by Rena Marks
Then she tapped down lightly.
“Whoa,” Bebe said, her legs shaky. Titi held her against her for a minute, letting her regain her balance.
The rest of the children stared, eyes wide.
“Wow, Titi,” Olivia mumbled. “That was so fast. You looked like a purple and silver streak.”
Reese, that fool, was grinning ear to ear even though she had just cleaned his clock.
“Congratulations, ladies.” He turned to the small crowd. “I’m babysitting with Titi. So what do we say to a swim at the Bubbled Waterfalls?”
“Yes!”
“I love when Reese comes home,” his little sister Shakra said.
Of course she would. The little kiss-up.
“Everyone scramble to get swimsuits and meet us back on the playground in five minutes. Make sure you do not leave your clothes lying on the floor of your bedroom,” he yelled to the already retreating bodies.
With that, they were all alone.
He turned his intense amethyst gaze on her. She fought against squirming. His eyes were a deep royal shade that sparkled with amusement at her discomfiture. She forced herself to still.
“You look good, Titi.” His voice was soft. “You kept the lilac curls even though your hair’s grown so long.” A long finger reached out and her treacherous lock of hair curled around his finger like a cat in heat.
She held the rest of her traitorous body stiff.
She turned her nose up in the air, determined to play off her racing heartbeat. “You look passable, Reese. I like the darker stubble.”
His hair was nearly black along his jaw line. Good Lord, the romance novels Aunt Pariah sent to the planet didn’t do justice in their descriptions of gorgeous men.
“Passable? I’ll take it.”
Damn if the fool didn’t grin like it was the best compliment ever.
Then he closed his mouth to speak. “We have exactly four minutes for you to kiss me to welcome me home.”
Her mouth fell open.
He took advantage of her surprise by stepping in. One of the heavily muscled arms she had secretly admired earlier snaked out and gripped her around the waist, yanking her in to him. His mouth swooped down to hers.
His lips were smooth as he kissed her within an inch of her life. He tasted of smooth mint and a flavor that was uniquely Reese. Familiar, safety, and protection. Three feelings she’d missed in the last few years.
Ever since he left.
He pulled away when they were both breathless. “I missed you, Titi,” he whispered against her lips.
“I missed you, too.” The admission tore from her, as much from her heart as from her lips.
He rested his forehead on hers. “We need to talk.”
The words sent a funny little quiver through her belly.
Out in the distance they heard a commotion as kids came running as fast as they could. Titi took a step backward, not willing to answer any questions she had no explanations to.
Instead, she turned toward the children. Skinny silver bodies dressed in polka dotted suits always made her smile. The moms of the village had decided on the pink polka dots as a choice material to replicate, but the dads insisted it be black and white for the males. For some reason, they thought that the black and white color would be more manly. No one ever dissuaded them as the moms were quite happy there was no argument over the polka dots for all.
It never even occurred to the Freijian males.
The short walk to the Bubbled Waterfalls was quiet between her and Reese, though he acted normally enough by talking back and forth with the kids. He had three younger siblings who still lived at home, Elias, Shakra, and Genevieve. On her side were Bebe, Olivia, and Javier.
For a while, the moms were teaching French as a second language. Nearly all the families had a child with a French name. Titi fought against a smile. It was probably good that Aunts Joy, Tris, Molli, and Virginia were flying the skies. There would probably be a French Fry and an Escargot in their lot.
“Aren’t you and Reese swimming?” Bebe asked.
“No,” Titi said. “We didn’t grab our swimsuits.”
“We’re gonna sit on the sandy beach and watch you hellions,” Reese added, swatting Bebe’s behind. She giggled and ran to swat Elias, who chased her back.
Great suns, what in the world would she and Reese discuss while alone on the beach? The children would play fine in the water, keeping their distance from them. The high oxygen concentration of the water made it impossible to sink, so they would play until rounded up. Perhaps Reese would want to discuss the kiss. She still couldn’t believe it happened.
Reese had kissed her.
Kissed her.
Never would she have guessed that would happen. Of course, the last time she’d seen him, she’d been eighteen and angry as hell at him for about a year, just for him wanting to leave. Her heart broke when he actually did.
The Bubbled Waterfalls were around the next corner. The kids fell in, whooping and hollering, leaving her alone with him.
He sat on the sand, kicking off his shoes.
“So, let’s get this out of the way. How long are you going to stay mad at me?”
“I’m not mad.”
He turned and grinned, showing pearly white teeth. “Yeah. You are.”
“I was,” she corrected. “You left me. My best friend.”
“I needed to do it,” he whispered. “I’ve been trying to explain it for years—“
“I know. Like I said, I’m not mad anymore. I grew up, and now? I don’t care.” She shrugged carelessly. “I have my life, and it’s fine. I learned to live and enjoy my solitude.”
“You don’t kiss like you don’t care.”
Son of an asteroid. He just had to bring that up. She decided she would pass it off like it wasn’t a big deal.
“I’ve kissed many.” She stared off into the distance.
Now it was his turn to lose the carefree act.
“Who?”
She stayed silent, letting him wonder.
“Was it Tomlak? He’s older than you.”
