by Tasha Black
But there was only a man holding a bunny. It sat calmly in his arms and accepted the patting and adoration of the group with quiet dignity.
Cecily longed to stroke those velvet ears.
“I don’t care what it eats, I want to pet it,” Solo announced.
Cecily laughed and approached with him.
The bunny submitted to their attentions with a cool indifference that was spoiled only by the endearing wiggling of his nose.
Solo’s hand grazed hers and she felt that zap of electricity between them that she’d felt at every accidental touch since they met.
They moved on down another hallway.
The person in front of Cecily stopped walking suddenly and she barely managed to avoid smashing into them.
Solo bumped into her, but caught her by the shoulders so she was in no danger of falling.
“I’m very sorry,” he said.
“No worries,” she said. “I think my backpack took the impact.”
She laughed, knowing her backpack was overstuffed. She always carried an extra sweatshirt, along and a few other necessities.
“Hey, what’s that on the zipper?” Solo asked, indicating the small silver star that dangled there.
“Oh, it’s just something my mom gave me,” she said. “It used to be a bracelet, but I outgrew it a long time ago.”
“I read your book,” Solo said carefully. “I’m sorry your mom died.”
Cecily swallowed over the lump that was suddenly in her throat. She’d thought she was past the sudden tears that used to prickle her eyelids. But Solo’s sincere and simple words had broken something open in her again.
“Do you have lots of mementos from her?” he asked as they passed yet another reptile cage.
“Not really,” Cecily said. “I travel a lot, so I can’t bring that kind of stuff with me.”
“Do you keep other things from your childhood that remind you of her?” Solo asked.
Cecily shook her head.
“Oh,” he said. “Does it make you feel sad that all your things are gone?”
“I’m not super sentimental,” Cecily said, shrugging. She didn’t like talking about the past, her mom, or any of the things that made her sad.
Solo nodded, but he looked troubled.
It hit her that he had just left everyone and everything he had ever known behind on Aerie.
“All of my stuff isn’t really gone,” she told him. “I have a storage locker back in Englewood.”
“Is that where you live when you aren’t traveling?” Solo asked.
“No, that’s my hometown,” she said. “When my mom died I went back to clean out the house so it could be sold. I got rid of almost everything, but I put a bunch of personal stuff in storage to worry about later.”
“When will you attend to it?” Solo asked.
“I don’t know,” Cecily shook her head. “The storage fee is cheap and I never really made a plan. I guess maybe I’ll leave it there forever.”
She tried to laugh, but it came out more like a sigh. The whole thing just made her sad.
But it was nice that Solo was curious.
They came up to another set of plexiglass cases. A small monkey hopped up and down on a square of wood, pointing at something in the wall.
A little girl ahead of them was waving back at the monkey.
“That monkey wants something,” Solo said.
They watched it for a moment. It pointed up at the wall, then pressed its little hand against its face.
“Oh,” Cecily said, realizing. “Look at that.”
A PVC pipe stuck out of the wall, the other end was just above the monkey’s little platform.
“Ah,” said Solo.
He approached the little girl.
“Excuse me,” he said politely. “I think the monkey wants you to put food in the pipe for him.”
The girl looked at the pipe in the wall, the monkey and Solo, her eyes dancing in delight.
The monkey jumped up and down, shoving imaginary food into its little mouth.
The girl snatched a cup of fruit from her tray and moved to dump it down the pipe. But in her excitement she spilled it and most of it fell into a floor grate.
“Oh no,” she cried.
Solo plucked the fruit cup off his own paper tray and handed it to her at once.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Madison,” her mother said reprovingly.
“It’s okay,” Solo said.
The mom looked him up and down appreciatively.
Cecily felt jealousy bubbling up.
But Solo had eyes only for the child, and the monkey, both of whom seemed positively giddy with anticipation.
The girl stood on her tiptoes to slide the fruit into the pipe and they all stepped back to watch as the monkey enthusiastically shoveled fruit into his mouth.
“Yes,” Madison cried, offering Solo a high five.
“Excellent,” he said, smacking her hand back lightly.
“Thank you,” the mother mouthed to him.
He smiled and shook his head, then moved back to Cecily.
“That was nice,” she said.
“Yes, I’m glad the monkey was pleased,” he replied.
“No, I meant it was nice of you to help the little girl,” she said.
“I like helping people,” he said.
“Want to help me feed the monkey?” Cecily asked, offering him her fruit cup.
He laughed.
For a moment she let herself enjoy the way the sound made her insides melt, the brilliant blue of his mirth-crinkled eyes, and the way his dark hair brushed his forehead, as if even it couldn’t resist the desire to caress him.
9
Solo
Solo leaned against the wall and watched Cecily use the baby bottle to feed a small pig.
Though she had hesitated about nearly every animal interaction in this place, the moment she saw the piglets Cecily’s eyes lit up and she dashed over to feed them.
