Naturally, he caught it. “Did I frighten you?”

  She turned to the drawer she’d started putting her stuff in before.

  “Didn’t think you were coming back, the way you stormed out of here.” She pulled her clothes and put it in the bag she’d brought.

  He took a few steps closer, but maintained a distance between them. “Are you leaving?”

  “It didn’t seem like you were interested in my staying,” she said.

  “What gave you that idea?”

  “The way you stormed out of here.” She continued packing her stuff as she spoke, not quite looking at him. Which was good, because her eyes were watering again. “I figured you must have not been very impressed with that whole kissing thing, so I guess that answers whether we’d be suitable mates. So, I’m leaving. I’ll go back to the Intergalactic Dating Agency. See if Re-lee will send me back early, or if I need to wait and see if someone else wants me.”

  “No,” Phares growled, and suddenly he was next to her. He put his hand on her arm and spun her around.

  She pulled away. “You don’t get to own me. I don’t need your permission—”

  He didn’t let her argue more. He pulled her into a kiss.

  This one was fierier than before. He held her tight against him, and where the first one seemed more exploratory, this was desperate. Emotion. Need.

  Oh, the need!

  It was frantic and craving and intense.

  She groaned when he kissed her neck and her ear.

  “I left because of fear.”

  “Fear of me?”

  “Fear that I would hurt you with my Fever.”

  “I thought that only happened if I was unwilling.”

  “I feared I could not stop if you wanted me to. I left to give myself some time.”

  “You took your tools. Like you were going to work.”

  “I did. I went to my team and told to leave.”

  “So, you came back to me?”

  “Of course. Where else would I go?”

  “This spaceship is big. There are a lot of places to go. Aren’t there ship repairs?”

  “Repairs are being handled. You are more important. Leaving you alone, that was inconsiderate. I apologize for it.” He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. “I seem to have misjudged things today. I thought you feared me. When we kissed before, I was fearful that I could not stop, and I would force you into a position you did not want to be.”

  “I thought you left because you were disappointed. That you didn’t want me at all.”

  “Quite the opposite.”

  “Well, that’s good, because you may be the best kisser I’ve ever had.”

  “And I feel the same for you,” he replied with a chaste kiss. He met her gaze again. “Are you still thinking you wish to return?”

  “I would rather be here with you. Though I think I’m going to need some friends.”

  “I can arrange that.”

  “Are you speaking honestly, Phares?” Driqan asked as he laughed. He was larger, like Phares, but resembled more of a human than Phares. Golden skin, dark hair. Big smile.

  She liked his smile. He seemed very trustable.

  “As honest as possible,” Phares said, describing what happened with Shoval when they returned.

  Laughter filled the table. Jana laughed as well over her use of the falta slicer.

  “I didn’t know who he was. I just saw someone threatening my,” she glanced at Phares. “My mate. I couldn’t have that.”

  “Shoval makes it sound like you brought back a monster who attacked him for no apparent reason,” Driqan said.

  “Of course he does,” Phares replied.

  “I find your story, though, to be a bit more plausible,” Agot, his wife, said. She had orange skin and freckles all around her face and down her neck.

  Jana liked her immediately. Agot had offered her a glass of some sort of delicious wine as soon as they arrived, and it certainly helped Jana relax a little because she was nervous.

  Their little one, Tee, was a mix of the two of them. He had his dad’s skin coloring but his mother’s freckles. He’d greeted her when she arrived and started showing her all his toys.

  When they’d finished their meal, he went to play with his toys, having a ball. He would run over and bring something to Agot, and then run back. Sometimes he’d look at Jana, and sometimes he would just run by her.

  It was cute. He was having a good time, living his best life.

  So was she, as far as that went.

  “You’re feeling good about this, then? This match from the dating agency?” Agot asked.

  She glanced at Phares. “I am. We spend the day today exploring this ship. I got to see a lot of the interesting areas, including the low gravity section in the center. That was interesting.”

  “Have you not experienced zero gravity before?” Driqan asked.

  She shook her head. “Living in space or off planet is not an option in my world.”

  Driqan glanced at Phares. “Why would she be chosen, then? If she’s not from a space-traveling world?”

  Phares shrugged. “I don’t know why her world had a portal, but I am glad it did.”

  Jana smiled and looked down. Phares touched her shoulder, and she leaned into the touch.

  She liked it.

  His attention. His care.

  “They’re so cute,” Agot said to her husband. “Remember when we were like that?”

  “We were never like that.”

  She waved her hand. “He’s a boy. He doesn’t know what he speaks of. They never admit when they fell in love. Only that they love their partners.”

  “It’s good to know boys are the same, no matter what galaxy they’re in.”

  Though Phares was far different from any other boy she’d known. Even before Stefan, she’d not been with a lot of males who were so attentive with her. Maybe it was her vibe, but it seemed like no one wanted to see to her like Phares said.

