Oz kissed her passionately, then leaned her gently down on the bed, one hand behind her head and the other caressing her cheek as he kissed her. He lay down beside her and held her close against him, his hand running up and down her back, sending shivers through her.
Molly snuggled into him, resting her face against his solid chest. She pressed her face up again to kiss him. Her body expanded as joy coursed through her. Thank all the stars, in all the heavens, that he had been there, that he had come somehow in time. How had he ever known?
She kissed him as urgency consumed her. His lips melted against hers, and his tongue searched inside her mouth. Hunger grew inside her until she could barely stand it.
Molly pulled his shirt up, and he fumbled to get it over his head, revealing his hard, defined chest muscles and abs. She ran her hands down his chest, loving the contrast of her white skin against the green hue of his.
Molly moved her hands more wildly. She pulled at his pants, tugging them downward slightly, trying to communicate what she wanted. He must want it too. What was taking so long?
Oz disentangled himself and pulled back. “Molly, are you sure? I—”
Molly nodded her head wildly, feeling light as the panic rose from her body. “Yes. I really. I’m—” Her voice hitched. “—Sure.” She lilted forward to kiss his mouth, feeling the need spilling out uncontrollably, empty except this one thing. She yanked at his pants again, even rubbing the front where his hard shaft strained against the fabric.
Oz groaned and closed his eyes. His hips pressed forward to rub himself against her hand. He grabbed her waist pulling her tight against him.
He pulled up her nightgown revealing her breasts. He bent down to pull a breast into his mouth, circling her nipple with his tongue.
Molly gasped as the hunger almost overcame her and panted hard. He tugged her underwear down, his hand caressing up and down her sides.
She pulled herself onto him, straddling him with her naked legs. She rocked against him desperate, an empty need surging through her, demanding to be filled.
His hands worked frantically to undo the fastenings on his pants, yanking them down, followed quickly by his underclothes.
Oz pulled Molly to him again, his body naked, his mouth kissing her. He reached down and fumbled around at himself. “Molly, I—”
She grabbed his shaft.
He moaned softly in her ear, bucking his hips slightly, sending another lightning shot of need through her.
She adjusted, gliding down over him, surrounding him, gasping as his shaft filled her.
A shiver ran through her. It was so good. Finally.
Oz froze beneath her with a half-pant, his eyes wide.
Molly arched her back and slid down even further, allowing him to fill her even more, stretching herself open to him, letting him complete her.
Oz gasped beneath her.
Need raced through her insides and up her chest. She wrapped one hand behind his head and one behind his back and slid up and down his shaft, tilting her hips as she moved, enjoying the feel of him as he rubbed at her insides.
He moaned again, still frozen, his member straight and hard inside her. His eyes were wide and hungry as he watched her, almost confused.
She slid up and down him, and he jerked beneath her. She took him in as far as she could, his member spearing into her so deeply, and she rolled her hips so he rubbed against her perfectly inside, making her quiver.
A moan left her again, pulling from her core, anxious need, but she deliberately slowed down, circling her hips so that his member rubbed inside her again, watching his reaction and feeling the tide rise in her.
His mouth hung open, and his eyes were heavy-lidded. His arms… glowed. Then his whole body lit up like a fiery light that burned inside him.
“Molly—” he called softly, almost begging; his hands clutched at her arms. “I—” He moaned and a fierceness came over his face.
He grabbed her waist, holding her onto him, and he rocked his hips up into her. Molly’s eyes rolled back as he penetrated her roughly. The man was so deep inside her, rubbing everything.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him as he rolled them over. Above her now, he jammed his hips into her, spearing her hard into the mattress. Over and over he rocked hard into her, one hand absently clutching her breast. He stared at her possessively as he speared roughly into her, again and again.
Molly felt herself rising. She wrapped her legs tight around him as the wave built. She panted, losing control, feeling it coming. Her back arched, her whole body clenching. Then she exploded, and her body shattered beneath him. A moan ripped from her as she came.
He froze, reaching down to nip at her neck, then he increased his pace, rocking into her, pounding her again and again until he broke too, freezing as he spilled his seed inside her. He panted and collapsed onto her.
He kissed her cheek, moving to her neck. He dragged his teeth across her jawbone and licked her sensuously. “I had no idea that would be so much fun.” He nipped at her again then bent over to kiss her mouth. His lips danced across her naked chest. He pulled back as he gazed upon her with soft eyes.
“So amazing.” His tail wrapped around one of her arms, and the end flicked at her nightgown.
He held her nightgown up by her neck, glancing down at her. “Your breasts are so beautiful.” He bent down and circled her nipple with his tongue, then scraped it with his teeth.
Molly’s mouth dropped open. It felt incredible.
As her nipple hardened, Oz pulled back with a smile.
23
Oz
Oz had never felt anything like it before. He kissed Molly’s naked shoulder. The feel of her soft skin against his lips pulled a fast desire through his body to do it again. He felt himself grow hard and ready.
Oz gathered control of himself with difficulty. He must get Molly dressed and away from himself soon. She’d been in shock. He almost hated himself for taking advantage of her, even as he wished he could pretend it was only because she wanted him.
