Free 3013: SALVATION (3013: The Series Book 5) by Laurie Roma Page A

he said, “Please don’t regret our
time together.”
    “I don’t,” she promised. “But
what about you? I could—”
    “No. If you touched me right now
I don’t know if I would have the control to keep my promise to you, and it’s
important to me to give you the time that you need.”
    Skylar nodded and blew out a
long, slow breath. Being with Arik had overwhelmed her. She had never come so
fast or so hard in her life, and it had left her feeling lightheaded and a
little off balance. If this was a sign of what they could have between them,
then she was in for one wild ride. “I’d say thank you, but that seems sort of
trite.”
    He flashed her a grin. “It was my
honor and privilege to touch you. I will always give you whatever you need, and
someday, I know you will do the same. Now, shall I see you back to your
quarters?”
    “I think I’m just going to sit
here for a few minutes.”
    Seeming to understand that she
needed a few minutes to get herself together, he nodded. She wondered if he
realized that she wasn’t quite sure if her legs would hold her if she tried to
stand at the moment, and figured he probably did. She nibbled on her lower lip
and nodded toward the prominent bulge tenting the front of his pants. “Maybe
you should wait a few minutes before you go back to your room.”
    With barely a rustle of sound, he
brought the tips of his wings forward, effectively shielding the front of his
body from view. He winked at her and said, “One of their many uses.”
    She laughed. “They do come in
handy.”
    Arik looked down at the soupy
mess inside the bowl on the counter. “Since your ice cream has now melted, why
don’t you get some more from the freezer since you still need to eat
something.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “I thought you
said this was the last of it?”
    His grin was nothing short of
mischievous. “I said it was the last of the triple chocolate fudge brownie ice
cream, but there are other chocolate flavors available.”
    Skylar tried to scowl at him, but
ended up laughing. She enjoyed this playful side of Arik. He was always so
serious around her, and hadn’t expected this lighthearted moment after what had
just happened between them. It made her appreciate it even more. She pushed him
gently on the arm. “Go to bed, you chocolate pusher, you.”
    He chuckled as he leaned in to
kiss her once more. “Good night, my keeper. Dream of me, as I will dream of
you.”
    She sat where she was, not moving
after he’d gone. Arik had surprised her tonight, first with what he’d told her
and then with the way his touch had affected her. She knew without a doubt she
would have had sex with him if he’d kept touching her, and was glad for his
control. So much had changed in such a short matter of time that it left her feeling
unsure of everything. Sighing, she got off the counter and made her way to the
freezer for more ice cream. Whoever said that chocolate was as good as sex was
a big fat liar...but it was a damn close second.

 
    ***
    Chapter Five
     
    “Take your seats.”
    High Commander Jax Spartan stood
at the head of the conference room table the following morning for the briefing
and waited for everyone in the room to follow his command. He scowled as Serra
took a seat between Sullivan Archer and Skylar, then turned to level a glare at
the latter that simply made her groan softly.
    “Serra, you’re going to earn me
an ass kicking and I haven’t even had any coffee yet,” Skylar whispered in protest
to her friend. Serra shot Jax a glare of her own before smiling back at Skylar.
    “Jax would never do that or else
he might suffer another night of sleeping on the couch.” With a soft laugh at
Skylar's shocked expression, Serra leaned over and murmured, “I wasn’t pleased
when I found out what your meeting with Jax was about yesterday. Let’s just say
I gave him some time to rethink his position on your situation with the
regents.”
    Skylar’s eyes widened comically.
“Shit,