Victoria's Challenge (18 page)

“What
! What have I forgotten?” Suddenly there is sound everywhere. Something nasty is coming.

“Put your helmet back
on Tori, the storm will make you sick.” Doing what she’s told she hears his final words. “You have to hurry. If you want to save them, you have to hurry. I love you.” As the skies open, all she hears is the rain.

Sitting straight up in bed, her eyes frantically search for Grandpa Jacob. Where did he go? Suddenly, she realizes she’s in bed, Lucas’ bed, alone. It was just a dream… a dream… wasn’t it? Where’s Lucas? The sound of running water makes her realize he’s in the shower. Looking at the clock, she sees hardly any time has passed. Why is Lucas in the shower? Rising, she goes to find out.

Arms braced against the shower wall, Lucas tries to get himself under control. He couldn’t stay beside her, not without wanting her, wanting to wake her, have her. She’d been so open, so responsive, she screamed when her release hit her. What would she do when he was sheathed inside her?

Fuck,
he has to stop thinking about it. Thrusting his head under the water, he tries to drown his desire. It’s only twenty-four hours. After nine cycles, he can make it a little longer.

God, look at him. He’s leaning against the far wall, water flowing over his massive shoulders, down a well-defined back, past his fine ass. Her fingers itch to touch him, to caress him the way he has her, to learn how to pleasure him. Slipping into the shower, she runs her hands over his shoulders, following the curve of his spine, spreading her fingers over his work-hardened muscles.

Caught up in the feel of him
, she doesn’t notice his absolute stillness or growing tension. Continuing their quest, her fingers glide along his side exploring the curve of his fine butt. Slipping around to touch him, she feels him jerk away.

“Don’t fucking
touch
me!” With his voice booming off the walls, Victoria’s hands freeze. She’s heard that from him before, in just that tone, in this very room. Oh God, what has she done? He’d come in here to be alone, to get away from her, why hasn’t she respected that?

Lucas has withstood her touch for as long as he can but he knows if she touches him intimately, his control will snap. Rounding on her, he means to tell her just that, until he sees the devastated look on her face and realizes what he’s done. What he’s said.

“Victoria…
” He watches the shutter drop over her face, along with her hands. She quickly steps back, bumping into the other wall.

“I
… I’m…” Finding she can’t speak, she moves to escape.

“NO
! God no!” Grabbing her, Lucas wraps his arms around her stiff body, pulling her close. What has he done? She’d come to him, openly, honestly, desiring him, only wanting to give him pleasure and he rejected her. Kissing a damp shoulder, feeling her try to shrink away he takes a deep breath.

“I’m sorry
. I’m an idiot.” he mummers against her shoulder, trying to kiss away the hurt.

“No, I’m sorry
. You came in here to be alone. I intruded.” Her voice is as stiff as her body, carrying no emotion. “Let me get out of here, out of your way.”

“No
! Fuck Victoria! Yell at me! Scream at me! I had no right to say that to you.”

“You have the right to say whatever you want
. Let me go Lucas.”

“NEVER!
” Twisting her around, he tips her face up to him to whisper softly. “Never Victoria. Never again. It isn’t
you
! It’s
me!
I want you so badly right now that I don’t trust my control.”

“You wanted to be alone, I didn’t respect that
. I get it. I shouldn’t have touched you. I should have realized it’s different for a man.” The total lack of emotion in her voice scares him. She only talks like this when she’s extremely hurt. Hurt by
him
. She is innocent and still she trusted her body to him, but when she asks the same of him, he rejects her.

“Touch me
, Victoria.” When all she does is shake her head, he lifts her fist and presses it to his chest. “I love you, Victoria Lynn. With everything I am. I love you. Touch me. Please touch me. I’ve waited cycles for you to touch me.”

Uncurling trembling fingers
, she lets them spread under his hand, feeling his rapidly beating heart. Uncertain eyes meet his.

“Feel what you do to me.
” Pulling her to him, he makes sure there can be no misunderstanding. “Only you do this to me, Victoria. It’s been that way for nine cycles.” He has to be brutally honest. “I haven’t been with anyone since I was shot down on Earth. Since the day I first saw you.”

“Lucas…
” Victoria doesn’t know what to say, what to think, she never expected this. When he said he waited, she always thought he meant for her to come of age, not that he
hadn’t
.

“Do you understand now
? I want you so badly, Victoria. I could take you right here, right now, against this fucking wall!” She sees the truth raging in his eyes. “But that’s not how I want your first time to be, it needs to be special.”

“
It will be. It’ll be with
you
.” The simple honesty in the statement has him closing his eyes. “Lucas, there are other ways.” She touches his thigh, with a tentative hand.

“I know there are…
” He sucks in a breath as she caresses his hip. “But if you
touch
me Victoria… I don’t know if I can control myself.”

“So I was controlled earlier when I screamed?
” Her other hand starts a slow journey down his chest.

“That’s different
and don’t give me that look. It is. I could
hurt
you Victoria.”

“You
never would, Lucas. Never.” The faith shining in her eyes humbles him.

“I did, just a minute ago.”

“You’d never physically hurt me.” She feels him stiffen as her hands brush close. “It’s up to you, Lucas.”

“And if I lose control?
” Desire blazes in his eyes.

“I’ll thank you later.
” She smiles at him with a very sexy smile.

Swallowing hard
, he nods. “Touch me, Victoria. God, please, I need your touch.”

