This was what the rest of her life would be, she realized with a lazy smile. Her fingers playing over the skin of her belly. Safely put away in her nest, fucked until she was stupid, and if she felt like it, she could go out and indulge her curiosity and burn off some of her endless energy.
Vytln was out there now. She could hear him moving around his workroom. He didn’t hum or whistle while he worked. But his footsteps were heavy and steady. His work was consistent and loud, but surprisingly, the noise dampening in her nest was pretty good. It was a distant sort of sound. And the clanging of metal, beating of hammers, hissing of valves, humming of engines were like music to her ears.
A perfect life.
Haven let out a little giggle. Unable to hold back the joy. She’d been chasing something and nothing her entire life. Letting her thoughts and whims take her from one place to the next. If she hadn’t been as clever, as careful, as lucky as she was, she wouldn’t have gotten this far, she knew. Never once did she think of settling down in the long process that got her here. Staying meant stagnation. It meant becoming restless as her curiosity and energy built inside her, beating at her chest and mind until they were released, like a pressure valve.
But she didn’t feel that way now. Vytln worked her hard. Maybe too hard, she could admit. Her body continued to ache and throb even without moving. Yet, layered over that was the lingeringhumming of pleasure. The phantom of her orgasms that was heavy, like a blanket, though it had to have been marks since Vytln last touched her.
She imagined, it wouldn’t be long until he was back. That’s how this honeymoon had been going. He’d fuck her until she couldn’t stand it and passed out. She’d wake up, eat, take care of her bodily needs, he’d fuck her again, and she’d go right back to sleep. Meanwhile, Vytln apparently didn’t need to sleep at all, because when she woke up, if he wasn’t already holding her, waiting for her to return to consciousness, he’d be out there working.
And when he realized she was awake, he’d come back and claim her again.
She had been looking forward to it every time. The mindless pleasure. The helpless ecstasy. The thoughtless way she floated, suspended on chains like it was a hammock formed from his devotion and her body, was the sweetest relief.
She was exhausted though. She didn’t think she could come again. Vytln had been wiping her down, giving her rag baths, essentially, since she was too limp and languid and tired to move. She wanted a real shower. She wasn’t completely sure she could even stand on her own, but she knew she could call out and have Vytln hold her up.
Because he was hers now. It was official. Real in a way marriage never could be. A way marriage never seemed to be, honestly. She understood the concept, but it seemed so temporary compared to the mating practiced in the rest of the Coalition.
A practice she was now part of. She was part of the ship; she was one of the crew. She belonged to Vytln, and he belonged to her. She had a home now, a permanent one, that meant shenever had to stay in one place, would never be bored, and would always belong.
The now familiar groan of the trap panels sliding apart drew her eyes to the entrance. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread over her face at the sight of Vytln. He was standing there with a tray of food and drink balanced on one hand.
His eyes burned at the sight of her, though his expression didn’t change.
“Time to eat,” he said gruffly.
She just smiled, because she knew what would happen next.
Sure enough, he didn’t make her come get the food. He kept it balanced as he climbed inside. He was surprisingly graceful for such a big guy. The pitcher of water on the tray barely shook as he climbed up and slid down into the nest.
He set the tray down on one of the side shelves. Then, gently, lovingly, he lifted her up. She tried but couldn’t quite hide the wince of pain as he helped her sit up. She had been worked over absolutely and completely, and as much as she loved it, every muscle in her body – and her poor, beaten pussy – were complaining loudly.
Vytln knew that though. He wasn’t apologetic about what he put her through. At what she begged him to put her through. He just carefully laid her back against his chest, letting her use him as a reclining chair so she could sit up while he brought the food to her. He fed her from his own fingers. Pushing juicy, moist, blue meat past her lips. She had no idea what she was eating, but it was both sweet and spicy and surprisingly filling for how little she actually ate. The meal was simple, but warm and heavy in her belly.
And it felt absolutely decadent to eat it from her mate’s fingers as he let her use him to stay upright, her sore muscles protesting after being loved so thoroughly and so frequently. This must be how queens would feel being pampered by their devoted servants.
Except even better, because this wasn’t a servant. This was Vytln. The big gruff male who let her do whatever she wanted, but who hated everyone else.
Maybe hated was a bit strong of a word. He didn’t really like anyone, but he was so sweet to her. It made her feel special. It made her feel even more loved.
“What’s going on outside?” She asked at one point, about halfway through the meal. She had been fully sequestered in her nest, just enjoying this little honeymoon, and so didn’t actually know what any of the others were doing.
“Same as always,” he grunted and offered nothing else.
Haven gave him a moment to do so, but when he remained silent she laughed. “Okay. What same as always?”
“Deliveries.”
“That’s it?”
“There’s nothing much else we do,” he grunted. “Grace sets up jobs. Tanin and Alred plan and execute them using us to get them done. Then, we do it again. We’ve done it about twice since we left that supply depot. It’s not that interesting.”
“I find it interesting,” Haven protested.
“As interesting as the hitch I found in the engine yesterday?”
Haven, immediately distracted, asked him about the hitch. Did he mean a hitch like a tool, or a hitch like a hiccup? What was it doing there? What was it doing? Why was it interesting?
