you doing here?”
Emily moved a little further onto the bridge and all the other occupants chose that moment to stand and leave. It was just her and Zor. Neither of them were saying anything, which was a bit awkward.
“So....”
“Well...”
They had both tried to speak at the same time.
“You go…”
“Go ahead…”
Again they both tried to speak at the same time, but this time they both broke into laughter at the situation. The tension eased a little and Emily felt more comfortable coming all the way in. She stood about three feet from Zor and looked up into his eyes.
“I love you,” Emily whispered with a shaky voice.
“What did you say?” Zor was in shock. He must be hearing things.
She cleared her throat. “I am in love with you. Completely, head over heels in love with you.” When he simply stood there staring at her, she continued, “I am so sorry for the things I said. I don’t love Jeremy and I don’t give a crap where he is. You’re all I care about.”
Finally reality sunk in, Zor wasn’t dreaming or imagining this. Emily was here, telling him that she was in love with him. He should say something now.
“I am so sorry for lying to you. I promise never to lie again. You are everything to me. My heart, my soul. I am nothing, wort
hless without you. I love you completely.”
He opened his arms and she practically jumped into them. “I will never let you go. Even if we fight and you throw things at my head, I will never walk away from you again,” Zor swore to her.
She giggled as she pressed kisses along his chin and cheek. “Good, because if you try to leave me, I will tie you to the bed and keep you there for days.”
He grabbed her hips pulling her hard against his arousal. “Mmm…tying me to the bed sounds kind of kinky, baby. We haven’t done that yet.”
Then his lips took hers. At first it was worshipful. He cupped her face to hold her still while his tongue licked her seam in teasing swipes. Finally he pushed his tongue into her mouth and their tongues dueled. A groan elicited from both of them.
He backed them up and sat down on the captain’s chair. One hand released her face and reached down to undo the front of his pants. He sprung free fully aroused and ready to go.
Emily struggled with her shorts. She fumbled and cursed, which had Zor laughing. She looked at him in frustration.
“A little help here, please.”
Zor gripped her shorts with two hands and pulled hard. The thin, flimsy material ripped apart in his hands. He threw it to the ground and pulled her up to straddle his lap. He pulled the tiny top up over her head along with her bra in one quick motion. He made a growling sound at seeing her plump breasts exposed. He leaned forward and took a nipple into his warm mouth. He sucked on it hard, making her juices flow even more.
“Zor, please,” She begged, wiggling her entrance against his hard tip. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and held him closer to her.
“Need to make you ready,” he told her, moving to the other breast.
“I am ready, I am!” Emily couldn't take it anymore. She had to have him inside of her. She took him in her hand and positioned him. Then she lowered herself down on him until he was fully seated inside of her. He was shocked at her bold move.
“Emily, baby.” Zor tried to get himself under control but his heart was beating rapidly and he couldn’t seem to slow his desire for her.
She gripped the back of his head using his hair to pull his head back and his eyes looked up into hers. “I love you, Zor, and I want you right now!”
That was it. Zor couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He gripped her hips with both his hands and raised her up then slammed her back down onto his penis. He repeated it over and over. He nearly came when she ground herself against him. He wasn’t going to last much longer.
He thrust himself up into her and let his semen coat her insides. “Yes!”
One more thrust and Emily exploded within. She actually saw stars. They held each other close, still connected. He wanted to hold her like this forever. She was his and he would fight anyone who dare to threaten her.
“I love you, Emily.”
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Sixteen
“I’ve ruined your uniform. I’ll buy another one for you.”
“It’s okay.”
Zor stood there holding the ripped straps of clothing. She had to put on his shirt over her worktop. It luckily reached to her knees covering her. “I can get you another uniform before your next shift.”
She gave him a smile. “It’s not necessary. There won’t be another shift.”
He stopped to look at her with confusion. “But your job…”
“I don’t have a job anymore.”
“Emily, you don’t have to quit for me. I will find a way to deal with the jealousy.”
“I didn’t quit, Henry fired me.”
“He what? I’ll have a talk with him.”
“No, don’t. I don’t care about the job. I care about you.”
“But the job made you happy.”
“No, you make me happy. Spending time with my friends makes me happy. That was just a job that paid the bills.”
“If you still want the job, I’ll talk to Henry. It’s my fault. I couldn’t control my jealousy. I hate feeling that out of control.”
She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He rested his chin against the top of her head.
“You know me and the other waitresses never let them really touch us. Even when they reach inside our shirts. We move a distance from them to keep them off our skin. Not one of my customers has touched an actual body part.”
