Across Our Stars: Victor

by A. Payne

“Sometimes the old stuff works best…” he mumbled. “You’re a good sister to do that for her.”

  “I love her. It was the least I could do. After I left home, she was the only one who stayed in touch.”

  “Honestly, we’ve advanced so many things, but the human brain is the one area we can’t toy with. Some big company caught a few billion in fines for testing brain implant cyberware without prior authorization. I agree with the decision but… hell, there’s people like your sister who could benefit from the progress.”

  “Why is it prohibited?”

  “If we try some high-risk things on your kidneys and you go into failure, we’ll put you on dialysis until we grow you a new one or acquire an implant. If your lungs collapse, we have a machine to breathe for you. I can’t do that with your brain, Zoe.”

  “I guess…” she sighed heavily and fell silent. Her thumbs drew down alongside his spine. After a few moments, she spoke up again. “I guess that must tie in to your studies, right?”

  “I probably know more about it than I should for a tech-doc huh? For a while, I wanted to work my way into the medical research department, but… someone close talked me into applying for cyberware certification instead. Helping people mattered most to me, so it didn’t really matter where I went to do it.”

  “My gain, I suppose. The whole ship’s really.” The warmth of her breath preceded a gentle press of her lips to his back. The gesture came across as comforting more than intimate.

  Silence fell between them as she worked on his knotted muscles, although it ended when he picked up the first subtle notes of cello music. “Guess the ship’s joining forces with you now. You’re both putting me to sleep.” Gradually, it increased in volume, filling the room with soothing tones.

  “Guess the ship likes you,” she said with a soft laugh. “Hey Victor, can I ask you another personal question?”

  “What?”

  “Did you pull away because… I’m not your type? I mean… I guess it just makes it easier if I understand. I don’t mind. Just… You know what, never mind.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s nothing, just something I heard. It got me to thinking, is all.”

  “The rumors, huh. Seems I can’t escape them no matter where I go.” A cold ache filled his belly, followed by a numb feeling that proved to be impervious to massage techniques. “I didn’t mean to waste your time, all right? Contrary to whatever you heard, I’m not that much of an ass.”

  “No, it wasn’t anything like that. Besides, you’re entitled to like who you like. As for my time, you didn’t waste it. You spent it with me. So thanks for that.”

  “Nevertheless, I owe you an apology,” Victor insisted.

  Zoe’s hands fell away from his back and left a void. The separation of contact was brief, ended when she climbed over the seat and sat down next to him. Their hips and thighs brushed against each other.

  Victor had never wanted a woman more.

  “No apology needed. Really. It was a good kiss.” She flashed a quick smile. “Feel better? I didn’t press too hard, right? Been awhile since I’ve rubbed anyone’s shoulders.”

  “It felt good,” he assured again. He claimed her right arm and traced his fingertips over her skin. Warm, alive, and sensitive to his touch. Her face flushed in response, pinking the apples of her cheeks, and the endearing reaction sent a surge of testosterone through his veins. Everything about Zoe excited him. “Do you trust me?”

  “That’s an odd sort of question…” She regarded him thoughtfully. “I do. You’re my doctor, right? And my friend.”

  Victor pressed gently with his thumb above her wrist where veins belonged on a flesh and blood limb. With the back of her hand propped against his knee, he returned the favor. “This,” he murmured quietly. “You loosened a nerve connection again. Probably during a fight. How’s that?” He asked his question, but he didn’t release her or sever contact.

  Zoe flexed her fingers. “I barely even noticed. How did you…?”

  “I’ll spare you the medical jargon and say that my job is to notice when things are not as they belong.”

  “I’m impressed, Victor.” Her body shifted minutely to accommodate his continued hold of her hand. Her knee pressed into his and her fingers curled inward toward his touch.

  Victor’s hands behaved as if they had a mind of their own, exploring and touching her everywhere all at once. Her cybernetic arm, the original focus of his investigation, became the least interesting facet of her anatomy. Her tank was a bothersome hindrance, an obstacle to be removed.

