by Presley Hall
She’s not wearing anything underneath it, and when my fingers slip between her legs, I can feel that she’s drenched already, soaking wet from how aroused she is. I want to taste her, to sink to my knees and bury my face between her thighs, but there’s no time for that. And besides, after days without being able to be inside of her, I don’t think I can wait.
I lift her up, grabbing one thigh and hooking it around my waist as her dress falls to either side of her hips, giving me plenty of access. I reach between us, rubbing my thumb over her clit. She gasps, moaning softly against my lips as she keeps kissing me. Her mouth moves sensually against mine as I guide myself into her, the tip of my cock nudging between her legs.
“Now,” she whispers urgently, her hips moving as one hand slides down my back to grip my muscled ass, pulling me closer. “Please, Sorsir. Give it to me. Let me have you.”
There’s a note of desperation in her voice, and it’s almost too much. Lust floods through me at the sound of her pleas.
“How could I ever deny you anything?”
I grin down at her as I brace my hand against the wall. My other hand steadies her as I thrust forward, my cock sinking into her in one hard, swift stroke. The pleasure of it washes over me, almost overwhelming, and my shaft throbs inside her as she squeezes me, her leg tightening around my hips.
“I love you.”
She whispers the words against my mouth as she kisses me softly. Her lips brush over mine as I begin to move. Each stroke is exquisite; the sensation of my cock sliding in and out of her makes me gasp and moan with every movement. I’m beyond caring if anyone hears us—all I can think about is how good she feels. I want desperately to come and also for it to go on forever, and I know that if I keep this up, I’m not going to have much of a choice as to which it is.
“I love you too,” I manage, my voice hoarse and rough as I kiss her harder.
My fingers brushing over her cheek, the tenderness of the touch at odds with the fierce pressure of my lips on hers, the force of each thrust of my hips, driving us both closer and closer to the edge.
I wasn’t lying when I said we didn’t have much time, and I can’t be late for the next meeting. But nothing in the galaxy could tear me away from Autumn in this particular moment. The ship could be on fire, and I’d stay buried inside of her until I came.
The entire world has narrowed down to the two of us in this small space, the scent of her warm skin pressed against mine and the sweet taste of her lips, the feeling of her wrapped around me in every way.
My last thought as I feel her arch against me with a cry, her hips grinding into me as she gasps out my name along with her orgasm, is that I can’t wait to get back to Kalix and lock myself away with her for days.
And then the sensation of her tightening around me is too much, and I fall over the edge too. My cock throbs as I spill myself into her, pinning her against the wall and burying myself to the hilt. The pleasure of it makes my knees go weak, my face pressed against her neck to muffle the groan of utter bliss that spills from my mouth.
“I can’t wait to do that to you every night,” I murmur, my lips still pressed against her skin.
She chuckles, running her fingers through my hair. “You better.”
I pull away from her, acutely aware of the scents of sweat and sex and heat that fill the room, her arousal and mine mingling. It’s enough to keep my cock stiff even as I adjust my loincloth back into place and Autumn shakes her dress back down around her legs.
Desh. I just came, and I already want to have her again. I want to reach for her hand and pull it down onto my cock, to feel the pleasure of her stroking me until I’m fully hard and ready again, and then…
A distinct pulse of arousal throbs between my legs, and I grit my teeth. I won’t even need her to touch me if I keep thinking like that.
Autumn’s gaze flicks to my face, down to my cock and back up again, and she covers her mouth as she starts to laugh.
“Are you laughing at me?” I demand, torn between amusement, arousal, and… embarrassment, which is something I’ve never felt in my life.
“No,” she gasps, choking back her laughter. “I’m not laughing at you, I promise. It’s just… I never thought I’d be with a man who would have sex with me, and then immediately want me again seconds after we’re done. Or that I’d feel exactly the same way.”
