Chapter 5

Chapter Five

A nticipation fizzed in Ro’s veins and her mouth tingled from their kiss. She couldn’t have found her way to their rented room if she’d tried. Her mind was so occupied on what was to come that she couldn’t spend even a minute in the present. Not when the future was going to be so damn satisfying. Dash hadn’t let go of her hand the entire walk back, and anyone who glanced at them had to know what they were planning, but Ro didn’t care. Let them think it. Hell, let them be jealous. He was going to be with her and that was something to flaunt.

But the longer they walked, the more tortuous it became. How far away was this damn room? How big was Lunar Base Alpha? Was there a handy broom closet where they could take the edge off? As it was, she was going to jump Dash the second they got behind a closed door, and she wasn’t sure she’d make it to a bed, even if they were in the same room. Hell, she wasn’t sure she’d get all their clothes off, just the important bits.

It was madness to feel so much so quickly for this man, but she reveled in it. There was something freeing about this desire, even if she couldn’t quite understand it. It wasn’t like anything she’d felt with anyone else, and that made it special.

Dash made it special. He was full of joy, of life, in a way that most people weren’t. He seemed to fully throw himself into every moment and come out of even the most mundane situations with a smile. It should have been annoying, in the way that perpetually happy people always ticked her off, and yet… he was just Dash .

And for right now, he was hers.

They were finally in front of their door, and with a swipe of his hand, Dash had them inside. It could have been a palace or a dump, Ro didn’t care, as long as it had a bit of privacy and enough room to maneuver.

Dash opened his mouth to speak, but she was done talking for the moment. She got up on her tip toes and crushed their mouths together, pressing him back against the door and holding him there with her body weight. Her body was on fire with want, her clothing too constrictive. She wished it would just dissolve off of her, but that didn’t seem to be happening. She managed to struggle out of her sweater, breaking their kiss for just long enough to rip it over her head. That was a little better, but she was still fully covered, and she wanted to press her naked body against the glorious man in front of her.

She reached for the clasp of his pants, but Dash put a hand over hers and groaned. “Patience, dear.”

“I’ve been patient for days.” But she flattened her hand so she was just pressing against him, no longer trying to rip his clothes off.

Dash smiled against her lips and canted his hips forward, demonstrating just how much he was letting her hold him in place. Normally that would have annoyed Ro. If she wanted control, it was hers, but there was a give and take with Dash. He’d never force her into something she didn’t want. It was a fantasy to think that, but she knew it was true, the way she knew other things about him that she had no business knowing. They were two acquaintances who were destined to exist in each other’s spheres for one week only. And yet this felt like something more intense, more permanent than that. It should have made her want to pull back, but she didn’t, she couldn’t. She might actually die if she didn’t get him inside her.

He pushed her forward, walking her backwards for a few steps before sweeping her up in his arms. Ro wrapped her legs around his waist and held on as he walked them back to the bed. He placed her down gently, but she bounced more than expected, and a laugh burst out of her. Lunar gravity was modified in the bases, but it still wasn’t as strong as on Earth or Mars, and it could catch a person off guard at the most awkward of times.

Dash leaned forward, looming over her, and Ro was torn between pulling him down over her and another want. And the second one won out. “Get naked,” she commanded. “I want to see you.”

He stole a kiss before standing back up and ripping off his shirt, revealing a set of rippling brown abs that she wanted, needed, to run her tongue over. Damn , the man looked good. And he wasn’t done. He threw his clothes off like he was racing against the clock, not performing a striptease, and for that Ro was thankful. She wasn’t feeling playful right now, she just wanted him naked and ready for her.

And ready for her he was. His cock jutted out from a tuft of brown hair, the same dark hair that covered his legs. She wouldn’t go so far as to call him hairy, but there was definitely a bit of fur and wanted to run her hands through it. And run her tongue over the glistening head of his cock and see if he tasted as good as he looked.

She wasted no time removing her own clothes before laying back down and crooking a finger at him.

He joined her on the bed, pressing his warm flesh against hers and joining their mouths. This was heaven. The rest of the moon, the solar system, the galaxy, all of it could have ceased to exist and it would not have mattered as long as she and Dash were in this bed together.

Hands quested, lips teased; it was an exploration between the two of them, and with every tantalizing touch, Ro’s body grew more desperate, hot and wet with desire. She spread her legs and gasped when his fingers brushed against her entrance. She hitched her legs further apart to give him access, arching up into him as his lips teased her neck. It had been far too long since she’d been in bed with anyone, and it had never been as good as it was with Dash. Already regret that it would eventually have to end nipped at the edges of her mind, but it couldn’t take hold when she was so focused on the pleasure he was bringing her.

