by Tasha Black
Her fingers slid across the smooth, ridged surface of his left horn.
He moaned as if in pain, but leaned into her hand.
A pang of desire had her almost doubled-over with the frantic need to feel him inside her.
He seemed to sense this, but he only moved lower, licking a hot trail down her belly, across her hip.
Serena froze with anticipation as he nudged her legs apart.
When his incredible tongue lashed against her sex, she almost blacked out with the pleasure.
“Ohh, Serena,” he moaned against her.
She could feel a tide rising inside, like stillness before the storm on an open sea.
“Please,” she whimpered, hands out to him, needing them to be one, afraid the riptide would carry her away if he wasn’t merged with her, holding her down.
He crawled up to cage her head in his muscular arms.
“Mine,” he growled.
His eyes were hazy with lust and she saw her face reflected in them but almost didn’t recognize herself, her expression was so desperate.
His hardness pressed against her for just a second before he thrust deeply into her.
There should have been pain, but she only felt soul-shuddering relief.
He stilled, but she sank her nails into his shoulders and lifted her hips, needing the next thrust more than she needed her next breath.
He roared and thrust into her again and again, filling her, sending her higher and higher.
At last Serena nearly lifted off the bed with the pleasure.
Oz bit down on her neck and she felt herself flying as he cried out his own ecstasy, jetting into her again and again, extending her pleasure until she thought she could take no more.
When it was done, she was overcome with weariness. The sudden need for sleep was almost scary, but the wild heat of his body wrapped around hers reassured Serena as the last moment of consciousness fled her exhausted system.
4
Serena
Serena awoke feeling wildly happy.
She stretched and opened her eyes in the darkness, momentarily confused.
Where am I?
Why am I so warm?
Why am I so happy?
She sat up and felt strong arms around her, tugging her back down.
Oh, yeah.
She turned back.
Her horned lover was still asleep, though he clutched her to him, even in his slumber. In the soft light of the solar clock on his bedside table, she could see the ridges of muscle, the blue tone of the tattoo on his arm, and the serene, but somehow still possessive look on his handsome face.
Serena felt a wave of lust and had to fight back the urge to wake him up and beg him to take her again.
But that would not do. She couldn’t miss her cruise.
And besides, now that her night of passion was over, she had to get serious.
Ambassador Serena Scott had just been dumped. She couldn’t make a fool out of herself for a Maltaffian guard who was only looking for a one-night stand.
Even if that one-night stand was the most mind-blowing experience of her life…
But he was clutching her like she was the last escape pod key on a compromised ship.
How was she supposed to get out of here?
She looked around and spotted a body pillow beside her. She grabbed it and hugged it close, then rolled over.
When his arms sought her again, she deftly replaced herself with the pillow.
He moaned a little, but didn’t wake up. She eased herself off the bed as quickly as she dared, and then dressed as best she could in the dim light.
Her underthings were in tatters. In the heat of the moment, she would have sworn she’d never need them again. Now that seemed like a bit of an oversight. She shoved them in the pocket of her dress, figuring she could go commando until she reached her storage locker at Bissmeee Port.
When she reached the door, she turned back for one last look.
Oz’s broad back curled around the pillow he was holding, his muscular body juxtaposing with the sweetness of the way he cradled her replacement.
Her heart thumped with something like love, and she turned away, chiding herself for being such a baby.
Other women were able to fulfill their sexual desires without getting attached. Serena should be able to do the same.
She scurried out of the room, almost tripping over the food cart, and strode down the hallway, trying to remember how they’d gotten here so she could get back out again. After a few wrong turns, she made it out into the lobby of the club.
“Shuttle service to Bissmeee Port,” a small robot called out helpfully.
She joined the weary-looking group of travelers that followed the glide-bot toward the exit.
She smiled when she saw the big furry Bergalian looking very sleepy, his arm tucked snugly around his six-legged companion from last night.
So she hadn’t been the only one to have a little hook-up.
Though judging from the way the lady was smiling as she leaned her head against the Bergalian’s chest, maybe theirs was more than a hook-up.
Serena felt a wave of loneliness and tamped it down hard.
She was a very lucky woman - lucky in her career, lucky in her friendships. You couldn’t be lucky in everything, so it wasn’t the end of the world to be unlucky in love.
The glass wall of the club slid open to reveal the flat dusty surface of Bissmeee.
A hover train stood waiting, the magnetized track field almost invisible under the swirling dirt.
“All aboard,” the robotic conductor cried.
Serena clambered onto the last car, sitting in a rear-facing seat near the back so as to avoid conversation.
The car wobbled as the final passengers ascended. Once everyone was seated, it lurched forward, the standard recorded message about keeping appendages inside the carriage playing at a low level.
