Page 49 of Needed in the Night
“What Pioni said.” Without missing a beat, he scooped me up. I squawked in surprise. He kissed my forehead andcontinued climbing the stairs cradling me in his arms. “She advised Atlath not to disturb us until tomorrow midday because we would bebusy.”
“Nosy Sirrah,” I muttered. “I didn’t realize it was so obvious how badly I want to get naked with you.”
Mikas nearly missed a step, but regained his footing immediately and continued up the stairs at a much faster pace. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one excited at the prospect of picking up where we’d left off in Ycari’s back room.
On Level Three, we found the doors labeled in a language I didn’t know—probably Prylothian. But as we entered the hallway, the nameplates next to the doors blinked out. When they lit up again, the words were Alliance Standard. A scanner must have identified us as not being from Atlath’s native world.
The Star Bird room was the third doorway on the right. I waved my hand over the scanner next to the door. It slid open, revealing the dimly lit room beyond.
“Oh,” I gasped.
Mikas carried me inside and put me on my feet. The door closed and locked behind us.
To call the room aroomdidn’t do it justice. Half the suite was a much-larger version of the terrarium downstairs, complete with a pool, waterfall, and warm rocks heated both by lights and probably radiant heat.
There was also a well-stocked kitchen and a bedroom area near the terrarium with an absolutely enormous bed. The bathroom was as large as the bedroom, with both sonic and water-based cleansing systems. Personal care items catering to a variety of species, including humans, filled the shelves in the bathroom.
“A lovely suite designed for visiting dignitaries,” Mikas observed after we’d explored our accommodations. We returned to the bedroom area, standing near the stone steps that led down to the pool and heated rocks. He rested his handslightly on my shoulders. “But adaptable to shelter a pair of runaway lovers seeking safe harbor for the night.”
“Calling usrunaway loversmakes this seem like a romantic adventure.” I craned my neck to look up at him. “Which I suppose it is. It didn't seem very romantic when we were trying to get to the market’s exit and all the way to the Alpha Megaport without getting captured or killed, though. At that point, it just seemed scary.”
“Yes.” Gently, he turned me to face him. “It was scary, but now we are safe for the night.” He kissed my forehead and guided me to the bed. “Lie down, Isla. You are exhausted.”
I wanted to argue, wanted to follow through on what I’d said about getting naked with him, but now with my rush of adrenaline gone, I was painfully aware that I’d slept poorly for days, I wobbled on my feet from emotional and physical exhaustion, and my hands trembled because I’d had little to eat today besides that bowl of jampa berries.
I sat on the edge of the bed, intending to unfasten and remove my boots and take off my wrist sheath and dagger. Instead, I found myself falling onto my back to stare up at the ceiling. “I am so tired,” I mumbled.
Clothing rustled, and then I felt tugs on my boots. I raised my head to see Mikas on his knees next to my feet. “You’ve really got to stop kneeling in front of me,” I said with a sigh.
“No, I do not think I will stop kneeling before my mate.” He kissed the inside of my left knee and slid my left boot off. He peered inside my boot and glanced up at me, his eyebrows raised. “How many daggers do you carry, Isla?”
“How many doyoucarry?” I shot back.
“Five.” He set my boot aside and reached for the other one. “Approximately.”
Chuckling, I dropped my head back onto the bed and closed my eyes.
Once my boots were off, he rose and removed my forearmsheath. “Do you want me to look for sleepwear that might fit you?” he asked from beyond my closed eyelids. He set the sheath and dagger on what sounded like the small table next to the bed. “I believe the closet contains such items.”
I had no energy to change clothes. “No,” I murmured. “I’m fine sleeping in my dress.”
For the next few minutes, he moved quietly around the room. Then the lights dimmed even further and I heard rustling nearby.
When I opened my eyes just enough to see Mikas, he stood next to the bed in a pair of sleep pants that I would have ripped off his body with my teeth if I’d had enough energy.
“You should be comfortable.” He held up a tunic and pants that were a much-smaller version of what he wore. “I found some I think will fit you. I will help you change.”
“All right.” Sleepily, I sat up and raised my arms.
He slipped my dress off over my head, then put the tunic on in its place and got me into it, his hands gentle. Then he knelt, got my legs into the pants, and drew them up as far as they would go without me raising my hips or standing.
He lifted me with one arm, pulled the pants up to my waist with the other, and set me down. “Better?” he asked, straightening.
I barely heard him. At the moment, his lower abdomen was right in front of my face as I sat on the edge of the bed. The lightweight fabric of his sleep pants clung to the distinct shape of not one but two thick, partially aroused cocks.
Maybe I wasn’ttootired. One tug on those loose pants, and…
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than in one fluid movement, he scooped me up, drew back the covers, and settled me into the bed.
