She let out a needy little moan when he placed his lips over her nipple, biting down on it through the thin fabric.
She put a hand on his shoulder, her fingernails digging into his skin, urging him on.
"Lex," she huffed.
At that, he rose, making her take a step back and grab his arm to steady herself.
He brought his head down to hers, crushing their lips together.
It was rough and fast, just like how they'd kissed the first time. Hunger clawed in her chest, pushing her forward and making her kisses wet and messy.
He put his hands back on her ass and lifted her until she could wrap her legs around him. And then he turned on the spot and placed her down on the bed.
He was right on top of her, filling the air with his scent and the heat of his skin. He ran his hands up and down her body, moving his lips to kiss her jaw, her neck.
Aria felt like all her senses had gone into overdrive; every single nerve felt like it had been lit on fire. There were so many things she wanted to do with her hands, her lips.
She settled for running her hands through his hair first, giving it a little tug when she felt his teeth bite down on the sensitive skin of her neck.
He lifted himself off of her, hovering above her on his knees. And for a few moments, he didn't do anything besides look at her, lying under him.
He put a hand on each knee, running them up the sides of her body, watching as she bit down on her lip.
"Fuck, you look so..." he said, grabbing her breasts and giving them a squeeze. "So fucking good."
He grabbed the fabric covering her breasts and tore the gown right down the middle.
"My nightgown," Aria gasped.
He bent down until he was on top of her again until they were chest to chest.
"I'll buy you another," he said, grinding his hips into her and kissing her neck again. "Right now, I just want to fuck you."
Aria let out another moan as he placed his mouth over her nipple. He pinched the other while she squirmed beneath him, desperate for some sort of friction.
"Be patient," he mumbled, "You don't know how long I've waited for this."
At that, she crossed her legs behind his back and placed both hands on his shoulders. She used all her strength to shove him off of her and get him on his back.
"You don't know how long I've waited for this," she said, sitting on top of him, straddling his hips between her thighs.
She took what was left of the nightgown off and brought her lips back onto his. The feeling of his tongue in her mouth made her grind her hips against his, feeling him grow hard at the movement.
She moved her lips from his and kissed his jaw, something she'd wanted to do for a long, long time. She bit and sucked at his neck, and the little sighs and groans he was making turned her on, and suddenly she couldn't wait anymore; she got off him and dragged his pants off of his hips.
She didn't wait a second before getting back on top of him once he was naked. She moved, grinding down on him, spreading the wetness that had gathered between her thighs onto his cock.
He groaned again, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her down onto him harder than before.
He took one hand off of her hip and grabbed his cock, holding it in place so she could sink down onto it.
They moaned at the same time when it went all the way in. She rose to her knees and came back down a second later, setting the pace. He kept his hands on her hips as she adjusted until she could comfortably ride him.
He grabbed her breasts again, and she brought her hands up to put them over his.
She picked the pace up, sinking down on him harder and faster than before.
He trailed a hand from her breast down her stomach and pressed his thumb to her clit, rubbing it while she grew tighter and tighter.
"You feel so good," he said, "So fucking good."
She bent down to kiss him, but he stopped her, the hand on her chest, keeping her upright.
"No," he said, "No, I wanna see you. I wanna watch you come."
He pressed his thumb harder on her nub, rubbing small circles into it while she continued to ride him.
She felt her muscles coil, ready to spring free at any second. One last sweep of his thumb and she finally felt the release she'd been craving. She spasmed around him, moaning his name.
She was suddenly beneath him as he pushed into her, his eyes glued to hers.
"Your turn," she said, smiling up at him. "Now, I wanna watch you."
This time, he set the pace. Slowly pulling all the way out before pushing back into her.
He kissed her neck, something she realized turned her on a lot more than she thought it did.
"Harder," she said.
"Yeah?" he mumbled.
"Mhmm."
He picked up the pace, brought a hand down to her breast, palming it in his large hand.
She could feel her muscles straining again, every thrust bringing her closer to the edge.
"Harder," she said again.
He lifted his head to look at her, a naughty smile playing on his lips.
"Whatever the queen commands," he said, giving her a kiss she could only describe as filthy, all tongue and teeth.
He leaned back on his knees, grabbing her hips and lifting them a little. He pushed into her again, his hips snapping into hers so hard she heard the bed creak in protest with each thrust.
"Oh my god," she said, her voice shaking.
The grip he had on her hips pulled her in to meet each thrust.
He let go of one hip to stick two fingers into her mouth. She moaned and bit and sucked until he pulled them out and placed them back on her clit, rubbing it harder and harder.
The warmth and pressure of his fingers sent her over the edge again—her second orgasm washing over her in waves.
"Lex," she screamed into the night, not caring who heard her.
He placed his hand back on her hips and continued to fuck her in earnest, feeling her clench around him.
