Protecting Nova

by Belle Harper

  “You’re playful this morning.” Before she could reply, I brought her lips to mine. And kissed the words right out of her pretty little mouth.

  She wrapped her arms around me, and I grabbed a handful of her ass as I pulled her on top my body to have more friction. Fuck, I was so horny. I had wanted to touch her like this for so long. Now that she was letting me, I wished I was somewhere else. Not in a tent with two other guys. I want our first time together to be just her and me. No distractions. Show her pleasure and pain.

  But that didn’t mean I couldn’t get her off, I just was going to have to wait a little longer. I moved my hand around her waist and undid the draw string to her pants. I could feel her smile against my lips as she pulled her hips up so I could get better access.

  “You little minx,” I whispered as I nibbled on her bottom lip. I slid my hand slowly down inside her pants and inside her underwear and met with the soft curls of her pubic hair. My fingers slid between her slit, where I found her wet already. So responsive. She bucked her hips at me. Her body demanding more.

  “You have no patience do you, princess?” She pulled her lower lip into her mouth and shook her head. I wanted that lip. I crashed my mouth to hers as I pushed one finger into her warm pussy. She practically rode my finger, so I added a second one. Fuck, so warm, so tight. My thumb went to work on her clit, and she made the sweetest little sounds as I fucked her with my hand. Her fingers burrowed into my arm as she tried to hold me where I was. I flipped her beneath me, not taking my fingers away and continued to fucked her pussy with my hand.

  “You gonna come for me, princess?” I teased as I pulled my hand away, her body chasing after it. She moaned into my mouth as thrust my fingers back in stroking that magic place inside. Her body got closer and closer to release so I pulled away. She made sulky sounds as I made her wait. “You love to tease me?” I asked. She smiled that wicked grin of hers.

  “Maybe?” she replied. But I knew she loved this, she wanted it. I fucked her again with my hand until she peaked, her body tensed as she fell over the edge into a beautiful orgasm. She gasped, her hand flew up, covering her mouth to keep quiet. Her body shuddered as she rode out her orgasm. I then noticed Adam watching us. I couldn’t tell if Ezra was awake, but I was pretty sure he would have been. He didn’t move or speak. I liked that about him, letting us have some time together. I kissed her a few more times, palming myself through my jeans. I was hard, but I was not going to have her touch me, not yet, not here. I would go take care of that myself.

  “Breakfast.” I heard Colton call out. I practically jumped up and left Nova warm in the blankets and exited the tent.

  “Thanks, man, just gonna take a piss,” I informed Colton as I walked past him and Kento. And headed deep into the woods.

  As soon as my fly was down, I only had to think of Nova’s body, the way she reacted to my touch and I was cursing out my own orgasm. I came hard and fast. Fuck. I couldn’t wait to be inside her.

  “From here we walk.” Jeremy pointed to the opposite side of the road. “I will come back and get the Jeep when I leave Eden, thank you again.” he’d said.

  I had given him the Jeep. Told him we didn’t need it in Eden. But to use it for other women or supplies when needed. I thought I would have been more upset than I was about leaving it behind, but I had something better than a Jeep. I had Nova. He agreed it was for Eden, said that if I wanted it back it was mine. But I knew I wouldn’t need it back. There was nowhere else I wanted to be than with Nova.

  “Let’s take a quick toilet break, then get ourselves loaded up with the supplies,” Colton announced.

  “Sounds good to me,” Nova said as she quickly dashed behind a tree.

  Everyone was loaded up, even Adam and Kento. Nova wanted to carry the small tent, but we wouldn’t let her. Instead she got the backpack with seeds, rope, and nails. Colton had given everyone a knife. Just in case we ran into trouble now we were on foot and more exposed. Colton had his pistol. I had my shotgun slung over my shoulder. Jeremy said they had guns in Eden that they used only for watch, so our two would be very welcomed.

  We had been walking for hours and wanted to lighten the mood.

  “I feel like we are the seven dwarfs right now and Nova is Snow White,” I said and she giggled.

