Page 15 of Searching the Skies

She clung to him as he moved faster, the sole sounds in the endless darkness their heavy breaths and the slap of their bodies as they met each other with each thrust. “Hurry up,” she whispered. “I need you to come for me.”

The response to her words of encouragement came with a slam so violent, she swore the thick steel wall would buckle behind her. As his cock throbbed inside her, he tried to muffle his groan of pleasure in the loose strands of her hair. Exhaling, he leaned his forehead against hers.

He slipped out of her, and she slid her feet down the wall until she stood on the floor. She knelt and rummaged around for her pants, coming across her ruined underwear instead. After tripping into Ash in the process of pulling her pants on over her boots, she once again caught herself before making any more unwanted noise. “I could turn on the light,” he suggested.

“No! Then someone will know we’re in here!”

He chuckled as she shoved the remains of her panties into her pocket. “For someone who’s seen so much excitement in her life with the military, I would think you’d be used to living dangerously by now.”

“There’s a fine line between ‘living dangerously’ and getting caught by your superior officers with your pants down.” She attempted to make herself look as presentable as possible, a difficult task in the absolute lack of light, but she at least tried to make sure she’d arranged her clothing correctly and her hair was properly pulled into place. “Next time, we’ll stick with my bedroom,” she said, attempting to keep her voice firm.

Despite the darkness, Ash directed his hand to the curve of her ass and gave it a light pat. “Whatever you say!”

***

The following night, Geneva found company in her bed. Though exhausted from their physical activities, work related and otherwise, they remained awake. Ash lay on his back with his fingers laced behind his head. From where her head rested on his bare chest, Geneva couldn’t see if his eyes were open or not, but his subtle movements indicated he hadn’t drifted off to sleep yet. “I thought we were supposed to be getting to know each other better,” she said, laughing.

“Aren’t we?”

“Beyond the physical sense.”

“What do you want to know?” he asked, twirling a lock of her hair around his fingers.

She paused to ponder the question. “Where are you from? What’s your family like? Why did you join the military?”

His hand stopped in mid-rotation. “What, no medical history? Do you want my grade reports from school as well?”

“Sorry.” She rolled over to face him, her head gently bobbing with the rise and fall of his breathing. “I wouldn’t mind learning more about you though.”

He resumed weaving his way in and out of her hair. “I grew up on Dorann, way out in the Caloray system. Not much to tell about it, it’s a nice enough place. My two brothers are still there, and they have their own families now.” A tired smile appeared on his lips. “Anything else?”

“You left out the part about how you got here, on this ship.”

“How do any of us get here?” His shoulders twitched in a small shrug. “We want to help our fellow people, see all the universe has to offer, or we’re escaping to a better life. Maybe a little of all of those, sometimes.”

His words echoed in her head as she mulled them over. “Which one do you think I am?”

“Does it matter?”

When she didn’t answer, he withdrew his fingers from her tousled waves and lifted her chin to look right at her with the startling blue eyes she’d come to adore so much. “We’re here now. While I don’t mind sharing things with you, of course, I don’t need to know your whole life story toknowyou. You’re brilliant and dedicated and you care about your fellow soldiers. You’ve managed to retain a great sense of humor despite all the crap we have to deal with… Do I need to keep going?”

A grin finally broke out and spread across her face. “Yes, I think you should.”

“All right. You’ve got a body to die for, you touch me in the most amazing ways, and you’ve got the sweetest little—”

“Okay! I get it now!” She giggled.

He laughed with her and tugged on a loose strand of her hair. “Look, Geneva, I think we’ve got a good thing going on here. I like you very much, and I want to be around you. But I don’t want to make myself crazy reliving the past or worrying about the future. I’m not going anywhere any time soon, so let’s just enjoy ourselves.”

She was inclined to agree with him, grateful for his reassurance. The movement of his chest had almost lulled her to sleep when one last crucial thought darted through her mind. “Ash?”

“Mm-hmm?”

“What’s your first name?”

His body shifted beneath her head as a small sigh came out of him. “It’s George.”

“Ah.” She considered this new bit of knowledge. “Can I stick with Ash?”

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