by Ivy McAdams
And now that I’m not dying, I’m much more aware of Dax and his half-naked body. His intriguing—and if I’m being honest, alluring—smell became much stronger after he opened his suit, and now I’m finding I have all the time I could want to appreciate it. It wafts over me and I bathe in it like I do his warmth.
His chest and arms pressed against me are perfect. I feel safe.
He curls around me, his torso and legs matching to mine beautifully, and after just a moment, I can hear his even breaths as he sleeps. As much as I’d like to turn and look at his face—maybe touch those lips as I’d imagined doing earlier—I’m beginning to drag as well. Now that I’m warming up, sleep is calling me. I snuggle in closer and close my eyes.
Chapter 10
A flickering light wakes me and I squint out from under the blanket pressed over my nose. One of the old lights in the hallway of the ship blinks and does its best to stay lit. Another next to it burns steadily.
Lights?
The blue orb in the corner is out, but the corridor lights spill into the room. It’s much warmer in here and a small smile passes over my face. The power’s back.
Zeus must have gotten too warm because he’s abandoned the bed.
I shift slightly, wanting to tell Dax the good news, and realize I’m still locked in tight against him, my back to his front with his face resting against the top of my head. The shift in my body also brings my attention to something else important.
A big something else.
I’m not the only one awake this morning.
Dax’s got an extreme case of morning wood and it’s stabbing me in the ass.
At first, I’m surprised and embarrassed. Which is already strange. I should be freaking the fuck out. My overall goal aboard this spaceship was to avoid getting probed. Now I’m so close to the danger zone it’s not even funny.
But I find myself much more curious than afraid. Do aliens have similar anatomy to humans? Does it work the same? Does it feel the same?
Whoa, shit. Calm the hell down.
Even as my skin glows hotter and my pulse quickens, I try to force all the ridiculous questions out of my head. The last thing I need to be thinking about while I’m undressed in bed with an alien man is what his cock might look like.
Except I am.
I can’t help it. It’s pressed in hard against me, and it’s big. There’s something about waking up alive this morning that has me less frightened and more curious about my alien captor.
Maybe it has something to do with him saving me last night, or holding me close while we slept through the worst of the cold.
I’ve come to discover that Dax isn’t such a bad guy after all, and I’m becoming rather turned on by the idea of waking up next to him.
Our spooning last night may have been completely innocent, and lifesaving, but now the danger is over. Now we’re just stuck together closer than a peel on an apple.
And it still feels really good.
His strong arms and chest. His breath in my hair. The way one of his boots is tangled between mine.
Not to mention the extra tidbit.
I shift again, this time more focused on my ass, to feel it brush up against me.
Dax’s breathing shifts and his arms tighten around my body.
I’m not sure whether to be delighted or anxious that he’s waking up. I freeze, slowing my breathing and trying to fake sleep. Most of my fear has evaporated. I’m so happy to be alive that I’m actually rather delighted to be here, him poking me and all. He smells great. He feels great.
And I’m tired of fighting the fact that I’m curious as hell about what’s going on in his pants and maybe a little about what he might do with it.
Despite all that, I’m not sure I want to get caught playing with it, so pretending to sleep it is.
I bite my lip to hold back any stray snickers.
He stretches his legs with a huff of breath, and I still can’t be sure he’s awake. But I know what is.
As he moves, his cock twitches against me and a tingle of arousal floods between my legs.
Oh man, I’m in trouble.
But I can’t stop smiling.
My ass moves ever so slightly against him, and his breath catches. He drags air in slowly against my hair, tickling my ear and sending goosebumps down my neck.
One of his arms shifts and suddenly fingers are gliding up my bicep, and I recall that I’m shirtless. I expect it to freak me out, but I’m surprisingly okay with it. The rest of him feels good touching me. More skin to skin doesn’t sound like a bad deal.
His hand smooths up my shoulder and neck, fingers trailing underneath my jaw. Then they whisper over my cheek and lips. As they pass over, I just can’t help the knee-jerk reaction to his caress. I press a kiss to his fingertips.
His hand stops, resting against my lips. I have a heartbeat to wonder how he might react before he takes me by the shoulder and spins me beneath the blankets to face him. It’s quick but not jerking. I’m just suddenly facing him and feeling a little lightheaded.
His eyes drop to my teal bra for a moment before focusing on me again. A quiet, modest part of me tells me to cover myself, but it’s not as if I’m naked. The louder part is happy and wants more from him. Even though looking up at him forces me to remember what he is. He felt normal—human, even—when I had nothing to stare at but the wall. His eyes and horns are a big and clear reminder that I’m not working with an ordinary man here.
But my stomach doesn’t clench as it did before. I don’t want to lean away and beg him to allow me to escape from this compromising position.
Seeing him is a little jarring, sure, but he’s different now.
He’s not the beast that stole me from Earth.
“Thank you,” I murmur, lost in the green glow of his eyes. “For saving my life. Even though I’m a human.”
His large palm rests against my face, his thumb moving gently over my cheek. “You aren’t like any human I’ve ever seen. Most would not be crazy enough to challenge pirates to save me.”
