to burn off the extra energy is probably the simplest way to describe it.”
A wicked little voice started whispering in the back of his mind. “Burn it off, how? Exercise?”
She nodded, but her hand came to rest on her injured knee. “Ideally, yes. That’s the fastest way. I’ll go for a walk later.” She paused. “Maybe you and Ward could come with me?”
“I think I’ve got a better idea.” He stood, then leaned down and brushed his lips against hers in a barely there kiss. He forced himself to hold still, to give her the chance to push him away or tell him no. She didn’t.
That was all the permission he needed.
He surged forward, mouth slanting across hers. He wanted to learn the taste of her lips and explore the curve of her mouth.
She touched his cheek then slid her fingers back to stroke through his hair. Heat streaked through him, the spark of long-repressed desires exploding into a firestorm hotter than the center of a star.
She tugged her hand free from his and twined her arm around his shoulder, her talons drawing tiny lines of fire across the nape of his neck. He ran his hands down her body, memorizing her delicate curves as they flowed beneath his fingers. She was warm, and soft, and the scent of her reminded him of a long-ago mission on a lush, garden world full of flowers that perfumed every breath he took. It had been the closest he’d ever come to experiencing paradise – until today.
“Hold on,” he murmured, his words caught in the sweet heat of her mouth. She seemed to understand though, and her hold on him tightened as he straightened up, lifting her into his arms and turning to survey the room.
Her office was spartan, with none of the comfortable furniture or setting of the therapy room he’d been in before. Two mismatched chairs on one side of the cheap, plasti-form desk she used, and slightly less battered chair she’d been sitting in. There was nothing else in the place except for a small table beside a limited-menu food dispenser. Not a lot of options, but he’d find a way.
He eyed the desk again, doing some quick mental math in his head. Good enough. He’d fraxxing well make it work. He turned and set her down on the edge of the desk, pushing everything on the desktop out of the way without once taking his focus off her.
He placed his hands on her knees, careful not to press down on her injury. He knew her well enough to guess she’d never sought treatment. If she had medi-bots, this wouldn’t be an issue, part of him mused, while another part, this one louder, pointed out that if he’d been paying fraxxing attention, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place.
Guilt filled him. Then Xori unwound one arm and placed her soft hand against his cheek.
“Don’t.” One word, spoken with such gentleness it broke the cycle of guilt and regret that he’d been about to fall into again.
“But if I’d been faster…”
“Only one being is responsible for what happened to me. The male who struck me because he thought it was his right to do so.”
“He was an asshole, but we should have noticed what was happening. That’s what we were built to do.”
“And I was born to be a tool for males like him, but I’m not. I hid my abilities, learned new skills, and got away from that life. So can you.”
He looked down into her lovely face and for one perfect moment he believed her. All the doubts and shadows faded again, only this time it was different. Less, but more. He exhaled and leaned in to kiss her, as if he could somehow hold onto all this if he held on to her.
She moaned. A low, throaty sound that rolled through him and left him hungrier for every part of her. Her parted lips. Her silken skin. The delicate touch of her tongue as it danced with his, mouths open, hands moving over each other in sensual exploration.
He moved his hand up her thigh, pushing her dress up until there was nothing but bare skin beneath his questing fingers. He eased his hand slowly higher, and she opened her legs to grant him access to the part of her body he needed to explore the most.
“I’ve wanted you for so long. Why now?” he asked, already hating himself for giving her another chance to change her