This—this is what they did on Thursday afternoons.
She lost herself to the soft bow of his warm lips, bathing in the musk of his strong chest as he held her close. She ran her hands through his rich locks of hair while he tangled a fist around her ponytail once more.
“We are filthy,” she reminded him in between kisses.
“We can be filthy,” Lee murmured, tugging at her bottom lip and drinking in her soft laughter as she rolled onto her toes. He adjusted his grip on her lower back. Lower still as she backed him into the wall.
“Dust all over our bodies,” Kat tried again, leaning her head back like she might pull away, while her hands clung to his armswith vice grips, unwilling to relinquish her hold on him just yet. He seemed to realize this, tugging her back into him.
“I’ll take the dust,” Lee whispered, his breath caressing her ear. A tiny squeak escaped her as she arched into his embrace.
She eventually—begrudgingly, and a tad lightheaded—made it in there. Though, given the feel of his arms emblazoned around her waist, and the taste of Lee on her lips… It was a wonder she’d made it at all.
She turned on the cool water, watching the tiny beads of water collect along the ends of her vanilla-blonde hair, until goosebumps pebbled. Then she dialed the temperature up a few degrees and let the warm water lull her into a comfortable daze.
She and Lee were taking things slow. And not because she didn’t want to with him—she did. She really did.
She clamped her thighs together, toes curling as she attempted to stifle the images already forming in her head.Void, how she wanted to take him for a ride, make him see stars and paint the entirezappingsky in their glory. She wanted to give herself wholly to him and let him wear that on a banner so that the entire galaxy—no, the universe—would know she was his. That they had won. Against all odds, she and Lee had made it.
But for the first timein her life,she didn’t feel like she needed to rush things. Like the universe was gifting her this time to be with him, and to get it right.
She knew what it was like to have nothing. To want for everything. Right up until she joined the Academy, it had just been her and her aunt struggling out a meager existence. She’d always known that if she slowed down, if she let go, she’d spiral out of control and it would be taken from her. She was terrified of the day that invisible force would start propelling her forward again.
But maybe she didn’t have to keep running. Maybe this was the universe telling her she didn’t have to do it all on her ownanymore. That she wouldn’t crash and burn if she finally let herself slow down. Because she had Lee.
They were so close to completing the Raider Program. So close to reaching their dreams and everything they’d ever wanted. They would last, wouldn’t they? They would ride off into the cosmos like they’d always planned. The two of them were infinite. They were Kat and Lee.
She was still mulling over the blessed twist in her life a few minutes later, waiting for her suit to take a spin in the refresher, when she got a message from Lee.
Some of the crew meeting for wind tunnel surfing. We in?
We.
A spark of giddiness set that blessing aglow. Leaping out of her towel, Kat pulled on her freshly tossed all-terrain suit.
Surfing. Plans dredged up from what felt like years in the past. That was also what they did on Thursday afternoons.
Of course, she was back to doubting their plans by the time she’d run a brush through her hair and caught up with Lee.
Who would be coming today? Whistler would be there for sure. And they often met up with Flyn or Ness for surfing—although, she hadn’t kept tabs on whether or not they’d also fallen prey to the raid rumors and wished to avoid them.
Her thoughts tapered off when she found Lee. He was leaning with his back to the railing of the upper skywalk. Moisture clung to the hair that swept down over his brow, catching on his ears. The hard muscles of his stomach evident even through his suit were drawn taut as he gazed out the opposite window. He turned to face her when she got to him, bright green eyes sliding down her body before he caught himself and dragged them back up.
She grinned, sauntering even closer. “You clean up nice.”
Lee’s answering smolder had her gut tightening once more, her mouth suddenly parched, thirsting after this man.
“We could just catch up with them later…” he suggested.
“You know I want to go back with you.” She had to catch herself on the railing to stop herself from swaying from the longing. She would love to go back to her dorm with Lee and spend some very luxurious time with that smolder. “But…”
“But we’ve got to face them eventually,” Lee guessed. His brow smoothed, his face softening as he jerked his head towards the stairs. “Come on.”
They started heading down to the lower levels of the ship. “I’m ready for the next one—of your nicknames,” she clarified, giving him a shy look.
“I think she’s beginning to like them,” Lee said, eyeing her sidelong, a brow raised.
“Eh. They could be better.” She cringed away, laughing as he snuck an elbow to her ribs.
