ffCHAPTER SEVEN
Van moved on silent feet into Reva’s room. He stood for a long moment, looking down at her.
She slept on her side, facing the door, her long, silky hair spread over the pillow. His fingers twitched, longing to comb through the silky length, and wind it around his fingers again. It felt good around his hand, and a man could use it to tug her in close for a kiss, on his lips or somewhere else on his body.
Oh, the things he'd like to show her, to coax her to do with those sweet, cushiony lips of hers, and that soft little tongue.
She wasn't very experienced sexually, that was clear from the clumsiness of her responses to him. But she was eager enough to make up for it. So sweet the way she'd clung to him, and responded instantly to his urgings. She'd ridden him like a catamount pony, searching for her orgasm. And she'd found it, too. His chest swelled with pride. She'd gone off like a laser charge, as swift and as hot.
He couldn't recall now, why it had taken him so long to realize that she was damned lovely, and sexy. How in the name of the Great God beyond had he not seen her, even under those baggy clothes?
Other males on base must have, surely. Although, looking back, he could recall no one singling her out for attentions.
She'd just always been around, curious to see what he and his friends were up to.
Only when he'd begun to court T'Bele had Reva made herself scarce. Which was natural, as three was a crowd, except... He frowned as a memory tugged at him—Reva hurrying away from a recent base gathering, her slim back stiff as if with hurt.
And T'Bele had watched her go, a little smirk on her face before she tossed her auburn hair and strutted over to claim her place at Van's side. And Van had been so proud to have a hot general's daughter on his arm that he'd let T'Bele beguile him into forgetting all about little Reva.
But come to think of it, she hadn't been the only one to keep her distance. After T'Bele's arrival at any gathering, his friends had always drifted away. Off to try their hand at a game, or get another drink, they said. Except they rarely returned.
But when Reva was around, they teased her, told her jokes, and demanded that she side with them in arguments about whatever. They liked her.
And so did he. He liked her more than any other female he could recall... including his betrothed.
Reva was good-natured, amusing and never demanded that he escort her to the base club when all he wanted to do was kick back and watch quasi-ball in the mess hall. Not that he would've escorted her anywhere, not wanting to give her ideas.
But now... now he was the one getting ideas.
He was finally seeing Reva as a woman, an attractive, sexual being... now, when they were quarking lost in space and time, possibly forever. Hells, he even liked her when she was angry. She didn’t pitch a fit, she showed her ire honestly, and then got over it.
He sighed. His timing sucked nearly as hard as a black hole.
Even if they did make it back, he was bound on a mission so dangerous the odds of succeeding were small.
And Reva must find somewhere safe. Somewhere she could thrive, and make a good life.
Would that place be back on Hamor? She clearly didn't think so, since she'd risked everything to leave. Why would she leave that safe haven, not to mention her father?
On second thought, this Van understood. Aurelians weren’t known for emotional excess, but the Hamor quartermaster seemed to have room only for his job, and the cheap whiskey sold on base. He showed greater enthusiasm for a shipment of new gaaulites than for his own daughter.
Van stayed in contact with his own parents, although it was sporadic. His father had been injured in a skirmish with Ingoes on Chisol, and retired to Aurellon to watch sports on the holovids and complain about the referees' mistreatment of his favored quasi-ball team. At least this gave Van a break from the older man complaining about Van's lack of discipline. Van's mother was waiting for him to marry a general's daughter so she could hold this over the other military spouses at the club.
If he didn't make it back from this mission, would they truly miss him... or only their vision for his future?
He shook his head and strode into the lav. The shower was easy enough to operate, and he was soon clean and smelling of herbal gel soap.
He did as Reva had, and used one of the fluffy cloths hanging from the wall to dry his body and hair.
His teeth clean, he searched the other sleep room, and found a pair of stretchy shorts and tee—in desert camouflage, He wasn’t sure if their hosts were poking fun at him, or thought he would find the pattern appropriate. They would do as sleep-wear.
Clad, he padded back through the silent house, looking out each window, and rechecking the fastenings on them and the doors. He did so shaking his head in disgust. The locks were flimsy, and the glass in the numerous windows was as breakable as their beer containers, accessible by any being who truly wanted in. Hells, an Aurelian toddler could break in here.
Good thing he'd brought a few special tech tools.
* * *
Tiny spy-bot alarms operational on each of the flimsy glass windows, and the door latches, Van moved back into Reva's room. He sank down on the floor, back against the wall, his legs drawn up before him, his laser and borrowed phone close at hand.
He settled into the light doze that would give him some rest, but let him wake should any alarm sound.
"Van?" Reva asked, her voice husky with sleep. The bedclothes rustled as she sat up. "Van, is that you?"
"I'm here." He shot awake, moving to the bed to touch her bare arm. "Go back to sleep."