  “You had something wrong,” Victor said impulsively. “It wasn’t a good kiss.”

  “I… er… it wasn’t?” Zoe’s heartbeat thrummed beneath his touch. The delicate hairs on her arm stood on end.

  A good kiss. Never had anyone spoke a greater understatement. “I told you, Zoe, you’re great to kiss.” Desire to trace every inch of her body with his lips remained on his mind, burned into his fantasies after a single glimpse of her beneath a shower nozzle.

  “Maybe you should kiss me some more then,” she whispered breathlessly.

  He did. Inhibitions faded for the first time in months, leaving a sense of freedom in its place. Victor kissed her thoroughly, recognizing the sweet taste of mint lingering upon her tongue. A hint of cocoa from a favored tea shared during a rare early morning movie session in the lounge. It was a taste he’d come to associate with Zoe, its smell always bringing her to the forefront of his thoughts.

  Zoe matched him in both eagerness and enthusiasm. She bridged the distance and ran her fingers over his strong biceps. Up his arms, over his shoulders, and down his chest and the soft hairs scattered over his chiseled pecs.

  One of her hands touched his waistband and delved lower. Predicting her intentions, Victor closed his hand around her wrist and pinned it to the cushion of the lounger instead. With her fingers out of the way, he dipped his head and kissed her collarbone, denying her the instant gratification she craved.

  “I… saw you that night,” Victor confessed breathlessly.

  “What night?” She fidgeted beneath his pinning hold but didn’t fight to escape.

  “After you kissed me. God. I saw you in the shower… all of you. I couldn’t get it off my mind,” he groaned against her throat. Her thready, hastened pulse throbbed beneath his jaw, and his five o’clock shadow reddened the skin where he’d nuzzled her.

  “You did?” she squeaked. The startled sound was followed by a soft sigh. “I was thinking about you.”

  The admission thrilled him. “I want to see you again.”

  She tilted her head back, baring her throat to him. “Yes.”

  “Yes what?”

  “I want the same thing.”

  Victor released her from his grip for a single reason: to yank the tank over her head and pull her elastic undergarment with it. He tossed both to the floor and admired her lithe upper body. He teased her, barely skimming each fingertip over the plump side swell of her breasts without touching her sensitive nipples. Zoe quivered.

  Almost two long years had passed since the last time he’d made love to a woman, when he’d taken Ylona to bed on the eve prior to his last deployment to the Glenn.

  And in the months since his wife’s death, only one woman had inspired that kind of desire in Victor again. “Let me make it up to you, Zoe.”

  Chapter 15

  “You’re off to an excellent start.” Zoe ran her fingers up his arms. His lab coat and scrubs hid a remarkable body she was eager to explore. “But you don’t really have anything to make up for.”

  “I do,” he spoke aloud as he guided her down onto her back.

  Her sweats came down easily, tugged past her toned thighs once he hooked his fingers into their waistband. Her insides tightened and her knees went weak, leaving her grateful to already be off her feet.

  “Victor, you don’t ha–”

  “I want to.” Harsh desperation colored the tone of his voice.

&nb
sp; Zoe relented and stroked his hair while arching her body toward his touch. Victor caught her wrist when her hand reached the back of his neck. She tensed, worried she’d startled him away again until Victor alleviated those fears with a kiss to her palm. The simple gesture sent a jolt straight to her gut.

  He pinned both wrists above her head once he knelt on the floor, the lounger placing her at the perfect level to be explored by the intuitive touch of his other hand.

  His fingers traced an intimate path over the crease of her inner thigh, a ghostly skate that failed to satisfy Zoe’s yearning need for more. He teased her until she felt like a band stretched to the limit.

  “Tell me what you want, Zoe.”

  What I want… “You!” she blurted inelegantly. His caresses scattered her thoughts and made it hard to focus. “I want your hands on me. Everywhere.”

  “Here?” She was right. He did have an accent, and it was absolutely irresistible.