He stretched her out, caressing her with sure fingers. This was a man who knew exactly what he was doing, who somehow had figured out exactly what she wanted. She let out little pants of air and couldn’t string together a coherent sentence as his fingers teased in and out of her, a third joining the first after a few thrusts.

“More,” she begged. She didn’t know exactly what she was asking for; it wasn’t just his cock, though she needed that. She wanted all of him inside her, beside her, with her for as long as she could have him. But all she could manage to speak was a single word.

It was enough.

Dash kissed her again, their tongues tangled and tasting as he lined himself up at her entrance. And then he was sliding home, joining them together with a bond as old as time itself. She clutched at him, holding tight and probably leaving bruises, but he didn’t seem to care, so she wouldn’t either, not if it kept them close together.

He moved within her and she moved with him, their hips thrusting in sync. She stared up at him and his dark eyes sparkled with light, almost like they were glowing. He was glowing, that happiness that had been radiating off of him all day coming off in waves and all directed at her. Ro couldn’t help but get swept up in it, not when her body undulated with pleasure and she finally had the man she craved with her in bed.

The tempo increased, the dance becoming frenetic as they came to their peaks. Ro crested first, her body rippling with release, her throat letting out a decadent moan as she let go off all of the tension within and surrendered to the pleasure. A moment later Dash joined, releasing into her with a final thrust and a moan of his own.

They lay there together for several minutes, their breath mingled and chests rising in a calming rhythm. Ro’s body tingled with pleasure and she couldn’t wipe the grin off her face, she didn’t want to. She turned her head to face Dash and found him already looking at her, his smile just as wide.

The worrier who lived in the back of her mind tried to tell her that this was bad, that it was bound to end messy, painful, or both. But for once Ro told that part of her brain to shut up and enjoy the moment. She’d deal with consequences when they happened. For now, she was going to enjoy the man beside her.

The next morning, good cheer still buzzed in Dash’s veins. How could it not? He’d reunited a family, spent the day with the woman he thought was his mate, and then spent the night with her as well. At this rate he’d be high on good cheer for months and he couldn’t see anything wrong with that. He was humming in the shower as he cleaned up and still humming when he came out to find Ro dressed and ready to go. She smiled at him, and he couldn’t stop himself from crossing the room to kiss her.

She wrapped an arm around him and opened for him and Dash’s body stirred, desperate to take her again. But they’d barely slept the night before, so caught up in each other, and while he was powered by cheer, he had to remember that Ro was human and needed a little time to recharge.

A little.

He pulled away and Ro looked at him strangely. “What was that for?” She placed her fingers to her swollen lips.

Dash kissed her forehead. “I like kissing you.”

She dropped her eyes and pressed her lips together, but she couldn’t stop the smile from blooming. “I like kissing you too.”

The feeling coursing through him wasn’t the same as what he experienced when he brought good cheer to others. It was stronger, and it took him a moment to realize it was his own personal happiness. He was a cheerful individual by default, rarely sad or down, but he was usually on an even keel, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt personal joy rather than good cheer from a job well done. “The ship should be ready to go soon. Want to grab some food before we head out?”

Ro nodded. “We’re so close to Earth I can practically taste it.”

And that statement threatened his happiness, the reminder that he only had her for a few more days. Last night had felt like the beginning of something special to Dash, but did Ro feel the same way? Or would she be happy to leave him the second he got her back to her family? A small part of him wanted to delay their journey, to find an excuse to stay on the moon for a few more days and get to know one another, but he knew how important this trip was and he wouldn’t do that to his mate. His potential mate.

He just needed to use the rest of their time together to prove that there was something between them that could grow beyond this trip. He just needed to make Ro want to keep him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, entwining their fingers and rubbing her thumb back and forth over his palm.

His smile wasn’t fake, even if it wasn’t as broad as it had been. “Hungry. Let’s eat.”

Dash took her to his favorite food stall on Lunar Base Alpha and barely noticed the taste of his own food as he watched Ro devour the wrap she’d ordered, her expression almost identical to one she’d been wearing while he thrust into her. His cock twitched, and he had to look away or risk taking her over the table. That was definitely not what he should be doing at the moment.

Once they were done, they still had an hour until the ship was scheduled for pickup, so Dash took her to the souvenir shops. There wasn’t much on Alpha, since it was meant for research rather than vacation, but one of the shops was practically a museum to the science that happened on the moon, with information going back all the way to the first human landing on the lunar surface.

