Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Melissa couldn’t sleep.
She lay in the narrow bunk, Becsul’s arm heavy around her waist, his tail curled protectively around her thigh, and stared at the ceiling of her cell. Tomorrow. Everything would happen tomorrow. In approximately eighteen hours, she would either be free or dead.
The thought should have terrified her, and in many ways, it did.
Her pulse quickened every time she ran through the plan in her mind, cataloguing all the ways it could go wrong.
The supply shuttle might be delayed. The other women might not be able to move quickly enough.
Naran might have changed the security protocols without Becsul’s knowledge.
A hundred variables she couldn’t control, any one of which could end with her and Robbie back in this cell or worse.
And yet…
Becsul’s breath was warm against the back of her neck, slow and even in sleep. His skin was warm as well, almost fever-hot. When she shifted slightly, trying to find a comfortable position, his arm tightened reflexively, pulling her closer.
I trust him, she realized. The thought settled into her chest like something solid, something real. I actually trust him.
It was a strange feeling. She had spent most of her adult life relying on herself.
Her parents had always been distant, more interested in their social standing than their daughter’s happiness.
And after she’d rejected the marriage they had arranged for her they had become even more distant.
Even at work, where she’d built a successful career helping couples conceive, she’d kept everyone at arm’s length.
Friendly but not friends. Professional but not personal.
Becsul had dismantled all of that in a matter of days.
He’d held her son when she couldn’t put him down.
He’d brought her clothes and books and fresh air.
He’d sat with her through Robbie’s fever, his massive form gentle, his deep voice murmuring reassurances she hadn’t known she needed.
He’d told her the truth even when it hurt, and made promises he clearly intended to keep.
He’s risking everything for us, she thought. His position, his safety, his entire future.
The weight of that sacrifice pressed against her chest. She’d done nothing to earn it. She’d been angry and suspicious and difficult, and he’d responded with patience and care and an unwavering determination to protect her.
This is what it feels like, she realized. To have someone in my corner. To not be alone.
She turned in his arms, slow and careful so as not to wake him. In sleep, his face lost some of its intensity. The hard line of his jaw softened. The tension around his eyes eased. He looked younger, somehow. More vulnerable.
She reached up and traced her fingertips along the ridge of his brow, marveling at the texture of his skin and the small nubs that brushed against her hand.
His markings were darker around his eyes, the emerald green deepening to something almost black, and she found herself wondering if there were other patches of darkness elsewhere on his body.
Stop that, she told herself firmly. This is hardly the time.
But her traitorous hand continued its exploration, drifting down to his jaw, his neck, the broad expanse of his shoulder. He was so much larger than her. In another context, another life, that might have been threatening. Here and now, it felt like safety.
He stirred, his black eyes opening slowly. For a moment he just looked at her, still caught in the haze between sleep and waking.
“Melissa?” His voice was rough, deeper than usual. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” She let her hand rest against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her palm. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Nervous about tomorrow?”
“A little.” She paused, searching for the right words. “More… aware, I think. Of how much could change.”
His tail tightened around her thigh in a possessive gesture that sent heat flooding through her. “You’re not having second thoughts?”
“About escaping? No.” She met his eyes. “About you? Definitely not.”
Something shifted in his expression. The sleepy softness vanished, replaced by an intensity that made her breath catch.
“Melissa—”
“I know the timing is terrible,” she said quickly. “I know we should be focused on the plan and on getting out of here safely. But I keep thinking about what you said yesterday. About wanting to build a life together. About wanting to be a family.”
“I meant every word.”
“I know you did. That’s what scares me.” She laughed softly, without humor. “I’m not good at this, Becsul. I don’t know how to rely on someone else. I don’t know how to let someone take care of me. But when I’m with you…”
She trailed off, unable to find the words.
“When you’re with me?”
“It feels right,” she whispered. “Like I’ve been holding my breath my whole life and I can finally exhale.”
He made a sound low in his throat, something between a growl and a sigh, and pulled her closer. His forehead pressed against hers, his breath warm on her lips.
“You are remarkable,” he said quietly. “Strong and fierce and beautiful. When I first walked into this cell, I expected to find a broken prisoner. Instead I found a warrior queen, ready to fight the universe for her child.” His hand came up to cup her face.
“I am honored that you trust me. I will spend the rest of my life proving worthy of it.”
She closed the distance between them.
The kiss started soft, almost tentative, but it didn’t stay that way.
Heat built between them like a fire catching tinder, slow at first and then all at once.
His hand slid into her hair, tilting her head back so he could deepen the kiss.
She responded in kind, her fingers digging into his shoulders, pulling him closer.
His tail unwound from her thigh only to slide higher, curving around her hip possessively. The sensation sent sparks dancing across her skin. She gasped against his mouth and felt him smile.
“Is this—” His voice was strained. “Should we—”
“Don’t stop.”
