Her flesh tingled in antic.i.p.ation of his touch and she used her psi to turn her suit transparent. And then she pulled him closer, kissed him deeply, showing him her eagerness to be with him.

"Are you awake?" he murmured s.e.xily in her ear.

"Awake enough."

"Good." He pulled back with a wicked gleam in his gaze. "I thought we should talk."

"Mmm." She angled her head to kiss him again, thinking there were tricks to kissing in null grave that she needed to learn. And she yearned to steal a few moments from the mission to relax. He'd earned it. After their madcap escape and reunion with the crew, he'd seen to everyone else's needs. Now it was time for her to see to his. She placed her palm on the back of his neck to steady her floating body, let her fingers 213.

caress his speeding pulse. "Talk later. Do you know long I've been waiting to make love in null grav?"

He nipped her ear and with a psi thought let his suit go transparent, signaling his willingness to make love. "How long?"

"Too long." She adored the long, clean lines of his warrior body. Loved the muscles in his powerful chest and how his strong arms could wrap her so gently in an embrace.

But most of all she liked the glowing sparks in his eyes, and the laughter on his lips.

With a psi thought she turned her own suit transparent, appreciating how his gaze raked her, interest turning the sparking gleam in his eyes, to a fiery glow. Null grav did wonderful things for her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, lifting item, rounding their shape, and just the heat from his look had her eager for his touch. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s ached at the thought of his hands on her, his clever fingers touching, teasing, and taunting. Yet she'd already learned that delaying caused antic.i.p.ation and that antic.i.p.ation increased their mutual pleasure.

But she didn't want only to give him a lot of pleasure. She wanted to challenge him to let go, to taunt him until he demanded what he wanted, until he took what he needed. She loved the power she had when she caused him to lose control of his pa.s.sion. She liked pushing him, daring him to go after what he wanted. And she was thrilled he wanted her-and not just her body, which she'd created to entice his senses -but she knew him well enough to comprehend that he would never have come to her quarters if he wasn't attracted to the person she'd become. And his approval meant so much to her.

Nude, she floated before him, considering the possibilities. Without gravity, touching became... interesting. She no longer had to concern herself with weight Every sensitive sliver of flesh, each delicate nerve, became more easily accessible.

The basic laws of physics still applied in null grav. For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction. At her caress to his neck, Zical would have floated away, except she hooked her hand in his and held him steady. One finger crook was all it took to more his weightless ma.s.s.

Except he placed a palm on the ceiling and slid below her, attempting to place his hands on her bottom to capture her. But she drew her legs up, twisted, rotated, came up behind him and lightly nipped his b.u.t.t.

"Ow." He complained but broke into a chuckle, even as he twisted to take her into his arms.

His hands barely glanced along her hips, her thighs, streaking heat along her legs, but again, she flung herself away, using the pad of her foot to steam toward the ceiling, like a swimmer doing a flip turn against the pool's wall. Without hesitation, Zical zoomed after her, his reflexes quick.

Together they weaved and bobbed, playing a game of tag that lasted exactly as long as Zical was willing to let her tease him. He pursued her, grazing a finger down the inside of her thigh, skimming his palms over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, another time licking her ear.

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And she in turn caressed his spine, nibbled along his neck, slid her hands along strong muscles of his thighs and b.u.t.tocks.

And when he caught her in the middle of the room, his timing was sheer perfection.

He'd stopped their movement so they floated equidistant between six walls. With her head toward one bulkhead and her toes pointed at the deck, he threaded his hands between the curls at her thighs, the slight tug shooting heat straight to her core.

And then with no warning his mouth closed on her synthari. Pure sizzling heat made her hungry and ready to taste his flesh as he was savoring her, nipping and nibbling until moisture pooled between her slick folds. With his tavis floating right before her, she eagerly took him into her mouth, enjoying the fresh tang of his skin, the smooth flesh that writhed under her lips and tongue. Floating, spinning slowly, his mouth intimately pressed on her, her lips closing over his rigid flesh, she burned from wanting him, arched to take more of him into her mouth.

