Agatha

As we lay curled together, our naked bodies intertwined, I ran my hands over Norsuk"s back, fingers grazing the base of his wings. They twitched slightly under my touch, the skin silky and warm.

"Did that beam hurt you?" I asked softly, tracing the corded muscles beneath.

He shook his head, a lock of dark hair falling over his brow. "No. I"m just drained from trying to break the net field. Flying up the stairs after you." His voice was rough, exhausted.

I bit my lip, a tangle of emotions swelling in my chest. "Why did you jump in front of me when he fired the beam?" The words emerged small, almost frightened. Did I want to know the answer? "You could"ve ducked, used your knives."

Norsuk"s arms tightened around me, pulling me flush against the solid wall of his chest. "I remembered your dream. No way was I going to let him take you the same way." He took a shuddering breath, warm against my temple. "Being paralyzed by that field... It was terrifying."

His claustrophobia, I realized with a pang. Yet he had charged the G'zanta again in this very room, facing the net field head-on. For me.

Swallowing hard, I tilted my head back to meet his gaze. "I"ve had enough of this freaky room for now," I said, trying for a lightness I didn"t feel.

Relief flickered across his chiseled features. "We need food. Maybe we should collect some fruit. Just get out of this building for a while."

Glancing around, a shiver walked down my spine. It looked like you could step right out onto that alien street. Into that dark, forbidding alley. But we were at least a dozen stories in the air. Unable to look anymore, I turned resolutely toward the ramp.

A sudden rumble shook the building, the floor swaying beneath our feet. I stumbled, catching myself on Norsuk"s arm. Heart in my throat, I looked back at the portals—and froze. The window to deep space had gone black. A black so dark and absolute, it seemed to soak up the light. It made my eyes ache just to look at it.

Norsuk followed my gaze, brow furrowing in alarm. After a tense moment, he took my hand, strong fingers lacing with mine. "That"s... unnerving."

"Considering an earthquake dropped us down here, I"m no fan, either," I said, trying to inject some wryness into my tone. It fell flat, strangled by the sudden lump in my throat.

We made our way carefully down the ramp, Norsuk"s palm warm and calloused against my own. I liked the solid weight of it, the unspoken reassurance. It seemed he was as nervous as me, in need of comfort. I didn"t pull away.

He paused by the racks of spacesuits, gaze lingering on the strange crystal discs set into the chests. "None of these are charged," he murmured, almost to himself.

I cocked a brow. "What do you care? Those things are like a size two. Making you a size seventy-five."

Norsuk opened his mouth as if to retort, then snapped it shut. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

Curiosity piqued, I squeezed his fingers. "Tell me what"s on your mind."

He exhaled roughly, not quite meeting my eyes. "Nothing. I was just thinking. You might fit into one of those suits."

"Me?" I blinked, taken aback.

"It"s not important," he said quickly. Too quickly. "Let"s get out of here for a while."

I managed to talk him into an elevator, suppressing a smirk at the way he squirmed and fidgeted the whole way down. The moment the doors whispered open on the ground floor, he hauled me out, all but sprinting into the cavernous lobby.

Back in the constant twilight of the city, we picked our way past the perimeter wall to where the strange fruit trees grew. Little iridescent lizards bounced and scurried in the luminous foliage. Otherwise, the air hung preternaturally still, thick with the cloying scent of overripe fruit.

"It bugs me, going outside, and still being inside," Norsuk grumbled, kicking at a twist of glowing vine.

"We"ll get out of here soon. I just have a feeling." I wandered over to a relatively clear patch of spongy turf and sank down, grabbing a few fat purple globes as I went.

He dropped beside me with a sigh, long legs sprawling. For a few minutes, we just ate in silence, the only sound was the wet crunch and slurp of the fruit"s yielding flesh.

"You know what I would like?" Norsuk asked suddenly, voice pensive.

I shot him a wry look. "Other than getting out of this cavern?"

The corner of his mouth twitched, there and gone. "Far more important. It"s silly. But..." He set aside his half-eaten fruit and turned to face me fully, a new intensity burning in his amber eyes. "I"d like it if we could start again."

