Jacobus raised his golden arms. “Fine. We will leave you to your evening. You can use any of the products we brought with us during the rest of your stay.”
No
.
He turned to her. “And if you need anything else, be sure to call the front desk. My wife and I will be available all night.”
Wife?
She faced her masseur. Jacobus had massaged her breasts, run his hands so close to her heat. And he had offered her still more. How far would he have gone with the woman he’d married in the same room? No way could she ever get used to this planet.
In an instant, the couple had folded up one of the tables then hurried away. Nate pierced her with his gaze from the other end of the massage platform between them. Even with the robe on, she felt exposed in front of him. He’d already seen her naked. Many times. Now, he was the only one left with her. The same man who’d gotten in Jacobus’s face minutes earlier, ready to fight him.
“You’re so beautiful.” His sultry whisper sent shivers across her body.
“Pardon?” She had to have misheard him. If he meant his words, he never would have vanished from her life.
Nate stepped around the table and approached her. Though she wanted to back up, gain some distance from the hunk of a man with his hungry eyes, her feet refused to move. As he stood in front of her, she gasped, her heart pounding in her chest. He gripped her hips, drawing her closer. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. “I said, you’re beautiful. Just as precious as the first time we were together.” His warm breath across her neck left her body tingling, wanting more.
If a stranger, he would have made this the best day of her life, with delicious food, a relaxing massage, and now, the sexiest man alive touching her. But her date had to end now. She couldn’t go through him leaving again. If only she could respond, her tongue gone numb.
“Why don’t you climb back on the table? I’ll finish your massage, bring pleasure to every inch of your body.”
She gulped then shook her head, still not able to respond. Even with his god-like physique, he could be nothing more than a distant memory.
Nate frowned, releasing her before turning away. “I get it. You expected someone different.”
“Yes, but…” She reached out to him, her fingers taking on a mind of their own, running down the center of his muscular back. Gods, she longed to touch more of his amazing body. “I didn’t think you wanted me. You left me so suddenly, like a toy you’d grown out of.”
“A toy?” He turned to face her, his eyes hard. “No, Ava, you were so much more than that. How could you think such a thing?”
Liar
. Flames of anger shot up inside her. “What was I supposed to think when you disappeared without so much as a goodbye?”
He reached for her, shaking his head. “I didn’t leave of my own free will, Ava. Your planet’s military forced me to leave, threw me onto the first cargo ship leaving Earth. I didn’t get a chance to say anything to you.”
A rock fell into the pit of her stomach. Was he telling the truth? “But why? What did you do?”
“Don’t you know? I’m part Claustrian.”
She gasped.
The exterminated society?
But they had special powers. She’d never witnessed any of them while with Nate. “No. You’d be dead if you had Claustrian DNA.”
“I’m only one quarter, if even that,” he said. “But enough for the military to suddenly ban me from Earth as well as several other planets, marking me as a terrorist.”
“How could they do such a thing? You didn’t even know your parents. You never did anything wrong.”
“You know as well as I do that people judge you based on who your parents are.”
Yes, she did. She couldn’t even apply for a scholarship because her parents were working class. Without her job, she would never have had the opportunity to leave the planet. With a new understanding, she stepped closer, ready to forgive him.
He cupped her cheeks, tilting her head up until she couldn’t help but gaze into his alluring eyes. Then he kissed her forehead. “But we’re together now. Somehow Madame Evangeline found the woman I’ve longed for ever since I was tossed into space.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, sending a rush of desire straight to her core.
“Now, why don’t we make up for all those star cycles apart?”
“No,” she squeaked out. His intense stare left her weak in the knees. If he stopped touching her, she would melt into a puddle at his feet. But she couldn’t erase all that time without him in an instant. “Why don’t we talk for a bit? Catch up.” Even as she said the words, her body betrayed her, sending moisture to pool between her thighs. She craved the satisfaction only he had ever brought her.
