Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 135784 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135784 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Jerrok stops typing and gives me a heated look.
"Did that bother you?" I ask meekly. "Sorry."
"It's a distraction," he tells me, putting a finger under my chin and tilting my face toward his for a quick kiss. "Tails are sensitive."
I file this away for future knowledge. "It's late," I point out. "Are you good to keep going? Do you need a carcinogel? A drink? Something to eat?"
He shakes his head and taps the screen. "Just uploading the finalized logs to the Jabberwock right now. If you're tired, head to bed and I'll join you soon enough."
"I'm good." I don't want to sleep. Sleep was an escape once upon a time, a way to hide in dreamland rather than face my reality. Now, though, my reality is something I've always wanted—a place to belong, a wonderful man that loves me—and I don't want to waste a moment of this by sleeping.
His hand moves to my thigh possessively, and we watch the screen as the logs are uploaded, merging and adjusting the Jabberwock's records so we can head into the Slatra system without issue. Hopefully. I have no idea how Jerrok learned everything he does, but I'm not surprised. He's clever, and he's managed this old station for years simply with what he has on hand. Of course he can figure out how to do most anything with a ship. It just makes sense, and I'm so proud of him for being so clever. I want to learn how to do this, too, not just so I can have another skill, but so I can be a good partner to him.
"Done," Jerrok finally says, and rubs my thigh again.
It makes me squirm a little with arousal, that small touch, and I find myself hoping his hand will creep even higher, to touch me where my pulse throbs even now. "Should you let Kivian and the others know?" I ask, trying to concentrate on the task at hand.
He shakes his head. "They've got a baby on board that ship and by galactic standard hours, it's the middle of the night. They'll change out fuel-cells in the morning, so I'll talk to Kivian then. See if he wants more crew and mention that we can trade the carinoux."
Grief threatens to overwhelm me at the thought, but I nod. I can't weigh one life against three. I just can't. It has to be done. "All right."
"For now, you and I should go to bed." Jerrok pulls me against him and presses a chaste kiss to my brow.
Bed sounds wonderful. My body's humming with a slow-burn sort of need, and I'm more than ready to slide into bed with my mate and kiss for hours before touching each other in increasingly more pleasurable ways. Heck, just thinking about it makes me even more fired up, and I'm antsy as I settle Sleipnir for bed in my room with a nice chew toy of metal and a kiss on his leathery head. When I return to Jerrok's quarters, though, his shoulders are slumped with exhaustion and he looks…wiped. I notice for the first time that there are circles under his eyes and realize just how long a day he's had.
My poor love.
I move to his side, touching the auto-fastener at my collar and letting the fabric slither off my body as I walk toward him. His clothing is pooled at his waist, and by the time I reach him, I'm wearing nothing but underwear and a tight band that serves as a bra. He groans as I slide my hands over his shoulders. His head presses against my breasts, his horns a hard contrast against his velvety skin. "You're tired—"
"Not that tired," I counter. "And I need you."
"I know. I can smell your need." He presses a kiss to my belly, his hands on my waist. "Kef me, but you smell amazing."
"We don't know how much time alone we'll have for the next while," I reason, tracing a finger along the shell of one of his ears. "Don't you think we should take advantage of what we do have right now?" He glances up at me, and I slide the band off my body, freeing my breasts, and move closer to him. "I love you so much, Jerrok. More than anything, I want to be with you tonight."
"I love you, too, Sophie." He nuzzles at my breasts, his mouth going to the valley between them and pressing kisses there before moving to my nipple. "My beautiful, perfect female."
"You're perfect," I whisper back, caressing the sides of his face as he teases my nipple with his lips.
He snorts at that. "I'm in pieces."
"You're a survivor, just like me." I skim my thumbs over his jaw. "And I love that, just like I love all of you."
He nips at my breast, sending a skittering pulse of joy through my body. The joy continues to build as he lavishes attention on my breasts, on my belly, and eventually, on the place between my thighs where I'm sensitive and achingly wet. We make love slowly, taking our time with one another, and by the time I push him back onto the blankets and straddle his hips, we're both more than ready. I ease onto him, and when I ride his cock, his spur glides against me in the most enticing ways, strumming against my body each time I lower myself on him.