by Shona Husk
Lunar Reunion
Shona Husk
Book 2 in the Decadent Moon series.
Six years ago Filid made the mistake of falling for another officer in the Allied Planetary Military. He walked away before they both did something they’d regret. Yet he can’t get her out of his mind, even now.
Silva has never forgotten Filid, but he is the last person she expects to see on the pleasure resort of Decadent Moon. This time she won’t let him walk away without exploring the fantasies she had about being with him.
Filid wants more than one night. This time he is determined to hold onto her no matter the cost.
Inside Scoop: Filid comes equipped with sexy tentacles that cannot be missed!
A Romantica® futuristic erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Lunar Reunion
Shona Husk
Chapter One
The doors to the pilots’ bar on Decadent Moon slid open. The opaque glass gave privacy to the people who made their chits flying among the stars. On the opposite side of the bar was a window that looked out onto the ice planet below. Silva drew in a reverent breath.
The view was spectacular and always made her gasp. The shining white-and-blue surface glistened invitingly. Now that was natural beauty. While Decadent Moon was a manmade marvel and a testament to engineering feats, it was also a reminder what an obscene amount of chits and a desire for everything could produce. The planet below stole the spotlight from the sexy shows and legal drugs. The icy surface was crisscrossed with what appeared to be a web of delicate lines. But those lines were canyons that had swallowed whole ships. No one who went down there ever returned.
Lethal beauty. She loved it. A smile formed. Best view in the galaxy? Definitely in her top three.
The aerial forest of Jhela-3 couldn’t be rivaled. Trees growing on clouds, giant winged creatures and insects as big as she was. The week hiking there had been the trip of a lifetime and had taken a huge bite out of her savings. But what was the point of piloting cruise liners for the rich if not for the chits and the sights?
The moment she got tired of flying or seeing new worlds she’d quit.
Silva wondered how many other pilots in the bar said the same thing. Her gaze shifted to the occupants of the bar, most gave her a nod after checking out her uniform. It was a rather bright red emblazoned with the corporate logo and her name. There were a couple of aliens in the green uniforms of a rival company that ran smaller more personalized tours. Even a couple of aliens in plain clothes, private pilots perhaps? Then her gaze slid to the two men in the dark blue of the Allied Planetary Military. One was Amayan, tall and fine boned with skin like midnight, and the other was a Klokian. His skin was as white as the ice below. Her heart kicked over as the long tentacles that grew instead of hair, fur or feathers lifted off his head, as if he was noticing her arrival without even turning.
For one mission in the APM she’d had a Klokian military police officer on board. Filid had been amazing and fascinating, his culture so different from hers. He’d been the only male to ever even tempt her to break the no-fraternization rule. But they’d come close once. An almost kiss that hadn’t even involved lip contact, just the soft brush of a tentacle over her cheek. That touch had promised so much more before he’d done the right thing and pulled away, leaving her aching for something she could never have.
His tentacles had fascinated her. They weren’t alive in their own right—not like some species who had formed a symbiotic relationship with another creature. On a Klokian they were like extra limbs, or sensory organs. The Klokian were telepathic and it was their tentacles that picked up the thoughts for them to read.
Filid had let her touch them once after they’d had a couple of drinks and their guard had been down. Tentacles no thicker than her finger had wrapped softly around her wrist, caressed her skin. Heat had flared in his eyes that she didn’t need to be telepathic to read. And she’d no doubt he’d been able to read her like a plex screen. She’d wanted him even though she couldn’t have him—not without them both losing their jobs. After that there’d been less-than-accidental contact, as if they were magnets that couldn’t pull away. Despite the risks, they’d danced around each other even though they both knew it couldn’t go any further.
The untapped desire had frustrated them both to the point where lust had become anger. They hadn’t parted friends. She shivered as the memory swirled through her blood and twisted in her belly. Never fixing things with Filid was the one regret she carried.
Later she’d watched pornos on her plex about the things those tentacles could do and the pleasure that could be had. At night she’d imagined Filid doing those things to her. But he was long gone from her life by then, on another ship and on another mission. Interspecies porn had been hot property in the APM, as if watching what they couldn’t do would take the edge off the need.
On cruise liners the no-frat rule applied to staff and passengers—sometimes that rule made for a long stretch between fucks. She needed to get laid in the next ten trics before she was due back on the Lunar Bird. Her body was making mating pheromones and she was sure the other pilot had wrinkled his nose in disgust when they’d swapped shifts.
Pity he was immune to his own scent, somewhere between rotting hairfruit and ghabra dung. However, interspecies relations had been drummed into her by the APM, and she knew how to be polite even if the other pilot didn’t.
The pilots’ bar was the perfect place to find someone. Reserved for pilots and navigators of the ships that docked, it was the Moon’s way of saying “thank you and spend some extra chits”. It was also a way of picking up an easy lay that didn’t expect her to swap plex numbers.
She glanced at the Klokian again, memories of Filid now close to the surface. With a sway of her hips she sauntered over to the bar with the sole aim of getting her complimentary drink and getting the Klokian male into a bed…or at least into a quiet dark corner in one of the many shows.
