8. Crux

eight

I stand in the bedroom doorway, my gaze fixated on Annie as she rifles through her closet for her last official work event. She's clad in nothing but a sheer slip of crimson lace, the delicate fabric skimming over the lush curves of her body in a way that has my mouth going dry.

After the harrowing incident with the Huxarian Radicals, she's stepped down from her ambassadorial role, leaving the successful Folmodian treaty signing as her hard-won legacy. Everything we've endured to get to this moment—the violence, the sacrifices, the upheaval of our entire existence—she remains the single point of radiance that guides me through the storm. My starlight burns ever brighter.

Annie turns, a flicker of a smile tugging at those full lips as she catches me staring so brazenly. Rather than rebuke my intensity, she simply holds my stare, one elegant brow arching in playful challenge.

"See something you like, my star knight?"

The husky purr of her voice is enough to fray the taut leash of my restraint. In two strides, I've crossed the room and captured her in my arms, crushed her against the scorching hardness of my battle-worn form.

A throaty chuckle spills from her lips as I claim them in a ferocious, smoldering kiss. My hand rakes over the exposed skin of her lower back, searing paths that leave her trembling and arching into my ravenous caresses.

When we finally break apart, I feel lightheaded, punch-drunk on the taste and scent of her surrounding me in an intoxicating cloud. Annie doesn't pull away, instead cupping my face in those gloriously soft hands and searching my gaze with piercing intensity.

"We should get ready soon... signing the treaty..." she murmurs, even as fresh desire kindles in her now, distracted, liquid azure eyes.

I growl low in my throat, nipping at the tender curve where her neck meets shoulder. She whimpers, fingers tangling in my hair to hold me against her thundering pulse as I brush my stubble over her fevered skin.

"There's still time, starlight. Time to remind your knight that he alone gets to worship his goddess in the ways that matter most..."

To emphasize my point, I slide my thigh between her parted legs, bracing her deliciously against the rigid length of my swelling arousal. Annie sucks in a ragged breath, eyes fluttering shut as she grinds down instinctively to chase that delicious friction.

"Crux..." she exhales in a pleading whimper.

That's all the encouragement I need. With a sharp tug, the flimsy lingerie falls away in a tangled scarlet puddle around her bare feet. I drink in every lush, naked curve displayed for my starved gaze, branding each decadent detail into my memory like a weapon schematic.

My fingers trace the generous swell of her breasts, mapping the constellations of silvery stretch marks she's self-conscious about. I pause to brush feathered kisses across each marking of the struggles she's endured long before I ever swore this oath to shield her light.

"Beautiful..." I rasp against her thundering pulse. "Every divine inch of you, Annie."

When I finally claim her mouth again, the urgency has kindled into an inferno of blazing want between us. She melts against me in utter surrender, arching and writhing with needy desperation as my hands roam, kneading the lush curves of her backside to pull her ever tighter against me.

A whimper escapes her swollen lips as the blunt head of my swollen cock grazes those slick folds, seeking its home in her scorching depths. I tease us both with languid strokes, coating every exquisite inch in her dewy essence before finally breaching that first sublime ring of velvet heat.

Annie positively keens into the heated crash of our mouths fusing, her nails scoring rapturous lines down my back as I fill her with one slow, controlled thrust. We both freeze for a breathless heartbeat, simply savoring the closeness of being joined as one.

"Stars above, Crux..." she gasps playfully. "This negotiation tactic is delightfully... persuasive."

Then her legs lock around my waist, those lush curves undulating against me with blatant—no, wanton—demand for more. I groan aloud, slanting my mouth over hers in a searing kiss as I rock into her with long, powerful strokes.

"Cheeky minx," I rumble in response, nipping at the thundering pulse in her throat. Annie shivers deliciously, arching into me as I trail a blazing path of open-mouthed kisses down the elegant column. When I reach the generous swell of her breasts, I pause to lavish the taut peaks with scorching reverence from my lips and tongue.

"You'll pay for that impertinence when I make you scream my name over and over..." I growl against the velvet softness, punctuating the deliciously wicked promise with a slow undulation of my hips that sheathes me even deeper inside her molten depths.