Kissing his chest, she slowly
moves her hands between his legs, gently cupping him. A shuddering breath is his only reaction. She knows he’s fighting for control. When she caresses his shaft, he slaps a hand against the wall, bracing himself as he starts to tremble. It thrills her that she can make him tremble, that her touch threatens his control.

“Don’t stop.
” He gasps, then puts his other hand on hers, moving it up and down, squeezing and releasing, showing her how to pleasure him. When she adds her own little twist, he groans, releasing her, needing both hands to support himself. “Victoria!”

“Trust me Lucas
,” she whispers leaning forward to kiss his chest, she tightens her grip just slightly, increasing the pace. Impossibly, he gets even thicker, longer, harder as his release draws near. Victoria feels her womb spasm at the thought of him doing that inside her. Leaning back, she watches as his eyes darken, go wild, then blind and with a deep groan, he spills into her hands.

Lucas isn’t sure if minutes or hours have passed since his release
. Feeling Victoria kiss his chest, he pushes off the wall, wrapping his arms around her.

“I love you.
” The smile she gives him is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “God you’re beautiful.” Lifting her, he kisses her senseless.

“I suppose if we’re ever going to get any sleep, I should put something on.”

“Do you think that will make any diff
erence?” Lucas asks as he runs a knuckle along her breast.

“It might slow you down a bit.
” She grins, pinching his butt.

“Ouch
. Not happening, but you can try it.”

Wrapped in a towel
, Victoria walks out of the bathroom to her bag. Pulling on her green nightgown, she pulls off the towel. Turning, she finds Lucas leaning against the doorway watching her.

“Oh y
eah, that’ll help.” He catches the towel she throws at him.

“Get some pants on
, you idiot.” Grabbing a comb, she heads back to the bathroom, time to attack the mop.

With his sleeping pants on, Lucas looks at the bed and frowns
. He’d straightened it when he’d gotten out, not wanting her to get cold, now it was a tangled mess.

“What happened?”
he asks, taking the comb from her, working on her hair himself.

“What?
” Surprised eyes meet his in the mirror.

“
Earlier. Why did you wake up?”

“Oh, bad dream.”

He stops in mid-stroke. “You had a nightmare?” He demands. "Audric?” He thought those had stopped.

“No.
” She reassures him. “It was more weird than bad. I was talking to Grandpa Jacob.” He sees the sadness in her eyes. “We were on Earth. After…” She doesn’t have to finish for him to understand.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted you, so I got up.”

Turning
her, he tips up her chin.

“
Always
come to me, Victoria.” Serious violet eyes bore into hers. “No matter what’s going on, I’m here for
you
. You will always be first.”

“Lucas…
” Stretching up she gives him a grateful kiss. Easing her away, he turns her back around to finish her hair.

“I should just cut it
. It’s always such a mess.”

“No!
” Startled emerald eyes met horror filled ones in the mirror. “Have you ever seen an image of the Carinian Tempest Sunrise?”

“The what?
” She’s never heard of it.

“It’s a
sunrise, a very rare and beautiful sunrise. Every ten cycles the three Carinian suns rise together. It’s beautiful in and of itself but every so often, maybe once every one hundred cycles, the conditions are just right and the suns’ rays shoot out, curling around each other in all the blazing colors of red.” He reverently touches her hair. “It’s like watching them play with each other. Your hair reminds me of that, something so rare and unique. Like you.”

Victoria is speechless
. She’s never heard Lucas talk like this before. Never knew he thought of her like that.

“When did it last happen?”
she whispers.

“Right before the Retribution left for its tour
. Nearly ten cycles ago. I sat on a boulder at the cabin and watched it, knowing I’d never see anything that beautiful again then I saw you.” He looks down at her, love filling his eyes. “And discovered I was wrong.” He watches a single tear run down her cheek.

“I love you Lucas.”

“I know. It makes me the luckiest man in the universe.” Kissing the top of her head, he hands her back the comb. “Let’s go to bed.”

“Hmm…” Victoria rubs her hand across Lucas’ chest. Lifting her head, she sees he’s just barely awake. In his unguarded violet eyes, she sees his love and the joy of waking up with her in his arms. Stretching up, she kisses him.

“Good morning.”

“It is.” His voice is husky with sleep. Running a hand up the leg she’d thrown over him in sleep, he slips under her nightgown to caress a breast. “Told you it wouldn’t slow me down.”

“Not complaining.
” She arches against him. Rolling her onto her back, he covers her, his mouth quickly capturing hers, hot, demanding, and just a little wild. Gripping his back she hangs on, groaning as she feels his erection against her leg. Instinctively she opens for him.

“Victoria…
” Groaning he eases back. “We can’t. Not yet. Tonight.” The eyes that meet his almost have him changing his mind. They are full of need and desire, but he is going to protect her.

“I love you Lucas.”

“I know and
tonight
we’ll be one. When I know you’re protected, not before.”

Sighing
, Victoria caresses his cheek.

“Aunt Cassie always said you Zafar men were stubborn when it comes to protection.”

“She’d know.” Capturing her hand, he kisses her palm. “It won’t be that much longer.”

“I’m holding you to that
, Lucas Matthew Zafar.”

“It’s a date.
” The smile she gives him has his heart racing.

“A date
? That means I’ll have to wear something
special
.”

“Special?
” His mind starts to race. “Like…?”

“That’s for me to know and you to
… imagine.” Her eyes sparkle at him.

God he loves her, especially when she’s playful
. Rolling out of bed, he holds out a hand to his life mate because he knows she is. Just as he knows one day, she’ll be the mother of his children. Something’s are just
known
.