by Sophie Stern
“My parents wanted me to get married,” she whispered, spitting the words out before she could think too hard about what she was doing. She didn’t know this guy at all. Luke was an alien. Her mother would call him a monster, a beast. She wouldn’t, though.
Willow thought he was a hero.
“What’s wrong with getting married?” He asked.
“Nothing, if you’re in love.”
“And you weren’t?”
“Not at all.”
“Why did they want you to get married?”
“He was rich. Well, he still is, I suppose.”
“So your parents like money and you don’t, is that it?”
“I think there are more important things in life than money.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
“What happened after that?” At some point, Luke had started rubbing her back, and Willow felt like a cat curled up in front of the fireplace. She wanted to purr. His hand swept over her skin in swift, soothing motions, and she melted deeper against him.
“I have a sister: a twin, actually. My parents gave an ultimatum.”
“Let me guess: if you didn’t marry Loser Number Five, they wouldn’t let you talk to your sister anymore.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“You’re brave, Willow. Most people would crack under that sort of pressure.”
“I think I’m selfish. I should have sucked it up, should have married him anyway. At least I would have been able to be in Wilma’s life. What if she needs me now? I’m not there for her.”
“You can’t live your life trying to please other people. Sounds like you made the right choice for you.”
“But, I-”
“Stop.” Luke kissed her forehead, rendering her speechless. “You’re going to drive yourself crazy. What’s done is done. You’re here now and you’re not going back to Mars.”
“You won’t make me?”
“I won’t let you.”
Chapter 12
Les was Luke’s best friend. They’d known each other since they were kids and Willow could tell they were as close as brothers. She watched them interact with one another, watched their quiet regard and body language. They were two peas in a pod.
The morning after she arrived on his ship, The Dragon’s Bite, Les had shown up at the bedroom with a pair of black pants and a black t-shirt. He hadn’t said where or how he’d found them, only that he thought they were her style, and he’d left her to dress herself. Luke had already gone by that point, so she put the clothes on and left the room to wander the ship.
And she’d never stopped.
The only thing Luke would say about The Dragon’s Bite was that he and Les had been flying ships together since they were young and this was their baby. He didn’t tell her how they’d come by it or what the ship meant to them, but he didn’t have to. She could tell they loved it more than anything else in the world.
And now she lived on it.
She wasn’t sure how long she would stay on the ship or how serious Luke was about letting her life there. Sooner or later, she would have to start pulling her own weight, but he seemed happy enough to let her explore, at least for the first few days she was there.
Willow found a room filled with boxes, one filled with ship parts, and one filled with books. She promptly plopped herself down in the center of the room and read book after book until Luke told her it was past time for bed and she needed to get some sleep. She was still healing, after all.
He took care of the cuts on her feet and soon she barely noticed them. She didn’t have shoes, so she walked barefoot around the ship. The men said they’d stop for supplies in a few days and take her shopping on the next planet they stopped at.
For Willow, life on the ship was a dream come true. She didn’t have any responsibilities or worries or anything she had to do except relax.
She’d been running on empty for years, it seemed, and relaxing sounded pretty damn nice to her.
“Where are we stopping?” She asked the day before they landed. It was her first time in port on such a small ship. Things would be different than when they were on the cruiser and were tourists. Willow would get to see a different side of life on each planet and part of her couldn’t wait.
She wasn’t on Mars anymore.
She didn’t have to go back.
“The Hidden Planet,” Les said without looking up. He was a man of few words, she’d found. Willow tried not to take it personally. Not everyone was overly social. Not everyone liked to talk all the time.
“Have you ever been there?” Luke asked. Willow shook her head.
“I haven’t been very many places. This was supposed to be my big vacation where I explored the universe. Silly, huh?”
“It’s not silly,” Luke said.
“Now you’re actually going to see the universe,” Les added.
“How long will we stay there?” Willow wanted to know.
“A few days.”
“Are we going to go sight-seeing?” She asked.
Luke just rolled his eyes.
“Let’s just focus on getting you some clothes, okay? I don’t think Les can handle much more of seeing your little nipples peeking through that shirt.”
“Oh!” Willow blushed and quickly looked down. Were her nipples really showing through? She didn’t have a bra, but she thought the dark fabric kept things hidden. She didn’t know her tits were that obvious and she was suddenly a little bit embarrassed.
“Don’t be embarrassed, love,” Les said kindly from his spot at the controls. “You have great nipples. He’s right, though. You aren’t even my girl, and I’m walking around with a constant hard-on. It’s not easy on a guy.”
Willow bit her lip. She had never considered herself to be an overly sexual person, but the idea of Les and Luke both seeing her nipples all this time, every time she walked by? It was arousing. She knew women shouldn’t be objectified and shouldn’t be treated like sex toys, but she couldn’t help wondering what they had thought when they’d seen her.
