"Well, if you're anywhere other than Saurellia," he replied. "As soon as I realized you were my lifemate, I made arrangements for us to evacuate if we needed to. I did it the day I went into the spaceport."
She jerked away from him, and Mali squawked in protest.
"You knew something like this could happen, and you didn't warn anyone?"
"No, of course not," he replied, looking startled. "It's just a backup. I had no idea this would happen. If I had even dreamt Hector Prime was a target, I would have taken you away weeks ago. I was just being cautious. It's just dumb luck that we survived, you know.
I couldn't even fly the ship close enough to see what happened to the hostel. Too much smoke and radiation."
"Mom, if Jax hadn't been there we'd all be dead right now," Able said quietly, breaking in to the conversation. His face was pinched with concern, and she hugged him close. "And he's been taking real good care of me and Mali while you were sick."
"I realize that, sweetheart," she replied. For once, he didn't protest the endearment. "I was just startled, that's all. Thank you, Jax. Thank you so much for saving me and the children."
"You're welcome," he replied with a smile. "We thought we might lose you for a while.
You got hit in the head. Fortunately, the Serendipity has a pretty high-end medical unit.
Otherwise I doubt you'd still be here."
"We thought you were dead, Mommy," Mali whispered.
"Well, I'm not," she replied, squeezing the little girl tightly.
"I know," Mali replied. "Jax took good care of you."
"Yes, he did," she said softly, looking into his eyes. His face was worn, but his eyes were filled with love for her and the children. Realization hit her, and she knew he had been right all along. They were lifemates. Love welled up inside of her. She blinked back tears, unable to speak. He seemed to understand, though, and leaned toward her, kissing her deeply over the children's heads. She closed her eyes, drinking in the sensation of his touch.
Despite the horror they had just escaped, life was very good indeed.
Chapter Ten
Saurellia, Three Months Later
She could get used to this, Sarai thought as she lay back in the grass, cradled in Jax's arms. He had arranged for the children to stay with Calla for the day, insisting that he wanted to show her the sights of his boyhood home alone. It had been an excellent idea, she thought with satisfaction.
Once again they were lying on a picnic blanket, only this time they were naked. Jax was asleep beside her, warmed by the sun and the bottle of wine they'd shared over lunch.
Perhaps the fact that they'd made love twice had something to do with it, too, she though wryly. The man was strong, but even he needed a break at times. Of course, getting him to that point was very pleasant.
She leaned up, studying him. There were new lines on his face, the legacy of their disastrous escape from Hector Prime. He'd tried to find out what had happened there, but Saurellian intelligence hadn't been able to tell him. Apparently they were still trying to figure out what had gone wrong…
She still couldn't quite believe everyone she'd known there was gone. For the second time in her life, she'd lost everything. It didn't get easier with practice, she mused. Then she shook her head, trying to clear her sadness. This wasn't a day for regrets. Instead, she focused her attention back on Jax.
He was so handsome. She could hardly believe this strong, kind man was hers. And he hadn't pressured her to into anything, hadn't even asked her to remove her birth control implant. She would, though. She wanted a child with him, a little boy who would grow up to be strong and true like his father. Or perhaps another daughter. He was wonderful with Mali, wonderful with both the children. She couldn't have found a better father for them.
She trailed her fingers down his bare chest, enjoying the feel of the wiry hairs that covered him. He was waking up, she could tell by the way he tensed under her touch. Then he spoke, his voice a low rumble.
"Just can't quite get enough, can you?" he asked, and she grinned at him.
"Never," she said. She swung her bare leg across his body, rolling on top of him. She wiggled her pelvis experimentally, and his body hardened in response. His hands came down to her hips, pulling her tightly against him.
"That's nice," he said, closing his eyes in pleasure. "Sarai, you feel so good."
She giggled, and squirmed against him.
"So, what should we do now?" she asked, kissing him along his jaw line. His hands tightened in her flesh. He was much harder now, and his hips twitched beneath her.
"I think we should fuck," he said bluntly, and she burst out laughing. He was nothing if not predictable. "Unless you had other plans?" He thrust up at her, and she sighed in satisfaction. She loved the feel of him under her.
Instead of answering, she placed both hands flat on his chest and sat up, still straddling his body with her own. She could feel her nipples tightening in anticipation, and a growing wetness between her legs. His cock was like a pillar of steel between them, and she took pleasure in slipping it back and forth along her vulva and clit. Just the anticipation of that hard length inside her body was enough to drive her crazy.
He reached up to grasp her breasts in his strong hands, massaging them and playing with the nipples. A string of sensation wound its way down through her body from them to that sensitive place between her legs, and she threw her head back and sighed. Then she raised her hips, and reached down with one hand to position his hungry cock. This was going to feel good…
As she sat down on him, taking his length into her body, she could hardly breath. He filled her so tightly. Even after spending months with him she gasped a little as his penis came into her completely. She stilled, allowing herself to get used to his presence. She looked down at him, then slowly leaned over to kiss him. She plunged hungrily into his mouth with her tongue, taking as much as he would give her. For the thousandth time, she marveled at her good fortune. How had she found a man such as this?
She began to move slowly, raising her hips and then sliding them slowly back down over his massive erection. She mimicked each motion with her tongue; enjoying the feeling of power it gave her. She was so free with him; nothing she did threatened his masculinity.
She truly was his equal, and she loved it.
She raised her head, braced her hands against his chest and started moving faster. She shook out her hair and laughed as his hands clenched her hips, trying to pull her down against him more tightly. She stopped moving for a second, just to tease him, and he bucked his hips up at her.
"Sarai, you're going to kill me if you don't start moving again," he gasped. With a grin, she started moving, deliberately keeping each stroke slow and steady, twisting as she came down and grinding her clit against his body. It was fantastic. His fingers dug into her, but she didn't care. She was going to take this at her own pace.
But all too soon that pace wasn't fast enough. She moved more quickly, riding him as sensation built up in her body. She was starting to sweat now, and she could feel her heart racing as she moved faster and faster. The feel of him beneath her was incredible. How had she ever thought she could resist this man's touch? They had been created for each other; being with him made her complete.
He had closed his eyes and his head was thrown back as he strained beneath her. She could tell he was getting close to his orgasm; she was, too. Just a little bit longer now, a little harder and she would hit it. She slid up and down his cock as quickly as she could make her body move, breasts bobbing with every motion. Her breathing was harsh and fast, and the tension in her was so tight it was a challenge to control her movements. Just a little more and she would have it. Down. Again. Harder.