Page 18 of Keeping Freya (Warriors of Arracate #3)

Freya

T ’Rak’s room is the closest one to the Command Center doors, and I hear movement when I enter the hallway.

“T’Rak?” I call out, but he doesn’t answer. I knock on the door, still no answer, but the movement stills. “T’Rak?” I call again, knocking a bit harder.

Grunting, he opens the door. “What?” He looks like I’ve disturbed him somehow, and I want to give him a piece of my mind for speaking to me like that, but my breath hitches, and I seem to have lost my ability to speak, because in front of me is nothing but muscles and dark gray skin covered in tattoos.

I swallow, and my gaze travels down to where soft pants are hanging low on his hips, their drawstring untied, and it appears as though they are only kept in place by his raging hard-on.

“I… uh…” I lick my lips, staring at his cock tenting his pants. I reach out to touch him, the food forgotten, replaced by a totally different hunger. I hesitate just before my hand reaches his pants.

“Can I…” I begin as I look up.

“Yes,” he groans, grabbing the doorframe with his right hand, steadying himself.

I trace the outline of his cock, and he twitches, a dark spot appearing in his pants.

“Am I the first woman to touch your cock?” My fingers trace him lightly, and he groans, giving me the answer I searched for.

He balls his fist and reaches up to hold on to the top of the frame; I give him an approving nod.

“I like you like this,” I whisper. “Under my control, giving me free access to your body.” My hands are on his chest now, and I trace the lines of his tattoos.

They cover his entire chest, shoulders, and upper arms. Intricate swirls, like tribal tattoos back on Earth.

He shudders under my touch, giving me the courage to continue my exploration.

His long braid hangs down his back. I raise to the tips of my toes and curl my arms around his neck to caress the loose strands at his neck.

“So soft…” I release him and caress his shoulders. “So strong…” I bow my hands and press my nails into his skin. A low rumble sounds as I draw a line with my fingertips down his body. All the way down, over his tight abs, until I reach that taunting drawstring.

“Fr’Ya,” he groans. I look up; his eyelids are drooping, eyes glazed over with lust.

“Touch me,” he begs.

A hiss escapes his lips as I roughly cup his dick through his pants. “Like this?” I flutter my eyelids, and a tortured sound leaves his lips. Smirking, I tug at the drawstring before I slide my hand down his pants, and I meet the soft skin of his hard-as-nails cock.

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. Focusing on the feel of his body next to mine.

His scent. With tiny touches, I explore his cock.

His ridges move under me. It feels strange, but when they caress the sensitive skin of my hand, I shiver.

Okay, I can get used to this. I take him in my hand and stroke him.

All the way up, all the way down. Smearing his leaking pre-cum all over his cock.

I softly stroke his balls when I reach his base, and he starts to tremble.

“Are you okay, captain?”

He groans. “I do not think I can last very long, with you touching me like this, Fr’Ya.”

“Better lose the pants then,” I hum, letting go of his cock to pull down his pants.

Now that I can see what I’m doing, it’s actually even more fun! I gently stroke his cock, watching him squirm.

“Fr’Ya, I am going to cum…” he says through gritted teeth.

“That’s the idea, big guy.”

He erupts immediately, spilling his seed all over my hand and our bodies. He curses, and I smile triumphantly. When he stops twitching, I bring one of my fingers to my mouth and suck it dry as I maintain eye contact with him.

He curses, and his retracted dick is hard again. He gives me a wild, sexy look. “Can I touch you now?”

I hesitate. Lust clouds my brain, but I’m also very aware of what he will find when he touches me, and I’m not there yet.

“I… I’m sorry…” My voice is laced with grief and heavy with sorrow. “I want you to touch me, I’m just not ready.”

He cups my cheek and wipes the tears away. “I just want you to be happy. I would love to pleasure you, but do not ever feel sorry for taking your time. You set the pace, Fr’Ya.”

I swallow, and more tears form in my eyes, but he gently interrupts.

“You should clean up,” he suggests .

I smile. “I think we both need some clean-up.” He steps back and gestures at me to come inside.

“There’s a sonic shower here. I will get you some clean clothes and prepare dinner.”

“I made dinner,” I confess. “That’s why I came to find you.”

With a grunt, he pulls me in by my clean hand and leads me towards the shower. He hands me a cloth and takes one for himself as well.

