Rystani Warrior 02 - The Dare

by Susan Kearney

  While Zical needed her help, he’d always disliked when she popped back into computer mode. However, he couldn’t complain when she was doing her job so well. But he didn’t know if it bothered him more to watch her plug in and tether herself to the machine, or to know that she’d evolved to the point that she no longer required the hardware.

  “Commencing countdown to liftoff,” Vax said.

  Cyn, as usual, remained rock steady. “Engineering is a go.”

  The liftoff procedures settled Zical. During the last few years he’d become more at home in space than in his quarters on Mystique, and the engine vibrations beneath his feet soothed him. He was glad to be back on course.

  Kahn and Tessa must be worried by now, and he needed to check in once they were safely away. Miri and Etru would want to reassure themselves that Kirek was fine. The Federation would need particulars about Kwadii, especially about their beliefs that hyperspace travel might lead the Zin to the Federation. After Ranth and the scientists had carefully checked Kwadii libraries and data banks, Zical had no proof that the Kwadii belief that the Zin could find them through a hyperspace trail was anything more than superstition, so the mission would continue as planned. Zical had endless details, logs, and reports to file, but the person he wanted to talk to most was Dora.

  He could no longer deny his attraction to her intelligence and her beauty or her courageous nature. But he didn’t wish to return to their old relationship, the kind they’d had before they’d landed on Kwadii. He wanted to openly express his affections. He wanted to seek out her company whenever he wished. If he had been Terran, he might have asked Dora to share his quarters. No regulations prevented crew members from forming social units, as long as they competently performed their assigned tasks.

  However, Zical came from Rystan. On his world, men didn’t make love to women outside the bonds of marriage. He’d gone against custom once, making love to Dora, believing they’d be executed the following day. He’d flouted custom again, when Dora had a need to increase her psi powers by making love in the sub. His reasons had been good, and if he had the same choice to make, he’d do nothing differently.

  Holding her, loving her, living so closely with her through such trying circumstances had convinced him what she’d seemed to know all along—that they were meant for one another. The idea pleased him. Although the timing could have been better, and he wished they weren’t on such a dangerous mission, if all went well, they would spend the next day or two in hyperspace, more than enough time to settle things between them.

  The liftoff jarred him from his thoughts, and as the ship soared into space, his heart lightened. He could still complete his mission. His crew was safe. They’d found and rescued Kirek. Along the way, he’d found someone extraordinarily special to hold close to his heart.

  Dora had a unique way of looking at the world that complemented his more serious nature. He recalled how often she smiled, how she gave of her body during making love, how she’d saved him with cool thinking when the Kwadii had been about to lop off his head, how she’d risked her life to save Kirek—all while keeping an upbeat disposition. Sure, her linking with Ranth disturbed him, but once their mission was completed, she would have no more need to lose herself amid computer circuitry. They could return to Mystique, build a home together.

  Vax’s voice interrupted Zical’s musing. “Prepare for hyperspace.”

  The familiar sensations of color and sound reassured Zical that all was well. They’d overcome enormous obstacles, and he was certain they would face many more. Yet, his confidence and hopes of success had never been higher, and he attributed his feelings of well-being to Dora.

  Although he wanted to speak with her, the ship and his responsibilities were his first concern. It was many weary hours later before his shift ended and he turned in. Although he didn’t expect to share his quarters before marriage, he was hoping Dora might still be awake.

  Zical threaded his fingers through his hair, appreciative he need no longer waste precious time shaving and bathing since his suit once again took care of his grooming needs. Yet, right now, the idea of sharing a water shower with Dora sounded enticing.

  Stars. The woman had taken over his thoughts. He supposed once they’d spoken, he’d be able to better focus on his responsibilities. He wanted to succeed and bring everyone back safely. With that goal in mind, he convinced himself that seeking her out now might be best for the mission.

  DORA AWAKENED FROM a wonderful dream to Zical’s kiss. “Mmm. I was hoping you’d come find me.”

  With Kirek snugly tucked away in her sleeping quarters and the portal between the two areas closed, they had all the privacy they required. Although they’d made love recently on Kwadii, it seemed way too long ago and she wanted to try making love in hyperspace where the senses were especially sensitive. This time, they could concentrate on pure pleasure and she needn’t try to put aside her worry for Kirek, the Sentinel, and if they’d ever escape Kwadii.

  They’d made it back into space. Now she was ready to reward the man who’d done everything possible to keep them alive. His arms around her allowed her to snuggle in ways she couldn’t have done while she wore clothing instead of her suit. A simple psi thought here and there allowed for perfect pleasure, perfect pressure. As she fitted her mouth to his, her senses quickened.

  She’d always dreamed of having Zical for a lover and had feared that once they’d returned to the ship, he’d go back to treating her as one of the crew. But he seemed to want her as much as she wanted him, and happiness zinged through her. She couldn’t wait to make love with null-grav. The variations were as endless as the imagination. She already knew from past experience that Zical could be quite inventive.

  Her flesh tingled in anticipation of his touch, and she used her psi to turn her suit transparent. She pulled him closer, kissed him deeply, showing him her eagerness to be with him.

