Page 20 of Alien in the Depths

The pleasure within her was building, a crescendo of sensations that consumed her entire being. She could feel herself spiraling toward the precipice, teetering on the edge of a fiery abyss.

As if sensing her imminent climax, Zaraq’s grip on her tightened. He held her firmly as he increased his pace, each thrust driving them closer to their mutual undoing.

His name fell from her lips, her voice shaky and breathless. “Zaraq. Please don’t stop.”

There was no response from him except for a low growl that rumbled through his chest, vibrating against her. His movements became more frenzied, a relentless assault on her senses that left her gasping for air. The rhythm they had established earlier was now forgotten as pleasure took over them completely.

Zaraq’s groan was half swallowed by Sofia’s lips as they kissed, their bodies moving together in a rhythm as old as time itself. His fingers flexed against her skin, a gentle reminder of his presence as he moved in sync with the beat of her heart.

His heat enveloped her, his body pressed against hers, every inch of him branded onto her skin. Sofia blinked up at him through a haze of pleasure, every nerve ending alive and tingling. Her breath hitched as Zaraq leaned down to capture her lips with his once more.

She responded with an eagerness that matched his own, her tongue tangling with his. Every stroke brought forth a new wave of pleasure until Sofia thought she might shatter from the intensity.

“Zaraq,” she whispered against his lips, the name sounding almost like a plea. He answered her with another bruising kiss, his lips moving against hers with a raw need that matched hers. The heat between them was palpable, a fiery connection that threatened to consume them both.

She felt her whole body tense as her orgasm swelled within her. His hands gripped her hips, holding her still as he moved within her. Each stroke was deliberate, each thrust calculated to push her higher and higher until she was teetering on the edge of ecstasy.

Her climax washed over her in a rush of pure ecstasy, a blinding white light that consumed every inch of her being. Her grip on Zaraq tightened as she rode out the waves of pleasure, each one more intense than the last.

Zaraq groaned against her lips, and his movements became more erratic as he chased the impending climax.

Finally, with a few final thrusts, she felt his warm seed spill into her and fill her. In his arms, she felt like she had found a perfect fit.

Chapter 8

Zaraq

The gray haze that hung over Rikuus was visible even from space, and Zaraq couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for bringing Sofia and her family to the dirty blot that was his home planet.

At least, his home planet insofar as he could remember. Though he was Thryal by blood, he had never set foot there until he wason the run. For all intents and purposes, he was a Rikuan, and he had the shady past to match.

“Whoo! Here we go!” Sofia yelled with inexplicable gusto as Arccoo brought the ship down to broach the planet’s atmosphere.

The whole craft shuddered with the sudden change, and Zaraq gripped the steel and leather arms of his seat. It wasn’t just from the turbulence, though. He’d been on edge for days, ever since Sofia and her family insisted on clearing his name. In fact, the only time he could remember being at ease was the night of the “opera”…

Turning his head, he looked over at Sofia, strapped into the seat beside him. His gaze traced the soft curve of her jaw, skimmed the wild smile that pulled at her lips, and then came to land on her eyes alight with adventure and passion. He felt a squeeze in his heart, knowing he’d never be able to live with himself if something happened to her.

“You know this isn’t going to be fun, don’t you?” Zaraq yelled over the turbulence of the ship.

Sofia just shot him a wicked grin, and for the hundredth time since accepting her help, he wondered if he’d made the right choice.

Elena called from the seat behind him. “Just give up, Z! She lives for this stuff!”

Zaraq let out a sigh, inaudible over the sound of the engines.I just hope she won’t die for “this stuff,”he thought as Arccoo stabilized the ship over the Rikuan parking dock.

“Here we are,” Arccoo announced formally, setting the ship down. “The planet Rikuus.”

To Zaraq’s utter surprise, the three women on board let out a series of celebratory whoops. It was a far cry from what he felt touching down on this cursed planet. The look on his face must have given him away because Sofia reached out and squeezed his hand.

“You have to remember, this whole space travel thing is still pretty new to us,” she explained with a guilty smile. “Every new planet is like Christmas.”

“Who’s Christmas?” Zaraq asked, but even as the words left his mouth, he knew it was a futile question.

“Just another Earth thing,” Sofia explained with a sigh of mock exasperation. “It just means it’s exciting.”

Zaraq nodded as Sofia took her hand back and unbuckled her seatbelt. The place she had touched him was still warm, and he allowed himself a second to savor it before turning his mind back to the dangerous task ahead.

“I can’t be seen in public,” Zaraq explained as the rest of the party got ready to leave the ship. “Bounty hunters are looking out for me, law enforcement, not to mention Slik.”