Reaching around her, I pull out the tray of snacks and gesture toward the pitcher of lemonade. “Jane obviously knows you’re partial to lemonade,” I tease lightly. The sound of Romi’s giggle sends a fiery sizzle of need through me.
The days pass too swiftly for me. The morning before the end of our week alone, I come awake to the feel of Romi curled up against me. She’s sleeping, but her hand rests on my abdomen. The moment my awareness flickers on, arousal slides through me.
I know that the desire will never weaken between us. It will always be like this. My lips curl into a slight smile. I sift my fingers through her hair, feeling when she comes awake.
Her voice is raspy, soft on the edges from her sleep when she speaks. “Good morning, Thorne,” she whispers before tipping her head to the side and pressing a kiss on my chest.
My palm slides down over her bottom because I can’t help it. I give her a little squeeze, savoring the soft give of her curves. “Good morning.”
She moves her knee slightly in invitation, and I delve my fingers into her cleft to discover she’s aroused, just as I am. Her palm slides down over my abdomen to drag over my length, and I already feel my seed rolling out the tip.
“Romi,” I gasp when she tightens her grip and strokes up and down.
“Thorne,” she murmurs before rising up and tossing the covers back.
Seconds later, she straddles me, and I shift back to sit up against the pillows. I want to wake up every day with a lapful of Romi.
She rocks her hips, her slippery folds nestling around the underside of my shaft. “I need you, Thorne,” she says, bringing her hips up.
“I’m yours.”
I notch myself at her entrance, savoring the feel of her slick, clenching channel as she slowly seats herself over me, sheathing me inside of the very heart of her.
I grip her hips, holding her still, as I grapple for purchase inside to keep from losing control instantly. She’s impatient and lets out a little whimper.
“Easy, sweetheart,” I murmur.
Her lashes lift, and her dark eyes lock with mine.
“We may not have every day together like this, but we are bound for all time,” I whisper.
Once again, that link between us feels as if it’s tightening when she leans closer and brushes her lips against mine. “I know,” she whispers.
I feel her words on my lips as she brings her hips up and sinks over me. I’m filling her again and again, and we’re both chasing our release. After days together, I know the song of her body. I know when she’s quickening. She makes these little sounds in her throat and moves with restlessness.
Reaching between us, I tease my fingers over her slippery, swollen bud. She cries out, her channel clenching tightly around me and drawing my release out. My climax sizzles through me like a clap of thunder followed by a bolt of lightning.
I hold her close, knowing there will be a lifetime of this with her. Yet feeling a bittersweet sense that these days alone are about to end.
Chapter Eleven
ROMI
When couples mate on this planet, they have a week alone, no matter their stature in society. I marvel at this. Here, those with the least are treated better than the richest on Earth. There isn’t such a thing as a class system here. Everyone is considered worthy of dignity and respect. Although it’s a luxury, I also recognize the week of pleasure after a wedding is designed to enhance the likelihood of making babies.
On the very last morning, when Thorne fills me yet again, he leans close, whispering, “We have made a baby this week.”
It’s shocking that I even want this after years on Earth hoping to never give birth to a child. Over the days that followed, I could swear I’m pregnant. I’ve even convinced myself I know when the conception happened, but I haven’t said a word about it to Thorne because I’m waiting to be sure. I think it was the very first time we were fully joined. I felt a quickening inside as if something had taken root in my body.
In the days after our week alone ends, our daily life settles into a comfortable rhythm. He goes to his job as part of the security detail for the royal family, while I go to my job at the stables to care for the horses. Every evening, we have dinner together, and I savor those mundane moments. I’m aware hisjob will take him away from me for travel at times, and I’ve made my peace with that. I’ll miss him, but it’s part of loving him, and I accept it.
Thorne comes to see me almost every day out at the stables. He spends time with me and his mount, Silver. Silver has a prickly and aloof personality but has become more comfortable with me and seeks me out daily. He’s not a particularly affectionate horse, but he always nudges me with his nose, snorting a little as he passes me by when I’m out in the pasture.
Thorne also takes me almost daily in the supply room. He says it’s our special place. I float through my days awash in pleasure. Of course, I also go home to him every night and lose myself with him yet again. It’s strange to experience so much pleasure. I feel wanton and greedy with him, but I love it.
Nadine and I meet during one of her breaks at the cafe. I sip my tea, as does Nadine, who is expecting another baby soon. Trudy teases Nadine, and her cheeks go pink, but she shrugs with a small smile. “I’ve told Kayden this has to be our last baby. This will be our third, and I think that’s enough.”
Trudy nods. “You are somewhere where you have that choice, so be grateful.”