When he’s cleaned himself up and I have tackled the worst mess, he leaves me with a grumble. Smiling, I undress myself. My stomach rumbles, but I’m not sorry for forgetting dinner. I am not sorry at all.

T’Rak

I reheat the two bowls of noodles Fr’Ya made for us.

The bond pulses in approval. She was thinking of me when she found herself hungry, so she prepared food for me.

No matter how hard she resists and how much she says she does not want me as her mate, her actions speak louder than those words.

She may not want to want me, but she wants me just the same.

I hear the doors open, and she steps in, wearing the clothes I laid out for her on my bed. Having her in my space and taking care of her makes the bond pulse even harder, as if it has to make up for the lost time. The time we spent angry and distrustful of each other.

She is a vision, all pale skin and white hair, a blush adorning her cheeks as if she is also thinking about the way she touched me. Just the mere thought has me growing hard, but I will my erection down and put the noodles down on the table. “Eat.”

She snorts, “Yes, Commander Overlord, sir.” I do not know what half those words mean, but I can tell from her tone that she is challenging me. I give her a stare, and she makes a disgruntled sound, but she sits down anyway and starts eating.

We eat in silence. I am done way before her, so I help myself to another serving. She quietly sips her tea, waiting for me to finish. I can tell she is brooding, and my feelings prove correct because she starts talking the second I finish.

“How long does it take us to get to Tekrov?”

“About a day, until we reach the planet’s atmosphere. Are you ready to tell me where we need to go, yet?” I lean back in my chair and arch an eyebrow. It all comes down to trust. Does she trust me, or are we still working on establishing that trust?

She sighs, and her shoulders droop. “I’m sorry.

I shouldn’t have held that over your head the way I did.

I’m just…” She drops a silence. “I’m just so angry.

I had no say in anything that happened to me over the past year and a half.

Finally, we had some sort of control back, and then you guys barged in, taking over.

The other girls might have been willing to roll over and lie down, but I sure as hell wasn’t.

I know you are the good guys now, but it’s still hard for me. ”

She takes a sip, and her eyes darken, sadness pours from her, and my heart hurts for her.

“I do trust you,” she continues. “You have proven yourself and continue to prove yourself daily. But I need time before I can fully trust you. I hope you understand.”

I do understand. There are precisely two people in this universe I trust implicitly, and they are my crew. At this point, I’ll take everything she can give me.

“I understand.” My voice is gruff, and I give her an understanding nod. Words are not my strength, and maybe she deserves more, but this is all I am capable of.

She gives me a wry smile. “The one you’re chasing is going to some place called ‘the Den’. Does that make sense to you?”

My mind starts whirling. I know the Den, better said, I know of the Den—some sort of twisted sanctuary for liars, murderers, and thieves. If space stations are home to the scum of the Galaxy, the Den is where those who are not even welcome at Port come to seek salvation.

It is a gambler's nest, where weapon deals are made and contracts are signed. I had no idea it was on Tekrov, but it makes sense.

“T’Rak?” Fr’Ya’s voice is filled with doubt as she calls out my name.

“Sorry. I was lost in thought. I have heard of the Den, though I did not know it was on Tekrov until just now. It makes sense, and I am glad we know its location, but we still have to find it.”

A sad smile touches her lips, and I can see disappointment settling over her.

I reach over and gently touch her hand. “You did good, Fr’Ya.

This is valuable information, and it may take a bit longer to find the High Commander, but this ship has excellent scans, and once I enhance them with our Arracate technology, we will easily find the Den. ”

She perks up. “Really? It is that simple?” It is not, but I do not tell her that. Instead, I nod.

“You should get some sleep. I will take a watch and work on the scanner and our course. We can work out the plan tomorrow morning.”

She arches a brow, but she sighs and rises after giving me a glare. “I am tired. Do not push yourself into exhaustion, please. I do need you… ”

I rise with her, and when she passes me on her way to the doors, she pauses and touches my arm. She looks up at me, and I can see the emotions swirling through her eyes. She hesitates for a heartbeat, then stretches onto the tip of her toes and presses her lips to my cheek before walking away.

Dumbfounded, I look at her retreating form.

My hand comes up to my cheek, and my fingers trace the spot she touched.

A kiss. I know what a kiss is, and I do my best to shut my crew and their mates out, but they are so affectionate with each other that it is hard to miss.

Despite myself, I feel myself smiling. Today was a good day, today was a great day.

And even though all she talks about is going back to Earth, I have hope.

Hope that she might one day choose me over her beloved planet.