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49
The heavy fog of unconsciousness lifted slowly. Onnika felt herself breathing and for some reason was surprised by the sensation. The air around her was a little humid, subtly perfumed with a complex bouquet of sweet spring blossoms, fresh rain, and a hint of damp soil. Stronger was the scent of clean bed linens and a familiar musky aroma that sent bolts of desire through her system. Her body had been trained to respond to that scent by passion and ecstasy and love...and it always made her greedy for more.
Aidan was in bed with her, his arm wrapped protectively around her. The pressure and heat of him felt luxurious. Just five more minutes of sleep, and she was going to ride him like a bronco.
Somewhere beyond where she slept, zealous birds chirped with mellifluous enthusiasm, singing songs to one another. A breeze wafted over her skin, sending fresh flavors of nature through the room.
Tendrils of confusion weaved through her mind. Had they landed on a planet? Weren’t they in the middle of a race? Last she recalled, they’d all been in danger and…Caryn was dying!
She shot upright with a gasp, her suddenly pounding pulse crashing in her ears like stormy ocean waves. With every gulping breath, despair clutched her heart tighter in its cold, gnarled grip. Where was she? Where was Caryn?
Her surroundings were a shocking contrast to the endless dimly lit, ramshackle bunks and space station accommodations that she was used to. The remarkably spacious room was brightly lit by way of a set of wide-open doors that allowed warm natural sunlight to pour in and was bracketed by gossamer white drapes that played cheerfully in the breeze. Even from where she sat, the view was breathtaking and indicated they were on a high floor. Beyond a coral stone balcony and marbled balustrade lay endless rows of rolling green hills splashed with colors of spring. The room was painted in warm, soft hues: silky peaches, pale corals, delicate whites. An opulent marbled hearth sat dormant in front of an inviting seating area decorated by a set of plush off-white sofas and matching chairs. The lightly tanned tile floor gleamed from a fresh polish, reflecting the high coffered ceiling. The massive bed was unreasonably soft, enveloped a by a feather-light comforter and smooth satiny sheets that wrapped her like a velvety creature looking to slowly suffocate her in a luxurious constriction.
With growing panic, she fought to free herself.
Aidan stirred, roused by her movement. Looking drowsy at first, he blinked his eyes open, and then the lids shot wide. Levering himself into a sitting position, he cupped her face between his hands, his gaze intense, searching. She’d never seen him so disheveled. His hair was wild, as though it had been pulled and tugged so much that it was now in permanent disarray. Untended whiskers discolored his strong jaw. Shadows braced his eyes.
“Thank the gods,” he choked, then pulled her into his lap and buried his face in her neck. Strong emotions rolled off him in palpable waves, his body shaking with it.
She reached up to cup the back of his neck, letting her nails softly caress the skin there, but before she could offer more comfort, she needed to know…
“Did we make it?” The whispered words fused by despair and hope.
He nodded, not lifting his head. “She’s fine,” he muttered into her skin, warming her with his breath. “Caryn is fine. We made it.”
Unimaginable relief poured over her, and she nearly went boneless. After a moment, she felt the tip of his nose graze her shoulder, followed by his lips. Her feminine intuition notified her of his fragility. He, too, needed tenderness and reassurance.
She moved to straddle his lap. His brawny arms folded around her waist, gripping her in a vise, with their torsos pressed so tightly together her knees barely touched the mattress. She realized she must have been unconscious for some time, and he, as he had once warned, had slipped perilously close to madness, fearing he would lose her.
His head cradled against her breasts as she petted his hair. “That’s a bit tight, love.”
He instantly loosened his grip but didn’t release her, his body still shuddering slightly.
She kissed the top of his head, murmuring soft, comforting words. “It’s okay. I’m here now. I love you. I’m with you.” Part of her worried this was a dream, that she was about to slip into another nightmare and that Aidan, her sister, and her very life would be ripped from her at any moment, replaced by yet another horrid reality, but she wrapped that part up and put it away somewhere in the recesses of her brain, because right now Aidan needed help climbing out of his own horrid reality and firmly reinstalled into this one.
Settling more comfortably on his lap, she brushed his lips with hers. “We’re okay now. It’s over. I’m not going anywhere.”
He seemed a bit dazed at first, then he pulled her closer and set her on fire with the fierce kiss of a man coming back to life. He put everything he wasn’t saying into that kiss: his love, his panic, his desperation, his piercing confirmation that she sure as shit wasn’t going anywhere and if she tried, he was going to drag her back and show her with his body how thoroughly she belonged to him. Her returning kiss mirrored the sentiment.
The crucial urgency with which they discarded their clothes was tame compared to the savage frenzy of their lovemaking. He was a wild thing, taking her as if he felt he could stamp his name on her soul with the might and power of his physical form. She forgot the race, her past, the world. Aidan transported her to a place of pure ecstasy and perfection, a place where only the two of them existed, dining on passion and feeding it back to one another. The tighter he held her, the more ravenous she became, wanting more. Harder, tighter, rougher. It was as if they were no longer sophisticated beings, but creatures of primitive origin, wanting to mark the other as claimed territory.
Onnika didn’t know how long the frenzy lasted, only that she came several times before they collapsed onto the bed, still holding one another.
And yet, she was not tired. Lying partially atop his body, she said, “Tell me what happened. How long was I out?”
“Three days,” he replied through heaving breaths.
“Is that all?”
He gave her a warning glance filled with hellfire. “Is thatall? No, no. Don’t you smile. Do you know how scared I was?”
Unable to temper her grin—undiluted happiness plus several orgasms will do that to a girl—she cupped his face. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I’m alive, you’re alive, Caryn’s alive. I never believed I could hold so much joy. Tell me what happened. How did we escape?”
“We didn’t,” he replied. Before she could ask what he meant, he said, “There was no need. Whatever you did…they just stopped.”
“They stopped attacking us?”
“They stoppedeverything. The attack, their ship. They were like a dead fish in water.”
