by Sophie Stern
Shit.
Is this what Sapphiran men feel like all of the time? Is this what it’s like for the heroes of the universe to bed women? Because I can suddenly see the appeal. Scarlett starts riding me like she was born to do this, and I feel like the most attractive man in the damn world.
It’s not true, of course.
I’m not the most attractive man. Not by a long-shot.
But when she touches me here, now, like this...
I feel like I could fly.
Reaching for her breasts, I squeeze them gently as she bounces up and down on my cock.
“Fuck,” she whispers.
I pinch her nipples a little to see if she likes it. Does my girl want a little bite of pain with her pleasure? She throws her head back and bites her lip, and yeah, that just about makes me explode inside of her.
“We didn’t finish your spanking,” I murmur.
“We have all day.”
“Does that mean you want me to paddle you later?”
“Yes.”
“What else do you want me to do?”
“I want you to make me come on your cock, Acacius. I want to come so hard you can’t hold back any longer.”
“You are so fucking gorgeous,” I murmur. She reaches between us and starts rubbing herself as I begin thrusting up inside of her. Each thrust brings me closer to coming, but she’s getting closer, too.
Her eyes close and her body tenses as she nears orgasm, and all I can think about is how fucking lucky I am.
I definitely don’t deserve to be spending the afternoon with someone as perfect or beautiful as Scarlett.
I don’t deserve to have this vixen grinding down against me.
“More,” she murmurs, and I reach for her hair and tug it, pulling her closer to me so I can catch one of her breasts in my mouth, and that does it for her.
She comes.
Scarlett opens her mouth and groans as she begins to shake. The power of her orgasm washes over her, and it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I try to fight it, but she’s squeezing me so tightly that I come, too, filling her up, and then she collapses on top of me.
It was a beautiful moment: what Scarlett and I shared. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a moment like that before.
It’s easy to think that sex is sex, but that’s just not true.
Not when sex can be like that.
Not when it can be electric.
Not when it can be powerful.
I close my eyes as I rub her hair, pulling her closer to myself. This moment was perfect, and even though we’ve just met, I really don’t want it to ever end.
Chapter 9
Scarlett
TOGETHER, WE GO INTO the attached cleansing unit and clean ourselves up. Who knew that sex could be so messy and wonderful? I’ve never gotten nasty and sweaty from sex before today, but I kind of love it.
Acacius gets dressed and then we head back to the living room. I wander around finding my clothing and putting it back on.
“What are you thinking?” He asks.
“You ask me that a lot.”
“It’s because I want to check in with you.”
“It’s unusual.”
“It’s thoughtful.”
“True,” I say. “I guess I’ve never had a partner who was willing to make sure I was feeling okay at every point in the sexual experience.”
He laughs.
“The sexual experience?”
“Isn’t that what the Mirroeans are calling it these days?” I laugh.
“I like this,” he says, gesturing between us.
“Us?”
“Yeah,” Acacius smiles. He sits down and leans back. Then he just looks at me like he’s never felt so happy or worry-free. “I like how comfortable we are with one another. Things between us just feel natural.”
“That’s definitely true. I mean, and what are the chances we would have run into each other at a shopping pod?”
He nods, smiling, and then I remember, quite suddenly, exactly how we met.
“Your diabetes.”
Acacius just raises an eyebrow, as if waiting for me to finish that sentence or that thought.
“Is it okay?”
“My diabetes is fine,” he tells me.
“You aren’t going to pass out again after all that sex?”
He erupts with laughter.
“Scarlett, you’re wonderful, and the sex was unbelievable, but I don’t think it’s enough to make me faint again, no.”
“Good,” I say. “Because I’d feel pretty bad if I hurt you accidentally.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re an interesting woman,” he says. “You’re so very brave and strong, but you’re also soft and gooey on the inside.”
“What does that mean?” I bristle. I can’t tell if he’s insulting me.
“It means you’re like a tasty Earth treat called a s’more. Have you heard of that?”
“No.”
“It was a common treat,” he says. He slips into teacher-mode. I can tell the second he does because he suddenly gets serious, but also excited. His eyes light up, and I wonder what his students must think about him. Oh, I bet they love him. He looks so happy right now.
“Tell me about it.”
“Back on Earth, people would build a fire, gather sticks, and place a marshmallow on the end of the stick.”
“What’s that?”
“A marshmallow? It’s a soft white little ball.”
“Like a cookie?”
“Softer.”
“Like a binggan?”
“Closer to that, yes.”
“Why would they put marshmallows on sticks?”
“Humans would heat the marshmallows over the fire and then make a little sandwich with chocolate and crackers to eat. It was called a s’more.”
“Such a strange name.”
