by Elin Wyn
He helped her, and she kicked off shoes and socks to be naked, gloriously naked with this beautiful alien man over her.
Sholan kissed her again. His hand slipped down between them, his palm a questioning weight on her mound.
“Yes,” Lyra breathed, tilting her hips, widening her legs for him. She felt like she was on fire.
The calluses on his fingers gave him just the roughest edge. She gasped when he brushed against her clit.
“You like that?” he asked, eyes dancing with mirth.
She nodded vigorously.
“Tell me what feels good. I want to make it feel good for you.”
“I want them inside me,” she said and gasped again, gripping him tightly. “Yes, like that... curl your fingers and press up a little.”
His fingers were thick and wide. Two of them were enough to make her feel full. He did as she asked, and he hit the spot inside her that made her almost come off the bed.
“There,” she gasped. “Keep... keep going. Oh, God, Sholan... don’t stop...”
She reached for him, his own erection, but her own hand was clumsy with the rapidly building pleasure. He caught her hand in his own free hand and held it to the bed.
She moaned, wanton, and fighting the urge to close her thighs and ride him.
Her hips bucked in time with his fingers pumping in and out of her, hitting right on target every single time.
He bent over and kissed her, his tongue delving inside her.
The warmth inside her expanded, seemed to pop.
Lyra came hard, body shuddering, muscles clenching in wave after wave. He stroked her through it until finally she eased back, exhausted.
“Sholan...” she gasped, completely out of breath, as undone in a way she never remembered being before. She reached for him, but her muscles were lax and exhausted.
He shook his head. The irises in his already black eyes were blown.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, kissing her. “So beautiful.”
“But you...”
“I’ll keep,” he insisted but his erection was tenting his pants.
Even as sated as she was, she rolled her eyes. “Come here.”
His eyes lit up, and when he pushed his pants down… she felt her mouth water again. Sholan was every bit as large as his clothed erection had suggested.
And any idea of him being even superficially humanoid left her mind as she gazed at the thick bulges and ridges that lined his swollen cock.
Just the thought of it inside her made her shiver.
But for now…
She wrapped her hands around him, spreading precum from his head down his broad shaft. He groaned, one large hand coming to rest against the back of her neck. She let him guide her down to his lap.
He tasted every bit as good as he smelled. Male and leather and just a hint of sweetness. Lyra lapped around his head and bobbed downward, taking him as far back as she could go before coming up again.
Sholan’s appreciative sound zinging through her. He relaxed his hold, letting her come back up before gently—but firmly—pushing her down again.
Lyra shut her eyes and became lost in the sensation, letting him direct her in a way she hardly ever let another man do. A part of her trusted Sholan—trusted him not to keep her down too long or too far and make her choke. He never once abused that trust.
She wrapped her hand around his base, stroking him to make up the distance. Their pace increased and she paused to kiss and suck at his head.
“Lyra,” he warned.
She hummed her approval. Another few strokes, his hand tightened in warning, and she pulled off as he came. She stroked both hands up and down his erection, pleasuring him through his climax as he had done her. As with hers, it seemed to last much longer than usual.
They laid together, naked and sated.
Here comes the part where he makes an excuse and leaves, Lyra thought. She had been through this song and dance many times. She knew how one-night stands went.
Yet Sholan surprised her once again. Instead of leaving, he drew her close, pulling up the blankets so they rested in a sphere of warmth and comfort.
He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her lips. She returned the kisses lazily, feeling her eyes slip shut.
This is nice, she thought. I can’t remember the last time I felt so safe…
She fell into a dreamless sleep.
Sholan
Sholan woke the next morning to a feeling of deep contentment. There was a curious weight on one shoulder. It took a few moments to realize it was Lyra’s head, pillowed against him. His arms were around her waist, drawing her close at night.
Memories of last night flooded back to him and he smiled to himself.
Sholan had never been the type of man who was happy to sit around and do nothing. Now, he was content to rest with his Lyra, to have her naked body against his own and inhale her natural delicate scent of nectar and flowers.
It was with that realization that the truth finally dawned on him.
The bonding.
But that was impossible. The bond was rare enough among his own people. To bond with an alien woman? He had never heard of it before.
Then again, perhaps Lyra’s people had a version of the bond.
Suddenly, his protectiveness and her feelings that she may be ill made sense. Those were the classic symptoms. He had been a fool not to recognize it before.
Sholan closed his eyes and brought her a little closer. He was so grateful that out of all the other men to pick for the mission, Lyra had picked him.
Eventually, Lyra began to stir. Although he was usually above even small lies, Sholan also pretended to have just woken.
She flashed him a quick smile. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” he echoed. “Sleep well?”
She nodded and wiggled her hips sensually against his own. His lips curved into a wicked smile and he found his ardor rising.
“I did,” Lyra breathed. “Sorry I fell asleep on you.”
