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He came with a groan, grabbing her head and pulling her in for a kiss as he spasmed under her hand.His breath was harsh and labored, as if he had just run a marathon.Hannah rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat a rapid tattoo against his ribs.“That was incredible,” he said.He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.“Thank you.”
Before she could say anything else, he got out of bed and went to the bathroom.He’d cleaned up when he returned and had a towel for her hand.“You don’t have to thank me,” she said.“I wanted to do it.”
“It seemed polite.”He cleared his throat.“Should I return to my bed?”
It would be so easy for her to say yes.Part of her wanted to, not wanting to make things more complicated than they already were, but Hannah suspected it was too late for that.
But her heart, the illogical thing that it was, wanted him to stay with her.Hadn’t she already told him that she wanted to be with him?“No, of course not.”It might have been her imagination, but she thought Rhys’s shoulders sagged in relief, just a little.
He switched off the light and slid back into bed.She settled against his chest.“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep now?”he asked into her hair.
She smiled.“Yes.”
“Shall I reciprocate?”
It was the most formal sexual invitation she’d ever received, yet it still didthingsto her.Lascivious images filled her mind, and she almost agreed.“Tonight was for you,” she said, raising her head to meet his eyes.They shone with an otherworldly light in the dark.“We’ll worry about me another time.”
“I have had resurfaced memories of my original when he...”
“Rhys, donottell me about that.I won’t talk about my past experiences, and you don’t have to tell me about your original’s.”
His arms tightened around her.“I don’t like to think about you with other people,” he muttered.
“There’s only been one, and I haven’t been with anyone in a very long time.There’s no one else right now.”
“Is it irrational that I only want to be with you?”
“No,” she replied.“I lean toward monogamy, myself.”
He reached for her jaw and lightly swept his fingers along it, as if reassuring himself that she was still there.He tilted up her chin to kiss her.“I think I do too,” he said.“Good night, Hannah.”
Rhys thoughtthere might be no better way to wake up in the morning than next to a naked Hannah.Her head rested against his shoulder, unbound hair draped across his arm and chest.
If he was an organic human and unequipped with his memory banks, he might have thought last night was a dream.He would treasure the images that still raced through his mind for the rest of his life.
Not wanting to wake her, he shifted, but it was for naught.“Mm?”she murmured, raising her head.The bedsheet slipped down, revealing the swells of her breasts.Rhys’s mouth went dry at the sight.
“Good morning,” he said.A wave of shyness crested over him, which was ridiculous, considering all they had shared.He cleared his throat.“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah.”She sounded surprised to admit that.She blinked, her eyes widening at the sight of him still naked.“I think I could get used to that.”
Rhys warmed at her words.“I think I could too.”Not knowing what else to say, he changed the subject.“I’m going to start working on restoring the launch site today, now that the power grid is back online.”
“Oh, wow.That’s a huge job.I don’t think the equipment needed to fix all that can even be found on New Eden.”
He shrugged.“You managed to transmit an SOS.”
“And the broadcast equipment failed right after I sent it.I rebuilt it with melted spoons.It was sheer dumb luck that I managed to do that much.”
“We can leave New Eden for necessary supplies,” Rhys pointed out.“There are enough trading depots nearby that doing so wouldn’t be an issue.”
That caught Hannah’s attention.“How close?”
“The nearest waystation would take three to five days’ travel time to arrive, depending on ship speeds.This area of space is prone to ion storms, so there’s a possibility of delays.”
Hannah stared at him, aghast.“Are you telling me that civilization has only been a few days away all this time?”
Rhys didn’t know if he’d said something wrong.“Yes?”
