"But..."
"No, no buts. I know you may not want to hear that from me. That you may never come to feel for me what you did for your Todd, but I know that you are the only female for me!" With that he captured her lips for a hard, possessive kiss.
Jennifer remained absolutely still for a moment, stunned, not because of his words, but because of the absolute conviction behind them. She hadn't realized how badly she'd needed to hear them. Hadn't realized how they would reach deep down inside her and fill that place that had been so cold and empty since Todd's death. There'd been so much doubt in her life lately, so much uncertainty. It made her realize it was time for her to either fully embrace what Treyvon was offering, or to completely withdraw and be alone... forever.
Reaching up she gripped his braids, and pulling him closer as she sank into his kiss, fully embracing her new future. A future filled with Treyvon.
Treyvon immediately felt the change in her but wasn't sure what it meant.
"Jennifer?" He pulled back just far enough to gaze down at her.
"I love you, Treyvon." There, she'd finally said it out loud and in doing so the weight she'd been carrying lightened, because she was no longer carrying it alone. She had Treyvon and he had her.
Treyvon knew his eyes were blazing because they were reflected in hers. It made her look Kaliszian, but he knew she wasn't and he thanked the Goddess for that. For he knew she would be bringing something into his life that he never would have had with a Kaliszian female and he couldn't wait.
Shifting his grip, he carried her into their quarters.
"Tomorrow," he growled moving toward his bed, "your things will be moved in here."
"Okay," she said wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You will rest here, wake here, and live here." It wasn't a request as he laid her down on the bed.
"Yes," she agreed, pulling him down with her, welcoming the weight that pressed her deeper into the bed. It made her feel safe and protected but didn't crush her. Shifting her grip, she sank her fingers into his braids, pulling his mouth back to hers, wanting to convey how strong and true her feelings were for him.
Treyvon sank into the kiss, resting the majority of his weight on his elbows. He would never let anything harm his Jennifer, his love, not even his weight. He wanted to reach up and rip her covering off, wanted to expose all her pale, beautiful skin, but he knew she only had a limited number of them. It was something he would soon make sure wasn't an issue. He would see to it that she had so many beautiful coverings that it wouldn't matter when he ripped them off her. But for right now he would take care. Rolling onto his back, he began to immediately work it up.
"Treyvon!" she gasped at the sudden change in their positions, then realizing what he was doing, pushed up to straddle his hips, and began helping him pull her covering up over her head. When it caught on the band restraining her hair she yanked it out, freeing both her hair and her arms.
While her hands were occupied, Treyvon reached up, cupping her small firm breasts, before rolling her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. Teasing them until they formed tight, firm peaks.
"Beautiful," he whispered, his hot breath bathing a nipple before he sucked it deep into the recesses of his mouth.
"Treyvon..." she gasped, her head falling back as her arms went around his head. With every tug of his mouth, her hips moved against the bulge in his pants as her channel flooded with need.
She needed more.
She needed Treyvon deep inside her.
Straightening she used the grip she had on his braids to tug his mouth away from her breast. Using his momentary disbelief, her fingers went to work on the fasteners on his vest. She needed to feel skin, his skin, all of it.
"Get this off," she ordered pushing the offending garment over his broad shoulders, totally unconcerned that she was ordering around the most powerful general in the Kaliszian Empire.
"And these!" she continued, shimmying back so her fingers could pull on the fastener holding his pants together. Ripping them open, his long, thick shaft sprung free.
'Goddess, how had this ever fit inside her?' she thought, then reaching down to stroke him discovered she had to use both hands to fully encircle him.
Treyvon had just finished removing his vest and fully intended on pulling her back into his arms so he could finish feasting on her breasts. But when she began stroking his shaft, his entire being stilled.
"Goddess, Jennifer!" he growled, not sure if he wanted her to stop or for her never to.
"I want you," she told him, her gaze meeting his. "I want to show you how much I love you. Will you let me?"
Treyvon found he could do nothing but nod as she continued to stroke him.
"Then lie back," she said giving his shoulder a gentle push, "and let me love you."
Treyvon let himself fall back but only onto his elbows. He didn't want to miss a single thing she was going to do.
"Do you know how beautiful you are to me?" she whispered, her gaze caressing his taut abs before moving over his flexing pecs with their dark, flat nipples. She'd never thought male nipples were sexy before, but then on Treyvon everything was sexy.
Unable to resist, she leaned forward dragging her tongue over one of the disks and felt a low rumble start in his chest. Lifting her mouth, she blew slightly across it and watched it tighten and peak. The rumble grew deeper. Shifting, she gave the same treatment to his other nipple.
"Jennifer..." he growled. He couldn't believe what she was doing. No female had ever stroked his shaft or licked his nipples before. The females he'd Joined with had always expected such things to be done to them, but never thought to do them to him. Not his Jennifer. She seemed to find as much pleasure in exploring his body, as he was.
"What?" she asked innocently, gazing up at him through her lashes as she continued to stroke his shaft.
"You know what," he choked out through clenched teeth, his hips rising in response to her tightening grip.
