ROMANCE: BAD BOY ROMANCE: Basketball Daddy (BWWM Alpha Male Billionaire Pregnancy Romance) (African American Unexpected Pregnant Contemporary Romance) (61 page)

The Goseb camp was packed up quickly, and within the hour they had taken to their ships and left. We moved more slowly. Detro was in no hurry to return to the ship and the angry communications that waited for him. Instead, he sat down in front of the fire and motioned for me to join him.

I couldn’t sit. Instead, I paced around the campfire, my arms crossed. Detro just stared into the fire, sipping slowly from a glass.

“Come, sit beside me,” he said.

“No!” I yelled, and when I looked at him he looked almost impressed. I had never spoken to him that way before, but I couldn’t stop now. “You have to do something about that,” I said, pointing to the ships. We could see them in the sky, quickly moving up and away from us.

“There is nothing to be done,” he said, with a shrug. “Commander Etan will only be pleased when he gets what he wants, and I won’t permit that. A stand has to be made. It can no longer be appropriate for the Gosebs to treat humans like they’re nothing. I won’t stand by and watch that happen.”

“But if he reports you to your superiors then you’ll be taken away. You won’t be able to fight anymore. You’ll be taken out of the game.”

“I’m not done,” he said. “I have more power and more supporters than Etan. This is only the start of the fight, not the end.”

I crossed my arms and stared into the thick jungle. I wished I had the skills to survive in the wild. I wanted to just run away into the forest, live in the vines, drink from streams, never get on a spaceship again. I took two steps toward the thick foliage but the faraway call of some large animal stopped me.

There was no running away. I could never escape the Gosebs. This was their planet. With their superior technology, they could find me in mere moments.

“Please stop worrying, Mereen,” he said.

“How can you say that?” I demanded. “How am I supposed to relax? The Gosebs are going to destroy everything you’ve built here. They’re going to take away the privileges you’ve given. Do you think they care that output is better? They like using us. They like abusing us. They like the power they hold over us more than efficiency. We’re going to lose everything and it’s all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said, with a shake of his head.

“Yes, it is. You’re doing this for me. I’m the entire reason the commander left so angry. You shouldn’t have stopped him.”

“Don’t ever say that,” he said, getting up and striding towards me. He took my shoulders in his hands and turned me until I was facing him. “You are worth everything to me.”

We were so close, only inches apart. His strong hands were the only thing I could focus on. It had been a long time since we had stood this close, since the first time we met when he took my chin in his hands.

Much had changed since that first day. I felt no fear with him. His strong arms were on mine, but I wasn’t afraid. If anything, I only felt safer. I reached up and put a hand on his chest. Gosebs had a similar makeup to humans. His heart was in the same place as mine. I could feel it thumping under my hand. He looked calm, but I knew it was just another mask he was wearing. His heart was pounding, thundering away in his chest like the galloping of a thousand horses.

“I hate that you’re my prisoner,” he said, and it felt like my heart was being torn in half. “I wish that I could claim you as my own. I wish that you could be free on my ship and go wherever you wanted. I don’t want to be with you like this. I want us to be equals.”

“It’s the only way,” I said. “Even you said that we should not expect to see peace within our lifetimes.”

“There is another way,” he said, and his voice was a low whisper. I could hear the call of animals, the crackle of the fire and the wind whispering through the trees. “Have you ever heard of the Sanctuary?”

I shook my head.

“I’m not surprised,” he said. “The Gosebs would never permit this rumor to spread amongst the humans.” He caressed my cheek with the back of his hand and said, “Please come and sit by the fire. You’re cold.”

We walked over together and sat down in comfortable chairs. Detro put a blanket over my shoulders and I stared into the fire as he spoke.

“Officially, the Sanctuary doesn’t exist,” he said. “The same way there is no human rebellion.”

“There is no human rebellion,” I said, looking at him in confusion.

“Of course there is,” he responded. “There’s a major battle being fought in your solar system as we speak. The humans have caught up to us, technologically. We no longer have the fastest ships and best weapons. There’s a resurgence happening. But the Gosebs are worried that if word spreads it will encourage the human prisoners to rebel. It’s better, to them, that you exist with no hope at all.”

