He lowers me to the floor. I don’t even remember taking my silk slippers off, but I must’ve at some point. I follow his lead as he begins to undress swiftly. We leave a trail of clothes behind us, reaching for each other in between for quick touches, kisses, and more.

When my dress pools at my feet, and I’m standing at the foot of our bed, Hunter stops me. I take a moment to absorb the sight of him. He is a stunning, powerful being. The light plays over his shimmery bronze skin. When his tail flicks, my entire body feels electrified.

I try to breathe, but I can barely manage it. He asks again, “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

This feels more right than anything I could’ve imagined. All I want is to be joined with him. What follows is second after second, heartbeat after heartbeat, of sensation. My nerve endings feel alive and sparkling.

Our kisses go on and on in a tangle of lips, teeth, and tongues. His hands map my body, his mouth leaving blazing trails of sparks everywhere he touches. My belly trembles when he smooths a calloused palm over it. He drops hot kisses on my thighs, and goose bumps rise on my skin as I shiver with fiery anticipation.

His fingers tease me again. I whimper at the feel of his warm skin as he comes over me. His thick shaft is swollen with need for me, cum rolling out the tip and dripping onto me. And then, finally,finally, his weight rests over me.

His hands brush my tangled hair away from my face as he asks yet again, “Are you ready?”

The answer is a foregone conclusion as I whisper, “Yes.”

I feel his thick crown nestle against the very heart of me. He fills me in a slow glide. The burning sensation is brief and intense, but it passes.

He holds still, asking if I’m okay, distracting me with his mouth and his words. “I love you. You are mine.”

Once again, I experience a jolt of knowing, of awareness in his golden gaze, echoing mine. He seats himself deeply, and I savor the feel of him filling me again and again until he reachesbetween us. He teases over the center of my pleasure, and it bursts through me in a ray. I feel sparks scattering through me as I cry his name and shudder and feel the heat of his release filling me inside.

He rolls us over, holding me against him. “I love the way you feel,” I rasp.

After we rest for a few moments, he lifts me and carries me into our bathroom. This is the first time I’m even able to see it. Like the rest of the house, it is also bright and open with the light from the setting sun falling through the windows. We shower together. I feel so cared for when he helps towel me off afterward. We dress in robes before he takes me on a small tour of our house.

We have our own bedroom and bathroom. The bed is big with pillows and brightly colored sheets. A door leads out to our garden. I’m still adjusting to the flowers and trees here. It’s so different from Earth, where all you see are the old remnants of forest and dead trees.

Our private suite is on one side of the home, with the living room and kitchen in the middle and another hallway with more bedrooms on the other side. We even have a guest suite if we ever have visitors.

“I love it.” I look up at Hunter when we’re back in the kitchen.

He smiles down at me, his eyes warm. “This is your home forever.” His gaze sobers after a moment. “Are you glad you’re here?”

“Absolutely,” I say, a sense of joy rising inside. “I love it here, and I love you.”

He kisses me again before stepping back and asking, “Are you hungry?”

“I am because I was too nervous to eat much after our wedding,” I tell him.

Chapter Nine

MELODY

Over the following week, I lose myself, or maybe find myself, in my time with Hunter. Beyond simply getting to know him and savoring the pleasure of being with him intimately, I learn so much about my new home and planet.

I’m surprised to discover the prince and princess live essentially like the rest of us. I had expected to be in a less luxurious home than theirs.

When I comment to Hunter, “This is so much like Princess Jane’s place,” his lips twitch at the corners as he nods.

“Yes. Very much so. They have larger grounds and additional security, but as our leaders, they have been beloved for centuries because they are like all of us. There is enough for everyone here.”

Our house is a little smaller than Jane and Asher’s, but it’s so nice, and we have food delivered for the week. Hunter explains all couples can avail themselves of this. Some don’t choose to, but they can. I’m still getting used to all the fruits and vegetables available here. We have a large garden on our grounds.

Hunter tells me, “You can garden to your heart’s content. If it’s not your thing, we can hire someone to manage it, but Ithought I’d ask. I enjoy it when I’m not working, but sometimes I have to travel.”

“I know I’ll love it,” I enthuse as I look at the flowers and select fruits for breakfast.