Chapter 11

Krestar watched Lauren enter the ship, fighting the urge to go after her.

Her safety is more important than my desire, he reminded himself. A fully functional ship was an important component of that safety, not to mention his promise to help her find her friend. He sighed and set to work.

The exterior engine casings were warped and it took a considerable amount of time and effort to free them. The inside of the engine didn't appear to be in any better shape, but on closer examination, he decided that it wasn't quite as bad as it looked at first. A day, or perhaps two, and he should be able to restore most of the power. It wasn't going to be a pretty job, but it should hold until they could intercept another Patrol vessel.

And what then? Would Lauren choose the safety and comfort of a fully functional ship? Trust her search to whoever that ship's captain instead? Would that captain care for her and comfort her as he had done?

His growl echoed through the hangar as an atavistic anger filled him. No other male could care for his female as he would. Not my female, he reminded himself, but the words felt wrong, false.

The knowledge that he would lose her haunted him as he stripped away as much of the damage as he could, making a note of the parts he would need for the repairs. He had some of them onboard and he'd gathered several more from the workshop, but he would need to make at least one more trip.

With a mask this time. Although he hadn't said anything to Lauren, the strange odor had not only seared his olfactory senses, he had felt it sapping his strength as well. It didn't seem to have had a lasting effect but he didn't want to take any chances. He just hoped he could convince her to remain onboard the locked ship while he made the trip.

A wave of fatigue swept over him, reminding him that the day was coming to an end. Lauren would be hungry when she woke. He arranged the equipment he needed to work on the engine neatly next to the area where he was working and decided to take the remaining equipment into the ship to examine. He stowed it in the cargo bay before climbing the stairs. The lounge was empty and there was no sound from the cabin so he decided to take a quick shower before beginning the meal preparations.

He slid the door to the sanitary facility aside and forgot to breathe. Lauren was standing under the shower, golden skin glistening with moisture, her lush body swollen with new life. Her hands were cupped under her heavy breasts as she pulled gently at the swollen dusky peaks. All the blood in his body rushed to his cock so swiftly that he felt dizzy, his hand landing the door frame. Perhaps he made a sound or perhaps she simply sensed his presence because her eyes flew open, wide and dark.

He should apologize. No, he should leave. But he did neither, still locked in place.

They stared at each other for a moment longer, and then she smiled, a sweet, seductive smile that made his cock even harder.

"Do you want to join me? I need someone to wash my back."

There were a dozen reasons he should say no, but all of them evaporated at the look in her eyes. How could he refuse her anything?

"Yes."

He tore off his boots and his weapons belt, but some last degree of sanity made him leave his pants in place even though his cock was so stiff that the fabric rubbed painfully against his sensitive shaft. As he stepped beneath the water, she smiled up at him.

"Do you usually take a shower with your clothes on?"

"I am trying to behave with honor." An almost impossible task with her sweetness redolent in the damp air and the full mound of her stomach pressing against him in the tight space of the shower cubicle. "You said you needed me?"

"Will you wash my back?"

She wiggled around so that her back was to him and he bit back a groan. By Granthar, she was just as perfect from this side - the graceful line of her back, the found, full ass that had cradled his cock so tormentingly for the past two nights. The absence of a tail made her appear fragile and vulnerable but it did nothing to ease his raging desire.

He traced his finger down her spine to the very top of that deliciously plump ass, to the place where her tail would have been, then dipped a little lower to the vulnerable crevice between her cheeks. She shivered, the scent of her arousal intoxicating him.

"May I wash you?"

"Yes," she whispered, looking over her shoulder at him with a mixture of vulnerability and desire that made his chest ache.

His hand closed over the cleanser she held out to him and he poured some of the fragrant liquid into his palms. As he smoothed it across her shoulders and down her back, he allowed his hands to roam freely across her wet skin, impossibly soft and silky to the touch. He found the variation in the texture of their skin amazingly erotic.

"So smooth," he murmured as his hands drifted lower, massaging the cleanser into her beautiful rounded bottom.

He squeezed and molded the pliant flesh and she gave a little whimper, her hips arching against him. His cock strained, rubbing against her ass and she pressed back against him again. He knew he should stop her. As difficult as it had been to sleep next to her all this time, having her naked and warm and willing in his arms was far more dangerous.

He forced himself to let his hands drop and step back the fraction of an inch permitted by the small cubicle, allowing the water to wash away the cleanser.

"All done," he said hoarsely.

