by Pearl Foxx
“I … If you’re under the covers I thought … I mean, we could leave the covers and I’ll sleep on top of them …”
Bursting out laughing, she smacked him in the chest without any power; it was a playful display, and he was surprised by himself when he didn’t immediately back away. No part of him thought she wanted to hurt him or that she ever would. That alone was a miracle.
“Will you stop being such a worrywart? Get under the covers, put your head on the pillow, and wrap your arms around me so I can go to sleep.”
He gazed down at her, taking in the kindness of her soft face and deep eyes. He climbed in as she instructed, but instead of wrapping his arms around her and falling asleep, he pulled her against his chest and kissed her.
Linnea gasped against his lips, probably as surprised as he was by the move. But Nestan couldn’t help himself. There was something about her and he wanted more. Whatever it was, whatever she was willing to give, he wanted more.
Kissing, they wrapped their arms around each other, her small hands massaging his back. As they floated on the soft mattress, he found himself pulled closer and closer to her. Soon her lips moved down to his neck, and he groaned at the feeling of her mouth pulling on the sensitive skin. His body felt like a lightning storm brewed inside him.
He gripped her close, one hand venturing to reach lower, gripping her ass and pulling her up against him. Her moan in response went straight to his cock. She encouraged him by the sway of her hips, and soon they laid side by side, kissing and moving like their bodies were made for each other.
She lifted one leg and hitched it up over his hip, bringing his embarrassingly hard erection against her heat.
She felt so good. Her body under his hands, soft and sweet, gentle and welcoming. She was everything he needed. She kissed him again, her tongue tasting him and letting him taste her. Despite everything they’d been through, she tasted fresh and sweet, like the morning of a spring day. Refreshing.
When she reached between them and placed her hand on his erection, he stiffened, pulling away.
“Did I do something wrong?” She peered up at him through hooded eyes.
“No, I just … I haven’t ever …”
Smiling, she pulled her hand away.
He relaxed instantly, but as soon as her touch was gone, he wanted to feel it again. His cock throbbed in painful syncopated beats, and his heart sped so fast he worried he might spin out of control.
“It’s okay,” she murmured, bringing her hand to his face and kissing him again.
They kissed for an impossible amount of time, slow and sweet. His lust downgraded from volcanic to manageable, and while he was desperate to feel more of her, always more, he couldn’t think of how to ask.
She pulled away, her hands still on his face and chest. “Rollover,” she said gently.
He looked at her in question, but her kind eyes required no words. He rolled away, and she molded herself against his back, wrapping her arms around his thin waist and placing small kisses against the hard points of his spine.
“It’s okay,” she whispered against the back of his neck, sending shivers through his body. “I know you don’t believe me. I can read you better than you think I can. But it’s okay. You’re going to be fine.”
She kept whispering and reassuring him until he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Eleven
Linnea
Linnea woke in the dark of a strange room, her heart instantly racing. Something twitched next to her. A stifled scream pierced the air—quiet but chilling in its anguish.
She sat up, wiping her face with her hands and shaking her head as she tried to remember where she was. The warmth next to her flailed; an arm reached out, hitting her across the chest. She fell back onto the bed.
Nestan.
She was on Kladuu.
She was here, and her sister was safe, and she was in bed with Nestan. The sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful person she’d ever met. And he had no idea.
The sound came again, and as her grogginess cleared further, Linnea realized that wrenching wail came from him.
She reached over, patting him softly on the cheek. “Nestan, wake up. Nestan, honey.”
She ran her fingers through his hair and pressed a kiss against his damp forehead.
His body shook, and while he stopped flailing, the awful sounds that broke through his clenched jaw shattered her heart. What could he possibly be dreaming about?
“Nestan,” she whispered as loud as she dared. She needed to wake him but didn’t want to startle him. Instead, she snuggled down close, placing her head against his chest and wrapping her arms as tightly around him as she could.
He shook, his muffled shrieks turning into sobs.
She rubbed his back, feeling so small next to him, so weak. But at this moment it felt like she was all that held the disconnected parts of him together. Like he would fly into a million pieces if she let go.
“It’s okay, honey,” she continued to whisper. His shaking subsided, but the small hiccupping sobs continued. “I’m right here. I’ve got you, and I’ll hold on as long as you need me to. I’m not going anywhere. You’re okay.”
Finally, his room fell quiet and his body stilled completely. He wrapped his arms around her with a shaky sigh. “I don’t know how I deserve you.”
His whispered words wove themselves into her very being. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t see himself the way she saw him. “You don’t have to deserve me, you have me.”
When she moved closer, his head dipped down and his lips met hers easily in the darkness.
She slid her body up against him, letting the heat beneath the covers encapsulate them in this moment where just the two of them existed. No bad dreams. No horrible fathers—for either of them. No bad memories or hidden fears. Just this moment, this one stolen, perfect moment, where they could be completely themselves.
