This time was different. This wasn’t about getting frustration out of their system, this was about re-connecting, getting back to how mates should be. It was about intimacy and vulnerability. He caged her under him, pressing her into the soft bed, the sheets tangling around his legs. He kissed her and when he wasn’t kissing her he was watching her face, her eyes, as she stared back up at him, her lips and cheeks flushed. Sometimes his rhythm faltered, when he got distracted by some other aspect of her like running the back of his claw over her red nipple. He felt he could do this for an hour, two. There was no rush to finish, this was the perfect place to be. This was bliss.
He rolled onto his back, shifting her over him instead, letting her pick up the rhythm and work their pleasure in small, grinding circles. She took her weight on her arms, looking down at him, her hair landing on the pillow beside his head, but she didn’t put any space between them, and he helped her with his hands full of her hips. She was covered in a gleaming shine of sweat, the light catching it on her chest. Her body was so hot against his, and he could feel how she slid against his scales, drenched between her legs, all that arousal fucked out of her by his cock that just stirred up more.
“Ah, Zir…” she murmured quietly, her brows drawing together as she chased her pleasure. She started to lengthen her strokes, but Zir gripped her hips and kept her down. She shot him a look, impatient. “Fuck, Zir, come on…”
He lifted his head to lick a bead of sweat from her throat. “You can take it,” he told her. “I’m not done yet.”
“Urgh,” she groaned, letting her head drop. “Sadist.”
He chuckled, breathless. Did she think he wasn’t feeling just as much as she was? That he didn’t feel disintegrated, molten lava filling his gut? She lay on his chest then, almost in defeat, and he slid one hand up her side again, stroking her up and down. He wanted more, he wanted her delirious and begging before he let her come, he wanted her to feel him inside her, her clit rubbed from his scales for a week. He wanted to feel like he couldn’t last another second, like he would die if she didn’t come on his cock and shatter under him that second, so he could follow after and finally find relief from the pleasure consuming him until there was nothing left.
But he could feel her tiring, so he had mercy and rolled her back over, taking control again. She gasped at the jolt of his cock inside her as they moved, and he kissed her. She would need to shower after this, but he liked that. She might complain he had made her filthy. He hoped he would.
She planted her feet either side of him and bucked her hips up against him. There wasn’t much she could do, but it added a sharpness to their thrusts that made the pleasurable torture harder to bear, their climax feeling realer, nearer.
“Come on,” she whispered, her teeth nipping at his chin. “Come on.”
He groaned, and toyed with the idea of giving in. She always did that to him. Impatient, demanding, she pulled out of him things he didn’t want to give, things he wanted to hide, so she could keep them for herself, and he had to admit he loved her for it. He tried to be strong but she took him apart.
He took her hands and laced their fingers together as best he could, his two slotting between her four, and pressed them down over her head, sinking into the pillow. “Are you begging, my wife?” he murmured, finding her eyes. Say yes, he thought. Say yes and I’ll end this for both of us.
But Lois just laughed. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she panted.
Zir narrowed his eyes. He knew a challenge when he saw one. He also recognised a trap, but he couldn’t pretend he didn’t want to come too. Even as he knew he was playing directly into her hands, he lengthened his thrusts, moved faster. Lois arched her back, pushing against him as she moaned, hyper-sensitive.
Zir dipped his head to her chest, licking then sucking her collarbone. “Come,” he grunted, admitting defeat. “Come for me, Lois. Come.”
He watched her fall apart, her head tossing on the pillow as she cried out and contorted under him, clenching around his cock and forcing him to spill a moment after with a gasp and a hiss, his arms shaking where he kept his weight off her.
He pulled free of her and collapsed on his back beside her. They were both out of breath. She pushed her hair out of her face.
“Satisfied?” Lois asked, a wry twist to her smile as she turned her face to him.
He looked at her with a low growl. If she was suggesting he hadn’t loved her hard enough, or that he couldn’t do it again, he would gladly answer that challenge until he exhausted her.