“Well,” I tell her, my face perfectly serious as I lean down and pull her into my arms for one last kiss before I go back to my meetings, “you’d better get used to it. Because I plan to have you as many times a day as I can, every day, until the moment finally comes when my cock stops working.”
Autumn grins, her eyes twinkling as she kisses me back. “I’m going to hold you to that promise,” she says playfully, then pushes me back with one hand on my chest. “Now go, big man. You don’t want to be late for your meeting.”
I can’t help but think, with happiness so absolute that it seems almost unreal, how very different my Autumn is now from the woman I rescued weeks ago.
Thanks to all the gods, I found her.
And now she has found herself.
25
Autumn
As we near Kalix, I find that I’m more excited to reach our destination than I had expected I would be.
I was looking forward to seeing Sorsir show me his home, of course, and seeing the planet that he clearly loves so much. But up until this moment, I didn’t quite know how to unravel my own feelings about it.
Sorsir comes by our quarters at lunch to tell me that we’ll be arriving tomorrow, sometime late in the day. He kisses me goodbye and ruffles Chloe’s hair gently before returning to his duties.
I sit quietly with her after his departure, watching her sleep as she takes her afternoon nap and letting thoughts drift aimlessly through my head.
Tomorrow.
We’ll be on Kalix tomorrow.
I haven’t dared in years to think of having a home—a real home. I never expected to feel at home anywhere ever again. Earth was my home until I was nineteen years old, the only place I ever expected to be. I didn’t believe in aliens or other habitable planets or life forms beyond whatever algae NASA found growing in some far off place. And I definitely never imagined a future like the one I was thrown into.
My first months with the Orkun were a blur of fear and despair and disillusionment, and I might have stayed that way for much longer—or died, if I’m being entirely honest with myself—if not for my pregnancy.
Chloe was the catalyst to wake me out of my near-catatonic state of horror and fear following my kidnapping and “marriage,” and she was enough to bring me back to life in a way. But I never dared to think of a family beyond her, of falling in love or finding a true partner.
I expected us to run for the rest of our lives, hiding out in whatever corners of the galaxy I could carve out a living for us. I carefully avoided ever thinking about what would happen when Chloe got older—when she needed education I might not be qualified to provide, or when she started thinking about having a life of her own.
What life was there out in the fathomless depths of space for a part Orkun, part human girl?
I didn’t know, and I was afraid to wonder. I knew without a doubt that we could never go back to Earth. When I was pregnant, I hoped to find a way to be smuggled back—even paid O’Hozo for that, before he cheated me and forced me to run. But once Chloe was born, I saw that the chances of ever managing that were very slim. A half-alien child hardly warranted a second glance on Wauru, but on Earth? She would be branded as a freak.
For better or for worse, we could never go home again.
But then Sorsir came along and rescued us in more ways than one when he killed O’Hozo’s henchman in the street. In one swoop, he gave me not only the lover I never even dared to fantasize about having, but a partner, a husband in all the ways that matter. And more than that, a father for Chloe, something I know she needs.
And now… a home.
&nb
sp; I try to picture what it might be like when we get there. Sorsir admitted to me a few nights ago that he doesn’t have a home of his own on Kalix. He lived in the barracks when Alpha Force wasn’t out on maneuvers or missions, as they all did, and his face lit up when he talked about finding a place of our own.
Our own.
Ours.
The word plays on repeat in my mind, and I realize with a flush of happiness that I don’t just feel like I’m going to Sorsir’s home.
I feel as if I’m going home.
My fears about the Kalixians not accepting Chloe have lessened now too.
At first, I was afraid of how the new Kalixians who brought the ship to rescue us might react to Chloe. The Alpha Force warriors accepted her as soon as they saw that Tordax did. Some are more friendly than others, but all of them have been kind. Still, that didn’t mean that all the Kalixians would be so welcoming of a child who is plainly the daughter of their sworn enemy, the species they’ve dedicated their lives to stamping out.