“And married to Marjorium now. With three purple babies.” She leaned in to whisper. “And guess what? All of the purple people are older than me. Even you.”
“Well, I’m the closest to your age.”
She snorted. “That doesn’t mean I’m stuck kissing you.”
“No,” he said slowly. “It just means you kiss me because you enjoy it.”
“I’d never even thought of it before today.”
His smile was sad. “That’s always been the problem.”
Chapter Three
Reese:
Titi saw what she wanted to see. She’d always been that way. The stubborn, striped, chubby kid who’d rolled in the dirt with him turned into the most elegant, beautiful, strong woman he’d ever come across. He’d finally, after years of patience paying off, have one night with her where she couldn’t run away. He couldn’t afford to blow it.
She didn’t want to delve into the conversation they needed to have, obviously. Just like she’d avoided talking to him at every turn for the last seven years. But that was okay. Tonight, he was going to make her remember what it was to have him around. She was going to remember how good they were together. How much they’d missed each other. She was going to wake up in his arms. In the morning, he would tell her how much he loved her and she would see she belonged to him, for now and forever.
“I’ve followed you through thick and thin,” he said. Very slowly, he removed his shirt, laying it flat in the sun, watching as she averted her eyes. “I even allowed you to give me my first haircut.”
“It was just a bang trim,” she said proudly.
Purposely, he scooted behind her so his chest was pressed up against her back. He’d noticed her looking at his chest earlier.
“Bang trim?” he whispered in her ear. “Need we go look at the pictures?”
Instead of answering, she sank back into his chest
, just the way he wanted her to. He rested his chin on top of her head…inhaling the fragrance of the lovely lilac hair that had grown out despite her early fascination with scissors.
They sat watching the children for a long time. She was more mellow now, buttered up enough that he would turn it on strong. He kept a hand clamped on her wrist, his thumb rubbing up and down the smooth skin of her forearm.
After an hour, he called the children in. At their instant complaining, he continued. “You know the rules”—he winked at Titi—“too much time in the water, and your bodies cramp up like shriveled old people.”
“Eww,” the kids screamed, running out to them.
“I’m starving,” Shakra announced.
“If it’s okay with Titi, I thought we could replicate pizza on the way home.” He purposely stayed close to her, his hand on her shoulder. She was so skittish, he thought she’d flee. He wanted her to know his touch, and have others see his claim. He tucked the sleeve of his shirt into the pocket of his pants, leaving it to dangle, as he was sure she’d want to stare at his chest some more.
She nodded, eyes glazed. “Pizza sounds good.”
She was taking this better than he expected. They rose to leave, the children skipping happily ahead. On one side, he grabbed Shakra’s hand. With his other, he reached for Titi’s. When Shakra ran ahead to catch up to the others, he dropped her hand. But he continued to hold hands with Titi.
This was the way things were meant to be. He and Titi, walking hand in hand with kids, love, and laughter all around them. He had missed home. There had been plenty of laughter on Echo Nine, of course, but he’d missed the sun. He missed solid ground.
He missed Titi.
Elias came running back. “Please, Reese. Can I go ahead and get the pizza ready? I promise to do it just like you showed me and not leave a mess.”
Reese smiled at his little brother. Unlike the girls in the family, he had darker hair like their father. “Yes. I have it set up. There will be two pizzas. You just have to push the button, wait for the beep and take out the box. Can you do that?”
“I can,” Elias said eagerly. He took off like a shot of lightning.
By the time they reached the Helian Six vessel, Elias was waiting proudly outside, holding two boxes.
“Can I hold one, Elias?” Bebe asked.
“Sure. Be careful,” he instructed. “It’s hot.”
Reese smothered a grin at his protective tone.
Onward they marched to the home Titi grew up in. Where he’d practically grown up, too, because the only thing that had separated them back then was the street between the houses.
The kids burst through the front door first, running inside and heading to the dining room. Lara never let them eat in any of the other rooms. She was smart for laying out the rules before having so many droplings.
He and Titi entered last. “Wow, your home has changed as much as mine.”
She mumbled something indecipherable. He narrowed his eyes. Son of a—she was going to let him believe she still lived here, under her parents’ roof. She wasn’t going to tell him she’d moved to a cottage in the woods. Apparently she was unaware of how the Freijian males of the planet gossiped. Kamau told him soon after she’d moved, though he made him swear he didn’t hear it from him.
“I guess the families needed more room since they were popping out so many little ones.” She shrugged, as if it hardly mattered. Yet she had a shrewd look in her eye, definitely purposely avoiding telling him she’d long since moved.
“Try this pizza, Titi,” Bebe moaned. “It’s magnifi-shent.”
He held his grin.
“It is sublime,” Titi agreed, taking a bite.
“Nuh-uh! It is replendid,” Elias said, puffing out his chest.
Was that splendid or resplendent? He wasn’t sure.
“Very sumptuous,” Shakra agreed. “Isn’t that right, Titi?”
“Superlative,” Genevieve added.
Suddenly he got it. They were all spouting off synonyms for magnificent. Titi didn’t just watch the kids. She’d become responsible and taught the kids without them even knowing it. There was much more to his Titi he couldn’t wait to explore. He wanted to know everything about her.
