by S. E. Smith
“This is taking too long,” she muttered in frustration.
She grinned up at Frost when he chuckled as she snapped her fingers. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrow as she ran her hand over his shoulder again. His blue eyes glowed with warmth and… another emotion that looked suspiciously like… love.
“I think I’ve fallen in love with you,” she whispered, the smile dying on her lips as she tenderly traced his eyebrows down around his eyes to his lips. “I don’t understand how it could happen so fast.”
“Sometimes there is no explanation for the things that happen,” he said, pressing a kiss to her fingers. “Just accept it as the gift it was meant to be. What I feel for you is not something I will ignore or let go. You are mine, Lacey. I keep what is mine.”
“How can you be sure?” She asked, biting her lip. “What if…” Her voice faded as he pressed a brief, hard kiss to her mouth.
*.*.*
Frost knew what she was thinking. He knew she feared he would disappear, leave her alone. He also knew that a lot had happened in just a few short days. Sometimes, it didn't take a lifetime to show a person the path they should take.
His path was sealed the moment he saw her. He knew he would follow it wherever it lead him, as long as it was in the same direction that Lacey was going. That was why he had made the decision to follow through on it. There would be no turning back.
“I am sure, Lacey,” he murmured against her lips. “I have no doubts.”
His eyes moved to the door leading to the bathroom. A teasing grin pulled at his lips. He bent and scooped Lacey up into his arms, enjoying her gasp of surprise.
“I will just have to prove it to you,” he said, stepping toward the bathroom. “We’ll start in the shower and work our way through every room of the house until you realize that.”
Lacey’s delicate laughter echoed as he set her down in the bathroom and turned on the shower. He knew she enjoyed the feel of the warm water as it flowed over her. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the many paths it took and tried to catch the droplets on his tongue.
She stepped under the warm spray, pulling him in behind her. “It might take a couple rounds of the house to convince me,” she whispered.
“I think I can handle that,” he said, pushing her gently up against the back wall of the shower. “With pleasure.”
Lacey’s head fell back against the wall and her eyes closed as he bent to capture one of her nipples in his mouth. “Lots and lots of pleasure.”
Heat rushed through him as he sucked on her taut nipple. He switched his attention to her left nipple next. The sound of her moans and the parting of her legs proved that she wasn’t immune to the chemistry between them.
He flicked his tongue over each nipple again before pulling back and reaching for the soap. He poured a generous amount into the palm of his hand. He ignored the washcloth. He didn’t want anything between his skin and hers. He wanted to feel her smooth flesh against his.
“Oh, Frost,” Lacey moaned as he ran his hands over her breasts and up her chest to wrap around her throat. “Yes.”
“My touch, Lacey,” Frost whispered as he ran his hands back down over her breasts again. “My touch will ignite you, make you burn, bring you pleasure.”
He reached for her right hand. His fingers tenderly massaged each finger, then her palm before moving up her arm. He loved how her breasts rose as he stretched her arm above her head.
She gasped when he held it there with his left hand while his right brushed across her breasts as he carefully did the same to her left hand. He wanted to use foreplay to make her pulse with need. He also knew what would happen if he did. She had already told him the last time they made love that ‘payback was a bitch’. He expected nothing less as he pleasured her.
“Keep your arms raised,” he murmured, pressing another hot kiss against her lips.
“Yes,” she murmured with her eyes still closed. “Oh, yes.”
Frost was burning. His body was so primed he was amazed that he had the ability to restrain from just twisting her around and impaling his throbbing shaft as far as it would go inside her. Sometimes he really questioned his own sanity, especially when he was around Lacey.
His hands trembled slightly as he reached for the soap again. He poured another generous amount into his left palm, before setting it back on the narrow shelf. Kneeling down on one knee, he ran his hands over Lacey’s flat stomach. He couldn’t resist pressing a kiss the to the small hole in the center of it.
She moved restlessly under his hands and mouth. He continued stroking her hips, upper thighs, knees and lower calves. He intentionally missed the soft, dark brown curls covering her mound. He would pay special attention to her there.
“Frost,” Lacey whimpered, rolling her hips.
“Patience, Lacey,” he ordered in a rough voice. “Patience, my ice maiden.”
He carefully picked up each of her delicate feet, caressing them with the same care as he gave the rest of her body. Once he was done, he drew in a deep breath. The water fell around him like a soft rain. He raised his eyes to follow the droplets as they ran down over her tilted face. Some clung to her eyelashes while others continued in small rivers down over her shoulders. It was the ones that caught on her tight nipples that held him fascinated as he waited for them to fall.
He reached forward, licking one of the teardrops as it fell and flowed down along the creamy skin of her stomach. The move placed him level with the soft curls again. Reaching out, he ran his fingers through them before sliding his long index finger along the slit.
“Frost!” Lacey cried out as he rubbed against her swollen nub.
His eyes flickered up to her face. He was held mesmerized by the burning flames of desire in the bottomless brown pools. He rubbed across her again and the flames turned to molten liquid as her eyes dilated at his touch.
