Page 21 of Willow and the Wraith

His deep voice sent a shiver down her spine. She shook her head, moving to stand beside him.

“Sooni talks in her sleep.” It was true enough, although it wasn’t what had driven her here. She sighed and stared out at the stars. “It’s so beautiful out there.”

“Yes. Perhaps that’s why I feel most… comfortable here.”

The admission surprised her, and she glanced up at him, noting the slight softness in his usually rigid posture.

She stood silently next to him for a long time, watching distant galaxies drift by. The air between them felt charged, alive with possibility, and her skin tingled with awareness of his proximity but neither one of them moved.

Eventually she decided to return to bed. As she turned to leave, a sudden impulse hit her. Before she could think better of it, she leaned in to kiss his cheek as she had before.

He froze and she quickly started to pull away, but then he groaned. His arm circled her waist, and he pulled her onto his lap in one fluid motion as his mouth came down over her, hungry and insistent. An answering hunger raced through her and she melted into the kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck as stars wheeled silently beyond the viewport.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Warning bells sounded in Wraith’s mind but he ignored them, too lost in the kiss. Lost in the sweetness of Willow’s passionate response, in the press of her slender curves against his hardness. It wasn’t until she squirmed eagerly against him, her soft little ass moving tantalizingly against his cock - his fully erect cock - that he came to his senses.

Appalled, he broke the kiss, his breath unforgivably ragged as he raised his head. Her eyes fluttered open, a soft smile on lips still damp and swollen from his kiss. Fuck, she was beautiful. And tempting. And utterly dangerous.

He had long ago trained his body - had been forced to train his body - not to respond to sexual stimuli unless he wished, to use sex only for information, power, or payment. It had made him stronger, more focused, and once he had earned his reputation he had gladly dismissed it. Until Willow. She had undone all his defenses in a matter of days.

She looked at him, confusion slowly creeping into her gaze as he held himself rigidly in place.

“Is something wrong?”

Instead of responding he lifted her off his lap and set her on her feet.

“Go back to bed,” he ordered, his voice hard.

She gave him an unreadable look, those big hazel eyes focused on his face, but she nodded and left without another word, her bare feet padding quietly down the corridor.

He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to go after her. Emotions he’d long since buried threatening to resurface.

No, not emotions. It’s simply desire, he told himself but the words rang hollow. There was nothing simple about his reaction to this female.

Before he could stop himself he licked his lips, tasting the lingering sweetness of her mouth, then snarled as his cock pulsed with need. This was completely unacceptable. He tried to focus on the vast expanse of space outside the ship, but for once the familiar void couldn’t calm the storm raging within him.

He closed his eyes, but the memory of her lips on his remained, a ghost of sensation that refused to fade, and he growled low in his throat, frustrated by his own weakness. Her scent lingered in the air as well, taunting him. He growled again and abandoned the cockpit, stalking down the hallway to his training room, determined to regain control of his body through exhaustion if nothing else.

The next morning he strode back down the corridor, his jaw clenched. He needed to find Willow and put an end to whatever had started between them. This desire, this… softness wasn’t him. It was a distraction he couldn’t afford.

He rounded the corner into the lounge and froze. The usually stark space had been transformed. What looked like all of his supplies had been pulled out of the storage cabinets and strewn about, creating a chaotic mess that set his teeth on edge. Willow and Sooni were in the middle of it, working together, their laughter filling the air.

He should demand they stop. Instead he watched her from the doorway, unnoticed, unable to look away. Her hair fell in soft waves around her pretty face as she sorted through a box of provisions. Her smile, warm and genuine, sparked something in his chest he refused to name even though it was directed at Sooni rather than him.

“Look, Willow!” Sooni held up a length of brightly colored cloth. “Isn’t this pretty?”

“Very pretty. Do you think Wraith secretly longs for a shirt with yellow flowers?”

His mouth tightened when the child giggled. The box of fabric had been a gift from a grateful client. The material was quite valuable and he’d decided to keep it in case it came in useful during a future negotiation. Not that he needed to explain his possessions.

He should order them to stop whatever they were doing, to restore his lounge to its usual pristine order, but something stopped him. Despite the chaos the lounge felt different. Warmer. Almost… welcoming.

He shook his head, banishing the thought. This was precisely why he needed to establish boundaries. But how could he tell them to stop without upsetting both females? He clenched his fists, torn between his instinct to maintain control and an unfamiliar reluctance to cause pain.

He knew he needed to be firm, to make it clear that he was in control and last night’s moment of weakness wouldn’t be repeated, but the thought of extinguishing the light in Willow’s eyes made him pause.

The words he’d planned to say died on his lips as he watched the two females laughing together. Instead, an unexpected idea took root and he spoke before he had a chance to second guess himself.

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