Page 53 of Alien Mercenary's Wife
"Ten minutes ago, you were just..." She paused, looked away. Then back at him, decisive. "You made me eggs. Like it mattered."
She reached up, fingers brushing the stubble shadowing his jaw. Electricity raced through his nervous system as he looked down at her.
"Learning your father runs the galaxy doesn't change anything for me." Her thumb traced his bottom lip. "Doesn't change who you are to me."
He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. "And who am I to you?"
"Mine."
"Reese." Her name escaped his lips, barely a whisper.
"Just shut up and kiss me already."
Her lips met his with desperate intensity, as if she were pouring her anger, fear, and relief into the kiss. He responded without thinking, one hand sliding into her hair while the other settled at her back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.
She tasted like coffee. Her mouth moved against his with hunger, demanding rather than asking, taking what she wanted with the same directness she brought to everything else.
He lost himself in how perfectly she fit against him. Her hands fisted in his shirt, anchoring them together as the kiss deepened… became possessive.
When they broke apart, both breathing hard, she rested her forehead against his chest. He felt the tension in her body that had nothing to do with neural damage and everything to do with the same desperate need clawing at his self-control.
"This doesn't solve anything," she said, lips brushing his neck. "The medical treatment. The other veterans."
"I know." His voice came out rougher than he'd ever heard it.
"And I'm still angry you tried to keep this from me."
"I know."
She pulled back to look at him directly. "But I'm not going anywhere. Emperor for a father or not, you're still the man who's been taking care of me. Still the man I?—"
She stopped, words catching in her throat.
She’d said that before. Stopped herself the same way. His hands tightened on her waist.
"The man you what?"
She shook her head. He cupped her face in his hands, thumbs tracing the sharp line of her cheekbones.
"Answer me, Reese,” he ordered, his voice a low growl.
Heat flashed through her eyes at his tone, pupils dilating as her breath caught. For a moment, she looked like she might challenge him, might pull away and rebuild those careful walls.
Instead, vulnerability flickered across her features before determination took its place.
"The man standing in front of me." The words came out in a whisper. "The man I want, Imperial complications be damned."
"Reese." Her name was a prayer on his lips as he closed the distance between them again.
This kiss was different—slower, deeper. His hands slid to her waist, lifting her effortlessly and carrying her the few steps to his bunk. She wrapped her legs around him, holding on.
He lay her back against the mattress, following her down without breaking the kiss. His weight settled over her, careful not to crush her smaller frame but close enough that he felt every curve against his chest. Her hands found the hem of his shirt, slipping beneath to explore bare skin, fingers tracing muscle that years of combat had sculpted.
He pulled back to study her face in the soft lighting. Her dark hair spread across his pillow, her lips swollen from his kisses…Draanth,she was beautiful.
“I’ve wanted this since the moment I saw you," he admitted, his voice rough. His fingers moved to the fastening of her shirt, hesitating. "Are you sure?"
Her answer was to reach up and undo the first closure herself, challenging him with her eyes. "Imperial prince or not, you still ask too many questions."
