“Yes, Rader did tell me something like that. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time when those poachers crashed us,” Skye said. “Most of their work involves helping people and watching for illegal immigrants and smuggling. Immigration is a bigger problem in the preserves on the Glasica Minor Continent.”
“It’s easy for them to hide out in those remote locations because the population is primarily centered around the mines and the shuttle port. Major is primarily agricultural.” Jhenre said.
“Did you hear that the general store is going automated?” Skye asked.
“Yes, that’s too bad. What are you going to do?”
“I had an idea if you’re willing. You said you had a whole room filled with your paintings, sculptures, and batiks.”
“Yes. What do you have in mind?” Jhenre asked.
“Create your own virtual store with holographic displays to sell them---that room you showed me is getting pretty full.”
“You don’t really think people will buy this stuff, do you?”
“Can’t say about here, but they would on Earth. Of course, the shipping would be expensive. But people here on Glasica might buy if they saw it. Elegant, one-of-a-kind pieces, like those you make, are hard to come by on a backwater planet like this.”
“Look at you.” Jhenre laughed. “I had heard that Earth was a backwater planet.”
“Well, yeah---technologically,” Skye admitted. “But we can compete artistically. With this cool tablet that Rader gave me it will be easy to take holographic pic of each piece and put them into an online catalog. As you make new pieces, we just add them.”
“That doesn’t seem too difficult.”
“I thought I could also get rights to translate some of the books I brought into holographic plays.”
“Rader says any AI can translate them into Narovian, or he can make a subroutine that can animate them.”
“That sound interesting,” Jhenre complimented. “Sure, I have to do something with my stuff. I don’t have that many people to gift them too.”
“It will give me something to do while Rader is doing his job.”
Just then, Sella and Bran came running out of their playroom and took their seats in the dining nook. Jhenre went to the food processor and took out two plates with a kind of snack bar and set one in front of each child. Then she gave them each a glass of juice to go with the snack bars. For Skye and herself she ordered tea.
After their midmorning snack, it would be time for the children to start their lessons. Instead of the children being transported to a central school location, they had virtual classes through the home AI system.
Jhenre had only to supervise and make sure the children were engaging the programs and completing their required exercises. Generally, her physical presence was enough to keep them on track. She didn’t like to start them too early in the morning because they were more attentive when they were well rested.
Skye was beginning to understand how raising children on Glasica would be much different than Earth.
An hour or so later, Skye walked back to the house with most of the day still ahead of her. She thought about calling Rader because she missed him after having him pretty much to herself for the last few weeks. Then she remembered that his tablet com had been destroyed in the crash. She’d left hers at home.
There was no housework to do because the house was fully automated. Even the bed made itself.
She was going to send Janie pictures of the dragon trip, but they were gone with Rader’s tablet. Then she realized she could find some on the AI-net because that’s where she learned about the dragons in the first place.
Skye spent a fair amount of the afternoon telling Janie about the trip and mentioned the crash. Then she read some. She had forgotten to ask Rader how long his shift would be, so she didn’t know when to expect him home. She knew she could contact him through Makus if there were an emergency. Doing that would only worry Rader.
She didn’t know what to do with herself, not knowing when he would be back. She wasn’t really hungry, so she got a cup of tea and went to sit on the sofa to read a book on her tablet. That’s where she was when Rader returned.
Skye jumped up when she heard the flyers touch down on the landing pad in front of the house. She wanted to run to him and throw herself in his arms. But after his sudden decision to go back to work and his aloofness that morning, she wasn’t sure what kind of reception that would get.
Rader seemed to be trying to put some distance between them, and she didn’t understand why. She wasn’t sure how to get it out of him. Not knowing what else to do, Skye just stood there in the middle of the room waiting.
That’s where he found her when he walked into the house. She didn’t move, looking as uncertain as she felt.
“Are you going to tell me what is going on? I feel like I woke up this morning and found my mate had been switched for a ringer.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before we crashed on the way home, you said we were still had another eight days. Now you suddenly had to go back to work and acted like you could barely stand to touch me this morning. I don’t get it.”
Skye blinked at the sudden sting of tears in her eyes.
“That’s not why, sweetheart.” He crossed the room in three strides and wrapped his arms around her. “I almost lost you yesterday, and I was worried that I could damage you if we mated so intensely as we normally do. I knew if I stayed here with you, I couldn’t resist having you.”
“And I don’t want you to resist. I want you to mate me senseless like you always do. I need that. I’ve never felt so alive as when I’m with you like that.”
“That’s how I feel, too,” he admitted. “Skye, you mean everything to me. The thought that I could damage you terrifies me.”
“Rader, I promise I would tell you if you caused me pain even accidentally.”
“But you were exhausted that night we fucked for hours.”
“Because I’m wasn’t used to that strenuous exertion. I was on a spaceship for three months, and I didn’t exercise all that regularly. I was too busy working all the time. I promise, Rader, you weren’t hurting me.” She paused and gave him a wicked grin. “It’s a good kind of tired, really.”
Rader smiled down at her for a moment then lowered his head to claim her lips in what started as a tender kiss. The flame of passion quickly lit between them. Rader picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her upstairs to their bedroom. Clothes came off and landed in a heap on the floor in rapid succession.
The lovers paused to admire each other then came together pressing skin against skin and lips against lips. Tongues tangoed amid moans and sighs of delight and hands roamed caressing and teasing.
They rolled onto the bed together with Rader landing on top, his hips cradled between Skye’s thighs. Scenting her musk told him her arousal was complete.
“Now,” she murmured, staring into his eyes. It was an invitation he couldn’t refuse.
He watched the pure pleasure on her face and in her eyes as he slid his cock deep into her in one slick thrust.
“Ah, Rader,” she crooned and smiled up at him, caressing his handsome face. “I love you.”
“And I love you, Skye Carpenter. I always will.”
He kissed her again and began thrusting in and out of her, taking her with him up that pinnacle where they would soar in ecstasy together.