She put her hand to his stomach as if she could hope to pin him down. “I’m kidding. I think that did it. I don’t think I can go again.”
Zir huffed and looked at the ceiling again, waiting for his heart to slow. It was what he wanted, but… Maybe they had time for him to use his mouth once more, just to make sure.
“And besides, we need to get back for the kids.”
He heard a strange note in her voice, an uncertainty, like guilt. He turned to her, watching her face. Did she feel bad that they had taken this time to themselves? “They are fine. They are safe with Xin, he will take good care of them.”
“No, I know that. I know…” She was brushing him off, he could tell, even if she smiled at him. “I need to shower.” She pulled herself up, her muscles weak.
Zir couldn’t let her out of his sight if she was feeling bad about their mating. He was only a little stronger than she was when he forced himself to sit up and pull her back down with him, thumping onto the bed and driving the breath from her.
“Zir, really, I can’t-”
“Five minutes,” he said, nuzzling the back of her neck, his arms locked around her chest.
“Five minutes for what?” she asked, trying to look over her shoulder at him.
What was the word? Ah. “I want to cuddle my mate.”
Lois didn’t seem to have an answer for a second. She looked away again, and brought her hand up to his forearm. “Oh. Okay.” Slowly, she relaxed until her head was sunk into the plush pillow, and her body was soft against his again.
They could always shower together to save time.
4
When they let themselves back into their apartment, it was almost ten pm. The children would be in bed. Xin stood from the couch where he’d been reading.
“Apologies for staying out later than we said,” Zir offered, embracing his brother in another one-armed hug.
“It wasn’t a problem. The children were a little unsettled, I suggest checking on them before you sleep, but they behaved well enough. Did you have fun at the party?”
“We did.” And after it, but Xin didn’t need to know those details. “A woman there wants to meet you, one of Lois’ friends.”
“Oh? Why?” He looked to Lois for answers. Xin could be as stoic as Zir, but a glimmer of alarm showed through. Any mention of mating again daunted him, and he shied away from single females.
Lois shook her head. “I’m sure she doesn’t mean anything by it. She just wants to compare you to Zir, see if there’s a family resemblance or if he’s one of a kind.” She smiled at Zir and touched his arm briefly.
“Well, I am… busy,” Xin said, tucking his hands into his shirt.
“She only suggested you come to the party next year. She’ll probably forget before then.”
Xin frowned. “Who would look after the children?”
“That is what I said!” Zir agreed, vindicated.
“It was just a suggestion. I’ll check on the kids, then I’m going to bed. Thank you again, Xin.”
He nodded and Lois left them, heading to the bedrooms.
“Will we see you tomorrow?” Zir asked.
Xin took a deep breath. “Yes, though I am not sure what is expected of me.”
“As far as I can tell, only your presence is required. Lois said it is about ‘family’.”
They were going to erect a ‘Christmas tree’ and decorate it with the children. Lois said it was late, but the
y hadn’t had time. Now, however, they were on vacation time and weren’t expected at work until after Christmas. Zir knew Lois was excited. It was their first Christmas with all the children, and she had carefully selected which movies to play, which songs, and what treats to bake.
Zir was worried their family of Volin would not give her the response she was looking for, but he was determined to support her. She never complained about being the only human in their family, only ever fretted over whether or not she was giving the children everything they needed. The Volin didn’t have any holidays they could celebrate together, and this was important to Lois. It was her culture and her planet, and the children should learn for when they were adults with children of their own. The odds were good that at least one of them would mate a human, after all.
She wanted to do something nice for them. Because of her, there was a small mountain of wrapped gifts hidden in their bedroom.
Zir thought the children were aware of Christmas, as they were learning about it in school, preparing for it with arts projects of glitter and glue. He had no idea how it would play out in practice however. He had never gone through it as a father of four. Xin had never done it as an uncle. He told himself they would just have to get better with practice.
Xin hummed, uncertain about what he would be walking into. “It is late. I should go home.”