  Victor glided his finger between her thighs then tested her tight entrance. Her back arched upward and her body squeezed in resistance. It had been too long since someone touched her like a woman rather than a soldier.

  “Yes,” she replied on a breathy sigh. This was a new Victor. He became as confident in the bedroom as he appeared in the medical office. His show of dominance appealed to her.

  Writhing on the couch, Zoe pushed her hips upward to meet each thrust of his fingers. The two digits penetrating her body slid easily, slick with her increasing arousal, and the thought of him entering her next, to join their bodies, set her every nerve aflame.

  Her stiffened nipples learned the heat of his skin, his cheek against one tender tip until he leaned to lower his mouth to the other. The scrape of his stubble sensitized her flesh, but his mouth merely skimmed without embracing it between his lips.

  “I want to touch you,” she begged. “Please give me my hands.”

  Victor ignored her in favor of devoting every ounce of his attention toward worshipping her body. The tempo of his fingers hastened and the heat of his mouth closed over her aching nipple. Zoe cried out desperately as the edge of his thumb flicked the tender pearl at the apex of her thighs. He had agile, strong fingers; cellist’s fingers capable of producing the most beautiful music, or coaxing the strongest orgasm from the woman at his mercy.

  “Victor…!” The building pressure culminated in a strong eruption, pleasure drawing Zoe’s body tight then surging through her taut limbs. Victor’s talented ministrations never stopped while she shuddered beneath him, flooded with ecstasy. He brought her down from the incredible high with gentle, attentive patience.

  “I… You…” Stringing together a decent sentence was beyond her capabilities and she quickly gave up the effort.

  He kissed her lips again at the conclusion of her failed attempt to verbalize her racing thoughts. Brief, chaste, and sweet. The restraining grip of her wrists relented, and then those fingers slid affectionately over her forearm before severing contact completely. Victor moved away.

  It was the last thing she expected. After his passionate display, his absence left cold and worry in its wake. She struggled against the warm, drowsy haze and turned her head to follow his movements.

  “Hey… come back here a minute,” she called softly, reaching out a hand.

  “Sorry. I’m right here,” Victor called back from the restroom.

  Zoe blinked and struggled to push up to her elbows. The relaxed state of her limbs protested the movement, and she collapsed backward again in a state of near drowsing. From the bathroom, running water splashed against the stainless steel sink, creating the only noise in the small but personal space.

  “Zoe?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You okay, hon?”

  She opened her eyes to find Victor standing above her beside the lounger. He held a dampened washcloth in one hand, extended toward her in offering. It was a simple gesture, one she had never received before.

  “Thanks.” Her second attempt to sit up met with success. She took the warm cloth in hand and tended to herself in quiet thought. Her bare toes skimmed across the laminate floor. When she peeked up and found Victor watching her, he opened his mouth to speak but shut it again after a quiet sigh.

  “If you apologize again I’m going to smoosh your box of cream cakes,” Zoe managed a smile with her half-hearted threat.

  “I wasn’t going to apologize that time.”

  “Good, cause I wouldn’t have accepted it. Besides…” Her smile dimmed and she caught her lower lip between her teeth. “If anyone is owed an apology, it’s you. I, uh, feel like you got a bum deal.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  It became Zoe’s turn to open her mouth then close it without speaking. The more she learned about Victor, the more questions her mind developed. He was a puzzling mix of contradictions. An enigma she wanted to solve. Someone had hurt this man badly.

  “I was actually deciding whether to ask if you wanted to stay.”

  “You’re not kicking me out?” Heat rushed to her cheeks the moment the words left her mouth. “I mean… yes. I’d like that.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m not kicking you out, but you don’t have to stay. I’m a big boy. A ‘no’ doesn’t bother me.”

  The tension faded from her spine and left her feeling light. She toed over her underwear then bent down to pluck them from the floor. “Good thing I’m saying yes then.”

  “C’mere.” He reached down and dragged Zoe to her feet by both hands, only to draw her close with both arms around her afterward. She stepped in to the embrace, placing her hands at his hips.

  “I feel I should warn you. I’m a horrible bed hog.” Her words were only half in jest.

