“Emma.” He shifted onto his side, facing her, and gently brushed away the tracks of her tears. “I can’t promise to get you home, but I can promise that I’ll make sure you have a home somewhere else. Somewhere safe, somewhere good.” The words came from a place he hadn’t known existed, fierce and certain. “I won’t let you spend the rest of your life adrift.”
She opened her eyes, and in the dim light he saw the trust in them.
“Why?” she whispered. “Why do you care what happens to me?”
He didn’t have words for that. How could he explain the way she’d slipped past defenses he’d spent a lifetime building? How could he articulate the fierce protectiveness that rose in his chest every time she smiled, or the way her presence made the endless dark of space feel less lonely?
So instead of speaking, he kissed her. It was meant to be comforting, a promise sealed in something softer than words.
But the moment his lips touched hers, the passion that had flared between them with the last kiss ignited again. She made a small sound against his mouth, something that went straight to his cock, and her hands came up to grip his shoulders. He deepened the kiss without meaning to, his tongue sliding against hers, and the taste of her intoxicated him.
Her body arched against his, seeking closer contact, and he was lost. His hand slid from her cheek to the curve of her neck, feeling her pulse flutter wildly beneath his palm.
“Doren,” she pleaded against his mouth and he kissed down her jaw, her neck, the hollow of her throat. Her head fell back against the pillow, giving him access, and he took it greedily. She was so responsive, shivering at every touch, gasping when his teeth grazed her collarbone.
Her hands explored his chest, tracing the scars he’d accumulated over years of dangerous living, each touch leaving trails of fire in its wake. When her fingers brushed against the wound he’d sustained escaping the Ithyian ship, nearly healed but still tender, she paused.
“Does it hurt?”
“No.” He captured her mouth again, swallowing her concern. “Nothing hurts when you touch me.”
It was true. The constant ache he carried, the weight of old wounds and older betrayals—all of it faded when she was in his arms.
Her shirt rode up as she moved against him, and he found the warm skin beneath it. She sucked in a breath but didn’t pull away. Instead she pressed closer, her hips rocking against his in a way that made coherent thought nearly impossible.
His hand closed over the full mound of her breast, and she gasped into his mouth. Her nipple pebbled against his palm, and he rolled it gently between thumb and forefinger, rewarded with another gasp and a tightening of her fingers on his shoulders.
“More,” she whispered. “Please, Doren. I need more.”
The desperation in her voice nearly killed him. He wanted to give her anything she asked for, but the last shreds of control made him pause.
She’s vulnerable. Scared. Grieving for a life she might never return to. Is this really what she needs? Or am I just taking advantage of her loneliness?
The thought was like cold water, dousing some of the fire, and he gentled his touch. “Emma. We don’t have to do this.”
She pulled back, her eyes searching his face in the dim light. Then she smiled—a small, determined smile that made his chest feel too tight.
“Yes, we do.” Her hand slid down his chest, past the waistband of his pants, and wrapped firmly around his cock. His hips jerked involuntarily.
“I want you,” she whispered as she squeezed him gently, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head but somehow he retained enough control to pull free.
She started to object but then his mouth closed over her nipple and her words dissolved into a moan. He sucked gently, lavingthe sensitive tip with his tongue, and her hands came up to tangle in his hair. The pain in his scalp was perfect, driving him to suck harder, to graze her with his teeth until she writhed beneath him.
“More,” she repeated, and this time he didn’t hesitate.
He kissed his way down her body, pushing her shirt up to expose the soft expanse of her stomach. She was so different from the females of his species—soft and rounded and warm, her skin smooth beneath his lips. He could have explored her for hours, but the desperate clutch of her hands on his shoulders urged him on. He slid lower, pausing for just a second to admire the generous curves and the pale skin glowing in the low light.
Then he lowered his head to the junction of her thighs and breathed in the scent of her arousal. Her hips lifted off the bed in a wordless plea for more, and he obliged, his tongue sliding through the slick heat of her folds. She gave a muffled cry, her legs falling open to give him better access.
He feasted on her, his tongue finding the small bud of flesh that made her shudder and gasp. She tasted like nothing he’d ever experienced—sweet and salty and uniquely her. Her thighs closed around his head, holding him in place as he circled her the small bud, applying enough pressure to make her back arch and her breath come in sharp pants.
“Please,” she whispered. “I’m so close. Don’t stop.”
He had no intention of stopping. He slid a finger inside her, feeling her inner muscles clench around him, and his cock throbbed painfully in response. He added a second finger, stretching her gently as he continued to lick and suck, buildingher pleasure until she was writhing against the bed, holding her hand over her mouth to muffle her increasingly desperate cries.
When she came, she shattered beautifully—her entire body trembling, her thighs tightening around his head almost to the point of pain, and a low, keening sound escaping her throat despite her attempts to silence it. He lapped up her release, prolonging her pleasure until she went limp beneath him, her chest heaving and her body glistening with sweat.
He kissed his way back up her body, pausing to lave her nipples, which were still erect and rosy from his attention. When he reached her mouth, she opened her eyes, and the dazed pleasure in her expression made him feel ten feet tall.
