A movement against his side startled him, and for a moment he tensed, automatically preparing himself for battle. Then memory came back. Devora was with him in bed, the woman he’d hired to travel with him. A brief flash of anger threatened his composure as he wondered how many other men she’d traveled with, but he tamped it back down. It wasn’t as if she’d lied to him about her profession, and he certainly hadn’t come into their contract a virgin. He needed to focus on enjoying her, he told himself firmly.
And he was enjoying her. She was nestled trustingly into the crook of his arm, exhausted from their workout. Seth smiled at the memory–by their final encounter both had been too exhausted to orgasm, something he’d never experienced before. Instead he’d simply held her in his arms for hours, content to luxuriate in the bond that seemed to be between them. She felt so right in his arms…
That bond puzzled Seth, though. He’d never felt as close to a woman as Devora. He’d certainly never had such amazing sex, but it was more than that. With a sense of disbelief, he acknowledged to himself that she seemed to fill the hunger within him that was always present; the same hunger that had driven him from his Saurellian homeworld.
Like every young man of his people, he’d searched for his life mate back home. Once it became clear he wasn’t one of the lucky few to have one, he’d left. It was too painful to watch other men with their women, their families. He hadn’t even been able to stand his own brother’s company, although he enjoyed the pictures the family sent him. Nothing had been able to touch the ache inside of him until Devora, he realized. For one second his heart leapt in hope–could she be his lifemate? Was she actually Saurellian?
Seth turned her head to his, studying her features carefully. His heart fell, and a small, mocking part of his brain chided him for his foolishness. Devora couldn’t be Saurellian. No Saurellian woman had ever been as short as she was, let alone freckled with brown hair. The women of his race were tall, with translucent skin and dark hair. They bred true, generation after generation, sharing common features and an uncanny ability to communicate with the Goddess. Legend held that they had been created in Her form to serve as Her priestesses.
No, he thought sadly, his relationship with little Devora couldn’t last. The troubling image of the slave, Calla, rose again in his head. She had made him feel this way, too. When he’d heard that her tracer had been found in the recycling pit, he’d felt a sadness that went beyond compassion for the death of a young woman. Two women had touched him within a span of weeks. Perhaps he was losing his mind, he mused.
Devora snuggled more closely against him, snuffling softly in her sleep and interrupting his thoughts. He loved the feeling of her lying there, he realized. It felt right to hold her in his arms–almost as if he was complete. She assuaged his gnawing, restless hunger.
Devora opened her eyes, lifting her head to gaze at him. Giving him a sleepy smile, she said,
“Hmmmm… maybe you could set the autopilot so the trip takes more than three days? I think I could get used to this.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, chuckling at her. Her brown hair hung around her face in un-kept curls.
Her almond-shaped eyes laughed back at him, and on an impulse he pulled her up onto his chest for a kiss. Their lips met for a long moment, and then she started rubbing herself sensuously against his morning erection. It was enough to make him gasp.
Allowing her knees to drop to either side of him, Calla reached down with one hand to guide his penis to her opening, sliding slowly down on him.
They kissed again, and his hands rose to her hips to guide her motions. The warm, slippery feel of her cunt enveloping his c**k made him groan with pleasure. He couldn’t get enough of her.
“I’ll definitely have to reprogram our course,” he said, grunting in time with her movements. “I think we should try to focus on doing this for a while. The miners can wait.”
Part II: The Rock
Four Months Later
Chapter Six
There were butterflies all around her.
Calla lay in a field of green grass, warm and content. The sky above her was filled with bright, yellow sunlight, and in the distance she could hear the tinkling of a stream. Birds were singing and the butterflies seemed to dance in time to their song. Then birdsong gave way to the soft hum of the ship. Something delicate touched her–a butterfly? No, a finger traced her spine sensuously, and a voice spoke in her ear...
“Wake up, sleepy,” the voice said. It was Seth whispering to her, his voice cool and dark. Calla stretched, enjoying the feel of his fingers running across her body. “Wake up, Devora. We’ll be arriving soon.”
Realizing the field was only a dream, Calla opened her eyes reluctantly. Seth was right, it was time to wake up. But her dream had been so pleasant–were planets really as beautiful as she imagined? Perhaps she would find out some day, she thought with a smile.
“What are you smiling about?” Seth asked huskily. He was lying beside her, running his hand up and down her back.
“I was having a lovely dream,” Calla whispered, turning her face toward his.
“Mmmmm?” Seth replied, dropping little kisses along her shoulder.
“I was in a field, on a planet, and there were birds and butterflies all around,” she explained. “In fact, when you first touched me, I thought you were a butterfly.”
Seth gave her an indignant look.
“I was a butterfly?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, but you were,” Calla replied, grinning at him wickedly. “Your fingers felt just like butterflies. Or at least they felt like I imagine butterflies would feel. I don’t know that I’ve ever actually seen one in real life.”
“I have,” Seth said with amusement. “And I assure you, nothing about me could ever be mistaken for a butterfly. They’re small, weak things. If you even touch their wings, they can’t fly any more. I’d say you’re more like a butterfly than I am,” he added thoughtfully, eyeing her delicate bone structure in the cabin’s dim light.
“Oh, really?” Calla replied with spirit. “I think you might be surprised by how strong I can be.”
“I doubt it,” Seth said, a grin playing around the corners of his mouth.
“Is that a challenge?” Calla asked.
“Maybe,” Seth replied. “What are you suggesting?”
“Well, perhaps we should have a contest,” she said. “A contest of strength and weakness…Winner takes all!”