Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Lomax

I knocked on Regan’s door, waiting impatiently for him to open it. It was early for our dinner, but after stopping at the kitchen, I couldn’t wait for dinner to see him. I knocked again and glanced at the time on my PAR phone. Maybe Regan wasn’t done with training yet? He should have been, but they ran a little longer some days.

I knocked a third time, disappointment flooding through me. Which was ridiculous because I’d see Regan later, but I really wanted -

The door opened, and Regan stared at me in surprise. “Small one, what are you doing here?”

“Sorry, I know I’m early,” I said, pushing past him and into his apartment, “but I couldn’t wait to share this with you.”

My excited grin faded as I looked him over. His thick black hair was wet, and his cotton shirt and pants clung to him. Water droplets slid down his neck and chest to disappear into the damp fabric of his shirt.

“Why are you wet?” I asked.

“I was showering,” he said.

“The shower has a,” I waved my hand vaguely, “hot air dryer thingy. It’s my favourite part of being on the Draax planet.”

“Yes,” he said, “but someone was repeatedly knocking on my door, and I did not have time to use it. What is wrong, small one?”

“Oh shit,” I said, shifting the cloth bag I held to my other hand. “I’m sorry. I should have texted you first.”

“What is wrong?” he asked, moving closer. “Did Lori say something to you?”

I blinked at him. “I haven’t seen Lori today because I avoid her as much as possible. Why would she say something to me?”

He sighed and scrubbed his hand through his thick hair as his tail whipped back and forth behind him. “I spoke with her earlier about her lies.”

“I assume it didn’t go well?” I asked.

“She denied it at first, then got angry, and then cried. She said she would speak to the king and queen about my ill treatment of her.”

“Oh my God,” I said, “she’s such a douchebag.”

“I do not know what that word means,” he said.

“It’s an old Earth insult,” I said. “Of course, Lori would threaten to go to the king and queen. She’s the worst.”

His tail still snapped back and forth, and I squeezed his arm lightly, pleased when it stopped the frantic motion of his tail. “Don’t worry about Lori, okay? Even if she goes to the king and queen, plenty of people will vouch for you.”

He frowned. “No one will believe my word over hers. I am from the East, and she is a female. No one here would stand up for me against her.”

“That’s complete bullshit,” I said. “One, I will always stand up for you, and there are plenty of others here in the palace who would, too.”

He gave me a look like maybe I’d gone crazy, and I squeezed his arm again. “I’m serious, Regan. The other king’s guard like you. They think you’re great.”

He blinked at me, his big body going still. “How do you know that?”

“Ellis told me. She said Galan told her that you did well with the guard and that they enjoyed training with you. Said you gave lots of good advice and tips, and you’re patient and good with the recruits who are struggling a bit.”

“Galan said that?” His tail flicked back and forth again, and his face had turned dark green.

“Yes,” I said. “Oh, and yesterday, I was working in the garden and overheard a couple of the guard talking about some new sword fighting technique you showed them, and they were really impressed by it.”

Happiness flickered across his usually solemn face, and I said, “You’re liked here, Regan. I promise.”

“Thank you, small one. I appreciate you telling me this,” he said.

“Of course. Why did you think Lori would talk to me after you told her to shut her lying mouth about sleeping with her?” I asked.

He shrugged and looked away. “She knows we are friends, and we spend a lot of time together. Why are you here so early?”

“Oh!” I held up the cloth bag, giving him an excited look. “I have a surprise for you. C’mon.”

I took his hand and tugged him to the small kitchen table. “Sit down.”

He sat, and I plunked the cloth bag on the table. “I talked to Jarka in the kitchen today. Look at what he had!”

I pulled one of the three peaches Jarka gave me out of the bag and held it up like a priceless diamond. “Fresh peaches!”

Regan grinned. “I am happy for you, small one.”

“Happy for us,” I corrected him. “Because now you get to try them too.”

I fished the other two out of the bag and carried all three to the sink to rinse them. “I was so shocked Jarka had some. I really didn’t expect it, but he just bought half a dozen at his last grocery shop before the storm hit. He’d never bought them before. How lucky is that?”

“Very lucky,” Regan said.