“It’s crazy how after a few trips to the moon humans stopped sending people for decades ,” Ro observed, reading a plaque next to a bin of toys wearing old-fashioned astronaut suits. “They just stayed in their little station and orbited. And people thought space travel was a waste . I can’t imagine. And they thought aliens didn’t exist. I’ve heard those stories of first contact.” She shuddered. “I’m happy to be a modern Mars girl.”

“Do you really think of yourself as from Mars now?” He wondered if he should admit that he wasn’t exactly human. Yes, he’d been born on Earth and he’d never left the solar system, but Dash’s ancestors had a more… celestial past than most humans, and the fact that he could shift into a beast would mark him as different to anyone who cared to look. He glanced around the store but decided to hold his confession back. He could tell her once they were in private. No need to spill his secrets for all of the moon to hear.

Ro shrugged. “No, I guess not. But it’s where I live now. And in some ways it feels more like home than anywhere else.” She picked up a toy and then frowned. “If May heard me, she’d think I was my dad.” She put the toy back and shook her head.

Should Dash let her leave it? Her mood was clearly shifting towards the dark and he wanted to cheer her up, but happiness couldn’t cloud out old sorrow. Sometimes the darkness had to be worked through. “Would that be so bad?”

“Is abandoning your family for a better life on a different planet bad? Letting them think you were dead and gone?” She picked the toy back up. “Something for Lee, I think.” She walked towards a cashier bot, leaving Dash behind.

Letting them think… Was her father dead or not? Now Dash was curious, but this time he did let the subject drop. Ro clearly didn’t want to talk about it and it wasn’t his place to pry. Not yet.

When she had the toy in a little gift box it was time to head back to the ship. They weaved through the crowds who were both arriving and departing, and Dash sent Kiki one last happy thought, hoping she had the best holiday ever.

But when they got to their dock, Dash could sense something was wrong. For one, the main hatch was open and a large collection of cables were still plugged in. And for another, a technician was pounding at a panel and muttering quiet swears to himself. Dash left him to it and found his co-worker entering data into a tablet.

“Has there been a delay?” Dash asked her. “We need to do pre-flight checks.”

The tech snorted. “You’re not getting off the moon for at least a week, bud.” She didn’t even look up while delivering the news. “You’ve got six engine components on the verge of blow out and I’ve only got three in stock. We’re having the rest shipped in, but with the holiday things are a bit slow. You know how it goes.”

“What?” It tore out of Ro as she stepped up beside him. “What do you mean a week? We don’t have a week.”

That got the tech to look up. She raised one bushy eyebrow and stared Ro down. “If you leave, I can’t guarantee you make it halfway to Earth. Frankly, you’re lucky you managed to dock.” She turned back to Dash. “Were there any issues on the flight over? Any alerts?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.” Dash kept his ship in good order. He had to be careful, he wasn’t going to risk his passengers. He wanted to tear the tablet out of the tech’s hands and read through everything she’d found. But he forced himself to remain calm. “Can you patch it? I just need to run to Earth, surely there’s a dock down there that can fix me up.”

“No.”

Ro breathed deep, and Dash feared she was about to launch herself at the tech. But she just took half a step forward and looked at her for a moment. “Hi,” her tone took on a false brightness, “I realize we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I’d like to remedy any misunderstanding. You see, my nephew is down on Earth,” she held up the gift box as if it represented him, “and I haven’t seen him in a few years. I promised I’d be back for the holidays. So is there anything you can do to make that happen?”

The tech blinked at her and pursed her lips before saying, “No.”

Dash stepped in front of Ro before she could do serious damage to the tech. “Thanks. I’ll pick the ship up when she’s ready.”

The tech shrugged. Dash turned around and shepherded Ro down the hall, his mind reeling, trying to figure out how to fix this. He was sure that Ro would leave, would try to find another way to Earth, and now that they were on the moon it would be much easier than back on Mars. There were dozens of daily shuttles. She’d be better off taking one of those. If there were any seats.

But he couldn’t let her go so easily.

He placed his hands on both of her shoulders and held on until she faced him. “Give me an hour.” He tried not to beg, but he was sure a thread of desperation came through. “I’ll find us a way to Earth. But I need to ask around.”

Ro straightened, and he could see the refusal sitting in her eyes, but she nodded. “One hour.”

Dash left her there and took off at a run. He needed to find a way off the moon before his mate abandoned him. He wasn’t going to let a broken ship get in the way of the rest of his life.