And as he electrified her with his lips and tongue and fingers, she let her tongue dance across his sensitive ridge, determined to drive him into a wild frenzy, pushing him to want her as badly as she wanted him. Yet, wanting to delay the pleasure, to make their loving last as long as possible, she sucked, and stroked and teased, even as the pressure inside her demanded release.

She focused on his tangy scent, his turgid heat, his tight sacs that she lovingly caressed, eliciting a murmured groan. But he never stopped kissing her, and when she couldn't keep her hips still, he locked her in place with his psi, keeping her exactly where he wanted.

When she thought she could take no more, with his psi, he'd started rotating them slowly. Together, he spun them. Dizzy, she closed her eyes and focused on the blood rushing to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, hardening her nipples, then emptying, swelling her synthari. The stunning rush at her senses heightened the frantic thrust of her hips. As her blood raced, her heart pounding to keep up with the frenzied fervor, if her mouth hadn't been so busy, she might have screamed.

Without gravity to distract her, the tug and pull of her spinning flesh encompa.s.sed her. There was no dizziness, just the swelling and ebbing of her blood spiraling into every erotic aching cell that demanded release. As she gasped for air trying to hold on, her heart sang with delight at the pleasure they could take in each other. And she basked in the knowledge that her power to excite and arouse him was as total as his over her.

Elated by her conviction that they belonged together, her need to have his arms around her, his tavis inside her, had her flipping, twisting in midair, parting her thighs and wrapping her legs around his waist. Burying her lips in his neck, adoring the feel of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s brushing his chest and his strong hands taking control of her hips, she gave herself up to her senses.

With her scent on his lips, his ragged breath in her ear, his tavis creating the most delicious friction, she tried to recall every precious sensory detail. His gaze that was as 215.

soft as a caress. The urgency in his hands, the tingling in her stomach. The vibrant chord he strummed inside her. Her feelings for him that had everything and nothing to do with reason. His psi that wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Her erratic heartbeat. Her gulped breaths. His husky groan in her ear, his electric tension that inflamed the rising blaze of need that burned white hot in her core. His bursting, shredding, and shattering pleasure that she rode with a joy that seared her heart and made her soul sing.

When her breath finally slowed and her heartbeat once more approached normal, she snuggled against his warm chest, content and happy. As much as she adored making love, the sweet aftermath was just as nice. She liked pillowing her head on his shoulder, liked the way he ran his palms over her back and bottom, constantly caressing as if he'd never tire of touching her.

"There's something I want to say.''

She opened her eyes and peered into his, which looked too d.a.m.n serious. If he was going to tell her they had to return to being captain and crew, the he shouldn't have made love to her. Because she couldn't go back to pretending she didn't want him.

"Mmm?"

"Are you sure you're paying attention?"

She peered at him warily, heart tensing. "Say it already."

"We should marry."

Maybe she was still dreaming. Or dizzy after that crazy spinning. She'd thought he said they should wed. She rubbed her brow and the last of her fuzzy pa.s.sion cleared away. "Did you just say what I think?"

"We should wed," he repeated, the expression on his face expectant.

Stars! Dora didn't know what to say. She was at a loss for words and simply gaped.

She'd thought he'd been about to tell her he intended to sever their physical relationship. That they couldn't make love like they'd just done now that they were back in s.p.a.ce. But he wanted to form a permanent union.

He wanted to wed.

And Rystani mated for life.

Stars. Why hadn't she seen this, coming?

"Say something," Zical demanded.

"I don't know what to say." She was shocked, honored, confused. She needed to sort out her thoughts and feelings. She needed to talk to Tessa. But they were too far from Mystique for a real conversation, even though the hypers.p.a.ce com link, the time lag between a question and a reply could be days.

