I grin as I watch him slurp down the bun bo hue. Like most Cerasteans, L’Corte loves the spicy dishes the best. As soon as he tries a single taste of the spicy beef noodle soup, he abandons all the other dishes and plants the oversized bowl directly in front of himself. I even give him the leftover slices of jalapeno I didn’t use in my pho so he can spice up his soup even more.
“You were right, by the way,” L’Corte suddenly announces. “I can’t believe how many couples have mated over the last few days.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you properly. Can you repeat that?” I tease, cupping a hand behind my ear.
L’Corte rolls his golden snake-like eyes, making me giggle.
I was a little worried that I would have to do all the heavy lifting when it came to keeping up a conversation tonight, but L’Corte is being so damn charming and engaging. Who knew he had it in him? The man brought his A-game. We talk and eat and talk and eat until I can’t manage another bite. I worry I am testing the sturdiness of the seams on my dress.
At the end of dinner, he offers his elbow again. He hands me an iced coffee and we head to the rear lounge to admire the vista of space and talk some more. I don’t want this night to ever end. With a murmured thank you, I take one sip of my drink and do a double-take.
“This is real Vietnamese coffee!” I exclaim.
“Yes, the restaurant was adamant that if we were trying to create a robust menu offering, we needed to include the beverage. How is it different than regular coffee?”
“It’s stronger, and it’s usually sweetened with condensed milk, so it’s super sweet and creamy. Do you want to try a sip?”
It’s strange to see a somewhat deadly-looking alien with a passing resemblance to a venomous snake, drinking from a straw. It just doesn’t compute in my head, and I have to hide my grin.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“I like it better than the other coffee beverages I have tried, but I would never pick it out for myself. Coffee is just too bitter. The sweetness does improve it for me, though.”
As we walk to the lounge, I notice L’Corte giving my ass a lingering heated glance. I may have to order another dress like this one since he obviously loves it. Earlier, when I stepped out of my room for our date, he gave me a look so hot it should have scorched my panties off. A victorious grin spreads across my face at the memory of his reaction. I’d rendered him frozen and mute. The only movements had been the pulse in his throat, the rapid breaths raising his chest, and his avid gaze that traveled over me from head to toe.
Snuggling into one of the cozy lounges, we stare out at the endless star-filled night. Falling into a comfortable silence, L’Corte trails his fingers up and down my arm, leaving goosebumps in his wake. It feels like there is nothing in this universe but me, L’Corte, and the vastness of space. Sometimes, I get so busy with my projects, I forget to take a moment to slow down and just breathe in the moment. I feel like I could spend the rest of my life here, nestled into the soft enveloping cushions, wrapped in L’Corte’s arms.
“Would you like to watch a movie? They’re having a movie night in the bride volunteer’s lounge,” L’Corte offers, placing a kiss on my temple.
“A movie sounds nice. But why don’t we watch it in your quarters instead? If we hang out in the bride volunteer section of the ship, they would keep inserting themselves into our night.”
“My quarters sound nice,” L’Corte says with an audible gulp. Standing up, he offers me his hand.
We abandon our leisurely pace from earlier and stride as quickly as possible without drawing attention to ourselves.
Once we get inside his apartment, I get the barest impression of a spartan space before I’m leaping into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist, not caring how my fitted dress slides up my butt. L’Corte clasps my thighs in a tight grip, locking me in place. With his arms supporting my weight, it leaves me free to weave my hands into his long golden hair. Tangling my fingers of one hand in the strands, I grab his horn with the other one. Using my grip, I tilt his head back, seeking his lips with mine.
Molded against L’Corte’s front, I love that my mouth is at the same level as his for once. Turning, he presses me back against an open wall, freeing his hands for exploration. Skimming a hand up my side, his palm grazes my breast, pulling a gasp from me. I suck his tongue into my mouth, giving it a similar treatment to what I have planned for his dick. Working his lips along the column of my throat, L’Corte finds a sensitive spot on my neck I didn’t know existed. He sucks on it until I feel frenzied and ready to come out of my skin.
“Bed,” I can’t think clearly enough to form all the words I need, but he starts carrying me to his bedroom anyway.
Laying me down on his mattress, L’Corte stops at the end of the bed, just looking at me. He almost looks like some vengeful god looming over my supine form. His eyes are blazing so hot it makes me feel like his captured prey.
“L’Corte,” I whine, wanting him to get back to touching me.
Starting at my feet, he slowly and methodically unbuckles the tiny straps from my heels, like he’s unwrapping a rare treat. Pulling one shoe from my foot, he tosses it over his shoulder before doing the same with the next. While L’Corte slowly inches his hands up the inside of my legs, I squirm my hands under my back to start working down my zipper. I probably look like a baby seal flailing on land for the first time, but I don’t care.
Once I get the zipper down, I grab the hem of my skirt and quickly peel my dress up and off my body. Tossing it to join my shoes, I lay back so I can take in L’Corte’s reaction to the lingerie I picked out for him. When he spots the red mesh and lace Agent Provocateur set, he makes a choked groan. Drawing his hand across his mouth as if wiping away drool, L’Corte crawls over me. He hovers one hand over my breast, hesitating a moment, as if afraid to touch. I take the choice away from him by arching my back off the bed and pressing my breast fully into his palm.
I figured once L’Corte saw the lingerie, he would rush to get it all off me, but no, he savors the process. Slowly, achingly slowly, he drags my panties down my legs. He touches every inch of skin along the way, awaking every nerve in my body. Sliding the straps of my bra off my arms, he lets the material cling to my skin for a second before revealing my naked breasts to his intense stare. I’m trembling with desire, and he’s barely touched me.
Straddled across my waist, L’Corte sits up and whips off his shirt. Golden skin gleams from the single light shining from his bathroom, making him look like he’s been dipped in bronze, highlighting the hollows and curves of his musculature. He is like a living statue carved from alabaster into a form of strength and beauty. Dayum.
I run my hands along the silky, slightly textured skin of his abdomen. He has a lean body so you can see every lovely muscle shift and bunch beneath his skin as he moves. He’s like the best anatomy lesson ever.
As I trace the contours and pathways created by all his delicious muscles, L’Corte skates his hands up from my hips, along my rib cage, touching as much of my skin as he can. It’s like he’s seeking out all the sensitive places on my body. He follows his touch with his seeking mouth. He traces the slope of my neck, the hollow of my throat, the inside of my elbow where the skin is delicate and thin. A meandering path, tracing the rivers of my pulse.
He fits himself between my spread thighs, so I wrap my legs around his waist. With a grin, I flex my legs until he is pulled against me. He kisses me until I have to pull away to pant and catch my breath. L’Corte uses this break to work his way down my body, stopping along the way to pay homage to my breasts. The reverence in his eyes as he worships me is almost overwhelming. How he feels about me is in his every touch, in the way he looks at me. It’s intense, but I want it. I want him.
