34. Sylas

THIRTY-FOUR

Neither one ofus had said the words yet, but I wondered if she was feeling the same way I was. Like this was more.

Those little words begged to spring from my lips, but it wasn't time yet.

Not when there were so many things I still hadn't told her.

But I was letting myself hope. That the family she spoke of, the future she imagined… I wanted to be a part of that. So fucking badly.

"Do you remember the story you told me?" I asked her, gathering up a handful of her hair and running my fingers through it. "About how you knew you wanted to follow in your father's footsteps? To become a pilot?"

She nodded. "Of course I do."

"Well, I have a similar story."

"You do?" She blinked up at me, and I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"When I was little, I had a poster of my biggest idol on my wall. A man I looked up to. One who seemed to have it all. A family, love, the most amazing job on the planet."

"And what happened?" Aurelia whispered, like she already knew how the story ended.

"I grew up," I said sadly. "But long after that poster came off my wall, I knew I wanted to be someone great like him. Imagine my surprise when he'd stood in front of me, offering me everything I'd ever wanted. And when I joined the Federation after college, I shook his hand at graduation. Thanked him for everything he'd done for me."

Aurelia's hand flew over her mouth, tears collecting in her eyes. "You did?"

"I took one look at you when you walked onto my ship and I knew who you were, Aurelia. Even without telling me your name, I knew your face. The daughter of the man whose poster I had on my wall. My childhood hero." I looked away. "When he went missing, I…" I shook my head. "That was when I realized maybe I couldn't have it all. He'd left behind a wife and a young teenage daughter." A strangled curse left my throat. "I never wanted to do that to someone. To risk leaving them behind. I couldn't?—"

A hand landed over my arm, and her reassurance flooded through my system. "I know." She shared the same grief. That same burden as me.

Being abandoned. But my parents had willingly left me.

Samuel Callisto never would have willingly left his daughter.

"You met my dad?" Aurelia repeated, eyes shimmering as tears dripped from her eyes. I wiped them away with my thumb, caressing her cheek. "He was the one who helped you?"

"I did." I chuckled, thinking back to the memory. "I owe him everything. Truly. I was twenty-one, completely without a focus for my life. I don't know how he found me, but he saved me. I don't even remember what I said to him. I was star struck. Here was this man who was everything I'd ever strived to be, shaking my hand and telling me I could do it." No one had ever said that to me before. He couldn't have known how much it meant to me to hear it. "When I crossed the stage, I'd gotten well done, son."

Tears were falling down her face rapidly, but she was smiling, too. "I can't believe?—"

"Shhh," I soothed, brushing my hand over the back of her head and pulling her tight against my chest.

"I can't believe that you two met. That you idolized my father. I never thought…"

"What?"

"It's silly," she whispered, looking away.

"Tell me anyway." I rubbed my thumb over her temple. "I want to know every thought in that brilliant brain of yours."

Her cheeks turned pink, and she buried her face against my chest. "Don't laugh." The words were mumbled, muffled by my skin. "Part of me was always upset that my father would never know the man I would marry one day. I knew that he'd never walk me down the aisle, but this…" She laughed, more tears leaking from her eyes. "But he knew you. And without even knowing, he put us on the path to meet each other. I just…"

It was like we were meant to be. Some would call that fate, us meeting. Maybe it was. I didn't know. I just knew that I was more grateful for that action, that decision that had set me on this path, than she could ever know.

"Oh, baby." I pressed a kiss to her starry shoulder. "Whether or not I'd met your father, he's always going to be here with you. Because he's in here." I tapped her breastbone above her heart. "And he loved you so much." Tears fell freely. "He loved to brag about his baby girl. How smart you were. How beautiful. How kind and caring, even back then. And twenty-two-year-old me was envious. Do you want to know why?"

She shook her head. "W-why?" The words were a whisper, punctuated by a small hiccup.

"Because I wanted someone to look at me with that much pride. To love me the way your father loved you."

"Oh, Sylas." She cupped my cheeks with her hands, and I wiped away her tears with my thumbs. "You don't have to wonder. Not anymore."

"Oh?"

Aurelia leaned in, softly kissing the corner of my lips. Once, twice, lightly against each side. "No," she said, her voice husky. "Because you have me."

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I rolled her on top of me, letting her straddle my stomach.

"I'm the luckiest fucking man in the galaxy, Aurelia. To call you mine. To get to…" love you. I swallowed back the words.

Not yet, I reminded myself. Not now. I wanted this moment to be special, and I didn't want to ruin it by saying it too soon.

But I did. I loved her. And it was worth everything. She was worth anything.

I'd resign my whole damn commission if I had to. There was no protecting my heart anymore. It was hers. Completely. I wouldn't let her go. Wouldn't let her run away from me. Not anymore. Not after this.

And if she fell? I'd be there to catch her.

"I know," she said, scooting back and running her fingers up my erection. I'd crawled into bed in nothing more than my boxers, which clearly needed to come off. Now.

"Brat." I swatted at her ass, and Aurelia gasped, a sharp inhale of breath.

"Yes," she agreed, looking up at me through half-lidded eyes. "And you like it."

I tilted her chin up and brought our lips together. "Yes," I murmured after kissing her softly. Once, twice. "I do."

"Captain," she said, the word barely more than a moan.