My breath catches just before his fingers press into the back of my neck, pulling me forward, and his mouth captures mine.
The spark that touches my skin sends tickles of electricity through me, jumpstarting my heart in a way I’ve never experienced before. It feels as if it both stops and beats triple-time all at once. My head swirls as all my thoughts and reservations flitter away.
His hands that were so gentle on me before grow stronger. Needier. They grip my arms, sliding around my back and waist.
“You’re so soft,” he growls against my lips.
The vibrations on my skin feel good, and I can’t help but wonder what women are like where he’s from. Are they not soft? He has hard muscles, but his skin is smooth. It feels good under my hands.
I let them travel over his wide chest, just as they did last night, but with a wild abandon that stirs me deep inside. His pecs are shaped like a human’s but so much bigger. I like the stirring in my blood when I touch them, and I move my palms over him again and again.
As my hands move down to his abs, his tongue tickles at my lips. It’s warm and wet, teasing my mouth open, and I let him in. While I explore the muscled ridges of his belly, his warm hands slide over my chest, into my bra, and palm both my breasts.
I gasp as he plucks my nipples between his fingers.
“You are sensitive here?” he murmurs.
“Mmhmm.” I squirm under his hands, moving to unhook my bra behind my back.
When the garment falls to the side, he drops his head to press a kiss to the top of one of my breasts.
“And with my mouth?” he whispers. His purple-pink tongue darts out to touch a nipple, encircling it.
I arch my back with a soft cry, my fingers weaving into the dark hair behind his horns. I hold his face to me as he draws the nipple into his mouth. The suction is enough to make me squirm, and my hips press into his. When his cock jerks in response, the titillating fire within my b
elly flares.
“What about you?” I murmur as I reach out to press my fingers against the bare skin of his abdomen again. “Where are you sensitive?”
He hums in response, sending a delightful tickle through my skin. I fight back a groan as I concentrate on my fingers, tugging at the open V of his flight suit. The strange silent fastening has to be right around here somewhere.
When I can’t work it on my own, I slide my hand over the top of the suit to feel the straining of his cock beneath. His teeth clamp delicately around my nipple when I touch him, and I yelp in surprise. He releases me, even though I may have enjoyed that more than I expected.
It causes the smile on my face to curl up in a more wicked grin. “You are sensitive here?”
My fingers move down the long length of the bulge in his pants, pressing and teasing.
“Yes,” he grunts, and his eyes roll in defeat.
It’s delicious.
Then his hands move to mine, working the fastening with the same smooth grace he had last night. Only this time, he’s quite fast. The zipper slides down into his groin and stops, but it’s plenty enough to free him.
And I’m surprised by what I see down there.
It’s not dark beneath the blankets anymore. The more-than-impressive length of his rigid cock, a delectable shape that has the moisture between my legs burning hot, shimmers with green light. Not quite as bright as his eyes, the thick shaft glows and I can see the tight muscles of his lower abdomen jump when my fingers brush the tip of him.
“What the…?” I breathe as I stare, watching the way my fingers move through the light as I trail my fingers down the underside of his cock.
“Does it frighten you?” he murmurs.
“As long as it won’t turn me into the She-Hulk, I think I’m good.”
“She-Hulk?”
“Nevermind,” I say with a grin, teasing my finger up his length again.
This certainly isn’t something I’ve ever seen on Earth, and I can’t say I’m disappointed.
“Then don’t stop,” he rumbles, placing his hand over mine and wrapping it around the base of his cock.
It jumps in my palm and I hold tighter. Our skin sizzles together and I can’t help but lick my lips.
This is hot. He’s hot.
Thank God I almost died last night so I could wake up to this beast.
I move my hand on him, long and slow, and the deep sound in his chest is close to a purr. It sends a new buzzing sensation straight to my lady parts.
It only takes a minute of stroking him before he’s peeling my leggings off. And I couldn’t agree more. I help him pull off my boots and the rest of my clothes.
I’m smiling when I join him again, anticipation far outweighing any lingering nerves. His glowing cock prods my thigh as he pulls me closer. His mouth finds mine and he kisses me with enough heat that my head swims. Enough that I immediately obey when he props himself up on his arms above me and nudges my knees apart.
He settles his large body between my thighs.
“You smell delicious,” he says as he draws in a long breath.
I blink up at him for a moment before he gives me a wicked grin and shakes his head subtly, his horns moving over me. “I mean here,” he growls, moving a hand down to cup me between the legs.
He must feel the new wave of wetness that rushes there.
Holy shit, this guy’s got me wrapped around his finger.
And pretty soon his cock.
I lift my legs to encircle them around his hips, even though they’re not quite long enough to go all the way around his big body.
The shimmering green between my legs jerks, moving toward me as if by instinct.
His hand remains lodged between my thighs and a single finger slides lower, slipping through my folds to the opening there. My hips lift to meet him as I draw in a sharp breath.
“So you are shaped just for me,” he rumbles, moving his finger in a wide circle as if testing how snug I am.
