Page 178 of Seven Oars
Her head spun in circles, and she sagged against the window.
He lowered himself to the floor beside her.
By now, she knew every scar on his body, and he had many of them. The burns were the worst-looking, but they weren’t the deepest.
He had led a rough life. Even by an outlaw’s standards, it was very violent.
Her fingers found and kneaded his shoulder lightly.
She loved the feel of his skin, dusted with a sprinkling of downy fuzz under his shirt. The resilience of the muscle made her mouth water. She wanted to bite him. She had, more than once, when he drove into her, sparing nothing of his powerful thrust.
His sheer power intoxicated. He had so much of it, and all was hers to touch, to taste, to take inside.She knew how he tasted—musky, male, erotic. He made her wild and animal. His body roused primal urges she hadn’t known she was capable of.
And he was right, her wishes didn’t change what he was.
“Your time is running out,” he murmured into her ear.“Do I need to kidnap you to make you go away from here?”
So casual. So… piratical. He would, too.
“Please don’t.” Her vision blurred, and she felt like the bottom was falling out, and she was dropping into a helpless void.“Oh, Finn… What choice do I have?”
“You don’t have any choice, stardust.” His voice was gentle.“I won’t let you die.”
She wiped her tears, but fresh ones came.
“I gave you time to come to terms with it,” he said quietly,” but when I say it’s time, you’re going to go.”
Rosamma flexed her hands on his chest.“No, give me this much. I want to make that decision.”
“There’s no decision. Only your consciousness.”
“And it’s a big deal! How will I live with myself if I know that I abandoned my friends? They might get eaten when the food runs out!”
“By staying, how can you make it better?”
“Please, not today,” she begged.“I’ll decide tomorrow.”
He wrapped his strong arms around her thin, heaving shoulders.“That’s fine. Tomorrow. But remember, the days have become precious, and we’ve already wasted a number of them.”
He was caressing her back, and she leaned into him, only dimly aware of what he was saying. Precious days… Numbered.
“I promise,” she said, over and over.“I’ll go with you.”
“Hush now, your eyes are going to leak out.”
Was he really afraid of that? She gave a watery giggle.
Silly alien. Her joy, her love, her starlight. If it was an illusion, it was a powerful one.
“When we go to Priss, what will you do?” she asked, gazing at him as if he were one of her stars.
”Stay with you.” He smoothed her hair, shifting her braid and caressing the nape of her neck.
“Truly? Forever?”
He smiled faintly.“What else is there for me?”
She clung to him, wanting this imaginary world to keep growing.
