by I. T. Lucas
But he didn’t. Instead, he curled them lightly, pressing against an ultra-sensitive spot on her inner wall. It was almost enough to send her catapulting over the edge, and when he sucked on her clit, the tether snapped, and Leia threw her head back as she flew apart.
Still reeling from the powerful orgasm, she felt Jack climb back up on top of her and position himself at her entrance.
Lifting her arms, she clutched his shoulders, waiting anxiously for the hard plunge that was sure to hurt despite how well he’d prepared her.
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m going to be gentle.”
For some reason, she was reminded of the time she’d dislocated her shoulder. The doctor had said something similar, and she’d believed him, but he’d lied. Snapping that shoulder back in place had hurt like hell.
But this was Jack, and she trusted him even though she barely knew him.
“I’m not afraid.”
Gripping himself, he brushed his shaft over her wetness, coating it in her juices and brushing against her clit. Over and over again, until she was panting in anticipation.
“Please, Jack. I’m ready.”
She expected a hard plunge, but Jack was as good as his word, pushing just the tip in, then pulling back, rocking himself gently into her in tiny increments.
It cost him.
His jaw clenched and his brows furrowed, he was dripping sweat as if he’d just finished back to back marathons.
She loved him for this, for putting her needs first, for giving instead of taking.
She couldn’t have chosen a better mate.
And then he was all the way in, filling her, stretching her impossibly wide, but there was no pain, just an incredible feeling of fullness, of togetherness.
Her heart swelling with emotion, she wrapped her arms around his muscled back and held on tight. “I love you, Jack.”
He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. “I love you too.”
Slowly, he pulled almost all the way back, then surged all the way in, and as she moaned, he did it again, faster this time.
Heat washing over her, Leia held on tight as Jack let loose and pounded into her, not sparing her anything. When she exploded once again, he threw his head back and roared his climax, his essence pouring into her.
28
Jack
Mind blowing, exhilarating, it was the best sex of Jack’s life.
As an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude washed over him, it eclipsed even the postcoital bliss.
Dropping to his side, he took Leia with him, not willing to withdraw or let go of her yet. Or ever. If he could have his way, they would stay in this bed forever.
Shifting in his arms, Leia nuzzled his neck. “Can we sleep in here?”
He groaned. “I’m afraid not. The session will time out soon.”
“Then let’s go to your quarters and sleep there.” She lifted her eyes to him. “If that’s okay.”
It killed him to hear her say it.
“I don’t need a piece of paper to make you my wife. From now on, you sleep nowhere else but in my bed.”
“We need to make things official first. I don’t want anyone contesting our union on a technicality.”
Leia was right. He could see Meroll using every legal loophole to make their union impossible.
Jack had seen the way the bastard had been looking at Leia when he thought no one saw him. He assumed she was his for the taking.
“We will do it first thing in the morning.”
Reluctantly, Jack pulled out, grimacing when Leia winced. “Are you sore?”
She chuckled. “Of course, I am. It would be insulting to you if I weren’t.”
“Nonsense. I don’t want you hurting because of me.”
She smiled and kissed his cheek. “That’s so sweet of you, especially since you enjoy spanking me so much.”
“That’s different. It’s for our mutual pleasure.”
“So is this. I’m sure next time I won’t be sore. And besides, a soak in a bathtub should take care of that.”
“Wait here.” Jack got up and collected their clothes off the floor.
He handed her his T-shirt. “You can use it to clean up until we get to my quarters.”
“Thanks.”
Shrugging his uniform jacket over his bare chest, he buttoned it all the way to the top. If they bumped into anyone on their way to his quarters, he didn’t want to give anyone material for gossip.
A ship was like a village, and gossip spread lighting fast.
When Leia was dressed, he took her hand and held his communicator in the other, checking the hallways for crew members. “I’ll try to get us to my quarters without running into anyone.”
They made it without incident, laughing as they stripped out of their garments and rushed into the bathroom.
After filling the tub for Leia, Jack stepped into the shower for a quick wash before slipping in behind her.
“How is the soreness, better?”
“Much.” She leaned her head on his chest. “This is nice. I like being with you.”
He nuzzled her neck. “I’m so grateful for your gutsy initiative. I shudder to think that without it I would have remained a miserable bachelor, not knowing what I was missing.”
Leia sighed. “It’s easy to get used to good things and then wonder how you could have lived without them. As much as I fantasized about you during the past ten years, I could not have imagined this closeness. You were an idea in my mind, an icon. The real you is so much more than that.”
He caressed her long hair. “I’m glad I didn’t disappoint you.”
She turned around in his arms and kissed him. “You’ve exceeded all of my expectations.”
29
Alicia
“Time to wake up, Alicia.”
Who’s Alicia?
Leia remembered falling asleep cradled in Jack’s arms. Was this a dream?
“Alicia, open your eyes, dear.”
