Just A Bit Of Trust (Constel·lación #1)

by Noma-Tee Thompson

  “The only remaining thing is “Didac you may kiss your bride.” The earth elder which Didac recalled Michelle refer to as the Minister said.

  Vivian closed her eyes and turned her face up to receive a peck on the lips totally unprepared for what happened next.

  Didac looked down at his mate face with suppressed laughter. Apparently, on Mother Earth, weddings were not over unless they were sealed with a kiss. By her upturned face, Didac was sure she expected a peck on the lips. He was not having any of that. Didac wanted to give her the kiss of her life. He deposited his palms around her waist and pulled her gently to him. Vivian stepped into his arms. Didac leaned down and took her lips between his teeth and bit down gently to get her attention. Startled, Vivian opened her eyes and her lips slightly. Didac took the opportunity and slid his tongue into her mouth.

  Vivian felt Didac’s warm breath on her face. That was incredible. She put her arms around his neck to hold herself up and hesitantly returned the kiss. Didac tasted of pure sin. Her tongue began to explore the interior walls of his mouth. She felt his palms move up her spine to pull her closer against his chest. A soft moan broke from her lips as they battled their lips together. She angled her head to the side to deepen the kiss.

  The earthy smell from his mate almost made him lose control. Didac terminated their kiss abruptly before the urge to place his hands on her derriere to his growing erection dominated him. He kept her close to hide his groin from the looking crowd.

  ********

  A few hours later Vivian found herself sitting between Didac and Annais in the dining room of their spaceship. The inside of the spaceship was not as extravagant as she had imagined, but she was surprised at how enormous it was when viewed from the outside. She had been introduced to everybody on their table, but could hardly remember everybody’s name. Paka sat next to a man she recalled as Agostino, and she seemed to be having a good time. Michael sat next to Bernat, and they appeared to be bonding well. The only person, who wasn’t having fun, was her. She didn’t have much of an appetite. She just sat there sipping on the glass of the blue liquid which tasted like alcohol, oblivious to the conversation around the table.

  Vivian took the time to examine her new husband as he spoke to the men around the table. He looked so carefree around them; it was different from the way he was with other people. It led her to believe that these people were his trusted friends. His square jaw combined with his midnight black hair gave him a dangerous look. His thick lashes accentuated his green almond eyes which were set under his dramatically thin eyebrow. His perfectly pointed nose was above his uneven lips, which were curled in a smile that would make women swoon. Her eyes traveled down his neck to the arm that was draped behind her chair. He had removed his jacket; the short sleeves did nothing to hide his bulging muscles and detailed tattoos. Vivian inhaled. Paka was right; Didac was strikingly handsome. Vivian smiled as she recalled Paka’s description of him before the wedding.

  Didac enjoyed the camaraderie of the conversation around the table. Everybody seemed happy that the war was finally over and couldn’t wait to get home, all the time aware of the scrutiny from his mate.

  Didac turned to look at her unexpectedly and caught her smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure of that smile?” Her smile faded quickly.

  Vivian diverted her eyes around the table. It felt awkward to be caught staring. She cleared her throat. “Just something my sister said earlier.” About you. She wasn’t about to tell him that.

  “Would you care to share?”

  “Not really.”

  After an awkward silence "So tell me about yourself?”

  "What do you want to know?"

  "Everything."

  Vivian laughed softly. It was too broad a question for one to answer.

  'I like to listen to your laugh; I don’t hear enough laughter when I walk into a room everybody is proper and cautious." Except for his family and friends.

  "Maybe they are awed by your Royalty. “He just cocked his eyebrows in an answer and Vivian stumbled to continue. "I know I am. I am indeed awed by you.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I find myself wanting to look dignified in your presence."

  "You don’t need to be nothing but yourself."

  "That might be hard. We are just strangers that happen to be married." She avoided his eyes.

  Didac moved the hand draped around her chair and put his palm on the back of her neck which caused her to look up into his eyes. “I would like to change that."

  "These things take time. “She lowered her eyes.

  'Time I have."

  She looked away. “A man in your position cannot afford to waste his time. It is a valuable commodity.”

  “I wouldn’t call taking my time to know you wasteful. Time is expendable if I enjoy wasting it.”

  “Time like people is expendable.”

  Didac was sad. How could one so young be cynical about everything? Humans lived in a world where physical items were disposable therefore it was hard for them to overcome their disposable practices and not have them apply to people. People could not be thrown away like that. ”There is a widespread belief among humans that people are expendable, but you will see that in Constel·lació we do not believe so.”

  “If you have lived the life I have lived, you wouldn’t place so much trust in words.”

  “My word is my bond. I might say hurtful words in fits of anger, but I always keep my word.”

  “Time will tell.”

  Didac smile reflected Vivian’s. ”It’s back to time again.”

  A comfortable silence settled between them.

  All of a sudden, he wanted to know. "What was your first impression of me?”