“It’s because no matter how much you each, you always want some more.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh, and I probably shouldn’t because this custom was obviously very important to the humans, but damn if hearing it doesn’t just make me giggle. I’m certain that Chaotic citizens have just as many strange customs and traditions. After all, we love chasing jelly worms and catching flitter bugs. Humans don’t do either of those things, at least to my knowledge. Acacius would know, though, and I should probably ask him some time.
He smiles, unbothered by the fact that I’m laughing at the information he kindly shared with me.
“I know it sounds a bit strange,” he says. “Silly, even.”
“A little.”
He shrugs, as though there’s nothing weird at all about knowing all of this crazy history about Earth, and honestly, that just makes me like him even more.
He’s confident.
It’s a rare treat, and it’s quite wonderful.
I move over to him and wrap my arms around him. Even though I’m dressed, I still like rubbing myself against his body. It feels good. Right. There’s a sort of comfortable familiarity between the two of us that I really just totally adore.
“Darling,” he chuckles. “I’m beginning to think you’re quite insatiable.”
I look at him and shake my head.
“Darling?” I ask. “Who talks like that?”
Nobody I know.
Nobody says words like “darling” or “insatiable” or “gooey.”
Only him.
Only Acacius.
How crazy is it that I met him only yesterday? It’s probably a bit slutty and wild that I’ve spent so much time in such naughty ways with this man, but somehow...somehow I just can’t seem to help myself.
He places his hands on my lower back and pulls me closer. Then he kisses me over and over and over. Even though we just made love like, five minutes ago, I’m already anxious for more. To my disappointment, however, Acacius pulls back and strokes my cheek.
“Should we get some lunch?”
“Nope,” I shake my head. “Sex only. All day.”
He laughs and hugs me again.
“That sounds so perfect,” he says.
“I am a little hungry,” I admit grudgingly. “All of the fucking made me work up an appetite.”
"All right. Let's go eat," he says. He grabs his communication unit from the kitchen counter and straps it on his wrist. A comm unit can be used for so much: paying for your food, contacting people, and even finding where you're supposed to be going. He seems to notice that I don't have one on and he looks confused. "No communications unit?"
"I don't really have anyone I need to talk to."
"Still, though," he says. "Money? Directions?"
"I have my Chaotic coin," I say, holding up a small round piece of metal. It looks like coin, but it's actually a piece of high-tech equipment. It can be used to buy anything I need. I just scan it the same way I would a communications unit.
"How interesting. I don't see many people using those."
"Well, I like to be low-key. When I'm out and about, I don't always want to talk to people all of the time."
"I can respect that," he says. "Sometimes it's nice to just do your own thing without being bothered."
"Exactly. And I love my sister and her makeshift family, but it can be a lot to deal with."
Too much, sometimes.
Christmas is coming up rapidly and I still have to figure out what I'm going to get everyone and how I'm going to handle celebrating this wonderful holiday for the first time back on Chaos. I didn't exactly celebrate a lot of holidays when I was on Hawk, but it never bothered me that much, either.
Now it does.
Now I want to know that I’m going above and beyond for the people I care about and for the people who care about me.
“You have a lot on your mind, don’t you?” He asks gently.
“Yes.”
“Too much,” he says.
“Yes.”
He takes off the communication unit and places it back on the counter.
“Tell you what?” Acacius comes backs over and kisses me again. “I get the feeling that you’ve been a little bit...stressed...lately.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Why don’t we go back to my room for a little while?”
“No lunch?”
“I’ll reheat the echo pudding for lunch,” he kisses me. “By the time we’re done with round two, it’ll be ready to eat, and then we can play some more.”
Somehow, the idea that we don’t have to leave the house feels absolutely perfect and wonderful. I didn’t even realize how much I didn’t want to leave until he offered to let us stay inside.
“Yes,” I say. “So much yes.”
“Okay, go wait for me in the bedroom,” he laughs. Acacius swats me on the ass when I walk by and somehow, I know that no matter what happens next, this thing between us is going to be...well, it’s going to be something I’m never going to forget.
Ever.
Chapter 10
Acacius
THE DAY AFTER OUR FIRST date, I see Scarlett again.
And the next day.
And the next.
Jason seems to love her, so the three of us go to the park. We go to the lake. We go all around town together. We walk, we explore, and we spend time together in so many different ways that somehow, I start to wonder how I ever managed to survive without her.
Scarlett is so kind-hearted to the people around her. She’s gentle and sweet and very, very thoughtful.
And oh, she’s fucking naughty as hell.
Scarlett and I have sex...everywhere.
In my pod.
In the hover car.
Behind a building.
Sometimes when we’re together, it’s like I’m dating for the very first time. She makes me feel like a teenager all over again, and it really is a wonderful feeling.
About a week after we first meet, she brings me home to have dinner with her sister and her sister’s mate. When I knock on the door, I’m feeling a little bit nervous, but all of that completely vanishes when she opens the door for me.