Groggy, she did as the woman asked, blinking as the bright light shone into her eyes.
She was in a room full of equipment, but the light didn’t come from a fixture. Warm sunshine was pouring from the open window, and puffy white clouds dotted the pale blue sky.
This wasn’t an Interstellar ship, cruising in the inkiness of space, and she wasn’t Princess Leia of the Krall. She was Alicia Fraser, a Starbucks barista during the day and a singer at night.
Captain Jacques Kirk wasn’t her fiancé. His real name was Gregg, and he was nothing more than a virtual hookup.
It had been one hell of a ride, though.
“How are you feeling? Still disoriented?” The technician asked.
“No, I’m fine. The first moments were tough, though. I thought I was still my fantasy avatar.”
The technician started removing the sticky pads. “Did you have a good time?”
“It was great.” Alicia chuckled. “You were right. It’s hard to get back to reality. I can see how this can become addictive.”
“I get it a lot. Most people want to stay in the fantasy world.”
Like Jack. Correction, like Gregg.
Was she sure it had been Gregg, though?
Yeah, she was.
He’d changed his eye color, but other than that his Avatar looked a lot like him. Then again, when asked to describe her ideal partner, she’d described Gregg, so the avatar could have been matched to that.
It had been such a strange fantasy. It had all the elements she’d requested, but there had been so much more. People with great imaginations must have created stories that could be adapted to fit various fantasies, like a different species occupying the Arctic circle, vampire-like beautiful creatures with fangs who at one time had subsisted on human blood.
The virginity hadn’t been her idea either.
Who wanted to be a virgin in their fantasy?
But it had worked out fine. She had fun.
The most surprising part wa
s the commitment. She hadn’t requested it as part of her fantasy, and yet Gregg had not only played along, but had seemed to genuinely want to marry the princess.
Maybe there was still hope for him?
30
Gregg
That had been the weirdest fantasy Gregg had ever taken part in.
And the most satisfying.
In fact, he’d been disappointed when he woke up and realized that it hadn’t been real. Was his subconscious trying to tell him that it was time to settle down?
Gregg enjoyed his carefree bachelor life, but what he’d said as Jack was true. He hadn’t known what he’d been missing until living the part of Captain Jacques Kirk and agreeing to wed Princess Leia of the Krall.
What a trip.
He’d gone down the rabbit hole enough times to go through most of the basic scenarios the programmers of Perfect Match had designed as the basis for the various fantasies people came up with. But it had been his first time with the Krall element.
Compared to the more mundane billionaire, pirate, mobster, rock star, or even alien invader scenarios, this one was pretty ‘out there.’ He would have to ask Gabriel who’d programmed that one. He or she deserved an award.
What Gregg knew for sure was that he wanted to go back and keep playing with Alicia. He wasn’t ready to commit in the real world, but he could try it out for size in the virtual one.
31
Alicia
“You’ve been acting strange lately.” Marcy gave Alicia a once over. “And you’ve lost weight. Gaunt is not a good look on you.”
“I know. I’m so busy and running around so much that I don’t have time to eat.”
“Then slow down. Who is chasing you?”
Alicia grimaced. “No one. Just my demons.”
A month had passed since her first virtual encounter with Gregg, aka Captain Jack. There had been many more since. When she’d gotten home that first day, an email was waiting in her inbox, requesting another virtual appointment, all expenses paid.
She’d accepted because she could not bring herself to refuse. In the fantasy world, Alicia had been the happiest she’d ever been, and it was impossible to give that life up.
Leia and Jack had arrived on the Krall home planet, established an embassy, and had left Meroll there as the Earth Krall liaison. On the way back, they’d had a wedding onboard Jack’s ship with her mother’s blessing.
They were the ideal couple, leading an ideal life, and like an addict, Alicia kept coming back for more. Except, upon waking up at the end of the sessions, she was feeling more and more depressed because her real life sucked. Gregg no longer came to her Starbucks for coffee, and their only contact was in the virtual world, playing make believe.
She had to stop that and start living for real.
Spending three hours twice or thrice a week in the Perfect Match studios was taking time away from her music career, and Alicia had no intentions of spending the rest of her life working as a barista.
That was why she’d declined the last invitation and then spent the rest of the day crying, mourning the loss of an imaginary relationship.
32
Gregg
Sam walked into Gregg’s office, plopped a Starbucks coffee cup on his desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down. “Talk to me.”
“About what?”
“About what is eating you lately. I miss my laidback chill partner. It’s my job to be grumpy and demanding. Your job is the be the nice guy everyone turns to when they are pissed at me.”
Reaching for the cup, Gregg shrugged. “Withdrawal is a bitch.”
“Is that what it’s about? You are trying to quit caffeine?”
“Very funny, Sam. It’s not about coffee. It’s about the virtual reality thing. I’m done with that.”
Sam nodded. “Good for you. It’s about time you started living in the real world. What happened, a bad experience?”
