Chapter Thirty-Five #2
He tilted her chin and brushed his lips against hers. A brush became a gentle pressure. Their lips parted, and she poured her heart and soul into the tender kiss. He was her loyal and true bossy hero who’d persevered until he found her, who surrendered his company for her.
Against her tummy, she felt his cock awaken.
His mouth crooked wryly. “You’re famished. We’d better eat. You’re going to need sustenance.”
The dining table was set for two, and they’d no sooner seated themselves when the robo wheeled out from the kitchen with two plates of lasagna and a basket of garlic bread.
Stomach growling, she almost swooned from the delicious aroma.
“Oh, my god,” she moaned, taking her first bite.
She closed her eyes, savoring the taste. “Mmm. Oh, god.”
She opened her eyes to find Stratos watching her with a heavy-lidded gaze. “If you keep moaning like that, you’re going to have to eat faster.”
She forked another bite into her mouth and shot him her sultriest look. “Mmm…Oh…” she moaned dramatically. After swallowing, she licked her lips. “Mmm. It’s so…good. Oh, baby…”
“I can see the abduction didn’t affect your sense of humor,” he said.
She polished off two huge slices of lasagna and two slices of garlic bread before she crashed, sated and sleepy. She blinked as her eyelids drooped.
“Bed for you,” he announced. “To sleep.” He took charge, ushering her out of the chair.
“You’re bossy,” she complained with a smile.
“So, I’ve been told.”
“I’m not letting you off the hook. You owe me a rain check,” she said brashly.
“Of course.”
As he herded her toward the bedroom, his comm device went crazy, urgently beeping. He scowled at the interruption as he answered, but he kept his voice level. “Yes, Inspector?” He paused saying nothing, and she surmised the inspector was speaking.
“I know you need a statement, but morning would be better. She’s exhausted.”
Another pause.
“I’m sure her recollection will be just as fresh in the morning—”
“I’ll do it now,” Savannah cut in.
“You’re tired. Morning will be soon enough.”
“I’d prefer to get it over with.” Get it done, put all this behind me. “How long can it take?”
An hour! It took over an hour! Stratos set her up with a hologram with the inspector, and she told and retold her story forward and backward, repeating everything Tron and Iono said to her from the abduction to the rescue.
Although her name was never mentioned, it became clear from the questions that Corona was in the crosshairs as the mastermind of the abduction.
Stratos sat out of view, but remained in the room, and she was super grateful for his supportive presence. Even though she was the victim and not the suspect, it was nerve-racking to be interviewed by the police—although not as scary as being interrogated by the fake cops.
“All right. I think that settles it. We’ll be in touch if there are further questions.” The inspector wrapped up the interview.
“What will happen to the men?” she asked.
“They have been arrested on charges of kidnapping, kidnapping for hire, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, false imprisonment, and impersonating officers of the law. But I can’t say more because this is an ongoing investigation.”
That was plenty. They’d really layered on the charges.
The hologram winked out, and Stratos whisked her into the bedroom. “Aaia, privacy. Do not disturb,” he ordered.
The way he pulled back the covering, waited for her to get in, covered her up snugly, and kissed her forehead, reminded her of a child being tucked into bed. It wasn’t what she’d expected. “Are you going to tell me a bedtime story?”
“I love you. My needs will wait until the morning when I cash in my rain check.”
“That’s a good story.” She yawned. “Except you got the ending wrong—I have the rain check.”
He dropped his robe and climbed into bed on the opposite side.
He scooped her close, and she settled her head on his shoulder, her breasts pressing comfortably against his side, her leg nesting between his thighs.
It’s a shame to waste such an impressive hard-on, she lamented, but fatigue tugged her toward dreamland. Within a minute, she was sound asleep.
* * * *
Awakening to darkness, dread and hopelessness swept over her until the secure warmth of Stratos’ arms registered, and she let out a shuddering breath of relief. The nightmare is over. I’m home.
“Are you all right?” he rumbled.
“Fine. I woke up and didn’t know where I was for second.” She snuggled closer, relishing his warm, hard body against her bare skin. She never bothered with jammies anymore because they never stayed on very long, so what was the point?
“You’re home. Safe.” He kissed her hair. It was probably going every which way. She’d gone to bed with it still damp. Had eaten dinner and conducted the police interview with it wet.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
“Perfect.” She hugged his arm, rubbing her nipples against his skin. “What time is it?” she whispered, drawing circles on his chest.
