[I need to quickly thank two lovely followers of this story, Marina Black1 and Duchess Emma, for their fantastic support. If you see any growth in the quality of the writing as this story progresses, you have them to thank! I know I do! Thank you both so much.]
Emery stretched, yawned, and then curled back up against Roman's bare chest contentedly. He smiled at her in pure adoration as he lightly traced a path along her dusty arm with his fingers. The rain had stopped and the cyper pollen had fallen back to earth, coating the roof – and Emery's skin – with a very faint layer of color. He pulled her closer, placing gentle kisses along her jaw until, frustrated by his chaste approach, Emery pulled away slightly. He craned up toward her, not wanting to part with the taste of her skin, but she pushed one finger firmly against his lips and forced him back down.
Emery straddled Roman and leaned forward so that her dark tresses cascaded around their faces, blocking out the rest of the world. She grinned down at him teasingly – but then hesitated. Perhaps she was being too forward?
Roman saw her eyes flicker with uncertainty. He smiled at her encouragingly and stretched up again, pretending he couldn't quite reach her, until she bent just a bit closer and lightly brushed her lips across his. He chuckled appreciatively and lunged the last few inches, finally capturing her mouth and kissing her fully.
Roman grabbed Emery's waist and flipped her over, kissed the rise of her left breast just over her heart, then pulled back with a frustrated sigh.
"Curfew is in an hour," he reminded her. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and frowned at him for a moment.
"Well, that certainly kills the mood," she stated, trying not to let a pouting tone sneak into her voice.
They dressed haphazardly, in between kisses stolen at every chance. Roman sat back down once they were mostly put back together, and dragged Emery into his lap. The shadow that usually hung over his brow was gathering again. She placed her hands on his face in an attempt to hold it at bay.
"Emery, what are we doing?" Roman finally asked her. "How is this supposed to happen now?"
"I don't know," Emery answered honestly. "But I'm not afraid," she added. "And you don't need to be, either. We have each other. Let's just let the rest of the world be messy without us for a bit," she suggested.
Roman sighed. "You still don't understand," he tried to explain. "My role is to protect my people. The messiness is with me. Always. You shouldn't have to deal with all that, and it's not really fair of me to ask it of you."
Emery laughed at him lovingly.
"In case you missed it, I've already gotten myself pretty deeply involved, Roman. If you could scare me off that easily, I think I would have run long ago."
Roman's hearts swelled with pride at her response. There was no question: she was fearless. That her fearlessness sometimes bordered on carelessness did not escape him, but he had long ago resigned himself to protecting her even when she refused to see the danger.
"So," she continued, "If you can't separate yourself from all this, then at least let me share the burden with you." She leaned into him, pulling his face to her and softly, tenderly kissing him again. It wasn't fair, she thought – they had wasted so much time before now, avoiding each other. She wanted to make up that time, those lost embraces, starting right now.
Despite himself, Roman gave in to her. He wanted her, too, so it was hard to deny her this. He had spent enough time as an ascetic.
They lost themselves in each other again, their mouths exploring flesh more fully than in the initial heady rush of earlier. Roman's hands slid up Emery's thighs, under the hem of her dress, and Emery shivered in surprise and pleasure. She tugged at his shirt impatiently, pulled it up to expose his bare torso, and ran her lips lightly along the river of dark skin that coursed over his chest and stomach.
She jumped in surprise when Roman groaned loudly at the touch.
"I'm so sorry, did I hurt you?" she asked apologetically.
"Just the opposite," Roman managed, panting. His brain was suddenly overwhelmed with images of Emery's naked body, writhing in ecstasy. He had to get himself under control. "But unless you want this all to escalate again, and quickly, you might want to be more careful."
Understanding lit Emery's face, and she smiled mischievously.
"What, you mean this?" she began, taunting Roman by nuzzling against the right side of his neck.
He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back quickly. His reaction caused her to frown, hurt, but then she saw the wild look in his eyes and froze. She had clearly gone too far.
"I'm really sorry... this is all so new to me," she whispered. Roman relaxed a bit then, and allowed a smile.
"It's not exactly like I've slept with a lot of human girls before you, either."
Emery tilted her head down, not wanting to look at him. "No, I mean this is… all… new to me," she whispered. "Four years quarantined in a hospital, remember?"
Roman stared at the crown of her head, understanding slowly dawning.
"Now I just feel like an ass," he murmured as he pulled her in close, hugging her protectively.
"No, please don't say that," Emery scolded. "I'm… glad? Is that the right word?... I'm glad that it was you," she explained quietly, looking up for one more kiss before they had to leave for the Sector wall.
…
There were fifteen minutes left to curfew when they arrived at the wall. Roman's cautious nature served them well when, a hundred yards from the storage unit, they noticed activity ahead. Emery gasped and moved closer to Roman.
Two SEU guards were there, welding loose sheets of corrugated metal back into place.
