Page 62 of Signed, Sealed, Seduced
Her smile is radiant in the starlight. “Even when I reorganize your filing systems without asking?”
“Especially then,” I confirm, bringing her hands to my lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. “My life has been immeasurably improved by your chaos.”
“Controlled chaos,” she corrects with mock indignation. “There’s a difference.”
“Indeed,” I agree, pulling her closer until she’s standing between my knees as I kneel on the cushions. “Your chaos has structure. Purpose. Like everything else about you.”
The playful light in her eyes shifts to something deeper as she realizes our position, the intimacy of the moment settling around us like a cloak. Her hands come to rest on my shoulders,her fingers tracing the crystalline patterns that mark my heritage.
“I love how these glow when you’re... emotional,” she murmurs, her touch featherlight along the ridges. “It’s like watching your heart beat in color.”
The simple observation sends warmth spiraling through me, my markings responding to her touch and her words. “They respond to you,” I admit. “They always have. From the first moment we met, you have been able to read me in ways others cannot.”
“Good,” she says, her voice taking on a husky quality that makes my breath catch. “Because I intend to spend the rest of my life learning all your tells. Every expression, every reaction, every way you show me what you’re feeling.”
Her words are a promise and a challenge, spoken with the same confidence she brings to everything else. I feel something shift in the space between us, the atmosphere charging with possibility.
“And I intend to spend the rest of mine learning what makes you gasp,” I reply, my voice dropping to the rumble that I know affects her. “What makes you tremble. What makes you call my name like a prayer.”
Her breath catches, just as I intended. “Henrok...”
“Yes,” I murmur, my hands settling on her waist. “Like that.”
She laughs, but it’s breathless, affected. “We’re supposed to be having a romantic moment. You know, sweet and tender and—”
“And what?” I interrupt, pulling her down until she’s straddling my lap, the movement placing us at eye level. “What did you expect from your alien warlord fiancé?”
The word ‘fiancé’ seems to surprise her, her eyes widening slightly. “I... I hadn’t thought about it that way. You’re my fiancé now.”
“I am,” I confirm, my hands sliding up her back. “And you are mine. My promised mate. My chosen partner. My future wife.”
Each word is punctuated by a kiss—to her jawline, her temple, the sensitive spot below her ear that never fails to make her shiver. She does so now, her hands fisting in my shirt as I continue my careful exploration.
“The bonding ceremony,” she manages, her voice unsteady. “When... when will it be?”
“When you wish it,” I tell her, my lips moving against her neck. “Tomorrow, if you desire. Or we could wait, have the formal celebration with representatives from your homeworld, from the allied systems...”
“Tomorrow,” she says immediately, then seems to surprise herself. “I mean... I don’t need a big ceremony. I just need you. This. Us.”
The fierce certainty in her voice undoes something in my chest. “Tomorrow, then,” I agree, pulling back to meet her eyes. “Before the Council of Elders, with whatever witnesses you choose.”
“Rusty,” she says immediately. “And Vex’ra. And... and that’s probably enough. I don’t need crowds of people I barely know. I just need the people who matter to us.”
“Our family,” I observe, recognizing the truth of it. This fortress, with its eclectic collection of beings, has become exactly that—a family we’ve built together.
“Our family,” she agrees, and then she’s kissing me, her mouth soft and desperate against mine.
The kiss is different from the others we’ve shared tonight—less gentle, more urgent. It carries the weight of our commitment, the promise of forever, the desperate need to seal this moment with something more than words.
I respond with equal fervor, my hands tangling in her hair as I deepen the kiss. She makes a soft sound of need that goesstraight to my core, her body pressing closer as if she can’t bear even the smallest distance between us.
When we break apart, both breathing hard, her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are dark with want. “I know we’ve been together for three years,” she says, her voice husky. “But somehow this feels like the first time. Like we’re promising each other something entirely new.”
“We are,” I realize, the truth of it settling over me like a revelation. “Everything before was... exploration. Discovery. This is commitment. This is choosing to bind our lives together, permanently and completely.”
She nods, understanding flickering in her eyes. “So show me,” she whispers, her hands sliding up to cup my face. “Show me what it means to be yours. Really, truly yours.”
The request is both vulnerable and bold, so perfectly Suki that I feel my heart skip. I lean into her touch, pressing a kiss to her palm before answering.
