21. Aurelia

TWENTY-ONE

"Mmm,"I hummed, nuzzling further into my cozy pillow. The ground was a little lumpy, and I was pretty sure there was something sticking into my ass, but I was warm and content, even with the slight ache between my legs.

"Good morning," a deep voice chuckled as my pillow moved.

Not a pillow at all. Right. I'd slept on Sylas's chest. We were all curled up in each other, still naked after the events of last night.

My cheeks were burning red when I brought my eyes up to meet his gaze. "We fell asleep?"

"Sure looks like it," he muttered, glancing around the cavern. There was a stream of light coming in from the ceiling, where there must have been a crack in the cave that led to the upper surface of the planet.

"Shit." I rubbed at my head as I sat up. "At least we can confirm there are no critters in the cave system, right?" I was pretty sure we would have known by now if something was climbing over us in the middle of the night.

"If that's our only positive right now, I'm not sure we're doing very great," he muttered, his eyes scanning the cave. "How's your ankle?"

"Fine." I probably wouldn't be running any marathons right now, but I didn't need to tell him that.

He frowned, like he didn't believe me, so I changed the subject. "Do you know where my communicator is?" I rooted around in the pile of our stuff for my bra and underwear, suddenly very aware of his eyes on me.

Last night had been amazing, but it was a line we shouldn't have crossed. I knew it all too well, and I was already mentally preparing the walls around my heart to protect myself when he pushed me away.

Because he would, and those tender touches, the way he'd looked at me as he buried himself inside of me… It all felt too precious.

He wrapped his arm around me, placing a kiss on my neck. "Where do you think you're going, missy?"

"We have to follow the signal." I turned my head to look up at him. "Otherwise, all of this was for nothing."

"We'll find something," he promised, smoothing my hair back. "I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Captain Kellar."

He gave me a playful swat on my ass as I stood up, stretching my arms as I stepped into my underwear. But Sylas's eyes never left my form, making me all too aware of how my nipples were pebbled, of the marks on my hips from how he'd gripped them last night. The heat in his eyes was too much. Turning around, I pulled on my bra, latching it closed in the front. At least in my underwear, I felt a little more protected.

Maybe I needed to build those walls a little higher.

The sound of a Sylas's zipper distracted me for a moment, and I turned to see he'd covered up those broad shoulders and magnificent forearms, too. Good. I didn't need the distraction of his body, either.

"Listen, last night?—"

"It didn't mean anything, right?" I said, turning away from him to pull on my flight suit. "We just needed to get it out of our systems. Won't happen again." I zipped up the front, keeping my hands busy so I wouldn't be tempted to touch him.

"Aurelia—" He frowned as I found my hair tie on the cavern floor, pulling it back up into a tight ponytail.

"Captain," I addressed him, needing the distance between us.

He stood up, capturing my wrists with his hands. "Sylas," he corrected. "Don't do this."

"Do what?" I swallowed roughly. "I'm just trying to complete the mission, sir."

Sylas growled, and the noise went straight to my core.

I shouldn't be getting turned on right now. Not when I was still deliciously sore from last night. Not when I could still feel him everywhere. The way his beard scraped against my inner thighs, how he stretched me impossibly full?—

He guided my hands to the back of his neck, melding our bodies together before his mouth was on mine. There was no preamble, no warning, and he was kissing me. Like there was no one else in this entire galaxy. Just him and me.

When we finally pulled apart, breathing heavy, he rested his forehead against mine. "You can't just run away from this. Not after last night."

"But—"

He silenced me with another kiss.

"Okay." I finally agreed. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I couldn't resist him, and I knew it.

After Sylasand I had eaten the meager meal bars that were in the bottom of the pack, we packed up our things and headed deeper into the cave system, following the blinking beacon on my screen. Sylas was in the lead this time, though he'd slid his hand into mine, and I liked the feeling far too much to argue with him or pull away.

We elapsed into a comfortable silence as we journeyed deeper and deeper into the planet. Part of me knew I should have had more fear or apprehension, but something about being here with Sylas made all of that melt away.