She wiggled back around to face him and gave him a challenging look.

"Aren't you going to finish the job?" When he hesitated, she looked down, a hint of color appearing in her cheeks. "Unless you find it… distasteful. I know my body is -"

"Beautiful," he interrupted. "Lush and ripe and irresistible."

She still wasn't looking at him, but he saw her lips curve slightly. Her hands came to rest on his chest, just as they had done the night he'd kissed her, that moment still branded in his memory.

"But you're resisting."

He struggled to find the words to express his doubts, his honor, his duty, but his ability to speak seemed to disappear as she gently stroked his chest. His tail had no such hesitation, gently pulling her closer against him.

"Your skin feels so different," she murmured, still exploring. "Is it like this everywhere?"

"Yes." He finally managed to find his voice. "Do you dislike it?"

"Not at all. I like the way it feels."

"I enjoy the way yours feels as well."

Unable to resist any longer, he curved his hands over her breasts, so full and swollen and that they completely filled his palms. He groaned with pleasure and she echoed him, pressing into his touch.

"God, that feels good. They've been aching all day."

"And this helps?" he asked as he brushed his thumbs across the sensitive peaks.

"Yes." She licked her lips. "Can you use your tail, the way you did this morning?"

"If you would like," he said huskily.

His tail reached forward eagerly, circling one nipple while he toyed with the other. She shuddered and moaned, her head falling back to rest against the tiles.

"More," she demanded, her hips moving restlessly.

Instead he lifted her higher against the wall, high enough to fasten his mouth over one taut, dusky peak. She gave a wordless cry, her hands clutching his shoulders as he licked then sucked the tempting nub. She squirmed restlessly and his tail slipped down between her legs, seeking the slick heat between her thighs as he moved from one breast to the other, sucking harder as she urged him on. His tail slid back and forth, concentrating on a small, hardened nub that made her entire body quiver when he stroked it.

"Please, please, please," she cried, the words ending in a sob of pleasure as she writhed in his arms, her small nails digging into his skin.

A sudden burst of sweetness filled his mouth as her hips bucked and her entire body convulsed. He swallowed eagerly, then tenderly licked her swollen breast as her body sagged, completely limp. His tail reluctantly retreated, curving around her waist as he slowly lowered her back to the floor.

Even though he was still painfully erect, satisfaction filled him as she leaned heavily against him, then smiled up at him, her eyes still dazed with pleasure.

"That was amaz-"

A wide yawn interrupted her words and he smiled.

"I am glad, but you should-"

"Rest now? I know, I know."

Despite the teasing note, her voice was already heavy with sleep. He helped her out of the shower, then dried her quickly and carefully before lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the bed. When he put her down, her arms came up to circle his neck and she gave him a sleepy smile.

"Thank you."

"I am honored that you trusted me with your pleasure."

She yawned again.

"You certainly discovered the best way to make me sleepy."

Her eyelids drifted shut, and she was asleep before he could say another word. He waited a few moments, then rose, leaning down to brush a final kiss across her forehead.

Returning to the sanitary facility, he stripped off his wet pants, finally allowing his cock to spring free, thicker and harder than it had ever been. Touching oneself had been forbidden since the plague, the Council unwilling to let any male waste his seed, but he couldn't resist grasping his aching cock with a groan. Pleasure jolted through him and he did it again. And again. But it wasn't until he concentrated on the memory of Lauren's pleasure that he was able to achieve a release.

But although his cock finally eased a little, the climax left him unfulfilled and aching for more.

For his mate.

For Lauren.

Every tenet of Cire society argued that it was impossible for her to be his mate, but his body - and his heart - did not agree. As he cleaned up and pulled on a fresh uniform, he tried to remember the rumors he had heard but the details escaped him. At the time he had been so overwhelmed with despair, with knowledge of his failure, that his only thought had been to escape. He'd had no contact with Ciresia or any other Cire since then.

Trevelor.

The name of the planet popped into his mind while he prepared some soup in case Lauren woke again and needed food. He was sure it had been connected to the rumors, although he couldn't remember how. Although he was sure he would be able to get the Seren operable again, it would need a full overhaul. Traveler seemed as good a place as any to have that done.

Decision made, he returned to his study of childbirth but the words were far less interesting than the warm, soft reality of the female in his bed. He finished the document he was reading, then went to join her. As soon as he laid down she turned to him and he drew her close, breathing in her sweet fragrance as he smiled into the darkness. Impossible or not, nothing had ever felt so right.