Pyrr
I wasn’t sure Scarlet would accept my invitation as I said the words, but after sharing a meal and talking for two hours, I felt like had much in common despite the fact we had grown up on different worlds. I didn’t want to go back to my cabin alone and leave her to sleep on the floor in the conference room. She didn’t seem ready to accept me as her life mate, but perhaps we could share sex…Or not.
If nothing else, it was a chance to hold her in my arms, pressing her body against mine, and kiss her slowly and thoroughly. That’s exactly what I did as soon as the door closed behind us. My cock went hard almost as soon as I had her wrapped in my arms with her body pressed tight to mine. Her lips were soft and warm, and she opened them readily as I probed between them with my tongue, swirling it around hers and tasting her inner recesses.
My senses were filled with her scent, her warmth and the taste of her. I had occasionally been attracted to women in the past. Although I had shared sex with a few, I had never felt the kind of connection with anyone before that I felt with Scarlet. By the time I reluctantly separated my lips from hers we were both breathless and trembling with desire. I decided to press my advantage at that point.
“Have you thought any more about becoming my mate?” I asked, caressing her cheek with my fingers.
“You guys don’t waste any time,” she smiled as she gazed at me approvingly. “I really like you, Pyrr, but I’m not ready to make a lifetime commitment. You are just adorable. And hot, really hot.”
“Hot?” I thought she meant I was attractive but it translated that my temperature was elevated.
“Sexy,” she whispered. That was my opening, so I jumped on it.
“Does that mean you desire to share sex with me?” I looked at her hopefully, eyebrows raised.
She laughed and kissed my throat. “What’s the difference between mating and sharing sex?”
“We only share our semen when mating, because our semen contains the bonding hormones,” I explained. “If we just share sex, we won’t be bonded for life.”
“Oh---well we don’t make that distinction back where I come from. Sex is sex. I only do it with someone I really, really like,” Scarlet murmured sassily. She had slid her hands around my neck and was caressing the back of my head with her fingers. I wanted to claim her so badly. But sharing sex could at least take the edge off. Or it would make me desire to claim her even more intensely.
“Scarlet, we are solmatu. I know you feel the connection between us, even if you don’t fully comprehend it,” I explained, “we will grow to love each other deeply and completely.”
“Until you do something stupid like go out and get yourself killed.” She sounded almost angry, and her eyes grew bright with tears. She shook her head. “No, that’s not fair. That’s no reason not to let myself care about you because one of your missions might get you killed. It could have just as easily been me.”
We were still holding each other loosely, but the moment had passed. Simply sharing sex with Scarlet was not going to be enough for either of us. She wanted the sex, but she was the kind of woman who wanted to be loved as well. Because I knew she was solmatu, I already felt the seed of that love growing inside me. It occurred to me that she wanted to feel the bond grow between us without the enhancement of the bonding hormones.
I wouldn’t press her. With the strength of the connection between us, it would only be a matter of time before she would share sex with me. The scent of her desire told me she wanted me. I could wait. I knew she would be mine.
“Maybe I should go back with the others,” she said and sighed, looking away.
“You don’t have to, solmatu.” I cradled her face in my hands and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “I can’t promise I won’t ever be hurt or killed on a mission, but I promise to try my best to come back to you every time.” I was still holding her face, so she had to look into my eyes to know that I meant it.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” she said softly. “I can’t do that again.” I knew she referred to the loss of her previous mate.
“Scarlet, I want to live to return to Farseek and make babies with you that we can raise together. I want to get a home and get them a ruda to grow up with like I did,” I told her. “We will look back on this as our greatest adventure.”
She smiled at me. “I hope you can make that happen,” she said softly. “Can I take a raincheck on the whole mating thing? I just want to know you better and get used to the idea that life as I knew it is over.”
“What is rain check?” I asked.
She laughed. “It’s what we call an idiom. Bottom line, I’m not ready to be your mate, but I’m not saying no, either. I feel there is a special connection between us. This is just a lot to take in after all I’ve been through.”
“Then you will tell me when you want this rain check?” I asked her. “Females always have the right of choice.”
It would be hard to accept if Scarlet chose not to be my mate, but honor would demand that I respect that choice. Something in her eyes told me that wasn’t going to happen. It had only been a few days since we pulled the women out of the slave auction house on Ursaga.
“I am off duty tomorrow,” I said, after a moment. “We can watch a story on the holo-viewer if you like. We could have some tea without the stimulant.
“That would be great,” she smiled seeming genuinely glad to stay in my company.
I was making progress.
I extended the holo-vid arm, so it was centered between us then I sat beside her on the sofa and put my arm around her. She leaned her head on my shoulder, and we watched a couple stories. She said they were like what they called movies on her world. I helped her understand some of the idioms as she called them that her language chip didn’t translate.
“Commander Maktu said that if we stay with the company, they will fund custom language chips for us,” she said. “That should solve our language glitches.”
“And are you going to stay with the company?” I asked. She already knew I wanted her to.
“All four of us from Earth are staying. Harper mated with the Commander, so she is staying. I was a soldier back home, so I figured I might as well stay aside from the fact that Harper’s my new best friend.” She turned and smiled at me and added, “And I would like the chance to know you much better.”
I couldn’t help smiling back at her. “I am certainly glad to hear that.” I leaned over and brushed her lips with mine, relieved to know I would have the time I needed to win her. I was riding on a wave of euphoria that I had found my solmatu, and she was so beautiful. I was just happy to have her there beside me.
I don’t remember what we were going to watch next. We were only a few minutes into the third story when she drifted to sleep in my arms. Once I realized she was completely asleep, I stopped the story and carried her into my bed. It was a double berth set in its own little alcove, enclosed on three sides. I laid her on the bed in the back close to the bulkhead and covered her with the sheet.
I shed my uniform and put it into the cleaning locker and pulled on a pair of short night pants. I didn’t want her sleeping on the floor in the conference room while I slept in a comfortable bed. She could argue the point when she woke up, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t. I thought it would be hard to fall asleep with her next to me, but I had no trouble at all.