At last, the world went silent, and Winston gradually slowed and came to a halt. They slid off the horse’s back, and John put his arm around her. Together they watched the plume of dust rising into the sky.
“I meant what I said,” she said, her eyes still fixed on the horizon. She could feel her cheeks burning.
“What you said?”
“That I… love you. It wasn’t because we were about to die.”
“I know, love.”
She looked up to find him watching her, his eyes as warm as ever.
“I shouldn’t have sent you away,” she admitted
“No, you shouldn’t have,” he agreed solemnly, then smiled. “I wasn’t going far. Unfortunately, I encountered Louisa.”
She shuddered, her eyes going back to the distant dust column.
“So I suppose that’s it,” she said quietly.
John’s arm tightened around her. “Maybe the other lab will find a solution.”
“Perhaps. But I’m not going to spend the next fifteen years obsessing about it.” She smiled up at him, feeling at peace for the first time since that long-ago night. “You’ve taught me that love doesn’t depend on biology.”
“Well, maybe a little,” he teased gently, skating his hand down her side to squeeze her bottom, then frowned. “What’s this?”
“What’s what?”
He retrieved a small disk from her pocket and handed it to her.
“Oh, that. It’s the records from the lab. I had just finished copying them when Louisa showed up.”
She lifted her hand, preparing to toss the disk out into the desert but he stopped her. “Wait a minute. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Of course. The experiment was a failure.”
“Not entirely. She looked human enough.”
“But she was batshit crazy.”
“Agreed. But back in your office, when this all began, you said that the Judge’s wife was a scientist. Do you trust her?”
“I’m still not entirely sure that I trust anyone—other than you, of course. And yes, Winston, you too,” she added when the horse butted his head against her arm. “But all else being equal, I think she is a decent person.”
“Then why not take it to her? Maybe she can figure out where they went wrong.”
“I’m not sure I want to start hoping again.”
“So don’t hope. One of my sergeants used to say that if you expect the worst and it happens, you’re not disappointed. If you expect the worst and it doesn’t happen, then it’s a nice surprise.”
“He sounds like quite a philosopher.”
“Yeah. He was one of the good ones.” He gave her a rueful smile. “Maybe there were more of them along the way than I cared to admit.”
“Maybe it’s easier to remember positive things when you’re happy.”
“Now who’s the philosopher?”
She laughed and looked back out over the desert. Even the plume of dust had disappeared. “I think it’s time to leave.”
“Where are we going?”
“I like your idea. Let’s go visit Addie and the Judge.”
Chapter Nineteen
Turning her back on the remains of the lab and her lost dream, Serena let John lift her onto Winston's back. He vaulted up after her, tucking her back against the warmth of his body. She could feel the iron bar of his erection against her buttocks and gave a teasing little wiggle.
He growled appreciatively and reached round to enclose her breast in his big hand, stroking his thumb across her nipple. Her body responded immediately to his touch, softening and dampening in expectation. After having come so close to losing him, to losing herself, she wanted to reaffirm that they were alive and that they were together.
Winston moved with an easy pace across the desert, heading back to what was left of the life she had known, but there was no rush. No urgency for anything except to be with John.
“Turn me around,” she suggested, her voice low and breathless.
“What?”
“I want to face you.”
With effortless strength, he complied and then her body was pressed tightly to his, his erection snug against the swollen heat of her needy pussy and his hard chest rubbing the aching peaks of her breasts.
“Now isn't this better?” She leaned back far enough so that she could smile up at him.
She could feel the tension in his body, the urgent throb of his cock against her, but despite his obvious arousal, his face was soft, his eyes warm and loving.
“As long as you're in my arms, I'm happy,” he said and she couldn’t doubt the sincerity in his voice.
An unexpected lump filled her throat. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“Love, you deserve everything. And I intend to make sure you have it all.” A shadow crossed his face as his hand came up to touch her cheek. “Or at least, anything that’s within my power to give you.”
“You’re all I want.” As she said the words, she recognized the truth of them. “So much of wanting to have a child was because I didn't want to be alone. I wanted something—someone—I could hold onto.”
“You can hold onto me. I promise you I have no intention of letting go.”
“I believe you.” She gave a startled laugh. “I really do believe you. I thought I would never believe in anyone ever again.”
He put his arms around her and pulled her close again. Even though she was aware of his arousal, aware of her own need, for the moment she was content just to let him hold her. The emptiness that had haunted her for so long had been filled, and in the end it wasn't even because he loved her but because she had let herself love him.
As she soaked in the warmth of his presence, she spared a thought to the uncertain future. Her time at GenCon had undoubtedly come to an end and she had an unexpected sense of regret at the knowledge. The corporation’s motives might have been nefarious, but they had also achieved a lot in the pursuit of those goals. She was proud of the part she had played in making the settlement on Mars possible. Her
