Page 27 of Champion (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #6)

We gave each gladiator a specific task to prepare for the upcoming—for lack of a better word—battle.

Kariosak and Zahavi huddled in a corner, meticulously working on crafting a smoke bomb.

Adtovar, Cristox, and Xabat set out to scout the exit, their movements stealthy as they disappeared into the darkness.

We tasked the remaining gladiators with choreographing a believable performance for our appearance in the coliseum tomorrow.

Charick and I had our own mission to carry out.

We slipped through the shadows, silently making our way back to my room for a few precious moments alone.

I hadn’t been back to my room since my run-in with the assassin.

At the first step into the four walls, goosebumps broke out all over my body.

There wasn’t a sign left of the Zarpazian.

Someone had even washed away the blood. Yet in my mind’s eye, I saw him there…

and relived the moments when I thought Charick dead by his hand.

I turned just as my mate shut the door and buried my face against his chest, my arms going tight around his middle as if somehow my grip could bind him to me forever.

“My heart.” Charick groaned as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer as his lips met mine in a desperate kiss.

The world faded away as we lost ourselves, worries about the impending battle melting into pure desire and longing for each other.

We stayed intertwined for several minutes before slowly coming up for air, both of us feeling the depth of our connection more than ever.

“This plan is too dangerous,” Charick muttered, nuzzling the hair at the curve of my neck. “We should both get on my skiff and leave. Let the Alliance handle Nansar.”

I pulled back to look at my mate. Worry creased his features like a weight, making my heart heavy. But I remained undeterred.

“And give Nansar a chance to weasel out of things. No way.”

Charick cupped my face between his palms, his golden eyes dark and intense. “You’re asking me to leave. To leave you alone on this planet.”

“I don’t like the idea of being separated either, but Nansar believes I’m the Zarpazian. He won’t mess with me.” I gave him my best cocky smile. “Besides, I’ll have Adtovar and ten other gladiators to protect me.”

Charick groaned, pulling me tight against him. “It goes against everything I am to leave your protection to another.”

I ran my fingertips over his chest, loving the way his muscles twitched under my touch. “We have to stop him, Charick. Nansar might not have been the one to abduct me, but ultimately, he’s behind my abduction, not to mention how many others. You know this.”

“Then I should be giving him my undying gratitude,” my mate snorted, pressing his lips to my forehead.

“Funny.” I rolled my eyes, poking his pec with a fingertip.

Charick sighed, and I thought I felt the slightest tremble in the hands that held me. “You are my mate. The reason my heart beats. Nothing feels right when you are not at my side.”

“After we get Nansar taken care of, I’ll be at your side so much you’ll get sick of me,” I promised, rather surprised by how happy uttering the words made me.

“You mean that?” He stiffened slightly and pushed me away just enough so he could gaze into my eyes. “You will reside on the Bardaga with me.”

“The Bardaga , the moon, a space station.” My smile grew so big it made my cheeks ache. “Just not here, okay? The climate makes my hair frizz.”

I felt his fingertips stroke through the strands lying on the back of my neck. “Your hair is beautiful, as is every inch of you.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Linking my arms around his neck, I pulled his lips to mine.

I could kiss him forever.

Charick’s mouth was soft and warm against mine, like velvet and fire all at once.

His fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me closer as our bodies pressed against each other.

As always with him, everything else fell away, leaving just Charick.

The warmth of his body, the softness of his lips pressed against mine, the way the pelt on his skin felt like the softest stubble as it grazed my face.

His lips tasted of spice and honey and mint, a combination that was both savory and sweet.

The faint residue of our lovemaking heightened his uniquely masculine scent.

It was a moment suspended in time, a kiss that tasted like an eternity and felt like warmth and safety and promise.

A sound from outside broke us apart, and Charick tensed for a moment until his super ears discerned that whatever the bang, it proved no danger. He glanced down at me, his eyes locked onto mine with such a tender expression. His lips parted, and a small smile played over his features.

I lifted my hand to run my fingertips over his face. The glow of the moon coming through the small window illuminated his features, highlighting his rugged, handsomeness. The pelt on his face was velvety against my fingertips, the planes of his face strong and defined but soft under my touch.