Solo would have liked to feed a small pig himself, but it was even more pleasant to watch Cecily do it, so he gave her his bottle as well.
She leaned over the barricade and crooned to the piglet, who looked up at her intently as he drank.
And who could blame him?
Solo was looking at her intently, too.
Cecily was radiant. She smiled and the sunlight brought out the touch of auburn in her curls. As far as he was concerned she was more beautiful than any actress in any movie.
Things were better between them. He wasn’t sure why, but he was glad.
“Time to go,” Kate said as she walked past. “I’m going to find Bea and Buck.”
Kate and Kirk had been pouring cup after cup of treats down a tube to a black bear, which sat at the bottom, solemnly slurping the morsels as they arrived.
Bea and Buck were still inside with the monkey.
“That was really fun,” Cecily admitted, heading toward him with a big smile and two empty baby bottles.
“It was,” he agreed, smiling down at her.
They walked slowly out to the parking lot, where the setting sun painted the sky behind the RV a vivid pink.
Cecily yawned.
“I’ll drive again,” Bea offered as she and the others approached.
“Awesome,” Kate said. “We’re a bit behind schedule because of the stop, but we should be able to make it up on the highway.”
“No sweat,” Bea said. “I’ll make up the time.”
“Carefully,” Kate said.
“Yeah, of course,” Bea agreed.
They all climbed in. Cecily sat beside Solo on one of the double seats.
A moment later the engine rumbled and they were back on the road.
Cecily yawned again and gazed out the window, then leaned back, casually resting herself against Solo.
Solo held his breath, marveling at the soft heat of her body against his.
None of her memories invaded. He was aware only of the soft
sweet warmth of her body.
After a moment, he wrapped an arm around her and leaned back against his seat.
The RV bumped and bustled along on its journey as Bea and Buck talked quietly in the front seat. Kate and Kirk pored over a magazine together.
And Solo tried to memorize the fragrance of Cecily’s hair, the sweet weight of her head against his chest.
Though his body hummed with lust, it was the honeyed ache of his heart that kept him from sleeping.
10
Cecily
Cecily awoke with Solo’s arms around her.
It was dark already and the others were whispering.
“Hey sleepyhead,” Kate murmured to her.
“Are we there?” Cecily asked.
“Yeah, we made it,” Kate said. “But we’re a little later than we planned because somebody had to stop at that zoo.”
“I regret nothing,” Bea called back from the driver’s seat where she was gathering her stuff.
“It was fun,” Kate admitted. “Anyway, I just ran in to get the keys to our rooms but they already gave one to someone else. Are you two okay sharing a room?”
“Uh, sure,” Cecily said. “That’s fine.”
In truth her heart was pounding with an anticipation she didn’t want to deliver on.
It’s just a room. Keep your head in the game. You’re not getting together with him.
But she wasn’t sure she could resist. Even now the thought of extricating herself from his arms just to get out of the RV was all but impossible.
Kate winked at her, dropped a key in her hand, and jogged back to grab her own stuff.
Cecily sighed.
Solo’s arms loosened.
“You’re tired, why don’t you go relax, I’ll carry our stuff,” he said.
“That’s okay, I can carry my own stuff,” she said.
But he grabbed her backpack and both of their suitcases anyway.
She climbed out and checked the number on the key.
The motel was really a series of little cottages. They followed the directional signs to #7. It was a small white clapboard thing, set back under the pine trees. It looked suspiciously romantic.
Cecily strode up to the front door and slipped the key into the lock. The door opened into a simple room with a table and chairs, a bureau and a queen sized bed.
“One bed,” Cecily said out loud before she could stop herself.
“I’ll sleep in the chair,” Solo told her as he entered, placing their bags on the top of the bureau.
They studied the small wooden chair.
“We can share the bed,” she said. “No funny business, though.”
“What is funny business?” Solo asked, sounding mystified.
“Never mind,” Cecily said. “I’m going to take a shower, ok?”
“Okay,” he echoed. “I’ll unpack.”
Under the warm water of the shower, Cecily promised herself that she would crawl into that bed and go right to sleep.
As she smoothed lotion onto her legs after the shower, she reminded herself why it didn’t make sense to get into a relationship.
While she pulled on her most modest pajamas, a silky tank top and shorts that she noticed were not very modest after all, Cecily focused her thoughts on how much she enjoyed her career, which kept her on the road at least ten months out of the year. It was not a good career for a person who wanted a relationship. And she didn’t want a relationship.
She left the bathroom to find Solo had unpacked his things and set her backpack on the table. The bedside lamp gave the room a gentle glow.
“I think I’ll take a shower too,” he said, grabbing his stuff and heading to the bathroom.
Cecily organized her things and laid out an outfit for the next day. She plugged in her phone.
She tried not to listen to the shower water, or to picture Solo’s big body, lathered with soap.
A few minutes later he emerged and she caught her breath.
He was naked but for a towel slung around his hips. A few drops of water trailed down his chest and abs.