For a brief second, half-second, nanosecond, she wondered what it would be like to be between the two of them.
Then she banished that thought as quickly as it appeared. She’d die. They were both just so damn big. She couldn’t even handle one of them, much less two.
What was she thinking?
“I’m going to go to my room now,” she squeaked, and turned to leave.
“Don’t you mean ‘Luke’s room’?” Les chuckled, but Willow was already out the door.
***
Luke had programmed the door to respond to Willow’s touch. She pressed her hand on the sensor and the panel slid open. She hurried inside and the door closed. Willow sat on the giant cushion in the middle of the room and thought about what her life had become.
Had it really only been a few days? Already she felt like the ship was a part of her, like Luke and Les were a part of her. Like this life was a part of her.
Willow didn’t want to go back to being the lost girl she was before all of this started, before she found her way. She didn’t want to go back to Mars or even to who she was when she left Mars.
She liked herself here, on The Dragon’s Bite. She liked feeling alive. She liked feeling brave and bold and new.
Luke made her feel fresh. He made her happy she was alive. He was the only person she could open up to – really open up to – and he never judged her or got upset about the things she said.
And as much as she hated the fact that she was doing it, Willow began to think she was falling for her captor. Luke told her she couldn’t leave even if she asked. He had explained the proclamation that basically said heroes in a war could take their spoils and he had chosen her.
On Dreagle, she had no rights.
On Dreagle, she could be taken and owned by someone else.
On Dreagle, Luke had stolen her away and she was
still grateful for it.
Willow knew it was messed up. She knew it was weird. She knew her family would freak out if she said she’d been held against her will with no way to escape. They’d flip. They had never been there for her, though. Despite the fact that Luke may have forced Willow into a weird relationship, he’d never hurt her. He’d never neglected her. He’d never emotionally abandoned her or tried to manipulate her into feeling the way he wanted her to.
He just took her as she was and dealt with her.
Willow paced around the room, suddenly restless. She was going to be leaving the ship when they arrived on The Hidden Planet. She was going to be able to walk around and explore and buy things. Maybe Luke would give her some credits. She didn’t have any money, of course. All of that had vanished during the crash. Unless she went back to Mars to claim what was left in her meager bank account, she was sure her parents would take it.
Her parents.
What must they think?
Would they be told she was taken?
Or would they believe she had died during the crash?
More importantly, would they care?
Something told her they wouldn’t be shedding any tears over her, but would Wilma? Would Willow’s sister miss her? Would she care?
Willow lay back on the cushion and tried to fall asleep, tried to clear her mind. She couldn’t, though. It didn’t matter how hard she tried not to think. She couldn’t let her thoughts just rest.
Her feet felt a lot better and her body was beginning to heal. She’d be able to walk on her own when they reached The Hidden Planet.
But something told her she’d miss having Luke carry her.
Willow glanced at the door. She couldn’t lock it since it was programmed to open to Luke’s touch, as well as hers, but it was closed. She didn’t think he’d come over for awhile. He and Les would be busy charting and planning their journey and arrival. She had a little bit of time to herself.
She spread her legs, then Willow pushed the pants she was wearing down her body. The thin fabric pooled around her ankles, and she didn’t bother pushing them all the way off. If Luke did come over, she’d be able to quickly pull them back up.
Then she pulled her shirt up, revealing her breasts. Her nipples hardened in the cool air, and she pinched and twisted them, making them even harder. They were sensitive, and she flicked them a few times. It was a habit she’d gotten into when she was on the cruiser. She hadn’t slept with anyone while she was on the ship, obviously, but despite being a virgin, Willow had needs.
And just a hint of pain was one of those needs.
A little bit of pain with her pleasure made her orgasms so much stronger. She would play with her body until the energy, the passion, the pleasure bubbled over, making her feel like she was exploding, dying and coming back to life all at the same time.
Willow ran her hands over her skin, thinking of Luke, thinking of how it would feel to have him touch her. How strange, she thought, how he had brought her to life. Before he saved her, she hadn’t been overly interested in sex. She hadn’t been repulsed by the idea, but it hadn’t been something she thought much about.
Now she touched herself constantly.
Sometimes two or three times a day, she’d go back to their chambers to rest. At least, that’s what she told the guys. Really, she was playing with her pussy because she was in a state of constant arousal.
She wasn’t sure how to handle it aside from touching herself again and again. If Luke knew, he hadn’t said anything to her, and for that, she was grateful. He hadn’t tried to pressure her into anything, hadn’t even kissed her.
But Willow wanted to know what it would feel like to have him kiss her. She wanted to know what it would feel like to have Luke press his mouth to hers, covering her lips. She wanted to know what it would feel like to have him slide his hands over her body. She wanted to know what it would feel like to have Luke make her come alive.