Serena watched the club disappear over the horizon as they sped away.
Maybe it was only that she hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning - or dinner last night, come to think of it - but she felt suddenly hollowed out inside, empty like she might never be filled again.
5
Ozmarck
Oz paced the tiny room, his blood sizzling in his veins.
Where is she?
But it didn’t matter.
Serena was gone. His heightened senses told him she had been gone since before Bissmeee’s primary star was fully risen.
His comm unit dinged, bringing him out of his thoughts.
A message from the client.
He clenched his fists and tried to convince himself to breathe.
His last job had been a bust. Working for that two-bit excuse for a king was the worst career decision he’d ever made. Oz only hoped his reputation hadn’t been too tarnished by the whole fiasco. He was really going to need the credits from this next gig if he was about to go on an intergalactic hunt for his mate.
He racked his brain for any clue as to where she might have been headed, but he couldn’t remember her mentioning a single detail of her plans while they were in the club.
And then they had been too busy mating to speak anymore.
His body surged with lust at the thought of it, and he gasped, grabbing the headboard of the bed and nearly snapping it like a twig in his massive fist.
Find her. I have to find her…
But Bissmeee was a launch point to so many destinations. Without a clue, and without credits, it was impossible.
Serena…
He had a first name. No origin, no designation, no details. Except for her silky hair, her languid gaze, the rich hot pulse of her sex, the melody of her cries…
The headboard cracked in his hand, making a sound like gunshot.
His comm unit dinged again.
He grabbed his case and headed to the lobby. He had no choice but to hop the next shuttle and get to work. As soon as he had the credits, he would drop everything to chase her.
I will find you, Serena…
The hallway was crowded with weary travelers carrying their cases resolutely toward the glass exit doors.
“Shuttle service to Bissmeee Port,” a robot called.
Oz followed it out to the hover train and boarded in the back, hoping he would have the seat to himself so he could think.
The train jolted forward, and he felt a wave of hopefulness.
He went over all he knew about his mate.
She was human, which narrowed things considerably as far as her origins.
She didn’t live on Bissmeee - she had said she was off-planet.
She knew he was a Maltaffian guard. Most beings in the central rings would recognize the tattoo, but that did narrow out a few of the far-flung reaches.
And she had said more than once that she was trying to have fun, trying to enjoy a night off.
This meant that in spite of the quality of her garments, she was not in the upper classes. She worked at something, though he didn’t know what.
And that was all he had - which was almost nothing, really.
The impossibility of finding her with so little information hit him like a sledge-craft and he closed his eyes against the hazy glow of the sun through the dust clouds.
But a little voice in the back of his head reminded him that until yesterday he had not located his mate yet at all.
Surely it would be easier to find her a second time than to happen upon her the first time. At least now he knew who he was looking for.
And he had claimed her.
His blood rushed through his ears at the thought, and he felt a rush of euphoria.
Now that he had claimed her, she would feel the draw to him as well. He wasn’t just trying to find a needle in a haystack.
That needle would be trying to find him, too.
They were caught in each other’s gravity, like a pair of binary stars.
Another jolt of pain struck him as he realized that if he’d had a bank full of credits, he could have stayed right where he was so that she could come back to him when she realized life had lost its meaning without him by her side.
He slid his communicator out of his pocket and stat-messaged his buddy, Ren, the bartender at the club.
Ozmarck:
If a woman with long dark hair comes looking for me, give her my comm code.
Ren:
That’s a first.
Ozmarck:
I mean it. If I give you a first name and a departure time, can you track someone?
The first rule of hospitality on Bissmeee was discretion. But he had to ask.
Ren:
You know I can’t do that, buddy, sorry.
Ozmarck:
But if she comes, you’ll give her my code?
Ren:
Sure. Is something wrong? Did she take something from you?
She had taken his heart, his soul, his ability to live… She had taken his mate’s bite.
Ozmarck:
Nope. I just need to tell her something.
Ren:
Got it. I’ll keep an eye out.
Oz slid the device back in his pocket and tried to settle himself.
He was going to meet a big client, a dignitary of some kind. The pay-out on this job would be more than generous. They hadn’t even released the name when they hired him, which always meant someone with deep pockets.
He’d complete the job first, then start the hunt for his mate.
I will find you, Serena, he repeated in his mind.
6
Serena
Serena sat down on a settee in a pretty anteroom on the Stargazer II. A private valet had fetched her from the PostHaste shuttle and brought her directly here, bypassing the main corridor altogether, for which Serena was grateful.
Now he stood by the door, as if he were guarding her, while she looked around at the holo-paintings on the walls. This was clearly someone’s office, someone with great taste.
She wished she could look forward to her visit instead of feeling torn apart with emotion over her recent breakup, and last night’s one-night stand.