“Mine, Lacey,” he whispered, sliding his finger into her. “My touch. Say it.”
Her hands fell to his shoulders as he pushed deeper. He felt her legs tremble and her lips parted in a gasp. Determined to hear her cry out his name, he pulled his finger almost all the way out before inserting two more. He was rewarded by her increased panting and parted thighs.
“Your touch, my alien lover,” she gasped. “Only your touch.”
He dragged his eyes away from her face and refocused on her soft mound. Using his other hand, he parted the curls and sensitive flesh that protected her. His tongue flicked the swollen nub as he continued to stroke her.
His body throbbed in time with the rolling of her hips. He felt her shift slightly, and one slender leg rose to slide over his right shoulder. The movement drew him closer while opening her further to his touch.
“Yes!” She hissed, watching him as he pleasured her.
Frost felt her body shudder, then stiffen, as she exploded. Her loud cry filled the bathroom as she came. Her nails dug crescent shape moons into his shoulder as she held onto him. He pressed his mouth against her, drinking her passion as she continued to splinter.
He rose as she slid her leg from his shoulder. His hands ran up her body to hold her steady when she swayed. He leaned into her, capturing her lips with his and kissed her deeply while he pressed his own raging desire against her stomach. Goddess, he loved her with a depth that shook him.
She was so strong, so beautiful on the inside as well as the outside, so compassionate. Everything about her called to him. When they came together, it was explosive. He didn’t question that it was too fast or too soon to feel this way. He had never had a reaction to another woman like this way before.
He kissed her roughly, passionately as she wound her arms around him. Her nails scraped lightly up the length of his back drawing a long moan from him. He needed her. The fear of losing her still gripped him. He was afraid she would disappear and he would be left with but a dream of what happiness could be.
“Touch me, Lacey,” he begged, cupping he
r face with his hands and pressing hot kisses to her lips, cheeks and eyes. “Touch me, love me, never let me go.”
Her wet lashes fluttered at his desperate words. She saw the fear hovering in the back of his eyes. The tense expression on his face. The need in his touch.
She nodded. “My turn,” she whispered.
She reached for the bottle of body wash and poured a small amount in her hand. Setting it back on the shelf, she held his gaze as she slid her hands over his body. Each area she washed, she followed with her lips. She memorized his body, pausing on each scar that marred his flesh. She gave each one an extra-long kiss before she moved on.
She loved the way his breathing changed as she caressed him. Her hands ran down over his chest as she followed the path of the water. She bent and captured a drop before it slipped any lower.
His cock rubbed against her cheek as it flexed. Suddenly, she felt his strong fingers tangling in her hair as he held her bent over. He tugged enough to turn her head toward his cock. Her mouth opened as he pushed her closer to it while flexing the tight muscles in his buttocks.
“Lacey!” His shuddering cry wrapped around her as the tip of the bulbous head slipped between her lips. “Goddess!”
Lacey wrapped her right hand around his cock and rubbed it up and down while she teased the tip with her tongue. She slowly worked him deeper and deeper into her mouth. Each suck, each pull, drew a shudder and moan from him. His hand tightened in her hair to hold her as his other hand slid over the curve of her ass.
“That’s it,” he said as he rocked his hips. “Drink me, Lacey. Drink me this time, but know I am going to claim you every way before the night is over.”
Lacey closed her eyes when he ran his fingers along the crack of her ass. His meaning was clear. He would love her deeply, thoroughly, so that she had no doubt that he meant what he said. His touch would be the only one she would ever want again. This love was so different from the tender love she had shared with Sean. This was wild and unrestrained, just like Frost.
She moaned when his fingers slipped lower. She bowed her back, lifting her ass to him as she sucked more frantically on him as pleasure and a touch of pain swept through her. Heat built and pooled between her legs as he gave her a taste of what was to come.
She moaned loudly around his cock as he added more fingers, stretching her. The vibration must have been too much for him. He leaned forward, sliding deeper into her at the same time as he cried out. His hot come filled her mouth as his cock jerked and pulsed.
Lacey swallowed as fast as she could. Her eyes were tightly closed as her own body exploded around his fingers. She felt… wild, sexy, and totally claimed.
A whimper escaped her as he pulled out of her and straightened. The hand threaded through her hair wrapped around her neck and he slowly pulled her lips from around him. He cursed loudly and shuddered as the lukewarm water of the shower touched the sensitive head of his cock.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest for several minutes. It wasn’t until the water began to chill her skin that he pressed a kiss against her hair and released her to turn it off. Neither one of them said anything as they dried the other. Both of them were still too shaken by their orgasms and the depth of it to put into words what they were feeling.
Wrapping a towel around Lacey, Frost cupped her chin and tilted her head back. A tender smile curved his lips as he stared down into her upturned face. He brushed another kiss over her lips before catching her hand and pulling her back into the bedroom.
He hadn’t been lying when he said he was going to make love to her until she had no doubts as to his feelings. His cock was already stiffening as he thought of taking her again. He needed to feed her first… then… his eyes glowed as he thought of bending her over the kitchen table.