But those fears seem to have been unfounded—partially because Sorsir has been so fierce in his declarations that Chloe is treasured and beloved not only by me but by him as well. He’s made it plain that anyone who so much as looks at her in annoyance will have to answer to him.
And I love him even more for that.
Luckily, he’s never had reason to make good on his threat. Chloe has always been a sweet and happy child for the most part, and to the Kalixians, who haven’t had a child among them in years, she’s an adorable novelty that even the most battle-hardened warriors can’t seem to help but dote on.
She’s been spoiled beyond belief on this voyage, everyone bringing her treats and asking to hold her, and I have no reason to think it won’t be the same on Kalix.
My only real worry is the prince, but Sorsir has assured me that Malav, Tordax, and he have already spoken to Prince Khrelan. They let him know not only about me—the third Irisa—and my child, but that the other Terran women will be arriving as well.
“Mama?”
Chloe wakes up from her nap, stretching with a noise that I know means she’s hungry.
“Hey, baby,” I murmur. “Should we go get a snack?”
Her sleep-clouded eyes light up at that, and she nods enthusiastically.
I scoop her up and take her to the mess hall to find a snack. The food available on this ship is delicious, better than what I could afford back on Monri, and Chloe loves picking out her meals from the dispensers. They line one wall of the cafeteria, their metal surfaces gleaming. The ones that make hot or cold dishes have little glass windows in them, and there are vending-style openings for the ones that dispense fruits and vegetables.
We sit at a table with a group of several other women, who shift in their seats to make room for us.
“Tomorrow! Can you believe it?” Lucy shakes her head, a gleam of excitement in her eye. “After all this time hearing about Kalix, I’m looking forward to seeing it. And getting to know some new Kalixian men,” she adds with a wink.
“New ones?” Madison chuckles. “I thought you had your eye on Tycran.”
Lucy scowls. “I do. But he’s so serious all the time. He won’t give me the time of day.”
“Where’s a mate bond when you need one?” Rachel waggles her eyebrows.
“Whoa, whoa,” Lucy says, holding up her hands and laughing. “I’m not exactly looking for a mate. I’d be happy with just a good old-fashioned roll in the sheets.” She scrunches up her nose. “Besides, does the mate bond work that way? Wouldn’t the men have already realized it if any other bonds were going to form between them and one of us?”
“I don’t know,” I put in thoughtfully, shifting Chloe in my lap as she attacks her snack like a world champion messy eater. “Sorsir came to the bar to watch me dance several times before he realized I was his Irisa. He told me he was drawn to me from the minute he saw me, but the full force of it didn’t hit him until after he’d taken down O’Hozo’s man and looked back up at me. Maybe it’s possible the bond doesn’t manifest right away for everyone.”
“So some of us could still get matched up,” Emma says, chewing softly on her bottom lip. She’s a quiet girl, but I’ve gotten to be better friends with her on this journey, and I’m pretty sure she would welcome a bond if it happened. That she hopes for it, even. I’ve seen her shoot subtle glances at Sorsir and me, or at Rose and Tordax when they’re together.
It’s not jealousy in Emma’s eyes so much as… longing.
Honestly, I can’t blame her. Lucy may not be eager to form a mate bond, and neither was I at first. But it’s turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
The girls and I chat for a while longer while Chloe finishes her snack, then I excuse myself to take her back to our quarters and get her cleaned up.
On our walk back, Chloe bounces along at my side, talking in her sweet, high voice. After she finished her more healthy snack, she convinced me to let her get a sweet—a chocolate-like baked good that she discovered in the dessert machine the first night on the ship and has become obsessed with—and I can tell she’s on a sugar rush as she munches happily.
We round a corner and catch sight of Sorsir a little way down the hall, stepping out of a meeting.
His entire face lights up when he sees us, and I feel a surge of joy that’s becoming more and more familiar every day. It’s a feeling I’m not ever sure I’ll be entirely used to, but one I’m beginning to learn how to trust.
