Future Prospect

by Lynn Rae

  “You were being honest. You don’t have to like me. It’s not a requirement.” Taking in a shuddering breath, she glanced up at him, hurt darkening her gaze. “But you need to understand: I don’t have sex with people I don’t care about.”

  So she had a warm feeling for him at one point. That opinion had probably disappeared as soon as he’d started making those idiotic remarks as they’d lolled in her bed after the best sex he could ever remember having.

  “Despite my comments, I don’t have sex with people I don’t like either,” Colan ventured, hoping she would accept his sincerity. Surprisingly, she tightened her grip on his hand and peered into his eyes, breathing shallowly as if she couldn’t catch her breath. He was equally rattled; all these admissions and pleas for understanding were making him light headed. “I was trying to be funny and I am most definitely not.”

  “It’s hard to use humor appropriately when you don’t routinely talk to people.”

  “You’re right.” His agreement made a small smile curve her lips, and a rush of relief filled him in a pleasant wave. Not angry, she didn’t seem quite so agitated now. She was leaning his way and looking him over.

  “You’re all right? Your trip was all right?”

  “It was fine. No problems to report.”

  “I know. I kept checking the feeds, expecting to hear something terrible happened like it seems to all the time around here.” She swallowed and shuffled a few centimeters closer as he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. Merely to soothe; she’d been worried, and he’d done nothing to alleviate it.

  “Nothing terrible happened. Wayde and Rob lost one of the new folk for half a day, but we found him holed up in a hollow cocker, too scared by a clarkia to move. Another one fell into a sinkhole, and we had to winch her out, but she was fine after we sprayed her off and gave her some dry clothes.” There, he’d tried some humor and it seemed to work. Lia’s lips curved into a bigger smile, and she squeezed his hand. Less angry, very good. Perhaps she felt almost benign toward him at this point. He’d take benign.

  “And you’re well?” Lia tightened her mouth as if she wanted to say more.

  “I am. Other than berating myself constantly over how I made you feel, I’m well.”

  “Good.” Now she glanced around his room and finally settled her gaze on his shoulder, which was now about ten centimeters from the tip of her nose. He leaned his head down slightly, desperate for a sniff of her hair as he continued to stroke her arm, up and down, up and down, with no protest from her.

  “Are you well Lia?” Are you involved with the wretched Stev now? Did he comfort you and win your affections again? Or was there someone new and impressive in the latest batch of arrivals? Someone kind and talkative and attentive—the total opposite of me?

  She shook her head, and a cold flash of worry bolted through him.

  “What’s wrong, were you hurt? Are you ill?” Damnit, why hadn’t he called her? She didn’t take care of herself. She probably hadn’t eaten right the whole time he’d been gone, and she’d suffered from this mysterious ailment for days.

  “I have an ache.”

  “Where? Did you fall? Did you eat something strange? Was it the sharple? That can be hard on the digestive system the first few times.” Colan leaned back and tried to assess her appearance. “I’ll get you to medical.”

  Shaking her head, she caught his gaze and his hand. Calmly, she pressed his palm above her heart, terribly near her breast. He felt the vibration of every beat, every rapid, fluttery beat. Hope stirred along with his libido. She didn’t blink as she stared at him, and Colan’s knees vibrated.

  “It hurts here?”

  “It aches. There and somewhere else,” she whispered as she stepped closer. Now her feet were tucked between his, and he could feel her breath along his cheek as she tilted her head up. He wanted to groan and grasp her, but he’d already made enough mistakes.

  “What can I do?” Tell me what’s allowed, tell me what you want.

  “Maybe if you gave me tour it would take my mind off of it. You promised a tour,” Lia suggested in a quiet voice. Colan’s body tightened as she shifted her hips against him and let her forehead bump against his shoulder.

  “I remember saying I’d give you a tour after you ate another meal.”

  “Let’s invert that. I don’t think a tour will take long. Then I can relax.” Colan huffed out a laugh at the thought of Lia relaxing but tensed when she moved her mouth very near the skin of his neck. If only she’d kiss him, he’d know. He thought he knew, but he’d been wrong before.