“A real human rebellion,” I said, my eyes wide. “I’ve only ever lived under the Gosebs.” The world with just humans, the world where I could be free. I had heard so many stories about Earth. The great cities, the oceans, paintings and songs. But I thought it a faraway legend. A myth, nothing more.

“It’s true, and the Gosebs are getting worried. The rebellion isn’t their only worry. There’s also The Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a far off system of seventeen planets circling a bright yellow sun. It’s very similar to Earth’s solar system. They’re building a new society there. A world where humans and Gosebs live in peace and equality. They are the ones funding the rebellion. They build the ships, take refugees and grow the food.”

“The Sanctuary,” I said quietly. “I’ve never heard anything about it.”

“It’s kept very secret,” he said. “I’ve debated telling you many times. But I don’t know where it is or how to get there. I didn’t want to fill you with false hope,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t have any contacts in the rebellion. To get the location of the Sanctuary I would have to give up all of my work here. I had hoped to find some way to do both, but now... I feel I might be done with half-measures.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean, how can I talk about treating your people better? You’re our prisoners, you have no rights. To pretend that we could slowly transition to equality is nonsense. All that does is make it easier for my people to rationalize destroying yours. It’s not good enough. It has to be all or nothing.”

“So you’re going to join the rebellion?” I asked him.

“Something has to be done,” he said. “I can’t live with you as my prisoner anymore. It’s killing me.”

“I don’t want to cause you pain,” I said.

He reached over and took my hand in his. He brought it to his head and kissed the back of my hand and then the palm. He held my hand like it was a delicate piece of porcelain, something to be worshiped. He treated my dry and chapped hands, which had only ever known hard work, like they were perfect.

“You are the only thing in my life that brings me joy,” he said.

I looked over at his face, lit gently by the warm fire. A tingle went up and down my back as he held onto my hand, stroking my knuckles with his thumb. There was a longing in me that I had never felt before. A stirring inside my stomach, a pull in his direction.

“If we went to the Sanctuary I wouldn’t be your prisoner anymore. I would be free,” I said. “We would be equals.”

“We are equal now,” he said. “In my eyes, you are far better than me.”

Now it was my turn. I brought his green hand up. He was still wearing the black gloves of his armor and I slowly removed it, revealing his green hand. One by one I kissed the pads of his fingers, as I looked into his violet eyes.

“Do you fear me?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I long for you,” I whispered. He took my hand and pulled me closer to him. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me close. I looked up into his eyes and then his lips were on mine. I closed my eyes as his kiss crashed down on me.

My lips met his. His hands were on my chin, guiding me towards him. I opened my lips and our tongues danced together. Next to us the fire was dying down. It was nothing more than a few embers. But we had enough heat between us. We kissed deeply, my arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to me.

He broke the kiss, but we remained connected, our foreheads touching. I could see right into his violet eyes. I could see the want and the need there.

“You don’t have to do anything-,” he started.

“I want to,” I interrupted. I was breathless. My heart was pounding. My face was flushed and hot but I wanted more. I had never been held like this. I had never felt so safe and protected. I wanted him. It was just that simple.

I had never wanted anyone else before. There had never been a man that had caught my eye. I thought I stayed away from men because I was worried I would lose them. But now I understood the real reason. I had been waiting for Detro. He was the man I belonged with. My heart and soul always knew.

I knew that I might lose him, but that only made our last moments together that much more precious. We didn’t have long. Every second was another second gone. I didn’t want to waste any of it.

I buried my hands in his hair. He sucked on my lower lip and I quivered in his arms. His kisses were passionate. He was consuming me and I let him. His hands were exploring up and down my body. He grabbed my hips, clutched at my thighs.

“Come with me,” he said. The fire was nearly dead, and in the darkness I took his hand and trusted him to lead me. We walked silently through the jungle towards his tent. He pushed the flap aside and I entered.

Nervousness overtook me once I was inside. I felt lightheaded and in the darkness I reached for him. His hands found mine in an instant. He pulled me closer and my fingers found the catches and buttons to his armor. Piece by piece I removed it, his breastplate, the guards on his arms and legs. When I was done, he stood shirtless in front of me in nothing more than a tight pair of shorts.

My shaky hand reached forward and I raked my fingers down his chest. He growled, but I didn’t let that stop me. My hand traveled farther down and he began to kiss my neck. His soft lips and tongue kissed and licked across my sensitive neck. I shuddered and grabbed his head as he held me even tighter.