"Has no one ever pleasured you like this before?" she asked, finding that hard to believe. Treyvon had a magnificent body. She could spend the rest of her life exploring it and still be awed, but that wasn't what attracted her the most to him. What attracted her most was that while nearly everyone else only saw his strength and often feared him, she saw how kind and gentle he was. How he truly cared for and protected his people even though most of them judged him harshly for something that was never his fault. He deserved to be treated like the special and amazing male he was and she was just the female to do it.
"No," he told her hoarsely. "It is the female's pleasure that is important."
"Not tonight," she told him. "Tonight it is all about you and your pleasure."
She worked her way back down his amazing body, kissing and caressing every inch she could reach until her mouth was poised just above the engorged head of his shaft. A large pearl of pre-cum beaded up, trembling as her hot breath flowed over it. Unable to resist, her tongue reached out just as the pearl rolled off its precarious position and she got her first taste of his sweet yet salty essence. Wanting more, she opened her mouth wide and took him in as far as she could.
"Jennifer!" Treyvon exclaimed. When her lips had worked their way back down his body he'd widened his legs, letting her slide between them. He hadn't been sure what she was going to do, but it wasn't this. He'd heard rumors that there were females in the pleasure houses that would perform such an act, but he never thought Jennifer would know of it, let alone willingly perform it on him. As he watched, he knew he'd never seen anything as erotic in his life as his Jennifer's lips stretched around his shaft, her cheeks hollowing out as she sucked him.
“Goddess, Jennifer!” he called out hoarsely, his hips involuntarily bucking deeper into her hot, moist mouth.
She took advantage of the movement, letting her tongue caressed the thick, pulsating vein along the underside of his shaft as she pulled back. Her body responding to it's primitive beat by flooding her channel with wetne
ss, preparing her for him.
Treyvon's chest began to heave and his breath became ragged. He could feel his balls tighten and start to pull up as his hips continued to pump into the hot, moist heat of her mouth. But that wasn't where he wanted to release his seed. This would be their first true Joining and he wanted to be deep inside her channel when that happened.
Using only the strength of his abs he leaned forward, his fingers sinking into her long silky strands. Ignoring her protests, he gently but firmly pulled her up and away from his shaft until he could cover her swollen lips with his. Rolling, he reversed their positions. Settling in between her legs, his elbows again taking the majority of his weight, his braids fell forward and his beads brushed along her now loose strands.
"Treyvon..." she gasped, the unhappiness at being pulled away before finishing what she'd started easily heard.
"I will be inside when I release, Jennifer," he growled against her lips as the head of his shaft nudged her entrance. "I will be deeper inside you than any male has ever been. This will be our first true Joining. It will be a Joining that has nothing to do with beads but with what our hearts say is truth."
"Yes," she readily agreed, her heart and eyes filling at his words. "Yes, I want that Treyvon, with you. Only with you."
"Then you are mine and I am yours, and nothing will ever separate us, not even the Goddess."
With that he thrust, seating himself fully inside her, doing just as he vowed. Touching her where no other male ever had.
"Treyvon!" she cried out, but not in pain although some was inevitable with his size, but still her legs wrapped around him, trying to pull him even closer.
"Jennifer!??" He stared down at her but her eyes were closed.
She heard the question, the doubt in his voice. "I'm fine... Don't stop... Goddess, please don't stop!"
"Then look at me and let me see your truth," he demanded, but when she lifted her gaze to his they revealed so much more than he expected. There in the depths of her stunning blue eyes was all the belief, all the trust, and all the love she had... for him. Suddenly, every dream he had secretly dreamed, but never believed attainable. Was. He had a female to love and she loved him. There was the possibility of a family, despite his connection to Aadi. And it was all because of her.
"I love you, Jennifer," he told her as his hips slowly withdrew again. "And I am going to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much."
"Treyvon..." Her nails dug deep into his biceps and while her back arched up off the bed, her gaze never left his. It couldn't, for in his eyes she saw everything she'd never believed possible, not for her, not after all the mistakes she'd made. But the strength of his belief and love for her blazed in his glowing eyes and made her realize she was wrong.
Here was a male who had seen her at her worst, at her lowest, and still he thought her beautiful and worthy. He allowed her to find her way in this strange new world while always making sure she knew he was there if she ever needed him. And she always would because she loved him.
Stretching up, she captured his lips her hips rising to meet his again and again until finally, together, they reached that place where there was only them and they were one.
• • • • • •
Treyvon lay on his back staring up at the darkened ceiling. His Jennifer was resting peacefully in his arms after another amazing night of Joining, but it wasn't the Joining itself that made it so amazing, it was that she had agreed to live with him, even though she did not yet wear his Ashe bead. He knew she needed more time to accept that his feelings were truth, that the life they could build together was real, and that it wasn't all suddenly going to be taken away from her. He would give her that time because he had no doubt one day she would wear his Ashe bead.
So why wasn't he resting? Why did he have this feeling that something wasn't right? It was a feeling that he'd come to trust and rely on. It had saved him and his Warriors on more than one occasion.