Chuckling, he reached over to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s understandable?”
“Oh? Is it?”
“Yes. You have been feeling out of sorts, haven’t you?” he asked. “The dizziness and sudden weakness that comes and goes?”
She tensed against him and then frowned. “Yes. I told you, I might have picked up a bug from that planet, but whatever it was I think I’ve kicked it.”
Well, that solved the question whether she suspected bonding or not. Sholan wondered if she had been keeping it close to the chest. Still, he had to be completely certain.
“I suppose your race does not have the bonding?”
“The what?” She sat up, leaving the places where they had touched cold. Frowning, she leaned against the headboard and pulled the sheet up as if to cover herself. That bit of body language worried him.
“Bonding,” he repeated and took the opportunity to sit up, himself.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He looked down. How to explain this? Best start from the beginning. “On my planet—especially in my generation after the Thagzars released the bio-toxin, there has been a lack of females.”
Lyra nodded cautiously. “Captain Taryn gave us the outline, yes.”
“Well, among my people... the bond used to be much more common, though still very much treasured. It was often initiated during times of extreme stress. Our biologists believed it helped to ensure cooperation and pregnancy...” He stumbled to a halt, seeing the shock and outright disbelief on her face.
“Are you trying to tell me that you have fallen in love with me? After one night?”
“This has nothing to do with love,” he insisted, stung. Then he corrected himself. “I mean, yes, there is affection, but it is much more complicated than that.”
“Uh-huh. Well it sounds to me like you are having one hell of an afterglow.”
His eyebrows knit together. “An after... what?”
“
Or you could have picked up some weird chemical reaction after working with ship parts all day. Or maybe you got a bit of the bug I caught.”
“Lyra,” he said, catching her hand. She immediately jerked it away. “This is a well-known phenomenon among my people—”
“I am not one of your people,” she snapped, angry. “I am a human being, and you can talk about ‘bonds’ all you want, but I am also a trained medic and I have heard nothing like this.”
She got up, still clutching the sheet close to her, and started to hunt around for her clothing.
“So, just because you have never heard of it you believe it cannot exist?” Sholan demanded.
She rounded on him. “No. You want to know what I think. You like me and if you had simply asked for me to be in a relationship like a normal person—”
“You think I am trying to deceive you?” he demanded outraged.
Her narrowed amber eyes answered for him.
Furious and hurt, Sholan looked away. How dare she question his integrity in such a fashion?
His own pants were on the other side of the bed. He quickly hopped out of bed to pick them up. By the time he pulled them up, Lyra was already dressed and had moved to the room’s small bathroom.
She shut the door, hard. It felt as if a force field had just gone up between them.
Sholan stomped around the room, forcing his simmering temper back into check. He didn’t know how, but he had botched up the explanation terribly.
He had a somewhat stilted speech prepared by the time she opened the door again. But he only got out, “Lyra, wait. Let me start again—” before she held up her hand to forestall him.
“Save it.”
He reached for her and she jerked away. Her eyes were very cold.
“I have a big day and a lot of work ahead of me, and I cannot afford to be distracted by whatever mystical feelings you think you have for me. Send me a message when the ship is ready to launch, not before.”
Then, turning, she walked out the door.
Sholan stared after her. He thought about running after her, turning her around, and making her listen... but his mother always said that someone whose mind has been changed against their will had not truly had their minds changed at all.
His Lyra was a spitfire. She needed both time and space to calm down.
His Lyra. He liked the sound of that, although damn, the woman could be strong-minded.
Then again, out of the few women he had known in his generation, he had never once felt attracted to the passive or submissive ones.
He remembered how Lyra had acted last night. How she had openly delighted in his touches and had not been shy about telling him exactly what had felt good.
No, there was nothing passive about her. It could be very inconvenient at times, but he would not have it any other way.
The bond had started. They were clearly compatible on more than one level. Lyra would come around to him.
With that in mind, he took care of the check-out procedure with the inn manager and went down to the pod to finish the last of the needed repairs.
The critical parts he needed to get the pod off the ground had been manufactured overnight, the mechanic even better than his word.
The repairs went smoothly in a way that repairs hardly did. It was as if the pod itself had known he was not in the mood to be trifled with.
Finally, all diagnostics came back green and good to go. The pod was as fit to fly as it would ever be without a complete overall.
Sholan set out to search for Lyra at the field hospital.
He found her scrubbed up and in a tight green little uniform, assisting with a local’s broken leg.
Sholan stood back and watched her work alongside the doctor. The wound was a grisly one, but Lyra was both competent and helpful.
After the limb had been fully immobilized, the two halves of the fractured bones lined up, the doctor pulled out a hand-held tool.
“I thought we were only using cell regeneration for critical cases,” Lyra said with a frown.