Willow’s hands moved down her belly and over her mound, settling between her legs. She stroked her soft folds, running her fingers through the wetness that had become a part of her daily life. It seemed like she was constantly wet these days. Before Luke, before her rescue, she couldn’t remember being wet all the time the way she was now.
Now she was insatiable.
She rubbed herself.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Soon she was covered in sweat and arching her back as she pinched her nipples and rubbed her clit at the same time. She alternated fingering herself and rubbing her clit, needing more, more, more.
She pictured him watching her, standing in the doorway. She wondered if his dick would get hard for her, watching her touch herself this way. Would he stand there and watch, waiting quietly until she came? Or would he pull his cock out?
Would he stroke himself for her?
Willow stroked herself, fingering and touching. Her breath came in shorter spurts as the orgasm neared. She was going to come soon. She could feel it. She closed her eyes and pinched her nipples harder.
“Luke,” she whispered, picturing him. She would do almost anything to feel him touching her as she came. It wasn’t her place. He wouldn’t be interested in a human like her. He deserved better than a plain, ordinary girl who had needed to be rescued.
He deserved better than someone as damaged as her.
But even this knowledge, this understanding, this knowing she wasn’t good enough couldn’t stop her from imagining, just for a moment, that he would want to touch her.
That he would want to kiss her.
That he would want to slide his tongue over her body and taste every inch of her.
Willow came then. Her body arched on the bench and she cried out, unable to stop the moans from escaping her body, unable to stop herself from whimpering as the waves of pleasure crashed over her again and again.
Then her mind cleared, her lust-driven actions faded into the background, and she realized she hadn’t just been imagining her fantasy. It had come to life while she was touching herself.
It had seemed so real because it was.
Luke was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, and he was watching her with a curious expression on his face.
Lust.
He had lust on his face and it was all for her.
Chapter 13
Luke walked into the room. The door shut behind him and he came over to the bed. Willow didn’t make a move to cover herself or dress again. Good. He didn’t want her to. He wanted her exactly as she was: naked, wanton, spread out for him like a fucking feast.
He wanted her like this.
He’d been driving himself mad trying not to fuck her. He could control himself, though. He wasn’t a monster, no matter what people said about him. Willow was delicate and sweet and fucking gorgeous. He wanted her, wanted her more than he had ever thought possible.
And now he was alone with her.
He’d opened the door to check on her, to make sure she was okay. He thought maybe Les’ comment about her nipples had been uncouth, had freaked her out in some way, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
If anything, the comment seemed to have turned her on completely. When he opened the door, Luke was surprised, shocked. He had expected her to be curled up crying or napping, but this?
Not this.
Willow was masturbating. He’d come in just in time to see her fingering herself, just in time to hear her whisper his name. Her eyes had opened and she’d seen him standing there, but she hadn’t been embarrassed or scared.
She’d loved it.
The look on her face when she saw him had made him even harder. His dick felt like it was going to explode. She watched him, but didn’t seem to mind having an audience. She didn’t seem to mind he was looking at her, seeing her in a new way.
He suspected she might not have a lot of experience with men. They’d been sharing a bed for days now, after all, and hadn’t so much as kissed. Now,
though, he wondered what other secrets little Willow was hiding from him.
She came.
Her climax shattered the silence in the air and Willow cried out, shouted his name again, and there was no doubt she was as interested in Luke as he was in her. She whispered his name again and again, murmuring through the waves of pleasure that encompassed her body.
She was beautiful, and he wanted her.
Luke had been a warrior for too long to be interested in anything that wasn’t reciprocated. He didn’t want to force himself or his affections on a woman who wasn’t interested, which was why he hadn’t made a move on Willow before. Well, aside from kidnapping her and keeping her.
Now he knew how she felt – how she really felt – and he wanted her.
Needed her.
“Willow,” he said. He took a step closer.
Willow didn’t move. She just looked at him with an eagerness in her eyes that was overlain with shyness. She seemed timid, almost anxious, but her desire was obvious.
“Willow,” he took another step toward the bed.
“Luke,” she murmured, and he sat on the bed next to her. Willow didn’t try to hide her body or cover herself up. She didn’t know how damn sexy that was. He might have caught her touching herself, but she wasn’t being shy or embarrassed about it. She wasn’t trying to hide herself or her body. She was owning it and he fucking respected that.
She propped herself up on her elbows. As she moved, her breasts jiggled, and he wanted to lean down and suck one of her pert pink nipples into his mouth. He wanted to taste her.
“You look gorgeous when you come.”
“I didn’t realize you were actually here watching me.” She blushed.
“Thought I was in your imagination, eh?”
“Mmhmm,” she nodded, and he stroked her cheek.
“You like the idea of me watching you touch your soft pussy, Willow?”