by Ashley West
"Haven-"
She held up a hand, cutting him off. "Just go away, Darren, okay? Go call Miss Margarita back and go back to work and live your normal life. I'll be fine."
He looked at her like he wanted to argue, but instead he just shook his head, pushed two dollars into the tip jar and then walked out.
Haven hated fighting with people. She didn't have enough friends as it was to be cutting people out of her life, but she hated the way Darren could make her feel sometimes, even if she did know that he didn't mean to.
She sagged against the counter, the fight bleeding out of her as she sighed and dragged fingers through her hair.
"Are you okay?" Lacey asked softly.
"Yeah," Haven replied, nodding. "Fine."
The second notable customer followed nearly right on the heels of the first, and Haven was sure that her groan of dismay was audible all the way to the back of the cafe.
Delton. Walking in like he owned the place, dressed this time in dark jeans and a light sweater. "I wish spring would come and stay," he said as he sidled up to the counter, dazzling grin in place. "I feel like I'm being teased."
Lacey giggled, one hand over her mouth as she did so, and Haven glared. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?" she demanded.
Delton shook his head. "Not today, dear. I'm off today, and I'm all yours."
"You say that like I'd want you," she snapped back. She was not in the mood for him, she just really was not.
But, true to form, Delton was either oblivious of that fact or uncaring. He leaned all over the counter, hands moving expressively as he told some story that made Lacey continue to giggle. He kept trying to catch Haven's eye, but she refused to meet his gaze.
If there were other customers to tend to, she'd have had an excuse to tell him to go away, but, of course, it was a slow day, and it was just them and a few people already served and seated.
When the chime over the door rang out, Haven's head shot up, hoping for a big crowd that would take long minutes to serve and drive Delton away.
It was the next best thing.
Kal walked in and closed the door against a gust of wind that threatened to take the door off its hinges. He didn't seem bothered by it, and turned toward the counter with a smile on his face. Which faltered when he saw Delton.
Delton was still talking and hadn't seen Kal yet, and Haven slowly began to have an idea.
It was terrible. So cliché. Once this was over, she'd regret even thinking it up, but... But it could get rid of Delton once and for all, and that would definitely turn her day around.
Before Kal could make his way to the counter, Haven intercepted him. "I need your help," she said, voice low and urgent.
Kal furrowed his brow, glancing from Delton to her. "With what? Is he bothering you?"
He said it in that way that Haven always imagined fathers and older brothers said things like that, ready to protect their daughters and sisters from men who didn't know how to take no for an answer. It boded well for what she was about to ask of him.
"Sort of, but I don't need you to punch him in the face."
He arched an eyebrow at her. "No?"
"No. Just...follow my lead, okay? I think this will help since men only seem to respond to the word 'no' when it's accompanied by 'I have a boyfriend'."
Kal looked startled, but he didn't have time to say anything because Haven had a firm grip on his arm and was pulling him over to the counter. Lacey had looked up from whatever Delton was saying, and her eyes were wide. Haven remembered that Lacey was the one who had pointed Kallel out to her that first time, and hoped this would work.
"Delton," she said smoothly. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."
He smirked his usual smirk and turned to face her and Kal. The look of astonishment as he looked up and then up some more to meet Kal's eyes was gratifying. "Kal, this is Delton. That lawyer I was telling you about. Delton, this Kal. My boyfriend."
The silence was ringing, and Haven crossed her fingers behind her back, praying this would work well.
Lacey's mouth was open, but she was a smart girl. She glanced from Delton to Kal to Haven and then seemed to understand. "So this is Kal," she said. "I've been waiting to meet him for a while now, Haven."
Thank god for Lacey. Haven smiled at her. "I know. It was just a lot of scheduling that had to line up. You know how it is."
Delton blinked and then seemed to remember himself, holding a hand out for Kal to shake. "Pleasure to meet you, Kal," he said. "I didn't know Haven had a boyfriend. I'm not usually so persistent when a woman's already taken."
Kal still seemed dazed, and Haven worried that he wouldn't understand because of cultural differences or whatever, but he smiled back, shaking the hand. "It's nice to meet you, too," he said. "And you know, sometimes it's nice to listen when a woman's not interested, whether she has a boyfriend or not."
Haven could have cheered. She tucked herself against Kal's side and gave Delton a thin smile.
"You know," he said. "You could have just told me you had a boyfriend. I would have backed off."
"I made it clear I wasn't interested," Haven retorted. "That should have been enough."
Delton looked skeptical, and Haven huffed internally. She hadn't wanted to take it this far, but if Delton was going to try to play hardball or whatever this was, she could play, too. She turned to face Kal, one hand on his chest. "Hey," she said softly.
"Hm?" He looked down at her from where he had been glaring daggers at Delton.
"Come here." Haven crooked a finger at him, and he leaned down further, far enough that Haven could get her free hand behind his neck and rise onto her toes to kiss him right then and there.
It was chaste, as far as kisses went. His mouth was warm, his lips dry, but soft. The soft noise of surprise the only indicator that he hadn't been expecting it, and when she pushed forward, he pushed right back, one hand sliding down to her waist to support her as they kissed.
