by S. E. Smith
The big ship had the same design elements as the skimmer. She’d expected more…variety, or something. The door whooshed shut, and she only had the vaguest sensation of movement.
“Can’t you use your voice to control the ship?” she asked.
“We can. I just prefer the touch commands.”
“So, you’re a tactile kind of guy.” She grinned at him. “Good to know.”
His mouth opened, then shut, then opened again. Finally he looked away. His cheeks were a little pink.
“Are you blushing?” Caitlin asked in a teasing tone, sidling closer.
“Are you flirting with me?” He raised one eyebrow.
“Right. Sorry.” Caitlin stepped away again, holding her bag in front of her with both hands and staring at the door. “You were totally blushing, though.”
Marq laughed, and she realized it was quickly becoming her favorite sound in the universe.
Chapter Twelve
Finally, they were standing in front of the door to Marq’s quarters. He sighed as he input the security code that would unseal his chambers, tension melting from his shoulders. The door opened and he gestured for Caitlin to precede him into the room.
“Wow, this is nice,” she said.
To him, it had seemed like an opulent waste of space. After Meredith had moved in, and now knowing there were soon to be more cats in his care—not to mention having Caitlin with him… He was happy with the openness for the first time.
“Meredith is in here.” He made sure the entrance to his quarters was secure, then crossed to his sleeping chambers. He opened the door and hurried in to check on his pet.
Meredith was curled up on the pallet where he normally slept, since he refused to use the regen bed attached to the side wall of the room. She had dragged over his spare uniform—the one he hadn’t thrown into the cleansing unit yet—and made a small nest in it. Three little life forms were tucked in next to her stomach.
“Cygnus X!” he yelled. “They’re already here.”
Caitlin laughed. “I told you she knew what she was doing.”
Meredith let out a chirruping meow, then stood and stretched. Marq gasped as the kittens rolled away from her body.
“Oh no.” He dropped to his knees as he tried to determine how to help. He was afraid to touch the kittens—they were so tiny. He reached for them, but Caitlin grabbed his hands to stop him.
“The kittens are fine,” she said. “But it’s best if we handle them as little as possible at this age. And you should always wash your hands… Or decontaminate them? Whatever it is you do. Just do it thoroughly before touching them.”
His heart seemed to stutter. Could he have injured them merely from his touch? Meredith circled, rubbing along his legs and sweeping her tail across him.
Caitlin pulled some sort of canister from her bag and sprayed a foaming agent into one hand, then returned the container to her bag and rubbed the foam over her hands. “Mama kitty needs some love.”
“But she needs to tend to them.” He gestured toward the kittens.
“Every parent needs a break from time to time.”
Marq glanced at Meredith. As soon as he did, she stood on her back legs and propped her front paws on his thigh, purring and staring up at him with her large green eyes.
“I apologize,” he said, sitting back so that he had a lap for her to crawl into. “This is all strange to me.” He began to pet Meredith, being careful of…everything, since he wasn’t sure how having kittens had affected her.
Caitlin dug through her bag again, this time pulling out a pair of blue synthetic gloves. “Babies are strange? Are you guys all grown in test tubes or something?”
“Maturation chambers.”
She paused, one hand partially gloved, and stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No.”
She looked back to the kittens, blowing out a tense breath. “I’m going to process that…in a minute. Maybe fill me in after I’ve examined these little cuties.” She smiled as she finished her statement, but he could see thin lines of strain between her eyebrows.
After donning her gloves, she picked up the first kitten—a white one with orange and black patches. The kitten’s head was rounder than Meredith’s, with the tiniest ears sticking out on either side. Its belly was impossibly big, and its tail miniscule. It let out a plaintive meow as Caitlin held it up.
The sound was barely more than a squeak, yet it felt as though Marq had been punched in the chest by a Lyrian.
“Is it distressed?” he asked.
“She just misses her mommy.”
“She?” Marq could hardly breathe.
“Yup.” Caitlin set down the kitten after looking it over, then picked up the one with matching fur patterns and began examining it. “Calicos are almost always female. That’s what Meredith is, and these two girls have the same markings as their mom.”
She set down the second kitten and picked up the one that was orange with white stripes. “Breeds are determined in part by their coats. This one is a marmalade tabby, and I’m guessing takes after their daddy.” She looked it over, then set it down. “He certainly does.”
She grinned at Marq, but then her smile vanished.
“Are you okay?” she said, shifting toward him.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You look like you’re about to pass out again.”
“I’m perhaps…a bit overwhelmed. I have no idea how to care for them all.”
Caitlin’s gloves made snapping sounds as she pulled them off. She tossed them in her bag, then scooted over on her knees to sit next to him. She draped her arms across his shoulders, hugging him tight.
“I don’t have any patients staying at the practice right now, and my next appointment isn’t for a couple of days,” she said. “I’ll need to send word to my Aunt Renee so she can check on Bert and Ernie for me, but I can stay for a while.”
Marq reached up and clasped her hand. “I would appreciate that a great deal. Would you also check on Meredith?”
