Brida Pact

by Leora Gonzales

  “Pay attention,” Wheaton said against her flesh, wanting her full focus on him and what he was doing.

  Gripping Wheaton’s hair, she pushed him back down. “Oh, sweetie, you have all my attention. I promise,” she moaned as he continued his assault.

  His tongue and lips were driving her crazy. When he added his finger to her sheathe, she felt her toes clench. Holy fuck, his fingers were starting to go lower. Continuing to lick and nip, he had one finger in her pussy and rubbed another digit against her ass. That pushed her completely over the edge. It felt so dirty and oh so good.

  “Ahhhhhhhh!” She exploded against his mouth and everything went to white noise in her head. Her legs began to twitch and her stomach clenched and unclenched as her orgasm flowed through her. Trying to catch her breath, she could feel her heart practically beat out of her chest and had a fleeting thought of a heart attack before she came back to the present.

  Moving up her body, Wheaton placed the tip of his cock at her opening. “Ready?” he asked, his lips glistening from her pussy. He licked his lips, staring down at her hungrily.

  “God yes,” Poppy said in between panting for air.

  With a thrust of his hips, he plunged all his inches at once into her swollen folds.

  “Fuuuuuuuck,” Poppy groaned, feeling the stretch of her body adjusting to being stuffed as it had never been before.

  Wheaton’s entire body was covered in a light layer of sweat and his chest was rumbling as he started thrusting into her welcoming body. Obviously unable to help himself, he tucked his head into her neck as he whispered into her skin.

  Unable to focus on what he was saying, Poppy concentrated on the cadence of his rhythm. Moving her legs up around his waist made him go deeper and start to rub a sweet spot. On every down thrust, his pelvic bone hit her clit and made her tighten around him to the beat of his thrusting. Her hands had been clutching his back at first and now moved down to his ass as if she could keep him thrusting in the delicious rhythm he had begun.

  “Ohhhhh god. Wheaton!” she yelled as she started to come. Her pussy fluttered as it tried to clench and hold on to the cock now pistoning in and out of her. Moving her face toward his shoulder, Poppy nipped and bit hungrily at Wheaton’s sweaty skin until she felt her tremors slow.

  Wheaton had been waiting for her to come again before letting loose. He increased the power of his thrusts and gripped her tighter as he moved faster. Her entire body shook as he growled out loudly and flooded her with his warm fluid.

  “Poppy… Poppy…that was perfect,” he said, his arms threatening to collapse. Catching himself, he lowered his body to the side.

  As he pulled out, Poppy felt a warm trail dampen her leg.

  “I think we need a towel,” Poppy said huskily without raising her head.

  “I think we need a bath,” he replied with a deep chuckle.

  “Wheaton?”

  “Yes?” Settling his head on the pillow next to hers, he moved his hand to link their fingers.

  “Best. Afternoon. Ever,” she deadpanned.

  “I agree,” he said back in the same voice.

  Poppy and Wheaton started laughing at the same time.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Poppy’s morning started out with a bang when she awoke to a very aroused Wheaton cuddled against her back. Stretching with her arms over her head made her let out a groan. Maybe she should hit the rec room and work out. If her muscles felt this sore after a night with Wheaton, she must be really out of shape. Even though he was stiff against her backside, he was actually sleeping. One little wiggle out from under his arm and she was rolling off the bed, in the smoothest motion possible, to not wake him.

  After taking care of her morning bathroom ritual, she walked into the living area to make some tea. Waiting for her cup to cool, she noticed a blinking light at the doorway. She had learned earlier during her stay that the light indicated there was a message waiting. Poppy decided to listen to it. She would feel guilty letting him sleep in if he was needed by the Council.

  “Wheaton, we must speak immediately.” Poppy recognized Thorne’s voice. Her entire body froze when she heard the next part of the message. “You were correct earlier regarding the current bridal matches being wrong. We have found there is a glitch in the programming system on Earth’s end and it is skewing the matches. Thankfully, the concern you have regarding your own match alerted us to the discrepancies before more of our warriors were matched. The brides that are currently on the squadron ships will be transported back to Earth immediately. The Council has decided to have bridal contracts dissolved as soon as possible.”