“We should get dressed, make sure everything is good on the ship, that they don’t need anything.”
Oz pulled Molly’s nightgown down, covering her. He reached over and handed her underwear to her. Nerves flitted through him. What must she be thinking of him to take advantage of her like that? He rattled on, mumbling things he was only half-aware of. “At least we are mated now, shah la mah lo ma. I can find some place safe for you to live, get you off this ship. Actually, we have a station; it’s hidden away. That might be a good place for now.”
His thoughts scattered, replaying things in his mind, horrible possibilities that made him shudder. He couldn’t believe the Suhlik had thwarted his security so easily. They’d had no warning. To think of how proud he’d been of his ship’s defenses, of his designs.
Only luck had saved his mah lo ma.
Molly adjusted her nightgown down, and Oz noticed her hand shaking. She was still too shaken by the attack.
“The doctor should be able to test you soon, verify that this was enough so that you won’t have to stay on the ship anymore.”
Oz felt his heart lighten. No more danger that he couldn’t protect her from. “Molly, wherever we settle you, just don’t say anything to anyone about the attack. We can’t have the Vargys council over-react to this and withdraw our travel permit.”
She drew back, obviously upset. “Wherever you settle me? You mean, like you could settle me back on Earth?”
“Earth?” His thoughts cleared, but disappointment settled in. It would be too far to ever see her again, but he couldn’t be so selfish. “Yes, of course. Well, not right away. After the baby is born, I suppose.”
“Hah. Right.” Molly had pulled on her coverings and was sitting at the end of the bed, staring at the door. “I have to go; I have to get out of here.”
Oz glanced over quick and felt sympathy flood him. “Molly, I shouldn’t have mentioned the attack. You’ll be safe no
w. You’ll see.”
“Get. Out. Of. My. Sight.”
Oz recoiled as though he had been slapped. The fire that had been racing through his blood at such a feisty mating cooled and settled to ice. His tattoos faded.
“Let me just clear your room. If you stay here, I can take care of it. I’ll let you know once things are restored.”
Molly faced the wall. She seemed to be watching the canopy of the trees and the leaves moving in the wind. The emotions must be rushing in now: anger at him for failing her, for letting her be almost—
“Molly, I’m so humbled by the attack. I will re-double my efforts to keep you safe until we can get you situated in a safer place.”
“Yes. You do that.”
Molly didn’t look at Oz, so he completed dressing and stepped outside, letting the door slide shut behind him.
Should he bring in the doctor? Would she need something to sleep after such an ordeal? Oz started toward the front of the ship and the medical bay. No. Better to get Molly’s room cleaned first. She would feel more comfortable in her own space.
It was as he was cycling the dead Suhlik into space, and setting the mini-robots to deep-clean the room to the molecular level, that he puzzled over the feisty mating again. He felt himself grow hard at the thought of rolling with his mah lo ma again. It would be unbearable to only mate with her on the rare occasions that they were in the same area of space. If she went back to Earth, he would never get to mate with her again, or even see her again.
Yes. He must convince her of another option that would allow him to be with her. He was sure he could convince her, even if only for the sake of a child having both parents present in its life for as long as possible. Since they were no longer on the Vargys world and had no verlok to trouble them, perhaps they could keep the boy with them for many years.
He felt weak at the thought of losing her, at what had almost happened. More than his desire to roll with her again, one thing was certain: Molly must never be in danger again.
24
Molly
The ship docked with a space station of some kind. It came into view outside of Molly’s tiny viewscreen in her room. She found courage to turn an entire wall into a view of space. They were docking beside a giant space station which seemed dark with some neglected air about it.
Even though her room was clean now, Molly made a wide swath around the center of the room. She felt herself freeze up at the slightest creak. Last night, when she’d opened the door, Oz had been at her floor again. He leapt to his feet to be at her aide.
Molly rolled her eyes at that. “Don’t be here next time,” she said coldly. “I don’t want you around.”
“I just wanted to be here if you should need anything,” Oz said.
Molly held up her wrist to him, to show the band she still wore. “If I need anything from you, I’ll beep, k?”
Oz drew himself up. “Molly, I will try not to bother you again.”
Molly had no idea why he was trying to look hurt. He was the one who had fucked and dashed. Okay, maybe she had wanted to originally, but that had been before the almost-death, twice, and the actual, mind-blowing, incredible fucking. To think, she’d thought he was such a nice guy.
“Good.” She turned on her heel and heard the satisfying swish and click as the door shut behind her.
This just made her more frustrated. If he was going to toss her aside after a quick screw, why act all possessive and caring? It was too much. If she wasn’t pregnant, they’d have to do it again. She wasn’t sure how she would face it, knowing she’d be discarded so quickly after. She hadn’t meant to like him. The sight of him leaping through the air to save her almost haunted her with feelings of her relief and gratitude. His treatment after only made her feel more like some discardable womb.
She’d carefully stayed out of sight since the episode in the hall, and now, apparently, they were at a space station: a really dark, abandoned-looking thing.
