Jack stood watching the shuttle take off, filled with all the contestants, crew and poor Walter Haxley, who would be spending some time in a psych ward back on Earth. Jack had never been so relieved in his life.
“I had to make a deal with Hank so all the people could fit weight wise,” Margaret told him from where she stood by his side.
“He left all his garbage didn’t he?” Jack guessed, giving a small wave in his sheer happiness to be rid of them all.
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Unfortunately all of it.”
Jack turned to her. “All?”
“To fit the people, they had to abandon all their equipment and supplies, including the ones the shuttle brought here for the second part of filming.”
Jack eyes grew huge. “No,” he said, running to his living room. He’d been busy programming the robot to haul their rocket back out to the launch site and hadn’t seen the unloading.
When she caught up, she found boxes upon boxes of supplies, dumped among the rows upon rows of camp beds the women had slept on.
“Holy mother of God,” Jack whispered, leaning close to read a nearby box, which was labeled SPAGHETTI NOODLES. “It will take us months to eat this.”
“On the bright side, you won’t have to bring more food here for a long time.”
Jack scanned the boxes, seeing crap he’d never use like boxes of makeup and clothes, and things he would, like toilet paper. Lots of it. “You know, if I cancel the quarterly shuttle for next time, I will save a massive amount of money.” Enough money to last another six months. And after that, it might be time to go home. The idea held such appeal, he let out a small laugh in celebration.
He grinned, thinking how lucky he was to have found a woman so right for him, who had moved in with months of free supplies.
“We’ll need to do an inventory, but you won’t need basic supplies again for a long time,” she said, leaning over to read another label.
He caught her hand and swung her into his arms. “So, now that we’re alone, can I show you our room?”
She rose up on tiptoes to kiss him and he deepened it immediately, all lips and tongue and exploration. Heat poured through him, the need so deep and strong and right. And they were finally, finally alone. He reveled in the feel of the softness of her lips, digging his hands in her hair, pulling out her ponytail and running his fingers through her blond strands.
Somehow, he’d found the perfect partner 140 million miles away from Earth. He wasn’t even sure how he’d been this lucky. She was smart, gorgeous, and understood him completely.
When they came up for air, he swept her up into his arms and carried her sideways through the boxes, while she laughed.
“Wait,” she said. He stopped and she pointed to a small box sitting on top of another stack. The side read CONDOMS in big letters.
“Why did they need a big box like this? Not that I’m complaining.”
“The night before the final rose ceremony, the last three contestants have sexy time with the bachelor.”
“That’s one hell of a lot of sexy time. And kind of gross.”
“It’s worked out for us. Let me grab that.”
He dipped her down to reach it.
They stumbled without a hint of grace from the living room and into his bedroom, where he tried to gently put her down, but dropped her instead. “My shoulder isn’t working like it should,” he said, falling onto the bed beside her, careful to land on his good side.
“Poor thing,” she said, smiling at him. “We’ll have to figure out a place to stack all that.”
“Luckily I have space out in the mechanical shed to put things we’ll never use.” He’d have to pay to haul all Hank’s crap back off the planet, but he supposed that was the price for peace and quiet.
“You’re assuming Hank didn’t put stuff out there too,” she said.
“God, your brother,” he said, realizing that Hank would not be a distant nightmare if he stayed with Margaret, but rather someone he saw at holidays and family get-togethers.
“I know he’s exhausting, but he’ll grow on you.” She rolled on top of him. “Now that we’re alone…”
He switched their positions. “My turn to be on top I think.”
“Oh good, I’m ready for someone else to do the work.”
They kissed, slow and leisurely, not rushing because they didn’t have to. This was the start to a long, enforced cohabitation and they had time to get it right.
She helped him work his shirt off so he didn’t hurt his shoulder, spending time after to kiss along the duct tape. “You poor thing,” she said, running her tongue along the edge of his bruise.
“Strangely, I can’t even feel it right now,” he said, stripping off her shirt so he could explore every inch of her perfect breasts.
When they’d touched and kissed every bit of exposed flesh, they both shed their pants, then she rolled on top of him, straddling his hips. “I guess technically I’ve won the game,” she said, in between kisses.
“You didn’t end up with Chad.”
“No, I ended up with someone better.” Someone who matched her on every level. Someone she could grow old talking to about anything and everything under the sun, including Mars.
For a bit she was distracted, arching her hips in rhythm to his, as his large cock slid in her wetness. Then she remembered herself. “Wait a second, cowboy,” she said, bracing an arm on his good shoulder, because somehow she was now under him and they were mere inches away from penetration.
He blinked at her as if he were coming out of a sex induced haze, which she figured he was.
“Unless you want to create the first human on Mars...”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Condoms, get a condom,” she gasped, hating to break their stride, but really safety first had always been her motto. Of course, she’d forgotten it for a moment there, but it was hard to think, she was so turned on.
“Oh,” he said, looking adorably panicked as he picked up the box and wrestled with the packaging, stripping pieces of the tape off and prying off the box top.
Although, when she thought of having a child, instead of her usual caution, for the first time in her life it made her happy. After all, she wasn’t getting any younger. She really wouldn’t mind having her own little Martian running around the lab. One thing was certain, any child of theirs would be brilliant.
But that thought would have to be saved for a later time, because Jack had a condom finally freed.
“Now we have to start all over again since we lost the mood,” he said, but not like he was disappointed more like he was excited to further explore their passion.
“Speak for yourself,” she said breathlessly, “but if you need a do over, start here,” she said, offering him her breasts to explore, which he did, with the detailed attention of a true scientist.
And just like that, their passion flared to life again. She ran her hands along his muscled abs, the feel of the hardness under the soft skin making her shiver. He had such an amazing body. She wasn’t even sure she’d paid attention to how men were put together in the past, but she was pretty sure he was perfect.
When he stopped fumbling with the foil packet, she took the condom from him and spent some time running her mouth over his head, tasting him and enjoying the shiver of need that went through him at her touch.
“Goldie,” he growled, obviously growing tired of her teasing, his voice full of need.
She laughed, the sound so full of feminine power, she almost didn’t recognize it as her own. But she relented and rolled on the condom.
Then he was inside her, hilting deep, hitting a spot that felt like heaven.
“There,” she said.
And with a groan, he repeated the motion, his face a mask of concentration as he attempted to put aside his own need to give her exactly what she wanted.
“Yes,” she said, her climax building with an intensity so great it almost frightened her. She’d never felt this way before, even when she’d pleased herself. This was a deep, primal feeling building inside her, one of an impending explosion that she felt might engulf her. And then she was coming, tipping over the edge, taking him with her if his shout of triumph was any indication. Satisfaction and contentment flowed through her body like she had never experienced before. It had been everything she never knew she’d always wanted and more.
They collapsed in a sweaty heap, breathing as if they’d run for hours.
“I’m so glad you decided to stay. Being on Mars just became amazing again,” he said, rolling beside her and pulling her close.
“I’m glad you didn’t give up when I said no.” She draped her body across his and he ran a leisurely hand down her back to brush along her buttocks. She shivered with goosebumps.
He smiled. “I don’t ever give up. If I did, I wouldn’t have Mars and I wouldn’t have you.”
THE END