She tipped back her head, looking up at him in the moonlight.
“Or not,” he muttered, as drawn in by the magnetism that was all her, Van bent to her. He tipped his face against hers and breathed her in, warm and sweet and sleepy.
With a soft sound of yearning, she turned her face so their lips met. Hers parted, damp and clinging. Van had only to cock his head slightly to bring his mouth into the perfect position. He did, and before he quite knew how it happened, their mouths locked, tongues tangled.
Her hands came up to his waist, and slid up over his ribs under his tee, caressing him, leaving a trail of sheer electricity and craving behind. He reached behind his head, grasped a handful of tee and pulled it off, letting go her mouth only long enough to whip the shirt over his head and toss it away.
He tugged her top upward, needing her bare skin in his hands, against his body more than his next breath. She raised her arms and let him pull the tee away.
Then he was laying her back in the bed, and coming down over her. They both moaned as her breasts met his chest, soft and pillowy against hard and hair-dusted. Her hand slipped over his ribs and up over his back, as if she wanted to touch as much of him as possible.
Their mouths met in another kiss, this one deep and wet. Leaning on his elbows, Van cupped her breasts in his hands. Perfect silken weights, tipped with small, velvet nipples that stiffened further under his thumbs and made her whimper into his mouth.
His cock was stiff and throbbing with need, his balls drawn up so tightly they ached. But he would take his time with her this time, even if it killed him—and it just might. He lifted his head just enough to nuzzle the curve of her throat, then followed the silky plain of her chest down to her breasts. Plumping them high in his big hands, he licked one nipple into his mouth and sucked luxuriously.
She bucked under him, moaning. He chuckled deep in his throat and held her there for more. She liked this as much as he did. The feel of her velvety nipples on his tongue nearly had him coming in his shorts. He lifted his groin away from the cradle of her thighs, away from the temptation to simply rut against each other till they both came as she had last night.
Her hands came up to clasp his head, and he turned in her clasp, nipping at one of her slender fingers even as he drove his own fingers under the waistband of her knit pants, and down to cup her mound. The soft curls there were damp, and the plump folds beneath were soaking wet. She whimpered when he touched her there, and lifted up to his touch.
Moving to suckle her other nipple, he found her swollen clitoris and stroked it the way he knew women liked. Reva's response was everything a man could want—she moaned his name, then again, her voice rising in volume until she convulsed under his touch. He thrust one finger inside her to enjoy every pulse of her tight little pussy and groaned. She would be so tight around his cock, like a fist.
Raising up on one hand, he leaned over to kiss her again."You ready to let me fuck you, sweet?" he asked, still toying with her breast. They were hard to keep his hands off.
"Yes, Van."
"That's my sweet." He sat back on his heels and pulled at her pants. "Up, sweet. I need these off."
He made short work of their pants and swooped back into her arms like a marauder claiming his booty. A part of him grinned wryly. He hadn't felt this victorious since he convinced his first girl to let him inside her panties. Like he'd won a battle, and Reva was the prize. His prize, all his.
And when he parted her slick folds and finally thrust home, he discovered to his shock that he was the first to claim this particular prize!
She stiffened under him and let out a small squeak of discomfort, and he froze, shock and awe tumbling over in his lust-fogged brain. God, she was so tight around him, and when she stiffened she gripped him like a vise.
"Reva?" he croaked, holding on by a thread as his body roared toward release. "Are you... all right? Do you need me to—"
"No, I'm fine," she interrupted him, even as her short nails dug into his arms like little claws. "I want this."
She wriggled her hips, her pussy rippling around his cock in satiny caress, and for the first time in years, Van completely lost control. He moved once, twice more, short helpless jabs, and then tipped his head down beside hers and came so hard he saw stars.
For a long moment he lay there, panting, awash in the bliss of release, of wallowing in a soft, living pillow of woman. His woman.
She patted his sides, not quite a smack but close."Van—can you... can you move? You're heavy."
He levered back up onto his elbows. "Sorry," he said, chagrin heating his face, already damp with sweat. "Let me—I'll just..."
As carefully as he could, he pulled out of her. But he felt her wince of discomfort, and the small gasp she tried to swallow.
Without another word, he slid off the bed, nearly staggering as most of the blood in his body seemed to still be in his groin. Whoa, this female was dangerous.Which meant he was gonna have to keep her very, very close to minimize the damage to any other male. He grinned at his own terrible humor as he strode to his duffel.
Retrieving his first-aid kit, he found the tub of gesic gel.When he turned back to the bed, however, Reva was already on her feet, headed toward the lav. She was moving stiffly.
"Here, use some of this," he said, holding out the gesic. "It will, ah, help."
"I have my own," she mumbled, and scurried into the lav, her clothing in hand..
When she came out, dressed once more, Van rose from the side of the bed.