“Of course.” Caitlin turned back to her bag and retrieved a plastic pouch. She opened it, and Meredith immediately perked up.
“Oh yeah,” Caitlin said. “You’re feeling pretty good.” She pulled a few small brown objects from the bag, then slowly lifted her hand toward Meredith. “And I know just how to make kitty-friends.”
Meredith leaped from Marq’s lap, almost scratching him in her haste. She sniffed at Caitlin’s fingers for a moment, then grabbed the food Caitlin offered. Marq could hear a loud, distorted purr coming from Meredith as she chewed it. Caitlin ran her hands over Meredith’s body, examining her.
“What is that?” he asked.
“Cat treats.” Caitlin said. “I can leave you the bag.”
“Thank you.”
Marq wondered why Dane hadn’t left any when he’d brought along the initial supplies for Meredith—food, toys, a litter box specially designed for use on a spaceship. Marq would have to ask when they spoke next.
Meredith returned to her kittens, curling up around them and grooming them with her tongue, as he’d seen her do to herself countless times.
Caitlin closed her bag and slid it next to the door, then stood, offering Marq her hand as if to help him up. He took it, rising to his feet on his own.
“Your pets are fine,” she said.
Marq let out a breath, feeling a bit lightheaded. “Thank you. That news is very welcome.”
“Well, it’s time to pay the piper.”
She smirked, raising and lowering her eyebrows quickly. The expression was so comical, he found himself laughing. His reaction was no doubt influenced in part by his relief.
“Let’s go sit on the couch so I can start interrogating you,” she said, pulling on his hand.
“Of course.”
He looked back at Meredith once more. She was already curled up with her eyes shut, her three little kittens nestled beside her. He pressed a command that would make t
he door to his sleeping chamber remain open, just in case they needed assistance.
Caitlin led him to the sitting area. She stood for a moment, staring out the viewports.
“It’s hard to believe.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “So many stars. So much possibility.”
He squeezed her hand, imagining her wonder. Sharing it.
“I’ll tell you everything I can,” he said.
“I guess you don’t have to worry about telling me too much, since you can just erase my memory if you need to.”
She started to tug her hand away, but he held on to it, turning to face her.
“I don’t want you to forget me,” he said.
She half-smiled. “I don’t want to forget you, either.”
Chapter Thirteen
Marq could never forget Caitlin. He doubted even a mindwipe would purge her from his thoughts. His chest tightened at the mere idea of anyone trying to take these memories from him, his heart racing.
Or perhaps it was her proximity.
She stepped closer, drawing one lush lip between her teeth and holding it there.
“You had questions?” he said, his voice lower than usual.
She nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“What do you wish to know?” he prompted.
Caitlin laughed. “Everything. But we can start with this.”
She placed her hands on his face and pulled him down for a kiss.
He didn’t hesitate this time. All his doubts and fears and concerns had been eradicated.
Emotions were still new to him. But this he knew. The sharing of their bodies.
Gripping her waist, he crushed her against him, devastating her mouth with his. His tongue plundered, his lips devoured. She was gasping when he traced a path along her jaw to her neck.
They stumbled to the hull and he lifted her from the floor as he had in her clinic and on his skimmer. She wrapped her legs around his waist again.
Even through their uniforms, the stimulation sent electric arcs of pleasure racing through his body. This time, he held nothing back as he moved against her.
“Holy crap,” she gasped.
He reclaimed her mouth, matching his thrusts with his tongue, exploring her exquisite softness. When he pulled back, her expression was dazed, lips swollen from his kisses, her cheeks pink.
Wisps of dark silk floated around her face as her hair began to fall from its tie. He reached up and pulled it free while she collected herself, watching it cascade over her shoulders and rest upon her breasts.
“I need a minute to just…” She took a deep breath, then let it out. “I have a question.”
Of all the times to begin her line of inquiry, she chose now?
Marq worked to hide his disappointment, trying to get his own breathing back under control. “Which is?”
“How do I take off your uniform?”
His cheek muscles twitched, a broad smile stretching them. And he laughed. A deep laugh that resonated in his chest and vibrated out to every limb.
He stepped back and let her slide to her feet, keeping his grip on her arms until she steadied herself. The moment she stopped swaying, she reached for the seal at the collar of her uniform.
“Okay, follow-up question,” she said. “How do I take off my uniform? It kind of just hooked itself together when I put it on, but now it’s stuck or something.”
“Let me.”
Rather than simply remove it for her, he gently grasped her hand and guided her fingers to her collar, showing her where and how to apply pressure to release the seals. Slowly, he drew her hand down her chest to open the uniform, letting their fingers brush the skin of her stomach as it was exposed.
The sight of her breasts pushed together in the too-tight underwear mesmerized him. He was surprised she’d managed to fit them into the Sadirian garment. He reached up and gripped the sides of her uniform, then pulled them farther apart so he could see more of her.
His dick pulsed insistently, almost painfully. He ignored it, focusing on the view before him.