Zir thanked him and walked him to the door to say goodbye. As he turned back to the apartment, alone for a moment, he wondered if his relationship with his brother was healing, if Xin could be happy again.
He went to find Lois, and almost walked into her as she came out of the girls’ room.
“They’re all asleep,” she whispered with a smile. “But they know we’re home now. I got a few mumbles out of Nia.”
He took her under his arm. “Then it is time we too were asleep, as they will be up early again tomorrow, whether they are on vacation or not.”
****
The kids were more excited about getting to stay in their pyjamas and not go to school than they were about the tree. The boys spent the morning leaping from one piece of furniture to the next, while the girls watched TV, played on their Gadjits, and stuffed their faces with snacks. Eventually, Zir kidnapped them one by one to the bathroom, making sure they cleaned their teeth and wiped their faces while Lois baked in the kitchen. Some of it she made for herself, like the thin sugar cookies. Some of it was adapted for Volin pallets, swapping sugar for salt or chocolate for currants. The gingerbread she was working on smelled good enough to get the kids hovering around, and she began to teach the girls what she was doing while keeping the boys away from anything hot enough to burn.
Zir took over the kitchen for lunch, and then Xin was at the door, and Lois brought the bags of decorations she had brought over to the fake tree Zir had put up in the corner beside the TV. She searched for her playlist and a close up of a log burning while the children dug through the bags, small claws making short work of the packaging. Zir picked up after them until the baubles, tinsel and lights were strewn across the floor at the foot of the tree, and the bags and boxes and zip ties were in the recycling.
The kids looked back at the adults as if asking what they were supposed to do next. Xin looked at Zir. Zir looked at Lois.
“First, the lights!” she said, stepping forward and rooting Taz out from where he was venturing into the lowest branches. “This tree is not for climbing.” She handed the long cord of coloured bulbs to Lia and Nia to unwind while she plugged it in.
Zir stepped forward to help, and Xin stood behind them to watch, his hands tucked into his shirt. Every now and then Bor would get bored and start climbing his uncle’s leg. Xin would pick him up, and then Bor would get bored of that and wiggle free.
Lois and Zir handled the lights, fed to them by Lia and Nia. She stood one side of the tree and he the other, and they wrapped it by passing the lights back and forth. Zir found himself smiling as Lois narrated the scientific theory of good Christmas decorating.
“The lights go on first so they can shine through the branches instead of just sitting on top of everything else, but we don’t turn them on until everything is done because we want the dramatic effect. Then comes the tinsel, so it doesn’t hide any baubles, and then we use the baubles to fill up any blank spots left by the tinsel. Not everyone does it this way, but this is the right way,” she said with a wink at the girls who sat at her feet, rapt.
Once they were done, Lois invited the kids to hang the baubles. “Remember to spread them out.”
Zir lifted Bor, and Lois took Taz, leaning in so they could reach the higher branches. Once all the baubles were gone, Lois picked up the big golden star.
“Xin, you haven’t put anything on yet,” she said, holding it out to him. “This goes on top.”
Xin looked surprised, but he took the star and picked his way over to work it snuggly down onto the point of the tree, looking to Lois to make sure he had done it correctly.
“Perfect,” Lois said, bouncing and rocking Taz on her hip in the way she had when she forgot herself. Taz huffed, but after a look from Zir, he allowed it. “Zir, do you want to get the lights?”
He switched them on, and the tree sprung to life, first with a solid patchwork of glowing lights, then settling into a rhythm of different sections flashing on and off every few seconds. He had to admit it was pretty, and seeing his children’s uneven handiwork filled him with pride. It might not occur naturally to a Volin to put a small fake tree inside their home then cover it with lights and coloured plastic, but this was a tradition he could get behind, especially when he saw Lois’ smile.
Lia and Nia ooh-ed and reached out to touch it. Taz and Bor stared from their parents’ arms. For a moment they just watched the lights change, making first this part, then that part glow red, green or blue.