I patted the peaches dry before bringing them back to the table. I sank into my chair and handed a peach to Regan. “So, they have a pit in the middle that you don’t eat. You bite into it like you would an apple, okay?”

He nodded and my face fell when he just stared at the peach in his hand. “What’s wrong?”

“It is hairy,” he said. “Are you supposed to eat it with the hair?”

I laughed. “It’s called peach fuzz, and I know it seems a little weird, but trust me, it’s fine to eat it. Just try a bite and if you don’t like the skin, we can peel it, okay? But try it first as is.”

He gave me a doubtful look but, to his credit, bit into the peach. He chewed slowly, and I nearly cheered when delight replaced his tentative look. “It is so sweet.”

“These are at the perfect ripeness,” I said. “So, you got lucky with trying your very first…”

My voice died off, the peach in my hand forgotten as I watched Regan devour his. He ate it quickly, taking large bites of the sweet and juicy fruit, and something stirred deep in my lower belly when he flicked his tongue out to lick away the juice on his full lower lip.

He made a soft growl of happiness as he ate another big bite and grinned when juice squirted out to run down his hand toward his wrist. He licked it up with one long, shameless stroke of his tongue, and every muscle in my pelvis clenched hard as a familiar pulse started in my pussy.

My breasts suddenly felt too heavy and full, and my bra chafed at my nipples. I watched wide-eyed as Regan popped the pit into his mouth and eagerly sucked it clean before taking it out of his mouth and - oh, sweet merciful God - licking it.

My nipples were now hard as glass, and my pussy? She was as wet as that damn peach.

With that same delighted grin, Regan said, “It is sticky.”

“Yeah,” my voice was hoarse, “peaches are, uh, sticky.”

“May I have that one?” he asked, pointing to the third peach sitting on the table between us.

I nodded, and he made another happy growl before scooping it up and biting into the peach eagerly. This one was even juicier, and I watched in a haze of lust so deep I could barely function as Regan ate it bite by bite, licking and sucking at the juice that ran over his fingers.

My gaze dropped to his chest. His shirt still clung damply to him, and I studied the broad plane of his chest, how the sleeves strained at his biceps and - another pulse in my pussy - the hint of his abs I could see through his damp shirt.

I was suddenly, heatedly aware of just how big Regan was. Of how his body was a marvel of hard muscle and smooth skin. My gaze went to his hands. How would those big hands feel against my skin? Those long, perfect fingers pinching my nipples, slipping between my thighs, rubbing my clit…

I squeezed my thighs together as that sweet, long forgotten ache throbbed in my pelvis. My pussy dripped more liquid, my body eagerly smoothing the way for Regan’s thick cock.

“Small one?”

I blinked, tearing my gaze from Regan’s hands. He studied me with a worried look on his face. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” My voice was thick and drugged sounding.

“You are not eating your peach.” He pointed to the peach I still clutched in my hand. My fingers were leaving indents in its delicate skin, and I forced myself to relax my grip before biting into it.

The sweet juice filled my mouth, and I mechanically chewed as I watched Regan finish eating the second peach. He licked away another drip of juice from one long finger, and a soft moan escaped before I could stop it.

He glanced up at me, his brow furrowing, his tail waving gently. “What is wrong, Lomax? Do you feel ill?”

“No,” I said and quickly ate another bite. “I’m good.”

Good? You’re fucking fantastic. Your sex drive isn’t dead!

My inner voice was dancing around like a giddy rock star, but she wasn’t thinking straight.

My sex drive had returned for the one Draax in the whole damn place who had zero interest in fucking me.

* * *

“Lomax, hey!” Ellis smiled at me and motioned for me to step into her apartment. “How are you?”

“Hi,” I said, looking around her apartment. “Um, is Galan home?”

“No, he’s with Krey and Adrix,” Ellis said. “Why?”

“My sex drive is back,” I blurted before pacing in front of the couch.

“That’s great,” Ellis said, glancing at the bathroom door. “But before you say -”

“It’s not great. It’s bad, Ellis. It’s very, very bad.”

“What? Why?” she asked in confusion.

