Kraving Tavak (The Krave of Everton Book 4) Page 18

  The sunlight highlighted his strength. She could see the textures of his deep blue-grey flesh. In a strange way, she felt like she was seeing him for the first time. Truly seeing him.

  Tavak didn’t notice her perusal. He was studying the end of the bed and crouched to inspect it, his cock hanging between his legs, nearly touching the floor. Magnificent male.

  His eyes flashed up to hers. In them, she saw amusement, which slowly gave way to heat when he saw the way she was looking at him. Between his legs, his cock began to twitch and Stella gave him a small smile.

  “Don’t distract me, female,” he scolded her, which made her smile grow even wider. Then another small laugh rose from him and Stella nearly sighed in contentment. “Your bed won’t last another round of fucking. Believe me.”

  “There’s always the floor,” she suggested.

  Tavak ran a hand down his face again, as if he didn’t know what he was going to do with her.

  “Veki, let me fix the bed before it caves in completely. Reji has tools around here, I’m assuming?”

  Tavak was offering to fix her bed?

  Why did that turn her on even more?

  Then again, she’d always had a thing for males good with their hands. Her past lovers were vessel mechanics, after all.

  Stella nodded eagerly. “Yes, downstairs in the cellar.”

  “Good,” Tavak murmured, rising from the floor. Stella was a little disappointed when he began to dress again but what she wasn’t disappointed by was the way he was eye-fucking her as he did it.

  Stella sat up a little straighter in the bed at the attention, feeling it wobble dangerously with the small movement. Tavak saw it and then he reached for her, easily picking her up and depositing her directly in front of him, her feet firmly on the floor.

  Mmmm, he smelled so good.

  Stella couldn’t help herself when she went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He breathed her in deep as he responded to her kiss, giving it to her soft and slow. Her head went all dizzy but she grinned against his lips.

  Finally, Tavak pulled back. Quickly. As if he feared he’d have her on her back soon before he could fix the bed.

  “Your bed won’t do for us,” he told her, pulling his tunic back over his head, “even after I fix it.”

  He turned towards the door, about to head down for the tools.

  Over his shoulder, he informed her, “Mine will do fine though. Plan to spend tonight there once you close down the bar, pax?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “He’s not leaving,” Khiva told him quietly.

  Tavak’s throat bobbed and he gave a short nod. He’d already known that.

  When Khiva had entered the warehouse a few moments ago, all noise from the workers that Tavak oversaw seemed to hush. It wasn’t often the Prince of Firestones himself came to the warehouse, especially during their working hours.

  Khiva had pulled Tavak to the side and they were speaking quietly in a dark, empty corner. It had been a handful of days since they’d last spoken about Yikerza. But it still brought about the same reaction within Tavak.

  Disgust. Self-hatred. Shame. Fury.

  “I’ve done some research on my own,” Tavak told him. “Digging through universal news sources, tracking down passenger manifests from Jrika to see where he’d gone next.”

  “And what did you find?”

  “After Jrika, he left to settle on a colony named Koore. He’s been there since, up until six months ago. I found his name on an outbound vessel but lost him soon after. Then he came to Dumera.”

  “You think he somehow found out that you were here? That Keriv’i were here?” Khiva asked.

  Tavak had been Yikerza’s favorite to ‘employ,’ after all. Tavak’s ability had filled Yikerza’s pockets with more credits than the Wa’zuyi male knew what to do with.

  But Tavak didn’t think that was why Yikerza was here. It didn’t make sense.

  “I think he came by chance. More and more beings are flocking to Dumera. Word gets around that there is work here and more will come,” Tavak told him. “He’d be a fool to approach any of us.”

  Khiva nodded in agreement but then said, “It seems we can’t freeze him out, however. I found out that he’s staying at Eopor’s inn. On the north side.”

  That made sense. Tavak hadn’t seen him around the small colony. Eopor’s inn was on the outskirts of the colony’s center. The very outskirts. The male boasted the cheapest housing prices on all of Dumera.

  “But you know Eopor. Or know of him. The male won’t turn away credits. Says Yikerza’s done nothing wrong so he won’t make him leave his establishment,” Khiva told him, crossing his arms over his wide chest. “He told me Yikerza’s working in the mines.”

  Tavak’s brow furrowed. “The mines?”

  Khiva inclined his head.

  That type of work was…beneath Yikerza. Because it was honest and difficult work. The Yikerza Tavak had known had always possessed a shrewd intelligence. He’d been conniving and manipulative. He took advantage of beings to make himself rich. He didn’t do the dirty work himself. He never had.

  So it was surprising to hear that such a male was working in the mines. Laborious and oftentimes brutal work.

  “I don’t know what to think,” Khiva said. “But for now, we can just keep track of him. I have a few beings keeping an eye out, pax?”

  It was the best they could do right now, Tavak knew.

  “Thank you, my friend,” he murmured, clasping Khiva’s forearm.

  Khiva clasped his right back. “Have you heard from Ravu?”

  Tavak nodded. “He patched a call through. He seems to be doing well. He enjoys the work, enjoys being,” Tavak nodded his head to the ceiling of the warehouse, “up there. Can’t imagine why.”