Annie's back bows in ecstasy, a broken whimper escaping those swollen lips as her inner walls flutter greedily around my impaling length. "Stars above, Crux..."

I capture her desperate keen with another searing kiss, rocking into her with firm, controlled strokes that have her nails scoring down my back. When I finally tear away, I'm rasping against the glistening curve of her breast, "You feel unreal. Every secret cove and crest of your perfect body made to fit my cock to the hilt."

In response, she rolls her hips with wanton demand, drawing me impossibly deeper into her velvet glove. I groan at the sublime friction, increasing the punishing tempo of my thrusts until she's moaning my name like a benediction with each rapturous stroke.

She whimpers out something wordless and needy as I rock into her again, savoring the velvet grasp of her inner walls rippling and clenching around me greedily. Those honeyed curses only spur me onward, driving us hurtling toward that shattering crescendo of rapture.

But as my climax nears, as my vision hazes with the maddening crest of pleasure, I force myself to slow. I can't surrender fully to blinding oblivion just yet, not before I chase every last gasp and whimper from her lips.

Cradling Annie against my chest, I shift my stance. The new angle allows me to impale her to the throbbing root, gravity lending extra weight to the ecstatic grind of our bodies joining. Her eyes fly wide, pupils blown to black discs rimmed by a thin ring of blazing blue. She's delirious with want, the delectable peaks of her breasts flushed and swollen from my ravenous mouth, her sex straining around my cock.

I release one wrist to cup that glorious face, thumb brushing over her parted lips with an exquisite tenderness that's at odds with the scalding tempo of my thrusts.

"You are mine," I rasp, awestruck by the sublime rapture etched across her beautiful features. "Every sigh, every gasping plea... the way your silken depths clench around me, begging for more. It all belongs to me, starlight."

Annie releases a sobbing mewl of pure sexual torment, her hips grinding in mindless desperation to chase the edge of the climax just out of reach. She's wrecked, every muscle seized taut and quivering in exquisite torment.

I stop completely, buried inside her, savoring the silken heat clutching at me in visceral, rhythmic pulses. Annie cries out her frustration, thighs tensing against my flanks in a plea for blessed friction.

"Look at me, my radiant salvation," I command in a low, guttural rumble.

When her lost gaze finally locks onto mine, I bare my teeth in a possessive snarl as I surge forward once more. My swollen cock batters against her quivering inner walls, spearing so deep I swear I can feel her heartbeat echoing around my throbbing length.

Annie throws her head back, lips parting in a breathless scream of rapturous release. I low growl rumbles up from my chest as she spasms and clenches around me in liquid, blissful orgasm. But I refuse to crest just yet, hammering into her with short, sharp snaps of my hips that just wring more agonized ecstasy from her with each thrust.

"That's my radiant one..." I grate out, voice gravelly. "Writhing on my cock, taking everything I give you and hungry for more. So fucking perfect..."

A second, more violent orgasm wracks her form, back arching like a bow. At last, I allow myself to surrender with a feral roar, claiming her mouth in a scorching kiss as I spend myself in hot, pulsing eruptions that seem to go on forever.

When we finally break apart, gasping for air, my legs are trembling with aftershocks of release. Annie's flanks gleam with a sheen of sweat, her unfocused eyes heavy-lidded and languid with bliss. I drop a tender kiss to the crown of her disarrayed curls, husky chuckles rumbling in my chest. Even in her thoroughly ravished state, my goddess manages a blissful smile that lights my soul.

"Now we really should prepare..." she murmurs, with no real urgency behind the words.

I chuckle again, sweeping her up into my arms in a way that has her squeaking in delighted surprise. As I carry Annie into the expansive fresher, she peppers my jaw and neck with featherlight kisses, practically vibrating with excitement.

"I can hardly believe it's really happening," she murmurs against my skin. "After all these years, decades of struggle and heartache... I'm finally signing the treaty that cements the Folmodian Alliance!"

I hum in acknowledgment, relishing the feel of her pressed so intimately against me as we step under the cascading streams of heated water. Annie arches back, letting the soothing spray sluice over her glorious curves with a contented sigh.

"Do you know how many sleepless nights I spent these past three months agonizing over every single nuance of this deal?" She grins up at me impishly. "Well, maybe you do, considering all the times you had to pry me away from my work and drag me to bed..."