She was walking with her usual grace, so that was good. Gesic worked fast. He'd pulled his own shorts and tee on as well, and had time to think—although the only coherent thought that he could muster was that Reva had, for some reason, allowed him to be her first lover.
And that he liked this very, very much. So much he wanted to beat his chest and roar like a primitive.
Now, he had choices. He could ask her if she was all right, or he could move decisively to make sure she knew how much he appreciated what she'd just given him.
Thus, instead of speaking, he moved to draw back the covers on the bed in silent invitation.
She hesitated, but then moved to slip under the covers he held, and lie down.
Van slid in beside her, and instead of keeping his distance, he moved toward her on his side, and pulled her close. Her head on his shoulder, his arms around her, he stroked his upper hand down over her hair, and then down her back.
He pressed a kiss to her hair, and laid his head down next to hers. "I'm honored," he told her, keeping his voice low."And sorry, too."
She stiffened. "You didn't... like it?"
He snorted, unable to control his amusement. She really was new at this. "Reva, I liked it too much. I haven't lost control like that since I was fifteen."
"Oh," she breathed.
Van gave her a squeeze. "Yeah. Looking forward to doing it again, and taking my time. I want to feel you come around my cock—as many times as I can make you."
She blew out a soft, shocked breath, warm and damp on his throat. "Um. You do?"
He grinned against her hair. "Yes, Reva. I do."
"Because I'm the woman who is stuck here with you," she said, her voice flat. “Because T’Bele’s not here.”
Van was suddenly glad he couldn't see her face, or that she couldn't see his. Guilt suffused him, almost as if he'd been untrue to her by being with T’Bele, even though he and Reva had never been together before now.
"No," he said, knowing as he spoke that he'd never spoken more truly. "I was wrong about her—she was never going to be the woman for me. I want you, sweet."
She was silent, and Van wished he could see her face. “Reva?”
“You need to tell her that,” she said. “I’m not—this is... I feel as if we’re cheating. I hate it, and you should too.”
He stiffened. Heat crawled up his face, and he groaned. “Quark. I, uh, can see how you’d feel that way about this. But honestly? The thing between T’Bele and me—it was more of a business transaction than anything. And nothing was official.”
“You mean you didn’t actually ask her to... ?” her voice choked, as if she couldn’t make herself say the words.
“To wed me? No. And honestly, if I don’t return fairly quickly, I know quarking well she’ll be with another officer. One more guaranteed to rise in rank.”
Reva traced a pattern on his skin. “Van... if you know this about her, why would you even want to be with her? She’s not a nice person.”
He blew out a breath into her hair. “Because I’m an idiot?”
“I’m not gonna argue with that.”
“Didn’t think you would. Sweet, listen to me. The first time we’re able to com with the base, I’ll give her a message. Tell her to move on, that I have.”
She sighed deeply, and then yawned. "I’m so tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"
"Yeah. Get some sleep, sweet." But they would have a serious talk, and soon. Because no matter what happened, she was his now. In every way.
Deep in the night, a small beeping sounded in his ear.
Van work with a start, and lay still, assessing. Reva had rolled away from him. She slept on beside him, her back to him, one foot warm against his leg. Nothing stirred in the room, but outside it, something had alerted the tiny alarm pacs he'd set on the doors and windows.
Van shoved back the covers and surged to his feet, fully awake, weapon in hand, ready for anything. He moved silently through the house.The beeping grew faster, meaning he was going in the right direction.
Laser at the ready, sweeping from side to side, Van moved to the apex of the hallway. The signal led him toward the back of the house, where he and Reva had lounged, and more, only hours before. Anger fired cold in his gut. Had some spy watched them talk and even embrace?
The beeping flared into one long signal. Not at the back door, but to one side, where one of the long windows let in a shaft of light from the moon. And outside, a shadow moved. About the right height for a local human, but very thin. This could be from the angle of moonlight, or it could be because the being casting the shadow was not human.
That didn't mean the being was immune to a laser charge.
Then as Van watched, the shadow shrank. The being was moving away from the dwelling. With nothing to lose, Van moved directly to the wall beside the window, and peered out. At first he saw nothing but the slender trees grouped in the corner by the low fence, the tall cacti planted along the walk that meandered through the short grass, and across the fence, the dark outline of Lacey's aunt's house.
But then something shifted in the shadow of a cactus, and a nebulous, dark shape drifted away into the night.
The tiny alarm signal in his comlink went quiet. And though Van watched and waited for several moments, he saw and heard nothing else.
Whatever it was, it had gone for now. He would ask Frost about the occurrence in the morning. The man had been here long enough to know if what Van had seen was normal here in this place.
He used the lav, then returned to guard his woman... except that when he walked into the bedroom, it was empty.
Reva was gone.