  “Snow White had black hair, Ryker,” she pointed out.

  Oh yeah. I laughed.

  “Well, you get my drift. There are seven men and you.”

  Ezra agreed that it did feel a bit like that with us all in a row, walking through the woods. I was just about to break out into that seven dwarf song to break up the quiet and make her laugh when Jeremy held his hand up in halt. We all ducked down and scanned the area.

  I couldn’t see anything from my position. Fuck what could he see?

  18

  Adam

  I was crouched low to the ground. I didn’t know what was going on up ahead. But we were all on high alert. I hoped this stop and squat continued for another hour. I was not doing as well as the others. And this was a heavy load to carry, and we had been walking for hours. And even though I was given less than others, it was still a lot.

  Jeremy said it was a three-day walk and we weren’t even half way though day one. I let out a deep breath, and closed my eyes. I heard everyone getting up and looked up to see Jeremy was waving us on again. I slowly got up and continued, dragging my feet.

  Ezra was in front of me, and every so often, I could see Nova peer over her shoulder at him. The smiles she kept giving him were incredible, and I would have done anything for her to smile at me once like that. But no. I was stuck here behind him. I wanted to trip him over so I could walk behind her. I knew Colton wouldn’t like that, it would make him angry and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. Hell no. I did not want to poke that bear. Last night with the watch shifts. I saw the way he used his power to put Ryker on first watch. That was bullshit. The dude’s power had gone to his head. But no one else seems to notice it.

  I actually like Ezra, it was horrible that I even thought of hurting him. Of all guys, I liked him the most, and yeah Colton was on the bottom of that list. Dang. Hell. I was just angry now I have half an arm and no hand? Jealous because I want Nova for me only? It’s normal to be jealous right?

  “Walk a bit faster, man. We are going to be left behind,” Noah grumbled from behind me. I looked up again and saw we were lagging. I walked faster to catch up to Ezra.

  I understood the order we were in was for Nova’s safety, and Colton was in charge. No one questioned him when he placed us in this order. Even Ryker was smiling and happy. But I guessed he got to be in front of Nova, so he wouldn’t complain. He could turn to her and she would smile at him. I’m thinking I had an issue and I was reading into something that wasn’t here. I raked my hand through my damp hair and looked but up to the front of our group. Jeremy was up front, followed by Colton then Kento. They didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat.

  I grumbled to myself to walk faster.

  We stopped for lunch and Colton pulled out three apples to share. I wished Nova just got the apple. I wanted her to come and kiss me for real again. Something she had not done since I had been back with her… until last night—well, not really. She had given me sweet cheek and forehead kisses but they didn’t count. She had yet to give me as a real kiss. Like the ones we used to do.

  And this morning I watched her as Ryker got her off. I had to think of everything else not to cum in my pants at the sounds she was making. I wished I saw what he was doing. I didn’t know the first thing about what to do with a woman. I had never seen what one looked like until…that night. The one we escaped from my uncle. The night I was cut so deep I almost lost my life. Hell, the pain was back.

  “You all right?” Colton asked as he passed the half eaten apple to me. I took a bite and tried to ignore the pain. I felt a sheen of sweat on my forehead. I didn’t get this. It was not even from where they cut it, which was just above my elbow. It was in my hand. Well, re
ally it was in the hand that was not there anymore. I had no idea what they did with my arm. And I don’t want to know.

  “Just my hand,” I told him while chewing the sweet apple. He looked at my hand as I handed the apple back to him.

  “It looks all right from here. Did you sprain it?”

  I shook my head as Ezra spoke up.

  “He has phantom pains. I don’t know what would help.” Colton looked confused so I added, “It feels like something is burning in my hand. It started off as tingly pain and now it’s just burning.” I pointed to where my hand used to be.

  “Oh wait, in the hand that’s gone?” Colton asked, shocked written in his features. I nodded, and I tensed. Waiting for him to laugh at me or tell me I was stupid. But when I looked up he was deep in thought then turned to Jeremy.

  “Didn’t even think to ask if there was anyone who is a doctor there? In Eden?”