  “Here it is.” Colan shifted his arm and indicated the room stacked with bags of haphazardly packed equipment and dirty clothes he’d thrown off the transport that morning when he’d arrived back. Arrived and immediately went to look for Lia. Or avoid her; it was hard to remember what he’d been thinking all those hours ago. “Live, work, cook, eat in here.”

  She gave it a cursory nod and circled one of her hands over his shoulder. Now her breasts touched his chest, and he was considerably warmer and less interested in dinner.

  “Do you want to see the bathroom?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “Hammock?”

  She shrugged which moved her breasts against him, and Colan wanted to take hold of them. That left only the bedroom on the tour. He knew they teased each other, but his apology still seemed too new and raw for easiness between them. He didn’t want to do anything to endanger the possibility of the touches he craved.

  Desire for her thudded through him, stronger than he’d experienced. He didn’t know if it was their time apart, or the careful honesty they’d just shared, but Lia Frei had a hold on him he craved. When she smiled, he wanted to smile, when she leaned close, his body curved to accommodate hers.

  “What about the bedroom? I’m still not sure you actually have one.” She glanced from his mouth to his eyes and trailed her other hand up his forearm to grasp his bicep.

  “It’s small,” Colan warned as his blood raced in his veins.

  “Show me anyway.” She stepped away, and he missed her immediately.

  Gesturing at the doorway, he let her precede him. She entered and stopped short. He hadn’t been joking; his bedroom was small, merely a pod attached to the side of the hut, containing his bed and enough floor space to step around. Everything else was shaded windows and cushioned surfaces. He stood behind her as she glanced around. There wasn’t anywhere else for him to go. Lia reached up and began to pull pins from her hair. As it separated and fell in silky drifts, he could smell her and almost feel her warmth. Her fingers slid through the stands and without thought, Colan reached to help her. His rough fingers caught and tugged, and he winced but kept touching, reveling in how smooth and soft it was, how it curled around his fingers and slid over his wrists.

  Evening light misted into the room as Lia took a step back, pressing her bottom to his groin and leaning her head back against his shoulder. Pushing aside her hair, he nosed her ear.

  “What do you want?”

  “This. You.” Hot blood coursed through him as he reached to hold her waist and shifted another hand under her breast as he thanked the stars above. She melted against him, and he pushed against her, kissing her neck, sliding his tongue up to her jaw to find she was shifting against him to bring her mouth close to his. Lia. He’d never thought he’d do this again.

  Easy kisses shared between them, easy to give, easy to receive. Lia pressed herself even tighter and reached down with one hand, rubbing his thigh, easing to one side so she could stroke him through his trousers. And that was wonderful. He lost communication with his knees for a moment as she measured him and encouraged his body to respond to her.

  Following her lead, Colan slid the hand he’d kept around her waist to rest between her thighs, nudging it upward with each delicious squeeze Lia gave him. Back and forth they went, breathing harder, bodies tensing. He stopped when he sensed her shake and almost wobble off her feet.

 
; She turned and stared at him; her face framed by waves of brown hair, and her eyes dark with desire. She reached out and pulled apart his shirt, the mismatched buttons catching on fabric. Smiling, she slid her hands across his chest as he shrugged the garment to the floor, her fingertips waking his nerve endings. With a small grin curving her lips, she knelt down to wrestle with his trouser fastenings. Stars, was she going to—oh yes she was.

  Colan leaned back and tried to breathe as she released his erection and took him into her warm mouth, grateful the room was small and there was a wall close to hold him up. A few blissful minutes later, the movements of her hands, mouth, and tongue had driven him near frenzy.

  “Stop, Lia, I can’t—”

  She released him and glanced up with a faux frown. “Sure you can.”

  “No. Yes, I can, but that’s not what I want.” She licked his tip, and he groaned, not sure how he was still holding on.

  “I thought this was about what I want?”

  “It is, but please stop or I’m going to—”

  One more caress of her tongue and she stopped and glanced up at him as she licked her lips. Blast and after burn, why was he stopping her? “You don’t want to?”