“Not sure.”
Her circles dipped lower. His cock was rigid, weeping fluid. She grasped the shaft and squeezed. “You weren’t awake all night with a raging hard-on, were you?” She stroked; her pussy contracted as she imagined his cock filling her.
“Not raging, just furious,” he joked. “I got some sleep.”
“Maybe I’d better cash in that rain check.”
“Maybe you’d better.”
“Aaia—turn the lights to ten lumens,” she ordered.
A candlelight glow lit the room, enough for her to see the desire and open adoration on Stratos’ face. I almost lost him.
She scooted upward to kiss him, and it was like tossing a lit match onto a puddle of gasoline. She went up in flames, consumed by a desperate, fiery need to get physical, to absorb him. He cupped her head and kissed her just as fiercely.
She pumped his cock, making it throb in her palm.
He pressed hot kisses to her throat, nipping her flesh, causing nerves to tingle with hot pleasure. He would leave marks, but what the fuck—she didn’t have a job anymore. She arched her neck and reveled in the sensation.
Sex was her release, her antidote to stress and fear. She craved it hot, hard, fast.
“I need you so much,” he said, his fingers already at her core, swirling her moisture over her clit, rubbing the engorged bud, stoking the flames.
“Hurry.” She grabbed his shoulders in a frantic signal she was ready now!
But he put his mouth on her, driving her crazy with his fluttering tongue. She clawed at the bedclothes as desperate mewling sounds erupted from her throat. When she feared she would shatter, he surged into her, slamming fast and hard, driving out the bad, filling her with rapturous heat.
His hands fisted in her tangled hair. “Flek…” he groaned, his voice hoarse, fractured. “Flek…flek…”
“Fuck,” she moaned. “Oh, fuuuuuck,” she repeated on a high note, as blinding light exploded behind her eyelids.
His muscles tensed, and his whole body shuddered, his cock contracting as he came.
Still hard inside her, he braced on his elbows, rubbing his face against her, pressing tiny kisses to her damp skin. He turned his head, and their lips met in a tender, loving kiss.
“I needed that,” he said.
“Me, too.”
He retreated and eased back in. “Once again only slower?”
She hooked her heels around his hips, taking him deeper. “Is this your rain check or mine?”
“Still yours,” he said. “I’m saving mine.”
* * * *
Physically satisfied—at least for the moment—they lay together, limbs entwined. “Pinch me,” she said.
“What? Why?”
“So, I know this is real and solid.” Twelve hours ago, she’d been imprisoned in a fake jail, feeling hopeless.
“It’s real,” he said.
“I’m sorry about your father’s company.” His sacrifice humbled her.
“I’d do it all over again,” he said. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me, and like I said, I will still design. My father left his talent to me; that’s his legacy.
“Kyra—my new boss—gave me time off to locate you or get over you. She’s now the R that’s like a judge.”
“I know what a magistrate is. I meant the married part.”
“We’re going to get married. Kep can perform the ceremony. He was instrumental in our meeting—he suggested GAL Friday to me.”
“You can’t just announce we’re getting married. You have to ask me!”
He had the nerve to grin. “Savannah Mays, love of my life, will you marry me?”
“Yes, I will,” she said with mock grumpiness.
“Anyway, Kep ordered the raid on the warehouse. And, that’s how it all happened.”
She definitely wanted to meet the influential Kep.
I’m getting married! By default, the ceremony would be small. Stratos’ family wouldn’t attend—they weren’t invited—and it wasn’t like she had a lot of friends on Oberia.
Her heart panged. She’d thought she and Brad had a real friendship, but now she wondered.
Had he befriended her just to worm his way into Stratos’ department?
Was anything he’d told her true? Was his rotational program real or a scam?
Had he worked for the Prellims all along, or had he been compromised after he started at OberTech? Was he even married?
Brad’s perfidy hurt, but she had much to be grateful for.
She rolled on top of Stratos and straddled him. Shaking her head, she gazed at her grumpy, terse, lovable, bossy future husband. “When does my new job start?”
He palmed and caressed her breast. “I haven’t officially quit OberTech, but since I’m on leave and will start designing at home soon, I guess you can start immediately. Why?” He tweaked her nipple.
“I thought I’d cash in on that job perk you promised me.” She leaned in and kissed him.