There are food and cups off to the side, and we sit and talk and laugh. Adir has nothing to worry about. Lara and Stox are wonderful, and Adir is too. Lara's right. Adir finds every excuse to touch my hand, to play with my hair, to squeeze my shoulder, rub my back. I don't mind at all. He asks Lara about herself, how she's doing and feeling, but for the most part, he's almost solely focused on me.
At one point, the men start to clean up, and Lara shifts over to whisper in my ear, “He’s so devoted to you.”
“He is.”
“He’s changed, too. Being a soldier has been good for him.” She eyes me. “You’re good for him.”
“And he’s good for me.”
Lara nods slowly. “You’re right. You have a lot more confidence, but that’s not just because of him. That’s you growing and maturing. Ah, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“No, you’re right, but I think that love changes a person.”
"It certainly can, and you two… You'll get pregnant very soon, I think." She winks and then stretches and yawns. "Stox? I'm feeling a bit tired. Do you think we can take one of the vehicles to our house?"
“Tired? Already?” Stox asks.
Lara brushes her sleek, blond hair back and glares at him.
Her alien’s neon blue eyes spark. “Ah. You’re tired.”
I cover my mouth. They're so comical. She's clearly making an excuse for Adir and me to be alone, and he's clearly making it obvious to everyone that it's an excuse."
“Yes, I can drive us to our house. That’s fine.” He winks at Adir. “You have to keep your wife happy.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Adir says with a huge smile.
Stox moves to continue to clean, but I wave him off.
"Go tend to your wife," I say, grinning.
Lara hugs me. We've become very close friends over the past year, or is it two? It all seems to blur together, and when I think back to Earth, that's even hazier. Every day, the more I drive and explore more of this red planet, the more Kuria feels like home.
Once we’re finally alone, I turn to Adir. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I think this double date was a huge success.”
“It was. You were right. I wouldn’t say I doubted you, but I will never doubt you.”
“Never say never,” I say lightly.
He takes my hands in his and stares deeply into my eyes. “I can and will say never when I mean it. I will never doubt you. I will never look at another woman as I look at you. I will never love another woman. You are all I will ever need, now and always. You—Why are you crying?”
“Am I?” I laugh and go to wipe them away, but Adir leans down and wipes them away. Then, he kisses away the last one.
I shiver as tingles go up and down my spine.
“Are you cold?” he murmurs. “I can warm you up.”
“No, I’m not cold. You just affect me.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“A very good thing,” I murmur back. “Maybe never can be the truth at times.”
“It definitely can.” He beams at me, his face so light and open that I can’t help staring. “What is it?”
I just stare into his alien neon pink eyes and start to giggle.
“What?” he asks, amused.
I grab his hand and bring him over to a nearby tree. Even the trunk is a reddish color. The bark is perfectly smooth as if polished, unlike the brown, rough bark back on Earth.
Not back home. Back on Earth.
Yes, Kuria truly is my home.
And my home, even more defined, is Adir.
We don’t need to start over. We’ve already spent over a year apart. Why delay things even longer? When the heart knows what the heart wants, the heart doesn’t want to wait.
“Do you remember when you grabbed me?” I murmur.
“Yes. I had to touch you.”
“Hmm.” I stare up at him. “What if I want you to touch me?”
“I will touch you anywhere you like.”
“And if I want you to kiss me?” I ask, barely able to hear my words above the thundering roar of my pounding heartbeat.
“Then I will kiss you anywhere you like.”
“And if I want you to grab me?”
“Then I will—”
“And if I want you to marry me?” I ask in a rush.
Adir’s jaw drops, but the light in his eyes only shines even brighter.
Tenderly, I cup his face, draw him down to me, and kiss him.
At first, the kiss is tentative, shy, hesitant even, but then it becomes more passionate as he grabs me, pulling me against his hard, strong, powerful body. My mouth opens, and his tone invades my mouth. I grip his hair, forcing his head to the side, granting me more access to his mouth. I need him, want him, desire him.
But most of all, I love him.
The kiss is a sign of our passion, and we barely stop kissing, only pausing long enough to strip the other of our clothes. When I’m finally naked, Adir pulls back and stares at me,
“What are you doing?” I ask, feeling a little self-conscious.
“I’m taking in your beautiful body.”
My cheeks have to turn red, but he doesn’t seem to notice my uneasiness as he nuzzles against my neck before drawing back.
“You better get used to my complimenting you,” he remarks.
“Is that right?”
“Yes. You’re the only one for me, and I’m going to show that and prove it every day and every night. You just wait and see.”
With that, we’re back to hugging, kissing, our hands roaming, and when Adir eases inside of me, I’m so very ready for him. Love must be the missing ingredient because this time, it doesn’t take long for me to climax, and even after Adir does, he keeps on going, and he doesn’t stop until I’ve orgasmed two more times, and he ejaculated again.
Spent but deliriously happy, I rest my head on his broad, muscular chest.
