Starcrossed - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,16

my sweet Gineva. And fulfilling your request will be my pleasure.”

“Good.” She moved back from him and stood briskly, heading for the com. “Then, I’ll schedule an appointment for tomorrow at the insemination lab.”

Tigh was right behind her, snaring her waist and pulling her back against his hard chest, her back to his front. His hardness nestled into the soft flesh of her ass as if it’d found a home.

“You’ll do no such thing.”

“But we need to know exactly when I’m ovulating.” She sounded exasperated, but she wasn’t fighting against his hold. No, she seemed to snuggle her warm, feminine self against him without even being aware of it. He liked that. A lot. “I know it’s in the next day or so. We’re right around the time, but with the damage done to me by the virus, we need to time this exactly right. The clinic will be able to inseminate me with the highest probability for success. And they may be able to tell us if there’s anything we can do so you can have a male heir.”

“No.” He nipped the lobe of her ear as she wrapped her arms over his, around her waist. He felt the shiver run down her spine as he licked into the whorls of her delicate ear. She was so responsive to him, so perfect for him. How could she not know they were meant to be together? “You should know the jit’suku sense of smell is more highly developed than that of humans.” He inhaled her luscious scent, rubbing his nose along the sensitive cords of her neck. “You are nearing ripeness now, Ginny.”

“Oh, God. You can smell that?”

He chuckled at her outrage. “Mmm-hmm, and it smells divine.” He licked her neck, making her shiver. “Tastes divine too.”

“Tigh…”

He liked the sound of his name on her lips, especially in that soft, breathy whisper that went straight to his groin.

“Know this, my sweet Gineva—any children we have will be conceived in the time-honored way. Girls or boys, matters not to me. Whether one or an army, matters not. Science is what got us into this mess, and science will have no part in what happens between us from this day forward. We will have our babies—or not—according to the will of the Mother Goddess.”

She turned in his arms to face him. “Just so we’re clear. I won’t marry you if I can’t get pregnant, Tigh. You’ll need children to prove to your people that this peace is real and viable.”

“I trust in the Goddess. You were meant for me, Ginny.” He shrugged. “That fact is undeniable. All else will happen as She wills.”

Her head tilted as she gazed up at him. “You’ve said that before. You believe in a Goddess, not a male deity? I find that odd for such a male-dominated race. And why would a priest in a Goddess culture practice celibacy?”

Tigh pulled her in so that her soft thighs rested along his, the hard ridge of his erection nudging her slight tummy. She was so womanly, so beautiful, he never wanted to let her go. He knew she was stalling for time, but she also needed to learn about his culture, and this bit of curiosity was a good sign.

“When a Zenain priest takes his final vows, he is essentially marrying the Goddess. He pledges his life to her and all his strength. He vows to be faithful to her for the rest of his days. Luckily, I hadn’t yet taken my final vows.” He winked at her, and she blushed so prettily, he had to lean in and kiss her heated cheek, but she’d asked a question, and he wanted to answer so that she’d feel free to ask more in the future. He would never stifle her curiosity. He loved her quick mind and knew she’d need to learn a lot to assimilate into the life of the jit’suku empress.

“Our deity is female because there is no higher power in the universe than that of creation. It is you women who harbor that power within you. We men play our part too, but ultimately without the female, all life is lost.” He thought sadly of the tragedy that had called him from his mountain retreat. “We learned that the hard way when my brother’s asinine plan to destroy you destroyed us, instead. Men have flocked to the temples since, repenting and praying for guidance. I believe the Mother Goddess sent us to you—the people we’d tried for