  “You and I are in agreement there.” Khiva huffed out a small laugh. Then he sobered, his smile dying a bit. “And what is this I hear about a human female?”

  Eve.

  Of course Eve would’ve told Khiva about Stella. The mated pair didn’t have any secrets from one another.

  Tavak told him quietly, “She’s a friend.”

  Khiva’s brows almost rose in surprise. Tavak caught the slight twitch before Khiva smoothed his expression.

  “And you’re…good?” Khiva asked, watching him.

  Good.

  What he really meant was if Tavak was good with fucking a human female after everything that had happened on Everton.

  “You and Dravka have human mates,” Tavak pointed out, his shoulders tightening slightly at the guarded tone he’d heard in Khiva’s voice.

  Khiva blinked. This time, his friend couldn’t shield his surprised expression. “So you mean to take her as your mate?”

  “Veki,” Tavak said quickly. “That’s not…that’s not what I meant.”

  So why did his whole vauking body throb with satisfaction at the thought?

  Because he was losing his mind over a human female, that was why. And Tavak needed to be very careful about that.

  “I’m good,” Tavak told Khiva, if only to avoid the topic. “I should get back to work.”

  Khiva’s lips pressed together. After a long, palpable hesitation, he nodded.

  Relief threaded through Tavak when Khiva began to turn.

  Then Khiva paused. With his back still turned, he said softly, “You know, it’s all right to be happy. To want happiness and contentment. To strive for it. After everything, don’t you think you deserve it? You don’t have to punish yourself forever, Tavak. For something you couldn’t even control. I made my peace with it long ago. I wish you would do the same.”

  Then his friend was walking away.

  And Tavak stared after him with a tight throat and clenching fists, hearing those words echo through his brain.

  Walking into Reji’s was like a balm on his soul, Tavak realized. The tension from the day released. It was warm and a little dim inside, but the moment he heard Stella’s laugh, it was like sinking into a hot
bath. His muscles loosened. The tightness he’d held in his neck since his conversation with Khiva earlier disappeared.

  And then she was looking at him, catching his eyes over the head of a bar patron she’d been talking to and laughing with. Through the male’s horns, her face was framed perfectly. Her eyes were mischievous. Her smile was a little shy though infinitely bright. She looked so damn excited to see him and Tavak wondered what the hell he had ever done to deserve such a look directed his way.

  Tavak realized he’d stopped in the doorway just looking at her. A Laoti female behind him grumbled as she squeezed past since Tavak had been blocking the door.

  Finally, Tavak shook himself and went to his seat. Stella was already tending to the Laoti female who’d come in, sliding across a big goblet of brew to her. When she was done, her hips swayed his way. Hips his hands had been wrapped around earlier in the morning. Hips he’d used as leverage to grind her down onto his aching cock.

  “What would you like?” came her husky, throaty voice. Teasing him already with her words and her smile and her scent.

  Had Tavak ever thought he’d be addicted to sex with a human female? Thinking about it constantly? Itching for it? Needing it?

  Never.

  Sex had always been work. A means to an end. Though, over the years, Tavak hadn’t even known what that end was anymore.

  But now…

  Vauk, sex was good. Really vauking good with Stella. So good he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  “I would like if you closed the bar early,” he rasped to her, leaning over the counter that separated them slightly. “Because I’ve been thinking about fucking you all day and I’m at the edge of my patience.”

  Stella’s face flushed, her lips parting at his bold words, her chest beginning to heave a little.

  The look in her eyes told him all he needed to know. That she wanted that too. That she craved him as much as he craved her.

  Yet, she said, “You can wait a little bit longer, darling.”

  Darling?

  Tavak growled. A part of him liked these little games she played. The other part of him knew that his Rut was coming. It would very likely hit tomorrow and he thought he should try to release as much tension as he could now while he still had control of his body.

  He didn’t want Stella anywhere near him when the Rut did hit. Because he feared he might hurt her. He’d never had a female see him through a Rut before. He didn’t know how he’d react. What he did know was that he got a lot stronger during it. And humans were already so fragile.

  “How about a brew to take the edge off?” she suggested quietly, giving him an absolutely sinful smile that made his hearts stutter in his chest.

  Tavak leaned back in his stool. The tension from earlier returned but it was a different kind of tension. A much more exciting kind, one filled with possibilities.

  “How about we go upstairs quickly to take the edge off?” he returned.

  Stella’s smile widened.

  “I never thought that you’d be such a shameless flirt, Tavak,” she breathed, laughing a bit.

  Was that what he was doing? Flirting?

  He grunted.

  “Besides,” Stella said, beginning to turn, giving him a view of her backside that had him running a hand down his face. “I don’t think my bed would last another round with you in it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  When Stella woke up the next morning, she knew she’d just had the best damn sleep of her entire life.

  Partly because Tavak’s bed was amazing—firm yet soft and spacious. Partly because it wasn’t so hot in the jivera forest, the shade from the canopies blocking out most of the harsh sunlight in the morning. Partly because Tavak had fucked her into a coma the night before and she probably hadn’t moved a single inch.

