Page 59 of Star Champion

After they had moved inside to his bed last night, they made love again. She had not thought her body capable of the things he somehow was able to coax from her. Her two previous lovers were not inept by any means, but they could not compare to Klark. He was strong, skilled, and patient. Surprisingly tender, too. She had not expected that. But watching his eyes, seeing his look of awe the first time he was inside her was something she would never forget.

She slipped out from under the dead weight of his arm to scoot to the edge of the bed. His hand shot out and snatched her wrist. He grumbled something sleepily into his pillow.

She lifted her brows at the no-escape grip he had on her then narrowed her eyes at him. “I ain’t one of your concubines.”

He blinked awake. Then he let out a husky groan and rolled onto his back. “Come here, you. And, no,” he added emphatically. “You are not.” He pulled her close and kissed her soundly then pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist. “Forgive me. This is all new to me. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

She snorted.

“No, really.” A sly, sleepy grin dented his cheeks, but she did not miss the hint of doubt in his eyes. He skimmed his knuckles along her jaw, pausing to touch the pad of his thumb to her lower lip. Her breath caught, and she shivered from the tender touch. “AVashprince is either married, or he uses the services of the pleasure girls. There is no…this.”

“This…”

“Inviting a woman I care about to my bed.”

She touched two fingertips to his lips as if she could feel the echo of his words. She assumed this prince of the realm would be as smooth and debonair socially as he was skilled at lovemaking, but it was not the case at all. With all his barriers down, he actually seemed quite uncertain underneath. Even shy. It added a whole new dimension to a man who displayed so many unexpected angles as it was.

He stroked his hand over her bottom. “So, allow me to start over. Good morning, gorgeous.”

“Mmm. That’s better. Good morning.” She gave him a pleased, sideways glance as she snuggled closer. “So, they must know all about sexual techniques and such,” she said, tracing swirls with her fingertip from his chest down the center of his torso, and lower.

“Who?” He stopped her hand before it got to where she was aiming: a very sizeable morning hello.

“Them.”

“The palace courtesans, you mean? That’s what they’re trained to know.”

Her face felt warm. “I ain’t trained. But ya probably already figured that out—”

He had her on her back in a second, his hands gripping her wrists, pressing the backs of her hands into the disheveled sheets. “Nothing I’ve experienced compares to you.” He laced his fingers with hers, and her insides contracted with a wave of desire. The intensity in his eyes assured her he was telling the truth. “Nothing.”

Quietly, she said, “Same here.”

A hint of satisfaction passed over his eyes.

“But, you’ve only been with courtesans,” she pointed out.

“You've only been with miners,” he countered.

“Loaders,” she said. “For the sake of accuracy.”

They looked at each other and laughed. It was a joyful sound she was getting more and more accustomed to hearing. Then their laughter faded into sounds of passion as they made love so thoroughly that the ghosts of lovers past faded permanently.

Before breakfast, they showered together in the huge stone enclosure connected to Klark’s bedroom that was half the size of Jemm’s entire apartment. Multiple heads gushed water down on them. They were laughing, kissing, soaping each other, kissing some more. Not a player and coach, not a tug driver and prince. They were two young lovers acting as if they did not have a care in the world. In that brief moment, at least, they did not.

CHAPTER19

“I cancelledthe match with Raff Xirri,” Klark said that afternoon. He knew she was as sore and spent as he was, after much lovemaking and too little sleep. They had kept to the rest of their schedule, but planned only some light sparring.

“Why’d ya go and do that? I would have been fine against Xirri.”

“I thought it best not to overly exert you. Due to your nocturnal activities.”

She scoffed at that. “I think you’re worried about Xirri seeing ya making yipwag eyes at me.” She buffed her sens-sword with a cloth. Squinting at a scuff, then buffing it some more, she said, “You could have worn your see-in-the-dark glasses to hide your eyes.”

Klark took hold of the unfastened collar of her bajha suit and drew her to him. “Maybe you ought to be the one wearing the glasses. Pretending to clean your sens-sword won’t fool anyone.”

“You think I’m making yipwag eyes at ya?”

---