My hands stilled on the rind, sticky juices drying tacky and sweet. "That"s probably not?—"

He thrust out a broad palm, his smile small but earnest. "Hello. I"m Norsuk. I"m a thief, a confidence man, a scavenger and salvager. And even though I briefly considered getting into the slave trade, that will never happen. Ever. Nice to meet you."

Something squeezed in my chest, a tangled knot of want and wariness. But I found myself reaching out anyway, fitting my hand to his. Playing along.

"Hi. I"m Agatha Minsky. A veterinarian tech. And... nothing much else, really."

Norsuk"s fingers tightened on mine, his gaze fierce and intent. "I don"t believe that," he said softly. "You"re incredibly resilient. Resourceful. Brave. Maybe a little..."

I arched a brow, pulse kicking up a notch. "What?"

His thumb traced over my knuckles, raising gooseflesh on my arms. "Headstrong?"

A surprised laugh bubbled up my throat. "Guess I"ll accept that. Nice to meet you. I don"t know any other professional scoundrels."

"It"s not the easiest life." Norsuk"s mouth twisted wryly. "Let me take that back. Sometimes it is the easiest life, or maybe just the laziest. It"s the times between that get a little tense." He slanted me a look, eyes dancing. "I still recommend being scoundrel-ous. Is that a thing?"

Warmth bloomed in my belly, chasing away the last tendrils of unease. This was the Norsuk I"d glimpsed beneath the hardened exterior—playful, self-deprecating. Charming, in a roguish sort of way.

I held up my free hand, the one still sticky with fruit pulp. "I like these," I said, deliberately light. "You?"

He wrinkled his nose. "They"re okay. But what I wouldn"t give for a greasy rack of asperi ribs right about now. They"re these big, dumb browsers—the asperi, not the ribs. Delicious, though."

"A little protein would be nice," I agreed, trying to picture the unfamiliar creature. "I don"t know asperi."

Norsuk"s eyes took on a faraway gleam, his voice going soft and wistful. "There"s a lot I"d like to show you. Places to eat, to drink, to dance. Beautiful vistas. My favorite spots to be alone." His gaze cut to mine, smoldering. "They"d be even better with you." He squeezed my fingers, calluses scraping gently.

A pang went through me, sweet and aching. For a moment, I let myself imagine it—exploring alien worlds at his side, learning its wonders and its dangers. Building something real, enduring, lightyears from everything I"d ever known.

But reality crashed back in a cold wave, duty and responsibility an anchor around my neck. Swallowing hard, I slipped my hand from his. "You know I don"t belong here."

Norsuk"s features wilted, stark sorrow and longing etched into every proud line. He looked away, throat working. "Selfish as it is... I think you belong with me."

"That"s not possible," I whispered. The words tasted like ashes on my tongue.

Quick as a snake, his hands shot out, dragging me onto his lap. I barely had time to gasp before his mouth claimed mine in a searing kiss, hot and urgent and desperately hungry.

"You"re with me now," he rasped against my lips. A demand and a plea.

I knew I should push him away. Knew I should cling to my righteous anger, the betrayal that had simmered in my gut since his confession. But I was so tired of fighting. Tired of denying this crackling thing between us.

He was right. I was with him in this mad, impossible moment. Why not make the best of it?

"I"ve wanted you so badly." The confession spilled out of me, raw and breathless, as his lips trailed fire down the column of my throat. "Despite what you tried to do. My anger. I couldn"t keep it up. You"re a criminal, a scoundrel... but you"re my scoundrel."

Norsuk"s growl vibrated against my pulse point, his arms banding tight around my waist. "What I"m about to do to you should be considered illegal," he rumbled, nipping my earlobe.

Molten need pooled low in my belly, my thighs clenching around his narrow hips. Good lord, I hadn"t realized how badly I"d ached for his touch, his taste. It took no effort at all to surrender, to let the swelling tide of desire sweep me under.

In a moment, my belt, boots, jacket, and nightshirt lay in a crumpled heap beside his breeches and boots.

He wore nothing else.