  She rather liked it.

  “What are your plans once you get settled?” Agot asked.

  “I hadn’t really thought about it. On my world, I would look for a job. In a place like this, I suppose I would try to find some area I could be useful in.”

  “What kind of work did you do before?”

  “I worked in a finance company, actually.”

  “You dealt with credits, then?”

  She nodded. “Balancing them. We have physical money, so I would count it, help customers with their funds as needed.”

  “Are you good with those kinds of things? Balancing numbers?” Driqan asked.

  “Pretty good. Why?”

  “We have an area that handles credits for individuals and this ship’s funds for operations. I don’t know if they need help in that area, but that might be something you could do.”

  “Every operation needs someone to handle money, I would guess,” Jana said.

  “After he’s done with his vacation, check into it.”

  “Why wait?” Phares asked.

  Agot glanced at him. “Big boy, you shouldn’t have to ask me that.”

  Jana burst out laughing.

  He glanced at her, and she met his gaze.

  It took Phares a second, but he realized Agot referred to taking some personal time.

  “Besides, that whole mess, it’s best that you three are not involved,” Driqan said.

  “What happened?” Phares asked. “We had worked it out and gotten that asteroid stable. The explosions were all secured and taken care of. How did we have another one, a larger one, than the others?”

  Driqan shrugged. “They’re still trying to figure it out. Though it looks like it was operator error.”

  Phares shook his head. “Operator error?”

  “I have been checking the logs and sending them back to Control, as is everyone that has been on shift since the day before it happened.”

  “I haven’t. I was on duty.”

  “For like five minutes. You, Olmed, and Erzo were removed from the system the day you launched. Any records you three touched were already confiscated by Control.”

  Jana’s brain was dancing around. “Do they think this was something that was pre-programmed to happen?”

  “No. This happened the day of. Everything was nominal the night before, because I double-checked it all myself.”

  “Who was working in the system, then?”

  “That’s what they’re trying to figure out. From what I could see, it was covered up or not logged at all. Because I didn’t see anyone working in that area.”

  “Control has to figure out who did this,” Phares said.

  “Yep. I’m sure they’ll be reaching out to you with questions about your team.”

  “Do they think it was my team?”

  “We’re one of the few who had the access.”

  Phares spit out another one of those interesting curses.

  15

  Not long after, Phares and Jana returned to his residence. He had enjoyed the time spent with Driqan and Agot. Understanding more of the situation helped him, because he had been very concerned about the destroyed asteroid.

  The damage done to the ship was minimal. It seemed the reporting shots that were used made the situation, at least regarding the ship, seem worse than actuality. Still, it was enough damage to require repairs.

  Something had to be done to get this sorted. Though he did not like knowing that it was likely someone in his team that was responsible. Tomorrow, he would reach out to the higher-ups and find out what he could do to help and figure out who was responsible for this.

  “What are they going to do about that asteroid and all its debris?” Jana asked.

  “It is being gathered and refined to see what resources can be recovered from the explosion.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “As long as necessary. I have not experienced a situation this intense, so I can only guess what will happen.”

  She walked over to him and put her arm around him. “It will work out.”

  “I appreciate your faith.”

  “It will.” She stood on her tiptoes, staring up at him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Attempting to give you a kiss, but I’m short.” She put one arm around his neck and pulled him down.

  “As you like.” He leaned down to her.

  Just as intense as before, the Fever rolled alive in him, and he was burning with the desire to feel every part of her. As they kissed, she ran her hands over his back, and he did the same, stroking those round hips of hers.

  She groaned as he caressed her bottom.

  He did it again.

  The third time he ran his hand over her, he just picked her up.

  She squealed and wrapped her legs around him as he carried her over to the bed. He stood beside it at first, though. He paused with her in his arms, and he pulled back enough to look into her eyes.

  “If this is what you want, please tell me.”

  She nodded several times. “Yes. I do. I’m sure.”

  “Good,” he said and dropped on the bed, her on his lap.

  They kissed, her straddling him, and she rocked into him, with her breasts spread out before him.

  She rose and pulled off her shirt, revealing the undergarment she wore. He ran his fingers down her stomach and along her sides. Her skin was even softer than he imagined.

  She closed her eyes and arched into his touch as he stroked the side of her breasts with the back of his hand.

  She did something behind her back, releasing the covering she wore and tossing it away. Her skin was softer still underneath that, and he marveled at all of it. Her hair tumbled down her back and along her shoulders, a curtain around her face.

  What did he do to deserve this beauty?

  How did he get so fortunate?

  She leaned down and started kissing him again. He held her, his hands all over her chest, and she rocked her body into his, teasing him.

  He released the kiss and tipped his chin up as she started kissing his neck. Her fingers ran over him, down to his shirt.

  “Wait,” he said, and pushed her back.

  She climbed off him and he stood. He stripped out of his clothing.

