Or not so secretly. Surral had eyes like a hawk, and apparently, I wasn’t that stealthy.
He was very disappointed that you had to leave so quickly, but I explained a bit about the situation, and he understood your urgency. I told him you specifically said to work on his math, and I must say, he’s been applying himself. But now you’ll have to tell him to work on his writing, because the better his calculations get, the worse his penmanship. I’m starting to wonder if there’s an inverse relationship there that I should begin studying.
A laugh bubbled inside me. My penmanship was great, and my math stank. Surral was probably on to something.
Math, however, was more important than neat writing. How much had I handwritten after leaving the classroom? Or even in it? Next to nothing. A list here and there, if someone else was already using the tablet and I couldn’t type it out directly.
But how many times had I wished my math was better? Several—especially when I found myself fumbling through navigation.
Reading, though, was essential.
Coltin is an eleven-year-old boy and therefore much too cool to say how much he loves you. If you were here, though, you would see it in his face and the way he talks about you. Mareeka and I also love and miss you. Please send news again when you can.
May the Sky Mother and Her Powers bless you.
Surral
I sighed at the end of her message, a happy-sad sound that made Bonk look over. Happy because things were okay at the orphanage. Sad because a part of me always wanted to be there. I powered down the tablet and put it in my bedside table, thinking about Surral’s parting blessing. She was a believer. Mareeka wasn’t. That was just another contrast between them. I fell on the side of Mareeka, but I was glad other people, like Shade, could find comfort in whatever they thought was out there.
I scratched lightly between Bonk’s ears. “If they’re right, and I’m wrong, won’t I be sorry?”
His engine revved up, vibrating through his small body.
“Is there a kitty God? Some deity to keep all you felines on the straight and narrow?” My fingers glided under his chin, and Bonk lifted his head for more, his yellow-green eyes slitting blissfully. “Never mind. You’re it. The Cat Lord.”
He purred louder, which I took as his wholehearted agreement.
“Good thing you’re with me. I could use the Cat Lord. You know, the next time we’re about to be blown to smithereens by the nasty Dark Watch. Just keep it in mind, will you? Bonk the Almighty.”
He agreed again. I was sure of it. His whole black-and-gray body rumbled like an earthquake. The soft white fur beneath his chin was irresistible, so I leaned in and kissed it. He tickled my nose with his whiskers and didn’t look entirely happy that I’d stuck my face in his neck. Cats must not like that. It was too bad. I did. It was so fluffy, and his purring was like an auditory blessing.
Shade knocked before sticking his head into the room. “Hey, baby.”
“You don’t have to knock.” I straightened, smiling at him. “This is your room, too.”
He smiled back at me, slipped inside, and shut the door behind him. Bonk jumped off the bed and went to Shade, weaving between his legs. After sufficiently bumping his head and whiskers against Shade’s ankles, Bonk looked at the door, waiting expectantly. Shade opened it, let him out, and then shut the door again, throwing the lock this time. He turned back to me with a slow, sexy smile that sent a thrill shivering through my body.
“Yes, please.” I got up on my knees and reached for him before he’d even moved again.
In two strides, Shade was in front of me, his hands on my waist. I loved big hands. Shade’s had scarred knuckles.
He gazed down at me, his brown eyes blazing. “You read my mind, starshine.”
I slid my hands around his neck and looked up at him through my lashes. “It wasn’t that hard, actually.”
Shade’s eyes dipped to my mouth, a wolfish hunger sharpening his features. In one smooth move, he flipped me onto my back. I gasped, then grinned. His ability to maneuver me with so little effort was impressive. It turned me on as much as his beat-up knuckles and wicked space-rogue smile did. Anticipation electrified my systems, taking my pulse to the next level.
Shade lowered his head and kissed my chest just above the line of my shirt. I was pretty sure he was aiming for the smattering of light freckles below my collarbone. He slowly unzipped my top, kissing every new inch of exposed skin. I squirmed, already craving more than the soft, brushing contact. When he reached my navel, he palmed my breasts. I arched into his touch and felt his smile on my abdomen.
He unfastened my bra and laid it open. While he teased one nipple into a peak with his fingertips, he licked the other, circling the bud and flicking his tongue over it. When the tip was beaded and aching, he took it into his mouth and sucked with a hot, hungry pull that made my mouth fall open. I speared my fingers into his hair and held on. The erotic tug on my breast echoed from my chest to my sex, and a ribbon of heat pulled taut between them. I tilted my head back and rubbed my thighs together. Shade moved one hand down my body, the unhurried but targeted progression ramping up the needy tension thrumming inside me. I made a low sound when he finally slid his fingers between my legs and pressed down, stroking.
I sought more pressure and lifted my hips as he shifted his focus to my other breast, leaving the first one tight and pebbled in what now felt like cold air after the intense heat of his mouth. Shade teased this side with just the tip of his tongue and then bit down softly on my nipple. I sucked in a breath, arousal flaring inside me.
“Good?” he asked against my skin.
“More,” I rasped out, bright sparks of excitement following his every touch.
He nipped again, making me jerk and moan before he licked away the sting and scattered kisses up my chest and over my shoulder. His hand moved deeper between my legs. He skimmed a finger up and down the seam of my pants, and I shuddered in pleasure.
“You’re so hot down here. Already burning up. Is this for me, baby? All this fire?” Shade cupped me with his whole hand, ground down with the base of his palm, and groaned as though he’d found a treasure.
I nodded, all my focus on Shade’s body and hands and deep, husky voice. Sensation washed down my spine. Tingles raced through me. Desire slicked me hot and wet under his fingers, and I spread my legs wider.
“Shade…” I shifted against him, ready for our bodies to line up and lock. I could barely stand the emptiness where he should be, moving inside me and filling me up.
“I want you. Need you. Fuck, Tess…” Shade’s breath came heavy against my neck. He rocked up, gripped my head with both hands, and captured my mouth for a fevered kiss that stole my breath and wound its way so deep inside me that my soul got tangled up in the embrace.