A few more thrusts and he came inside of her.
She ran her hands through his hair and brought his lips down to hers, feeling him throb.
He pulled out, and she felt his cum slowly drip out of her.
"Fuck" he sighed, laying down next to her on his back. "That was..."
"I know," she said, smiling to herself.
They laid side by side for a few minutes, getting control of their breathing and letting their sweat-slicked bodies cool.
Eventually, he got up to find something to clean up with.
He wiped her down before cleaning himself and getting back into the bed, not even bothering to put his clothes on.
She turned on her side, knowing that he'd turn and put an arm around her.
He did.
"I've noticed you like sleeping like this," he said from behind her, "Why?"
"I don't know," she said, "I guess it makes me feel safe."
He pressed his body closer to hers.
"I knew it," he whispered. "I knew you'd wear it for me."
Some hours later, the persistent knock on their door woke her from her slumbers.
She untangled herself from the mess of limbs and found something to cover herself with. She turned to look at Lex, who was still fast asleep, to make sure that he was covered before opening the door.
"What is it?" she asked, still a little groggy from sleep.
"Sorry to disturb you," Adrian said, a smirk on his face, "But I was told to summon you two. We're almost there."
"What?" It would take them almost a day and a half to make the journey from what she was told. "How?"
"Well, that sometimes happens when you sleep for fourteen hours," Adrian said, turning to go.
Holy shit. She hadn't meant to sleep for so long.
"Lex," she said, "Lex, wake up."
He groaned. "What?"
"Apparently, we've overslept. We're almost there," she said, turning to look for her clothes.
"Shit," Le
x said, sitting up. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Fourteen hours, according to Adrian."
He got out of bed and looked for his own clothes.
Aria got dressed and waited for him.
"Hurry up," she said, watching him lazily put his pants on.
"Always so damn bossy," he said as he laced his boots up.
She rolled her eyes.
When he was finally ready, she turned to open the door. But as soon as she opened it, he placed a hand on it and shut it again.
"Lex, what-" she started to say, turning to face him.
But he grabbed her hips and pushed her against the door, pressing his body into hers.
"In a hurry to leave?" he mumbled against her neck.
"Yes, b-because we have more important things to do," she said. But she tilted her head to the side, giving him better access to her neck.
"Yes, but this is much more fun," he said, squeezing her hips. "Wouldn't you agree?"
He let go of her hip and brought his hand down to run it over her center.
And even though her pants formed a barrier between his hand and her flesh, she rocked into it, feeling herself getting wet.
"Lex," she whined.
"Sorry, darling," he said, moving his hand away, "But we have to go."
He pushed her aside and opened the door, walking out without another glance.
"You fucking asshole!" she yelled after him.
Chapter 53
After giving herself a few minutes to calm down, she joined the others on the deck.
The smug look on Lex's face kind of made her want to slap him.
"We're almost there," Martinez said from beside her.
She looked towards the shore, and sure enough, she could see land in the distance.
The night she'd had with Lex, the sex, and the teasing had made it easy for her to forget what lay ahead.
But now, she grew serious. She turned to look at Lex, noticing that he'd grown more somber.
"We'll talk to them," she said, walking over to stand beside him. "They'll understand."
"I hope so," he said.
Now all they had to do was wait. Aria grew impatient. And hungry.
She made her way to one of the rooms near the other side of the ship, hoping there'd be food.
She wasn't disappointed.
Eventually, a few of the others joined her. After they brought the rest of the people in, they wouldn't get to come here. It'd be too crowded.
"Lex," Adrian said in between bites of food, "You've got a little something there," he said, pointing at his neck.
"What?" Lex asked, his hand going to his neck.
Aria stifled the giggle that had risen in her throat. She bit down on her lip to keep herself from smiling, noticing the faint bruise-like mark on the side of Lex's neck.
"Oh...uh," Lex mumbled, finally realizing what Adrian had pointed out.
Hunt coughed a little awkwardly.
Aria was grateful that Katy hadn't joined them yet.
After everyone had gone back to eating, she risked a peek at him. He was sitting right beside her, but she didn't turn. She glanced at him from the corners of her eyes.
He turned and caught her gaze a second before she looked away.
Katy and the rest of their group joined them.
Aria risked another peek, glancing at Lex while the others were busy discussing some random thing.
"Stop that," Lex said, lowering his voice so that only she heard him.
"Stop what?" she asked, her voice innocent. She bats her eyelashes at him a few times, feigning confusion.
"Stop looking at me like that," he whispered.
"Yeah?" she said, biting down on her lip. Fighting a smile. "Or what?"
"Or," he began, turning his head so that his lips were covered by her hair. "Or I'll make all of them leave and fuck you on this table."
The playful smile vanished from her lips, his words making her ache.
He turned his attention back to the group, pretending like he'd been listening all along.