“Just the opposite. It was too good, and then she quit on me, and I can’t play with anyone else.”
Arching a brow, Sam crossed his legs. “I thought the allure was the choice of partners. You want to tell me that all this time you were playing with only one?”
“Just for the past month.” Gregg grimaced. “Best fucking month of my goddamned life.”
A big grin spread over Sam’s face. “Congratulations, buddy. You found your perfect match. Just ask for a face to face with her. I only hope she is as good as her avatar.”
“She is.”
“You’ve met her?”
“You’ve met her too. Alicia, the Starbucks barista.”
“The one with the tattoos?”
Gregg nodded. “Now you know why I can’t be with her in real life. Can you imagine me bringing her home to my mother? She would drop dead on the spot. Besides, I don’t know if Alicia is still interested in me. She declined my last invitation.”
“So, she knows who you are too?”
Gregg nodded again.
“I don’t want to know how you pulled that off. I hope you didn’t hack into Perfect Match’s servers because that would be a serious violation.”
“The only thing I did was to check when her application was submitted. It’s not a big deal.”
“Even that was illegal and an invasion of her privacy, but it’s not like I’m going to report you.”
“Thank you.”
Sam rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Your mother will not drop dead because of a few tattoos, and you know that. It’s just an excuse. If you tell her ahead of time, maybe even show her Alicia’s picture, she would be fine. Alicia is beautiful, and she seems like a nice person. I’m sure your mother can overlook superficial things like body decorations she’s not fond of.”
“I don’t know if Alicia even wants to see me.”
“Then find out. Go to that damn Starbucks and talk to her.”
Gregg shook his head. “It’s not that simple. We got married in the virtual world. She wouldn’t accept anything less in the real one, and I’m not marriage material.”
“For a smart man, you are incredibly dumb. You’ve just told me that the month you’ve spent with her was the best one of your life, and that if you can’t play with her you don’t want to play with anyone else. It’s a no brainer, Gregg. Marry the girl and live happily ever after in this world, not in the fantasy one.”
33
Alicia
Something was up. Marcy was smiling all through the shift, and she wasn't the only one. Alicia’s other coworkers were also casting her amused glances when they thought she wasn’t looking at them.
It wasn’t her birthday, so it wasn’t a surprise party. Was she getting a promotion? Or maybe the Bravo award?
That must be it.
Nice. She’d been busting her butt for a long time in this branch and deserved some recognition.
“Alicia,” her manager called. “Can you give me a hand? The delivery truck is outside, but his dolly has a busted wheel, and he needs us to help him carry the boxes in.”
“Sure.” Alicia stifled a smile.
It was a ruse to get her out for a few minutes so they could pull out the banner or whatever else they’d prepared for the occasion.
Playing along, she followed Tiffany out back. “Where is he?”
“He’s coming.” Tiffany was doing her best to keep a straight face and failing.
When a stretch limousine pulled up to the curb, Alicia thought nothing of it. Sometimes the flower shop next door decorated them for weddings.
Except, the limo stopped right in front of her, and as the passenger door opened, Gregg stepped out, wearing a suit and looking like the rich guy he was.
“Hello, Princess.” He took her hand and lifted it to his lips for a kiss.
Stunned speechless, she just stared at him.
“Congratulations,” Tiffany whispered before ducking back inside and leaving Alicia alone with Gregg.
What the hell was she talking about? Congratulations for
what?
The mystery was solved when Gregg dropped to one knee and pulled out a small box from his pocket. “Will you marry me, Alicia? Say yes because I can’t live without you. Well, I can, but it’s a shitty, lonely life, and I want to have my happily ever after with you.” He flipped the box open, revealing a huge diamond ring.
The nerve of the guy.
Alicia pulled her hand out of his grasp and crossed her arms over her chest. “The best I can do is maybe.”
She should have known that he wouldn’t be easily deterred.
Still down on one knee, he looked up at her with a cocky smile on his handsome face. “What will turn it into a yes?”
“Time. We need to get to know each other first.”
“We already do. Come on, Alicia, I know that some groveling is required as penance for my stupidity, but you and I know that we are meant for each other. Say yes, and I will spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
Behind her, the door opened, and Marcy stepped out. “Say yes, or I will. A hunk with a limo and a diamond ring is too good to pass up.”
There was much more to Gregg than that, but if he was even half as good as Jack, then he was a keeper.
Gregg was Jack, though, and the only reason to refuse him would be petty vengeance for making her miserable when she’d thought it was over between them.
“Yes.”
Gregg blinked, once, twice, then a huge grin spread over his face, and he leaped, lifting her in his arms and twirling her around.
“She said yes,” Marcy shouted, and a moment later the rest of her coworkers spilled out the back door, clapping and cheering as Gregg kept twirling her around.
Her head was spinning by the time he stopped and crushed her to his chest. “I promise you that you are never going to regret it. You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”