All in all, it was short, over in a matter of seconds, but Lacey's jaw was nearly on the floor from the sight, and Delton looked like he had eaten something he shouldn't have.
"Oh," he said softly. "Okay, then. I'm just...going to go now."
Kal and Haven didn't draw apart until he was gone, and once they could no longer see him, Haven let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank god for that. I'm sorry, Kal," she said, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "He just wasn't getting 'no', so I had to escalate."
"It's alright," he said. "I...yeah. It's fine."
The rest of her work shift was odd after that. Lacey kept staring between the two of them, and Kal had taken up a seat in the corner with a large cup of coffee and three muffins. He kept looking at her, too.
Haven felt like her blush wouldn't go away, and when it was finally time for her to clock out and leave, she was relieved.
Kal followed her out. "Are you going home?" he asked softly.
"I was...oh. I forgot I had something else to tell you. The meat guy at the market told me about another attack. Do you want to go put it on the map?"
He nodded. "Sounds good." And then he closed the distance between them and tried to kiss her again.
Haven jerked back instinctively. "What are you doing?"
"I..." Kal blinked, looking unsure.
"Kal," Haven said softly. "You know that was just pretend, right? We're not... I just needed to do something to make Delton go away. I didn't mean to make you think... I'm sorry."
He looked away, and she could see the flush on his cheeks. "No," he said. "No, don't be sorry. I...misunderstood. It's fine. We should go."
"Right," Haven said slowly. "I...I drove, so I'll just meet you at your place?"
Kal nodded and headed up the street without another word.
Haven sighed and put her head in her hands. What a mess.
Chapter Ten: The Way He Feels About You
Predawn on Earth was a beautiful time as far as Kal was concerned. The air was
cool and crisp, a nice breeze floating through the open window of the bedroom. The light was soft, and he could just make out the sky through the window, starting to lighten around the edges as the sun got ready to rise.
It was a calm, peaceful time, and he was usually awake then, lying in his bed on his back, head turned towards the window as he breathed in and out and let his mind wander. It would be easy to pass the hours worrying about the Alva and what he was going to do to make sure they couldn't continue to hurt innocent people here. There was a map of the city in his living room, spread out on the table where he and Haven had been tracking the places the Alva attacked, looking for a connection.
Haven remained firm in her opinion that there was no connection and that the Alva were just trying to cause trouble, but Kal didn't agree. They'd had a plan the first time. They'd been using humans and trying to get the Randoran to leave instead of fighting, and it made sense to think that they had something similar up their sleeves this time.
But they weren't getting very far, and there weren't the same reports of people going missing as there had been before, so it was hard to say.
Most of his time was spent thinking about all of that, it was his mission, after all, but in the early morning like this, he set aside time to think about Haven.
He thought about the way her hair fell all the way down her back when she let it out of whatever bun or ponytail or braid she had it in. He thought about how when she stretched, her shirt rode up some, letting him see just a strip of pale flesh where her shirt didn't meet her waistband. He thought about sometimes her smile was mocking and sometimes it was teasing, but sometimes it was sincere and so beautiful.
She was lovely and smart, and Kal had never been any good with words, but he wished he had more to describe her. When they talked, she made him laugh, and when he succeeded in making her laugh, he felt warm inside.
Sometimes she called him 'Kal', like his mother, like his brother and his friends, and it made him feel like maybe he was coming to matter to her. Maybe.
She'd kissed him twice already.
Of course, she'd made it clear that she wasn't actually interested in him, and that the kisses had been conditional, once because he'd helped to save her mother and once because she'd needed him to help her chase away an unwanted suitor, but Kallel found he didn't care. A kiss was a kiss in his book, and knowing why she had kissed him didn't do anything to diminish the fact that it had happened. It didn't make him stop thinking about the way her lips had felt on his cheek, on his mouth, or how she'd had to stretch up onto her toes and lean into him to do it. One hand on his shoulder, supporting her weight.
She smelled nice, too. Soft and sweet, and that urge to bury his face in her hair, in the crook of her neck, between her legs was still there. If anything, it was stronger now.
But she didn't want him. And he could be fine with that. Having her friendship was enough. Having her help him was enough. The fact that he got to see her and was getting to know her was enough.
And still...when he was lying in his bed in the stillness of predawn, he let himself think about it. He was morning hard, his cock curling stiffly up towards his stomach under the sheets. He thought about that sincere smile on Haven's face and the way she might look at him. Those blue eyes gone darker with lust, with desire.
He thought about how she might ask him to kiss her, how she'd tip her face up for it, eyes fluttering closed. How her skin would feel under his fingers as he cupped her cheeks, thumbs smoothing over her cheekbones. Soft, warm, smooth. A light flush rising as he leaned down to capture her lips with his own.
Would she kiss like she did everything else? Take charge and methodical? Or would it be softer, gentler? Her letting him take the lead and making pleased noises.
Maybe she'd give as good as she got, tongue pressing past her lips to tangle with his. One hand fisted in his shirt, the other at his waist.
She'd taste sweet, he's decided on that. Her kisses and...elsewhere. Sweet and warm and addicting.
