Chapter 22 #2
“I do.” Her voice shook but held strong. “I promise to love him, to trust him, to be his partner and his mate. I promise to build this family with him, to choose him every day, to—” Her voice broke. “To choose joy with him, even when I’m scared.”
His throat closed. She understood what that had cost both of them—the fear, and the choice to love anyway.
“Then by the authority granted to me,” Maeva said, “I declare you bonded. Mated. Joined in the eyes of this community and this world.”
She closed the book and smiled. “You may kiss.”
He didn’t hesitate. He pulled her close, careful of her belly, and kissed her with everything he had. Everything he felt. Everything he was.
She melted into him, kissing him back, her hands fisted in his shirt.
Anya cheered. Mikoz babbled. Jarrek whistled. And he held his mate—his wife—and felt something settle deep in his chest.
Official. Public. Declared.
She was his. He was hers. Forever.
They celebrated on the deck as the sun set, turning the sky orange and pink and gold. Maeva had brought food, simple but delicious. Jarrek produced a bottle of something sweet and sparkling.
Corinne sat beside him, her hand in his, her head on his shoulder. Anya held Mikoz, teaching him to clap to the rhythm of Jarrek’s drumming.
It was perfect. Simple and beautiful and theirs.
“I can’t believe you did this,” she murmured. “I can’t believe you planned all this.”
“I wanted you to know,” he said. “I wanted you to understand my commitment.”
“I feel it.” She lifted her head, looked at him. “I feel so loved.”
“You are loved.” He touched her face. “More than I can express. More than I can—”
“More than words,” she finished. “I know. I feel the same.”
They sat in silence, watching the sky darken, the lights on the rigging glowing brighter. Mikoz fell asleep in Anya’s arms. Jarrek and Maeva talked quietly, giving them space.
“Thank you,” she said eventually. “For choosing me. For—for making this real.”
“It was always real,” he said. “But I’m glad we made it official.”
“Me too.” She smiled. “Though I’m going to have to explain to Anya that just because we got married doesn’t mean she gets to stop doing her lessons.”
He laughed, the sound surprising him. “She will argue.”
“She always does.” Her smile widened. “But she’ll do them anyway. She’s a good kid.”
“She is a good daughter,” he corrected. “Our daughter.”
Her eyes filled again. “Our daughter. Our son. Our baby.” She touched her belly. “Our family.”
“Our family,” he echoed, and wrapped his tail around her, holding her close.
Later, after Maeva and Jarrek had left, taking Anya and Mikoz with them, he stood with Corinne at the bow.
She leaned against the railing, looking out at the dark water, the reflected stars.
“I keep thinking this is a dream,” she said quietly. “That I’ll wake up and be back on that shuttle. Or back on Earth. Or—”
“Or still alone,” he finished. “Still grieving. Still lost.”
“Yes.” She turned to him. “But then I look at you. At Anya. At Mikoz. And I know it’s real.”
“It is real,” he confirmed. “You are my wife. My mate. My—”
“Your everything. You’ve said that before.” She smiled at him, her face soft and loving.
“I will keep saying it.” He pulled her close. “Until you believe it. Until—”
“I believe it. I believe in you and I believe in us.”
She kissed him and as always, hunger flared between them. The kiss deepened as she melted against him and by the time he raised his head, they were both breathing heavily.
“Did Anya tell you about the other part of a wedding?” she asked breathlessly.
“What other part?”
“It’s called a honeymoon. It’s when we come together for the first time as husband and wife.”
She took a half-step back, but before he could protest, she slid her gown down over her shoulders, leaving her naked and glowing in the moonlight.
His breath caught at her beauty. Her breasts were fuller, the gentle curve of her pregnancy already visible, and she was the most beautiful female he had ever seen.
“Let me love you, wife,” he growled.
“Always,” she answered, but when he went to scoop her up in his arms and carry her below deck, she shook her head. “No. Out here, under the stars.”
Yes. The idea of it sent a surge of possessiveness through him. Making her his, not just in the privacy of their home but here in the night, for the stars and the sea to witness.
He stripped off his own clothes, discarding them until he was as naked as she was, his already hard cock jutting towards her.
He paused, just looking at her. She watched him, her eyes dark and inviting, her lips parted.
The moonlight spilled across her, highlighting the gentle curve of her belly.
He could see the pulse beating in her throat, a rapid, excited rhythm that matched his own. He wanted to memorize every detail.
“Selik,” she whispered, her husky, impatient, and beautiful. “Touch me.”
He wanted her, always, but tonight he wanted to worship her.
He knelt in front of her, running his hands up her legs.
Her skin was smooth and warm, and he could feel her tremble as he slid his hands higher, over the soft curve of her belly to her full breasts.
He could feel the rapid flutter of her heart beneath his palm.
He looked at her face, at the way her head was thrown back, her lips parted, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps.
“You are so beautiful, s’kara. My wife.”
He wanted to taste her. He leaned forward and took one of her nipples into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tight peak. She cried out, her hands fisting in his hair, holding him close. He growled against her skin, the vibration making her gasp.
He lavished attention on her, tasting and teasing, until she was shaking with need, her body moving restlessly against his. Her scent filled the air, a sweet, intoxicating perfume that made his head spin. He wanted to drown in it.
He gently parted her legs, using his tail to help support her as he licked her, slowly, thoroughly, exploring every sensitive fold.
Her legs trembled as he found that sensitive bundle of nerves, and she cried out, her hips bucking against him.
He held her close, tasting her, drinking in her pleasure as it built and crested in a shuddering wave.
She was still breathing hard when he stood, turning her so she was bent over the railing. He stroked his hands over the soft curves of her ass and she moaned and pushed back into his hands.
“Now, Selik. Please.”
He positioned himself at her entrance and pushed forward slowly, carefully, watching for any sign of discomfort.
She was so wet, so ready for him, and as he sank deeper, her tight heat closed around him.
He stilled when he was fully seated inside her, both of them breathing hard, the only sounds their harsh breaths and the gentle lapping of the water against the boat.
He could feel her heart beating where her back pressed against his chest, a frantic, excited rhythm that matched his own.
“You feel so good,” she moaned. “So right.”
He didn’t answer with words. He showed her with a deep, possessive thrust. She cried out, pushing back to meet him.
He began to move, setting a slow, steady rhythm designed to drive her higher and higher.
The tip of his tail plucked at the breasts as he reached around her, stroking the sensitive nub at the center of her pleasure while he continued to thrust into her.
She came with a soft cry, her body shaking, her inner muscles clenching around him, pulling him deeper, demanding more.
He growled her name, driving into her with one last, deep thrust as the knot at the base of his cock swelled, locking them together.
He held her close as he spilled himself inside her, the release so intense it left him dizzy.
Afterwards, he carried her down to their cabin, settling her on the bed, and then he covered her with his body.
He kissed her, a slow, deep kiss, full of love and longing and a desperate need to show her how much she meant to him.
He wasn’t a Cire, bound to her by biology alone.
He was a husband, a partner, a man who had chosen her.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lips. “I will love you forever.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “I know,” she said, her voice soft and sure. “I love you too.”
He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her into his side, and listened to her breathing deepen as she drifted toward sleep. He had never felt this complete, this settled, this content. He had everything he’d ever wanted, everything he’d ever thought he’d lost.
He was home.
And he would do whatever it took to keep it that way.