His tentacles lifted up as if he was sensing her move closer, the movement was so familiar a lump formed in her throat. Maybe this was a bad idea and she should pick someone else. Then he turned his head. His strong nose was in profile for a moment before he swiveled on his seat.
Her heart forgot to beat.
Filid. My Filid.
She almost broke step.
Of all the men, in all the bars, on all the inhabited moons.
He was as beautiful as ever, but the apparent fragility of his white, almost luminescent, skin was a lie. It was like armor, tough and not quite smooth, and you never bet against a Klokian in a fist fight—she’d learned that one the hard way when she’d first joined the APM.
Filid scanned her uniform. “Lunar Bird?”
Silva nodded and took the seat next to him. “It’s bit clunkier than an APM xi-wing.” She smiled, hoping to see a flicker of recognition in his dark-blue eyes.
Did he remember her as the pilot he’d almost seduced? Or was she just another brown, spotted alien in his eyes? She hadn’t been once. She remembered his eyes being hot with lust. Right now there was lukewarm interest.
He seemed more guarded than he had been. Had he learned to put up walls?
That he was so open was one of the reasons she’d been so attracted. He came from a society that was based on honor and honesty—it had to be when thoughts were virtually on display. She came from a place where lying and cheating to get ahead was expected. After the war Lekithia was ruined.
His expression didn’t change as he gave her a more thorough inspection. Did he see her not-so-polished boots and her less than perfectly pressed uniform? She no longer had to maintain the high APM standards of dress. However, her hair was braided, as it always had been. His gaze paused on her hair. She remembered him running h
is hands over her braid and bringing to his lips. He’d been as fascinated in her hair as she’d been by his tentacles. Yet there was nothing more in his eyes when his gaze settled on her again.
Filid didn’t know her.
Silva tried to ignore the stab of pain that caused. She’d thought of him often in the five years since she’d left the APM. Had he moved on and forgotten her? Obviously he had.
She wanted to say something but didn’t want to make the first move. Since he didn’t remember her it would be awkward. However, the old attraction was still there. She wanted him, and this time she could have him. If she also pretended not to know him. Could she push aside the feelings she’d once had for him and just act on lust?
“I bet it is.” He smiled, revealing his dark teeth. Then the grin widened and it reached his blue eyes the way she remembered. He was as devastatingly handsome as he’d been six Allied Standard years ago and her body remembered the old longing. Her nipples peaked and pressed against her undershirt. She’d come here looking for sex and had found Filid. The one man she’d never been able to have, even though she once had considered trading her pilot’s wings for him.
She was glad she hadn’t because then she might have hated him for grounding her. And she’d have never expected him to give up his posting and position. But things were different now.
Filid sipped his drink. “Miss the APM?”
A little, but not enough to ever go back. Which was the way she felt about Lekithia as well. She’d go back to Lekithia as soon as she’d seen enough of the galaxy. As soon as she had enough chits put away. Now she was sure she was just avoiding going home, ever. Flying on the other hand she loved. Civilian flying was more fun and she got shot at less. “Not really.”
But she missed him. They’d had a chance and mucked it up. Even if he didn’t recognize her, was it possible he could be interested in something fun and short term? Did she want him enough to pursue it even though he didn’t know her anymore? If she was honest, she’d been half hoping he’d recognize her the way she had him. That he’d be glad to see her and they could do all the things they’d never gotten to do with the APM regulations between them. She swallowed and shook off the doubts. He was here; she could still cross him off her list. No regrets was her motto and he was a beautiful blot in her life.
Unless of course he was merely being polite in talking to her and he had no interest in sex. Only one way to find out—keep him talking for a bit and look for clues. She was so tempted to say something to jog his memory, but if he couldn’t remember on his own, maybe it was easier just to go along with it. Pretend they’d never met before today and keep things simple.
Silva rested her elbow on the bar and angled her body toward him. “Flying the Lunar Bird I get a mini holiday with every stopover.”
“Different guy in every spaceport?” His tentacles moved as he was talking, the way some people moved their hands. What was he sensing from her? She knew that he couldn’t read her thoughts exactly, only emotions. Once that had been enough—more than enough, the idea that someone could possibly read every thought in her head was scary. She didn’t know how he coped when he went home.
She grinned and tried to sound as though she didn’t care that he didn’t remember her even though she’d often thought of him alone at night. She was going to enjoy this stopover and she was going to get laid. “You know how it works.”
Back then she couldn’t have Filid, so she’d had some random guy in the first spaceport, anything to stop the aching lust. It hadn’t helped. And the tension between them had risen.
Silva glanced at the Amayan. Their culture was so repressed and bound up in rules that it made serving in the APM look like a holiday. Was Filid with the Amayan man? Or had they simply arrived together? How together were they? Talk about contrast. The idea of being between the two of them…she almost shivered with delight.
Filid laughed and his tentacles slithered over his shoulder, trying to get closer to her. He’d read her thoughts as if she’d written them down and handed them over, but she refused to let her skin heat. He would’ve only sensed a strong desire as she’d looked at both men. It would’ve been easy to fill in the gap.