“My sex drive is back for Regan,” I said, my voice loud and shrill in the quiet apartment. “He ate a peach in front of me two days ago, and now I want to fornicate with him!”

Ellis burst out laughing, and I froze when the bathroom door opened and Madison stepped out.

“Oh God,” I said. “Oh God, tell me you didn’t hear what I just said.”

“I didn’t,” Madison said. “Except for the part about Regan eating a peach and you wanting to fornicate with him.”

“Fuck me,” I groaned before collapsing on the couch.

Ellis and Madison sat on either side of me. Ellis was still giggling, but Madison patted my leg. “Hey, I promise I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“Thanks, Madison,” I said.

“So,” Ellis wiggled her eyebrows at me, “you watched Regan eat a peach, and now you want him to eat your peach, huh?”

“Yes,” I said and then groaned again. “Why is this happening to me?”

“Isn’t this a good thing?” Ellis asked. “You were worried it was gone forever.”

She turned to Madison. “Lomax’s sex drive died because she had to fuck the Draax to stay alive instead of just fucking them for funsies. Poor girl hasn’t had an orgasm in over a year.”

“Jesus,” Madison said. “I’m sorry, Lomax.”

“Although now that the old sex drive is back, I imagine the no orgasm is a thing of the past. How much have you been flicking the bean the last forty-eight hours, girl?”

“Ellis,” Madison said, her cheeks turning red.

“What? We’re all friends here,” Ellis said with a grin.

“I haven’t,” I said.

“What? Not at all? That’s the first thing I’d be doing - if doing an actual dick wasn’t an option,” Ellis said.

“I tried,” I said. “Believe me, I’ve tried. But I start, and then it gets weird inside my brain, and I just can’t. Which is freaking me out because why can’t I masturbate? I’m chock full of pent-up sexual need, and I can’t masturbate!”

I winced at how loud my voice was. “I should not be sharing this.”

“We don’t mind,” Madison said.

“Have you tried thinking about Regan while you do it?” Ellis asked. “If he’s the one currently doing it for you, maybe fantasizing about him,” she made a humping motion with her hips, “taking you to bone town will get you off.”

“He has a starring role in my fantasies, but again, my brain just… gets weird, and it’s like I’ve forgotten how to make myself climax. I think I’m broken,” I said.

“I don’t think you’re broken,” Madison said. “Maybe you’re overthinking it, you know? You can’t relax enough to climax because you keep thinking you have to climax.”

“Maybe,” I said.

“Why are we even talking about masturbation?” Ellis asked. “Just bang Regan and get him to do all the work of making you come.”

“No, absolutely not,” I said.

“Why not?” Ellis asked in confusion. You just said he brought your mojo back. Why not see if he’d be interested?”

“I told you before, Ellis, he isn’t attracted to me,” I said.

“How do you know?” Madison asked.

“I think it was when the words, ‘I do not want to have sex with you,’ came out of his mouth,” I said.

“Oh,” she said. “Sorry, Lomax.”

I leaned back against the couch, rubbing my forehead. “Why do I have to be attracted to a Draax who isn’t hot for me?”

“Okay, forget about Regan,” Ellis said. “Now that you’ve had your ‘reawakening,’ I bet there’s another Draax in the castle who does it for you. We just have to find them.”

“Except I’m returning to Earth as soon as the storm ends,” I said. “I have no interest in mating and staying on Draax, and I’m not breeding compatible. Why would a Draax want to sleep with me?”

“Oh, there are more than a few Draax in the castle who are looking for a good time, not a long time,” Ellis said.

I stared at Madison, who nodded. “It’s true. I was surprised too, but I can name half a dozen Draax off the top of my head who would be fine to…”

“Hit it and quit it,” Ellis said.

Madison laughed. “Did you just make that up?”

“Nah, it’s an old Earth saying,” Ellis said. “Bitta is one of them, you know.”

I straightened. “He is?”

“Oh, that’s a great suggestion,” Madison said. “He’s nice, very chill, and incredibly smart.”

“He might actually be a genius,” Ellis said. “He loves numbers almost as much as Inara. He even showed her his website, where he posts statistics about how many females he predicts will be born in a year.”

“He has a website?” I asked.