Nate stepped away from the woman he’d pined over for so long to slip on a robe. By catching up on the past ten star cycles, not only would their time together last longer, but he’d have more conversation than he’d had with any woman since her. And maybe, she’d want to see him again, if he avoided releasing in front of her. Gods, how had she prevented him from spontaneously combusting their first time together? Maybe he’d been too young. Or perhaps Ava had the magic touch.
He held his hand out to his stunning date, grinning inwardly when she placed her palm to his.
Mine. All mine
. Glancing around, he contemplated where to guide her first. Delicacies from this planet and the universe beyond adorned plates across a dining table. A hot tub rested in the corner of the room. Though, beside him stood the one thing he wanted most. Guiding her toward a lounge chair, he tried to suppress his groaning stomach. Ava didn’t need to know nerves had left him unable to eat anything since the morning. He paused, contemplating how much fun food play could be during their date. Yes, an idea to be considered. If she didn’t leave him, first.
Sitting on the chair, he directed her onto his lap. She didn’t want to get intimate right away, but he could still hold her close, remind her of what they’d once had. There’s no way he would let her go until he’d left her satisfied. “So, dear Ava, what brings you to Elatia? How’d you manage to get off the planet?”
She rested her head against his chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world, like they’d never spent any time apart. Gods, how he wished he’d never had to leave her.
“I work on one of the mother travelers that carries tourists across the universe. Elatia is one of our stopovers.”
She traveled through space like him. How he wished they’d run into each other sooner. But in a couple of days, she would leave again. Head back to Earth, where he could never return. Disappointment clutched his gut. He’d hoped tonight would lead to something more as with many of Madame Eve’s other matches. Especially since he had a history with Ava. “And how’d you manage to find a job venturing through the stars?”
“I….” Her body stiffened. She sat up. “I got lucky.”
He’d struck a nerve. What had she done to get the position? Or had something else happened since he’d last seen her? He didn’t want to say or do anything else to push her farther away. Not when he had a limited amount of time with her. Running his hands down the material covering her arms, he took a deep breath. “It’s your turn. Ask me anything.”
She spun on his lap, straddling him rather than sitting across his thighs. Even with her crossed arms, this position gave him full access to her body. Perfect for what he had planned.
“Okay, what do you do? How’d you end up on Elatia?”
“A little of this and that. Transporting small packages between planets, mostly.” Cargo no one else wanted to carry. He grasped her hips, sliding her toward him, her robe slipping up her thighs. She grasped his shoulders and stared at him, eyes wide. But no objection came from her lips, so he continued. “As for why I’m here, well, I came to meet you. Right now, I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Her cheeks flushed, and he could think of nothing but having his way with her. He leaned forward, tasting her sweet lips. She didn’t pull away, but wrapped her arms around him. Lining his tongue along the edge of her mouth, he deepened the kiss. He absorbed her essence into every cell. He couldn’t get enough. Reaching between their bodies, he undid the tie around his waist. Then hers. Delirious, he pulled the robes from between them until skin pressed against skin. Exactly as they were meant to be. Nibbling his way down her neck, he took pleasure in her soft whimpers. She leaned back, opening herself to him. For a moment, he could do nothing but stare at her luscious body, unable to believe she was there with him again.
He ran his tongue across her stomach, from her navel, all the way up to one of her rosy peaks, the taste of tropical fruits and her femininity overwhelming his senses. He sucked a nipple into his mouth, drawing his teeth over her tender skin. She cried out, but held him there rather than pushing him away. As he switched to savor her other breast, she began to rock over him. His semi-hard-on turned into a rock, seeking out a warm pussy. The head of his penis slid easily along her wet lips, but he refused to take the plunge.
Way too soon
.
Rising to his feet, he laid Ava across the lounger. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
He rushed over to the gourmet spread of food before his lust took over and he ruined the evening. Collecting a selection of pastries filled with creams and small chunks of juicy fruit, he took a deep breath, trying to stifle his aching cock. Anxious to satisfy another hunger, he carried the plate over to Ava.