  “Are you awake?” he whispered a sexy murmur in her ear that she’d come to adore.

  “Awake enough.”

  “Good.” He pulled back with a wicked gleam in his gaze. “I thought we should talk.”

  “Mmm.” She angled her head to kiss him again, thinking there were tricks to kissing in null-grav that she needed to learn. She yearned to steal a few moments from the mission to relax. They’d earned it. After their madcap escape and reuniting with the crew, he’d seen to everyone else’s needs. Now it was time for her to see to his. She placed her palm on the back of his neck to steady her floating body, let her fingers caress his speeding pulse. “Talk later. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to make love in null-grav?”

  He nipped her ear and with a psi thought let his suit go transparent, signaling his willingness to make love. “How long?”

  “Too long.” She adored the long, clean lines of his warrior body. Loved the muscles in his powerful chest and how his strong arms could wrap her so gently in an embrace. But most of all she liked the glowing sparks in his eyes and the laughter on his lips.

  She appreciated how his gaze raked her, interest turning the sparking gleam in his eyes to a fiery glow. Null-grave did wonderful things for her breasts, lifting them, rounding their shape, and just the heat from his look had her eager for his touch. Her breasts ached at the thought of his hands on her, his clever fingers touching, teasing, and taunting. Yet, she’d already learned that delaying caused anticipation and that anticipation increased their mutual pleasure.

  But she didn’t want to only give him a lot of pleasure. She wanted to challenge him to let go again, to taunt him until he demanded what he wanted, until he took what he needed. She loved the power she had when she caused him to lose control of his passion. She liked pushing him, daring him to go after what he wanted. She was thrilled he wanted her—not just her body, which she’d created to entice his senses—but she knew him well enough to comprehend that he would never have come to her quarters if he wasn’t attracted to the person she’d become. His approval meant so much to her.<
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  Nude, she floated before him, considering the possibilities. Without gravity, touching became … interesting. She no longer had to concern herself with weight. Every sensitive sliver of flesh, each delicate nerve became more easily accessible.

  The basic laws of physics still applied in null-grav. For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction. At her caress to his neck, Zical would have floated away, except she hooked her hand in his and held him steady. One finger crook was all it took to move his weightless mass.

  Except he placed a palm on the ceiling and slid below her, attempting to place his hands on her bottom to capture her. But she drew her legs up, twisted, rotated, coming up behind him and lightly nipped his butt.

  “Ow.” He complained but broke into a chuckle, even as he twisted to take her into his arms.

  His hands barely glanced along her hips, her thigh, streaking heat along her legs, but again, she flung herself away, using the pad of her foot to stream toward the ceiling, like a swimmer doing a flip turn against the pool’s wall. Without hesitation, Zical zoomed after her, his reflexes quick.

  Together they weaved and bobbed, playing a game of tag that lasted exactly as long as Zical was willing to let her tease him. He pursued her, grazing a finger down the inside of her thigh, skimming his palms over her breasts, another time licking her ear. She, in turn, caressed his spine, nibbled along his neck, slid her hands along the strong muscles of his thighs and buttocks.

  When he caught her in the middle of the room, his timing was sheer perfection. He’d stopped their movement so that they floated equidistant between six walls. With her head toward one bulkhead and her toes pointed at the deck, he threaded his hands between the curls at her thighs, the slight tug shooting heat straight to her core.

  With only a breathy tease of warning, his mouth closed on her synthari. Pure sizzling heat made her hungry and ready to taste his flesh as he was savoring her, nipping and nibbling until moisture pooled between her slick folds. With his tavis floating right before her, she eagerly took him into her mouth, enjoying the fresh tang of his skin, the smooth flesh that writhed under her lips and tongue. Floating, spinning slowly, his mouth intimately pressed on her, as her lips closing over his rigid flesh. She burned from wanting him and arched to take more of him into her mouth.

  As he electrified her with his lips and tongue and fingers, she let her tongue dance across his sensitive ridge, determined to drive him into a wild frenzy, pushing him to want her as badly as she wanted him. Yet, wanting to delay the pleasure, to make their loving last as long as possible, she sucked, and stroked and teased, even as the pressure inside her demanded release.

  She focused on his tangy scent, his turgid heat, his tight sacs that she lovingly caressed, eliciting a murmured groan. But he never stopped kissing her, and when she couldn’t keep her hips still, he locked her in place with his psi, keeping her exactly where he wanted.

  When she thought she could take no more, with his psi, he starting rotating them slowly. Together, he spun them. Dizzy, she closed her eyes and focused on the blood rushing to her breasts, hardening her nipples, then emptying, swelling her synthari. The stunning rush of her senses heightened the frantic pumping of her hips. As her blood rushed end over end, her heart pounded to keep up with the frenzied rush—if her mouth hadn’t been so busy, she might have screamed.

  Without gravity to distract her, the tug and pull of her spinning flesh encompassed her. There was no dizziness, just the swelling and ebbing of her blood spiraling through into every erotic aching cell that demanded release. Gasping for air, trying to hold on, her heart sang with delight at the pleasure they could take in one another. She basked in the knowledge that her power to excite and arouse him was as total as his over her.