I pulled him down on top of me, all hot skin and coiled muscle. His thighs nudged mine further apart, notching his hips into the cradle of my pelvis. The hard ridge of his cock rode the seam of my sex, heavy and insistent.

"You feel so good," he groaned into my mouth, hands roaming greedily over every inch of exposed skin. "Wanted this... wanted you... for so long."

"Show me," I panted, dragging my nails down the flexing expanse of his back. "Show me how much."

With a low, guttural sound, Norsuk captured my lips again, the kiss wet and filthy. The delicious friction sent sparks cascading through my nerves, my hips rolling up to meet his involuntary thrusts.

Lost in pure sensation, I scarcely noticed his hand drifting lower, skimming over the jut of my hips. But when two fingers parted my slick folds, stroking over the swollen pearl of my clit, I arched like a bow, keening into his mouth.

"So wet," he marveled against my lips. "So responsive, fuck."

His touch was gentle but unerring, circling and flicking in a maddening rhythm. Pleasure built like a cresting wave, my inner muscles clenching on nothing. Greedy for more, for all of him.

But he didn't stop there, instead moving down my leg, raining kisses across my thigh, down my calf, until he nibbled and sucked at my toes. "Norsuk!" I screamed, twitching and thrashing beneath him, driven past coherent thought by his touch. I needed him, burned for him, but couldn't manage to speak, the pleasure ripping my words away, leaving me panting.

Norsuk read my mind. The blunt head of his cock nudged my entrance, hot and hard and perfect. He rolled his hips in a sinuous grind, coating himself in my slickness. The delicious stretch and burn made me gasp, inner walls fluttering to accommodate his girth.

"Please," I mewled, too far gone to be ashamed of begging. "I need..."

With a muttered oath, he hilted himself in one long, smooth glide. I cried out at the sudden fullness, back bowing to press us chest to chest. He was huge, splitting me open, pushing me to the very limit.

For a moment, he held himself still, trembling with the effort. Then, slowly, he moved. Shallow thrusts at first, letting me adjust to the unfamiliar invasion. But as my body yielded and softened, he picked up the pace, driving into me with increasing abandon.

And god help me, I urged him on, heels digging into the taut globes of his ass. "Yes," I hissed, head thrashing on the springy turf. "Harder, I can take it."

Norsuk"s control snapped. Bracing his elbows on either side of my head, he hammered into me like a machine, hips pistoning in a furious rhythm. Each brutal stroke slammed against my cervix, pleasure blooming and sparking behind my eyes.

I felt the pressure building at the base of my spine, my every nerve ending crackling with electricity. Norsuk shifted the angle of his thrusts, grinding his pubic bone against my clit, and I detonated. My inner muscles rippled and spasmed, squeezing his plunging cock in fluttering waves.

Through the haze of my climax, I dimly registered Norsuk"s harsh groan, the sudden erratic stutter of his hips. "Agatha," he gasped, voice cracking. "I can"t... fuck, I"m going to..."

"Yes," I breathed, locking my ankles at the small of his back. "Do it, come for me."

His entire body went rigid, a guttural sound ripping from his chest. Scalding heat flooded my channel as he spent himself in pulsing spurts, my name a broken litany on his lips. We shuddered and bucked together, lost in a feedback loop of shared ecstasy.

At last, boneless and spent, Norsuk collapsed on top of me, face buried in the crook of my shoulder. I felt his heart thundering against my own, our skin slick with mingled sweat. Tenderly, I carded my fingers through his damp hair, savoring the crisp, masculine scent of him.

"I"ll never be mad at you again," I whispered, only half-joking. "I could barely stand you being so close, yet not touching."

He huffed a laugh, the sound rumbling through his chest. Rolling off me, he traced my well-kissed lips with a gentle finger. "You"ll be angry again. I"m an idiot sometimes." His expression sobered, amber eyes intent on mine. "But I can"t stand being apart from you, either."

Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Because as much as I wanted to deny it, he"d spoken my heart. This infuriating, enthralling male had burrowed under my skin and into my soul.

And come what may, I couldn"t imagine my life without him in it.