by Poppy Rhys
She imagined the look on his face, and it ate away at her. This time she didn’t shove it out of her mind, because she was really good at doing that. Instead, she let it weigh on her. Willa was ready to face the consequences of her actions. Granted, it wasn’t like she was getting a spanking. Not physically, anyway. It was the disappointment she knew she’d see in his face, and inevitably, her parents.
Turning a corner, she smacked into a hard chest, squawked, and stumbled backward.
“Willa.”
A large hand encircled her wrist, steadying her.
It was him.
A week she’d avoided him, and done a great job, not that her body hurt any less. Her chest felt like caving in, her eyelids felt like tender slabs of meat, and she’d gone through so many tissues, she feared she’d blown through half the ships stock.
Willa was sure she looked like death warmed over, and pan fried, but he gave her that look. The one that had her questioning if she really had created planets, and swirling nebulae. The one that made her stomach flip flop repeatedly and her heart speed up.
Beat-beat. Beat-beat. Beat-beat.
Her palm pressed against her chest, as if she could make it stop, or hold it down.
Moments of silence ticked between them as she looked up into his eyes. His face was an emotionless mask, reminding her how hard it was to guess what was going on in his mind.
Willa swallowed, and then said, “I’ve got somewhere to be.”
Her feet didn’t move.
“I’m going now,” she spoke aloud, as if trying to convince the muscles in her body to move.
They didn’t listen, and he just stood there, in her path, staring down at her.
Slowly, his hand raised, the same one that grabbed her wrist, and he brushed his rough knuckles across the curve of her jaw.
Willa’s eyes closed, and she felt that well of emotion bubble back up and threaten to make her cry, again.
Don’t do it, don’t do it, she chanted, willing her tear ducts to dry the hell up.
Why did he have to touch her like that? Like she was the most treasured thing he’d ever beheld. Why didn’t it make her feel weak? If anyone else touched her like that, she’d be offended, because she was a tough woman. She wasn’t fragile.
But Kyran’s caress didn’t feel demeaning. It made her feel wanted.
When she began caring about that, she had no idea. All Willa knew is that it felt good.
Despite her brain telling her to do one thing, and her body another, she caught his hand before he withdrew it, his knuckles brushing her chin. In the next blink, his fingers were uncurling and he was cupping her face.
The gentle touch sent a wave of warmth all the way to her toes. Something so simple gave so much comfort to her just then, she didn’t want him to let go, but inevitably, he did begin to take his hand back.
“Just a minute longer,” she heard herself say, fingers gripping onto his hand tightly as she leaned her face into his palm and looked up at him.
He stayed like that, for her, callused thumb brushing her skin, and she reveled in it.
Then, the mask cracked, and she saw the open hunger in his gaze. He was letting her see him, truly see, and it took her breath.
If he gazed at her like she hung the stars before, then this new expression made it seem as if she was the air in his lungs, and the warm sun on his face.
Willa drank it in, and her resolve be damned, because she wanted Kyran like she’d never wanted anything in her life. At that moment, she didn’t care if she was being selfish, or unfair; all she wanted was to be with him. Just for a little while longer.
She pressed a hand to his chest, the black fabric of his tunic warmed from the heat of his body. It pleasantly seeped into her blood, and she curled her fingers, the fabric bunching as she pulled, and lifted herself on tip toes.
Kyran met her halfway, their lips pressing together, and nothing had ever felt so satisfying.
She moved against his mouth, slowly, savoring the sparks rolling through her body. She felt alive, after days of feeling half dead, and overwhelmed.
Willa meant to stop at one kiss, but it turned into two, and two turned into a long, hungry third kiss. By the fourth kiss, his hand was cupping the back of her skull while the other held her tightly to him.
She lost track of how many kisses there were after that, and only recognized the coppery taste of blood after their teeth clashed again and his sharp tooth nicked her bottom lip.
Willa pulled back, breathless, and carefully swiped the thin track of blood on her chin. The endorphins rolling through her body were dizzying enough that the small sting barely fazed her, and certainly didn’t dampen the desire to feel Kyran’s naked flesh against her own.
“Sor-”
Willa cut off his apology with another lip lock, curling her fingers along his nape, twisting and gripping his mane. She let him press her up against the wall of the empty hallway. It held her up as her knees trembled, and her body took on a feathery lightness. She was sure she’d float away if his hands let her go.
Every inch of her felt his heat pulsing in waves toward her, as if by a strange magnetic force, and she sucked up every ounce of it.
When his hand cupped her ass, claws grazing between her thighs, she whimpered into his mouth as it worked over hers. Her knees gave out then, and he quickly held her up, tightening one arm around her middle while the other still kneaded her ass cheek.
The dizzying desire she felt was all consuming, like a drug. If she could bottle up that feeling, and sell it, she’d have more credits than she’d ever spend.
Willa needed to feel more of him against her.
At the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway, she broke the kiss. Whoever it was, they were heading in the opposite direction, but it woke her up.
“In here,” she breathed, slipping into an open doorway. He followed, and she pressed ‘lock’ on the panel inside, ensuring their privacy. She turned, her gaze falling on the floor to ceiling window that took up the entire side of the large area; the observation room.