“I do know that, but something in me snaps when a male reaches for you. I fear the reaction as much as I do the motive. My father was an extremely controlling, jealous, and abusive man. He would have my mother follow his ‘rules’. If she wasn’t home by a certain time or if she was talking to someone on the computer phone, he would demand to know who she was talking to.”
Emily stroked his back comforting him. “Go on.” This was the most Zor had ever really talked about himself.
“One day she had to make a stop by the healers because she thought she might be pregnant again. When she finally got home, my father was in a jealous rage. He demanded to know where she had been, but he never heard her responses because he continued to yell about her cheating on him. He gripped her by the arms and shook her screaming at the top of his lungs. Then he threw her across the room. Her head hit the wall and snapped. She fell to the floor dead.”
“Where were you?” Emily asked with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I was hiding under the table during all the yelling. When my father was shaking my mother, I had grabbed onto his legs pleading for him to let her go. He kicked me off him at the same time he threw my mother across the room. My father tried to revive my mother but it was too late. He collapsed into a crying heap. I crawled to the computer phone and sent for help.”
“Oh, honey, I am so sorry.”
“I don’t ever want to be like him, like my father. Thoughts of him raging went through my mind whenever I got jealous of anyone touching you. It scares me how possessive I am over you.”
She stroked his cheek. “You aren’t your father. You would never hurt me.”
He leaned down and kissed her with such gentleness, a few more tears escaped. “I love you, my Emily.”
“I love you, Zor, but I am really hungry. Can we go get something to eat?” Emily rubbed her growling stomach causing Zor to laugh.
“Okay. It’s time to feed my woman. But first, we need to get you some more clothes.”
*****
Two nights later, Zor paced up and down the inside of the empty bar. He was nervous as hell. What if this didn’t go right? He wasn’t sure he could take rejection at this point.
“Calm down, you look like a caged animal,” Henry told him.
“Thanks for letting me do this here.”
“No problem. Have to say it’s the first time this has happened.”
Zor wiped the sweat from his forehead. “It might be the last.”
Henry chuckled at Zor’s discomfort. “Here, Captain, the beer’s on the house.”
Zor grabbed the offered beer like a lifeline and took a deep swig. “Damn, this is nerve wracking.”
“Well, your nerves are about to be relieved. Your woman has arrived.”
Zor thrust his beer bottle back into Henry’s hands and pushed the other man toward the back of the bar. “Get the lights!”
Emily walked beside Sarn to the bar. It was strange because Henry had called and asked if she could work one more shift. Sarn had come by and brought a new ‘uniform’ for her to wear. It was a beautiful, blue, one-shoulder dress that flowed down to her ankles. Sarn also brought a pair of blue heels that matched perfectly. She said it was for a special event. She had never dressed in anything so nice before. She wished Zor didn’t have to work so he could have seen her. She wanted to look pretty for him at least once.
“Are you sure I should wear my hair down? It might get in the way of me serving drinks.”
Sarn smiled at her. “You won’t have to worry about that.” She opened the doors to the bar.
Emily s
tood just inside the darkened bar. What was going on? Slowly, candles lit up all around the bar, giving the place a golden glow. In the center of the glowing room stood Zor. He wore a dark shirt and pants and had his hair combed back. The look on his face as he looked at her was one of awe, lust, and love.
“What’s going on here?” she asked as she made her way toward him. Soft romantic music began to play in the background. She glanced around the bar but did not see anyone.
“Zor?”
He waited until she was a couple feet from him. He then bent down to one knee. He lifted his hand up to her with it clamped closed. “Emily, you have swept into my life and turned it inside out. You made me see that something was missing, that missing something is you. You are my heart, Emily, and I love you. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Emily watched with watery eyes as Zor slowly opened his fisted hand and revealed a delicate, blue diamond ring.
“Oh, Zor, yes. Yes!” She threw her arms around his neck and let the tears fall freely. They were tears of joy.
Zor stood taking her into his arms and kissed her. “I love you so much. I promise you won’t be sorry.”
Emily tried to deepen the kiss until she was interrupted when a throat cleared behind her. She broke the kiss and turned her head to see Henry and her friends standing there.
“I take it she said yes,” he said with a smile. He had a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. Henry only broke out the wine for really special occasions.
Zor reluctantly lowered her to the ground. “She did.” He lifted her hand and slid the beautiful unique ring onto her finger. He then kissed it.
Emily stared at the huge rock on her finger. My gosh! It must have cost a fortune. It was a big, blue, round cut diamond with tiny little white diamonds circling around it like stars. It was one of the most beautiful rings she had ever seen. She glanced up at Zor and noticed he looked a little worried. She gave him a big wide smile. “I love it, Zor.”
“Let her go so we can see the ring,” Talia ordered.