As they kissed, he rolled gently onto her. She opened her legs, and he settled between them, pressing his rock-hard cock against her soft folds. The Katu dress she wore was pushed up against her hips, and his substantial size pressed against her wetness; only the thin, silken pants he wore separated them.
They kissed and she ran her hands across his shoulders, memorizing every piece of him, every inch of strength she found. She knew he was thin and that he saw himself through the distorted vision of what his father had done, but to her, he was the strongest man she’d ever known. His body was toned and delicious, and his strength ran deeper than just his corded muscles but to his soul. That was the most attractive thing she’d ever seen.
He reached a hand down and gripped her thigh, pulling it up around his hips so he could grind closer against her. Moaning, he dropped his head down onto her neck, inhaling deeply. His hand gripped her hip while the other wrapped around her back. His weight settled against her, trapping her to the bed.
As they moved, her breasts brushed against his chest, her nipples hard and desperate to be touched. She pushed him away slightly to reach down and tug the sheath dress off, finally naked before him.
In the darkness, his eyes raked over her body. He took her in like a lost man who finally found a home. Reaching out without a word, he placed his fingertips on her shoulder and traced along her collarbone. He continued down between her breasts, and she shook with the effort to hold still. She was desperate for him to hold her, to grip her, to knead her body, to kiss and suck on her breasts, and bring her to the heights of passion she knew he could deliver. But instead, he took his time rolling one nipple and then the other between his fingers before cradling her heavy breast in his hand and lowering his head to kiss her pink nub.
She moaned and arched against him, the feeling of his lips against her breast shooting desire straight to her core. He breathed out a chuckle, and the warm air against her body made her shiver as he sucked on her hard nipple.
He moved from one breast to the other. She leaned back, trying to hold still, and let him t
ake his time exploring her body, but she couldn’t help the small moans and the rocking of her hips as she sought out something, anything, to press against.
He kissed his way down her rounded belly, licking around her belly button before exploring farther south. When he reached her mound, his body shook again, but now for an entirely different reason. He took a deep breath, nuzzling her downy hair before gazing up at her, his eyes sparkling in the dim light.
“Can I taste you?”
“You don’t even need to ask. Yes, always yes.” She threw her head back as he dipped down, licking between her folds, and exploring what her flesh had to reveal.
He took his time working his way from her clit back to her warm opening, making sure he didn’t miss a single spot. His beard tickled against her flesh, driving her insane with the constant stimulation. Anytime she gasped or moved he would explore that spot again, testing each new sound she made, pushing her to new heights of pleasure with his slow and deliberate exploration. His hands gripped her hips, and she threw her thighs over his shoulders, opening herself and arching up to encourage him to go harder, faster, anything to help her feel more.
But he wouldn’t.
Every time she pushed herself toward him, he pulled slightly away. She could feel the shaking chuckle of his warm breath against her wet folds. But nothing she did would speed his adoration.
“Dammit, Nestan.” She leaned up on her elbows and glared down at him, his dark hair covering his face but his bare back a sight to behold. The strength of his muscles was highlighted by the shadows from the dim light, and his long legs dangled off the bed as he nuzzled, kissed, and licked her until she could barely take any more. Reaching down, she took his face in her hands and pulled him up to her.
“Please,” she begged.
“Are you sure?” He hesitated as she offered herself to him.
She didn’t know what held him back. But she wanted to show him without any doubt that it was him she wanted, no matter how he came. Broken and sad were the versions of himself he believed, but she saw the man he could be one day. Whichever version of him it was, she wanted him. What she felt when she looked at him was like nothing else she’d ever experienced.
“I’m sure,” she replied. “It doesn’t matter to me what you’ve done before. None of it matters except for being with you. I just want to be with you.”
He kissed her again, hard, pressing her against the bed. “I want to be with you, too,” he said, placing kisses on her face and her neck.
She pushed his pants down his ass, kicking them off with her feet. As she reached between them, she hesitated, remembering the last time she’d gone to touch him. “May I?”
Pulling back, he stared down at her. “There’s nothing I want more.”
She reached between them, gripping his thick cock in her hand. His body stiffened, and then he closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. She ran her hand down his mind-blowing length, far larger than any other man she’d been with. His velvety skin glided against her palm, and when she drew back up to the swelling, swollen head, she felt it grow slick with precum. She moaned in appreciation, and when he opened his eyes, all she saw looking back at her was the promise of something so much deeper, so much more real than she ever imagined.
As she guided him into her, his massive cock stretched her, filling her so completely that she gasped.
Above her, Nestan froze. “Are you okay? Am I hurting you?”
“No,” she breathed out. She smiled up at him. “Keep going.”
Lines furrowed between his brows as he carefully and so slowly pushed farther inside of her, like his only focus in the world was being as gentle as possible. She felt herself opening not just her body, not just where man met woman, but her heart as well, welcoming him in and bringing him home.
When he was nestled deep within her, seated up against her deepest reaches, he brushed the hair away from her face as he rocked his hips back, pulling out slightly and then pushing forward.
She lifted her legs up, wrapping them around his waist and bringing her hips up to a new angle, allowing him to thrust deeper.
