yeah, it is.” It turned him on every bit as much as it did her, her body gripping him tightly, the slick friction muted by the condom—but still incredible.
He built up the rhythm stroke by stroke until he was pounding into her from below, one hand caressing her breast, the other reaching around to stroke her clit.
“Oh, Thooooor…” She moaned out his name, the nails of one hand digging into his forearm, the other reaching back behind his neck, her gaze still on the mirror. “Yes.”
He willed himself to relax, to savor the sensation of being inside her, lust for her pounding in his chest, his nuts drawing tight. He needed to hold out, to last, to make this good for her, for Samantha.
He whispered her name, punctuating his words with kisses, his lips finding the curve of her shoulder, the sensitive skin beneath her ear, her earlobe. “Åhhh, Samantha. You’re… too… much.”
He could tell she was close, her breasts flushed and swollen, her breathing ragged, every muscle in her body tense.
Her eyes drifted shut, her head falling back against his shoulder, her body arching to press her breast deeper into his hand.
He couldn’t help but groan, aroused to the breaking point by her gesture of sensual surrender, her head rolling back and forth on his shoulder now. Then her breath caught, her eyes went wide—and she shattered, biting her lip to keep from crying out.
His hips a piston now, he drove her climax home, falling over that bright edge with her, orgasm burning through him, white-hot and incandescent.
She went limp against him, laughed. “You’re so good.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist, kissed the top of her head, tenderness filling his chest. He couldn’t bring himself to let go of her, wanting her even though his sexual hunger had just been satiated. What the hell was that about?
But they couldn’t stay like this.
“I need to take off the condom while I’m still hard.”
“Right.”
While she crawled off him and into bed, he removed the condom, tossed it into her trash, and wiped himself with a tissue.
She reached for him, and he got into bed beside her, holding her close so the two of them could fit. For a time, they stayed like that, her cheek against his chest.
“These beds are too small,” she said in a sleepy voice.
“You’re telling me.” His feet hung over the bottom. “We should complain.”
That made her laugh, and she began to compose an imaginary letter. “Dear National Science Foundation: This letter is to inform you that the beds at Amundsen-Scott Station are too small to accommodate sexual intercourse and post-coital snuggling. Please address this problem soon.”
“I’m sure they’ll get right on that.”
“Malik and Kristi had sex in the greenhouse last night. They didn’t want to keep people awake.”
“The greenhouse?” Thor had thought Jones had spent the night in his room alone. “If Cobra’s owners were here, they’d kick his ass—and mine.”
“Then I’m glad they’re not here.” She pressed a kiss to his sternum. “With all this terrible stuff happening, you and my work with the telescope are the only things that make me feel safe and grounded. Geez. Sorry. That might be the nerdiest thing I’ve ever said to a man.”
“Hey, don’t feel bad.” He ran his fingers along her spine. “I’m honored to be mentioned in the same breath as the telescope—and I’m glad you feel safe with me.”
She might not feel that way if she knew you better.
That had been war. It was in the past.
Samantha sat bolt upright, her face alight with excitement. “I forgot to tell you the news. I think we might have discovered a rare elliptical double-ringed galaxy. They make up only about ten percent of the galaxies in the universe. I haven’t had time to analyze anything yet, but it looks a lot like Hoag’s Object with young stars in the outer ring and older stars in the inner core.”
Thor had no idea what a Hoag’s Object was. He propped himself up on his elbow. “How can you tell the age of the stars?”
“Younger stars are typically hotter and emit more blue light, while older stars are often cooler and emit more red light.” She shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t want to bore you or come across as a total nerd.”
“You’re not boring me.” He reached up, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Your whole face lights up when you talk about your work. Samantha Park, discoverer of galaxies. That’s pretty damned cool.”
Her lips curved