Chapter Twenty

The front door of Thiago's spaceship sealed shut behind him. Hercules trotted towards him at his arrival, showering his master with slobbery kisses of love and affection. Thiago reached into the pocket of his vest, sprinkling a handful of pomado prunes onto the floor. Hercules purred approvingly, diving headfirst to scarf down the treat.

As Thiago shrugged off his vest and draped it over a hanging hook by the door, the sound of feminine laughter echoed through the interior. He scowled, marching to the source of the disturbance. It was coming from the kitchen.

Ardela and Eden were both sitting on stools pulled up to the kitchen counter. They leaned their elbows against the edge as they stared at Ardela's computer propped up on the chrome finish countertop. Even as Thiago's shadow loomed behind them, they remained oblivious to their surroundings. Their eyes were pink and glazed from hours of watching the screen, intently fixed on a random intergalactic show.

"Are we enjoying ourselves?"

The women jumped up in their seats and whipped around to face him. Ardela flashed him a smile; Thiago didn't return it. She took it as a cue to leave, scooping her belongings into her satchel wordlessly and moving for the door.

"Thank you for spending the day with me, Eden. I had a lovely time. I'll see you both in the morning."

"Good night, Ardela," squeaked Eden.

Ardela sidled past an irritable Hercules and out the doorway. The door silently closed behind her. Thiago stood rigidly in place, the muscles of his jaw defined as they locked in, barely containing his wrath. His broad shoulders were eerily still, reminding Eden of the calm before an imminent storm.

"Are you going to tell me why Ardela's still here, or are we going to sit here all night?"

"Technically, you're standing," Eden began lightly. She clammed up at his withering stare. His bottom lip twitched at her weak attempt at comedy. With a sigh, her eyes fixed on the light abrasions along the toes of her boots. "I told Ardela I would try to talk you into letting her join you for your next engagement."

"When she asked if she could personally feed you a ladle of her piss, did you jump on that, too?"

"Don't be a fool. It's just one more mission before she leaves for her new desk job. Be reasonable, Thiago. She was only trying to help. She even offered to train me while you were gone. All she wants is a chance to redeem herself."

"What is wrong with you? Are humans programmed with a genetic predisposition to always say yes? Say it with me: N-O. No! It's not difficult. It's a part of your other favorite phrase, 'I don't know'!"

"You're being a patronizing jerk," Eden snapped. Her fists clenched together at her sides as he turned his back to her. Miffed, she leaped off the counter stool and followed him up the flight of loft steps to the bedroom. "Where are you going now?"

"Away from you," Thiago grumbled as he plopped down on the edge of the bed. He kicked off his shoes and fell back on the springy mattress, kneading his pulsing temples. Feeling the bed sink next to him underneath Eden's weight, he groaned.

"Look, I don't appreciate your habit of walking out of our conversations. Use your words."

Thiago's eyes snapped open, glaring up at Eden. "I don't appreciate you making decisions for me. Did it ever occur to you at any point to ask me first?"

"Well, okay. You have a point," said Eden, her shoulders sagging in defeat. As she leaned over, she muffled her whines of frustration as she buried her face in her hands. "You're right. I'm sorry, I don't know why I have a problem saying no to people. This is going to sound cheesy as hell, but it's in my blood. Ever since I could legally hold a full-time job, I was juggling two of them simultaneously so I could help with the bills at home. Whenever Dad needed a refill on his medication, or when Janine ran low on school supplies, I took care of it. A constant need to help people has become ingrained in my system. Now that I'm with you, I find that I'm unnecessary."

Thiago expression softened as his eyes fluttered open. His hand floated hesitantly over her lap. He began rubbing up and down her legs with enough friction to start a fire.

"Ow!" said Eden, pulling her chafing legs away from him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm comforting you. Is it working?"

Eden burst out laughing. She swung out her leg and mounted Thiago, daintily draping herself over his body. Thiago wet his lips, sensing a gentle tug on his cock as the orbs of Eden's breasts swelled up against him.

Eden dragged the zipper of her jumpsuit down to her navel. Seizing his cold hands, she cupped them over her bare breasts to warm them. Her head moved around her neck sensually at Thiago's groping and gentle pinching of her sensitive nipples. It was curious how quickly Thiago had learned to pleasure Eden. He was a seasoned captain of the seas who knew just where to navigate, needing no map to locate treasure spots he'd learned by heart.

Thiago sat up, silencing her completely with a smoldering look. He lifted the tangled curtains of her hair to nibble at her neck. Eden's palpitating breaths grew louder as her nails dug into his muscular shoulders. When their hot lips found each other, they began to undress. Jumpsuits and undergarments flew across the room as the pair sloppily tumbled back into bed, sliding under the crumpled covers.

That night, Eden took control. Straddling him with her legs pinned tightly around his, she eased his cock between her dripping folds. She let loose, her butt slapping noisily against his thighs as she rode him with the stress-releasing passion of a jilted lover seeking revenge on a cheating ex. Their carnal grunts of passion were drowned out by the rhythmic banging against the steel headboard. With Thiago's attentive finger swirling against the quivering button of her clit, the pair grew closer and closer to ecstasy.

After a knee-buckling climax, Eden broke free from Thiago and collapsed into bed next to him. Clutching a hand to her sweat-covered chest, Eden rose to her feet. She gave him a sly wink, putting an extra sway to her hips as she placed a hand on one side of the bathroom doorway.

"I'm going to get myself cleaned up, and I'll be right back. You might want to warm up for round two. "

Thiago grinned, his eyes lingering on the impeccable porcelain-white flesh of Eden's naked body as she disappeared into the bathroom. As the hissing sound of the shower head drifted through the slim crack of the sliding door, he fluffed the pillow behind him and relaxed on his arms. Crossing one outstretched leg over the other, he tensed up at the sound of a sneeze.

His eyes darted to his left. A vase of cosmic orchids sat perched on his nightstand. He reached over with one finger, tickling the bright petals thoughtfully. Seeing the simple, meaningful touch of home added to the cold, unchanging interior of the spaceship he'd owned for years, the corners of his mouth began moving up.