Chapter 24 - Samantha #2
I should say thank you, or I’m fine, or something that would push him away gently. But I don’t. Instead, I shift, turning toward the narrow wall that separates us. My heart is still racing. My skin is damp with sweat.
Another breath. Then a sound. His bunk creaks faintly as he moves.
“Sam…” he murmurs, a question hanging in the air.
I swallow hard.
“Could you… just stay close? Not talk. Just… stay.”
My breathing syncs with his. My body, tense from fear, suddenly finds something solid to cling to.
After a few minutes, I shift again. My shoulder brushes his chest. He doesn’t move. I turn more fully now, pressing my forehead against him. He’s warm. Solid. Grounding.
His hand finds my waist—tentative, trembling.
He’s not making a move. Just answering a need. Mine.
I let out a shaky breath.
Then, without thinking, I nuzzle into the curve of his neck. My hand flattens against his chest. I feel his breath catch. His heartbeat is a steady drum, and for a moment, I let myself believe this rhythm is safe.
We don’t speak. There are no words for this.
He’s trying so hard to keep control, to not cross the line. But something in me wants to test it. Not to hurt him. Not to provoke him. Just… to feel something other than fear.
I lift my face and find his in the dark. It takes nothing—just a tilt of my chin—and our lips meet.
The kiss is feather-light at first. Almost accidental.
But then he responds, and it deepens. Warmth blooms in my chest, crawling down to my belly. His hand moves up my back, slowly, reverently. Mine slides up his arm, across his shoulder, until I can curl my fingers into his hair.
We kiss again. Slower. Longer. Not hurried. Not desperate. Just… real.
His hand lingers at the edge of my ribcage, barely touching the curve beneath my chest. He pauses.
I feel the restraint in him, the question he doesn’t dare voice.
I freeze, barely breathing. I don’t dare move, and now every thought in my head is centered on him. Like every night, his right arm wraps around me. My right thigh rests over his, and my hand lies flat against his chest.
Beneath my fingers, I can feel his heartbeat quicken.
And just like that, my thoughts spiral back to that night years ago… the one that got out of hand and ruined everything. After our scorching kiss, he’d run halfway across the galaxy. But tonight, everything feels different. We’re in a desperate situation.
We don’t even know if we’ll be alive in a few days… and I’ve dreamed about his lips so many times that I need to feel them again.
What do I have to lose? That he pushes me away again?
Boldly, I press my mouth to his—this time on purpose.
His whole body tenses, and for a long, terrible second, I think he won’t kiss me back.
Whatever I told myself three seconds ago… I was wrong. If he rejects me now, it will hurt more than I want to admit.
But I don’t have to wait long.
Suddenly, his lips crash into mine, and I tumble into a world of pure sensation.
He hasn’t shaved since he got here. A soft, patchy shadow has taken root on his jaw—rough but somehow tender.
When our mouths meet, I first feel the scruff—startling at first, then warm and grounding. His kiss is rough around the edges, a little wild. But it’s also full of tenderness, of longing. That familiar stubble scrapes against my skin, leaving invisible marks, a memory I never want to lose.
He devours me with the same hunger he once did, and the relief that rushes through me is overwhelming.
Our tongues find each other and move in sync, hungry and eager. For the first time in so long, I feel alive—even here, in this miserable warehouse.
We have to stay quiet, so I let my hands speak instead.
I explore his chest, his shoulders—muscles I’ve seen every night but now get to feel with my own fingers.
Ayden’s body is solid, powerful. Confirming it this way is so much better than just watching.
He gently rolls me beneath him, positioning himself above me. With practiced ease, he unhooks my bra, then lowers his head and lets his tongue graze my chest.
My breath catches. There are maybe forty fighters just a few feet away… are we really doing this? The deep snoring of the Varnaks echoes through the warehouse, and instead of alarming me, it makes me giggle.
Startled, Ayden lifts his head. I curl my arm around his neck and pull him back to me, back to my mouth.
I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of his kisses.
Then his hand stops, resting at the edge of my panties, like he’s asking for permission.
Yes, I think. A thousand times yes.
I wiggle slightly, helping him slide the last bit of fabric away.
And since we’re at it—I tug gently on his belt. Just enough to let him know that this barrier, too, needs to go.
He gets the message instantly. He undresses with such speed that the rhythm between us never breaks.
Well—figuratively speaking. Because my body? It’s already on fire.
I tremble with anticipation and a flicker of worry.
Last time, we stopped before this part.
Given how far gone we both are now, I doubt that’s going to happen again.
Still… I’m nervous. My only real experience was with Frank—and it was a complete disaster. A galactic-level disappointment. Was it my fault? Or his? He acted like it was all on me, blaming my inexperience.
I know Galactic Sentinels have flings wherever they go. Logan bragged about it enough. I’m not na?ve. I don’t think Ayden went celibate all these years. So how could I ever measure up to the women he’s been with?
But those thoughts disappear when his hands and mouth are everywhere at once.
His lips, my breasts, his fingers… a single firm touch between my thighs sends a tidal wave crashing through me.
I gasp—would have made a sound if Ayden hadn’t kissed me at just that moment.
A silent warning. A shared understanding.
I drown in the bliss as it crests and fades, leaving my whole body humming in its wake. Ayden doesn’t rush. He kisses me lazily, touches me with a kind of greedy patience. God, how I wish I could see his face…
Then, with a deep growl, he shifts his weight and rises over me. That sound—unintentional, primal—sinks straight into my core, and I ache in response.
And then he’s inside me.
Finally.
I tighten my grip around his neck, clinging to him.
This has nothing to do with Frank’s awkward fumbling. This is something else entirely. This is Ayden claiming me, body and soul. Dominating me with the full force of his strength and presence.
In seconds, another wave overtakes me. I arch beneath him, unable to contain the tremors that roll through me.
I don’t know if we managed to stay quiet. But the hangar is still peaceful, barely disturbed by the Varnaks' heavy breathing.
And me? My entire world just shifted on its axis.
Whatever just happened between us... it wasn’t just good.
It was everything.
We slowly catch our breath. Ayden eases us back into our usual sleeping position. His hand strokes my arm with a tenderness that melts me all over again.
Eventually, I drift off. Still glowing inside, my heart full of the moments we just shared.