Free Living among the Stars (Sky Riders #2) by Rebecca Lorino Pond Page A

relaxed.
     
    He rolled them until she was lying with her head on his chest. “You are mine now. I will never let you go.” He kissed the top of her head. Closing his eyes as his body relaxed, he felt his mate’s body go limp as she drifted off to sleep. Exhaustion over took him too from the many nights of not enough sleep. He wanted to take her again, but he would have to regain some strength first. It wasn’t long before he too drifted off to sleep with his mate sound asleep in his arms.
     
     
     
    ******
     
     
     
    Kelly awoke sometime during the night with the feel of hand roaming over her naked body. It felt as if she had just fallen asleep, but she couldn’t resist the man making love to her again. It felt so good to be held by a man who truly cared for her. Of course, she had sex with a few men back on Earth, but she never experienced anything compared to what she experienced with Kharis.
     
    What would happen now that she gave into him? Were they considered married? Bonded? She didn’t have a clue. All she knew was that she didn’t want to be without him ever again. Her stubborn ways almost made her miss out on the best thing to ever happen to her. Almost made her miss out on the one man in all the universe who was made just for her. Am I falling in love with him, she thought as she lay in Kharis’ arms listening to him lightly snore. Yes, I am falling in love with him.
     
    She couldn’t wait to tell Maggie! She could just hear Maggie’s voice when she told her, “I told you so.” She smiled to herself at the image she got in her head of her best friend. At least she wouldn’t be in the same room with Maggie when she did tell her.
     
    After making love for the third time, she and Kharis finally fell into peaceful sleep wrapped in each other’s arms. She never felt so content in her entire life and never wanted to give of the feelings she was experiencing with the man holding her.
     
    She was dreaming of being on the beach back on Earth. She had a wonderful time with Maggie, but someone kept ringing an annoying bell.
     
    “Stop ringing that freaking bell!” she shouted out.
     
    She felt her body being shaken awake by a huge hand. The dream ended and reality came back as she opened her eyes to see Kharis’ hand shaking her as he reached for something on the nightstand.
     
    “This better be good,” he mumbled in a husky, sleep filled voice.
     
    It hit her that he was talking into his comlink and the ringing noise in her dream had when the comlink going off. She blinked her eyes several times to bring them into focus as she listened to Kharis’ side of the conversation.
     
    “When do you want us to go?”
     
    She couldn’t hear whoever was on the other end, but it was someone very important.
     
    “I don’t want to leave her behind. It’s not safe enough for me to feel comfortable enough to do that yet. Where was he sighted?” He ran a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. “Give me about an hour.” He disconnected the link and turned to look at her.
     
    “What? What’s the matter?” she asked as she sat up with a sheet pulled up over her breasts.
     
    “That was Etor. One of our scouting ships reported that numerous ships were seen leaving Lephus. He needs me to go assist the ships that are watching Lephus and see what they are up to.”
     
    “Has anyone seen that captain yet?” She didn’t want to have a run in with the man.
     
    “No, that’s one of the other problems. No one has seen him since he escaped, so who is leading what is left of the Lephusan people? Most of their warships were destroyed during the battle, but a few did manage to make a run for it.”
     
    She paled when she thought about Captain Zol’tsa. He probably had some kind of a hit out on her because of the roll she played in getting him captured. Not to mention the way she held a gun to his head.
     
    “What are you going to do?” She definitely didn’t want to stay behind. The man had gotten