  “There are two, actually. And one dentist,” Jeremy replied. Everyone heard that and was happy. I was happy to hear that too. But I knew a lot of medical stuff. My own father was a doctor. I guess I won’t see him again. I just hoped my uncle told him I stole the girl and ran away. He knew why I went with my uncle. He knew I was in love with Nova. I decided not to mention I had quite a lot of medical knowledge, none about amputated arms and phantom pains though.

  “Maybe they know what I can do with my hand. I have already tried chopping it off. But that hasn’t seemed to help.” I said in a dry but joking way. At first there was silence and then Jeremy barked out the biggest belly laugh. Everyone joined in, and we all enjoyed a little bit of comedy.

  “Do you think if I gave you a hand massage that would help? Do you think your mind thinks it’s still there?” Nova asked, worried. If she didn’t have that look on her face, I would have thought she was joking but she was serious. I didn’t know so I shrugged. But I really wanted her to try, she was smiling at me now. Talking to me.

  “No harm in trying.” She said as she approached and crouched down. She told me to put my arms out straight and hold my hands on my knees. I quirked my brow at that but did it, putting my missing hand to where I felt would be on my knee. She slid her hands over my knees and picked up my hand in one of hers. The other she did the same movement but to nothing but air. She kept pressure on my knees as she massaged my hand, and everything she did she mimicked on the other. I closed my eyes and pictured her massaging both hands. Her silky smooth touch, the was she rolled my fingertips between her fingers.

  After five or so minutes it felt like it had worked some, the burning pain no longer there. Which shocked me. Maybe it was the fact that she was so close to me. That I was distracted enough not to have felt the pain. But I wanted her to know she made me feel better.

  “That is so weird, but I actually can’t feel the pain anymore.”

  The smile she gave me was magnetic and mine mirrored hers. Then she narrowed her eyes at me and her smile turned a little cheeky.

  “You’re not telling me that are you?”

  I shook my head. “No I’m being really serious. It’s weird, but the burning pain is gone, it only tingles slightly now. Which I can deal with. Maybe it was you being so close. But I feel so much better.”

  That first night there wasn’t one person who wanted to do first watch. Normally, everyone was happy with their watch duty and never questioned it. And I preferred a first watch to second or third. But everyone was tired, me included. Colton was frustrated, which set Nova off. It was a little fun to watch at first because Colton gives in very easy to Nova. But when she started getting upset, I decided to put my hand up to be first. Ezra ended up with me.

  It was something I started to notice a pattern of when it came to watch. With two people on, I was usually with Ezra. Colton was usually on last watch. But I did noticed Colton rotates it all, so everyone has their fair share of being woken up in the middle of the night. Cause yeah, that’s fun.

  I was happy to have Ezra with me. Last night I was supposed to be with Noah, but that guy hates me so much. It would have been painful. I also felt like Colton put us together to make us be friends. But I believed that was never going to happen. As long as I stayed out of his way and he stayed out of mine, I didn’t care. He could hate me as much as he wanted. Not going to change the fact that Nova wanted me here. I will tolerate him for her.

  My legs were numb, my feet were jelly, and I was over this. Everything ached, my back burned from the weight I carried. I’m sure I had blisters on my feet. But complaining was going to get me nowhere. Eden, I started to suspect, was in hell. Okay, well maybe not hell. But we walked so much it felt like hell on my body, but come on, this is day three. And we have been walking for hours already and Eden doesn’t seem to be any closer.

  “Stop,” Jeremy called. We all froze. I glanced around Ezra and saw Jeremy walking alone to the top of the hill we all had been slowly hiking up. Noah cursed behind me, and I turned to see him glance up in the trees ahead. Then it caught my eye. A platform high in the tree. And there was a man, his gun aimed at us. Hell.

  Jeremy approached and the man called out his name. He let out a whistle before he let down a rope and climbed down. Something I would never be able to do again. The whistle was returned over and over through the trees. At least I knew security was good at Eden. Jeremy motioned us to come over, and we slowly trekked up the rest of the hill. Nova practically ran up; she was so excited that we were finally here. Eden. We are home.