“Acacius!” She practically jumps into my arms. I’m holding Jason, so she’s careful, but she obviously wants to touch me even more. I can tell that she’s trying to hold back. It’s actually pretty cute.
“Scarlett,” I murmur, kissing her on the cheek.
“And you must be the boy who stole her heart,” a woman says from behind Scarlett. I smile when I see her. This is obviously her sister. The woman has the same high cheekbones as Scarlett, as well as a similar smile. She looks hesitant, but kind.
“You must be Anna,” I say.
“Guilty,” she says.
“And I’m her mate, Todd.” A man steps forward and gives me a little wave.
“It’s nice to finally meet you all,” I say, but then I step inside the pod to find that there are nearly half-a-dozen other people there, too: a couple of men, a couple of women, and even a teenage girl. I recognize Sasha from the shopping pods, and Dr. Autumn is here with her mate. I didn’t realize they were all friends. I look over at Scarlett and she shrugs.
“They all wanted to meet you,” she says.
“The more the merrier, right?” I say.
The other people exchange confused glances with each other.
Finally, Anna is brave enough to ask me what I’m talking about.
“What is that?” She says.
“For dragon’s sake,” says a man wearing dark glasses over his eyes. “It’s old Earth slang. It means that the more people who come to a party, the more fun we can all have.”
A fellow human?
How interesting.
I step further into the pod and Anna comes close.
“Can I take your baby?” She asks.
“As long you return him eventually.”
She laughs, and she and Scarlett sit down and start bouncing Jason and playing with him gently. He’s really taken to her, and I’m lucky that they’re both so happy together.
I make my way into the room and introductions are had all around. We share a wonderful meal together and spend hours playing games, but eventually, it’s time to say goodbye. It’s unfortunate because Scarlett’s makeshift little family members really are wonderful.
There’s Max: the captain and leader of the group. His wife, Sasha, worries that she won’t be a good enough mother to her stepdaughter, Bri. Bri just wants to have fun with her friends and be normal. Then there’s Caleb and his wife, Autumn. Todd and Anna are paired up, too, and then there’s Scarlett and I.
“Can you help me with something in the kitchen?” Todd asks before we leave.
“Sure.”
I follow him into the side room, well aware that this is the part of the evening where he tells me to watch my back. This is the part where he warns me that if I break Scarlett’s heart, he’s going to hurt me.
Once we’re alone and the kitchen door slides shut, Todd surprises me by throwing his arms around me.
What the fuck?
I jump back, surprised.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he says.
I just stare.
What was Todd doing?
Why was he hugging me?
“Is something wrong?” I ask.
“On the contrary, everything is right,” he smiles. “We’re all so pleased you and Scarlett found each other.”
“Really?”
That seems counterintuitive.
“Really.”
“I thought the girl’s family was usually quite irritated when she found love.”
“Not us,” he says. “And not when it comes to you. Acacius, I don’t know how you’ve managed to do it, but we were all really worried about Scarlett before you came along.”
“Worried how?”
“She’s been through a lot.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“And coming to a new planet can be lonely.”
That�
�s putting it lightly.
“We’ve all worried that she wouldn’t be able to find someone special to her, someone who understood what she was going through, but you...well, you’ve really done it, haven’t you?”
“I haven’t done much.”
I don’t tell him that the only thing I’ve actually done is tied her down and given her orgasm after orgasm after orgasm.
Those aren’t things he needs to know.
“Whatever you’ve done,” he smirks. “Keep doing it.”
I let his words sink in. Her family really likes me? That makes me feel really good, and a sense of pride fills me.
“You really think she’s happier now?”
“I know it,” he says with a shrug. “Before you, we were all worried.”
“Worried how?”
“She was sad, Acacius. She was lonely.”
Somehow, the thought of her being lonely breaks my heart just a little bit. I don’t like the idea that Scarlett had to feel pain. She’s far too precious for something like that.
He sighs and shakes his head.
“She was stuck on revenge for a long time, and I don’t blame her at all. Not after what she went through, but when your entire life revolves around anger and pain, it’s nice to have a little sunshine once in awhile. Don’t you think?”
“Yes.”
“You’re good for her,” he slaps me on the shoulder. “Don’t let her tell you otherwise.”
Chapter 11
Scarlett
THERE’S SNOW ON CHAOS when we get back to Acacius’ apartment. Lately, it seems like I spend far more time at his home than mine. His place is starting to feel like home, but that might be just a little bit dangerous. It’s probably not a good idea to be falling for an alien, especially one I’ve only just met.
It’s probably not a good idea to start falling in love with a man from Chaos.
When we get home, we put Jason to bed and then Acacius and I snuggle up in the living room. I kiss him and smile up at him.
“Did you have fun tonight?” I ask. It was his first time meeting my entire family, and I was a little nervous.