Chapter 20

Nakia:

Finally back in their quarters, Rohn drew a bath. Carefully, as if she were made of spun glass, he undressed her. “Your leg?” he asked, removing her shoes.

“It’s fine to get wet. It’ll need to dry out after,” she answered.

While the tub filled, he put her in the shower stall to rinse off the dust of Vel Mori. Once in the hot water, he ran a soapy washcloth over her. Gently, he turned her, lifted her arms, and positioned her like a doll, all the while inspecting her for damage.

“I’m fine. I’m fine,” she repeated, willing it to be true. She was fine. The baby was fine. They were fine. Only she didn’t feel fine. She felt as fragile as Rohn treated her, and that made her angry. She was strong; resilient and did not require special handling.

She snagged the washcloth from his hands. “I’m not fragile. Please stop treating me like this.”

“Like you are precious? Vital?”

This man.

Her breath shuddered in her chest. “Rohn, I was so scared.” As scared as she had ever been, including when she had been trapped under the school all those years ago. But that turned out okay because Rohn was there, and today turned out okay, too.

By luck, her unhelpful mind supplied. Only luck. So many things could have gone wrong, if Rohn had arrived a few minutes later or if the knife had been a few inches over.

“I was scared too,” he said. He added shampoo to her damp hair and worked it into a lather, acting for all the world like her big, tough alien didn’t just admit to being scared. He massaged her scalp in silence. Nakia’s overactive mind calmed down, lost to the soothing kneading. “Rinse,” he said, a moment before cupping water over her head.

She leaned back, letting her hair fan out in the water. The stars surrounded her and her alien gently, ever so gently, washed away the shampoo from her hairline. Their eyes locked, the silence between them warm.

“I realized that I never told you I loved you,” he said.

“I know you do.” He may not have said it with words, but he said it with his actions, even his ridiculous jealous fits. “I pretty much knew when you did all that research on cat care.”

“Being accepted into Princess’s pride is an honor and a responsibility.” He pushed her up into a seated position. With just as much attentive care, he worked the coconut-scented conditioner into her hair. “But you deserve the words, and the fact that I never shared them with you consumed all my thoughts.”

They fell silent as he rinsed the conditioner from her hair. Then, “Kneel. Face the window.”

She positioned herself and he climbed into the water behind her. In the black mirror of the window, their images transposed over the scattering of stars. He planted his hands on either side of her, leaning in. The glow from his tattoos spread up his arms, burning brightly. “I love you, Nakia, with everything in my being.”

He kissed the nape of her neck, teeth scraping against skin.

“Please, Rohn,” she said, pressing her ass against him. The day had been such a rollercoaster. She wanted to feel him against her, inside her. “I need you.”

Their bodies joined, moving together. Water sloshed onto the floor as he pressed her against the window, steam condensing on the cold glass. This man had never treated her like she was less than capable and always made her feel safe. Precious. At home, even in the stars. Wherever they were, as long as they were together, they were home.