Redemption: Sci Fi Romance (Far Hope Series Book 2)

by E. A. James

  Alaria’s light-hearted giggle once again filled the room, drawing Kira and Dario’s attention in her direction. Each time she looked away and looked back, Kira swore that Bron and Alaria were sitting closer together. Now, it even appeared that Bron was attempting to slide his arm around her, but Zola’s restlessness caused Alaria to wiggle about gleefully, making the situation adorably awkward.

  “What about them?” Dario asked, smiling at the scene. “Do you think whatever is going on between them will hinder them from doing their jobs?”

  “No,” Kira admitted.

  “No,” Dario agreed. “We need these moments, these people in our lives.”

  “But, with everything going on, with all the dangers around us…”

  “There always have been and always will be threats, Kira,” Dario said patiently. “It’s the time we live in, the lives we lead. The universe is filled with uncertainties, with vast, endless space, where anything and everything could be lurking around any corner. The more we discover, the more we find out we have yet to learn. There will never be anything certain in our lives, but, there will always be people around us to love, support, encourage, and even challenge us.”

  Alaria’s giggle and Bron’s deep, guttural laugh filled the air again.

  “Let’s go for a walk,” Dario offered, motioning for the door.

  Kira nodded and pushed herself up to follow Dario out of the common area. They entered the hallway, and as soon as the door slid shut behind them, they continued their conversation.

  “I would recommend going anywhere but the medical bay, but I have a feeling that’s the only place you want to go right now,” Dario said, smiling weakly as he began to lead her toward the section of the ship where he was tending to Thor.

  “I’ve never been good at mystery,” Kira replied with a half-smile.

  “No,” Dario agreed, “you have not. That’s why I know your questions about my relationship with Thane are really about your relationship with Thor.”

  “I know everyone knows about us,” Kira said, “but I haven’t been able to fully accept it, I guess. I’ve always felt such a huge burden to keep my relationships and my work life separate.”

  “I dare say it’s impossible when you’re in a relationship with someone you work with,” Dario said with a sarcastic smile.

  “That is why I don’t start relationships with people I work with. I don’t have relationships at all, really. I’m a pilot, a captain. I need to be focused; lives are in my hands. It’s a huge responsibility.”

  "Regardless of your sense of duty, the conflict you’re experiencing is because you’re trying to deny the most fundamental part of your humanity – your need for connection," Dario explained, "it's what keeps us grounded, sane. It's okay to let someone matter to you. It's okay to worry about them. In fact, it’s more than okay, it’s necessary. You, of all people, shouldn't be concerned with your feelings affecting the way you do your job. You're experienced, dedicated, and completely focused."

  “But before, when Thor passed out in the airlock,” Kira replied, feeling tears sting her eyes as the memories replayed in her mind, “all I wanted to do was run to him, to take care of him.”

  “But, you didn’t,” Dario replied calmly.

  They rounded one corner and then the next, tracing the route Kira had taken through the Curio a dozen times since leaving the mining colony.

  “You stayed focused on what you needed to do. You got us out of there—alive. You navigated through an onslaught of Zel’Dar and an aerial battle with two of Mordecai’s men. And you did it with the same precision and zeal that you always do,” Dario continued.

  “That time, but what if…”

  “What if, what if,” Dario cut her off. “There are too many ‘what if’s’ floating around in the galaxy already. Don’t let them occupy your mind longer than is worthwhile. That which we do not master is destined to enslave us.”

  They walked up to the door that separated Thor’s medical room from the rest of the ship. Dario didn’t hesitate before walking through, knowing that Kira would eagerly follow behind him.

  “It’s hard not to,” she continued the conversation as they walked into the room.

  She tried to keep her eyes from hovering over Thor. Seeing him, lying in the bed, made her stomach twist and turn with rage, sorrow, and fear. Dario walked up next to him, checking the equipment around him for any signs of change. He shook his head as he turned back to face her.

  “Why?” he asked, keeping her focus on the conversation and not Thor’s condition. “Why is it so hard for you to let these feelings go?”

  “It’s how I was trained, I suppose,” Kira admitted, sitting in the chair at the foot of Thor’s bed. “Grimm, he always went on and on about how relationships only hinder. We need to focus on saving the galaxy, not just one person. We need to realize that life is fleeting, and be prepared to give our life completely to our jobs, nothing else.”

  “If we stop letting ourselves love, we lose what it is that makes us who we are. Humanity needs compassion. Life needs passion and unity and tenderness and trust. Without those things, we’re nothing more than machines.”

  A sudden realization shook through her.

