Page 20 of Aura Awakened
“It’s okay,” I soothe. “For the record, the feelings are real. The bond doesn’t create feelings. It enhances what’s already there. But it doesn’t matter. We can take everything at your pace. I’m not going to ask for any kind of commitment from you. If you decide to explore our bond, it will be your choice.
That seems to settle her. “Well, I guess that’s okay. For now. Thanks.”
“Maybe you want to be with me, huh?” I tease.
She gives me a look. “I don’t know. You’re good looking, we’ve been through something intense, and I can feel your own lust nipping at me constantly. It could be fun, you know? I’m not totally opposed to the idea. But I want it to be mine.”
A strange, hollow feeling presses against my torso, and I frown as she places a hand on her own stomach. “You mentioned food and reminded me that I’m starving,” she mutters.
“Oh,” I say, realizing that it’s her hunger I feel. The bond is growing more intense by the minute, it would seem. “Let me check and see what’s in the stores. My partner usually keeps them stocked.” I dig around and come up with a pair of nutrient bars. No one’s first choice in terms of flavor, but they’ll do the job. “Here,” I say, handing them to her.
She tries to pass one back. “Take one.”
I shake my head. “I don’t need it. I produce most of my own nutrition internally, as long as I have access to natural or artificial sunlight.” I point to the craft’s overhead lighting system. “This mimics solar radiation. I have to be very deprived in order to require external sustenance.”
“You can photosynthesize?”
“I’m not familiar with that word, but if it means that I can convert solar energy to nutrients within my cells, then yes.”
“Yeah, basically. You really are a plant.”
I roll my eyes. “Stop calling me that. The flowers I showed you are plants. I’m a walking, talking, sentient Acacian male. A royal one, at that.”
“Believe me, I noticed,” she grumbles.
I grab two water flasks out of the supply container and pass her one, trying to keep the grin off my face. “I may not need to eat, but I do require a lot of water. It helps keep my cells strong.”
“Turgor pressure,” she says. “You’ll wither without it, huh?”
I give her a look. “No, not wither. Dehydration does inhibit my strength somewhat, though.”
She clinks her flask against mine. “Drink up, then. We don’t want you going all weak.”
I watch the long line of her throat as she sips, the way her curls shine in the overhead lights and the way her eyes dance with mischief at teasing me.
Don’t go all weak, huh? Too late.
She gives me a sharp glance that makes me think I inadvertently sent the thought to her, but she doesn’t say anything.
I settle back into my seat and open my arms. “Come sit with me again. Tell me about Earth. I’ve met humans before, but none who lived on the homeworld. I have to admit, I may have an antiquated notion of your species.”
She nestles herself against me and tells me all about her business and a town called Tenpenny. Her love for something called Italian food and for entertainment made more than a century before she was born, particularly action movies and cartoons. How her family is gone from the world and her fierce pride in her independence. The encroaching sense of boredom about her life, and how she hoped buying a new home would invigorate her somehow. Honestly, she could be listing all the things she hates about me and I wouldn’t care, so long as she stays right here in my arms.
We talk for hours, until she gets sleepy, and I lead her to the cramped bunk in the back of the ship. “You can rest here,” I tell her. “When you wake, I think we should move to the jump gate coordinates. It will take two days to get there, but would allow us to pass through if any Malifect ship opens the gate, not just the one we were on.” I dim the light and start to leave, but she stops me.
Wait,she says in my mind, tentatively testing the bond.Stay with me. It’s been such a strange day. I don’t want to be alone.
I acquiesce, climbing into the small bed and curving against her, tucking an arm around her waist to bring her close.I’ll stay with you as long as you want. Fair warning, though. This is a pretty intimate position. I can’t be held responsible for any stray emotions you might feel from me. Or physical reactions.
I’m already hard for her, and I know she can feel my erection pressing into the soft flesh of her buttocks.
She turns her head slightly, enough to meet my gaze, and speaks aloud. “Can I tell you something?”
“Anything.”
“I know you want me. I’ve felt it all evening. That’s no secret. But here’s the truth: I want you too, and this thing between us is driving me crazy, because I can’t separate your desire from my own. I just feel this unrelenting lust bouncing between us. I’ve been turned on for hours. It’s why I asked you to stay. It’s true that I don’t want to be alone, but that’s not all. I need you to touch me. Now.”
AURA