One hand moves from where it had been resting on top of his stomach above the sheets to slide under them and then lower, brushing the head of his cock and then lower still to grip the shaft in firm fingers.
Her hands were so much smaller than his own, and he wondered at how her hand would feel wrapped around him. No weapon calluses to roughen the grip, her fingers barely meeting around the girth of him. Would she be impressed? Scared?
Not every woman wanted to be stretched wide open by a large cock, he knew that well enough, but some women relished the challenge. Something made him think that Haven would be one of those women. She'd gasp, of course, murmur about the size, but she'd take control of it, work it with her hand before lowering her head to kiss the tip. Those soft lips brushing over such a sensitive area would be amazing.
His own hand began to move, slowly at first, just a tease. Not enough to get his blood really pumping. Yet. That would come later.
Kal's eyes fluttered closed and he imagined those lips. Petal pink and plump, bitten and kissed redder, wrapped around his cock. She'd go slow, and he'd tell her to if she didn't, let her ease her mouth around the head of him, starting there and get a feel for it before she opened wider and took in more.
"Stars," he murmured, pausing to slick his hand with his own saliva before he returned it to his cock, mimicking the motions he liked.
Slow to start. Slow, slow, slow. Down and then back up. Down further and then back up. Tongue lapping at what it could reach, swirling around the head. He'd tangle fingers in hair, just to hold on. Not to force. Never to force. She'd roll those beautiful eyes up to look at him, and he'd groan her name.
"Haven," he breathed into the bedroom, no one there to hear the sound. "Haven, please."
He's never begged before. Never had to. Being a warrior was dangerous, in theory at least, but it came with plenty of perks. Women on his planet were easily impressed by a man who could hold his own with a weapon and who defended the people. There had been no shortage of women interested in him, eager to please him, to do what he asked.
But he didn't think Haven would be like that. She'd like teasing him better, like making him admit what he wanted, and he'd have no problems telling her. Haven would give it to him, sucking his cock until he was so close to coming.
It wouldn't end there, though. That wouldn't be what he wanted or what she wanted either. 'Next time,' he'd tell her 'I'm going to find out what you taste like. But for now...'
He'd take her clothes off. Or maybe he'd watch her do it herself. Watch each inch of that pale skin be revealed and marvel at how lovely she was. He wouldn't be able to hold it back, either, just soft words and admiration spilling out of him until she was naked in front of him.
Kal would get naked too, of course, and he'd wave her back to the bed. She'd be gorgeous on top of him. Her hair spilling down her back, her breasts, soft and full, moving as she breathed harder. Her skin, flushed with desire. Desire for him.
His hands would find her hips, so shapely, but so small under his larger hands. They would move together.
She'd be tight, hot, wet, and Kal groaned as he tightened his hand around himself, hips bucking upwards as he thrust into his own fist. Haven wouldn't make him beg for this. She would want it just as much as he wanted it, and that would be apparent.
Her hands would be on his chest, bracing herself as she raised and lowered herself, hips rolling as she rode him. He would watch as each inch of his length disappeared inside of that tight sheath again and again, and feel it all the way to his toes how good it was.
His hand sped up under the sheet, and any pretense at teasing himself he was making was over now. All he could think about was her body, the way she'd respond to him, the way he would say her name to let her know how much he wanted her, how much he desired her.
As he got closer and closer to falling apart, he thought about Haven doing the same. Thought about the hitch in her breathing that might come before her orgasm, how his name would sound if s
he whimpered it softly, her nails biting into the flesh of his chest as she moved.
It was a heady image, and when he imagined her coming for him, her body going tight around him, his name spilling from her mouth in the form of a cry of pleasure, her head thrown back, hair a mess, lips parted, he lost it. The white hot sensation that had been building inside of him grew and spread, sliding slippery hot from his belly to his chest to the rest of him, making it impossible to be still as the climax broke over him.
His hand coaxed his release from him, and he called Haven's name as he came, hips bucking up and off of the mattress, the mess spilling out and slicking the way as he kept pumping himself through it.
When he was finally done, he was breathing hard, chest heaving as he lay on his back, the sheets pulled away from his body so as not to spread the mess.
The satisfaction of release was there, but the rest was missing. There was no one to hold afterwards, no lips to kiss, no hair to smooth back, and it left him feeling slightly hollow. Kal could only imagine what Haven would think if she knew that he fantasized about her, but somehow, no matter how guilty he felt for a bit afterwards, he couldn't stop doing it.
He sighed and then shuffled out of bed to clean himself up.
Once he came back into the room to get dressed, he saw that there was a message waiting for him on the screen of his comm device. It blinked merrily at him, the name HAVEN in all caps under the message symbol.
For some reason his mouth went dry with nerves, even though it was impossible for her to know what he had just done.
Kal grabbed the device and opened the message.
I hate mornings sometimes, it said. I always choose the opening shift when I can because it works better for me to get other stuff done. But I just want to sleep.
That was it. Nothing major or important. Just small talk. Something she might tell any friend she had. Still, it made him smile, and his lips stayed curved into that smile as he went about getting breakfast and planning out his day.
Chapter Eleven: The Spark