Chapter 5
Miran
He was so stunned that he went perfectly still. Then he opened his mouth and slid his tongue along the seam of her lips. She gasped, opening to him. He pressed his tongue into her mouth, remaining gentle so she could pull back if she didn’t like it.
With a moan, she ran her tongue along his.
She tasted sweet, like every dessert he'd ever had all rolled into one. He didn’t force her to maintain the kiss. If anything, she was the one pressing her tongue against his, inviting more intimacy.
The smell of her arousal, faint before, grew stronger, making his flagging erection pop back to life. His cock was wedged between him and her, making it both painful and wonderful.
She might’ve started the kiss as a way to shut him up, but it was turning into something more. He didn’t want the moment to end because he did something she wasn’t ready for.
She wiggled on his lap, torturing his dick and making him moan deep in his throat. The shuttle around him disappeared. His world narrowed down to Nova and the kiss.
Then he felt her hands move. Worry for his safety cleared away the lust haze. He pulled away from the kiss and grabbed her hands, expecting to find another drug gun or some other kind of improvised weapon. But her hands were completely empty.
“Hey, I wasn't done,” she protested.
He blinked, his head all twisted around first from the kiss, then the sudden panic. Did she mean she wasn’t done trying to incapacitate him?
“Hissa guy, I didn’t want to stop. You taste good, get back over here,” she demanded and stretched her face toward his again.
“Miran,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “My name is Miran. Second son of the family Goshun and…”
His words trailed off when she nuzzled his cheek. Her skin felt unbelievably soft.
“Miran. That’s a good name. I like it.” Her quiet words lit up his brain. He wanted more compliments from her.
No, that’s not how it should be. He needed to shower her with eloquent words and accolades.
“Nova is a good name too,” he said, wincing at how clumsy he sounded.
She made a humming sound and licked his chin just like he’d licked her neck earlier.
Sensation zinged down his spine, making him wish they were both naked.
He kept both of her hands in his, sure that she couldn’t cause him any trouble if she wasn’t able to grab anything.
That assurance let him relax into what she was doing.
She licked and nipped across his jaw, then nuzzled at his ear. Unlike humans, Hissa had a small, pointed ear shell. She seemed fascinated. She kept licking, kissing, and nuzzling it. Every touch sent pleasure coursing through his body.
He’d never thought of his ear as sensitive to anything but cold and pain, but Nova was showing him that his ear could be sexual.
Honestly, she could probably touch him anywhere and he’d react with passion.
She shifted again, her voluminous clothes moving and wafting her arousing scent to his nose.
It was tempting to start pulling off the clothes so her scent wasn’t inhibited. He even went so far as to let go of her hands to grab handfuls of her clothing, but stopped with his fingers clutching the fabric.
No, bad, wrong. He couldn’t think of why, but some reasonable part of his brain insisted he shouldn’t do it.
When she tried to move on his lap to straddle him, he grabbed her ass to help her adjust. They managed to do it all without her having to stop what she was doing to his ear. When she moved her lips away, he whimpered a little. Then her mouth was on his again, and all disappointment was forgotten.
She rubbed her core against him. He couldn’t feel as much as he wanted through the heavy fabric of his pants and her outfit, but it still felt good.
As they kissed, her hands wandered over him but couldn’t find much skin because of his armor.
Finally, she settled on putting both hands on the back of his head, holding him still.
As if he’d try and pull away!
A hard thump jolted both of them, making her gasp and pull back.
“We’ve landed,” she said with a breathless little laugh. “Now I understand why Melee had so many cubs,” she said, a little breathless. “You taste so good, I don’t want to stop.”
His brain swirled, trying to make sense of her comment. “Who’s Melee?”
Her mouth shut in a hard line, and he could tell she wasn’t saying any more.
There was another jolt as the landing legs finished lowering the shuttle to the ground. They both looked over to see the shuttle hatch opening and all the Fielden waiting to file out in an orderly line. None of them bothered to look at the two foreigners acting so strangely.
The shuttle door opened, letting her hear the howling wind outside. A gust of sand-laden air blasted in through the open hatch. Even though it wasn’t nearly as ferocious as the wind outside, Miran watched the sandy air inside the shuttle cause Nova to squint her eyes and turn her face away.