“Yes. He’s an adorable nerd who is also,” Ellis grinned at me, “highly flexible. He leads all the yoga classes. I bet he’s bendy as shit.”

Her face lit up. “Oh! And I know he slept with Molly and Aihan, and both those lovely ladies are not staying on Draax once their work contract is over.”

“He had a threesome with Roxie and Adrix if you’re into that,” Madison said.

“What? He did?” Ellis stared at her. “When?”

“A few weeks back,” Madison said.

“Nice. Good for Roxie,” Ellis said.

“She was not shy about telling a bunch of us just how good it was for her,” Madison said with a laugh.

“I’m not into threesomes,” I said. “I don’t think.”

“You never had them back on Earth?” Madison asked.

“I wanted to because they’d give you more juice if you fucked two of them at once, but I couldn’t,” I said. “My heart could barely keep up with fucking one Draax at a time. As it was, near the end, I usually had to stop halfway through and take a break so I didn’t die of a heart attack.”

Madison’s face turned solemn, and she squeezed my hand. “Jesus, I am so sorry, Lomax.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m healed now, and I’ll hopefully get my old life back when I return to Earth. All because of Sigan.”

“Maybe Sigan could be the one you…” Madison trailed off, and I shook my head.

“Sigan is even less attracted to me than Regan is,” I said, “The guy saved my life, and I would happily give him the best fuck of his life if he were interested, but he’s not.”

“I think you should talk to Bitta,” Ellis said. “We know he’s into you, and we’re pretty confident he’d be fine with a no-strings-attached relationship.”

“Are you attracted to Bitta?” Madison asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Until two days ago, I had no attraction to anyone, and then Regan ate that damn peach, and now all I can think about is how much I want to see him naked.”

“He does have a smokin’ body,” Ellis said. “I popped in to see Galan in the training room the other day, and Regan was doing drills with the others. He was shirtless and sweaty, and I think his abs might have abs.”

“You’re not helping,” I gritted out, immediately jealous that Ellis had seen Regan half-naked and I hadn’t.

“Also, he’s as big as the king. He’s gotta be close to seven feet tall, yeah?” Ellis said.

“Oh, definitely,” Madison said.

“He could bench press me with one hand,” Ellis said with a laugh. “He’s a mountain I would have no interest in climbing, even if I weren’t ridiculously in love with Galan.”

“I am very interested in climbing that mountain,” I said.

Ellis nodded. “I know, but since that mountain is closed to tourists, you need to forget it and move on to another, maybe smaller, but no less attractive mountain.”

“Bitta isn’t small. He’s well over six feet,” Madison said.

“Sure, but he’s not Regan big,” Ellis said. “The point is, I think you should talk to Bitta. Tell him you’re not interested in anything serious and see what he says.”

“I can’t fake another orgasm,” I said.

“You don’t have to. Seriously,” Ellis said. “Tell him your sex drive had taken a nose dive, but you would love to try to find it again with him. And be honest that it might not happen, but he shouldn’t take it personally.”

“He’s not going to say yes to that,” I said. “He’ll take it personally. Who wouldn’t?”

“You make a good point,” Madison said, “but you’re not considering the possibility that Bitta might do it for you.”

“That’s true,” I said.

“I agree with Ellis about talking to Bitta. The worst that happens is he says no, and he’s not a gossip, so you don’t have to worry about the entire castle finding out what you asked him,” Madison said.

‘Yeah, maybe I will,” I said. “I need to do something because this constantly being horny is almost worse than thinking I would never be horny again.”

“Maybe you should cut back on how much time you spend with Regan,” Madison said.

I immediately wanted to shout no - hell, scream it at the top of my lungs - as my stomach tensed and dismay washed over me. The idea of not seeing Regan every day made me feel anxious and upset. But deep inside, I knew Madison was right. I would never get over this crush on Regan if I saw him every day. Maybe a short break was needed. Maybe a couple of days would be enough for me to forget just how much I wanted to lick his entire body.

“Yeah, I will,” I said.

“This will work,” Ellis said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “Bitta’s a great guy who will happily help rock your world. I know it.”

I wasn’t quite as confident as Ellis, but I had to try something.