"Not Captain," I corrected. "Say my name."

"Sylas."

"Good girl," I praised, feeling her preen from my comment. I liked how she'd tighten when I told her how good she was doing during sex. My little brat and her praise kink. I smirked.

She pushed my boxers down my hips, allowing my cock to spring free before she scooted back, positioning me between her backside.

"What do you want, baby?" I asked, unable to focus on anything but the way she was rubbing her ass against me with her tits in my face.

"To ride you," she said, letting out a little moan. "I want you inside. Need you to fill me up."

I couldn't agree more. "Then put me inside of you," I instructed.

She obeyed, raising up on her knees and guiding my tip to her entrance before sliding back down. There was no foreplay, so it was a tight fit, but I could feel her growing wetter as she worked me inside of her. She was determined to fit all of me, sinking down inch by inch.

"Fuck, baby," I groaned, my hands digging into the meaty flesh of her hips. Her wet heat surrounded me, already feeling like I was planted impossibly deep inside of her.

Aurelia rolled her hips, her hands planted on my chest as she rode me.

"You're so deep," she gasped out. "I can feel you everywhere."

"Good. I want to fuck you so hard that you're ruined for anyone else."

"I already am." She panted, shaking her head.

She rocked back and forth, little shudders spreading through her body each time her clit made contact with my base, and I reached out, cupping her tits and massaging them.

"Sy," she cried. "That's too good."

I raised my torso so I could suck a nipple into my mouth, flicking my tongue over her sensitive flesh. "Do you like that?"

She nodded, and I did the same thing to the other one. I was an equal opportunity boobs kinda guy.

"Are you close?" I asked, watching as her eyes fluttered shut.

"Yes. Sylas. Yes." Her words devolved into moans and murmurings of my name and nonsense as she continued rocking her hips and then began sliding herself up and down.

I felt her squeeze me with her insides, and I groaned. "Aurelia."

"Hm?" She fluttered her eyelashes.

I returned my hands to her waist, helping her move on top of me, willing myself not to come before she did. It would be close, though.

Because this wasn't an urgent fuck. It was fucking cheesy, but this wasn't just sex. Not for either of us. And when her eyes focused on mine, I brought our torsos together to kiss her.

Plain and simple, we were making love. Maybe we hadn't called it that, but the emotions bubbling inside of me couldn't be mistaken as anything but. I felt so much all at once. Every roll of her hips, every time she tightened around me, I was closer and closer to ecstasy.

She cried out as she came, and then froze.

"What was that?" Aurelia's eyes widened as another large banging sound came. Had something hit the side of the ship?

I groaned. "Fuck. Why does this always happen to us?" I rested my head between her breasts, still planted deep within her.

The alarm went off on the ship, a high-pitched incessant beeping. It didn't stop, and I knew the crew were probably already running around like crazy. And as the commanding officer and head pilot, we couldn't exactly ignore this.

"Shit." I adjusted our positions, helping her off of me so I could pull out of her. "We have to go." I kissed her forehead.

"But…" she looked at my cock, angry and oozing with pre-cum.

"I'll be fine." I swallowed roughly. "I can take care of it later."

She gave me a determined nod, already up and out of bed. She rolled her head, stretching out her muscles, before pulling on her uniform. Finally, she wrapped her hair into a tight bun. Perfect. She always looked fucking perfect.

"It'll be fine," I said after I'd dressed, pulling her tight to me and claiming her lips in a quick kiss. "Everything will be okay."

I had to believe that was the truth.

"Report,"I huffed, running into the bridge without a moment to stare.

"There's an asteroid shower, Captain. Nav's auto-pilot failed, and we're in danger of engine failure if we sit here. The best course of action is?—"

"I'm here!" Aurelia said, running in behind me, already heading to her station to take control of the ship. Her chair to the terminal transition was seamless, those fingers already hurrying.

"Can you do this?" I asked her, though I had complete faith in her.

I'd watched her steer a ship so it didn't crash. I'd seen her, day after day, give her all to this crew in her role. She was the best damn Pilot I could have ever asked for.

And to think, you tried to get her fired, a little voice in my mind taunted me. And then you went and fell in love with her. No regrets. Not with her. Every moment had brought us here—together—so I was grateful for all of them.

"I was born to do this, sir." She winked at me and fuck, I fell even deeper in love with her. Down bad, and didn't I fucking know it?

I tried to ignore the uncomfortable pressure in my pants, which that little quip definitely wasn't helping.

"Then fly."

She bobbed her head in a nod, facing forward.

Sitting in the Captain's chair, I quickly took over the helm, barking orders at the crew and other officers while I watched Aurelia's hands fly over the screen.

"Helm is under my control, Captain," she said, eyes looking back to connect with mine. "Everyone might want to strap in, though. This is going to get a bit… rocky."

A glimmer of amusement shone in her gaze, and I chuckled.

Only she would crack a joke in the middle of a life or death situation.

That's my girl, I mouthed, and she winked at me. Then her body straightened, and I watched in awe as she guided us through the asteroid shower with lethal precision.

The major problem was the large ones, which were likely to do a lot more damage than the small amounts of debris, though it clung to the large window of the ship like some kind of space dust.

My heart was in my throat as I watched her, unable to take my eyes off of her for even a minute.

You can do this, I thought, hoping she knew just how much I believed in her.