“Tadao is my pilot. We’re here for prisoner collection and to enjoy the Moon until the dock opens again for departures.” He took a moment to slowly check her out, but his expression gave nothing away. His tentacles did. They moved as if they had minds of their own—which they didn’t, as he’d explained how they worked to her once—but they were receptors of sorts, picking up signals that no one else could.
He could have been anything he wanted in the APM, yet he had chosen to be a cop.
She wanted to reach out and trace her fingers over his rough hide and run her tongue over his lips. How would his kiss feel? Hard? Soft? Would she like the feel of his skin on hers? Her tongue darted over her lip in a calculated move. What would he do with that lusty impression?
His eyes widened a fraction and a couple of tentacles eased forward. Not close enough to touch, but enough to let her know he was getting interested. It was time to know how interested. Was he keen for some private fun? “Well you won’t see much of the Moon sitting in the pilots’ bar.”
She let desire blossom as her lips curved. Let him think she was only interested in one thing. He didn’t need to remember her for her to enjoy the sex and she needed some of that. Perhaps she’d be able to get him out of her thoughts once and for all.
“No, but I want to finish my free drink first.” He beckoned the bartender over. “You should claim yours.”
She should…she had ten trics. Long enough for a drink and a fuck. And so far despite Filid not recognizing her, he was the only one she wanted in the bar. Had he been planning on picking up before she’d walked in?
The bartender placed her order down in front of her. Arvarkian beer with its simple sweet taste was what she always got. It was available in all good bars across the galaxy, and while she’d tried other drinks she always came back to the beer where she could get it. Unlike some of the drinks here, it wasn’t pretending to be classy or something it wasn’t. She brought the chilled glass to her lips but looked at Filid as she took a slow sip.
He watched, his gaze lowering to her lips. “If it’s free, you should get something expensive.”
“Expensive doesn’t guarantee I’ll like the taste.” But she was sure she’d like the taste of him after waiting for so long. “So, how well can you read my thoughts?” Silva tried to keep her voice light, even though she knew the answer. He’d know that she was interested in more than conversation.
Filid considered her for a moment. “Enough to know that we are here for the same thing.”
Filid had recognized Silva the moment she’d walked in. Her emotions had felt familiar in his mind, and he’d turned to see who it could be. He’d felt her shock at seeing him, but instead of saying something she’d stayed silent. And he wasn’t sure that he wanted to make a declaration of remembrance. It had been complicated with Silva and had ended worse. They’d had to work together, and they’d come so close to breaking the rules of the APM. Something that would have cost them rank and privilege.
Now it was too late to say anything, yet he couldn’t let her walk away so soon. Not yet, not after all this time.
As he watched her sipping her beer with heat in her dark eyes, he wondered if he shouldn’t have thrown caution into the flux six years ago and seen what would happen. Would they have fizzled out after the lust had been sated or would they have lasted? Had he walked away from something worth holding on to? He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice…however, they were back into complicated territory.
Maybe she didn’t actually remember him and it was his ego giving weight to her emotions. Still, desire was a pretty hard emotion to misread, and she wanted him.
He’d never stopped wanting her.
She was exactly as he’d remembered. Her long dark hair pulled back into a simple braid that emphasized the tr
i-clustered spots on her face and her wide lips. Her uniform hugged every small curve. The flare of her hips and butt had mesmerized him more than once.
Like old times he could read the lust rolling off her. It had almost killed him when she’d taken the urge somewhere else at the first commerce station they’d reached. Another day in space and they might have done something stupid. Perhaps she’d been the smart one.
When Silva had left the APM, she’d vanished even though he’d tried to find her. Now here she was and he wasn’t going to let her find her pleasure with someone else on the Moon. Nor was he going to invite his pilot to play even though she’d had those thoughts. He wasn’t sure his pilot would know how to play those games.
No, until the dock opened and he had to leave, Silva was going to be his.
Even if they were both playing at being strangers. Maybe that was easier. This could be a onetime thing that didn’t need to be contaminated with the past or the lack of future.
She smiled at him. That smile that had almost made him willing to break the rules he was sworn to uphold. She’d always seemed so fragile, her spotted skin soft and delicate, yet she flew machines at speeds that seemed impossible and she had combat medals that she never spoke about. Her homeworld was a mess and yet she’d always seemed to know what she was doing. Organized and efficient. The epitome of what an APM officer should be. But then every Phrial he’d run into in the APM had joined because they wanted more. They were driven and determined.
Filid wasn’t surprised to find her flying one of the largest cruise liners, for one of the best companies. She wouldn’t have settled for anything less.
He’d joined because the career selector on his home world had channeled him into medicine. He didn’t want to do that. He’d wanted to choose his own path. Klokian society was stable because people like him didn’t stay. Centuries ago when wars were still fought he’d have been drafted to the front line. He could’ve had therapy to help him fall into place, plenty did and they were happy. But he’d always known that wasn’t for him. While he could read minds he couldn’t alter them, nor did he want people altering his.