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I brace myself, but I know what she plans to say.
“I’m going through with the Proving Ceremony.”
I swallow what’s left in my glass, dropping it back onto the tray with a clink!
“I suppose there’s no chance I could talk you out of it,” I say, the harsh flavor of the drink lingering in my mouth.
“They want to manufacture a hardship in our marriage, to chase me away from you and this planet because I’m a weak human who doesn’t understand their ways.” She empties her own glass and places it next to mine. “I might’ve been running away when I came here, and I might’ve spent plenty of time running away from my emotions and my past… But that’s all over now. The results of the ceremony don’t matter. I mean to show them that it doesn’t matter what the risks are. I’ve chosen you, and I take that choice seriously.”
She comes to stand in front of me, gently pressing her palm against the center of my chest.
“I’ve been running from something else, too,” she says. “And I’m about ready to turn and face that.”
“Very well,” I agree. “But don’t forget that I’ll keep running with you. I’ll run from anything with you. That’s always an option.”
“Deal.”
With the matter settled and our glasses sitting empty on the tray, there’s nothing left but to go through with this. Frankie slips the robe from her shoulders as I head toward the bed. Tension fills the room, and I’m thankful for the way that rindliquor goes straight to the head. I need that haze to soothe me, lest I lose all my senses. When she’s hung the robe, she turns toward me with a tremulous smile.
“Look at us,” I say. “Two grown adults acting like nervous youths.”
“Did all that time you’ve spent waiting for me put you out of practice?” she asks, climbing onto the bed. I take a seat beside her, admiring the little red spot that’s developing on her neck where I kissed her.
“You say that like the war I fought had nothing to do with it,” I joke, thinking back to the last time I actually bedded a female. I hardly remember the night, the result of some last-minute carousing before our campaign to take the planet had begun. “No, it doesn’t matter how long it’s been. I’m not nervous because of that. I’m nervous because it’s you.”
“You shouldn’t worry about my issues and focus on enjoying—”
“Not because of that,” I cut her off quickly. “I’m nervous because pleasing you is the most important thing to me in this universe.”
A flush of pink touches her cheek. “I feel the same.”
“Come here into my arms,” I say, pulling her towards me as I recline. She follows, nestling against me on her side. “You came apart for me so quickly last time, so I should hardly question my ability to undo you again.”
“Then show me,” she urges, leaning her face closer to mine to invite a new round of kisses. “We’ve done enough waiting.”
“I need you to promise me one thing before we begin,” I say sternly, tucking my knuckle under her chin. “Tell me to stop the moment you feel anxious.”
She nods at me.
“Promise me,” I say.
“I promise I’ll tell you if we need to stop,” she says.
“There’s a good mate.”
As I release her chin, I let my fingers gently graze her neck. That alone makes her gasp, and I know we’ll have to take this slowly.
“Do you think it’s wise to have offered up a meal like this to a starving male?” I ask her. How I’ve longed to run my fingers through her hair, and now I can do so at my leisure, threading through the dark brown strands.
“At this point, I trust you more than I trust myself,” she tells me.
“That’s because out of the two of us, I’m the one who’d prefer not to dip you in a boiling pool of water.”
A glare is her only reply to that quip.
Part of me wants to be careful, savoring every subtle touch and watching her reaction. The other part of me wants to grab her up in my arms and devour her all at once. I could slide my hands all over her, make up for every lost opportunity to caress, kiss, and worship her in one hungry sweep.
I take her hand, open it up, and kiss the palm.