He shuddered. “I didn’t know. I couldn’t have begun to imagine how good you would feel.”
She ran her hands over his shoulders, across his chest, around his back, through his hair, and over his face. She wanted to feel every part of him she could reach.
He rocked in and out slowly, tentatively at first and then with greater speed as he found confidence in himself. She rose to meet his hips, feeling the burning stretch of his size and loving the way he filled her. As he sped up, his thrusts came with abandonment. He wrapped an arm around her waist, the other gripping her hip as he thrust harder and deeper.
“Is this okay?” he asked, voice strained.
Linnea didn’t have time to answer, her body reacting to the swell of his cock and the feel of his body pressing against her. Her orgasm began as a warm swell, building inside of her body until it tipped her over the edge. Her toes curled as she arched up, pressing her breasts against his chest and letting out a cry of pleasure, unlike anything she’d experienced before.
“Nestan!”
As she screamed his name, her body clenched down against his massive cock and she rode the waves of pleasure until there were no words, no sounds, nothing in the entire universe existed except for where flesh met flesh.
He gripped her harder, thrusting deeper and deeper until a howl broke loose and he found his own release.
He rocked into her a few more times, gently, as if even though they were both spent and exhausted, he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to feel more of her.
She ran her hands through his hair, smiling as the ends of his braids tickled her face and neck. “You have to cut your hair, I think.”
His beaming smile lit up the dark room like a lightning flash, and he laughed. He laughed until he collapsed next to her, and as they held each other, they laughed together.
Free of their demons.
Chapter Twelve
Linnea
Linnea woke with her back flush against Nestan’s chest, his heavy arm draped across her waist. His steady, deep breaths rustled the fine hairs on her neck. The denser hair of his beard pricked against her shoulder, and his body blazed with searing heat.
Since moving to the space station, she’d woken up beside more than a few men. But it had never been like this. Never had the feeling of being trapped against someone actually felt nice. Comforting.
Felt like she wanted to wake up this way for the rest of her life.
Smiling to herself, she disentangled his limbs from her own. With a muffled grunt, he rolled onto his back and fell right back to sleep. She watched him for a moment, searching for any sign that the nightmares were chasing after him again, but he slept peacefully.
He’s home now. With his friends. His people. The wounds his father had left on him would heal with time. He wouldn’t always be this broken, scarred man.
And where would she be? Back on the space station?
Space had been Jude’s dream. Linnea had followed because that was what younger sisters did. Even now, she was still following Jude. She’d followed her halfway across the galaxy to an alien planet. And all she could think was, What now?
In answer, her stomach rumbled. Moving as silently as possible, she redressed in her Katu sheath dress and pulled her hair back in a messy ponytail. She tiptoed to Nestan’s front door and, with a lingering glance back at her resting, sexy alien, she slipped out.
Jude sat cross-legged right outside his door. She looked up, her eyes bloodshot and tired, and said, “Morning.”
Linnea carefully closed the door. “You look awful.”
“I didn’t sleep well last night.” With a grimace, Jude scrubbed her hands across her face.
Even exhausted and wearing the same clothes from yesterday with her hair slapped up in a bun, she looked beautiful. Her skin glowed with happiness, even if she was miserable for the moment. She was trim an
d fit, her tan perfectly even. It was hard to not feel slightly bitter since Linnea could feel the rind of dirt on her skin.
“Please tell me this place has coffee,” she grumbled.
A hint of a smile twitched along Jude’s lips. She sprang to her feet. “It has kava, which is even better, once you get used to its bite.”
“After you.” Linnea waved her sister forward, not feeling like a smile.
“Lin …”
She looked up and found Jude staring at her, her dark eyes wide and shining. Jude was the only one who ever called her Lin, and it was only rarely. So rare that she could count the number of times Jude has used the nickname on one hand. All the instances were radical, life-changing moments in Linnea’s life, like when Jude had told her their mother had died. Lin, she’s gone. She’s just … gone.
And now this moment. The first time in her life where she’d questioned if she really knew her sister.
“Jude,” she said with a sigh, “I just want coffee right now. Or kava. Whatever. Then we can talk. Okay?”
Jude nodded, the motion jerky. She blinked rapidly and turned her face away. With a subtle brush of her hand, she wiped the tears away. “Okay. Follow me.”
She led Linnea away from Nestan’s quarters, her long-legged stride forcing Linnea to hustle after her. They didn’t speak, and Jude wiped her cheeks a few more times, which tugged at Linnea’s heart. Jude never cried. That had been Linnea’s token trait.
They walked back through the center of the cavernous mountain. Yesterday, when they’d first arrived, Linnea had barely had a chance to see much else of the mountain aside from the narrow corridors Nestan led her through, but this time, she glanced around.
And then, she looked up.
Gasping, she stumbled to a stop, gaping up at the roof of the mountain.
Jude glanced back at her. “Oh,” she said, smiling when she realized Linnea’s focus, “the worms.”