  Elated by her conviction that they belonged together, her need to have his arms around her, his tavis inside her, had her flipping, twisting in midair, parting her thighs, and wrapping her legs around his waist. Burying her lips into his neck, adoring the feel of her breasts brushing his chest and his strong hands taking control of her hips, she gave herself up to her senses.

  With her scent on his lips, his ragged breath in her ear, his tavis creating the most delicious friction, she tried to retain every precious sensory detail. His gaze that was as soft as a caress. The urgency in his hands, the tingling in her stomach. The vibrant chord he strummed inside her. Her feelings for him that had everything and nothing to do with reason. His psi that wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Her erratic heartbeat. Her gulped breaths. His husky groan in her ear, his electric tension that inflamed the rising blaze of need that burned white hot in her core. His bursting, shredding, and shattering pleasure that she rode with a joy that seared her heart and made her soul sing.

  When her breath finally slowed and her heartbeat once more approached normal, she snuggled against his warm chest, content, and happy. As much as she adored making love, the sweet aftermath was almost as good. She liked pillowing her head on his shoulder, liked the way he ran his palms over her back and bottom, constantly caressing as if he’d never tire of touching her.

  Voice husky, he murmured, “There’s something I want to say.”

  She opened her eyes and peered into his, which looked too damn serious. If he was going to tell her they had to return to being captain and crew, then he shouldn’t have made love to her. Because she couldn’t go back to pretending she didn’t want him.

  “Mmm?”

  “Are you sure you’re paying attention?”

  She peered at him warily, heart tensing. “Say it already.”

  “We should marry.”

  Maybe she was still dreaming. Or dizzy after that crazy spinning. She’d thought he said they should wed. She rubbed her brow and the last of her fuzzy passion away. “Did you just say what I think?”

  “We should wed,” he repeated, the expression on his face expectant.

  Stars! Dora didn’t know what to say. She was at a total loss of words and simply gaped. She’d thought he’d been about to tell her he intended to sever their physical relationship. That they couldn’t make love like they’d just done now that they were back in space. But he wanted to form a permanent union.

  He wanted to wed.

  But Rystani mated for life.

  Stars. Why hadn’t she seen this coming?

  “Say something,” Zical demanded.

  “I don’t know what to say.” She was shocked, honored, confused. She needed to sort out her thoughts and feelings. She needed to talk to Tessa. But they were too far from Mystique for a real conversation, even through the hyperspace com link, the time lag to a question and reply could be days.

  “Say you want to be my wife.” Expectancy kept his voice tight.

  “I don’t know if I want to be anyone’s wife,” she said the words, slowly withdrawing from his arms. “I haven’t thought about the future. I’ve been so busy living in the moment, trying to adapt and survive that I just … don’t know …”

  Zical’s eyes flashed hurt, then he quickly disguised the hurt with a tough veneer of hardness and a psi thought that clothed him in his captain’s uniform. “Being human is planning for the future.”

  “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

  She hadn’t thought past making it from one day to the next. She hadn’t thought past saving Kirek and leaving Kwadii. She hadn’t thought beyond finishing their mission. She hadn’t thought past how much she enjoyed looking at his face, running her fingers through his thick hair, skimming her palms over his muscular frame and how much she liked making love. She enjoyed their conversations. She enjoyed being with him. Why did he have to go and change things between them? But change seemed also to be part of being human, and now she had more to consider than her own wants and needs.

  They’d been doing so well as lovers. She’d actually been happy. But she saw that her reaction to marriage hadn’t been one he’d expected and that her uncertainty was causing him pain. His pain hurt her. Odd how that could
be so, but she cared too much for him not to try to explain. But she wasn’t sure she could put her confusion into words.

  She swallowed the knot in her throat and licked her bottom lip, hoping she could make him understand. “When I was a computer, the present was always filled with billions of bits of new data. With so much to file and learn and absorb, I rarely thought past the present. Since I’ve become human, I’ve had difficulty coping with the moment I’m in. I’m having trouble getting past this mission. To think about my personal future is a whole different process.”

  “So marriage to me doesn’t interest you at the moment?” His eyes flashed with hurt.

  By the five seas of Jarn, he wasn’t listening. “I have a hard enough time dealing with the present. To take on the future too, the idea of marriage to you is … overwhelming.”

  A smile cracked through his pain. “I was hoping you’d say I was irresistible.”

  “I need more time. It wasn’t so long ago that I doubted I could live in this body,” she reminded him, trying to chose each word with utmost care. “I thought all the spasms and twitching might be the organs rejecting my soul.”

  “Those twitches were likely caused by fear. But as you adjusted, you overcame your fears and the spasms stopped. You’ve come so far. Can’t you take one more step? I know you’re brave. You’ve proved it repeatedly.” He hesitated. “Or maybe you just don’t feel enough passion for me to make our union permanent?” His tone was gentle, but conveyed a world of disappointment.

  “That’s not fair. You ask about my feelings without stating your own. You’ve never said more than I have.” She stared at him accusingly. “You’ve said nothing of love or even liking or caring. You simply said we should marry—but there’s nothing simple about your words.”