The captain’s voice came out over the speakers. “Four, three and one stations. Battle-marks go. Clear and sentry. …Molly, we’ll signal you when it’s time to come aboard. For now, hold tight.”
It was a long wait until there was a knock at the door.
Molly walked slowly to the door.
“Hey, Molly, care for a tour?” It was Haze.
“Oh… um…” She’d expected it to be Oz, come to annoy her again with his concern. She felt disappointment and anger instead. Of course he wouldn’t come just to lead her off the ship. Where was the screwing in that?
Molly took a deep breath. Obviously, she just needed to stop thinking about the guy. There was not much right now that he could do which wasn’t just going to piss her off more.
“Oz is busy in engineering, working on repairs,” Haze said, as though reading her thoughts. “He’ll be radioing over with the list he needs. I thought — while I gather the items — I could show you around.”
As they walked across the space dock to the massive station, Molly felt tiny.
“This is Barvah station. Mostly, she’s scrap metal and junk, so we take what we need, when we need it. Besides, Oz is a whiz with getting things to work together, fastening what he needs out of odds-and-ends.”
“How is it that it’s so empty?”
“Courtesy of Xain and Oz. They worked out a bit of cloaking magic. Nicely enough, Barvah station was never within the normal trade routes. She’d been marked as totaled during a Suhlik event thirty years ago and was just floating, forgotten. Oz has made her habitable; Xain has made her forgettable. It’s a good setup for everyone.”
“So, you find things for Oz?” Molly ventured.
At Haze’s nod, Molly asked, “Does this place have a kitchen, a place where I could work? I’d just like to get my mind off things.”
“I can arrange that. We have one that’s on this floor, in good shape, not that any of us are all that handy, but it’s the one we use. I can bring over some foodstuff and cookware you might find useful, if you make me a list.”
“There’s something else too. Would you be able to… could you find out something for me?”
Haze didn’t say anything, just stared at her.
“My brother, Joe, Joe Galloway. He was a Marine. We know he was involved with some secret mission. I’d just like to know how he died, if he suffered.”
Haze nodded. “I can arrange that; see what I can find out. I have a few contacts that have contacts within the Mahdfel council, although Fyn might be a better bet on that front.”
“Whatever you can find out. It’s been so difficult not knowing. My family would really appreciate it.”
“You might not like what you find out.”
“At this point, I just want to know.”
“I get that. Here, let me show you around.”
The tour of the main level ended in a small wing with several cabins. There was a large view-screen tuned to space beyond. “This is Oz’s corridor. If you look through here—” Haze led her up to the viewscreen. “—you can look out to see our baby, the Xeo Tarlith, most beautiful ship in the fleet.”
Molly leaned in. The Xeo Tarlith was beautiful, all sleek lines. She looked fierce and agile, a ship that could be depended upon.
“Haze, why do you risk the Xeo being destroyed, and all your lives taken, for some rock?”
“What?” Haze looked confused. “What rock? Oh.” His face lightened. “Oz didn’t tell you?”
Molly shook her head.
Haze stared at her. “It’s not my place to say really. We don’t usually tell—”
“—Outsiders,” Molly finished for him.
“Yes, I would not be the one to break silence with you. That should be Oz. Sounds like you’ve had this conversation before?”
At Molly’s nod, he continued, “I’ll take you back to the kitchen.”
“You said this was Oz’s corridor?”
“Yes.” Haze pointed at the room across from the viewscreen. “This is Oz’s cabin when we
come here. I think he likes being on the side where we park the Xeo, keep an eye on things. Although he’s always more numbers and reports than eyeballing it.” Haze looked Molly up and down. “No offense.”
Molly went cold. “None taken.” Although she felt perfectly offended. Haze had read it all in an instant, and somehow knew that Oz had rejected her so he could be alone with his stupid ship again. It was like Haze was trying to let her know that Oz would be like that with any woman.
Molly drew herself up. “You were taking me to the kitchen now?”
“This way.” Haze wound them back toward the central area and to a large metal kitchen.
Molly felt her world expand. “It’s beautiful. Well, after I clean some of this dust out. It’s not too bad though.”
“You can let me know what you need for supplies. I can see what I can scrounge from the Xeo or from other kitchens on the station.”
Molly set immediately to work, scrubbing until the counters and surfaces shined. She barely noticed Haze leave, although she’d given him a bit of a list so she knew he’d be gone for a while.
25
Oz
Oz was able to make several small repairs and upkeeps to the Xeo and set off in search of Molly. He found her in a spotless, shiny kitchen hunched over a notebook making notes. She looked up at him with a warm smile on her face that faded quickly when she saw it was him.
He felt his face fall, but he persisted. “Molly, they’ve put you to work?” he asked confused.
“No, I’m making myself useful. Haze is on the lookout for some things that I need.”
Oz felt his heart contract at that. He’d told her to speak to Haze, but yet he was her provider, not Haze. The attack on the ship flashed through his mind again, and shame gutted him as it lanced again through his body. Again, he was powerless to let go of the feeling.
Oz (The Telorex Pact Book 1) Page 8