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FOR THE FIRST TIME in a week, the only pain Tessa felt when she woke up was the pull of muscles well used from lovemaking. She snuggled into Kayleb’s side in their bed in New York and squeezed her eyes shut against the rising sun. But her slight movements must have been enough to disturb her mate. His lips brushed against her forehead and he smoothed a hand down her side.
“Good morning,” he said, far too chipper for any time before ten AM.
She mumbled something, but it definitely didn’t include the word good.
They’d been in New York for five days. The mess at Jacinta’s had taken a little time to clean up, and after two days of being put off, Krayter and Penny came to collect them. The brothers had reunited to hugs and smiles and Tessa had finally met Penny, Krayter’s mate. The ride back had been long and a little awkward, but the threat of pirates no longer hung over them and for that Tessa was grateful. Jacinta and her mercenaries had disabled the ship and disposed of the pirates, already returning when one of her men sent a distress call about the fire. If Tessa and Kayleb had stayed where they were tied up in the shed, they would have been rescued within a few minutes.
The pirate they’d captured was the only survivor and he’d been handed over to the police and Tessa’s sister Tam. What would happen to him, she wasn’t sure, and she didn’t particularly care. The proper authorities had the technology she’d stolen and a band of pirates were no longer out there threatening peaceful ships. Even better, she’d found her mate. She’d call that a win despite all the hardship.
For the moment, she and Kayleb were staying in the apartment he shared with Krayter and Penny. He and his brother had originally come to Earth with the intention of setting up a colony for Detyens in search of their mates. Human women were compatible and Earth had the highest concentration of human women to go around. The idea made sense. But Tessa had figured out a problem with their scheme.
“I’ve been thinking,” she muttered with a bit more clarity as morning invaded her mind and made her wake up.
“Hmm?” Kayleb hadn’t stopped stroking her hip and if he moved his hands just a little she’d start to get ideas.
“About what we should do, now that we’re...” She made a vague hand gesture when the right words failed her.
“Yeah?” He sounded sleepier than her, but she’d figured out it was mostly an act for him. He loved being lazy in the mornings until he had his coffee. Or sex.
But this was important. Sex could wait. For a few minutes. “Does Krayter know that you want to travel?” They’d talked it over several times and Kayleb got a dreamy look in his eyes when he talked about far off planets and distant empires. Tessa could feel the call of the stars in her heart echoing his.
“We’ve... it hasn’t come up,” Kayleb finally said.
“Well, I think someone has to go out there and spread the word about this scheme Krayter’s concocting, right?” She placed her hand over his and laced their fingers together. “Maybe even go back to Jaaxis for a bit.”
Kayleb sat up, bringing her with him until she was draped across his naked chest. “You want to go to Jaaxis?” His eyes had flashed to red and he was grinning.
“You’ve met my family, haven’t you?” Tam, at least, seemed to like him. “It only seems fair that you subject me to yours.”
Kayleb tilted his head back and laughed, the sound filling the room and wrapping around her as tightly as his arms. She smiled up at him and lay her head against his chest. “First Jaaxis, and then the stars are ours.”
