Free Shielder — A new Science Fiction Romance (Book 1, Shielder Series) by Catherine Spangler Page A

been kissed,
Nessa?"
    She rubbed her mouth, sadness entering her
eyes. "Not since I was a child. My parents used to kiss me at sleep
time. But that was many seasons ago."
    He envisioned a young girl all alone, and
unwelcome compassion flooded him. "Is that when you lost your
parents?"
    She drew a deep breath. He noticed her hands
clenched in her lap, which he had come to recognize as a sign of
tension. "You might say that." She raised one hand to her mouth
again. "But they didn't kiss me here. I thought…." She paused, her
brow furrowing. "I…isn't kissing part of mating?"
    Chase cursed himself. Such an innocent would
be easy prey once he dropped her at Intrepid. He didn't have time
to educate an orphaned waif about sex. But he also didn't have the
heart to throw her to the wolves of the universe. He struggled to
keep his answer objective and impersonal.
    "It is part of mating for most people. But
many people enjoy kissing without mating. Do you understand what
happens when people have intercourse, Nessa?"
    Her deepening blush told him she had some
knowledge. "I've read about mating, but I've never…um, I'm not sure
exactly how it's done."
    And his body would like to show her. Chase
strode to his seat and sat down, willing his obvious physical
reaction to subside. He faced the console. "I'll locate some
instructional material on the computer for you."
    He awaited a barrage of questions. Although
she hardly spoke at other times, when her curiosity was piqued, she
interrogated him like an Antek would a prisoner.
    There was a long moment of silence, then she
said, "Would you kiss me again?"
    He spun around in his chair. "What?"
    Nessa rose and walked over. She stared down
at him, serious and intent. "Kiss me again. The other one was so
fast, I didn't have the chance to see what it's really like."
    She touched his shoulder, and the blood
pounded back to his lower body. "Nessa, I don't think—"
    "Do you just press your mouths together?"
she asked, bending down. He started to rise from the seat, but then
her lips touched his, soft as Saija silk. And as electrifying as a
fully charged solar panel.
    He pulled her into his lap; her weight there
only intensified his need. He grasped her face, his eyes probing
hers. "There's more to it than pressing your lips together. Open
your mouth. Touch your tongue to mine."
    Surprise reflected in her eyes as she
considered this information. "But what about germs? I thought you
said germs could be spread by—"
    "To hell with germs." His mouth came down on
hers, his tongue plundering between her lips. She gasped but tried
to accommodate him, opening her mouth too wide at first. But she
proved to be an apt pupil, quickly adapting to his movements.
    He kissed her thoroughly, unable to resist
sweeping his hand up her rib cage, brushing his fingers against the
side of one firm breast. It swelled at his touch. One of his own
body parts expanded in response.
    He slid his hand around, cupping the breast
and teasing the nipple. Nessa started with a small cry, but he
wrapped his other hand around her head and recaptured her mouth.
With a throaty little sound, she sank against him and he moved his
attention to the other breast.
    The blood pooling in his lower extremities
left him lightheaded, devoid of common sense. What would she do if
he opened her tunic and pressed his mouth to one of those tender
mounds? Or—
    The docking tone blared through his
consciousness, alerting him to the fact that Sabin's ship had just
aligned with his. Fortunately, it stopped him from doing other
aligning he would very much regret later.
    "What is that?" Nessa pulled back, alarmed
and flushed.
    Chase took the opportunity to lift her off
his lap as he stood. "That's my associate, Sabin Travers. He's
docking to pick up Long and take him to Alta."
    It was a good thing a few more minutes would
pass before the docking procedure completed. That would allow his
overheated body time to return to normal. He glanced at