“Well, bondmate, we are now on Arturri, the third moon of Velerion. We are in our personal quarters in the new Starfighter base.”
Um… huh? Wait…
“Really? We’re not on Earth?”
“No.”
I looked around, trying to believe that what I’d heard in the video game was actually real and that I was on a moon orbiting another planet. In another solar system. My gaze came to rest on luggage that looked all too familiar. A black duffel bag I’d used when I’d gone to the Canadian Rockies the summer before and two avocado-green hard-sided suitcases that I’d taken when I’d left my mother’s double-wide for the last time. Even though I knew the answer, I asked, “Are those mine?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Yes.” He turned to me, and his hand moved to cover mine. His touch was slow and gentle. I felt calluses on his palm, and it eased me knowing he wasn’t perfect. A fake video game guy wouldn't have them. They made him real. And that hand had been cupping my breast.
Cupping. My. Breast.
Which made me really in space. Yeah, that made no sense. As if the only place I was going to get some action was on another planet. Or moon base.
“I thought you might be comforted by having your things here, in our new home.”
“New home?”
His sigh was deep, his disappointment clear by the slant of his shoulders and downturned lips. No one that gorgeous should look so dejected. And I was the cause. He’d been kind, collecting my things. Thoughtful.
I shifted in his hold, sat up all the way. The room didn’t spin this time, and I inspected the large bedroom with a king-size bed, multiple built-in closets and drawers along the wall, a door that disappeared into what appeared to be a bathroom, and another door that was firmly closed. The sheets were soft, the lights were low, and I really didn’t want to move. I wasn’t ready for this. I really wasn’t. I sighed, then said, “I’m sorry. I know I’m asking the same thing over and over. This is a lot to take in.”
His thumb stroked the back of my hand, and I hid the shiver of lust that rocketed through me at the small touch. This guy was lethal. I knew now just how big he was beside me. I could feel his breathing, feel the texture of his uniform. The same as the one I’d worn when I’d flown all those trainings beside him.
“Perhaps you will feel revived by a shower and change of clothing.”
Hot shower? Yes, please.
I agreed at once. He climbed from the bed, then helped me stand. After ensuring I wouldn’t fall on my face, he led me to the connecting bathroom nearly identical to one found on Earth. Sink. Toilet. As he pushed a few buttons, I almost sighed with relief at the sight of running water. “I thought we were on a moon? How do we have water?”
My brain was definitely scrambled, because I was asking after weird scientific things. I wanted to ask him if his cock was as big as it felt, but I wasn’t sure if he’d laugh, run, or let me touch it and find out.
“Arturri has two large ice caps as well as significant groundwater stores. All our water is recycled and purified. We have more water here than we will ever need.”
So not a barren, rocky, gray lump in the sky above Velerion. And to answer the cock question, I eyed the front of his uniform pants. The bulge was undeniable.
Alex pointed to a small closet in the bedroom behind us, hopefully missing the open ogling. Although, he’d held me while I slept and had touched me somewhat intimately. It was tit for tat. Or tit for cock.
“Clean uniforms are there. They should fit you perfectly.”
“Okay.” If they made me look as good as Alex did, I was okay with that. Plus I was curious. Were they really going to look exactly like the uniform my avatar had worn in the game?
“You will be well on your own?” He looked me over in an assessing way, although I couldn’t miss the gleam of appreciation. “The trip across great distances of space is not a problem for those who have been doing it their whole life. You will quickly adjust, but I do not wish for you to fall in the shower and hurt yourself. I can help.”
“You want to bathe me?” I asked, my mouth hanging open. My voice sounded surprised, not because I couldn’t do it on my own, but because I really liked the idea.
“We are bondmates. Whatever you need, I shall provide.”
I had a feeling he meant a lot more than helping me with soap and a washcloth.
Wow, okay. While he was… spectacular, I wasn’t quite ready for that. Yet. I wasn’t sure what would happen if he took off his clothes. My mind—and body—would probably melt. No matter how crazy all of this was, I was attracted to him. Everything I’d said to Mia and Lily hadn’t been wrong. I wanted him.
I cleared my throat. “I can do it. Thanks.”
Even though his attraction had been obvious, Alex was a gentleman and turned on his heel and left me alone. The door slid closed behind him, offering me privacy as I took a long, hot shower. Too long probably, but I wasn’t quite ready to face whatever insanity I’d gotten myself into. Once I couldn’t get any cleaner, I turned off the water, dried myself, and pulled out the uniform.
Just as he’d said, it fit like a glove. I took another five minutes turning around and around, admiring myself in the mirror I had discovered on the backside of the closet door. I was in the Starfighter uniform.