“Yes,” I sighed, as he bit my neck.

He broke away from me and found the zipper on the front of my jumpsuit. He went slowly, kissing every inch of my newly exposed chest. He finished and the jumpsuit fell to the floor. A cool wind swept across my bare skin and I shuddered. He brought me close to him, pulling me to him and kissing me deeply.

We fell back onto the bed and he removed my bra. My breasts were exposed to the cold night air and I felt my nipples form tight peaks. Detro looked down at me and smiled and then, almost lazily, with the tip of his finger, he encircled the tip of my breast. His touch was light and teasing and it wasn’t long before I was moaning for more.

He leaned down and kissed the sensitive space between my breasts. He moved to one, taking my nipple between his teeth and flicking it with his tongue. I arched my back and clung to his strong shoulders, straining for his touch.

He moved between my legs and I brought my legs up on either side of him. He ran his hands up and down my body, squeezing my breasts gently before moving on. His touch lit a fire inside of me, a fire I had never experienced before. I wanted this. I wanted more.

I sat up and pulled him towards me and then down onto the bed. He lay on his back and I straddled him. We weren’t naked yet, but I could feel how hard he was. I moved my body against him and he closed his eyes and let out a low grown. I kissed his smooth chest and his hands curled into my hair.

“I want you, Mereen,” he whispered. “I would do anything for you.”

I found his lips and kissed him deeply as I continued to rock my body against his. He scraped his teeth along my neck and growled, and then he reached down and his hands found the waistband of my panties. Suddenly, he was flipping me over. He slipped the thin cloth down my hips, over my knees and past my ankles, before tossing them on the floor.

He leaned forward and kissed me as his hand moved between my legs. I took a gasping breath as I felt his fingers slide inside of me. He began to move his fingers in a slow rhythm and a bolt of pleasure shot through my body. He chuckled at that and then his hand focused on that place.

“Oh...yes,” I arched my back as he touched that place inside of me that was made of fire. Pleasure flooded my body. I could feel it from my head to my fingertips and all the way to my toes. It was like warmth and electricity all at the same time.

He kissed my breasts as his fingers continued to spin. I whispered for him to keep going, crying out in pleasure with every other breath. My eyes were closed; I couldn't tell up from down. I forgot where I was and who he was. All that mattered was that he never, ever stop.

He pulled his hand away and I cried out. He kissed me and then got up, pulled his own shorts down and stepped out of them, and climbed back into the bed.

“Come here,” he whispered, grabbing my hand. I sat up and kissed his bare shoulder and then looked into his violet eyes. He kissed me once, gently, and then turned me around. I was on my hands and knees as he positioned himself behind me.

His hands ran up and down my back as he slowly entered me. I was already wet. I let out a long, shuddering sigh as my body adjusted to his size. He began to move, slowly, back and forth. Then he was leaning forward and his fingers were touching me again. His fingers and body worked in a perfect rhythm that seemed designed to drive me mad.

“Yes. Please. Yes. Don’t stop.” I didn’t know what I was saying. My body was out of my control. I was pushing back against him, moving with him as the pleasure in my body grew. It was too much. It felt too good. I couldn’t take it anymore. Nothing in my life had ever been like this.

I cried out his name as he sped up. The pleasure inside of me was like a wave. It was growing and growing, and soon it would crash over me. I didn’t know if I could handle it. It felt like too much. But there was no way I could stop. I didn't want to stop.

My fingers curled into fists and then, suddenly, it was too much. My entire body tensed and then I was screaming out the word ‘yes’ as my body convulsed around him. My every nerve tingled, my every muscle seized. My entire body rocked with pleasure and I could feel it was the same for Detro. Finally, with deep heavy breaths, I came back down to X29. 

We fell down onto the bed. His arms wrapped around me and I rested my head on his shoulder.

“What happens now?” I asked him.              

“We will have some time,” he explained. “The commanders will have to call a tribunal and the tribunal will decide.”

“Maybe they’ll agree with you,” I said.              

He shook his head and kissed my shoulder. “No, they won’t. But don’t worry. I won’t be taken by them. I will have my own plans, for me and for you. No harm will come to you and I will not go to re-education.”

“Then where will you go?” I asked.

“It’s best if you don’t know,” he said. “But I will not leave you all alone. I promise you that.”