The Fielden weren’t intimidated, they simply drew up their hoods, secured their clothes, and stepped out. Unperturbed by the sky darkened with sand debris or the violent winds, they made their way to the nearby ground transports or main port building.
“This isn't good,” Miran muttered as he assessed the storm. Although the Fielden weren’t bothered, he was worried.
The shuttle flashed its interior lights and issued a warning in Space Standard that passengers needed to depart if they didn’t want to return to the Delight. He remained sitting with Nova on his lap, waiting for the shuttle to close the door and start launch procedures.
Nothing happened except the lights flashed again and the warning sounded. After it did that five more times, he realized something was wrong.
Grumbling, he cradled Nova to his chest and stood up. It took only a few strides for him to reach the automated interface. It was flashing all kinds of warnings and faults. It was clear that the storm had caused some kind of issue with the shuttle.
“I'm guessing we're grounded,” Nova said with a small smile. “I’ve always wanted to visit a planet.”
That sentence made him jerk a little. Even though her records indicated that she’d gone straight from the decanting facility to the Delight, it never occurred to him that they wouldn’t let her set foot on actual land.
That was something he could give her: experiences. He could make sure that she got to do all the things she’d never had access to before. Maybe that would help her pick him once they were back on Hissa.
After that kiss, he couldn’t stand the thought of not being her warrior. Her mate. Her everything.
It would be hard to maintain restraint, but he’d make sure everything between them happened at her speed. He’d show her that he was worthy, even if he had to do all of it with a painful erection!
But before any of that, he had to keep them both safe and secure.
Shifting her so he could hold her with one arm, he tapped on the interface.
His data bracelet didn’t have the range to contact the Delight or his team’s gunship.
But this shuttle did. It took a while, but he was able to link his communicator with the shuttle and key in his ship’s code.
It was a relief when Lazil’s face appeared on the shuttle’s display.
“Miran! Thank the moons, you have her!”
Nerin pushed Lazil to the side so he could talk as well. “Are you both well?”
“Nova’s ankle is injured,” he said. She made a huffing sound but remained quiet otherwise.
“We’ll meet you on the dock of the Delight with med tech,” Nerin said. “I know the ship has at least one.”
“That’s not possible,” Miran said. “We’re grounded by a storm.”
Both Nerin’s and Lazil’s expressions turned worried, although Lazil’s was mixed with frustration.
“We’ll come to you,” Lazil declared.
Miran frowned at his teammate. “I don’t think you should attempt to land until it blows over.”
Nerin was looking at another screen as he spoke. “The weather prediction says it’ll last at least a few days. We'll land in another city and make our way to you on the ground.”
“Land and stay,” Miran commanded. “Don’t risk traveling in this. We’ll connect when the storm is over.”
Lazil’s expression turned dark. “Is that wise? You have to sleep at some point, and she’s a flight risk. She’s already hurt herself. What if she kills herself on the next escape attempt?”
“You guys know I can hear everything you’re saying, right?” Nova said with a frown. She shook a finger at Lazil. “I’m more than a flight risk, I’m deadly!”
Lazil laughed but stopped laughing when he saw Miran’s face. “She’s joking, right?”
“Do you remember what Mara did to Woken?”
Lazil looked doubtful, but Nerin made a surprised sound in the background.
“She’s like Mara?” Nerin asks.
“She’s Mara and Deena combined,” he said, enjoying the way Nerin winced. Those two women were smart, fierce, and formidable. It was important that his team didn’t think Nova’s escape was luck.
“I doubt that,” Lazil mumbled. He wasn’t one to believe anything unless he witnessed it firsthand. It was his best and worst trait. “She can’t possibly be that skilled.”
“Then let me show you!” Nova challenged. She looked ready to fight.
Lazil snorted derisively. “Scurrying away inside a vent isn’t proof of fierceness, only desperation. Don’t worry, you’ll never have to deal with the people on that ship ever again.”
Nova was practically vibrating with aggression. This wasn’t like her, but then again, she was used to pretending to be something and not being questioned. Lazil’s dismissal probably insulted her both as a performer and as a capable human woman.
This interaction was more proof that Lazil was probably the most politically inept warrior Miran had ever met. They got along well because Lazil was quick to follow orders, but he wasn’t helping convince Nova of their good intentions.
“Lazil,” Miran said with warning. “Don’t disparage Nova.”