She didn’t need to think about tomorrow right now. She didn’t want to worry about escape plans or the other women or any of it. She wanted this. She wanted him.
Her hands found their way under his shirt, exploring the warm skin and firm muscle beneath.
He groaned as her nails scraped lightly across his abdomen, the sound vibrating through her whole body.
She’d wanted to go slowly, to draw out the pleasure, but the need was rising fast, turning her blood to fire.
“Becsul,” she whispered against his mouth. “I need more.”
His response was to roll them over, covering her body with his.
The solid weight of him pressed her into the mattress, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him closer.
His tail slid between her thighs, the tip just brushing against the sensitive bundle of nerves there, and she cried out, arching against him.
“Is this what you need?” he asked, his voice rough with desire.
“Yes. God, yes.”
He did it again, deliberately this time, his tail creating the most exquisite pressure.
She buried her face against his neck, breathing in his intoxicating scent.
His hands weren’t idle either, pushing up her thin shirt to expose her breasts.
He looked down at her, his black eyes dark with hunger, and then lowered his head to take one peaked nipple into his mouth.
He growled as her milk flooded his mouth and the combination of the vibration and his roughened tongue against the taut nub, combined with the clever movements of his tail, had her panting, her body coiling tighter and tighter.
“Becsul, I’m close—”
“Good,” he growled against her breast. “Come for me, Melissa. Let me feel you.”
The possessive command in his voice pushed her over. Pleasure crashed through her in waves, her whole body tensing and then releasing in a rush that left her shuddering against him.
As she floated back to herself, she realized that he was still pressed against her, his body vibrating with barely restrained tension. His tail had stilled its movements, but remained nestled between her thighs.
“That was incredible.”
He made a sound that was almost a laugh, but not quite. “For me as well.”
“But you didn’t—”
“I’m fine.”
“Becsul.” She reached up to touch his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. “I want to make you feel good too.”
His expression softened, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “I don’t need—”
“Let me do this. Let me give something back to you.”
He studied her for a long moment, and she thought he might argue. Then he nodded slowly.
“Please,” he said. “I want to feel your hands on me.”
The rough honesty in his voice sent a fresh wave of arousal through her. She rolled them again, pushing him onto his back and straddling his hips. The hard length of his erection pressed against her core, and she rolled her hips experimentally, smiling when he gasped.
His hands came to rest on her thighs, his tail curling around her waist. There was something incredibly intimate about seeing him like this, his powerful body laid out beneath her, his face open and wanting. She leaned down and kissed him, a slow, deep kiss that had him groaning into her mouth.
Her hands found the fastening of his pants, releasing the catch and pushing the fabric down his hips.
He lifted to help her, kicking them off the rest of the way.
The sight of him made her breath catch. His shaft was thick and long with a slight bulge at the base, darker green than the rest of him but covered with the same small nubs, and the tip glistened with moisture.
“Is it—” She hesitated. “Will it fit?”
“Yes, but not tonight. Not here,” he said hoarsely. “Not like this. When we’re free, when you have a choice that isn’t shaped by these walls… then I want all of you.”
It had been, quite possibly, the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her, and it made her even more determined to bring him pleasure.
“But in the meantime, there are alternatives.” She gave him a wicked smile as she wrapped her hand around his shaft, her fingers barely meeting around the thick girth. He made a strangled sound and his tail tightened around her waist.
As she began to stroke him, she leaned down to kiss him again, her tongue exploring his mouth. One hand slid up her spine to cradle the back of her head and the other traced the curve of her breast. His tail never stopped moving, stroking her waist and hips possessively.
It didn’t take long before his breathing grew ragged, his movements jerky. She increased her pace, her thumb circling the sensitive head of his cock the way she’d learned he liked.
“Come for me,” she whispered against his mouth. “Let go.”
His body tensed, his hands gripping her tightly, and then he was pulsing in her hand, the hot golden streams of his release coating her fingers and his stomach. She kept stroking until he shuddered and went still, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. Then he pulled her down against his chest, wrapping both arms and tail around her in a cocoon of warmth and safety.
“Thank you,” he murmured against her hair. “That was… perfect.”
She smiled against his skin. “It really was.”
They lay like that for a while, basking in the aftermath, the only sounds their mingled breathing and the soft snuffles of Robbie still sleeping in his crib.
“You’re thinking too hard.” Becsul’s voice rumbled through his chest. “I can hear your mind spinning from here.”
“Just… appreciating the moment.”
“Hmm.” His hand stroked down her spine, a slow, soothing motion. “We should try to sleep. Tomorrow will require all our focus.”
“I know.” She nestled closer. “Just a few more minutes.”
Eventually, practicality intruded. She needed to clean them both up, and they needed to rest before the night’s activities.
But she allowed herself another minute of peace, memorizing the feel of him beneath her, the solid beat of his heart, the way his arms held her like she was the most precious thing in his world. She fell asleep smiling.