I chuckle at the memory, sweeping a strand of sodden hair back from her face. "I seem to recall those more recent practice negotiations being particularly... vigorous."

Annie's tinkling laugh is music to my soul. "You absolute scoundrel!"

She sobers slightly, trailing aimless patterns over my chest with those clever fingers. "But truly, Crux... I don't think I could have reached this victory without you by my side. You guided me when I felt lost, overwhelmed."

I capture her roaming hand and press a reverent kiss to her knuckles. "Your brilliance lights the way, my starlight. I simply bask in your radiance."

Her eyes shine with unshed tears as she winds her arms around my shoulders, melting fully against me once more.

"I love you, Crux. So fiercely that it steals my breath. And now we have a future to spend together, no more duty or protocol." She hesitates, drawing back to search my gaze. "Actually... speaking of the future..."

Pulse thrumming with anticipation, I tenderly tuck a stray tendril of damp hair behind her ear. "Go on."

Annie bites her lower lip, suddenly radiating nervous energy. When our eyes meet again, her gaze is full of naked longing. "I don't want to waste another moment apart, Crux. I want us to start building our new life together, our forever..."

She breaks off, demurely lowering her eyes. But not before I catch the faintest hint of a blush staining those high cheekbones so alluringly. I tilt her chin back up, unable to resist leaving a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses along the elegant column of her throat.

"Annie, you are my truth, my guiding light through the madness. Our bond transcends the mortal realm." I gather a breath, holding her gaze steadily. "Which is why I don't want you just staying with me temporarily while your estate is repaired. What I crave, more than life itself, is for you to take up permanent residence with me on Avenia. As my mate, my partner, for all our days to come."

Her lips part in an awed inhalation, but I continue with blazing conviction.

"The Grandmaster offered me a position training novice knights. But I will not undertake this path without you by my side."

I bring her knuckles to my lips reverently. "Andrea Grace Agnew, will you do me the profound honor of becoming my forever? We can still use your family's estate for gatherings once the stain of those Radicals is cleansed. But I need you with me on Avenia, as my partner in all things now that your obligations on Orion are finished."

Annie's eyes well with joyful tears as she processes my heartfelt proposal. A radiant smile blooms across those full lips as she launches herself into my arms, raining fervent kisses over every inch of my face and throat she can reach.

"Yes, my star knight! A thousand times, yes!" she exclaims fervently between each scorching caress of her mouth. "I cannot imagine a greater honor than binding my fate to yours for all our days to come."

Relief and euphoria crash over me in dizzying waves. Capturing her face between my palms, I slant my lips over hers in a searing kiss that steals the very breath from my lungs. Annie melts against me with a throaty whimper.

I growl into the heated fusion of our mouths, backing her up against the sleek tiles until the cascading water sluices over us in a torrent of liquid heat. Annie moans shamelessly when my hands roam in possessive sweeps over her lush curves, kneading the supple swell of her backside to grind our arching bodies together.

There's no more need for gentle restraint or careful choreography. This frenzied joining is pure unleashed passion, the rapturous consummation of our unbreakable destiny as mates, as eternal partners in soul and flesh.

I hoist Annie's legs around my waist without preamble, slamming her back against the wall as I bury myself to the throbbing hilt inside her with one powerful thrust. She cries out in ecstasy, nails scoring delicious lines down my back as I immediately set a punishing pace, hammering up into her sweetness with everything I have.

"Crux!" Annie sobs my name like a benediction, throwing her head back to offer up the elegant line of her throat. I growl savagely in response, teeth grazing over her racing pulse as she writhes and clenches around my pistoning length with wild abandon.

Every fevered stroke brings us hurtling closer to that blazing precipice until—

"Mom? Crux? The signing ceremony is starting soon—oh my god!"

Alice's mortified squeak cuts through the steam-filled air like a plasma bolt. I freeze mid-thrust, whipping my head toward the source of the intrusion just as Max rounds the corner behind his sister, arms laden with a florist's bouquet.

"Mom, we've got the flowers ready for—holy shit!"