He kneeled in front of her. A smile radiated across her face. “Thank you. I didn’t expect the eletin to affect me so much. It’s like the alcohol on Earth. I want you, don’t get me wrong, but….”
Setting a chunk of fruit between his teeth, he captured her lips again. Their tongues darted around the juicy flesh until he swallowed it down. He licked a trail of sweet nectar down her neck. Gods, he’d missed her.
Pinching one of the flaky pastries, he wiped its cream onto her pert, rosy nipples. Hunger and lust pulsed through him, but under it all, something more. More than want. He needed her. Always had. He refused to walk away from her again. Tonight was about more than pleasure, a one-night stand. Somehow, he had to convince her to never return to Earth, to stay with him. An impossible task. But he had to try.
He licked the sugary cream from her erect peaks, swirling his tongue around each before sucking it all off.
Absolutely divine
. She moaned, bucking against him. So much for getting to know each other again. But if he had his way, they’d have plenty of time to catch up after the evening ended. He had to remind her of what they’d once had.
Spreading open her legs, he grabbed another piece of fruit. He squeezed its juices over her already slick folds, lapping the sweet flavors together. The taste of pure decadence, a heady combination of sweetness and sex, left him starving for more. Swirling his tongue, he savored her alluring taste. Her high-pitched keening resonating through the room, she gripped his shoulders, pushing her pelvis closer. Anxious to have her screaming his name, he plunged two fingers inside her velvet core, focusing his ministrations on her clit.
Her reaction was instantaneous. She jerked, her pussy clenching his digits. “That’s it, Ava. Let yourself go.”
She dug her nails into his skin, her body glowing. He continued his torment, longing to make up for his absence.
All or nothing.
He thrust deeper, until she found her release.
“Nate!” She shoved her hips into the air, writhing on the lounger, as he maintained a steady beat, sliding in and out. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her body to his, her short pants brushing across his ear. “That was…amazing. No one…ever. Shit.”
With a grin, he held her close, brushing her sweat-soaked hair from her face. “It’s all about you. Everything for you, Ava.”
Her body shook as her pants turned to sobs. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore. I loved you, and then….”
“Shhh, baby. We’re together now.” Gods, he wished he’d had the opportunity to explain instead of leaving her to think he’d abandoned her. “I never stopped loving you.”
Never
.
He’d tried to forget about her over the star cycles, replace her, but no one ever could. From the moment he’d first met her, she’d embedded herself into his heart. Now, he had to figure out how to keep her. And to control himself so he didn’t scare her away.
Ava shivered as she dried herself off. She and Nate had moved to the hot tub after he’d gifted her with the best release of her life. He’d been giving when they’d dated on Earth, too, hence why it hurt so much when he’d disappeared without a word. But now she knew the truth. He hadn’t had a choice in leaving the planet.
They’d chatted about their star cycles apart, of the planets they’d visited, while sipping spiced cider. She’d leaned against his chest, calmed by his steady heartbeat. How she wished they could simply pick up where they’d ended their relationship, live as lovers and friends. But she had to face the inevitable. They would never be together. If they decided to continue their relationship, she could expect nothing more than nights like this where she met up with him while on shore leave. A relationship of one-night stands wasn’t a relationship at all. So, she’d take tonight. When she returned to Earth, she would do everything in her power to get him allowed back on the planet. Which wouldn’t be much. She didn’t have the status, and neither did anyone she knew. No, tonight would be their last night together. She had to make the most of it.
As he stood by the massage table, spreading the veech cloth over the surface, she stared at him, taking in all the hard lines of his body. Scars marred his arms, his legs, his back, even his tight ass. Proof life hadn’t been easy for him. Even on Earth, as an orphan, he had been shunned by most, not having any status or a family to belong to.
Right now, though, she wanted to belong to him, be taken by him, over and over. She wanted to forget about everything except the sexy man in front of her. Instead of joining Nate at the table, she wandered over to the enormous round bed. She tossed the towel to the floor, stretching across the soft sheets. A perfect spot to spend the rest of their night.