  Poppy couldn’t breathe. Feeling what was in her hand slip from her numb fingers, she had barely enough time to move her toes before the cup and hot liquid hit the floor with a shatter.

  “Poppy?” Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Wheaton standing bare-chested, leaning against the door frame. Concern was evident on his handsome face.

  “What are you doing up so early? I was hoping to share our morning kisses.”

  Tears filling her eyes, and a tightening in her chest, Poppy cleared her throat. “You have a message,” she said as calmly as she could considering her world was crashing around her.

  “Thank you. I will listen in a moment. Come and give me my morning kiss.” He reached out a hand as if to draw her into his embrace.

  Poppy held out her hand to stop him from moving closer. “No, you should really listen to it now.” Scooting past him, Poppy walked back into the bedroom. As soon as the door swished shut, she began to frantically gather her possessions into her duffel. She was pretty sure she was a mess by now but didn’t want to take the time to wipe her face.

  “Noooooo!”

  Poppy jumped, hearing Wheaton yell the tortured sound from the living room. Hearing his bare feet run back to the bedroom had her pausing in her packing. She took in the vision of him blocking the opening she was prepared to walk through.

  Wheaton felt as if his heart was being ripped out. He could not believe how foolish he had once been. Thinking that the mess with the bridal matching was over, he had brushed off some of the other Council members when they’d approached him about it recently during their meetings. He had not considered that they would try to take Poppy away after he had let his own concerns go. As she gathered her belongings, dread filled him to the bones and his mind raced. There had to be a way to fix this.

  Wheaton folded his arms across his chest. “You will not leave me! I forbid it!” he said loudly, widening his stance as if to physically trap her in the room.

  “Wheaton, I can’t talk to you right now. I need to pack.” Poppy gritted her teeth so she wouldn’t start sobbing.

  “You are not packing. You are going to listen to me.” He moved into the room.

  “Stop right there, asshole.” Holding up her hand to stop him in his tracks, she said, “I heard that entire fucking message, and from what I heard it sounded like you doubted our match. Since when, Wheaton? Since the first time you met me? When I decided to not have sex with you immediately? How about last night, when you finally got to fuck me? Huh? When, Wheaton? When?!” By this time, Poppy was screaming at him. Her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears. She felt the harsh strain from trying to hold back tears.

  As she zipped her duffel closed, she saw another pair of her pants on the floor. Bending down to pick them up, she didn’t notice Wheaton come up behind her until the last moment. He grabbed her from behind and trapped her arms at her side to whisper into her ear, “Calm down, Poppy. Calm down and listen to me. Please.”

  “I will not fucking calm down, Wheaton. This is one gigantic clusterfuck. When will they come to get me? I still need to gather up my stuff from the living room,” she said, standing stiffly in his arms.

  “Poppy, you are not going anywhere. Please, you cannot. Let me explain what that message meant. Just listen,” he pleaded, rocking back and forth in an effort to soothe her.

  “Fine, you can talk, but
don’t expect me to stay once you’re done with your little speech,” she bit out.

  Moving slowly as if to not startle her, he bent and slid his arm under her knees to pick her up. Carrying her into the living room, he sat her on the couch and stood beside her with his palm out.

  “Please touch me, Poppy. I am addicted to your contact.” Searching her face with sad eyes, he held his hand out.

  “Wheaton, just talk. I woke up so happy and then heard that message. I’m trying really hard not to lose my shit right now.” She ran her palms down her face to wipe away the now cool tears.

  “Let me start at the beginning then.” Rubbing his face as if to prepare to say something she didn’t want to hear, Wheaton took in a deep breath.

  “Please do,” she prompted sarcastically.

