Chapter 23
Rosie
Irecover first, "how do you feel about dinner in bed?"
It's a bold assumption, that he won't leave like he always does. But I don't want him running out on me right now. I'm too raw with the need for connection.
I shift to get out of bed, but Rexus wraps a hand around my wrist and tugs me back. "Stay."
Confused but pleased, I shift until I'm leaning against him again. His arm goes around me and pulls me closer. I try not to let myself get used to it.
"Okay, but you're going to have to feed me eventually. I'm starving."
"No," he tilts my face up to meet his gaze. "Stay with me."
My breath catches in my chest, and my heart is in my throat as I stare up at him. His face is solemn and sincere.
"What?" I'm so afraid I'm just hearing what I want to hear and putting too much weight into his words. That he means right now, not forever.
He can't possibly mean forever. He's the one who set the 'no emotional entanglements' rule.
"I know you have a couple more months to decide, but I'd like you to stay with me. I don't want you to go."
"What about your "romantic entanglements" rule." I need to make sure we're on the same page. I need to know he's not just asking me to stay for an easy fuck. Because, I won't survive being his escape when I want him to be my everything.
"It's a dumb rule. Very stupid. I don't know what I was thinking." He bends down to press his mouth against my head. The kiss is brief, but his eyes are bright when he pulls away. "There was someone before you."
My heart sinks. I knew there must have been but I didn't particularly want to hear about a previous woman while naked in bed together.
"Her name was Seela and she was my best friend." He shifts and drags me closer. "We weren't lovers, but we'd help each other when one of us was in rut or heat."
"What happened to her?" Because something had definitely happened to her. I could tell now. It was in the lines of his face, the darkness in his eyes, in the fierce way he hugs me.
"She went home to visit family. She was there when the worlds went silent.
" I knew about the silence. It was why Earth had teamed up with WLN269 in the first place.
Their entire galaxy had gone silent overnight.
For a year they tried to contact anyone.
But never heard back. The only people left were the 50,000 men and 1,000 women on the mining planet.
"Oh, Rexus," I wrap my arm around his torso and hug him tight. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
"It's hard to lose someone."
"My mom died last year." I tell him, "It's part of why I'm here. I spent so much time taking care of her, I forgot to take care of everything else."
"Then you can understand why I did not want to invite that pain again." He sighs and pulls me closer until I'm sprawled halfway on top of him. "But from the moment I saw you, there was no resisting you."
"Right," I laugh.
"You're lovely, so soft and warm. You smell and taste wonderful.
You're kind and your pussy is the most perfect thing I've ever seen.
" His fingers trail down the front of me until they cup me from behind.
"There is more to a relationship, of course, but I want time to learn everything about you. And I can't do that if you're leaving."
I push off of him until I'm sitting next to him. I cannot have this conversation sprawled on top of him. And I definitely can't do it with his fingers pressed against my pussy.
"You can't keep leaving me alone all the time. I get you have work and a life but I'm going crazy sitting in here all the time."
"I'd like to combine domiciles. We can use whichever you prefer." He takes my hand in his and toys with my fingers. "I do not like being away from you."
"Oh, okay." Well, that was easy. "You have to introduce me to your friends. And there was a girl on the flight up, I'd like to find her contact information. I need other contacts besides you."
"I cannot promise we'll find the human but I shall ask Headquarters to help. I shall introduce you to Kan-RI and his partner whenever you like."
"You're being awfully accommodating." I narrow my eyes at him, not sure I can trust it.
"I want you here and I want you happy enough to stay. I will do whatever I can to make it happen. I'll probably mess it up because I've never had a mate before, so you'll need to tell me when I have and help me fix it."
"I can live with that." I lean forward and press my lips to his. "Now, can you please feed me? I'm dying over here."