gaian consortium 03 - the gaia gambit (33 page)

The word was beautiful. “What does
trenalle
mean?”

His arms tightened around her. “It’s difficult to translate exactly. I suppose the closest I can get in Standard is ‘heart’s heart.’ You are my heart’s heart, Lira. You are
trenalle
. Beloved.”

Something inside her seemed to break then, hearing him say such a thing to her, telling her that she was what mattered, the connection between them was what mattered, not the expectations of his family or his heritage or his world. She pressed herself against him and said, “You are my heart’s heart as well, Rast. Before you — well, I just didn’t understand. But somehow you help everything make sense. Even though
we
don’t make sense.”

He laughed, and bent to kiss her, his lips warm against the side of her head even through her hair. “No, I suppose most of the galaxy wouldn’t be able to make sense of us at all. But I don’t care about that. I don’t care about anything, except being here with you.”

“Neither do I,” she replied, and turned in his embrace so she could pull him against her, pull him into her, not wanting the intricate dance of foreplay, not wanting anything except the feel of him inside her, filling her, making their bodies one, moving together as a single entity, as a single expression of need, of desire.

Of love.

Eventually they slept, and then some hours after that they got up and squeezed into the shower unit, laughing as they tried for the first time to fit both of them into a space intended for only one normal-sized human. Lira’s hands explored him, stroked him, brought him to a climax as the hot water sprayed over them both. Good gods, he was starting to wonder whether she was insatiable, or simply trying to make up for lost time.

Either way, he was the clear beneficiary here.

But at length they made it to the cockpit and stared out the viewscreen together, gazing on the velvet black backdrop with its billions of tiny winking suns.

“Where to?” she asked, an echo of her question from the previous day.

He knew the destination didn’t really matter. The only thing that mattered was that they would go there together.

“You choose,” he said.

Lira cocked her head to one side, appearing to consider. Then she smiled and began programming in a long string of coordinates.

“I take it you have someplace in mind.”

“I do,” she replied. “Do you recall a conversation about Callia, and room service at the Eridani Majesty?”

“All too well. So it’s breakfast in bed, courtesy of our new credit vouchers?”

Her eyes twinkled. “Breakfast…and lunch…and dinner.”

“Sounds like heaven.”

“It will be…if you’re there.”

Then she put her hand on the controls to engage the subspace drive. He placed his hand on top of hers, and together they activated the engines and watched as the
Mistral
leaped forward into the shimmering light.

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The Gaia Gambit
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ALSO BY CHRISTINE POPE

TALES OF THE LATTER KINGDOMS

(Fantasy Romance)

THE WITCHES OF CLEOPATRA HILL

(Paranormal Romance)

THE GAIAN CONSORTIUM SERIES

(Science Fiction Romance)

THE SEDONA FILES

(Paranormal Romance)

The first three books of this series are also available in an
omnibus edition
at a special low price!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Her work includes paranormal romance, and fantasy and science fiction/space opera romance. She now works as a freelance editor and graphic designer in addition to writing fiction. She fell in love with Sedona, Arizona, while researching the Sedona Trilogy and now makes her home there, surrounded by the red rocks. No alien sightings, though...not yet, anyway!

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