  “When I first found out that I was matched, I did not react very well. I only entered the pool to be an example for my men. My life was organized. I had my work with the Council I needed to focus on, anything else was a distraction in my opinion. I felt that I could better serve my warrior brothers from my Council seat, not by becoming one of the first husbands. I was perfectly content with my life but understood my duty to my brothers when my profile was pulled. We were all surprised in truth at the initial speed of the matches.” He watched her closely, seemingly trying to make her understand. Pausing to swallow hard, he sat down on the couch.

  “The time frame was suspicious to a majority of us. Our profiles were extremely detailed and although our matching system was built by our best engineers it did not seem plausible for it to find us life mates within such a short time frame. I questioned it at that time, before I ever left the ship to go to Earth. It had nothing to do with you personally. When I scanned over your sheet, it did prompt me to further question our compatibility. With you having no political experience, I was unsure how you would adjust to life with someone of my standing. When I viewed your picture I saw a soft and smiling woman. A woman who had an honest face that showed her emotions. A woman who, on paper, did not seem like someone I wanted in my life.”

  “You’re absolutely right, Wheaton, we have nothing in common. This is a waste of time.” Slapping her hands on her legs to stand up, she then said, “Can you find out when they’ll return me home please? I need to be able to tell Pixie when to pick me up. Fuck! I need more than Pixie to pick me up, I’ll need to find a place to live.”

  “Will you shut up for one second and give me a moment to finish?”

  Stunned that he not only yelled at her but used the words “shut up”, Poppy plopped back down onto the couch.

  “Did you not hear anything I just said? I said that I questioned the speed of the match…I’m sure you did as well,” he said, pointing a finger at her. Poppy did remember saying something about how fast it was to Valerie… Crap, he was right.

  Nodding slightly for him to go on, she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to continue.

  “Poppy, I may not have wanted you in my life at first…but I now realize how much I need you in my life. In the short amount of time that you have been here, you have made me smile, laugh and feel more than I ever have. It is scary and not what I expected or even wanted but I cannot let that go now that I have had a taste of it. Your face does show your emotions. It is a face that I look forward to staring at every moment that I have free. The preconceived idea of what I had in my head regarding a political bride was forgotten not long after you arrived. Please do not make me go back to the silence I had before you came and started yelling ‘fuck’ at me. I do not believe I could survive that.” The last words were said on a whispered breath so quietly she barely caught it. His breath seemed to catch in his throat as he waited for Poppy to do or say something.

  “Wheaton, from what Thorne said on that message I’m not even sure it’s my choice. He made it sound like all the brides are going back. What if they make me go? No matter what we do, it may not be our choice.” Poppy slid her arms around his body. The anger that she had felt when she heard the message had been forgotten during his speech.

  She wasn’t sure what her options were for staying but she did believe what he said. Maye he’d had questions when they first met, but now he wanted her to stay as much as she wanted to. Her head hurt when she thought about this mess. Hoping to draw some comfort from him, she held on tight to draw in in some calming breaths.

  Hugging her back tightly, he kissed the top of her head and breathed in her scent.

  “Let me talk to Thorne. I am on the Council. They cannot take you away from me…at least not without a fight.” Hugging her back just as tightly, he paused and then continued, “I need to listen to that message again.”

  At that moment, the door chimed, indicating a visitor. They both stared at each other grimly.

  “Well hell, they didn’t waste any time at all.”

  “Sit down and I will get it. Remember what I said. You are not going anywhere,” Wheaton said in a voice that screamed finality.

  Opening the door with his wrist, Wheaton stood back with his arms crossed like a barrier to the world. Poppy was surprised to see not only Thorne but also Dathrow and Valerie standing in the opening. Valerie seemed just as emotionally drained as Poppy felt.

  “Val!” Poppy walked over to Valerie, mindful of the still broken glass on the floor, to give the frazzled-looking woman a hug. Shortly after her arrival on the ship, Poppy had started speaking to Valerie by video conference often and they had become close friends in a short amount of time.