"Say you want to be my wife." Expectancy kept his voice tight.

"I don't know if I want to be anyone's wife." She said the words slowly, slowly withdrawing from his arm. "I haven't thought about the future. I've been so busy living in the moment, trying to adapt and survive that I just... don't know..."

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Zical's eyes flashed hurt, then he quickly disguised the hurt with a tough veneer of hardness and a psi thought that clothed him in his captain's uniform. "Being human is planning for the future."

"I haven't thought that far ahead."

She hadn't thought past making if from one day to the next. She hadn't thought past saving Kirek and leaving Kwadii. She hadn't thought beyond finishing their mission. She hadn't thought past how much she enjoyed looking at his face, running her fingers through his thick hair, skimming her palms over his muscular frame, and how she liked making love. She enjoyed their conversations. She enjoyed being with him. Why did be have to go and change things between them? But change seemed also to be part of being human and now she had more to consider than her own wants and needs.

They'd been doing so well as lovers. She'd actually been happy. b.u.t.t she saw that her reaction to marriage hadn't been one he'd expected and that her uncertainty was causing him pain. And his pain hurt her. Odd how that could be so, but she cared too much for him not to try and explain. She just wasn't sure she could put her confusion into words.

She swallowed the knot in her throat and licked her bottom lip, hoping she could make him understand. "When I was a computer, the present was always filled with billions of bits of new data. With so much to file and learn and absorb, I rarely thought past the present. And since I've become human, I've had difficulty coping with the moment I'm in. I'm having trouble getting past this mission. To think about my personal future is a whole different process."

"So marriage to me doesn't interest you at the moment?" His eyes flashed with hurt.

By the five seas of Jarn, he wasn't listening. "I have a hard enough time dealing with the present. To take on the future too-the idea of marriage to you is...

overwhelming."

A smile cracked through his pain. "I was hoping you'd say as I was irresistible."

"I need more time. It wasn't so long ago that I doubted could live in this body," she reminded him, trying to choose each word with utmost care. "I thought all the spasms and twitching might be the organs rejecting my soul."

"Those twitches were likely caused by fear. But as you adjusted, you overcame your fears and the spasms stopped. You've come so far. Can't you take one more step? I know you're brave. You've proved it repeatedly." He hesitated "Or maybe you just don't feel enough pa.s.sion for me to make our union permanent?" His tone was gentle, but conveyed a world of disappointment.

"That's not fair. You ask about my feelings without stating your own. You've never said more than I have." She stared at him accusingly. He'd said nothing of love or even liking or caring. He'd simply said they should marry-but there was nothing simple about his statement. And she resented that he'd told her they should wed without even 217.

asking her of opinion. Almost as if he'd never considered that she would refuse him.

She supposed that was typical Rystani male behavior. But a small part of her wondered if he figured that since she'd once been a computer, she would be so grateful for his offer, she'd immediately agree to the union. More likely he figured that since she wanted to make love to him, she also wanted to wed.

But even worse than his att.i.tude was the fluttery panic in her gut that her decision now affected more than her own life. They had more to discuss, and knowing Rystani custom, she supposed he was going to be even more upset with her shortly.

So she didn't dwell on what she'd given up to become human. Unless she died prematurely by an accident, she'd given up immortality to live a thousand years. To a computer one thousand years sounded like a short time, especially since there was so much more she wanted to experience. She wanted to visit Earth. And Osari. And Scartar. She wanted see the Federation homeworld Zenon. She wanted to lie on a sand beach under a hot sun, learn to swim in emerald seas, and cook as well as Miri. She felt as though she were just learning to be human. Just learning how to communicate, how to make love, how to reach out to people and enjoy what they had in common. She wanted a few years to be selfish. Was that so wrong?

In her heart, she knew Zical was a good man. She cared about him more than any other man she'd met. He was honourable, brave, loyal. Special. But she didn't know if she wanted to spend all of her life with him. Suppose they grew tired of each other?