  Vivian almost laughed. The man was built like a god and had self-esteem issues? "Does it matter?"

  "Of course, it matters."

  "I don’t find you repulsive if that’s what you want to know." She smiled with a twinkle in her eyes. ”I am sure lots of women want to be with you. I mean just look at you.”

  “That may be true,” Didac’s lips curved with conceit at her words.” But there is only one woman I want to want me.”

  “I am no beauty. I am sure your people would agree. Every man wants a beautiful woman on their arm.” Vivian considered herself average.

  “There is more to beauty than your looks.”

  The answer did not appease Vivian. ”I do not hear you deny my statements.”

  “I can spend hours showing you and telling you how beautiful you are, but if you don’t believe in yourself, my efforts will be wasted. To answer your question: If you were evil, my sister would have felt it. Your heart confirmed what my eyes saw when they landed on you. You are a vision to behold.”

  Vivian giggled to cover her discomfort. The conversation was making her nervous. It would be easy to fall for a man who spoke about their thoughts and feelings without any reservations.

  “Did I say something funny?” Didac asked.

  “Not in the least. I do that a lot when I feel nervous or uncomfortable. I am not used to men who talk like you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You talk so openly about your thoughts and feelings. It is not done in my father’s house; it is a weakness, so my father has said.”

  “Get used to it. Most of my people have no such reservations except when they speak to me, but I encourage them to express themselves because every one of us has the ability to feel and smell certain emotions, some more than others including myself.”

  “Then I feel honored that you have not used your abilities on me.” Hiding what she felt had helped her survive her father.

  “You make it easy because you cannot block yourself. But I would never try to use anyone’s feelings against them. The worst I could do is placate them.”

  Vivian laughed.

  “Did I say something funny again?”

  “No, but you have a way with words.”

  “I mean every one of them.”

  Viv
ian did not reply, but continued nonetheless. ”I think you don’t smile and laugh enough. You should try it sometime.”

  "Now that you are in my life, I will have a reason to.” Didac inhaled. This time, her smile touched him in so many ways. It reached her eyes. He couldn’t resist the urge to lean in and brush his lips against hers.

  "You are making me shy."

  "There is no need for you to be shy. It’s natural for couples to show affection towards each other."

  "But everyone is watching.”

  "Your father is an important man in your world; naturally, I assumed that is something you are used to."

  "You would think so." Vivian's eyes shadowed with sadness. How could someone get used to that? Just because someone was famous, it didn’t mean that their privacy was thrown out the window. Having an abusive and controlling father was hard enough, pretending to be happy in the public eye when your life was falling apart was even harder. No one left her alone. No matter how antisocial she got, the paparazzi loved to stalk her. Sometimes it was so hard to keep her sneer remarks that reflected the disgust resonating from the depths of her soul. Princess Diana was proof of that. “The media on Mother Earth is not as forgiving.They stalk and harass you just to get any information from you.”

  “You would never have to go through that in Constel·lació. We do not have what you people call the paparazzi here.”

  “I hope so.” Vivian stood up, took the champagne bottle that she had taken with her from Mother Earth, ”Excuse me.”, And she walked out of the dining room.

  *******

  Didac had smelt the change in her mood, so did everyone in the room. Didac was happy that she was finally opening up. What had gone wrong? His eyes followed her as she exited and everybody tried not to look. His first inclination was to follow her, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. His eyes moved to the hand up to his sister’s eyes. Cautionary advice was written all over them.

  “You have to leave her alone,” Annais warned him.

  “I can feel her pain. She needs me right now.”

  “What she needs is time alone to think.”

  “Okay.” Didac half-heartedly agreed. His friends were looking at him with sympathy in their eyes. They understood the power of the mating fever, but at the same time aware of the circumstances that had brought them together and how Vivian felt. Nobody spoke.

  Chapter 8

  Solitude, as it turned out was underrated. Champagne and her on her wedding night and boom, it transformed into Instant Private Party. Her day was getting better and better with each sip. She felt all warm and bubbly inside. Vivian sat on the twin bed in Didac’s room with nothing on except her underwear and veil with a bottle of champagne in her hand.

  What was going to happen now?

  Her eyes quickly scanned the contents of Didac’s room. It was beautiful in its simplicity. It was one big room with a large computer screen embedded in the wall and a sink, a fridge and what appeared to be stove was just beside it. And just less than a foot away there was a small circular counter with at least three red bar stools and right on the counter, there appeared to be a control console. On the left, there was a small contemporary couch and behind it, on the wall, there was a bed she was sitting on. She glanced at the bed a second time. It looked big enough for both of them, but small by all standards with legs made of metal that were embedded with the ship just like the bar stools and the counter.

  The door opened, and Didac stepped in. As if sensing her mood, he just turned around, removed his shirt to place it on the chair. As he unbuckled his leather pants, Vivian took a tentative glance at his broad back, her eyes sweeping over the golden expanse of his smooth and flawless skin. To her disappointment, he left his underwear on and moved towards the bed and sat next to her. “You need to rest.”