The doctor nodded. “Normally, but Quaum here is a vitally needed engineer. It’s a bad enough break that we cannot afford for him to be off his feet for too long. Let me show you how this works.”
Sholan had that same tool used on himself once or twice. It sped the process of healing significantly. The bone would still ache for a week, and it would be a few days until the engineer could walk again, but he would be back up and running within fourteen days.
Finally finished with the patient, Lyra turned and saw Sholan observing.
For a second, her stern professional mask cracked and she looked outright vulnerable.
Something inside him throbbed in reply. He suspected it was the bond.
With sudden insight, he knew that Lyra had been deeply hurt by his previous words. She thought, wrongly, that he was trying to entrap her in a relationship.
That was not it at all, of course. But it occurred to him that Lyra would not be happy to learn that she and Sholan could not be physically separated for long until the bond settled.
He would have to keep that tidbit of information to himself for the time being.
Catching her eye, he nodded to the outside exit.
She hesitated, spoke quickly to the doctor in charge, and then followed him.
Once outside, she turned to him, her arms crossed over her breasts and her chin belligerently thrust out. “I’ll have you know; I haven’t felt any dizzy spells all day.”
“Well, that is likely because we spent time together last night.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Or my immune system just kicked whatever I had picked up.”
“I thought you said it was chemicals.”
“My liver and kidneys flushed out the chemicals that were causing my dizziness,” she said.
He tried not to grin, but judging by her annoyed expression, he likely failed. “In any case, until it is fully settled, the bond makes it... uncomfortable to be apart for any great length of time.”
“Well, I guess there is an easy way to test that theory out,” she said. “I’m staying on this planet.”
Instantly, all his amusement fled. He stared at her, shocked. “You’re what?”
She jerked her chin back to the hospital. “I have been offered a position here. I like the work and I like the people. There’s plenty of good I can do.”
“But you can’t stay here!”
“The hell I can’t!” she snapped. “I don’t belong to you. You aren’t even my Commanding officer.”
“But... but...” The cold shock was replaced by panic. He reached for something, anything, that would change her mind—that would keep her with him.
“I thought you were different,” he said, cold.
She stepped back. “Excuse me?”
“All this time, I thought you were brave and honorable. But now I find you are ready to abandon your mission, your Captain, and your team just like that,” he snapped his fingers, “just to advance your own career.”
Her jaw dropped. “That is not what this is about.”
“This is about my people. Our survival. I didn’t think you were the type to tuck tail and leave when something went wrong.”
“That is a low blow,” she growled.
It really was, and a part of Sholan cringed at having to go there, but it was overridden by the fact he could not allow her to leave him. Not like this.
“I thought you were a woman who knew her duty,” he said coldly.
She exhaled loudly, like a beast ready to charge. Then she poked his chest with one finger. “You are an asshole.”
Yes, he was. But he also knew he was doing the right thing.
“Fine,” Lyra said, spitting the word out. “If they are willing to take me as an apprentice now, chances are they will also agree to take me later. I’ll explain that I need to finish my mission, then I’m coming back here.”
And I, he thought, will follow you. Whatever it takes.
&nbs
p; Lyra
Lyra was so angry she didn’t speak to Sholan all the way back to the pod.
Thankfully, Doctor Caisey was more than understanding. Lyra had literally dropped into their lives, and it made sense for her to skip out again. She promised that Lyra would have a place among her staff if she should ever need it.
That mollified her. Slightly.
It still left her with the problem of Sholan.
What the hell is he trying to pull with this bonding crap? She thought for the hundredth time, gritting her teeth.
She liked the guy—or, she had. If only he had been willing to be upfront with her.
She had heard all the dumb, scummy tricks from guys before, but this really took the cake. It hurt, too. She thought he was good. That he was different.
It did not help that the dizziness and slight malaise started to act up again on their way back to the pod.
The smart, scientific thing would be to test out this hypothesis by touching Sholan and seeing if she felt better. That was how this mystical bond was supposed to work, right?
Too bad Lyra was not in the mood to touch him with a ten-foot barge pole.
But thinking about him touching her... The echoes of the raw sensation of how he had made her feel last night...
Her skin tingled and once they reached the pod she retook her seat in the copilot’s chair, trying to ignore it.
Neither one of them said a word until the pod had shuddered out of orbit.
By the amount of red indicators on the control panel, the space vessel was not back up to one-hundred percent. Hopefully, Sholan was a good enough mechanic that they would not explode out in space.
“How long until we reach the alliance laboratory?” she finally asked.
He pressed a few buttons on the control panel. “At least twenty-six hours.”
“That long? Can’t we take a jump gate? I have the fleet codes if you need them.”
He shook his head. “The pod is limping along on half power as it is. And while Kanthi explained about your ‘gates’ I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing. Besides, the last thing I want to do is lead the Thagzars to the lab. We will be taking the slow, roundabout way.”