Kaede jerked away, smacking his horns on the shower wall. He winced in pain as a moment of clarity pierced his mind.
Selena peered at him with concern. “Are you all right?”
Breathing heavily, he averted his gaze to the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he shook his head as he tried to calm himself. “You make me want to let go and forget all that is around us, but I can’t.”
“You can, Kaede. I won’t stop you, but if you want to wait, I understand. Let’s go to bed. Together,” she murmured, dragging her hands down his body as he shivered from the lightest of touches. “I want you—need you—by my side, Kaede. I trust you. You won’t hurt me.”
He slammed his hand on the controls and turned off the steaming water. Opening his eyes, he watched Selena stare at him in amazement as the unit’s red drying beam passed over them, instantly evaporating all liquid in its wake.
The shower door slid open and a burst of fresh air overtook Selena’s intoxicating scent. Kaede knew that soon it would be impossible to avoid her aroma throughout not just their master bedroom but the entireAbyss.
Her scent would soon mark his vessel as her territory, leaving him no place to hide. If her ambassadors weren’t tainting the air with their stench, he would’ve already spiraled out of control.
Selena giggled when he picked her up and carried her in his arms from the shower unit. Her head rested against his chest as he made his way to their bed. He couldn’t deny how right it felt to hold her in his arms. She was where she belonged.
His every step was sweet torture as the tip of his cock brushed against the curves of her ass. Her soft skin pressed against his body, only reminding him how much he wanted her.
Laying her gently on the bed, he backed away to view Fate’s gift to him in all her glory.
The long, silver hair he had always desired to twirl between his fingers was gone. Now, her hair barely touched her ears, but the cut didn’t make her any less beautiful. Her pink-and-purple spots glowed, proving that she felt loved.
When his eyes landed on the scar between her breasts, he remembered how he had failed her. This mark would ensure he never forgot how close he came to losing her forever.
“Selena, I swear to you, from this day forward, I will love you with all that I am until my soul returns to the Stars. I will protect you from any who would oppose you or wish to bring harm to our clan.” Breathing in her intoxicating scent, his gaze to hers. “I shall be your sword and your shield whenever you need me, for you are my mate. You come above all, my star.”
“Even Zirene?” She bit her bottom lip as she held his gaze.
“Even my Sovereign,” he swore. “He may be my employer and clan brother, but you are my mate. It’s in his best interest to keep me by your side, for who could do my job better? He can focus on ruling his empire while his beacon—his Nova—and the heirs to the throne are protected wherever they go.”
“You have always been the rock I needed and a pillar in my foundation to help me grow since I escaped my captivity.” Her ocean-blue eyes never left his as she sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. Grabbing his hips, she pulled him closer until his hardness hovered near her luscious lips. “Kaede, I understand your reasons for not wanting to take things further. I am not upset that you want to wait before I mark you for the universe to see. If you don’t feel safe outside our galaxy, I respect that, but I believe you shouldn’t torture yourself while we are on the same ship.”
“What are you saying?” He refused to indulge in speculation on the possibilities of what she may be offering.
“I want to touch you,” she whispered as her hands dragged across his hips. Her fingertips brought shivers wherever they traced his skin, traveling down his spine to his steely cock. “I want to ease your suffering as you have mine, so we can finally sleep peacefully.”
“You can’t,” he gritted out as his hands clenched into fists. “I don’t know if I can—”
“Itrustyou, Kaede.”
Her unwavering eyes told him more than he needed to know.
Wrapping soft fingers around his hardness, she gripped his cock as her tongue slowly lapped the beads of liquid from its head. She closed her eyes, a soft moan breaking from her lips as her hands tightened around him and pumped.
This moment was the most exquisite torture he’d ever experienced. All he wanted to do was to throw Selena on her back and make those lips call out his name—but he couldn’t.
Not now.
They had only just left the base where he had rescued her.
“Selena… I don’t know if I can.”
Selena’s eyes snapped open as her lips curled into a smile that could only mean trouble. It always had.
“Let me do this,” she said, her voice laced with such determination that his arousal grew even more. “Lie down on our bed and let me take care of you for once.”
“I can go—”
“Kaede, if you are afraid of us going any further, don’t be.” She released her hold on him. He instantly missed her skin as she scooted toward the bed’s center. “Instead of forcing yourself to take care of that”—her eyes traced over his hard and erect length—”let me. Bite a pillow if you must. I promise I won’t go any further.”
