Page 62 of Lorran
“Is this the end of our date? I won the dare.”
“Unlimited kisses,” she said, despite thinking that they both won.
Lorran lifted her up, her feet drifting out from underneath her like she had her own set of rules for gravity. Warm and consuming, they shared so many kisses over the last week, but this one had a new element: promise.
Chapter 13
Lorran
They crashed through the door, bodies pressed together, mouths seeking, and hands everywhere.
Lorran lifted Wyn and set her on top of the counter. She blinked; her velvety eyes confused. “Bed? I mean, yeah for sex in the kitchen, but can we start in bed?”
He eyed the food preparation area. He had not intended to claim his mate anywhere but their bed, but now that she mentioned the prospect of other locations…he was intrigued. The suggestion had merit. “The heating elements pose a threat. Intercourse here is inadvisable, but we can try other locations,” he concluded.
Wyn laughed, the sound bright and unhindered. “Inadvisable. Stop being so hot.”
Lorran reached into the cabinet above her, doing his best to flex his arms for maximum effect. Wyn licked her lips. He removed two cups.
“Oh, the tea thingy. I’ve heard about that,” she said.
“It is not a thingy. It is a ceremony and a sacred moment between mates before they finalize their commitment to one another.” He set out the teapot and other accessories. Over the past week, he had been gathering the necessary components, yet his meager offerings seemed inadequate.
Wyn hopped down from the counter. “Sorry if I sounded flippant. What do we need to do and are we ready?”
Lorran cradled her face with one hand and brushed his thumb over her lips. “I apologize that I cannot offer you silken robes to wear, or a comfortable home, or even a comfortable room. I do not have the proper tea or even a proper tea set.” He thought of the delicate set of pottery that his mother gifted him, which sat in the original gift box in his cabin on theJudgment.
They should wait. His mate deserved only the finest, not a scavenged set of chipped pottery.
“Apologies.” He released her and stepped back with a sigh. “I will not pressure you. I will wait however long you need.”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” she said, grabbing his hand and keeping him in place. She searched his face. Whatever she saw, she knitted her brows and dropped his hand. “What’s going on?”
“My mother gifted me a tea set, for when I took a mate, and all I offer you is this.” He waved at the motley pieces he assembled. His efforts were inadequate. Laughable. He was impatient and rushing. Again.
“I don’t care about that,” she said, confusion on her face. “I thought we had a good date.”
“Yes. The best date I have ever had.” The first, if he excluded their expedition toSRV-P11, which Wyn jokingly called their first date.
“I’m ready for the next step. That’s bitey tea time, right?”
He scanned the room, noticing only the age and wear on the furniture and the water stains in the ceiling.
“But you’re not ready.” She breathed out, releasing a sigh. “Okay. This is going fast. I mean, we’re strangers. We’ve only known each other for two weeks.”
“A male knows his mate instantly.” He knew it when he saw her sleeping on the bunk in the back of the shuttle, but it took a good few minutes for his brain to catch on.
She gave a thin smile that did not reach her eyes. “You know I like you.”
“You love me,” he said, refusing to let her take those words back.
“Yes. I love you.” She lifted her chin, as if steeling herself for a battle. “I care for you, and I’m attracted to you. You’re handsome and kind and fun. When you make me laugh, I feel like the most important person in the world. That may sound shallow, and there’s so much we don’t know about each other, but yeah.” She sucked in a breath, as if preparing for a long speech, then let out a frustrated sigh. “That’s about it, I guess.”
“Your laughter is the sweetest sound I have ever heard,” he said, truthfully.
“I’m trying to tell you I’m in this for the long haul. A lifetime. If you want to wait for the right china and fancy robes, then we wait. This is important to you. A sacred moment between mates,” she said, repeating his words. “It sounds like a once in a lifetime event, so we do it right. No rushing. You know, on Earth we have a ceremony too. We call it a wedding.”
“I have heard my brother’s mate refer to this ritual. Tell me of it.”