Because I did trust him, and I knew he would protect me.

The narrow cavern widened out, and there was a small underground lake, lit by the same luminescent crystals as the cave we'd spent the night.

"So there's the water I could hear," Sylas mused, crouching down onto his knees to inspect the surface of the water.

"Do you think it's safe?" I asked, bending over next to him.

"Only one way to find out." He looked over at me, dipping his hand down into the water.

I smirked, toying with the zipper on my suit. "I could use a bath." Washing the sweat off—and other things—from last night sounded like an amazing idea. Pulling my ponytail free, I let my hair fall down past my shoulders.

Quickly shedding my clothes, as well as the wrap on my ankle, I dropped them on the bank, dipping my toes into the crystal clear water. When nothing happened to my skin—like a strange chemical reaction, I decided it was okay. The water was chilly, but it felt good.

No going back now.

I turned around, legs half submerged, his eyes were glued to my backside. "Are you going to join me?" My voice sounded sultry as I waded out deeper into the pool, going in till the water covered my entire body.

The temperature of the water felt great against my aching muscles, and I let out a low moan.

Sylas had stripped out of his suit as well, and I took the moment to really appreciate his body in all the ways I hadn't been able to last night. His muscular chest. Those delicious forearms. Even his cock, which rested half-hard against his thigh, was a spectacle. I couldn't look away if I tried.

It was like he'd been sculpted from granite, made in the images of my finest imaginations.

I could see him doing the same thing to me, and I cupped my breasts, biting my lip just to toy with him.

"Fuck." He wrapped his arms around me. "You're evil."

I pressed my wet, hardened nipples against his chest as I coiled my body around his. "I can't help it. You're the most handsome man I've ever seen." His chest puffed up, and I knew he liked that.

"Even the stars pale in comparison to you, Aurelia." He pressed a kiss to the stars I'd had tattooed on my shoulder when I turned eighteen. It was my tribute to my dad, and normally I hated talking about it with other people.

But he never showed me pity. No. Instead, he made me feel seen. Heard. Like he cared.

Maybe that was why I'd been so open and honest with him yesterday.

"No more running," Sylas said, and I knew what he meant without him having to explain.

"No more running," I repeated back, his lips finding mine.

Our bodies were tangled together, water all around us, and somehow, even with last night, it felt like the most intimate moment of my life.

"We're never going to find the signal if we keep getting distracted like this," Sylas murmured, his voice low. Pained.

I sucked on a spot on his neck. "It's not going anywhere," I whispered. "And besides, when else can I touch you like this?" I dragged a finger up the length of his cock, which now pressed against my hip.

Wrapping my hand around his shaft, I pumped him. My fingers didn't even meet in the middle, he was so large, and it made it hotter.

His eyes closed as a strangled noise slipped from his lips. A drop of pre-cum pooled on his tip, and I ran my thumb across it, licking it off my finger.

Sylas groaned, and wetness pooled between my thighs. How was it possible I was this turned on?

I wanted him inside me. Now. Fuck the consequences. I said I wouldn't run away, and I meant it. But now, I just wanted him.

Something brushed against my leg, and I froze.

"Sylas?"

"Hmm?" He asked, his lips focused on their current mission of kissing their way down my neck and across my chest.

"That wasn't you who just touched my leg, right?"

He gave me a stern look. One that said, really? Because his hands were cupping my tits, and his erection was pressed against my stomach, and I knew it wasn't his foot.

"Maybe we should get out," I whispered, an ominous chill running down my spine.

"Wait." Sylas's hand stilled me. "Look."

We huddled together, his arms wrapped around my back as the strange alien creatures swam through the water, climbing up onto the banks, clearly oblivious to our presence.

"What are they?" My eyes widened.

"Well, I think we can confirm that the heat signatures were, in fact, lifeforms." Sylas muttered, both of us watching the small mammal-like creatures play on the bank of the underground lake. They must have lived in the rivers of the underground caverns that we'd been passing through.

