Page 20 of Obsessed

Her hips rise to meet mine, her body moving in sync with my own. The gym mat beneath us squeaks in protest, thesound echoing through the otherwise silent room. I can feel her muscles tensing around me, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Close," she pants. "So close."

I reach between us, finding her clit with my thumb. A few quick circles, and she's crying out, her body convulsing around me as she comes. The sight of her, lost in pleasure, pushes me over the edge. I thrust into her one last time, my own release barreling through me like a storm.

We collapse onto the mat, our bodies slick with sweat, our breaths mingling in the air between us. I roll onto my back, pulling her with me so that she's sprawled across my chest. Her heart beats in time with mine, a steady rhythm that grounds me in the moment.

"Well," she says, a smile in her voice. "That was... educational."

A laugh rumbles through my chest. "Glad you thought so." I press a kiss to the top of her head, feeling more content than I have in years. This, right here, is what perfection feels like. With Alice, my fated mate, in my arms. Nothing else matters.

CHAPTER 11

ALICE

The soft hum of the environmental controls pulls me from sleep. My muscles ache in places I forgot existed, a delicious reminder of yesterday's... activities. The small bed creaks as I stretch, and memories flood back - strong blue hands, passionate kisses, the way Davrik's skin felt against mine.

What have I done?

I press my palms against my eyes, but can't stop the smile spreading across my face. Sure, sleeping with someone I barely know isn't exactly my usual style. Let alone an alien! But after months of isolation, the connection felt real. Electric.

The sonic shower pulses against my skin as I try to sort through my jumbled thoughts. Steam fogs the small bathroom mirror, and I catch glimpses of marks on my neck and shoulders. Heat rises to my cheeks.

"You're a scientist, Alice. Be rational," I mutter to myself while wrestling my hair into submission. "It was just... physical attraction. Chemistry. Nothing more."

But even as I say it, I know it's not true. The way he looked at me, touched me... there was something deeper there. Something that makes my heart race just thinking about it.

I don't know if there's any sort of future between us. Maybe it was just a fling; a passion of forced proximity. Even so, I feel grateful getting to have it. Even if we part ways in a couple months, it was thrilling having this little distraction in an otherwise dull and soul crushing year.

Nova can throw me away, put me out of sight on a bullshit assignment for an entire year, but they can't stop me from finding my own fun out here.

Still, part of me hopes this is something long term. It certainly feels like something real, even if I can't define exactly why.

Through the bathroom door, I hear Davrik's soft snores from the couch in the common area. Poor guy - that couch wasn't made for someone his size. But my tiny bed definitely wouldn't have fit us both for sleeping.

I dress quietly in my field clothes, trying not to wake him. What happens now? In less than two months, the collection ship arrives. He'll leave with his mysterious cargo, back to his dangerous life. And I'll stay here, alone with my plants and research.

My throat tightens at the thought. But I push it aside, focusing on getting ready for the day ahead. I have work to do, specimens to catalog. I can't let one incredible night derail my entire mission here.

Still, as I gather my equipment, I can't help stealing glances at his sleeping form through the doorway. His blue skin seems to glow in the station's artificial dawn light. Whatever comes next, I decide, I won't regret this.

The twisted hull of Davrik's ship juts from the purple-tinted grass like a broken tooth. Morning dew makes the metal gleam, almost beautiful in its destruction. I pause in my trek to my research site, gnawing my lower lip.

I shouldn't.

But...

I look around, confident he hasn't left the station yet. He's probably still fast asleep.

"Just a quick peek," I whisper to myself, approaching the wreck. "For science, of course."

The cargo hold door hangs askew, creating an easy entrance. Inside, emergency lights still flicker, casting everything in an eerie blue glow. The air smells of ozone and something distinctly alien - like cardamom mixed with motor oil.

Personal effects litter the small living space. I step carefully around scattered data pads and what looks like a well-worn copy of an old space adventure story. The cover shows a man with green skin holding a plasma rifle while a woman in skimpy clothing clings desperately to his ankle My fingers trace the spine, imagining Davrik reading during long solo flights through space.

Empty food containers tell their own story - all single-serving, all bearing different spaceport stamps. Omega Station. Glimner. Places I've only read about.

"Someone needs to teach you to cook," I murmur, picking up a wrapper. A small hologram projector rolls from beneath it, activating on impact. It flickers to life, showing star charts and flight paths - thousands of them. Each one represents a solo journey.

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