Lois took a deep breath, breaking out of the moment. “I have more, for the rest of the apartment.” She handed Taz to Xin, then went to get more bags. There were model reindeer and stags, robins, squirrels. There were dried oranges and cinnamon strung together to scent the room. A wreath of fake holly with red berries. Elves and Santas and snowflakes. It seemed like a lot, but once it was dispersed through the apartment, it wasn’t intrusive.
Last came the stockings, ridiculously over-sized red velvet and white fur socks with their children’s names embroidered on them. Lois handed them out to the children. “Put these at the foot of your beds so Santa can put gifts in them.”
The kids looked unsure, but took the stockings to their rooms anyway.
Lois rubbed her empty hands together and looked at Zir and Xin. “Now that’s done, shall we have a drink?”
By the time the kids came back, the adults were seated with mugs of hot Christmas spiced apple juice with rum. Lois offered them the pre-alcohol version, and plates of cookies and cake, and they settled down to watch what she assured them were the best and second-best Christmas movies of all time.
****
Xin was invited to spend the night on Christmas Eve, so he could experience the magic of the anticipation, and open presents with them on Christmas day. He would have to sleep on the couch, but it was big enough, and Lois promised to make it up for him with sheets and pillows.
When the night came, the kids cuddled up to watch TV with the adults. Taz curled up on Xin’s lap, Bor stayed with Lois, while Lia and Nia sat either side of Zir. Zir didn’t comment on it, knowing they might get self-conscious and move, but an hour into the movie, Zir put his arm around Lia, and she allowed it. His heart was speeding, wondering if this was the moment the girls decided to trust him after all. When Lia didn’t react, slumping into his chest with her eyes on the TV, he let his wing unfurl over his daughter. He saw her glance at it, then she took his arm and readjusted it against her. It felt like a victory, and Zir’s heart almost broke with gratitude and humility in the face of this hurt little female’s acceptance of him as her guardian.
At eight, they put the boys to bed. At nine,
they sent the girls off. The kids needed to be in bed and asleep, so they wouldn’t see ‘Santa’ making his deliveries at midnight. The plan was that Lois would visit the girls, and Zir would sneak into the boys’ room. He had never done so to deliver presents before, but it happened at least once a week that he felt the need to check on the children after they had gone to bed, so he was well-practiced in not waking them. It could be done, though he understood the consequences of being seen would be dire.
It didn’t work out that way. Once the girls were put to bed, Zir and Lois sat up with Xin for a bit longer, knowing they would have to stay awake. Eventually though, they decided not to keep him up any longer and set up the couch for him with bedding, retreating to their bedroom to change and take their turns in the bathroom. It was eleven when they turned off all the lights and said goodnight to Xin, warning him that they would be moving about later, but only briefly. With nothing else to do, they got into bed to wait, Lois yawning as she settled her head on the pillow.
“I can deliver the gifts to the children’s rooms,” Zir offered, taking pity on her. “You can sleep if you are tired.”
They slept in an imitation of a Volin nest, a hug red cushion suspended from the ceiling. Their weight made it dip in the middle, so they always ended up sleeping in each other’s arms.
“Are you sure?” Lois said. She blinked as she tried to stay awake, her cheek on her hand, her hair loose around her shoulders.
“Yes. Sleep.” He threaded her hair behind her ear with the point of his claw, smiling softly. Lois wasn’t a woman who wanted to be taken care of, but Zir snuck in small moments like this.
“Thanks.” She squeezed his arm, then closed her eyes. Zir turned off the lights. He would just read on his Gadjit for an hour, or watch his mate sleep.
Twenty minutes until he had to get up again and sneak the gifts into his children’s stockings, however, the bedroom door eased open. Zir looked to it in alarm. It wasn’t unheard of that one of the children came to wake them in the night, if they were sick or they wanted something, or they’d had a nightmare. Nightmares especially were not uncommon, but the victim usually climbed into their sibling’s bed rather than their parents’. It was closer, and they were still learning to trust Zir and Lois.
An Office Alien Christmas Collection (Office Aliens Book 5) Page 17