  Just hearing Didac talk made her emotional, she started crying, the gravity of the day’s events finally sinking in.” "I don’t know what's wrong with me; I just can’t stop crying."

  Didac took in Vivian’s appearance. The veil she had on was askew, and her cheeks were flushed. He tried to keep his eyes away from her ample breasts. He took the bottle of champagne from her hand and put it on the nightstand. Spirits made people emotional. ”You are inebriated.”

  Didac was all too familiar with drinking spirits. Obviously, she did it to improve her mood. Now that the ship had taken off, and new people and culture surrounded her, she realized the immensity of the logistics before her. The logistics of being uprooted from one’s home was a challenge as much as it was an adventure.

  “Just a little, I wanted to feel good.” Vivian stood up and straddled him. “I wanted to forget. I don’t want to think about anything tonight.”

  Didac tensed, surprised and his body awakening, triggered by her warm flesh pressed against him. Her arms were placed around his neck to keep her balanced. This is not how he imagined his first mating to be. Didac didn’t want to take advantage of her and have her regret tomorrow, but how he wanted to.

  “Vivian…” Didac’s quiet whisper danced to her ears. His eyes squeezed shut as he begged himself not to sink this low. ”When we mate, I want it to mean something.”

  She watched the contours of his face, every expression and move tantalizing her. She was not as drunk as he thought. What she saw was a man who wanted to take what was given and a man who wanted to refuse it even if he wanted to because his principles would not allow him.

  Vivian licked her lips. She stared at him as if a trance, reaching out her hand to touch his face. He truly was a good man. Most men would have taken advantage of her vulnerability.

  “It will mean something; I feel this connection to you. When I saw you, it felt like my soul somehow knew you, but my experiences have taught me that I could be wrong.”

  Didac soothed her neck, his hands moving lower to rub her back. ”I want it to be more than a connection.” His hands moved lower to her derriere pulling her to feel his erection through their underwear.

  Vivian instinctively rubbed back and forth on him tightening her legs around his waist, feeling him harden further. ”You would deny me relief?”

  This would have been comical if he hadn’t found himself wanting. He denied himself relief too.

  “I don’t want you to hate me tomorrow.”

  They just stared at each other, his perfect noble face, blinding her, his sparkling green eyes petted in her thoughts; everything about him resonated masculinity. Vivian flushed red when she realized she was relishing this image. Her stomach rumbled. Her face turned beet red in embarrassment.

  “I’m hungry…”, Hungry for food and so much more.

  Didac lips curved, his one hand remained on her butt to steady her while the other massaged her scalp and moved downward to trace the back of her neck. “I have food, let me feed you.”

  That was a double entendre if she ever heard one.

  Didac sensed her hesitation, and immediately she tried to stand up roughly and almost got away when she was suddenly turned over on her back, and his body covered his. His hand bent her leg higher so she could feel more of him. It trailed higher, around her kneecap and the outside of her thigh.

  “Even if you don’t know it yet, you are mine.” Didac’s lips stringed along her knee to her leg.

  Her body wasn’t lying even if his mouth was. ”What makes you think that?”

  “You have no idea what I am prepared to do for you.” His lips continued to explore and closed on her toes.

  Vivian’s breathing jerked. This was worship. It was gross, but it felt so good.

  The sincerity and conviction in which he said, the words made her eyes swell with tears. Her father, the one male figure who was supposed to protect her did horrible things to her instead for her. ”I don’t place too much trust in words. They come and go like the wind.”

  He just wanted to love her, to take the pain and hurt away. He wanted this woman. ”I just want you to know and show you in time, that it’s okay to care for and trust
me.”

  His hair was disheveled from her playing with it, his measuring endless green eyes intensified, making her uncomfortable. His eyes felt like they were boring into her soul. Like he knew what she needed even if she didn’t. The effects of the champagne had already started to fade away.

  Vivian ran her hand over her hair, watching him looming over her. It was hard to describe what she felt, but she knew if she took the next step everything would be different, different from her past experiences and emotions. She hated him for the abrupt marriage yet the attraction she felt for him was undeniable. She wanted to slap him so hard and yet brush his cheek at the same time. It was hard to ignore. The determination not to give into those feelings, slowly fading and a pleasurable feeling snaked up into her heart. She reached out and touched his hair, delighted by the pure luxurious softness of it. Regardless of how she got the desire, maybe this was something she needed to get out her system. Maybe some indulgence would satisfy her and end this burn once and for all.

  A chill engulfed her.

  ‘What’s wrong?” Didac asked when he felt her shudder.

  “I am afraid of the feelings you evoke in me. It’s the things you say, the way you look at me and the way you touch me. I have never had a man touch me with a gentle hand. You make me dream.”

  “Your dreams are within reach if you only allow me to show you. I promise you this. I will do everything in my power not to hurt you.”

  “I have been hurt by those who claimed to love me, and you are nothing but a stranger to me.”