Pi was popping in and out. Sometimes she was ahead of them, and other times she was behind them, impatiently pushing them along. He was amazed when both creatures swept by the galley without stopping.
Raia must have seen his surprised expression, because she said, “Trust me, the fruit here is far superior to anything we could find at a Spaceport market. The only place that has fruit this good is on Ceran-Pax. Ben and Aaron are experts when it comes to cultivating fresh fruits and vegetables.”
She released his hand and strode across the holding bay to press the button that lowered the platform. Chummy and Pi disappeared the moment the door was opened far enough for them to squeeze through the gap. Raia was practically dancing with suppressed energy as she waited for the platform to lower all the way.
A knot formed in Behr’s throat as he watched her. Over the past several days, emotions that he didn’t realize he possessed had flared to life. The more time he spent with Raia and her two adorable pets, the more he wanted.
He followed Raia at a slower pace as she hurried down the ramp. Despite the beauty and grandeur of the city, it was nothing compared to Raia. Her hair flowed around her like the wind-driven waves of the ocean. Her laughter echoed through the plaza.
It was impossible to miss the way her dark blue shirt hugged her full breasts and her black trousers clung to her hips. She twisted around and waved for him to follow her. In that instant, an intense emotion hit him hard.
I’m falling in love with her, he realized.
He reached out, gripped one of the platform’s support rods, and stared at her. He rebelled against the idea while his heart hammered against his chest. The happy expression on her face faded to one of uncertainty. She slowly walked back up the platform until she was standing in front of him.
“It’s okay. There isn’t anything here that will hurt you,” she reassured him.
He looked down at her and shook his head. “It isn’t that,” he confessed in a voice that sounded deeper than normal.
“What is it then?” she asked.
The wide-eyed innocence staring back at him in concern was his undoing. He groaned, reached out, and caressed her cheek. How could someone tough enough to break into a Marastin Dow prison and free him be so refreshingly innocent at the same time?
A curious smile curved her lips. Before he could decipher its meaning, she stepped forward and pressed her lips against his. A jolt of surprise struck him before it was quickly followed by pure pleasure.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. Passion built into a powerful physical need, and for a moment, he was almost afraid he would crush her. She slid her hands up his arms, leaving a burning path on his skin under his light-weight, long-sleeved shirt.
The fire spread when her fingertips grazed the heated flesh on his neck before she threaded them through his short black hair. His groan of need rumbled in his chest as he slid his hand down and cupped her buttocks, pressing her firmly against his engorged cock. He captured her soft whimper as he deepened their kiss.
Visions of fireworks exploded through his mind when she partially lifted her leg and the slight change in position was enough to nestle his throbbing cock against her womanhood. He pulled back, ending the kiss.
The expression on her face was just as he’d imagined. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks rosy, and her lips swollen and moist. Her head remained tilted back, so he leisurely placed several short, passionate kisses along her jaw and down the column of her slender throat.
“So, this is what I’ve been missing out on,” she breathed.
Her barely audible words caused him to stiffen in surprise. He silently repeated what she had said before slowly straightening. He must have been mistaken. There was no way she could have responded so passionately if she had never—
“Raia… would you be offended if I asked how many men you have kissed before?” he asked.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her eyes glimmered with a combination of amusement and a residual unfocused look caused by their passion. He dropped his when she stepped back and gave him a cheeky grin.
“No, I won’t be offended. Come on, I want to show you something before it gets dark, and it will take us a while to get there,” she said.
He didn’t miss the way she left his question unanswered. Sighing deeply, he shook his head and ruefully ran a hand over his still engorged cock. He hoped they were walking because he suspected it would take a while for his libido to cool off. It had been a long, long time since he experienced this kind of situation.
“What about the freighter?” he asked, following her down the platform.
“It will be fine. We’re the only ones on the planet who can fly it. Besides, Chummy and Pi will be back soon. They love hiding their new treasures onboard and going out for more,” she said.
“How do you know we are the only ones on the planet?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Because in the over twenty years of coming here, neither Ander nor I ever saw anyone. This place has been my home base for the past ten years. I think if there had been anyone else, I would have seen them by now,” she replied.
He raised his eyebrow and nodded. It seemed inconceivable that she hadn’t encountered someone over such a long period. He closed the distance between them as they walked across the plaza.
“Did you ever discover who lived here?” he asked.
She shrugged and waved to the two statues poised on each side of the waterfall. “Ander deduced that there had been many different kinds of species coexisting here at one time. Ander thought the debris field is the remainder of an asteroid belt that was comprised of the destroyed planets in this star system, gravitationally locked by the sun.
There also appears to have been another sun, far enough away not to destroy this planet when it imploded, but it did destroy life on a few others. I remember seeing images of the ruins during one of Ander’s scouting trips. Anyway, Ander speculated that between the devastation of the other worlds and the danger of trying to pass through the asteroid belt, the inhabitants simply left. I know Ander had to do a lot of repairs to the jump gate after we arrived. It’s a really old model, and even though we came through with no issues, he didn’t trust it enough to take us back out safely. Ander was saying a few choice words about that. He never was a big fan of space walking, since getting into the suits was a pain in the ass because of his tail,” she sadly reminisced.
“I would like to explore the city more while we are here,” he said.
“That won’t be a problem. I just happen to have the vehicles we’ll need to do that,” she stated.
They stepped through a large covered entrance to a domed building. A large, dusty tarp, tied down along the edges, was draped over what he suspected was one of the vehicles Raia had mentioned. He helped release the straps and remove the cover. He was fascinated by the vehicle revealed underneath.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he confessed.
He slowly walked around the slick silver transport. Through the clear front windshield, he could see black bucket seats with additional seating behind. Winged doors on either side allowed access to the interior. As he walked around the transport’s rear end, he noticed twin turbines.
Raia opened one of the doors, reached in, and pressed a button. He stared in wonder as the clear fuselage came alive in front of him. A steady stream of glowing dark purple liquid flowed through thin tubes and circulated around a chamber of pale lavender gas. In the center of the chamber was an intense blue flame.