They’d left warp earlier that morning, and were currently traveling around Rewinn Two’s golden moon. Already, they were wasting time on the trip home, since she wouldn’t be going down there to get back the necklace.
Willa watched as Kyran’s eyes widened, taking in the wowing sight before them.
“This is my favorite room in the ship,” she told him, coming up beside him. Stepping up to the glass, the lights dimmed automatically until they were completely dark, the only light in the room reflecting off the moon. “It’s beautiful.”
He looked at her then, face still open, readable and letting her in. “You are beautiful.”
Willa’s toes curled at his sincerity, but the sarcasm bubbled up before she could stop it. “I’ll forgive you for being cheesy this one time.”
His head tilted, confused, and then she closed the space between them, pressing her body against his, head tilting back as she begged for his kiss again.
His warm, full lips slanted against hers, and it was like they’d never been interrupted. Clothes came off left and right until they were both naked, hands roaming one another.
Every touch stoked the fire in her belly, and her thighs grew slick with arousal until she was nearly clawing him down on top of her.
Kyran lifted her only to lay her down on one of the long, cushioned benches. Her knees fell open, accommodating his narrowed hips as they slid against her like the perfect puzzle piece.
No words were exchanged. Everything was said with the fevered kisses they claimed, every caress, every shared breath.
Something primal, raw, cracked inside of her as they locked gazes and his cock burrowed its way into her, inch by hard inch. He never blinked, the moment full of vulnerability she’d never experienced before.
In that instance, it didn’t make her feel weak. He was breaking down every stigma she had, flipping the script on her.
When he was fully seated, he ground his hips ag
ainst her, his skin brushing against the rock hard nub of her clit.
“Oh!” she gasped, arms draping his shoulders, fingers knotting into his soft, onyx mane.
He pulled back, and ground against her again.
Willa’s eyes rolled, electricity pouring through her with every deliberate thrust of his hips. Her nipples rubbed against his chest, her skin against his, as he made love to her slowly.
She’d never experienced that before. It was always fast, hard, quick fucking. Only gratification mattered with the men of her past.
He pressed his lips across her face, never losing his rhythm, and Willa’s chest ached at the tenderness.
When his breathing became uneasy, offbeat, she was just as frazzled. When she felt his hips jerk, and press against her flesh in jittery thrusts, it hitched her closer to the edge.
He groaned, the deep vibrations making her tremble and squeeze around him. She felt him swell and burst, planting jet after jet of seed deep within her.
Willa pressed her lips against his, flying apart. Moaning into his mouth, breathing shared air, a warm, all consuming wave of heat rolled all the way down to her curled toes. She drew a sharp gasp, whimpering against him as he thoroughly rode her through it.
Limbs jittery, weak, she clasped his face between her hands as he rested his forehead against hers. Willa didn’t want the moment to slip away. She wanted to hold onto it forever, because in that small sliver of time, she felt whole.
Kyran withdrew, moving to his side, and spooning her to his body. For a time, they caught their breath, and watched the stars.
It gave her a minute to really think about everything that’d happened. She was still feeling selfish, because she didn’t want to let him go yet. Didn’t want to let him leave.
“What are you thinking?” His voice vibrated through her pleasantly. That strong arm tightened around her middle, and he kissed the curve of her shoulder.
The nanotech must’ve been working double time, because after a week, her implant smoothly translated his speech. It didn’t sound broken anymore, or words missing, replaced by the growling, and squeaking Khyma language.
“Lots of things,” she whispered, rubbing his arm.
A chuckle and fan of warm breath caressed her ear. Goosebumps popped up along her arms.
“That isn’t an answer.”
“Sure it is,” she smirked.
Without missing a beat, “What weighs on you the most right now?”
Willa laced her fingers with his, hugging it to her chest as she laid there. After wetting her dried throat, she said, “The future.”
Feathery kisses along her bared shoulder. Again, she was reminded of how gently he touched her.
“I think about the future too,” he finally whispered, hugging her close and resting his head against hers. “With you.”
Willa physically jerked, as if he’d slapped her. “With me?”
Damn her hopefulness, because those two words sparked an avalanche she couldn’t stop, and it was all she could do to remain calm, and breathe instead of shaking an explanation out of him.
“Yes,” he nodded against her, “with you. I gave much thought to your words of mates, and partners.”
Beat-beat. Beat-beat. Beat-beat.
She wanted to slap her heart and tell it to calm the fuck down.
When he didn’t say anything, her patience frayed. “And…?” she finally inquired.
“I want this with you.” His voice was low, sincere, almost questioning, like he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t reject him. And Willa was sorely tempted to automatically tell him he could find someone better, after all she’d done.
I can’t.
Even the thought of him with someone else welled up a fountain of jealousy so thick it made her skin itch. She wanted him to herself. All of him, every minute, every day, from that moment forth.
“It would be wrong of me to say yes.” Willa had to give him the chance to run, to take back his words.
He propped himself up on his elbow, pulling her shoulder until she was flat on her back, looking up at him. Swimming pools of blue stared down at her, like he was trying to peer into her mind and find out exactly what she thought.
