Chapter Sixteen

Zaya

I awoke to find Steele still in bed beside me, watching me with a tender light in his eyes. The memory of our mating before sleep sent a ripple of pleasure through my body. I'd come to know that look, and I wanted him again, too. Cupping my hand against his cheek, I smiled at him and then slid out of bed. "I'll be right back," I said and headed to the bathroom without bothering to pull on my robe.

Steele took his turn, and then we settled back into bed for a round of sex. I adored the feel of his hard, muscular body in my arms and pressed against me. His kisses and caresses were pure pleasure, making it impossible not to surrender to his desire.

He sucked my nipples until I was on the verge of orgasm, then slid his cock into me. Surprising me, he took my hands, lacing his fingers through mine, and held them down on the bed beside my head.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"I do." I met his gaze steadily as he started to fuck me slowly.

"Look into my eyes while I breed you."

"Yes, my love." I nodded and arched my back to rub my tits against his chest.

He smiled faintly, pulled back, and thrust deep into me, grinding against my clit.

I gasped, crooning a sigh, and he did it again. Steele kept doing it at a pace that kept me on the verge of orgasm for what seemed an eternity. It was so deeply intimate that I couldn't look away. His gaze was dark and penetrating. My breath came in gasps and sighs. I could feel the love in his eyes and in the way our bodies molded together.

"Steele, my beloved!" I huffed, "I'm so close."

He dropped a kiss on my lips and thrust a little faster, deep and hard until he came and took me with him. I had to concentrate on keeping my eyes open through my release, but it was so worth it to witness Steele's profound pleasure in our mutual orgasm.

He pressed down on top of me, releasing my hands to cradle my face as he kissed me passionately. I felt his love and every touch and kiss and thrust of his cock, and I basked in it.

Steele stayed inside me because he hadn't waned through our orgasm. After a series of deep, passionate kisses, he began to pump in and out of me again, hard and fast. I came a couple more times before we found our final release.

We lingered a long time afterward, kissing and caressing, enjoying each other. Eventually, Steele pulled out and rolled us onto our sides.

"How long do we have before you have to go out again?" I asked him finally.

"A day—maybe two. I found the Mesaarkan base and sent the Intel to Lieutenant Hawk and Sergeant Rowe. They will run it through channels and come up with a plan to capture the base. Then we will go out for however long it takes."

"What will happen to the Mesaarkans?"

"We will ship them back to their home planet."

"Do you think there are more bases?"

"It seems likely. Hopefully, if we get into their AI system, we can find out."

Steele stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers, watching my face as he did so. "Do you feel up to a trip into Gretchen? I got to thinking maybe we could find you a new robe at Lucy's store."

I knew he wasn't just asking if I felt well. He was asking because I had been forced to shoot a Mesaarkan in that store. I thought about it for a moment, picturing myself going into the store and seeing Lucy. I had a flash of the door exploding open in the Mesaarkan coming toward me before I shot him. But that vision vanished and reverted to Lucy's smiling face as we arrived.

"Yes, I can do this."

When Steele landed the sky cycle in front of the general store, I noticed immediately that the door had been replaced with a hand-made plank door. Other than that, it looked just as I expected. When we walked into the store, we were greeted by Lucy's smile.

"Steele, Zaya—it so good to see you again. Have you come to collect on your credit?"

"Steele thinks I need a new robe just because my old one looks like a patchwork quilt. I can't even say how old it is because I don't know, but I think it might have been my grandmother's."

"That rack over there has several handmade robes that you might like, but they are a little more than your credit." Lucy pointed to the rack at the far side of the store.

"I will make up the difference," said Steele.

"Are you sure? You've done so much already," I protested.

Steele bent down and whispered into my ear. "It will be worth it for the pleasure of taking it off you."

I giggled as I knew it would be my pleasure as well. "All right, I accept."

All of the robes on the rack were made of soft hand-woven cloth and beautifully embroidered on the front and along the edges. I quickly found a red one that I liked, took it off the hanger, and tried it on. It was roomy over my clothes and tied at the waist, just like my old one. Stepping back, I turned in a circle for Steele to see if he liked it. The smile on his face told me all I needed to know.

"Yes, let's get that one," he nodded and helped me take it off.

"That's an excellent choice," said Lucy when we took it back to the counter to pay for it. "These are made right here in town by the weavers across the street. That will be eighty credits minus your forty, which leaves forty," said Lucy.

"Can I give you my print?" Steele asked.

"Sure." Lucy took out a tablet and said a code, then turned it toward Steele so that he could press his thumb to a square and the middle. Momentarily, the screen changed to the message that said ‘paid in full.' "Can I get you anything else?"

"Thank you. That's all we need today. How have you been since the invasion last week?"

"Other than a few nightmares, we've been doing all right. I had no idea that we had been at war with those creatures," Lucy said. "What do they want?"

"They want us," I said grimly. "They are former military turned mercenary slavers. Apparently, there is a black market for humans in their part of the galaxy. Not only are they ugly, they're not very nice either."

"Oh my!"

"Don't worry," said Steele. "We brought in two more teams of cyborgs to patrol Gretchen while we search for their base and root them out."

I didn't say anything even though I knew that Steele had already found their base. I suspected that it was confidential since no one knew the identities of the humans collaborating with the Mesaarkans.

"I sure hope you get them all," said Lucy. "I'm sure glad Zaya was here with that gun when that monster came through the door. I thought sure he was going to kill us."

"Or worse," I murmured. Though the memory of my captivity had faded, I never completely forgot. No one would ever do that to me again, I vowed.

Lucy's eyes widened, and I think she suspected what I meant. "But we don't have to worry about that now. You've got your big, handsome cyborg to protect you."

"Indeed. He got me a bigger gun, too," I grinned. "It was good to see you again, Lucy. We'll stop the next time we're in town."

While we were talking, I folded the robe into a neat little bundle that I carried under my arm as we left the store. Steele and I flew back to the ranch in time for lunch. We had a light meal of salad with grilled chicken and bread I had made the day before.

Afterward, we went into the bedroom, and I put on the new robe to model it for Steele. He liked the way that it tended to open in the front because I tied the belt loosely at the waist. I knew by the look in his eyes he wanted to breed. That was enough to set my body humming, wanting him.

I was in a playful mood, so I backed away as he advanced until my back was against the wall. He reached for the belt and untied it, pushing the sides apart and feasting his eyes on my naked form. Instantly, my nipples were hard, aching for attention. Steele ripped open the closure on his pants and lifted me against the wall.

"Do you wish to breed as much as I do?"

"I do."

He held me against the wall and took one of my nipples in his mouth, sucking it while I held and caressed the back of his head. Then he sucked the other one until I was squirming.

Steele set me down and paused to strip off his clothes, then he picked me up and slid his cock into me. He was so strong that he could hold me without support as I wrapped my legs around him. He carried me that way to the bed and tipped us onto it.

We fucked joyously—even though we had already done it twice that morning. I adored that cyborg.