There were no words to describe the perfection of his body or the ice blue of his eyes that seemed to be melting into an ocean of need as he gazed at her.
Cecily had fought this attraction, fought it with everything she had.
But this was too much. It was all too much. She was only human.
As she stood staring at him, he began to move toward her like a big cat on the prowl.
Cecily was struck by the restrained energy that seemed to coil through his muscular body.
He moved slowly, the tiger giving the gazelle time to flee.
But Cecily didn’t want to flee, couldn’t have moved even if she did. She was caught in a field of energy that seemed to surround him, mesmerized by the heat of his gaze.
She was ready to be devoured.
“Cecily,” he said carefully, when he was a golden inch away from touching her.
There was power in the growl of his voice, but she wasn’t afraid.
Cecily tilted her chin up to accept his kiss.
11
Solo
Solo gazed into Cecily’s eyes, indulging himself with a single instant of anticipation.
Then he bent to press his lips to hers, sealing their unspoken bargain at last.
She moaned softly and he smiled against her mouth.
He had designed this body, selected it specifically for himself. It was long, lean and well-muscled - an efficient machine for life on this planet, and sculpted to appeal to the aesthetic tastes of any human female lucky enough to come across it.
If it pleased her, Solo was proud of a job well done.
She shivered with desire in his arms.
A corresponding wave of lust was nearly his undoing. This was a dangerous game he played. It would require iron control.
He cupped her cheek and deepened their kiss.
Cecily kissed him back passionately.
Solo slid his hand down from her cheek to caress her hair, her back.
Cecily pressed closer to him and he felt her breasts through the thin fabric of her shirt. The sensation was incredible. He could feel the soft warmth as they flattened against his own chest, her stiff nipples the only bit that didn’t mold itself to him.
He slid both hands under her bottom and lifted her up.
Cecily made a small surprised sound but didn’t break their kiss. Instead she twined her arms around his neck and locked her ankles at the small of his back.
He climbed into the bed with her, pinning her to the mattress with his hips.
Cecily stroked his shoulders and slid her hands into his hair as he devoured her mouth.
His cock raged against the confines of the towel. Solo pulled away from the kiss to gather himself.
Cecily gazed up at him, her eyes soft with lust, her lips swollen.
He leaned down again and brushed her collarbone with one feather-light kiss, and another.
Her nipples strained against the fabric of her shirt.
He nuzzled one and then the other.
Cecily gasped.
Solo slid one hand under her shirt, lifting it up to reveal her beautiful breasts. He lowered his head to lick one nipple into his mouth.
It pouted against his tongue and he sucked lightly.
Cecily caught her breath.
He kissed his way to her other breast, toying with the first with his hand as he licked and sucked.
Cecily’s hands clenched the sheets and he felt her hips lift against his.
He hoped he could satiate her hunger.
She wasn’t ready for them to belong to each other. No matter what she told him now, it would only be her need talking. But he hoped that if he could pleasure her without clicking with her, it might strengthen the bond they already shared.
He tucked his fingers into her silky waistband and she lifted her bottom to help him slide her shorts and panties off.
He kissed his way down her belly and
nudged her thighs apart.
She spread them willingly for him, and his heart surged with gratitude.
Though he had watched many films at the lab that were designed to stimulate his sexual organs, they were nothing but a shadow, a meager appetizer compared to the sensual feast before him.
Cecily’s sex was pink as a shell and glistening, the heat and delicate fragrance that clung to her irresistible.
And this wasn’t a strange woman on a flickering screen. This was Cecily, his Cecily, the brave and funny woman he adored, real and warm, allowing him to see her and touch her in this way.
Solo took a breath and begged himself to go slowly and draw out the moment for as long as possible.
He lowered his mouth and tasted her.
Cecily cried out helplessly.
Unable to restrain himself, Solo responded with what he knew she wanted, long, deep strokes of his tongue.
Cecily tangled her hands in his hair, her hips trembling.
He slid one finger against her opening and pressed it inside slowly, reveling in the velvety heat that enveloped it.
His cock pounded against the mattress.
By the three moons of Aerie, give me strength.
Cecily whimpered and lifted her hips against his mouth.
He licked around his finger, searching, and found what he was looking for.
Cecily cried out as he applied his efforts to the stiff little bud that seemed to swell and pout against his tongue.
He slid his finger slowly in and out of her delicious heat and teased and tormented her swollen clitoris until she was panting and her hands clutched in his hair.
“Please,” she whispered.
The word cut through him and he gave her the quick, firm strokes she craved.
He could feel the exact moment when her ecstasy overtook her. She stilled beneath him then clasped around his finger in a series of fluttering contractions, her clit stiff against his tongue as she cried out her pleasure.
When she had stilled, he crawled up beside her.
Cecily’s cheeks were pink and her eyes shiny. She looked both relaxed and surprised.
“Wow,” she whispered.