  “That’s it,” Kira said in a harsh whisper. “Grimm—that’s his motivation. He lost the people he truly cared about, and he shut himself down to the possibility of experiencing that sort of pain ever again. He blamed the Alliance and he has taken it upon himself to make sure that any threats to humans were eradicated. He began to see the entire Terran Race as one collective, not as individuals. That’s what drove him to where he is now. He refused to let himself love. He refused to let himself feel. That’s the idea that he’s spreading.”

  “What do you mean?” Dario asked, encouraging her to continue her path of understanding.

  “He’s preaching the message that the only way to serve the Terran race is to glorify it above all else. He’s out there, claiming that the Alliance won’t do that. They won’t protect them at all costs. They only care about the money, the economic angle. He, though, will always do whatever it takes to protect our race, and he expects them to do the same. He expects them to give their lives completely to his cause, nothing else. He’s taking from them the one thing that makes humanity what it is—love, family, friends, relationships.”

  “Then we should all feel a deep compassion for Grimm, to have lost so greatly only to have it change the very fabric of who we are is perhaps, the greatest tragedy of all,” Dario said in contemplation.

  “It is,” Kira agreed. “He’s not a bad man, intrinsically. He really does believe what he’s doing is right. He just lost his way somewhere. He became bitter and cold and…”

  “And a complete asshole,” Thor said, coughing as he tried to push himself up.

  “Thor!” Kira exclaimed, jumping up and running to his bedside. “You’re awake!”

  “No shit,” he replied, resting his weight on his elbows, “no one could sleep with all that talking you two were doing.”

  “It’s nice to see you, too,” Kira said as she stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I’ll give you two a few minutes alone,” Dario spoke up. He checked Thor’s vitals one more time before nodding and walking out of the room, smiling back at Kira as he left.

  “I can go, too,” Kira offered, “if you still need your rest.”

  “Come here,” Thor said, reaching out and taking hold of Kira’s wrist, pulling her toward him.

  She gave into his tug easily, her own longing to reach out and hold him pushing at her back, nearly throwing her into the bed with him. She sat down on the edge next to him, letting her eyes meet his.

  “I was so worried about you,” she said, taking his hand in hers.

  His upper body was exposed, his abdomen wrapped tightly in bandages where the pulsating energy of Mordecai’s shot burned through his skin. Her eyes drifted momentarily over him, remembering the first time she saw him shirtless,
the first time they connected in the hotel back on Vandor. He opened up to her then, allowed himself to be vulnerable.

  “I thought we weren’t allowed to worry about each other,” he replied, lifting an eyebrow as he waited for her rebuttal.

  “When you get yourself shot, I’m allowed to worry.”

  “But, I’m not allowed to worry when you run head-first into battles or insist on putting yourself in situations you know are dangerous? If that’s the case then I have a lot of things not to worry about,” he countered sarcastically.

  “I only do crazy things like that because I know you’re there with me,” she said, smiling.

  "Don't try to sweet-talk me, Captain Winter. You were searching for trouble long before you met me."

  “Maybe, but I never found so much of it until you came along,” she replied.

  “I could say the same.”

  “Well, at least we can find trouble together,” she said softly, letting a serious tone work its way into her voice. “I really was worried about you, Thor. I was terrified that I was going to lose you.”

  Her eyes began to burn as the memory of watching him collapse to the ground filled her mind. She pressed her hand into his chest on the spot just above his tattoo, and let the feeling of his steady heartbeat calm her.

  He lifted his hand to her cheek, wiping away the single tear that had escaped her attempts to keep her eyes dry.

  “I want you to worry about me,” she began, her words coming out in quick, short, emotional bursts. “I want to worry about you. I want to depend on you; I want to care for you; I want to protect you. I want to be with you.”

  She inhaled sharply, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat.

  “I love you, Thor.”

  "Kira," he replied softly, "there isn't a bounty hunter, pirate, or rogue Colonel anywhere in the entire universe that will ever keep me from being with you. Nothing will ever make me stop caring for you, and even before you gave me permission to just now, I worried about you. You're the person I want by my side not only in battle but all the time."

  He cupped his hand around her neck and pulled her down to him, pressing his lips to hers softly.

  “I love you, Kira,” he said, still holding onto her tightly.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The feeling of freedom that washed over her was instantaneous. She knew that she had made the decision, completely, to be with him. All of her fears melted away as she lowered herself to him, letting her lips hover over his, letting the taste of him fill her mouth.

  He wrapped his hands tightly around her waist as if he was afraid to let her go, afraid to let the moment pass.

  “This is for real, then?” he asked, lying back in the bed and pulling her up next to him. “No more trying to hide it, no more denying it, no more figuring things out?”

  “Does that scare you?” she asked, sprawling out next to him, resting her hand on his chest.