Aria crossed her legs, trying to listen in on the conversation and not think about what he had just said.
"You should let us go first," Hunt said.
They were close enough to the shore now; Aria could see a large group of people gathered by the edge of the water, watching the ship.
Some of them looked hopeful, while others looked scared.
"Okay," Lex said.
Hunt and Katy got off the ship and went to meet the group.
They were far enough from the ship that Aria couldn't hear what they were saying; how much they were telling the group gathered on the shore.
The group was more versatile than she had expected. There were more kids than she'd anticipated.
Hunt and Katy talked to the group for about half an hour. Aria could see a few people in the crowd come forward to ask questions.
But eventually, the group broke up and started pulling their supplies and weapons into a pile on the shore.
Aria glanced over at Lex, feeling more hopeful than she had been the entire trip.
After another twenty minutes, Hunt whistled, and Lex took that as his cue to join the crowd and talk to them.
"Do you want to come with me?" he asked as he prepared to go down the ladder strung over the side of the ship.
"No, I trust you to handle yourself," she said.
He rolled his eyes at her before leaving.
She smiled to herself, letting herself relish in the hope that had washed over her. It was what she had hoped for; the rest of the people seemed to be agreeing to their terms, accepting their offer.
Aria watched Lex talk to the group from her vantage point on the deck. Whatever he was saying must have been compelling enough because before she knew it, it was time to go.
The next few hours passed by quickly. Aria and the others helped the children get onto the ship first. They then loaded the supplies that some of the people had scavenged from their home before abandoning it. And then the weapons were brought up to the ship and locked away in one of the rooms. And finally, the rest of the group joined.
It was a tight fit, but they managed to get everyone on board.
When they were finally ready to sail away, Aria had to push through the crowd to look for her friends. There were people everywhere, making it impossible for her not to run into them.
Eventually, she spotted Lex, but he looked busy. He and Hunt were talking to a few of the people that had joined them.
She decided to go to their room. The overcrowded ship was starting to make her feel a little claustrophobic.
She realized that her days and nights had been switched; she'd been up the past few nights and spent her days sleeping. She decided that she'd have to stay awake the entire trip back if she wanted to get her sleeping schedule in order again.
She spent a few hours reading, hoping that Lex would show up to do something more productive with her time.
But he didn't.
After what felt like hours, she went in search of him again.
She found him in the same room they'd had their meal in, surrounded by her people. And they weren't shying away from him. In fact, all of them had given him their full attention, listening as he explained how things in Pembera worked.
Aria watched him from the corner. The room was crowded; people were standing by the walls, sitting on the floor. But she felt a little mesmerized, watching him talk to such a large group of people.
They continued to ask him questions, and he continued to answer.
She decided not to interrupt. They'd spend time together once they got home; now, his relationship with the others was more important than giving Aria his undivided attention.
She found her mother on the deck and decided to spend a little time with her, and the group of people gathered around.
Aria greeted her neighbors, her peers, and her acquaintances.
They all had questions. What happened? How did you get
there? Why? Where? How? What? When?
Aria felt like her tongue would dry up and fall off; that's how much talking she did. But every time she wanted to snap, she reminded herself of how important this was. How the least she could do was answer their questions.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she finally got the chance to sneak off and make her way back to Lex's and her room.
She felt drained, but she stayed awake. She found an old book on one of the shelves and spent the next few hours reading.
When she heard the door open, she practically bounced with excitement.
"Hey," Lex said, standing in the doorway. "I was hoping I'd find you here."
She moved out of the way to let him in, and he flopped down on the bed.
She sat down next to him.
"I can't stay long," he said, running a hand down her back.
"Why?"
"I have a few more things to attend to. I'm supposed to meet Hunt and some guy named Sam on the deck in fifteen minutes. I just came by to check on you."
"Oh, well. I'm fine. Just trying to stay awake to get back on a regular sleeping schedule."
"I know things are a little hectic now," he said, "But I promise I'll make time for you once we get home."
"Wow," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "Thank you so much."
"Shut up," he said, poking her in the side. "You know what I mean."
She smiled at him before laying down on her back. "So what do you think?" she asked.
"Well, it might be too soon to tell...but they don't seem that bad. I mean, they're all being civil, so I guess we're off to a good start? And none of them have tried to kill me yet, so I'll take that as a good sign?"
"Yeah," she said, laughing a little. "That is a good sign."
He turned on his side, putting a hand on her stomach. He looked at her for a few minutes before slowly dragging his hand down.
"No," she said, grabbing his hand once he'd reached the top of her pants. "Don't even think about it."
"What? Why?"
"Because I know what you're trying to do. You said you only had a few minutes. Now you have less. You're just trying to tease me before you leave."
"And you don't like that? Me teasing you?"
"No, I don't."
"Really? Then why'd you tease me earlier?"
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