  Stella sighed, smiling. She was smiling as she woke up. That was saying something, wasn’t it?

  His scent was all around her. Wrapping her up like a warm cocoon and Stella just wanted to stay like she was forever. Naked. In his bed. Warm and sated with his bite marks on her neck and the memory of his strong fingers digging into her hips.

  The lingering scent of jivera blooms permeated the small room. The only pieces of furniture in here were his bed—which took up the majority of the space—a modest dresser, and a chest for storage. The bed faced a large window with brown shutters that opened like doors. They were open right now and a cool, refreshing morning breeze was floating across the bed, making her shiver pleasantly.

  She never thought she’d be cold waking up on Dumera. But there was a first for everything and Tavak was showing her a lot of firsts.

  Stella sat up in the bed, her gaze shifting to the empty space beside her. The indent of his body was there, so close to her. Her gaze went out the window again, a sea of greens and blues and browns from the trees. It was quiet out here. There a hushed calm about this place and Stella was already dreading leaving it.

  It was late, however. The bar was a mess after last night because she’d left with Tavak quickly. Well, they hadn’t quite made it out so quickly. He’d taken her against the bar the moment the last patron had cleared out. And then they’d come back to his jivera. She had a lot of cleaning to do this morning. The brew barrels needed refilling too, a daily task she always dreaded. She hadn’t washed a single goblet from last night. And she was expecting a shipment of Dumerian roots in the early afternoon. She’d already woken up so late.

  Yet she didn’t regret it. She didn’t regret a single thing.

  Stella could only find her tunic in the room and remembered that her pants had come off near the entrance door. When she padded out, she was peering around the quiet place for Tavak…and she was also being nosy. His room was the door to the left of the hallway. There was another door in the middle, which led to a washroom, and then another door at the other end of the hall.

  There was nothing personal, however, she noticed. No knick-knacks like the ones she had in her room, collected on her travels with her mother and Haase. No mementos from his past life. The home was sparsely furnished though it didn’t look empty. There was a coziness to it. It was cozy in the quiet morning light and in the plush rugs and in the feeling of peace there.

  She found Tavak in the sitting room, just to the left of the front door. He was sitting in a wide brown armchair—a design she recognized from the earth colonies, though they were popular throughout the Quadrants now. There was a desk against the far wall, stacks of paper and log books neatly piled across it. There was a low table in front of the armchair and a few cushions tossed on the ground on the other side of it. Stella imagined lying there, feeling the soft rug on her back.

  Tavak was reading something on a Coms device, his face lined with determination and something else. Something that made Stella still. Something that looked like dread.

  The Coms device Tavak possessed had a see-through back. It was a clear device that when powered off almost completely disappeared. And from that distance, she could see what he was looking at.

  News headlines. From the New Earth colonies. Everton, in particular. She recognized the logo for the Everton Gazette.

  Stella stepped into the room and Tavak’s head snapped up. The device powered off, a quick slide of his fingertips across the screen, and then the headlines fell away.

  “You read the Everton Gazette?” Stella asked, giving him a small smile, thinking it a little odd. Then again, she understood why someone would want to read about faraway places. About what was happening in other parts of the Quadrants. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

  Tavak stilled at her words. It only occurred to her afterwards that maybe she shouldn’t have said anything.

  At his lengthy silence, she realized that…he was uncomfortable. He didn’t want her to know.

  Oh.

  Stella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as Tavak stood from the chair, dropping the Coms device on the low table in front of him. It blended in with the wood
almost perfectly.

  “Good morning,” she said, a little nervous now. She was trying to get a read on him but his expression gave nothing away. Was he upset that she’d stayed the night in his bed? Was he worried that she might overstay her welcome?

  He seemed a little different this morning. A little broodier. He didn’t tease her when she came out without pants on or about how late she’d slept in. He had his ever-present frown on but Stella knew that didn’t necessarily mean he was upset.

  “Kasunu,” he murmured in reply, his voice gruff and deep.

  He’d stopped at the table but didn’t approach, though he was watching her carefully. His gaze was pinned on her actually and she felt a little shivery with the intense attention.

  Still, she noticed he didn’t move towards her. He didn’t come over to give her a kiss though he’d hardly been able to keep his mouth and tongue off her last night.

  Stella pressed, as she always did. “Not going to give me a kiss good morning?”

  She saw his fist clench. He was bare-chested, a delicious sight that had her wanting him already, even after the night they’d just had. His pants were slung low on his hips, revealing muscles there that human males didn’t even possess.

  “I better not,” was what he told her. There was a hint of a growl to his words. A darkness in his tone she’d never heard before.

  Silence stretched between them as those words reverberated around her brain and echoed in that quiet place.

  Right.

  Back to this then.

  Only sex.

  Nothing more.

  Stella would be lying if she said it didn’t hurt. But he’d told her as much from the beginning, hadn’t he?

  Still…was a kiss really asking so much?

  Stella caught sight of her pants on the ground and the sight of them pinched at her a little more. Because last night, he’d practically torn through the laces trying to get them off her.

  And now?

  Tavak was in a surly mood this morning, that much was clear. He wouldn’t even come near her.