Her life suddenly seemed like a whirlwind. And she was so hungry and so nauseous at the same time. Like a physical reaction to her life spinning out of control.
Probably her blood sugar was just low. She made a note to grab a protein pack as soon as she was settled in.
The door opened.
“Ambassador Scott,” a blonde woman said in a friendly way as she stepped inside. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting very long.”
“No, no,” Serena said. “I just sat down.
“We’re honored to have you onboard, I’m Captain Nilsson,” the woman said. “But please, call me Anna.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Serena replied.
“My partners and I own the Stargazer II,” Anna said. “We all hope that you will have a safe and enjoyable journey.”
“Thank you,” Serena said, waiting for the other shoe to drop. She felt sorry for the ship owner, really. It couldn’t be easy to have a pariah like Serena onboard.
“We were very sorry to hear that your… companion will not be accompanying you,” Anna said carefully.
Companion. How about my louse of an ex-fiancé?
“Given the circumstances, we made some adjustments that we hope will make your stay more comfortable,” Anna continued.
Serena hoped furiously that they hadn’t made her give up the honeymoon suite. She’d been seriously looking forward to a soak in the heart-shaped tub from the brochure.
A hover-bot sailed in with a tray and placed it on the side table next to Serena. On it sat a steaming pot of tea and a plate of round pink things that looked like tiny cakes.
“Please, help yourself,” Anna said, indicating the tray.
Serena grabbed one of the cakes and took a big bite.
She was probably being rude by not demurring, or at least grabbing a plate and a napkin, but she was absolutely ravenous.
The sugary confection melted in her mouth.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured around the cake. “I missed dinner last night.”
Anna just nodded at her, slightly wide-eyed, as she shoved the rest of the cake in her mouth.
“At any rate, you’ll keep the honeymoon suite, of course,” Anna said kindly. “But we took the study and made it a guard’s room with a separate entrance, so that you can have accompaniment.”
“Mmm,” Serena nodded, munching on a second cake as she poured herself a piping mug of tea.
It was a good idea for her to have a live-in guard right now, after all she’d been through. It was entirely possible that someone would try to make trouble, especially if the ship was already carrying passengers from certain locations.
“I’m sure you’re wondering if we have a Cerulean population onboard right now,” Anna said, as if reading her thoughts. “And we do. Therefore, we’ve brought on an expert private security officer just for you. We want to ensure that you feel safe and happy throughout your time with us. Of course there will be no added charge for this service.”
“Thank you,” Serena said with feeling. She managed to stop eating and grabbed a napkin to wipe her lips.
“You are still on the honeymoon itinerary, so you’ll have an extra spot for many of your booked activities,” Anna went on. “Those are all pre-paid and non-refundable. But you can always substitute a guest of your choosing if you decide not to cancel. So if you make friends along the way, and we hope you do, you are most welcome to have them accompany you.”
Serena nodded, suddenly unable to speak.
The cakes were suddenly not agreeing with her stomach. She knew that dealing with this whole situation was going to be tough, but she’d thought she had braced herself for it. It felt like her belly was a ship on a boiling sea.
She choked down a gulp of hot tea to steady it.
There was a tap on the door.
“Oh this must be your private security officer,”
Anna said, hopping up.
Serena hopped up too, hoping that if she moved around a little, she might feel better.
She had just fully straightened when Anna threw the door open.
A huge male body was silhouetted in the light from the hallway. He had wide shoulders and narrow hips. And a set of fierce-looking horns curved back from his forehead.
Her heart stuttered.
He took a step toward her, wonder in his eyes.
Oz…
The air between them sizzled.
Serena opened her mouth to say something.
And then projectile vomited a spray of pink all over him.
7
Ozmarck
Oz froze in place, overcome with emotion, and covered in some bright pink, regurgitated substance he couldn’t quite identify. It didn’t matter.
Serena was here.
And she was carrying his child.
A wave of love wrapped around him, threatening to drown him in his own joy.
But Serena only gaped at him in horror, clearly feeling embarrassed for being sick.
Little did she know, she could not have made him happier.
“Oh dear,” Anna said, frowning.
He knew Anna a bit form his previous time on the Stargazer II, and she wasn’t the squeamish type. She was probably more concerned with how she was going to get the mess out of the carpets.
“I’ll get her to her rooms,” Oz said. “Send for the doctor?”
“Of course,” Anna replied.
She tapped the comm unit on her wrist as he wiped his face with his sleeve and stepped closer to his mate. He certainly hadn’t been expecting Serena to be his new client, but it looked like fate wasn’t done with them just yet.
“I’m so sorry,” Serena breathed.
“You’re fine,” Oz said. “I’m going to carry you, okay?”
