Ar'Tok - Alana Khan Page 0,22
gush at me like a tsunami.
When my release hits, I bite the cords of Ar’Tok’s neck as I come in a giant blast of bliss. Rolling surges of pleasure spill over and around me causing every muscle in my body to spasm in release.
Afterward, I whimper, sated, too tired to speak, too exhausted to stand. Ar’Tok dips his knees and easily lifts me into his arms.
“Good?” he asks without needing to. He’s smiling. A full-on smile that is radiant. Dear Gods, it looks good on him.
“Bed,” is all I can say. My lips as rubbery as the rest of my body.
He gently sets me down on the bed, as if I’m precious. My hands fly to my face to confirm what I imagined—a giddy grin is spread across my face.
That was amazing and astonishing and so intimate, and we still have our clothes on. Wow.
My dracking comm chooses this moment to announce, loudly I might add, “Trouble on program three. Malfunction needing your attention.”
“Buzzkill!” I shout as I smack my arm against the mattress.
I wish I hadn’t seen the look on his face. He’s already covered it up. But a moment ago, he wore the saddest expression.
“It can wait,” I reassure him. “Let me take care of you.” Not that I know how. But I’m sure he’ll help me figure it out.
“It’s important, right?” he asks with the adorable head-cock that’s becoming his trademark.
“Urgent,” my comm interrupts, “because of program three’s failure, programs four, five, and six have stopped performing.”
“Shit.”
“We have time to finish this later,” he announces, acting as if it’s no big deal.
“This is so whack. Promise me we’ll pick up where we left off.”
He shakes his head, then adds with a smile, “No. We’ll have to start over.”
I reach over to give him a quick kiss, but that doesn’t work. We keep kissing, then our tongues get involved, then his cirr, and my fingers, and within seconds my body is ramping up for a second round. I yank myself away and bound off the bed.
“Yes, this is serious. I need to get those programs running or the project will never get finished on time. I didn’t like what happened in here a moment ago.” His head cocks as his face falls. “I loved it,” I amend quickly. “Those were without a doubt the best moments of my life. Give me a rain check.”
“I don’t know what that is, but I’ll check your rain whenever you want.” He’s smiling again.
“Yes, we’ll check each other’s rain many times,” I say as I slap the palm plate and scurry next door to my cabin.
Chapter Five
Ar’Tok
Despite the promise of more intimacies like we shared the other night, Star has been far too busy to do anything more than crawl into my bed to catch an hoara’s sleep when she can spare the time. The only touching I allow myself is for my cirr to stroke her head, and that’s because I never knew they moved before I met Star, and I have no idea how to control them.
She’s working so hard it would be selfish to steal her precious sleep time.
Star leaves the Fool to meet Ergonn in an hoara, and Zar’s asked me to join him in his cabin before she goes. I try to allay my fears that I’m in trouble, but in the past, being summoned by someone in authority has never been a positive thing.
“Thanks for coming,” Zar says when he invites me in. “Anya’s not here, it’s just you and me.”
My worry disappears when I see the calm look on his face.
“Shadow tells me you refused when he asked you to be part of Star’s gladiatorial guard. I figure there’s a reason.”
My throat tightens in anxiety. I wonder if they’ll throw me off the ship when they find out my truth.
“I’m not a gladiator.”
He raises a furred eyebrow. “When you were rescued a few months ago, I was told you and Beast were on your way to auction—as gladiators.”
“That’s correct. On my last day in prison, I was given the option of living with family or being sold as a gladiator. Since I have no family and nowhere to go, I was prodded onto a slave ship on its way to auction. I assumed I would be trained. Then your ship rescued me.”
“I see.” Zar nods as he rubs his chin.
I wait for him to ask a hundred other questions, like why I was imprisoned and how a male can have no family. Questions I’m not