  “I do. But not right now.”

  “Another time?”

  Nodding as he tried to catch his breath, Colan reached down to help her to her feet. She swayed and started to strip off her clothes, her gaze never leaving his as she disrobed, beautiful curves revealed, and skin gleaming in the soft light. Ah, she was marvelous to see and touch.

  Lowering herself to the bed, Lia stared up at him as he shook off his fallen trousers and joined her. His need for her blasted through all the civilized ideas he had a few minutes ago about being gentle and taking their time to reconcile. That had been before she sucked him, before she lifted her knees and let him nuzzle between her legs. Her scent and taste was as intoxicating as he remembered when he’d tried to forget for the last two weeks. Wet and hot, she shook with every movement of his tongue and lips, her pleased cries echoing in the small room. He wasn’t sure if she’d climaxed when he stopped and took a breath. He watched her writhe on the bed for a second and pulled her with him as he rolled on to his back, positioning her over his body. Her breasts slid against his chest as she sat up and tucked her thighs around his hips.

  “Like this?” She rose on her knees as he held his erection in place, nodding, unable to speak as she shifted and positioned herself above him, because he was panting and shaking so much. At the first touch of her warm wetness, he groaned and shifted his hips up as she shook her head and moved away, hair fluttering around her face. He couldn’t see her expression and had no idea why she’d backed off.

  “Lia, please.”

  “My turn, right?”

  Colan couldn’t put words together when he was completely composed, how was he supposed to talk with her now? “What do you want, Lia?”

  She leaned over him, hair cascading down around him and tickling his skin. Her amber eyes glittered with sensual intent. “I want you now. You can watch me all you want, but no slow and careful.”

  He gulped at the tone of command in her voice. But he wasn’t ready to give in, yet. In about thirty more seconds of her warm nakedness and aroused scent, he’d cave, but he still had one more fight in him. “I like slow, I like to feel you—”

  “Fast. Now. You made me wait two weeks.” She grasped him and sank down, her heat enveloping him in a tight clench that made his hips buck up in response. With a groan, she moved against him, reaching for his hands for support as she arched over his body, her cries growing louder as she rocked. Within a few blissful moments she began to shudder and he did watch her as she’d said to, her beautiful face suffused with uninhibited joy as he sensed her release. She shouted out his name, and he felt his own unbearable tension blast from the small of his back through his groin to bury itself in her body, his growl joining her panting cries. With a few small echoing shudders, she collapsed against his chest as he heaved breaths in and out.

  Too late, he remembered the windows were open and just as he hoped no one had been standing in the alley outside, a small voice piped up.

  “Colan? Colan, are you hurt?”

  It was Ermil. Outside, about two meters away from their noisy lovemaking. Blast it.

  Sucking in a breath, he tried to answer, but Lia was heavy and unresponsive on his chest. “Ermil. I’m fine,” he wheezed.

  “You don’t sound fine. You sound hurt. You were making noises, and a girl was shouting at you, and now you can’t talk right.” Ermil cataloged the last stages of orgasm pretty accurately. His voice sounded louder and Colan had the horrible idea he was climbing up the fence to peek in the windows as he’d been known to do.

  The shades shifted as a breeze picked them up, and Lia finally stirred. Her hair slid around them as she turned her flushed and sleepy-looking face to him. She blinked and frowned as she listened to the little boy. Seized by a wave of contentment, Colan leaned up to kiss her, a deep, satisfied kiss she returned as she clamped her thighs around him. Breaking away from her, Colan kept one hand on Lia’s full hip and used the other to push aside the shade a few centimeters to scan for juvenile observers.

  “Ermil. I’m perfectly fine. I feel great. You have no idea. Go play.” It was just as he feared; Ermil had climbed the fence and was perched on the top rail outside the windows. He’d heard an earful, but luckily the screens had prevented any shocking views.

  “Oh, hi, Cit. Frei.” Ermil grinned at Lia through the window, and she pressed herself against Colan’s chest to hide her breasts. That was very nice, and out of sight of the boy, Colan ran his hands up to cup her buttocks as she lay on top of him, effectively covering up most everything private. From the boy’s angle, all he could really see was their faces and shoulders. Thank the stars.