Suppose she met someone else she liked more? She hadn't lived long enough to know what she wanted.

"We would make a good fit." He stated his case as if they were pieces of a puzzle, inanimate objects.

"A good fit?" Now he'd insulted her and hurt caused her tongue to loosen. "Do you think I'm so new at being human I don't know the difference between getting along well and a grand pa.s.sion?"

"I didn't-"

"And please don't take this personally, but I don't know if I want to follow Rystani customs."

"How can I take it except personally? I am Rystani," he said with heat and pride and bitterness, his chin held high, his eyes narrowed on her in fierce concentration-as if he feared she might flee at any moment.

"And I think of myself as a woman, but not one from any particular world. Your customs... are not necessarily those I would choose for my own."

He shoved away from her, his expression harsh at her rejection. "If you wish to spend the rest of your life alone, then... I will leave you to it."

"It's not that simple."

"Seems to me you've made it very simple."

"What we've made is complicated."

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"You don't want me for a husband. Nothing complicated about that."

"I need time to adjust to... She hesitated to tell him more, gathered her courage.

"You need time to adjust to me?"

"It's not always about you." She flashed her own anger at him, letting her tone bite.

"I need time to adjust to... the new life we made on Kwadii. A life growing in my womb." She curled her hand protectively over her stomach still stunned at what she'd learned just today through her suit. The baby growing inside her was a miracle that changed not just her plans but her every thought. She didn't understand how she'd become so human, but the baby inside her already dominated her thoughts, colored her emotions, and somehow, someway, she already loved it. Unconditionally.

"What!" Zical's eyes widened with shock, happiness, worry. His lips, softened and then his entire face glowed with joy. "You're pregnant?"

She couldn't contain her happy grin. "I wasn't sure until we returned to the ship, but when we were on Kwadii, we didn't wear our suits while making love." She pointed out what should haw been obvious. She supposed he'd had plenty on his mind while on the hostile planet and that it was natural for him to have forgotten that the suits prevented unwanted pregnancies.

"We're having a baby?" Amazement rocked him and softened his tone.

"Yes." Dora had only found out a few hours ago. And she'd wanted to tell Zical at a moment when their lives weren't threatened, when their minds weren't distracted by the mission. She still wasn't certain what she thought about becoming a mother.

However, her feelings for her unborn child were as strong as the ones she already felt for Kirek, and joy suffused her. However, ready as she might be to raise this baby, raising a child took twenty years or so-but Zical was asking for centuries.

"Dora, I know you said you haven't thought about the future, but now you must do so for our child's sake."

She tilted her head surprised at the sudden vehemence in his tone. "What do you mean?"

"A child requires a mother and a father."

"You're the child's father," she agreed. "You contributed the DNA."

"Contributing DNA is not enough. A child needs a father's love and guidance, and not only is it wrong to deny me that role, you must also think of what is good for our child."

"I would never deny you parental privileges."

Zical came to her and took her hand. "Dora, I thought we were a good fit before you told me the wonderful news. Now, we can be a family. A real family. We should raise this child together."

Panic caused her to pull away. He spoke of his child in a loving tone and already she sensed his possessiveness. But surely she could be a mother and still do what was 219.

best for herself too? If she felt tied down and limited by marriage, what kind of mother would she be?

"I'm not sure. I only know that I'm not ready for marriage. I need more time."

"Do you doubt I would care for you and our child?" he asked, his earlier happiness fading to a bleak resignation.

She shook her head, wanting to be truthful, wishing she didn't feel her throat closing with tightness, her eyes about to overflow with tears, even as she knew that her uncertainty would cause additional damage. "I am not sure if I want to link my life to yours forever. I don't need a man to take care me." Her voice dropped to a painful whisper. "It is my ability to commit to you that I doubt."

"You don't know what you can do until you try." Zical's eyes pleaded but his stiff and stilted tone told her that he was deeply disappointed in her.