Alice slaps a hand over her eyes in horror even as Max openly gapes, the blooms tumbling forgotten to the floor in a kaleidoscope of color. I growl low in my throat, shielding Annie's nude, sweat-slicked form with my body in a futile attempt at preserving her modesty.

"Alice! Max! I... this isn't... oh god," Annie stammers, burying her flaming face in the curve of my shoulder.

I can't exactly scold Alice and Max over propriety when they've caught us in the throes of... well, this rather brazen situation. So I settle for a flat look that dares them to comment further as I gently ease Annie's legs back to the floor.

"If you two are quite finished traumatizing your mother and me," I rumble at last, wrapping a towel protectively around Annie, "Perhaps you'd care to state your reason for this intrusion?"

Alice recovers first, clearing her throat awkwardly while keeping her eyes averted. "We, uh... we wanted to wish Mom good luck on her big treaty signing today. With flowers and... stuff."

From beside me, Annie huffs out a ragged laugh, clutching the terrycloth tighter around herself. "Well, it looks like the signing will have to wait a few minutes while my knight and I regain our composure."

I can't quite suppress the growl of frustration rumbling in my chest. After getting Annie to agree to be my mate, I'd hoped to properly consummate our union in far more indulgent fashion. But the abashed looks from her children tell me this intimate moment is over for now.

"Yes, well..." I bend to scoop up the rumpled blooms, depositing them in Alice's arms before gently shooing her and Max back toward the door. "We'll be along directly once we're... decent."

"I think decency left a while ago," Max shoots back with a laugh.

As soon as we're alone again, Annie dissolves into helpless giggles, collapsing back against the tiled wall in a thoroughly debauched tangle of damp hair and flushed skin.

"Oh, Crux, you should have seen your face!" She reaches up to cup my cheek, eyes sparkling with mirth despite her own residual embarrassment. "I never thought I'd live to see the legendary Avenian warrior mantled in burning scarlet mortification!"

I growl low, nipping at the pad of her thumb just to savor the way it makes her breath catch. "Your offspring's wretched timing is only eclipsed by their appalling lack of boundaries."

"Aw, don't be so gruff," she murmurs teasingly, wrapping her arms around me in a loose embrace. "They're just happy for their mother finally finding someone."

Pinning her with a look of smoldering intensity, I brush the matted waves back from her face with infinite tenderness. "You are everything to me, starlight. My radiance, my honor, my path through every shadow yet to come. I will spend every waking breath making you realize precisely how deserving you are of such boundless devotion."

Annie's breath escapes in a quivering sigh, her eyes shining. Then she gathers me close and simply holds me, our heartbeats settling into a shared, contented rhythm.

The treaty signing goes smoothly, a new dawn for peaceful relations with the Folmodians after months of tumultuous negotiations. As Annie exits the council chambers, a diplomatic datapad tucked under one arm, her cheeks are flushed with exhilaration, those expressive eyes sparkling like newborn stars. Despite the crisp professionalism of her diplomat's outfit, there's an aura of barely contained giddiness about her, as though she's fighting the urge to outright skip down the corridor.

My mate is resplendent in her hard-earned glory. And damn if I don't feel like the luckiest male in the universe to have her brilliant light shining upon me for eternity.

I rest my palm against the small of her back, unable to resist leaning in to murmur low against the delicate whorls of her ear. "You were magnificent in there, my radiant one. Tark and the others had no chance against your brilliance."

Annie's cheeks flush becomingly as she slants me a sidelong look from beneath her lashes. "Why, Sir Cruxian, one might think you're becoming a silver-tongued diplomat yourself with such compliments."

I growl softly, the rumbling sound seeming to shiver straight through her slight frame in a delicious frisson. "For you, starlight? Only the unvarnished truth will suffice."

She opens her mouth to reply, but startles when a familiar baritone cuts through the din of the crowded promenade.

"Annie? Annie Agnew, is that you?"

I stiffen instinctively, abdominal muscles clenching as that voice summons a rush of protective territoriality to the surface. Even before I turn, the sight of her unease washes over me.

Sure enough, striding toward us with an overly suave, almost predatory confidence is a figure I recognize from intelligence briefings—Richard Valente, Annie's ex-husband. My lip curls in revulsion as the male looks her over with naked appraisal, as though she were another deal to be evaluated and conquered.