But he was sad that she wasn’t quite willing. She was holding back, not even telling him where she lived. This would take a new course of action.
He picked up a slice of pizza from the other box. “Try this one, love,” he said softly, and watched the eyes of the kids go wide. There would be no denying his intentions now. “My mom told me this is a Hawaiian pizza.”
He held out the slice to her gorgeous purple lips, and fed her a bite. He watched the surprise in her eyes when she realized how good the pizza was, instead of focusing on his obvious seduction. Nope, the seduction went over her head.
“Oh my stars, we should have made two of those!”
“I wanna try that one, too!” Javier said.
“You gotta finish the one you’re eating,” Reese said. “This one is my girlfriend’s pizza.”
Titi harrumphed. The kids stopped talking so they could hurriedly eat and move on to try the second pie. Soon they were groaning because they were so full.
“Pajamas and head to the family room for movies,” Titi announced.
Reese felt like rubbing his hands together with glee. This is exactly how he wanted her.
He turned to her. “Go ahead and get into your pajamas if you want. I’ll set up the sleeping bags.”
She nodded, fleeing to the back rooms.
He spread out six sleeping bags in an arc at the front of the room where the kids could watch the projection machine. He went to a cabinet in the wall and pulled out a small, square box of condensed foam, smiling to himself. This was what both parents had decided on back when they started doing sleepovers with so many kids. Little ones were fine with roughing it, but after a while it was hard on an adult’s back. The couples had decided to install foam mattresses. He shook it open and spread it out in the back of the room, near the opposite doorway and behind the sofa. It crackled and fizzed as it grew into a soft, thick cushion. He zipped two sleeping bags together.
Titi entered, clad in a nightshirt with long sleeves that fell to above the knee. The soft mint color enhanced her lilac skin, making it look like it softly glowed.
“Are you going to put on pajamas?” she asked.
“Nope,” he said loudly. “Everyone stare at the wall. I’m switching to sweatpants.”
The children didn’t react at all. Titi was still watching him as he dropped his khaki pants, and stepped out of them. At that point, she quickly averted her eyes, missing his smile as he rummaged through his sleeping bag for sweatpants. Very slowly he pulled them up, aware of her distracted gaze darting back and forth.
“I have a great old movie for you that I found on a trading post. It’s from old Earth, called ET.” To Titi, he winked and whispered. “It’s a long movie.”
They both knew what would happen. The exhausted kids would zonk out midway through and scream for another sleepover to finish watching. That, however, would happen on the parents’ time. He grabbed the remote and settled into the sleeping bag, adjusting the foam cushion to make back-bracing pillows so they could sit up to watch. Titi climbed into the other side, ever so careful so as to not touch him.
Little did she know, it didn’t bother him. He was used to her avoidance of him. It only made him more determined that it would soon change.
One by one, the kids snored until it was just him and Titi watching the movie. Then he decided to close the gap between them.
He yawned, stretching out tall, and when he casually lowered his arms, he brought one over her shoulders. He’d seen this smooth move in an old Earth movie. Then he waited, and when she didn’t say anything to deter him, he pulled her close.
“Reese,” she breathed. “What are you doing?”
“What I should have done seven years ago.”
“When I was eigh
teen?”
“You were legal according to our moms’ standards.”
Hell, she was legal now, too.
He closed his eyes, feeling his long lashes brush his cheek. This time when they kissed, she met him for it, as hungry as he.
His life depended on showing her the need between them. He kissed her until she softly moaned, keeping quiet for the sake of the kids. Somehow she tangled her legs around his, and her nightshirt rode up to her waist. He flipped them so she was on top of him. He wanted her to feel like she was in control of the situation.
She went wild with need. Her pelvis was grinding onto the bulge of his erection, her mouth twisting over his, her tongue slicking against his as they panted.
The warmth of his hands slid up underneath her flimsy nightshirt, covering her back, moving down to the rounded buttocks and slipping underneath the waistband of her cotton panties to feel the smooth skin of her ass.
It made her push harder on his cock.
Then he felt her tiny fingers on the waistband of his sweats. She pulled away long enough to whisper ever so quietly, “Can you get these off?”
A thrill shot through him. Titi wanted him. He did more than just remove his sweatpants. He shifted them slightly, pushing his hands from the soft globes of her ass and taking her panties down with them. With one hand, he shoved his sweats and underwear out of the way, and then settled her back on top of him to do as she pleased.
The feeling of bare skin coming together was out of this world.
There was no more simple grinding for his Titi. No, she widened her legs on either side of his hips and tilted her pelvis to spread herself over the head of his cock. Like magic, he slipped right in.
The moment felt so right, he wanted to be able to groan. But she captured the sound with her mouth over his…and softly moved.
Her body danced over his, twisting and rotating in sensual movements that proved they were meant for each other. His heart thudded in his chest.
His arms were wrapped around his Titi, his cock connected them together, and he felt her muscles tighten, gripping him and squeezing like she’d never let go while her release erupted between them. It was too much for him to hold back, and he focused on silence while she milked every drop from him. His orgasm spiraled through his body.