Knowing he wouldn't rest until he investigated the feeling, he carefully slid away from Jennifer, making sure the blankets were securely tucked in around her. Rising, he pulled on his pants and vest then with one final look at her left the room.
• • • • • •
"Warrior Onp."
Onp startled slightly in his chair. He hadn't heard Treyvon enter the Command Center. He especially hadn't expected him at this time of night. He stood and turned to face him. "General."
"Resume your duty, Onp," Treyvon told him moving toward him.
"Yes, General." He quickly sat and turned back to the screen he'd been studying.
"Is that what I think it is?" Treyvon asked pointing to the darkness along one entire edge of the screen.
"Yes sir, a ground storm. It was just detected a few minutes ago."
Treyvon entered a code on the comm in front of him and waited for it to connect.
"Matteo," the Captain of the Defender answered.
"Captain, are you tracking the ground storm on the sunrise horizon from us?"
"Yes General. I was just confirming its size and strength before notifying you."
"What did you find?"
"It is a massive storm, General, the largest ever recorded. If it maintains its current path and speed it will reach the base in just under an hour."
"Less than an hour! And you are only notifying me of this now?!!" Treyvon's rage easily came through the comm.
"General, it only appeared on our sensors within the last five minutes," Matteo defended. He knew that while Treyvon was demanding, he was also fair, and actually listened to those under his command. "I didn't believe the first readings we were getting which is why I wanted them verified before notifying you."
Treyvon worked at controlling his temper. Matteo had done exactly the right thing. If Matteo had relayed such outrageous data without first verifying it, Treyvon would have reconsidered putting him in charge of his ship. That being said, he still didn't like the lack of time he had to prepare.
"Exactly what you should have done, Matteo," he told him. "Does the data indicate how long the storm will last?"
"General, at this moment it’s impossible to know, especially if it dissipates as quickly as it appeared."
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then the data shows it could last from five to ten days."
"That's longer than the storm that trapped Emperor Vasteri."
"Yes. General. Do you wish me to send down transports so you can evacuate the base?"
"It's too late for that. Captain, your orders are to maintain your position in orbit and defend this planet."
"Yes, General."
"I will contact the Emperor and inform him of the situation. If we lose contact, you will follow the Emperor's dictates."
"Yes, General."
Treyvon disconnected the call then turned to Onp. "Set the base to Enviro Level Critical."
"Critical, sir?" Onp asked.
"Yes, this storm is going to be deadly. I want every male off the wall and every ship housed. Every exterior door seal will be changed to prevent sand penetration."
"Yes, General." Onp's fingers flew across the keys in front of him and within moments, lights began to flash and alarms rang out all over the base.
• • • • • •
Jennifer sat straight up in bed, her heart pounding as she tried to figure out where she was and what was going on. The last time she'd heard an alarm like that, the Zaludians were attacking. And why the fuck were the lights flashing? Looking around she realized two things. She was in Treyvon's quarters and he wasn't.
Jumping out of bed, she quickly found her covering and after pulling it on searched for her shoes as she pulled her hair back into a messy bun. Finding them, she slipped them on then hurried out of the room to find Treyvon.
• • • • • •
Jennifer and Treyvon entered his office at the same time but from different doors.
"Jennifer." He took in her wrinkled covering and her tousled h
air hastily pulled back in the way he hated. But it was the fear in her eyes that he hated the most.
"What's going on?" she asked, hating that her voice was trembling. "Who's attacking?"
"Shhh, no one is attacking." He was immediately across the room pulling her into his arms. "There's a ground storm approaching. A large one."
"That's what all the alarms are about?" She gave him a disbelieving look.
"Yes, and if it keeps growing at the rate it is, it will be the largest storm ever recorded on Pontus."
"What can I do to help?"
Treyvon couldn't explain what her simple words meant to him. She wanted to help. She wasn't one of his warriors. She was female. She could have remained resting and no one would have thought less of her. Instead, she wanted to know how she could help not only him, but also his warriors.
"There are extra food supplies because of what you found on the Zaludian ships. Am I allowed to use any of those?" she asked.
"You know of what we found?"
"Yes. Gulzar showed me yesterday."
"And they are from Earth?"
"Yes, and if I'm allowed to use them, I could make everyone a hot breakfast."
"Breakfast?"
"First Meal."
"A hot First Meal?!!"
"Yes, it's what most people on Earth have." She saw Treyvon's astonishment. "If I can't use those supplies, then I could at least make up some biscuits. It wouldn't pull from anyone's rations and it would give everyone something extra for having to get up so early."
"Warriors are trained to be ready for anything at any time."
"Of course, but there's no reason not to give them something extra if it would only spoil if not used."
"This is truth." He frowned slightly. "You believe this will happen? With what we found?"
"For some of the refrigerated items, yes. I know some very simple recipes that can use those items and I think your warriors will enjoy them."
"Then do it. It makes no sense to waste what the Goddess has provided."
"And the rest of the food?"
"I will speak with Liron about it. If our people do not know how to handle the supplies then it only makes sense that you use them."