  “Oh my god, Poppy! I’m so sorry for this mess.” Val was on the brink of crying as well as she hugged her back.

  “You’re doing about as good as I am right now, aren’t you?” Poppy said with a teary smile. Stepping back, she linked hands with Wheaton.

  “This is one hell of a mess,” Val heaved out with a sigh. “From the handholding I’m assuming you’re not happy with the news?” She gestured to their linked hands.

  “Hell no! We think the match is perfect and had already decided I was staying before we heard the voice message this morning. What’s going to happen?”

  “Maybe we can sit for a moment and discuss the situation?” Dathrow suggested in a somber voice.

  “Yes please, sorry. I didn’t mean to have y’all stand in the door.” As Poppy moved to let them pass, Wheaton tightened his grip on her fingers.

  Thorne and Dathrow sat while motioning for Valerie to speak.

  “Okay…well…it seems there was a bug in the matchmaking code,” she stuttered out. “Apparently, they ran the matches again and a different warrior popped up as your match, Poppy. It’s a huge mess. Many of the liaisons are taking heat for it even though we had nothing to do with the actual programming of the system.” Val cast a glance at Thorne and Dathrow before continuing. “We’ve been accused of matching the higher-ranking warriors over the others, and now the higher-ups on both sides want to wipe the slate clean and start over.”

  Wheaton stepped forward, tugging Poppy with him. “No! I am keeping my bride. She is my match no matter what the system says.”

  Thorne stood and started pacing. “Wheaton, it’s not that simple. The Council is pushing to send the previous brides home and start over. Not only that… Wheaton, there is another situation that ties into this.”

  “Thorne, just say it. This can’t get any worse,” Poppy said with a sigh.

  “Poppy, Wheaton has been assigned another bride,” Thorne said quickly as if to lessen the blow.

  “I want no other bride!” Wheaton shouted, startling Poppy.

  “Well, fuck. I guess it could get worse. What do we do?” Poppy glanced at Val, who she knew even without asking was on their side.

  “Well, right now, we’re really trying to figure out what we can do.” Val let out a watery sigh, as if she might cry again. “Can I talk to you in private, please?”

  “Wheaton?” Poppy glanced at him. “I’m going to take Val into the bedroom and talk for a minute. Can you see if there is anything that yo
u can get out of Thorne and Dathrow?” When he was about to protest, she said, “Val is on our side, sweetie. She may have an idea she wants to run by me before saying it in front of another Council member.”

  “Fine. Do not take too long. We might not have much time together. I do not want to waste a moment.” Releasing her hand, he sat next to Dathrow and huffed.

  Clutching Val’s arm and leading her into the bedroom, Poppy hoped she had a couple tricks up her sleeve to figure out how to fix this mess. Clusterfuck indeed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sitting on the bed, Poppy put her head in her hands. Feeling as if she were taking hit after hit with no breath in between, she tried to calm herself. She looked up at a shuffling of papers to see Val digging through her bag.

  “Tell me you can fix this, Val. Please…I can’t leave him now. I’m pretty sure I’m totally in love with that man, and I don’t know what I’d do if I have to leave.” Swallowing back tears, she prayed that Val had a plan.

  “What have I always told you, Poppy? I am here for you. Not only because it’s my job but because we’re friends.” Val smiled, finding the paper she was searching for. “And I think I’ve found a loophole.”

  Thank god. “Tell me now. What is the loophole?”

  Valerie sat next to her, holding out the original Bridal Pact forms Poppy and Wheaton had signed before this adventure had started.

  “Here, the pact agreement says that unless you fear for your physical well-being or either party requests that the trial period ends, then you are required to spend your entire thirty days on the ship while finding out if you’re compatible. Specifically being that the ‘parties’ are you and Wheaton, not the Council or the bridal service. The trial period can only be dissolved by the Council if you are a threat to their security.” She paused with a smile. “Essentially they don’t have a right to tell you to leave unless you’re stealing secrets or you threaten their ship or their society.” She pointed to the paragraph that held the info.