"Richard," Annie recovers first, her tone infused with a cool formality I've rarely heard directed at anyone. "It's been quite some time."

"Too long," he agrees with an oily smile, not even acknowledging my presence as he continues his unsubtle perusal. "I caught wind you were handling the Folmodian agreements today. Had to catch you before you flew the proverbial coop. Make sure we did a bit of catching up."

I bristle at the none-too-subtle innuendo, instinctively stepping closer so that my shoulder brushes Annie's in a silent show of possession. Valente's gaze flicks at me dismissively before returning to my radiant mate with a predatory smirk.

"Perhaps you'd do me the honor of joining me for a celebratory late lunch? I'd love to hear how you've been keeping these days. Among other... catching up activities."

The bold insinuation drips like acid from his thin lips. Before I can unleash the caustic rebuttal searing the tip of my tongue, Annie beats me to it.

Squaring those magnificent shoulders, she levels Valente with a look that would liquefy solid neutronium. "That won't be possible, Richard. You see, my fiancé and I have plans that preclude any catching up between us."

I preen inwardly at the pointed emphasis on the word fiancé, feeling a rush of vindictive satisfaction as the male does an obvious doubletake between us. His expression first morphs into incredulity, then outright disbelief at Annie so thoroughly and publicly rebuffing him.

"This... you can't be serious," Valente scoffs, his eyes raking over me with naked contempt. "You're with this knuckle-dragging musclehead, Annie? A simpleminded gym rat who can't count past the size of his biceps?"

This time it's my turn to sneer openly as I take a menacing half-step forward, leveraging my superior stature and breadth to its fullest extent. I bare my teeth in a silent threat, ready to grind this insignificant gnat into cosmic dust with brutal finality if he dares issue another insult against Annie's honor.

But once more, she beats me to the punch with a look of utter disdain. "If you can't be civil, we'll take our leave. Have a pleasant remainder of your day, Mr. Valente."

"Typical," the ex scoffs, eyes flickering between Annie and me with disdain. "Never thought you'd end up with some rich, protein-sculpted pretty boy who can't handle real intellectual discourse."

He smirks at me then. "I'm sure she's entertaining enough between the sheets at least to make up for that vacant stare."

Annie tenses beside me, her chin lifting proudly, but before she can respond, I fix the insufferable prig with a look of utter contempt.

"How unbearably small and sad your existence must be to find satisfaction only in demeaning the accomplishments of others." My voice is a dangerous purr. "Annie's brilliance shines far too bright for simple minds like yours to even comprehend."

Not waiting for his inevitable sputtering retort, I turn and pull Annie into my side, guiding her away with the regal dignity she deserves. She may brush off such infantile insults, but I'll always defend her incredible mind and light from embittered fools.

As we exit, I toss one last deriding look over my shoulder that promises physical consequences if he ever disrespects my radiant mate again with his pathetic jealousy. For now, he's unworthy of another moment's attention from Annie's dazzling presence.

We're nearly at the transit hub when Annie slows her brisk stride and turns to face me. Her eyes shine with profound vulnerability, clearly shaken despite her outward show of poise.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that, Crux," she begins in a subdued tone. "I had no idea Richard would ambush us like that. I promise after today, you'll never have to deal with—"

"None of that now," I cut her off firmly, framing her face with my palms. "That insignificant wretch means less than a speck of cosmic dust to me, Annie. He could never unravel or cheapen what shines between you and me."

Stretching up on her tiptoes, she fuses our mouths together in a searing, desperate kiss. When we finally part, I rest my brow against hers and simply breathe her in. The exotic floral fragrance of her hair and skin. The faint sweetness of her breath mingling with mine. Every sacred nuance of this woman I intend to spend eternity entwined with.

"Are you ready, my radiant sun?" I ask at last, reverent and hushed against the intimate silence between us. "The whole of eternity awaits our light beyond these stifling bulkheads."

Annie makes a shuddering sound halfway between a sob and a breathless laugh, lacing her fingers with mine as we turn toward the gleaming durasteel portal for the last time. "With you by my side, Crux?" Her glorious eyes find mine, shining with immutable conviction. "I was born ready, my love. Lead on..."