Their sexual marathon was interrupted only by short bouts of sleep. By the time the pod decelerated to a stop at the second platform, they’d fucked each other nearly into oblivion. They worked together to move the pod onto the new set of tracks, then put the inside of the pod to rights, airing it out and cleaning it up as best they could.
They decided to leave the bed in place. The journey would be much slower now and they weren’t even halfway there. One would keep watch while the other slept, so they could keep rolling and make the most of their time. Moving was also safer than trying to stop somewhere and camp out. A moving target was less likely to be hit by whatever might be out there waiting.
Jim got them going with just a very little pulse of acceleration. They had to go slow now and watch every yard of track for possible obstructions.
“I can see this is going to take a while.” Jim kept his attention on the path in front of them but spared a quick glance for her. “Why don’t you go in back and get some shut eye? I can keep watch here and then we’ll switch off later.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Gina allowed. She was worn out from all the unaccustomed activity of the past few hours. It had been delicious, but also deliciously tiring. She could use a few minutes of sleep to help recharge her internal batteries. “Wake me if you need me.”
“Baby, it feels like I always need you.”
The devilish smile made her tummy clench almost as much as her heart did at his words. But he meant them in a purely sexual way. What she wouldn’t give to have a man like Jim need more than just sex from her. It was a dream she’d thought long lost when the world changed, but Jim was making her yearn for things she couldn’t have.
She went to sleep with a heavy heart, trying her best to put thoughts of the future that could never be to rest. But thoughts of Jim followed her, even into her dreams.
“Where are we?” Her jaw cracked as she yawned. The gently swaying sensation of motion had ceased.
“We just hit the end of the line on this track. I was going to wake you in a minute to help me move us onto the new set of rails, but I wanted to finish up my notes for Wally. I promised him we’d make some observations of the sections of rail they hadn’t yet seen.”
“I can help with that, if you like.” She pushed up off the makeshift bed and stretched. She felt Jim’s eyes on her and liked the way his attention made her feel—feminine and attractive. It had been a long time since a man she was also attracted to looked at her that way.
“Yeah, I figured we’d take turns taking notes as well as driving.”
“Sounds good to me.” She headed for the pod door. “Shall we?”
She was down the ramp and on the small station platform when she felt the unmistakable heat of him come up behind her. He crowded her against the powered-down console, letting her feel the hard ridge of his arousal against the soft flesh of her ass through their combined layers of clothing.
Just like that, her libido raged. This man could get her going faster than anyone ever had. All he had to do was touch her and she went up in flames.
“Do you think it’s safe?”
“Honey, when I get you in my arms it’s never safe.” His mouth nuzzled the side of her throat, sending shivers of awareness down her spine. “But if you’re asking if the tunnel is safe, I think so. I haven’t seen any evidence that anyone else has been down here since the cataclysm. I think it’d be okay to take a little break here and indulge ourselves. Now take off your clothes and chuck them into the pod. I want to hoist your little ass up on this console and fuck you into next week.”
“Only if you get naked too.” She wanted to see him in the worst way but there was precious little room to maneuver in the pod. She’d been able to see him bits at a time, but not all at once. It was something she craved.
“What’s this?” He turned her in his arms to smile down at her. “You’re making demands now?”
“Yeah.” She stroked his chest with her fingers, loving the feel of him under her hands. “I figured I should get my way once in a while here and right now, I want to see you naked too.”
He seemed to consider her request for a moment before stepping back. “All right. Together.”
And with grins on both their faces, they began to strip for each other. Gina’s mouth watered as each piece of Jim’s clothing was pitched into the open pod door. Hers followed close after.
Jim was all lean muscle and sexy rippling abs, just as she’d thought. His body was perfect symmetry of the male form. His eyes—always so serious at other times—smoldered at her. She’d bet only his past lovers had ever seen that look on his face and it thrilled her to know that she was part of a select group. Only a woman could bring about such a drastic change in this man who had lived the life of a protector, a guardian who could seldom let down his guard for the sake of his people. That she had the power to make him drop his façade in favor of pure passion was a heady thought.
Of course, he did the same thing to her. She, who had prided herself on her control of almost any situation, was powerless in the face of his fire. All he had to do was look at her and her composure shattered—her body became his for the taking.
They came together in a rush, meeting each other halfway on the platform. It was about the size of a good old-fashioned king-sized bed, probably designed for a few people to stand comfortably while waiting for the pod to be redirected onto its new path. Jim and she put the open space to an altogether different use as they twined together, mouths seeking, lips blending.
Jim walked her backward toward the wide console. A large master switch had to be thrown in order to power up the old electronics. So far, neither of them had tried to light up to the console—at least not with electricity. No, they had voltage of a different kind running through their systems as Jim hoisted her upward, so her bare bottom rested on the edge of the console.
Luckily, there was a small, flat desktop workspace right before the buttons and levers started their march up the surface of the console. She could feel them against her skin when she inadvertently leaned too far back. Jim shifted her closer and the distracting sensation disappeared to be replaced by a much more alluring one—the feel of Jim’s hairy chest against her breasts, teasing her nipples as he kissed her breathless.
Within minutes she could no longer stand being separated from him. She reached down and pulled at his hips, silently communicating what she wanted most. Him, inside her.
Jim complied with a low growl as he pushed into her in one long, stretching slide. He felt glorious. And even after all the times they’d come together in the past hours, she still couldn’t get over the rightness of this feeling, the wonder of it all. It felt like she was made for him and after this was all over, she’d be ruined for any other man. She knew it, and accepted it. There was no other way for them. No hope for a future together. He had his duty, and she had hers. Both were too important to their people, their planet, to put aside.
Jim rocked her with bone-shattering intensity, saying so much without any words at all. He looked deep into her eyes as he thrust deep into her body, the expression on his rugged face speaking of the power of his attraction, the force of his desperation, the very real desire that sparked so uncontrollably between them. She knew her face probably mirrored the same feelings.
His touch also fired her empathic sense. For some reason she was able to read Jim better than most people she’d just met. Sure, she’d known him before but only from afar. The stark truth of their relationship—such as it was—was that they were reacquainted strangers with a shared memory of the past but little intimate knowledge of each other. God willing, they’d have time to really get to know each other on this journey. They’d already started, sharing long hours talking about their past, their hopes for the present and their dreams for the future. She hungered for that knowledge. She wanted to know him—really know him—and to understand what made him tick.