"They almost look like a cross between a dog and an otter." One of them climbed onto the bank, shaking off its fur. "They're so cute." They had little speckles on them, the coloring like a blue merle puppy—no two of them looked quite the same. With short little legs, floppy ears, and an otter-like tail, they were clearly accustomed to life in the water.

"Be careful, Rae." He grasped my wrist as I took a step forward in the water. "They might not be friendly."

I rolled my eyes. "Look at them. They're like little puppies, playing with each other."

There was no part of me that wanted to ignore the impulsive thought of pet the cute alien animals.

"Wait. Look at that one. She's hurt." I frowned, staring at the little alien creature who was looking up at me with a pair of gigantic eyes.

"How can you tell?" Sylas snorted. "Maybe it's just trying to make you feel sorry for it, and then it's going to attack. Protect its territory and all that."

"Or… she's limping."

"How do you even know it's a female?"

"Just a hunch. Look." I pointed at the paw that it wouldn't put weight on. The animal made a whimpering noise.

He chuckled. "Just like you."

I rounded a glare at him, not pleased to be compared to a wounded animal. Even though I'd certainly let him carry me like I was one, just last night. My cheeks burned, and I was glad there was minimal lighting.

"Do we have anything left in the pack?" I asked, wading towards the edge.

"What, like food? You can't seriously be considering feeding a wild animal, Aurelia."

I frowned, extending out my hand.

The little creature waded over, giving me a chirp and tilting her head before nuzzling against my palm.

"See?" I whispered to Sylas. "Friendly."

He looked amused. "I think she likes you."

Now that I was closer, I inspected her paw. "She's bleeding." The pad of it had rivulets of dark blood dripping.

"Maybe it cut itself on a rock?" Sylas trudged out of the water, pulling on his boxers before finding the remains of his torn shirt and tossing it over to me. "If it's not too deep, it'll probably heal on its own in a few days. Like a paper cut."

Still, I tore a strip off his shirt, bandaging up the paw to keep it clean from any other rocks. I didn't want it getting infected, but this was all I could do with limited supplies.

"Is that better?" I asked, getting another chirp from the animal, who brushed its little fuzzy head against my arm. "You're so cute." Scratching at her head, I looked over at Sylas, finding him still watching me. An amused smile curled up on his lips.

"Wonder what they eat," I said, watching the little thing run around in front of me. It was chirping away, the cutest little sound that made me want to pick it up and snuggle with it.

"Don't get attached," he warned.

"I'm not." I jutted out my chin. "It's not like I'm dumb enough to keep it as a pet."

My toes were feeling prune-y, in the way they did when you stayed in the water too long, which was the moment I realized I was still standing there, stark naked.

I crossed my arms over my chest, hiding my nipples that were still pebbled from the cold water, moving back to the shallow end where we'd gotten in. Man, a towel would be great right now.

"This seemed like a great idea earlier," I muttered, grabbing my bra off the edge and hurrying to get re-dressed.

But I felt better. More optimistic, somehow.

The fact that we'd discovered a race of mammals on this planet was huge. Sylas was right. We definitely should study this place more. My stubbornness had kept me from looking at the bigger picture.

I sighed.

"What?" Sylas looked over at me.

"I hate admitting it, but you were right."

He looked smug. "I know." Then raised an eyebrow. "About what, exactly? Because I'm right about all sorts of things."

I shoved my palm over his mouth to stop him from talking. "About Finley's team coming down here. They should really study this place. Them." I waved at the otter-like creatures.

"We can discuss that more after we find the source of the signal."

I nodded. "Good idea."

Finally, we were both fully dressed again, and it was easy to forget how just twenty minutes before, we'd been flirting and making out in the pool.

"No more distractions," I mused, heading for the back of the cave. It split off into two different passageways, and I looked back at Sylas, who had my data-pad. "Which way?"

"Left," he said, before slipping his hand back into mine.

And he didn't let go.