  “I’m not worried,” he assured her. Some of the warmth and humor returned to his tone, suffusing his voice with an inviting quality. The welcoming tone chased the fluttering moments of shyness and anxiety away. Sharing a bed with an officer. Not any officer, but the man pursued and coveted by several of her crewmates. Zoe would be the figure of envy if they discovered her whereabouts, and yet she would never violate Victor’s privacy by crudely giving details. “Only a few hours until we’re both supposed to be up and moving anyway, right?”

  The presence of his warm hand against the small of her back set off flutters in her stomach. With their sleeping arrangements made, they slipped beneath the blankets and tidy sheet, and then Zoe snuggled into his secure embrace with her cheek against his bare shoulder. He smelled good but unlike the standard-issued soap located in all fleet installations. Its invigorating aroma filled her nostrils, a perfect replica of the spicy leaves from the water succulents growing on planet Elora’s saltwater shores.

  The exotic smell was matched by the tranquil keepsake bauble on his nightstand table.

  “That’s pretty.” Zoe said. Pink sand sparkled at the bottom of the water filled globe, cushioning three pearlescent shells. The room’s dim lighting glinted off several fine purple and ivory filaments floating inside. It resembled a marine feather duster. “Is it from Elora?”

  Victor inhaled deeply. “It is.”

  Maybe a gift from his former Eloran lover, she wondered. He seemed to favor their culture and comforts. The aqua green seasilk sheets felt softer than anything Zoe had ever experienced before in a bedroom, a comforting cocoon that lulled her toward restful dreams.

  He didn’t elaborate about his souvenir, so Zoe grasped at straws to fill their empty silence instead. “Is this really okay?” she asked softly.

  Victor pulled her closer, as if to suddenly illustrate how much he enjoyed their cuddling session. Reassured, Zoe settled against him. His wider bed fit them both with room to spare, and compared to her narrow bunk, his mattress would suit royalty.

  “Hey Victor?”

  “Hmm?” he responded drowsily.

  “Will you ever tell me why you don’t like to be touched sometimes?”

  Victor didn’t answer. Enough time passed that Zoe feared she’d alienate
d him again with her question. “Ask me again another day, and I’ll tell you.” He squeezed her tightly and pressed his lips against her brow. “And then it’s up to you to decide if you still want anything to do with me. Right now, I only want to enjoy having you here.”

  “Fair enough.” A turn of her head brought her lips to the perfect position for kissing his jaw. So she did. “I enjoy this too. Using you as a pillow is becoming a habit.”

  Her words achieved the desired result: he laughed and only squeezed her tighter. “I like being your pillow.”

  Me too. “Goodnight, Victor.”

  “Goodnight, Zo.”

  Zo. She smiled and nestled her head beneath his chin. Patience, she told herself, was what Victor needed. Lucky for him, it was a trait she kept in spades.

  Chapter 16

  The day was never going to end. While there had been a decrease in the number of corpsman needing medical services, it had also resulted in one hell of a boring day for the doctors who worked in the infirmary.

  “Want one?” Hart asked him, leaning one hip against the desk. She held out a bag of assorted chocolates and candies that had already suffered a thorough rummaging from the medical technicians.

  “Who the hell ate all of the Silk Classics?” he demanded indignantly.

  “Lil got to them before you. Maybe if you were socializing with the rest of us instead of hiding in your office you would have gotten a few.”

  Victor growled under his breath and plucked out an acceptable substitute. Silk chocolate bars were the most sinful, decadent delight, but crushed nuts didn’t improve their quality. He’d rather have chocolate or nuts, of the firm belief that the two should never meet.

  “I’ve never met a man so bloody picky about his sweets. You’d think you were a woman,” Hart complained.

  “We have an hour of this bullshit left. I need sugar, and I would like to get it without picking nuts out of my teeth in front of my next patient,” he told her candidly. He plucked a few more of his choice favorites from the bag, then groaned inwardly when Hart scooted her rear onto the corner of his desk.