“Why do you say this?”
“I-” she croaked, feeling her throat tighten, and cursing herself. “After everything I’ve done. You deserve someone who didn’t try to buy you-”
“No,” he said firmly, and it startled her. She’d never heard such a tone uttered from his mouth before, and it rendered her speechless. “That is the past, and it can stay there. Accept it, and move forward. We talk of the future right now, and I want you.”
Willa’s lips parted.
“Only you,” he gently grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
Shock, doubt, indescribable delight, and the urge to jump up and down like a girl that he wanted her in return, despite everything, assaulted her at once.
“Do you want this, too?”
Open, readable expression. Willa could see the question there, the vulnerability. He was putting his heart in her hands and she had the power to say no. She could do it, she could say no, and move on with her life.
But… Willa didn’t want to. If anything, avoiding him only made her feel worse. She didn’t want those feelings back. She wanted the good ones, the indescribable bliss she felt being wrapped in his arms, the heat of his skin, the feel of his callused hands, and the knowledge that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
And then she felt it, the word uttering from her lips like an out of body experience and altering the course of her future.
A future where she wouldn’t be alone.
“Yes.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Where are you going?”
Willa looked over her shoulder at Kyran as she got dressed. As much as she wanted to, there wasn’t time to lounge around in the glow of what just transpired between them. She had to get to Killian, confess, and get the ship back on route to Atomin; home. Or, at least, what had been her home for the past ten years.
“I’ve gotta go tell Killian to turn the ship around.” She redid her ponytail after straightening her shirt.
“What about your necklace?”
“I don’t need it.” Even though she said it, somewhere down in her guts, she still loathed the mental image of the disappointed looks she’d receive.
Willa shook herself, and turned. Kyran was standing there, in all his naked glory, blocking her path. He reached out, stroking the curve of her neck, and his earthy, citrusy musk wrapped itself around her. Already she felt her body inching toward his warmth, not wanting to leave his side.
“It’s important to you, though.”
Willa couldn’t deny that fact. “Yes, but-”
“We will go get it.” His tone was so sure, the single nod like a confirmation. She tamped down the hope in her chest, and shook her head.
“No, I can’t ask you guys to do that.”
“You don’t have to ask,” he rested both large hands on her shoulders, claws brushing against the fabric of her shirt. “Fight for you, always. Remember?”
Immediately, Willa braced herself against the snarky retort she was sure was hurling through her thin filter, but then… nothing happened.
She was sure she would’ve tasted some hint of sour aftertaste, feeling like his comments implied she couldn’t fight for herself, but she didn’t feel anything of the sort.
In fact, she felt… cared for.
These new feelings were altering her perception of how one person could feel about another, and just how right she felt with Kyran. Is that how it was between two lovers?
“I still have so much to tell Killian,” she argued, trying to resist the pull of his body heat. “I can’t backtrack now.”
Kyran nodded, his onyx mane rustling and making her fingertips itch. “Agree. We get necklace, then tell.”
Maybe he had a point. If she told Kill now, there was no way he would let her step
foot on that planet, rank be damned. Kyran was right. If there was any chance of getting Violet back, she had to stick to the original plan as much as possible.
Better to ask forgiveness than permission. Words she lived by lately.
“Okay,” Willa finally gave a nod, her lips slowly pulling into a grin. “Okay, we’ll get my necklace back.”
Kyran beamed down at her in return, but it quickly passed as he pulled the collar of her shirt aside to press his lips to her shoulder. An involuntary whimper eked from her throat.
“First,” he purred against her ear, making her shiver, “I want you again.”
Skies above. She wanted him again too.
“There’s no time.” Those words sounded a little too breathy for her liking, but it was hard to concentrate when his tongue traced the curve of her ear.
“I’ll be quick.”
Blasphemy!
“W-what?” Willa blinked repeatedly, the drowsy effects of the lust raving through her body making it hard to string thoughts together.
Kyran never responded, as he deftly got into her pants, and went down on his knees before her. When his mouth began its work, the necklace, and any sense of time went flying out the space shoot.
Fast learner wasn’t even the right term to describe her lover.
Willa bit her bottom lip to smother the goofy grin.
****
“Well, this is better than Tor’s, at least,” Tosh said flatly, eyeing the extensive cityscape around them.
Willa smirked, “You’re right. It doesn’t smell like shit.” The air smelled sweet, and fresh, despite there being no sign of plant life anywhere in the city before them. She knew there were dense jungles a fair distance outside the city though, so maybe the scent carried.
She and Tosh were once again wearing their cloaks that covered every inch of them. Somehow it didn’t feel right to walk around in the dress she had on underneath. Too much skin showed, and they didn’t need any more problems.
She had to focus. The party had already started an hour ago. They couldn’t be the first to arrive, nor show up too late.
“This is where Shu’do said the guy would be.” Willa glanced at the tall, glossy, obsidian tower before them. It was out in the open, along the main strip where monikers lit up the town in various bright colors. Transports floated up and down the roads, ground level, all the way up two hundred feet in the air.