What if I had lost him? What if the Zarpazian had killed him like I’d thought?

My heart clenched with dread, imagining a universe without him in it.

In those few brief moments of terror, when I thought the Zarpazian had taken his life, my entire world shattered.

Now, as I gently placed my hand in the center of his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart that echoed my own, everything seemed so clear…

almost fated. The realization that washed over me in Nansar’s chambers came back even stronger.

Love.

A pure and genuine love for this man, who had stolen my heart with his courage and kindness.

I loved him. Truly. And I would not let him leave my side without knowing how I felt.

“You know, I’m still not sold on all this fated mate shit,” I claimed, even as I felt my heartbeat kick up in tempo, echoing his.

“You’re not?” Charick seemed more amused than upset by my claim.

“No.” I let my hands slide up his chest to rest on his broad shoulders. “But I do know one thing.”

“What is that, my heart?”

My heart.

Mine.

I took a deep breath, met his gaze, and hoped my expression reflected the depth of my feelings for him. “I love you.”

Charick exhaled a long breath as if he had been holding it in anticipation of this very moment. He leaned in and rested his forehead against mine, our faces inches apart. Our breath mingled in a silent communication of shared emotions.

“The word... this love,” he said after a long moment. “It shows up in all your Earth languages but always felt too small to encompass the feelings one held for a mate. But hearing the words from your lips, seeing your face as you speak them… I understand.”

“Understand what?” My hand trembled as it gently traced the curve of his cheek. I couldn’t believe that I had ever doubted our connection—from the moment I first laid eyes on Charick, he captured my heart and soul

Charick’s golden eyes turned liquid. “You are my heartbeat, my breath. You touch every thought I have while I’m awake and every dream I have while asleep. You are my everything.”

“Translation—you love me too?” I smiled up at him. My mate. Honestly, I was growing to love the sound of it.

“I love you too,” Charick grinned, swinging me up into his arms and striding towards the bed.

“You know, Adtovar might be back at any moment.” I felt the need to warn him, even though I hoped it would take Adtovar hours to complete his mission.

“I bolted the door,” he announced, laying me down on the mattress and proceeding to whisk away my clothes with sure determination.

I laughed, knowing the pitiful excuse for a bolt wouldn’t stop a stiff wind. “We probably have time for a quickie.”

“Quickie,” Charick growled, looking faintly insulted. “I made no notice of the time. I just need to be inside you, my mate.”

Charick paused as he settled between my thighs.

His golden eyes roamed over my naked form, making me feel both exposed and desired.

Subconsciously, I spread my legs further, ready and aching for him.

Slowly, as though touching a precious treasure, he reached out a hand and traced a slow, teasing line through my wetness, causing a shiver to run over my skin.

I let out a faint moan, my eyes transfixed as he brought the finger to his lips, savoring the taste of my arousal like a child with a lollipop.

“I’ll never tire of seeing you like this,” Charick growled, his voice a rumble of rocks over satin. “So beautifully naked… so wet and ready for me.”

A moment later, he pressed against me, crushing my breasts against his chest as he thrust deeply into me. I spread my legs wider, feeling the delicious stretch as he filled me completely, sending waves of pleasure through my entire body as I moaned and moved beneath him.

“I’ll never tire of being inside you, feeling your cunt squeeze me,” He groaned as he began to thrust, his movements slow and deliberate.

Each time he pushed into me, he went deeper until I felt him hitting that perfect spot inside me.

One hand gripped my hip tightly, anchoring me to him as the other hand teased and stroked my sensitive clit, playing with me like a favorite toy.

As his fingers expertly danced over my sensitive skin, a rush of pleasure built within me, the intensity so hot and aching it teetered between pleasure and pain.

My body trembled and quivered as he continued to stimulate my clit with a steady rhythm, and I wrapped my legs around his thighs and raised my hips, needing to be closer… needing more.

“Charick, please!” I don’t know exactly what I was asking for… only that I needed it… desperately.

In answer to my plea, the tenor of his thrusts increased, his lips crashing down upon mine. Our tongues entwined in a fiery dance, tasting and savoring each other’s lips. The taste of salt and sweat mixed with the sweetness of passion created a delicious explosion on my taste buds.