Chapter 23
Frost pressed a kissed to Lacey’s bare shoulder before he reluctantly slid from the bed. He padded over to the dresser on bare feet and picked up the remote device. He had only two hours before his spaceship self-destructed. He glanced over to where Lacey lay sleeping.
His body felt sated and relaxed after their lovemaking. All he really wanted to do was crawl back into bed next to her, but he needed to take care of this before he could relax. He would have to talk to her tomorrow. He needed to tell her of the decision he made.
He silently slipped on his clothes. He didn’t bother with his utility belt or the vest full of weapons that lay in the top drawer of the dresser. The only thing he needed was the remote device to locate where his ship had been moved too. Brice had said he had moved it to a canyon not far from Lacey’s house. It shouldn’t take long to cancel the self-destruct order. He would be back probably before Lacey woke.
He carried his boots in one hand into the living room. Sitting on the edge of the couch, he slid them on. He smiled at the fish swimming circles in the large bowl on the end table.
“Let her know I’ll be back shortly should she wake before I return,” he murmured to the fish. “I have to return to my ship.”
Frost shook his head as the fish stared back at him, opening and closing its mouth. Standing, he quietly walked over to the front door and opened it. It was still light out, but he could feel the coolness in the air as night quietly approached. Closing the door, he stepped lightly down the steps and took off at an easy jog following the signal.
To stay or to return? He thought as he ran. He thought of his older brother and the plans they had already set in motion. Then, he thought of Lacey. There was no doubt which choice he would make. He already had. He would send the transport back to his world… without him.
They will think I was killed. I will program a message saying that Taar had been terminated and that I was unable to return, he thought. Passion would never send another Star Ranger to confirm it. Especially if I leave evidence that I was dead.
He ran for almost forty minutes before he slowed. The device told him that he was nearly on top of his ship. He breathed in the cooler night air. Twilight was settling over the land. Lacey said that the days were getting shorter now that their summer was over.
He walked up to the edge of one of the canyons holding the device out. The small blip on it remained steady. He looked down. It took a minute for him to see the shadow of it a short distance further down. The drop to the bottom of the canyon was approximately thirty feet. The top of the transport rose above it.
He chuckled when he saw that Brice had camouflaged the ship by using its reflective surface combined with the red dust and plant life. It looked like it was part of the canyon cliffs. He walked over to the edge and climbed up onto the top of it. He strode over to the upper hatch and pressed in the security code. The sound of the lock disengaging echoed in the quiet atmosphere of the desert.
His muscles strained as he lifted the lid. He twisted, stepping down onto the interior ring and started climbing down. He paused to shut the lid. He jumped the last few feet, his boots ringing out as they hit the metal grating that made up the walkway.
Frost ducked his head as he worked his way to the front pilot seat. He slid into the seat and twisted. His hands flew over the console. Lights came on under his skillful fingers.
“Computer, disengage self-destruct, Star Ranger Frost, Directive four two two eight one six,” Frost ordered.
“Star Ranger Frost voice command confirmed. Self-destruct disengaged,” the computer responded.
Frost leaned back in the pilot’s seat and released his breath as the tension in his shoulders dissolved. He stared at the console. His eyes roamed the advanced features. He would never feel the freedom of soaring through the stars again. His eyes closed as he thought of never seeing his beautiful world again.
He would miss the cold. There were places on this planet that were cold. Perhaps there would be a way for him and Lacey to visit them. He would miss his family as well and regretted that they would grieve his death.
It is better they grieve t
hinking I am dead than always wondering if I am alive, but unable to return home, he thought looking out the front viewport.
He leaned forward preparing to enter the video record of Taar’s death when his natural warning system alerted him that he was not alone. He twisted out of his seat, freezing when he saw the stunner pointed at him. His eyes rose in surprise and he stared into the eyes of Star Ranger Coal’s midnight black eyes.
“You should have notified us sooner,” Coal replied.
“What are you doing here?” Frost bit out, straightening.
“Saving you from making the biggest mistake of your life,” Coal growled. “Passion was afraid you might need backup.”
“I don’t,” Frost declared, cutting his hand outward through the air. “Taar is dead.”
“I figured that when I saw that you had destroyed his ship and yours was hidden,” Coal said, leaning back against the doorway, but not lowering his pistol.
“I’m not going back,” Frost bit out harshly. “I’m staying here.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Coal muttered with a shake of his head. “I’ve got orders to bring you in.”
“I’m not going, Coal,” Frost reiterated, taking a step closer. “I’m staying here.”
“It’s the female, isn’t it? You’ve had a taste and now you think you can live happily ever after on a primitive planet fucking her and making little half alien babies,” Coal retorted, straightening. “That is a direct violation of the Directive, Frost. You know that can’t happen. If you are captured and they get your knowledge, it could have devastating results.”
“I would die before I revealed anything to them,” Frost replied heatedly. “I would never break.”
“Not even if they used the female?” Another voice asked from behind Coal.
Frost jerked back when he heard his older brother’s voice. “Idan!”