"Why don't you message me more often?" she asked him, seemingly out of nowhere.
It wasn't exactly what he would have chosen for pillow talk.
They were tangled together in crisp white sheets, one of the few luxuries Reyes could claim at his place, cut from the stone in the slums behind Tartarus. It was a bunker, really, but with security a top priority, it had been more important that incorporation of its design leant itself primarily to an impenetrable, private escape, and less toward style and comfort. If he was going to lose consciousness regularly, he needed to do it in a place where he felt unquestionably safe.
It was sparsely furnished, with the bed taking up most of the space, a small table and two chairs in a minimalist kitchenette that was little more than a countertop with a sink and a hot plate, and a tiny bathroom the size of a closet. Although he had a lot of appreciation for nice things, he was still in the habit of conservation, the waste not, want not mentality that had been drummed into his head since birth still alive and kicking within him. He may be the King of Kadara now, but old habits died hard.
His answer to her question was automatic, if not the whole truth. "You're busy. I only want to bother you with important things." And not to cling.
A sheen of sweat glossed over her skin. The ventilation there wasn't the greatest, and their labors of the afternoon filled the room with body heat and the sweet scent of her flesh. With her hair a silken tangle, she'd never looked lovelier.
There was a ceiling fan, idly spinning above them, blowing just enough air to keep them from being uncomfortable.
Sara loomed over him on the bed as he lay back on the pillows, one small hand rubbing his chest while the other played in his hair. She seemed to delight in messing it up, but then, he enjoyed making her sloppy, too.
He pulled the sheet back to get a better view of her naked skin, all pale softness, delicate curves and intriguing hollows.
"What have you been working on?" she asked, just as he was reaching out to touch her.
He traced a hand across her back, sliding down to find a haven right at the point where it started to curve up into her ass.
She wanted to know more. He couldn't blame her. "Well, I need to assess what the Resistance's expectations are, now that Sloane's out of the picture. Going forward, I may just serve as a go-between for Evfra and Keema."
She laughed, seeing the amusement in having the boss do the work of a subordinate who was fronting as the boss, who herself would have been more appropriate for and had gotten her start as the one in the roll of go-between.
"I also need to get my hands on some more water filters. The work you've done with the vault helps, but a lot of the people here are still relying on what's been stored in tanks. It could take a while before everyone loses their fear of going thirsty."
She lost her smile, looking at him then with an expression that caused something inside his chest to tighten. Sliding her hand behind his head, she pulled him in, lips capturing his.
He returned the kiss, tongue softly rolling against hers. He'd already taken her twice since he'd brought her there, but feeling a stir below his waist, he felt optimistic that perhaps round three was within the realm of possibility.
She pulled back, looking at him as his hand slid up and down the sleek plane of her back.
"Mmm, that feels really good. We've been at it so hard lately, I've been feeling sore all over."
From all she'd told him of the fighting she'd seen, both on Kadara and elsewhere, he didn't doubt for a minute that a good massage was the least she deserved.
"Come here," he said roughly, sitting up and rolling her to lay on her belly. He straddled her thighs with his knees, settling back on his haunches. His hands swept over her lower back, pressing into the muscles with deep firm strokes, loosening the tension that had built up there. He felt her relax as she groaned into his pillow.
The sound coupled with the sight of his dark skin contrasting against the whiteness of her back sent another surge of excitement through him. He needed a distraction, and conversation was always good. "So, you came here to go rock climbing with Vetra? I'll probably just need to do this again, once you've finished."
"Is that an offer, Vidal?"
"Hell, yes it is," he chuckled, working the top of her left shoulder before moving on to the right. She moaned as he kneaded a particularly stubborn knot, feeling the muscles smooth out beneath his hands.
"Damn, you're really good at that," she said, her voice muffled by her position.
His hands moved down to slowly run over her bottom and his desire became sharp and consuming. "You know what else I'm good at?"
Her breath caught as he turned her over to face him. "Um... lots of things?"
He gave her a wicked grin, committing her beautiful features to memory. Holding her thighs with his hands, he moved down to kiss her flat belly.
Her respiration picked up, her hands fisting in his hair as he moved lower, ready to taste her despite their earlier love play, the traces of his ownership of her firing his blood and making him ravenous for her.
Pressing her legs apart, he licked his way up her slit. He bathed her with his tongue, loving the way she trembled and gasped, her pink flesh the most responsive he'd ever experienced. He pushed inside her, reaching as deep as he could, his tongue imitating what his body craved from her even now. He nibbled at her oversensitized tissue, her body tensing as she reached for everything he offered.
He knew that she loved it when he flicked just there, angling his tongue to tap against her clit in a steady rhythm. And after only a few seconds, she broke, crying out as her body spasmed against his mouth.
He stroked her through it, bringing her down nice and easy before he moved up to take her in his arms.
Her sharp little teeth sank into the muscle at his right shoulder as she lay against him in tangle of boneless limbs.
He brushed a kiss over her cheek, whispering into her ear. "Sleep here with me tonight."
She clung to him and nodded. "Oh, I will. Vetra can wait."
The entire galaxy could.
Tipping her chin up with one finger, he softly claimed her lips. Right now, he had everything he wanted.