  She stared, her gaze running over him, and she licked her lips.

  “I want you to take your time,” he said. “To explore me since this is—”

  “Shut up and come here,” she said, on her knees on the bed.

  He came closer, so his knees were against the bed.

  She grabbed his hips, leaned in, and put her hands on his cock. “My turn to play with this,” she said, and started stroking him.

  The Fever burned so hot he felt sweat on his back. Her touch astounded him as she stroked him up and down, her fingers caressing the lines and veins.

  “The head is large.” She ran her fingertip along the lip.

  “For, uh, for…” he couldn’t quite make his words work.

  “Not really interested, anyway,” Jana said before she licked the head.

  Phares’s eyes rolled back, and he groaned. His hand went to her hair, with intent to pull her away. He didn’t need more stimulation; he was ready to explode already.

  Still, she kept licking.

  If that wasn’t enough, she managed to take the head into her mouth.

  Phares pushed her back.

  “Hey, I wasn’t done.”

  “Yes. Yes, you are,” he said, and he was on top of her.

  She giggled as he started running his mouth over her body, making her groan and sigh and mew at him over every little thing. He worked his way down her body, doing the same to her breasts that she did to his cock, and it made her wiggle and grind against him.

  Then he reached her stomach. She was still covered by her pants, and he unfastened them, but she pushed him back.

  “Here, let me. They’re new, and I don’t want you to rip them off me.”

  “What makes you think I would do that?”

  She raised her eyebrow.

  “Only if I got frustrated.”

  “I feel like you would get impatient,” she replied, a sparkle in her eye, as she shimmied out of her pants and her other undergarment.

  Bare to him, he marveled at her. The curves and the lines stimulated him like no other female ever had.

  He ran his fingers down her hips and her legs. Up the inside of her thigh, he reached her middle and pushed her legs apart.

  She gasped.

  He slid his finger along her center, feeling the soaked folds. He stroked the outer layers and then the inner areas, making her moan and rock her hips as he did.

  The wetness smelled intoxicating, and he brought his finger up to savor the aroma more. She watched him and bit her lip as he did.

  He licked his finger with her juices on it, and she let out one of those little gasps again.

  He had to taste more of that. Down he went, kissing her center and immediately making her cry out. She put her hands in his hair, and he licked and savored every bit of her.

  He could feel the tension rising in her body as she reached completion, so he increased his tasting pace and added a finger to help stimulate.

  A moment later, she was crying out and slamming her hands against the bedding.

  “That was… I….” she sighed.

  He smiled and licked his lips, savoring the flavor of her again. “You taste good.”

  She sighed. “You’re going to kill me.”

  He chuckled. “Only if you do not kill me first.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “Shall we test that?” She bent her leg and stroked his cock with her toe.

  He inhaled a deep breath.

  And he was on her.

  They kissed and stroked each other, and he rose to get himself into position to take her. Her body, however, was smaller, and finding the easiest way to get her—

  “Would it help if I did this?” she asked and turned over, onto her knees.

  Phares blinked.

  She stroked her hair out of the way and looked back at him. “Well, what are you staring at, big boy?”

  You, he thought.

  He opened his mouth, licked his lips, and scooted into her. The position put her at a much better angle for him. He used his fingers a couple of times first, to make sure she was open and ready.

  She made soft little noises, and then he started to enter her.

  “This may take a moment,” he said.

  She gasped.

  He pressed in, taking his time, because he knew she was small, and he was big. She shifted and twitched as he entered, but slow rocking seemed to help her adjust.

  It was nearly killing him, though.

  But he would not hurt her if he could help it.

  “Oh, okay. Okay. Yes,” she softly would whisper as he moved in.

  Once he got in, past the head, though, she seemed to be better. He slowly started increasing his pace of in and out.

  It was a control mastery that he didn’t know he had to not let his Fever take over and absolutely power into her. Even moving at a slower pace, though, his Fever built, and he felt himself closing in on completion.

  She glanced back at him. “You can go faster. I am okay.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  She smiled. “I like it fast.”

  He needed no further invitation. His tempo increased, and he started slamming into her as deep as he could go. She cried out, and he felt her insides tighten around him as she squeezed him.

  It was enough that he erupted as well. His body tightened, the seed released, and he jerked as his cock spread.

  “Oh wow,” she muttered. “What is that sensation?”

  He stayed there for a moment. “Well, uh,”

  “Uh, what?” she turned back over her shoulder and looked at him.

  “My head is sealing in the seed.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “The head. It spreads out and seals the canal so that mating occurs.

  She blinked. “Oh.” She shook her head. “Wait. Oh! Do we have to stay like this?”

  “For a few minutes, yes,” he said. “I think I can lie down though, so we do not have to be upright.”

  It took some careful movement, but they could get on their sides and stay connected without hurting either of them. They laid together, and he had his arm over her.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11