  I wanted to collapse and not move ever again. But I was just as excited at Nova was and I wanted to get there, then collapse.

  Once I got to the top, Colton had already started introductions. “This is our Nova.”

  “I’m Beckett.” He held his hand out to Colton and then to Nova, who took it and shook it. Beckett didn’t look like someone who was in a happy relationship, he was fully staring at her. And not in a nice to meet you, more like a I want to see you naked type of way.

  I stomped over to him and put my hand out to shake, my only hand. He let go of Nova’s. it was a bit awkward as he reach to shake with his right, but then quickly switched to his left and shook it. I looked over at Colton to see if he was upset that I had just come barging in but he just smirked at me.

  19

  Nova

  Oh my gosh, I had butterflies. I could not believe we were here. Jeremy talked with Beckett as they led us down the hill to where I could see some people gathered. Like so many people. I almost wanted to cry that I was here. We had broken from formation, and Noah scooped me up into his arms.

  “You looked like you were going to fall.” He smiled down at me.

  I shook my head, smiling. “No, I was just…overwhelmed is all. I have dreamt of this place for years and now I am finally here. I’m in Eden. Did you ever wish for something but never thought it could happen? That’s what I’m feeling right now,” I explained as I let him hold me for a few more moments before asking to be put down. I didn’t want to be carried into Eden. I wanted to walk in there on my own two feet.

  “Olivia,” Jeremy called as a woman with white hair in a braid ran up and hugged him. Their reunion was filled with laugher and happy tears. A little boy came running up next. He had a large white patch of hair in the front, which surprised me. I just assumed he wouldn’t have been touched by NEX virus. He had the biggest blue eyes and a tanned complexion. Like his mother.

  Jeremy picked the boy up and swung him around to us. We all looked out of place here, our clothes and bodies looked like they had been through a mud pit, and we sure smelled like that too, and we were exhausted.

  “Everyone, this is Olivia, my daughter, and my grandson, Jeremy.”

  Colton held my hand as we walked forward. “Hi, I’m Nova.” I held my hand out to Olivia and she looked down at it, at first I thought it was because I was dirty, but before I could apologize for my lack of hygiene she pulled me into a big bear hug.

  She laughed. “If you have made it this far, you need a hug.” And I relaxed into her
and inhaled her beautiful smell. Like flowers. She was so clean. I was so dirty. I pulled away and apologized that I had made her dirty, but she brushed it off like it was nothing.

  She called out to someone then turned back to me. “Just letting them know to get Trevon. He is my first husband. He is sort of like the vice-chief of our tribe here in Eden.” She waved her hands around, and there were a lot of people. It was so much bigger than I ever thought it would be.

  She then led us down past some people, who were very friendly, greeting us as we passed and to a large wooden building. It was raised high off the ground, maybe around six foot. I noticed all the little cabins we passed were raised high also, depending on where they were on the hill, some were not as high as others. We placed our backpacks and everything we carried down. It felt wonderful to have the weight off my back. I could hear the guys moan and stretch, strained and sore muscles.

  “Does it flood a lot?” Colton asked Olivia as she took us up the stairs.

  She turned and started to walk backward to look at us. “Yes and no. We can have flooding on and off over a few months, then nothing for a year. Then snow, then sunshine. The weather is very unpredictable here. But don’t worry, snow is pretty rare. And if it does snow, we usually all gather here. This is the only place we allow a fire to be lit and only after dark. We cook everything here. Don’t want to be giving smoke signals telling everyone in the world we are here. But if there is snow, we light the fire here to keep warm. But I will get into everything when Trevon gets here.”

  I nodded as I took it all in. They had so much in this hall—tables and chairs all handmade, a huge stone fireplace. The windows didn’t have glass but wooden shutters. It was marvelous.

  “What did I miss?” A deep voice bounced off the walls. I turned to find a man a tall as Noah, but with skin as chocolate as Ezra’s. Olivia smiled from ear to ear as she introduced us to her first husband, Trevon.