LIA
Two months after the lottery
Taking a stroll through the stasis chamber, I checked on Clara and Ivar on my way home from work. Wraith had made me promise to stop for a few minutes every week, and I’d been doing so faithfully, happy to be one of the few people who were allowed inside these walls.
The pods were next to each other, the readings indicating they were functioning normally. Both Clara and Ivar were sound asleep, their dream of a new life waiting for them at the end of the journey.
I left the chamber with a smile on my lips and headed to the Outer Ring, my pace brisk. Wraith should have come back from his dinner with Maggie and getting ready for his late shift. I had only a few minutes to catch him before he left.
The new schedule had him working with Hunter at odd hours, but it was worth it. Installing new shielding was going to make the Outer Ring safer for everyone, especially the children that were going to be joining us in the future. A flutter went through my stomach at the thought that maybe a couple of those children would be ours.
I pushed the door open and found him pacing the living room, comm in hand, frowning at the screen. His eyes snapped up when I walked in, and a smile replaced the frown.
"What are you doing still out at this late hour, Miss?" he asked, tone getting more teasing with every word.
"Ah...Too much work. Plus my boyfriend has me running around, checking on his friends," I replied, putting my bag on the table.
He faked a gasp. "You have a boyfriend?"
I gave him a playful look. "Yes. But he works too much as well," I said. "I'm open to applications for the position."
He pocketed the comm and closed the distance between us. Pulling me in, he kissed me, his fingers finding their way in my hair. I melted into him, pressing as close as I could, my lips seeking his.
"No work tonight," he said, voice getting husky as his hands started roaming down my back.
My breath hitched when he squeezed my ass. "What about your shift?"
"Hunter is covering for me," he whispered, lips trailing my neck.
I moaned, the sensation of his mouth on my sensitive skin making me pull on his hair.
He chuckled, straightening up to look at me. "It's past midnight," he said and continued when I frowned. "It's officially your birthday."
It hadn't even occurred to me. With everything that had been happening lately, I'd forgotten all about it.
"So, are we celebrating 27 or 273?" he asked, making us both laugh.
"Let's stick with 27 for now," I replied.
His fingers traced my lower lip. "I have a present for you." He leaned back and pulled me with him toward the front door.
"Where are we going? It's late," I said.
"It's never late for presents." He grinned.
He led me through the quiet corridors, toward the maintenance elevators. As the cabin started ascending, he pulled out his comm to send a message.
"So, how was your dinner with Maggie?" I asked.
His lips stretched into a wide smile. "She's officially retiring next year. I'm going to miss her calming presence in the Hub."
"You've grown fond of her, haven't you?"
He nodded. "I think everyone in the Syndicate has. She's the oldest mechanic we have and her late husband is a damn legend."
"It's nice of you to do this for her every year. The dinner I mean."
"She deserves to be celebrated." He tucked the comm away and reached for my hand. "Just like you do."
The elevator stopped and he took me down the corridor to a nondescript door. The screen next to it flashed green, and he pushed the door open. The room inside was lit by a soft glow that intensified as we stepped in.
My eyes adjusted and my mouth dropped open at the sight in front of me. The floor was covered in snow, the walls lined with screens that gave the illusion that we were in a clearing surrounded by a forest. I blinked at the snowflakes swirling in the air.
"You..." I whispered, turning to Wraith. "You made snow...for me."
He grinned, wrapping his arms around me. "Anything for you."
He led me to the middle of the room, and let me take in the view from all sides. A gasp left me when a snowball flew past me, and I turned to see him smirking.
"Oh, you are so on," I said, bending to gather some of the snow into my hand.
His laughter echoed off the walls as I threw the snowball and hit him right in the chest. He rushed me and I ran, laughing so hard it was difficult to breathe. The chase ended with him pulling me into his arms and us falling to the ground.
He rolled us over to lay on top of me, the cold fluff clinging to our hair, clothes, skin...The heat coming off him was so intense that the snow started melting around us.
"Happy birthday, Lia," he said, kissing me with so much tenderness it made my heart squeeze.
"Thank you," I breathed out. "I love this."
"Anything else you want? You only turn 273 once," he teased.
"I have everything I want right here." I pulled him down, his chest pressing against mine.
His plasma flared under his skin, the heat rising. He kissed me again, hand working to unzip my jacket and push it off.
"I want to worship you forever," he whispered, sending tingles down my spine. "As my wife...the mother of my children...the love of my life."
The words made me shudder, my hands pulling at his clothes, needing to feel all of him.
"You want little Shades running around the ship?" I asked, my voice soft.
"Only if you want them too," he replied, tone serious.
I nodded, biting my lip. "I do. But not now...maybe in a few years?"
He let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Because I'm not ready to share you yet."
His lips were back on mine as he slipped his hand under my shirt, his touch searing my skin. I helped him remove my clothes, laying naked on the snow, the contrast making my senses go wild.
He took his time, savoring every inch of me, so attuned to my reactions that I was trembling with need by the time he finally positioned himself above me.
"Anything for you," he repeated and joined our bodies.
I closed my eyes and let myself be swept away in the bliss of being with the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
__________
Thank you for reading!
"The Specter Mechanic" is Book Two of "The Stellachart Chronicles", a series of standalone novels that follow humanity’s journey to the stars. New characters, new loves, new mysteries await along the path...
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