Chapter 19 #2
He smiled, wide and full, and backed up to lower a platform to the boat. A warm yellow light illuminated the round flat disk as it slowly lowered to the boat. She carefully stepped on it and it began to ascend.
“Have some adventures for me,” Kimberly called up to her, and blew a kiss.
The platform clicked into place on the floor and she stepped off of it and into Taron’s waiting arms. He gazed at her, looking over her face as though he’d been starved for the sight of her. It made her knees weak.
“Hi.” She put a hand to his face. “It’s nice to see you. Also, without horns.”
His brow furrowed. “I am so sorry about that. I didn’t expect it. I had planned to leave with you. It—the primal form—”
“I know.” She smiled gently. “Kimberly told me about the primal form, and what it means. They get all the info on Virilians during orientation.”
“Good. I didn’t want to talk about it, anyway.” His hands were everywhere—in her hair, skimming over her back, waist, hips. “I want to kiss you.”
“Kiss me like you mean it.” She grinned up at him, already drifting up to the balls of her feet. “No half-assed kisses.”
He lowered his head and captured her lips in a kiss that stole her breath.
It was as though they’d never been apart.
It was familiar and wonderful and just as intoxicating as she remembered.
At the same time, this felt like their first kiss.
It was, in a way. It was the first kiss of their life together.
She was sure she’d be tempted to kill him now and then, but that was fun, too. She loved her big Virilian.
He drew his lips back. “Well?”
“Well, what?” She leaned up and nipped his bottom lip.
“Was that an acceptable kiss?”
“You know it was. Nice T-shirt, by the way.”
He smoothed a hand over his clean shirt. “Thanks. I worked out a deal with Fruit of the Loom. They get to advertise that an alien wears their shirts.”
She couldn’t help but giggle at that. Her male did love his cotton undershirts. “Your accent is different. Did you get a different English chip?”
“No, actually.” He rubbed the back of his head, where his port was hidden by hair. “I, ah, used some of the time that we were apart to learn your language.”
Her eyes searched his face. “You don’t have an English chip in?”
“No.” His cheeks took on a flush. “I learned it. I had a human tutor.” He rolled his eyes. “The queen of Tagja City, believe it or not.”
Amelia went still. She remembered getting the message from the human queen of Tagja City. “I received a message from Jessa, but why didn’t you contact me in all this time? I thought…” She trailed off, unable to finish.
“Amelia, I wanted to do this right, to have something to come here and offer you.”
“All I wanted was you, Taron.” Her heart still ached from all those months of no word from him. “I thought you’d changed your mind about us.”
He grinned crookedly. “Never. I had no idea how long it would take for your planet to allow me to come here for you.” He grimaced. “And what I had to say to you wasn’t something I wanted two hundred government officials reading or listening in on.”
She wound her arms around his neck. “I get that. I’m so happy that Tagja City reinstated your citizenship.”
He hugged her tight. “It wouldn’t have happened without you.” He murmured it into her hair, then leaned back to show her his arm. “I had my Sifter markings removed. That life is behind me for good.”
She kissed him again, deeply enough for her entire body to wake up and tingle. “So what do we do now?”
“Mmm.” He picked her up around the waist and put her over his shoulder. “I know exactly what we’re going to do now.”
Of course, just then a yellow warning light began blinking in the air lock where they stood.
“Damn it.” He strode toward…somewhere.
She did not know where anything was on this behemoth.
“What is it?” she asked from her position on his shoulder.
“The Air Force is shooting at us.” He raised a hand to his ear and spoke into it in a different language.
“What did you just do? And I thought you hated V-links.”
He winced. “Unfortunately, a V-link is a necessary evil when owning a cruiser of this size. As for what I did, I informed my crew to get us out of here immediately.”
“Wait. You have a crew?”
“Yup.” He smacked a hand lightly on her bottom. “The Earhart needs a full crew to operate.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You remembered that?”
“Yes.” He shifted her so he cradled her in his arms. “And Queen Jessa taught me more about your namesake. It seemed like an appropriate name for our ship. She was lost at sea, after all. This one just happened to be found.”
Amelia laughed and kissed his mouth. “I can’t believe you named this ship after me.” She shook her head. “But Virilians don’t get attached to ships. You said they never named them.”
“We get attached.” With a growl, he hit the door controls and strode inside a room. “Some things we just can’t let go.”
“How did you do all this?” She wondered how he got the credits to afford all this as he dropped her on the bed. “Oouf!”
“Klae Rillim was so relieved that Kimberly survived, he agreed to help me pull this ship out of the ocean on that planet,” he explained, closing the door behind him. “Also, my accounts were unfrozen when my citizenship was reinstated. I had some money.”
“Some?” She looked around, recognizing the same moldy quarters where she’d searched for food and light. The space was completely redone. The colors were still neutral, but everything was new and clean. “You’re being modest. For once.”
“I am, but it was a means to an end.” He crawled on top of her, bracing his arms and legs on either side of her like a cage. “The ends being to provide you and our future children with a home, and save this beautiful ship. Preferably both simultaneously.”
“Simultaneously. Nice word, Taron.”
“Thank you. Some of the big ones are ridiculous.”
Her heart melted. She hooked her legs around his waist and pulled him down on top of her.
His hard cock came down right on her sex, which was wet and eager for him.
“I have news for you, Taron. Home is with you.” She kissed him, threading her fingers through his hair.
“No matter where we journey to or what we’re flying in, I’m with you. For good.”