Her skin was flushed, her chest rising and falling quickly with each breath. Her lips parted as she gazed up at him. He couldn’t resist tasting them again.
He peeled her uniform down her arms as he kissed her, his fists tangled in the fabric. The softness of her skin was nearly overwhelming. He wrapped his arms around her, wanting to be closer, wanting to touch all of her and keep touching her forever.
Trailing his lips down her neck and across her chest, he pulled the top half of her uniform from her, then lowered himself to his knees. He finally willed himself to let go, but only so he could touch the velvet-smooth skin of her back as he kissed her stomach.
She grabbed the bottom of her undergarment and lifted it up and over her head, then tossed it away. Marq hissed in a breath as he saw it hit the ground.
If he looked up, he would lose control. Something about that particular part of her anatomy was hitting his system like a maxed-out plasma blast.
“I need to get some Coupling,” he said.
“I think you meant, ‘we need to get to coupling’.” She laughed, tracing her fingertips through his hair.
He clenched his eyes shut, fighting the urges the intense pleasure brought forth in him. He pressed his forehead against her stomach. “Coupling is a drug we use to suspend fertility.”
Among other things.
“I’m already on one of those,” she said.
His surprise overpowered his self-control. He looked up at her, taking in the sight of her full breasts, rose-tipped nipples tight and beckoning.
“Cygnus X,” he breathed.
“I don’t know what that means, but from the look on your face, I’m guessing it means you’re happy,” she said. “So, fertility is taken care of. I get tested regularly and am all good, and you’ve already said you’ve been cleared of stuff that could be harmful to humans.” She grinned at him. “This is the point where I would seductively unsnap my belt and step out of this outfit if I knew how to do that.”
“Allow me.”
He brought her hands to her belt, showing her the release points. His own hands were shaking.
Once the belt had released, he tugged her uniform down her legs, unsealing her boots so she could step out of them. That left her standing with only snug black undergarments clinging to her hips.
He reached for them, but she grabbed his hands.
“Nuh-uh. Now it’s your turn.” Caitlin stepped out of Marq’s reach and crossed her arms over her breasts.
“Strip,” she said.
He only hesitated a moment before pressing the releases at his collar that locked his uniform onto his body. As he stood, he said, “It’s not often that I’m given orders.”
“Because you’re the Commander of the ship?” Her stare was intense as she watched him undress himself.
“Because I’m Commander of the Reckoning,” he said, stepping out of his uniform and tossing it aside.
“Right. That’s an intimidating name.”
“It’s an intimidating ship.” He slid off his undergarments and kicked them away, then stood and stared at her, waiting to follow her lead.
Her eyes widened, her gaze gravlocked to his groin. “That’s not the only intimidating thing around here.”
Chapter Fourteen
Marq was gorgeous. Broad, strong, muscled, with a fine dusting of hair. The sight of his hard shaft hit her like a bomb going off between her legs.
She could imagine how she’d have to stretch for him, how good it would feel when he finally sank into her. She quickly pulled off her underwear, staring at the muscles cording his thighs and the perfect lines of his calves.
Caitlin had never drooled over anyone before. Marq wasn’t just anyone, though.
He was strong, sensitive, intelligent, commanding. She could see herself falling for him, hard. The way he was staring at her, she doubted she was the only one.
Then his lips were on hers again, crushing her
mouth, demanding. One arm wrapped around her shoulders while he reached between her legs, cupping her sex. She gasped at his warmth, at the pressure of his palm in all the right places, sending searing blasts of pleasure along her nerves.
He kept on until the room seemed to spin around her, her body pulsing with energy too close to fruition.
“Marq,” she said. “I can’t wait any longer.”
“Neither can I.”
“You don’t have curtains.”
“What?”
“The couch is right under the windows. If someone flies by, can people see in?”
A small smile graced his lips. “The material is reflective. We can see out, but no one can see in.”
“Good.”
She grabbed his wrist to pull him toward the couch, turning to face the window and kneeling on the cushion. She looked over her shoulder to watch him approach—tall, ripped, and exuding a confidence she hadn’t seen earlier.
A heady feeling washed over her as she remembered his words, the way he’d looked at her, the way he was looking at her now.
She looked back out the window, at the endless stars and her own translucent reflection staring back. Marq appeared over her shoulder. The cushions sank as he knelt behind her, his thighs spreading her legs.
His hands touched her next, one splayed over her belly and the other cupping her breast. Heat, longing, and pleasure pounded through her, her heartbeat drumming in her ears. She was trembling, she wanted him so badly. She felt as though her body might unravel at any moment from the intensity of it.
The hand on her belly slid down to the dark curls between her legs. She felt his dick at her core, then parting her, filling her.
Her eyes drifted shut as she turned her focus inward, savoring the pleasure pulsing along her nerve endings, but only for a moment. She didn’t want to miss anything with him—anything about this incredible experience.
He pulled himself almost out, then slid back in, their bodies rocking together. She braced her arms on the back of the couch, trying to hold off the energy that was blooming inside of her as she met his strokes.