  “A lot of things scare me,” he admitted, lifting his hand to the side of her face and running his thumb along her cheek, “but being with you never has. Not even when you had a gun pointed at my face on day one.”

  She let out a soft giggle. It was an odd sound for her. Perhaps she had been spending too much time around Alaria, or perhaps she was simply happy for the first time in a long time. Either way, she couldn’t help it.

  “You had a gun pointed at me, as well,” she reminded him, pushing herself up slightly, resting her weight on her elbow and positioning herself so that her face was inches from his.

  “Look how far we’ve come,” he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her up on top of him effortlessly.

  The instant her torso hit him, his face flashed with a sign of pain.

  “Your wounds,” she said, pushing herself up quickly. “You’re hurt.”

  “It’s worth it,” he said, reaching up and pulling her back down onto him. As he did, he grabbed hold of the edge of her shirt, lifting it off over her head swiftly.

  The feeling of his bare skin pressing against hers sent shivers of excitement running up and down her spine. As she wiggled her way under the blanket still covering his lower half, she noticed very quickly that he wasn’t wearing anything more than a thin pair of combat briefs.

  She could already feel him, hard and eager, pressing up against her. Her heart raced as she nestled herself down closer to him. She ran her lips over his neck as he dug his fingers into her sides.

  When she let her teeth sink into his skin, softly and playfully, his skin filled with goosebumps and his hold on her increased. She knew he was still restraining himself, that his sheer strength could crush her. Still, she enjoyed pushing him, driving him crazy with longing.

  She pushed herself up slightly, drawing a soft line with her fingertips from his chest down to his stomach, tracing over the outlines of his muscles, the rise and fall of his toned body, his perfectly sculpted physique.

  As she lowered her hand a little more, he lifted his, finding her chest. He took one of her breasts in his hands, squeezing it softly, running his thumb over her nipple a few times, sending a fresh wave of chills running down her spine.

  Just as she slid her hand under the waistband of his briefs, he moved his hand from her chest down to the fastenings of hers. The speed with which he was able to snap open the button and push them down to her thighs made her mind reel.

  Before she even had the chance to take hold of him, his hand had found her pleasure center, and his fingers were sending waves of satisfaction mixed with the lustful desire for more washing over her. Her entire body reacted, her toes curled and her stomach tightened.

  She bit down on her bottom lip, keeping in the moan of satisfaction that threatened to escape her. She tried again to take hold of him, to return the pleasure he was giving her. But, before she could, he wrapped his free arm around her waist and flipped her over, throwing her down onto her back and positioning himself above her.

  “Your wound,” she said again, still breathless from the whirlwind of his sudden movements.

  He reached down and pushed her shorts down even further until they were past her knees. She wiggled around, kicking them off eagerly.

  He leaned in and kissed her softly, letting his body rest on hers, the feeling of their skin coming together again sending a bolt of longing spreading from her chest to her stomach.

  “I’m fine,” he replied, pulling back from her and positioning himself between her legs. “I’ll prove it to you.”

  With that, he thrust his hips forward. He didn’t use as much force as he could have, but still, the feeling of him sliding inside of her sent an unwitting gasp of pleasure flying from her lips.

  She pinched her eyes shut as she arched her back, allowing him access to her, letting the moment wash over them both.

  It wasn’t the first time they had been together, but it felt like it. There was something raw and passionate about it. There were no reservations, no fears, nothing between them and nothing holding them back.

  She had made the decision to be with him, and he with her.

  Their bodies moved in harmony with each other. Each time she lifted her hips, he lowered his. Each time she dug her nails into his back, he thrust himself deeper inside of her, just the way she wanted him to. Each time he leaned in to press his lips to hers, she was already waiting for him to do just that.

  When she felt her stomach begin to tighten and her heart to race just a little faster than it already was, she reached up and grabbed onto his shoulders, tightening her hold on him and tilting her head back.

  She tried to hold it in, to hold onto the moment, to let the feeling last as long as possible. But, it was impossible. The pleasure was too great; the passion was too real.

  There was no stopping the satisfied moan from escaping her lips. There was no way of keeping in that feeling of ecstasy. Thor, pressing himself into her one last time, buried his face in her neck as he, too, let the feeling of release rush over him.

  A
s he rolled off of her the moment of bliss continued to hang in the air. She moved to the side, making room for his muscular frame, and draped her arm across his chest, resting her head on his shoulder.

  “I’m glad you figured everything out,” he said, turning to look down at her.

  “Me too,” she agreed.

  “Was it really something Grimm said to you ten years ago that made you so hesitant?”

  “That, and personal experience,” she replied. “I wasn’t lying when I said that men in my life have always had an issue with my rank.”