Chloe squeals and runs straight toward him, yelling, “Sworsie, Sworsie!”
It’s her best pronunciation of his name, and it’s so freaking adorable I could die.
Sorsir kneels down, letting her run up to him with her treat outstretched in her hand. “What’s this?” he asks, narrowing his eyes. “Did you convince your mother to let you have more sweets?”
She nods enthusiastically. “Chocolate,” she announces, promptly shoving a fistful of it into her face and holding the mashed remains out for Sorsir to inspect.
He looks up at me, laughter twitching at the edges of his mouth, and then bravely takes the lump of squashed cake out of her hand and pops the remains into his mouth.
“Delicious,” he announces. Then scoops her up, propping her atop his shoulder as she giggles wildly. “Come on, little one. We’re going to go visit Aunt Rose and get you cleaned up, so I can spend some time with your mama.”
My stomach flutters as the three of us trek down the corridor toward Rose and Tordax’s quarters. I’ve got some idea of what he has in mind, and the possibilities make my heart race—other than our quick encounter in that empty room over a week ago, we’ve hardly had a moment to ourselves. I can tell that the frustration is driving Sorsir nearly mad, and it’s not much better for me.
I don’t know if it’s the mate bond, my attraction to Sorsir, or some combination of both, but I’ve never been this constantly aroused in my life.
I want him all the time, and every time I see him, no matter how briefly, it’s as if I’m overwhelmed with lust, the ache for him spreading all the way down into my bones.
“Would you mind watching her for a bit?” Sorsir asks, depositing my chocolaty daughter in Rose’s arms. “I know she’s a mess. I’m sorry. But I finally have some time to myself, and I’d like to spend it with Autumn…”
“Say no more,” Rose says firmly, shooting me a knowing look that makes me blush. “I’ll give this little munchkin a bath. You two have fun.”
“Thanks, Rose.” I offer her a smile, but she waves off my words, grinning.
“I know how it is. Believe me.” Then she turns to Chloe, tapping her lightly on the nose. “Now, let’s see if we can find a little girl under all that chocolate.”
Chloe giggles as the door shuts.
Without another word, Sorsir takes my hand, leading me down the hallway and back to our chambers. He lets me go in first, closing the door firmly behind him as he turns to face me. Heat arcs in the air between us like lightni
ng jumping between two clouds.
“I’ve been given the rest of the afternoon and evening off,” he says with a wicked smile. “And now that we have some privacy and time to ourselves, I intend to spend every second of it making you scream my name.”
26
Autumn
I intend to spend every second of it making you scream my name.
God, I want that.
My heart speeds up, pounding in my chest as Sorsir’s gaze lazily drags over me, taking in every inch of my body.
“Take your dress off,” he says, his voice thick with desire. “I want to see you. All of you.”
I swallow hard, suddenly feeling vulnerable under his intense stare. I’m on display again, but this time it isn’t for a crowded bar, it’s for Sorsir.
Just Sorsir.
My love.
My mate.
And as self-conscious as I sometimes feel, I’m also wildly turned on at the idea of him watching me undress for him.
I reach for the tie of my dress, undoing the cord and letting my fingers slide over the swell of my breast as I watch him. His breath hitches as I let the fabric part, and I slide my hand down my cleavage toward the sash holding the rest of my dress together. His cock is stiffening under the scrap of his loincloth, and I smile seductively at him as I undo the sash, letting it flutter to the ground.
My dress falls open, revealing the slim lines of my body.
I’m not wearing anything under it, and Sorsir groans. His eyes widen as I slowly push it off my shoulders, letting him see my breasts first, pale and smooth with my nipples already hard, and then my flat stomach, and then finally everything as I let the fabric pool on the floor and step forward.
“Now you,” I whisper.
He obliges, his gaze fixed hungrily on me as he reaches for the ties of his loincloth and lets it drop, revealing the last part of himself to me.