I moan softly and lift higher. “You may be too shapely for me, but I’m dying to find out.”
His breathy snort of amusement blows warm air across my face. “Your spirit is as hot as fire. I’m sure your body can keep up. It’s ready for me.”
I have no doubt that it is. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the rest.
His caressing fingers disappear from my slit, replaced immediately by the crown of his erection. It lights up our lower bodies and I find myself in some sort of psychedelic dream, watching that incandescent cock as it spreads me open and sends me into a tailspin of pleasure. I can’t believe how torturously good it feels as he slowly sinks in.
He’s thicker than I thought and having him lodged between my thighs is phenomenal. And even more so when he begins to move, slowly in and out, until he’s buried to the hilt and we’re left in darkness. I lift my hips high, reaching for every bit of him.
Moving with him is like starting a wildfire, and soon I’m engulfed in flames too. I can’t contain my scream as a crashing euphoria takes me. Once my body tightens around him, he jerks as he slams into me. The small room echoes with his moan as he explodes within me. It’s nearly enough to send me into another orgasm, and I shiver in delight.
It sure is nice to be shaking from something other than cold.
Especially when it’s the big delicious man whose embrace feels like heaven.
The way his heart thumps against my cheek when he rolls me to his side and holds me next to him. The way mine fights to recover from its intense release. It’s all hazy and perfect.
Until Zeus bursts into the room barking like a maniac.
Chapter 11
I shriek, taken totally off guard, and duck down low next to Dax. His arm tightens around me and he narrows his green eyes at the doorway.
When Zeus comes leaping around the side of the bed, Dax pulls the blankets up over my bare breasts and holds me closer. I rest my hands on his, a little tickled he’s covering me up in front of a dog.
“What do you want?” Dax asks, an edge in his voice.
Zeus barks with enough force that he bounces up and down on his front toes.
Dax huffs out a breath and I look up just in time to see him roll his eyes.
“Fine. I’m coming,” he says.
Zeus snorts and goes bounding back out of the room.
I narrow my eyes as I watch him go, trying to put together all the puzzle pieces presented in front of me.
That was definitely a conversation. And a poorly timed one at that.
Although it could have been worse. It could have been a couple minutes ago.
“So you and Zeus…?” I say, rubbing my fingers over Dax’s arm.
But he doesn’t stick around for my question. He slips out of my grasp and climbs out of the bed. It feels horribly empty and cold without him.
“My apologies,” he murmurs as he adjusts his black suit, “but it seems our friends need to speak with me.”
My eyes drift over his body as he puts himself back together and I note that the glowing green is gone now that he’s no longer aroused. The smile that creeps over my lips is wicked, recalling how much fun it was, lights and all.
He fastens the suit again with one quick swipe up his body, then he leans forward to catch my face in his hand.
“Help yourself to food,” he says. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I rest my cheek in his hand as he caresses it once and slips away. He strides out the doorway and into the hall, leaving me alone in the quiet room.
For the briefest moment, I’m afraid of being in the ship alone. Sitting in Dax’s bed by myself, like it’s about time I gather my clothes and do the walk of shame.
Except I’m not going anywhere.
The fact that it’s not exactly my choice only lingers in the back of my mind. If I can’t change my future, I can at least enjoy my present, and that means I can stay in Dax’s bed and be with him again when he returns.
My stomach rumbles and I
put a hand on it.
I can be in Dax’s bed with cake.
With a smile, I pull my jacket over and dig in the pocket for my reserves.
“Are you sure it’s not going to hurt the ship?” I ask as I perch on my metal jump seat in the cockpit and swing my bare feet.
The ship is a thousand times warmer than last night and I’m thoroughly enjoying not being a popsicle. It’s even warm enough that I don’t need my boots. It wasn’t this warm my first nights here. I have a small feeling the toasty air is Dax’s doing.
“We’ll burn more fuel, but it’s not going to break,” he says as he adjusts his controls and guides the ship through the stars. “The damaged piece is as good as new.”
“Beautiful,” I say, pulling my legs up against my chest and snuggling into my seat.
My body’s a little sore this morning, but I’m finding it to be the best ache ever. It was difficult to resist dragging Dax back to his bedroom again once he came back on board. He did plant a sweet, hot kiss on me when he returned, but apparently, we couldn’t waste time getting back in the air.
We’re on a schedule.
That’s certainly not something I’ve forgotten. I’m just doing my best to focus anywhere else.
That certainly doesn’t include the fact that Dax is still racing to give me away, even after the connection we’ve made.
Sure, I don’t expect him to sweep me off my feet and run off with me, but not handing me over to some strange people who want to punish me would be nice.
Preferred, even.
Shit, please help me. They’re going to kill me, and I don’t even know why.
No, wait.
Breathe.
This is better than frozen to death. One step at a time. We can work with still alive.
I wring my hands together and take a breath, plastering on a smile again.
I’ve got this. Just got to put my mind somewhere else.
“So, um, how much farther?”
The urge to slap my face into my palm is immense. That is not focusing on other things.