  “Hi, Ermil. How are you?”

  “Good. Are you all right? It sounded like you were pretty mad at Colan.”

  He felt her body twitch with a suppressed laugh. “I was mad at him, but we hugged and made up.”

  Ermil grinned. “That’s nice. Did you bring me anything, Tor?”

  “Yes, but you have to get off the fence before you fall off. I’ll find you later. Lia and I need some privacy.”

  Ermil nodded enthusiastically. He’d been lectured many, many times about the need for privacy. He was always quick to go, but equally quick to return. As agile as a flivver, he gave them a wave and scrambled down, trotting down the alley until Colan couldn’t see him anymore.

  Lia grinned at him and leaned down to lick at his neck as Colan collapsed back against the bed and let out a sigh. He refocused on the woman naked on top of him as she rose up and once again tightened her thighs around him. Her full breasts had been ignored, so he cupped them, running his thumbs across their nipples as Lia purred and nibbled along his shoulder.

  “Think he’s going to spread the word?”

  Colan nodded, too intrigued with her body to talk. Talking was overrated in so many situations, including relishing the smooth skin and warm body of a woman who’d just orchestrated incredible, demanding sex on top of him.

  “Will that be a problem?”

  “Not for me.” He stroked his palms across her soft belly and smiled when she shivered. “What about for you?”

  “I don’t think it should matter to anyone other than you and me. How did he know my name? Did you shout it out at some point?” A smug smile and a rock of her hips punctuated her words.

  “You think I could have managed to say something intelligible? Maybe I should have just pulled the shade back so Ermil and everyone in the area could take in the view. You are the loveliest thing on Gamaliel. It would have been a public service.” His efforts at gallantry were rewarded by the blush which rose up her cheeks and the way she averted her gaze for a moment. As to how Ermil knew about her, Colan wasn’t going to admit the boy had noticed him staring at Lia one afternoon as she’d walked down the street, and he’d had to
explain who she was.

  Lia shrugged and tucked her hair behind her curved shoulders; an evaluating expression crossed her features.

  “That wasn’t so bad, was it? Trying it my way?”

  “No. It was satisfactory.” Oh, no. He’d tried to be funny again and it had fallen flat. Lia’s eyes narrowed, and her fingers tightened in his chest hair.

  She swooped down to bite him on the shoulder and he flinched at the gentle sting of her teeth. “Don’t start saying terrible things to me, you smart ass.”

  “I’ll do my best not to.”

  “And don’t run away into the forest tomorrow.”

  “On one condition.” She stopped caressing him and rolled to his side as he leaned on one elbow to face her. She watched him and curled her fingers around his arm. “Stay tonight.”

  Lia swallowed and nodded, and he felt tremendously comforted. His relief was far out of proportion to the simple promise to sleep beside him Lia had just made. Why he wanted her here so much was something he didn’t intend to analyze at the moment. He was too busy stroking her soft curves and basking in the glow of a wonderful job very well done.

  “What do you want to eat?” Colan stared in his chiller as he asked for breakfast ideas. Lia sat at his counter and watched his rear. It was a very attractive rear, and she wondered why they hadn’t had sex before questions of food arose, but Colan had rolled out from under the covers on a mission to feed her that morning. He’d declared he was sure she hadn’t eaten properly while he was gone and was going to remedy that. When she’d protested he’d fed her the night before, a hastily assembled plate of tender pasta, sliced tomato, and spicy dressing, he’d shaken his head, pulled on a loose pair of pants, and disappeared from the tiny bedroom. Left behind, Lia sprawled naked and wondered why he wasn’t kissing her.

  She heard him thumping around in the small house and decided to get up. It wasn’t as if she was going to fall back to sleep. She washed her face and brushed her teeth in the small and marginally clean bathroom. Wincing at the sight of her tangled hair, Lia twisted it into a knot and searched among his clothes hanging on a few wall hooks. She settled on one of his shirts; one with two complete sleeves and three attached buttons.